by J. S. Cooper
“No, I just wanted to report back about Emily.”
“Let me know what happens next week, and stay safe.” And with that, he hung up. I put the phone down on the mattress and stared up at the ceiling. I didn’t normally mind being alone, but for some reason I felt antsy. I reached over for the remote control and turned on the TV. I stared at the screen and flicked through the channels until I came to Friends. It wasn’t a show that I loved, but it was a show I was comfortable with. Watching Friends made me feel comforted, and I laughed easily as Joey made some stupid joke. I laid back in the bed and watched the screen. Within seconds, my mind had drifted back to Lou’s Burger Joint and Lucky. I laughed as I remembered her dancing again. I couldn’t seem to get the image out of my mind. She had been concentrating so hard as she followed her friend. Watching her move had sparked something in me, and I could still feel the spark that had run through me as she had looked up into my eyes. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to think about her and the way I had felt when we had spoken. I wondered if she had left work already, or if she had to work all night. I sat up, panicked and worried: what if she had to work until 3 a.m. and had to walk to her car by herself? Was that safe? I grabbed my phone and looked up the phone number to the restaurant and called the number without thinking.
“We’re having a great night at Lou’s Burger Joint, can I help you?” A lightly accented lady picked up the phone, and I assumed it was the other waitress, Maria.
“Hi, I, uh, was just wondering if Lucky was there.” My breath caught in my throat and I wondered what I was doing, acting like a stalker.
“Oh, sorry, mi amor, Lucky just left with her friend.”
“Oh? Her friend?” What friend? Did she have a boyfriend? Was I crazy? I was definitely crazy. I was just about to hang up when Maria spoke again.
“Her roommate Leeza. You should call her cell.”
“Oh okay, thanks. I’ll do that.” I hung up quickly, grinning to myself. She hadn’t left with a guy, she had left with her roommate, a girl. I shook my head at how happy I felt. “You don’t even know if she has a boyfriend. Cool it, Zane.” I mumbled to myself, but I didn’t care. All I knew was that she was safe and with her roommate. It wasn’t that I cared about her, I just wanted to make sure she was okay, because she seemed like a nice girl. And I didn’t want to see anything bad happen to her, or any nice girl. If Maria had been my waitress, I would have made sure she was okay as well. I closed my eyes to stop my thoughts, but all I could think about was Lucky and her giant smile. The smile that had awakened something in me. It scared the shit out of me, but I knew that I couldn’t wait for my date the following Friday, so that I could go to Lou’s Burger Joint and see Lucky again. And maybe next time, she could teach me a few dance moves as well.
Chapter 3
“I think you’ll like this place,” my heart raced as I smiled at Brigetta as we walked to Lou’s Burger Joint. Brigetta was surprisingly nice for a swimsuit model. A little bit of an airhead maybe, but she seemed like a sweet gal.
“Oh, I like all sorts of restaurants.” She smiled at me sweetly.
“I hope you like burgers.”
“I love burgers.” She laughed and rubbed her stomach.
“Beef burgers or veggie burgers?” I chortled, but I wasn’t paying attention to her answer as we walked into the diner. I looked around quickly, anxious to see if Lucky was working tonight. I felt my stomach drop as I only saw Maria and another waitress. She wasn’t working. The disappointment that coursed through me was strong and I wanted to know where she was. Why would she take a Friday night off? Did she have a date? Weren’t Friday nights the best nights for tips? Didn’t she care that I was going to be in tonight? How would she know, Zane? The voice whispered in my head, and I frowned. I was losing it.
“Have a seat,” the waitress I didn’t know shouted across the diner to us. “I’m Shayla, and I’ll be with you in a few minutes. Choose any vacant booth.”
“Thanks,” I nodded and walked over to the same booth I sat in last time.
“This place is cute.” Brigetta giggled, and I looked up at her in confusion. I rubbed my eyes and took a deep breath. My head was not in the game at all. I had forgotten she was with me.
“Yes, it is.” I smiled at her weakly. “So, do you like beef burgers or veggie burgers?”
“Huh?” She looked at me in surprise. “I just told you, I prefer bison burgers, their meat is leaner.”
