“So all of those kids are nursing students?” he asked.
“No,” she answered. “They’re friends from high school.”
“You’re not in high school anymore, Tabby,” he pointed out, and felt her eyes come to him but he kept his angry ones on the road.
“You’re right,” she snapped, the quiet in her voice gone. “I’m not. That doesn’t mean they aren’t still my friends. We’ve had a lot of good times together. We’re close. What? You think I should just scrape them off?”
He didn’t glance at her when he replied, “Uh, yeah, Tab. They’re trash. You aren’t. Jesus.” He shook his head. “I do not get you. I know your mom’s a bitch, but for the last three years you’ve had Cherry in your life. It isn’t like you don’t have a good role model. Why the fuck you can’t be like her is beyond me.”
He heard her swift intake of breath before she returned, “Maybe it’s because I should be like me and, by the way, Shy, Tyra would want me to be like me too.”
The members of the Club called Tack’s woman Cherry but Tack called her Red. His kids and everyone else called her Tyra or Ty-Ty.
“Anyway,” Tabby went on irately, “they’re not trash.”
“They’re trash,” he stated firmly.
“They. Are. Not!” she stated loudly.
There it was. That gave him his opening.
“You want that life?” he asked.
“That life?” she shot back.
“Booze and bodies, booty calls and bust-ups,” he explained.
“Um… hello, Shy. That is my life.”
“So you want it,” he concluded.
She ignored his question and pointed out, “It’s your life too, you know. Nothing wrong with it. Never was, never will be.”
A nursing student.
Right.
On this path, she’d never make it. On this path, she’d end up like those bitches in his bed. On this path, Tabby was pissing her college education away, and Tack might as well be pissing that money into the wind.
“You want that life,” he said softly, “you think that’s cool, baby? Then let’s roll.”
It was perfect timing because he’d flipped on his turn signal to turn into Ride.
“What the hell? Why are we here?” she asked, but he didn’t answer.
He drove around the store and through the forecourt of the garage to park in front of the Compound. He didn’t delay in folding out of the truck, rounding the hood, and yanking open her door.
“Shy, what are you—?” she started but stopped since he leaned into her, undid her seatbelt, tagged her hand, and hauled her out of the cab. “Dammit! Shy! What are you doing?” she clipped.
Again he didn’t answer. He just tugged her into the Compound and straight behind the bar. He nabbed a bottle of tequila off a shelf at the back then pulled her in front of him.
“Ready to let go of that little-girl-beer bullshit?” he asked, holding up the bottle.
Her eyes went to it then to him. He saw the confusion and he sensed her unease.
He ignored that too.
“Tab, asked you a question. You like to party. You aren’t in high school anymore. You wanna grow up and learn how it’s really done?”
She ignored him this time and asked, “Why are you being so weird?”
He pulled her closer and tipped his chin down to hold her eyes, now ignoring that it was starkly apparent she wasn’t breathing and her body had gone still.
“Didn’t answer my question, baby,” he said softly and watched her swallow then lick her upper lip.
Jesus. Shit.
He’d never seen her do that. Definitely not this close.
The tip of that pink tongue on the perfection of that rosy lip.
Shit.
“Tab,” he prompted, his hand squeezing hers.
“I want to go home,” she replied quietly, being smart for a change.
“Too late for that,” he muttered then moved away, pulling her with him as he moved from behind the bar, through the room, and into the back hall.
She tugged at his hand and called, “Shy. Seriously. You’re more than kinda freaking me out.”
Hopefully, in about two seconds, she’d be a lot more than kinda freaked out. She’d be scared straight and out of this bullshit she kept pulling.
Therefore, two seconds later, he yanked her into his room, tugged her to a stop and flipped the light switch.
The two women were still naked, lying head to foot on the bed, having, since he was gone, tangled with each other.
Briefly, he tried to remember their names.
He stopped trying when he felt Tabby’s hand spasm in his and she gave a rough pull to try to break away but he just held her tighter and turned to her.
“Usually, we throw some back, get loose, in the mood,” he educated her, lifting up the bottle. “I’ve seen the way you look at me, baby, so if you wanna just get naked and go for it, I’m up for that too. They’re out but, we go for a while, no doubt they’ll rally and join in. Sounds extreme but, trust me, you try it, you’ll like it.”
When he started talking, her eyes were on the bed but they moved slowly to him and he saw she was pale beneath her tan. Her eyes were also wide with shock and something else he didn’t quite get, and her full lips were parted.
“What’s it gonna be?” he asked. “You wanna loosen up or you wanna just go for it?”
“Why are you doin’ this?” she whispered, and Shy shrugged.
“This is who you are or who you’re headin’ to be. Might as well quit fuckin’ around, babe, and go for it.”
Her eyes slid to the side then to him before she stated quietly, “This isn’t who I am.”
He looked her down and up and pointed out, “Short tight skirts, too-tight tops. I know it’s not lost on you that I can see most of your tits not only through the shirt but spillin’ out of it, Tab. Then we got your high heels, lots of hair, lots of makeup. You scream you got a wild side, baby. Quit fuckin’ around. You been wantin’ to explore it since you were sixteen. The time is right. The stage is set.” He pulled her closer to him and lifted the bottle again. “Let’s go.”
When he said the word sixteen, she flinched and her hand jerked at his again.
Also, the look in her eyes he couldn’t quite place came clear.
Hurt.
It sucked. He didn’t like to do this to her, but he reckoned that emotion stark in her gaze meant he was getting through.
“Take me home,” she said softly, and he shifted closer to her
She swung slightly back, but her movements were wooden.
“Come on, baby. Don’t bullshit me,” he coaxed in a gentle voice. “I’ve seen the looks you give me. Now’s your shot. You’re hot, you like to have fun, you shouldn’t waste this opportunity.”
“Take me home,” she repeated.
“If you don’t want an audience or this to be a participation sport outside us two, I can rouse those bitches—” he jerked his head to the bed “—send them on their way before we get goin’.”
“Take me home,” she said again.
“Or we can let ‘em sleep. Go to your dad’s room,” he suggested, and that did it.