Part 16
"What're we doin down here? You know I don't know how to play pool!" I said as I followed Leon to the newly purchased red pool table. He grabbed two sticks and stood in front of me.
"I'm gonna teach ya how," he said. I smiled sheepishly and took a stick from him.
"I'm a slow learner," I warned.
"Well I've got all the time in the world." He gathered the balls at one end and stuffed them in the rack.
"Ok," he started, walking around the table toward me. "The object of the game is to get your solids or stripes in the pockets before me."
"And how do I know which are mine?" I asked.
"Just like this," he said, bending over and tapping the plain white ball, the cue ball, toward the others. The ball knocked the others all over the table with a few striped ones falling in the corner pockets.
"You're solid," he announced, obviously happy about his shot. He took another shot and this time missed.
"Haha," I laughed.
"Shut up," he said, looking at me. "At least I know how to play."
"Well I'm learnin, I'm learnin."
"It's your turn."
"So?" I said. Did he forget I didn't know how to play and, not to mention, didn't know how to hold the stick.
"Aright come here," he breathed. I smiled as I walked over and stood between him and the table. He took my right hand and put it on the stick in front of me and placed my left behind me. So our position was pretty comfortable: his arm around my waist just above my ass, his other arm parallel to my right, and his face next to mine. He moved the stick back and forth, telling me to let it slide between my fingers. It tapped the white ball, sending it to a solid ball, and causing it to fall in the side pocket.
"Yus!" I yelped, jumping up.
"You get another shot," Leon said.
"I do?"
"You keep goin til you miss." I walked around the table to the cue ball. I looked around to see a solid ball sitting next to a corner pocket. I got in position, hit the ball, and missed my target by about 6 inches.
"Well I suck," I said, standing up straight. I turned around and looked at Leon. "What am I doing wrong?" I asked.
"I don't know, but it looked good from back here," he laughed. I rolled my eyes and set the bottom of the stick on the ground next to me.
"You think you're cute?" I asked sarcastically. He took a large step forward and our fronts were barely touching.
"I know I am," he answered, putting his hand lightly over mine and taking the stick from me. He laid it on the table and moved even closer to me.
"Are you clear on the rules?" he asked, looking down at me. I could feel his intense body heat and my temperature began to rise.
"Crystal," I whispered, pressing my forehead to his chest. I felt his light kisses on the side of my head and he worked his way down to my ear. When he came to my neck I rested my chin on his shoulder. Getting into the mood and not caring what my sister would say if she caught us, I planted a few open-mouthed kisses on his exposed neck. He suddenly pulled away and looked at me wide-eyed.
"It's on now girl," he growled, putting his hands on my sides and lifting me up on the table as if I weighed a buck. I opened my legs a little, allowing him to step between them. His hands remained on my sides as he kissed me hungrily. I let my hands slide down his chest and rest on belt buckle. I then slipped my fingers in his front pockets and forcefully pulled him as close to me as possible. He started to slowly lay me down as he frantically pushed the balls to the opposite end.
"Mercedes!" I heard my sister yell. Leon and I sighed heavily and he laid his head on the table.
"Jesus, I walk into that every goddamn time," he said, standing up. He took my hands and pulled me up.
"What?!" I yelled.
"You've got a visitor!" she replied. I looked at Leon confused because I had no idea who would be visiting me. He helped me off the table and followed me up the stairs. We walked to the front door and I saw an all too familiar face. I stopped suddenly about 2 feet from the screen door.
"Sean," I said lightly. He smiled and nodded.
"How you doin Mercedes?" he asked politely, but I knew he was far from polite.
"How did you find me?" I asked.
"Pretty easily actually. There's only one Hemi Cuda in Baja, Mexico." I took a deep breath and swallowed.
"What do you want?"
"I want my fuckin car back."
Sean was from L.A. I'd met him about a year ago when Hector and I took a trip to California. The only reason I even talked to this guy was because he owned a 1967 Hemi Cuda and I was very interested in stealing it. So I spent the entire night with this guy and when he was drunk and passed out, I took the car and headed back to Mexico. I figured he'd never find me if I lived in a different country!
"What's this about?" Leon asked, stepping out from behind me. I looked at him then back to Sean who had an evil glare in his eye that was directed at Leon.
"That bitch right there stole my fuckin car!" he yelled, pointing at me.
"Hey," Leon said. "Calm down."
"Who the fuck are you?" Sean continued to yell.
"I think you should leave," Leon advised.
"Or what?"
I watched as Leon stepped up to the screen door and came face-to-face with Sean. He stood for a minute and, out of the corner of my eye, I saw his hand playing with the door handle. A smile lingered on his lips as he pressed the handle in lightly and placed his right hand on the door. He pushed the door open, slamming Sean in the face and knocking him down the stairs. Leon ran outside and picked him up only to punch him and send him to the ground again. He climbed on top of Sean, gripped his shirt, and planted punch after punch on his jaw and eyes. Just when I thought Leon was gonna kill Sean, Dom came running past me and outside. He grabbed Leon and yanked him off, pulling him back inside. I walked to the screen door and stood there, looking down on Sean who was still on the ground. As he slowly came to his feet he looked at me. I lifted an eyebrow and glared at him. I had no idea what I was doing. I'd never done that to anyone I was highly afraid of and knew exactly what they were capable of.
I quickly shut the door and headed to the kitchen where Dom had taken Leon.
"Ya alright?" I asked, sitting next to him at the table.
"I'm fine," he answered quickly. When I saw his bloody knuckles I knew he was just a shade less than fine. I grabbed a wet washcloth and began cleaning his hand.
"Ah!" he yelled in pain.
"Quiet you big baby," I said, looking at his hand.
"Were you hurt baby?" Z asked Dom as she put her arms around his neck from behind him.
"Yeah," Dom said in a childish tone. "It took all my strength to pull that guy off the other guy."
"Hey," I said. "He has a name." Dom just shrugged as he kissed Z. I didn't know what it was, but there something about a man that would fight for me. I felt safe; protected and I wanted it to stay that way.
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Part 17
"Mercedes," I said that night, "I don't know what's up with that guy, but are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. She was preoccupied, spinning her toy gun. I'd gone out after the fight and found the perfect boredom buster for Dom and Leon for when Mercedes and I went out on jobs. Even though the guys were grateful, they chose to buy a Playstation with the little bit of money they'd brought with them to Mexico. So instead, we decided to try our spinning skills.
