Thank you for all the kind words, you guys! Your reviews put a huge grin on my face, thank you :)
I promised the next update quickly, and here you go. It's got that bit of Dotty you all wanted. Not sure you'll will like where I ended this though.
Chapter Twenty Nine; Ultimatum
Saturday morning greeted her with the usual ribbing from the guys at the garage.
"Yo Letty, enjoy your extra holiday?" Vince greeted her, heavy on the sarcasm.
"Yeah, couldn't you wait like a few extra weeks?" Leon joined in. "You know when you're meant to sack off school and go around the globe."
"I didn't go around the globe." Letty corrected with a laugh, following the boys into the garage only to notice the building next door was now being mentally assessed by Jesse. "You guys finalise buying next door?"
"Yeah, Dom got bored." Vince grunted out. "Figured we'd do most of the manual labour side ourselves. Mr T is right happy with what he paid for it too. Got it at a bargain because we'd do all the hard stuff."
"What kind of stuff?"
"Needs new ceiling mainly." Leon interjected, following Letty's feet towards the small office.
"That what Dom's doing now?" Letty asked, unable to see him in the office as she approached.
"Nah. He's been at it all last week since it changed hands. Got day off."
"Oh." Letty didn't cover her surprise too well, but ducked into the office to pull off her clipboard of jobs. Only… no clipboard. "Mr T leave me a list?" she asked from the doorway as she stuck her head back out.
"Figured you might end up spending the day with Mia so he didn't make you one." Leon had hung around and was quick to answer.
"So what am I meant to do?"
"Dunno, wash the cars?" Leon suggested with a smile.
"It's a garage, not slave labour car wash." Letty grumbled, pinning her eyes to Vince (the next of seniority in the garage). "Give me your work." She stuck her hand out, knowing full well the list in the back pocket of his jeans would get done faster with her doing it. She didn't get distracted by customers like he did.
She wasn't going to lie, it stung a bit that Dom wasn't in, but if he'd been fixing the ceiling of the other building all week, he was probably exhausted.
She missed him. In a weird, I hate you but really really don't kind of way.
"Nah, free car washes for all customers to compensate for the building works happening." Vince protectively turned his work sheet away from her.
"You are kidding me?" Letty tested, but Vince pointed to the blue flyer attached to the wall of the office she had entirely ignored. Sure enough, Vince was telling the truth. "So take them to the automatic wash and charge them extra." It wasn't what she was expecting to come back to and certainly wasn't her job.
"You wanna take this up with Dom?" Vince wasn't in the mood to enforce today it seemed.
"I'm not spending all day washing some piece of shit car when I can be fixing them." Although the weather was in her favour; it was a scorcher. All of the guys were sweating into their greasy tank tops already.
Dom would have understood it was a waste of her talents.
Vince just waved at her and pulled his mobile out of his pocket, pulling Dom into speaker mode and setting him atop the BMW that had come in for an MOT.
"What?"
"We're still hand washing the cars, right?" Vince just spoke. Dom could obviously hear the work in the background.
"This is why you're ringing? I'm with Ella. Bitch and moan to my dad on Monday if you don't like it."
Ella. Who the hell was Ella?
"Not for me. Letty's not got no work and is kicking off about it."
"Letty's back?"
"Yeah, standing in front of me." Vince turned to her. "Kinda got a dumbass luck on her face… which now looks angry." Vince backed up a step.
"I'll come in, sort it out. I'll bring Ella and show her around as well."
"It's fine. I'll wash the stupid cars." Letty grumbled to Vince quietly, shoving past him to the courtyard out back. Of course he had someone new.
He had no obligation to her. Nothing more than some childish agreement.
Jesse was out there, sketchpad in hand as he sat on the hood of the recovery truck.
"You got landed with washing duty?" he asked as she stepped out, rolling up the thin, decorative but useless, sleeves of the top she wore with the jean shorts.
"Yep. What you doing?" she crossed over and peered over his drawing arm. "That the garage?"
"Well, it's what it could be?" Jesse sheepishly tilted the sketch pad over. Usually filled with custom covers for cars or idealistic engines birthed from his creative mind, this one was a conceptual idea that showed Letty possibility in the small mind of the garage. It looked neat, clean, manly and yet homely. Jesse conceived the idea with the scrap metal they usually sold to be melted down. He suggested an entrance with an awning of the ford trucks bonnet suspended with exhaust pipes.
