Crash by Jeanne St. James

Chapter Ten

With his leftarm tucked beneath his head, Liz pressed against his side with one thigh over his, an arm draped across his chest and her cheek resting on his pec. His right arm was curled around her and he slowly strummed the soft, smooth skin of her back with his calloused fingertips.

Her eyes were closed and she breathed softly even though he knew she wasn’t asleep.

He refused to close his eyes—at least, not until exhaustion forced him to—because he didn’t want to miss one second with her. Their time together would be short and he wanted to make the most of it.

Monday morning would come way too fucking soon.

He wished to fuck she wasn’t a sweet butt for the Fury. Not because of what being a sweet butt entailed—that shit didn’t bother him at all, neither did seeing her get fucked by Ozzy—but because as their sweet butt she was property of that club.

Unless... she gave up that “property of” cut and walked away.

He doubted she would do that just because they fucked a few times.

He reminded himself once more that the woman loved sex and that was all it was between them.

And, for fuck’s sake, he hadn’t come up to Manning Grove looking for an ol’ lady or even a regular for his bed. Like everyone else, he’d come up there to party and overindulge, plus represent the Dirty Angels.

That was it.

Liz turned out to be the icing on the fucking cream-filled cupcake.

But he was back to wondering what was keeping her in the area and as a sweet butt for the Fury, if anything.

However, that was the last thing he should be wondering about since they’d only met the day before and, again, it was nothing more than a little boot knocking between them.

Even so, it was awesome sex.

Not to mention, easy conversation. Even better, she laughed whenever he said stupid shit. Which was a lot. Her positive attitude and carefree personality was rubbing off on him. Like one of the sunflowers on the dress she had worn earlier, he was drawn to her sunshine.

He blinked up at the ceiling and cleared his throat. What the fuck was that about? Was he about to start spouting off poetry or some such shit? He never thought like that before.

What the actual fuck?

He yanked his hand from under his head and checked for his balls.

Yeah, they were still there. No one had stolen them and left a pussy in its place.

Christ.

He glanced down at Liz’s relaxed and contented face.

She knew what he did to put scratch in his pocket, but she never told him how she made a paycheck.

He brushed a strand of blonde hair off her face and her brown eyes opened. She smiled up at him sleepily.

For fuck’s sake,that simple look caused a tightness in his chest. “Said you grew up ‘round here.”

“Yes, here in Parsington. It’s a little smaller than Manning Grove.”

“Our club’s based out of Shadow Valley, south of Pittsburgh. Manning Grove seems to be around the same size.”

“While I love small town living, it also has its pros and cons. One pro being it’s small enough to know most of the residents. One con being it’s small enough to know most of the residents.”

He laughed softly. “Yeah, get that. Friendly for the most part, but nosy, too.”

“Ever since I started hanging around the Fury, I’ve noticed some people now look at me differently.”

That shouldn’t surprise him, but it did. Judgmental motherfuckers. “You wear your cut in town?”

“No. Only at the farm. Also when I ride…”

On the back of Ozzy’s sled, he finished for her in his head. “But they know.”

“As you should know, word gets around quickly in a town of this size.”

“Yep. Know it. We don’t get much flack in the Valley. The club started out as one-percenters. The next generation—our prez Zak, actually—decided to clean up the club, take it legit. Build an empire like your prez is doin’ here. That mostly smoothed shit out between the pigs and the town’s residents.”

“Yes, the Originals were all outlaws and some of Manning Grove’s residents haven’t forgotten the problems they caused. In the past, there was a constant war between them and the police.”

“But no longer?”

“For the most part, the cops now leave the Fury alone. The current chief’s a good guy and sees what Trip’s trying to build. The residents, as well as the town council, appreciate the fact that the old warehouse, which was the Originals’ church and quite a rusty eyesore, was sold off and demolished. They also like that the club bought The Grove Inn and restored it inside and out. That was also shitty before the club got its hands on it.”

