All In (8 page)

“I’ll be right back,” I hurried outside.

I stopped at the foot of the trailer in front of Vice’s car. “Fucking bastard!” I kicked the dirt, the dust covering my red painted toe nails. I looked back to the trailer and walked a few feet away dialing my brothers number on my cell phone.

“What, Harlow?” he sighed. “Can’t this wait until tomorrow?”

“No, Chase, it can’t,” I growled. “You bought the property that Vice’s mother lives on,”

“Yes I did,” I could hear the smile in his voice. “And?”

“You raised the rent to fifteen hundred dollars a month for this place!? Have you seriously lost your fucking mind, Chase!? These tenants can’t afford that!” I was frantically pacing the dirt field in the middle of the trailer park.

“Ah, sounds like you must be visiting his drug busted whore of a mother. I didn’t know you slummed it, Sis. And no, actually I bought it because in the next few months we will be breaking ground on the new casino, sweet cheeks,” It just so happens to be where Vice’s mom lives… coincidence? I think not.

“You mean to tell me out of the entire Vegas Nevada area, that this trailer park is the only place to build the casino on?” I gritted my teeth.

“Nope, but it is the best given the circumstances with Vice.” he sighed. “His mom living there is just one of the many perks, Harlow.”

“Fuck you, Chase.” I hung up the phone, shoving it in the back pocket of my jean skirt.

I walked toward the front door of his mom’s trailer. I will make her confident in leaving. I refuse to let his mother fall victim to my brothers petty bullshit games.

I walked in with a smile on my face and sat back down in my chair next to Vice, across from his mom.

“Everything alright?” he asked, placing his hand on my thigh.

“Yup, couldn’t be better,” I smiled. It was going to be more than better, I will help Vice find a place his mother will love.

“So, I was thinking, Miss. Jackson,” I leaned forward placing my elbows on the table.

“Please, call me Brenda,” she smiled.

“Brenda,” I sighed. “I promise you, I will come over here everyday when I am not working to help you go through things, and pack. We can go looking at several places, and we will look until we find you the best place there is. One that you feel comfortable in,” I grabbed her hand again. “Will you promise me that you will try to do this? For you and for Vice?” And for the sake of my sanity and being able to sleep at night knowing that she is out of arms reach of my brother.

“Do you promise you will help me?” her tired brown eyes filled with tears making my heart ache. “I have never left this place, I don’t even know how to go about doing any of this,”

“Absolutely, I promise,” I nodded looking over at Vice who was expressionless to say the least, staring at the kitchen table with wide eyes. “I will help you,”
Chapter Five

Vice

We had stayed at my mothers trailer for a few hours. She talked Harlow into having a few glasses of wine with her as they started going through some of mom’s things.

“Oh, here is a picture of Vice in the bathtub,” my mom was smiling a smile I hadn’t seen in many years, as long as I could remember. Harlow brought something out in my mom that I couldn’t. She seems to bring something out in anyone she comes in contact with.

“Oh, look at his little butt!” Harlow said allowed, joining my mom in laughter. Both of them laughing uncontrollably, sipping on their wine glasses.

“Ha-ha, very funny ladies,” I dropped my head in my hands.

I watched my mom and Harlow laughing and smiling together and I never thought I would ever witness something so beautiful. For the first time in twenty five years I actually saw my mom. I saw her smile, I saw her eyes light up, and I was able to hear her laughter. I love Harlow for that, I love her period.

“I love you,” I said allowed, staring right at Harlow not thinking about what I had just said before I said it. It just fell from my lips with myself having no control over what was being said. The laughter suddenly stopped, the only noise that surrounded my moms trailer was my thudding heart beat in my ears and the hands of the clock on the wall in the kitchen.

“What?” Harlow whispered, nearly dropping her wine glass in her lap.

My mom looked from Harlow to me, then back to Harlow. She nervously took a drag of her cigarette, and a drink of wine awaiting for Harlow to say something else.

“I love you,” I said it again. This time fully aware of my words, Harlow didn’t move, she just continued to stare at me. Her eyes wet with tears. It felt as though no one was in the room except for only me and Harlow.

