Sensual Stranger (16 page)

She shut the door and leaned against it, thumbs in the front
pockets of her overalls, her stance defiant, expecting him to come to her.

Zach didn’t give it a second thought. The wheels of his
chair spun slightly with his hasty departure despite his bum leg. Joining her
at the door, he pressed his full length into her body, making certain he’d
trapped her, not willing to allow her any escape.

Slowly, Toni lifted her face to his, her eyes already
softened, glassy with desire, her expression accepting of all that he was and
could never be again. Resting his hand on the side of her neck, he slipped his
fingers beneath her glossy hair. The delicate scent of her lavender shampoo
still clung to it. His lids sank. With his face buried in the fragrant strands,
he murmured, “How’s work going?”

“Not as good as in here.” Her voice was beyond breathy. Her
movements were untamed as she cupped his ass, pulling him closer to her,
grinding her mound against his instant erection.

The already lengthy day just got longer.

On a muttered oath at having to work, Zach kissed her hard
and far too quickly before Robbie, Angel or a customer decided to stroll
inside, breaking the magic.

With his forehead to hers and his fingers trailing over her
downy cheek, he panted, “Why are you here?”

Toni cupped his balls, squeezing them gently. “Don’t you
know?”

His shoulders shook with restrained laughter. “Other than
that.”

“Oh.” She caressed his testicles one last time prior to
withdrawing her hand. “I’m going on my break.”

“Your what?”

On tiptoes, mouth close to his ear, she whispered, “At your
house, I’m your sexual slave with no time off. Here, I follow the rules of the
state. I get a thirty-minute break twice a day, plus two hours for lunch.”

His chest bumped into hers with his quiet laughter. “Like
hell. A half hour for lunch and fifteen minutes tops for your break.”

“Twenty-five.”

“Fifteen.”

“I may need twenty.”

That killed his laughter faster than the possibility of the
bitchy back-East tourist coming back inside. Easing away from Toni, he looked
at her. “Why? What’s up?”

Her eyes dropped to his groin.

“Seriously,” he said, tension and a bit of anger in his
voice. He didn’t like her fucking secrets. He wanted to know about her. He had
to.

Catching his mood, she lifted her brows slightly. “It’s a
pretty far walk to Em’s place. It might be crowded when I get there.”

With great effort, Zach tried to hide how stupid he’d just
acted, how possessive when he had no right. Their relationship was about having
a good time, nothing more. She was free to come and go as she pleased, to hook
up with anyone she liked.

His shoulders continued to tighten, making his upper arms
ache. He took a twenty from his wallet and offered it to her. “Get whatever you
want. Bring me back a blueberry Danish.”

She folded the bill until it fit into her palm. “Do you have
any change?”

“Change? Why?”

“For a tip. Thirty percent, at least. I like Em. She’s
nice.”

Not that nice. “Tell her to take it out of the twenty, no
more than twenty percent.”

“She probably won’t do it. Loose change she’ll accept. I can
leave it on the counter and run out of there before she stops me.”

Uncertain whether to laugh or ask if she was serious, Zach
did neither. Digging into his front pocket, he gave her all of his change.

Toni regarded the coins, obviously counting them. Looking
up, she smiled. Unlike those in the early photos of her and the Starrs, this
one was unguarded, happy. “Thanks.”

Suddenly, Zach wanted to give her more, everything he could.
He fought for something to say…something that wouldn’t spook either of them.
Lamely, he asked, “Do you want me to come with you?”

Something flickered across her face, disappearing so rapidly
Zach wasn’t certain he’d seen the change in her expression.

“You better stay here.” Unfolding her finger from around the
twenty, she used it to flick his balls. He bit back a groan. Serious now, she
advised, “People might start talking.”

He didn’t care.

Back on her tiptoes, she kissed his cheek, delivering a wave
of her lavender scent, and murmured, “Be back in thirty.”

Seconds after she’d left through the office’s front door,
moments after the blinds stopped clacking against the window, Zach returned to
his desk, already missing her as he resumed his search into her past.

Quickly, Toni hiked up the street, snatching a look at Em
and Hector’s diner as she passed. Through the glass door and windows, she saw
the wall-to-wall customers, knowing it’d take too much time for her to change
the twenty in there just in case she needed more coins.

