Page 13 of Space Junk: Houston, We Have a Hottie
“Uh, yeah. I mean, yes. Sorry.” I will myself to relax enough to rifle through my bag and emerge with the card Rose gave me. “You’re Mr. West?”
“I’m surprised you don’t know that, as you were in my house last night.” He places his palms on the desk and leans forward. I endure yet another perusal of my person. This one leaving me a bit breathless.
I hear a snicker and realize the guy from before is behind him. I feel my face flush.
“Well,” I start, clearing my throat, “I was just getting Rose home. You never really introduced yourself, now did you?” I don’t like how he’s looking at me. It is... I don’t know, confusing. I don’t like being confused.
“Oh, I remember you all right. Just another college student home for the summer, I’m sure. Going out, getting drunk, being stupid.” He shakes his head like a father scolding a child.
I amnota child.
“Excuse me? I believeIwas the one who got Rose home last night. Not you, herboyfriend, who was at the bar and then conveniently left when it was obvious she needed to go home.” I put my hands on my hips and lean right back into him.
He seems to pause at this, so I keep going before I lose my nerve.
“Here are my keys.” I slam them down on the counter between his palms. “My car is parked out front.” I jerk my thumb towards the parking lot. “Apparently, thanks to Rose, who was nicer to me in a state of complete intoxication than you have been stone cold sober, I have a nice-sized dent on the side of my car. She gave me your card and told me to come here, that I would be... let’s see, how did she put it? ‘Treated kindly,’ as a favor for getting her home safely last night.” I even use air quotes. I’m on fire.
Flynn has the decency to cringe at my words. It’s like I’m having an out-of-body experience. My mind can’t believe that I am actually talking to a hot guy. Angrily. Coherently. Without stuttering or freezing up. And still I keep going.
“Now I don’t care if you fix it or not, but what I won’t do is stand here and listen to you blame me for doing nothing but care for your girlfriend while you were home doing God knows what.”
His brows pinch together and he opens his mouth, but I raise my hand.
In. His. Face.
I have no idea what has come over me, but it’s like I’m a bitch on a roll and I’m kind of enjoying it. I grab the pen on the desk that’s attached to a chain and flip over the card Rose gave me.
“Now.” I slam the pen back on the counter and thrust out the card. “Here’s my number. If you want the job, fine, let me know when it’s done. If you don’t, fine, let me know when to pick it up.” When Flynn doesn’t take the card, I reach around him and hand the card to the other guy, who is now staring at me with a wide smile. He takes the card with a wink. If I hadn’t already been red with anger I probably would have blushed.
A rumble comes from Flynn’s direction. He might have actually growled. I can’t be sure, as he’s looking at the other guy. But I do know I’ve poked the bear enough. I turn on the heel of my Chucks and beat it out of there.
Three
Event Horizon
Flynn
“Did you just growl at me?”
“Shut up.” I snatch the card out of Mike’s hand then grab up the car keys Jackie slammed down. There are at least five pounds of keys on the ring. Who has this many keys? And fobs. There’s a weird fob with a digital readout of numbers on it. One more thing to add to the list of questions I have about this girl.
“You did. You actually growled at me,” Mike says, laughing. “You’re hilarious.”
I glare at him. “I wasn’t the one winking at the girl, now was I?”
“I always flirt. That’s why you have me out front.” He puffs out his chest. “Women love me.”
“It sure as shit isn’t for your typing skills,” I say, gesturing to the computer.
Mike flips me off.
“Be careful, princess, that’s your good typing finger.”
“Har, har,” Mike says with an eyeroll. “You better get going if you want to catch up with her. Being a dick to a customer is not good for business, bro.”
I shouldn’t have been anything less than appreciative to Jackie from the start for getting Rose home safely. I don’t why this girl brings out the jerk in me. Thinking of the flush that spread down her neck when she was angry, I say, “Even if that girl was a few seconds away from ripping me a new one?”
“A few seconds away?” Mike barks out another laugh. “Dude, all I have to say is you better take it easy next time you take a seat, maybe invest in one of those circle pillows — she didn’t need any more time. She ripped you one good.”
