Rewired (The Progress Series) Page 2

  Right.

  This is never gonna work.

  Chapter Two

  “Morning, Sunshine,” she said cheerily as Jess opened his door. She peered up and down his glistening chest and swallowed, looking away.

  Yeah, I thought you’d like that.

  “What, can’t handle seeing a naked man?” he asked, closing the door behind her with one hand holding his towel at his hip. “I just got out of the shower. Give me a minute and I’ll get some clothes on.”

  Charlie walked into the living room and set her purse on the coffee table. As Jess turned to walk to his bedroom, he dropped the towel, hoping to get her to follow him.

  He took his time getting dressed, waiting for her; lingering in front of his closet way longer than necessary. But after five minutes, he heard her start to hum a song in his living room.

  You’re not coming in here, are you?

  Discouraged, he rolled his eyes and, grabbing his bag of marijuana off the nightstand, he walked out and began packing a bowl in his kitchen.

  Clipping her song short, she rose from the chair and swiped the bag from his hand. “You are not smoking that shit in here!”

  “What? Why?” He snatched the bag back from her and shoved it in his pocket.

  “Because I’m your landlord!” She lowered her voice to shout a whisper and added, “And it’s illegal.”

  “Christ, Red. You’re such a prude. This is my apartment, and I’ll smoke what I want, when I want.”

  “Then I’m leaving.” She grabbed her purse and went for the door.

  Dammit! Okay, no girls. No fights. No mouth. And now no drugs? Come on!

  His shoulders slouched. “Fine! Okay, okay. Can we go somewhere else so I can smoke?”

  She shook her head and tried to conceal a smile. “You’re just full of prompts today, aren’t you? Don’t think I didn’t notice the accidental slip of your towel on the way to your bedroom. Why do you get such a kick out of getting a reaction from me?” she asked, trying her best to sound nonchalant.

  The corner of his mouth turned up as he approached her. “Because I need constant stimuli.” He shrugged. “Did you like it?” he asked, his smile widening.

  “Like what?”

  “The view of my ass,” he said, looking down briefly, sex oozing from his fixed gaze. Leaning into her, he whispered, “Want to see it again?”

  Charlie took a long, deep inhale. “No.”

  He chuckled and brought his hand to her cheek. “Still don’t have a plan yet, I take it? Are you sure you don’t want to see it again?”

  She gave a tight smile. “Er, let’s just go to the park. You can smoke there. After you help me get my car back here. It’s still parked at the clubhouse.”

  He shot a sideways smile and grabbed a sweatshirt, following her to the door.

  *

  After retrieving her car, they dropped off his Honda in the apartment parking lot.

  Simultaneously, Jesse and Charlie grabbed their sunglasses and slid them on. The majority of the previous night’s snowfall had melted in the April sun and the car was heating fast.

  “It’s probably going to be really wet at the park. Did you want to go somewhere else?” asked Jess, feeling stifled.

  Charlie set down her phone. “Um, sure,” she replied, distracted. “But, I don’t think you can smoke anywhere else.” She began digging in her purse beside her and Jess caught a glimpse of her white cotton bra underneath her T-shirt, pinching together her cleavage. He shifted uncomfortably and turned his head toward the window.

  “Take your next right. We’ll go shoot some pool. It’s Sunday, right? I know a guy.”

  With only one store occupying the several units available in the strip mall, he pointed to a shop with the word TOBACCO in red neon lights above the door. “They have a pool table here in a separate room, specifically for, ahem, smokers.”

  She looked at Jess out of the corner of her eye, peering through her sunglasses. “Of course they do,” she said, pulling her car into an empty space.

  The large store held thousands of different cigarettes, tobacco, hookahs, and pipes. A room with glass walls sat in the back of the store. The worn green felt atop the pool table had seen better days, and there were ashtrays and matches on each side of a wooden bench.

  Jesse jerked a nod to the man behind the counter and another toward the smoking room. The man nodded and gave them a smile. “’Sup?” he asked, and went back to taking inventory.

  Jesse pulled open the glass door. “Ladies first,” he said, bowing for her to walk over the threshold.

