The Personal Shopper

by T. L. Quinn

  I made sure to have my doctor’s office email me my test results in case Ava really was going to ask about them. I’ve never had sex without a condom before, and I swear it’s all I can think about. Why did she have to bring that up? I’ve already been imaging being with her for years, and now it’s like I can barely contain myself.

  3 o’clock rolls around, and I am not that busy since a lot of people leave early on Friday. Even if I was, I wouldn't be able to focus on my work right now. Not when all I can think about is being with Ava tonight.

  I get up and head to Ava’s office. She is sitting at her desk with a pencil in her mouth looking at something on her computer. I knock on the open door frame, and she looks up at me. “Hey.”

  I lean against the doorframe. “You ready to get out of here?”

  She smiles up at me. “You getting a little anxious huh?”

  I laugh. “What gave me away?”

  She raises her brows at me. “Hmm...maybe had something to do with you pulling me into the supply closet yesterday.”

  I grin back at her. “Hey, you’re the one who kept purposefully bending over my desk in that tight little skirt of yours.”

  She laughs. “Uhm...no you kept pushing the papers over so that I was forced to bend over your desk.”

  I laugh back at her and throw up my hands. “Guilty.”

  She stands from her desk. “Okay. Let me just tell Shana I am taking off. Are we going straight out or do I need to change?”

  I look over Ava’s outfit. “Let’s stop home first.’

  She smiles at me. “Alright, let’s go.”

  ◆◆◆

  Ava

  Parker and I get to the apartment at the same time. He says he’s going to change quick and is back in my apartment before I even finished using the bathroom. He walks back in just wearing jeans and a hoodie. I take a look at his outfit and ask. “So just casual then?”

  Parker winks at me. “Yeah, I figured you’ve had enough fancy dinner dates with all the usual douches you date.”

  I just laugh. “You don’t even know who I’ve dated.”

  He raises his eyebrows at me. “The hedge fund manager’s son?”

  I open my mouth and stare back at him. “How did you know about Eric?”

  He laughs. “Hey, just because I’m older than you, doesn’t mean I don’t know how to log in to all those social media accounts you stalked me on.”

  I scoff. “Me? Sounds like you were the one stalking.”

  He just smiles and bites his bottom lip. “Hurry up. Go get changed.”

  I turn and head toward my room with a huge smile on my face. I don’t know why I care that he was checking up on me while he was gone, but it makes me feel all happy inside to know he was thinking about me just like I was thinking about him. Before I walk in my room, I turn back around. “So just like jeans and a hoodie like you?”

  He smiles back. “No way. Something more easily removable. Wear your yoga pants. Panties are optional.”

  I roll my eyes at him, but I do just that. I pair them with a very low cut tank with a zip up sweatshirt. Super bummish but still very sexy. I take a few minutes to touch up my makeup and do some personal grooming in case I don’t have time before anything goes down. I look myself over a couple of times and shake my hands at my sides, trying to shake off the nerves.

  When I walk back out into my kitchen, Parker is sitting there eating a snack.

  I wave my hand at him. “Go ahead and just help yourself

  to my food.”

  He grins at me with his mouth full of food. “Sorry. I didn’t know if you were going to take another 2 hours like last time.”

  I roll my eyes but then grab his arm and pull him toward the door. “C’mon let’s go. I’m hungry too. Where’d you say we are going again?”

  He reaches down and holds my hand. “I didn’t, but nice try.”

  He pulls my hand up to his mouth and places a kiss there. I smile back at him. I stand on my tip toes and place a kiss on his lips then lean over to his ear. “Let’s get this over with so we can get to the good stuff.”

  Parker pushes me back and makes an offended sound. “Going out with me is the good part.”

  I laugh then start walking out. “You’re right. Let’s postpone that other stuff for a night when I don’t get to have so much fun going out with you.”

  Parker grabs my elbow to stop me. “Whoa there. I didn’t say that.”

  I grin back at him and run my finger up and down his chest. He looks down at my hand on his chest. “Please don’t tease me. I’ve already been losing my mind this whole week.”

  I laugh. “Hey, I don’t usually sleep with a guy on the first date.”

  He grins back at me. “We’re counting Sunday dinner as a date then.”

  I laugh. “C’mon for real. I’m hungry.”

  ◆◆◆

  We are driving for about 15 minutes when I notice the area looks familiar. It looks like we are going somewhere near the pier. We used to all go to this little food shack on the water all the time in the summer. It kind of became a tradition after Parker dragged me there the first time.

