| Part 4 It had taken him several days to track her down, endless hours of watching the college parking lot after realizing she'd abandon her apartment. The apartment his money payed for most months and now she was throwing it in his face, going to Toretto for help. Lance glared at the building across the street, knowing Taylor was inside. She refused to talk to him even after everything he'd done for her. He'd tried to talk Johnny's father out of firing her. He had lied to his uncle for her. He rubbed absently at the recently healed gash along his stomach, a reminder of what was his, a reminder of what she'd left him with. She would have to admit it soon, one way or another. He roared away down the street before someone from Toretto's team recognized the bike. Inside the store Taylor had taken her turn behind the counter, trying in some small way to do her part around the Toretto household. The thick diary like book she took everywhere lay open on the counter, her hand creating intricate designs with the pencil in her hand, smiling to herself as paused looking at her handy work. She glanced up when Mia came through the door. "You have any trouble?" Mia questioned, coming around the counter. Trying to get a look at the book that held so much of Taylor's attention, but the other girl snapped it shut. "None." There was a dreamy smile on her lips that Mia had come to recognize lately. "Vince came by, huh?" She tilted her head, leaning against the opposite side of the counter. "Yeah, for lunch." her smile grew, lighting her whole face. "Let me guess, he wanted tuna." He tried to cover her amused smile, waiting for Taylor to answer her. "Yeah. How'd you know?" Confussion replaced the smile with a frown and Mia began laughing attempting to explain how she and Brian had hooked up. Soon Taylor was laughing too gripping her sides. "No! Your not serious!" Taylor gasp, watching Mia nod her head wildly. "On a stack." She replied seconds later, wipping at the tears the hung at the corner of her eyes. The laughter finally died away and Taylor picked up her book and turned back to Mia. "I'm gonna go. I have to be at work at six." Moving around the counter she remember there was soemthing out she wanted to say to Mia. "Please tell Dom I'm sorry about dinner." Mia waved her comment away. "He understands. A commitment is a commitment with him. He respects that." She smiled reassuringly at her. "Hey, I almost forgot can you run these by the garage?" Mia tossed a folder onto the counter in front of Taylor. "Sure." She shrugged, feeling a bit queasy at the prospect of actually having to go to the garage. Picking up the folder she thumbed through the contents, purchase orders, parts she'd never heard of let alone seen. She turned again, intent on her errand. "Hey!" Mia shouted, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. "You forgetting something?" Taylor shook her head. "Don't think so." "SO, you not going to tell me about that date with V?" "How'd you.........." She began but Mia cut her off. "Accourding to Dom that's all V's been talking about for days." She began to giggle again. "Hmmm....." Taylor began, secretly thrilled Vince had been talking about her, that she had been on his mind that much. "We went to a nice little Italian place of dinner, candles, music, wine." She sighed remembering the night like she was there again. "Then we went to a movie and didn't watch any of it. Drove up to the hills and....." She trailed off. "You did it in the car?" Mia's eyes widened. "No!" Taylor shook her head, walking out of the store. ************ Taylor pulled up to the garage in Mia's car, feeling like the speed machine was apart of her, never having payed much attention to what she drove before but the car demanded respect, admiration. Stepping out she moved to the wide opening of the garage and saw Dom coming from the back. "Hey!" She smiled, getting Dom's attention. "Hey, yourself." He returned her smile, leaning into the engine compartment of the Mazda he was working on. "Ummmmm. Mia asked me to bring these over to you." She extended her hand with the folder clutched in it, not realizing it was a little to thick to simply be the folder . Dom motioned her into the garage, not looking up from the work that took his attention. She held her breath taking a step forward and coming to a dead stop seeing the seam that seperate the two distinct parts of the cement below her, drive from garage. Like some sort of barrier, she wouldn't cross into the garage. It took Dom a few minutes to realize she was still standing outside the bay, just starring at him. "I don't bite, Taylor." He frowned, thinking it was another bout of her shyness. "I know." She said, looking everywhere but at him. "Then get your ass in here and bring me the folder." he barked, loosing patience with her. "Can't." She sighed. "Why the hell not? You ever been in a garage before?" He asked turning to lean on the