"This looks amazing." Letty complimented, intrigued by the flower beds he's sketched rising out of empty decaying too-worn to use tyres.
Two weeks had changed things dramatically for the garage.
"Mia wanted flowers, said it would bring in more female clientele." Jesse explained as he followed her eyesight.
"And you still managed to keep it masculine." she praised.
"And cheaper as well. If we use all old body parts from the scrap, it's a lot less budget."
"This is fantastic."
"Was Dom's idea." Jesse explained. "Said we should try to recycle most for the build."
Letty found herself nodding, of course it would be Dom's idea. She smiled to Jesse and turned to the outside tap and line of cars awaiting her.
Dom had a lot of ideas. It seemed his most recent had led him to someone new.
But of course he already found someone else.
Ella.
Sounds like a slutty name, Letty thought.
She couldn't believe how quickly he had moved on.
And why? Because she'd asked for what he so easily gave to everyone else?
Bastard.
Letty turned on the tap and let the bucket fill to the brim.
Two weeks was all he took to find someone else.
Probably less, her brain offered.
He probably found someone the next day. This is just the 30th dirty ride on a slut post-letty marathon.
The first few cars had an aggressive kind of shine put into them, elbow grease working through a variety of problems she was faced with.
And then came lunch break. Her lunch had been mostly a pity party for her low self-esteem until the Toretto siblings' voices carried from the driveway through the garage and to her ears. Heard long before she could catch sight of either of them.
"It's not structurally sound!" Dom repeated.
"It would be if you put some thought and money into it." Mia's voice hissed.
"We aren't doing it, end of story." Dom fired out, intent of closing the argument and fast.
Letty wiped her hands on her thigh, crumbs of her sandwich falling to the floor.
Jesse passed her a look which she ignored as she slid off her seat with him on the truck's hood and crept to get a look.
"It's recycled, it's beautiful. It's solar powered and it's zen."
"It's a garage. It's pointless and we're not doing it." Dom bit back.
Letty peered around to see him.
The asshole and the man, with arms waving as he argued, muscles flexing with each motion in the sun, and… a pretty brunette with legs longer than reason standing next to him, arms crossed under her ample bust like she had two neurons to rub together to think about something.
"It doesn't cost and you can even use car parts to keep in with your theme." Mia protested.
"Let me say this slowly, just so we are clear." Dom stepped forward into her space. "The garage does not need a waterfall." he enunciated each syllable carefully, the point driven hard.
Letty recoiled slightly, that's what they were arguing about? A waterfall. Mia must have lost herself in the designer role.
"I'm not saying it needs a waterfall. I'm saying I want to discuss one. Which you can't seem to do, because you won't spend five minutes talking to me." Mia huffed.
That explained the insanity. It wasn't a want for a pointless waterfall, it was a want for her brother to finally talk to her again, about any ludicrous idea she may conjure for the purpose of that.
"No discussion necessary. We're no-"
"I think Dom means that although he respects your ideas." The brunette started talking, a hand to Dom's bicep as she did, speaking for his opinion with her musical beauty of a voice. "And although I think a solar power waterfall running through some old open-cut engines would look fricking awesome. He thinks you can come up with something better. Like the planters. Something less intrusive."
"You think it's a good idea?" Mia asked the brunette softly. No insult from her words, no backlash to her. But damn sincerity as she smiled, proud of her idea.
"Absolutely, can't you see it? If we got an old engine, took out the insides, cleaned it up and used each half to pour down from one level into the other, I think I would have that in my back garden for sure. Exhaust pipe to hide the water pump maybe? Adapted steering wheel as a waterwheel that turned with the motion, it would be beautiful." Letty heard mocking, Mia must have heard beauty because she was looking up at whom Letty presumed was Ella, with wide eyes and a smile. "But, men got small bladders and running water isn't going to help, and then they'll end up peeing all the time, no work would be done and they'd get arrested for indecent exposure." Ella summed quickly. "So, perhaps it's not the best idea for the workplace."
"See." Mia snapped to her brother. "That's how you discuss something." Mia shoved her brother with a muttered 'asshole' and turned back to the shop.
"Ohhhh, you are in so much trouble with her." Ella turned around to Dom, sliding her arm down and around from bicep to wrist as she turned to stand in front of him. "She has not forgiven you at all." She knew? Dom was telling his whores about family business? What had he said about her? Had he been telling them how she sat on his bed straddling him, hopelessly trying to get him to sleep with her? Did he tell them that she had trouble getting herself off? Did he share every intimate moment?
