Page 10 of Jag

The parking lot at the post office only held a few cars as I pulled in and parked. I grinned as I got out of the car and thought of what my dad would say when I told him I was going to a strip club to meet some of the bikers and their women. Then, I frowned because my thoughts changed to the rude one I’d already encountered more than once. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be there.

I walked in and surveyed the lobby, then stepped behind an elderly woman who already stood at the counter. As I waited, I made the decision I wasn’t going to let one person keep me from meeting a good group of people, no matter how attractive he was or the way he smelled each time I was around him—all man. A real man, not the expensive cologne wearing type whose hands were softer than a baby’s bottom. His definitely weren’t. They were large, and the day he ran into me at Yoga Sensual, I felt the roughness when he accidentally touched me as he helped to pick the things up that fell out of my bag...and if I closed my eyes, I knew I would feel them on my skin as they traveled over my body. No doubt the man had plenty of experience with women, and I wondered what it would be like to have the undivided attention on my body from a man like that.

“That has to be someone special you’re thinking of.” I jumped at the voice and looked up and saw the elderly lady had finished with her business and the woman behind the counter grinned at me.

“Excuse me?” I blinked and stepped forward.

“Oh, hun, a woman with a dreamy look and flushed face, who doesn’t answer when called, no doubt a man is involved.” The woman winked, and I felt mortified as though she knew exactly what had been going on in my head. Manners was the only thing that kept me from turning around and walking out.

“No man I’m afraid.” I forced a chuckle. “Just running through everything I need to get done today.”

The woman smiled, and I knew she hadn’t bought the lame excuse, but I was grateful she hadn’t called me out on it. I bought my stamps, mailed my bills, and was on my way to my next stop. And when the man tried to push forward in my head again, I shut him out. He had his time taking up space there, and I wasn’t interested in the least for his continued appearance.

When I got back in my car, and the voice in my head chanted,lair, lair, pants on fire, I told her to shut up, pulled out of the parking lot and totally ignored the mocking laughter as it echoed in my mind.

By the time I made it to my next stop, I walked into the building and headed straight for the office without speaking to anyone. I threw the door open and asked, “Are people who live in this town more apt to suffer bouts with their sanity?”

“Not to my knowledge. But why don’t you close the door and have a seat, sweetheart, then you can tell me what’s got you so flustered.” The sheriff leaned back in his chair, and I sat and began my rant. And if I hadn’t been acting neurotic at that moment, I might have noticed his eyes change from sparkling with humor to frowning with concern.

Chapter Three

Jag

“This building is ingreat shape. Not a lot of work to do to bring it up to code. Price is reasonable. The biggest expense is the security system you want to put in,” I said as I walked out the back door of the building Boss and Turk were buying.

“Might want to replace this outer door, though. Replace the hollow steel with a solid one and add a door bar. Not that someone would be stupid enough to hit a club business, but no sense enticing them with easy access,” Coast said as he looked over the door and its framework.

“Yeah, that was what we thought, too. Turk and I also discussed changing out the plate glass windows in the front or at the very least adding steel bars.” I followed Boss around the side to the front with the others.

“I’d go with the ballistic glass. Security with a clear view instead of the bars,” Flirt said, and everyone nodded in agreement.

As we stood on the sidewalk and discussed a few other changes and upgrades, the door to the bakery next door opened and Romeo, Flirt’s dad, walked out with Claire.

“Sheriff’s going to ticket you boys for loitering,” Romeo said as they walked up to join us. I hadn’t missed the proprietary gesture of Romeo’s hand at the small of Claire’s back and neither had Flirt.

“Maybe Boss and Turk should look at a different area for the store. Seems this part of town has a few unsavory characters lurking around,” Flirt said, and his dad laughed.

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