  It was a couple weeks after my mom died. I had been pretty down and hadn’t really left the house at all. My dad would make me go out to our pool and swim every few days since I basically was just laying around in my pajamas every day.

  Parker was over with Doug and Becca for dinner one night when he said instead of ordering in we should go to this place he knew on the pier. We all drove down together. The little restaurant that’s more like a food truck on the pier was about a 10 minute walk from where you can park.

  The fresh air and being surrounded by my family helped me feel better. We walked past all the little shops and could see the sun setting over the pier. It was exactly what I needed.

  We would go back every summer whenever we could. They have the best paninis ever. I am not sure exactly what it is, but their secret pesto sauce is amazing.

  I look over to Parker. “You know what this reminds me of?”

  He looks over to me. “Hm?”

  “Maria’s! On the pier. How we’d go every summer and you’d always get that boring burger when you could have had the most amazing panini in the world.”

  He laughs. “Hey, that burger was delicious. The homemade barbeque sauce they make. Oh man, amazing.”

  I push his shoulder. “Did you even ever try the panini or were you just as much of a stubborn ass back then as you are now?”

  He laughs. “I mean pretty sure I tried taking a bite a few times, but you thought I had cooties or something.”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “Maybe I just wanted your lips somewhere else beside my sandwich.” He looks over at me. “Is that so?”

  I just shrug. “Yeah maybe. It was the only place you never brought Nina." I pretend to gag at her name. "Blech.”

  Parker laughs harder. “Oh c’mon she wasn’t that bad.”

  I just look back over at him. “Parker. She continued to call you Teddy for 2 years when it never caught on by any of your friends. She was awful.”

  Parker laughs again. “Hey, at least she let me call her my girlfriend.” He gives me the side eye.

  I roll my eyes at him. “We have barely started our first date. Getting a little head of yourself aren’t you?”

  He looks back over at me. “No.”

  I just smile and then sigh. “Too bad Maria’s is only open during the summer. I haven’t had one of those panini’s in years.”

  Parker looks back at me surprised. “Years? Didn’t you go last summer?”

  I bite my lip and look down. I haven’t been back to Maria’s since Parker left. I thought about going, but it just felt wrong being there without him. I just mumble. “I haven’t been since before college.”

  Parker’s eyes bug out at me. “What? Why not?”

  I just shrug. “I don’t know. We used to go for Sunday dinner, and then you left and we just kind of stopped.”

 
Parker clenches his jaw like what I said upset him. Then he gives me a small smile. “You just didn’t want to go because it would make you miss me.” He smirks.

  I laugh. “You’re such an ass.”

  Parker pulls into the lot where we would always park to go to Maria’s, and I give him a curious look. Then he gets out and comes and opens my door before I even know what’s happening. He reaches his hand out, and I take it. He grins. “Let’s see what you have to say about me being an ass after this.”

  He twists his fingers with mine, and we take our usual route toward Maria’s. I look down to our connected hands and then back at all the shops and the pier. It feels so right. Like this is how it should have always been back then. Me and Parker hand in hand.

  We stop in front of Maria’s, and I look over to Parker. “You do realize they are not open during the off-season?”

  He just gives me a huge grin and pulls me toward one of the picnic tables. Just as we sit down, the back door to Maria’s opens and out comes a young guy carrying two to-go boxes. He sets them down on the table. “One burger and one panini. Enjoy.” Then he walks back into the restaurant.

  My mouth drops open, and I open my box. Sure enough, sitting there is my favorite panini with the secret recipe pesto sauce oozing out the sides. My mouth waters. I look back up at Parker with amazement. “How?”

  He has a huge smile on his face. “The owner’s son was one of my clients. We used to hang out sometimes. He owed me a favor.”

  I am just staring at Parker in disbelief. Not only did he remember what my favorite item was, but he also went out of his way to make this happen. This is the Parker I’ve always known. The one I fell for back when I was sixteen. He always knows just what I need, and he always takes care of me.

  Instead of eating my food, I grab Parker by the neck and slam his mouth to mine. His eyes pop open in surprise,but when I press my tongue to his lips, he opens up for me. My fingers scrape against his scalp, and he groans. He pulls away slightly and rests his forehead against mine. He gives a small smile and breathes out. “I thought you were hungry.”

  I pull further back and give him one of my best smiles. “Just had to fulfill my fantasy of making out with you at this picnic table. You don't know how many times I have thought about it over the years.”

  He smiles back at me. Then I open my box again and go to eat it, but he stops me and holds up a plastic knife. “Halfsies?”

