Page 70 of Rough

Now wearing a black pair of heels, she walked toward me with an elegant grace I had no idea she possessed.

Preoccupied with her purse, she had no clue that I was watching. When she reached the door, she looked up.

“Oh wow. I like the tee shirt. It uhhm.” She grinned. “Yeah, I like that. A lot.”

“Thanks. It’s new, too.”

She scrunched her nose. “Where’s your vest?”

“How far can you walk in those things?”

“These?” She shrugged. “It’s not like you’re probably thinking. These are comfortable. I can walk as far in these as you can in those boots, why?”

“Feel like walking?”

“Sure, why?”

“Can’t ride the bike without the kutte. Club rules. With you wearing those heels, the kutte looks out of place. I put it in the kitchen.”

“You can wear it,” she said. “It’s fine.”

“Just for tonight,” I said. “We’ll go like this.”

She smiled. “Just for tonight.”

She locked the door and turned around. For an instant, she looked confused.

I stepped to the side and extended my left elbow. “Slip your arm in there.”

She hooked her arm right arm through my left, snuggled up to my side, and looked up. She didn’t need to speak, her eyes said everything.

“My real name’s Brad,” I said.

“Nice to finally meet you, Brad.”

TWENTY-ONE

Tegan

Perfection is a matter of personal definition, but by my standards, the night was perfect. As we’d chosen to walk, our dining options were limited. We agreed on a burger joint three blocks away.

The small establishment had a steady stream of patrons in and out, and a long line at the drive-thru, but the eight booths that were inside were occupied by no one other than us. The food was delicious, the atmosphere was nothing short of magnificent, and the discussions were, as always, entertaining.

In summation, I was in heaven.

I coughed a laugh, launching a sweet potato fry onto the table. “You did not!” I gasped.

I struggled to pick up the slippery spud. “Sorry.”

He chuckled a laugh at my antics. “I damned sure did.” He wiped his mouth, then nodded toward his lap. “From the waist down.”

I wrapped the half-eaten morsel in a napkin. “Naked? Right there in the store?”

“Didn’t have many options. She went to get the dressing room key and never came back. I had six minutes left.”

“Any reason you weren’t wearing underwear?”

“Be kind of tough. I don’t own any.”