by J Marie
Topsy Turvy Kinda Love
Copyright © 2020 by J Marie
All rights reserved.
All rights reserved worldwide.
No part of this book may be reproduced, copied or transmitted in any medium, whether electronic, internet or otherwise, without the expressed permission of the author. This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, locations, and names occurring in this book are the product of the author’s imagination or are the property of their respective owners and are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual events, locations, or persons (living or dead), is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author. All trademarks and trade names are used in a fictitious manner and are in no way endorsed by or an endorsement of their respective owners.
May contain sexual situations, violence, sensitive and offensive language, and mature topics.
Recommended for age 18 years and up.
Cover Design: Book Cover Kingdom
Editing: Jenny Dillion
Proofreading: Yvette Deon
Formatting: Champagne Book Design
Title Page
Copyright
Novels by J Marie
Dedication
Topsy Turvy Kinda Love Playlist
Epigraph
About This Book
Prologue
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Epilogue
Extra Epilogue
Topsy Turvy Signature Drink Recipe
Other Titles by J Marie
Acknowledgments
Stay Connected
About the Author
NOVELS BY J MARIE
Standalones
Second Chance Rescue
Topsy Turvy Kinda Love
425 Madison Ave Series
Melting Wynter
Moonshine Springs Novels
Written in the Sand
Dedicated to those struggling this year.
To those who persevere when things get tough.
To those who still fight even though it seems useless.
To faith and hope that things will get better.
To love and those who love us.
To compassion for those who need it.
To those who lend a helping hand when they don’t have one to lend.
To those who need a voice.
To those too afraid to give love a chance.
To You…
For continuing to read my words time and time again faithfully.
Crush by David Archuleta
Heart Attack by Demi Levato
Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran
Harder (with Bebe Rexha) by Jax Jones
Bad Guy by Billie Ellish
Into You by Ariana Grande
Living Proof by Camila Cabello
As You Need by Alex Aiono
It's You by Ali Gatie
Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon
If We Never Met by John K
“Your love is like alcohol. Life threat.”
—Yatish Jottings
Brooks
I ran under the cover of darkness with only a duffel bag to my name.
Once you leave the compound, you’re spiritually dead, outlawed, excluded.
I wanted more to live outside of everything I’d ever known.
What I found was Mia.
I can see my ring on her finger.
Her heart in my palm.
Her name on my lips.
My child in her belly.
And I’ll do just about anything to get it, even sex lessons if that’s all she’ll give me.
Mia
I’m your average bartender with a bad little habit.
I won’t deny it, I like a little weed while I paint.
Creative juices and all.
My life is just fine until I meet him.
He says he only wants sex lessons, but I know that’s a lie.
He wants me,
To wear his ring.
A white picket fence and two point five kids.
But I’m not sure how to love and I’m not sure I want to try.
We’ll see if Brooks is up to the challenge of calming this cotton-candy haired badass.
I’d always wondered if one solitary moment had the potential to change the rest of my life. One single second that could create such an occurrence that every life event after it would differ, just slightly. As if one small particle may change my whole outlook. Standing here, I finally believe it.
Shadows of bright cotton candy colored hair trace along the curve of her shoulders as I watch her hips sway with the movements of each step. My eyes can’t seem to part from her as she approaches. I’m drawn in, entranced from where I stand waiting beside the bar. An erratic beat hammers against my ears and for a moment I wonder if I’m still breathing. Is it possible to breathe without a heartbeat?
The bar is loud, but all I can see is her. The other noise filtered out by my thoughts. She’s been starring as the main act in most of the daydreams I’ve been having for the last week and I can’t seem to turn them off. Not that I want to. She caught my eye the day I interviewed with Eddie and since then it’s been non-stop. All my senses are out of whack—thoughts fluttering in a mad rush to go somewhere—but I can’t pull my eyes away, and the instant replay is available with the snap of a finger.
“Maybe you should just take a photo, handsome,” she says with a wink as she passes by me carrying a tray of drinks.
“What?” I mumble, shaking my head to clear my thoughts.
“You know, there’s this thing called a camera. They’re these devices that take pictures… A picture lasts a lot longer than just staring. Just saying. Oh, and you can even use it to jerk off if you want. I wouldn’t mind you thinking about me while you stroke it, sexy. Now, are you ready to get some work done or should I swing around again so you can get another look?” I barely hear her over the drumming in my ears and the drop of my jaw.
I shake my head, clarity finally spotlighting each word. “What?” My mind spins, trying to process the words that spilled from those red lips.
“The name’s Mia. I’m assuming you’re my trainee for the night?”
I nod my head briefly because words still elude my brain like I’ve been drugged and can’t form them. My lips feel thick like they’re numb. Silence drifts between us like the lightest feather before she speaks again.