“Oh, yeah, yeah. Sorry.” I gave her a dazzling smile, trying to ensure she didn’t get upset at me. There was plenty of time for that later.
“Do you want to share fries?”
“You eat fries?” I knew that my shock showed in my voice and face and she burst out laughing.
“You think because I’m a Sports Illustrated model I don’t eat fries?” She laughed out loud. “I’m from Nebraska, we eat everything.”
“I don’t think I’ve met a model quite like you before.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” She winked at me, and I reached over and grabbed her hand and squeezed it.
“I’m so glad you were able to fit me into your schedule.” I looked into her eyes. Time to turn on the charm. “I wasn’t sure if I had lost my chance, after I heard you were going out with Braydon.”
“I’m glad you didn’t lose your chance as well.” Lucky’s voice was smooth and sweet, and I looked up with wide eyes, devouring her presence. Our eyes met, and there was a devious sparkle in hers as she grinned at me. “Welcome to Lou’s Burger Joint, my name’s Lucky and I’ll be your server today.”
“Nice to see you again, Lucky.” I spoke calmly, as if I hadn’t been having dreams of her all week long. “I wasn’t sure if you were working tonight. I didn’t see you earlier.” But if my heartbeat is any indication, I’m more than overjoyed to see you.
“Oh, I was in the back.” She grinned at me. “Doing lots of fun things with Mike.”
“Mike?” I asked as if I didn’t care, but I waited with bated breath for her answer. Was she allowed to have her boyfriend at work? I turned my eyes away from her quickly, as I didn’t want her to see the jealousy radiating from me. Who the fuck was Mike?
“Mike is the cook.” She smiled and handed us the menus. “Can I start you off with drinks?”
“I’ll have a strawberry margarita please,” Brigetta laughed. “I feel like letting loose tonight.”
“I’ll have a Corona,” I said, happy again. I was starting to think my emotions were on some sort of yo-yo when it came to this girl.
“Thanks for taking the table, Lucky.” The other waitress hurried past us. “We’re just so busy tonight, I couldn’t deal with another table.”
“No worries, Shayla.” Lucky smiled at her, and I watched as she licked her lips quickly before turning back to us. “Any appetizers, or would you like a few minutes?”
“A few minutes, please.” I turned back to the menu, angry at myself for noticing that she was wearing eyeliner and mascara. She hadn’t worn it last week and I was curious to know why she was wearing it tonight. The eyeliner brought out the hazel in her deep brown eyes, and they were so much silkier than I had remembered. I shouldn’t have come back—she affected me more than I liked to admit. This had been a mistake.
“I love margaritas, they are so delicious.” Brigetta’s voice was sickly sweet, and I realized that maybe she was too nice. There was something about her that was just as fake as Emily had been. I took a deep breath as I realized that I wasn’t being fair. Maybe both girls were nice. I just wasn’t giving them a chance.
“Yeah, they are good.” I nodded and studied the menu, feeling slightly uncomfortable. I wondered what Lucky was thinking. If she had noticed that I was with a different girl from the week before. Did she think I was a player? Or maybe she thought they were my friends. No, no, if she thought anything, she thought I was a player. Especially since she had overheard what I had said to Brigetta. But what did I care? What Lucky thought didn’t mean anything to me. Fra
nkly, if she really knew what I was doing here, she would think I was worse than just a player. I laughed to myself.
“What’s so funny?” Brigetta laughed again, like she was a little princess, and I wanted to ask her, what’s so funny now? Her image didn’t match her personality. She was another gorgeous girl with her long straight black hair, emerald green eyes, a golden-brown tan, and a firm and toned body. She looked like a mean girl, but she acted like a little kid. Too wide-eyed, too happy, too giggly, too precocious. Yeah, that was the word. She was precocious. I felt like I was on a date with a little girl that I had to coddle. And I didn’t want to coddle. I wanted to dance slowly and intimately. I wanted to feel the warmth of a feminine body next to mine, teasing me with the promise of more to come. And I wanted that body to be Lucky’s.