With a fast glance at the traffic, she sprinted to the other
side of the street well in advance of the pedestrian crosswalk. One of the
passing cars honked at her. Ignoring the sound, she sucked in air so hot, so
unbearably dry her lips and nose stung. With little in the way of shade, she
braved the sun beating down on her shoulders as she increased her pace.

Just about out of breath, with perspiration dampening her
neck, she reached the end of the historic area, seeing the gas station Angel
had told her about. Inside the attached convenience store, Toni rocked on her
heels, waiting impatiently behind a young woman with two preschool children who
took forever to choose which ice cream treats they wanted. As the trio
departed, Toni broke the twenty. With the extra change, she headed outside for
the pay phone, one of the few in town.

“Please work,” she whispered as she fed the thing coins,
listening to them rattling inside the rectangular box.

On the dial tone, Toni let out the breath she’d been
holding. During the second ring, the call connected. In a voice raspy from age
and a lifetime of Camel cigarettes, Belle said, “Starr’s Shop.”

Surprising tears stung Toni’s eyes. She felt like a little
girl coming home after her first trip away, happy for the known, no longer
scared that things might have changed while she’d been gone. That the people
she loved and needed hadn’t left her. “Hey, it’s me.” Her voice cracked with
emotion she hadn’t predicted and couldn’t hide.

“Toni?” Belle’s voice transformed from all-business to
caressing, caring. “You okay, hon?”

“Fine.” With the back of her hand, she swiped moisture from her
eyes, then draped her arm over the top of the phone, leaning into it, her back
to the sun. Behind her, cars rumbled down the street. A horn honked. People
strode past, talking on their cell phones. Children whined, trying to get their
parents’ attention.

Bringing the receiver’s mouthpiece even closer so Belle
could hear her clearly, Toni said, “Sorry I haven’t called in a couple of days.
You and Lucky doing all right? Is he taking his medication like he should?”

“If he wants me to keep talking to him, he does.” She
chuckled, interrupting it to cough. “Don’t you worry, he’s being a good boy and
I’m just fine. We’re both gonna be kicking for a long time to come.”

Toni swallowed, refusing to imagine the day she’d lose
either of them and be alone again. “How’s business? Any sales? Repairs?”

“It’s been slow, but steady. We’re new. Takes time to catch
on. Now don’t you worry.”

She couldn’t help it. They’d been there when she’d needed
someone to care about her and now she needed to do the same for them. “I’ll be
able to wire you guys some decent money in another week.”

“No.” Belle’s sweet voice turned firm. “We already told you,
you don’t have to send us anything.”

“I want to.”

“Aw, hon.” Belle blew out a sigh. “We don’t want your money.
We just want you to be happy. Lucky and me love you, always have, always will.”

A tear rolled down Toni’s cheek. Another fell from her chin.
She lowered her head. “I love you guys too, that’s why I want to do this.”

“No. Take care of yourself, don’t worry about us.”

Toni forced down a swallow and cleared the huskiness from
her voice. “I have to—I’m going to.” She spoke quickly before Belle
interrupted. “You won’t have to work so hard if I help out. You should be
enjoying life now, not worrying about bills. And I got this really great gig
for a month. The pay is great.”

Belle didn’t comment. On the other end of the phone, Toni
heard a buzzing sound, indicating the front door of the shop had opened. A
woman’s voice, subdued from distance, asked where the convenience store had
gone.

“Moved two blocks over,” Belle answered. “Down Troop Street
to the left.” Back on the phone, she asked, “Where are you performing?”

Toni hedged. “It’s a small outfit, fairly new, but the
people are really nice. There’s Angel and Robbie, guys my age. And there’s Em
and Hector. They’re in their thirties and couldn’t be sweeter, especially Em.
She always wants to feed me.” Unable to stop herself, Toni went on and on,
embellishing, lying, evading.

“Sounds good,” Belle said.

“It is. It’s more than I expected before the start of the
circuit. It’s—I’ve met a guy,” Toni said, interrupting herself.

On the other end of the call, she heard squeaking noises
that sounded like Belle had left her chair.

