Easy (7 page)

Easy stepped into Maria’s and scanned the place for a five-foot blonde. The place was packed, which was typical on a Friday night. Bikers and cowboys were competing for buckle bunnies, leather ladies, and the occasional college co-eds who dared each other to visit the place. He didn’t immediately see Daisy, but he didn’t see Brenda, either, so that was something. Instead of going to the table where the others were sitting, he grabbed a stool beside Milo.

“How’s it going?” Easy asked him.

The old man brought up his hand and ran it through his hair. “Got a haircut.”

Easy checked it out and nodded.

“Supposed to help me pick up women.”

The corner of Easy’s mouth turned up. “How’s that working out?”

Milo shook his head. “So far, nada. The hens won’t pick up the phone when the cock is calling. So how are they gonna know about my new look?”

“Maybe if you stopped calling them hens...” Easy offered.

Milo grunted. “Says the guy getting his jollies in the head.”

Easy turned away and sighed. The swinging door that led into the kitchen opened
, and Daisy came through it, balancing two plates in her hands. She looked at Milo then spotted Easy, and the scowl on her face was unmistakable. She dropped off a plate to a guy at the end of the bar and then set the other down in front of Milo.

“Am I allowed to eat it?” he groused to her.

She shot him a look. “I don’t know. I might just take it away. Guilt by association,” she said, jerking her head to Easy.

Milo didn’t waste time arguing. He tucked into his chili cheese fries with the fervor of a starving man.

“What do you want?” Daisy demanded.

Easy cleared his throat and shifted on his stool. If the girls were going to keep inviting her over, he couldn’t very well keep pretending she didn’t exi
st. “To talk to you,” he told her.

She snorted. “We’re not selling conversation tonight. If you’re not ordering, I’m busy.” She stomped away toward the tables on the floor.

“Smooth,” Milo told him.

“Shut up.”

“Just sayin’. Looks like I’m not the only one who lost his mojo.”

“I haven’t lost anything, Milo.”

Milo chuckled and took a sip of his pilsner. “Not the story I heard.”

Easy groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Well, I don’t know what you heard, but-”

“Heard Daisy was about as desperate as a woman could be, coming of a dry spell like she was, but you didn’t ring her bell. Short ride, disappointing finish she said.”

“Mind your own business, Milo.”

Milo eyed him thoughtfully. “I’d tell you to try cutting your hair, but you don’t have much anyway. Maybe you should grow it long, instead. You play the guitar?”

“What? Guitar? What? No, I don’t play- just shut up. Jesus Christ.”

“Just trying’ to help.”

Daisy returned, tossing empties into the bin. Easy took the opportunity to try again.

“Listen,” he said. “I-”

She stood up and squared her shoulders. She was definitely on the defensive, and that was his fault. If he hadn’t been the cause of her ire, he might think she was cute, glaring at him like she was. He hadn’t really noticed before how small her nose was or how blue her eyes were. Then again, he’d done her from behind, and he hadn’t really an opportunity to see.

“You ready to order?” she demanded.

“No. I don’t want to order.”

“Then fuck off!” She started to leave again, but he reached across the bar and snagged her arm.

“God damn,” he grumbled. “Just hang on. Jesus Christ, girl.”

If he thought she was irritated before, she was flat out
pissed off
now. “Girl!” she cried. “
Girl!
Really? I told you before,
I have a fucking name
!”

Easy let go of her and drew back, chagrined. “I didn’t mean it like that. You’re just irritating the shit out of me.”

“I’m irritating you.
I’m
irritating
you
?” She looked around dramatically. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she told him. “I didn’t realize that you
worked
here and were trying to wait tables, while someone came in to rub it in your face that they can’t be bothered to call you by your name. My apologies!”

Easy let her go this time. There was no point in pursuing it, especially not here. She was likely to hit him with a tray or something.

“Lost your mojo,” Milo said quietly.

