Brett's Little Headaches Page 10

  “I have my license if that’s what you mean, but I don’t have a car yet.”

  “We’ll get you one, in the meantime you can take the hummer.”

  “That thing’s too big for me to handle.”

  “Yeah, well the one we’re gonna get you isn’t gonna be much better, you’ll get use to it. It’s one of the safest rides on the market.”

  “I shudder to think what it could possibly be? Does it come with a gun mounted on the top?”

  “Thanks for reminding me, I was thinking only of bullet proof glass and shit like that, but a gun mount might be good too.”

  “It was a joke Cantone, take it easy.”

  “Uh-huh, we’re here.” I looked around at the place where she spent eight hours a day five days a week. I knew nothing about it and made a note to myself to find out.

  She might not understand her change in life, but I was sure that others, once they find out, will be very aware, and so it was up to me to protect her.

  There’s no way I can let her stay here. Tonight I’ll broach the subject again and try to do it in a way that doesn’t raise her hackles.

  We shared a hot tongue twister that gave me ideas about turning back for home, and bed, but she pulled away just when my dick was about to get unruly.

  “See you later Brett and thanks.”

  “For what baby?” I caressed her cheek, that needing contact thing again.

  “I don’t know, for being you I guess.”

  “You’re welcome baby, I love you; see you later.” One more smoldering kiss and I went around to help her out of the car.

  I watched her ass sway as she walked across the lot and looked around to see who else was looking, and told myself that I really needed to get a grip.

  I called her just to mess with her as I pulled out of the parking lot. “I miss you already baby, you sure you don’t want to play hooky again?”

  “Go to work Cantone, I’ll see you later okay. Hey, I think I’m starting to understand those feelings you keep talking about.” She hung up before I could say anything.

  I started to grin until I heard her voice. At first I thought she was talking to me, but there was something off about the quality in her tone.

  ‘I told you not to do that.’

  ‘Is this why you called out sick yesterday, huh? You little slut, I see you’re still up to your sluttish ways. Two kids with no husband aren’t enough I see.’

  What the fuck?

  ‘Take your hands off me Norm. Do you know how much trouble you can get into if I tell the owner, or worst yet, the labor board?’

  ‘Shit, who’s gonna believe you? You’re an underage mother, which usually spells slut, while I on the other hand am an upstanding member of the community.’

  I could actually see the smirk on the fucker’s face as I made a U-turn and headed back to her.

  I was lucky enough not to run anyone over, since I wasn’t really paying attention to where the fuck I was going.

  I slammed on the brakes with my front end nowhere near the curb, and jumped out with my phone still in my hand as I hit the door.

  My eyes scanned the area as I heard her in my ear begging this asshole to leave her alone. For the next few seconds my heart was in my throat, especially when I heard what sounded like a slap and a man’s voice uttering the words ‘you little bitch’.

  The place was already packed, but there was no sign of her. I moved towards the back and was in time to see her coming out of a swinging door, holding an apron around her waist while clutching the neck of her torn shirt closed.

  Right behind her was a big guy with a greying beard and a beer gut. His tag said manager; that was all I needed.

  “Brett?” I ignored her as I reached around her for his fucking neck, pushing him back through the doors into the kitchen.

  Everyone seemed to freeze in their tracks as I slammed my fist into his face, knocking him back into the wall.

  “Brett, stop it.”

  “Get the fuck away from here Laurie.” I didn’t stop hitting him until my arms were tired and my knuckles hurt like hell. He tried to defend himself but he was no match for my anger.

  It was very telling that no one came to his rescue while I beat the shit out of him. And by the time the blood had cleared from my eyes, he was almost comatose.

  “You ever come near her again I’ll fucking kill you.” I dropped him and turned to her. “Get your things you’re not staying here.”

  “Brett.”

  “Go, now.” The asshole on the floor started making blustering noises. “You shut the fuck up unless you want me to finish what the fuck I started.”

  No one back here had moved as yet, but I could hear raised voices coming from the other side of the door.

  “Come here.” I pulled her into my chest when she came back with her purse. “You okay?” She nodded her head yes; I pushed her away so I could see her face.

  “Don’t you dare.” She grabbed my suit jacket and refused to let go.

  “I’m going to kill the son of a bitch.”

  I could see where he had torn her shirt and scratched her in the process.

  “Please Brett, for me, leave it alone.” If she wasn’t here, I would probably end the fuck, but she’s a woman with feelings. Begging me for the life of the piece a shit that accosted her.

  “Give me your phone, you didn’t turn it all the way off by the way, that’s how I knew this asshole was hassling you.”

  I searched through her phone for her dad’s number and hit dial. “Chief, no this isn’t Laurie, it’s Brett Cantone.”

  “Laurie, the boys...”

  “No nothing like that. I need someone down here at the restaurant where she works, her boss just tried to molest her, we’re pressing charges.”

  She looked like she wanted to argue but I quieted her with a look and a kiss to her brow. I’m not the type to let shit like this slide. “It’s jail or a wheelchair, choose your pick, but we’re not sweeping this shit under the rug.”

