by Sam Crescent
“You want to do that?”
“Yes.”
Alexa stared down at the food, biting her lip, debating if she should allow it. If she let him get too close, she was at risk of falling for him, and with Corey, she knew it was a real chance. He called to her in ways she didn’t understand. The thought of a movie, some company, and curling up on the sofa was just too damn good to resist.
“I’d like that. Be warned. I’ll be in my slob clothes though. I’m not going to try to look sexy.”
She’d do her hair, and at least make an effort, but it would be slob effort.
Corey laughed. “Then consider it a non-date. I’ll even wear my slob clothes. Be warned, I may even belch.”
“I won’t judge.”
They sat in the park for lunch, and Alexa found at the end of their lunch, she didn’t want it to end. It was little moments like this that made it hard for her to try to keep him away.
****
Corey found her idea of slob clothes cute. Alexa wore a pair of really baggy sweat pants and a crop top. The air conditioning was on inside the apartment, and she had plates on the coffee table in front of the television. He loved her apartment. There was a lot of color, and pictures of Becca.
“Where is Becca?” he asked, turning around to find her walking back into the sitting room.
“She goes away to Italy for the summer. It’s her thing where she doesn’t have a care in the world. She’ll be back in two weeks.”
Her hair was tied back, and he found this side of her refreshing. This was outside of the club, outside of work, and he loved it.
Sitting down on the sofa, he leaned forward opening the boxes of Chinese food that he had bought. “I didn’t know what to get you so I picked some variety. Prawn dumplings, egg rolls, noodles, and some kung pao.”
She chuckled. “It’s fine. I love everything but squid, never did like that.” She wrinkled her nose.
“Great.”
“You serve us some food, and I will load up this movie.”
Corey got distracted as she bent over to place the movie in the DVD player.
Quickly dumping food onto their plates, he sat back, waiting for her to take a seat.
She lowered down, taking the plate and chopsticks from him. “Thanks.”
The movie started up, and they sat together, eating.
He had never sat with a woman eating. The club had found him women that he didn’t need to waste time wining and dining them. Once he finished food, he took seconds, and when Alexa finished, she put her plate on the table, sitting back. After he finished, they paused the film, cleaning away their dishes and putting the leftovers in the fridge.
Corey sat down first, and Alexa joined him. He made sure to tug her against him, and have her by his side. She rested her head against his chest, and together, as a couple, they watched the television.
He stroked her arm, and there was no intention of having sex. Corey didn’t actually want sex. All he wanted to do was take care of her, spend time with her.
When the film ended, he stayed sitting, and he heard Alexa sigh.
“I better head home.” Glancing at the clock, he saw it was a little after ten.
She tilted her head back, smiling at him. “If you want, you can stay here for the night. No sex, and you can sleep beside me in the bed. No pressure, and I’m not going to think that you’re going to give me anything more.”
Shit, this was what he’d been like with other women. He wouldn’t let them get close, and this was all his own fault. Now, he wanted to get close to a woman, and she wasn’t going to give him an inch.
“I’d love to stay.”
She looked down at his clothes. “I don’t have anything for you to wear.”
“Believe it or not, I’m wearing a pair of boxer briefs.” He unbuttoned his jeans, showing her that he was wearing something.
“Wow, I’ve never seen you actually wear any underwear.”
He chuckled. “I’m good.”
“Okay.”
They tidied up the sitting room, and he checked the doors and windows to make sure they were secure. When he got into the room, he found Alexa tugging up some silk shorts.
The bed was large, and he tugged his clothes off, climbing into the blanket. Alexa did the same on her side, and he turned to find her staring at him.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I guess I’m a little freaked out right now.”
He laughed, rolling onto his side to watch her. “And why is that?”
“You’re known for screwing a lot of women at the club. I figured you wouldn’t want to spend the night watching a movie.”
“I’m always full of surprises.”
“Have you been with anyone else?” she asked. “I know we’re always careful, I was just wondering—”
“I’ve not been with another woman since I’ve been with you. You’re the only one I’ve been with in the past two weeks.”
“Why?”
“You satisfy me, and I don’t want to be with anyone else.” He cupped her cheek, stroking his thumb across her bottom lip. “I don’t want any other woman.”
“I’ve not been with any other man.”
“I’m glad. I’d hate to go and start a fight with some asshole who touched you.”
She chuckled. “You’re sweet.”
“I like being with you, Alexa. It’s the one thing that I actually feel passionate about.”
“I don’t know what you want from me, Corey.”
“Nothing. I don’t want anything other than what you’ve given me.” He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her lips. “I’m not expecting anything.” Her eyes drooped, and he found it adorable. “Go to sleep, and don’t worry about this.”
Within seconds she was fast asleep, and he moved closer, pulling her into his arms. He couldn’t help but notice how perfect she felt within them, against them.
“I never even saw you coming,” he said, kissing her temple.
Chapter Eight
One week later
“Hello, Becca, what’s up?” Alexa asked, holding her cell phone between her shoulder and ear. She was holding shopping bags and trying to get into her apartment at the same time.
