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“You’re not a man of many words, are you?”
“Nope.”
“It’s a refreshing change. I’m always around men who won’t shut the hell up.” Jill leaned in close, her breath tickling his ear. “I heard quiet men are good in bed. Is that true?”
Michael adjusted his weight, attempting to think of anything other than what he wanted to do to the woman. They passed a mile marker sign – three miles to the city limits. He’d be off the bus and away from her soon.
Jill laughed and flipped her hair over her shoulder, exposing her long neck and jawline. Her soft skin would be nice to kiss. No! Stop it! His focus needed to be on getting home to Fox Lake in time to have his initial meeting with his parole officer, not gallivanting off with some random woman to get a piece of ass.
“I know you like what you see. I saw you admiring me. Where you headed when you get off the bus?”
“I’m sure my ride will be waiting.” His brother Mitch was willing to help, allowing him not only a ride, but an address so he wouldn’t have to spend time in a halfway house, where recidivism was inevitable.
“There’s lots of hiding places in the bus station. Wanna fool around before you leave?” She placed her hand on his thigh, moving it closer to his groin. Her eyes widened and she laughed again. “Seems a member of your body wants to.”
Michael could’ve pulled away, but her touch was comforting. It was something he had missed. He put his hand on top of hers, guiding it farther under his bag, resting right where his arousal was obvious. Her fingers rubbed his jeans and boxers against him, providing friction to make his hips grind with her hand.
There were families on the bus – children, teenagers… and he snapped back to reality and pushed her away. The last thing he needed was someone reporting him for indecent exposure. He’d be back behind bars in the quickest turnaround time in history.
She reached for him again, but he moved his hips, scooting closer to the window. “No. Stop,” he whispered, his voice foreign to his ears. How was he able to tell this sexy woman to stop? The old Michael would’ve already let her unzip his pants.
“Are you telling me no?” She patted her hand on her chest. “You don’t wanna have a quickie?”
“No. Now’s not the time.”
“So, when?”
He let out a sigh when he saw signs for the bus station. It couldn’t get there fast enough. “Since you’re not going to Fox Lake, I guess never.”
People stood and grabbed their belongings, and she flashed him a look of displeasure, pursing her lips as she puffed out her chest. It was a weapon he figured she had used many times to get her way. “I didn’t realize you were gay.” She said it loud enough to get people’s attention, but Michael didn’t care. He’d soon be out of their lives, and no one would even remember his face.
When he exited the bus, he was glad he didn’t have any luggage to stick around for that was stored underneath. Instead, he scanned the crowd. Of course, Mitch wouldn’t come inside. Weaving through people, Michael made his way to the front, where cars were parked on the side streets. Four years did a lot for the makes and models of vehicles, and he looked for a newer red Silverado his brother said he’d be in.
“Mikey!” The familiar voice made Michael’s heart skip a beat. Mitch was standing on the street, back leaning against the bed, waving toward him. “Mikey!”
Michael saw Jill with her group, climbing into a BMW. She spotted him, blowing a quick kiss his way before shutting the passenger door. He ignored her and walked to his brother. “Thanks, man. Thanks for coming to get me.”
“What was that all about?” He pointed toward the Beamer. “You already picking up ladies and you haven’t even been out for twelve hours?” He glanced at his watch as they both climbed into the pickup.
“It’s nothing.”
Mitch glanced at him. “Damn, Mikey! You look good. You’ve bulked up! They must feed you well in there.”
“Not well. But when your work detail is done, there’s not much else to do but work out. Stay busy or get in trouble.”
Mitch was his younger brother – he’d done some time in jail but no hard time in prison. Michael had made sure that he didn’t follow him inside, which was hard to do. Mitch had been impressionable from day one, always wanting to do everything he did. It wasn’t for a lack of trying – he had just had better luck in not getting caught. Nor did he have the bad temper that always got Michael in trouble.
“I mean it. Thanks for the ride. Thanks for letting me stay with you so I don’t have to go to a halfway house. All of it.”
“It’s the least I can do. You ready to get home?”
“Ready for a real bed, yeah. Ready to be back in Fox Lake? I’m not sure I’m ready for the gossip and sideways glances.”
Mitch put the truck in gear and merged out onto the street. “Marilyn is doing well. Looking well.”
Marilyn. Michael cringed at the mention of her name. “She’s the past, Mitch. She made it clear she wanted nothing to do with me when she only visited me once. No letters, no calls… nothing in four years.”
“You might wanna talk to her.” Mitch glanced at him again and focused on the road. “There’s some things you need to know about.”
