Treasure Tides Part 13

"Uh-- no, the girls are going to Indiana for a week or so. I just wondered if you wanted to go with them. I'll pay for your plane ticket," Kurt offered, hoping against hope that she would take him up on it.

"I appreciate the offer, and I would love to go. But, we have another server on vacation next week. There is no way I could get off work. I'm sure Mamaw and Papaw will be excited to see the girls though."

"Yes. I haven't told them they are going to Indiana yet. I thought I would surprise them at dinner," he said as he continued to unload the gear and organize it.

"That's great. I know they will be excited. Well, I need to hurry, so I have enough time to get ready for work. Have fun with the girls tonight-- all ten of them!" She laughed, knowing he had forgotten all about the slumber party.

He groaned and hung his head in mock defeat, "I forgot," he admitted. He looked up at her hopefully, "Sure you can't call in sick?"

Becki laughed, "No way, you are on your own. I did my part; I provided the sugar," she said as she climbed into her car and then waved joyfully as she drove away.

Another text message from Royce flashed on her phone. She pressed delete without ever reading it.

"The bar is packed tonight," Tabby, her friend and fellow waitress, warned as Becki clocked in.

"I noticed," she shot back. "Is everything going ok?"

"Yes, it's all under control with the exception of Ted-- he burnt his hand caramelizing the creme brulee," She laughed.

"No! Is he ok?" Becki asked, her eyes opening as wide as silver dollars. Ted reminded Becki of a short-order cook from an old TV sitcom. He was as sweet as he could be, but his bulb didn't burn the brightest.

"He's fine," Tabby rea.s.sured her. "But, I think you need to cover blow-torch safety with him one more time before he burns this place down around us!"

Becki laughed, "I'll take care of it."

She grabbed an ink pen and jabbed it through the messy bun on the back of her head. She always had pens sticking out of her hair. She had sent several pens through the washer and dryer and ruined countless articles of clothing before she decided to stop sticking ink pens in her pockets.

Tabby reached around Becki to grab her tray of drinks the bartender had just finished making. As she nodded to a big round table currently filling with women, Tabby teased, "I'll let you take the party. They just came in. Have fun!" Then she headed for the rowdy table of frat boys in the back corner of the bar.

"Ohhh, thanks sooo much," Becki threw over her shoulder as she went to get started with drink orders. Groups of women were notoriously hard to keep happy, and the crowd was already a little more boisterous than usual. That always happened around a full moon; it seemed to bring out the nut-jobs.

As she placed the first round of drinks on their table, one of the women handed Becki a stack of twenty dollar bills and a list of addresses. She explained that their husbands were on kid duty, and the girls were kicking up their heels. She asked Becki to keep the drinks flowing and to call cabs for each of them at the end of the night. Girl's night out was about to begin. Oh, my.

The girls dined, danced, and drank their way into a stupor. Surprisingly, they had remained polite and had turned out to be the most fun group Becki had served in a long time. They were now being poured into their respective cabs to be driven home. Once there, Becki hoped they were prepared for the hangovers that would surely linger for the next day or two.

As Becki gathered the empty gla.s.ses and wiped down the recently vacated table, Trevor entered the Pub and immediately began making his way toward "his" table. He preferred to sit where he had a clear view of the front door and easy access to the back door on the off-chance he needed to make a hasty exit.

He spotted Becki clearing a large table and quickly changed his route to bring him close enough to playfully grab her back-side as he pa.s.sed.

Becki spun around with fire in her eyes preparing to way-lay whoever dared to touch her in such a familiar way.

Trevor merely winked at her and continued walking.

"I'll take care of you later, you Lecher," Becki threated, flipping her towel at him.

He quickly side-stepped successfully avoiding the stinging pop of her wet towel.

"Promises, promises..." he taunted looking back at her over his shoulder.

Becki was glad to see Trevor; he was exactly what she needed tonight. A little crazy in the company of a s.e.xy bad-boy should fix her right up. She might have a hangover herself in the morning. She knew Trevor would see that she got home safely. She might even let him do that belly-shot he had mentioned earlier.

Becki finished cleaning up, clocked out, and headed over to join Trevor.

"Hey bad boy, are you up for showing a girl a good time tonight?" she teased running a playful finger down his cheek.

"You're talking to the right man, doll," Trevor said as he stood to slide his arm around her for a quick hug. "I'm all about a good time," he promised as he guided her into the chair next to the one he had been occupying.

"I've had a rough day," Becki said dropping into the chair like a sack of potatoes. Dropping her head into her hands, she expounded, "Really, really rough."

Trevor's hands immediately descended on her shoulders and began ma.s.saging away the tension.

