“I texted you forty minutes ago,” I explained.
She pulled out her phone and touched the screen. She did it again and then she frowned at the phone. She pushed the button on the side and then she frowned again. “Ohhh.”
I just stood there and stared at my caramel goddess. She looked confused and pissed at the same time and I hadn’t ever seen any other person look sexier than this creature in front of me.
The door attendant opened the door and looked over at us.
“Is everything alright, miss?” he asked her.
“Yes, I’ll be right there,” she answered him.
Fuck! Why was she leaving me? Why was she going back into that god dammed building? I wanted her with me.
“Why?” I asked, not giving a fuck how desperate I sounded.
“I need to go and get my other phone…” she hesitated.
“I have a micro USB charger in the truck. You can charge it there,” I assured her.
“Look, you are seriously shadowing my comfort zone right now. I will meet you at the restaurant,” she popped off at me.
“I can ditch them if you want me to,” I told her.
“It’s not a problem. I would just rather drive myself that’s all,” she gave me that fake wide smile. I hated that fucking smile.
“You will be there?” I asked her, looking dead into her eyes.
“Yes, I’ve already told you that,” she was clearly a little annoyed.
I ran my fingers through my hair and walked back toward the truck. I got in and slammed the door behind me. The guys didn’t say shit, and they knew better than to fuck with me right now. We drove in utter silence to the Mondello’s. I got out and the guys followed me in.
“I have reservations. The name is Samson. I need a table for four instead of two, please.”
“Just a moment, Mr. Samson. I need to check with Cal.”
I nodded and she left the podium.
“How did you find this place?” Loon asked as he took the restaurant in.
“I came here a month ago.”
“With who?” Kanoke asked.
“I’ve been to over forty-one restaurants in Seattle in the last month.”
“Why?” Kanoke asked.
“Trying something new.”
“Were you by yourself?” Loon pried.
“Most of the time,” I lied. I didn’t want to go into details about Zedd. If I did, they would really have some questions for me. After the hostess came back with the clearance from Cal, she had us follow her to our table. She was just about to walk away when I pulled her to me.
“There would be one more joining us, and as soon as she arrives, please bring her straight to the table,” I told the hostess handing her a fifty. She nodded quickly and I had a feeling my intense look and voice of Dracula made her understand how serious I was. A waiter walked up, and I gave him a slow shake from left to right. He walked away and didn’t come back.
“She’ll show, man,” Loon assured me. I placed both hands on the table, locking them together. I was itching to call her, but she said I was in her personal space too much, and I didn’t want to scare her away.
“I’ve never seen you like this before. It’s hard to watch,” Kanoke said.
Another waiter came over and took our drink order. I brushed him off, and I heard Loon order me a coke. I had my eye on the walkway, waiting and watching for her. A waiter was coming down the aisle with a chair. He was blocking my view and I couldn’t see behind him. I was just about to stand up so I could, and then there she was. I stood and so did Loon and Kanoke. Cricket walked right past me with a devious smirk. I watched the back of her, and it was just as good as the front. She said something to Kanoke and then he looked at me and scooted over. The waiter set a chair down and I was about to move down when a familiar face dropped down into the seat next to me.
“Ayashe,” Kanoke and Loon greeted her. I looked over. What the fuck was she doing here and with Cricket? How does Cricket know her? Has she told Cricket about me? Does Cricket know I have a monster in my pants? Fuck, does Cricket know about Elle and me? I watched Cricket and she didn’t even give me a second glance. A new waiter came over to get the drink orders. Cricket pulled off her jacket and I almost lost it. I could see her almost see-through lace bra peek-a-booing underneath her arms.
“What types of white wines do you have?” she asked the waiter. She slowly unwrapped the extra-long scarf from around her neck. She was giving all of her attention to the waiter while slowly seducing me with that fucking scarf. She unlopped the last loop from around her neck, and now she was free and so were those two big luscious lumps on her chest. The waiter was probably getting the same view I had last week when I accidently looked down her shirt. Loon and Kanoke stared at them too; but quickly looked everywhere but at Cricket.
“A glass of the Mandrarossa,” she told the waiter. Ayashe ordered and then Cricket pondered on her order.
She held a hand around her neck and the other was flagging down the waiter.
“Excuse me. Can we get a bottle of the Delle Venezie instead?”
They exchanged a few more words and then the waiter was gone.
I sat there staring at her. I was trying to will her to look at me, but she never did. I couldn’t stand it anymore. She wouldn’t look at me and I needed her attention. I pulled out my phone and sent her a text.
“Are you mad at me?” I heard her phone beep and she pulled it out of her small purse. Ayashe introduced Cricket to Loon and Kanoke, and then Ayashe gave me a dirty look. I knew I should have introduced everyone, but I couldn’t get my thoughts straight.
Cricket tapped her phone and texted me back. “No. Why?”
She leaned over toward Kanoke and they were talking. It pissed me off. She wouldn’t even sit next to me, but she was over there chatting it up with Kanoke.
I sent her another text message. “How do you know Ayashe? And why did you bring her?”
