Truth Meets Love Read online

  I follow the swing of her arm and then her shapely ass, brushed with the lacy edge of the shimmering black threads, as she extends her olive-toned leg over her head. She pulls her chest back up and twirls and then dangles herself upside as she spins down, winding her limbs back down the pole. It is then I see a discolored mark, a line with tiny stars inked up the outside to a point around her back that starts on her left side and wraps up and stops just below a patch of ink… a tattoo, but I can't make out the words scrolled in the flowers surrounding the script.

  I can't breathe, let alone speak. This is crazy; as much as I don't want to leave the sight before me, my brain regains its post on top of shoulders and the lower brain retreats with the knowledge that we've already crossed some major boundaries. It also registers that what we are doing by continuing to watch her and worse, react by popping a full raging rod in my sweatpants, is so wrong.

  I slide silently down the stairs, bounding for the open door to make my exit. I aim to get the hell out of there without her seeing me and then set up another appointment tomorrow to see the place. I reach the door and as silently as humanly possible, I go through and then pull it lightly behind me without closing it all the way. I don't dare look back and risk facing my offenses. Once outside, I let out a deep exhale, trying to calm the blood and ringing in my ears. Jesus Christ, get a grip man. It was just her…half naked… dancing around a pole.

  My dick starts to twitch again in my sweatpants as I sit behind the wheel of my pickup. I regain consciousness when a Jeep drives by me parked across the street from the town home complex I have just snuck out of after my invading peep show. I can't believe I just walked in there. SHIT! Oh well, she didn't see me; all is good, I reassure myself as I look at the clock. It is 8:12PM. I need to get to the gym for warm-ups and ensure the pre-teen girl drama is contained before the game buzzer. I decide that I can stay at my sister's for one more night, and I can still work on her to let Shilo keep Loosey instead of me--even though Archie is allergic to dogs.

  Chapter SIX

  How About Another Time?

  Hadley-

  I feel like a new person. I had a hot shower and dressed in my dry-fit black Nike yoga pants and my worn green t-shirt that reads "real deal" across the chest. I move from the kitchen, turning off the lights. The snapshots I captured in my brain have slowed after my efforts to unwind. I head to my couch with a heaping bowl of strawberry cheesecake ice cream with fresh strawberries and graham crackers crunched over the top. Ryan Gosling is waiting for me, shirtless, in the case sitting on top of the X-box Connect--Tyler's Christmas gift to me. Really, it was a bribe. I could watch movies on it if he could come over and play his violent video games out of earshot of Mace. I won't play the shoot–'em-up ones against him, but I kick his butt in the NBA Finals game. We call that our "date night" and we try to meet once a month, if our schedules allow. Tyler is a resident medical student and studying to become an anesthesiologist.

  As I put the movie in and it starts to load, I hear a text beep register from my purse, which is still sitting on the table next to the front door I notice is slightly ajar. I lock the door and bring my phone back to the couch. I pick up my cold bowl of ice cream and sit back. I grab my Korean mink blanket from the back of the couch and throw it over my legs and slippered feet. They are Wonder Woman slippers, Macey's Christmas gift to me last year.

  I get comfortable and pull my phone back out from my sweatshirt pocket. There is a reminder for a missed meeting and a text from the number on the meeting invite. The text asks if we can reschedule for tomorrow evening at the same time. Staring at the screen perplexed, I review the words of the text from the number:

  D: I came to the address listed in the invite details sent to me, above. There was no answer at the door when I stopped by. I apologize for any inconvenience, but can you please confirm the time and address and let me know if tomorrow would be an option to reschedule? Thanks. I am looking forward to seeing more of the place and my timeline is pretty aggressive.

  I am an idiot; did I schedule that request this evening, as opposed to tomorrow? I check my calendar… I did. In all the excitement today, I must have not changed the date of the invite. They stopped by?

  "I didn't hear anyone come by," I whisper to myself.

