Bring Sally Up

Author's Note: Aleksander's speaking parts are supposed to be missing words. He is Russian with a thick accent, so please keep this in mind. :)

Enjoy!

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

"You gotta be fuckin' kidding me." The tall, muscular man said, venting to the empty air. Steam boiled up from beneath the hood of the GT500, making the driver pull off the deserted desert highway. Slamming his fists against the steering wheel, he let loose a growl that an angry lion would have been proud of.

Twisting the key in the ignition, he slumped back in the seat for a moment before the hood was popped and he unfolded his frame from behind the wheel. Stalking around to the front end, he carefully pried the hood up and propped it open as he waited for the smoke and steam to dissipate. Frowning heavily, he leaned his hands against the edge before thrusting himself away and looked up and down the road.

"I better be able to get through." Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he slid back into the driver's seat and dialed the number for On Star. Dialing through the various questions, he drummed his fingers on the wheel as he was put through to a live agent.

"This is Tonya with On Star, how may I help you?"

"My name is Aleksandr Baranova, my car just broke down and I like to figure out where nearest mechanic's shop with tow truck is, please Tonya."

"Of course Mr. Baranova. Just one moment."

He could hear faint clicking for a few moments before the lady spoke once more.

"There is a 'Double L Body Shop" about thirty-five minutes from your current location. Would you like me to call on your behalf or would you like the number yourself?"

"If you could put in call, that be great. I appreciate it."

"Of course. I'll do that right now. It shouldn't be too much longer, Mr. Baranova."

"Thanks." He paused, waiting until she acknowledged his thanks with an overly cheery goodbye before disconnecting the call. Once more, he slumped back in his seat and grimaced at the heat as it began to invade the car's interior. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he quickly unbuttoned his dress shirt and snatched it off before tossing it into the passenger seat.

"This is definitely not a short cut. More like a long fucking cut." He muttered, pushing his anger out through words as he cursed the idea of taking a 'shortcut' through what was, for all intents and purposes, a desert. Hearing the heavy, still dull roar of a heavy-duty truck coming from somewhere in front of him (he hoped) he got out and walked around to stand in front of the car as the huge tow truck appeared and drove by only to turn around and pull up in front of him. He was expecting a big, burly man who probably had facial hair and a beer gut but what hopped out of the truck made his eyes nearly pop out of his head.

She couldn't have been more than 5'2, 5'3 if she was lucky. She looked like a blond version of Rosie the Riveter meets Sway from Gone in 60 Seconds. Complete with the twisted dreads all pinned up with a red bandana tied around her head to keep the thick mass of silver-blonde out of her face. His surprise was quite obvious which she definitely found a little insulting.

"Weren't expecting a chick, were you, fellah?" It was more of a statement than a question but the slight twang of a Southern accent danced through her words like white on rice. Strolling right on past him to the car, she whistled real low before turning her gaze to what was under the hood.

"Hopefully you already know this but your baby got overheated." She backed up and bent down to glance under the car, frowning not only against the harsh light of the sun's rays but because of what she saw as well. "You radiator has a leak and it looks like you might have a bad oil leak too. I'd roll your windows up and such now, before I get her on the truck if I were you. It's easier."

He hadn't said a word as she did and said all that, simply watching and staring at this tiny woman that had been sent in a truck way too big for her to fetch him and his car and bring it back to the body shop. As she moved to get into the truck to back it up a little closer, he finally moved and did as she suggested, rolling the windows up and tucking his phone in his pocket once more as he closed the driver's door.

Beginning the job of hooking the car up securely, she moved to the central control panel and watched it like a hawk as the car was pulled up onto the flat bed. Once it was settled, she double and triple checked everything before gesturing for him to take a seat in the passenger seat. Locking the control panel down, she went and hoisted herself up into the driver's seat and closed the door, buckling up and turning to look at him until he did the same. Arching a brow as he stared at her, she nodded when he finally got the hint and buckled his seat-belt. Finally starting the truck, she checked that nobody was coming up on them on the deserted strip of highway before pulling back onto the road and heading back to town.

