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They were headed to Nyack.

 

The constant thrum of Dennison's beating heart confirmed that fact loud and clear.

 

Lulu was a careful driver, but his nerves wouldn't let him release the handle on the passenger's side door. She made her way through the city, from Waverly where he lived, to Houston, Eleventh Avenue, and finally she joined the gridlocked cars on the George Washington Bridge. The car would venture to I-95 and from there they would head to Palisades Parkway; where the evening would culminate in a sure disaster.

 

It was Saturday night and Lucky Strike was Heath Lord's well established weekend spot where the man wasted countless hours. He would throw back beers, wreck havoc on unsuspecting amateur bowlers with his boisterous jeers and insults. His wife was no better, slinking her way to the lane, and enticing anyone who watched with erotic moves. Frame after frame they punished.

 

Then on Sunday morning they made their way, hung over, with all three kids in tow, to the brick church on the corner with the tall steeple and the stained glass windows.

 

He really wanted to puke, jump from the moving vehicle, and run kicking and screaming back to the confines of his apartment.

 

He still had residual wood from her little vixen show that accompanied her reading of a Cummings' classic. If he thought that was bad, nothing could possibly compare to a second date, in his hometown, on his brother's typical bowling night with the other well established couples of West Nyack.

 

"You okay?"

 

He pulled his attention away from the scenery flying outside of his window.

 

"Copasetic."

 

Her eyebrow shot up, "Wow...that bad?"

 

It was second nature that caused his hand to reach for hers and a part of him smiled when she didn't pull away, "Bowling is cool, just...shit...little brother...showboating all over Lucky Strike, a lot more than I can stand sober."

 

Her face dawned with understanding, "Ah, a West Nyack suburbanite."

 

Dennison groaned, "Please don't hold it against me."

 

Lulu smiled and it was definitely a site he could learn to love, "Never."

~`~

 

His hand was warm, sweaty, and shaky.

 

He was nervous.

 

Unfortunately it had nothing to do with her and everything to do with their destination and who he suspected waited there.

 

Lulu hadn't had the nerve to dig deeper into his family dynamics. Dennison had mentioned the mother he adored during their conversations. He had groaned, but acknowledged his father. Then there was the younger brother, Heath. She pictured wrestling matches on the front lawn, f -bomb tirades over Thanksgiving dinner, and two men who were probably more alike than they initially believed.

 

"We can go somewhere else."

 

She really wanted to bowl, but she was willing...

 

"No," His fingers twined with hers, "I'll stop being a little bitch and we'll bowl...you've got bail money right."

 

Lulu swerved a little when she laughed, until the realization of what he said hit her, and mingled with the facts she already knew. Her face turned from amused to serious in a split second and Dennison read her just as quickly.

 

"I was only kidding."

 

She breathed a sigh of relief and immediately felt guilty. The date was about releasing the assumptions, because she definitely didn't need to make a complete ass of herself again, but she was slipping back into her snob, elitist role so easily. She had yet to ask him about the sudden change in dress, and the non - existent scent of Thousand Island dressing had been replaced by the masculine and seductive scent of one of her favorite Armani colognes.

 

He was a substitute school teacher, how could he...curiosity killed the cat.

 

"So how is school going?"

 

She saw his body relax and his hand returned to its resting place in his lap.

 

"I quit."

 

She was two seconds away from a traffic violation when he elaborated.

 

"I took a position at my dad's company in West Nyack, supply chain stuff, maybe he'll let me delve into the marketing aspect and help him grow his territory a little."

 

She was sure her mouth was open; she closed it, picked up the cracked pieces of her face, and explored the conversation.

 

"Wait, supply chain, marketing..."

 

Dennison completed her thought, "No Lulu, I'm not some loser who sits around in his boxers scratching his balls and then sniffs his fingers."

 

Her mother was right, she was a snobby bitch, "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have assumed."

 

"I didn't give you much to go on."

 

He was too damn forgiving and a lot nicer than she deserved. He recounted his life in the remaining thirty minutes of their drive. Detailing more of his time at Syracuse and the Graduate program at NYU that he had started and stopped more times than he cared to count. Her heart sunk when he touched briefly on his mother's illness and the growing rift between him and his father. She knew he felt the heaviness in the car and he quickly changed the tone of the conversation, sharing a particularly funny story about his younger brother, Icy Hot, and a chicken track stained jock strap.

 

"Dennison, I'm sorry I misjudged you."

 

A wry grin curved his lips, "Just think you almost missed out on all of this." His hands caressed the belly hidden by his oversized t-shirt and blazer, but stopped short of the tent still residing in his pants.