car, not about to move to take the folder from her. "Yeah. I've been in a garage before." She managed to get out without chocking on the words. " My daddy owned a place in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana. Little place, didn't make nothin..." She let the slow southern drawl, edged with a bit of French Acadian, settle into her voice. "I'll tell ya this, Dom. There's exactly three things I remember about that place. Hank Williams on the radio, a '57 Chrysler, and the wicked end of fan belt. Think those three things are enough, homme?" She crouched down laying the folder on the ground at her feet and walking away, tires on pavement was the only thing heard as Taylor left. ************ Dom couldn't seem to shake what Taylor had said, something was wrong there, he felt it. The fan belt comment alone was enough to make him inwardly cringe, knowing the pain it could inflict. Was she really hit with something like that? He kept turning the question over in his mind he figured she probably had been, wasn't much reason to lie about that. He walked over and picked up the folder, dropping the book below it back to the ground. He look at it for a sec and scooped it up. Vince and Leon pulled into the drive and he glanced up from the book. "That Taylor?" Vince asked, walking up to Dom, rubbing at the back of his neck trying to appear like it didn't matter. "Yeah." Dom shoved the book at him. "Give that back to her. She left it." He said, stalking back into the garage. Vince looked at the girly cover of the book, pink and purple swirls fancy curling intials in the bottom corner. It smelled like Taylor, the same tropical scent that made him think of white sand and salt water. He followed Dom and Leon inside, vaguely aware of them talking about the Mazda Dom was working on. He moved around the two towards the office. "Vince." Dom called. Leaving Leon to look over the car's engine and turning he attention to the other man. "How much you know about Taylor?" Vince shrugged. "What'd ya mean?" "I know almost every minute of Letty's life since she was sixteen, Vince. What'd you know about Taylor's life? Where she grew up? What her life was like? Looks like your getting pretty fuckin serious. Don't ya think it's time you get to know her, man?" Dom clapped Vince on the shoulder. He stood there wondering why he hadn't thought of that himself. He had the sudden urge to call her, getting pissed that he didn't even know where she was. He made a mental not to get her a cell phone. Dom could see he'd given Vince a lot to think about and turned to finish the work on the Mazda. "Thanks, brother." Vince called to his retreating back, seeing the other man lift his hand in acknowledgement. Inside the office he lay Taylor's book on the desk, picked up the phone and dialed Dom's number, hoping she'd be there. The phone rang over and over on the other end and he finally he just gave up, sitting at the desk scratching at his bearded jaw and starring at the book near his arm. He almost managed to leave it closed but the temptation to see what was inside was to big. Opening it he flipped through poem after poem, sketches, stuff he just glanced at until he came to the page with a big V at the top. His jaw went slack as he carefully took in what was there. More poems all right but, they surrounded maticulious sketches of his tattoos. He read each word of the poems. There's another skin inside my skin that gathers to your touch, a lake to the light; that looses its memory, its lost language into your tongue, erasing me into newness. He rubbed his hand absently over his bicep, where the tattoos took up skin, his chest feeling tight at the rush of feeling, and he continued to read. I feel the breath Of desire Sudden interruption From the rain on the sill The sign is on the wall But he's reading me instead I don't know what I say But I know I am sighing "Anything interesting in there?" The voice whispered into his ear from behind him. He nearly broke his neck whipping it around to find Letty grinning at him, knowing she had caught him at something. He shrugged, trying to close the book when Letty's hand slammed down on it. Shoving his hand away and shaking her head at what was on the page she then flipped to the next one to see a sketch of her and Dom kissing. Her hands framing Dom's head, mouths slanted against one another. "Girl's pretty good." Letty starred appreciatively of the dipiction of her and Dom, slowly her attention focused back on Vince. "She's got you right here." She extended her pinky, teasing and then she grew serious. "She's good for you, V." "Just hope I can hang onto her." He stood book in hand, leaving the office, leaving the garage. Knowing Mia would know where Taylor was. Sitting in his car outside the store Vince realized Taylor would probably notice the page from the book missing but that didn't stop him from tearing it carefully from the book, folding it, and tucking