With motherly interest in her voice, Belle asked, “You’ve
met a man?”

Another tear rolled down Toni’s cheek. “Zach.”

“He’s performing with you?”

Eyes squeezed tight, Toni picked at the corner of the
phone’s metal veneer with her thumbnail. “I really like him, Belle.”

“I know. I can hear it in your voice.” Her rasp softened, her
tone growing protective. “How does he feel about you?”

Sorrow and reality threatened, choking off Toni’s words, but
not her thoughts.

Nearly a week had passed. Three more to go and she’d be on
her way. Without pause, burying regret. She’d promised herself nothing more
than the means to make some needed cash and to have a good time in the bargain.

What she now wanted was so much more. And so very
impossible.

On the other end of the call, Evan Clancy—a deputy with the
sheriff’s department and one of Zach’s friends—took his sweet time answering
the question.

Impatient, Zach transferred the phone’s receiver from his
right ear to his left. “Come on, Evan. It’s not classified information. It’s
public record, right?”

“Most of the public wouldn’t want to know her home address.
So why do you?”

Zach lied, “I’m just trying to verify what she put down on
her employment app. She gave me a general delivery address in Texas. What do
you have?”

Tapping noises, the kind fingers make when striking a
computer keyboard, filled the silence. At last, Evan said, “Same one. Must be
her address. I understand in her line of work she moves around a lot.”

“Do you have anything else on her?”

“Why? She going to be handling money there? I wouldn’t
advise it.”

Zach frowned. “Why the fuck not? Why in the shit would you
say something like that?”

“Hey, don’t get pissed at me,” Evan shot back. “I’m not the
one who got arrested.”

“For performing without a permit and not having insurance,
not grand theft. Toni’s no thief,” he said, parroting her earlier words to him.

“Toni?” Evan’s tone grew curious.

“Help me out here,” Zach said, his voice raw with
desperation.

After a brief pause, Evan spoke in a near-whisper as though
he didn’t want to be overheard. “Hey man, do you have something going on with
this girl? Do you know what you’re getting into?”

Ignoring the concern in Evan’s voice, Zach asked, “Are you
going to give me the information or not? Don’t jerk me around.”

Evan muttered something beneath his breath. On a sigh, he
said, “We ran her prints, like we do with anyone who gets arrested. She’s
clean. She doesn’t have a record, except for what she did here, all right? Of
course, that doesn’t address what she hasn’t been caught for, which wouldn’t be
in the—”

Zach interrupted, “Where’s she from?”

“What? Texas,” he answered before Zach could repeat the
question. “I already told you that. It’s where she got her driver’s license,
which she’ll get back when she gets insurance, and she also registered her bike
in that state.”

“No, I mean, where was she born? What’s her real last name
before she changed it to Starr?”

“She changed it to Starr? When? Why?”

Rubbing his temple, Zach asked, “Do you know any private
investigators? I want the best. Someone I can trust.”

“Why? What in the hell has she done?” He spoke in the same
near-whisper he’d used earlier, “What in the fuck are you planning to do with
this girl?”

Zach closed his eyes. He needed to do everything he could in
the short time they had. She’d gotten that deep beneath his skin, crawling into
his soul and heart. He couldn’t let her leave here with nothing and nowhere to
go to. He had to be certain she was safe with some place soft to land. It was
the least he could do for all she’d given him.

“Nothing,” he answered. “She’s alone, Evan. She’s only twenty-seven
and she doesn’t have a fucking soul in the world to help her. I want to find
out why. So are you going to give me a name of an investigator or not?”

“Hey, Zach.”

At Angel’s voice, Zach glanced at the door leading into the
bays. His heart pounded at the possibility of the younger man having heard part
of his conversation. “How long have you been there?”

Angel’s shaggy brows rose. “Just came through the door now.”

Zach’s heart didn’t care, it kept slamming against his
chest. Pushing the frown from his face, he asked, “What do you need?”

“Got a customer here wants to talk to you.” Continuing,
Angel spoke in an even softer voice than usual. “Nothing bad. He likes the
work. Just needs to ask you about another job he maybe wants us to take on.
He’s having a smoke outside.”