“Come in here, please.”
“Okay.”
Leaving Juan to his own devices, she came up to the office, her head held high — letting me see her beautiful face under the cap she always wore. At first, I’d thought she was dressing butch. Trying to look like she fit in with the boys. I was quickly coming to understand that, no, it was who she was — a tomboy to the core.
“Take a seat.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“You’re not from around here, are you?” I asked.
“No, I’m from San Antonio.”
Of course, she was. Nina had that Southern Texas flair. El Paso and San Antonio weren’t that different in size or really that far apart, but the cultures were hugely diverse. It must have been an East-West thing.
“Taught you to be polite, did they?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. I mean, it’s good to be polite. It just looks a bit weird around here, you know?”
“I can see how that could be,” Nina agreed.
“Just tone it down a bit, okay.”
“Yes, si - okay.”
“Much better,” I said with a playful wink.
She shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. “Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?”
Shaking my head, I took a seat at the desk. “No, I wanted to apologize, actually.”
“For what?”
“I was an asshole when you first got here. That was really wrong. You are a great mechanic and apparently something of a leader and a natural teacher. You got that group working together when no one else would or could. That was amazing, and I am very grateful.
“Th-thanks, and apology accepted if —” She started blushing. It was adorable.
“If?”
“If you take me out for a drink. Call it a penitence.”
It felt like my stomach dropped through the floor. I could barely breathe. The girl was hitting on me. “Aren’t you too young?” I asked, searching for an excuse to say no.
“You know I’m not.” She winked. “Let’s give it a go, hey?”
I was shocked by the ultimatum but impressed by her bravado. Little Nina was quickly showing herself to be a woman after my own heart. She was also completely new to San Antonio, so I decided to take her to the local bar where we could be alone.
One drink couldn’t hurt. I figured I could control myself.Chapter Nine - NinaIt was almost overwhelming. I didn’t exactly grow up in the country. But I might as well have for how much I actually got out. From the moment I was born, everything I did was planned by someone else — a plan which did not include downtowns and dive bars. At least that’s what I assumed this place was, not really having much of a frame of reference.
The more I thought about it, it became increasingly clear that I had been really sheltered, both from the evils of the world and any kind of fun. Daddy insisted that I be pure in every way for my future husband. Why he didn’t just lock me in a tower and have done with it was mostly a matter of logistics.
I was scared but exhilarated to be walking in the city after dark, something I’d never even imagined doing before. It was a comfort having Chad with me. A big, strong man who knew the city and his way around it. I was a bit surprised he didn’t have his own vehicle, mainly because he was a mechanic but wasn’t about to complain.
As we walked the glittering streets, I had to fight the temptation to hold his hand. Partly for comfort but also for something else. A new feeling, both scary and exciting that seemed to come up from my pussy to light up my confused but happy brain. I supposed I had the same hormones as every other girl, but no one had sent them flying like Chad.
Nina Pierce sounded pretty good to me. Even Nina Pierce-Dunn could work. The double-barreled aspect was sure to make Daddy happy.
It was a brief moment. Likely unconscious or out of friendliness, but Chad lightly touched my back between my shoulder blades as he held the bar’s door open for me, letting me go first. His hand was warm and surprisingly soft through the thin material of my jersey. It was a theme of manly chivalry, which continued as he pulled out a chair for me at our chosen table.
It was challenging to read, but there were a few possibilities. He could have been sort of babying me because he saw me as young, which was fair enough. On the other hand, he could have been raised in a family like mine where etiquette, while a bit out-dated, was still held in high importance. Though it was also possible, and I hoped this one was true, he liked me and was trying to make a good impression. Then again, it could have been any combination of these as well as other reasons all his own that I couldn’t even begin to fathom.