"Ok then," I said, smiling. I walked back to my room to find Dom waiting for me. I ran my tongue over my teeth and looked at him with my head tilted to the side.
"Hey," he said, winking. I walked to my bed and crawled on top of him, kissing him. I moved onto my back and ran my hands over his chest and arms, admiring his frame.
"So what was up with that Brian guy who called?" I asked curiously, "Because he called back while Leon and Mercedes were playin pool."
"What?" he asked. He shook his head and muttered, "That fuckin bastard..."
"Jesus Dom, what's the problem? He sounds like a decent guy," I defended. His eyes widened, and he stood up.
"No, Zoraida, you don't know what happened," he protested. It was obvious that he was mad that I'd stuck up for the guy, and even more obvious that he had blue balls when he walked out of the room. I heard his and Mercedes' voices in the living room, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. Eventually, I heard her bedroom door open and close again and knew that Dom was alone in the living room. Still upset about his sudden outburst, I stormed into the living room and pulled the small coffee table out of the way, then yanked Dom off of the couch. He fell on the floor with a crash and jumped up, trying to figure out what had happened.
"Right now would be a good time to watch what you say," I said, pointing at him.
"Jesus woman, what the hell is goin on in your head? Did you know that it's late and I was trying to sleep," he growled.
"Don't you fuckin yell at me," I said coldly.
"Why don't you stop bein a bitch?" he asked, the chill in his voice matching mine to the degree. I drew my hand back and slapped his face, but he kept the same stolid appearance.
"You are a bastard," I said, and then I stormed into the kitchen and out the back door, slamming it behind me. I took off, the tires squealing wildly.
"Who does he think he is?" I asked my car. Of course there was no reply, but I asked all the same. I slammed my hand onto the dash and felt a little better. "That asshole..." I thought out loud, "I fucking can't stand his mood swings!" When I'd calmed down enough to go home and be there without killing him, I quietly pulled into the garage and skulked to my room, hoping to go unnoticed. Luckily, he'd gone back to sleep, and I was in the clear.
It had been days, and Dom and I had avoided each other no matter what the circumstances, and had barely exchanged words. I'd go to bed at night and fume about him and think about how he was such a jackass, when all I really wanted was for things to get back to how they were.
"Mercedes, we need money," I told her. We sat to discuss a new job. She told me about a new Ferrari she'd seen in town, and we were sure we could get it and get the money we needed. What I didn't tell her that the money was for Dom and Leon to get their own place.
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Part 18
The next day's temperature was just ridiculous. It was about 101 degrees and Z and I had a job to pull that night, so I prayed for the temp to drop just a few hundred degrees. The sweltering day provided great sunlight to tan by even though I was Mexican and tan already, I thought I needed to be darker. I wore my bright green bikini that tied at the hips at the neck to accent my dark body. I put my headphones on and started to listen to "Light My Fire" by The Doors.
All the while I was listening to the 7 minute song all I could think about was Leon. I wished we'd gotten farther when we were on the floor in the living room, when we were on the pool table... but I couldn't go back in time. I didn't know what was going on with us. We could be hot and heavy one minute and the next not even talk to each other! Sometimes he acted like I wasn't even there and other times he acted like I was the only person in the room. It was like he couldn't make up his mind about whether he wanted to be with me or not. It was very stressing for me.
I opened my eyes (thank God I was wearing Dom's sunglasses) when the next song came on and saw Leon playing basketball by himself. He was shirtless, which was understandable and wearing baggy blue jeans with a black belt that hung low on his hips to reveal his white boxers. His wallet chain banged hard against his left leg as did his sterling silver chain he wore around his neck. I took a deep breath attempting to calm myself because I was ready to jump on him and take him right then and there... he was incredibly gorgeous. Suddenly, I felt a strong tap on my shoulder. I looked up to see Dom standing next to me. I removed my headphones and scooted the sunglasses down on my nose so I could see him better.
"Where's your sister?" he asked roughly. I shrugged.
"I dunno." He sighed as he sat in the lounge chair next to me. "Why?" I asked overly curious.
"Just wondering. She didn't tell me she was leaving," he answered, closing his eyes because of the very illuminating sun.
"That's because she doesn't have to," I said, scooting up in my chair to get a better look at Leon. I pushed the sunglasses back up to their original position and I heard Dom laugh hard. "What?!" I asked.
"You think he don't know you're starin at him?!" he asked. I lifted an eyebrow.
"I beg your pardon," I asked annoyed.
"He knows, believe me, he knows. He pulls the sunglasses thing all the time."
"What sunglasses thing?" Dom was confusing me beyond, way beyond...
"Wearing sunglasses to hide the fact that you're starin at someone." I laughed a little and turned back to look at Leon some more. At this point, I just didn't care if he knew I was staring at him. In fact, I wanted him to know. Maybe he'd attempt to finish what he'd started the day before.
"What're you listenin to?" Dom asked.
"The Doors."
"Hand it over," he ordered, referring to my CD player. I smiled and handed it to him. I didn't mind that much as long as he was listening to The Doors. He and I would get along great if he kept his cool, which I knew wouldn't last for long.
That night, Z and I began to quickly run over our plans for the next boost we were about to pull. We checked our tools, the address of the car, and any other tidbits we could think of. We hoped Leon and Dom wouldn't walk out and wanna come with us because we weren't sure if we could say no to them anymore. I was completely infatuated with Leon and Z and Dom had a great relationship... most of the time.
"We're goin," Dom announced as he came into the kitchen followed by Leon. I snapped my eyes shut and sat back in my chair awaiting the verbal abuse Dom was about to receive from my sister.
"Get out," she simply said. She was only getting started.
"No seriously, we wanna go," Dom said.
"Seriously, get out," Z mocked. I smiled as I noticed my eyes wandering over to Leon. He looked at me and smiled, I just looked back at Z. Leon was being just a little rude all day... he didn't say one word to me! Did he think I'd be his best friend when he acted like nothing ever happened?! If he did, he was wrong.
