Yes, I'm still alive and writing once in a while! Well, no doubt about it, people loved the idea of Merle Dixon getting a pedicure. Let's continue the story!
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Merle gunned the engine as he guided the bike around the curve, grinning when the wheels slipped on the gravel and left black skid marks on the pavement. His sunglasses blocked out the glare that had been piquing his hangover this morning and he was ready for a tall cold glass of Coke, preferable with a triple shot of whiskey in it. But first he had an errand to run.
He pulled into the parking lot of Nice Tips and stepped off the bike. The Georgia sun was already broiling and sweat was beginning to form on his bare shoulders. He had on a worn pair of blue jeans, black boots, and his favorite black leather vest. The veins on his arms stood out under his leather wristbands and sweat was beginning to trickle from the temples exposed by his closely shorn curly hair. He propped his sunglasses up on his head and opened a saddlebag, pushing aside two warm cans of beer to find the drive belt that he was delivering here for Carol. Daryl was supposed to do it but he got stuck in the middle of a car engine repair at Milo's Auto Authority. Milo had made it clear that if Daryl missed any more days he would be looking for another job so Merle told him he'd run the washing machine part over to Carol on the way to his appointment with the parole officer.
He pushed open the green and pink door and the tinkling of a small windchime announced his presence. A wave of cool air washed over him along with a myriad of scents related to whatever the fuck women put on themselves to make them smell so damned good. Carol herself was behind the front desk dressed in a sleeveless tank top and clamdiggers, her pedicured toes peeking out from silver sandals. She was frowning over a spreadsheet, tapping a pencil against her cheek. She looked up when the wind chime sounded and was surprised to see the muscular biker. "Mr. Dixon," she said. "What can we do for you today?" Merle sauntered to the counter and produced the drive belt. "Mah brother wanted you to have this, said it would fix the problem in back," he said, his eyes dropping slightly to check out Carol's tank top. Carol's eyebrows raised in surprise and Merle could hear a touch of disappointment in her voice when she said, "I'm surprised he didn't deliver it himself." Merle grinned and raised his eyes to hers. "Boy's at work, said he can install it this weekend if you need it." Carol smiled and Merle noticed that her cheeks colored slightly when she said, "Well, that would save me a service call. Things are getting a little tight now that all the big holidays are over."
At that moment Beth burst into the space behind the desk from behind the curtain that separated the waiting room from the spa. "Carol I found those receipts from Aveda and I think I know where that shipment went….", she was saying until she looked up to see Merle Dixon standing at the desk. Mmm mmm hmmm thought Merle, speaking of a little tight….. Beth was dressed in a white peasant blouse with sleeves that hung at the wrists and a vee neckline that was threaded with a zig zag piece of lace threaded through grommets. Her curly blonde hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun and she was wearing tight jeans with carefully engineered holes in the thighs and knees. She had on sassy white sandals with heels that brought her up to Merle's shoulder height. And she was blushing 12 shades of red as she took in the demonic figure in black whose eyes raked her from head to toe. "Oh, hello Mr….."she trailed off as her brain frantically tried to divert its attention from Merle's wide shoulders to some level of rational thought. Merle leaned forward against the desk, giving her his level 2 Dixon seduction smile. "Well, well, Miss Beth," he murmured in his scratchy voice. "Now didn't I ask you to call me Merle?"
Beth stared at him like a deer in the headlights and was almost bowled over by Maggie shoving her way through the curtain. "Mary Lou needs another coffee…." she was muttering with a handful of singles. She looked at Beth quizzically then looked over the desk to see Merle leering at her baby sister. "Really?," asked Maggie disapprovingly, giving Merle the hairy eyeball. She had seen Beth preening over him when he was in last time and she knew that she needed to get her baby sister away from his evil influence. "Beth go clean the wash sink in the back," she ordered. Beth nodded dreamily then Maggie huffed in impatience and shoved her towards the curtain. Merle met Carol's amused gaze then straightened up as the salon phone rang. He still had an hour before his parole officer needed to see him and he wouldn't mind just one more glimpse of that sweet piece before he left. "Mind if I use your washroom?" he asked. "I can take the belt back there, make sure it's the right one." Carol nodded distractedly and waved him towards the bathroom. Merle sauntered through the salon, hit the head, then quickly took the back off the washing machine to confirm that the belt would fit. As he walked back through he was rewarded by the sight of Beth's round ass in the air as she scrubbed the salon sink. As he walked past her he enjoyed the mental picture of him sticking his tongue down the back of her pants, but then was distracted by her voice calling his name.
