Illicit Temptations (Tempted Series Book 1) (13 page)

It was a slow day at the salon; thank Christ because I was exhausted. I couldn’t even blame my exhaustion on a late night because truth be told Mikey had me home hours earlier than if, I had spent the night with Rico. I really needed to stop comparing them because even as I sat here in my stylist chair waiting for my next client I was thinking about the ways Rico kept me up at night versus the way I wished Mikey had kept me up all night.

It was my fault the night had ended prematurely. We shared cheese fries and hot roast beef sandwiches when we could’ve been spending the night flirting shamelessly engaging in stolen touches of one another. My skin seared every time his fingers grazed my arm or my back. I felt as if I was going to combust just reminiscing about his slight touch. Something about the way, he looked at me so feral as if I was his next meal, had me wanting to rip my clothes off and beg him to do all his eyes promised he wanted to.

The bell chimed signaling that someone had entered the salon. I lifted my head expecting to see my client walking through the door, but was shocked to see Rico. He had his sunglasses on as he strode towards me looking every bit determined and confident. Rico was attractive with his olive complexion dark hair and impressive build. The man was all hard lines and muscles, yet when he lifted his glasses and his eyes fixated on mine, I didn’t feel one third of the butterflies I did when Mikey set his sights on me. His arms were on display reminding me how much they were one of my favorite parts of him. I used to love to trace my fingers along the tattoos that covered his muscular arms and when they would wrap around my waist I used to feel like the luckiest girl in the world. So how is that now when he wrapped his arms around my waist forcing me to stand as he locked me in his embrace I felt nothing?

He bent down to kiss my lips softly. “Hey gorgeous.”

I pulled back, forcing a smile, trying to mask my confusion as to why he was here. “This is a surprise,” I said as he loosened his grip on me settling his hands on my hips as he looked at me.

“I missed my girl” His fingers slightly digging into my hips as he watched me closely. “I’m sorry I bailed on you last night.”

“It’s okay," I cleared my throat. “I understand that you had to work last minute," he looked at me wearily.

“I was expecting you to be at my place when I came home,” he said releasing one of my hips to cup my chin in his giant paw of a hand. “But my bed was empty,” his other hand traveled across my back down to my ass.

“I left thinking that you wouldn’t be coming home early anyway,” I said. It was partially the truth. After he canceled our plans, there was no way I was going to sit home and wait until god knows when for him to come home. Then I remembered the crackhead in the bathroom.

Rico leaned into me brushing my hair over my shoulder dropping his hand from my face I could feel his breath against my ear as his mouth lingered right over my earlobe.

“Is there something you want to tell me, Nikki?” He whispered barely audible. His voice was gravely as he pressed his hand against my lower back, forcing my body flush against his. I glanced over his shoulder at the clients and fellow stylists watching us to them we looked like two people in a passionate embrace however, Rico’s hold on me felt anything but passionate.

I reached behind me taking his hand off me and took a step backward to meet his gaze. Rico and I fight occasionally. We’re both hot tempered individuals so when we fight well, let’s just say things get heated, but I’ve never seen him look at me like he was at that moment. His eyes were murderous as they held me captive.

“I went out with Mikey last night,” I said suddenly feeling angry. “You bailed on me and I didn’t feel like staying home so I went out with my friend.”

“Your friend,” he repeated.

“Yes,” I said firmly, crossing my arms under my breasts as I peered at him matching his vicious gaze with one of my own.

“Nikki your two o’clock is here,” my manager said from the reception desk.

I cocked my head to the side still staring down Rico. “I have work to do.”

“You’re my girl Nikki. Mine,” he leaned in closer. “Not daddy’s and not Mikey’s but
mine,
” he said warningly. I couldn’t help but notice how he sounded so patronizing when he spoke Mikey’s name as if he mocking me.

I stepped to him my finger poking against his rock hard chest. “I am no one’s property Rico. Not my dad’s not Mikey’s and not yours,” I took a deep breath reigning myself in I dropped my accusing finger balling my hands into fists at my sides. “You should leave.”

He swiped his hands over his face and looked as if he was trying to erase the tension in his face. “I’m sorry,” he said, sounding exasperated. “I heard you were out with him last night and I was so fucking angry. I was angry with myself because we’ve been fighting and I canceled our plans knowing very well that we needed to spend time together,” he reached for my hands. “I didn’t mean to sound so fucking condescending.”

Rico rarely apologized he wasn’t a man who owned his mistakes, but rather one who pawned them off on others. His apology caught me off guard as did his admissions. I sighed heavily. He was right, things were already strained between us, and I felt a lot of that had to do with my attraction to Mikey. I needed to get over that and I needed to get over it real quick because I was fucking up my relationship and for what? It’s not like Mikey was pining away for me. If anything, he wanted a quick fuck. He wasn’t the type to settle down and build something. And he was most certainly not looking to start something with me or anyone for that matter his plate was overflowing. I was his friend. Probably his only friend these days. Friends don’t dream of other friends naked every time they close their eyes.

“I’m sorry too. I should’ve told you,” I said. “I guess I was mad that you ditched me, forcing my hand when Mikey asked me to show him around town. My father told him he needed to be more familiar with the nightclub scene before Temptations opened that’s why we went out.”

