Already Designed

by Xavier Neal

  Two amazing touches if I do say so myself. That man’s fingers could easily rival most of the sex toys hidden not so cleverly in my bedside drawer. Yes. They definitely, definitely go into the pros category…right along with being able to make me come multiple times.

  “That’s it?” Henley’s questions slowly.

  “I made up an excuse to leave and ate shitty drive thru food for that?” Adrianna grouses.

  “Are we back in high school?” Lani pokes. “Are you gonna make sure he holds your hand and asks you to Homecoming in front of his friends first or will he be able to get a little mouth to cock action next time you see him?”

  The three of them laugh at my expense.

  Wanna trade groups of friends? I’m considering it….Where’s my pen? Wanna help me make a list?

  I let out an exasperated sigh. “Why isn’t Maddie here to be a voice of reason on my side?”

  Adrianna shakes her head. “Even Maddie would scold this shit.”

  “We’re taking it slow.” My defense is met with another round of rolling eyes. “What’s wrong with that?”

  “The collective cobwebs on your cooch,” Adrianna crassly argues at the same time the doorbell rings.

  Anxious to get away from the conversations and accusations surrounding my sex life, I hop onto my feet. “I will gladly answer that.”

  Adrianna advises, “Don’t move too fast, Kady. Would hate for the hottie you should be banging to get jealous of whoever you are rushing to please at the door.”

  Maybe I don’t trade in all my friends. Maybe just Ri? Maybe we start making her a special edition pros and cons list.

  They continue making jokes at about me though I can thankfully no longer hear them. When I arrive at the door, I check the peephole before answering.

  We do have a gate and a security guard, but you can never be too careful. Sometimes crazy fans get clever. And as much as I may wanna bitch slap Henley for judging me about me not giving it up on the second date, I never want her in real danger. None of us do.

  I crack the door open to get a better look at the delivery man holding a bouquet of flowers.

  “Delivery for Kadence Allan.”

  Baffled, I open it completely. “What?”

  The sinewy young man repeats, “Delivery for Kadence Allan.”

  “I’m…I’m Kadence Allan.”

  He offers me his phone. “Sign here.”

  After using my finger to provide my signature, he relocates the vase of white water lilies to my clutches and jogs back to his car. Inside the house I give the adorable display that includes a brown teddy bear holding a mini volleyball and a card, a long shocked stare.

  Did he really send me flowers? You think this is maybe some sort of…I don’t know…way he lures women into bed? You know cook for them, swear he never does this kinda thing, send them shit, and then convinces them to crawl underneath his high dollar sheets? Like a lined out check list to guarantee he gets laid in the ‘harder cases’? Am I about to fall victim to a perfected panty dropping method?

  I place the vase down on the entry way table and check the tiny white card.

  Kady,

  Balls in your court, babe.

  You pick the speed.

  You pick the night.

  You pick the date.

  I’ll be ready whenever you are.

  Hope you call me soon.

  -Levi

  A wide grin creeps across my face.

  So maybe not. Maybe Levi Stone isn’t as sex obsessed as my friends are or as much as I have him pegged to be. Maybe he really deserves the third date I want him to have. Maybe just maybe Henley’s right. Maybe I should ditch the list and just see where it goes. Maybe Levi Stone is Mr. Right Now who is willing to work a little harder to become Mr. Right.

  Chapter 6

  LEVI

  I’m not about to get bullied by an adorable browned skin beauty who is maybe half my size….

  My back leans against her bedroom door. “You can’t possibly be serious.”

  The glimmer in her brown eyes is equally intoxicating and infuriating. “Oh, but I am.”

  “Come on, Kadence. Can’t we eat dinner somewhere else?”

  “No.”

  “What about Shea Sushi? They make an amazing inside out roll.”

  “No.”

  “Ever been to Dana’s Dive? They have some of the best clam strips I’ve ever had in my life.”

  “No.”

  “What about Shoreline Steakhouse? Their blackened salmon is unmatched in this city.”

  “Nope.”

  Her lack of vacillation frustrates me further. “Can we please go literally anywhere else?”

  Kadence folds her arms firmly across her sleeveless blue floral print romper. “Did I mention I started learning French just for you? First word I learned? No.”

  I roll my eyes.

  This can’t be happening. There’s just no way in hell my life has boiled down to me being shaken down by a pint size woman with a pretty face. Where the hell are my balls? Oh yeah….They’re pissed because they are the same color as her outfit and no amount of jerking off this past week has managed to help. That’s the only logical explanation for preparing to cave to this ludicrous demand. What’s that? What do you mean it’s not the only reason? Of course it is.

  “You told me I got to pick the speed.”

