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the bar opens. I need to take some of your
    money."

    "Good luck with that, my friend," he laughed as they left the room, feeling good.

    46

    Sasha White
    7

    T hree days and he didn't call.

    Lara didn't know why she was surprised. Really, he was a man. She'd
    sucked his cock, he'd gotten off, and she'd probably never see him again.

    There were times when that wouldn't bother her, times when the thrill of just
    doing what she wanted, where and when she wanted, was enough to make
    her feel perfectly alive. But this wasn't one of those times.

    She'd seen the promise of more in Karl's eyes, even though he'd never
    voiced it, and she'd wanted it.

    "Hi, Lara, how are you today?"

    Closing the door on any thoughts of Karl, Lara smiled at the guy behind the
    auto shop counter. "Hey, sexy," she blew a kiss at him. "The only thing that would make my world any better would be a date with you."

    "You'd never be able to keep up with me, little girl." The white-haired
    mechanic said with a laugh and reached out for the case of oil filters she
    carried.

    "That's true, you did wear out—what? Three wives in twenty years?"

    "Yes, ma'am." His bony chest puffed up with pride and Lara grinned. "And they're all going to be waiting for me on the other side, so I need to save my
    strength."
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    Sasha White

    Lara reached for the invoice he'd signed and tore off his copy. "Then I guess
    it's best we just remain friends isn't it, Jack?"

    Before Jack could answer, his grandson came into the room from the
    garage, wiping his hands on a dirty rag. "When are you gonna stop teasing
    the old man and go out with me, Lara?"

    "Sorry, Ben, I don't date men I have to work with."

    "You don't work with me, you deliver auto parts to our shop. There's no
    conflict there."

    "Yeah, but I'd still have to see you the next day, or the day after that…and
    that's not always a good thing." She tucked the invoice into her leather binder
    and started for the door with a wave. "Have a good day, gentlemen."

    The sun was shining brightly and she tugged the bill of her cap down over
    her eyes. It was a beautiful March afternoon, and she was almost done
    working for the day. She climbed into the cab of the little Toyota truck with
    JAY'S AUTO SUPPLIES stenciled along both sides before double-checking
    the last invoice in her binder.

    One more delivery and then she could clock out for the day. Yee haw!

    Looking both ways she pulled onto Broadway and headed toward Granville
    Street. It was almost three o'clock and traffic was starting to get a little nuts,
    but it didn't bother her. Her patience on the road was what made her so good
    at her job as an auto parts delivery person. That's not to say she didn't get
    frustrated at times, but she always remembered she was in a company truck,
    and managed to keep from flipping anyone off.

    Lara liked her job; she got to meet tons of people, but didn't have to worry
    about any of them getting to nosy or too close. It also gave her freedom to
    roam the city, and because she'd been at it for a little more than three years,
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    Sasha White
    when most drivers were students that didn't last, a certain amount of
    security.

    Security was important to Lara. More important than the not-so-great
    paycheck she got every two weeks.

    Intellectually she knew she craved security for the same reason she was
    adamant about maintaining her independence and not getting too close to
    people.

    Her childhood had sucked.

    Her mother had taken off when she was a toddler, and her alcoholic father
    had gone from job to job, when he sobered up enough to work. She'd learned
    early on how to take care of herself and by the time she was ten she was
    hustling pool to buy groceries.

    She still hustled pool at least once a week to make extra money on the side,
    often making two or three times as much at the tables as she did on her
    paychecks. Her twenty-eighth birthday was coming up soon, and she was
    determined to own her own home by the time