Laid Out

by Sidney Halston

  “So tequila is the drink of choice tonight?” the shorter man asked as he as his friend came over to their booth.

  “It sure is, sugar,” JL said, sliding over to make room.

  “Are you sure it’s okay? We wouldn’t want to intrude,” Batman said, looking first at Travis and then at Violet.

  “Oh, no, it’s fine.” Violet pointed across the booth. “That’s my friend, JL, and her twin brother and my friend, Travis. I’m Violet.”

  “It’s very nice to meet you, Violet. I’m Peter Ward,” Batman said. “And this is Sam McKenzie, my business partner.” Everyone shook hands, and Peter and Sam sat down, gesturing to Penny to bring more drinks to the table.

  It turned out that the men were in town on business for a few days; Peter was single, and Sam was married with a little boy waiting for him back home in Ohio. “Would it be rude if we ordered some food? We’re starving. We left a meeting, and this is the first place we saw, so we came in hoping to get something to eat. You all want anything?”

  “Here, I’ll take your order. I work here too,” JL said. “If we wait for Penny to come by again, you’ll have died of hunger.” A moment later JL walked their order to the kitchen, then came back and sat down again. For the next half hour the bunch laughed, drank, and eventually ate.

  When the waitress took their plates away, Peter stretched, flung his arm over the back of the seat, and inched a little closer to Violet; with his other hand he patted his lean stomach. “Wow. Way to impress the pretty girl, huh? A full rack of ribs, fries, a beer. I hope I don’t have barbeque sauce all over my face,” he said with a sexy smile. “I wish you’d let me buy you dinner or something.”

  Violet laughed. “I already ate, but thank you for the offer. And no, you don’t have barbeque sauce all over your face. Just on half of it.” She pointed to his face, and he blushed. She chuckled. “I was just teasing. No worries.”

  “Can I at least buy you dessert?”

  “How ’bout we share? They make a great Key lime pie here.”

  “Sounds perfect.” Peter smiled and signaled to the waitress.

  Peter was nice, Violet thought—sweet and very funny. He seemed down to earth, and he was smoking hot. He’d stripped his black suit jacket off and slung it carelessly over the seat. She liked that he didn’t seem pretentious even though he looked financially well-off. He’d long ago loosened his tie, and the top button of his shirt was open, giving her a peek at the tanned skin that lay beneath. He was very attractive in a classy sort of way, unlike the men she’d befriended from WtF Academy, who were all edgier, bulkier, and rugged in their appeal.

  Unable to resist, she turned her head. Cain was sitting in the same place at the bar, but his date wasn’t beside him any longer. His jaw twitched and his lips were a thin line. His eyes were pinned directly on her. Quickly she turned back around.

  “Well, looky looky.” Travis came over to Cain, who was not at all in the mood for conversation. “Seems like Violet finally got herself a man.”

  Cain stared at Violet as she laughed, her hand occasionally brushing the man’s arm. Her freckles were covered by makeup and her green eyes were shining.

  Just then the door to the Pier opened, and Tony walked back inside. He went to the bar, spoke briefly to Penny, then came over to join Cain and Travis.

  “Had to come back—Francesca left her wallet,” Tony said as he slapped Travis’s and Cain’s shoulders. “What are you two lookin’ at?” But before the men could reply, Tony followed their line of vision. “Oh, shit. Is that Violet? On a date?”

  “Nah,” Travis said, then corrected himself. “Well, maybe. He’s some suit that’s in town for a coupla days. Peter seems taken with Violet, don’t you think?” He nudged Cain.

  “Peter?” Cain snarled. “Stupid fuckin’ name.”

  “Guess I lost my shot,” Travis said with a lift of his shoulder.

  “You interested in Violet?” Cain roared without meaning to.

  Travis leaned back, his elbows on the bar. “ ’Course I’m interested. Any man with eyes is interested. Sweet, sassy, and single. Isn’t that right, Chatty?”

  Cain slammed his beer down and turned around to face Travis. “Don’t call me that.”

  “You see, Travis? This right here,” Tony said, pointing to Cain, “is what my therapist calls avoidance. Misplaced anger, if you will.” Tony and Travis laughed. Cain did not.

