Torrid Affair

by Callie Anderson

  He cleared his throat in preparation. “Excuse me. How much does a polar bear weigh?”

  “Ahh.” I bit my lower lip contemplating my answer. “I don’t know.”

  “Enough to break the ice.” He smiled and extended his hand. “I’m Nate.”

  “Brielle.” I couldn’t hold back the smile that grew on my face as I reached for his hand.

  “Brielle,” he repeated my name. “It fits you.”

  “How so?”

  “It’s unique and beautiful.” He winked. “Just like you.”

  Guys. Most were cocky, arrogant and over the top. My eyes rolled. “You just can’t stop it, can you?”

  “Stop what?”

  “Your terrible one-liners.” I shoved my notepad back in my bag and turned to walk away. “Have a good day, Nathaniel Wright.” I did find him charming. Even if it was only a tad bit.

  “Wait!”

  His footfalls grew closer behind me. I turned and was greeted with his tall frame. His hand ran through his low cut hair and he gnawed his lower lip for a few seconds before he spoke again.

  “Come on, let me take you out? It’s the least I can do since I took your parking spot.”

  I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. I hadn’t been out with someone since I broke up with Trent last semester. “I—I . . . uh . . .” Clearly, I was developing a stutter around this guy.

  “Do you have a boyfriend?”

  “No. Do you have a girlfriend?” I retorted.

  “No.” He shook his head in defense. “Just figured you were thinking of a way to let me down easy.” Nate stepped closer. He smelled as though he’d just stepped out of the shower, fresh with a hint of cologne. It was manly but not overpowering. “Come on, Brielle. Have dinner with me?”

  I sighed. “Fine. I’ll go out with you, Wright.” How could I say no?

  He pressed both of his hands under his chin as though he was about to pray. “So, my pick up line worked after all.”

  “Seriously! You’re pushing your luck, buddy.” I shook my head, but my cheeks hurt from grinning. “Unreal.”

  “Does tomorrow work?”

  “Yeah. I get off work at seven. Just tell me where to meet you.”

  “I can pick you up.” His tongue slid across his lip, causing my stomach to twist.

  “I’ve seen you drive, so there is no way I’m getting in a car with you.” I smiled and patted his chest. “Plus, you could be a stalker. I don’t want you to know where I work or live.”

  “Fair enough.” He lifted his hands in defeat. “DefyGravity, eight o’clock.” Nate gave me one last boyish smile before he turned and walked away.

  I sucked my lower lip between my teeth to hide my excitement. Maybe this was going to be a good year.

  Nathaniel

  I walked away from Brielle, knowing this class was now my favorite. There was something about her that piqued my interest. I blamed her short shorts that hugged her small waist.

  I’d originally planned to withdraw from the class. I’d already studied every building on this campus when I took a similar class at the community college, so I showed up because I needed a signature from Professor Comeau to drop the class. But after my encounter with Brie, I walked back to my car and headed over to the financial aid office to make sure I was covered for it.

  The line was out the door with students who had issues with registration and others who wanted to add or drop classes. I thought I’d beat the rush, but when there were at least twenty people in front of me I knew I’d be here for most of the morning.

  Slowly, everyone began to move up the line. I was next to be called when a buddy of mine from high school came by to chat.

  “Hey, man.” He extended his hand. “I didn’t know you were coming here.”

  “Yeah.” I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “This is my first semester.”

  “How’s Julian?”

  “Good. He’s around here somewhere.” Unlike me who fucked around for a year, Julian had come to UNCC right out of high school.

  “I’m having a party at the frat house Thursday night. Come through.” Rick had always been known for the craziest house parties. Once he convinced every sorority and fraternity to cancel their parties so no one else would go anywhere but to his home.

  “I just made plans.” I shrugged. “Maybe next time.” I had two years left in college and I refused to fuck it up now.

  “Of course you have a date. Still the same Nate who hooks up with all the bitches.” That was a lie. I was simply a friendly guy.

  “Next!” a female voice shouted from the small office.