“What’s the matter, cat got your tongue, handsome?” She laughs and my ears rejoice at the sound of it. How smooth it flows from her lips. Those bright red lips that beg for touch. “Okie dokey then, you’ll be working behind the bar with me tonight. Over there is Zara. You’ll meet the waitresses when they pop back over for drink orders.”
She points behind her to the other bartender. Zara’s tall with jet black hair, nails, lips, piercings, and dark eyeshadow. My mother had warned me about people that looked like her. Like they worshipped the devil. One of those demonic cults. Sorry, mother, you’re not here to warn me off this time. I let my eyes wander over the bar and notice a theme. It’s like the island of misfit toys—hippies and piercings galore.
The one she calls Zara pipes up before I can respond. “Damn, he’s a weird one. Where’d Eddie find this one?” she says it as if I’m not standing right there, listening to every word.
“You’re one to t
alk.” Mia smarts back at her.
I shrug my shoulders, letting their words slip into the air between us and disappear. It’s not the first time someone has called me weird, and I can guarantee it won’t be the last. I’m finding out that things, where I came from, are definitely different than they are around here.
The compound I grew up in didn’t allow for many visitors and the rules were strict, so to say that I’m socially unaware wouldn’t be an understatement. Once a year, they’d have a fair, but it was only for the compound families. The main events every week were church related. We were founded on strict beliefs about life and faith. Both things I couldn’t see myself adhering to for the rest of my time on this earth. I wanted out, but once you did, you were outcast, shunned.
Today marks the first day of work at my new job. Topsy Turvy is located in a college town. One where everyone buzzes around and most days Main Street is packed. There are endless things to do– karaoke, coffee shops, diners, bookstores, ice cream shops, various knick-knack stores, and candy shops. One of these days, I plan to actually walk around and see what all this town has to offer. But today isn’t that day.
Mia moves to make her way behind the bar when a gust of cotton candy fills my nose as the front door sweeps open. This new aroma makes my mouth water, begging for more of that sweet candy flavor. It’s not the first time this scent has intrigued me, tortured my senses. It took over for the first time just one week ago. She starts fiddling with glassware and I can’t help but admire the ease she has as she moves.
The bar is getting louder as more people pile in through the front door. Everything fades away to the back of my mind as I watch her. The voices and laughter get increasingly less loud and pronounced.
Her eyes find mine, her smile creeping up to her eyes. She winks and I’m a goner. I let my gaze trail over the pristine features of her face, lost in a fog of pink, blue, and purple colored hair, and vibrant sapphire blue eyes. I should pause my urge to ogle her like a creep, but she’s one of the reasons I left the compound. I knew the world held more for me—dating who I wanted to and marrying for love.
“Okay, you ready to finally get to work? We only have a couple hours before your first night, so I’m going to need you to get your head in the game, okay, handsome?”
The beautiful cotton candy haired temptress waves her hand in front of my face and I blink slowly. “Dude, did you hear me? Hey, are you okay?”
A bell goes off in my brain that I need to speak, but words won’t form. They clog in a ball in my throat, cutting off my airway.
What the hell is wrong with me? I swallow once, then clear my throat. “Uh, yeah. I’m good. My bad.” Embarrassment floods my face with color.
Her rainbow hair bounces as she cocks her hip, hand falling to her waist. There is no shame in my ogling as my eyes trace along every curve and dip of her body. Satan himself couldn’t pull me away from taking in every inch of her gorgeous figure. In fact, he’s probably cheering in glee at the unbridled lust raging through me. Her skin is like porcelain and I wonder how soft it is to the touch. How it would taste against my tongue. I want her, and I’d almost, almost sell my soul to get her. If mother could see me now…
A smile covers most of her face. “Alrighty, then. Now that we’ve gotten the awkward part over with, let’s start with a blowjob.”
I swallow. She wants to do that with me? I look around to see if anyone else is looking; I’m in luck. No one is. I point to my crotch right as she lets off a snort followed by a laugh.
I lean over and whisper, “You said blowjob…didn’t you mean…” I motion down south again, and she laughs harder.
“Handsome, I’m down for anything you want to do, but right now. I’m talking about the blowjob cocktail—Irish cream and amaretto. Can you grab those?”
I curl my fist into a ball, embarrassment flushing my skin. I can’t believe I really thought that she was going to… Of course, she wouldn’t do that with me. She doesn’t even know me. But her response confuses me. Does down for anything mean she’d really want to do that with me? Are girls outside the compound really that outgoing?
I sigh, feeling like a moron. I’ve never had interactions with women that didn’t have a chaperone, so I’m not entirely sure how to interpret her words. I know what I want them to mean, but if I’m wrong things could go poorly.
I can’t resist her. Something about her calls to me, and I can’t quite put my finger on it. A mirror beaconing me to the light that flints over her when the sun hits her just right.