Merle turned to see her approaching him. "Merle!," she blurted, "I'm singing tonight" then she blushed. Merle looked at her quizzically and she stammered. "At the Juke Joint. All of us are going out, it's a benefit for one of our customers who is sick. I mean, it's burgers and karaoke and stuff. Just….so you know, I mean, for charity." To his great delight she nervously twisted her hands in front of her. "You might want to go since you probably drink a lot. I mean not a lot but you probably like to drink. And Carol might want to see your brother….well, to thank him and all." Merle regarded her curiously and asked, "Lil girl, you old enough to go to a bar?" Beth looked around nervously and dropped her voice. "Almost," she said. "Maggie's going to do my makeup so I can get in." Merle looked at her sagely, then nodded. "I'll keep it in mind," he said, then turned with a wink to leave.
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"Ow, Maggie!" scolded Beth as Maggie roughly twisted the first piece of blonde hair around hot rollers. "I can't believe you do this to customers for a living!" Maggie snorted crankily and clamped the bobby pins on one side of her mouth as she muttered out of the other, "I'm nicer to them. I need to get this done so I can do mine, Glenn is coming tonight." Beth rolled her eyes and yelped again when Maggie set another roller. "Honestly Maggie, you could be bald and he'd still follow you around like a lost puppy." Maggie laughed, dropping Beth's hair to make exaggerated pelvic thrusts in the mirror so Beth could see. "Yeah, well he'll be MY bitch tonight!" she exclaimed, and both sisters laughed.
Meanwhile Daryl was home from work and was drinking a cold beer while standing open-shirted in front of the open fridge. Merle pulled into the yard on his motorcycle, dismounted, then came in the house. He shoved his arm past Daryl to grab a beer from the fridge and leaned against the counter as he slugged it. Daryl lit a joint then asked, "You deliver that belt?" Merle crumpled the empty beer can in his hand and threw it in the sink. He nodded as Daryl handed him the joint and they shared it until it was gone. "How bout we get us a burger at the Juke Joint?" asked Merle.
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Maggie had carefully timed their arrival at the Juke Joint to coincide with a big crowd coming in from a softball tournament. The crowd swelled at the door and the bouncer distractedly waved in the group from Nice Tips, not bothering to check IDs. Glenn had already offered to be the designated driver so Carol got a glass of white wine, and Maggie got rum and Cokes for herself and Beth. Beth didn't much care for the taste, but soon the karaoke was hopping and all of them took turns to entertain an increasingly rowdy crowd. Beth began to develop a buzz, and during her fourth or fifth song she looked into the crowd to see none other than Merle Dixon reclining against the bar, thumbs in his front pockets, appraising her with one eyebrow raised. She decided she needed to use the bathroom. On her way out of the bathroom she slowly walked past Merle, who grabbed her arm and said, 'Hey there Miss Beth, buy ya a drink?" Beth nodded then leaned in to whisper confidentially, "Hi Merle. Maggie got me rum and Cokes but I don't like them. Do you know what to get?" Merle nodded and said, "Let Ole Merle take care a you." He patted his barstool for her to sit upon, then he ordered a bourbon on the rocks and two slippery nipples. He turned to Beth and smiled.
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Daryl wolfed down three hamburgers then used the Portapotty. The guys in the bar parking lot were cooking burgers as fast as they could and were struggling to meet the demand. Daryl had drunk three beers just waiting for his burger order and now that he was full and a little drunk he was wondering where Merle had gone. He entered the dimly lit bar and it took his eyes a few minutes to adjust to the dark. He looked to the stage to see two drunk women singing a duet then looked at the TV screens to check out the various sporting events being shown. When he scanned the crowd again for Merle his heart jumped. There was Carol in a black off-the-shoulder top and a long white skirt, silver jewelry dripping from her ears and wrists. She had on makeup that accentuated her eyes and lips and she was talking to an Asian man who had his arm possessively around Maggie. Daryl didn't realize that he was gaping at her until she looked up and waved at him. Uncertainly his feet carried him towards her.
