Erotic Influence (8 page)

Hey beautiful, you left your flowers in my car. I’m glad
you liked them so much. I’ve never enjoyed lunch more than I did today. I can’t
wait to see you again.

Rick

He had drawn a heart after his name with a smiley face in
the middle. It made her laugh. She clamped her hand over her mouth and her gaze
shot to her open bedroom door. Still empty. Her dad was probably already
watching TV without a care in the world for what anyone else was doing.

Annie tucked the note into the bottom of her dresser drawer
and pulled socks and panties over it. Then she stood indecisively in the middle
of her room with the flowers in hand. She didn’t have a vase, so a large
plastic cup would have to do. Her dad rarely entered her room so he most likely
wouldn’t see them. But what if he did? With a deep breath she decided to deal
with that argument if it happened and not a moment sooner. It wasn’t as if he
didn’t find reasons to be angry at her anyway. What was one more thing? She put
the flowers back on her bed and headed to the kitchen to find a suitable cup.

As expected, her dad was watching TV from his recliner. He
didn’t even look up as she passed but that didn’t stop him from grumbling, “I’m
waiting for dinner.”

“Yes sir.”

She didn’t bother with any further explanation or excuses.
It only took a few seconds to grab a cup and fill it halfway with water. Then
she grabbed the scissors from the butcher’s block and hurried back to her room.
This time he said nothing at all. She made quick work of arranging her flowers
and went back into the kitchen.

Tammy had pulled a few things from the refrigerator and was
standing in front of the stove with a pan in each hand. The confusion on her
face was almost funny. “Which one do I use?”

Annie grinned and took the stockpot away. “The saucepan,
silly. This isn’t for browning hamburger meat.”

“Oh. Well how should I know that?”

Annie put the stockpot away as Tammy set the saucepan on the
stove and turned on the burner.

“You watch me cook dinner almost every night. You’ve seen me
make Hamburger Helper at least a dozen times.”

“Probably more like a hundred. I’m so sick of hamburger, I
think I’m turning into one.”

Annie smiled sympathetically and cut open the package of
meat. “Yeah, I hear ya. I guess I could see if we have chicken on sale this
week. Maybe I can just buy some for me and you.”

Their dad loved red meat to the point he wouldn’t eat any
kind of poultry. Even pork was pushing the limit with him. They had some form
of hamburger at least four nights a week.

“That would be awesome. I get paid this Friday too. I could
probably pitch in a little.”

“You know you can’t.”

Tammy’s job was through the school so she didn’t work many hours.
The only thing Henry and Annie saw eye-to-eye on was Tammy’s savings account.
Every penny of her checks was deposited directly into the account and she
wasn’t allowed to touch it until she went to college. Annie hoped it would be
enough for textbooks.

“It sucks that y’all won’t let me use
my
own money
that I earn
myself
.”

“Yeah, responsibilities suck, don’t they?”

Tammy just rolled her eyes. Annie turned away from her to
cook. Soon she felt the press of her sister at her side. A conspiratorial look
crossed Tammy’s face as she glanced at the window into the living room. “So,”
she whispered, “you going over there again tonight?”

Just hearing the words aloud made Annie’s pulse race. She
wasn’t sure it was wise to use Tammy as an accomplice, but she had little
choice. She glanced at her sister’s eager face before adding more ingredients
to the pan. “Yes, I am. But just for a little bit. I’m sorry I was gone so long
last night.”

Tammy giggled. “Don’t worry about it. Dad sure didn’t
notice. He didn’t even talk to me before he went to bed. The only reason I knew
he was in his room was ’cause the TV finally turned off.”

That was a bit of a relief and really no surprise. If only
her luck would hold out for tonight too. “Okay good. I’ll wait for a bit after
we clean the kitchen.”

“Okay, whatever.”

They finished dinner and ate in front of the TV as usual.
Annie tried not to rush through her meal, but the anticipation of seeing Rick
had killed her appetite. All she could think about was being in his arms again.
Hopefully he was thinking of her too.

Tammy helped her clean the kitchen and they went to their
rooms. Annie finally changed out of her work clothes and threw a load of clothes
into the washer. She looked down at her cutoff denim shorts and plain brown
t-shirt, desperately wishing for something sexier to wear. Not that it really
mattered. He was going to see her with her clothes off anyway. She stifled a
laugh at the thought and went to Tammy’s room.

“I’ll be back,” she whispered.

Tammy grinned and waved her away without a word. She all but
ran out the back door.

