“That’ll be fifty-eight dollars and seventy-two cents, Mr. Bautista.” I grinned happily as I watched the older gentleman scribble a check. Usually, it irked me when customers didn’t use plastic—I mean, who even writes checks anymore? However, not even the lengthy check verification process I’d have to endure could shake me from my good mood.
“Raquel, can you double bag the detergent? Last time I came here, the bag broke about two steps into my driveway,” the man asked with a slight frown on his face.
“Oh, I’m sorry about that!” I reached in front of me only to realize I was down to my last bag. After ripping the crinkly brown plastic from the metal hook, I bagged his item and continued to wait for a finished check. After a few moments of just standing there staring at him, I grew tired of his long handed script (seriously, who writes pseudo-calligraphy on checks?) and decided to refill the bag holder. Though it’s technically against company policy to turn your back on a customer, I did just that and knelt down to face the little cabinet that housed our reserves. Incidentally, the same one I had left open the night before.
The cabinet is notorious for being hard to open, so in preparation, I wrapped my fingers against the brass handle, ready to give it a hard tug. To my surprise, the cabinet not only opened with little difficulty, but also came bearing gifts.
“Ahhh!” I screamed, falling back onto my ass. I couldn’t lift my arms quick enough to shield me from dildos, anal beads, and oh my, was that a butt plug? Soon I found myself drowning inside numerous dolphins and double headers. Shocked would not even begin to describe how I felt as I tried to dig myself out of the pile. Cheeks red, I finally pawed my way out, unsure of where to look. As I straightened myself, a lone cock ring fell from the collar of my flannel shirt, rolling to a stop right in front of Mr. Bautista’s hand.
“I have never!” Mr. Bautista eyes blazed angrily. He slammed his checkbook shut and shook his head with disgust. “I am not about to spend my money in a store that sells that kind of filth.”
“But—”
“Your father will be hearing about this. I’m sure he doesn’t know that his daughter runs a sex operation while he’s gone, does he?”
“No! It’s not like that. You see—”
“Disgusting!” The elderly man turned away faster than I have ever seen someone his age move. He picked up his fuzzy winter hat from the counter and jammed it on top of his head as he stomped away, muttering under his breath.
I gaped after him, only noticing his abandoned groceries after he had cleared his way through the store. “But, but—”
“Well, hello.” The next customer in line happened to be a man about my age who seemed quite enamored with the toys on the floor. He licked his thick lips and leaned over the counter, narrowing his eyes at me. I watched in disbelief as he bit his bottom lip and wagged his eyebrows quickly. “Never would I have known that a store like this could hold so many sexy secrets.”
I felt my skin crawl as his eyes worked up and down my body. Furious, I grabbed the microphone to the intercom and screamed, “JESSE!”
The speakers whistled from the feedback, causing many customers to yelp in surprise and cover their ears. I was beyond the point of caring.
The pervert in line pulled back his mouth, showcasing his bottom teeth. With a tiny “Eep,’ he began backing away from the counter, leaving his items behind. Soon he broke into a run and left the store.
That made two missed sales.
It took a good minute before BFF came strolling out of The Dungeon. I had no idea what took him so long, but I doubted it was because he was too scared to face me. The pride on his face and the little hop in his step could attest to that.
The little silver chain connected to the wallet in his pocket swung with each deliberate step he took. It reminded me of those desk toys with the swinging balls, and freaking hell did I want to swing at his balls.
“Hey, boss. You wanted to see me?” The smile on his face was a mix of arrogance and, if I wasn’t seeing things incorrectly, possibly fear.
Good. Fear me.
Realizing that a few customers were looking our way, I tried to save face and tried desperately to calm myself. Unfortunately it didn’t work. My chest rose and fell with each short breath I took. When I felt my body tremble slightly, I forced myself to ask, “What the hell is your problem?”
“What?” he asked innocently.
I reached towards the floor and grabbed the first thing I could reach, which happened to be a male flesh light, and began waving it in front of his face. “What the fuck are these?”
He crossed his arms and grinned. “Oh, come on. I’m sure you know what those are.”
“Jesse, I’m not kidding! You cost me—” I paused and calculated the cost of the pervert’s items—dental floss, chocolate chip cookies and a kitty litter to be exact—plus Mr. Bautista’s groceries, “Around seventy-nine dollars and forty-eight cents because of your bullshit!”
His eyes widened in awe. “Wow! Did you ever think of becoming a contestant on one of those gameshows?”
“Jesse, I’m serious!”
“I am too.” He laughed.
Groaning, I picked up the cock ring and threw it at his face. I watched with glee as it bounced off his nose and landed on top of his steel toe boots.
“Hey!” He jumped back as if a bat had just flown at him.
“Hey, nothing!” I was trying hard to keep my voice down, but was miserably failing. “What the fuck is the matter with you? First you pretend I don’t exist—”
“I never pretended that!”
“—and now you’re set on messing with me. Do you just like seeing me get in trouble?”
The smile on his face faded away. “Of course not.”
“Then what’s the deal? Do you know what shit I’ll be in when my parents hear about this?”
“You didn’t seem too worried about getting in trouble yesterday.”