“Nothing, just thinking that I’m so hungry that I could eat a whole cow.” I smiled at her weakly. I was really losing it. I couldn’t afford to have sexy daydreams about my waitress at that moment.
“Oh, that’s funny.” She laughed loudly and threw her head back. “A whole cow, ha ha ha.”
“I didn’t realize I was the second coming of Benny Hill.” I winked at her, and she stared back at me blankly. “The comedian? Remember him?”
“No.” She shook her head and laughed. “But you are funnier than Chris Rock.”
“I’m funnier than Chris Rock, huh?”
“Oh, yes.”
“I’ve never heard that one before.” I looked around the diner, trying not to roll my eyes. All of a sudden I felt very tired. This was not what I wanted to be doing. I watched as Lucky smiled at a guy in a booth on the other side of the diner, and I saw her play with her hair as the guy talked to her. I had a feeling he was flirting with her as he was staring up into her eyes intently and leaning towards her eagerly. I felt angry that this man thought he had a shot with Lucky. Who was he? I turned away from them quickly, annoyed that I cared who was talking to her. She is no one to you, Zane. I repeated the words over to myself in my brain. She couldn’t help me imprison Braydon for what he had done to Noah. I couldn’t allow myself to think about anything other than that.
“Hey, I’ll be with you guys in a minute.” Lucky shuffled past us with a huge smile. “Sorry, we’re busy tonight.”
“No worries.”
“And I’ll bring your drinks to the table as well, as soon as I come back.”
“Great.” I couldn’t stop myself from watching her as she walked away, her hair swinging behind her. “Bring yourself too, if you want.” I mumbled under my breath and laughed. My body was calling out for contact with Lucky. Something in the way that she moved so fluidly was sensual and captivating to me. All I could think about was what her skin would feel like under mine.
“So, you know Angelique?” Brigetta looked at me with a jealous expression and my stomach twisted as she mentioned Angelique’s name.
“Yes.” The word was simple and short, but the shot of pain that ran through me magnified its meaning a hundredfold.
“She’s beautiful.” Brigetta said breathlessly. “I wish I looked like her.”
“You’re beautiful.” I tried not to roll my eyes dismissively.
“Thank you.” She preened at me, and I realized that Brigetta wasn’t as nice and naïve as she seemed. “I’m happy being a brunette and not a bleached blonde.” She giggled and shook her head, allowing her hair to go flying.
“I’m glad you’re happy.”
“Do you prefer blondes or brunettes?” She leaned towards me with an intense look.
“I prefer brunettes.” I didn’t blink as I stared back at her. I felt Lucky approaching before she spoke, and I turned to look at her slowly. It was as if I couldn’t help myself, there was some magnetic pull drawing me to her. “I prefer brunettes.” I repeated as I stared at Lucky’s silky tresses.
“Hey guys, here are your drinks.” Lucky smiled widely at me, and I noticed that her teeth were all very white and even, not perfect-even like she had had braces, but cute-even, and pearly.
“Thank you.” The words came out harder than I wanted them to, and she frowned slightly. There was no doubt in my mind that she thought I was some sort of psycho or douche.
“So Zane, I was thinking….”
“What?” I looked at Brigetta irritably, and she gave me a hurt look. Lucky looked back and forth at us with a concerned expression and gave me a timid smile.
“I’ll come back in a few minutes.” Her eyes glanced at mine quickly, and I was unsure of what emotion I was looking at before she turned away.
“What’s going on, Zane?” Brigetta bit her trembling lip. “It’s almost like you don’t want me here.”
“It’s not that.” I shook my head and clenched my fists. “I’m just distracted.”
“By what?” Her eyes looked at mine with a hurt look. “Not Angelique, I hope.”
“Chocolate.” I sighed, thinking of Lucky’s deep irises. “I’m mesmerized by chocolate.” I groaned and tried not to laugh at Brigetta’s confused expression.
“Are you on drugs?” She looked slightly worried.
“No.” I rolled my eyes.
“’Cause I don’t mess around with people who do drugs.” She shuddered.
“Oh?” I frowned as the meaning of her words hit me. “What about Braydon?”