it into the pocket of his jeans, keeping part of her with him all the time. _________________________ Part 5 Taylor watched the only customers she's had in the last half hour amble out of the store clutching a stack of slasher fics, freshmen she guessed, trying to avoid studying. Looking at the clock she sighed, only 8, another 4 hours until closing. Gathering an armful of videos she headed for the new release aisle at the back of the store. Replacing the videos she didn't pay much attention when the chime of the door sounded. Finally done she turned back up the isle and to the counter. Then she remembered the customer that had come in. Leaning against the counter up on her tip toes she tried to see where they might be. Across the store she saw the top of a dark head belonging to someone tall, male. She shrugged turning to her back pack on the floor and fishing around inside it. "Shit!" A low hiss came from her as her fingers didn't find the familiar textured cover of her book, opening the back pack enough to see inside she realized the pink and purple book was definitely missing. Twisting the leather with her fist in frustration she tossed it to the floor, giving it a hard kick for good measure. She sighed looking back to the floor of the store and then searching for the customer again. He hadn't moved, still standing in the action/adventure section. She pasted a helpful smile on her face and rounded the counter strolling down the rows of videos she came to a corner of the aisle where he should of been but it was empty. She shrugged and turned retracing her steps to the aisle behind her, she caught a movement, a blur rounding the corner opposite her. Goose bumps suddenly rose on her skin and she glanced around suddenly realizing just how alone she was. Her feet began caring her backwards towards the desk, keeping her eyes on the rows of video around her, eyes scanning in quick sweeps. "Oh shit!" She tried to take in the whole store at once, her eyes darting around her, looking for the phantom customer. She backed along the main aisle towards the counter, wanting only to get to the phone beside the register. Her heart pumped blood in a roar through her viens, echoing in her ears, images of Lance filling her mind. That was a moment in her life she wouldn't let be repeated no matter what she had to do. Just as she was turning to sprint the rest of they way towards the register she made contact with a wall of flesh and bone, hard muscle. Yelping in terror Taylor stumbled backwards just has hands landed on her hips, pulling her forward. "Easy, baby." Came the familiar voice as she collapsed against the chest in front of her. Gasping she slowly pulled away slapping at Vince's shoulder. "You scared the hell outta me, V!" "Good. Teach you to pay more attention when your here by yourself." He told her, pushing his face near hers, pulling her lips against his to slip his tongue inside. "Ummm...." She moaned against his lips, trying to push more fully against him, feeling like she couldn't get close enough. Then a thought accured to her regretfully she pulled away. "I thought you were racin tonight." "Early night." He supplied, pulling her back to him, trying to forget he'd made excuses to the team, had made them to Dom. He knew Dom was pissed, knew he'd give him all kinds of shit tomorrow but he had tonight with Taylor and he wasn't gonna ruin it thinking about the others. "Win anything?" She smiled, wiggling against him. "Nah." He lowered her mouth to her neck, biting and sucking until there was a circle of purple that would be there for the next couple of days. "But got ya something." He said, fishing the pink and purple swirl from the front pocket of his jeans. A cell phone. "What this for?" She smiled up at him, taking it from his hand. "V, I can't." "Yeah. You can." He grinned as she tilted her head giving him better access to her neck. "Sometime I wanna pick up the phone and just hear your voice, Taylor. With this..." he wrapped his hand around hers holding the phone. "I can hear it whenever I want." She turned her head and molding her lips to his, kissing until neither could remember where they were. The buzz from the front door of the store brought them back to the present. With a groan of disappointment she pulled away, the sentiment echoed in Vince. "I gotta look busy..." She leaned in and gave him a parting lick across his lips. "Get a video and bring it up to the counter. I'll get rid of them as quick as I can." Turning she watched the giggling group of girls passing around videos, one shouting for Vin Diesel, another sighing over Hugh Jackman. Taylor shook her head and walked back to the counter, cutting her eyes to a smiling Vince. Half an hour later the group shuffled out of the store and Taylor sank to the floor behind the register where Vince sat. "Thought they would never leave." He grinned, pulling her across his lap. Reaching over his head she drug