  “Wow. Such a gentleman.” She curtseyed and giggled her way through the doorway. Setting her purse down on the bench, Charlie turned back toward Jess. He was already packing marijuana into a pipe that looked like a cigarette.

  “A little eager, are we?” She raised her brow.

  You have no idea.

  Taking the first drag of the pipe, he took in a long breath and held it. He smiled just as he was exhaling.

  “Wanna play?” he asked, gesturing to the pool table.

  She grinned. “Sure.”

  Charlie took out the triangle and racked up, alternating stripes and solids with the black 8 ball in the center.

  Jesse tugged on his lip to cover his smirk. Oh shit, she’s played before.

  “I see you know what you’re doing,” he said, grabbing two cues from the rack.

  She laughed. “In my old bedroom at my parents’ house we used to have a game room. Well, before I claimed it as my bedroom anyway. We had a pool table, foosball, and darts. I haven’t played pool in years. But yeah, I know what I’m doing.”

  He winked and handed her some chalk and a cue. “Let’s see what you got.”

  “Challenge accepted.” She winked back and began chalking the tip. “Wanna break?

  “No.” I’d much rather take in the view from here. “Go ahead.”

  “Okay.”

  Charlie aligned herself at the head of the table, just two feet directly in front of Jesse. Concentrating on the white cue ball, she focused her attention on the fifteen huddled balls in front of her. After gathering her auburn hair into a ponytail, she bent over slowly with her legs slightly spread.

  Sweet Jesus. Look at that ass. She’s gotta know what she’s doing to me.

  “Ahem.” Charlie cleared her throat, concealing a smile. “Your turn.” He hadn’t noticed that she had already broken the balls, and they were scattered beautifully across the table.

  With a couple of taps on the ashtray, Jesse emptied the resin from his pipe and shoved it back into his pocket, a cheap excuse to loosen his tightening jeans. He took his wallet out of his back pocket, along with the lighter, and set it on the bench. Smiling, he glanced at Charlie out of the corner of his eye. “Prepare yourself, Charlie. I know how to play this game, too.”

  He stepped around the table, chalking as he strode. Positioning himself, he fixed his mind on the odds for the best possible shot—each angle, every stripe and solid, and every scenario that the cue ball would bank against the cushion in order to collide with the ball of his choice. Then he considered the placement of the balls after their ricochets. With his mind working furiously, Jesse was in his zone.

  “Nine ball, corner pocket.” Calling out each shot beforehand, he sank four stripes in a row before he fouled.

  “Ha! Rookie.” She laughed and retrieved the cue ball from the hole on the side of the table. She threw it up in the air, fixing her eyes on Jesse’s. His head cocked to one side, trying to read her expression. As the ball quickly descended, her hand swept across and caught it at her waistline. If Jesse had blinked, he would have missed it.

  “Softball, nine years.” She flashed a grin.

  “Really? You played softball?”

  She giggled. “Yeah. I couldn’t get myself around the bases very fast, but I crushed the shit out of that ball. Every time.”

  “What position did you play?”

  “Pitcher and first base. I c
oached for a couple of years, too. I called our team The Ball Snatchers.” She smiled and set the cue ball down to take her next shot. Looking back up, she said, “There’s a lot you don’t know about me. An entire lifetime, really.”

  “Like what?” he asked.

  “My birthday, for example,” she lightheartedly replied. “My phone number, my middle name, my favorite movie...” She shrugged. “You hardly ever ask me about, well, me. I’m not bothered by it much. But it occurred to me the other night that you barely know who I am.”

  What else do I need to know? “Go on, I’m listening.”

  She laughed, positioning herself for the shot. She tapped the solid 1 ball and it glided gently into the side pocket. Glancing back up at Jesse, she recognized his eager expression. “Oh, I don’t know, Jess! There are just some basic things about me that you’ve never asked.” She waved her hand, dismissing any inclination that it bothered her. “I mean, did you know that I have a sister?”

  Whoa.

  “Really? You have a sister?” His eyes shot open and he bit his lip, smirking.