 

Yes, Lulu Marx had definitely almost missed out on a whole lot of man.

 

~`~

 

Lucky Strike on a Saturday night could have easily been misconstrued for a club, catering to the elite, upper class, and filthy rich idiots from the city, stage, and screen. Heath Lord fit in perfectly with his chiseled features, deep bravado, and well defined abs. He was the golden boy of the Clarkstown Vikings. He still held all the records for interceptions, touchdowns, and tackles. The varsity football team's offense had grown under his leadership, but he was a vial, vicious, little twat.

 

"Denny."

 

Dennison and Lulu had barely made it inside when Heath's voice violated his ears.

 

"Who's your little friend big bro?"

 

A toothpick hung from Heath's lips and it was the only thing that didn't make his smile seem quite as lecherous as it was meant to be. He rolled the stick thin wood over his tongue before he extended his hand in greeting. This was usually where dating around the brother from hell, went terribly wrong. Girls got googly eyed and grown women spread their legs immediately with just one whiff of what Heath had to offer.

 

Lulu didn't budge. She remained tucked against Dennison's side and her show of loyalty gave him a much needed boost of confidence.

 

"Heath this is my friend Lulu."

 

Neither of them missed the snicker with the introduction of her name or the hazel gaze that lingered on her thighs. Never one to take no for an answer the younger Lord sibling tried again, thrusting his hand forward, as his body moved closer. Dennison wrapped his arm around Lulu and held her closer. This time she accepted the greeting, but the air remained riddled with new tension.

 

"Tahnya's here," Heath motioned for them to follow, "Why don't the two of you join us."

 

Dennison's arm moved from her waist and he took her hand in his. Lulu tugged at it a little and gestured for him to lower his ear. She poked his chest with each word she spoke, emphasizing the depth of their meaning, "I don't like your brother."

 

A few minutes passed and Dennison and Lulu traded their shoes for the fashionable offerings of Lucky Strike's bowling attire. They joined Heath and Tahnya on the lane. His brother's wife was overly friendly. Embracing him in a hug and rubbing her silicone tata-s against his chest. She mimicked the same movements with Lulu and he could tell his date was uncomfortable and quite possibly repulsed. Gone was the woman who had tried to seduce him with poetry and Dennison recognized the same fire in her eyes that had been present when the plate nearly clipped his head.

 

Disaster was imminent.

 

~`~

 

Tahnya Lord was gorgeous, if you were into perfect breasts, slim hips, blonde hair; blue eyes...fuck...why Lulu was even there, she didn't know. She was cursing again as jealousy bubbled over in her tummy. Tonight was about getting to know Dennison in a comfortable environment. She didn't know how to explain it, she liked him. She liked who she became around him. Gone was the high pressure that came with the territory of her job. Now, she was being assaulted by Barbie and Ken wannabes.

 

She needed a drink; nothing fruity and frilly, jack on the rocks, with a splash of coke.

 

Dennison read her mind, "Need a drink."

 

Lulu responded immediately, "Jack on the rocks with a splash of coke."

 

The brothers disappeared and left Lulu and Tahnya alone.

 

She knew the blonde was destined to say something stupid, she just didn't know what realm of stupid her comment would rest in.

 

"Are you from Nyack, we don't see many black people around here."

 

She silenced her inner Alice Marx and took a deep breath. They had passed no less than twenty, black people, on the way from the door to the counter to the lane. What in the hell did this twiggy mean, that they didn't see them in Nyack.

 

Lulu gave her a free pass for the first comment, "I live in the city."

 

The woman didn't look up from the screen as she continued to type in their names, "How do you spell Lulu."

 

It was official the bitch was stupid. There was no intelligence in the head filled with helium or the boobs enhanced by saline, silicone, or gummi bears.

 

"L-U-L-U," Lulu bit her tongue and just let the rest about the obvious lack of educational excellence in Clarkstown schools, because Dennison had to be a rarity.

 

"Oh that's cute."

 

Lulu looked around, silently pleading for Dennison and Heath's return. She needed a drink. She might need the entire of bottle of Jack to make it through the evening.

 

~`~

 

Dennison leaned over the bar and placed his order; one jack with a splash of coke, Black Velvet, and two Buds; the wait for his brother's taunts was short lived.

 

Dennison stood to his full height and looked down on his brother's six foot frame, "What Heath?"

 

The younger man of the two shrugged, "Nothing, it's just, if you're trying to get back in dad's good graces, I don't think revamping Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, is the way to do it Denny."

 

He downed his drink in one swallow and ordered another, "The name is Dennison and fuck off Heath."

