Damaged Perfection (The Perfection Series Book 1) (6 page)

“Do you want to learn how to drive this damn thing or not?” I laugh.

“Yes.” She smiles and all I can think about is pulling her lips to mine. I shake my head at myself. This girl is going to be the death of me.

“Then get your ass down and let me show you the outside of this beast.” She still has the cocky grin on her face when she begins climbing down.

              “Before you get in the dozer, you always make sure to inspect. If you see something that looks out of place, don’t try to start it; get Liam or me and we will take a look at it.” I lead her around the machine pointing out different areas that she needs to keep an eye on. We make our way to the front of the machine.

              “This is the bucket and the most important part of this whole operation. If this guy is broken, there is no need for the machine.” I give a minute to absorb everything. “Do you have any questions about the outside?” I ask as we move to the opposite side of the dozer.

“I don’t think so. If I think of something, I will let you know.”

“That works. If something doesn’t make sense, stop me at any time.” She nods and we begin climbing back in the machine.

              “Ok, it is very important that you understand how everything works together to make this guy move.” She watches silently.

              “Are you ok?”

              “Yes, please continue.”

              I begin telling her about all the levers and which throttles go with what. I can tell I am kind of losing her on this part.

              “Still with me?”

              “Fenton, I am a hands-on learner. I will just have to do it.”

              “Noted.” I laugh to myself. I have to force the mental images of her ‘just doing it’ out of my mind. I am a perverted bastard sometimes.

              “What are you smiling about?”

              I keep my eyes trained on the machine in front of me. If I look at her it will be over.

              “Nothing, let’s get started. This is a diesel machine, so when it is cold outside you will have to turn this switch to heat it up before you start her.” Her eyes follow my hand to the diesel switch. I can tell she is following my words, so I continue.

              “Who taught you all of this Fenton?”

              I have to choke back the words that really want to come out of my mouth. She doesn’t need that all the negativity.

              “My father taught me. Then, I had to take a class on it in order to receive my license. So what do you think? Are you ready for me to start it and show you how to drive it?” I feel like she wants to continue this inquisition but it isn’t going to happen.

              “Another time, Piper.” I can see the struggle on her face. She wants to continue the discussion but after a few seconds, she shrugs.

              “Yeah, let’s continue.”

              I flip the ignition key and she purrs to life. My heart starts pounding at the sound of the machine. Or, maybe it is because of Piper standing next to me. I am not sure I can handle being with both of these beauties at the same time. Piper’s smile matches mine when the machine turns over and comes to life.

              “I think you need a closer look,” I tell her, as I pull her to my lap; I can’t handle it any longer. She gasps but doesn’t pull away. Her eyes meet mine and I see the acceptance in them. So, I take that as I sign that I can continue.

              “Ok, watch how this works.” She looks a little disappointed but when I put the machine in gear, her attention reverts back to the chore. I hold my foot on the clutch and we slowly begin moving forward, I let off the pedal a little and we jerk back. When Piper has to grab for something to hang onto, I wrap my arm around her back and pull her close. So close that I can feel her breath on my cheek.

              “I’m sorry. You were about to fall...” I say, as I am mesmerized at how much more beautiful her eyes are the closer I get to them. After a second she faces forward.

              “Thank you. I was concentrating so hard on what you were doing that I wasn’t even thinking about holding on.”

              We both take a moment to catch our breath. When I know she isn’t going to say anything else, I begin moving the dozer again.

              “If you want to turn right, you push on the right clutch and pull on this lever here on the right side. How sharp you want to turn will govern how much you pull out the lever. And the same process with turning left.” I turn the machine a little to the right in example.

“Any questions?”

              “I don’t think so. I think I am ready to drive on my own.”

              “Sure?” My eyebrows shoot up as I wasn’t expecting her to be ready so fast.

              “Yes. As I said, I am a hands-on learner.” I nod as I watch her get up. I have to sit on my hands and hold my tongue when her ass is right in my face. All I can think about is smacking it.

When she is finally up and out of the way, I am able to get up and out of her way. I have to prepare myself as seeing her sitting in that seat and working this machine is going to be hotter than anything I have ever witnessed.

She sits in the seat and squares herself. I watch her looking at all the levers and throttles. I see the excitement in her eyes and all of a sudden I feel pride. I have taught hundreds of people, men and woman alike, to drive this thing, but never have I wanted someone to succeed as much as I want her to.

“…is that correct, Fenton?”

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Her brows shoot up and her smile grows. She wins this time and she knows it.

“Are you listening this time?”

“Yes, what was your question?” I shake my head at myself.