Easy glared at him and got up off the stool. He’d fucked up, no question. He’d been pissed off and not thinking clearly, but he absolutely, positively had not lost his mojo. He headed over to the table where Tex, Hawk, and Tildy were sitting and slid silently into one of the empty chairs. Even Tildy was glaring at him. Easy held up his hands to stave off their anger. “That was not what it looked like.”

“It looked like you were being mean to Daisy again,” Tildy replied.

“I wasn’t.”

“You called her ‘girl’. Like she’s nobody.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he insisted. “I was trying to apologize.”

“Now you have to apologize for calling her ‘girl’.”

“I’m not apologizing to her at all,” Easy told Tildy. “I’m done. It’s over. She hates me. Fine. I don’t care. It’s best if we just leave each other alone.”

Before Tildy could argue with him, Easy stood up again. “Want to play a round?” he asked Tex. The older man agreed, and they headed to an empty table.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Easy said, pulling the rack off the hook. “Just heading you off at the
pass. I don’t want to talk, be analyzed, or any other damn thing.”

Tex grinned at him. “Got it.”

Easy slapped the rack onto the felt and started filling it up, grating on Milo’s words earlier: Short ride, disappointing finish. He turned to grab a cue and nearly stepped on the toes of a brunette at the next table.

“Oh!” she gasped
and tried to shuffle out of the way.

“Sorry,” he told her, grabbing her at the waist. “Didn’t you see there.”

She giggled and looked up at him. Her hair was longer than Brenda’s and curly instead of straight. Her face was a different shape, too. So was her-

“Ass.” Daisy walked past, arranging drinks on her tray.

Easy shot her a look then grinned at the girl invading his space. “Haven’t seen you before,” he said, leaning in.

She giggled again and shook her head. “We’ve never been here before.”

“How do you like it?”

“Nice. It’s nice.”

He grinned. “Not a word I’d use to describe this place.
You’re
nice.” He reached out and took a lock in his fingers. “Your hair’s nice.” His fingers reached the end of the length of hair, his hand hovering over her chest. He could tell he had her hooked when her breathing got a little heavier.

“We gonna play?” Tex prompted from the other side of the table.

Easy looked down at his fish. “Want to play?”

She looked at her girlfriend then back to him and grinned. “I’m not very good,” she admitted, biting her lower lip.

“Oh, I can teach you,” he assured her, in a tone that said he could teach her a lot of things.

“Okay.”

In a matter of minutes, Easy had her bent over the table, ass pressed against his crotch, lining up a break. Tex didn’t pick up women anymore, now that he had Abby, but he wasn’t about to cockblock a brother, even if ‘teaching’ her was basically going to ruin the game.

The brunette, Holly (because he’d thought to ask), giggled and wiggled and was generally having a good time. Easy could ring her bell with very little effort. Across the bar, he winked at Milo and gave him a look that said “Mojo, my ass.”

Holly took her shot, failed miserably to put enough on the ball to accomplish anything, and pretended to sulk.

“It’s okay, baby,” Easy assured her. “That part’s hard.” He took out his wallet and plucked out some bills. “Let’s put some money on it,” he told Tex. “To keep it interesting.” Easy wasn’t above losing twenty bucks to his brother to keep him placated.

Tex lifted his hand and tipped an imaginary cowboy hat at Easy and Holly. “Sure, I’ll take your money.”

Just then, Daisy, of all people, appeared and set down Holly’s beer on the rail of the pool table. “Here you go, hon,” she said, politely, with a smile even.
Who knew she could?
Easy thought.

“Can
I
get a beer?” he said, without thinking.

“Sure,” she said, all politeness stripped from her voice. She plucked a half empty mug that she’d obviously just cleared from another table and slammed it down on the felt in front of him. Foam splashed everywhere, even onto his jeans.

“Damn it!” he hissed and wiped the denim furiously.

By the time he looked up, she was already gone.

Holly watched her leave then looked at Easy. “Do you know her?”

