Black's Auto Body
So, this was a short story I put up for a prompt on TR sometime last year. I thought I'd try to flesh it out. While it follows the original short story, some elements have changed in order to make it longer than the original 1500 words. It's an AH, which honestly is rare for me, and therefore, AU. Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended.
Standing at the counter, Jake poured over paperwork until he felt like his eyes would permanently cross. He spent hours trying to figure out inventory, and profit and loss statements. End of the week. End of the month. End of his social life!
All he wanted to do was work without a boss nagging him to do this or do that, and fix cars. This whole "business owner" thing was much more than he thought. Spent, he let a gust of air out in a loud rush past his lips, as he continued to push his lips out, inadvertently making funny faces while he concentrated deeply.
"Sir?" he heard from the woman in front of him. Glancing up, his eyes traveled across the face and bust of the woman. She was beautiful by most standards, if you liked that overdone plastic look. Her boobs were obviously fake, but proportional, and her hair freshly dyed blonde.
"Jessica. How are you?" He asked dryly.
"Well, Jake, I guess that depends on my car," she smiled and winked.
Jake looked away from her and grabbed the door that closed the office off from the garage. "Yo! Paul! How's it coming with Newton's car?"
"All finished! I'll bring the ticket up!" Paul yelled back over the sounds of the garage. Besides the music blasting, there were drills, air pumps, and engine noise drowning out most of the other sounds.
Paul sauntered up to the door. Jake just sniffed his irritation with Paul. He knew that Jessica was married to the marshmallow of the world-Mike Newton, and that she enjoyed attention from any man she could get it from. Paul wiped his hands on his workpants before pulling the door open and smiling widely at Jessica.
"So, is it ok?" She questioned giving Paul what Jake imagined was her impression of a sweet, innocent face.
"All good now. You shouldn't let it go so long in between servicing. It needs to be taken care of, you know. Since we're about to close, I can take you out and show you a few things you might need to know," he said, oozing sex, as he leaned just so against the counter. Jake pretended to gag, as she reached out and touched Paul's arm.
"I brought it in like you told me last time. I'm so glad you're here to take care of my baby," she cooed.
"Paul, why don't you pull Mrs. Newton's car around for her? Also, tell the guys to go ahead and take off for the night," Jake suggested, with a look that told Paul it was not at all a suggestion. Paul winked and flashed a grin, before heading out the door to get her car.
"That'll be $69.95, Jessica," he said, not really giving her the attention she desired. Without talking, she handed over her credit card and signed the receipt before leaving. The bell above the door chimed and Jake stood straight as he saw the woman that arrived.
"Thanks for always taking care of me, Jake," Jessica called out in a sweet voice before blowing a kiss his way. This time he rolled his eyes and flicked her the bird under the counter. Snotty bitch.
"Hi, can I help you?" He asked the woman that walked in. He hadn't seen her around before.
"Um, hi," she started timidly. "My car seems to be having some problems, and, ugh, my dad said I should bring it here to have it checked. My husband is out of town and he usually takes it for servicing."
Internally, Jake smiled at her. She was the kind of beautiful he looked for in a woman. Unassuming and natural. Her skin was pale, but flawless. She was curved, and unlike Jessica, it was in all the right places naturally. Of course, the last thing he wanted to hear was "her husband." The good ones were always taken.
"I can check it out. Can I have your information to put in the computer first?" He asked as he slid in front of the computer. She didn't move and he looked at her expectantly.
"Maybe I should go," she said, turning her head toward the door. "Like I said, my husband usually handles this stuff."
"Listen, how about I look at it and if I think it can safely wait, I'll tell you," he offered, not wanting her to leave. It was odd that she was so secretive, but he didn't want anyone driving an unsafe vehicle either. He lifted the counter up and folded it back down, so that they were on the same side. When she didn't budge, he headed toward the door, looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows for a car he didn't recognize. Immediately, his eyes found the luxury sports car. Now he knew exactly who she was. He'd know that car anywhere. Isabella Cullen, the most reclusive resident of Forks.
Really, he couldn't blame her. Her husband was a slimy, ambulance chasing lawyer, who'd take cases no one else would, and women anyone would too. If he was honest, he was kind of shocked that this was Mrs. Cullen. Her flashy car, her dirt bag husband-this was not what he was expecting.
So, he continued out to the car, knowing if he let her drive that car off his property, her husband would sure as hell sue him in an instant. He grabbed the door handle and realized it was locked. Turning, he asked for the keys.
"Keys?" He asked, holding his hand out for them. She stood frozen, her mouth opening and closing, with no sound coming out. "If you want me to check under the hood, I need for you to unlock the car." He was talking to her softly, as if one word too many, or too loud, would chase her away like a bird.
Taking a breath, she held her arm out and set the keys in his hand. He opened the door and started the car, and choked at the grinding noise. That was not good. Lifting the hood, he grabbed the rag that lived in his pocket and pulled the dipstick out. He'd start with the basic fluids. When only black sludge came off, he wiped it carefully and reinserted it into the engine before withdrawing it and checking it again. Needs oil. Then he leaned in to check power steering fluid-low, but not unsafe. The radiator fluid was low as well. Why were these all low? This was unusual. He wondered if there was damage underneath the car that would've caused this problem. Stepping back, he laid on the ground and stuck his head underneath the car. Everything seemed to be ok. There weren't any cracks, or scratches.
Standing up, he turned to Isabella, who was standing there, chewing her lip and looking on the edge of hysteria.
"You're out of oil. When was the last time you put oil in the car?"