  Just then he heard Violet’s laughter clear across the room. He downed the rest of his beer. Damn, the woman had an infectious laugh. Growing up, he’d heard it over and over again, and the sound usually made him think of home. But tonight her laugh felt more like nails on a chalkboard, because she was laughing with some guy who might be a serial killer. Who the fuck was this Peter, anyway? She shouldn’t be so open and trusting with someone she didn’t know. She really should be more cautious.

  “You know, you could come join us,” Travis said as he headed back over to the booth.

  Tony left, too, leaving Cain once again sitting there alone. Stewing.

  Fuck it, he thought, and walked over to the table.

  JL looked up from the conversation she’d been having with the group. “Yeah, uh, this is our bouncer.”

  Travis rolled his eyes, “Don’t tease him. Peter, Sam, this is Cain.” The men stuck their hands out and Cain reluctantly shook them, but his eyes were on Violet. Her face seemed completely neutral, and he wasn’t sure what to make of it. “Why don’t you grab a chair and join us, Cain?” Travis asked.

  Cain reached behind him, pulled over a chair, and straddled it backward, his forearms crossed over the back of the chair. A moment later, Penny set a slice of pie on the table in front of Violet and Peter.

  Sam, JL, and Travis made an effort to include Cain in their conversation, and while he nodded or shook his head at the appropriate times and answered when necessary, his eyes continued to roam over to the cozy couple sharing dessert.

  “Oh, man. I’m sorry,” Peter said, standing up and gesturing at Violet’s finger, which had a dab of whipped cream on it. “I think you’re making me nervous. I’ll go get you some napkins.”

  While Peter walked over to get the napkins, Violet addressed Cain.

  “Why are you here?” she whispered.

  “Drinking.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Drinking? Really? Where’s your date?”

  Cain shrugged.

  She leaned closer. “I get it. You’re like this man of mystery. You grunt or nod and scowl at me from across the room instead of using actual words. Super cool, right? Wrong! It’s annoying. You do have a tongue in there, so you should probably use it,” she said mockingly, the alcohol giving her bravado. She reached forward and touched his lips with her thumb, forgetting there was whipped cream on it. “Open up. Is there a tongue in there, or did you swallow it?” she said playfully.

  Just as she was about to pull her hand away, Cain grabbed her thumb gently with his teeth without thinking about it. Violet was so shocked she couldn’t move.

  In the middle of the Pier, with JL, Travis, and Sam in the booth next to them, Cain gently bit down on Violet’s thumb and then sucked as his tongue played with the pad of her thumb, his heated gaze never leaving hers. He repeated the sensual assault on her finger until every last bit of whipped cream was gone and her mouth was open in disbelief.

  He pulled her finger out of his mouth with a pop, then licked the inside of her wrist and kissed it. He leaned in, his voice husky. “Trust me. I have a tongue.”

  He stood up and turned—almost crashing into Peter, who stood slack-jawed, holding a wad of napkins in his hand. He gave Peter a short nod before walking back to the bar.

  Time seemed to stand still for a moment before Peter slid back in. “Guess you don’t need napkins.”

  Violet couldn’t speak.

  JL addressed Peter. “They’re just old friends.”

  “Well, isn’t this a friendly little town,” Sam said with a laugh, breaking the tension, and Vi
olet took the opportunity to pull her hand down to her lap. It was still tingling from the sensation of Cain’s mouth on her fingers. She could still feel his teeth and tongue on her thumb, which apparently had a direct connection to all her girly parts.

  He just freakin’ sucked on my finger!

  And damn if she wasn’t completely turned on.

  After that little display, the mood at the table changed, and less than twenty minutes later Sam and Peter paid the bill, said their goodbyes, and left. Peter hadn’t even bothered asking for her number. Even with her lack of experience, Violet knew enough to know that men usually frowned upon having their potential dates fondled in front of them by other men.

  As soon as they’d gone and Travis had gotten up to get them some more shots, JL leaned across the table. “What in the holy fuck was that?”

  “He sucked my finger?” she said. It came out sounding like a question.

  “He sucked your finger?” JL repeated.

  “And nibbled, too. He definitely nibbled. And then he licked and kissed my wrist. In a bar.”