He leaned into me cupping the back of my head, guiding my mouth to his claiming it as his own. Our lips fused together in a heated frenzy trying to reclaim what was slipping dangerously through our fingers. We both could feel the demise of our relationship lurking over our heads and we were desperate to lure it back in we were naïve to believe that one kiss and a few apologies could fix what was already broken beyond repair.

“You don’t have to explain Nikki,” he said against my mouth. “I love you.”

I didn’t say I love you back I just hugged him, wondering if I did love him still.

The ride back home from the shooting range was relatively quiet no surprise there. I actually welcomed the silence still reeling from what took place. I overheard Jack tell Anthony how the last fifteen minutes of my session was like watching my father. Fifteen minutes was all it took to gain the respect of the President of Satan’s Knights affirming that I was in fact my father’s prodigy.

I sat in the passenger seat of the truck staring at my hands. I could still feel the gun in them the adrenaline was still coursing through my veins. I didn’t know what to think about what had happened back there. It was like some higher force overcame me almost like a natural instinct. It was scary to know that something I didn’t think I was capable of came so easy to me.

“Victor told me you and Nikki went out last night,” Anthony said shocking the hell out of me and pulling me away from my darkened thoughts. It took me a moment to process that he had actually initiated a conversation.

“Yeah, we went out for a few drinks.”

“Did you learn anything?” He asked, eye on the road ahead of him. He was like a goddamn statue.

Were these people kidding me? They made it like they were training me to be a solider fighting in a cold war.

I shrugged my shoulders. “I suppose so. We weren’t there very long before Nikki wanted to leave.”

“Nikki wanted to leave?” He let it stir for a moment. “That’s unusual.”

“She seemed tired of it all,” I said, remembering that she had been upset with the drug scene. “There were a lot of drugs in there.”

He gripped the steering wheel tightly while stealing a quick glance in my direction. “Anyone approach either of you?”

I didn’t even know what he meant by that. “Excuse me?”

“Did someone approach you to buy?” He asked sounding impatient.

“No,” I shook my head. “Nikki went to the bathroom and ran into some girl who was ripping lines. She asked Nikki if she wanted any but we left after that,” I paused, watching as his grip tightened even more. “She was upset when we left. She asked me if I was into drugs and claimed that she was dead against the whole drug thing because of what happened between you and Adrianna.”

“She told you?” He almost came to a complete stop which was fucking scary as shit since we were on the Garden State Parkway. The cars behind us sounded their horns. We were going to fucking crash all because I mentioned Adrianna. This day was shaping up to be a nightmare. First, I have an emotional meltdown and now I was going to crash talk about walking in my parent’s footsteps.

“Jesus Christ! No, she didn’t tell me. Ant either pull the fucking car over or drive the damn thing!” I shouted. A Mack truck honked its horn as it passed us the trucker shouting obscenities out his window as he drove alongside us. Anthony slowly veered the car onto the shoulder.

He climbed out of the car slamming the door behind him before punching the roof of the car. Talk about a loose cannon that man needed a fucking leash or something. I rolled my eyes. Against my better judgement, I followed him out of the car. I should’ve let the animal throw a tantrum on the side of the road. I could’ve made a video and that shit would’ve gone viral, but instead my curiosity got the best of me and I decided it was now or never. If I wanted to know, what the hell had gone on between him and A now was the time to do it.

“Mind clueing me in on why I was almost road kill?” I asked nonchalantly as I leaned against the car.

“No,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Well, that’s too fucking bad because I’m not getting back in that car with you until you start talking,” he raised an eyebrow, looking at me. He was probably going to leave my ass on the side of the road.

“It’s none of your business,” he growled.

“No, I suppose it’s not but be a friend I lost my shit in the shooting range, and could use a distraction,” I said granting him a hopeful glance.

“I don’t give a fuck what she told you anyway,” he said getting in my face.

I raised a single eyebrow as I stared into his cold eyes. “Getting pretty bent out of shape for someone who doesn’t give a fuck.”

“You looking to get your teeth knocked out Mike?” He spat through clenched teeth. His fists curled at his sides.

“It would give me an excuse to get those veneer’s I’ve been wanting,” I rolled my eyes and pushed against his bulky chest. He didn’t budge. I kicked off the car and used both my hands to this time. I don’t know if he just gave up or if I actually succeeded in moving the beast. I was going to go with the latter I could use the boost of confidence. I wiped my hands on my jeans before crossing my arms against my chest and showing Anthony who was the boss. Or the boss in training. I was hightailing it to the nearest liquor store if I ever made it home.

Anthony bent his head, releasing an exasperated breath. I watched him carefully his shoulders slumped in defeat as if he was surrendering in a war. He lifted his head slightly to meet my cautious stare.

“There was a time when you and I would tell each other everything,” I treaded lightly gauging his reaction. He didn’t appear so vicious anymore. “I’m pretty sure I told you the first time I rubbed one out.”

“Mike…,” he shook his head. “Let’s not go there, yeah?”

“The point is we aren’t strangers Ant. I used to be your best friend. It wasn’t my choice to end our friendship. My old man died and well, I was fucked, I’m still fucked. Probably even more now than ever before, but I’m here now,” he just stared at me blankly. I don’t know what I was expecting, but maybe a nod something just to let me know I wasn’t standing on the side of a highway trying to be a good friend for no fucking reason.