"Mmmm," she purred, "your fingers are magic."

Trevor smiled. If you only knew...

"That feels soooo good. If you keep that up for the next twenty minutes, I'll be your slave for a day," Becki bargained, feeling her muscles practically melt at his touch.

"Oh, sugar," Trevor leaned down to whisper in her ear, "you don't know what I expect of my slaves."

Becki's shoulders shook with laughter, "Whatever, Trev, you are all talk."

He gently squeezed her shoulders one more time and then moved into his seat.

"I have you figured out," she bragged as he sat down pulling his chair closer to hers.

Becki picked up the shot gla.s.s she had carried with her from the bar and tossed it back like a pro. Her cell phone rang as she finished the shot. Her lips tightened as she glanced at the screen and then turned it off completely. She was not thinking about anything tonight. The only thing on her agenda was consuming enough alcohol to guarantee a good night's sleep.

"Trev, there are a hundred girls who would love to be sitting here with you tonight. Why is it that you're here by yourself?" Becki asked, signaling the waitress to bring her another shot.

"In case it has escaped your attention, I'm not by myself, doll," he said with a playful leer. "I'm with a sinfully--" Trevor began only to be interrupted as their server appeared.

"Thanks," Becki said as the drink was deposited in front of her. "Keep 'em coming, Mel. It's been a rough day," Becki said. She downed the second shot and proudly deposited the empty shot gla.s.s on Mel's serving tray. "Hon, could you bring me another -- a double this time, and a beer too." Becki pulled a stack of bills out of her bra and slapped them on Mel's tray before adding, "Please, and thank you, darling."

"Becki, are you ok?" Mel asked with frown wrinkling her brow.

Becki knew Mel would call Landon if she suspected something was wrong.

"I'm fine, Mel," Becki promised with a bright smile. "Can't a girl let go and get drunk once in a while?"

"I'll take care of her, Mel. I'll make sure she gets home safely," Trevor promised.

"Ok, then. One double shot, coming right up," Mel said with a wink.

With that settled, Becki turned her attention back to Trevor. Batting her eyes playfully, she prompted, "You were saying?"

Taking a drink of his own beer, he shook his head and said, "I was saying that I'm not alone. I'm with a sinfully s.e.xy woman who, if I'm lucky, will take a moonlight stroll on the beach with me tonight. But judging by what I'm seeing, I guess I'll just wait around to take advantage of you in that drunken state you seem to be headed for." He gave her a s.e.xy wink and saluted her with his beer bottle before taking another long swallow.

"I know you better than that," Becki countered, flas.h.i.+ng a quick smile at Mel as she placed a new shot of Crown the table.

As soon as Mel moved away, Becki continued, "You've had numerous opportunities to take advantage of me, Trev. But, you've never crossed the line... never." She lifted her shot gla.s.s and saluted him in return before killing the double-shot with a large gulp.

Trevor had never seen her throw back shots one right after the other. He watched her intently, waiting until she was numb enough to tell him what was bothering her.

"Do you know what I love about you, Trev?" Becki asked, turning to signal Mel for another shot. "I can trust you- really trust you-- and I can count on you not to hurt me."

"I would never hurt you," Trevor agreed. And...I'll make sure no one else does either. He vowed not to let Becki get hurt. He would make sure she came out of this unharmed, even if it meant his own life in exchange for hers.

The fact that such a thought would enter his mind surprised him somewhat. He had never in his entire life considered anyone else's welfare before his own.

"You don't make any secret of the fact that you're just out to get laid, right?" Becki asked bluntly.

"What?" Trevor croaked, dumfounded. Her question had certainly caught him off guard.

"With other girls," she explained. "You don't make girls think you want anything other than s.e.x, right? Well, maybe a whole lot of s.e.x," she added with a giggle, "but you make it known that it's all about s.e.x and only s.e.x."

Oh s.h.i.+t, it's going to be a long night and not in a good way. Trevor s.h.i.+fted uncomfortably. All this talk of s.e.x was hard on a guy. He almost grinned at the unintended pun. Regardless, he would not take advantage of Becki. Since he had agreed to be her safety net tonight, he might as well get over it.

"You don't lie to them, right?" she asked, her eyes s.h.i.+ning a bit. "Never," he answered solemnly. Were those tears gathering in her eyes?

"You don't make them feel special...like they're special to you. You just tell them up front that you want to fu--"

"Becki!" Trevor interrupted before the conversation could digress further. "Darlin', tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing," she a.s.sured him. "Nothing at all is wrong, Trev."

He watched as a glint of determination replaced the sheen of tears in her eyes. He breathed a sigh of relief, a.s.suming that she had come to a resolution of sorts. Perhaps she had even found closure to whatever had been bothering her.

