Beautiful Deceit

by Albany Walker

  I expect to hear footsteps, but instead I see a large hand drop in front of my face.

  "You gonna stay down there all day?" He jokes. I place my hand in his so he won't think I'm rude, but I heave my weight up myself, overly conscious of my size compared to his fit physique.

  I drop his hand quickly, but not fast enough to not notice how his big hand felt wrapped around mine. The warm and callous-roughened skin makes me wish I didn't have to let go. It feels intimate, intoxicatingly so.

  Now standing, it's easy to see he towers over my five foot, four inch frame. My eyes raise, and I notice his hands clenched at his sides. My stomach twists. My thoughts spiral to the past as my eyes dart up to his face which is mostly covered by a baseball cap. I take one step back creating a safe distance.

  "I think that kid will remember that encounter for the rest of his life. You made his day." He says, his voice low as it plays across my alert nerves. He still sounds playful. Relaxing a bit, I realize he's not threatening me.

  "How so?" I ask politely while trying to conceal the anxiety of my tone.

  The stranger’s lips, the only part of his expression I can read, turn up a little more causing a salacious grin.

  "You don't know why he ran into you do you?" he questions with a tilt of his head. I shake my head in denial.

  His head falls back as he laughs lowly. The overhead lights shine down affording me a better view of his face. He's---holy shit he's gorgeous.

  My stomach knots and I remember he's asked me a question, so I answer. "It was an accident, I’m sure." He looks down again obscuring his face. I'm grateful I can think more clearly without the view.

  He still seems amused, but shakes his head before explaining, "He was checking out your ass." He looks down. “Hard not to,” he adds almost guiltily. My mouth drops open.

  "He was not," I admonish, ignoring the insult.

  "Ah, yeah he was," he states like he's certain. I scoff quietly and turn to grab my half-full cart. I drop the ruined strawberries on the top and start walking away. His low chuckle and even lower murmur almost stop me in my tracks. Whatever he said it was too low for me to hear. I keep moving forward determined to leave quickly. I sweep my hands quickly over my rear making sure the sweater is still covering my bottom.

  At the register, I'm greeted by Melinda. She smiles easily and offers small talk while ringing up my groceries.

  "Is Jude working tonight?" She asks looking up briefly.

  "Yeah he's there," I say distractedly.

  "Great, I think I'll stop by after work,"she finishes with a knowing smile.

  Jude has his own following. I think half the customers that come in during his shift are more interested in ogling the handsome man than they are in books. I sigh inwardly but plaster a smile on my lips. If only my book store brought in as much business as my flirtatious barista.

  I nod before replying, "I'm sure he'd like that." I cringe at the false hope I've just given her, but to say he's taken by a man just as lovely as himself would probably cause a small riot in my store along with a loss of business we can't afford.

  A throat clears behind me, drawing my attention away from the clearly smitten young woman in front of me. When my eyes meet the same helpful, yet mocking stranger, my cheeks flush. I turn back to Melinda; she tells me my total.

  "You're not walking with all these bags tonight, are you?" She questions. "I'm pretty sure Phil can wave a cab down for you." She calls Phil over to do just that before I can even muster a response. "Phil will you get Samantha a cab please?" I open my mouth to protest, but the older man with wide set eyes and an easy smile nods.

  "Hiya Sammy. You look so pretty today. " His soft checks lift even further, and my heart melts at his familiar greeting and compliment.

  "Aww, thank you Phil. You look quite dashing yourself. Is that a new tie?" His chubby hands smooth over the tie knotted at his throat that depicts Scooby Doo eating a giant slice of pizza. It suits him so well that my smile grows into a grin.

  "Mom found it on eBay! Isn't it great?" I nod and grab a few of my bags. Melinda provides cloth bags for return customers. Phil grabs the rest.

  I turn back and address Melinda, "I forgot my other bags today. I'll drop them by tomorrow before I open the store." She nods, and I wave before as Phil asks if I have any new comic books in.

  I'm in luck. A cab stops at the curb moments after we step out the door. Phil is finishing up with loading the trunk when the door to the store clicks open, revealing the strong figure of my playful stranger. His eyes and upper face are still obscured by the bill of his ball cap, but I can feel him looking right at me. His finger grazes the brim like he might actually be tipping his hat at me. He grins, and the shadow caused by the cap frames it. Why would such a handsome man hide his face like that?

  I shake my head and hand Phil a ten for helping me with my bags.

  "I'll see you soon Phil. Be good."

  His face is serious as he responds, "I will Sammy.”

  Chapter 2

  After paying for the short cab ride home, I drop my bags in the entry. I check my box for mail as it’s only a few steps from the main entrance. I gladly find it empty. I use the store’s mailing address, so the only mail I get at home is junk.

  I have frequented the BB & B daily since I first moved to New York with my school being only a couple blocks away. I found solace in the quiet old store. Mr. B, noticing my regular presence, started giving me odd jobs to do. I began taking on more responsibilities in the store during my senior year, suggesting he bring his business into the twenty-first century by taking his store online. He questioned the need for an online store but told me if I set it up for him I could share in the profits.

  The summer I graduated high school, I got the page up and running. A year later Mr. B's profits were soaring. A year after that, he handed me the keys and said there was no one else who would take better care of his store.

  Mr. B now lives in Hawaii. I still send him a share of the profit, plus a fixed rate for purchasing the building and business. Sometimes, things are slow, and I have to pay my employees from my own account, but I always manage enough to send my payments to him. Rita left me more money than I could ever spend. Without Rita and Mr. B, I'm not sure where I'd be today.

  It takes me three trips up the stairs to deliver all my bags. You'd think all the walking and taking the stairs repeatedly would shrink my fat ass, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. With that thought I’m reminded of the stranger’s deep voice telling me about the boy caught staring at my behind. I scoff but think it's big enough to draw attention and I guess public comment.

  After putting everything where it belongs, I collect all the cloth bags and the few from my previous trip. I place them on the small table near my door. Hopefully, I'll remember to return them in the morning.

  Tired from the long day, I decide to make a simple dinner. I sit down and enjoy some mindless television as I eat, trying to blot the stranger’s comment from my mind.

  A few episodes in, my phone vibrates with a notification. I grab it from the ottoman that doubles as a coffee table with the large tray on it.

  The store’s Facebook account has a new follower.

  Beau Winchester is now following you.

  The picture that pops up is a blue Great Dane with one light blue eye and one so dark it almost looks black. His big droopy eyes give him a sad look while the sun shines down on his beautiful smooth coat, making it gleam. In the background of the picture is a large, grassy field. I can just barely make out a white split rail fence and a huge red barn. It’s a relief to see the large dog has room to run and play. Living in the city, it’s sad to see large dogs trapped in studio apartments. You can feel how much the person taking the picture loves this animal.

  I click the picture to navigate to the page itself. Unfortunately, it's marked private. I can only see a few images none of which are depicting a person, but it says Beau lives in Lake Tahoe and is twenty-nine years old. The profile
doesn't raise any red flags, so I go back to the store’s page and see it's been quiet all week. I add a quick post.

  Status Update: B B & B is feeling: useless