"Getting sleepy?"
"It's the pain pills. They knock me out."
"I'll take off and let you take a nap. I'm going out with Rory and Claudia for dinner. We've missed our girls' nights out for the last few weeks, but we're all available tonight, so we're going for it."
As Hailey walked through the parking lot, she noticed the cop in the rumpled jacket heading to a dark blue sedan. He glanced at her briefly, then turned away. She wanted to ask him what the hell was going on, but she knew he wouldn't tell her squat. Maybe she could get some more information from one of the CNAs.
The sedan turned out of the lot as she slipped into her car. Glancing at the digital clock, she pushed down on the accelerator and sped off to the restaurant to meet up with her friends.
Thai Garden House was a newer addition on Saguro Street. Nestled between a wine bar and a boutique specializing in handmade items, the restaurant catered to a more adventuresome palate. Large windows brought in a lot of sunlight while hand-painted silk fans on the walls and brightly colored umbrellas suspended from the ceilings added to the exotic feel of the eatery.
A sleek brushed silver bar lined the side wall, and the lighted glass shelves hosted a colorful array of bottles housing an assortment of alcohol from liqueurs to bourbon. Bronze tables and chairs were filled most of the time, and reservations were recommended in order to avoid an hour or two wait.
Besides the excellent food, the gem of the restaurant was its outdoor dining on the back patio. Replete with bamboo pergola, reflecting pool with fountain and moss-covered rocks, wind chimes, and vibrant plants and flowers, the back area was like an oasis in the desert.
"I just love it here," Hailey said as she bit into her spring roll.
"It doesn't feel like we're in Alina. It's like we're on vacation," Claudia said.
"Exactly, that's why I love it back here. Speaking of vacations, what's going on with yours, Rory? I thought you and Troy planned to get away."
Rory slumped back against the chair's thick cushion. "I did. You guys know I've been planning this damn trip since the beginning of summer. Each time we get ready to go, something comes up with him. I'm beginning to think he doesn't want to go."
"Duh, he doesn't," Claudia said.
"Why? I would think he'd be dying to get away. Alina can be stifling in the summer. I have the whole seaside trip planned. I'm tempted to go without him. I'll show him he's not going to ruin my plans."
"You should," Hailey said.
"Do you guys want to go on the trip with me?" Rory asked.
Hailey picked up her passion fruit daiquiri. "I'd love to go, but I can't leave the flower shop or my aunt alone."
"I'm going to my cousin's wedding in Houston, but Hay's right. You should go alone."
"I know, but I think I'd be too depressed to be there alone knowing Troy and I were supposed to go. I don't know. Maybe we can plan a fall trip." Rory took a bite of her pad thai noodles.
"How's it going with you and Garth?" Claudia asked.
"Good. He's actually really sweet." Hailey dipped her beef satay into a spicy peanut sauce.
"What does that mean? Details." Claudia snickered.
"Like, he's always texting or calling me, he waits for me when he goes to visit his grandma, and he's been making sure I come in and out of my house without a problem. Remember I told you about that creepy guy who'd been watching me?"
"Yeah, I remember. Have you seen him again?" Rory asked.
Hailey shook her head. "Not since Goldie implemented his ‘Safe Hailey' plan." She giggled.
"How in the hell can you remember to call Garth ‘Goldie'?" Claudia mixed some hot sauce on her rice.
"At first I didn't think I'd be able to, but Goldie is so different from the Garth I knew when I left that it isn't that hard."
"To me, he'll always be Garth," Rory said, a finality to her tone.
"So, have you guys fucked?" Claudia asked.
Hailey laughed. "You've always gotten straight to the point. Yes, we have."
"Oh shit! I knew you'd been lusting after him." Claudia laughed.
"I can't believe you slept with an outlaw biker." Rory wrinkled her nose.
"He's more than his label, Rory," Hailey countered.
"Who cares about that anyway? How was he? I'm dying to know. He's so attractive and well-built." Claudia placed her elbow on the table and leaned forward.
