Shelter From the Storm?

Royal looked at Lynette who had met him at the diner. He didn't know she'd be showing up and he'd planned to pick up some dinner. But then Melinda had come onto him like she did and damn she was pretty. It's not like he was married yet or anything. He still had the right to play.

He'd been talking with Melinda who'd been flirting with him when Lucky had come in set on making trouble with him over what happened to Elena on the golf course. After Lucky had left, Melinda had returned with his food and invited him to join her while she was on break. They sat together and Royal had smiled at her, his mind working on how long it would take to getting into her panties.

Lynette wouldn't have to know about it. She never did and so he'd been having his fun, sowing his oats and Melinda would do nicely. So they had bantered a bit and then she'd mentioned something about having to check the bathrooms for cleaning and glanced at him after she left, a smile on her voice that made his pants tighten.

He counted to sixty inside his head before he joined her in the women's bathroom and they went inside one of the stalls and before they knew it, he was banging her against a wall, his pants down to his ankles and her waitress uniform bunched around her waist. He thrust his cock inside of her after she had gotten a condom out of the vending machine, almost as if it was put there for this purpose.

"Oh god…oh god…oh god….think you can give it to me harder?"

He obliged and slammed his body into hers repeatedly until they both came. He pulled out of her and disposed of the condom while she cleaned herself up to return to work.

"God I love these thirty minutes…"

She left first and he followed and when he reached the dining area, there stood Lynette dressed up as if she had been at the estate sunning herself by the swimming pool with her friends.

"Hi Royal…what are you doing here?"

Melissa breezed on over with a smile and handed Lynette a menu.

"I think a table opened up…would you like to hear the specials?"

Lynette looked at Royal and shook her head.

"Just a diet cola."

Melissa left them and he kissed her softly on the mouth.

"I missed you baby…"

She melted under his lips.

"I missed you too honey," she said, "Daddy's talking to some lawyer and I think it's about us."

Royal bristled but covered it up with a smile.

"Oh…he's just looking out for you and I think that's what makes him a good father…the kind of father I want to be."

Her smile dimmed then and he wondered if he'd said something wrong.

"Well, he also said the police might be able to find a new witness…you know to the attack on that Elena girl…I guess if they catch who did it, it'll make us all a little safer."

He stroked her face.

"Now Lynnette, that's never going to happen to you," he said, "Elena just got careless. She should have never been there late at night on her own. That wasn't smart."

She seemed to digest that.

"I guess not…you'll never let me be alone will you?"

He kissed her mouth again.

"Never…in fact when we're done here," he said, "I'm thinking we could go to the movies. How'd you like that?"

She smiled.

"Yes that'd be great and then Royal…we could head back and…my parents won't be back until late."

He smiled again back at her.

"That'd be great…I'd been waiting to spend time with you alone all day…"

"Oh Royal…god you say the sweetest things…"

Melinda walked on back over with her diet cola.

"Here it is…to go…see you later…Lynette…Royal…"

Royal watched her go and then turned to Lynette.

"Come on…let's get moving," he said, "I think that there's a double feature this week."

They left the restaurant and headed to the movie theater just down the street.

Lucky watched the couple leave and turned to Phil who was also working that night with him. They were eating dinner outside not too far away from the station.

"There they go," Phil said, "I wish I'd have a babe like that to take places."

Lucky sipped his drink.

"Lynette's okay…but she shouldn't be with that guy."

"Why not…you jealous…?"

Lucky shook his head.

"No…I don't trust him…"

"Was this because that girl…Elena worked at the center with him?"

Lucky looked over at Phil.

"Maybe…but he's always been a player…long as I've known him."

Phil nodded.

"Yeah Royal's been slick but then he's had to be…guy's had it tough."

"No excuse….if he's behaving bad it's his own choice."

Phil bit into his burger.

"You don't like him, do you?"

"I never liked him," Lucky said, "Nothing to do with where he came from, everything to do with how he treats women…"

"Like Elena…look if she fucked the guy it was her own choice."