“Ozzy had a lot to do with that?”

“Yes. He not only manages the business now but managed the Amish crew who did the complete refurb.”

He didn’t know much about the Amish, but he did know… “Amish tend to get shit done.”

“True. They also farm the fields and provide the club with produce, meats, cheeses, and stuff like that in exchange. The guys buying their homegrown tobacco saves them a bunch of money, too. All in all, it’s been a good partnership that Trip wants to protect.”

“How fucked up is that? The Amish partnering with an MC.”

“Well, it’s not like they come out and party with us. But a couple of the members messed up with some of the Amish women. Unfortunately. That threw Trip into a tizzy. And that’s putting it mildly.”

Crash lifted a brow. “Yeah?”

“I’m not sure if you’ve met Cage, the Fury road captain, yet, but his daughter’s biological mother is Amish.”

“Get the fuck outta here.”

“It’s true.”

“She become his ol’ lady?”

Liz snorted softly. “No, Dyna was dumped as a newborn at the garage where he works. Actually abandoned in a box out front, no different than a box of stray kittens. Then her birth mother’s family shipped her off to another state to marry another Amish man who had lost his wife and needed help raising his own brood of children.”

“Fuck. Bet my man paid for that fuck-up.”

“Oh, yes, he paid. Though, he now says having Dyna was worth it. Talk about your life changing in an instant. He went from a bachelor to a father and ol’ man in a flash.”

“He snagged an ol’ lady?”

“Yes. Our sergeant at arm’s sister.”

“That big bearded fucker? The one with the tall kid who’s sniffin’ ‘round one of our girls.”

She lifted her head. “Ry? He’s chasing a girl from your club?”

“Caught ‘em twice already. Warned him that it’s better that I caught his ass than Lily’s old man.”

Liz laughed. “You guys are so damn protective.”

“That ain’t good?”

“It’s great but it puts a kink in a woman’s life when you guys feel the need to interfere.”

“She’s only nineteen.”

“Okay, and?” she prodded.

“She’s only nineteen,” he repeated. That answer should be enough of an explanation.

“And when she’s twenty-one are you going to say, ‘she’s only twenty-one?’”

“Don’t know ’til she gets there. Prefer she gets there without gettin’ knocked up or gettin’ her heart broken first.”

“I understand that but we all make mistakes and sometimes those mistakes turn into something that ends up being far from one. Like what Cage did by taking that Amish woman’s virginity. Yes, he screwed up but he really ended up being a great dad because of that screw-up. He regrets how it happened, but he doesn’t regret getting Dyna out of it.”

“Yeah, well, Lily ain’t even close to bein’ ready to be a mother. Most times she still acts like a fuckin’ bratty teen.”

She gave him a warm smile. “I love that you look out for her.”

“Look out for them all. We all do. They’re family. She might be Dawg’s daughter, but, in truth, she’s all of ours. We take the sayin’, ‘It takes a village,’ seriously.”

“That’s what I love about the Fury. We’re all family, too.”

“Even the sweet butts?” The DAMC didn’t treat them the same as the rest of the women, like the ol’ ladies, or the kids. Their sweet butts didn’t hang around long enough for that and even if they did, he wasn’t sure they’d ever be treated like family. But then, they never had one like Liz.

“Trip takes care of us. Maybe we aren’t treated quite the same as the club’s sisterhood, but we still have it pretty damn good. And unlike blood, we can walk away any time.”

“They treat you good enough for you to stay?”

“I haven’t decided yet. I’m giving myself the weekend to make up my mind.”

“Guess that’s one good thing about bein’ a sweet butt. You stay if you wanna stay, you go if you don’t. Nothin’ to tie you down.”

Something crossed her face that he didn’t recognize.

He picked up a silky strand of hair that was fanned over his torso and rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger.

“I’m not sure if I want to leave yet.”

“Why?” Was she really hung up on that Ozzy and just not wanting to admit it to herself?

