by J. D. Rivera
Did he just say I wasn’t bad to look at? No. Shane had let me know that I was plain. No way hot and sexy Jackson Berrios would think that I’m pretty.
I couldn’t believe I was going to do this. “Okay, what do you want to do?”
He flagged down the waitress and asked for the check before looking back at me, grinning. “Just show me around. I don’t really care.”
“Fine. We can drive to Bricktown. I’m sure you know what area I’m talking about?”
“Sure do. My new place is right by there. You can follow me there and park your car at my place.”
Just as I was beginning to speak, the waitress brought the ticket. He quickly took out some cash from his wallet and placed it on the table. “Come on. Let’s go,” he said, standing and extending his hand. His hand was huge and sexy. Could hands be sexy? Maybe not normally but his hand was sexy.
I had no clue why, but I took his hand. He didn’t let go and I followed him out of the restaurant to my car.
Once we arrived at my car, he pressed me up against the door. I noticed his eyes flick from my eyes to my lips and back. “You promise you’ll follow me to my place?”
My mouth had become dry. I swallowed, then licked my lips before replying. “I promise.” It came out breathy and I couldn’t help but look at his full lips. I glanced up into his eyes and noticed they were looking at my lips again.
He looked me in the eyes, then groaned before saying, “Okay. I’m in that silver car over there.” Then he pushed himself back and stepped toward his car. He was several feet away before I could regain any thought and open my door to get in.
I crawled in and had to repeat, Deep breaths, Vanessa. Deep breaths. I felt like I was making a huge mistake by going anywhere with him, but when he looked me in the eye, I wanted so bad just to be with him. I couldn’t think about whether what I was doing was smart or not. I was just asking to get crushed. I had never been with a guy that hadn’t cheated on me and I was sure this guy was just like the others. I attracted them which is why I was giving up ever dating again. Until now. This isn’t a date. This is me just showing a guy around. That’s all. Remember that!
I placed my hands on the steering wheel and my left ring finger caught my eye. I hadn’t worn my wedding ring in such a long time that my finger was no longer lighter colored where my ring had been. I figured I should mention it to Jackson that I was still technically married, but I didn’t know how. I was pretty sure he wasn’t looking for a relationship of any kind; he was just looking for someone to show him around in a city where he didn’t know anyone. Even though I knew this, it still felt wrong to be out with him without him knowing that I was a married woman. Hopefully a, soon to be divorced woman, but a married woman still.
Jackson
I WALKED to my car while I tried to get a handle on my emotions. She was a hot woman, but I shouldn’t have pressed her into her car like that. I was seconds away from kissing her when I realized I had just met her and I didn’t want to scare her off.
I knew I had just met her, but I already knew spending an afternoon with her was not going to be enough. I had never felt this way about a girl before. I had dated and even had girlfriends, but I had never really cared about them. They were just people to spend time with and to have sex with when I was in town. This girl had done something to me in a couple of hours that I couldn’t explain.
I backed the car out of the space and headed for my new place. I probably shouldn’t let some girl I had just met know where I live, but I didn’t care with her. She seemed different, almost immediately.
I drove down the interstate, checking my rearview mirror every few minutes just to make sure she was following me. I made sure not to drive too fast so she couldn’t use the excuse of losing sight of my car. I wasn’t really sure why I felt such a strong connection to her, but I knew I needed to see if it was real.
I pulled into the driveway at my new brownstone and watched her pull in beside me. I rolled down my window and motioned for her to get in the car.
“Nice place,” she told me as she sank down in the seat next to me. The car filled with the smell of coconut and I knew it was her hair because every time she messed with it, the smell intensified. I loved it.
“Thanks,” I replied as I put the car in reverse to back out of the driveway. “I picked it out online and I think I did well for not seeing it in person before purchasing it.”
“Um, yeah. This makes my apartment look like the ghetto.”
“It is nice but I picked it out because it was close to work,” I explained.
“I understand that,” she said, then added, “You can just park off of Reno Avenue, if you want.” Then she tucked her hair behind her ear. I noticed she did that a lot and it was cute as hell.
“All right,” I said, as I turned onto the street she had told me. I found a space and parked the rental in the back, away from the other cars.
“Are you scared of dents and dings?”
“It’s a rental so I don’t really care, but I guess it’s just habit because, with my own car, yes, I’m afraid of dents and dings,” I said before exiting the car and walking to her door.
I opened the door, extending my hand to her. She took it, becoming really close to me when she stood. I really wanted to kiss her. Looking at her perfect lips, I decided to take the chance. I bent my head down.
“I should probably tell you something,” she said right before our lips met.
Was she not as attracted to me as I was to her? I pulled back slightly. “Okay.”
She looked down and bit her lip. “I’m kinda married.”
What the hell? Not what I expected her to tell me. “Excuse me?”
She looked back up at me and locked her eyes with mine. “It’s not what you think. We’re separated. We should be finalizing our divorce in the next month or two. It’s just that, well… I won’t ever be like my husband. Ever… even over a technicality.”
“I’m not sure I know what you mean,” I told her.
