Page 58 of The Tempted

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah,” he paused. “I’m good with my hands. I’ll build you your dream house one day Princess.”

He wasn’t smiling when he said it and his eyes shined with sincerity making mealmostbelieve that one day he would. Almost.

“Was there anyone special there that you miss?” I asked him suppressing the urge to cringe at my own words.

“You mean a woman?”

I nodded in response.

“There were lots of women, Nikki,” he admitted honestly and I didn’t know I felt about that, but before I could give it, any more thought he started to speak again. “There were lots of superficial women who held no substance and not because they didn’t try but because I didn’t. I didn’t go looking for a woman that I could hold on to I went looking for the type of woman that would have nothing to offer me the type that wouldn’t want me for anything more than my dick. I steered clear of any woman that would want something substantial from me because I never wanted to feel anything,” he shrugged his shoulders.

“After that shit happened with my knee I started to think that I wouldn’t amount to anything. I began to think I was destined to be a street guy like my old man only there were no streets to run in Pennsylvania, which in turn made me think I was just muddling through to get by. I’d never be anything and sure as hell would never be good enough for anyone else. So I stayed away from anyone who would allow me to believe in the false pretense that I was good enough to be in their life or make me believe that I could do something with my own life.”

“Why would you feel like that?” I asked my heart aching from his words.

“Because it’s the truth,” he smiled slightly cocking his head to the side as he took a deep breath the conversation becoming too intense. “Everything I touch becomes tarnished in one way or another. I should’ve told your father that before he hired me for the club. Temptations never stood a chance with me as a manager. I’m damaged goods Nikki I’ve seen too much loss to believe that happy endings exist.”

“You really feel that way?” I asked, knowing the answer to my question already. I could see it written all over his face.

“Yes. I am not the kind of guy for a girl like you. I’m full of imperfections and I had no business touching something as perfect as you but I’m a selfish bastard because I’m not sorry I did. See?” he points his thumbs towards himself.

“Not a good guy. You deserve a hell of a lot better than me, but I’m not ready to give you up.”

“I’m not perfect,” I said, hating that those words were all I could bring myself to say. I wanted to tell him he thought too poorly of himself, but I didn’t want to stir the pot fearing that he would cut me off.

“Damn near close,” he murmured.

His words left me feeling uneasy and wondering why he took the job with my dad in the first place. Had he hoped to change his life for the better or had he taken it because he felt like he had nothing to lose? I feared it was the latter and that he was willing to succumb to the same fate as his dad. Mikey had no ambition to be anything other than a failure because that’s what he had put in his head, but I knew better deep down Mikey was a good guy. I saw his drive to excel as a manager at Temptations and when the shit hit the fan there was one thing I was certain of beyond a shadow of a doubt he would’ve risked his own life to save mine.

His phone rang immediately interrupting my train of thought and I watched him fish the phone out of his pocket. He glanced down at the caller id before turning the screen towards me. Whoever was calling showed up in Mikey’s new phone as “Don’t Answer”.

“What are you doing?” I said, reaching for the phone as he slid his finger across the screen to answer the call. “But it says— “

Mikey shrugged his shoulders winking at me as he brought the phone to his ear. “Hello?” he placed the call on speakerphone and we both leaned over the table to listen to the caller.

“Can’t you read Dipshit?” Jimmy Gold barked through the phone.

I shook my head leave it to him to interrupt the moment.

“What do you want Jimmy?”

“Glad to see you take directions well,” he said sarcastically.

“Then why did you call me if you didn’t want me to answer?” Mikey asked as the waitress dropped the check on our table.

“I’m calling to see why the fuck you two aren’t at your destination yet. Vic’s ticked.”

“We’re about an hour away. We just stopped off to get something to eat,” Mikey nodded to me to get up, and we slipped out of the booth. Mikey dropped some bills on the table before placing his hand on my back and ushering me out of the diner.

“Well, enough funny business now get your asses there. Vic’s having a stroke worrying about you guys.”

“We’re fine,” he said looking me over as if to confirm that I was okay. I took the phone from Mikey’s hand.

“Jimmy, how long are we going to have to stay under the radar?”

“I don’t know kid just hang tight. Your pops is working on it,” Jimmy said. “Put the Dipshit back on the phone.”

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