  I pull back my thoughts and shuffle through my last few hours of memories and find my answer. I pinpoint how I missed the doorbell and what I may have been doing around 8PM. It occurs to me that I had just finished up from my workout in the loft. The clock on my nightstand was displaying 8:18PM just before I stripped off my panties in search of the hot shower. I smile, recalling Joss Stone and me finishing our evening asking someone to "put their hands on me." She never leaves me hanging; gotta love her. I type a quick explanation, hoping to sound sincere and not flighty.

  H: Please accept my sincerest apologies for the oversight of the invitation you were given. I was between meetings this morning and I had initially meant to schedule the viewing tomorrow evening at 8PM. I will be working in the unit tomorrow and will have it in move-in-ready condition. It has only been listed for 2 days so I didn't expect much interest so soon. Thanks!

  My damn assistant may be too efficient. However, I can't really hold that against her, considering it has boded well for my level of effectiveness in the past. Shelby is on her honeymoon with Marcus, so I expect my issues with her over-achieving tendencies are pretty low on her priority list right now.

  Tralen-

  I hear the chirp of my phone as I am leaving the girls' bonfire in the backyard of my sister's house. Shilo and 3 of her teammates are sleeping in the treehouse I built her for her sixth birthday and celebrating our big win earlier tonight. After Loosey and I both visited the bushes out back, I handed her up to Shilo's outstretched arms. She is going to sleep with the girls tonight in the treehouse! Halla-Frickin-Lu-Yah! I might actually get some sleep tonight. I haven't gotten much sleep since Loosey invaded my life.

  My sister lives on five acres about 15 minutes from the city. Her husband Archie is a dentist and loves her and Shilo hopelessly… as it should be. However, as a protector and owner of the "pants" in the family, I would place my bets most definitely on Mags. She played hockey on a league overseas until she met Archie, working for his residency in a Swedish dental office. He repaired her broken front teeth she had received from a puck to face she took defending the goal. Their story only got better from there.

  She lived with her mother Patty in Canada when she was young. She is 10 years older than me, so we didn't know her growing up. My dad never talked about Maggie and would get angry at Mom for bringing her up or suggesting we invite her to visit in the summer. That never happened. I decided to look her up about five years ago, when I moved to Chicago with Cody and his bandmates had started playing at Seedy's Place, a trendy bar that hosts some of the hottest names in business on their way to the top. That is exactly where Cody and DarkWater are heading: all the way up. Cody seems to have mixed feelings about all the attention and popularity they are starting to receive. He loves his music and playing his guitar but all the bullshit that goes along with it starts to take its toll.

  I am so proud of him, and all the sacrifices I've made seem small when compared to the feeling in my chest when he plays his strings. The first time he thundered out his songs in front of a full crowd at Seedy's Place, I knew it had all been worth it. He took the stage and began to play like he was alone back in the barn in the dark with the doors swung open toward the reservoir below. The moonlight would reflect off the shine of the water, and he literally taught himself to play and write music by the moonlight reflecting from the "dark water."

  Bill can kiss my ass. He never deserved Cody.

  Now Mags, Cody and I spend every Thanksgiving together, and Mags and Shilo spend Christmas with Archie and his family. They are the only family I have left after Mom died. I pull myself from the depths before I start to think about "him" and decide to check my phone, remembering the message alert sounding earli
er.

  I read the message and wonder what "meetings" strippers actually get caught up in during the morning hours. I also wonder how many "viewings" she gives from home. I don't want to be living next to an escort, because you never know what shit she might drag in every night. She didn't ask me for money. Was our dance in the hallway just a sample of the kinds of entertainment she offers?

  That can't be her; she's too "together" to be a prostitute or a call girl. She doesn't look desperate or needy or the slightest submissive. She is in control and fiercely guards her expressions behind her changing faces what a contradiction of emotions she stirs in me. My memories flash back to the curve of her breast as her nipple peeked out from beneath her splayed fingers. It was a rich pink and the slickness of the sweat on her skin… STOP, ENOUGH!

