Lady Parts

by Loren

  He sat down beside her with a wide smile.

  “You know what, I will let you buy me that drink,” she said, and his smile got even wider.

  He took her up on the offer immediately, and Remy obliged with a smile. If Gene were sober, she would have chided him for encouraging this kind of behavior, but she wasn’t sober and Remy wasn’t the only person in her life saying she should get out more.

  The drinks flowed, and Gene found herself doing most of the talking. It was seamless and easy, and though time passed, they didn’t really talk about anything important. It wasn’t until she said, “Which I would enjoy more if my ass wipe of an ex didn’t own half of my company,” that she realized she’d gotten too relaxed. “I shouldn’t have said that.” Her slip sobered her, and suddenly she didn’t want to be with Liam anymore, knowing her guard was lowered. “A glass of water please,” she said, turning to get Remy’s attention. She should have been drinking water the entire time.

  “Gene,” Liam said, reaching across the counter to put his hand over hers. “Please don’t worry. I’m just here to listen. I won’t push, and I’m not going to hurt you. I only want to get to know you, and your garage means a lot to you. So, you can talk to me about it. You can trust me.” He squeezed her hand.

  That tiny voice in her head didn’t want to trust him. She shouldn’t. It was ok for a man to meet a woman and have sex with her the first night on intense attraction. For a woman, it was damning. She would be judged and she judged herself because what right did she have to pleasure. She needed to keep her priorities straight. That stupid voice in her head told her she couldn’t have both—fun and ambition. Would taking a risk emotionally be risking all she had physically? Her instincts whispered it would be okay. The vacillation made her want to scream.

  She wagered it was best not to talk to a man she didn’t know. Men didn’t have the greatest track record with saying, “You can trust me.” Not in Gene’s past anyway.

  She settled for, “The garage is struggling a bit, and it would be much easier if my ex gave me the other half of my company so I could get some investors but he won’t. He wants to sell them, and right now I can’t afford to buy them back.”

  “Well you can’t be doing that bad for yourself. I saw your commercial on TV last night and that billboard on the highway, I bet it’s bringing in a lot of traffic.”

  She rolled her eyes. Why had she brought it up? She should have stayed quiet.

  “If you want, I could help you buy his part of the company. How much would it cost?” he said, and Gene felt her chest constrict.

  She took an unladylike gulp of water. “Liam, that’s really sweet of you. Really, I’m flattered, but I can’t take your money. I won’t. In fact, I shouldn’t have said anything. This is my business, and I don’t need saving. Trust me, I can handle myself. I always have and I always will,” she said, killing the conversation right there.

  Liam smiled softly and stood. “I understand. Come on. It’s getting late. Let me call you an Uber. I can’t let you drive home.” He dropped cash on the bar and ushered her towards the door.

  They waited outside in silence, and it didn’t occur to Gene that they were sharing an Uber until only one car pulled up.

  “Where’s yours?” Gene asked looking back.

  “Gene... We live right next door to each other.”

  She turned back to him not understanding what that had to do with anything.

  “We can’t take the same Uber?” he asked confused.

  She wanted to say no. She didn’t want to share with him. She didn’t want him near her. She wanted to run ... away ... fast ... and hide her head under the covers. She’d embarrassed herself enough for one night. It would only get worse if he tried to keep the conversation going.

  “Is somebody going to get in the car?” the driver asked through the open passenger window. “It’s Friday, man, and peak hours.”

  Gene sighed, feeling the depth of her strain in her soul. “Okay.”

  “We’ll pick up our cars tomorrow.”

  Liam opened the door for her and waited until she was in before closing the door and walking around to the other side.

  Her worries seemed to have been for naught. Liam stayed on his side of the car and chatted happily to the driver the entire ride. He gave her space and didn’t ask her to split the charge when the car pulled up to her house. He was a nice guy, she couldn’t deny that as he ran around to open the car door for her and walked her to her front door.

  “I hope you had a good night,” he said as she rifled through her purse for her keys. “I did, and I am so glad I spent it with you.”