She had done the exact same thing as the night before,
sneaking out the door and walking around the darker side of the house. One
neighbor all but flooded the yard with light while the other rarely turned on
any. There were no streetlights and Rick’s porch light was off. She felt
relatively inconspicuous as she reached the end of the driveway. However, she
had barely made it two steps across the road when the front door of her house
flew open. She heard it and spun on her heel, mouth gaping in terror as her dad
stepped out onto the porch. He glared at her and pointed one thick, accusing
finger.

“What the hell are you doing? I knew I couldn’t trust ya not
to run off. Get yer ass back over here, girl. Now!”

She froze in the middle of the street as indecision warred
within her. Her father’s voice echoed down the empty street and through her
chest, competing with her racing heart. Just a few days ago she would have
dropped her head and run back into the house. She would have cried and begged
forgiveness and hoped he wouldn’t hold this small rebellion against her. But
this time she just couldn’t do it. She couldn’t make herself reclaim the steps
back into her prison.

“Annie.”

Rick’s voice a few feet behind her was like a balm to her
soul. She looked over her shoulder to find him at the end of his driveway, just
over an arm’s length away.

He was watching her with desire in his gaze and held out his
hand. “Come here.”

She started to turn toward him when her dad stomped down the
porch steps and made a beeline for her. That only prompted her to move faster
toward Rick. She placed her hand in his and he pulled her until she was behind
him. Then he faced the towering rage that was her father.

Henry crossed the street and stopped two feet away, huffing
and puffing like a bull about to charge. Rick almost expected him to slide one
foot back and forth in the gravel.

“My daughter needs to come home with me. Now,” he said.

Rick crossed both arms across his chest and held the older
man’s gaze. “With all due respect, your daughter is an adult and can make that
decision on her own, sir.” He turned his head enough to speak over one
shoulder. “Annie?”

“I-I don’t wanna go home.”

It was almost a whisper but still loud enough for Henry to
easily hear. His face reddened in anger and he straightened his shoulders. For
a second Rick thought he might tackle him.

“You come home now, girl. Or don’t bother coming home at
all.”

She was pressed against Rick’s back so he felt her tense at
the harsh demand. He made an immediate decision. “She’s welcome to stay here as
long as she wants.”

Henry’s eyes widened and his hands curled into fists. “The
fuck you say?”

“I said, she’s welcome to stay here, in my home, as long as
she wants. Since you’re so intent on kicking her out into the street just for
walking across it.”

Henry growled. “Make your decision now, Annie. Him or me.”

She sniffed and pressed her hands flat against Rick’s back.
He wanted to comfort her but knew turning his back on Henry would be a really
bad idea. Finally she stepped to his side, but didn’t walk any closer to Henry.

She lifted her chin and looked her father in the eyes. “I do
a lot for you and Tammy. I just want to visit with Rick for maybe an hour. You
really gonna kick me out for that?”

Henry scowled at her but seemed to really think it over. Now
that Rick knew just how much she did for the man he wondered if Henry would be
so stupid as to kick her out. He must have come to the same conclusion. He
finally turned his scowl back on Rick instead. “She better be home in an hour
with her clothes looking straight or I’ll be on your doorstep with my shotgun.”

Then he spun on his heel and stomped back across the street.
Annie slumped against Rick’s side and he threw his arms around her. As soon as
Henry slammed his front door shut, Rick guided her into his house. She was
trembling but her eyes were dry. Her pale face showed shock but no fear. He was
glad for that but still wanted to kick Henry’s ass.

Rick led her to the sofa and sat her down. Then he hurried
into the kitchen and grabbed them each a beer. She only stared at it after
taking it from him.

“Want a soda instead?” he asked.

She shook her head slowly but then set the beer on his
coffee table. He did the same as she turned to face him. “Were you serious?”

“About the soda?”

She smiled weakly. “No. About me staying here.”

He immediately nodded and took her hands between his. “Yes,
I was. You really think I would mind having you in my bed every night?”

He was only half joking but her smile disappeared and she
slipped her hands from his. “Guess not.”

“What’s wrong, baby? Why does that bother you?”

“How long do you usually date the same woman? Does sex with
the same person get boring after a while?”

He wanted to groan in frustration but knew she was treading
new ground. Instead he pulled her onto his lap, making sure her soft bottom
rested on his erection. “I don’t know, and no.”

“You don’t know how long you usually date someone?”

He gave in to the urge to kiss her but she didn’t allow the
distraction long. Soon she pulled away and looked at him until he finally
relented. “All right, all right. The longest relationship I’ve ever had lasted
three years.”

Both thin brows shot up in surprise. “Oh. What happened?”

“She cheated on me with an ex-boyfriend. I was ready to
propose to her and it really hurt. But not long after I realized it was
probably a good thing.”