“What about him?” She looked confused.
“I thought he dabbled in stuff?” Isn’t your ex a drug dealer? I wanted to ask.
“Oh no, Braydon is as clean as they come.” Her voice sounded shocked that I’d even suggested otherwise.
“I see.” I looked at my watch to see how long the date had been, and if it would be rude to cut it off early. Brigetta was going to be of no use to me. If she thought Braydon was clean, there was no way she had any information about his dealings with the cartel.
“Why were you talking about chocolate?” She looked at me confused again. “Do you want to go and get chocolate fudge? I know a place on Lincoln Road. It’s near my condo.” She leaned towards me suggestively, and I suppressed a sigh.
“No, I’m okay. I was thinking of green moors on cloudy days, haze and grit, and the sunshine peeking through giving you hope.”
“Say what?” She sat back and gazed around quickly. “Are you okay, Zane? I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“I’m talking about that moment.” I mumbled, knowing I wasn’t making sense and not really caring. “I’m talking about that moment when you know that you have made a connection that you can’t explain or fathom. That moment when you realize that you can’t control your mind. That moment when you realize your brain and your heart can play tricks on you.”
“I have an app on my iPhone if you want to play it. It’s a brain-training app. That might help you.”
“You think?” I laughed. “That’s one mighty app.” Can it make me stop thinking about the girl who’s inhabiting my dreams? I wanted to ask.
“It helps you to train your brain to remember stuff.” She nodded earnestly. “It makes you smarter.”
“Oh, you use it then?”
“Oh yes,” she grinned.
“And you’re on the way to Mensa?”
“Where?” She frowned. “You mean Mesa?”
“Mesa?”
“I don’t go to Arizona much.” She shook her head. “I prefer Nevada anyways, more pools.” She grinned. “And of course, who doesn’t like gambling in Vegas?”
“That’s true.” I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing out loud. “I do suppose most Mensa members don’t go to Vegas much. They’re smart enough to not gamble.”
“I’m not from Mesa.” She looked at me in confusion. “I’m not sure why you got the feeling I was from Mesa.” She reached over and grabbed my hand. “But if you want us to go on a trip there, I won’t say no.”
“I think you’re a very nice girl, Brigetta.” I pulled my hand away and yanked out my wallet quickly. I felt bad that I was being rude but I knew I couldn’t stand any more
of this stupid conversation. “Here’s some cash so that you can take a cab home. I think I need to just sit here by myself and think.”
“You want me to leave?” Her face turned red. “So you can think about Mesa?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I want.”
“Keep your money. You’re crazy.” She jumped up. “And don’t call me again.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you.” I stood up as well. “Tonight is just not a good night for me.”
“Whatever, you can sit here and think of Arizona, and I’ll go relax in a hot tub with my new bikini, a very small G-string bikini.”
“That should be fun.” I nodded, not caring if she would have said she was going skinny dipping in the Atlantic ocean. I just wasn’t interested.
“Hey, I’m sorry, guys. Is there anything I can get you?” Lucky rushed over to the table looking worried, and I shook my head, wishing that I had the ability to shake her from my mind as well.
“Brigetta is just leaving, but I’ll be staying to get something to eat.”
“And to think about Arizona.” Brigetta glared at me.
“Arizona?” Lucky looked at me with a perplexed expression and a twinkle in her eyes. I could tell that she thought Arizona was another girl and that I had been caught in my player ways.
“You wouldn’t understand.” I grinned at her, enjoying the fact that she was close to me and that we were talking and joking around like friends.
“Oh, I think I would.” She rolled her eyes.
“Oh, you think so?” I winked at her and watched as exasperation and humor filled her face. From my peripheral view I could see Brigetta leaving but I didn’t bother turning around to look at her. She was already gone from my mind. There was nothing she could give me that meant anything to me. Bimbos like her were a dime a dozen. And knowing she could give me no information on Braydon had taken her to the bottom of my list easily. If she had gotten that shocked about me asking if he did drugs, there was no way she knew any more info.
“Oh, I know so.” Lucky twirled her hair in her fingers. “I know guys like you.”