Lucky sighed.

"Don't say that about her."

Phil looked back at him.

"Because you like her…you've always liked her."

"Yeah we're friends, good friends…since we've been growing up."

Phil paused.

"No I mean you really like her," he said, "Why haven't you asked her out?"

"We've been out…as friends. She doesn't need anything more right now not after what happened."

Phil nodded.

"Yeah but no one knows what really happened…not even her and she might never know…"

Lucky knew that could be true. She'd suffered a traumatic brain injury, not bad enough to mess her up for life or anything but bad enough to maybe erase parts of her memory for good.

"Then again she might remember…it'll just take time."

Phil shrugged.

"Maybe…but we both know how these types of injuries go and odds are they'll never ID the guy let alone catch him."

Lucky didn't want to think about that because whoever hurt her was a man who needed to get caught and locked up or…but he didn't want to think that far.

"They'd better catch him…"

"Or what…you're not thinking of doing anything are you because then that'd be just stupid…"

Lucky sighed.

"Whoever did this isn't getting away with it," he said, "Not if I have anything to do with it…he's going to be found out one way or another…."

"Good luck…"

"It's not going to take that…"

Elena and Lacey sipped their sweetened tea on the porch. Lacey had made plans to go out with a guy named Carl who handled some deliveries to her store.

"So he seems like a nice guy, what do you think?"

Elena smiled.

"I like him…quiet and reserved but very nice," she said, "Did you ask him or he ask you?"

"I asked him…because he never seemed to get the words out but he's got family that has cousins in town."

"How are they?"

"Cool…went to school with Lila a while back…"

Elena sipped her tea wanting Lacey to be happy with Carl. But then you had to be wary with guys, as she learned in her life.

"He's nice to you isn't he?"

Lacey nodded.

"Yeah he's very nice…well mannered, something I didn't think I'd want when I was younger."

"Mannered is nice…"

Lacey glanced over at Elena.

"There are nice ones out there," she said, "They're just not easy to find…including here."

Elena shrugged.

"I'm not looking."

Lacey smiled.

"That's okay… nothing wrong with that."

Elena sipped her tea.

"I think I'm off men," she said, "at least for a good while…"

"I know it's hard…not knowing who hurt you," Lacey said, "I hope the police catch him."

Elena shook her head.

"How can they…I don't even remember who did it and I may never remember."

"I think you might," Lacey said, "Never say never…."

Elena didn't know if she believed that, not when she drew such a blank and the thinking made her head hurt.

"I wish I could remember but it's not happening and Lucky keeps telling me it'll come back but so far…nothing."

Lacey sighed.

"Lucky really wants this guy."

Elena knew that.

"I know and I wish he didn't…not to the point of maybe risking himself."

"You know he cares about you an awful lot," Lacey said, "and for a man like Lucky that means finding who attacked you that night."

"If he got hurt…"

"Lucky can take care of himself."

"I know…and that scares me more…because what if he did find him and wound up doing something that'll get him locked up?"

Lacey didn't respond right away and Elena knew she shared that concern. But then she did answer.

"Elena…you have to have faith that Lucky knows what he's doing and it'll all be okay."

She tried but every time she felt the fear of losing him…her best friend in the world.

"I know he's looking hard at Royal…"

"And he should Elena…he's a bad guy…"

"But would he hurt me like that?"

Lacey held onto her tea and shrugged.

"I don't know…but I wouldn't put it past him actually…maybe there's been others who aren't talking."

Elena sighed.

"He's got Lynette and her family around him now."

Lacey shook her head.

"That might not be enough…but Wyatt would definitely want to keep it all quiet if he did find out it was his future son in law."

"He'd cover it up?"

"In a heartbeat Elena but he'd protect his own daughter…I don't doubt that."

Elena didn't either from what she knew about the man who her mother had mentioned more than once after drinking. She'd worked for him once and then…hadn't.

But she knew that Wyatt probably had his own way of dealing with things.