0-69 in 5 Minutes (6 page)

Or better yet, she still had two hours to
research malaria.

* * * *

Noah stepped out of the shower and wrapped a
towel around his waist. He checked his answering machine and then
his cell phone. Nothing.

All day he’d waited for a ring. Why hadn’t
she called? Had she changed her mind? His muscles tensed at the
thought. Had he hurt her more than she’d let on? He shook his head,
praying he hadn’t. Needing to shave, he lathered gel on his
face.

Something didn’t seem quite right. Why would
a beautiful woman like Val need to pay a guy to go out with her?
He’d do it for free. Wanted to ask her out the moment he’d sat down
at her table.

She had told him about her ex. The jackass.
Maybe they had just broken up. How could anyone date her and not
make love to her? Rich silky smooth skin. Tender lips. Legs of a
goddess. Her cries still echoed in his mind. Focusing on work had
been a challenge today.

He scraped the gel and stubble from his face
in hopes she’d call and he’d get to see her again, washed his face,
and splashed on aftershave.

Maybe she’d called his business phone. He
dialed the number to check his work messages, but found none.
Didn’t she see the card on the nightstand? Or the note on the back?
It was already six o’clock. He might as well go to the track since
he wouldn’t be seeing Val.

On second thought, his ex would be there
tonight, flaunting her single status. Playing the part of the
dumper, even though he had kicked her out. He couldn’t stand other
men groping his woman, or his woman letting them, but that had only
been part of their troubles. Bambi still thought he’d take her
back. Even left all her shit for when he was ready to let her come
home. Well, hell would freeze over before that happened.

If she didn’t get her stuff soon, he’d call
some charity and give it away. He laughed and shook his head. They
wouldn’t want the stuff either. Mostly stripper clothes and sex
toys. Fluffy pink crap. Why on earth had he married a plastic
stripper? She’d batted her fake eyelashes, and he’d been horny,
that’s why.

He didn’t want fake. Fake eyelashes, fake
boobs or fake orgasms. The tramp had needed a place to live and
he’d supplied it. All the while thinking she’d loved him.

Val was fake too. Fake girlfriend, fake sex,
fake everything—except her fabulous body. Nothing good could come
of this arrangement. Albeit, he was a man of his word, and he’d
given it to her. Plus, the grand would be nice. He could make some
upgrades to his drag car; focus on his hobby instead of his
out-of-control love life.

Six fifteen. He threw on a
pair of jeans and a Queen t-shirt. Then he reached for the phone
book and flipped to the J’s. A lump formed in his throat as he
dialed.
What if she changed her
mind?

One ring.

What if she never wanted to see him
again?

Three rings.

As he started to hang up, a frantic hello
came from the other end of the line.

“
Val, hey. I was uh…
wondering when you
needed
us to get together again.”

“
Oh, my gosh. I can’t
believe you called!” She let out a loud sigh.

Not sure if she was relieved or upset he
asked, “Is this a bad time?” What could she be doing that made his
call bad timing? He was her boyfriend after all. Or supposed to be.
He needed to get control of his racing emotions. They did nothing
to help prove his take charge, bad boy persona.

“
No! Perfect timing. My
sister called and said she had some news to tell everyone. Then she
invited herself and my parents over.”

“
So, you’re busy tonight
then. I understand—”

She cut him off. “No, you
don’t understand. Before she invited herself over, I stuck my foot
in my mouth and said
we
were staying in tonight. They’ll be here in about
forty-five minutes and they expect to meet you.”

“
Tonight?” His voice
raised a few notches. Meet the parents tonight. They couldn’t pull
that off. He didn’t even know her middle name, or his, for that
matter. “Whoa. I’m not sure we’re ready for this.”

“
There’s no more time.
We’ll have to wing it. You will come over, won’t you?” She pleaded,
and he could almost hear the tears in her trembling
voice.

“
Yeah. I just need to
throw on some shoes. I’ll see you soon.” He hung up the phone and
raked his hand through his hair. Why couldn’t he say no to her? Or
any other woman, for that matter? Hadn’t he screwed up four times
in the past?