“When I heard the Fury was being resurrected, I had to come out to see by who and for what reason.”

“You came and then stayed.”

“Yes, I told you one reason. I haven’t told you the other.”

He repositioned the pillow under his head so he could see her better. “It a secret?”

“Yes and no.”

“Anybody else know about that reason?”

“No,” she answered softly.

“Then it’s a secret.”

“For now. I didn’t want to cause drama and by revealing that secret, it just might. Also, if what I believe to be true is true, then I might not be able to simply walk away. Things might get a little stickier. So, I’ve been keeping the secret to myself until I find the answer I’m looking for.”

“And if you never find out?”

She shrugged one shoulder. “Sometimes I think it might be easier if I don’t.”

“But you wanna know.”

“I think it’s almost like a morbid curiosity, if that makes sense. Like I know it might be better to not look but I can’t help it.”

“Sounds like this secret could be serious.”

“I just…”

He traced the pad of his thumb along her jawline. “You just…”

She sighed, dug her chin into his chest and tilted her face toward him. He couldn’t ignore the turmoil in her brown eyes. “I was always an only child and I really just wanted to find…”

Now he needed to know this fucking secret. This was the first time since meeting her that she’d hesitated about anything. Whatever it was might be bigger than how she was acting. “Find…”

“Blood.”

“Blood? Like someone related?” Did she think she was related to someone in the club? “Like in the Fury?” No club he knew would let a sister or cousin, or any relative of a member, be a sweet butt. Not knowingly. No wonder she wanted to keep it a secret until she knew for sure.

But wait… She was a sweet butt. She was available to any of those motherfuckers whenever they wanted her… And if she didn’t know… If they didn’t know… “Liz…”

“I see how you’re looking at me. It’s not like that. I wouldn’t… I haven’t…”

“How do you know, though?” She was confusing the fuck out of him. “You’re either related to someone in the club or you ain’t. If you don’t know for sure and you don’t know who, then…”

“Not necessarily. It doesn’t mean I’m related to any of the current members.” She rose up on an elbow and looked down at him. “Promise me that if I give you this, you won’t say anything to anyone.”

It blew his mind that she wanted to trust him with her secret. This wasn’t a “I accidentally dinged a cage in the next parking spot and didn’t leave a note” kind of secret, but one that could possibly shake up the club. Shake up some lives.

But apparently, she needed to share it. With him. It must have been a burden that had been weighing on her. Though, he never would have guessed it by the way she acted. Happy, smiling, like she didn’t have a care in the fucking world. Which is what caught his attention in the first place.

Sunflowers and sunshine.

He mentally shook himself at that fucking thought. His brain must have glitched again.

“Promise I won’t say shit.” But, fuck him, he needed to hear it. This woman might have more layers than he originally thought and he was curious as fuck. “Won’t betray you like that.”

“People can say that all they want but sometimes it still happens even if they don’t mean for it to.”

She was right about that. He used his crossed index and middle fingers to draw an X over his heart. “Promise.”

She smiled at the gesture and grabbed his hand, placing a kiss on the very tips of those two fingers. Her smile quickly flattened out. “When my mom was barely eighteen, she began to hang out at the Originals’ warehouse. She was a bit of a wild child back then and never denied it. And, let’s just say because of that, she’s not sure which Original is my father.”

Say what? Holy fuckin’ shit. “You sure he was an Original?”

She nodded, then propped her head in her hand. “Yes.”

“The Fury prez… He’d shit a brick if he knew you were the daughter of an Original and also a sweet butt.”

“I realize that. It’s why I haven’t said a word to anyone. I was hoping to find out who he was first. I mean, maybe he was a horrible person. Maybe he was one of the members who caused the original club’s implosion.”

“Doubt he was a total dickwad if he made you.”

“But I don’t know that. The Originals did some horrible shit. I mean like… horrible. My biological father might have been someone who… did some of those things.”

