BAD BOY ROMANCE: DIESEL: Contemporary Bad Boy Biker MC Romance (Box Set) (New Adult Sports Romance Short Stories Boxset) (46 page)

“Have you given any interviews where you stated that your favorite color is pink and your favorite flower is the rose?” 

Taylor shook her head.

“What about new friends on Facebook or Twitter?”

Taylor looked at the policeman as if he were the dumbest person on earth. 

“I have over a hundred and eighty thousand Twitter followers.  I have over a hundred thousand on Facebook.  I don’t even manage those accounts!” 

“So, who does?”

“My manager Jason.” 

The policeman, Officer James, flipped his notebook shut.  “I would advise you shut those accounts down.”

Taylor nodded her consent, but Constantine flew off of her seat like a startled bird.  “Absolutely not!  She needs those accounts for her fans!  It keeps her in the public eye!”

Namir bristled.  “She’ll close the accounts.”  His eyes met Constantine’s, and he silently dared her to speak again.  A strange look came over her face, and she sat without another word. 

A crime scene technician came into the living room, shaking her head.  “Whomever it was took precautions.  I can’t get even a partial print.”

“We have photographs, but I would advise that you keep the vase and note.”  Officer James instructed Taylor.  “We would also advise you to limit how many new people are allowed in or around your house.”  The officer stared straight at Namir. 

Once the police had gone, Taylor sat at the dining room table chewing on her finger nails. 

“For God’s sake stop that, Taylor!”  Constantine said and pulled Taylor’s hand from her lips.  She threw her hand down in disgust.  “Now we’ll have to go to Mimi’s for manicures.”

“You weren’t biting your nails.”  Taylor responded with far less gusto than she would have liked.

Constantine left the room in a huff.  Namir sat at the table with Taylor, thanking Greta as she laid his leftovers in front of him. 

“I think your idea of a dog is a good.”

“I just wanted to rile my mother.”  She responded weakly.  “She hates animals.” 

Namir stuck a piece of steak in his mouth and talked around it.  “It’s still a good idea.” 

“That’s disgusting.”  Taylor said with a grimace. 

“Eating meat?”

“No talking with your mouth full.” 

Namir swallowed.  “I thought it was the meat.”  He said with a shrug.  “Since you seem to really like to eat…well…nothing.” 

“I have to stay thin!”  She said with more bitterness than she intended.  

Namir studied her, bouncing his fork lightly over his plate.  She was thin, but not the rail thin flat look that most super models had.  She was curvy and just over 5’5”, making her short for a model.  He’d only known her for a day and a half, but he felt like she was an unhappy woman.  It was almost like she was still a kid. 

“Tell you what,” Namir said, and pushed his plate away.  “Let’s go out for a little bit.”

“What?  Why?” 

He stood and took his dishes to the kitchen, feeling a little guilty for wasting what was left.  Greta took the plate, but didn’t scold.  When he came back, Taylor was standing by the table fretting with the hem of her sweater. 

“Ready?” 

“I have a car in the garage.”  She said.  Her body language told Namir that there was something more to it.  She turned one foot in and actually looked away, her brow slightly puckered. 

“Alright.  Is there something wrong with the car?”

Her eyes widened.  “No!  It’s a perfectly fine car, an Audi to be exact!” 

“Ok…”  Namir was at a loss.

Taylor rubbed her jaw, her voice low.  “I can’t…drive.”

Namir’s head moved backwards slightly.  “Oh.  Well, I can.”  He held out his hand.  “Can I have the keys?”

Taylor raced out of the room and up the stairs, taking them two at a time.  She returned with a little purse that looked like a denim backpack.  She handed him the keys. 

Florescent lights lit up one by one.  As each one came to life in an orderly fashion, Namir’s wonder increased.  He saw a black two door Audi TT, which caused his salivary glands to engage.  The other car was a sleek burgundy Lincoln MKZ.  Namir knew cars, and he loved them.  He placed a hand on his buzzed head and blew air from his puffed out cheeks. 

“Which one is yours?”

“The Audi…I already told you that.” 

“Oh yeah.”  He said, still feeling dazed.  

The car still had its new car smell.  The interior was black leather.  Taylor must have paid a mint for all of the extras the car had.  He couldn’t resist asking. 

“Why do you have a car if you can’t drive?”

“I just wanted it.  I had planned on getting my license, but I was just so busy.  Mother thinks that we should just have a driver take us places.  Of course she didn’t hesitate to get a new car as soon as I got one.  She can drive, of course.”

Namir reached up and hit the button for the automatic garage opener, and started the car.  It roared to life then hummed.  It was a beautiful sound.  The radio began blaring dup-step.  He turned it down a few notches. 

“Skrillex, huh?”

“It’s impressive that you know that.”  Taylor said.  “I come out here sometimes and just listen to music.  Mother hates what I listen to, so she usually leaves me alone.” 

Taylor’s cell phone began chirping.  She frowned and swiped her finger across the screen, throwing it into her bag.

“Constantine?”

“You know it.  Quick!  Let’s go before she comes out here!”  She giggled. 

Namir grinned and put the car in drive.  He wasn’t sure if he could find what he was looking for, but having a chance to drive that car was well worth it the trip. 

An hour later, they pulled into a shopping center that was still lit up and shoppers were wandering in and out of stores.  Namir spotted what he was looking for at the end of the center: an ice cream shop. 

The drive there had been almost entirely silent.  Each one in their own world, listening to music and just enjoying being out. 

“What are we doing here?”  Taylor asked with some concern. 

Namir cut the engine and turned slightly in the seat, an arm resting on the door.  The lights from the shopping center only illuminated part of Taylor’s face.  She didn’t have any makeup on, and Namir realized that she was a true natural beauty. 

“We’re going to have ice cream.”