"I think we should have s.e.x tonight, Trev," Becki suggested without warning.

Trevor almost fell out of his chair as she dropped this verbal bombsh.e.l.l. Whatever he had expected, that was not it. "Dollface, as much as I--"

"Take me to the beach. You promised me a walk on the beach with moonlight and stars. Take me to the beach, Trev. Take me to the beach, and let's do it right there on the sand under the stars," she begged.

As another shot appeared, Trevor caught Mel's attention. He mouthed the words, "Water it down."

Mel nodded in agreement. She studied Becki for a moment, as if reconsidering her decision not to call Landon.

"I've got this, Mel," Trevor rea.s.sured Becki's friend.

Becki didn't even notice their exchange, as she drained the shot gla.s.s a little more slowly this time.

Mel s.n.a.t.c.hed one of the ink pens still protruding from Becki's hairbun and wrote her phone number on a napkin and stuffed it in Trevor's hand.

Trevor looked at her, his eyebrows shooting skyward. Mel made no secret of the fact that she was madly in love with her husband of fifteen years.

Mel chuckled, "Not for you, Casanova. For her," she nodded toward Becki. "Call me if you need my help. My s.h.i.+ft will be ending soon."

Trevor grinned wickedly, "You've broken my heart."

"Sorry," Mel grinned. She wasn't really sorry at all, "mine's spoken for. Seriously, Trev; call me if you need me."

"Thanks, Mel."

"Whew," Becki said, slamming the empty shot gla.s.s on the table. "That is goooood s.h.i.+t. Now, back to what I was saying, you give me bulls.h.i.+t all the time, lllots of bulls.h.i.+t. I don't want bulls.h.i.+t tonight, Trev. I just want you to show me a good time," she said leaning into him. "I can show you a good time. Think about it. s.e.x on the beach. Hot, intense, grinding, dirty s.e.x...with me. Kiss me, Trev."

"Doll, you need to take it easy. What is going on in that beautiful head of yours?" he murmured as he gently cupped her face in one hand. Giving into temptation momentarily, he slid his thumb across her full lower lip and then quickly released her.

"I'm not going to do anything that you and I both know you would regret in the morning," he gently refused.

"I'm tired of White Knights," Becki complained. "White Knights who then turn out to be Dark Lords," she pouted.

"Kiss me, Trevvv. Be my White Knight, just for tonight," Becki pleaded.

Trevor sighed regretfully. There is no way this Dark Lord could ever be your White Knight, Doll.

"Come on, Trev. Be my White Knight-- or maybe my Dark Lord," she said, suddenly changing her mind. "Dark Lords are probably better in the sack right?"

His life was full of danger; he had done things that no man could be proud of. He had never cared about anyone he used or hurt-- never cared until he met Becki. Still, he could only be what he was, and that was a Dark Lord-- a Dark Lord with a job to do.

The coin collector in Savanna had gotten in their way and had to be eliminated. While he didn't soil his hands with that murder, he didn't stop it either. Trevor knew the coin would surface again soon. There were too many ART members in town including their team leader Royce St. John and his Witchy sister for it to be much longer.

Trevor's reinforcements should be arriving soon. More Vamps had been called in, even a few s.h.i.+fters. He felt a slight s.h.i.+ver down the back of his spine. He was in charge of this operation, but some of those idiots were hard to keep reined in.

"Kiss me, Trev. Please, just kiss me," Becki whispered softly with tears s.h.i.+mmering in her eyes.

As Trevor leaned forward, Becki closed her eyes.

"Doll," she felt him whisper at her temple, "if there was anyone who could turn me into a White Knight, it would be you."

He closed his eyes absorbing her goodness for just a moment. Then he stood and pulled her toward the dance floor.

As they approached the dance floor, the song ended to be replaced by a slow ballad. Becki snuggled as close to Trevor as she could without being intimately joined. She wrapped her arms around him and dropped her head on his shoulder. She was currently breathing into the hollow of his neck.

Trevor suddenly realized this might not have been one of his better ideas. He was trying to do the right thing for once in his life, and she was not making it easy.

Royce checked his cell phone again. Why the h.e.l.l wasn't Becki responding? He had been trying to reach her since early this afternoon.

Sean and Joanna were busy at their respective computers and had been for hours. The clicking keyboards echoing throughout the living room were about to drive Royce up the wall.

"Boss, you are going to want to see this," Sean said. His computer had begun emitting an incessant beep.

"What?" Royce responded absently. He was trying to figure out why a strange chirp was coming from his phone.

"Trevor Simmons just walked into the pub," Sean said more urgently.