  Which is why my dick is pissed. Not only has it been seven days since I last physically saw her, we’ve spent a few late nights sexting and my hands are no match for what I am envisioning her pussy to be like.

  “You told me I got to pick the night.”

  Was surprised she stayed true to her word and made me wait the entire week.

  “And you told me I got to pick the date.”

  Definitely words I am regretting.

  “Now, I have chosen the first half of where it is I wanna go. You can either take out the keys to your precious ocean blue Lambo to take us there or you can leave and I will happily throw on sweats, grab a bag of Skinny Pop, and return to binging season two of Lawless Lives.”

  My grin is instant. “You’ve been watching my show?”

  She tosses me a playful expression. “It’s before your character was even a thought.”

  Should’ve known she wasn’t going to just let me have that one.

  A heavy sigh falls free. “Fine.”

  The joy in her eyes says more than her lips ever could.

  It’s only been a couple weeks and she has me wrapped around her finger? I can’t survive a lifetime of this….I mean….Well what I meant was….I…How about we just pretend I never used that poor phrasing?

  “We can go, but you get no say about what we listen to,” I state sharply, determined to maintain the tiny amount of dignity still dangling around. “You’re just going to have to suffer.”

  Kadence’s face tilts in question. “Suffer? Are you secretly a Jonas Brother’s fan or something?”

  I chuckle, extend my hand, and wink. “You’ll be listening to fucking opera if that’s what I’m in the mood for, babe. You picked the night. You picked the date. I’m picking the music.”

  She links her grip with mine, face still baring a cautious expression.

  Once we’re settled in the car and headed to the last place I ever thought I would end up going for a date, I fiddle with the radio until it’s playing one of my playlists.

  The moment the opening notes pour from the speakers, Kady lets out an audible groan of annoyance. “Seriously?”

  I cut her a quick glance and nod arrogantly.

  “This is knocking at the door of torture.”

  “Which makes us almost even.”

  Nickelback’s “How You Remind Me” continues blaring despite the death glares she’s shooting me to change it. When it reaches the chorus, I stretch my hand over to fold our fingers together, and effortlessly sing along. As if she has no recollection of her earlier complaints, she quietly joins me.

  It’s a catchy tune. H
ard not to.

  Our drive to Spike’s Shack is smooth and almost trafficless. We don’t say much yet it doesn’t feel like we need to. It’s like we’ve made this trip a thousand times already. Like we’ve been together for years and it’s just another typical Saturday evening for us.

  And a huge part of me fucking loves it.

  After parking a few blocks down, the two of us begin to stroll towards the infamous area.

  Spike’s Shack is much more than a fish market. It’s an experience. An adventure, especially for tourists. While Spike’s is dead center there are a ton of local businesses running alongside it. On one side you can find things like a local Farmer’s Market and a frozen yogurt shop and on the other you can find little shops with unusual jewelry or clothing. Oddly enough South Haven natives love it just as much as the outsiders. It’s actually a great melting pot of the two.

  I tuck Kady a little closer to me. “Just wanna give you a head’s up. We’ve got company.”

  Her eyebrows lift.

  “I’ve got a body guard following us.”

  Curiosity creeps into her appearance. “Did you have one when we went out last weekend for a drink?”

  “No. It varies situation to situation. The bar was familiar territory-”

  “Typical tramp stomping grounds?”

  I grit my teeth to prevent myself from snapping back.

  The glint in her eyes provides proof of her poor attempt to push my buttons.

  She’s a fucking pro at it already.

  “Spike’s, however, is not somewhere I go often and is a much larger crowd. When I venture into these types of public settings, I’m advised by my team to have him accompany me.”

  “Your team?”

  “My agent. Publicist.” Our eyes meet and I add, “My parents.”

  She suppresses her giggle by pressing her lips tightly together.

  “Steel does his best to blend into the surroundings. He typically keeps a safe, but spacious distance.”

  “What happens if you get attacked? Do you know any self-defense moves to fend off the person ‘til he gets over here?”

  The concern in her voice has me almost tripping over myself in a rush to soothe it. “Considering my attacker would most likely be a star crazed chick starving herself on Dasani water and diet pills, I think the few moves I’ve learned over the years would be fine.”

  Kady doesn’t look comforted. “Which are what exactly?”

  A bit of mirth sneaks into my tone. “Oh….You wanna see?”

  “Uh-huh Bro Lee.” Her joking nature finally crashes back into mine. “Show me your Crouching Surfer Hidden Dancer moves.”

  Without warning, I let go of her hand spread my arms wide and lift them high along with one of my legs. For a brief moment I twist them back and forth, maintaining the most serious expression I can. As soon as her interest appears to deepen I let them descend upon her waist, scooping her into a tight hug.