When her phone beeped this time she looked up at me and our eyes locked. She looked back down at the phone and tapped the screen. She started texting me back and I just stared at my screen waiting for her message. “She’s a friend of a friend, and she was bored.”
The waiter came back with their bottle of wine. He took our food order and then he was gone. Cricket leaned back over to Kanoke and they were talking again. I could tell it was a more friendly conversation than anything, but it was still pissing me off. I sent her another text.
“You’re making me jealous.”
Her phone beeped. She stopped talking to Kanoke and tapped the screen. She grinned and that made me happy.
“You’re the one who wanted to have a party tonight,” she teased. She turned to Ayashe and started talking to her. She stopped talking to Kanoke and that made me happy too.
“Jyme, what made you pick this place?” she asked me from across the table.
“You don’t like it?” I asked her.
“No. I think the ambiance is amazing.”
“I came here a few months ago and I liked the food,” I lied. The last thing I needed was for them to know I had just recently come here.
“Well, after that fabulous lunch today and then that amazing cheesecake, I’m starting to believe you are the food whisperer,” she said from the end of the table.
Ayashe went to bathroom and I couldn’t get in her seat fast enough. Cricket was about to get up and I placed my hand on her forearm stopping her. Kanoke and Loon both got up and gave us some privacy.
“Leave with me now,” I tried to convince her.
“Where do you want to go?” she whispered in a cracking voice. I couldn’t stand it any longer. I had to touch her. I had to put my hands on her some fucking where. Her breasts were just sitting there all perky and ready to be licked and sucked. I settled for her face since we were in public.
I placed a hand on the side of her face. Her skin was soft like silk. It was much better than I had expected. I felt the beast stir below. I placed my fingers
on the back of her neck. I gently pulled her closer and buried my nose into her hair and took in a long whiff. She smelled of soap and fresh laundry. I didn’t know if this was just her fragrance or if it came from a bottle, but I loved it.
“I ah…” gargled from her throat.
“I don’t care where. I want you alone, now,” I whispered in her ear.
“Ohh,” she breathed out loudly. I couldn’t help but chuckle in her ear. She was feeling the same as me. The beast stirred again.
“Shall we?” I asked her, glued to her ear.
“I can’t,” she said quickly.
“Why not?” I growled.
“Ayashe,” she almost whined out. Some fucker behind us cleared his throat. Cricket straightened herself, but I had her all locked up with me. I pulled away from her and turned to face the asshole who interrupted us. The scared original waiter and his sidekick stood there holding our dinner plates. I just turned back around and kept my eyes on her. Ayashe came back and sat in my seat. She poured a glass of wine and was halfway through it when she poured herself some more.
We all started in our plates and everyone was quiet while they took their first bites. Everybody oohed and ahhed about their entrees. Loon passed Kanoke his plate, Ayashe passed Loon hers, Cricket passed me hers, and I gave her mine. By the end of dinner, everyone had eaten something off of everyone else’s plate. After dinner, I ordered the table coffee and dessert. Everyone laughed at me when I ordered one of every dessert off the menu. I explained to them they only had six and that was just enough for us to share.
Cricket set her napkin down on the table and then looked at me.
“Excuse me I need to get by; I have to go to the ladies’ room.”
All I could think about was me inside of her in one of the private stalls. I gave her a grin. Her hair fell covering her left breast. I brushed her hair off her shoulder. I put my lips right against her ear.
“Can I see you later tonight?” I asked her.
“Um, I need to think about that,” she told me.
“Okay,” I stood and held my hand out for her. She gave me the sweetest smile and picked up her little round purse. She placed her hand into mine and I pulled her up from her chair. We walked hand and hand to the bathroom and then she went through the doors. When she came out, I was standing right there waiting on her. I reached for her hand again and she gave it to me. We walked back to the table hand in hand. We sat back down and I pulled her chair a little closer to mine. We all shared our desserts and everyone was smiling and talking.
“So, Jyme when was the last time you saw Elle?” Ayashe asked me.
Chapter 12
Once again I felt all eyes on me, but this was not in a good way. My eyes stayed glued to my cup of coffee. I knew that if I were to look anywhere else right now I would fuckin’ loose it. I heard someone at the table drop their spoon, but I didn’t look to see who it was. My blood was now boiling through my veins, and I wanted to punch something. We had made it through a nice evening, and now she wanted to start some shit with me. I felt Loon shift next to me and I could see in my peripheral that Kanoke was sliding his fingers through his hair.
I took a sip of my coffee and then turned to face her head on.
“I guess seven or eight months now,” I lied, just to get a reaction from her. Although seven or eight months was the last true time I saw my Elle; this girl that was visiting her body now wasn’t the Elle I knew.
“I hear she’s engaged to that guy,” Ayashe told me. She gave me a side smirk and I had to keep my hands on the table. If she had been a guy, I would have rearranged her face by now.
“Cricket, what kind of…what do you do?” Loon asked. I knew shit must have really looked bad because Loon never stepped in shit like this. I had to get out of here and I had to do it now.
“I’m an auditor,” Cricket said.