None of that mattered. This was a business
deal. Quick cash. Nothing more, nothing less. If that was true, why
was his stomach in knots about seeing her and anxiety flooding him
over meeting the parents?

He brushed his thoughts aside, grabbed his
keys and headed for the door. As he reached for the knob, it turned
and the door crept open.

He gasped. ''Holy shit! What happened to
you?''

Chapter 5

“
Noah! What are you doing
here?”

“
I live here. And I think
I'm the one who should be asking you that question.” He wanted to
tell Bambi to save her explanation and get the hell out of his
house, but she looked a mess.

Dirty and tangled hair dangled in her face,
shielding it from his view. Torn clothes hung on her too-thin body.
And he would swear she’d been crying. He could hear it in her
voice, but for some reason she wouldn’t look at him.

He hadn't seen her in over three months,
since he'd caught her smoking crack, again, and had to take a stand
against it. The signs had screamed at him, but he’d chosen to
ignore them, hoping he was wrong.

“
I stopped by to grab some
clean clothes. It'll only take a minute. I thought you'd be at the
track tonight.” She shut the door and eased past him, without
looking up.

Something was wrong. His ex-wife never hung
her head. Nor did she act passive. A voice inside told him to
leave. Get out while he could, rid himself of her and run to Val.
He clenched his keys in his hand and reached for the door.

Sobs drifted down the
stairs.
Shit!
He
let out a long groan, walked upstairs and down the hall. Tears made
him weak. Plus, he'd never seen her such a mess.

Standing in the doorway to the bedroom, he
looked at Bambi. She sat on the edge of the bed they used to share.
The frilly pink thing she'd picked out still covered it. He’d
searched the house, but couldn’t find the old quilt he used to use
and he couldn’t fall asleep without some form of cover.

Tears rolled down her dirty cheek. She
brushed back the strands of tangled hair covering half of her face.
Her right eye bulged outward and blood caked the corner of her
mouth. As another sob tore from her throat, she grabbed her side
and winced.

A sharp twinge stabbed his side as if he
felt her pain. He'd regret asking, but his protective male instinct
took over. “What happened?”

She jumped at his voice, shook her bleached
blonde hair loose from behind her ear. “Noah, you startled me,” she
whispered.

The bed creaked and dipped as he sat down
beside her. "Answer me.” Her skin felt gritty and clammy when he
tipped her chin and inspected her wounds.

Had she fallen? Been in a car wreck?
Possibly a fight with some man’s wife? The last possibility seemed
the most obvious answer given her track record.

“
I... uh.” She fidgeted
with her fingernails.

He sucked in his breath as a sickening
thought crossed his mind. "Did someone put their hands on you?"

Empty blue eyes gazed at the floor.
Trembling lips refused to answer.

“
Son-of-a-bitch! Who put
his hands on you?” He gripped her shoulders and forced her to look
at him. “Who did this to you?” The bastard would pay. No matter
what Bambi had done, she didn't deserve to be smacked around. No
woman did.

“
Please, don't do
anything. They'll hurt you, too. I couldn't bear knowing I caused
you more pain.” She buried her head on his shoulder.

“
They
?” What had she gotten herself into?

He ran his hand over her back and brushed a
light kiss on her head. The ripe smell of dirt and blood pierced
his nostrils, made him cough. She smelled nothing like Val smelled.
Sweet, flowery.

He wished it was Val in his bed right now.
Unharmed of course, but they had a business deal, not a real
relationship. His wish most likely would never come true.

Bambi sat up straight. "I've done some
stupid things since you made me leave. Without you, I've been lost,
and I started using pretty heavy." She stood up and paced. "Don't
give me that look. I said it was stupid. And now I owe a lot of
money to my dealer."

"Jesus, Bambi. You're going to get yourself
killed. How much?"

"Two thousand." She spit the words out and
bit down on her swollen lip.

How much crack had she smoked over the last
few months? The woman brought in an easy grand a week. “Don’t you
make that much in two weeks?”