She ran a hand down his face as if offering comfort and it
warmed him. He turned to kiss her palm.

“Why?” she asked.

“Because we really didn’t have that much in common. We had a
lot of friends in common, which is how we met. So we were always around each
other. We liked each other and probably could’ve stayed friends if we’d broken
up for a different reason. Actually most of our friends were so pissed at her
that she just stopped talking to a lot of them. It was kind of a bad
situation.”

“Oh.”

“Other than her I usually date casually. I can tell within a
couple of weeks if a woman and I are compatible. I haven’t had any other really
serious relationships.”

“I see.”

He could almost hear the thoughts churning in her head and
knew without a doubt she would be counting the days. At two weeks she would
probably write him off and stop coming over.

“What do you see, baby?” he asked. “What do you think that
means for us?”

She shrugged but averted her gaze. “I don’t know. I won’t
get clingy though. You don’t have to worry about that.”

He buried his face against her neck and inhaled her unique
scent. “What if I get clingy?”

Small bumps pebbled on her skin from his breath ghosting
across. She shivered. “I don’t know. Somehow I can’t picture that.”

He chuckled and kissed her. “Just watch. You’re quickly
becoming my obsession, Annie. Two weeks isn’t going to be enough time for me.
Hell, three years won’t be enough.”

Her eyes widened again and she frowned. “You shouldn’t tease
me.”

“I’m not teasing.”

He could tell she didn’t believe him and he knew mere words
wouldn’t be enough to convince her. With a sigh he decided not to worry about
it tonight. He now had about forty-five minutes left. He intended to make every
one of them count.

When Annie opened Rick’s front door forty-three minutes
later it was to spy her father on the porch across the street. He had his
shotgun in one hand and looked down at his watch as soon as he saw her. She had
already kissed Rick goodbye but his hand lingered on her arm as she stepped out
the door.

“Want me to go tell him I’m taking you to work tomorrow?” he
asked.

She immediately shook her head. “No. I’ll tell him. I
promise.”

He nodded as he stepped out the door behind her. He finally
let go and she hurried down the few steps and toward the street. A glance over
her shoulder showed Rick watching from his porch. It was probably best if he
didn’t get too close to her house. She had no clue how far a shotgun blast
could travel.

She made it across the street and onto her porch before her
dad finally spoke. “He’s lucky yer on time.”

She stopped in front of him. “He’s willing to respect your
rules, Dad, as am I. But I’m old enough to have a boyfriend.”

His brow wrinkled and he gripped his shotgun tighter.
“Boyfriend? No one said anything about a boyfriend.”

She swallowed down her fears and faced him head-on. “Well I
am now. He’s my boyfriend and he’s going to take me to work tomorrow then pick
me up. He wants to take me to dinner one night too but said to ask you when.”

For a moment her dad seemed too angry, or shocked, to
respond. Then he glared across the street to where Rick still watched from his
porch. “Tammy don’t work tomorrow.”

“She’s old enough to be home alone.”

“I don’t give a damn how old she is—”

“Daddy, please.” His gaze cut to her again with obvious
surprise. She hadn’t called him
Daddy
since before Tammy was born. “If I
get her to promise to stay home, can I please go to work? Please?”

He huffed out a breath and gave one curt nod before storming
into the house. Relief filled her so fast she wobbled for a second. Then she
remembered Rick and turned. He was at the end of the driveway with his hands on
his hips. She smiled at his show of protectiveness and waved. He waved back but
didn’t budge. He was still watching when she finally walked into the house and
shut the door.

Her dad wasn’t in the living room so she figured he’d gone
to bed. However, when she walked to Tammy’s room it was to find him standing in
the middle of it with his shotgun still in his hand. Tammy was sitting on her
bed staring up at him with round, frightened eyes.

Annie stepped into the room. “Dad?”

“Whadda ya say, kiddo?” he asked Tammy.

She nodded vigorously before giving Annie a weak smile.

“What’s going on?” Annie asked.

“I told Dad I promise to stay here while you’re at work
tomorrow. He’s got stuff to do.”

Their dad always had
stuff to do
on Sundays. Annie
suspected
stuff
amounted to sitting at the bar on the other side of the
highway, watching whatever sports were on TV with the other locals. She had no
proof, but a few whispered words around the store had reached her ears a couple
of months ago. There was also the fact that he always got home stinking of beer
and smoke. She had never brought it up with him or Tammy. She didn’t even know
if her sister suspected too.

“Well good,” Annie said. “That’s great, Tammy. Thanks.”

