Bull, page 7
Yup. Frenchie was definitely fucking Lissa up against the side. They were trying to be subtle, but I recognized the movements, and to the observant eye their expressions gave them away. Lissa's pretty face was flushed, her eyes closed, mouth opened as she gripped the edge of the pool. Even from this distance I could see the hard lust on Frenchie's face as he fucked her from behind.
I would have expected something like that from Loco, but he and the mystery woman were sitting on the steps now and were still talking. If I weren’t seeing it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed that Loco would have enough in common with a woman to have a full-on conversation with her.
I smirked, turning back to Viola. "Who's the woman with Loco?"
"That's my neighbor, Millie." She smirked. "Why? You interested in her? She's available."
I laughed and shook my head. From where I was sitting, it didn’t look like she was available. "Not my type. Besides, looks like Loco has got his sights on her." She glanced in their direction before putting her eyes back on me, and once again I found my jaw clenching at her black eye.
The bastard was going to pay for putting his hands on a woman in anger.
For putting his hands on Viola.
I waited until I was certain Frenchie was done fucking Lissa before I got to my feet and walked toward them. I was going to find out who the fuck Nick was. All I needed was his last name, and I was going to get it, and then I was going to hunt him down.
Chapter 11
VIOLA
"Miss Masters, I'll see you in my office."
Hussy hadn’t even slowed down as she’d rounded the desk, taken one look at me, and continued toward her office door. The woman walked as if she had a stick up her ass, but it had to be her pencil skirt that was causing her to walk so stiff and erect. The way that she wore her combination gray and white hair in a fifties twist, along with her perpetually tight expression, reminded me of Jessica Tandy in the classic movie "The Birds.".
I glanced over at Lissa. She rolled her eyes and pressed her mouth tight. Words were unnecessary. We both knew why I was being called to Hussy's office. I was surprised that it had taken her this long to notice my eye. I'd been at work for three hours. With a sigh of resignation, I left my station and walked to her office while trying to figure out what I was going to tell her. Did I tell her the truth? I opened her door and stepped inside, seeing her at her desk with her head bent over something.
"Sit, please."
I did and waited for her to look up. By the time she finished what she was doing and glanced up I had a smile on my face.
She rested her elbows on her desk and steepled her fingers. "What happened?"
Not about to jump to the conclusion that she was referring to my eye, I feigned innocence. "About?"
She released a harsh breath and raised her brow in an expression that didn't require words. I decided to address my black eye by trying to appeal to any concern for me or humanity she might have been hiding beneath the layers surrounding her heart of stone.
I kept the smile on my face. "I appreciate your concern, but I'm okay."
Hussy cleared her throat. Couldn't she just for once pretend that she cared?
"I had a little accident."
"With a door, no doubt," she said sarcastically. "I'm sorry, Miss Masters, but we can't have our staff walking around with obvious injuries that may upset our fragile patients. I suggest that you try green or lavender concealer, and then makeup to cover it up."
I blinked and stared at her as if she'd just sprouted horns. How did she know what to do to cover a bruise? Like me, she didn't wear makeup, or much of it anyway. The slightest twitch at the corners of her lips might have been a smile for her, as if she knew what I was thinking.
"I had no idea," I began, still slightly in awe. "I don't wear makeup very often."
Hussy leaned back in her chair. "Well, you do now, at least until that discoloration is gone. Take the rest of the day off and go shopping." Her tone was clearly dismissive.
I got up and left her office, breathing a sigh of relief that she hadn’t told me to stay home until the discoloration went away. Lissa was waiting for me behind the desk. She raised her brows in a silent inquiry, and I gave her a reassuring smile. "Did you know that green and lavender concealer covers up a black eye?"
She shook her head.
"Neither did I, but I do now. I've got the rest of the day off to go buy some."
"Lucky you! You get the day off," Lissa smiled.
"Lucky I wasn't told to take a week off," I corrected her. "I would have had to use vacation time."
"Can you pick me up some red nail polish and matching lipstick while you're at the store?"
