Switch Master: 6 (Ink and Kink) (8 page)

“Would you like to visit your sisters more often?”

“Yes,” Luke said definitively.

“Okay, we’ll work on that. Let’s talk to your aunt and see
what we can do to make sure Daria has no legal right to visitation or to be
your guardian.”

Luke eyed him suspiciously. “If you’re being nice to me to
impress Sam, screw it. I’ll take my chances alone.”

More venom, more distrust. When it involved a teenager’s
mindset, Taran had to proceed carefully.

“Look, I get that you’re protective of Sam. I get that way
around her too. She’s an amazing woman.”

“You care about her, for real? You’re not here to get laid?”
That was pushing it.

“Hold on there, Luke. My relationship with her has nothing
to do with why I’m sitting here with you. Helping families stay together,
helping kids in your predicament, that’s why I became a lawyer.”

“I don’t want Sam to be hurt when some slut steals you
away.”

“There is no other woman for me than Samantha. Question my
loyalty to her or speak of any woman in such a derogatory way again, we’re
going to have problems.”

The smell of pizza warned Taran they were about to be
interrupted. “Got it, Luke?”

“Got it, sorry,” Luke answered, sparing a glance toward
Samantha, who was carrying a tray of sodas. “We should go help with the food.”

Getting up, Taran went to Samantha, intercepting the tray.
Luke took two boxed pizzas from Bella and carefully placed them in the center
of the table. As soon as the sodas were on the table, Taran went back to Teri
and rescued a giant bucket of french fries from her grip.

“Who’s hungry?” Taran asked, setting the bucket on the
table.

“I am,” Sam stated, followed by a chorus of female voices.

“Pizza smells good,” Luke admitted.

Closing the sketchbook to avoid pizza or grease stains
getting on it, Taran handed the book over to Luke and waited until everyone was
seated in their original seats before making certain the teen got a plate and a
drink.

“Pepperoni or plain?” he asked the kid.

“Pepperoni,” Luke answered, accepting a big slice of
pepperoni from Bella.

“Me too,” Taran said, noticing the way Luke squirmed
uncomfortably when his eyes rested momentarily on Bella’s breasts. A second
later, he caught himself, nervously glancing over at the refreshment counter.

Samantha shifted closer to Taran after he’d placed a slice
of pizza on her plate. Luke dug into his slice with gusto. It was good to see
he had a hearty appetite.

Throughout the meal, the conversation was simple, yet Taran
learned a lot about Luke. His sketchbook and his skateboard were his prize possessions.
He’d like to have a cell phone and a laptop or iPad and learn how to play the
drums.

Taran could help with the drums by introducing Luke to
Phalen. He’d tentatively suggested that he and Samantha drive Luke home so they
could talk to his aunt and Luke didn’t balk. That was good. It was cold out and
there was a chance of snow.

As two extra-large pizzas and fries were devoured, Taran
observed Samantha’s interaction with Luke. It was purely maternal, extremely
feminine. Twice, she’d refilled the boy’s plate with food, making certain he
received the most french fries. She asked him about his artwork, about his aunt
and Emily.

Emily was busy at the refreshment counter. A time or two,
she’d sneak glances at Luke. If he looked her way, she’d grin before hustling
to help someone with an order.

“Emily likes you, you know?” Taran said quietly, catching
Luke’s attention. “Why don’t you go talk to her before we head to your aunt’s?”

“Not much to say,” Luke contended.

Taran pointed to the almost-empty soda cup in front of Luke.
“Get a refill.”

“There’s a refill station for that.”

“But Emily’s at the counter. Pretty sure she’ll help you
out, my man.”

“Be back in a sec,” Luke said, grabbing the cup and heading
off to the refreshment counter.

Emily was dealing with a customer. When she saw Luke
waiting, she smiled. For a second, Luke acted as if he was going to back off.
To his credit, he stood his ground and handed over the cup.

“How’d you get him to talk to her, Taran?” Sam asked.

“I saw the sketches of her and figured he liked her. I
talked to him about it and he admitted he’s worried about Emily’s father.”

“He’s the manager here. He didn’t like Luke getting money
for his artwork.”

“My guess is the warning had something to do with Emily
being among Luke’s drawings of the Femme Fatales. They’re all done in a way to
emphasize their sex appeal.”