“No,” Easy told her, moving the dirty mug off the table.

“She really doesn’t like you.”

Easy blew out a hard breath and raised his hands, plaintively. “Dunno,” he lied. “Maybe she’s just a shitty waitress.”

Holly’s eyes narrowed. “She’s only mad at
you
,” she pointed out.

Easy grimaced and shook his head. “I don’t know,” he repeated more firmly. He snuck a look at Tex, who had nothing to say on the subject, thankfully.

Holly took a sip of her drink and set it back down. “I’m going to go to the bathroom,” she told him and whirled away.

When Easy turned to Tex, he caught the man’s look. “You could go with her,” Tex suggested. “Make it two for two.”

Easy rolled his eyes. “Just play.”

“You should probably tell Holly your side of the story,” Tex suggested, lining up a shot.

“No,” Easy insisted. “This’ll blow over. We’ll leave, Daisy will be out of the picture. No one needs to keep bringing it up.”

“Need is a strong word,” Tex replied. “Maybe she wants to.”

Easy frowned. “Wants to what?”

“Kee
p bringing it up,” Tex told him and nodded toward the bar.

Easy followed his gaze and saw Holly at the bar, talking to Daisy.

“Oh, god damn it!” he cried and tossed his cue on the table.

He headed across the room. The last thing he needed was Daisy telling Holly, or anyone else. “Hey!” he called out, getting their attention.

Holly looked at him inquisitively, Daisy, not surprisingly, just glared.

“What are you telling her?” Easy demanded.

“Nothing,” Daisy snapped.

“Oh, so you just flagged her down to tell her about the specials?”

Daisy crossed her arms in front of her and cocked her hip. “I didn’t flag anybody down. She came over here to talk to me.”

“So, what’d you say?”

“Nothing!”

“You slept with her,” Holly accused.

Easy glared daggers at Daisy. “Nothing, huh? So, you told her we had a quickie in the bathroom and you didn’t come, which is probably your fault, not mine.”

A slow smile spread over Daisy’s face as she looked at him. “Actually, it was
Milo
who told her we had sex.
I
didn’t tell her anything. And I sure as shit didn’t mention that I didn’t get off. Guess I don’t need to now.”

Daisy watched Jimmy retreat to his table and sighed heavily. Couldn’t a girl just fucking work without people thinking they could bother her all the time?

“Hey, Daisy.”

The hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention and she dragged her gaze from Jimmy to her left. Clad in another pair of black jeans and a matching black t-shirt stood
Adam. His arms were crossed, too, like hers, and once more the sight of ink and muscles did strange things to her insides.
Scratch that
, she thought.
Here’s a guy who’s welcome to bother me.

“Fun night?” he asked, watching Jimmy walk away.

“A riot,” she told him.

“As in laugh a minute or
Kevlar required?” he asked.

“Too soon to tell.”

He grinned at her. “What time do you get off tonight?” Then he said, “That wasn’t a reference to your personal problem, by the way.”

Daisy laughed. “I don’t have a problem. He does.” She picked up a
glass and began to wipe the counter underneath it. It seemed dangerous to look a man like this in the eye for too long. She was likely to end up bent over in the bathroom again. “I get off at Midnight.”

He nodded. “Gonna let me see your stuff?”

For a moment her breath caught, and her face reddened. He grinned. “Your artwork, Daisy.”

“Oh!” She let out a long breath and nodded, cautiously. “I... yeah... I guess you could take a look.”

“Great. We’ll head over to your place after work.”

“I don’t have a place,” she told him. “Not yet. I’m staying at the Rainbow a few blocks over.”

He grinned again, and Daisy thought she might need an entire pitcher of ice water to cool off. “I’ll try not to read too much into that,” he told her and walked away.

“Whew,” Milo cried. “Now that guy’s got mojo.”

“There’s not a lot he doesn’t have,” Daisy agreed. Then she glared at the old man. “I oughta take your fries away.”