  “I’ll catch you around, Rick.” I held my financial aid papers and marched toward the office.

  Chapter 3

  Brielle

  I was clocking out of Dr. Carmack’s office with an hour to spare. It had been the longest four-hour shift I worked in my life. My eyes kept wandering to the clock on the screen as each second dragged.

  Why was I this excited about seeing Nathaniel?

  For the past three school years, I’d worked at Dr. Carmack’s dental office near campus as his receptionist. During the summer break his wife Maureen covered my shift. Most of his patients were university students who went back home for the summer, so his schedule was light.

  I pulled my duffle bag out from under my desk, shut off the computer, and then walked to the bathroom to change out of my Mickey Mouse scrubs. Running my fingers through my wild curls, I attempted to tame the beast. It’s only a date, I reminded myself.

  I drove through the traffic of University Drive and pulled into DefyGravity. I circled the parking lot and, to my surprise, Nate was standing in the only empty spot. When he noticed my car approaching, he scooted out of the way and let me slide in.

  A new wave of butterflies fluttered in my stomach and I couldn't help but smile. It had been so long that I’d forgotten what a first date felt like. The tingling in my stomach. The rush of adrenaline that coursed through me. The constant need to make sure I didn't make a complete ass of myself. It was terrifying and exhilarating all at once. It was a feeling that never lasted for long, so when you did experience it you held your breath and hoped it wouldn’t go away.

  I grabbed my purse and hopped out of the car. “Aww, you’re sweet.” I beamed. ”You saved me a parking spot.”

  A boyish grin grew on his face. “It’s the least I can do.”

  The damn butterflies felt as if they were in my throat. What was it about him that had me absolutely smitten? “DefyGravity . . . I’ve never been here.” I studied the long brick building behind him. I was trying not to focus on how delicious he looked in his Chuck Taylors and crisp white T-shirt. A breeze was blowing, which sent a waft of his cologne in my direction.

  “There’s nothing to it. You just jump on some trampolines.” He extended his arm to me. “Shall we?” I nodded, afraid my words would fail me, and laced my arm through his.

  I followed Nate as he led us toward the entrance. “How was work?” he asked and slowed so we could walk the remainder of the path together.

  “It was . . . work.” I giggled nervously. “It’s extra cash.”

  “What do you do?”

  “I work at a dental office. Nothing fancy.” My gaze locked with the tantalizing green hue of his eyes. With the reflection of his white shirt, they reminded me of the Caribbean. Mesmerizing.

  “Do you work?” I forced the words out of my mouth when I realized I’d been deep in thought about his eye color.

  “No. I do a co-op with a local construction company. Nothing major, but I get a few bucks in tips that help.” A man who knew how to use his hands. I felt my cheeks burn as I tried to remove the image of him building something. ”I actually major in architecture,” he stated as he approached the counter to buy our tickets.

  “Oh, that’s cool. I guess the appreciation of buildings come in handy.”

  DefyGravity was a large open warehouse with black and red trampolines scatte
red throughout the room. Some people were jumping, while others played basketball or dodgeball. In the back corner were two large trampolines that let you jump or flip into a foam pit.

  We put our belongings in a locker and headed toward the empty basketball court. Nate threw a small ball at me. “Do you play?” he asked when I caught the ball.

  “I’d compare my skills to Kobe Bryant,” I joked, and he raised his brows. “No, I don’t play.”

  He motioned for me to throw the ball toward him. “Here’s the deal.” He jumped over to the basket. “You have to jump up and dunk the ball in.” He jumped up and put the ball in the net to demonstrate. “We’ll take turns. For every shot you make, you can ask me something.” He tossed the ball back at me. “Deal?”

  Holding the kid-sized red ball in my hand, I ran toward the basket, jumped straight up and dunked it the way he had. “Deal.”

  “Impressive.” He cocked his head to the side.

  Nate took the ball from me and hopped twenty feet away. He sprinted forward, swept the ball around his body, and dunked it.

  “Show off.” I grabbed the ball from where it had rolled on the trampoline. I stood a few feet away from the basket and rested my hand on my hip. “Your question?”