I scooped up my bag from my cubby beneath the desk, but I didn't head toward the front door. "Sure. Any particular brand?"
"Nothing too cheap," she said. "Where are you going?"
"I told Bull that I'd stop in to see his uncle today. I checked when I first came in, and he's in ten."
It was the last room at the end of the hall, and it didn't take me long to get there. I paused at the doorway and knocked to get his attention. He was sitting in his wheelchair with his back to me, staring out the window. He had a nice view of the gardens. I heard his mumbled permission to enter, and smiling, I announced myself.
"Good morning, Mr. Myers." I walked to where he was sitting and sank down in the chair in the corner that he faced. "I'm a friend of Bull's. I told him that I would stop in and see you today. Is it okay if I visit?"
His tired blue eyes met mine. Tom Myers was a frail man, but I'd been expecting that, or he wouldn't have been on the first floor to begin with. He was extremely thin, and his pajamas hung on his frame. Bony hands rested on his lap, and I noticed that every so often they would twitch. His slightly colorless face was a roadmap of deep, intricate lines that went nowhere, but told the story of a man who had lived a full life. Solid white hair was thicker than I had expected for a man his age and was combed over to the side.
His gaze took me in, and I swear there was a smile in his eyes when he asked, “Did you win?”
I knew that he was referring to my black eye. I winked. “Of course I did.”
He chuckled softly. "So, you're a friend of my nephew’s?"
I nodded.
"What's your name, cutie?"
"Viola."
"Known Michael long?"
Michael? That had to be Bull's real name. "Not long, Mr. Myers."
"He's a good boy," he mumbled. "You his girl, the one he's been talking about at the clubhouse?"
Bull had a girlfriend? Why did that surprise me? And more importantly, why did it dishearten me? It wasn't as if we had anything going on. I shook my head, which caused a frown to cover his face.
"Hopefully she's a good woman. I'd like to see him settled before I go."
I didn't know what to say to that. For some reason thinking about Bull with another woman bothered me. I decided to change the subject. "How are you feeling this morning, Mr. Myers? Can I get you anything?"
"For starters, you can call me Uncle Tom, and I'd like a sip of that drink I have over there on my tray."
I decided to humor him. I knew Hussy wouldn't condone my calling a patient by his first name, but I was officially off the clock. "Okay, Uncle Tom, I can do that." I spied the drink he was talking about and got it for him. "Here you go." Trembling hands reached for it. "How do you like it here?" I glanced out the window at the gardens. "You have a nice view. I bet you see a lot of birds and squirrels."
The slurping sounds he made caused my smile to grow, but I continued to stare out the window. "I do," he said when he was done. "Saw a mother raccoon with two babies walk by right before dark last night."
"Cool!" I said with excitement. "I love animals." I thought that it would be nice if I placed a bird feeder right outside his window for him to view.
"You see that tree right there?" He pointed. I followed his finger. There were a lot of trees bordering the garden from the road. "That dark area halfway up the trunk?"
I was looking at an oval shaped hole. "Oh, yeah."
"An owl lives there. Named her Hussy, like the old witch who goes around here walking the halls."
I burst out with laughter, meeting the humor in his eyes. He had a grin on his face, too. "How do you know it's a female?" I whispered next to him.
He shrugged. "Has to be. Damn thing swoops around out there like she owns the place, then sits up on that branch searching out the weak." He laughed, and then went into a coughing fit.
I patted him gently on the back until he calmed down. His eyes remained on me, and after a moment he said, "You're a pretty girl. You would be good for my nephew. You married?"
"Thank you. I'm not sure about that. And no, I'm not married," I responded in order, and then added reluctantly, "Besides, you said he has a girl."
"Oh, yeah." He chuckled. "I had a girl like you once. Then she up and married my brother. Had Michael a year later. Hated Earl for a long time after that, for taking my girl. Then he died, and I helped Kerry raise my nephew."
I didn't know what to say and remained silent.