  Gene looked up, her hands tightening around her keys, and stared Liam in the eyes. His hair was ruffled, and a few strands hung wild over his eyes. Her hand moved without her thinking to push the hair back into place and, this close, she could see his eyes darken, and his tongue quickly flick out to lick his lips.

  She bit her lip. She shouldn’t do this, but she was going to do it anyway.

  Gene wasn’t sure of anything as she stood on her tiptoes and cupped the back of his head. He allowed himself to be pulled until their lips were pressed together. It was soft but not aggressive and without tongue. Not quite shy, but tentative, curious, and pleasing. Gene angled her head, stepping closer trying to make magic happen and feel something. Anything. The fire she felt the last time he was at her house. With her eyes closed, she imagined what he would do with his hands. She kissed him with everything she had built up and somewhere in the back of her mind she realized he wasn’t kissing her back. Shocked and embarrassed, she pulled back.

  “I didn’t mean to do that,” she stammered, turning quickly to unlock her door.

  He grabbed her, stopping her from fully turning and shook his head. “No. It’s okay,” he assured her and leaned in towards her. Wanting to try again but not wanting the rejection, she stood still and let him come to her.

  He sighed and pulled her to him, surrounding her with his lips, his tongue asking for entrance at her mouth, and she let him. One hand wrapped around her waist, aligning their bodies, while the other hand tangled in her hair, tilting her head to deepen the kiss even more. The feeling of him straining against his pants and his teeth lightly nipping her bottom lip caused her nipples to tighten in her shirt. She whimpered, and he pulled back instead of coming closer, leaving her standing dazed with her eyes still closed.

  Hot. Damn. Fireworks.

  Amazing was an understatement. She was left breathless, tempted, and scared. She didn’t need that kind of man in her life. Who knew what else he would do?

  She opened her eyes, frozen in place as she tried to catch her breath.

  “Go in the house, Gene,” he said, and the growl in his voice made her turn around instantly.

  What was she doing?

  He waited until she had let herself into the house and whispered goodnight before he walked away. Gene leaned against her closed door, again wondering what the hell she was doing before taking herself up the stairs and to bed.

  Liam was going to drive her insane. The sad part was she was kind of hoping he would.

  6

  Gene rolled over and groaned. Her body tensed with the rolling of her stomach and she waited to see if she would throw up. Yesterday was a hot mess, she had drank more than she wanted to and she felt like an idiot in the light of day when she thought about what she almost did on her doorstep. She knew better than that. She learned too much in college about hydrating as you drink to have gotten hung over and the past year had taught her enough about taking chances. All she wanted to do was lie in bed, and put herself in time out, but she had to get up.

  Her phone rang, and she stretched for it, her hand smacking against the nightstand, almost knocking it over before she answered without looking. “Hello?” she moaned.

  “Wake up!” a familiar voice yelled into the phone, causing Gene to wince and pull it away from her ear.

  “Hello, Charlotte,” Gene said while st
ill holding the phone out and away. When she was sure the coast was clear, she put the phone back to her ear.

  “You better not be in bed, Genie. We’re having brunch so get up,” Charlotte wailed.

  “Char, I am getting up. Brunch isn’t until ten and newsflash, it’s ...” Gene glanced at the clock on her nightstand through squinted eyes. “It’s only eight o’clock.”

  “Oh, hogwash. You’re a working woman now,” she said, referencing the time when Gene was just a college student and Arnold’s wife. “I know you get up earlier than this every day of the week. You should beat us there!”

  Sure, on a normal day, she did get up earlier. As the boss, she liked to be the first in but not today. “Charlotte, I’m hungover and tired. I will see you at brunch,” Gene said, smacking her finger against her phone repeatedly until it disconnected, cutting off the muttering she could still hear from Charlotte on the line.