“That was different!” I exclaimed.
“How?” He gestured towards the pile of goodies. “What I see down there is a bunch of dicks, same as yesterday.”
“The only dick I’m seeing right now is you.” I began shaking in rage. My parents were going to kill me. From day one, Rossi’s Novelties prided itself in being a family establishment. Once they hear about everything that went down….well, I guess I’d be living proof that yes, a person can get fired from a family business.
The tips of Jesse’s ears turned pink. I wouldn’t be surprised if smoke began to billow from his ear drums. In a calculated tone, he asked slowly, “What is the difference between what I did today and what you did yesterday?”
“What I did yesterday didn’t result in me losing two sales. It also didn’t anger anybody.”
“Oh, so it’s okay if we make money, right?” He shook his head and snorted. “What did I tell you before about being privileged?”
“That’s not fair and you know it.” I was on the verge of breaking down and felt my nose pricking with pain. I was unlucky in regard to my uncanny ability to burst into tears whenever I was angry or nervous. At that moment I was both. “You embarrassed me and you embarrassed the store.”
Jesse looked horrified as he watched tears slide down my cheeks. He moved forward and then moved back again, looking as if he were doing an old swing dance. “Rocky—”
“No,” I interrupted, wiping my nose with the back of my hand. “Let me finish. It’s not just about this bullshit prank, it’s about the fact that I don’t get you anymore. I don’t understand you. One minute you’re telling me one thing then the next you’re acting as if we’ve been friends all along.”
He sighed and bowed his head. “I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean for you to find that stuff during business hours. I thought you’d see that the cabinet was open when you came in this morning and find it before customers came. That’s why I kept on coming up here. I thought you were just that good at hiding your feelings and didn’t want to admit I got you.”
His e
xplanation was supposed to make me feel better, but it only made me feel worse. So he only came to chat to see if I had fallen victim to his prank?
I shook my head. “Why the prank? We never used to prank each other before. You know how much I hate that shit.”
“Yeah…Honestly, yesterday was fun. I knew we were busting each other’s balls—”
“I’m not one of the guys, Jesse.”
“—and I don’t know, I always found business to be more fun when you can joke around with one another. It’s what I do with my employees…err….um, I mean back at Charleston.”
“Your employees?” I repeated in confusion.
Jesse quickly cut me off. “What I’m saying is, I didn’t mean any harm by it. Really. I’m truly sorry.”
“That’s the thing, Jesse. How can I even know if anything you say is sincere? I don’t know a thing about you.”
“That’s not true.” His voice sounded deeper for some reason.
“Oh, yeah, you’re right.” I gritted my teeth and ground out, “You still like getting me into trouble, don’t you? Well, you know something? You’re right. I never had a bad bone in my body to begin with. Guess I was just that dumb girl trying to pretend to be something she’s not, and you know what? I’m obviously still dumb now.”
“Hey, what are you guys—whoa! Now that would be one interesting commercial.” As if appearing out of nowhere, Ethan stepped up beside the counter and peered at the pile of toys. He scratched the top of his perfectly styled head and looked at me questioningly. “Um, new overstock?”
I shut my eyes, not even wanting to answer. Of course Ethan would show up right then. Why wouldn’t he?
Jesse cleared his throat and interjected. “It was actually a mix up in shipment. The sex shop at the edge of town was supposed to get it.”
I was sure Ethan wasn’t going to buy it. There wasn’t even a sex shop at the edge of town—
“Oh, Hard Shack down Windsor?” Ethan offered, never tearing his eyes away from the toys.
I looked at him in surprise. Wow, you think you know someone…
Jesse didn’t respond and pushed passed Ethan, hitting his shoulder and almost knocking him down. “Anyway, got to get back to work and box these up. They’re probably looking for them.”
Ethan rubbed at his shoulder and frowned. “Uh, okay.” He caught my eye and shook his head as if to say, ‘what a weirdo.’
I didn’t know if it irked me more that Ethan assumed I could read his mind or the fact that I really could. I sighed. “What are you doing here?”
He took a step forward, then realizing Jesse was knelt down at my feet chucking dildos into a box, he motioned to me. With an internal groan, I stepped around Jesse, purposely kneeing him the back.
“What?” I asked in exhaustion.
Ethan frowned. Even looking troubled, he was one of the most handsome men I’d ever seen. Why oh why couldn’t I feel that jolt of excitement with him? “I was hoping you’d be happy I was back in town early.”
“Oh, you’re early?” I asked weakly.
“Uh, yeah. A full day early, actually.” His eyebrows knitted. “Where are your parents?”
“Out of town,” I sighed.
His face instantly relaxed and broke into a smile “Oh that explains why I haven’t heard from you. Probably just stressed manning the store, huh? I was getting a bit worried, but now I see you’re just being that business guru I know and love.”`
Love? What the fuck?
I was vaguely aware that Jesse had stopped stacking butt plugs and was listening in. Frowning, I tugged at Ethan’s sleeve and led him away from the cash wrap.
“Welcome back, Ethan,” I said good-naturedly. “Is there something I can help you with?”
His frown returned. “Well, uh, I was hoping I could take you out tonight. You know, to make up for the date we missed.”