  “Jesus Christ!” JL said. She sat back and fanned her face with a napkin. “Wow. I think I just came a little.”

  Violet laughed. “Okay, it’s messed up on so many levels. We don’t have that sort of relationship. We’re just friends. But holy smokes, it was pretty…wow.”

  “This game you two are playing is dangerous. It’s not going to end well,” JL warned.

  “What am I supposed to do? Do you think I walked in here tonight thinking, ‘Gee, I hope Cain sucks my finger?’ I’m not even creative enough to have thought that would be as hot as it was.”

  “Tell him how you feel.”

  “Which is what? Lust? I can’t do that.”

  Travis walked back and slid into the booth with some more shots of tequila. Violet downed one and instantly felt a little lightheaded and a lot happy.

  Cain had been watching from the other side of the bar, and now he walked over. “Enough,” he said, his voice deep.

  Violet snorted. “Enough,” she said, mimicking Cain’s voice.

  “Enough. Luke, I am your father,” JL chimed in, doing her best Darth Vader impression.

  “Another round!” Violet exclaimed, her hands up in the air.

  Ticked off, Cain shook his head and signaled to Penny for the bill.

  “Noooo,” Violet whined.

  “Come on.” Cain took Violet’s forearm and pulled her out of the booth.

  “Where’s your girlfriend? You didn’t even introduce her. I hope you’re nicer to her than you are to me. Maybe that’s why she left. Or did you kick her out?” she said as she pulled her hand from Cain’s grip. “Maybe you left her. That does seem to be your thing. Leaving.”

  Cain reached for her arm again. “Stop fighting me, damn it!”

  “You stop! You’re not in charge of me.”

  “Yes I am!” Cain growled out. All night she had taunted him. Batting those long lashes. Smiling! Why did she have to smile so fucking much! And now she was baiting him. He’d had enough.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Never mind. Stop being difficult. Let’s go.” He pulled her by the elbow out of the bar and toward the parking lot.

  She yanked her arm away. “No. Tell me right now what’s going on. I can’t do this anymore, Cain. We used to be inseparable. We used to be best friends. Today at the clinic, I thought maybe you’d gotten over whatever crawled up your behind, since you were sort of nice. But then tonight you glared at me the whole time, and I thought you were super mad at me. Then you licked my freakin’ finger! What was that all about?” Her eyes watered. “Since you came into my life again, I’ve cried more than I have in years. And now? You yell that you’re in charge of me? What does that even mean?”

  “Fuck.” Cain became flustered and ran his fingers through his hair. “Don’t cry, Vi. I could never stand to see you cry. I don’t know what got into me in there. I don’t know why I did that. You were goading me and it just happened. Forget it ever happened.”

  She swiped the tears that slowly leaked out of her eyes. “Forget it happened?” She snorted. “Look at me. I never cry. Well, not usually. Only around you.” She sniffled. “I’m just so frustrated. Why are you treating me like this? What did I ever do to you?”

  He took a deep breath and pressed the balls of his palms against his eyes. “Damn it,” he whispered, then looked up and reached over to brush some tears away from her cheek. “I’m sorry, okay? It’s not you, it’s me.”

  “That’s a breakup line. You sound like you’re breaking up with me.” She tried to laugh, but it didn’t quite work out that way. “Just be honest with me. What is going on with you? I didn’t know you lived here when I moved, but I like it here, Cain. I feel like I fit in. But I swear to God, if you keep on being a jerk, I’m leaving. You should be the one to pack up your crap and leave, but I’ll do it, because I can’t keep tiptoeing around you. We have the same friends, and I’m sorry about that, but you can’t keep treating—”

  He put his big hand over her mouth. “God, you talk too much.”

  “And you don’t talk enough. You’re the one they call Chatty, not me,” she mumbled from behind his palm.

  “They’re being dicks when they call me Chatty. You, on the other hand…” He released her mouth.

  “So, it’s about my talking? I only talk a lot around you. I’m a nervous talker, you know that. It’s like a weird defense mechanism or something. You don’t talk. I feel the need to fill the awkward void and then I just keep blabbering away and I can’t seem to shut my mouth even though—”

  “Vi.”