  D: No apology necessary I will see you at 8PM. Thanks again.

  I flop onto the guest bed in my towel. I feel like I am in a luxury hotel suite staying at my sister's house. However, I still feel like I am imposing, even though she said I would be more than welcome to just move in altogether. The down comforter sucks the rest of the water rivulets still scattering across my wet back. I try to gather my thoughts and focus on work and my to-do list to keep her memories from invading me as I drift off. Oh no, it is no use; here they come… they always assault me in my dreams. It is the good kind of assault, but it about kills me every time! I fall into a deep sleep…she's back and I am on the stairs anticipating black lace. SHIT!

  Chapter SEVEN

  Keep Calm And Dream On

  Hadley-

  Tyler lucked out by having a 12-hour shift at the hospital, so I am on my own for my little DIY project today. As I am leaving, I see Emily outside on Tyler's front step, smoking a Marlboro Light and talking into her phone at 6AM. She must have a bad case of jet lag. I almost don't recognize her. This month her hair is black and slightly longer than it was last time I saw her. When she was here for Shelby's wedding she had it tinted a dark brown with auburn highlights, and I fell in love with style of the cut. I told her I was ready for more career-short than the shoulder-length style I had worn for about two years too long. I needed a change and something with more professional appeal. I asked her to make mine look like hers when she cut and added highlights blond highlights to add interest to my auburn base.

  Emily came back to visit and help Tyler take care of Macey while he continues his residency shifts and Pugs is on a cruise with her sister for 10 days. Pugs & Petals leave this weekend for the venture through the Panama Canal.

  When Emily sees me outside she starts to walk across the lawn between us toward my driveway, waving with a big smile as she finishes her call and hangs up. I meet her on the walk and give her a big squeeze. "Hey Lil' Sister glad you could come back and visit so soon. I hope you recovered alright from your last visit!"

  Emily's cheeks burn red at my statement. I didn't mean to embarrass her; I was just giving her some shit about our condition when we left Shelby's wedding reception together. I try to change the subject quickly and tell her about my plans to work on the vacant unit today. Emily states, "I can help you, if you don't mind Macey and me hanging out over there with you all day while Tyler works his shift. I need to find us something to do today anyway, or I know I will be more than tempted to break down and buy Mace a puppy for her birthday myself."

  I let her know I am going to go pick up the rest of the cleaning supplies and stop and get us breakfast, coffee and chocolate milk for Mace before we start. Emily said she would get Macey up and dressed. They are going to meet me over there when I get back so we can start painting and cleaning the unit.

  Emily and I visited about her classes and her plans to move closer to Tyler and Macey once she is finished. She wants to be closer to family but she has no desire to go back to their hometown in Northern Idaho, where her parents and other sister Kendra still live. She had a bad experience there after her high school boyfriend drove drunk and killed three other kids in a car accident while taking them home from a party. It was the summer before her junior year. It is a smaller rural community and it caused some tension when she had to testify against Jeremy. She did the right thing but the verdict delivered in the trial convicted him to prison to serve six years for vehicular manslaughter. Jeremy was up for early release next month and would most likely be going back home when he got out. If he hadn't been tried as a minor and convicted, he would have had to serve 15 years instead. She came and stayed with Tyler and Dez just after the ordeal and finished her senior year at a high school near here instead. Once Mace was born she decided they needed some space and had plenty of assistance between Shelby, Pugs and me living so close. It was also taking an emotional toll on her to watch Dez's health fade and the pain Tyler was facing. She enrolled in college and entered into the nursing program and then dropped out after only two semesters. Emily worked in a coffee shop for a few years before deciding on cosmetology as her career choice--for now, anyway. She is a bit of a free spirit and doesn't feel like she has any real skills or even interests to pursue any more real career aspirations. She has a great sense of style and is very sociable. I personally think Interior Design would be a good fit for her. She assisted in picking out the tile, paint color scheme and plumbing fixtures for Tyler and Dez's place while she stayed with them after I bought it and they moved in. She did such a good job with such ease I made her help me redecorate and remodel my whole place.