"Come on, let's go," I said softly, making my sadness visible. Z stood and I followed her to the backdoor like always. But Dom jumped and blocked our path with his large frame, there was no getting passed this guy.
"Move," Z ordered in her very cold attitude.
"I'm not movin unless I'm goin with you," Dom said stubbornly.
"Move or I move you," Z said. My head dropped and I wanted to laugh so hard. There was no way in hell my sister could move Dom! I felt a hand on my back and pushed Leon away, I was still hurt. I looked at him and his eyes didn't say 'sorry'... they said 'why?'
"Jesus Christ! Just let them go!" I yelled. My sister looked at me wide-eyed and after a few minutes she finally agreed. We all jumped in the Camaro because we took the Hemi Cuda last time and we couldn't take the chance of being noticed. Z was driving and I was in the front seat with Dom and Leon in the back. There was silence the whole way there.
"Stay here," Z ordered. Dom and Leon nodded, annoyed, as we headed to the garage after Z had done her magic on the computer. The garage door was in the process of opening as we headed in to see a red 1999 Ferrari 550 Maranello: Angelina. I took in the smell of the car as I handed Z the same tool she always used to unlock the doors and headed for the hood. I opened it and did the same rewiring and attached a small battery that was the size of a calculator to two wires. I shut the hood softly and tapped the top of the car as I headed toward the Camaro. Suddenly, Leon jumped outta my car and Dom jumped into the driver's seat.
"What's goin on?" I asked Leon.
"Get in!" he yelled running passed me.
"Come on!" I heard Dom yell. I didn't know what I was goin on, so I just ran to the car, threw my book bag in the backseat and got in the passenger seat while Z got in the back. Dom slammed his foot on the gas and we sped off at 72mph. I turned around and saw Leon following close behind in the Ferrari. What the fuck was goin on?!
"What's going on?" I asked Dom. He was ready to answer when we heard police sirens. I saw the red and blue lights in front of us, and my eyes widened. "Oh my God," I said.
"Don't worry about it," Dom said. He slammed his foot on the brakes and turned the wheel with all his might to the left. I saw the smoke and heard the squeal of the tires as he made a fast U-turn. I saw Leon do the same as we passed him. A car pulled out in front of us and Dom sped into the left lane, which was oncoming traffic. There was a silver Durango heading right for us. I screamed and grabbed onto the door handle with one hand and Dom's sleeve with the other. He slammed on the brakes again and swerved into the right lane. The cops continued to follow behind Leon.
"We're gonna die," I said in awe. I couldn't believe what was going on. How could we get caught?! We were always so careful.
"You're not gonna die," Dom said. His voice was always so soothing, but nothing could calm me down at the moment. Before I knew what was going on, Dom did a series of turns, followed closely by Leon and we turned onto our street. By this time, I had tears streaming down my face and we'd totally lost the cops. We pulled into the driveway and I jumped out the car. I ran down the driveway and met Leon with a hug. I wrapped my arms around his neck and his arms went around my waist. I cried into his shoulder and I never wanted to let him go. I was so scared in that car because of Dom's crazy driving… Which reminded me of something I had to do. I pulled away from Leon and turned to Dom. I walked toward him only to start running and began pounding my fists on his chest when I was close enough. He never flinched or stepped back.
"Crazy son of a bitch!" I yelled. I felt Leon's arms around my stomach as he lifted me in the air and carried me toward the door and into the house. He put me down in the living room and I started hitting him.
"Stop, stop!" he yelled, grabbing my upper arms. He held me close and I continued to fight him until I realized who he was. I started crying almost hysterically and rested my hands on his hips. His arms held me tight and I felt as if I would never move from that position.
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Part 19
After Mercedes had calmed down, I suggested she take a shower and then get some sleep; She was havin a bad night. She agreed and went into the bathroom somberly.
"Thank you," I said to Dom and Leon, who were seated in the living room. Dom continued staring at the TV, but Leon stood and walked to the kitchen. I glared at Dom contemptuously, but followed Leon.
"Hey, long night, huh?" he said, taking a seat. I nodded in agreement and sat across from him.
"Can I ask a favor?" I asked after a short period of silence. He nodded without even looking up at me. "Well… I need a ride…"
"What for?" he asked, his brow crinkled in a questioning manner.
"I need to take the Vette to this guy who wants it," I explained. He still looked confused. I sighed and told him, "So I'm gonna need a ride home. I really don't wanna wake Mercedes up, and I'm not asking Dom." I looked at him pleadingly. He looked like he wasn't sure, but shrugged and nodded again.
"Aright, let's go," he said. I thanked him and handed him the Ferrari's keys before I jumped into the Corvette. He followed me to the same party site we'd been at a few nights before. I took the Vette keys off of my necklace and instructed Leon to wait in the Ferrari.
"It'll just take a second," I told him. I walked into the building, found the man I'd made the deal with, received my money and ran back to Leon. I jumped in the car and he took off, zooming back to my house.
"Here," I said, handing him the bundle of cash. He'd slowed down enough for us to talk without his driving being impaired, so he reached out the take it from me.
"What's this for?" he asked suspiciously. I turned my face toward the window and blinked away a few tears before taking a deep breath and facing him.
"You and Dom," I said as sternly as I could. He gave me the same confused look from earlier. "You guys need to get your own place," I said. I could feel my heart splitting as my voice shook a little more with every word.
"Hey, what? Why?" he asked, looking into my eyes. He didn't look confused anymore.
"Because I fucking said so," I told him, my voice breaking with tears that threatened to fall. I sighed, turning back to the window. I wasn't mad at Leon, but I was sure he knew that, so I didn't apologize. Instead, we spent the rest of the ride in complete silence.
When we pulled into the driveway, I asked Leon to let me tell Dom, and he gladly agreed. Once we were inside, he went directly to Mercedes' room while I walked into the middle of the living room, holding my head as high as my breaking heart would allow.
"What?" Dom asked curtly. I stood in front of him, trying to tell him, but I couldn't make myself do it.
"Dominic," I said, choking back a new set of tears, "I've given Leon the money from the Vette." He looked at me strangely, but seemed to want to hear the rest of what I had to say. I took a breath to steady myself and blinked away my tears again before continuing, "And I told him that you two need to get your own place, because this just isn't going to work." He was seething. Had it been any other person, or under different circumstances, I would've savored the moment. But no, it was this moment, and it was Dom. He'd been the only person in eons to even try to get close to me, but somewhere along the line… It just became too much.