  Her head falls backwards on a laugh I wanna bottle up and keep in my pocket for the rest of my life. “You’re gonna cuddle them to death?”

  “I’m keeping your arms held hostage.” My smiling face motions down to her arms that are trapped against my chest. “Totally defused the situation.”

  Kady giggles once more, this time receiving a chaste kiss in return.

  We link hands again and return to maneuvering around the buoyant crowd. The entire area is flooded with couples chuckling, families fussing over where to go next, and loud 80’s music for everyone to enjoy.

  The moment we cross the threshold into Spike’s my eyes shoot to my dad who is joyfully shouting behind the counter.

  You don’t have to say it. I’m aware how much we look alike. If I ever put on a beer gut and grow some unnecessarily thick sideburns, we could be twins.

  I use my free hand to casually point his direction. “That’s my dad.”

  He tosses the fish to a panicking redhead while her group of friends film the entire moment on their phones.

  People come from all around the world to do this. It may seem idiotic and look mildly stupid, but it really is a good time.

  The girl catches and the entire place claps in approval. Her friends giggle, take selfies with the creature, and eventually toss it back.

  You’re right. Most places you’re not supposed to play with your food. Here? It’s expected.

  They move along to the restaurant ordering station to the right as opposed to the market purchasing side on the left.

  Immediately, my dad catches a glimpse of us and starts waving like a madman. He motions the two of us to come over, bragging to everyone who can hear him how special he is because his son swung by for a visit.

  I never come here anymore. Spent plenty of time in this place trying to make rent, passing out contact cards, and trying to impress anyone who would give me a moment of their time. All those in between dancing like a complete moron in a costume.

  “Ready to catch a cold one, Levi?” Dad questions, moving towards the back display to grab a larger one still sitting on ice.

  I quickly shake my head. “Not this time, Dad. I don’t wanna smell like fish all night.”

  “Why not? Isn’t that your normal Saturday night routine anyway?” Kadence taunts loudly.

  A deep crimson color coats my cheeks as the crowd chuckles at her insult.

  Did she….Did she really just say that in front of all these people!?

  Dad’s grin reaches his ears. “This one is the type you marry, Squirt.”

  Why the hell can’t I stop myself from thinking the same thing?

  “Not sure I can marry someone who can’t even catch a fish,” Kady continues her pushing. She slides her hand away from mine and folds her arms across her chest. “How would you ever fend for our children?”

  The crowd eats up her sass and I simply shake my head. “You wanna see a show, babe? I’ll give you a damn good one.”

  This time they cheer loudly for me in encouragement.

  I roll up my black long sleeves at the same time I instruct, “Big and cold, Dad. Bring out all the tricks.”

  He encourages the members behind the counter who aren’t working to join him in singing the Spike’s Shack song. They begin the legendary chant fisherman used to sing on cold mornings to help them forget about the frigid temperatures.

  I convince myself to ignore the voice pestering me in the back of my mind not to make a spectacle. The one rambling on about the media frenzy this is going to create and the hell I’ll catch from my agent and publicist for doing this. The one begging me to be cautious about the pictures being taken and video footage most likely live streaming.

  You know the bigger you become the more people wanna watch every aspect of your life, but the truth is, I swore to myself when my career started growing I wouldn’t stop enjoying the things that I wanted to do. And I won’t. Even if it costs me an earful.

  Dad hauls the large tuna my direction making an unnecessary grunting noise. Catching the fish is effortless, just like chanting along, but the spin move I do before throwing it back grabs me applause. My dad chuckles proudly. We continue passing it back and forth between us as well as a few other employees, each change of possession accompanied with a trick worth the squeals. I toss it under my leg. Juggle from hand to hand. Slide it gracefully down my arm and across the room. The cheers grow as the crowd does, but there’s only one person I really give a shit about impressing, and she’s gawking at me like I’m a Greek God.

  Damn, I don’t think I could ever grow tired of that look.

  “Your turn, baby doll!” My dad shouts preparing to toss the fish to her. “You get the final catch!”

  “Nonononono!” The word comes out in such rapid succession I’m not even sure she took a breath. “No! No way!”

  I mock loudly, “How will you ever fend for our children?”

  There’s laughter and a wink from my dad before the fish soars her direction.

  With a horrified expression, she extends her arms,
bracing for the impact. The creature lands with a thud that topples her forward yet she triumphantly traps it against her chest. There’s an uproar of cheers, claps, and traditional close call whistles.

  Kady gives everyone a slight bow, still cradling the fish. She snickers, tosses it back to my dad, and joins in the clapping for the all the talented men behind the counter.

  Just for the record, she’s even sexier when she successfully completes a challenge.