A soft palm falls on my shoulder. “Hey, you sure you’re okay?” Her brow furrows.
I give a small nod, too many thoughts overwhelming me right now. She moves effortlessly, and slings drinks like it’s second nature, while I fumble over my damn words like a petulant child. I want to learn more about her. She’s my complete opposite, and it intrigues me.
I also need her to like me. To want to get to know me. But not just because she’s my trainer.
I’ve taken entirely too much time staring at her and not enough time getting the mix for the drinks she requested just a few minutes ago. Moving quickly, I grab the amaretto and Irish cream.
“So handsome, tell me your story? All those dark and dirty secrets. Why do you blush when I say something naughty? Why did you decide to work at a bar with no prior experience?”
I keep quiet because I have no idea how to respond. So I just stand there sunbathing in her attention, like a lizard who basks on a rock in the hot summer sun. For some reason, I’m speechless again. It’s starting to become a problem. I am glad that Eddie was willing to offer me this job without any experience. I got lucky. Everyone I’d asked before turned me down on the spot.
I open my mouth to speak up, but she speaks first. Mia is clearly not like the meek girls we have back home.
Her gaze catches mine briefly in between grabbing items. “You just move here?”
“Yep, sure did.”
“You’re a man of few words.” I nod because it’s true. I have no clue what to say to her.
“Okay, so we need a shot glass, shaker, an ounce of amaretto, and an ounce of Irish cream. Grab some ice for the shaker. Measure and add in your amaretto and Irish cream. Then you shake and bake it, baby. Strain it into your shot glass, leaving just a little bit of space for whipped cream. And voila!”
I watch the simplicity of her movements, each as smooth as the last -the curve of her pour, the accuracy of knowing how much to use. I wonder if eventually, I’ll get that proficient with my skills. I can only hope.
So far, I haven’t figured out why it’s actually called the blowjob, but I’m sure she’ll tell me when we get there.
“So, handsome. Want to know how to drink this bad boy?” I nod. “Well, it’s kinda like bobbing for apples. You go down slowly, and then you shoot it back quickly.” She leans down and grabs the drink between those pretty dark lips, before quickly shooting it back into her throat. I watch her swallow like it’s the best porn I’ve ever seen.
“And there you have it. A blowjob.”
I swallow harshly, words lodge inside me. Probably for the best.
For the next hour until the bar opens for the evening, I watch the skillful talent of Mia making all these drinks. It’s like she’s magic. Gliding here and there grabbing bottles, pouring, making drinks. I have a notebook and make notes as we go. I may look like a nerd, but if that’s what I need to remember these drinks, then so be it.
College students file in slowly throughout the night. Mingling, dancing, eating, and drinking. Mia delegates me to grabbing people beers and straight liquor. Someone whistles over the bar, and she signals to them that she’ll be with them in just a minute and turns back to me. “You going to be alright for a minute? Zara is down the bar if you need her…”
My head spins. Probably not, but I’ll do it anyhow. “But what if…” The words start to spill from my lips finally.
I look up at her, but yet again, words fall flat, my sentence incomp
lete. “Hey, look. It’s only beer, Zara’s doing the hard stuff. You’ve got this. I believe in you, handsome.”
I simply nod. I don’t know how to respond. She smiles, shaking her head. “Alright, you. Go grab a beer for the guy at the end of the bar.” Walking to drop off the beer, I ponder to myself as she walks away to help another customer. I’ve never seen anyone who looks like her before, and I’m drawn to her instantly. She’s unlike any other woman I’ve met, and I can’t help but want to know more.
My, prominent leader of the compound, father would tell me that my thoughts about her verge on the side of sinful, but they’re not here to do anything about it this time—no preaching to me about the ways of the devil and lust. No beating me with a belt and demanding I repent.
Back home, there was a zero staring policy when it came to women. If you looked too long, it was considered lust.
The shift has flown by, and my feet ache from being on them all night but doing this feels right. Supporting myself, doing what I want to do for the first time in my life. I’m not dragged down with rules or smacked for doing the wrong thing.
The best part is her.
Mia comes over to cash out a patron’s tab and I watch her delicate fingers push buttons on the cash register. I’ve got a lot to learn, and I’m not afraid to put in the work.
“Good work tonight, handsome. Same time and place tomorrow.” I nod my head and start to walk away.
She hollers at me, “Hey, Brooks.”
I spin around, my eyes landing on those sapphire blues. “You’ll be making sex drinks in no time.” She winks at me.
I never expected someone like her and now that I know she exists; I’m going to do whatever I have to do to make her mine. Even if that means damning my soul to hell forever. Hell, I’m already spiritually dead, what’s another notch.
One year later
“Hey man, hold up for a minute.” Wyatt walks up behind me while I’m in the kitchen. It’s a small space so we take up most of the room. The coffee pot makes sputtering noises as I wait for it to finish.