Rodney was a town that was barely a half-blip on any radar or map and it was almost a 'don't blink while you're passing through or you'll miss it' type of town. It wasn't filled with fancy-shmancy housing subdivisions nor did it have high rises but what it lacked in modernism, it made up for with the necessities. She glanced at the nameless man and smirked just a little when she saw a bead of sweat roll down the side of his face.

"Doesn't the AC work in this rig?"

"Sucks the diesel up too fast. Feel free to roll your window down though."

He snorted in derision before rolling it down, aggravated blue eyes rolling as hot air washed over him and into the rest of the cab. "Yeah, just went from 105 degrees to 99 and half." Sarcasm was heavily present in his accent tinged voice. Turning her head, she glared at him for a moment before her brow furrowed.

"You ain't no yankee-doodle. Where the hell are you from?"

"Russia."

She narrowed her eyes slightly and shot him a glance as she slowed down and made the turn into the parking lot of the body shop. "You ain't a freakin' commy are you?"

The look he shot her could have killed her and buried her not just six feet under but a hundred and six feet under. "No, I'm no communist." He looked out the window as she pulled around and backed up to one of the empty car bays before getting out as she shoved it into park and popped the emergency brake into place, killing the engine. Moving around to watch as she worked the controls, he crossed his arms and looked to the man that was approaching them both. Finally, a man that looked capable of working on his baby.

"Nice car, man. What happened?"

He was just about to answer when the woman interjected as his car was slowly let down the ramp and onto the ground safely. "She overheated due to leak in radiator but she also has oil leak, too, it looks like."

"Ah man, that sucks ass. I'm Jeffery, this here is Mya if she didn't already introduce herself. I doubt she did. Am I right?"

He took the other man's hand and gave it a firm shake before shooting a glance at the woman named Mya. "No, she didn't bother."

"Neither did you, Mr. Big Shot City Boy." At that she stalked off and tucked a stray twist out of her eyes, looping it under the inside of the bandana as she headed inside the bay to help direct the car back where it needed to be. He watched as she went off into the shop before turning to the man. "Why send out the desk girl to pick up a car when one of you guys could have done it?"

Jeffery looked at him and frowned for a moment before tilting his head in Mya's direction. "We had a lot of cars in until about ten minutes ago. So sometimes she goes out on a run with the truck." Shrugging, Jeffery pointed to the waiting room off to the left side of the building. "We have coffee and water in the lobby if you'd like. We'll fix your baby right up, Mr..."

"Baranova. Aleksandr Baranova."

"Nice to meet you Mr. Baranova. Or if you want, there's a bar and grille just around the corner if you want some real food. One of us can run the keys over to you when we're done."

"That'd be great thanks, been driving for hours, so am a little hungry. Thank you." He watched the man follow the same path the woman had taken and decided to stick around for a few minutes, just to make sure they were going to do their jobs. Leaning against a pillar at the opening of the bay his car was sitting in, he looked over his shoulder as Mya came in from a side door and began walking around to the front where he was standing. When she saw him, she paused and arched a brow, a fierce gaze drilling a hole through him.

"You gunna stand there and watch me the whole time?"

"Wait...you are going to be working on my car?"

Her arms instantly crossed. "You gotta problem with that, macho?"

He crossed his arms as well and waved the fingers of one hand as if to say 'carry on.' Watching her roll her eyes and turn away from him, he finally allowed his gaze to roam over her. For a pint sized woman she had the curves of a full figured woman and the fact that her overalls had been left with the front and the straps down only emphasized the curved widths of her generous hips. It helped that the red of her tank top was tucked in nice and tight, which left little to the imagination. Her chest wasn't huge but he could tell her breasts would fit in his large hands rather well and her unconventional hairstyle actually worked for her. Hell, the grungy-garage chick look worked for her. His fingers began to itch as he fought the urge not to grip those curvaceous hips between his hands and squeeze. Moving closer, he peered over her shoulder as she leaned in under the hood to inspect what all was wrong. "So, where is leak you were talking of?" His English was still broken at times but he was easy to understand, even with the thick accent.