Samantha leaned in real close. She smelled nice. Getting a
charge out of her scent and having to squirm to fight off getting hard, Taran
empathized with Luke’s problem around pretty women.

“Luke has a crush on Bella,” Samantha whispered.

“It’s normal. Bella’s a bombshell. When I was his age, a
female could’ve done nothing more than smile at me and I’d get an erection.”

“Bet you were a flirt in high school,” Samantha speculated.
“And the teachers loved you.”

“Can’t deny it,” he said. “Boys think about sex, often. I
had wicked thoughts about my chemistry teacher for half a school year. A couple
weeks later, I asked Sally Fitzgerald to the junior prom.”

“What happened with Sally?”

“What do you think? I was a horny dog back then, but a loyal
dog. I didn’t cheat on a girl I was with. Luke needs a little guidance, that’s
all, doll.”

“It’s nice to know you’re available. I think you’ll be a
good influence on him.”

“Luke’s a good kid. You were right about that.”

“Any problems when you two were talking? Seemed like your
conversation got a little tense.”

“He isn’t sure he can trust me yet. He’ll come around. Try
not to worry. Any idea when his mother and father divorced?”

“They never divorced. Glenda Davis told me over coffee that
her sister Mercia had gotten ill during a separation from her husband. Luke and
Mercia then moved in with her. I got the impression that there were times when
Russell came back, but the reunion didn’t stick.”

“Hmm, any idea when Russell and Daria got married?”

“During my background search, I found a marriage certificate
dated the day after the birth of their first daughter, Faith.”

“Was Russell an art teacher then?”

“I believe so,” she said.

“What kind of artist, do you know?”

“Sculpture or metalwork, I think, although to become a
teacher, he’d have to be skilled in all facets of artistic expression.”

“Tell me something, Samantha, why didn’t you ask Ethan to
help you with Luke?” Taran remarked.

“Because you’re a lawyer,” she answered. “And I thought you
could become a big brother figure to him.”

“If he’ll let me into his life as a mentor, I’d be glad to
do that. But he already looks up to you, Samantha. Don’t forget that.”

“I won’t,” she agreed.

“We’ll talk about more about it when we’re not in a roller
rink and your derby friends aren’t within earshot.”

“At my place?” she asked.

“Thought we covered that, mine,” he said.

“We didn’t settle anything.”

“Thumb wrestle for it?” Taran offered his hand. Samantha
thought about it, grinned and inclined her head.

“You’d win, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes I will.”

“Can we stop by my apartment to grab a change of clothes?
Unless this is a one-time shot and I’m home by morning.”

Taran hooked his hand behind her nape, compelling her to
lift her head. When her gaze was on him, he bent down to talk in her ear. “With
me, it’s never a one-time shot. We’ll have to figure out who sleeps where and
when Sunday night.”

“You assume a lot pretty quickly, Maddox.”

“I’ve been waiting months for this. So have you. You owe me
a weekend to make up for lost time.”

He planted a kiss on her cheek and drew back. Luke returned
to the table, looking pretty pleased with himself.

“Any luck with Emily?” Taran asked.

“She gave me her cell phone number. Said to text her about
working on that paper I told you about.”

“That’s a start,” Taran said.

Luke frowned. “Not when I can’t text.”

“Your aunt has a phone, right?”

“Sure, landline only,” he complained. “Texting is easier for
her due to her hearing aids.”

“Sam and I could get you one of those monthly no-contract
phones,” Taran suggested. “You can take over paying for it once you start
working around my shop.”

“You’d do that?” Luke asked him. The prospect of having a
phone meant something to him. Not a surprise, teenagers were glued to their
phones.

“Of course,” Taran assured.

“You offered Luke a job? That’s wonderful!” Samantha
exclaimed, looking at him with such warmth and affection, Taran actually
blushed.

“Yes, but he’ll need to get his grades up and we’ll have to
check with the school district on work hours allowed for his age group.”

“Luke, you understand Taran’s going to be counting on you to
be there?” Samantha asked, turning her attention on the teen. Again, Taran was
taken in by the maternal instinct that rose in her whenever she talked to Luke.

“Yeah, I’d need transportation. Taran said I could take a
bus.”

“I’ll pay for your bus fare,” Taran offered. “Do you have a
bank account?”