Suddenly Letty found herself loathing being back in the state.
But running away wasn't the answer.
Punching the brunette in the face however, that seemed more viable.
Kicking Dom in the nuts; that seemed more satisfying.
Did she mean fucking nothing to him?
That he would come around with a new bitch, parade her under her nose the first day she was back. Evidence how little she meant?
"Letty in the back?" Dom asked Vince as he made his way over the sibling chaos.
"Yeah, on washing duty. Even vacuumed out one of the people carriers we got. Total MILF's car." Vince laughed.
It had been a state, but Letty had seen the mother pull up with a baby on her arm and two twin boys running around her feet. She's apologised a million times that she hadn't had a chance to clean it out before she brought it in. Letty figured the least she could do in the spare half an hour was give it a tidy inside as well. At the very least she would appreciate it. And she did, when she came to pick it up just before her lunch break she had pretty much strangled Leon in the hug she gave him. Told him she'd be back again if she ever needed anything else.
"Give you much trouble?" Dom asked quietly. Not quiet enough to Letty's listening ears though.
"Nah." Vince's reply met a raised eyebrow, that damn raised eyebrow that expected more.
"Com'on, you can meet her." Dom offered to his brunette babe.
Letty tucked herself back around the wall.
"Earwiggers always hear things they don't want to." Jesse preached as she passed him, she shot an evil glare in reply.
Letty cut her lunch short at that moment and put herself back with the vacuum turned on inside the next filth sty of a car.
Dom's head came into her vision a few seconds later.
Letty pulled out her best, most over-you behaviour and smiled and waved before returning to the task of vacuuming, muttering under her breath.
"Letty." he called out over the vacuum, she just smiled at him again and carried on. No way in hell was she playing meet and greet to his new bitch.
He should just pork her in private like any other other good ex would. Not parade her in front of her, with her big tits, bouncy ass and dear God, her legs seriously went on for miles.
How were they that long?
In God's name, how was it even possible she was this pretty and knew even a base level of intelligence?
There was a sudden cut of power to Letty's vacuum and she turned around to the power supply to find Dom twirling the plug in his fingers.
Asshole.
"What?" she bit out quickly.
"I'll get you a proper list for tomorrow." he offered in peace.
"Right."
"This is Ella." He stepped back and outstretched an arm to the woman. Letty offered her nothing just another analysis of how could she possibly be this pretty? At least her replacement wasn't dog ugly; however little comfort that was. "She's one of the new hires." Letty felt her brain implode in her skull.
New hires?
As in she was working here?
With her?
With him?
Together?
"Hi." Ella smiled, a perfect, white teeth, all straightly aligned smile. "I'm looking forward to working together. It's been a while since I've worked with another woman."
It was nice, it was pleasant, but Letty didn't like her. Coming in here with her long legs and watermelon tits like she belonged here.
"Hi." Letty replied, mouth on autopilot with manners. What else was she meant to say?
Thankfully, Jesse swooped in to relieve her.
"Ella, hey, you wanna see the latest design idea?" Jesse was saviour to her awkwardness and probably didn't even know it. Then again, by the sideways smile he gave Letty, perhaps he did.
"Oh, you finished another section?" She took her long long legs over to Jesse's sketchpad and leant over the bonnet in the most alluring way possible. Of course she would.
Letty hated her.
"What?" Dom asked quietly, standing over Letty's shoulder as she killed the newest hire with her eyes.
Bitterness demanded she do damage, for him to hurt as much as she did. She pulled out her temper quickly.
"You could at least keep your dick out of the workplace." Letty sneered.
"Bit hypocritical." he commented, withdrawing the plug from her reach when she attempted to snatch it back.
"I'm not waltzing around with 'longest legs of the year'." Letty snatched out for the plug again, he neatly dodged her, her actions pulling her flush to him again.
"Longest legs of the year." he repeated with a grin. "She'll like that."
"I don't care." Letty pushed against him with a hard shove.
Dom was quick to follow her motions though, taking a long stride and snaring her in his arms, a step with her close to him and they were both shielded from view of the others. Their secret space again, between cars, metal and wood; they were alone.
"Yes; you do." he corrected, hands on her body and keeping her close.
"Then why bring her here, why hire her? Why not just fuck her and ditch her like everyone else." Self depreciatively, Letty couldn't help but add, "Except me." Because it was true, Dom didn't need to fuck her to ditch her.
She'd just been ditched.