“
I’m late with the rent,
the water got shut off, and my boss suspended me for doing drugs at
work. As if I’m the only one to use on stage. Can you believe that
bullshit?”

Val had promised him cash. In two weeks he’d
have half the money to pay off Bambi's debt, and he had a small
amount put back. The car in his shop would be finished by the end
of the week as well, but she'd have to hide until then.

His eyelids closed, and he shook his head.
"I'll help you this time, but you have to promise me some
things."

“
Anything.” Despite the
drugs, her eyes lit up with the spark he'd fallen for eight months
ago.

“
I'll get you the money,
but it'll take me two weeks. You can stay here until then if you
keep out of sight. Then when it’s safe, you have to go to
rehab.”

"Deal." She hugged him and kissed his cheek.
"Do you mind if I shower?"

"No, go ahead and clean up. I'll get you a
towel." He watched her disappear into the bathroom, then went to
the mudroom and switched on the dryer. Being a bachelor, he had no
need to keep up with the laundry. Luckily, the last load of clothes
he'd done were towels, and since old habits died hard, he’d warm
one for her in the dryer like he’d done when they’d been
married.

After about ten minutes, he pulled out a
warm fluffy towel and headed back to the bedroom. The water from
the master bath ceased running when he entered the bedroom.

"Bambi," he called as he knocked on the
door. "I got you a towel." The door opened and a wet hand reached
out.

"Thank you." She took the towel and stepped
through the doorway, drying herself off.

Her skinny hips and thighs, flat abs, and
freshly shaven pubic region made her lower half look almost
anorexic. Yet she still had the double D cups he'd bought and paid
for.

A wave of desire flowed through him, and he
longed to touch her breasts. Taste the sweet puckered nipples. What
the hell? Val was his girlfriend now, not Bambi. He sighed. That
wasn't true either. Val didn't really want him. Man, this shit
confused him. Still, he closed his eyes and turned around.

A hand slid down his back, leaving a chill
in its wake.

"You're welcome to look all you want."
Bambi's voice sounded low and sexy. The voice she’d used when she
wanted something from him.

What more could she want? He’d agreed to
give her the money and a temporary place to stay.

She kissed his neck. Shivers drove straight
for the finish line, which happened to be his cock.

Last night Val had started a fire in him. If
her parents believed them tonight, she'd have no need to tend to
the blaze. And the blaze threatened to overtake his control.

Bambi slid her hands around his waist and up
his chest. "I've missed you."

Her touch was familiar, experienced. For a
moment he forgot the headaches she’d caused him. He gripped her
wrists and spun around to face her. "I can't do this. And we're not
getting back together."

"Baby, shh." Soft fingers brushed over his
lips. "You said I could stay for two weeks. When that time’s over,
I'll leave. Until then," she gave him a practiced smile and brushed
her fake boobs against him, "we can enjoy each other."

She cupped his balls and rammed her tongue
down his throat. Cheap wine lingered on her breath. He knew he
shouldn't get involved with her again. But would one time really
hurt?

"This is a bad idea, and I'm late for an
appointment." He tried to reject her advances even though he wanted
to dive inside and slam her. Take the edge off before he spent the
night lusting after Val.

"It's just a fuck. I know you want to. Your
cock's rock hard." She dropped her towel, scooted on the bed and
spread her legs. Her tongue flicked across her lips, moistening
them. "Fuck me, big boy. I’ve missed your hard, thick cock."

Sliding a hand over her breast, down her
stomach and stopping at her clit, she moaned and looked at him with
fuck-me-eyes. Sparkles flashed from the diamond stud in her
clit—another present from him. She fingered her pussy and rubbed
the juices up her stomach so he could see how wet she was.

He couldn’t stop himself. Need for a good
hard fuck overrode the voice inside telling him to walk away.
Within a few seconds he’d stripped himself of his clothes. The room
darkened and spun as blood left his brain. He knelt on the bed,
hoping the dizziness would subside. Bare knees touched cool
covers.

"Come on, baby. Slid inside and fuck me
hard."