  We worked all day on the vacant townhouse, and I am desperately in need of a shower before the prospective tenant arrives. Tyler showed up to check out what Emily and I were able to get accomplished today, so I asked him to be on the lookout for our visitor in case he shows up to take a look at the place before I return. I still feel bad for missing him yesterday after I screwed up the appointment with him. I informed Tyler that the property management company called with his clean bill of health from the background check and said his name is Tralen Creed. That name sounded familiar to me, but I couldn't think of where I may have heard it before.

  I hear the sound of an engine coming to a stop in the space directly in front of the vacant unit. I glance down at my new watch, which looks slightly off with my worn jeans and t-shirt and brown scuffed cowboy boots I used to wear when I bartended in college… one word… COMFORTABLE. But that's me of course--a 5'8" bundle of contradictions.

  I go strolling down the walk to the unit at the far end of the complex. I see Macey running in circles, screaming and laughing as an adorable black lab puppy yaps and chases her across the little front yard and up and down the porch steps repeatedly. Pugs is watching them outside with a huge grin and letting out, "Oh my" about every other breath as she chuckles, watching them play. I assume Tyler has taken the prospective tenant into the unit to show him around.

  The prospective tenant has a puppy? Did the ad mention that? I knew I should never let Shelby go on vacation… ever… Honeymoon or not! If she were here she would be showing the unit and ensuring all was in order before presenting it. I catch myself and scold the selfish attitude. She deserves some happiness, and am I really too busy or "incapable" of managing my own affairs without assistance? Humph… I am sure the prospective tenant is nice and he is obviously a keeper, according to Macey. That is, assuming this dog is part of the package.

  Tyler will not allow her to get a dog but maybe this is just Dez's way of sending us all what we need… in that way she always does.

  Tralen-

  I am checking out the place with Tyler and I am wondering how well he knows Harley and how does Hadley Masters fit into the picture? I hate to admit it, but so far Tyler seems like a pretty cool dude. Wait, why wouldn't I want him to be cool? It is not like I have to worry about him being competition or anything, because I could never seriously date a stripper. With the exception of that one time with her, I am not a one-night stand kind of guy. I broke so many rules with her already that I hope it is out of my system. If my lower brain would stop interfering and trying to make his presence known, this w
ould be a lot easier.

  Tyler lives here; I just heard him say "with all my girls." What does that mean, exactly? It's the way he smiled when the words "my girls" rolled off his tongue. He loves them; you can see it all over his face. I am starting to wonder if Hadley is not a dude after all, but then how does Harley fit in to the mix? Could Harley actually be Hadley? Maybe I didn't hear the pronunciation of her name correctly in the hallway.

  I think I am supposed to be focused more on the place, but since the moment I caught site of the action going down in that loft I haven't been able to get that vision out of my head. I am not normally a dude that gets led around by my cock. Not after Nicole. I should never have dated the same girl all throughout high school. It was almost like we were married by our junior year, and then she followed me to college. However, when Jenna died I dropped my basketball scholarship to get a job and focus on getting Cody the rest of the way through high school. Once my chance at the NBA and my scholarship was gone, so was she. I found out she had been fucking the university quarterback, who was pledged to sign with the NFL in the spring. He ended up getting caught with drugs and an underage female companion in a cheap hotel room before he was signed. Karma's a bitch.

  Just then Tyler is telling me about the backyard and we stroll that way. I snap out of my daydream and decide that it is a perfect location for Loosey and me. I am certain this little girl will eventually break Tyler down and I can pawn Loosey off on them. I even volunteer to build the fence in the backyard without charge if they will not require me to put down a deposit and give me the first month's rent free.