  “Where are you from?”

  I inhaled and closed my eyes. I hated talking about my life. “Outskirts of Chicago,” I answered quickly and ran toward the basket. I jumped as high I could, kicked open my legs to make my dunk look fancy, and slammed the ball in.

  “Okay.” Nate nodded, appreciating my skills.

  “You said you’re majoring in architecture. How much longer until you graduate?”

  “Four semesters.”

  “Oh, so you’re a junior.”

  “That’s two questions.”

  “Technically, it wasn’t a question.”

  “I’ll let it slide on the technicality.”

  “Whatever.” I threw the ball at him. “Dunk away.”

  Like he had done before, he ran toward the basket and slammed it in. “Favorite movie?”

  “Die Hard,” I answered softly, my eyes narrowing at his. I knew there was another question coming.

  “The first one?”

  I scrunched my nose together and shook my head. “Third, With A Vengeance,” I stated matter-of-factly.

  “Yippee ki-yay mother fucker!” Nate said, quoting Bruce Willis.

  “My father and I used to watch it all the time when I was a kid.” My father hadn’t been a father in a long time. Hell, I couldn’t even remember the last time I spoke to him.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” I nodded my head. “That was three questions, by the way.”

  As Nate and I continued to jump around, I learned he’d lived in North Carolina most of his life, had a younger brother, his favorite color was red, and he hated blue cheese.

  An hour after we began, we found ourselves sitting at the snack shack. “Is your hair naturally curly?” he asked, brushing a tendril back.

  I jerked away and patted my hair down. “I probably look like Medusa right now.” I tried to push down the baby hairs I was sure were sticking out. “But yes, it is. I call it the uncontainable beast.”

  “I like it.” His tongue ran across his lips and I couldn’t help but gawk. When Nate noticed my blatant stare I shook my head.

  “My roommate jokes at the amount of time I spend getting it to look decent. “

  “Do you dorm?” I nodded. “Multiple roommates?”

  “No, just one.” I shook my head. “I tried more than one my first semester. It’s cheaper but it was hell. Three girls, one tiny room . . . I’m surprised there wasn’t a murder.”

  Nate chuckled. “Nothing a pillow fight couldn’t solve, I’m sure.”

  “Yes, in our panties.” I slapped his arm. “Do you live on campus?”

  “No. Me and a couple of buddies rent a house on the other side of town.”

  The waiter delivered our food and I picked at my cheese fries. “Do you come here often?” I asked before taking a sip of my Coke.

  “It’s probably bad to admit it, especially since I’m hoping for more than one date with you, but yes. I come here any chance I can.”

  I giggle. “Is there a reason why?”

  “It’s like jumping on your bed. As a kid I never got to do that.” His voice lowered an octave. He swallowed and his gaze pulled away from mine. His lips formed a flat line.

  “Never?”

  There was a spark of some indefinable emotion in his eyes when he met my gaze. “You’re not ready for the ugly truth. Not yet.” A shiver ran up my spine and I knew not to press the subject. I stretched my legs. “Jumping is exhausting.”

  “We don’t have to go back in.”

  “No.” I shook my head and looked over to the foam pit. “I still need to flip into that.”

  He stole a fry from my plate. “Front or back flip?”

  “Front,” I said proudly. “With a chance of a concussion.”

  Nate chuckled. “I’ll be there to catch you.”

  My breathing slowed as I looked at him. “Will you?”

  “Yes.” He pushed his chair back. “Come on.”

  I coiled my hand with his and closed my eyes. “Let’s do it.”

  We stood on the ledge, where a few feet below us, a massive pool was filled with cut up squares of foam. “This is really high.” I took a step back.

  “You can’t back out now.” Nate pulled me closer to him. “Have you flipped into a pool before?” I nodded. “This is no different. Come on, we’ll do it on three.”

  I bit my lip. “’Kay . . .”

  We moved closer to the edge and Nate began to count. “One . . . Two . . . Three!”