Taylor’s eyes widened with desire and fear.  She looked at the brightly colored building, then back at him.  “I can’t.” 

“Why?”

“My weight…it would just mess everything up.  My mother and Jason…”

“Aren’t here.  When was the last time you did something just for you, that wasn’t just a way to make someone irritated?”

Taylor looked at him blankly.  Her long lashed eye lids closed, then reopened in a slow blink.  “I can’t remember.”

“Do you like ice cream?”

“Yes.  I haven’t had any in over a year.”

Namir smiled sadly.  “Then it’s about time you had some.”  He got out of the car and walked to her side.  She was looking out of the window and had her hand on the interior door handle, but still hadn’t gotten out.  Namir opened the door for her, holding out his hand.  She took it and stepped out of the car. 

Once they had ordered, they chose to sit at an outside table towards the side of the building.  A few people looked her way, as if they recognized her, but no one approached.  A tiny amusement park was across the street, and occasionally a delighted scream could be heard coming from the Ferris wheel.   

Taylor ate her plain scoop of vanilla ice cream while eyeing every bite of Namir’s banana split with envy.  He finally laughed out loud. 

“Here, have a bite.”  He said, and pushed the paper boat towards her. 

Taylor hesitated then dug her spoon into the decadent concoction.  She placed the bite in her mouth and Namir was sure she would swoon. 

“I’ve never had pineapple topping.”  She said and dug her spoon back in for another bite.

Namir watched her amusedly.  “You should live a little more.” 

“Ha!  I travel the world.  I think I live.”  She said and resumed eating her own ice cream again.

“Yes, you do a lot of cool stuff, but do you really live?”

Taylor pulled her long tawny hair to one side and let it drape over a shoulder.  She changed the subject.  “So, why were you on the island?”

Namir’s face darkened.  Now that was something he didn’t want to talk about.  “I came for a vacation with some friends.  Things didn’t go as planned, and I kind of got stuck there.” 

“Was that why you were working on the island?”

Namir nodded. 

“How long have you been out of the service?”

“Four months.”

Taylor wadded up her napkin and stuck it in her now empty paper bowl.  “Where are you from?”

“What is this twenty questions?”  Namir folded his hands over the table when the only response was Taylor’s gray stare.  “I was born in Israel, but we came here when I was two.  We lived in Washington until I was five.” 

“D.C.?”

“Yep.” 

Taylor thought for a moment.  “That’s kind of cool.  Where did you go after that?”

“A rural area in Idaho.”

Taylor’s lips drew downward.  “That’s an odd combination of places.” 

Namir laughed, his eyes bright.  “Yeah, I guess it is.”  He stood and took their trash to the nearest can.  When he came back to the table, Taylor was rubbing her hands together nervously. 

“What is it?”  He asked, his eyes roaming over the parking lot. 

“I don’t want to go home yet.” 

“Alright.  Where would you like to go?”

Taylor pointed across the street to the amusement park.  “I want to go there.”

Taylor gripped the safety bar of their seat on the Ferris wheel until her knuckles turned white, but a wide smile was plastered on her face.  They were high in the air getting ready to come around for a second rotation.  The night air was cool where they were, and strands of hair whipped across her face. 

“My father took me to carnivals when I was a little girl.” 

“Did your Mom ever go?”

“No.”  Taylor shook her head.  “She went once, but thought it was trashy and beneath us.” 

Namir shook his head slightly.  Constantine was a mixed up, and proving to be cruel, woman. 

Taylor’s eyes took on a faraway look.  “He always wore a linen suit with matching fedora.  He told me that way he could still look like a gentleman so mother wouldn’t grumble.  We would eat cotton candy and popcorn until I had a belly ache.”  She peered cautiously over one side.  “He won me a brown teddy bear at a game like that.” 

Namir rose slightly to see what she was talking about.  It was a shooting gallery.  The seat rocked slightly and Taylor let out a nervous giggle. 

She turned her head and brushed hair from her face.  “I still have that bear.” 

Namir helped her brush the hair from her face.  His finger lingered longer than he had intended in her jaw line.  Taylor looked at him with confusion flickering in her eyes.  Had a man ever touched her?  Namir dropped his hand as if nothing had happened.  “Let’s go over there when the ride is over.” 

The shooting gallery turned out to be no problem for Namir.  He had shot enough real guns to make this a breeze.  One by one, yellow ducks streaming through a phony river fell to his efforts. 

The man working the game pointed to a row of stuffed animals above his head.  “You can pick from any of these, buddy.”  

Namir looked expectantly at Taylor.  “Pick the one you want.” 

She scanned the animals and shook her head slightly, tilting her head to the side.  “No…you do it.”

Namir scanned the animals, immediately disregarding the yellow gorilla with red tongue sticking out.  He didn’t see any that suited a person like Taylor, until his eyes landed on something at the end. 

“Yeah.”  He smiled.  “I’ll take that one.” 

The man pulled the pale pink teddy bear down from where it was hanging.  It was plush and had a bright red ribbon around its neck.  Namir took it from his hands and nodded his thanks, before placing the bear in Taylor’s arms.  She ran her hand gently over its head.  With her eyes still on the bear’s face, she spoke. 

“Thank you, Namir.” 

Her words were soft, and the way she looked lovingly at the bear, caused something to loosen in Namir’s chest.  He knew she was thanking him for more than a stuffed toy; she was thanking him for the whole night. 

Constantine was waiting for them in the living room, and rushed into the kitchen so she could be there when they walked in from the garage. 

“Where in the hell have the two of you been?  It’s almost one in the morning!”

Taylor slumped, her pink bear dangling from her hand.  “We went out, mother!” 

“You!”  She said and pointed at Namir.  “After what happened tonight, I would have thought you at least would have better sense!”