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Maggie thanked Glenn with a kiss and a grind after he ran to the bar to get Daryl and Carol drinks to help pave the way to a conversation. Maggie was on her fourth drink and was feeling happy at how the night had turned out thus far. She had known Carol for a year now and knew that while Carol seemed outwardly confident, she struggled to raise a child as a single mother coming out of an abusive relationship. Maggie was happy to see the sparkle in Carol's eye, but wished that Carol would choose someone a little more….upstanding… than Daryl Dixon. Someone like Glenn, or Beth's Jimmy.
'Where IS Beth?" asked Maggie, craning her head peevishly to survey the bar. "I haven't seen her in a while. She's been in the bathroom a while." She frowned then shrugged, turning to Glenn. "If she isn't back by the time I finish this drink I'm going to look for her."
Minutes later Beth appeared at Maggie's side with a huge smile on her face and her carefully coiffed hair sticking out in every direction around her face. "Oh my God Maggie I'm having so much fun! Did you even know that a motorcycle could go 90 miles per hour?!" she giggled. Maggie gaped at her sister in disbelief. It had taken her all afternoon to do Beth's makeup and hair and it was all completely destroyed. And was that….? "Bethany is that a HICKEY on your neck?!" Maggie exclaimed. Beth laughed then took a gulp out of Maggie's rum and Coke, frowned at the taste, then took another gulp before Maggie angrily took the drink out of her hand. "Maggie I'm not a kid anymore, stop treating me like a child!" she exclaimed. Maggie shot back "Beth you're only 20!" then she looked around and dropped her voice to a low hiss. "You're only 20 and you're not even old enough to be here." She gestured at Merle who had just returned from the bathroom and was making his way to the bar. "You don't know that guy from Adam!" she warned. Beth squared off with her sister, dropping her voice as well so their argument wouldn't draw attention. "You're the one who doesn't know him Maggie, I've met him a couple a times and I like him. And he likes me. In fact, he asked me out for dinner." Maggie snorted sarcastically and jerked her head at the biker. "Yeah, HE asked YOU for dinner. Who's he gonna steal the money from to take you out? He doesn't look employed to me". Beth gasped in outrage and put her hands on her hips. "You don't know anything Maggie! He invited me to his house! He's going to make me dinner!" she said emphatically, "at least, I think that's what he said." Beth faltered and looked a little unsure at this statement. Maggie's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean you THINK he asked you over," Maggie asked. Beth grabbed Maggie's drink back and took a little sip. "I think he likes to cook," she said. "I mean I didn't catch it all, but he said something about tossing my salad."
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Merle dug a $20 bill out of his pocket and sat at the barstool, preparing to order another set of drinks. He had just barely registered movement from the corner of his eye when Maggie's fist smashed into his nose, knocking him spread-eagled onto the floor. "You stay away from my sister you pervert!" yelled Maggie. She stood over him with her fists clenched until Glenn appeared at her side, looking incredulously down at Merle then grabbing Maggie by the elbows so she couldn't swing again. "Maggie you can't do that in a bar," soothed Glenn. "In fact, you really can't do that anywhere." The bouncer appeared out of nowhere and pointed at Maggie, Glenn, and Beth, "Time to break up this party. Get them out of here," he said. He looked down at Merle who was wiping the blood from his nose with the back of his hand. "You too," he said firmly. Merle shook his head to clear the cobwebs then took the Daryl's extended hand to help stand up. "What the fuck did you say to her?" fumed Daryl as he glanced up to see Carol picking up Maggie's deserted purse and walking outside to deliver it. "I didn't say nothin, bitch is crazy," Merle muttered. He took the bar towel proffered to him by the bartender and held it to his nose. Just then there was a ruckus at the door and it popped open abruptly, Beth's blonde head peeking around. "Good night Merle!" she called drunkenly and smiled before she was yanked back outside, ushered by the hoots and hollers of the patrons inside. Merle groaned, jamming the blood bar towel into his pants pocket as the bouncer ushered him and Daryl to the door, and said, "Little brother, this just may be the start of a beautiful relationship." Daryl nodded briefly, and under his breath he muttered, "I know."
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Hi, Athlete Girl here – please please please review if you read this!