  Bending over the pool table, Charlie looked up at Jess and laughed so hard she missed her shot. More annoyed at that than his insinuation, she replied, “Get it out of your head. Stay away from her.” She giggled and teasingly slapped his ass while walking by him. “Your turn.”

  “I know, I know. I’m going.”

  “No, your turn to answer some questions.”

  Chalking up his cue, a deep crease riddled his brow. “What do you want to know?”

  “How about your middle name?”

  He smiled. “You’re gonna laugh.”

  “Oh no, is it like Herman or something?”

  He shook his head with a smile. “No, it’s James.”

  She shrugged and wrinkled her nose. “Why is that so funn—Oh!” She giggled. “Jesse James.” Shaking her head, she snorted and quickly covered her mouth, trying to contain her laughter.

  Wetting his lips, he flicked his chin up twice in succession. “Laugh it up.”

  “Okay, I’m sorry,” she added quickly. “So can I ask another question?”

  He tensed and bent down to line up his next shot. “Go ahead.”

  “You once told me you were in the foster system…”

  He took his shot just as the words left her lips, and the cue ball flew off the table, cracking onto the cement floor. He tried to act casual and laughed it off. “Oh, no, no, no, Charlie. You’re coming on too strong with the psychological overkill. Patience, baby. Patience. You’re not going to cure me that quickly.”

  She shrugged and smiled. Nodding, she replied, “Okay. Maybe another time, then.”

  Surprised and relieved that she let the subject go so easily, he exhaled in appreciation.

  Jesse and Charlie spent the day smiling, snickering, and trying to show off in front of each other as the afternoon quickly turned to twilight. They played a total of twelve games of pool that day, and Jesse won seven of them.

  *

  “What are you thinking?” he asked as Charlie shoved her phone into her purse, slinging it over her shoulder.

  “Nothing, why?”

  “You keep checking your phone. Expecting a call?”

  “Oh, not really.” She gave a tight smile.

  “Right.” He clenched his jaw.

  Walking toward the glass door, she called back, “Don’t forget your wallet.”

  Jesse dashed back toward the bench as Charlie reached for the handle. The door swung open as two men entered the billiard room. “Oh, sorry.” Charlie’s courtesy smile vanished when she smelled the liquor on the men’s breath. Her body language shifted, and she was now standing with her head down, trying to move around them to get out of the room.

  “Hey, sweetheart.” The man wearing a Vikings jersey stepped in front of her, blocking her exit.

  Jesse’s agitation switched to torment as he turned to the sound of the stranger’s voice. Every muscle in his upper body clenched as his defenses kicked in. He grabbed his wallet and wedged it into the back pocket of his jeans. Don’t even think about it, buddy.

  Charlie smiled uncomfortably and went for the handle again.

  “Hey, where you goin’? No need to rush off.”

  Goddamn it! Look at her one more time and I swear—

  The man went to touch Charlie’s hair. “I love a juicy redhead,” he snorted.

  Before he could touch a single strand of hair on her head, Jesse grabbed the man’s hand and cranked his arm around his back, bringing him to his knees. Like he had done it a thousand times before, Jesse’s reflexive instincts kicked in, working swiftly as his senses heightened. He wrapped his hand around the back of the man’s neck and forced him down to Charlie’s feet. “Say you’re fucking sorry! Now!” Jess growled.

  “Hey!” the other man said, taking a wobbling step forward.

  Jesse’s pupils dilated and his stare was crazed. “Don’t. Fucking. Move.” His head snapped back toward the man on the ground. “Say you’re sorry!”

  “Okay! Okay! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

  Jesse stood upright with a bounce, fixing his crooked shirt. He looked around the room for Charlie, but she was gone.

  The man behind the counter of the store was on the phone, trying to avoid eye contact with Jesse. The police. He’s calling the police. Fuck!

  Jesse tore out of the store and ran toward Charlie’s car. Not seeing her in the driver’s seat, he visually scanned the parking lot. The muffled noise from the cars on the street became unbearably loud as the tinny sounds bounced from the lampposts and stuccoed walls of the mall, into his ears. His heart rate shot up as his panic rose, fearing she had left on foot.