  I’d just dealt with some bullshit of my own, where a female employee, out to make a quick buck, tried to get me for sexual harassment.

  When she couldn’t get me to fall for that one, she upped the stakes and tried to set me up for date rape. All unbeknownst to me, who just thought I had an overzealous intern on my hands.

  Thank fuck I didn’t have any interest in her and was never really alone with her, or who knows what might’ve happened.

  That’s how I knew that this thing with Laurie was real.

  When I met her, I was not in a place where love and relationships were high on my list of priorities. In fact, I was pretty much over the female of the species if I remember correctly.

  “Someone will be here soon.” We ended up spending all day with that shit because the asshole wanted to press charges for getting the fuck knocked out of his ass.

  I didn’t give a shit, but my future father in law had a little talk with him that seemed to change his mind.

  “We barely have enough time to pick up the boys, we’ll order in tonight, you’ve had a long day.”

  My adrenaline was still pumping and I knew we still had another round to go, might as well get it over and done with. After today I wasn’t leaving anything up to chance.

  “You know what this means don’t you? You’re not going back there.”

  “Brett don’t start that again, he’s only one of the managers, the others are nothing like him.”

  I checked my watch real quick before pulling over to the side. I had six minutes to kill.

  “I listened to that fucker manhandling you, it took me more than five minutes to fucking get to you, you really think I’m gonna let you go back there?

  “It’s my job Brett.”

  “Fuck this bullshit Laurie; I can buy that place a hundred times over, you don’t need to work much less in a place where you were fucking molested.

  You know I can take care of you and the boys, you also know that I’m in love with you, if
you’d stop being scared long enough to accept it. Think about this shit from my side. Do you really expect me to let you do this shit?”

  She didn’t say anything, just played with her nails and stared out the window. I wasn’t sure if she was thinking over my words or not, but it didn’t matter, she had lost all argument when that fucker put hands on her. She’d be lucky if I let her out the fucking house again.

  “Time’s up, we gotta go get the boys.” Was it fair that I was using this fucked up situation to my advantage? Probably not, but hey, she wants to play tough, I’ll use whatever the fuck I got.

  I didn’t let her sulk like she wanted to when we were at home. Instead I dragged her into every conversation I had with the boys.

  After dinner I gave them their baths and left her to get them dressed for bed, because I had one more thing I needed to take care of before the day was done.

  “Chief, it’s me again. Do you know where I can find this Jonathan kid?”

  “Why would you be wanting to do that son?”

  “I want the boys, I need to meet with him and see how I can make that happen.”

  “Well now, his name isn’t on their birth certificates.”

  “It isn’t?”

  “Nope, she was steamed at him for running off, so she didn’t acknowledge him.”

  “Hmm, that’s good, but he still knows that they’re his and I’d just as soon take care of this now.”

  “Sure I know where he is, but I still don’t see the rush, didn’t you and my daughter just meet?”

  “Listen, I know you ran me, so you know that in the not too distant future I’m going to put a ring on your daughter’s hand whether she wants me to or not.”

  “Uh, how does that work son?”

  “Let’s just say we’re working on two different timetables, mine’s a little faster but not to worry, I have no doubt she’d catch up.”

  “I have no doubt that you’d see to it that she does.”

  “This is true, but my point is, when that happens, those two little boys are going to become heirs to one of the biggest fortunes in the land, you get my drift? Not to mention I just don’t like the idea of him.”

  “Oh you’re one of those, good luck son, you’re gonna need it. If you try to corral that little girl, she’ll tear a strip off your hide, I know, I’ve lost a few to that mouth of hers.”

  “I don’t think so chief. So you gonna tell me where he is or not?”

  He gave me the name of a town that wasn’t that far from here.

  “I thought he ran, why so close?”

  “He was gone for a while, only came back in the area a couple months ago.”

  “And he hasn’t tried to get in touch with her?”

  “Nope, he’s not a bad kid, just makes the wrong decisions I think. You’d better let her know what you’re up to because if she finds out later there’ll be hell to pay.”

  “I planned to, thanks chief.” I hung up and thought about my next move, I needed more information on the kid, first things first; then I’d know what moves to make.

  As for telling her, we’ll see how it goes. I don’t want him anywhere near her so I don’t know how I’m gonna pull it off.

  Chapter THIRTEEN

  Norm the fuck is going to be going away for a good little while, because yes, I’m going to use my money and influence to fry his ass. It’s early days yet, but I have it on the best authority that he’s fucked.

  I’m not sharing any of this with little miss worrywart, but I have to tell her about the errand I’m about to embark on, because after giving it some thought, it’s one of those things that I shouldn’t keep hidden. I’m not happy about it, but there you have it.

  For the past three weeks we’ve been in the middle of a Mexican standoff. She’s pissed because she wants to go back to work, and since she wouldn’t take no for an answer, I took the liberty of hiding her shit.

  Her dad, after secretly calling me to hear my side, after she’d called him to complain, agrees with me; and so now he’s in the doghouse as well. Unlike him, I pay her no damn attention and choose to pretend that all is well.