"Karma," he said after a while. "You believe in karma?"
"I do believe in karma," I answered enthusiastically.
He nodded and returned his gaze out the window. He'd loved Bull's mother. I wondered if Bull knew that story. "If you don't mind my asking, how did your brother die?" I asked quietly.
"He was a trucker. Drove mostly at night. One night he was on Highway One in Cali, Big Sur region. Missed a sharp turn and went right over the edge. Didn't find him for a week."
I suddenly regretted that I'd asked. It was really none of my business. "I'm so sorry."
His thin shoulders lifted in a shrug. "It was a long time ago, cutie. He broke his neck in the crash and died instantly."
He hadn't suffered.
"So, how long have you known my nephew?"
"We actually met the other night at a bar called Grinders."
He nodded. "The club's bar. That's a rough place for a girl like you."
Laughter escaped me. "I can take care of myself, and it wasn't too bad. The drinks were good, and I liked the music." I decided not to go into the details of my first meeting with Bull. I was enjoying talking to Uncle Tom, but I noticed that he was getting tired. "Do you need anything?"
He shook his head.
"Would you like me to help you to your bed? You look like a nap is coming on," I teased.
He turned his head and looked at his bed for a second before shaking his head. "Once I'm gone, I'll have plenty of time for lying down." His gaze returned to the outdoors. "Don't mind napping in my chair. The sun feels good on me." He grinned up at me. "You hold off those pesky nurses if they try to move me."
I just smiled and watched as he closed his eyes. Within seconds his mouth dropped open and soft snores followed. He reminded me a little bit of my gramps. He'd passed years ago, but I still remembered the kind of man he'd been—loving, caring, and full of wisdom. Mom had said that he'd never had to take a hand to her or her brother, Sam, when they were growing up. He used his words, she'd said. He knew how to reprimand them and make them see the error of their ways without having to use the switch.
Grandma, however, had been the opposite. I smiled as I recalled Mom telling me that Grandma had chased her and her brother around the house with a switch more than once, screaming at them the whole time. “Tough love” Mom said Grandma had called it.
A loud snort from Uncle Tom interrupted my short trip down memory lane, and I looked at him with concern. He mumbled something I couldn't make out, twitching every now and then. Out of instinct I reached over and touched his hand. Just as I'd thought, he was cold. I got up and went to his bed, pulling the blanket off and going back to him to cover him with it. Just as I was pulling it around his shoulders a noise at the doorway drew my attention there, and I looked up to see Bull.
God, he was a handsome brute. He filled the doorway, looking all big and bad ass, but with a sexy smile on his mouth. I brought my finger up to my lips to warn him to be quiet. He remained where he was and let me come to him. I grabbed my purse on the way.
"Sleeping?" he whispered down at me.
I nodded, and then said in a low voice, "Good morning, Michael Myers."
A low groan rumbled through his chest. "I see Uncle Tom's been talking." He smiled down at me. "No one has the guts to call me by my full name."
I raised a brow. "M&M?"
He snorted. "Definitely not that either, Sprite." He nodded toward his uncle. "He been sleeping long?"
"About ten minutes." I noticed Bull's gaze move over me. I was wearing bright yellow pants, and my top was covered in smiley faces outlined in red. His lips twitched with what I could only guess was humor, but the appreciation in his eyes turned me warm.
"You look fucking cute in your nurse's uniform."
His compliment caught me unaware and caused a hot blush to travel up my neck and into my cheeks.
As if noticing that I’d grabbed my purse for the first time Bull asked, "Where you off to?"
I laughed softly. "Apparently there's too much contrast between my uniform and my eye. I've been given the rest of the day off to go shopping for concealer." Since I still felt the heat of my reaction to his compliment on my face I added, "Um, thank you for the compliment." Why did the quiet, speculative look in his eyes make me so uncomfortable? "Well, um, I guess I'll be leaving now."
"Thanks for stopping in," Bull said. "Now that Frenchie and your friend, Lissa, are involved, we'll probably see each other around."