“Whoever he was didn’t… do it against her will, right?” Because, Christ all-mighty, that thought made his skin itch like it did when they found out the truth about Pierce, the DAMC’s former president, and all of the fucked up shit he had done.

“No. Like I said, she went a little wild and the reason she doesn’t know who he is was because she was with multiple Originals.”

He let that sink in. “Same time?”

“Same time. And also a few different ones in a short time period. Let’s just say if she had made a list of potentials, it wouldn’t be a short one.”

Damn.“She told you that?” He was surprised a mother would reveal that to her own daughter.

“Yes. She finally did when I turned eighteen after I kept bugging her about my real father for years. I think she thought that would finally shut me up. Instead, it made me even more curious.”

Well, no shit.

Crash released a soft whistle. “She know you’re lookin’ for him?”

“No, I haven’t told her. I haven’t even told her the club is back up and running. And she certainly doesn’t know I’m a sweet butt for them.”

He whistled again.“She still wild?” He tried to imagine what Liz’s mother looked like. If she looked anything like Liz, he was sure the Originals were all lining up to have a little fun with her.

Hell, if she had been “barely” eighteen when she got knocked up, that meant she was most likely still eighteen when Liz was born.

Even younger than Lily.

“No. Getting pregnant made her grow up sooner than she planned.”

“Coulda got rid of you and continued with her wild ways.” That was usually a simple and quick solution, but not one everyone agreed with or approved of.

Liz shook her head. “It made her realize she’d been spiraling out of control. She used having a baby to fix her life. Besides to shut me up about asking who my father is, I also think she told me the truth to use it as a life lesson. Most likely, so I wouldn’t go wild and follow in her footsteps, even though, in some ways I did since I ended up with the Fury, anyway.”

“Never wanted to find out who your dad was?”

“Her? No. She decided to raise me on her own. With the help of my grandparents, of course. She figured since she didn’t know who he was, she couldn’t just go in there pointing fingers. Or asking for DNA tests. Plus, it wasn’t as easy to test back then as it is now. More importantly, she was afraid of what they’d do to her if she went back there claiming she was pregnant. The Originals were rough. Dangerous. And from some of the stories I’ve heard Ozzy or Dutch tell, and even some of the Originals’ kids, if she’d gone in there, she might never had walked back out.”

“What the fuck?” he growled, hoping he misunderstood her implication.

Liz nodded. “She thought it was safest for her, and for me, to deal with it, and with me, on her own.” She laughed dryly. “To see her now, it’s difficult to imagine she ever partied with an outlaw MC. She said I was the best thing to ever happen to her and I believe her. As far back as I can remember, she was always a great mom. I don’t think I could’ve had one better. So like Cage and Dyna, her ‘screw-up’ turned into a blessing.”

“Silver fuckin’ linin’ and all that shit.”

“That’s how she saw it.”

“You probably take after her.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your positive attitude. Why you’re always smilin’. Almost always, anyway. ‘Cept for heavy shit like this. What you’re tellin’ me now and also the shit with that motherfuckin’ asshole who used you to make a point with me.”

“He didn’t—”

“The fuck he didn’t. Don’t excuse that bullshit. He knew I was interested. He knew I was stayin’ there. He knew I had no fuckin’ clue he ran the motel ‘cause it was Rig who checked us in.”

“He didn’t know that you would walk around to the back of the motel.”

That part was fucking true. He couldn’t have known that.

But still… The man proved himself a major dick with the way he acted when Crash happened to wander around out back and see them.

The man could’ve handled it differently but he didn’t. So, Crash was right with his first assessment. Ozzy was a motherfucking asshole and Liz wouldn’t convince him otherwise.

If the rest of the Originals were anything like him or worse, he could see why the original club destroyed themselves.

“He also knew you weren’t off limits. Good thing that motherfucker’s too young to be your pop. You said him and Dutch were the only two original members. So, what about the old man who owns the garage? Could it possibly be him?”