the phone down the them and order a pizza from the place two doors down. "Get a video?" He asked, whispering into his ear, taking her turn at sucking the warm saltiness of his neck. "Yeah." he mumble, turning her so that she straddled his hips. "Hand it over then." She lifted her head, teasing, with a slow roll of her hips. "Goddamn!" he hissed, clasping her hips between his hands. "Keep it up and it's gonna be right here, right now." "Threats." She laughed, rolling her eyes and taking the video he handed her. Popping the video into the VCR she stilled against him eyes going to the TV mounted above the counter. The soft loud moans accompanied the sight of a blonde spread across a desk and well muscled man positioned between her thighs pumping into her came through the screen at her. "VINCE!" Her jaw dropped. "Did I forget to say get something not so adult?" "Didn't mention that part, baby." He smiled, trying to keep her hands from the VCR, laughing along with her. "Stop! If someone comes in I'm screwed!" She gasp trying to put a stop to the playful wrestling match. "Take the chance." He challenged. "Get fired again and I'll take care of you." Taylor instantly sobered. "Don't say that, V! Just don't." "What? That I'll take care of you." "Yes. That." She shook her head, pushing off his lap. "I don't need you taking care of me, Vince. Don't need you resenting me down the road cause I became this...this..." "Hey, that ain't gonna happen. I wanna finish putting you through school. Can't think of anything better to do with the money." He reached for her, only to have his hand slapped away. "I don't need someone to tell me how to live my life, V. I don't wanna be in love with you and feel like I owe you. That's a fucked up way to start a relationship." She jerked the video out of the VCR. "You want me to say your on your own? That you ain't getting a fuckin dime from me? What do you want, Taylor?" He rested his elbows on his knees, hands shoved into his hair. "I don't understand what the hells goin on with you. All I wanna so is make it easier on you and you throw it back in my face." He shoved away from the counter, standing. "Vince......" She whispered, feeling tears at the corner of her eyes. Knowing she shouldn't judge everyone, every man by the same standards, the same messed up memories that were never far from the surface. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to....Can we just.....just talk about it." She practically begged. "What's there to talk about? I think I got the message." He leaned against the counter, knowing he should just leave but finding it harder than he thought to do it. "V...." She grabbed his hand, tugging him back down beside her. "Say it again." With a frustrated sigh he pinned to the counter, his face so close she could feel his warm breath against her cheek. "I wanna take care of you, Taylor." She nodded her head smiling, pulling him even closer. "I don't wanna leave Mia and Dom's. I keep my job. You teach me about street racin. Oh, and get more videos like this." She smiled, bitting nervously into her lower lip. "Think I can manage that." It was hard to admit to even himself but he had been afraid he'd lost her, pushed to fast, to far. "I bet you can," she shook her head, reaching into the return bin and began pulling at the videos inside. "So, we can either watch.......Hummm......The Little Mermaid......" Taylor burst into laughter at the horrified look on Vince's face."Or, we could watch Die Hard?" "You have to ask?" He growled, snatching the movie from her hand and shoving it into the VCR. In less than 10 minutes the pizza was delivered and they sat with the box between them, pulling apart the pieces. Paying attention to Vince eating Taylor strung hot cheese down her chin. A sharp gasp shot from her mouth and Vince's fingers were there before she had time to even drop the slice back to the box. "Careful, baby." He leaned across to her gently working his lips against hers, tasting the tang of the pizza sauce. "Taylor?" The deep nasal voice rang out through the store. "Shit!" Taylor hissed, shoving away from Vince wondering how her boss had come into the store without her hearing him. Then she remembered the office door had a broken lock that he mentioned he was coming by to replace. "Yeah?" She shot to her feet, eyes colliding with the middle aged man that owened the store. "What were you........" He asked as she held up a tape she'd quickly snagged from below the counter. "Dropped a tape?" She smiled sweetly. "Oh." He glanced around the store. And below the counter Vince had decided to turn up the heat a notch. His hands slowly slid up Taylor's thigh, moving higher and higher. "Done much business tonight?" Leaning on the counter near the register he waited for her to answer, noting the flushed tint of her skin. "Yeah. About average." She replied, her voice a bit breathless as Vince made contact with the with the more