“What’s up? What’s up? Tell me, Alexa, what the hell is going on with you and Corey from the club?” Becca asked.
Alexa stood straight, her door opened, and her cell phone dropped to the floor.
“Shit!” She picked it up and placed it against her ear, entering her apartment at the same time. “Are you there?”
“Of course I’m here, and I’m not going to disappear.”
“How do you even know what is going on? You’re not even here?” Alexa kicked the door closed and wondered how her best friend found out what was happening.
“I may be away, but I’ve got my sources.”
“Who?” Alexa wanted to know who was talking about them.
“Fine, William. I called as he let me know you’d taken out a membership within the club. I asked him to keep any eye on you. He let me know that Corey paid special attention to you. What the fuck, Alexa? He’s bad!”
“I don’t think so.”
“What?”
Biting her lip, she moved toward the kitchen, placing the bag of food on the counter. “Corey, he’s not a bad guy. I kind of like him. Actually, there’s no kind of about it. I do like him.” She had been so angry when he invaded her privacy whereas now, she was rather charmed by his persistence. It had to mean something, right?
“He’s the ultimate bad guy. No woman leaves him without a broken heart, honey. He’s not the kind of man for you.”
Alexa thought about the last week where they had divided their time between playing at the club and spending time together in her apartment. He wanted to go to his place, but she didn’t know if she could allow that next step to occur.
“I like him, Becca. He’s, I don’t know, he’s different.”
“Different?”
<
br /> Releasing a sigh, Alexa rubbed her eyes. “Can you just trust me with this?”
“I don’t want to see you hurt.”
“He’s not going to hurt me. I’m happy, okay.”
“Alexa—”
“No, don’t. I know you worry, but you’re in Italy, and I’m here. You don’t know what he’s like.”
“He’s a player.”
“So what? I wanted a player. I wanted him. If it doesn’t last, then that’s my problem, not yours. I’ve got to go.” Alexa hung up, dropping her phone onto the counter. She felt bad now, and she was hurting. This was why she wanted to try to keep Corey away from her. From the moment she first saw him, she always knew he was different from every other man. He held her attention, and he made her crave what she had tried to bury deep down inside herself.
“I take it you were arguing about me,” Corey said.
She opened her eyes, and saw the man in question leaning against the doorframe.
“How did you get inside?”
“You only kicked the door closed. It was quite easy. I just opened the door.”
Running a hand across her face, she shook her head. “Becca’s worried about me because of us.”
“She doesn’t agree with me being with you?”
“No, she doesn’t. She doesn’t believe you’re good enough for me, and that you’re going to break my heart.” Running fingers through her hair, she started to empty her shopping bag. She was now in the mood to bake more than ever before. Alexa couldn’t recall a time when she had argued with her friend. Becca was usually really supportive of any decision she made. “I shouldn’t have hung up on her.”
“I’m not going to break your heart.”
“I know. We’d have to be in an actual relationship for that to happen. Becca’s back next week, and she’ll see.”
“You don’t think we’re in a relationship?” he asked.
Alexa paused, holding some lemon curd and a tub of cream cheese. “I don’t know how to answer that question.” She was afraid to answer it. It was such a loaded one, and what if he didn’t want to be known to be in a relationship with her? She was so fucking bad at this.
He sighed. “I’ve tried to be subtle as I know I’m not the best choice for having a relationship with. Even I would tell every single woman to run away from me. I’m not a good guy. I’m not even nice.”
What’s going on?
Corey smirked. “You know I really thought I was above having one woman because I figured all women were different. They’re there to be used, and I didn’t give a fuck about feelings. I figured they’re for women, and some other men can pick them up out of their issues. Then you entered the fucking club.”
Alexa tensed up. She’d done nothing wrong.
“You entered, and you looked so fucking innocent, and I could see how damned excited you were to actually be there. You wanted to watch, and be watched. When you finally looked at me, I thought fuck it, I’ll wait for her to come to me, and have done with it. Instead, you watched. You stayed back, and you watched, and you didn’t come toward me.” He laughed. “You didn’t even come to the club every day, and I would spend a lot of time watching and waiting for you to come to the club. You never came to me, and then Nathan, that fucking asshole, who has moved on, just so you know, he decided to break my rules.”
“Rules?”
“I told every single guy at the club to stay away from you. You were going to be mine. It was just a matter of time. Imagine my surprise that you didn’t approach anyone else either. So, I waited, and then it was taken out of my hands because I wasn’t about to let Nathan take what was mine.”
“I don’t belong to anyone.”
“You belong to me, Alexa. I took you, and now you’re under my skin. I’ve tried to fuck you out of my system, but you’re there, and I can’t get you out. The club, without you, holds no appeal to me. I don’t want to fuck random women. I want you, and I can’t even think about another woman with you in my life. I’ve never been with a woman inside her apartment, Alexa. I’ve never slept beside a woman in a bed, or held her close. I don’t take lunch to women, or think of ways to get her to spend time with me. I’m trying to be part of your life, and that fucking scares me.”