The kid shrugged. “There’s not much in it. I have funds set
aside that I’m not allowed to touch until I graduate high school. It’s
designated for college, if I ever get there.”

“Whoever set that up for you did the right thing,” Sam
stated emphatically.

“My mom,” he answered, his voice was soft, with none of the
loathing he’d used when referring to Daria.

“Mind if I ask what your mom did for a living?” Taran asked.

Luke looked back and forth at them. Teri and Bella were
caught up in talking about their next roller derby practice.

“She was an artist,” he answered. “Anything she touched, she
made into a masterpiece.”

“That’s real nice that you admire your mom’s work. What sort
of artwork?” Taran leaned forward, hoping to show Luke that he was interested
and listening.

Incredibly, Luke smiled a little. It was genuine, lessening
the sullenness he’d tried hard to project.

“She had her own store. She loved sculpture and pottery, but
could draw and paint anything she wanted. My aunt claims I got my talent from
my mom.”

“Your aunt is very wise,” Taran said. “Was that showroom in
Wellesley?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Sam mentioned that your father was an artist too.”

“I guess,” Luke said, his sneer returning. “He took over the
store after she became too sick to work.”

“I’m sorry about what happened to your mother, Luke. I
really am,” Taran said. “If you ever need to talk about her or anything else,
you call me and we’ll put all legal stuff aside. Okay?”

“What are you angling for?”

“No angle. Told you about my parents, I can relate.”

“Guess time will tell if you’re for real or not.”

“Didn’t mean to overstep, Luke,” he apologized.

“Whatever, man. Mind if I run to the men’s room?”

“Go ahead,” Taran agreed, surprised Luke asked him for
permission.

“Wow,” Samantha whispered. “He doesn’t often talk about his
mom. He misses her too much and I don’t want to push. Somehow you managed to
get him to open up.”

“Getting through to him is going to take time. Remind me not
to overstep.”

“If you’ll do the same with me,” she said.

“Fair deal,” Taran replied, offering his hand. They shook on
it.

Luke returned a minute later, pointing to the front of the
rink. “Hate to say this. It’s snowing.”

Taran shot a look toward the gigantic window that spanned
the width of the building. Snow fell at a steady clip, coating everything in
the parking lot. It looked like it was a typical New England storm in late
winter, which meant snow plows would be out in force all night.

“Had a feeling we were in for a storm,” Taran said. “Teri,
Bella, do you have a ride?”

“Yep,” Teri said. “I’ve got my Jeep Cherokee. We came here
together.”

“Will you two text me when you get home?” Sam requested.

“Sure thing,” Bella promised.

The ladies grabbed their things and stood up. Luke’s coat,
skateboard and backpack were under the table. He shrugged into the coat, stuck
his sketchbook into the pack then swung the pack up and over his left shoulder.

“Need some help?” Taran offered, pointing to the board.

“Got it. Thanks.” Luke sent a wave in the direction of the
snack counter. Taran figured he was saying bye to his crush.

Sam was already pulling on her coat before Taran could help
her. He’d have to be more vigilant and show her that he was the kind of man she
could count on for the simplest things.

By the time they reached the parking lot, snow was falling
in a steady clip. Fortunately it wasn’t mixed with sleet or freezing rain.
About a half inch covered everything, cars, parking lot, trees, grass and
sidewalks.

Already, patrons from the rink had filed out and headed to
their cars. Taran and Sam waved to Teri and Bella as they led Luke to the
truck.

Being that the Ford F-150 had a double cab, there was plenty
of room for Luke to scramble into the back and stow his gear on the seat beside
him. Taran helped Samantha into the front passenger seat, buckled the belt and
went around to his side.

While the truck was warming up, he made a quick look over at
Teri’s Jeep. It was covered with snow and Teri was trying to clean the snow off
the roof. She was too short to reach the middle, leaving a little mound.

“I’ll be right back,” he told Samantha and Luke. “Gonna go
help Teri and Bella.”

He popped out of his truck and carefully made his way to the
Cherokee. He assisted Teri into the driver’s seat, took the small
ice-scraper-snow-brush combo and cleaned off the SUV. Fortunately, there was no
ice, just fluffy snow. The Jeep was revved up and ready to go after several
calculated swipes.