Their dad grunted and walked out of the room without another
word, pushing past Annie almost roughly. She pressed against the wall and tried
to smile at him, but he didn’t bother looking her way. As soon as he was gone
Tammy was off the bed and dragging Annie into her room. She shut her door and
locked it before falling into her sister’s arms.

Annie stood in shock as Tammy sobbed against her shoulder.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“H-he was g-going to k-kick you out.”

Annie patted Tammy’s back helplessly as her sister continued
to cry. “It’s okay, sis. He didn’t kick me out. We compromised.”

Tammy nodded against her shoulder and Annie knew she’d heard
the whole hollered conversation. Hell, the whole neighborhood had probably
heard.

After a couple of minutes Tammy finally calmed. They sat on
her bed side by side and calmly talked things over.

“I can’t believe Rick was going to let you move in,” Tammy
said. “Just like that. As if it’s no big deal.”

“I know. He’s pretty awesome.”

Tammy giggled as she nodded her agreement. “Yeah he is. And
hot too.”

That made Annie laugh. “Yeah he is.”

“Would you have really done it? Moved in with him if Dad
kicked you out?”

Annie stopped to really think about it. She wasn’t one
hundred percent positive about Rick wanting her for more than a couple of
weeks. But he had already proven he was willing to help her out however he
could.

“Yeah,” she finally said. “I would’ve been stupid not to.
And where else do I have to go?”

Tammy looked away and got quiet. Annie knew from experience
that wasn’t a good sign. “Tammy? What is it?”

With a sigh her little sister faced her again. “I think I
found Mom.”

Annie sat in shocked silence for a full minute, letting that
statement sink in. Their mom had taken off when they were both too little to do
anything about it. Over the years Annie’s resentment and anger had kept her
from even looking for the woman who was now a virtual stranger.

She stood and paced around the room. “How? Where? Why did
you even bother?”

Tammy seemed surprised by the last question but ignored it
for the moment. “I found her on the internet. You know how I like to keep up
with my friends on the social networking sites? Well, one day I got curious and
typed in her name. It took about an hour, but I found her. She’s not even that
far away. Just up somewhere near Dallas.”

When Tammy didn’t automatically start spewing information
Annie returned to the bed and took her hands in hers. “And? What else? I know
it can’t be good if you’re just now telling me.”

Tammy sighed and her shoulders drooped. She looked as though
she was about to cry again. “She’s got a whole ’nother family, Annie. Another
man, another daughter, and even a little boy.” She looked up at Annie with
tears brimming in her eyes. “She replaced us.”

Annie pulled her sister back into her arms and they both
cried quiet tears of pain and loss. Her mind was in turmoil. After all these
years she had started to think of their mom less and less. There were times, of
course, where she missed her so much it physically hurt. However, she had
accepted her desertion a long time ago. She’d stopped watching the road for her
return by the time she was twelve. Now to know she might be just a mouse click
away…it was almost too much to think about.

Annie pulled back enough to look her sister in the eye.
“Have you tried to talk to her? Sent her an email or anything?”

Tammy shook her head. “Nope. She sure doesn’t look like she
misses us. Her profile just says she’s got two kids. One boy and one girl.”
That caused another tear to slip down Tammy’s pale face.

Annie wiped it away with her thumb. “And you’re sure it’s
her? It couldn’t be someone with the same name?”

Again Tammy shook her head with clear conviction on her
face. “She’s using her maiden name and she looks just like that picture you
have in your underwear drawer. Just older.”

Annie couldn’t bring herself to laugh even though she was
slightly amused. She’d shown Tammy the photo of their mom when they were
little. She didn’t know Tammy had discovered where it was hidden.

“Snooping through my panties, huh?”

Tammy smiled weakly. “Yup.”

Annie released a sigh and hugged her sister again before
leaving the bed. She walked to the door and unlocked it but didn’t turn the
knob yet. “Don’t let Dad know, okay? I don’t know what he would do. Probably
nothing, but you never know.”

Tammy nodded. “Should I email her?”

“Do you want to?”

She took a deep breath and looked down at her lap. “I don’t
know.”

“You don’t have to, Tammy. We don’t owe her a damn thing.”

“I know. But aren’t you even a little curious? I mean…how
could she just leave
us
?”

Annie knew their dad wasn’t included in that question but
she didn’t have an answer. “I don’t know, sis. And honestly, I don’t think I
care anymore.”

She blew her sister a kiss before walking out the door.

* * * * *

Rick stood outside Annie’s house early the next morning,
impatiently waiting for her to emerge. She had to be to work at ten but he had
promised to take her to breakfast first. Henry’s truck was still in the
driveway and he prayed the man wasn’t keeping her inside. Just as he lifted his
hand to knock for the third time, the door swung open. His relief was
short-lived as he found a sleepy-eyed Tammy facing him.

