Page 24 of Love Bank
And these two didn’t exactly give off friendly airs. The one guy had been in jail two weeks prior to transferring to our prison before finally getting his bail money set with the courts. He was a can of Coke all shaken up and ready to explode.
I swung my truck into the lot and climbed out, slowing myself down to make it appear I had all the time in the world, when what I really wanted to do was step in and get them the hell away from Miss Eureka. My protective streak was as wide as it was long.
“Mornin’, gentlemen. What’s going on here?” I put a smile I didn’t feel in my greeting.
Three heads swiveled in my direction, the male ones standing taller when they saw me, the female one barely giving me a second of her attention.
“We’re just looking to do our service to the community here,” the leader of the two spoke. I finally gave him a good once-over and my eyeballs nearly fell out of my head. The guy had on a fitted tee and short shorts. Now I wasn’t into all the manscaping business—a man was made to have hair, for God’s sake—but this guy took it to the next level. I wouldn’t have been surprised if that leg hair was long enough to braid.
I cleared my throat and addressed the problem at hand.
“So, why are we all standing outside?”
“I’ve told them repeatedly I don’t have any appointments available,” Miss Eureka finally spoke, directing her statement to the two men.
“Come on. There’s no one in there!” The hairy guy turned to her and I got an eyeful from the back. I frowned, wondering if that’s what happened to all asses after a certain age. Maybe I really should take up running. I didn’t want my own backside dragging ass like that.
“This here is a private business, meaning I reserve the right to refuse service. What part of ‘no’ don’t you boys understand?” Miss Eureka’s raised voice drew my attention back to the scuffle.
“She’s right, fellas. Time to move on.” I walked forward and stood next to Miss Eureka until they got the point and moved on. But not before the inmate I’d just had in my prison for a few days gave me the middle finger. I narrowed my eyes at him and he was quick to put some distance between us.
Miss Eureka and I stood there, watching them walk down Brinestone Way, cheeks a-jiggling, until they disappeared from sight.
“Well, that was interesting.”
She snorted delicately. “The outfit or the fact I’m right?”
I almost let the smile free, delighted by her spunk, even as it irritated me in equal measure. I could feel her stare on the side of my face. Turning slowly, I stared right back, watching as the red cheeks faded to pink and then to that pale skin I wondered if she had everywhere.
“Happy to offer my services.”
A knowing smile formed on her face and I realized belatedly that she thought I was complying with her blackmail. By stepping in just now, she assumed I was fulfilling my end of the deal. I’d have to disabuse her of that notion before the day was up.
“Given you know all about my ejaculatory medical information, don’t you think I should at least get to call you by your first name?”
She sniffed, but I didn’t miss the way her cheeks pinked up again. “It’s Lucille.”
I cracked a grin. “LikeI Love Lucy?”
“No one calls me Lucy.”
“Well, why not?”
“My name is Lucille, not Lucy.”
“Oh, excuse me. I forgot you like to keep things formal to the point of being stiff.”
“I do not!” Her hands went back on her hips, the very ones I’d been eyeing earlier at Coffee.
Blueish gray.
Her eyes took on a deeper blue color when she was angry. Well, hot damn.
I stowed that information away to examine later when I tried to decipher what it was about this woman that got under my skin.
“Have a lovely day, Lucille.” I paused a moment, needing just an extra second to gaze at her face. To take in the long lashes, the delicate eyebrows over those blue-gray eyes, and the way her bottom lip was fuller than her top.
“Good day, Bain,” she said to my back as I walked to my truck.
