My Anchor (Trio Series Book 1) (6 page)

“Well, it turns out one of Malibu Barbie’s friends isn't going to make it to the wedding so I have to fill in. Kill me now. So we are going to some bridal shop in Seattle to look for bridesmaids dresses. I told mom she had to pay for it since she was making me do it. I'm just hoping it’s strapless.” She says the last part in an evil tone. That girl.

“Well, that sucks. Have fun with… that.” I laugh at her impression of making herself throw up. Classy.

“What about you Cris? Big plans or is it just the two of us?” She looks down at her hands and mumbles something. “What was that Cris.?” Shana asks.

“I have a date.” She says in a little louder of a voice. Well hell.

“With who? With who?” Shana practically jumps on top of her.

“Just a guy.”

“Hot tattoo guy?” I gave her the card the day after we got our tattoos. She threw it in the garbage but later that night I saw that it wasn't in there anymore. She took it, she had to of.

“What no! A guy from my art class.” Oh, darn. Hopefully, this guy makes her smile as big as sexy tat man did.

“Okay then. We gonna meet him?” Shana asks.

“Um maybe. Hey wait, she is seeing someone and we haven't met him yet. Didn't we have a three date rule? Third date and we get to meet the guy. Right?” Well shit.

“Not yet guys. I really don't know where this is going, don't want to jinx it you know?” I say in a pleading voice. I'm just not ready for the ‘meet the friends’ moment.

“We will let it slide because I think this guy is good for you,” Cristal says putting me at ease.

“Thank you. Now I'm going to go get some damn laundry done. I'm on my last pair of panties.” I say reluctantly getting up and going to my room to gather my dirty clothes that are in piles on the floor. I will get them all done today. I repeat over and over in my head. Like that is going to help. My phone buzzing in my pocket stops me from my task. It’s Lee calling.

“Hello?”

“Hey. So turns out I'm severely bored.”

“And?”

“And I want to see you.”

“Well, I'm going to go do some much-needed laundry. If you need to do some yourself we could meet up somewhere?”

“Damn tempting. You have machines in your building?”

“Yes we do but they are doing some remodeling down there so I have to go to the laundry mat.”

“Which one?”

“Coin spin. Closest one.”

“I’ll pick you up in twenty be ready. I’ll supply the quarters.”

The other line goes dead before I can even respond. I guess I really have to do this now. I grab my laundry sack and stuff all of my dirties in it then put that in my basket.

“Okay, I'm off to do laundry love you, girls,” I say as I try and dash out the door before they ask how I'm even going to get there.

“How are you getting there?” Shana. I'm not very stealthy.

“Lee is picking me up. I’ll be back later. Don't wait up.” I get out the door as fast as I can, hearing her laugh out ‘I sure won't’. Brat. Getting out of the building I see Lee walking up to me from his jeep as if he knew I was going to be walking through the door.

“Hello there beautiful.” He says kissing my cheek and taking the basket out of my hands. “Can’t wait to see your dirty panties.” Oh, my god. He did not just say that.

“Gross you perv.” I wrinkle my forehead at him.

“I'm kidding. I bet they're sexy, though.” He wiggles his brows at me. He has the cover off the jeep so he just lifts my basket into the back seat next to his then opens my door. After I get in he shuts the door rounds the vehicle and gets in.

“Ready? Or do you have more panties you need to go get?”

“Will you get off my panties?” Oops just heard that out loud.

“That would be my pleasure, but right here?” This man.

“Well, that would be kind of hard since I'm not wearing any.” I wait for his come back but get nothing. I turn to see him just looking at me. “What?”

“You being serious?” His voice has a husky tone to it now. Am I getting to him?

“It is laundry day. Why do you think I need to wash my panties?” He coughs then clears his throat.

“You are wearing a dress.” Oh, I am getting to him. I’m wearing a simple black v cut maxi dress with thick white straps and pink flip flops. Nothing else. As if on cue my nipples perk up and he zeros in on them.

“Fuck you have no idea what you do to me screamer.” He half whispers. “Let's fucking go before I lose my fucking mind.” He sure gets all cursey when he is frustrated. Kind of sexy.

My nipples decide to calm down and so does Lee, well for the most part. He is still his smart ass flirty self and I'm learning that I like it.

“Well now look at these,” Lee says holding up a pair of black lacy panties. These ones, in particular, have a black bow in the back. They really aren't practical just something sexy. I really don't know why they are in my dirty clothes bag being is I haven't worn them since I bought them.

“Give me those, they aren't supposed to be in there,” I tell him snatching the piece of lace from his hands.

“They’re cute, but would look even better on my bedroom floor.”

“That’s a cheesy line and you know it!” I smack his shoulder like a damn flirty teenager. “But so true.” I follow up with a sly smile.

“You are trouble screamer. What kind of ice cream do you like? I was thinking of going to that place you can make your own concoction of ice cream. What do you think?” That sounds good.

“Then what will we do? Maybe test the theory on those panties?” He smiles his big beautiful smile then suddenly goes serious.

“No babe you aren't ready for that just yet.” Excuse me?

“What do you mean by that?”

“Just mean that this…” He gestures between us. “Is more than that, and we aren't there yet.” Brushing my bottom lip with his thumb he takes it between his thumb and forefinger and tugs slightly. “Okay babe?” is it weird that I like him calling me that?

“Okay.” My voice only a whisper but he hears me then leans forward and gives me a quick soft kiss. And I'm jello.

“Hands down best ice cream ever,” I say with a full mouth of my chocolate ice cream , marshmallow and toasted coconut creation. Lee went with a banana split type thing. Vanilla mixed with chunks of banana, pineapple, cherry and topped off with chocolate syrup.

