“Yeah, yeah I know. But do I really need to remind you of the favor you owe me? Exactly. It’s at Clancy’s over on Elm. The only car out here, and I’m in the parking lot. Yeah. Tow it to Baker’s. Great. See ya.”
“Do people always do what you say?” I blurted out and winced at my rude sounding question.
But he didn’t seem offended. Instead, he took a step toward me and leaned closer. “If they want it done right, they do.”
I suddenly found myself wanting to know what it was, because I had a feeling it was more than just fixing cars. And an involuntary shiver ran down my spine at the endless possibilities.
Not sure how to respond to that, I swallowed audibly in an attempt to get rid of the lump in my throat and let the conversation die. Neither of us said anything for a few minutes, and the silence that stretched between us became awkward. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore, and I asked what had been on my mind since the second I saw him in the parking lot.
“What are you doing here, anyway? I thought you’d left.”
“I did.”
“But you came back?”
“I did,” he repeated.
“Why?”
I noticed the rise and fall of his shoulders as he shrugged. “I left my sunglasses in the bar. I was hoping someone was still inside so I could get them.”
“The sun isn’t even shining,” I pointed out.
“They’re my favorite pair.”
He sounded so defensive I had to hold back a laugh. “Well, as much as I’d like to help you, I don’t have a key to get in. But I’ll make sure to grab them on Monday when I work.”
“Great. I clipped them on the music stand.”
A loud rumbling caught my attention before I turned and saw the headlights of an approaching vehicle. The tow truck had arrived, putting an end to our conversation. The truck pulled into the parking lot and circled around to back the trailer up to the front of my car before the driver hopped out and approached us.
He and Sax Man shook hands before he turned to me. “I’m Chris. I’m going to need some of your information before I take your car away.”
I nodded and started rattling off my name and phone number while Chris wrote the information on the pad of paper he produced from his pocket. Sax Man stood to the side, still in the role of my knight in tattooed armor as the driver and I spoke. Only once Chris started hitching my car to the truck did Sax Man speak to me again.
“Do you have everything you need from your car?”
I looked down at the keys, wallet, and phone in my hands. “Yup. I don’t have much.”
That was the understatement of the century.
“Great. Then let’s get you home.”
He was just helping me out since he happened to be in the right place at the right time. That was it. Nothing more. Nothing less. But why was the very confused part of me wishing it was so much more than doing me a favor, and that he was taking me home under completely different circumstances? Circumstances that had nothing to do with my car dying and everything to do with me learning just exactly how good he was with his hands?
6
Stellan
I wasn’t lying about leaving my sunglasses behind. The only reason I’d turned around was because I had barely made it home when I noticed they weren’t with me. And since they were my favorite pair, I figured I’d catch someone still there to let me grab them. It was a long shot, so I wasn’t surprised when I tried to pull the door only for it not to budge. But what did surprise me was seeing my bartender peering under the hood of his car, and even with the small light from his cell phone, I could see the worry and confusion on his face. He had no clue what he was looking for and was too overwhelmed to notice he wasn’t alone in the parking lot. I frowned at how unaware he was of his surroundings and how someone with bad intentions could have approached him instead of me.
I should’ve just left, since he had taken over all of my thoughts and held them captive—though I had no idea what the ransom would be. Maybe lots of cum would be involved, and that wasn’t something I was sure I could pay. Plus the inner mechanic in me wouldn’t allow me to leave either, no matter how badly I wanted to slam that hood closed, bend him over, and familiarize myself with his body right there in the empty parking lot.
I pushed that thought to the side and put myself in mechanic mode. Hopefully it’d be a quick fix—a loose wire or a dead battery—and I could get him back on the road. Only, he wasn’t that lucky, and I was beginning to wonder if luck was on either of our sides. Because now we were in my truck as I drove him home, and I was too attuned to every time he took a breath, swallowed, or shifted on the seat.
“So, I kind of need to know your address, unless you plan on coming home with me?”
I had meant for it to be joke—a bad one—but it came out so hoarse that Foster’s gasp told me he’d interpreted it in an entirely different way.
“Uh, I live at Lynnwood Apartments on Shadeland.”
I knew that area, including those apartments, and frowned knowing that he lived in such a dump. But considering he couldn’t even afford a tow, I could only assume money was tight for him so he lived where he could. And honestly, my nosy ass wanted to know what circumstances led him to applying at Clancy’s and made him live where he did. But it wasn’t any of my business. I was just the horny mechanic who happened to play in the bar where he worked.
“Way too far for you to walk,” was all I said.
Foster shrugged. “If it was the only option I had…”
“Lucky for you, you had another one.”
“Right. I appreciate all your help. With the car and taking me home.”
I noted how he hesitated on the word home. Did he not consider his apartment home? Or was it as new to him as his job was, so he wasn’t used to it yet?
“It’s no problem. I’ll take a look at it on Monday, and if it’s what I think, it’ll be up and running by the end of the week.”
I stole a quick glance at him to see him gnawing his lip. “So soon?”
I couldn’t help the surprised laugh that burst from my mouth. Most people would’ve been annoyed at the timeframe and would have wanted it done even sooner. “Is that a problem?”
“Uh, no?”
I was quiet as I braked at a red light as I thought about everything he had said, and then it hit me. He was concerned about paying for the car so soon. Even a small issue could become costly, especially when you added in the after-hours tow. My guess was he was hoping to pick up extra shifts or to try to find a way to come up with the money.
“Just so you know, we offer payment plans. When you pick it up, we’ll take a copy of your driver’s license, and then you pay a small amount and the rest in installments over time.”
What I didn’t add was that Clive, the owner, only did that with repeat customers or family. But for Foster I was willing to go over Clive’s head and make an exception. He needed help, and I wanted to be the one to help him, even if I had no idea why.
“Really?” he asked, and I was sure the hope I could hear in his voice was reflected in his eyes.
“Yup. So hopefully that’ll be one less worry.”