“I only use this switch when it is cold?” she asks, pointing to the diesel switch.

“Yes, that is correct.” She nods and flips on the ignition switch. I see an exhilarated expression appear on her face and I know exactly how she feels. I get that same feeling every time I start her up. It’s an even better feeling than the high I usually have. She puts her in gear and we start moving, slowly at first. She briefly smiles at me then returns her focus the road in front of us. She gets a little braver and speeds up a bit. We drive at the accelerated pace a little longer before she decides she trusts herself enough to turn. She begins to pull the left lever and before I can tell her she is pulling it too fast, we are damned near one wheeling this bitch. I quickly try to correct the machine and am just barely able to get it straightened out before we are on our side. I get the machine turned off and we both stay still a few seconds.

“I am so sorry, Fenton,” she says with frightened eyes. She is sitting stock still, facing forward, as though any type of movement will turn this thing again.

“It’s ok, Piper. You’re a rookie, you will get better.”

“I almost killed us.” I can hear the fear in her voice.

“Yes, you did and I don’t appreciate it.” Her head quickly turns to meet my gaze. I laugh and she begins to loosen up.

“Don’t be an asshole, Fenton. That scared the shit out of me.”

“Good. That means you won’t do it again.” She closes her eyes and shakes her head.

“I definitely will not do that again.”

“Are you read to call it a day?”

“Yes, I think so.”

Before I can stop myself, I blurt out what I have been trying to keep in all afternoon.

“You have any plans this evening? I have some friends coming over to my house for a cookout, you should join us.” I see the trepidation on her face. “Listen, this is just one friend inviting another for a fun evening, don’t fret. Hang on,” I tell her and walk over to my truck. I find a scrap paper and pen and write my number on it. I walk back over to her and hand her my number. I am kind of proud of myself, this usually happens the other way around. Usually with a girl I don’t know, after a night that I don’t remember…

“I will take the pressure out of this; call or text if you want to join us and I will send you directions.”

She takes the paper and starts to walk away bur stops suddenly and turns around.

“How many people will be there and will I know any of them?”

“You will know me and that is all that matters, right?” I smile at her to help ease her mind

She shakes her head and smiles back at me. I think I am going to win this one.

“You really are pretty full of yourself aren’t you?”

“Wouldn’t you be if you were me?” I deadpan.

She rolls her eyes at that.

“Have a good night, Fenton.”

“Are you going to call me, Piper?” She doesn’t answer as she walk to her car. She stops before she makes it and faces me again.

“Thanks for everything today, Fenton. At the risk of making your head bigger, I just wanted to tell you that you are a great teacher. I appreciate everything you have shown me today. And just in case I don’t see you tonight, have a good evening. I will see you in the morning.”

I am not going to accept that answer. If she doesn’t call me, I will find her number somehow. But, I am not going to tell her about my stalker tendencies, she may not like them.

“See you this evening, Piper,” I say and hop in my truck. I roll the window down and holler to her before she shuts her door.

“Piper, you did a great job today with the dozer. I know you almost killed us but don’t let that worry you, everything else was perfect.” When she doesn’t respond, I take off hoping to see her beautiful face this evening

.
Chapter Six

Piper

I walk into my apartment, throw my purse and keys on the small table just inside the door and plop down on the couch. If I am going to be working on the site more often, I really need to get myself in better shape. I am so exhausted and it is only five o’clock. I decide that if I can peel myself off of this couch, I need to take a hot bubble bath. Hot bubble baths solve everything. I finally get up and grab a glass, a bottle of wine and head for the bathroom.

While the tub is filling, I walk across the hall to my room. I plug my phone in to charge and briefly wonder if I should call Fenton. After grabbing some clothes, I decide that I should think about it while in the tub because I can’t make such a large decision on the fly. I leave the phone sitting on my bedside table so I can make up my mind and not do something that I will regret later.

The cold wine tastes fabulous after being out in the hot sun all day. I move my hair away from my neck so I can recline my head on the back of the tub. It has been a while since I had to do heavy lifting and my body is letting me know. The hot bath is soothing my screaming muscles and relieving some of the tension from working next to Fenton all day. I had to be on my toes all day it seems as he was always right with me. I constantly felt his eyes on me. He was relentless; he wasn’t giving me an inch. But I wouldn’t want it any other way. I have never wanted to earn someone’s respect as much as I do his.

Working with him the next few days isn’t going to be easy. Watching the sweat rinsing away dirt from his face makes my mouth water. I can’t count the number of times I have caught myself staring while he was lifting something that stretched his beautifully toned muscles. And those eyes. Just thinking about the intensity in them as he perfectly maneuvers his dozer around the job site gives me chills. I smile to myself because I am certain that there is no other time that he looks more gorgeous than sitting in that dozer.