"Say something," I ordered, offended by the fusion of his stoic silence with his irate attitude.
"What do you want me to say?" he asked coldly, not looking at me.
"I don't fucking care!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms in the air, "Just say something!"
"Zoraida, I've got nothing to say to you, and anything I could say to you, trust me, you wouldn't like it." And with that, he stood and walked out the front door, slamming it violently behind him. I contemplated trashing the entire house to get rid of the frustration and hatred I was feeling, but decided against it, choosing to sit on the floor and cry instead. I couldn't understand why I felt so bad, or why it felt so good to let myself just bawl, but I knew that I had to get over it before Dom got back, or I might not be able to kick him out.
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Part 20
"How you feelin? Leon asked as he walked in my room and shut the door.
"I'm ok," I answered, sitting up so he could take a seat next to me. As he sat down I put my arms around his stomach and rested my chin on his shoulder. "Thank you," I whispered in his ear.
"You're very welcome," he replied, putting his hands over mine. I nuzzled his neck and started kissing him.
"Do you want me?" I asked, my voice just about a whisper. I saw his eyebrow lift as he looked in my direction.
"You know I do," he answered. I moaned lightly in his ear as I got up on my knees and turned his head to face me.
"Then why don't you take me," I offered. He looked at me for some sort of approval and I answered him with a smile.
He took his arm and pushed me down on the bed then crawled on top of me. I laughed loudly as he kissed my neck and shoulder. I put my hands on the back of his neck and savored the moment. Maybe, just maybe, we could finish what we'd started so many times before. He frantically unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it to the ground. I didn't blame him for wanting to do this quickly, we didn't wanna be interrupted. Soon, all our clothes were scattered on the floor and we were under my covers trying to be as quiet as possible. I didn't know how much longer I could go without screaming... Leon was very good at what he did. He usually had to put his hand over my mouth to keep me from screaming out in pleasure. And he liked that feeling because he smiled every time he did it.
When we finished, about two hours later, we laid in my bed in complete silence. Normally, I hated silence, I just could not stand it, but at the moment it just seemed like the right thing to do. I didn't know what Leon was thinking, but all I could think about what had just happened. I also figured out what an innocent was... he'd called me a virgin, which is obviously what I was. I guess he didn't mind taking it from me. I didn't mind giving it to him because I seriously liked him and I hoped we'd be a 'couple' after that. As I kept thinking about it, I prayed that he didn't have sex with me just to have sex with me, I hoped he remembered that I was a virgin.
"Now how do ya feel?" he asked. I could just hear him smiling, I didn't need to look up and see for myself.
"I'm ok," I repeated.
"Just ok?!" he exclaimed. I looked up at him as I was lying on his chest and smiled.
"You heard me."
"Yeah, real cute," he sighed. I smiled and laid my head back down. I kissed his chest and he rubbed my side with his hand. Suddenly, the quiet became a little much... something was wrong. Z and Dom weren't arguing or anything, I didn't even hear them talking.
"Where's Dom and Z?" I asked. Leon stayed quiet for a minute.
"Dunno," he said.
"Well, I gotta know what's goin on," I said, sitting up with the sheet wrapped around me. I grabbed the first thing I reached for on the floor, which was Leon's button down shirt and put it on followed by my pajama pants.
"Wait, where you goin?" Leon asked, pulling the covers back over himself.
"Come on," I said, walking out to the living room. I saw Z sitting on the floor in front of the couch with her head laying back.
"What's up girl," I joked, smiling. I was in a great mood and I hoped it would rub off on her. She didn't answer me. I shrugged and headed to the kitchen where Dom was sitting at the table.
"What's wrong with my sister?" I asked him.
"Oh nothing, she just wants to kick me outta the house," he answered.
"What?"
"Oh yeah," Dom said, standing. "She gave me a wad of money and said get the fuck out."
"That is not what I said!" Z yelled, stomping into the kitchen. "I simply said that you should get your own place because this isn't gonna work."
"Well, ya know, I've got some duct tape out in the garage, I can hook ya up with a cardboard box," I said to Dom. I was in such a good mood, I wouldn't let anything ruin it. At that time, Leon walked into the kitchen and put his arms around me from behind.
"I dunno what you're so happy about, Leon's gettin kicked out too," Dom said, pointing at him.
"Come again," I demanded.
"Your loving sister is kicking your loving boyfriend out as well," Dom said, smiling. I looked at Z. She looked down and I knew what Dom was saying was true.
"You're kicking them out?" I asked. She remained silent, something she was never very good at. "Oh fuck that!" I yelled. "They're not goin anywhere, including Dom," I declared. I was finally standing up to my sister and it felt good. I looked at Dom, smiled, and winked. I was sick of her bossing him around as well.
"Says you," Z finally said.
"That's right," I said. "They're not leaving and you can deal with it. If not, you leave."
"I live here!"
"So do I!"
After almost 5 minutes of thinking about it, Z agreed to let them stay. I smiled at my accomplishment and Leon and I headed back to my room where we had a second round. The next morning, I woke up and Leon was laying on his side with his back to me. I smiled and scooted closer to him, kissing his shoulder. I got outta bed, got dressed, and headed into the kitchen where Dom was sitting again.
"Good morning sunshine," I said happily, dancing across the room. He looked at me with a lifted eyebrow.
"What're you so damn happy about?" he asked.
"Oh nothing," I sang.
"Morning everyone," Leon said, coming into the kitchen. My eyes lit up as he walked toward me, wrapped his arms around me, and kissed me so softly I barely felt it.
"Where's your girlfriend?" Leon asked Dom, smiling evilly. I smiled and turned back to my toast I'd started.
"Hey Leon, where's your buddy Sean?" Dom shot back. I tilted my head and turned to them.
"Down the street, doin your mom," Leon said.
"Oh ya know that's funny cuz last night when I was with your mom, she said he was kinda cute. Made me jealous."
"Enough!" I interrupted. The day passed and Z remained in bed. I didn't care if she was mad at me or Leon or Dom… She finally knew that everybody was sick of her shit.