“You wouldn’t!”

“Stop telling tales on me, Milo. Or the only thing I’m gonna serve you is a stewed boot and a salad.”

Milo grumbled and dug back into his fries
, mumbling about rabbit food.

Daisy pretended not to hear him. She also pretended not to see Easy glaring at her from his table across the room.
Oh well
, she thought, as she stacked glasses. She never could make friends without making enemies, too.

At Midnight, she clocked out and ran the palms of her hands nervously over her jeans.
Adam was waiting for her when she came through the swinging door. He led her to a Harley and her stomach dipped again. She swung her leg on, wrapped her arms around his waist, and breathed deep. It had been a very long time since she’d caught that scent- male and musk. Adam started the engine and they roared off.

He parked two doors down from her room and let her off. She tried not to fumble the key as she stood at her own door. She opened it and flipped the light on. For the first time since arriving in Rapid City, she was actually happy she didn’t have many clothes with her. Otherwise they’d be strewn all over the room, and she did not need
Adam to see her underwear tossed haphazardly.

She did, however, have sketches on almost every available surface. Some were fully finished, hand drawn and colored in with pencil. Others were begun but quickly abandoned, barely more than dark smudges on crisp, white paper.
Adam picked up one of each and studied them.

“Everybody has that one thing,” Daisy said, a little nervously.

Adam grunted and nodded. He set down the pages and crossed to the bed. Daisy held her breath, but he picked up her sketchbook, and began to flip through it. He paused on something she’d finished a few weeks ago and held it up. It was Daisy, herself, but drawn in 50’s pinup style. A short, polka dot dress flying up showing more of her panties than she’d ever have the guts to show in real life. Her lips were exaggerated, red and puckered for a kiss.

“This is good,” he told her.

She could only nod due to embarrassment. She didn’t really think of herself that way, as some kind of sex kitten, but it had been fun to draw.

“Very revealing,” he teased. He tossed the sketchbook onto the
bed and pinned her with a long gaze. “So, now I’m at the tough part,” he told her.

Her hopes fizzled out. He didn’t think she was good enough. In her heart she knew she was though, and if
Adam couldn’t see it then-

“...fuck you,”
Adam said, catching her off guard.

Daisy looked up at him, startled. “What?”

“I want to fuck you, Daisy. I think that’s pretty obvious.”

Daisy stood frozen in front of him.

“I didn’t think you’d be this good,” he said, indicating the sketchbook. “You could’ve been lying. Lots of people do. If you’d been blowing smoke up my ass, well, then we’d still be here, and I’d stick my dick up
your
ass, among some other places, and it wouldn’t be a total loss.”

Daisy gaped at him as he spoke.

“But you’re good. Very good. And that’s a problem.”

“H-how?” she squeaked, still reeling from the ass part.

“I’ve worked hard to start my business. I had to hustle sharks for loans, built the space with my bare hands. I put everything I had into it, and I don’t shit where I eat. Crude, I know,” he said at her grimace, “but it’s true. I can get pussy. Pussy’s mine for the taking,” he told her. “But good artists are harder to come by. As much as I’d like to taste you, Daisy, and keep tasting you ‘til we’re both tired of each other, you’re worth more as an artist. If I take your work and show it around the same time you’re showing me that sweet ass of yours, sooner or later it’s not gonna work out between us. Then I’ve lost a woman
and
an artist. I’ll take you either way,” he said, and the deep baritone to his voice was almost hypnotic. It had Daisy imagining all the ways in which he could
take
her.

“It’s up to you,” said
Adam. “You choose. If I take you to bed, I can’t go into business with you. That’s my rule. I’m not promising shit, in the bed or out of it. If we twist up your sheets a few times, and I’ve had my fill, I’m gone. If I show your work, and no one’s interested, there’s nothing I can do.”

Daisy swallowed hard and tried to get her heart to stop pounding away in her chest.

“What’s it gonna be, honey?”