In other words, if it weren’t for Frenchie and Lissa, we would not see each other at all. Apparently, he didn't care enough about us continuing to be friends that he would suggest meeting for drinks or having lunch together some day. It wouldn't be a date. Friends did that kind of thing all the time. I tried not to let it bother me.
But it did.
I thought about it all the way to the mall.
Chapter 12
BULL
Damn. I watched Viola's cute little ass walk away, surprised at the burning need that made me want to tap that. There was no question about what my dick wanted, but she was the kind of woman who would want more than sex from a man. She'd all but said it. No, thank you. Not for me. If she allowed me in her pussy, I would use her up and then move on to the next woman. It was my M.O. I wasn't proud of it, but it was who I was and how I'd lived most of my adult life. Serious relationships—hell, any relationship—wasn't for a selfish bastard like me.
I liked having the freedom to fuck whoever I wanted, whenever I wanted. No strings.
I had the feeling that I'd disappointed Viola when I'd casually tossed out the comment that I might see her around. Had she expected more? Maybe she’d wanted me to ask to see her again? I'd been tempted to but seeing how hard and fast Frenchie had fallen for Lissa told me that I would be running into Viola again at some point. Besides, asking to see her again would have given her the impression that I wanted something more from her than sex.
I thought back to what I'd walked in on when I’d arrived at Uncle Tom’s room and stopped in the doorway to watch as Viola had carefully covered my uncle up without disturbing him. The look on her face had taken my breath away. Her gentle smile, the softness surrounding her—it was obvious that Viola was a caring person. She'd told me that she would stop in to see Uncle Tom, but I hadn't really expected her to. People said things they didn't mean all the fucking time.
"Hey there."
The cheerful voice drew me out of my thoughts. I glanced up to see Lissa walking down the hallway in my direction. I almost didn't recognize her as the dressed-up stunner that had been at Grinders the other night. She paused when she reached me, glanced into the room, and then back at me.
"Sleeping?" she asked in a toned-down voice.
"Yeah."
She nodded in understanding. "He's been napping more often, but he's comfortable and pain-free." She put a comforting hand on my arm.
"Thanks. You just missed Viola."
Her brows rose in surprise.
"She stopped in to see my uncle."
Understanding dawned in her eyes. She leaned in and said in a low voice, "She was sent home because of her eye. I didn't think it was necessary, but what do I know? I don't make the rules around here."
As she started to draw away, I pulled her back in. "I want Nick's last name, Lissa." She hadn’t been able to provide it to me that day at the pool. I made sure that my tone left no room for misunderstanding. I wasn't asking.
She jerked back with surprise, her eyes moving over my face, as if trying to determine what my motives were for wanting that information. I kept my expression serious, silently demanding an answer.
“So, you were serious.” I nodded. "Did you ask V?" she asked.
I remained tight-lipped but raised a brow.
Realizing that I wasn't going to respond, she sighed. "Well, I asked her. Nick, the bastard, Rollins," she finally said. "Make it hurt, Bull."
I grinned, but I wasn't about to tell Lissa what I had planned for the asshole. He was going to find out how it felt to be punched in the eye, and then some.
"He works at a bank, but I'm not sure which one."
I raised my hand to stop her. "I'll figure out the rest." It wouldn't take long for Blade to find out where he lived. I'd never approach the fucker at his job, but at his home, where he felt safe. That would fuck with his head, too.
"I have to make my rounds. I'll see you Friday night if I don't see you again before then."
This told me that she was going to be at the clubhouse. Friday and Saturday nights were party nights, and the place was thick with activity of the immoral kind. Brothers letting off steam after a long work week. Plenty of booze, weed and sex, and maybe a fight or two. Only members and their guests were allowed to attend, with the exception of the last Saturday of each month when we welcomed anyone in.
A slight noise coming from the direction of my uncle brought me over to where he sat. He glanced up when I got abreast of him, giving me a slight smile. "Hey, Unk." I sank down into the chair that was facing him.