"What're we doin down here? You know I don't know how to play pool!" I said as I followed Leon to the newly purchased red pool table. He grabbed two sticks and stood in front of me.
"I'm gonna teach ya how," he said. I smiled sheepishly and took a stick from him.
"I'm a slow learner," I warned.
"Well I've got all the time in the world." He gathered the balls at one end and stuffed them in the rack.
"Ok," he started, walking around the table toward me. "The object of the game is to get your solids or stripes in the pockets before me."
"And how do I know which are mine?" I asked.
"Just like this," he said, bending over and tapping the plain white ball, the cue ball, toward the others. The ball knocked the others all over the table with a few striped ones falling in the corner pockets.
"You're solid," he announced, obviously happy about his shot. He took another shot and this time missed.
"Haha," I laughed.
"Shut up," he said, looking at me. "At least I know how to play."
"Well I'm learnin, I'm learnin."
"It's your turn."
"So?" I said. Did he forget I didn't know how to play and, not to mention, didn't know how to hold the stick.
"Aright come here," he breathed. I smiled as I walked over and stood between him and the table. He took my right hand and put it on the stick in front of me and placed my left behind me. So our position was pretty comfortable: his arm around my waist just above my ass, his other arm parallel to my right, and his face next to mine. He moved the stick back and forth, telling me to let it slide between my fingers. It tapped the white ball, sending it to a solid ball, and causing it to fall in the side pocket.
"Yus!" I yelped, jumping up.
"You get another shot," Leon said.
"I do?"
"You keep goin til you miss." I walked around the table to the cue ball. I looked around to see a solid ball sitting next to a corner pocket. I got in position, hit the ball, and missed my target by about 6 inches.
"Well I suck," I said, standing up straight. I turned around and looked at Leon. "What am I doing wrong?" I asked.
"I don't know, but it looked good from back here," he laughed. I rolled my eyes and set the bottom of the stick on the ground next to me.
"You think you're cute?" I asked sarcastically. He took a large step forward and our fronts were barely touching.
"I know I am," he answered, putting his hand lightly over mine and taking the stick from me. He laid it on the table and moved even closer to me.
"Are you clear on the rules?" he asked, looking down at me. I could feel his intense body heat and my temperature began to rise.
"Crystal," I whispered, pressing my forehead to his chest. I felt his light kisses on the side of my head and he worked his way down to my ear. When he came to my neck I rested my chin on his shoulder. Getting into the mood and not caring what my sister would say if she caught us, I planted a few open-mouthed kisses on his exposed neck. He suddenly pulled away and looked at me wide-eyed.
"It's on now girl," he growled, putting his hands on my sides and lifting me up on the table as if I weighed a buck. I opened my legs a little, allowing him to step between them. His hands remained on my sides as he kissed me hungrily. I let my hands slide down his chest and rest on belt buckle. I then slipped my fingers in his front pockets and forcefully pulled him as close to me as possible. He started to slowly lay me down as he frantically pushed the balls to the opposite end.
"Mercedes!" I heard my sister yell. Leon and I sighed heavily and he laid his head on the table.
"Jesus, I walk into that every goddamn time," he said, standing up. He took my hands and pulled me up.
"What?!" I yelled.
"You've got a visitor!" she replied. I looked at Leon confused because I had no idea who would be visiting me. He helped me off the table and followed me up the stairs. We walked to the front door and I saw an all too familiar face. I stopped suddenly about 2 feet from the screen door.
"Sean," I said lightly. He smiled and nodded.
"How you doin Mercedes?" he asked politely, but I knew he was far from polite.
"How did you find me?" I asked.
"Pretty easily actually. There's only one Hemi Cuda in Baja, Mexico." I took a deep breath and swallowed.
"What do you want?"
"I want my fuckin car back."
Sean was from L.A. I'd met him about a year ago when Hector and I took a trip to California. The only reason I even talked to this guy was because he owned a 1967 Hemi Cuda and I was very interested in stealing it. So I spent the entire night with this guy and when he was drunk and passed out, I took the car and headed back to Mexico. I figured he'd never find me if I lived in a different country!
"What's this about?" Leon asked, stepping out from behind me. I looked at him then back to Sean who had an evil glare in his eye that was directed at Leon.
"That bitch right there stole my fuckin car!" he yelled, pointing at me.
"Hey," Leon said. "Calm down."
"Who the fuck are you?" Sean continued to yell.
"I think you should leave," Leon advised.
"Or what?"
I watched as Leon stepped up to the screen door and came face-to-face with Sean. He stood for a minute and, out of the corner of my eye, I saw his hand playing with the door handle. A smile lingered on his lips as he pressed the handle in lightly and placed his right hand on the door. He pushed the door open, slamming Sean in the face and knocking him down the stairs. Leon ran outside and picked him up only to punch him and send him to the ground again. He climbed on top of Sean, gripped his shirt, and planted punch after punch on his jaw and eyes. Just when I thought Leon was gonna kill Sean, Dom came running past me and outside. He grabbed Leon and yanked him off, pulling him back inside. I walked to the screen door and stood there, looking down on Sean who was still on the ground. As he slowly came to his feet he looked at me. I lifted an eyebrow and glared at him. I had no idea what I was doing. I'd never done that to anyone I was highly afraid of and knew exactly what they were capable of.
I quickly shut the door and headed to the kitchen where Dom had taken Leon.
"Ya alright?" I asked, sitting next to him at the table.
"I'm fine," he answered quickly. When I saw his bloody knuckles I knew he was just a shade less than fine. I grabbed a wet washcloth and began cleaning his hand.
"Ah!" he yelled in pain.
"Quiet you big baby," I said, looking at his hand.
"Were you hurt baby?" Z asked Dom as she put her arms around his neck from behind him.
"Yeah," Dom said in a childish tone. "It took all my strength to pull that guy off the other guy."
"Hey," I said. "He has a name." Dom just shrugged as he kissed Z. I didn't know what it was, but there something about a man that would fight for me. I felt safe; protected and I wanted it to stay that way.
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Part 17
"Mercedes," I said that night, "I don't know what's up with that guy, but are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. She was preoccupied, spinning her toy gun. I'd gone out after the fight and found the perfect boredom buster for Dom and Leon for when Mercedes and I went out on jobs. Even though the guys were grateful, they chose to buy a Playstation with the little bit of money they'd brought with them to Mexico. So instead, we decided to try our spinning skills.
