“Don’t touch me,” she snapped pushing his hand away. “You’ve ruined everything!”
Her reaction was so typically female. Exaggerated, emotional. It wasn’t Ronnie either. It floored him.
“Me?” he sputtered, reacting. After what she had done, she accused him of ruining everything. What the fuck? Her tears weren’t fooling him. “Ronnie! Don’t dump this on me. You are the one who jumped bail. You are the one who drugged me. You are the one who dumped a gallon of barbecue sauce on me and stole my fucking car. And you sit there and cry, and blame me.”
“Yes, I blame you.” Her head whipped towards him as she backed into the corner of her seat. “You said you would help and support me, and the first chance you get you take Miss Barbecue Bimbo to bed because I was unavailable. You lied to me.”
Her words stung. It’s what he thought she had assumed. But, she had it all wrong. He prayed she would accept his explanation.
“Nothing happened with her, Ronnie. She was applying for a job at the hotel, and it was a coincidence. You really need to stop jumping to conclusions when it comes to us. I am so pissed right now, and those tears better dry the fuck up. You’re not the innocent one here.” Yes, he felt bad. But, he wasn’t putting up with these antics either.
His words gave her pause, shocked her, but she was so furious right now and unable to process it all.
“Yeah, likely story. I know your type, Nikko. Anything with legs and long eyelashes who bats her eyes your way. I fell for it once, I fell for you twice. Shame on me if I fall for that again,” she spat then turned from him crossing her arms across her chest defensively.
“Ronnie,” Nikko said, dropping his tone on octave. “You are pushing all the wrong buttons. When I get you back to the hotel, I have a real good notion to put you over my knee.”
“Don’t you fucking dare try,” she threatened, looking at him. “I’ll scream so bloody loud I’ll burst your ear drums. And, I’m not going to your hotel either. I want my own room.” She glared at him now. Of all the gall.
“Ah, hell to the no on that one, baby.” He gave her a sideways glance. “I’m calling for a plane, getting us on the late flight, getting your ass back to Florida. But we need some place private to talk. If you scream then the police get called and your mom loses the house. So, think twice before you make that threat again.” Her eyes remained narrowed. He let out a sigh of frustration, and softened his tone.
“Ronnie, there are some things we need to talk about.” When she just continued to fume silently, he interjected. “Really Ronnie? What were you thinking drugging me? What the hell did you give me, anyway? My brothers are going to think I am a complete ass. Your mother could lose her house, my brothers a small fortune if the police catch wind of you being here,” his tone was softer, but brokered no argument. She hadn’t thought any of this through at all. Hell, she could have killed him.
His words stung. They cut deeply. “Is that all you think about? Your reputation with your brothers and the money. I gave you what you deserved. You made me feel like a fool. You never cared for me at all. I was just a job to you. And a way to pass the time. I was an idiot. I thought we were friends,” she began to cry again somewhat in earnest hoping these tears would work.
Her words rained on him like ice. But her tears kept him from thinking clearly. He couldn’t deal with the emotional aspect of it, and so reacted the only way he knew how. He snapped again.
“I told you to cut that shit out with the tears. I can’t think straight right now. You fucked up, not me, whether you want to admit it or not. Don’t blame me. Seriously, before our talk, you are going over my knee baby because you have been a bad, bad girl.”
“Fuck you, Nikko!” she seethed, and wiped at her tears. They were real, but more out of frustration for her foiled plans than sadness, she tried to tell herself.
“Oh, we can do that too if you want.” His eyes fixed on the road as he made a turn.
“Never again,” she spit out.
“We’ll see,” he said more softly as he finished the maneuver, but his voice still had that same edge.
The car got quiet for a few minutes. When they pulled off the dirt road onto the highway, Nikko hit the gas a little and sped the rest of the way to town. Ronnie was in a whole heap of trouble, and his palm itched. No matter what she thought, drugging him and stealing his car, and putting herself into a whole fucking shit load of trouble was no excuse. The girl was going to get what she deserved. Then, he would work on the making up part. But first would come the lesson.