“Since the moment I met you, I knew you were special. You have always been beautiful to me and tonight seeing you with my mom, making her laugh and smile, just confirms how much more beautiful of a person you really are. No one, and I mean no one has ever made my mom smile, or laugh the way you have within hours of meeting her. You Harlow Jean, are an exquisite person with a gift, and I mean it when I say that I love you,”

“I tell you what, I will finish packing up the rest of these photo albums while you kids head on out of here,” she placed her hand on Harlow's shoulder.

Harlow snapped out of it, looking at my mom. “Are you sure, Brenda? I don’t mind helping you finish,” she stood up, drank the rest of the wine in her glass, then setting it in the sink.

“Oh, no… you guys go on ahead. I will see you in the morning,” my mom stood, wrapping her arms around Harlow and giving her a tight squeeze. “My son was right, you do have a gift. A gift of hope that you clearly have given me.”

“Thank you, Brenda. I will see you tomorrow,” she hugged my mom back tightly.

The ride back to my apartment was too quiet. I doubt my confessing I was in love with her was a good idea at this point early on in our relationship. Although, in the last four years I have come to know Harlow and the good person that she is. There was a fine line between my crushing on her and falling in love with her. Who knew all it would take is a few personal days with her to bring me to this point. I hope she doesn’t think that I expect her to say it back, because I don’t. The last thing I want her to do is think I am pressuring her in any way at all.

“Are you still going to stay with me tonight, babe?” I asked, parking in front of my building. I was scared of what her answer might be.

“Of course, silly,” she touched her tiny fingers to my cheek. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“I don’t know,” I shrugged. I was being insecure and completely ridiculous. “Harlow?”

“Yeah,” I grabbed her hand and held it.

“Thank you,” I stared at our hands in my lap.

“For what?” she asked softly.

“My mom,” I smiled, remembering her smile. “I have no idea what you just did, but for the first time I feel hope for her and it's because of you,” I brought her hand to my lips, kissing the back of her hand.

“You're welcome,” she smiled thoughtfully. “Everyone has hope, they just need a reason to believe in it, Vice.”

That hope is Harlow... she carries hope around her like an aura.

We hopped out of the car and walked inside. Skip apparently was out on the town, the house was dark and silent. I set my car keys on the counter top and took my shoes off by the front door. Harlow didn’t say anything as she walked to the huge bay windows along our living room wall that overlooked Vegas. Not bothering to turn on any lights, I walked up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist. I placed my chin on her shoulder.

“So beautiful and peaceful,” she whispered. “From up here it seems that way, you know. Not so loud, and crazy… not a worry in the world,”

“Sometimes, at night when I’m by myself which isn’t all that often, I will stand here for awhile and just stare at all the lights,” I whispered in her ear. “It is amazing, isn’t it?”

“I love you, Vice,” the words came out fast. So fast and quiet, I almost didn’t catch them. She turned in my arms, facing me. “I love you,” she said again, much slower this time.

I kissed her. Not in a heated, moment of passion type of kiss like I was used to kissing her. This kiss was different. I kissed her with love, with fervor, with patience.

“Make love to me,” her blue eyes were full of profound desire.

Within the last few days with Harlow, I hadn’t really, really looked at her the way I am looking at her right now. I see her as more than my crush, more than just her being perfect, and beautiful… I was truly seeing Harlow for the first time. I took in every inch of color displayed on her perfect skin. Ink that I solely had put on her. Every inch of this gorgeous female was mine, including my art. I had forever marked her with a piece of me.

I had been staring at her, profoundly taking in every detail of Harlow as much as a body needs oxygen to breathe. It was hypnotic the way her eyes closed, how her lips were slightly parted with every pant of air, and the way her blonde hair fell in her face. I hadn’t even noticed that I was in a slow mesmerized rhythm, her legs tightly wrapped around my hips.

“Vice,” she breathed against my lips.

I was throbbing, her core like a waterfall of liquid heat around me. It was the best sex of my life. I had never had an experience like this one before. Then again, I have never truly been in love with anyone. I never thought it was possible to mix feelings and emotions with sex. The feelings that had coursed from my dick, to my heart, then to my brain were invigorating. A complete breath of fresh air.