"You forgetting what happened two weeks ago?"
"No. But you've clearly forgotten about me." She broke away from his arms.
"You think I don't care." But it wasn't angry. It was half surprised, half wounded. Like her attitude had hurt him. What did he expect?
"I know you don't care." she snapped, wanting to inflict the emotional wound he was surely faking. "You never did, you just agreed to some stupid deal I asked from you."
"Letty, if I didn't care for you, why wouldn't I just give you what you wanted and leave you?"
"If you did care, you would have given me what I wanted." she retorted.
"I'm not dating Ella." he clarified.
"Well yeah, casual sex isn't dating." she smartly replied. "But it's none of my business what your dick does."
"Why won't you believe me?" Soft and heart-filled, his eyes seemed to pierce right through her.
"You turned me down." Letty reminded him bitterly. "You don't want me." Rejection stung when it was fresh, but it was the ache that remained that was killing her.
Dom didn't reply, just reached his hand out to her. She stepped back, her eyes looking behind her for an escape.
Through the angles of the windows of the car, she saw the reflection of Ella flirting with Jesse. Laughter bouncing back to her ears.
Ella probably hadn't ever heard a man say no to her.
"Letty, let me take you out on a date." he proposed softly, his fingers wrapping with hers. They were warm, which sent tingles all over her body with the possibility of what they could have been. But the darkness of the past polluted her desire to say yes.
"Why, so you can turn me down in public as well?" she pulled her hand back from what she wanted.
"You're not going to understand or forgive that are you?"
Laughter bubbled from behind them again and Letty turned her head once more. Ella was curled over the bonnet in tears of laughter at something Jesse had said.
"You want forgiveness?" she said, a dark idea in her mind. "Give me what I want."
"Letty, this isn't something you bargain with."
"You want me to understand and forgive you, then this is my price."
"No." Dom physically stepped back. "You should save it for someone you love."
"I did." she hissed quietly. "Now I just want it out of the way."
"Then my answer is no." he said. "I'd rather you hate me that want me out of spite."
"Are you kidding?!" she huffed. "Again, you fuck any bitch that walks your way, except for me. What does every other female on the planet have that I don't?! What is the big difference?!"
"They're not you." he argued as quietly as he could. "And…" like it was some secret, he leaned in. "And I don't care about them Letty. Not like I do wi-"
"You don't care about me." She stepped forward, the reminder sharp and fierce in tone.
"Yes. I do. Why can't you see that I l-"
"If you care about me, you'll honour our deal and fuck me." Letty knew it was an ultimatum but she still continued with it, "because if you don't. I'll find someone who will." Letty dropped the words, knowing his reaction would not be pleasant. She watched the anger bloom in his eyes. For a second she thought he would stick with his first decision; that he would call her bluff and tell her to find someone else.
And then the hard set of his eyes conceded to her.
"If this is truly, honestly, swear to god, what you want, then fine." In the numbness of his acceptance, she allowed him the touch he wanted, to draw her back to him. "Tonight, if you want. But if you come over and want to watch a movie, or eat take out, or do anything else at all. That's just as good Letty. Better."
"I know wh-"
"You don't get a do-over Letty." he interrupted, trying against all of her logic to make her see the reality of this.
She did, on some level. But the clouds of anger and rejection were blinding to the severity of her decision.
"Mia?" Letty asked quietly.
"She's out at a movie until 9." He brushed the stray hair from her eyes and met them with a gravity Letty didn't understand. "We can go back to how we were, no pressure, nothing you're not ready for."
"I'm re-"
"Dominic!" Ella's voice pierced their moment. "We could absolutely fit a water feature in here." she laughed loudly. "You have to see this!"
Letty had felt victorious for those few seconds of Dom's agreement, until Ella's laugher had his smirk- the smirk he used to give her- pulling at his lips, laughter pulled from him as he stepped back from Letty, an eyeroll for Ella shot at Letty before he was stepping out of their bubble and straight into Ella world.
Letty felt the jealousy crinkle up into her eyes, the way he placed himself next to her, the way she grabbed out for him as she buckled with laughter. The way he could return her flirtation without needing to hide behind cars and prying eyes.
Of course he wanted Ella.
Who wouldn't want Miss Legs?
Letty would let him have her after tonight. But for the beaten heart, for the teenage dream, for the girl that wanted her first time to be with the beautiful bold, boisterous and self-proclaimed manwhore that won her heart at the races. Just tonight; then she was done.