Tears filled her eyes as she saw his anger, his desperation, and something else, which she wasn’t going to delve into.
“You’re a player,” she said.
“I couldn’t guarantee ever being faithful before, but I can promise you, I’m faithful to you, Alexa. My dick is yours.”
“Are you making some kind of proposal?” she asked, not really believing it.
“You’re not ready for a ring, so how about an agreement. We’re together, going steady, or whatever shit they call it.” He pulled out a piece of paper. “I got tested. I want to stop using rubbers. You’re on the pill, and you’re protected against pregnancy. I want this.”
“Wow,” she said, seeing his medical tests. He was clear of anything, but he was blowing her mind. “You want to … date?”
“Yes.”
She stared down at the form, and it took her a few seconds to gather her thoughts. “Why? You could have any woman.”
He chuckled. “I hate that you insult yourself. You really don’t see your appeal.”
“You’re rich. You can have any woman you want.”
“Thank you. I’m rich so gold diggers are in my future. You make a guy feel the love.”
“It’s not that. It’s just, I don’t know. You’ve got a reputation.”
“I hadn’t kissed a woman at the club until you.”
“What?”
“I didn’t want to kiss another woman. The moment you get intimate, women, they expect certain crap, and that’s not me. You’re the first woman I’ve kissed in a long time.”
She touched her lips.
Alexa loved it when he kissed her. He was a passionate kisser, and she would hate not to have him kissing her.
“I’m not saying this will be perfect between us. I’ll piss you off. You’ll probably even hate me, but I want this, Alexa. I love spending time with you, and the past three weeks with you have been the best of my life.”
“The best?”
“Remember I told you about my doctor?” She nodded. “Well, you’re the first person that I’ve enjoyed spending time with. I don’t want that to end. I don’t have any claim on you, and I don’t want to wake up one day to hear you’re with someone else.”
“I’m not that kind of person.”
He shrugged. “I want us to be together. No other partner. It’s just us.”
Alexa put the medical report down, and moved toward her paperwork drawer in the corner. She pulled out the medical record, and placed it in front of him. “I can get a new one done, but you’re the only guy I’ve been with.”
He didn’t even pick up the paper. “Is that a yes?”
Taking a deep breath, Alexa was nervous in taking the plunge, but she didn’t see why she couldn’t. “Yes. I’d like to date you.”
He rounded the counter, pressing her up against the fridge and claiming her lips. She moaned as he slipped his tongue inside her mouth. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him back, meeting the slide of his tongue with her own.
“You’re not going to regret this.” He cupped her ass, drawing her closer. “You’re coming to my place tonight. I’m not going to take no for an answer.”
“Let me put this food away, and then we’ll pack some overnight clothes.”
“I’ll go and do that. We’ll work faster if we’re both doing something.” He kissed her again, and left her in the kitchen staring after him.
“Wow, wow, wow, wow.” Picking up her cell phone, she sent a text to Becca.
Alexa: Corey and I are dating. Don’t judge.
****
“Becca’s not happy with me,” William said, entering Corey’s apartment. Alexa was working that day, and Corey had already dropped her off at work. She’d be coming back t
o his apartment, where he had a romantic dinner planned. Becca would be back next week, and he knew she was going to come causing trouble. She’d been a regular at the club for the past couple of years. The woman had seen him in action, and she could try to come between him and Alexa. He didn’t want that to happen.
He’d been serious with Alexa, and honest about his feelings. Corey had been in the supermarket, getting some food for himself as he’d skipped breakfast, and he happened to see a woman standing by herself. A guy had moved toward her, clearly a stranger, and started talking. Intrigued, Corey had moved closer to listen to the couple. The guy had asked for a date when the woman’s actual husband had come behind her, and told the guy to get lost.
In that moment, Corey realized he risked everything with Alexa. At any moment she could just cut him out, and start looking for a man elsewhere who could give her something that he couldn’t. The thought of losing her had scared the shit out of him. He’d made the decision, and since then, he’d been happier for it.
“Tell her to fuck off. Becca’s not the boss, you are.”
William and Becca had an on again, off again relationship. Neither of them would commit, and even though they were both clearly in love, they fought it. William only played with Becca, and he’d only ever seen her play with William.
“She’s back next week.”
“I don’t know why you don’t tell her that you love her, or better yet, go to Italy with her.”
“How do you know she’s in Italy?” William asked.
“Alexa told me. Becca has warned her about being with me.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to hurt her.”
“Your reputation is terrible, Corey. You can’t blame Becca for warning her friend. Alexa’s not your usual type.”
“Type?”
“You know, fuck and leave type. That’s the only kind you like, right?”
“Fuck off.” Corey moved into his kitchen, pouring himself a drink. “Want a coffee?”
“Love one.”
“So, Becca is bitching at you about me.”
“She thinks I’ve not been taking care of Alexa.”
Corey shook his head. “She’s got to stop treating her friend like a baby. Alexa knows her own mind.”