“It isn’t Dutch. I stole some of his DNA and had it tested.”

Stole was an interesting choice of words. “Did it without him knowin’?”

She nodded.

“Jesus fuck, that’s some fuckin’ secret.”

“This club is full of secrets. What’s one more?”

That was one thing he was glad the DAMC lacked: secrets. There were a few but it sounded like the Fury was built on them. That didn’t seem like it would make a solid foundation for a brotherhood.

“Ain’t gonna ask how you got his DNA. Can pretty much guess. Met the prez. Also heard he got a short fuse. He might not be happy you’re holdin’ onto this particular secret. ”

“It doesn’t affect any of them directly.”

“They might disagree with that. ’Specially if you’re blood.” He scrubbed a hand down his stubbled cheek. “How do you know you ain’t related to any of the members you’ve fucked?” Just the idea of that made his skin quiver.

“Once I figured out which guys were related to an original, I realized I only needed to test four of them, including Ozzy. It took a bit of finagling but I managed to avoid those four until I had them tested. Honestly, it was a struggle but I came up with good excuses in the beginning and then once Ozzy preferred my company to the other sweet butts, it became a lot easier. It was easy to go lean on one of the guys in The Barn and run my fingers through their hair while flirting. The lab I use requires hair with the roots attached to be accurate. So, accidentally getting my ring caught in their hair was a great excuse to tug a couple of strands out without them figuring the reason. But it also guaranteed I’m not related to anyone I’ve… spent time with.”

“Spent time with,” Crash repeated. “That a nice way of sayin’ fucked and sucked.”

She tilted her head. “I’m not ashamed of what I do and what I’ve done.”

“Not sayin’ you should be, but let’s not fuckin’ sugar-coat it. Even so, ain’t ever gonna shame you for doin’ that or for lovin’ sex. No matter who it’s with.”

“It’s amazing how many women slut-shame others.”

He tipped his head toward his now soft dick. “Do I look like a fuckin’ woman?”

“Guys do it, too,” she said. “Anyway… Even though Oz is too young to be my father, I had him tested early, just in case he was related in some other way. Since he never talks about his family, I’m not sure where he came from before joining the Fury back when he was a teenager. He also has plenty of his own secrets, so I figured it was safer to be sure since we… spend so much time together.”

Again, a nice way to say they fucked a lot.

“One of the guys I tested was Judge since his father Ox was the Original’s enforcer. Sig, too, since his father Buck was the club president back then. I did them right away, too, since… you know… there were possibilities I’d be swapping bodily fluids with them.”

Probably not possibilities but reality. She might have fucked every damn Fury member in that club at one time or another. Especially if she’d been a sweet butt for the last two years.

“What about your prez?”

“He and Sig have the same father. I figured if I’m not related to one, I’m not related to the other.”

“In the current club, who else came from an Original?”

“That’s it. As far as I know, the rest don’t have any blood ties. That’s another reason why I stuck around, I was hoping someone else would show up. Another Original or child of an Original.”

“Seems more important to you than just bein’ curious.”

She shrugged. “Like I said, my biological father could be a big dick. If he’s still alive. But I am curious about what he looked like, what his personality was like. Even his health. Maybe I have half-siblings out there somewhere. I don’t know. It’s not life or death, but more of wanting to know my genealogy.”

“Could do one of those DNA tests on yourself to find out that shit. Figure out your family tree that way.”

“I did that, too, but it didn’t tell me who my father was. Or even that side of my family tree. Of course, that would’ve been too easy.”

“And life ain’t ever fuckin’ easy,” he finished for her.

“At this point, my real father is just a black hole in my life. Though, not a hole that needs filled emotionally. So, even if he does show up here one day to ride again with the Fury, it won’t mean I’ll reveal to him who I am. For now, I want to keep my shield up and if I feel comfortable, I’ll drop it. But what if he is just a total asshole and would only bring toxicity into my life? Keeping it to myself keeps my options open. Again, I don’t feel like I’m lacking anything in my life. My stepfather has been a great father to me, so it’s not like I’m missing a father-figure.”