Leaning further in, she pointed out the place towards the bottom of the radiator where she thought the leak might be and was just about to speak when she felt a very large, very obvious grip on her ass. Immediately she reached back, grasped his forearm with both hands and flipped him onto his back on the concrete floor. Putting a boot on his shoulder, she glared down at him. "You got three seconds to apologize or I fuck up this pretty baby of yours where no one will ever be able to fix her. And since this is the only body shop in town and I own the joint, I can guarantee you none of the boys will do you a solid and fix it on the down low."

Surprise heavily laced his features as the wind was knocked out of him upon impact with the ground. Staring up at her, he snarled and wrapped one hand around her ankle as the other gripped the outside of her other thigh and all of a sudden, within the blink of an eye, the positions had been reversed. Hovering over her, he glared down at her and smirked slightly as he kept her pinned against the sun warmed ground. Feeling her pushing at his barrel of a chest, a growl rumbled up from deep within his chest. "Anyone ever tell you that you have pair of hips that make man lose his mind? And ass so round and firm that man would have be blind not to want to touch? I couldn't help self, though it was stupid of me. I apologize." He stood up and held out a hand to her, pulling her up off the ground when his hand practically engulfed hers.

"Do something stupid like that again and you'll be having to buy another car to get outta this town, you hear me? Now, are you gunna hover like a mother hen or are you gunna get outta my hair and let me work?" The sand and tiny pieces of what was basically cat litter (to put on spills for absorbency.) were brushed from the back of her clothing and her hair as she stalked back over to the front end of his car.

"Your man, Jeff'ry mentioned a bar and grille... guess I be there."

"Good, enjoy. Someone will drop the keys off there if you're not back before we're done."

"Sounds good, Mya." It was the first time he had dared to say her name and he inclined his head as he turned and left, heading around the corner Jeffery had pointed to when he mentioned the restaurant.

X-X- A Few Hours Later -X-X

Going around the rest of the shop after checking the lobby, she asked the rest of the guys if they'd seen a giant Russian man around and when all of them said no, she sighed and left them to their cars as she pocketed the keys to the GT500 and started heading down to the corner. Waving at Mr. Lambert as he came out of the barber shop across the street, she called out a cheerful greeting and turned to go into Lana's as she reached the grill house. Pausing just inside the door, she waved at a few people she knew as she looked for the stranger among all the familiar faces. Seeing him at the bar flirting with Lana herself, she let out a chuckle and headed across the room and leaned against the corner of the bar. Taking his keys out of her pocket, she slid them down the bar top and watched as they collided with his bottle of beer. Seeing him look up, she tipped her head at him, said hi to Lana and left just as quickly as she had come. She was still on the clock and just because she was the boss lady, didn't mean she didn't work just as hard as her guys did. Jogging back to the shop, she headed into the lobby and started plugging in everything she'd had to fix and replace on his car, knowing she'd probably never see such a nice muscle car ever again. Well, besides Jeffery's, but that was different. She was just hitting print for his invoices when the bell over the door rang as he walked in. Looking up, she laid both copies on the counter facing him and dropped a silver pen down on top of the one that he would need to sign after he paid. Watching him for a moment as he scanned his copy, she turned to grab her big gulp and took a sip just as he spoke.

"Six hundred forty seven dollar? You have to be shitting me, Lady."

She turned back to him and leaned over the edge of the counter to begin pointing things out to him.

"You're real lucky it ain't higher, bud. I had to replace the radiator completely, also had to flush your motor and top off all your fluids because obviously it's not one of your top priorities. I also fixed the oil leak and replaced your spark plugs and a head gasket. Normally all that would be higher but I gave you a discount for having good taste in cars, even if you neglect it." She stared at him as he brought his gaze up to meet hers. Smirking when he grumbled, she stood up straight once more and took a sip from her drink as he reached back for his wallet. Arching a brow when he began to get frantic as he shoved his hands into all his pockets, he pulled a hundred dollar bill, two twenties and a fifty out of one pocket but growled when he didn't find what he was looking for.

"Somebody stole wallet. I thought small towns suppose to have non-existent crime rate?"

"You're shitting me, right? You expect me to believe that someone stole your wallet, dude?"

"See for yourself, was in pocket earlier, now is gone., I had it earlier and now I don't."

Lifting herself up onto her forearms on the counter, she peered at his pockets as he turned them inside out one by one, finally getting the chance to stare and appreciate the obviously hard packed muscle of his thighs and ass.