  An hour later, Gene managed to drag herself from the bed, into the shower, and into her favorite yoga pants and a plain white t-shirt. It was the best she could do, and she was grateful to be comfortable in the backseat of her Uber. The driver drove as slow as she requested to the restaurant she and her friends had previously agreed on. With aviator shades on her face, she walked into Petals looking less like an incognito celebrity and more like a hungover adult. Petals was a small bistro with good breakfast, lunch, and bottomless brunch mimosas. There were huge flowers drawn on the wall from top to bottom as a cute touch.

  “Can I help you?” the hostess asked politely, and Gene opened her mouth but was cut off by yelling across the room.

  “She made it,” Gene heard shrieked across the room just before a woman’s arms wrapped around her neck nearly bowling her over.

  “Genie,” another woman said, joining the group hug.

  “I know ya’ll better save some room for me,” another said before joining the fray and squeezing Gene even tighter.

  “As much as I love you guys, I need you to let go. I can’t breathe,” Gene said, smiling at the three women in front of her. Charlotte, Ginger, and Sheila, her best friends from college stood in front of her looking like older versions of the women Gene remembered. The last time they’d seen each other was at Charlotte’s wedding, nearly five years ago.

  “We already ordered you a drink,” Charlotte said, turning towards their table. Charlotte stood in a colorful dress with flowers that Gene knew without asking was a Lily Pulitzer. Charlotte had been obsessed with the brand since college, and it fit her preppy mom persona.

  “Char told me you were hungover so I ordered you a water and orange juice,” Ginger said with understanding in her eyes. In her black distressed jeans and off-the-shoulder top with dangly earrings and colorful bangles up one arm, she looked nothing like the civil engineer she was. She was less nerdy and more badass, and in real life she was who you wanted by your side when it was time to get shit done. Her sleek, sunset-colored hair was smooth and bone straight, framing her face and hanging down her back.

  “Thanks,” Gene said with a grateful nod.

  “We decided to wait for you before ordering the food though so please tell me you already know what you want,” Charlotte said, pushing one side of her platinum blond bob behind her ear.

  They walked together towards a round table tucked in a corner with shade though it was against a window so they could see the traffic and pedestrians walking along the sidewalk.

  “Yep,” Gene said, sliding into the only unattended chair and picking up the menu. It was a nice day, sunny and if Gene hadn’t been wearing her shades, she would have appreciated it. Instead, she squinted against it. Her chair seemed to be facing the brightness full on.

  “Oh my god, I can’t believe this day is finally here. The crew is all back together again,” Charlotte said, practically bouncing in her chair with excitement.

  “Take a chill pill, Char,” Sheila said in a soft voice. “Jesus. You keep bouncing like that, you might bounce away.” Sheila was dressed in a simple yellow sundress, her thick curly brown hair tamed into a ponytail on top of her head so she looked a little like a pineapple. Gene knew Sheila thought the plainness of a ponytail wouldn’t call attention to herself but to Gene, Sheila was unmistakably beautiful.

  Charlotte scoffed. “Fine. If I’m the only one excited, you girls must be old or boring.”

  “Or hung over,” Ginger said laughing.

  “Right,” Gene agreed and laughed.

  It had been five years and Gene almost forgot how much fun it was to have a girls’ day out. The excitement was contagious and even though a headache was throbbing in the back of her head, she was already feeling better. She hadn’t laughed that hard in a long time.

  Their waiter, a skinny guy who looked too young to be working and too serious to have experienced that much in life, came to the table with a pad and pen in hand. “My name is Dennis, and I’ll be your server this afternoon. Are you ready to order?”

  “We are,” Charlotte said, not waiting for anyone else to speak first. Typical Charlotte. “I’d like your pancake platter, but with banana batter instead. Regular brown sugar if possible instead of white and no butter on top. Egg whites, scrambled, no cheese,” she said, taking a deep breath, “turkey bacon if you have it, and hold the hash browns.”

  Gene’s eyes caught Ginger’s from across the table and they both rolled their eyes. Ginger bit her lip, struggling to keep her snicker in. Charlotte hadn’t changed since college. She was extra and mostly for no reason. Even if she was on a new diet, she was drinking. The calories just didn’t add up. She didn’t even have food allergies or anything.