“But now you’re outta people to test unless someone else shows up.”

“No.”

He cocked an eyebrow at that unexpected answer. “No?”

“I’ve only tested the guys. Again, for obvious reasons. But I haven’t tested Stella yet.”

Stella was the president’s ol’ lady. And now wife as of earlier today. “What’s her tie?”

He hadn’t seen Stella and Liz standing next to each other, but he didn’t think Liz and her looked anything alike. If they were only half-siblings, then they might not.

“Crazy Pete. An Original who died a few years ago from cancer. She’s his daughter. With the guys, it was easy to get a hair sample. With Stella, not so much. If I would have accidentally ripped out a few strands of her hair, she might have punched me.” She laughed, but it sounded awkward. “I’d have to have a really good reason to touch her hair and flirting wasn’t one of them since she’s not into women. But...”

She kept dropping bombs. He waited for her to finish that “but.”

“Today I was able to grab a few strands of her hair.”

“How’s that?”

“Teddy, the local hairdresser we all use, came out to the farm before the wedding and did Stella’s hair. I used his visit as an excuse to go into the farmhouse to say hello and check to see if Stella needed anything. While they were distracted, I snagged some hairs from the brush he’d been using. I was lucky enough to find a strand with the root still attached. I’ll send it off this week.”

“She the last one?”

Liz nodded and then sighed. “Yes. Unless, like I said, any other Originals or their offspring show up in the future.”

“And if they don’t?”

“Then they don’t.”

“Are you going to be disappointed if you never find out?”

“A little.”

“I get why you kept it a secret.” It was smart to do so. It meant she held all of the cards. If she would’ve shown them in the beginning, then the opportunity to grab DNA might have ended up being more difficult.

“And like you said, if Trip even thought I was a daughter of an Original, I wouldn’t be allowed to be a sweet butt. My options would’ve quickly become limited when it came to the access to the guys to grab hair samples.”

Unless they volunteered. They might have but there was no guarantee.

“And you like dick, too.” He didn’t think she was lying about that just to have access to the Fury members.

She tilted her head slightly in an unspoken response.

“Fuck, woman. You saw a fuckin’ opportunity and jumped on it.”

She finally grinned. “Literally.”

“With you lyin’ naked in my arms, I really don’t wanna think about you fuckin’ other guys right now. Don’t care that you did, but right now I ain’t sharin’.”

“Well, that’s good, because right now it’s just you and me in this bed.” She drew a finger from the top of his chest all the way down to his dick, which was starting to wake up again after it had gone into a coma after the last two times they fucked. Just in her bed. He wasn’t even counting the time under the pavilion.

But he wasn’t done talking with her yet. There were still things he wanted to know about her.

He blinked.

Yeah, his brain was fucking glitching. Not once in his fucking life had he chosen talking over fucking.

“Doin’ all that DNA testin’ gotta put a dent in your wallet.” He had no idea what it cost but it was a good way to keep her talking.

“Well, I did it slowly, as I collected hairs to test, but I can afford it. The tests are reasonably priced now. I can’t imagine what it cost thirty-two years ago when I was born.”

He’d never asked her how old she was. He had figured about thirty or so, and he was right. She was actually one of the oldest sweet butts he ever met. Most tended to be really young and wild. Like her mother had been. Though Liz didn’t say her mother was an actual sweet butt.

“Never told me what you do. Know sweet butts get shit pay.”

Her lips twitched. “I look at it as volunteer work.”

“Gotta pay your bills somehow, though.”

“That’s true.”

“‘Specially if you’re keepin’ a place you hardly stay at. Seems like a waste of scratch to me.”

“You may see it as that, I don’t.”

“You’d give it up if Ozzy claimed you.” He didn’t pose it as a question on purpose.

