BOOTLEG LOVE

4

She didn’t know what to say. This woman had her speechless, which was a hard thing to do. It was strange how seeing Wanda wrapped around Payton annoyed Evangeline. It actually bothered her to see another woman touching him… what was that about? She had no designs on Payton, so what should she care if another woman did? Evangeline shook it off; it must be the vodka getting to her. “Please, why don’t you sit down and join us.” She offered, trying to put her feelings aside.

            “Oh, she can’t. There are no more seats.” Payton jumped in as he peeled Wanda off him. “Look toots, tonight I’m just going to spend some time with my old friend, you know, reminisce.”

            Wanda pouted, “You are not going to walk me home tonight?” She was guilting him, what a witch.

            “I will have Jeff walk you home tonight.” He suggested.

            Wanda’s eyes narrowed in annoyance. “I don’t want to go home with the bartender. I want to go home with you.” She said, crossing her arms.

            The expression on his face went cold and hard as he glared at her. “I’m not available tonight.”

            “Make yourself available.”

            Payton’s jaw twitched as he tried to contain his annoyance. “If you want to keep working here, you will go home with Jeff.”

            Wanda didn’t move a muscle, and Payton’s hard gaze never wavered. Suddenly she spoke. “Fine, have fun with your little friend.” She hissed and walked away. Have fun? What kind of fun was she talking about?

            Payton looked down at the table for a moment, collected himself and then smiled up at Evangeline. “It is getting late, and the club is shutting down. I will take you home.”

            “How is it that you can threaten her livelihood?” Something wasn’t right about that. It donned on her; they hadn’t paid for any of their drinks all night. Free drinks and the power to order the staff around. “Oh my God, this is your club, isn’t it?” She gasped in surprise. “You are a bootlegger.”

            He didn’t even try to deny it. He just looked down and then looked up at her with a new resolve. “Yeah, I am.”

            “That is why you asked if I told Quincy about you.” Another realization hit her. “That’s how you know him. He is investigating you.” She said, lowering her voice and looking around to see if anyone heard her.

            Suddenly Payton snickered. “You don’t have to lower your voice everyone here knows what I am. Hamilton, too, he just can’t prove it.”

            His confession made her think. “How many more clubs do you have?”

            “Including this one, five throughout the city.”

            She didn’t know what to say. She supposed it made sense when she considered it. Payton was a criminal; she should be appalled. She should get up and leave, but all she saw was the boy she knew when she looked at this man across from her. It really wasn’t so bad; it did just seem like a silly law. It wasn’t like he had killed anyone; he simply brought joy and fun to the lives of those who chose to frequent his establishments.

            “Do your parents know what you do?” From the look on his face, they did.

            “Perhaps I should take you home.” He said, coming to his feet.

            “I’m not ready to go home. I want to talk about this.”

            “Well, I don’t,” Payton said firmly.

            Evangeline stood up and squared off against him as she often did when they were children. Payton was far taller now, but she wasn’t going to let his size intimidate her. “You lied to me.”

            “I did not.”

            “You told me you were in shipping.”

            “My mother said I was in shipping.”

            “And you let me believe it.”

            “What was I supposed to say? We were standing in the middle of the street for all to hear. I would have to be a fool to incriminate myself like that.” He was right, he risked a lot by telling her, but the truth was she didn’t know how to feel about the knowledge she now had. She was raised to believe one thing, and standing here now, Payton challenged it all. “Do you think less of me now?” He asked softly; her opinion meant the world to him; she could see that in his eyes.

            Think less of him? How could he think that? For so long, he had been her entire world, even now, she could not imagine life without him, and she didn’t even want to try. These past years separated from Payton had been terribly lonely even though she was surrounded by people. No one knew her as he did. No one understood her the way he did. If there was just one thing in this world she could count on, it was Payton.

            “I could never think less of you.” She said.

            “Will you be turning me into Hamilton?”

            Quincy, how could she be friends with Payton knowing what he was and still see Quincy? She couldn’t look the man in the face. “No.” She said quietly. “Your secret, as always, is safe with me.”

            Payton smiled that boyish grin. That crooked little smile that made her wonder what was going on in that noggin of his. Payton picked up her coat and held it up for her to slip her arms through. “Come on; this place is closing down. Let’s go someplace else and continue the fun.”

            “What do you have in mind?” She asked, letting him help her on with her coat. She wrapped it around her and buckled it at the waist. She headed for the staircase she came in on, but Payton grabbed her hand in his stopping her.