“I can’t - I won’t - let you kiss me. I mean, I’m sure you don’t want to kiss me. I just can’t kiss another guy while I’m still technically married. I just…I wanted to get that out there. Not that it matters because I’m sure that had never crossed your mind.”
Was this girl insane? Of course I wanted to kiss her. “Actually, I was one second from kissing you. Why would you think I wouldn’t want to kiss you?”
“Oh. So you did? Never mind; it doesn’t matter. I’m married and let’s just drop this.”
I took a step back, knowing that she was putting a stop to this conversation. “Okay, let’s go walk around.”
“Thank you,” she offered before falling into step next to me.
“No problem,” I said, wanting to ask questions about her husband and divorce, but knowing I couldn’t because I had just met her.
“Why don’t we take a water taxi ride? It takes you all along the canal and they give out all sorts of facts about the area,” she suggested glancing over at me.
“That’s fine with me. Remember - you’re showing me around.” I gave her a grin.
I couldn’t help but look at her out of the corner of my eye. She was beautiful. Her dark hair fell around her face and down her back. Her face was flawless and she had perfect lips. Her body was in perfect condition and I really wanted to reach out and touch her. But I knew that I couldn’t. Not with what she had told me at the car. She wasn’t in a place for any kind of relationship. Not even one night stands. Not that I wanted that.
“If we walk down those stairs, the line for the water taxi is at the bottom,” she told me.
“Okay. Are they really taxis? Will they drop us off anywhere on the canal or just a sightseeing kinda thing?” I asked, mainly for conversation.
She shrugged. “You know, I have no clue. I’ve only done the sightseeing kind of thing.”
We walked down the stairs to the place where people were boarding the water taxi boats. It was early afternoon,
which meant that there wasn’t a huge crowd, allowing us to get on the first boat.
We sat down next to each other and the boat took off down the manmade canal. There were only five other people on the boat with us, which allowed us to sit by ourselves. I really wanted to put my arm around her but I resisted.
The tour guide pointed out different things along the way, including different restaurants and murals.
She turned her body toward me. “Have you ever been to a Spanish tapas bar?”
“Yeah, back in New York. It was good,” I said, staring into her eyes.
“I love Bolero, the restaurant right over there,” she pointed out.
“I’ll take you there sometime.”
“Oh you will? I may hold you to that,” she giggled.
“I’m not kidding. It’s a date,” I said then turned on my full smile.
I could see the wheels in her head turning; I just didn’t know about what until she spoke again. “Maybe as a friendship type of date. Like I said earlier, I’m married.”
I took her hand and squeezed it. “Of course. A friendship date. I won’t be the other man even if you beg,” I said jokingly and I instantly regretted it.
She smiled and I was instantly relieved until she spoke. “If I remember correctly from one of those celebrity gossip shows, you don’t mind.”
I was still holding her hand and I dropped it, immediately crossing my arms defensively. “Vanessa, don’t believe everything you hear or read. Ninety-nine percent of it is trash.”
Her cheeks grew red and she nodded. “I’m sorry. I’m just kinda defensive about stuff like that.”
Instantly, I felt bad for getting defensive. She was going through a divorce; obviously the asshole had cheated on her. What kind of dumbass cheats on a beautiful woman like her? “Hey, it’s okay. I shouldn’t have made that comment anyway. It was uncalled for. But I’m still taking you to that place though.”
She smiled. “It’s a plan.” She rose from her seat. “It’s time to get off. Do you want to walk around?”
“Sure,” I said as I stood up beside her.
We walked around the Bricktown area looking at the different restaurants, clubs, and shops. We talked about random things that didn’t matter and I realized I really enjoyed her company. She was funny when she wasn’t being defensive. I could tell she was starting to relax a little around me.
“So your last name is Berrios. Where is your family from?”
“Puerto Rico. My mom and dad moved here when I was young.”
She tucked her hair behind her ear, “Have you been back? I hear it’s beautiful there.”
“It is beautiful. We used to go back at least once a year. When I was in high school my grandparents moved to Dallas so we don’t go back as often now.”
She smiled, “I hope to see it one day.”
“You should visit. Like I said, it’s beautiful and relaxing.”
“It’s getting late and I’m supposed to meet my friend for dinner. I kinda need to head home and shower,” she told me.
“Oh sure. Let’s head to the car.”
We walked to my car and I opened the door for her.
“Thanks for showing me around today. I had a lot of fun,” I said, glancing in her direction after I slid inside.
“It was no problem. Now every time I watch a Thunder game, I’ll think about the day I ate lunch with the star player.” she laughed.
“Well, I’m glad that every time we play, you’ll remember today.” I really wanted her to think of this day more often than that, because I knew I would be thinking about her. A lot.
We arrived at my brownstone and I didn’t want to her to go. Not only was she gorgeous, she had a personality. A funny, attractive personality that I really wanted to get to know. I knew what I was about to ask was crazy, but I didn’t really care.
“Can I see your phone?” I asked.
She looked puzzled, then reached into her purse, and gave it to me. “Why do you want my phone?”
I grabbed it. “Give me a sec.” I put my name and number in her contacts and gave it back to her. “Call me if you want.”