  I squealed and then jumped. I forced my body forward and flipped onto the foam, landing on my back. My body tingled as I opened my eyes. Nate lay next to me. Glancing over at him, I began to laugh. My hands covered my face.

  “I can’t believe I did it!”

  Nate shuffled through foam blocks until his face was near mine and our gazes locked. “Do you feel that?” Nate asked in a low husky voice.

  My teeth nibbled my lower lip. “What?”

  “This thing between us.”

  “A little,” I lied. I felt every shred of this thing between with us.

  Nate leaned his face forward. For a brief second I hoped he was about to kiss me. Closing my eyes, I waited for his lips to touch mine.

  “Come on, guys!” someone shouted at us. “We’ve got to keep the line moving.”

  Nate cleared his throat and my glance landed on the employee who had instructed us to move. My cheeks flushed at the realization that someone was watching us. I maneuvered through the foam and climbed up the ladder to get out of the pit.

  “What do you say we hit some arcade games?” Nate asked as he reached out his hand to help.

  “Sure.”

  I gnawed on the inside of my lip as I wondered if he really was going to kiss me or if it was all my imagination. This was what sucked about a first date. I was having a great time but for all I knew Nate was counting down the seconds until he could ditch me. It was the not knowing. The power one controlled over you. It caused the butterflies in your stomach to flap their wings and make you crazy.

  Later that night, Nate walked me to my car, his hand laced with mine.

  “This is me.” I reached in my purse and pulled out my keys. He released my hand and turned to face me, reached up and twirled a curl around his finger. An innocent touch, but one that was powerful. His green eyes were glued to mine and I felt as though I was his prisoner.

  “Thank you for tonight,” he whispered as he closed the gap between us.

  I cleared my throat so my voice didn’t wobble. “I had fun.”

  The prolonged anticipation was almost unbearable. “Goodnight,” he muttered and licked his lips.

  I opened my mouth to wish him goodnight but he leaned in. Half of his lips captured half of mine and I closed my ey
es, hoping he would kiss me. But instead, he pulled away. A grin grew on his face and my eyebrows furrowed.

  “That’s half a kiss.” His thumb brushed along my bottom lip. “Now you’ll have to go out with me again to get the other half.”

  My heart jolted and my pulse began to pound. I turned to open my car door but my feet felt as if they were drifting along on a cloud. I was high from a simple half kiss.

  “’Night, Nathaniel.”

  I pulled out of the parking lot, dazed and feeling intoxicated. I didn’t remember getting home or walking to my room, but when I shut the door and leaned back against it, I sighed.

  “Late night?” Delaney asked. She sat on her bed with her laptop open.

  “Something like that.” I brought my hand to my lips, remembering my half kiss. I knew from the ache on my cheeks that I had been smiling the entire way home.

  Delaney slammed her laptop shut. “Were you just out with someone?”

  “No. Maybe. Sorta.” I beamed and strolled further into the room.

  Delaney fell forward on the bed and held her head up with her hands. “Spill it!”

  “No.” I fell back on my bed dramatically.

  “Come on, Brie. You won’t jinx it if you tell me about it,” she joked.

  “Not yet.” I bit my lower lip and looked over at her. “This one was kind of different.”

  “You like him?”

  “I think I might.”

  Nathaniel

  Brielle was the reason I’d fail my first college class. One night out with her and I was hooked. I couldn’t push her out of my head. She drove away and already I was planning when I’d see her again.

  As I got in my car and drove home, I mentally kicked myself for not kissing her. I should have enveloped her in my arms and kissed her the way I desperately wanted, but it wasn’t only a kiss I wanted, nor her body. It was her personality that hooked me. Like a lion hunting its prey, I was determined to know everything about her. The way she joked and smiled—there was something so simple yet utterly beautiful about her smile. The night had finished too quickly and I needed to see her again.

  I parked my car behind Jake’s in the driveway and walked inside what I called home. I shared a small three-bedroom Cape Cod with three of my high school football buddies: Jake, Stu, and Lenny. The place reeked of sex, beer, and dirty laundry, but the rent was cheaper than living on campus.