  I smile and nod my head. “But if it isn’t up to par with my panini, then don’t expect to be taking half of mine in the future.”

  Parkers gives me a huge smile. “The future?” He looks at me with a smirk. “Maria’s doesn’t open back up for another 4 months. Pretty sure if you are already planning on dating me that long, that automatically makes you my girlfriend.”

  I just smile at him and take a bite of the burger. “Mmm…” He was right about that homemade barbeque sauce. He just raises his eyebrows at me. “See?”

  I laugh. “It’s good.”

  He narrows his eyes at me. I throw my hand up in defence. “Okay fine. It’s more than good, but still just a notch below my panini.” I hold my fingers up in a pinching motion to show it is just a little less delicious but barely.

  He takes a bite of my sandwich and closes his eyes for a moment. He looks back over to me. “Okay. Why have I never tried this until now?”

  I laugh. “Because you were a stubborn ass who always had to have his precious burger.”

  He grins at me. “We have to do halfsies every time now. I can’t choose between the two.”

  I nod my head in agreement. “I’m good with that.”

  We spend the next couple hours talking and walking in and out all of the shops. I buy a couple of jewelry items from a local shop that handmakes all their jewelry. Parker pretended to be shocked that I didn’t try to use the company card to buy them. I probably could have swung it too. The jewelry definitely could be featured at some of our upcoming events.

  When the sun starts setting over the pier, me and Parker go out and sit on one of the benches. He wraps his arm around me and starts pressing some kisses on my shoulder. We sit there for a couple minutes, and then I look over to him. “Parker?”

  He kisses on my neck a couple times. “Hmm?”

  “Uhm...this is beautiful and all, but what are we still doing here?”

  He stands quickly and pulls me up by my hand. “Thank god! Let’s go.”

  He turns and is basically running back to the car. I giggle the whole way. When we get to the car he pushes me against it and claims my mouth. After a couple seconds, he pulls away and runs around to his side. “Hurry up. Get in.” I laugh and quickly get in and buckle up. I swear we get home in about 5 minutes. Luckily there wasn’t much traffic since it’s after rush hour now.

  Parker barely has his car parked before he is out of the car again. I get out, and he pulls me to him again. His hands are in my hair, and his mouth is on mine. He walks us backward to the elevator never parting his mouth from mine.

  He slams the elevator button over and over again. I pull apart and laugh. “You know it won’t come any faster no matter how many times you press it?”

  He makes a whining groan noise. “Damn elevator.”

  It finally dings open, and he pushes me inside. The second the doors close, I am lifted up and pressed against the elevator wall. Parker starts kissing down my neck and rubbing his hand up my stomach just under my shirt. The elevator dings open again, and we hear someone walking in the hall of our floor, so Parker sets me down.

  We walk very suspiciously past our neighbor with ridiculous smiles on our faces. I can't help the small giggles that escape me.

  Once the neighbor steps into the elevator, Parker presses me against the nearest wall again and kisses me. I bite down on his lower lip and scrape my teeth slowly across it. I gasp through trying to catch a breath in between our kisses, “Bedroom. Now.”

  Parker kisses down my neck while he digs in his pocket for his key. He goes up to his door and opens it. I haven’t been inside Parker’s bedroom yet, and for some reason that excites me.

  The second we are through the door, Parker reaches for my sweatshirt’s zipper and pulls it off. Then he grabs the hem of my tank and pulls it up over my head.

  This is not like last time. He is not going to take this slow. He tries to pull my pants down, and I laugh. “Chill out Parker. We have all night.”

  He just narrows his eyes at me. “Yeah with my luck, Granny Peason will break another hip.”

  I laugh even harder. “I turned off my phone. They’ll have to wait at least...hmm…” I tap my chin like I am thinking. “What? Two minutes at the rate you’re going.”

  Parker growls and pulls me to him again. He presses his lips to mine and then pulls back slightly. “I can’t help it. I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long. I feel like I’m in a dream.” He pulls back a little more to look at me, and then he reaches forward and brushes some hair behind my ear. “My Ava.” He whispers.

  That’s all it takes, and I become just as desperate and frantic as him. I am grabbing his hoodie and pulling it over his head and undoing his belt buckle while I kiss him and walk backward toward his bedroom. By the time we make it to his room, he’s in nothing but his briefs.

  When we finally get to his bed, I expect him to...I don’t know...throw me down and fuck me hard or something, but he suddenly slows down the kiss and just gently carasses my body everywhere. I am not sure how, but it is even way hotter than the desperate state we were in before.