"Ok then," I said, smiling. I walked back to my room to find Dom waiting for me. I ran my tongue over my teeth and looked at him with my head tilted to the side.
"Hey," he said, winking. I walked to my bed and crawled on top of him, kissing him. I moved onto my back and ran my hands over his chest and arms, admiring his frame.
"So what was up with that Brian guy who called?" I asked curiously, "Because he called back while Leon and Mercedes were playin pool."
"What?" he asked. He shook his head and muttered, "That fuckin bastard..."
"Jesus Dom, what's the problem? He sounds like a decent guy," I defended. His eyes widened, and he stood up.
"No, Zoraida, you don't know what happened," he protested. It was obvious that he was mad that I'd stuck up for the guy, and even more obvious that he had blue balls when he walked out of the room. I heard his and Mercedes' voices in the living room, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. Eventually, I heard her bedroom door open and close again and knew that Dom was alone in the living room. Still upset about his sudden outburst, I stormed into the living room and pulled the small coffee table out of the way, then yanked Dom off of the couch. He fell on the floor with a crash and jumped up, trying to figure out what had happened.
"Right now would be a good time to watch what you say," I said, pointing at him.
"Jesus woman, what the hell is goin on in your head? Did you know that it's late and I was trying to sleep," he growled.
"Don't you fuckin yell at me," I said coldly.
"Why don't you stop bein a bitch?" he asked, the chill in his voice matching mine to the degree. I drew my hand back and slapped his face, but he kept the same stolid appearance.
"You are a bastard," I said, and then I stormed into the kitchen and out the back door, slamming it behind me. I took off, the tires squealing wildly.
"Who does he think he is?" I asked my car. Of course there was no reply, but I asked all the same. I slammed my hand onto the dash and felt a little better. "That asshole..." I thought out loud, "I fucking can't stand his mood swings!" When I'd calmed down enough to go home and be there without killing him, I quietly pulled into the garage and skulked to my room, hoping to go unnoticed. Luckily, he'd gone back to sleep, and I was in the clear.
It had been days, and Dom and I had avoided each other no matter what the circumstances, and had barely exchanged words. I'd go to bed at night and fume about him and think about how he was such a jackass, when all I really wanted was for things to get back to how they were.
"Mercedes, we need money," I told her. We sat to discuss a new job. She told me about a new Ferrari she'd seen in town, and we were sure we could get it and get the money we needed. What I didn't tell her that the money was for Dom and Leon to get their own place.
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Part 18
The next day's temperature was just ridiculous. It was about 101 degrees and Z and I had a job to pull that night, so I prayed for the temp to drop just a few hundred degrees. The sweltering day provided great sunlight to tan by even though I was Mexican and tan already, I thought I needed to be darker. I wore my bright green bikini that tied at the hips at the neck to accent my dark body. I put my headphones on and started to listen to "Light My Fire" by The Doors.
All the while I was listening to the 7 minute song all I could think about was Leon. I wished we'd gotten farther when we were on the floor in the living room, when we were on the pool table... but I couldn't go back in time. I didn't know what was going on with us. We could be hot and heavy one minute and the next not even talk to each other! Sometimes he acted like I wasn't even there and other times he acted like I was the only person in the room. It was like he couldn't make up his mind about whether he wanted to be with me or not. It was very stressing for me.
I opened my eyes (thank God I was wearing Dom's sunglasses) when the next song came on and saw Leon playing basketball by himself. He was shirtless, which was understandable and wearing baggy blue jeans with a black belt that hung low on his hips to reveal his white boxers. His wallet chain banged hard against his left leg as did his sterling silver chain he wore around his neck. I took a deep breath attempting to calm myself because I was ready to jump on him and take him right then and there... he was incredibly gorgeous. Suddenly, I felt a strong tap on my shoulder. I looked up to see Dom standing next to me. I removed my headphones and scooted the sunglasses down on my nose so I could see him better.
"Where's your sister?" he asked roughly. I shrugged.
"I dunno." He sighed as he sat in the lounge chair next to me. "Why?" I asked overly curious.
"Just wondering. She didn't tell me she was leaving," he answered, closing his eyes because of the very illuminating sun.
"That's because she doesn't have to," I said, scooting up in my chair to get a better look at Leon. I pushed the sunglasses back up to their original position and I heard Dom laugh hard. "What?!" I asked.
"You think he don't know you're starin at him?!" he asked. I lifted an eyebrow.
"I beg your pardon," I asked annoyed.
"He knows, believe me, he knows. He pulls the sunglasses thing all the time."
"What sunglasses thing?" Dom was confusing me beyond, way beyond...
"Wearing sunglasses to hide the fact that you're starin at someone." I laughed a little and turned back to look at Leon some more. At this point, I just didn't care if he knew I was staring at him. In fact, I wanted him to know. Maybe he'd attempt to finish what he'd started the day before.
"What're you listenin to?" Dom asked.
"The Doors."
"Hand it over," he ordered, referring to my CD player. I smiled and handed it to him. I didn't mind that much as long as he was listening to The Doors. He and I would get along great if he kept his cool, which I knew wouldn't last for long.
That night, Z and I began to quickly run over our plans for the next boost we were about to pull. We checked our tools, the address of the car, and any other tidbits we could think of. We hoped Leon and Dom wouldn't walk out and wanna come with us because we weren't sure if we could say no to them anymore. I was completely infatuated with Leon and Z and Dom had a great relationship... most of the time.
"We're goin," Dom announced as he came into the kitchen followed by Leon. I snapped my eyes shut and sat back in my chair awaiting the verbal abuse Dom was about to receive from my sister.
"Get out," she simply said. She was only getting started.
"No seriously, we wanna go," Dom said.
"Seriously, get out," Z mocked. I smiled as I noticed my eyes wandering over to Leon. He looked at me and smiled, I just looked back at Z. Leon was being just a little rude all day... he didn't say one word to me! Did he think I'd be his best friend when he acted like nothing ever happened?! If he did, he was wrong.