“Again, that’s not an option either one of us wants. He has too much nomad blood running through his veins. I’m not the type of woman that can hop on the back of a motorcycle and just take off without a plan. I also think he’d feel like claiming an ol’ lady would be like wearing a noose. It would choke him to the point where he wasn’t happy.”

“You don’t wanna feel the wind in your hair?”

“Sure. For a couple of hours at a pop, but I have a career I need to work on. That’s what pays the bills. The club doesn’t pay me, even when I help out Oz in the motel’s office. I do it simply to help Oz and the club, plus I can do my own work while I’m sitting in the office there. Let’s just say I control my own destiny.”

“Still haven’t told me what you do.”

“I’m a freelance copywriter. It’s nothing super exciting, but the good part is I can be my own boss. The harder I work, the more I make. Even better, my schedule is flexible. So, if I have a late night with the club, I don’t need to wake up early the next day to go to a nine-to-five job.”

“And, boss-lady, wanna explain what a copywriter is to a dumb fuck like me?”

She kissed along his chest for a few seconds. If she was trying to distract him, she was succeeding. His dick was now fully awake.

“You’re not a dumb fuck and most people have no idea what a copywriter does. Basically, I write newsletter content, ad copy, website content, even blog or social media posts for various businesses and organizations. Anything to do with marketing or promotion. Some companies only need my services once and others use me on a regular basis. It depends on their needs. I have one big client who sends me so much work, it would be cheaper for them to bring me on as an employee.”

“People pay you to write shit.”

“That’s a simple way to put it, but yes.” With a smile, she climbed on top of him, straddling his waist and pressing her tits into his chest. “And they pay me very well.”

“‘Cause you’re good.” She had to be to get paid to simply put words together.

“I’m very good. The best part is I can work anywhere and for anyone around the world. And have. What’s not flexible are my deadlines, but I’ve never had a problem making them.”

She shifted up until they were face to face and she teasingly licked his bottom lip. He was tempted to take her mouth, flip her over and sink himself into her wet heat.

Soon, he told his now throbbing hard-on.

He had difficulty focusing on the subject they were still talking about. “How’d you get into that? I’m sure you didn’t grow up with a dream of becomin’ a copywriter.”

“No, my dream was to become a famous author.” She laughed. “I tried writing fiction but I sucked at it. I also quickly found that the market is extremely oversaturated and it’s really tough to make a living as an author. I ended up looking at the more practical side of writing, instead. During college, I worked part-time for an advertising agency to get my feet wet and hone my skills but my income was limited, of course. I began to freelance on the side and that business began to grow and kept growing until I was so busy, I had to quit my job. In fact, that agency still hires me to write for them.” She winked at him. “They also pay me more now, too.”

“Easy scratch, huh?”

“I wouldn’t say that. First, I need to do research. Sometimes my client provides it, but I always do my own, as well, just to be well-rounded on the subject. Then I have to figure out how to make their business interesting, their product or the topic desirable, even if they’re not. Basically, my job is to write engaging copy. I need to pull the consumer’s interest into at least checking out the product and hopefully buying it. Or I have to write copy that makes one business want to hire another. I’m still being creative in a way, but it’s much easier to make bank.”

This woman hadn’t stopped impressing him yet. “Said you can work from anywhere.”

“Yes, as long as I have internet access.”

“Means you can pick up and go anywhere you choose to.” His glitching brain was now hanging on to that one simple fact. When it shouldn’t.

Instead, it should be hanging on to the fact that he had a smart, beautiful woman who was naked lying on top of him. A woman who would not turn down another round of satisfying boot-knocking in her bed.

“I could.”

He was glad she had no idea where his thoughts were going.

Maybe it was better that way.

Even so, his dick was done with all the talking. But then, so was Crash. He got most of what he wanted to know. What she gave him would do for now.

Because now he had something more important to do.

And her name was Liz.