Page 4 of Tarnished Hands

Does she really think that?

Fuck! Obviously, I was not clear enough last time.

Going after her, I find her with her feet up on the desk. Her smug smile says she knew I’d come after her.

“Lydia—” I start, but she cuts me off.

“You can have me here on this desk. Think about it.” She lowers her feet and leans far enough over the desk to give me the perfect view of her tits.

“Please stand up,” I say while shaking my head.

She does, but it’s clear she is misinterpreting what I’m saying again. Lydia is good at what she does, and until I hire someone else, it’ll be a blow to my downtime without her, but with the direction this is going, she leaves me no choice but to let her go. “You’re fired.” I turn and walk out.

The gasp is loud and clear before she runs after me. “No, please don’t. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Her hand lands on my shoulder, and I tense as my stomach flips.

I shake her off like she’s burned me. I hate being touched. Doing the touching is not an issue, but I can’t stand having other people’s hands on me.

But I let Piper touch me.

“I don’t want you, Lydia,” I say simply and clearly so she can’t be confused this time. “I hired you to work and had one moment of misjudgment. If you can’t put that behind us, this won’t work.”

“I’m sorry, I’ve had a bad week.” She brushes her hair behind her ear. “It won’t happen again.”

“If it does, I won’t give you another chance.”

“Thank you. It won’t.” She promises.

She’d best stick to it.

Neither says anything more as she turns and goes back to the office, and I head back to the Mustang I’ve been working on.

Not sure how long I get lost in my work, but it has to be hours by the time I’m finished.

Truth be told, that’s how it always is.

I fucking love it. Love looking down to see grease coating my hands, and the way my shirt sticks to my back from sweat.

Cranking the engine, the Mustang purrs to life. It’s a sweet sound, similar but not as satisfying as Piper’s.

I heard Lydia leave, and she didn’t say goodbye. If she did, I didn’t hear her. It could be because I have my music turned up loud. I usually do unless I have someone here working with me. Guess I forgot she was here.

Crawling back under the car to tweak a few things, I don’t hear Piper come in, but I feel her before I see her black, sky-high boots, and what I assume are the same black jeans from earlier that hugged her lush, ripe peach shaped ass. Rolling out from under the Mustang, I look up at her. Her arms are crossed over her chest, and those almost pitch black eyes stare down at me with seriousness.

“Just sex,” she says, and I let a wicked smirk slide across my mouth. Her brows lift. Daring me. Testing me. Just waiting for a reason to bolt. “Nothing more.”

I don’t agree to her terms as I stand and head to the wash area. I make quick work of tearing off my shirt and kicking free of my jeans. She remains where she is as I walk to the shower room in the back of the building. After quickly washing and throwing on some clean clothes, I return to find her leaning against the car, her phone in hand, lost in her own world.

“Dinner,” I say, reaching for my car keys. She goes to argue, but I stop her with a finger to her lips. “Then I fuck you all night long. But first, I need fucking food.” Pulling away, I take her hand and drag her out, shutting the door behind me.

Opening the car door, Piper slides in, giving me her forever stoic expression.

I plan to make it crack tonight… in my bed.

Chapter Three

PIPER

When Joey dropped me off at home, I wasn’t planning on going to see Ezra. No, I told myself I would shower, chill, go to bed early, and forget everything that happened between me and him.

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