Liam is right, Fent is amazing at what he does. He knows rules and policies like that back of his hand and I am willing to bet that he wouldn’t break one of them. I could sit and watch him destruct and re-construct all day long. He never once faltered or complained of the blazing hot sun beating down on his howling skin. I would never have thought this but I feel more comfortable taking direction and advice from him rather than Mr. James.

Even though there was a lot of tension between us, we were equally as comfortable together. Anything that I didn’t know, Fent taught me. He was amazingly patient with me while I discovered I didn’t know quite as much as I thought.

I laugh to myself as I remember the look on his face when I asked to drive his dozer. He acted as though it almost pained him to allow me to drive his precious piece of machinery. I always remember my dad saying, “You can’t get between a man and his machine.” I definitely saw that in Fenton today. The way he talked about ‘her’, you would have thought he was talking about a real person. If he ever finds a woman that he is as passionate with as he is that dozer, she will be one lucky woman.

I think about that phone number he gave me earlier and ask myself the question I have been dreading for the last hour: do I call him?

“Phoebe!” I scream. I don’t know why I am even going to ask for her opinion. I already know what she is going to say.

“What? Are you ok?” she asks from outside the bathroom door.

“Yes, come in here.” Slowly the door opens and she pokes her head in.

“Phebes it’s alright, the bubbles are covering me.” She walks in the bathroom and sits, Indian style, on the floor.

“What’s up, sis? How was your first day on the site?”

“It was good. Actually, it was great. I work with mystery man.” Her eyes get as round as saucers.

“You’re kidding?”

“I wish I were.” I’m lying. It’s kind of exciting working with him.

“Well, how did that go?”

I fill her in on our day. I tell her about him teaching me to drive the dozer, leaving out the part where I almost turn the thing over on us, of course.

“He invited me to a cookout at his house with some of his friends tonight.”

“You’re going, right?” I look at her and shrug my shoulders.

“Piper! You have this beautiful guy basically throwing himself at you and you are just going to shrug him off?”

“He is a playboy, Phoebe. If I don’t call him, I am sure he has twenty others lined up.” She gapes at me. I knew I would get this reaction from her, just as I knew that I was going to call him anyway; so I am not sure why I asked her opinion. I was hoping she would tell me not to do it, I guess.

“I left my phone in my bedroom so I couldn’t do the very thing I am about to do. So would you mind grabbing it for me?” She smiles wide and runs in the other room to grab it.

“Here! Text him!” she exclaims when she returns.

Piper: “Hi it’s Piper. Still on for the cookout?”

“There it’s done. Are you happy now?” She claps her hands as she gets up from the floor and throws me a towel.

“Hurry up! We have to make you look hot!”

I am shaking my head as I stand and wrap myself in the towel.

“No, I am not getting all dolled up. I am going to go as me. I may throw some light make-up on and straighten my hair but that is it.” She pouts like a child. If Fenton wants to hang out with me, why should I try to be something I am not? He needs to see me for me.

I hear my phone buzz on the table and I am too nervous to look at it.

“Will you read that, please?” She gracefully moves to the table to read the message. As she reads her smile gets bigger and bigger.

“Well? What the hell does it say?”

“He is a man of few words, isn’t he?”

“What did he say, Phoebe?”

“Yes, call me when you’re ready.”

“That’s it? That is all he said?”

“See for yourself.” She hands me the phone. I chuckle when I see his response and then I quickly send him my response.

Piper: “I should be ready in about forty-five minutes, can you send me directions?”

Fenton: “Yes.”

I don’t know if I like these one word answers. I guess I can give him the benefit of the doubt, he is probably cooking. I smile as I think of him getting ready for a get-together at his house. I have to admit, I can’t wait to see how he lives. I briefly wonder if he keeps his house as orderly as he does his tools. I decide that he probably does and that I am surprisingly excited to see him.

Fenton:
“That is an awfully long time, Piper. Just get your ass here.”

Piper: “Perfection can’t be rushed…”

I laugh out loud as I send that to him. Phoebe looks at me like I am nuts.

Fenton: “You don’t need time to be perfect.”

He is a charmer. I am going to leave that alone for a minute.

“So, you’re going?” Phoebe asks.

I know I should have been hesitant about this. He wants me to go to his house, for heaven’s sake. I am starting think this may be rushing things a bit.

“I have only known him a very short time and now he is inviting me to his house? I don’t know, Phebes, maybe I should tell him something came up?”