 

The bartender had just placed the cup before him when Heath rattled off another thoughtless comment, "I guess it's true, the blacker the berry..."

 

Dennison's fist connected with the side of his brother's face before he could finish his statement.

 

His knee buckled when his brother's agile body connected with his middle. Both brothers went down to the ground in a blaze of fists and curses. He felt his shirt when it ripped under the force of his brother's grasp around his neck. It didn't matter; Dennison dug his nails into the pale skin of Heath's cheek and scratched. Heath hissed and kneed Dennison in the groin before biting down on his shoulder. Dennison howled in pain and grabbed a handful of his brother's hair and pulled. A few strands gave under the strength of his hand, but before more damage could be done, security broke the two men apart.

 

"I can't wait to tell dad."

 

Dennison lunged for his brother only to be pulled flush against a broad chest, "Sniveling, snotty nosed, brat."

 

Heath retorted, "Lanky fucking bastard." He wiggled his way out of his guard's arm and landed a few blows to Dennison's face, before the brut holding him, let him go, and allowed the brother's to go at it for an impromptu round of sibling boxing.

 

The noise escalated and drew a crowd that included Lulu and Tahnya. Both women screamed at the top of their lungs, "Enough," and the battle was paused.

 

One broken nose, a few cracked teeth, and a fractured hand later, the couples found themselves piled into Lulu's car and en route to Nyack Hospital.

 

~`~

 

"It's been like this since they were little."

 

Lulu looked up from the cup of coffee in her hands to meet Tahnya's crystal blue eyes.

 

"Now Denny comes home and Heath gets all crazy," The woman took a sip of her tea, "They're just alike, two oversized kids, trying to make daddy proud."

 

Lulu nodded and Tahnya continued talking.

 

"First date?"

 

She exhaled, allowing some of the tension riddled in her body to be released, "Second."

 

"Gosh, I remember our first date; I got pregnant with Sue that night."

 

There were a host of comments that filtered through Lulu's brain but she let them go.

 

"I know," Tahnya slipped lower in her seat, "Makes me look bad, naive, maybe a little stupid, but I knew at twelve, Heath was the guy I wanted to marry, so pregnant at nineteen didn't seem too bad, especially when the father was the star quarterback at Hofstra." She sighed, "Don't worry, you got the good brother."

 

She was about to question her waiting room companion's statement with the brothers Lord appeared. Dennison with his hand wrapped in an Ace bandage, Heath's nose taped, and a bag containing what was left of one of his two front teeth clutched tightly in his hand.

 

Lulu and Dennison delivered Heath and Tahnya back to the Lucky Strike parking lot and the deserted SUV that awaited them. The brothers said an amicable goodbye, and when Tahnya asked for Lulu's number, she quickly wrote down the ten digits, and accepted the kiss on the cheek, the blonde offered in parting.

 

"Well that was interesting."

 

Yes she was being facetious but when Dennison groaned and stalked back towards her car, she knew he hadn't taken it that way.

 

"I was kidding."

 

He shook his head a solemn look shadowing his features, "Maybe a second date was a bad idea."

 

She didn't have the words to describe the somersault her stomach did or the utter disappointment that enveloped her.

 

"Oh...maybe you're right."

 

She used the side of the car for support as she eased back into the driver's seat.

 

~`~

 

Dennison was thankful that there were no plates and knives in the car. Lulu was pissed. It was evident in the way she clicked through channels on her Sirius XM screen; he heard it, in the uncharacteristic expletives she used to berate the drivers in front, behind, and beside her.

 

He had a way of pushing people away, letting himself down, before the disappointment could come, and he had never imagined that she would want to get to know him more.

 

"Lulu," She stiffened and gripped the wheel tighter when he said her name, "I'm sorry."

 

She didn't respond. Her eyes stayed trained on the road and when they arrived in front of his building, he didn't have a plan B to rectify the damage he had done with his half witted plan A. He moved to open the door and she suddenly recovered her voice.

 

"I like you Dennison Lord, against my better judgment, and everything I've seen in two dates, I like you," She folded her arms across her chest and turned to face him, "And I never got my drink."

 

Lulu was pouting and it was almost as cute as her smile. Dennison cleared his throat, opened his door, and took a chance on salvaging their evening, "Why don't you come up and I'll fix you that drink and you can finish reading me the porn...I meant poem from earlier," He breathed a momentary sigh of relief when her fingers wrapped around her keys and tugged.

 

A fresh wave of nerves rushed over him, when she removed her key from the ignition, engaged her alarm, and hurried to grab his hand as they walked through the courtyard and into the lobby.










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