Scooting her chair in closer to the table, Hailey said in a low voice, "He's freaking amazing. I've never had a man touch me and make me come the way he does. I can't believe how great he is."
Claudia clapped her hands softly while giggling, and Rory shook her head. "There's a reason why he's a womanizer, Hay. Of course he's good, but is he loyal? Have some fun with him, but don't give him your heart. He's probably doing you and a few other women."
Claudia reached out and patted Hailey's hand. "Don't listen to her. Go for it all the way if that's what you want."
"I'm the only one here who's practical," Rory said.
"You're in a pissed mood today because Troy canceled your trip. Hay and Garth are steaming up the sheets and I love it." Claudia settled back and took a gulp of her peach daiquiri.
"Give me some damn credit. I'm not saying this because I'm disappointed about my trip with Troy. I'm saying this because I care about Hay. I don't want her to get hurt, and I know Garth's going to shred her heart if she falls for him."
Hailey sipped her drink as she watched her two good friends banter back and forth over what she should do about Goldie. It was interesting to hear each one's advice. The funny thing was they were both saying what she'd been telling herself for weeks. Part of her was over the moon about him like she'd always been, but the other part was scared he'd break her heart. She didn't even know how he felt about her in a deep sense. They had a great time hanging out, and the sex was beyond fantastic, but if he felt more or wanted more, he never said. And she couldn't read him. She didn't want to ask him and be one of those women who made him feel pressure. He'd told her often enough that he hated that, so for the time being, she'd just keep having fun with him and enjoy their sexual times together.
"Earth to Hay." Claudia's voice brought her out of her thoughts.
"Sorry," she said.
"How do you feel about him?" Rory asked.
She lifted one shoulder. "He's nice, we have fun together, and the sex is the best. I'm having a good time, that's all."
"Is it?" Rory's penetrating gaze made her uncomfortable.
"Yeah. I mean, I somewhat agree with you, Rory. He's had a lot of women, so there's always that fear that he'll grow tired of me. But then, when we're together, he's so attentive, so sincere that I think maybe he's just never found the right woman and that's why he played the field. I don't know. Why do I have to decide now? I don't have to put a label on what we have."
"You just don't want to fall for him. You have to be careful, so knowing how you feel helps you to decide if you want to keep seeing him. I'm just trying to be helpful," Rory said.
"I get it. I guess I don't really know how I feel about him, but I do know I want to keep seeing him."
Silence descended on the trio for several seconds, and then Claudia smiled. "Now for the real important stuff. Does he lick your twat like a real man's supposed to?" A peal of laughter burst out from all three of them.
Dabbing at her eyes with the corner of her napkin, Rory said, "Well … does he?"
Hailey grinned. "You can't believe what he can do with his tongue." And for the next twenty minutes, Goldie's sexual prowess was the focus of their conversation. Of course, she left out a lot of things that were too private, but after she was finished and they moved on to another topic, her nipples ached for his touch. She couldn't wait to have him back inside her.
If she were being totally honest, she'd have admitted to her friends that, in addition to liking him, there was also an addictive quality to it all. She craved him, she got her fix, and then she always wanted more. Her insatiable appetite was not just for the sex but for the whole confusing mix of physical and emotional feelings. Needing and wanting him had quickly become a huge part of her life.
And she wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. All she knew was she was in deep.
Real deep.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Saturday night had come and Hailey was a mess of nerves. She'd been reading and watching so many documentaries about outlaw motorcycle clubs that she now questioned her sanity in wanting to go to one of the club parties. She'd almost backed out, but when Goldie came by to pick her up, she pushed aside her nerves and fears and decided to embrace it. After all, it was only one night.
When she arrived at the clubhouse on the back of his bike, a sea of leather-clad men crowded around the front yard, the floodlights bouncing off the chrome of their bikes. She'd never seen such an array of bikes, leather, and denim congregated in one place. Several groups of men shared pulls off bottles of whiskey that were being passed around.