  A few steps further into the lot, he heard a noise from behind him. Charlie was leaning against the back bumper of her car, sitting on the ground. With her palms on her forehead, she looked up when she heard Jesse’s steps.

  “Are you—” he started.

  “Fine. I’m fine.” She stood and faced him. Taking a few seconds to think of what she should say, she finally spoke. “Did you think I needed saving back there?”

  Of course you did! Did you see those guys? “No.”

  She looked up at the darkening sky and arched her back, appearing as though she wanted to say something profound. But all that came out was a stern, “Get in the car.”

  *

  Ten minutes into the car ride home, Charlie spoke the first words. “I want you to start taking your meds.”

  “What?” he asked, jerking his head toward her. Are you kidding me?

  “Would you like me to repeat myself?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “It’s none of your business whether I take my meds or not.”

  “You’re right, it isn’t. In fact, I’d even go so far as to say that it’s rude of me to mention. I’m assuming that your asinine behavior back there has something to do with your daddy issues and your mania. Right, I’m way off base thinking you need anti-psychotic medication; it’s absurd.”

  He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “God, you really are still a little boy sometimes, aren’t you? Just man up and take them. At least then we can rule out any further outbursts, like the one I just witnessed, on the lack of you being able to control your temper while unmedicated.”

  “Well, too bad. I don’t have any. I ran out a few months ago.”

  Charlie nodded and smiled. “Well then, I think it’s time you call your doctor.”

  “Fuck you, Charlie.”

  She laughed and turned into the parking lot. “If you think I’m going to spend another minute with you when you’re off your meds, think again.” She parked the car and Jesse hopped out immediately, trying to walk away from the conversation.

  Stepping out of the car, she grabbed her purse and quickened her steps to catch up with him. “Don’t be such a baby about this, Jess.” She grabbed his arm and he jerked it away, stopping in the middle of the hallway.

&n
bsp; “Don’t fucking touch me, bitch.”

  She pushed him up against the wall in vengeful retaliation. His back bounced against the sheetrock and he let out a grunt. Her eyes were a fierce blue and she showed no remorse for cracking his head against the wall.

  Placing her forearm over his chest, she whispered softly, “That’s the last time you call me a bitch. Are we understood?” Her temper cool and collected, she remained calm, allowing her words to drip with sensuality. “The immature, cocky bullshit may have worked a year ago when we both had the excuse of having minimal experience with people, but that ship has fucking sailed.” Jesse’s eyes widened in shock at the seduction in her voice. “The deal is this: you’re a danger to society, a goddamned head case. And if you’re a danger to society, then you’re a danger to me. And I just won’t have that, Jess.” Her mouth was now dangerously close to his, and Jesse could feel his erection brush against her thigh. She looked down, grinned, and let her fingernails lightly scrape the hair under his navel. “I’ve got two weeks’ vacation coming up,” she continued in a whisper, toying with his bottom lip, “and I was hoping we could spend some of that time together. Would you like that? Would you like to see more of me, Jess?”

  Shit. This girl is crazier than me.

  He swallowed and felt his jeans constrict as Charlie’s eyes flickered down to his lips. She brushed her nose against his labret as her warm breath circled around his neck.

  Oh, god.

  She smiled, pulled away, and walked down the hall toward her front door. “Think about it, Jess.” She waved her hand in the air behind her. “Have a good night!” she called out, followed up with a laugh.

  Chapter Three

  The sun had melted virtually all of the fresh snow that had dropped the week prior, and spring was beginning to show herself. Robins chirped and perched on branches that were just beginning to form buds, and the wind was swift but warm.

  The first two days without Charlie went relatively smoothly. Jess went to work and managed to harness all of his energy into the tasks the job assigned him. Menial at best, delivering fresh sand to the dunes at the golf course and spraying for weeds left him with a lot of time for reflection; but his pride and immaturity kept him from thinking he needed her. After all, I went a whole year without seeing her, right? She’ll be back. She won’t last long without me.