"Come on, let's go," I said softly, making my sadness visible. Z stood and I followed her to the backdoor like always. But Dom jumped and blocked our path with his large frame, there was no getting passed this guy.
"Move," Z ordered in her very cold attitude.
"I'm not movin unless I'm goin with you," Dom said stubbornly.
"Move or I move you," Z said. My head dropped and I wanted to laugh so hard. There was no way in hell my sister could move Dom! I felt a hand on my back and pushed Leon away, I was still hurt. I looked at him and his eyes didn't say 'sorry'... they said 'why?'
"Jesus Christ! Just let them go!" I yelled. My sister looked at me wide-eyed and after a few minutes she finally agreed. We all jumped in the Camaro because we took the Hemi Cuda last time and we couldn't take the chance of being noticed. Z was driving and I was in the front seat with Dom and Leon in the back. There was silence the whole way there.
"Stay here," Z ordered. Dom and Leon nodded, annoyed, as we headed to the garage after Z had done her magic on the computer. The garage door was in the process of opening as we headed in to see a red 1999 Ferrari 550 Maranello: Angelina. I took in the smell of the car as I handed Z the same tool she always used to unlock the doors and headed for the hood. I opened it and did the same rewiring and attached a small battery that was the size of a calculator to two wires. I shut the hood softly and tapped the top of the car as I headed toward the Camaro. Suddenly, Leon jumped outta my car and Dom jumped into the driver's seat.
"What's goin on?" I asked Leon.
"Get in!" he yelled running passed me.
"Come on!" I heard Dom yell. I didn't know what I was goin on, so I just ran to the car, threw my book bag in the backseat and got in the passenger seat while Z got in the back. Dom slammed his foot on the gas and we sped off at 72mph. I turned around and saw Leon following close behind in the Ferrari. What the fuck was goin on?!
"What's going on?" I asked Dom. He was ready to answer when we heard police sirens. I saw the red and blue lights in front of us, and my eyes widened. "Oh my God," I said.
"Don't worry about it," Dom said. He slammed his foot on the brakes and turned the wheel with all his might to the left. I saw the smoke and heard the squeal of the tires as he made a fast U-turn. I saw Leon do the same as we passed him. A car pulled out in front of us and Dom sped into the left lane, which was oncoming traffic. There was a silver Durango heading right for us. I screamed and grabbed onto the door handle with one hand and Dom's sleeve with the other. He slammed on the brakes again and swerved into the right lane. The cops continued to follow behind Leon.
"We're gonna die," I said in awe. I couldn't believe what was going on. How could we get caught?! We were always so careful.
"You're not gonna die," Dom said. His voice was always so soothing, but nothing could calm me down at the moment. Before I knew what was going on, Dom did a series of turns, followed closely by Leon and we turned onto our street. By this time, I had tears streaming down my face and we'd totally lost the cops. We pulled into the driveway and I jumped out the car. I ran down the driveway and met Leon with a hug. I wrapped my arms around his neck and his arms went around my waist. I cried into his shoulder and I never wanted to let him go. I was so scared in that car because of Dom's crazy driving… Which reminded me of something I had to do. I pulled away from Leon and turned to Dom. I walked toward him only to start running and began pounding my fists on his chest when I was close enough. He never flinched or stepped back.
"Crazy son of a bitch!" I yelled. I felt Leon's arms around my stomach as he lifted me in the air and carried me toward the door and into the house. He put me down in the living room and I started hitting him.
"Stop, stop!" he yelled, grabbing my upper arms. He held me close and I continued to fight him until I realized who he was. I started crying almost hysterically and rested my hands on his hips. His arms held me tight and I felt as if I would never move from that position.
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Part 19
After Mercedes had calmed down, I suggested she take a shower and then get some sleep; She was havin a bad night. She agreed and went into the bathroom somberly.
"Thank you," I said to Dom and Leon, who were seated in the living room. Dom continued staring at the TV, but Leon stood and walked to the kitchen. I glared at Dom contemptuously, but followed Leon.
"Hey, long night, huh?" he said, taking a seat. I nodded in agreement and sat across from him.
"Can I ask a favor?" I asked after a short period of silence. He nodded without even looking up at me. "Well… I need a ride…"
"What for?" he asked, his brow crinkled in a questioning manner.
"I need to take the Vette to this guy who wants it," I explained. He still looked confused. I sighed and told him, "So I'm gonna need a ride home. I really don't wanna wake Mercedes up, and I'm not asking Dom." I looked at him pleadingly. He looked like he wasn't sure, but shrugged and nodded again.
"Aright, let's go," he said. I thanked him and handed him the Ferrari's keys before I jumped into the Corvette. He followed me to the same party site we'd been at a few nights before. I took the Vette keys off of my necklace and instructed Leon to wait in the Ferrari.
"It'll just take a second," I told him. I walked into the building, found the man I'd made the deal with, received my money and ran back to Leon. I jumped in the car and he took off, zooming back to my house.
"Here," I said, handing him the bundle of cash. He'd slowed down enough for us to talk without his driving being impaired, so he reached out the take it from me.
"What's this for?" he asked suspiciously. I turned my face toward the window and blinked away a few tears before taking a deep breath and facing him.
"You and Dom," I said as sternly as I could. He gave me the same confused look from earlier. "You guys need to get your own place," I said. I could feel my heart splitting as my voice shook a little more with every word.
"Hey, what? Why?" he asked, looking into my eyes. He didn't look confused anymore.
"Because I fucking said so," I told him, my voice breaking with tears that threatened to fall. I sighed, turning back to the window. I wasn't mad at Leon, but I was sure he knew that, so I didn't apologize. Instead, we spent the rest of the ride in complete silence.
When we pulled into the driveway, I asked Leon to let me tell Dom, and he gladly agreed. Once we were inside, he went directly to Mercedes' room while I walked into the middle of the living room, holding my head as high as my breaking heart would allow.
"What?" Dom asked curtly. I stood in front of him, trying to tell him, but I couldn't make myself do it.
"Dominic," I said, choking back a new set of tears, "I've given Leon the money from the Vette." He looked at me strangely, but seemed to want to hear the rest of what I had to say. I took a breath to steady myself and blinked away my tears again before continuing, "And I told him that you two need to get your own place, because this just isn't going to work." He was seething. Had it been any other person, or under different circumstances, I would've savored the moment. But no, it was this moment, and it was Dom. He'd been the only person in eons to even try to get close to me, but somewhere along the line… It just became too much.