"Oh, no. That's not possible. My husband takes it to the dealer to be serviced every 3 months. We haven't missed an appointment yet," she assured him. "I have a file full of paperwork to prove it and the ridiculously high checks I've written to pay it."
"Assholes," he muttered under his breath. "Well, I need to pull it into the garage and put it up on the lift to really check it out. I wish I had better news for you, but it's not safe to drive."
She looked around, and then sighed. She nodded her head. "Do you know of a taxi company that will take me home? I live on the other side of town."
"I can give you a ride and then check your car out tomorrow. Let's go inside and I'll put all of your information into the computer." When she didn't answer, Jake turned and walked back into the storefront. This time when he stood in front of the computer, she was standing on the other side. He asked her all of the standard questions to start an account for her.
After he got the basic information he needed, he told her he was going to wash his hands. She was standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows when he came out. This time he noticed her backside, appreciating the soft roundness of her hips and the right amount of bubble to her butt. He briefly paused to capture a solid look before walking up next to her.
"Ready?" He asked. His eyes caught her phone before she hid it in her purse. She'd been texting Charlie asking if she could trust a ride home from one of the guys at Black Auto Repair. His response had been, of course. How odd that she called her dad Charlie. We all knew Chief Charlie Swan. He was a nice guy.
"Yes, sure," she agreed timidly. She followed him out the door and waited while he locked it and checked the large garage bay doors.
Without looking to see if she was following, he headed to his truck. It was a basic pickup that he drove to work. His baby was at home in the garage. He didn't drive it to work very often. With a flick of a button, he'd unlocked the doors and climbed into the driver seat. The passenger door opened as he started the engine and turned the heat up. Usually he enjoyed a nice cool ride after working all day, but he didn't think Mrs. Cullen would want to have air conditioning blasting on her. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as she turned and grabbed the seatbelt. She really was beautiful even after double- and triple-checking.
"Okay, Mrs. Cullen, which way do we need to head?" He asked.
Her face flushed a light red as she answered, "Please. Call me Bella. You've got to go north on the 101 until we get to the south side of Forks. I feel so bad about this. I'm sure you have a wife or girlfriend to get home to for dinner and I'm holding you up."
Jake looked at her and smiled. She was so nervous! It was strangely cute. She didn't seem scared of him. He made sure she wasn't pressed against the door to sit as far from his as possible. Her hands were loosely folded in her lap and her purse was on the floor of the car.
"Nah. My girl is my dog, Princess Vicious. She has an automatic feeder and a dog door, so she'll be fine. Besides, this is the way I have to go anyhow."
"Princess Vicious? That sounds like a seriously mean dog." Her eyes looked at him then quickly flicked away.
"Well, it's really a misnomer. She's a little dog that thinks she's a big dog. I'd say she's all bark and no bite, but she bit my friend the other day." He laughed as he recalled the little mutt biting Quil's hand when he reached out to grab her. "Never mess with her when she's eating. Some people never learn!"
Bella smiled, but didn't respond. After that the only talking she did was to give directions to her house. Jake paid close attention to where he was going. It was ridiculous to think he would ever need to come back, but he still memorized the route. At one point, the smell of her perfume blended with her natural scent was overwhelming. Before he sported an enormous and embarrassing boner, he cracked the window letting the fresh air mix in. Bella shivered a bit from the sudden cool breeze.
It turned out that Bella really did live on the other side of town. Their house was pretty far back on their property and the gravel driveway was tree lined, making it feel like a tight squeeze for him large truck. When they finally broke through and he could see the house, he could not help the "woah" that escaped his lips. The house was impressive.
The large house couldn't be seen from the road. He'd heard the Cullens were rich, but he'd not expected a house like this one. It was a sprawling two-story, with a wraparound porch each section containing flowerboxes brimming with flowers. In a way, he was a tad jealous but quickly let that go. He'd had everything he ever needed and plenty of things he wanted. Although, it stung that there was one thing in his truck that he knew he could never have.
Bella turned to him and thanked him for the ride home. He took significant effort to keep his eyes on her face as he noticed her taut nipples pressing through her shirt. Apparently, the open window did make her cold. She hopped out of the truck and shut the door. Except that she didn't get it closed all the way. Jake reached over the console to open the door. Yet, when he glanced up toward the house, he noticed she was standing there staring at him.
"Everything okay?" He called out to her.
"What?" She asked, seeming surprised.
"Do you need me to check the house out?"
"No! It's fine. Thanks again! I'll talk to you tomorrow about the car. I'm sure my husband will come get it when you've fixed it up," she said before turning and fiddling with her keys in the door.
Jake pulled the door shut and sat back in his seat. He rubbed his crotch. Why did the most stunning woman have to be married to such a douche and living in a dream house in the woods? He must be sex-deprived to be thinking this way. So he drove off to his home and his trusty dog that loved him more than anyone else, except maybe his dad.
As he pulled up in front of his own little dream house, he saw a couple of cars parked out front. Looked like his buddies decided to start a party without him. He hopped up the front stoop and opened the front door to loud voices and cheering. Of course, the guys were all camped out in front of his TV watching a baseball game.
"Jake! What's up, man?" Embry called out from his couch, beer in hand.
"Drinking up my beer, asshole?"
"Why don't you check the fridge first, jerk?" Embry yelled back.
Jake yanked the fridge door open to find that they had come prepared to party. He passed the beer up in favor for some real liquor and soda. When he joined his friends in the living room, he set the drink on the coaster and said, "you guys are never going to believe who brought their car into the shop today."