Page 8 of JoJo

“Except the part where I don’t like you and you think I’m some frigid, man-hating bitch.” Nervously, I dug through my backpack and pulled out a Dum Dums. Root Beer flavor, thank goodness, because I hadn’t even looked before I unwrapped it and popped it in my mouth. My eyes closed inadvertently as I savored the flavor explosion in my mouth.

“I don’t think any of those things. Truth is, we don’t hate each other. We just don’t know each other. We each have our own baggage that caused us to start out on the wrong foot. That’s all.”

“Yeah? So, what’s your baggage then?” Yup, I was trying to change the subject. Besides, he knew all of my issues thanks to the hellacious fit I threw earlier, and my far too flirty ex.

“Not open for discussion,” he snapped out curtly. “What’s the deal with those things?” He pointed to the lollipop stick dangling from my mouth.

I shrugged. “I enjoy them, and I don’t smoke this way.”

“You’re a smoker?”

“No. I used to smoke. Hell, it was practically a family bonding experience when I was younger. Smoke breaks together at the garage were a thing. When my dad got sick, I smoked my last cigarette as he told me the news. Never picked up another one.”

“Makes sense, I guess.” Steel muttered. “So, about this business arrangement?”

“I’m not really certain what to say here. I really think you should take some time to think about what you’re offering to get into.”

“Already done. I thought about it after Quickshot explained everything to me when we left your shop the other day. When the said they were coming to Vegas to track down their old ladies, who were here with you, I asked to come along.”

“You planned to do this?” I couldn’t hide my incredulous tone.

“Well, I came knowing it was an option I’d put on the table, maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“Yeah, I just had to be sure about something first.”

“What something did you have to be sure of?”

“Quick said you were a good person, trustworthy, and loyal. I needed to see that for myself.”

“And you saw that in the couple hours since you got here?”

He nodded his head. “When your girls night was ruined you didn’t kick the guys out in a bitter rage and make their women stay with you, although you honestly had every right to. Sure, you were upset to see me there, and rightly so I guess, considering what you thought of me. Still, you sent your girls to have fun, sacrificing your own happiness for theirs. Then you went to say ‘hello’ to an ex who left you in what I think is the worst possible way. You were genuinely happy for him when you thought he was in a good place. Hell, you didn’t even get mad or fall for his shit when he blatantly flirted with you. You just brushed it off. Besides, you didn’t mind my hand being on you while you talked to him, so you can’t hate me completely.”

I laughed at that. “How do you know I wasn’t just trying to make him jealous and rub you in his face?”

“Because while you didn’t mind my hands on you, you never returned the gesture except to push me out of the shop. Plus, you were pretty quick to point out that we weren’t together like that, even while not making yourself available to him.”

“Yeah well, I’m not a game player. I prefer blunt and honest.”

His smile grew wider then. “See, already something else to like about you. Come on, just think of it as a business arrangement. I’ll even enter into a verbal pact with you, with both our club’s prime members as witnesses, that I won’t lay claim to any of the business when our time is up.”

I stood there, having exited the cab just after his spiel, and stared at him. “Okay, well what about appearances?”

His confusion was evident as he asked, “what do you mean?”

“I mean, we live in a small town. If you’re out banging women left and right, or I’m hooking up with someone, word would spread, and…”

His jaw clenched tightly as I spoke. I could see the tick in it as he ground his teeth together. “Obviously, we have some things to work through. Details need to be discussed, but I’d hope neither of us would purposely do anything to make the other look bad.” When he finished grinding out the words he looked away, and appeared to be trying to implement some sort of breathing technique.

“Yeah, obviously.” I damn near snorted.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know you!” My words came out panicked, almost a shout. “You’re getting bent out of shape, but the only thing I know about you is that up until we were in that tattoo shop, you’ve been nothing but mean to me. You threatened to buy out my garage from my asshole brother, you insinuated to all of our friends that Tash and I were both frigid bitches. Then you told the cabbie basically the same thing about me, and now you’re angry because you’re proposing a business transaction of a wedding and I want to know if, and how, you plan on humiliating me again.” I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “If it were just about me, I could let it all roll off, but when those actions would have a direct impact on my business, I’d be a fool not to question everything.”

His shoulders went from stiff to drooping in a nanosecond as I spoke. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I did say we each had our own baggage. I have my own shit to learn to deal with. We can play the whole thing out however you want. If you want to make a real serious, monogamous relationship, fine. If you want to have a discrete understanding, we’ll work it out. If for some reason you want to play nun and monk for five years, I’ll try really hard to accommodate that.”

---