“Piper, what can happen? The two of you work together. If he turns out to be a dick, make his ass miserable at work.” She has a good point. And that is a good idea; I do know a couple people at work who would love nothing more than to give him hell. No, that was awful to even think.

I get out of the tub, and rinse out all the suds before leaving the bathroom to get ready.

              “Piper?” My sister knocks on the door as I am towel drying my hair. “I know you said you don’t want to dress up but I think you would look super cute in your jean skirt.”

              “I really just want to wear a pair of big comfy sweat pants.” Her mouth falls open and I laugh.

              “I’m just kidding, Phoebe. But I am wearing a simple tank top with it. I’m not wearing make-up, I don’t care how much you pout.”

              “Pipe, you know you are beautiful with or without makeup.”

              “Listen, all joking aside, the first few times I was around him, he wasn’t that great of a person. I really don’t know what I am walking into. I need you to keep your phone on and if I text you make sure to call and tell me I need to get home.”

              “Piper, did you feel uncomfortable around him all day at work?”

              “No, but we were at work.”

              “It doesn’t matter, Piper. People will show their true colors no matter where they are.”

              “Ok, well then what is he a player or a nice wholesome guy? I have witnessed both sides.”

              “I think you probably know the answer to that.”

              I think I know the answer but I don’t know for sure. I guess I am about to find out. I sigh and finish getting ready. I spread lotion over my skin and decide that I am going to go ahead and wear some make-up. It isn’t for Fenton; it is so I am not feeling self conscious all night.

              I sit at my vanity and expertly line my eyes with black liner. I let them rest a minute so they don’t water while I add mascara and some lip gloss. I take one last glance at myself and decide that I am presentable. I am excited that my almost black, freshly blow dried hair is actually falling exactly where I want it. That never happens.

              I sit back in my seat and reflect a moment. Am I really going to Fenton’s house? What am I thinking?

              “You are going to be fine, Piper.” I jump at the sound of my sister’s voice. I didn’t realize she was still in here.

              “What would have happened if you wouldn’t have had to come and find me that first night you met him? You guys were getting pretty close.”

              “Not go home with him and have him cook me dinner close, Phoebe.”

              “Just go home and have crazy, swinging from the chandelier sex?”

              “Phoebe! No!” I throw my brush at her. She ducks out of the way and falls back on my bed laughing.

              All of a sudden my phone chirps, alerting me of a new message.

             
Fenton: “Are you sure you need directions?”

             
Piper: “Of course I need directions, Fenton. I have never been to your house.”

             
Fenton: “Well you know me. I didn’t know if you happened to let me take advantage of you. ;)”

             
Piper: “I thought you were going to be good?”

             
Fenton: “I said I would be good while you were at my house. Texts are off limits.”

             
I smile. This is going to be an interesting evening.

              “Who would that be?” Phoebes asks, with a knowing smile.

              “No one. I have to go.” She is smiling as I walk out of the room.

              “Uh, huh. No one.”

              I walk out the door and then remember something. “Phoebe, don’t forget about me. Please keep your phone close to you at all times!”

              “Yeah, yeah, but I am sure you will be fine.”

I hope the drive to his house isn’t too difficult to navigate. I find my purse and grab a clip, since it is hotter than hell outside. I hear the chirp but wait until I get in the car to actually look at it. I plug the address that he has sent me into my navigation. When I look at the location on the map, I get a little worried. It looks like his house is out in the middle of nowhere.

             
Piper:
“
Fent, will you check the address you just sent and make sure it is correct?
”

I sure hope he mistyped something because with my stellar navigation skills, driving in the country in the dark should be fun.

             
Fenton: “It is correct, Piper. Will you just get here already? The food is almost ready.”

             
Piper: “Ok, I am leaving now but I am awful with directions, so I can’t promise that I will make very good time. It says you are only fifteen minutes from me. If I take any longer send search and rescue for me.”

             
It isn’t until I begin driving that I hear my phone chirp indicating his reply. Well he is just going to have to wait now.

As I merge onto I-70, I turn the radio up. I can’t help it, a bass heavy song begins playing and I am a sucker for drums. I attribute my love for them to my uncle. He has been in a band since before Phoebe was born. Once we were older, we would follow him to every music festival he would play. My father hated it, but our mother thought that is was great that we were getting to spend time with him.

I am just beginning to enjoy the peaceful drive when my navigation tells me this is my exit. I pull off the interstate and head in the direction I am being told. I watch as house after house begin to turn into field after field. I have to admit, even though I am a city girl at heart, there is something to be said about the beauty of living in a sparsely populated area of the country. In turn, the people that choose to live here are equally as unique.