Nine

Beetle couldn’t believe his luck. Not only had he found her, but she also couldn’t flee thanks to Mai’s strict orders. She was a tiny thing, slight. Sitting there in her cheese cloth pants elasticized around her toned waist and each ankle, her miniscule tank top beneath a windcheater that was now zipped all the way up to her neck.

Beetle didn’t care, he’d already seen her six pack when she’d walked in the door. Hell of a show!

Even with the shocked expression on her face she was hands down the sexiest woman he’d ever seen. But, was she a woman? Her mum was very youthful looking, her beautiful skin not aging like regular Aussie woman, how old would Kamryn be?

Old enough to have smoked your arse!

“You seem to have accomplished quite a lot so far? Makin’ this table, the lights at our club. Must say the sign out front looks pretty awesome”, Beetle asked turning in his seat to look at Kamryn for the first time without looking away.

“I ...".

“Speak! You are normally pushing for your work to be talked about. So, explain how you lock yourself away for days and days”, Mai said lifting her glass and pointing it at Kamryn.

“Our daughter just recently sold a custom-made bed head and frame. She is not good at making joins so she makes iron brackets, the customers need to assemble them themselves. The measurements are all precise, each bed frame just needs a master craftsman to finish the details like slats and trims then assemble”.

“Is that right! That’s my specialty”, Beetle said leaning back in his chair staring at Kamryn’s profile.

Her eye did look sore and puffy but it didn’t detract from her features, if anything it gave her a more badass kind of look, something that suited her better.

“I’m a builder by trade compliments of the army, I got an apprenticeship when I joined. But I prefer building furniture and cleaning up shoddy work like the door frames at the club”.

“You did, you did. I remember! You carved out those bar stools as well. Nice work I must say. You like working with wood?” asked Bob eating some more pizza, even though it had lost its heat sitting in open boxes which were nearly empty.

“Did the paneling, the one’s you already know”, Beetle said, referring to the hidden panels he had installed.

“Excellent work”, he said nodding his head. “Kamryn too does excellent work, but she prefers blacksmithing”.

“Hardwork for a sheila!” Beetle said raising his can and saluting Kam before taking a drink.

“A sheila?” Kam said raising to the bait before biting her lower lip and looking at her mother to see her seething.

Bob laughed then shook his head.

“Well! I’m full to the brim and full of drink. How about we see that excellent work?” Frost offered, stretching his arms above his head and looking at Mai for approval, she was the one who wore the pants in the relationship after all ...

“Good suggestion. Hoa anh đào?” (Cherry blossom?)

“Yes darling. Do you fellas want to stay the night outback in the workshop? See no reason for you to ride all the way home after drinking more than me”.

“That’s a mighty fine offer bob, thanks".

“Kamryn get some fresh linen and meet the men in the backyard. I will clean up the kitchen then retire. My daughter has taken enough of my time today. May I say welcome for coming to our home and bid you goodnight”, Mai said standing.

“Sweetheart, bring some more beers when you come, will you?”

“Yes dad or just take some with you now?” she asked a little sarcastically drawing another narrowed look from her mother.

“We will be, plus what you bring”, Bob said leading the way out the back door with Craig and Gabe following.

“Cripes! Bluther! Gooby-wot!” Kamryn exclaimed helping her mother clean up.

“Serves you right! Now go and get the fresh linen, those two men can sleep on the foldout couch and your bunk”.

**

“For Pete ’sake stop whistling you tool”, Frost said nudging Beetle as they walked in the back yard following a wonky Bob.

“Just feeling a bit of a win bro. Food, beers, hospitality now this ... all seems a bit surreal. I mean fucken’ hell!”

Beetle's swear word earning him a shit eating grin from Frost.

“Yeah well! I gotta admit, it filled the hole in my gut and my leg is aching like a motha fucka tbh”.

“You ain’t limpin’?”

“Doesn’t mean it’s not hurtin’ cunt face”.

“Dip shit!”

“Cockhead”.

“Needing to let it all out I hear”, said Bob laughing from upfront.

“Yeah! Sorry about that. Ain’t used to being on our best behavior around woman”, said Beetle feeling like a tool.

“My wife appreciated your efforts, she noticed how you made corrections earlier. As for Kamryn, she’s still only eighteen going on thirty-six”, Bob said unlocking an impressive wooden door with metal hinges, an old-style lock and key with built in metal bars that looked like a peep window.

“Is that ... is that an old jailer’s door?” Beetle asked looking at the craftmanship more closely.

“Looks like it hmmm. No, one my daughter fashioned, didn’t want us walking in willy-nilly. Said it gave her privacy by treating us like criminals”, Bob said laughing while opening the said door.

“Well, I’ll be damned! Could have used a few of these back at the club, be good for the fu ... sleep over rooms”, said Frost correcting his english.

Bob burst out laughing even harder. “I’m not that innocent. I know what you men get up to, just stay away from my daughter”, he added more seriously. “She’ll knock your block off!”

She can knock my block off any time she likes thought Beetle entering the door behind Frost.

If Kamryn was eighteen going on thirty-six that made her ten years younger than Beetle. Doable if Bob was twenty years older than Mai. Can’t have double standards now, can we!

**