“Mornin’,” he said. “Your sister ready to go?’

She surprised him by opening the door wider and stepping
back in blatant invitation. He wasn’t sure he should take it.

“Yeah. Come on in. She’s making my dad’s coffee.”

That prompted him to move. If that asshole thought he could
keep Annie from him, he was sorely mistaken. Rick stepped into the dim interior
and stopped in the middle of the living room. Henry sat in his recliner but the
TV was off. Annie walked out of the kitchen with a steaming mug in her hand.
She was dressed for work and a glance showed she looked all right. He was just
happy there were no tear tracks on her face.

She smiled at him. “Hey. Sorry for the wait.”

“No problem, beautiful.”

The words emerged without thought but a blush crept up her
neck and her gaze shot to her dad. He was glaring at Rick.

“Good morning, Mr. May,” Rick said with a slight nod.

Henry didn’t answer right away. He took the mug Annie
offered with a grunt and sat back in his chair. Then he glared at Rick again.
“Mornin’.”

A bit of the tension in Rick’s shoulders eased but he didn’t
fully relax. “I’ll pick Annie up from work and have her right home after. I’d
really like to take her to dinner one night this week too. Is there a night
she’s free?”

Though it irked him to ask her father when she was more than
capable of answering for herself, he knew it was necessary. She didn’t say a
word as Henry seemed to think it over, just stepped to Rick’s side and waited.

Henry took a sip of coffee, grimaced, then scowled at Rick.
“Tammy works Wednesday ’til nine. You’ve got ’til then.”

“Thank you,” Rick replied. “I’d be happy to pick Tammy up
from work on our way home.”

Henry just grunted again and took another sip of coffee.
Rick decided to take that as a yes. “Goodbye, Mr. May.” He glanced at Tammy
where she was curled up in one corner of the sofa. “Tammy.”

Then he held his hand out for Annie. She took it without
hesitation and calmed him further. He opened the door and they walked out
without another word being said.

Annie didn’t speak until they reached his car. “Thank you.”

He opened the passenger door and waited until she was
seated. Then he squatted down to her eye level and planted a quick kiss on her
mouth. “For what?’

“For asking my dad about dinner. And for offering to pick
Tammy up from work. That helped, I think.”

“You’re welcome. And I think so too.” He kissed her again.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to make this easier for you, Annie. I’m not trying
to come between you and your dad.”

She smiled. “I know.”

He kissed her one more time before standing and closing the
door. They barely spoke as he drove the short distance to the diner where Tammy
worked. It was one of the best places in the area for breakfast, and the only
one that wasn’t fast food. Annie didn’t seem to mind. She kept smiling at him
and he took it as a sign that everything was all right.

They ordered their food and as soon as the waitress left
Annie started playing with the sugar packets. He watched for a minute before
remembering his latest conversation with Wes. “I talked to Wes last night.”

Her head shot up and she dropped the sugar. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. He’s pretty excited about getting you into this
project. You’re the first woman I’ve been involved with who’s willing to be
photographed with me.”

“The others knew?”

He shrugged, suddenly self-conscious. “Yeah, well…they were
little more than one-night stands, Annie. A couple of them were models too.”

“Oh.”

“I didn’t start until after my three-year relationship
ended. In fact, that breakup was kind of what prompted me to try it.”

“Really?” She gave a little laugh that tightened his balls.
“That’s kinda funny. Did she ever find out?”

He chuckled. “Hell yeah. I made sure to send her an
invitation to the opening. It was a full-color, glossy postcard with a few of
the prints on it. Including the one in my living room.”

She gasped and covered her mouth with both hands but he
still saw her smile. “Oh my god.”

“Yeah, it was pretty funny. My friends sure got a kick out
of it.”

The waitress arrived with their food and he sat back to ease
the sudden discomfort in his jeans. It had been years since a woman could get
him hard just by laughing…or smiling…or being nearby. Damn he had it bad.

Oblivious to his dilemma, Annie just smiled between bites of
her omelet and toast. He watched her sip orange juice and grew jealous of the
glass every time her tongue touched the rim. His pancakes were like sawdust in
his mouth. All his senses were too attuned to the beauty across the table to
care about his food. Too soon they were done and it was time to take her to
work.

“I wish you didn’t have to work all day today,” he said once
they were back in the car.

She sighed but it was a happy sound. “Me too. But that means
I get an hour for lunch.”

He glanced over to see her grin and couldn’t help but laugh.
“Oh yeah? Hmm, and to think I have nothing planned for lunch today.”