sensitive areas between her legs. "Are you ok, Miss. Boudreau?" Concern filling his eyes. Below her Vince's hand stilled, realizing he'd never heard her last name before. He let it roll around inside his head for a moment, deciding he liked it. "Just fine. Thank you, for asking." Her smiled remained pasted in place. She clenched her eyes closed and bit into her lips as Vince's hand went back to teasing her, rubbing roughly at her juncture of her thighs. "You know, I don't think it would hurt to lock up half an hour early."He said, starring curiously at her, thinking she might pass out any minute. "Sure. I....Ummmm....I'll lock up and go home." Her eyes went wide, hands curled into fists on the counter top. "I'll stay and help if you......." He began, not at all sure he should leave the young woman alone. "NO!" She practically yelled."I can manage just fine." He nodded is head and turned heading for the back of the store. "Call early tomorrow if your sick." He called over his shoulder. "Urrrr!" She turned on Vince once she know they were alone again."Don't EVER do that again!" "Ok." He pulled his hand away, testing her resolve, shoving to his feet. "What I mean is, not while my boss is around." Her conspiratorial smile made his heart speed up, and he moved close to her leaning on the counter, meeting her eyes as she glanced around them. "And I don't see my boss." "What'd ya have in mind?" She shrugged, glancing over her shoulder as she stepped away from him, moving out into the aisle. "Could start by turning off the lights." Her finger pointed the way to the light switched near the office. Taylor turned the key in the lock of the front door when all but the back lights of the store went out, the dim light filling her with a sense peace, of calm. Moving to the floor to ceiling windows she began lowering the blinds when she felt it, slight at first and them more insistent. Vince was behind her, his breath warm across her neck a fraction of an inch from skin touching skin. "I been thinking about this all night." He peppered the back of her neck with light kisses, tongue slipping out to run across the vertebrae just below the skin. When she would have turned he pushed her roughly against the glass, her hands splayed across the cool surface. "Yeah? This is why you came to see me?" She tilted her head to the side, feeling the wet trail along her neck to her ear. "No. I missed ya. Started thinking about this after that first kiss." He breathed against her ear. His arms wrapping around, careful not to actually lay a hand on her back, caressing fingers moving upwards to the lace of her bra. Pushing the delicate material up and over her high tits. His hands kneaded the firm globe, rolling the stiff peak of her nipples between his fingers. He groaned pressing his face into her neck, his hips grinding slowly against the firm denim encased ass. "Vince?" "Yeah?" "I love this." She whispered, drawing out each word. The hand that rested against her waisted began a quick migration south, his fingers popped open the button to her jeans without the slightest bit of trouble. His hand slipped past the elastic band of her satin panties, and lower to the downy curls that were damp with her response to him. Parting her feminine lips he slipped first one finger and then another inside her tight tunnel. Outside, fat drops of rain began splattering against the window, chilling the air, turning the night into a silvery kaleidoscope of shapes through the panes of glass. Taylor's pants of excitement filled the silent store, creating an opaque condensation where her mouth neared the glass. The slick tightness the closed around his fingers with each thrust into her had Vince slamming his aching groin against her in tandom with the rhythm of his fingers. He buryed his fingers as deep as possible as she arched against the glass slamming her ass hard against him, tightening, rippling around his digits. "Vince!" She whimpered, as her orgasm tore through her. Dropping her hand from the glass she slid it inside her jeans covering his hand, pinning it in place. ************* He sat watching the erotic shadows yards away, eyes narrowing to small slits. Lance's hands clentched the wheel in front of him until the blood drained from his knuckles. As the two figures moved away from the window he cut his eyes to the only other car in the parking lot, one of Toretto's team, Vince. Twisting the key in the ignition the car purred to life and the headlights flipped from the front. For a moment the two forms were illuminated inside the store and he saw Taylor perfectly. That was the first time he had wanted, needed revenge instead of her willing body. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Part 6 On the front porch of the Toretto house, Vince and Taylor stood, kissing, breaking apart for seconds at a time to whisper erotic things to spur the other on. It was becoming an odd sort of contest between them, who could make the other moan with just a word. Taylor won the latest round with the mention of fellatio, what she wanted to do with her tongue, how she thought he would taste. Vince leaned into her using his weight to back her against the front door, shaking with the need to get inside her one way or another. "Your room?" he whispered as his tongue darted out to lick at the corner of her lips. "Ummm.....Yeah....I just....Yeah..." she replied, trying to curtail her nervous tongue, thinking of the questions that would come fast and hard once there, the explaining she would have to do. Vince pulled away a few inches and starred down at her. "Hey, if you're not ready...If you don't want...." "NO! I do...I just....It's been a long time....And I'm afraid I'm not what your...." "Shut up!" he growled just before his lips settled over hers again. Reaching behind her back, he turned the knob and grabbed her, palming the cheek of her ass, to keep her from falling inside. Across the room Dom looked up from where he was perched on the arm of the recliner, Letty laughing beside him, his smile fading. "Vince!" he barked, eyes narrowing. Lifting his head from hers, Vince turned his attention to Dom. "Yeah, man?" His smile was a bit lopsided as he wrapped his arms more securely around her waist, pulling her tightly against his hard chest. She glanced at Dom and smiled, seeing the hint of one returned. "What the hell did you blow me off tonight for?" Dom asked, now shouting above the roar of MTV that Jesse insisted on turning up several times. Vince shrugged, not really having a good answer to the question. He cut his eyes back to Taylor and smiled, hoping she would understand as well as Dom that he needed to be with her that night and not out with the team. "Sorry, Dom, I think I'm a bad influence." She turned another, more apologetic smile on the man. Letty laughed beside Dom. "You makin' him work for it?" she shouted, referring to her earlier advice. "Always," Taylor laughed. Dom ran a hand over his smooth head, trying to keep his own laughter inside. "Just don't make it a fuckin habit." "Sorry, brother. It won't be." Then Vince realized what he'd said and what position that put him in as Taylor leaned away, brows drawn together over her sparking eyes. "That so?" "Damn!" he spat, knowing he'd fallen on a double edged sword. "Give it up, Vince, there's no way of getting outta that one." Dom gave in and laughed at the situation V now found himself in. "Yeah, and he would know." Letty elbowed Dom in the ribs. "Come on....." Taylor shook her head, amused to the point of forgiveness at the look in Vinces's face. He looked for a split second like a lost little boy. She turned about to mount the stairs but Dom's voice stopped her. "Taylor, come 'ere," he called, waving her over. She glanced over her shoulder at Vince and then stepped away from the stairs with Vince following. "Yeah, Dom." He leaned forward on the arm of the chair, pinning her to the spot with the serious glint in his eyes. "I wanna ask you something." "Go ahead." She wondered what could have him so serious, so quickly. "You got someone keeping an eye on you, you know that?" "N...No.." she stammered, her eyes going wide. "Johnny Tran gave me a little warning tonight. Says you're trouble and I should dump your ass on the nearest street corner. Got any idea why he'd say that?" Dom questioned, his eyes watching every change in her features, the panicked look in her eyes. "I got a pretty good idea........" She cut her eyes to the kitchen doorway as Mia appeared. The other woman stopped in her tracks hearing her brother's question, her mouth forming a perfect O. "Dom.....Damn, it's my fault...I told her not to...." Mia rushed forward sloshing the iced tea in her hand as she moved. "No, Mia, it's okay." Taylor smiled, reassuringly at her friend, then began to address Dom, trying to explain. "Mia did tell me maybe we should hold off telling you but then I could have always said something to you before now. Truth is, I was kinda afraid how you would react." Sighing, she glanced once more at Vince before forging ahead. "I used to work for the Trans. They fired me for something that wasn't my fault. Well, Johnny thought it was my fault and convinced his father of it too." "What'd you do?" Dom prompted, cutting his eyes between Mia and Taylor. "I......" she began but Mia cut her off. "I'll explain it later, Dom," Mia told him, glaring at him. "Taylor can tell...." "No, Dom. We'll talk about it later," she practially yelled at him just as Jesse turned and issued a loud shhhh to the room. "Fine," he growled, frustrated that he would have to wait for answers. What he hadn't told them was the threats that Tran had made. Most of which didn't make any sense to him but he'd bet the take from his next race that Taylor would know exactly what they meant. -------------------- TBC |
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