All She Wanted (2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

were intense—both deep and fiery at the same time. And the sound? I wanted to bottle that sound.
    Immediately after she climbed into my
truck and secured her seat belt, she reached for the radio, turning it on.
    “Um…what do you think you’re doing?” I
asked.
    “What does it look like?”
    “It looks like you’re being a little
too handsy with my truck.” I patted the dashboard for
effect. “She’ll need to warm up to you a bit before you start putting moves on
her like that.”
    Out of the corner of my eye, I watched
her decide whether or not to take me seriously. I smiled when she leaned back
and crossed her arms in front of her, a smirk twisting her lips as she spoke.
    “And what kind of warm-up might she
need?”
    Ah, now
I’m getting somewhere.
    “The usual I suppose—small talk first.
She’s rather particular, not just anyone gets to ride in her cab,” I replied. I
leaned over as if to tell her a secret and whispered, “She’s the jealous type,
so you might want to put her at ease.”
    “And fairly high maintenance it seems,”
she whispered back, “Is this where I declare my intentions?”
    I laughed, “Nah, but conversing with
her driver seems to work well.”
    “Well, let’s see,” Charlie started, “how
long have you worked at the station, Manny?”
    “Six years.”
    “How old are you?”
    I smiled, “Not eight-five—shocking, I
know!”
    She laughed, “Really…how old are you?”
    “Twenty-six.”
    “Why did you agree to be my manny for
the month?” Her tone had quickly gone from sweet and playful to sour and testy.
    I glanced in her direction before
responding, “Because I like your dad. He’s a good man—even if his rules seem
extreme at times.”
    “So you agree this whole shenanigan is
extreme, huh?” She asked, her voice noticeably warmer than five seconds prior.
“That’s five points to you, Manny.”
    “I get five points for agreeing with you
on something? Wow, that’s…generous. How many do I get for driving you to the
booty-call bar?” I asked.
    “Two.”
    “Two?” I turned my head toward her,
laughing in surprise. “Please explain how the points went down for driving you across town in the middle of the night to help
your friend ward off a sexual assault.”
    “Let’s see,” She held her little hand
out, ticking-off a finger for each point-deduction. “You busted my escape,
stole my car keys, and ruined my plans for a great evening.”
    I laughed. Feisty little thing she is.
    A second later we pulled into the
parking lot for The Dive —which was
exactly how it looked, like a run-down hole of a business.
    I put my arm out to stop her before she
could open her door, “Do not leave my side tonight, Charlie. Taking your keys away
is nothing compared to what I could do…if the need arose, got it?”

 
 

Chapter Three
    Charlie
    I stared at him for a long second,
searching his face for any sign of humor. There was none to be found.
    “Fine.” I rolled my eyes as we made our
way through the parking lot. “But I don’t need a bodyguard,” I mumbled, letting
the music drown-out my words.  
    After showing my ID to the bouncer and
paying the cover charge—which interestingly enough had been waived the night I
didn’t show up with the manny—we made our way through a sea of sweaty bodies.
    “You’re really cramping my style,” I
said flatly.
    Naturally, he found this funny and laughed
me off.
    I checked my phone every couple of
minutes. Jackie had yet to respond. I stood on my tip-toes and searched for her
through the crowd.
    “So, what does this girl look like?”
Manny asked as we slid behind a group of rowdy women.
    “Like a celebrity. Tall, blonde,
thin…and gorgeous.”  
    For once he had no comeback.
    I texted her again.
    Me: I’m here. Where are you?
    After twenty minutes of walking around playing
detective, I told Manny I was going to check the restroom.
    “Okay, but I’m going with you.”
    “No way!” I balked, “You’re