C4 You Owe Me

JAMES

Her name was Destiny. I couldn’t stop laughing. Be careful what you wished for, James old boy, you just might get it.

“What’s so funny? What’s your name anyway? Maybe I’ll find that something to laugh at.” She said, pouting.

I guess she wasn’t all that bad looking, pink hair and all. She had a nose ring which surprised me somewhat. I supposed she could clean up nicely.

“James.” I didn’t add Barrington the Third, not that I thought it would matter to her anyway. I got up and gave her my hand to shake. “Pleased to meet you, Destiny.”

“Well, nothing weird about your name. So, you’re not in a band?” she asked, and I might have imagined it, but she looked a bit disappointed.

I turned around to look at the wreck of my Hayabusa. The old rust bucket of a Beetle didn’t have that much damage. Fucking hard piece of metal! I sighed. My leg started to smart. Probably getting infected.

Grabbing the handlebars, I tried prying the bike off the monstrous car.

“Damn it!” It wouldn’t budge.

“Let me help you.” Destiny offered.

“Hah! What the devil are you going to do?” I glared at her. This was all her damn fault. But she is going to pay for this. There was no going back now. She had no choice but to follow my suggestion which I was forming in my mind.

She walked back to the driver’s side. I watched her hips swaying in those tight jeans. I could work with that. I smirked to myself.

I heard the engine sputter, the starter whined like a tortured soul and then the thing started, rings and pistons pinging like crazy. Jeez.

“You pull while I pull away.” She shouted over the engine noise. The Beetle – or Susy, as she called it – revved up, gears screeching.

I gritted my teeth. Goddamn woman! Push in the damn clutch! Using all my strength I pulled back on the handlebars while she searched for first gear.

“Okay, let her rip!” I yelled back at her.

The Beetle hopped forward as she accelerated. I pulled. There was a horrible scrunching sound as the bike broke free of the car and the force of it sent me sprawling face down in the tar.

“Sorry!” she yelled. “So sorry.”

I pushed myself to a sitting position, spitting out dust and gravel. Yeah, sorry wasn’t cutting it, Lady. Dusting myself off, I got up. The bike was heavy, but I had to get it out of the road. I will call a towing truck to collect it and take it to my house in Lake View later.

Calling my father for help was out of the question. He would have a bitch fit that’s for sure.

“Are you okay?” Destiny hopped out of the damnable Beetle.

“Just fine.” I groaned. My muscles were aching from the strain. I’m fit, I go to the gym regularly, but this was torture. I pushed my broken motorcycle into the grass at the side of the road and let it fall. Well, there goes the side fender.

“Can I drop you off somewhere? I really need to get to work if I still have one.”

“About that.” I took out my cell phone. “What’s your work number and your boss’ name?”

She looked at me all funny. She had deep olive-green eyes, I noticed. “Why?”

“Just give it to me, Destiny.” I glared back at her. I had no time for arguments. She gave me the number and I called a guy named Ken.

“Yes, Ken I’m calling regarding one of your employees, Destiny.”

“Yeah? Destiny Richards. Something happened to her? She’s late.” Ken sounded worried.

“Yes, she’s asked me to tell you that she’s resigning as of today.” I told him.

“What!” Destiny’s mouth dropped open. “What the hell are you doing? James!” She tried to reach for my phone, but I was way taller than her. I turned away from her.

“Resign? Are you sure? Let me speak to her.” Ken sounded pissed off.

“I’m sorry, she can’t come to the phone right now. She’s a bit occupied now. Good day to you.” I disconnected the call.

Destiny pummeled my chest with her tiny fists. She started crying again. Angry tears, I suspected.

“What have you done! You’re so mean!” she sobbed. “Now I’ll have to sleep in Susy, because I’ll be homeless.”

“Okay, stop this crying and listen to me. Take me to your… home, trailer whatever you call it.” I know it was mean of me to do this, but she had it coming.

“What?” she looked at me as if I had just killed a puppy.

I grabbed hold of her arm, pushing her in the direction of the driver’s seat. There was no way I was going to drive this piece of junk.

“Home. Yours. Understood?” I got into the back of the Beetle, cringing, there was dirty laundry at the back.

“What are you going to do to me?” she sniffed.

“Are you scared?” Hell, I didn’t want to scare her. But here I was, a stranger, forcing her into her own car and demanding she take me to her home. God, she probably thought I was going to murder or rape her or something.

“Y-yes. Are you on drugs? You must know I don’t have any, I don’t use the stuff and I don’t know anyone who sells them at the trailer park.” She rambled on.

“No, Destiny. I need a place to rest up. My leg hurts, my head hurts from your noisy crying and I am fucking tired. I don’t take drugs and I have no intention to do anything to you.” I snapped at her.

“O-Okay…” She turned the Beetle around with a screech of tires on the tar road and I cringed once again. Heaven, help us get to wherever we’re going in one piece.

***

She stopped the beaten-up faded lemon-colored Beetle next to an even worse trailer. This was perfect. I’m sure once she hears my proposal, she won’t be able to refuse. Not that I would tell her that I’m a billionaire or stand to inherit the Barrington fortune. Not right this minute.

I forced my aching body out of the cramped interior of the car. Destiny dropped the keys on the steps of the trailer. She bent down to retrieve them, her tight ass in the air. Jeez, she had no idea what that does to men.

Eventually, she got the damn door open, and I got my eyes back in their sockets. The inside didn’t look as bad as I expected. It was small, but clean. She had a bed on the left side, a tiny kitchen on the right and a sofa with stuffing coming out of it on the edges. A tiny coffee table stood in front of it. I plopped myself down on her bed.

It was like lying on concrete. Damn.

“James?” she stood there wringing her hands.

“What?”

“If you want me to clean your leg up, you’ll have to take off your pants.” She suggested.

I snorted. “Wow, usually I like being taken out for dinner and a movie before I take my pants off, Sugar.”

Her face was priceless. “Oh my God! You’re impossible.” She sat down hard on the sofa, unsettling a cloud of dust. She started sneezing.

I laughed. “I’m just kidding. I’ll be fine. Let’s get down to business.”

“Business?” she repeated.

“Yeah. You owe me and I have an idea how you can repay me.” I grinned at her.

“Look, if you think for one minute, I will sleep with you or any other man for payment, you’ve got another thing coming.” She stood up from the sofa, shaking her index finger at me. “I am not a whore. So, you can take your business elsewhere. Take me to court or whatever.” She picked up a book from the table, ready to throw it at me.

“Jesus! You think I’m a pimp?” Now it was me gaping at her like an idiot.

She lowered the book. “You’re not?”

“No!” Okay, this is not going as I had hoped. “Just listen, Destiny. I need a wife.”

“Get out of my trailer. Now!” Up came the book.

I got off the bed, holding my hands out to ward of whatever she was going to throw me with. There was a lot of stuff about.

“Hey, now. Wait, it’s not as bad as it sounds. Please, just listen. It could solve all our problems. You wouldn’t have to work, have a decent place to stay and after three years you can divorce me and…”

Whap! The book hit me on the side of the head.

“Ouch! Stop it!” I yelled. That fucking hurt! “It won’t be a real marriage. We can have legal documents drawn up.” I tried again. This time a cushion flew past me.

“What? Why?” She put down the ornament she was about to launch. Thank God.