Vivienne

1

✧ Vivienne ✧

Being stuck in the middle of the street under the blazing July sun with no car is probably one of the most scream-inducing feelings a young woman can experience. A sweaty old man staring at your tits and calling you sugar is another, but instead of kicking his saggy balls up to his throat, I decided to suck it up. Who else is gonna tow my truck to the mechanics from butt-fuck nowhere?

"Hop in sweetheart, how 'bout I give you a ride to the mechanics huh? A pretty girl like you shouldn't be standing on the side of the road all alone." He says giving me a gummy smile. I clench my teeth and return it

"That sounds wonderful," I look at his name tag, "Greg." I squint under my hand, the sun adding to the insane amount of discomfort I'm feeling.

Opening the passenger door I'm greeted with beer cans, fast food wrappers and cigarette butts. As the truck starts to move, as well as Greg's mouth, I turn towards the window tuning him out. I just hope to God he can keep his eyes away from my legs long enough to prevent us from crashing. The window offers a nice view of the beach. The water glistening over the soft sand helps my temper simmer as I try to distract myself from my current predicament.

After around 15 minutes of Greg's incessant rambling, Tony's Garage comes into view and I almost open the door before the car stops. The big red sign looks to be in desperate need of a renovation as it hangs crooked against the grey concrete. The sound of 80's music softly murmurs from the small speaker. A man I've gotten to know as Tony wheels out from under a car, his grey whiskers curling up in a friendly moustache. His rosy cheeks pinch towards his eyes as he looks at me with recognition.

"Thompson!" He calls my last name, "What is it now? Flat tire, broken carburettor, something happen to the bumpers?" He jokes sending a smile my way.

"Your hilarious," I walk up to him as my car gets lowered, "I have absolutely no clue, it just stopped working and started smoking," I explain. He hums in response, wiping his hands on a dirty rag. "Easy work huh Tony?" I tilt my head up, "How long do you think it'll take you to fix?" I ask.

He looks away from the car and back at me, "Sorry doll but I don't think I'll be able to fix it for you, but you in luck," he pauses to down a whole bottle of water before stepping towards his tools, "I'm sure the new guy can fix it right up." He sits down to continue whatever he was previously working on.

"You finally took my advice and got help," I look down at him, the shock evident in my voice. He grunts obviously not happy to admit it. Tony has been running a one-man repair shop for as long as I've known him, and I've known him a while.

"So," I sit down at his desk one leg over the other, my sundress riding up ever so slightly, "is he any good?" I ask and he gives me a look.

Instead of answering, he turns to yell at the door, "Torelli!" A few seconds later the door handle from the back room turns and a true adonis walks out.

The first thing I notice is how big he is, both in muscle and stature as he squeezes sideways through the door. His dark buzzed hair does nothing to cover his god-like features. His eye colour wasn't clear from where I was standing but I was sure they were dark. His thick brows there slightly furrowed adding to his ridged demeanour. As he walks closer, his features become more prevalent to my analysing gaze.

His high cheekbones catch my attention as a small cut lays there looking quite fresh. My eyes trail down to his sharp nose which looks to me as if it's been broken a few times as an attractive bump disturbs the slope of his nose. And his lips look to be the softest thing about him.

He's practically standing right in front of me when I notice what he's wearing. A white tank top clings tightly to his broad chest failing to hide his chiselled torso. A pair of loose-fit jeans hang lowly on his hips, just the top of his briefs peeking out to meet my prying eyes.

My eyes snap to his just to find they're looking right at mine, his face housing no expression as he snaps just his eyes to Tony's crouching figure. Hearing his footsteps, Tony rolls out from under the car. "I need you to fix this young lady's car. I need her car to be running smoothly by the time you're done with it," he points at it then looks up at me, "she's one of our best customers" he winks.

I roll my eyes, a smile threatening to pull at my lips. I get up walking to my car which sits sadly in the middle of the shop. I hear his footsteps right on my heels.

"I was driving for about 10 minutes along the highway when my car started sputtering and slowing down," I walk around to face the hood and gesture towards it, "It started smoking just after I pulled over." I turn around to face him.

He stands with his arms crossed and his brows furrowed as his stare pierces through every inch of my car. He circles it and I stand back crossing my legs with my back against the wall. It's been a few minutes of us just standing in silence until he opens his mouth.

"Your car is a piece of junk", his deep voice rumbles causing me to clutch my thighs, "It's garbage". His nonchalant tone throws me off making my temper spike a bit.

"I'm sorry, am I paying you for your opinion or for you to fix my car?" I step forward tilting my head, my brows furrowing in annoyance.

"I'm sorry" he mocks, "but my opinion holds some value considering I'm the fucking mechanic". His dark eyes look right at me as my lips part the slightest bit in shock. My temper rises and I can feel my cheeks getting red.

I walk right up to him. "Your gonna be the broke fucking mechanic if you don't keep your so-called opinion to yourself", I spit in his face. I have to crane my head up to look him in the eye.

I'm a tall girl standing at 5'9, so looking up at someone isn't something I'm awfully familiar with. His lips pull into the hint of a smirk.

"Don't worry Princess, I'm sure you're not my only customer. I'll do just fine." He says softly, but his tone is so strong it's a little jarring to my ears.

I try to calm my temper, knowing I'm in Tony's shop, I can't just start throwing shit around.

I tilt my head pulling my brows together ever so slightly.

"Aw" I sneer, "is this too much of a big boy job for you?" I ask condescendingly, I'm aiming for his ego, "It's okay if it is. I understand how my car could be quite a challenge."

His face morphs into an amused expression. If I weren't so frustrated, I'd find it incredibly hot.

"Tony's busy and you won't take it to any other shop," he steps closer to me, his hands still crossed, "because you know right when you walk in there gonna scam the shit out of you."

My cheeks grow ever hotter because I know he's right. "So keep that pretty little mouth shut before you say something you'll regret."