Her eyes grew big and I could tell she was trying not to smile. “Okay, thanks.”
She opened her door and quickly made her way to her car, waving before climbing inside.
I stood at my car door, waved, and said a prayer that she would call me as I watched her drive away.
Vanessa
DRIVING AWAY from his home was like a dream. I couldn’t believe I had just spent the day with Jackson Berrios. It was a day I would never forget; not because he was a famous basketball player, but because he was a sexy man who had shown an interest in me. He had wanted to kiss me. Me. The woman Shane had said no one else would want to kiss.
I drove up to my apartment in need of a shower. As I was walking to my door, I noticed some shady looking guys hanging out a few apartments down, but they showed no interest in bothering me. It was something I was getting used to living in this neighborhood. It was a little graffitied and was known to have drug deals go down on a regular basis, but it was all I could afford.
I slid my key into the lock and opened the door, letting the smell of home hit me. It was a nice reality check after my day. I turned on the television for background noise and headed down the hallway.
Walking into my bedroom, I discarded my running clothes on my way to the bathroom. I turned on the water and stood in front of the mirror while the water heated up. Taking a good look at my appearance in the mirror, I realized either I had dreamed the day or Jackson was on drugs. I was so plain it wasn’t even funny. No way a guy as good looking as him would find me attractive. No way had he wanted to kiss me.
I hopped into the shower and let the water rinse away all of the sweat and stress. I wanted to forget everything about my life. And, for that time in the shower, I did. I just let go of everything I had been stressing over. My job that was starting in a couple of weeks, my impending divorce, my money situation, everything.
After stepping out of the shower, I toweled off and then walked into my bedroom to find something to wear. The local news was on the television in the living room talking sports. As soon as his name was said, I found myself running into the living room wanting to see his gorgeous face again.
Jackson was shown on the TV, walking out of practice yesterday and wearing almost the same thing he had been wearing today. Tight T-shirt and athletic shorts. Nothing fancy, but he pulled the look off well. He stopped and answered the reporter’s questions and made eye contact with the camera. His eyes were mesmerizing. I sank down onto my couch and stared, not being able to do anything else. I had no clue what he was saying to the reporter; I was too taken by his eyes and looks.
After a beat, the anchor was back on the screen talking about something else and I was able to get my bearings back. He’s just a guy, I had to repeat to myself. I almost felt off kilter with the way I had been taken by him.
I ARRIVED at the restaurant to meet Amanda a little later than we had agreed. I was so out of sorts that it had taken me longer to get dressed than normal. Walking into the restaurant, I noticed her on one of the benches waiting for me.
“What took you so long?” She asked as she stood to give me a hug.
“Sorry, traffic was bad for some reason,” I lied.
“That’s okay. I’ll let the hostess know you’re here so we can get a table,” she said before walking to the hostess stand.
I heard the hostess tell her that we could follow her, so I followed them to a booth. After she left, Amanda asked, “So, you wanna tell me why you were weird earlier on the phone?”
I put the napkin on my lap and glanced up at her, “I wasn’t weird.”
“Yes, you were. You sounded, I don’t know…happy.”
“Me sounding happy is weird? Gee, thanks.”
She grabbed my hand. “No. That’s not what I meant. It’s just that with all the crap that Shane has put you through over the last four yea
rs, and now the separation and divorce, you just don’t sound happy that much.”
I gave her a small smile and added, “I know what you mean. I’m not happy very often. The entire time I was married to Shane, he always told me how I wasn’t that pretty and I should just be glad he was married to me and then with all the women that he slept with, I never had a reason to be happy. Now, I have money issues and he isn’t making this an easy divorce.”
Our waitress came and interrupted me to take our drink order. We each ordered a margarita and placed our food order. After she was gone, I glanced around to make sure no one was listening.
“I kinda met a guy today. I mean it was a onetime kind of thing but he made me feel pretty.”
“He should; you’re gorgeous. But why does it have to be a onetime thing?” She asked with her brows furrowed.
“Well, he didn’t ask for my number and I’m pretty sure with him being who he is, it was a onetime thing,” I told her while looking at the napkin on my lap.
“I’m really confused right now, V.”
I glanced around again to make sure no one was listening, feeling like, for some reason, I shouldn’t be telling anyone about Jackson. “I was at the lake running today and this guy kind of knocked me down. Anyway, he turned out to be Jackson Berrios and we had lunch together,” I said with a rush.
She blinked. “I’m sorry. I thought you said you had lunch with Jackson Berrios.”
I laughed. “I did.”
She leaned across the table. “Are we talking about the professional basketball player Jackson Berrios?”
I leaned closer in return. “Yes. Oh my gosh, Amanda, he’s so gorgeous. And nice.”
“That’s amazing. What happened?”
“Nothing, really. We had lunch and then he asked if I would show him around, so I took him to the canal. I thought at one point he might kiss me, then he…confirmed that he wanted to.”
She let out a light squeal, placing her hands over her mouth. “You kissed him? Was he a good kisser?”
“No! Right before he was going to kiss me, I stopped him. I will not be a cheater.”