“How long have you been doing that?” Loon asked. He was really trying to cover up the awkwardness. Yep, I was drowning. I had to leave.
“About two days now,” she said.
I flagged down the waiter for the check. He came over and I handed him my credit card quickly. “Hurry up,” I whispered. He nodded and rushed off.
“I was going to pay for Ayashe’s dinner; I didn’t bring her for--”
I glared at Cricket and she moved away from me a little.
“I don’t want you to see me like this,” I growled.
“Like what, what’s wrong?” she asked.
“I have to go, right now. I will call you later,” I felt my hands started to shake and I had to get the fuck out of this restaurant. I stood to my feet and Kanoke and Loon did the same. The waiter was walking back, but he had been stopped by another table. I walked toward the exit, meeting the waiter on the way. I signed the slip and the waiter handed me the receipt. When we made it outside the restaurant, I got worse. My breathing got harder and harder, and I felt like I was about to explode.
“Give me the keys,” Loon demanded. I reached into my jeans pocket and tossed him the keys. We rode in silence on the way back to the condo. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, I jumped out and headed to the building. When I got to my condo, I left the door open behind me and went straight to my closet and put on a dark sweat-suit with a hood. I had to run or I was going to kill someone. I needed to clear my mind. I ran two blocks and then stopped to send her a text message. I had to see her before it was too late. I needed to explain my actions.
“Can I please see you tonight?” I silently prayed for a miracle.
“When and where?” she replied back. Yes, she still wanted to see me.
“Where do you feel safe?” I could only imagine what Ayashe was filling her ears up with. She probably was telling her about all the rumors on the Res. She probably told her that I had apparently raped Elle and that I jump people and almost beat them to bloody pulp. She texted for me to meet her at the big Catholic church close to the women’s shelter. The church was almost six blocks away from where I was. I started running that way.
There was a thin woman walking around outside and she looked nervous and scared. She was pacing back and forth on the front steps. I jogged up, stepping around her. I walked in and saw my caramel goddess sitting on the back row. I sat down right next to her. I was breathing hard, trying to control my breaths.
“Did you run here?” she whispered.
I nodded.
“Where do you live?” she asked.
“On the reservation,” I replied out of habit.
“But why are you in Seattle?”
“I work here.”
“You fish here?”
“I own my own fishing company.”
Her eyes widened and she blew out a hard breath.
“I wanted to tell you all of this tonight, but things got a little carried away, and then you showed up with Ayashe.”
“You told me you were a fisherman,” she snapped. Someone from behind hissed at us. Cricket did the making of the cross thing on her chest and then put her head down.
“Are you Catholic?” I asked her.
“No, I’m Methodist.”
“Why are we here?”
“Methodists don’t leave their churches open twenty four hours a day,” she explained.
“This isn’t right,” I shook my head.
“God is God; and He doesn’t care what church I’m in.”
“I’m sorry about tonight. I’ve never been on a date with someone I don’t know,” I tried to explain myself to her. “Kanoke and Loon both work for me and they wanted to meet you. They didn’t believe me when I told them I was going on a date. I normally go by myself to nice restaurants and watch other people on dates,” I admitted.
Zedd would have me people watch. He wanted me to see how people interacted with each other in a nice setting.
“Who is Elle?” she whispered. I swallowed hard and tried to prepare myself. I looked over at Cricket.
“My ex.”
“Oh.”
&nbs
p; “She really messed me over and it took me a long time to get over her,” I admitted. The nervous lady from the steps was watching us from the shadows. It didn’t seem creepy though. She looked like she was more in a daze than spying on us.
“Are you over her?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.”
Cricket pulled my face toward hers. She stared into my eyes. I could gaze into those chestnut eyes of hers for the rest of my life.
“Well, why did you get so upset when Ayashe asked you about her?”
“I wanted to tell you about her myself, and she caught me off guard. She pissed me off,” I explained.
She looked at me as if she was looking for something in my eyes. I didn’t blink. I wanted her to find whatever it was she was looking for. She sucked both of her lips into her mouth and started biting them. She closed her eyes and then her cheeks were turning red. My caramel goddess was having impure thoughts.
“Let’s get out of here,” she told me.
“Good,” I sighed.
Cricket did the cross chest thing again and then kicked her leg out and bent down awkwardly. The lady in the shadows was smiling at us. Cricket made me chuckle with her weird bending over thing she did. I pulled her hand into mine and we headed for the door. We walked out the church and walked toward her car.
“Do you need a ride?” she asked.
“I can walk.”
“Get in,” she demanded. I went to the passenger’s side and slid into the car and buckled my seatbelt. I pushed the seat back as far as it would go and leaned it back.
“How tall are you?”
“6’4”.”
“Which way do I go?”
“Take a right at the light.”
We rode in silence for a while before I pulled her hand into mine. I touched each one of her nails and played around with her owl ring.
“You like bold pieces of jewelry,” I stated.
“Yes, I do. I get bored quick with regular pieces.”
“How about people? Do you get bored with them quick?”
“I don’t know.”
“Make a right at the next light.”
The Enclave of Jyme (G Street Chronicles Presents) Page 15
