Saving Della Ray

I was bright red as I turned around. “I-I …”

“He paid for it all, so can you just take it and leave? There are a lot of people waiting.”

“Just fucking take it,” someone spat from the line.

I snatched the $62.30 worth of groceries and hurried out of the store. Jess pulled on my hand and I looked down at her.

She was smiling happily. “There he is,” she sang.

I followed her pointing finger to see the biggest monster of a bike I’d ever seen, parked on the curb. It was jet black and the polished chrome was blinding in the sun. The rear lights were blood red. My eyes were riveted to the man who sat on it. As I watched he tipped his head and downed the 500ml carton of fresh milk he’d just bought, I felt my brain turn to mush.

“Big bike. Can I go on it?” Jess squealed excitedly.

The man pulled back his head, and with the back of his tattooed hand, he wiped the milk off the light dusting of dark stubble across his face.

His gaze met mine. There was no friendliness, no smile. In fact, it was a do-not-approach look.

It had the opposite effect on me. I was immediately jolted into motion. “Wait here,” I said to Jess, and marched across the sidewalk into the parking lot. I stopped a safe distance away from him. “Excuse me, but …” I nudged my head towards the full plastic bag in my hand. “I can’t just accept this. I have to pay you back for it.”

His gaze darkened with displeasure.

“I—I mean, I truly appreciate it. Thank you so much for helping us, but …” I glanced down at the bag once more, then backwards at my niece. She was watching the man with unbridled interest. When I turned back to him, I saw that he was watching Jess too. I stiffened defensively, out of habit as I usually did, ready to tear his head off if he made any snide comments whatsoever about my angel.

“I have to pay you back,” I said more loudly.

Completely ignoring me, he bent his leg, fired up the beast of a bike, and revved it. Thunderous noise filled the hot air.

Seeing that he had no intention of responding to me, I moved closer. I was determined to pay him back. Only when I was this close did I notice the ocean blue of his eyes, the slight scar that was hidden in the stubble along his left jaw and the wild, untamed beauty of the man. He was so, so, so beautiful.

“My paycheck was supposed to have cleared yesterday. Something probably went wrong, but the moment I’m able to resolve it I’ll immediately transfer your money. Can I please have your bank account details?”

For a moment, he regarded me without expression, then, the rude brute started to reverse back.

Before I could stop myself, my hand shot out.

He broke his gaze from mine and let it slide to the pitiful hold I had on his thick, tattooed forearms.

I snatched my hand away as if burnt. I hadn’t even realized I had done that. “I’m sorry.”

He gave me an, ‘I-thought-so-look’ and continued his prep to leave.

“Look, I’ll leave the groceries here if you don’t allow me to pay you back,” I cried.

“Do what you want with them. They’re yours.” His voice was deep, gravely with something dark and dangerous running underneath.

“Don’t you see? I cannot accept them,” I replied. I was getting frustrated. “Especially since you refuse to give me a way to pay you back?”

“I don’t want money, sweetheart … but if you really insist on paying me back, you could let me fuck you,” he drawled, his eyes so blue and piercing it was as if he was trying to look into my soul.

The bag fell from my hand.

He held my gaze as I stared wide eyed at him. I felt my lips begin to tremble and I saw his unspeakably beautiful eyes drop to my mouth. Some strange expression flashed in them. I should have said something rude. Something cutting, something to put him in his place. The arrogant bastard thought I would have sex with him for $62.30 worth of groceries, but I couldn’t. For the first time in my life, I wanted to—I wanted to fuck a total stranger.

Without a word, I turned around and headed back to my niece.

As I reached her, I saw the empty carton of milk fly in an arc and land inside a rubbish bin by the side of the road. Then I heard his engine roar harder and zoom away into the distance. I couldn’t help turning around to glance back to the spot he had occupied. The bag was on the ground where I had dropped it.

Together with my niece, we retrieved the cherry tomatoes that had rolled out of the pack.