"Alright well...I can't just write you off, this is a business, got it? Maybe you can work around the shop and shit and we can work something out."

"You are kidding right?"

"Did you expect that I'd accept your rugged good looks as payment? I don't think so. If you don't have the cash or credit to cover the invoice, you can pay in labor. Sounds more than fair to me. You afraid you'll break a nail, city boy?" She arched a brow once more, pushing the blonde twists of hair back from her face as she dabbed at the sweat along her forehead with her bandana. Picking the invoices up, she grabbed a folder from under the counter and placed them inside before setting the file by the computer. Rounding the counter, she held the door open and nodded towards the shop as she called for Jeffery.

"Jeff, Mr. Baranova here has had his wallet stolen. He'll be our free labor for a bit."

"Oooh, a new shop bitch. Cool, come on, let's get to work."

X-X- A Couple Hours Later -X-X

Walking out into the shop after going over the books for the previous week, she frowned when she heard a set of raised voices coming from the second car bay. Heading that way, she walked in on a verbal fight just before it came to blows and instantly inserted herself between Aleksandr and one of the other guys, Julio.

"Would you just shut your mouth, stop complaining and do the fucking work? You're lucky home girl doesn't tear the new stuff back outta your car and leave it the same way it came in, pretty boy."

"This shit is fucking ridiculous!"

"Hey! Hey! HEY!" Each time she got a little louder until she screamed it at the top of her lungs. Smacking Julio on the side of the head, she turned her head as her gaze jumped between the two would-be combatants. "What's the problem here?"

"He can't go five minutes without complaining. It's getting on everyone's fucking nerves, Mya. Can't that brain in your pretty little head figure out some other way to have him pay the invoice?"

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she sighed heavily and waved Julio off as she nodded. "I'll figure something out. You." She looked to Aleksandr. "My office, now." She turned on her heel and stalked off to the room behind the lobby and opened the door, holding it open as he followed along behind her, wiping the grease and oil from his hands. Hooking the toe of her shoe around the back leg of a chair, she snatched it back from the front of her desk so he could sit down before moving to sit in the chair behind the computer screen. Sinking down, she rolled it back a little and leaned back, her fingers twining together tightly as she rested them just below her breasts. Pinning her gaze on him, she narrowed her eyes as he sat down and still managed to fill the entire room with his presence.

"What the hell am I gonna do about you?"

He met her gaze with his own, both sets of blue eyes battling silently for a long set of moments before he shifted and leaned in to rest his elbows on the edge of her desk. "I'm good for the money, I think you can see that with own two eyes. I wouldn't have such nice car if I wasn't." He watched her scoff faintly before she mimicked his posture. Resting her chin on her hands, she shook her head slightly, just enough for him to see it before she spoke.

"I don't care if you drive a gorgeous car. I'm not going to let you just drive off after having almost nine hundred dollars worth of repairs. My business does pretty good, for a small town, but that ain't happening, sorry bud."

"I want buy dinner for both of us."

For a moment she thought she had imagined it but as his face grew expectant as he awaited her answer, she realized he had really just asked her out. Raising a brow, she cocked her head and stared at him for another long moment.

"You're not offering me dinner as a way to get out of your bill, are you? Because that won't work either."

"Nyet. I have enough for dinner and a night in a hotel as I file report with police. Besides...I owe you better apology for earlier. Say yes."

She knew he meant it as a question but with his heavy accent, he made it sound like an order which would have rubbed her the wrong way if she didn't know any better. Thinking about it, she leaned back once more and fiddled with the box chain around her neck before nodding once. "Sure, to make your apology actually mean something. I'll even be nice and go with you to the Sheriff's office if you want."

"Would be nice of you yes, thank you. What time do I pick you up?"

"Oh I don't think so mister smooth talker. I'll pick you up at the motel. No hard feelings but as a business woman I gotta ask you to leave your keys here." She watched the heavy frown come across his face before reaching out to accept his keys when he reluctantly handed them over. Setting them in her safety deposit box in the hidden bottom of her desk drawer, she locked both the box and the drawer and then brought her attention back to him.