“Let me have another bite of yours.” I’ve been stealing spoonfuls of his. His is better I’ll admit it, to myself, not to him. He tried to get me to branch out more, mix in more things, but I stuck with what I knew.

“Nope not sharing anymore. Eat your own.” He sticks his tongue out at me.

“Could we go out on your boat again? Maybe you could teach me how to sail.” This gets his attention.

“Really? I didn't get the impression you liked the boat too much.”

“No, I liked it just fine. I just… I would like to go out again. I had a lot of fun that day and would just like to do it again sometime.” I admit.

“I would love to take you out on the lake again.”

“That would be great.” And I'm smiling again. A true genuine smile. He sure seems to have that affect on me.

Walking out of the ice cream shop, we see a couple with a child maybe two years old. The man is yelling at the woman and jerking her arm. She is trying to get away from him and get into her car. The boy is trying desperately to hold onto his mother’s other arm. May even be trying to help pull her away from him. It gives me a flashback of when my mom and dad got into an argument outside of the grocery store and I tried to pull her away from him. I was a little older maybe five. I really hope that this kid doesn't have this memory or any other one when he gets older. Lee leaves my side and starts calmly walking over to them, telling me to stay back.

“There a problem here?” Lee casually asks the man, as if he were asking him what time it was. I followed, of course, getting close enough to smell that the jerk is completely drunk.

“Bitches being bitches” the guy slurs “she owes me money.” I'm sure she does.

“Sucks man, hate it when women do that.” At first, I want to smack him upside the head for being a dick but then I realize what he is doing. The man lets go of the woman to express his plight. Before I can even take another breath Lee has the man’s arm behind his own back and him is face down on the pavement. Damn that was cool.

“Not very nice to talk to women that way man, especially when there are kids around. Asshole.” He grips his arm a little more and the guy lets out a pained scream.

“Hey, you okay?” I ask the woman. Pulling her and her son further away from the asshole on the Gounod. “I'm Linn.” I introduce myself, sticking out my hand for her to shake.

“Sherry, thank you so much, but we really need to get going.” She says looking down at her son.

“You have somewhere to go?” the look on her face tells me no.

“Here” I grab a card out of my purse and hand it to her “go there they will help, and please for your son there” I nod toward the little boy still clutching his mom's hand “do not go back to him, for whatever reason. Don't.” She gives me a sad look that tells me that she probably already has a time or two.

“I won't not, this time, I swear.” She reassures me. “Come on baby lets go.” She grabs the boy and hauls him up onto her hip turning back to the car. I see that Lee has the prick still pinned to the ground. Sherry puts her son in the car and they drive away. Just then I hear police sirens and a cop car pulls up next to us.

After the officers arrest the guy for drunken and disorderly they take our statements and are off.

“What did you give the woman?” Lee asks me.

“Where did you learn the MMA moves?” I deflect his question with a question.

“Took some MMA classes, what did you give her Linn?” he says it like it’s no big deal then asks me his question again.

“A card for a shelter around here.” He just nods and is quiet after that. We don't talk much on the way home, the events of the evening putting a damper on the fun we were having. I just keep thinking of the woman and hoping she is going to be smart and stay away from him.

“Fucked up night babe,” Lee says when we get to my apartment.

“Yeah sucks, I just hope she takes their help at the shelter.” I really do. Lee just nods his head in agreement then puts his hand behind my head tangling his fingers in my hair and pulls me close to him until our mouths are locked together. He’s so soft and sweet in the beginning but then turns rough and needy. I almost jump over to his side and straddle him, but god we need to stop I know it. He must know it too because he is the first to pull back.

“Goodnight screamer.”

It’s only Wednesday and I swear that this damn weekend isn't going to get here. My classes suck this week. Stupid papers due and tests to take. Rick seems to love all of that stuff. He has to take the same core classes as me but is undecided on what he wants to do with his life. It’s his freshmen year but he is also 20, staying back a year to help his mom recover from a car accident. Being from the other side of the state he is on the phone with her all the time it seems. I still haven't talked to him about the other night, not the blow up with Lee, the other part. I know I really shouldn't pry but seeing him the other night so upset about me asking if he was gay like it was a bad thing if he was. I have an idea up my sleeve but it really is going to take a little finesse.

“So Rick any plans for this weekend?” I ask chomping on my sandwich. We are sitting on a bench on campus eating our lunch.

“Gotta work, not on Sunday though, why what's up?” Crap well maybe the next weekend.

“Well, how about next weekend you have that off? I thought we could go sailing.”

“I do have that one off. You know how to sail?”

“No, but Lee does.” The look he gives me has me cringing slightly.

“You want me and him on a boat in the middle of a lake? Yeah, probably not a good idea.”

“Oh, it will be fine,” I say thinking back on the conversation Lee and I had last night.

“So do you know any good looking available gay men?” I ask Lee.

“Why? Am I not enough for you? I'm thinking a gay man would find you a little lacking in certain areas. No offense babe.”

“Not for me you dork.”

“Rick?”

“Yeah I want to try and get him out there I think he is struggling with who he is.” I hear him sigh. “And I want the two of you to be friends, he’s a good guy and the two of you got off on the wrong foot.”

“Alright, believe it or not, I do know someone. He’s kind of a slut, though.”

“Perfect. I just want him to get his feet wet so to speak.”

“My girl the matchmaker.” His girl. I warm to the idea.

“Okay but I'm not making any promises that I won't throw him off the boat if he pisses me off.” Rick agrees.

“Deal. Let's get to class. I'm so ready for the day to be over.” Getting up I throw my garbage in the bin and we head for class.

“I hear ya.”