            Evangeline looked down at her hand in his, her heart skipping a beat. It had been four years since Payton had touched her, and despite the simple, innocent contact, it felt strangely charged. She could feel his warmth spreading from his hand to hers and up her arm. That warm fuzzy feeling she had been experiencing changed into an intense longing for something she didn’t understand. She could see in his dark eyes he felt it too.

            “This way.” He said, pointing to another staircase that seemed to lead out to a cellar door. “It is quicker.” He released her hand, and Evangeline felt a sense of loss. She looked at the hand he had been holding, baffled. Why was she feeling this way? She hadn’t felt this way about any man, and she had her hand kissed many times by eligible, attractive men, but this man’s merest touch could stop her heart.

            Shaking it off, Evangeline followed Payton to the door and out onto the alley. It was dark; the street lights didn’t reach into the alley. Down the alley near the street was a shiny black Buick Marquette. He must have been doing very well. That was a thousand-dollar car. Payton opened the passenger door, and Evangeline got in. It was such a gentlemanly thing to do for a man that was born on the wrong side of the tracks.

            Payton got in behind the wheel and pulled out onto the street. “So, where are we going?”

            “My place. I got a few bottles stashed away for personal use.” He said, turning down a main street. “It is not far.”

            He wasn’t lying within ten minutes. Instead, they were standing on the doorstep of a quaint little bungalow-style house. It wasn’t very big, but compared to the house he grew up in, it was a mansion. He opened the door, and Evangeline followed Payton inside. It was dark, but only until Payton turned on the lights. He shut the door, and Evangeline came to stand in the center of the living space. There was a couch, unsophisticated, but it served its purpose. It faced a small wood-burning stove. Near the wall behind the couch was a small kitchen table used to prep food and eat on. There was a door that led into what looked like a tiny standing room, only washroom and another door which she could only assume went into the bedroom.

            There was a free-standing pantry in the corner, which Payton opened promptly and took out a partly full bottle of clear liquor. He popped the cork and smelled the contents, his lips curved in a wicked grin. “Top shelf moonshine.” He took a swig and handed her the bottle.

            Evangeline looked into the bottle and then at him. “May I have a glass?”

            Payton took a glass down from the top of the pantry and handed it to her. “Now I warn you this stuff is a little stronger than the stuff at the club. This is going to go right to your head.” He warned, pouring her a half cup.

            “I can handle it.” She said proudly, and his eyes sparkled with mischief.

            “I bet you can.” He teased, taking another swig. He waited, watching her as she took her first sip and began to cough, which caused him to break out in laughter.

            “Smooth.” She barely managed as she recovered from choking.

            “Let’s play a game.” He suggested, searching his house and retrieving a deck of cards. “A drinking game. For every hand won, the loser must drink. Gin?” He asked, sitting at the table. She didn’t see why not. She was quite good at Gin.

            “Alright, you are on.” She took the seat across from Payton.

            Evangeline won the first three hands, but as she sipped her drink, her skills were lacking, and Payton won the next four hands. They polished off the bottle, and when Evangeline could no longer concentrate enough to play, they moved to the couch. Payton lit a fire in the stove and left the iron door open to watch the flames flicker. They sat and talked until the morning sun seeped through the window.

            “Oh, dear, it is light out already.” She said, looking out the window. “I got to get home before someone notices I’m gone. Can you take me home?”

            “Oh, I don’t think so dove, I’m way too drunk to drive that car. I’d be all over the road. But if you like, you can sleep here, and I will take you home later.”

            Sleeping here really wasn’t an option; no one knew she had snuck out, and if she didn’t come down those stairs, people were going to start demanding to know where she was. “I really ought to go. I will just flag down a taxi.” She said, gathering her coat.

            “Are you sure?” He asked, standing up following her to the door.

            “Yes. I really do have to go.” She said, standing near the door. Payton stood terribly close, which gave her goosebumps. It wasn’t like he hadn’t ever been this close; after all, she had been in his arms many times growing up, but at this moment, there was an intensity hanging between them. His dark eyes were smouldering as they gazed down at her.

            “Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” There was such promise in his sultry tone it almost snapped her will. She did want to stay, but she knew she had to go.

            “I really must go.” She breathed, looking up into his eyes. “It was so good to see you again. Good-bye, Payton.” She said and stood up on her toes to kiss his cheek goodbye, but when her lips touched his flesh, she was jolted by a shock-like she was hit by lightning. He turned his face to hers, and their lips hovered over each other. He was going to kiss her; she couldn’t breathe. Suddenly Payton moved slightly and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek, just like he was her brother, and Evangeline felt oddly disappointed.

            “Goodbye.” He whispered in her ear, then he reached behind her and opened the door. Without another word, Evangeline left Payton.