“Oh, wow,” I breathed, placing my head upon her chest. I wanted to stay inside of her forever, never pull out. I felt comfort, and I felt completely at ease for the first time in twenty five years.

“I know,” she whispered, running her hands through my now perspired hair. “I know, Vice,”

We woke up pretty early the next morning. I was due at the shop by nine, and Harlow was supposed to meet my mom at her trailer by ten. We messed around in the shower and had coffee together before I offered to give her a ride home so she could change her clothes. She insisted she was fine and that she would take a cab. I was surprised that she didn't have a car. I would have to change that eventually.

After throwing on a pair of plaid shorts, a white t-shirt and my Van's, I walked her down to the parking lot where her yellow cab was waiting for her.

“I'll miss you,” she turned around quickly wrapping her arms around me with a squeeze, making me laugh a little.

“I'll miss you, too, babe,” I kissed her hair. “Text me later and let me know how it went with my mom, okay?”

“I will, have a good day,” she pulled away, grabbing the door handle to the cab and opened the door to get in.

“I love you,” I reluctantly let go of her hand.

“I know you do,” she smiled, settling into the backseat.

“See ya...” I waved her off, then stood there watching until the cab disappeared down the street.

Twenty minutes later I hopped into the car and took off for Mad Tatter. I sped as I was running late. When I pulled up, I saw the guys were already there. I made it with fifteen minutes until we opened.

I walked in the front door, eyes on me. “Well, well... if it isn't lover boy himself,” Vinny smiled widely.

“You're welcome for giving you an empty house last night, you ungrateful bastard,” Skip piped.

“Where the hell were you last night?” I playfully socked Skip in the ribs as he set up his station for his first appointment of the day.

He spun around in his chair, revealing extremely swollen, tired eyes. “We stayed at this bangin’ chicks house last night. You would not believe it; Big rack, nice ass…”

“Okay, okay… wait. Who is we, and did you even sleep last night?” I had to ask.

“Not a wink. It was Chode, Vinny and myself. Seems how you have been so occupied with one Harlow Jean,” he waggled his brows.

Vinny cut in, tossing his long brown hair from his eyes. “She had two friends, all three of them were sexy as hell,”

Chode, “You missed out,” he added.

“If you only knew,” I stated under my breath as I turned around to set up my station.

The day continued to drag on and on. This was the first day after spending so much time with Harlow that I wasn’t going to see her until damn near after midnight. She was helping my mom pack with a few hours of apartment hunting, and then working the late shift at her brothers floral shop. I was beginning to miss her like crazy. Skip and I closed the shop just a little after eight in the evening and headed out to catch a bite to eat.

“So things are good between you and Harlow?” Skip asked, taking a seat with his burger and fries across from me.

“More than okay. She is an amazing girl, Skip,” I took a drink of my chocolate milkshake. “I have never met anyone like her before. Today she helped my mom pack, and they went apartment hunting,”

“Shut the fuck up!” Skip gaped. “Are you shitting me!? How the hell did that go?”

“I would not shit you. You're my favorite turd,” I smiled, tossing a fry in my mouth.

“Such a dumb ass sometimes,” he shook his head, face completely unreadable.

I laughed again. “Alright, alright… she seriously did, and she text me letting me know it went good and that she would see me when she got off of work,” I frowned.

“Ah, what is it she does again? I forget,” he asked, looking at me quizzically.

“She works for her brothers floral shop, The Lily Room, I believe it’s called,” I thought about it for a minute. “Have you heard of that place, at all?”

“Ah, nope. Can’t say that I have,” he said with a mouth full of burger. “I don’t buy flowa’s,” he winked.

“Of course not,” I sighed.

Friday morning and afternoon played out the same. Harlow got to my place around 12:15 after work, waking me up with a kiss. We spent the morning together, and then we went our separate ways again. I was thankful that she worked the morning shift today for her brother so she could come to the tourney at The Mirage tonight. Not spending a lot of time with her has been killing me. I think about her every second.

“So, I got your mom a place,” she shrilled walking through the front door of my apartment. Her newly showered hair was wet, looking sexy as hell in short black shorts, a tight white tank top, and sandals.