  At night when I pull her under me, she tries giving me the cold shoulder, which lasts for all of two seconds, which is about as long as it takes for me to get her warmed up.

  Today I’m taking her to the new house with a fuck load of magazines and paint swatches and some other crap she’d asked me to pick up, but first I have to tell her what I’m up to.

  “Babe come here and sit for a minute.”

  “You’ll be late for work.” She came and sat with me on the couch in our sitting room while the boys were in our bed watching some sing along crap on the TV.

  Since she’s staying home she’s been keeping the boys with her, and I know she loves it no matter how much she complains.

  “What I’m about to say will probably piss you off, before it does just know that nothing I do is ever with the intent to hurt you.

  Everything I do now is for all of us, you, me and the boys.”

  “Oh hell what did you do?” She has the worst opinion of me. I don’t know where she gets it.

  “Nothing that I know if, but I’m about to do something that I believe is the best course of action for our family.”

  “I don’t like the sounds of this. In the last few weeks you’ve turned my life upside down. Do you know how incongruous it is for me to move into your house after only knowing you for a few days, or to just leave my job on a whim? Not to mention dragging my boys along with me?”

  “Babe, I have an appointment, can you have this meltdown when I get back?” I love those looks she gives me, like she’s giving serious thought to hurting me. Too bad she’s too short and about half my size.

  “Do you know how infuriating it is to never win an argument?”

  “I’ve never argued with you babe so I wouldn’t know. Now back to what I was saying. I’m going to meet Jonathan.” I braced myself for the argument, but she seemed to be lost for words.

  “You called him?” Her voice was deceptively calm, but the pulse beating wildly in her temple gave her away.

  “Yes; I knew you would be mad, and judging from what I’ve learned about you in the last three weeks, I knew it would be a waste of time discussing it with you.”

  “You had no right.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, I have every fucking right. I claimed you remember, and in so doing I also claimed your sons. This man has a claim to those kids whether you accept it, or I hate it.

  Those boys are mine, as you are mine. I’m just going to ensure that there are no surprises in the future. Note I haven’t asked you to take part in this endeavor, that’s because I don’t want you to have anything to do with him.

  You haven’t seen him in what, four years? I’m thinking there’s no need for you to ever see him again.”

  “If that’s the case then why are you even going to see him? Shouldn’t I be the one to talk to him? I’m the one he had a relationship with after all.”

  “You’re so cute when you’re being funny. By the way, try not to mention you having relationships with other guys, it makes me just a tad fucking nuts.”

  “For the one hundredth time Brett get a grip. I only slept with the boy once, it was in the back of his car at a drive-in, nothing romantic...”

  “You really think it’s wise to paint a picture of you in the backseat of some car with this kid minutes before I go to see him? Trust me, I would like nothing better than to off the little bastard...”

  “What’s he ever done to you?”

  “He had you.” Fuck I didn’t mean to shout that shit.

  “Brett seriously, have all your women been virgins?” She was going into one of her snits, tough.

  “No, but none of them meant what you do. You think I don’t know that I’m acting like a crazy person where that shit is concerned? You think I like being jealous of some fucking kid that I’ve never even met?

  Try seeing this shit from
my end would you?”

  “Brett, how many times do I have to tell you, there’s nothing for you to worry about?”

  “In my head I know that babe, but something in me won’t let the shit go. I guess I hate the fact that you gave your heart to someone else once before. When I look at you, think of you, I want to own every inch of you. Don’t ask me what the fuck that’s about because I’ve never felt anything like it before.

  All I know is that I don’t want you to ever think of anyone but me ever.”

  “I don’t, I promise. Until we met I never even gave anything like this a thought. I was resigned to keeping my head down and living for my boys until they were old enough and then maybe I would go on with the rest of my life.”

  “What a fucking waste that would’ve been baby. I’m glad we found each other, and who knows, maybe after I meet him I’ll get over some of this. Anything you want me to say to him?” Not that I was fucking likely to pass it on.

  “What could I have to say to him? Now can we get going? You’ve made such a case about me getting started on the house that now I can’t wait to get to it.”

  Well now, that answer helped just a little bit to soothe the rough edges around my heart.

  “Okay, get the boys ready and we’ll go.” I wasn’t sure about leaving them there alone, but she had decided that today was the day, after three weeks of me badgering her.

  We had come a long way in the last three weeks. Solely because I stayed on her ass all day everyday until I got my way. Only because she’s hard headed as fuck and always wants to have her way.

  She didn’t realize it yet, but she was all mine now, all that was left was getting my ring on her finger as soon as possible. For that I had enlisted the aid of my mother, who was almost as anxious to see us married as I was.

  The two of them have met once when I took my new family to meet the rest of the clan. Mom was a bit much, so I figured it was best to expose my girl to her in small doses until I had sealed the deal completely.

  For now, they talk on the phone every blessed minute of the day and it’s a mixed blessing. I never know what the hell my mother would come up with next and this one is feisty enough as it is without the old woman putting shit in her head, like how to run circles around my ass.