  She covered her own mouth as if it was the only way to shut herself up. “See?”

  “Let’s get you home, Vi. You’re drunk.”

  “Home? That’s it? Nothing was resolved.” At that exact moment she hiccupped. “Oh, man. I think I’m drunk.”

  “You think?” He gave her a smirk. “I won’t be a jerk anymore. Problem resolved, okay?” he said, taking her hand in his. Her hands were so tiny. So warm and delicate.

  “Violet?” A man called her name from the far side of parking lot. She turned to look back and let go of Cain’s hand.

  Violet squinted. “Ty?”

  The man looked at Violet and then at Cain. “You okay?”

  “Oh, yeah. I’m fine. Cain, this is Ty. Ty is a trainer at my gym. Ty, this is Cain.” She smiled. “A friend. We’re just friends.”

  “You sure you’re okay? You don’t look okay.”

  Who the hell is this nosy douchebag?

  She waved her hand breezily. “Oh, I’m fine. Perfect.”

  “I hope we’re still on for that free training session,” Ty said.

  “Yeppity yep yep. Absolutely. Can’t wait. Woo-hoo!” She punched a fist in the air and smiled her big bright smile.

  Cain snorted. She was so fucking cute. So fucking sweet. And so fucking naive, giving away her smiles so freely. Didn’t she know how it brought sunshine into the world?

  Ty chuckled. “Remember I’ll be out of town for a couple of weeks, but I hope to see you when I get back, Violet.”

  After Ty had left, she slapped her forehead and then covered her eyes. “What the heck is wrong with me? ‘Yeppity yep yep’?” She groaned and leaned her head against Cain’s chest. “I don’t even say things like that. And oh God, did I just pump my fist and yell ‘woo-hoo’?”

  Cain laughed hard for the first time in a long, long while, even though he also had an urge to pound his chest and claim his woman in front of the world. But these goofball moments of hers made the love he was trying so hard to bury deep inside of him seep out. “That was kind of weird. You’re so awkward sometimes. It’s adorable, though.” He paused. “What was that guy talking about?”

  “Ty’s a personal trainer at the gym I go to, and he offered to give me a free session, so I told him I’d treat him to lunch afterward.”

  “So a date.”

  “Not a date. A thank
-you.” She whipped her head toward Cain. “Oh, no, you think he thinks it’s a date? That makes me nervous.”

  “Yeah, I noticed.”

  She smacked his shoulder playfully. “Don’t tease me. I don’t know what to wear or if I’ll say the wrong thing, again. Ugh! Maybe I should just cancel or change gyms.”

  This was the relationship they’d always had. Easy. She wore her heart on her sleeve. She said what was on her mind, and he’d listen. It didn’t usually happen the other way around because Cain rarely spoke. But he was sure that she’d listen to anything he wanted to say, and she’d give him sincere advice. They had always been comfortable together. This arguing—it was all new. And truthfully, it was all him. He had to take all the blame for the chasm between them. He needed to fix this. To fix them. He took her keys out of her hands and helped her into the passenger seat of her tiny clown car.

  When he got in on the driver’s side, she said, “Help me.”

  He looked over, concerned. “Help you with what? Are you feeling sick?”

  “No. I mean help me be less weird. Give me some dating pointers. Help me learn how to date. Show me how to seduce a man.”

  As he drove, he thought about how to respond. Fighting in Afghanistan or Iraq had never brought him to his knees the way her smile could. That had always been the problem—all reason left his brain when she was around. Sweet, wholesome, naive Violet, with a smile that made his world shift on its axis, leaving him dizzy and unnerved. He needed that warm smile directed elsewhere or else, he feared, he’d pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless.

  He needed her to get over Jeremy and really start dating again, he decided. That way she’d be preoccupied with her new man, and Cain, in turn, could stop thinking about her and move on himself.

  Eventually she spoke again. “Maybe that was a stupid suggestion. It must be all the alcohol.” She paused for a moment. “Actually, maybe you’re not the best person to give me advice. I mean, I don’t even know if I’ve ever seen you date, other than tonight, which obviously didn’t end well.”

  He glanced at her; her head was leaning back against the headrest and she was looking out the window.