Naturally Naughty Read Online Free Page B

of town. We pulled up into an old converted gas station. Even in the rain the lot was full of tough-looking youth. Wonderful, the neighborhood hangout.
    I smiled and got out of my car. They all smiled back at me. “Wait in the office where it’s warmer, ma’am.”
    “Thank you.” Why, they were all quite nice.
    I stood in the office, which was indeed warm, and studied the posters on the wall. Tell me… what does a woman in a bikini have to do with wheel rims? Or tools? It’s a mystery to me, but the walls were plastered with a bevy of such bikini-clad beauties hawking auto wares.
    Another large poster caught my attention. It was a big yellow thing with big red letters. It read:
     
    Leave the Attitude and Colors
    At Home.
    One Bad Act,
    Don’t Come Back.
     
    I stood studying it and puzzling over what it meant. Did colors equate to gangs? Here in small town America? Surely not, it must mean something else.
    I smiled when tire guy came into the office and sat down behind his desk. “Did you run into something?”
    “Not that I know of. Oh, wait, I hit a big pothole the other day.”
    “You bent the rim. Must have had a slow leak for a few days.”
    “Can it be fixed?”
    “Already fixed it, ma’am.”
    “Oh, you’re fast,” I said with a grin and pulled out my checkbook.
    He was busily filling out a ticket. “Thirty-five, ma’am.”
    I gladly wrote out the check and handed it to him. “Thank you so much for stopping.”
    He nodded and waved as I let myself out the door. I jumped into my car. All was right with the world. I hummed happily to myself as I started to pull out of the little tire shop.
    My smile turned quickly to a frown when Landon pulled in before I could exit. He did not look happy.
    I decided to try and brazen it out. I rolled down my window and gave him my most dazzling smile. “Hi, sweetie!”
    Landon just continued to frown.
    I began to fidget under the piercing look in his eyes. “I… well… umm… How ‘bout them Cowboys?” I finally asked lamely.
    Landon rolled his eyes. “What about ‘em? They lost again.”
    I started to say something else, frantic to lighten his mood, but he held a hand up to stop me. “No. Don’t say anything else. Just go straight to your house and wait for me there. I’ll be along in a little while to discuss… this.” He indicated everything from my car to the tire shop with a wave of his hand.
    “Landon, I…”
    “Go home, Shannon. Don’t worry, I’ll be there shortly.”
    I rolled my window up with a frown and resisted the impulse to poke my tongue out at him as I pulled onto the road. Don’t worry, indeed! Like I was worried he wouldn’t come!
    I fussed and fretted all the way home. My feet were like ice from being in flip-flops in the December rain so I ran some hot water and then sat on the edge of the bathtub and warmed them up.
    I was still sitting there enjoying the feel of the hot water on my poor toes when Landon came in. He looked from the flip-flops on the floor to me and if anything his frown darkened.
    “How many times have I told you not to wear those outside? It’s winter, for crying out loud!”
    “Well, it’s not like I thought I’d be outside for any length of time! Things were just out of my control.”
    “When was the first time you noticed your tire was low?”
    “Last week sometime.” I covered my mouth. Shit!
    “Last week and you didn’t do anything about it?”
    Quickly drying my feet, I got up to stand in front of Landon. “I added air several times. I was watching it. I just hadn’t had time to have it looked at. This morning it was a little flatter than usual, but when I added air again and it took it, I thought it would be okay. I didn’t know it was just a ten-mile solution. It aired back up; how was I supposed to know it would go flat again that quick? I…”
    “Enough!” I raised startled eyes to his when his fingers pressed against my lips to prevent further explanations. “Do us both a favor…