Rule(52)

She spun around and disappeared inside the massive house.  I looked down at Shaw and ran a finger across her furrowed brow.  “We okay?”

“Mostly.  Let’s just get through this then worry about the rest later. “She started to pull away from me but I caught her around the waist and pulled her back to me.

“Shaw.”

“Yeah?”

I kissed her.  I kissed her so that she could feel my regret, my desire to do right, the way that she had a piece of me now and I wasn’t letting go.  I kissed her because I had to and kissing her made me feel better.  When I lifted my head her mouth looked puffy and damp and her eyes were glassy with banked passion.

“I missed you too.”

She giggled a little and hooked her elbow around my arm.  “These are a bunch of country club people and mom’s political associates.  You clean up nice but don’t expect them to welcome you with open arms.  I don’t think any of them have ever even seen a tattoo up close and personal so be prepared to be treated like half pariah and half zoo exhibit.”

“It’ll be fine.  I can’t promise to play nice if that douchebag tries to put his hands on you in front of me though.”

She shivered against my side.  “He was awful last night.  I kept trying to move farther and farther away and he just followed.  My mother is insane if she thinks I’m spending one more minute with him.”

“Don’t you have to drive him back to school today?”

“I was planning on faking a headache and just letting him drive while I lay down in the back seat.”

I didn’t like that idea at all; she didn’t need to be vulnerable and subjected to that nonsense.

“Just give him the keys to the BMW and you can ride back with me.  Have him text you when he’s home and Nash and I can go get your car later tonight.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, look I know I messed up but I’m here for real now.  We’re going to do this and I promise I’ll take care of you as best as I can.  You’re going to have to be patient with me because I’m flying blind but this is the kind of thing I should be doing for you, plus I don’t want you anywhere near that guy.  He has something going on under all that polo and khaki and I don’t trust him one bit.”

“Alright I’ll set it up and if he refuses I’ll just tell him he has to find his own way home then.”

She led me into a dining room that was packed with every real house wife of Brookside and every single person in the top earning percentile of the state.  There was a lot of money and power in this dining room and Shaw was right, they were all looking at me like I was a wild animal let out of a cage.  She tightened her grip on my arm and led me over to a table with all kinds of food spread out on it.  Everyone gave us a wide berth for about three minutes but as soon as Shaw tried to lead us to the table we were waylaid by polo shirt and the rest of the junior league.  He looked me up and down then skimmed over Shaw in a way that made want to hang him from a tree by his own intestines.

“This is a private function, I doubt you were invited.”

I lifted an eyebrow and settled a hand on Shaw’s lower back.

“He’s with me.”  Her tone was cold and left no room for argument.

“For now.”

“Leave it alone, polo-shirt.  This isn’t the time or the place.”

“You don’t belong here.  You’re a thug and a loser, Shaw is going to get tired of living on the wild side and see reason.”

“Here,” she shoved her keys at him and dragged me behind her into the room where everyone was seated at a massive table.  All eyes were on us as she stormed to the table calling over her shoulder.  “I’m not spending one second more with you; you can take the Beamer home by yourself or find your own ride.  I heard him sputter but I was too busy pulling out Shaw’s seat and settling in next to her to enjoy it.  I could feel most of the eyes in the room on us and her mother’s smug look from the head of the table, I was about to tell Shaw this was silly and just making everyone uncomfortable when I heard a surprised voice say my name.

“Rule?  Rule Archer is that you?  What are you doing all the way out here for brunch?”  The seat next to mine was pulled out and Alexander Carsten a long time client of mine settled into the seat next to me.  I gave him a grin and shook the hand he offered.

“What’s up Alex, long time no see.  How’s the leg piece?  Did it heal up alright?”

He laughed a big hearty laugh.  Alex was a lawyer or something, he was in his early forties and pretty successful.  I knew he drove a sweet Jag and had an awesome loft somewhere down in LoDo but he was cool as hell for a buttoned up kind of guy.  I had done a couple big pieces on his leg and on his back and under his pressed shirt and silk tie I knew he had two full sleeves, one Nash had done for him and one Rowdy had done.  He paid big bucks and was an awesome tipper.  Considering this was the last place on earth I would have planned on running into a client I was stunned into momentary silence.  I felt Shaw drop her hand onto my thigh and I covered it with my own.

“It healed perfect.  I was actually thinking about swinging by in a few weeks and getting you to draw up something for my chest.  So what are you doing out here?”