  “Okay,” Dennis said writing quickly. “Will that be all?”

  “Another mimosa and a side of fresh fruit,” Charlotte said, concluding her very specific order.

  “Okay. Got it.” Dennis turned to Sheila. “And for you, ma’am?”

  “Vegan French toast platter please and a glass of water with lime. Thank you,” she said sweetly, taking it easy on the man to let him know the rest of the table wasn’t as crazy as Charlotte.

  Gene didn’t need much. Her stomach still wasn’t back to normal, but she knew she needed to eat. The last thing she had was too many hours ago and full of grease. She vaguely remembered ordering nachos at the bar. “Your avocado toast looks pretty good. Have you had it before?” she asked, debating if she wanted it. His response would decide what she ordered.

  “It’s alright,” he said with a shrug.

  “Then your bacon, egg, and cheese it is. On an English muffin, instead of toast though please.”

  “You got it.” He quickly noted it down. “And for you, ma’am?” he said, turning to Ginger at last.

  “Waffles,” she said, imitating Donkey from Shrek and slid her menu towards him. “Thanks.”

  “I’ll have those back to you in no time,” Dennis said and walked away.

  “Ok. I need life updates. From all of you,” Charlotte said, clasping her hands together loud enough to make Gene flinch. “But I’ll go first.”

  “Alright. You have the floor,” Sheila said, leaning forward to sip her light green beverage. Gene was willing to guess it was some kind of smoothie since Sheila was a vegetarian, and all about clean and light eating.

  “Okay. Chris and I are about to celebrate our fifth year of marriage. I just had a daughter, Sydney is a little angel. Her face and little laugh are just perfect. I know you’ve seen the pictures on Facebook, but I can’t lie and say I am not excited to have a break from her. She’s been driving this Momma a little crazy.” Charlotte shook her head before turning to dig through her huge purse. She pulled out her phone to show her lock screen. Sydney was looking away from the screen smiling and her perfect face was facing the light. She was adorable, not that Gene didn’t know what she looked like. Charlotte updated her Facebook page like it was her profession. “They weren’t joking about the Terrible Twos, which is why I plan to have bottomless mimosas today without any judgment, thank you very much, and y
es, I will be calling an Uber,” she said with a smile. Gene tried to take Charlotte’s complaints with a grain of salt. She knew that was just Charlotte and it didn’t mean anything but thinking about what she would give to have a child of her own and the miscarriages made her shake her head. Charlotte seemed to take a lot of her blessings for granted. “I quit my job a few years back and have been a stay at home mom. I must say, I’m enjoying it, and Chris supports that decision one hundred percent. He makes enough money as a CPA for the both of us. Thank God. Life is good, and I couldn’t be happier. Your turn, Sheila,” Charlotte said ending her monologue. She turned to Sheila with expectant eyes.

  “Ok,” Sheila said, reaching around to grab a curly strand from the back of her head and talked as she wound it around her finger. Gene shot an encouraging smile at her. “I’m still living in Chicago. My art is doing well, and I have a show coming up. I think it’s going to do well... and that’s it,” she said with a shrug and turned her head to Ginger. She wasn’t as shy as she was in college but she didn’t like the spotlight on her. “I’m not dating anyone,” she added quickly, her face flushing a little.

  “Ginger,” Charlotte said, dictating who should go next.

  “Still working for the city, doing odd jobs, building whatever they ask me to, you know? I love my job, and I met this guy downtown last week. He took my number and asked me out so, there’s that,” she said with a smirk.

  “Aye! Way to go, Ging, getting out there,” Charlotte said, raising her glass in a toast. “I hope you can say the same,” she said, turning her gaze to Gene.

  “I thought we were doing life updates,” Gene said, sipping her orange juice and ignoring the fact that life updates included dating updates. “And life is going great for me. Still managing my own business, fixing cars, and shocking men left and right when they can’t believe that I am the lead mechanic, even though you would think the business name speaks for itself,” she said.

  “She’s changing the subject. I think you’re on to something there, Char,” Ginger said with a smirk.