Not Your Typical Romance

Anybody who has ever moved knows what its like to walk through a new town for the first time. When you don't know any of the street names, or how to get where you're going. I knew my way from home to work, and from work to home. Since I was a small town girl who dropped like a bomb into the big city, I couldn't even find the grocery store, or a place to get something to eat.

I wasn't thinking about where I was walking, my head was spinning from the sounds of traffic and smells of exhaust when I bumped into her. Spun her slightly sideways on the sidewalk. I fell to my knees, I never had much coordination.

"Watch where you're going." She said it rudely, but extended a hand to help me up. Once I was standing I watched as she looked me over, head to toe. I returned the gesture, she was muscular, short and a little stocky. Built like a football player, female edition. Cowboy boots on her feet, flannel shirt buttoned up the collar and tucked neatly into her knee-stained jeans.

"I'm really sorry. I'm new in town, and trying to find a place to get a bite to eat. Do you know of anywhere?" I reached for my hair mindlessly, twirled it around my finger.

"Do you have time to sit and eat? I know a little diner on the outside, atmosphere on the inside place about two blocks from here."

"Sounds perfect. How do I get there?"

"Well, actually, I was thinking I'd join you. Pay you back for knocking you on your butt." She started walking, I stood there nervously, unsure of whether to follow her or not. "You coming?" That question was answered. We walked in silence, neither of us knew what to say. All of the "don't talk to strangers" warnings didn't matter anymore, we didn't care. I knew instantly that something was too right with this girl. I felt too at home, so at home I stepped out into the street without looking. "Watch out!" She reached for my hand, interlaced our fingers and held on. "What are you doing? Look at that traffic! I don't know if you think you're Moses, or Jesus or whoever the hell parted that river. But you aren't him. You could've gotten yourself killed."

"I was, I'm sorry." I looked down our hands, she was still holding on. I wish I'd never looked, the fact that I noticed made her nervous, too nervous to hold on. Traffic slowed and we crossed in silence, as a matter of fact we didn't speak another word until we were seated at the restaurant. "I just realized, I'm eating lunch with you, and I don't even know your name."

"Brandy for you Shane?" The waitress rubbed her hand along the stranger's shoulders, pressed her breasts into her back.

"My usual Julie, and for you?" Shane's eyes locked on me while she pushed the skanky waitress back.

"White zin, and a soup and salad special." Julie took our menus and walked away. "You have a usual here, Shane?"

"You know my name now. And I still don't have yours."

"Shera, unless I'm working, then I'm Sparrow."

"Stage name?"

"Floor name." Julie placed our drinks in front of us, slammed my glass down a little rougher than normal. "I'm sorry, is that your girlfriend or something?"

"Or something." She sipped from her brandy, tapped the glass with her fingers a few times just to make noise. "What do you do for a living?"

"I dance, I'm a floor girl at the nightclub by Domino's. I stay up all night, bring people drinks, get people to dance and run up tabs. You can come by sometime if you want. I might even dance with you." I laid my hand on the table. "What about you?" I took a large swig of my wine, not ladylike, but calming. "How do you make enough money to be known by name in a place like this?"

"No questions about me." She grained the last of her brandy. "I would however, love to see you dance sometime."

"I work tonight." She finally took the invitation, scaled her fingers over my palm.

"You said you were new in town, where did you move in?"

"I haven't yet, my apartment had to be cleaned up some, I'm staying a motel for now."

"Motels around here are shady, covers for drugs and the like."

"Nightclubs around here are shady too, used as covers for drugs and the like." Shane's lips curled into a smile, slight, but gorgeous all the same. "If you'll excuse me," I grabbed my purse. "I need to use the restroom." I walked off, searching my purse for the vial and syringe. The injections didn't bother me anymore, made my head stop spinning. I had felt the wine kick in, my eyes start to sink, heart start to palpitate. I waited a few seconds and headed back out to the table.

"You look like, you're sick or something."

"No, no not at all. I do need to get changed for work though, if you want to, walk me home. You said it yourself, motels are shady." Shane's eyebrow arched, same smile curled her lips.

"Of course." She slipped a twenty under her glass, and laid a three dollar tip on the table. "Let's go before Julie asks questions." She held out her arm, I linked through. "Speaking of questions, I have some for you."

"And I for you. Why are you being so secretive Shane, what could possibly be so bad about how you make a living that you won't tell me."

"No questions for me. Where's this motel?"

"About a half mile." We walked arm in arm, tension building between us.

"How long have you lived here?"

"A week. Moved a small Northern California town."

"Single?"

"Yes, and my socks are white, in case that was your next question." Her smile quickly faded, eyes lowered into an angry slit. "Sorry." We walked a long time in silence. I let my hand slide down her arm to her own hand as we approached the steps to my motel room. Shane took me by surprise, slammed me against the door, my purse crashed to the ground, and all the contents spilled onto the ground.

"I'm sorry," She leaned down to pick them up, I jumped in front of her. "let me help."

"No! I, I got it."

"What's in the vial?" Shane had the glass and syringe in his hand. "Your eyes are sunken, your sensitive to the touch."

"You're not telling me anything, why should I tell you?" Her hand rubbed up my back, arms wrapped around me. I leaned up and kissed her, took control in my own hands. She pulled away instantly, grabbed wrists. She wasn't hurting me, just holding me back. "Shane..."

"I don't like secrets."

"I don't have any secrets."

"What's in the vial?"

"Liquid adrenaline." I pressed my lips along her cheek, pushed hard against the hands-on restraints to get to her neck. "Shane, kiss me." She lifted me in her arms, tossed me onto the bed roughly. I wanted to sit up and kiss her, but she moved too quickly for me to do so. She had me pinned beneath her, lips on mine, hands on me. She was so comfortable, she had her arms around me, pulling me off the bed and into her chest. Her fingers pushed up on my blouse, trying to pry it off. I fought it, which caught her attention.

"Why not?"

"Just, not the shirt." It was hard to find the words. She had me mesmerized, the things her lips did to my breathing, my thinking. I couldn't even think to find the words. "I'm sorry."

"Do I have to stop?"

"No, please don't." Shane's hand scaled up my thigh, rubbed along the outside of my panties. Our kiss deepened while she hooked her fingers through them, pulled them down. "Baby."

"My name is Shane." She huffed, finger rubbing along my entrance. "I'm no one's baby." She whispered the last into my ear as her finger plunged inside of me. She curled it, pumped the digit back and forth, moving her thumb along my clitoris while she did so.

"Shane." I scraped my nails into her shoulders, ran them down her back. She arched above me, kissed my neck several times.

"Touch me too." I couldn't tell if it was a demand, or a plea. But I took it anyway, with her help her pants were kicked to the foot of the bed, my skirt was still pushed to my waist. We rolled onto our sides, faced each other, kissed roughly as fingers explored. Our bodies shook at the same time, collided together as one. After the breathing leveled out, I tucked my head into her neck and sighed deeply. I needed to build up the courage to even ask.

"Shane, I know more than you think. And if you do what I think you do. I have a job for you." Her eyes widened, she sat up quickly, jolting me back into the bed.

"And what do you think that is?"

"You're the infamous hitman, woman, around here, aren't you?" I hung my head, embarrassed to ask.

"Hit, man? Where'd you get that idea?"

"Just answer me, do you or don't you, kill people for a living?"

"You have a job?"

"Yes, I do. If you're willing."

"I am, but I have to warn you, I don't have a no questions asked policy. I will ask questions."

"That's ok."

"Who is it?"

"Your brother."