"Say something," I ordered, offended by the fusion of his stoic silence with his irate attitude.
"What do you want me to say?" he asked coldly, not looking at me.
"I don't fucking care!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms in the air, "Just say something!"
"Zoraida, I've got nothing to say to you, and anything I could say to you, trust me, you wouldn't like it." And with that, he stood and walked out the front door, slamming it violently behind him. I contemplated trashing the entire house to get rid of the frustration and hatred I was feeling, but decided against it, choosing to sit on the floor and cry instead. I couldn't understand why I felt so bad, or why it felt so good to let myself just bawl, but I knew that I had to get over it before Dom got back, or I might not be able to kick him out.
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Part 20
"How you feelin? Leon asked as he walked in my room and shut the door.
"I'm ok," I answered, sitting up so he could take a seat next to me. As he sat down I put my arms around his stomach and rested my chin on his shoulder. "Thank you," I whispered in his ear.
"You're very welcome," he replied, putting his hands over mine. I nuzzled his neck and started kissing him.
"Do you want me?" I asked, my voice just about a whisper. I saw his eyebrow lift as he looked in my direction.
"You know I do," he answered. I moaned lightly in his ear as I got up on my knees and turned his head to face me.
"Then why don't you take me," I offered. He looked at me for some sort of approval and I answered him with a smile.
He took his arm and pushed me down on the bed then crawled on top of me. I laughed loudly as he kissed my neck and shoulder. I put my hands on the back of his neck and savored the moment. Maybe, just maybe, we could finish what we'd started so many times before. He frantically unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it to the ground. I didn't blame him for wanting to do this quickly, we didn't wanna be interrupted. Soon, all our clothes were scattered on the floor and we were under my covers trying to be as quiet as possible. I didn't know how much longer I could go without screaming... Leon was very good at what he did. He usually had to put his hand over my mouth to keep me from screaming out in pleasure. And he liked that feeling because he smiled every time he did it.
When we finished, about two hours later, we laid in my bed in complete silence. Normally, I hated silence, I just could not stand it, but at the moment it just seemed like the right thing to do. I didn't know what Leon was thinking, but all I could think about what had just happened. I also figured out what an innocent was... he'd called me a virgin, which is obviously what I was. I guess he didn't mind taking it from me. I didn't mind giving it to him because I seriously liked him and I hoped we'd be a 'couple' after that. As I kept thinking about it, I prayed that he didn't have sex with me just to have sex with me, I hoped he remembered that I was a virgin.
"Now how do ya feel?" he asked. I could just hear him smiling, I didn't need to look up and see for myself.
"I'm ok," I repeated.
"Just ok?!" he exclaimed. I looked up at him as I was lying on his chest and smiled.
"You heard me."
"Yeah, real cute," he sighed. I smiled and laid my head back down. I kissed his chest and he rubbed my side with his hand. Suddenly, the quiet became a little much... something was wrong. Z and Dom weren't arguing or anything, I didn't even hear them talking.
"Where's Dom and Z?" I asked. Leon stayed quiet for a minute.
"Dunno," he said.
"Well, I gotta know what's goin on," I said, sitting up with the sheet wrapped around me. I grabbed the first thing I reached for on the floor, which was Leon's button down shirt and put it on followed by my pajama pants.
"Wait, where you goin?" Leon asked, pulling the covers back over himself.
"Come on," I said, walking out to the living room. I saw Z sitting on the floor in front of the couch with her head laying back.
"What's up girl," I joked, smiling. I was in a great mood and I hoped it would rub off on her. She didn't answer me. I shrugged and headed to the kitchen where Dom was sitting at the table.
"What's wrong with my sister?" I asked him.
"Oh nothing, she just wants to kick me outta the house," he answered.
"What?"
"Oh yeah," Dom said, standing. "She gave me a wad of money and said get the fuck out."
"That is not what I said!" Z yelled, stomping into the kitchen. "I simply said that you should get your own place because this isn't gonna work."
"Well, ya know, I've got some duct tape out in the garage, I can hook ya up with a cardboard box," I said to Dom. I was in such a good mood, I wouldn't let anything ruin it. At that time, Leon walked into the kitchen and put his arms around me from behind.
"I dunno what you're so happy about, Leon's gettin kicked out too," Dom said, pointing at him.
"Come again," I demanded.
"Your loving sister is kicking your loving boyfriend out as well," Dom said, smiling. I looked at Z. She looked down and I knew what Dom was saying was true.
"You're kicking them out?" I asked. She remained silent, something she was never very good at. "Oh fuck that!" I yelled. "They're not goin anywhere, including Dom," I declared. I was finally standing up to my sister and it felt good. I looked at Dom, smiled, and winked. I was sick of her bossing him around as well.
"Says you," Z finally said.
"That's right," I said. "They're not leaving and you can deal with it. If not, you leave."
"I live here!"
"So do I!"
After almost 5 minutes of thinking about it, Z agreed to let them stay. I smiled at my accomplishment and Leon and I headed back to my room where we had a second round. The next morning, I woke up and Leon was laying on his side with his back to me. I smiled and scooted closer to him, kissing his shoulder. I got outta bed, got dressed, and headed into the kitchen where Dom was sitting again.
"Good morning sunshine," I said happily, dancing across the room. He looked at me with a lifted eyebrow.
"What're you so damn happy about?" he asked.
"Oh nothing," I sang.
"Morning everyone," Leon said, coming into the kitchen. My eyes lit up as he walked toward me, wrapped his arms around me, and kissed me so softly I barely felt it.
"Where's your girlfriend?" Leon asked Dom, smiling evilly. I smiled and turned back to my toast I'd started.
"Hey Leon, where's your buddy Sean?" Dom shot back. I tilted my head and turned to them.
"Down the street, doin your mom," Leon said.
"Oh ya know that's funny cuz last night when I was with your mom, she said he was kinda cute. Made me jealous."
"Enough!" I interrupted. The day passed and Z remained in bed. I didn't care if she was mad at me or Leon or Dom… She finally knew that everybody was sick of her shit.