“Oh! Um…”
What was wrong with me? He’s an awesome guy, why couldn’t I just give him a chance?
I bit the inside of my cheek and frowned. “I’m still stressed with my parents being gone…”
“We don’t have to stay out late,” he said quickly. “In fact, let me come over to your place and I’ll cook for you. That way we can just relax in sweats and watch a bad flick.”
Come on, Rocky. Don’t throw away something good for something that will never happen.
I pressed my lips together and smiled, though I was pretty sure it didn’t reach my eyes. “Sounds great.”
He smacked his hands together and grinned. “Okay, see you at seven.”
I nodded my head, never losing my practiced smile. Ethan obviously took it as a good sign and reached over to wrap his arms around me and place a chaste kiss on my lips. It wasn’t our first kiss or anything and definitely more innocent than our last, but yet I felt a bit wrong accepting it.
“See you later,” he called out in excitement.
“Bye.” I wiggled my fingers and felt my body lurch forward. “Oomph. Hey, what’s the big idea?”
Jesse didn’t answer. One hand on either side of a big box, he stomped his way back towards The Dungeon, disappearing inside.
Chapter 16
When Ethan said the words ‘relax’ and ‘sweats,’ I don’t think he realized how literal I’d take them. It was nearing seven o’clock and I was in my favorite pair of oversized sweatpants, huge North Carolina State hoodie, and my pair of unicorn bedroom slippers. By the time Ethan rung my doorbell I was already dozing off on the couch. I opened the door mid-yawn.
“I love how you’re so comfortable around me,” Ethan commented as he stepped through my door. Unlike mine, his sweats looked crisp and new. They were definitely designer and I’d bet any amount of money that he bought them specifically for tonight. He reached out and placed his hands lightly at my hips, leaning forward to plant a kiss on my lips. Though still chaste, it was certainly more intense than what he had laid on me at the store.
“Err, uh, yeah sorry. I guess I’m just tired from work.” I rubbed my eyes, though I was no longer sleepy.
“Tired from the sex-po? Has a ring to it, doesn’t it?”
Hearing Ethan speak sexually didn’t have the same effect on my body as when Jesse spoke about it. I bit my tongue, tempted to tell him to stop talking, but merely followed him as he lugged two bulging grocery bags into my kitchen.
It was odd having him over without my parents being home. Though I was no longer a child sneaking my friends into my room at midnight, it still felt…wrong.
“So what are you cooking?” I asked, desperate to focus on anything but the day’s event.
“Italian,” he answered with a smile.
Of course he’d think a Rossi wanted Italian food. Little did he know that cooking Italian for an Italian was quite a tough act to achieve. I definitely gave him points for bravery.
I watched as he dug into the brown bags, pulling out cans of tomato paste, a box of pasta, and some canned basil.
His head snapped back and forth. “Where are your pots?”
“Over there,” I pointed to the top cupboard, whose handle reminded me of the cabinet at work. My stomach churned with guilt remembering how bad I laid it on Jesse. I wanted to apologize to him, I really did. Of course it would have helped if I had his phone number. That fact alone reminded me that I still knew nothing about him. Shaking my head to rid myself of bad thoughts, I asked, “Do you need help?”
“No, I got this. Just sit and relax.” Ethan ripped off the top of the box and poured the hard noodles into an empty pot.
I fought an internal battle on whether or not I should tell that the water needed to be boiled first. He looked too happy and deciding it wasn’t worth ruining another person’s day, I nodded my head and pulled up a seat.
“Ah, so I have an audience. Should I start narrating my moves like in those cooking shows?” He winked and picked up a can, waving his hands in front like a magician.
I shook my head. “Nah, let’s just talk abou
t something else.”
“Something like what?”
I shrugged and flicked at the woven placemat in front of me. “I don’t know. Exciting stuff?”
“Exciting?” He paused and gazed at me silently.
I shifted around in my seat and chuckled weakly. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I think you’re pretty exciting.”
My bottom teeth gnawed against my top lip. “At least someone does.”
Almost an hour later we were sitting on my couch, plates sopping with noodles and TV trays separating us. Though Ethan was desperate to have a normal meal at our dining table, I reminded him how much I needed to relax. Begrudgingly, he agreed to eat in front of the television, which I found a big relief. I wasn’t sure how long I could keep a pleasant face when deep inside I was still fuming.
The thing about my mom is that she loves interior decorating. It’s an interest she showcases at Rossi’s and an interest that is apparent in our overly cha-chi’d out living room. From weird figurines to wall prints, we were surrounded by the most detailed, and sometimes ugly, décor. Unfortunately, this love for design influenced her choice in buying our “lovely” couch. The tiny four legged couch was more of a loveseat than anything. Ethan and I found ourselves squeezed together, our thighs touching and elbows rubbing each time we took a bite.
Maybe not eating at the dinner table was a bad idea after all.
“So tell me about your day,” he requested, slicing up a meatball. I’d never seen anybody slice a meatball before and watched him with strange interest.
“Um, nothing much to talk about. You were there for the most exciting part,” I said glumly, stuffing a clump of rubbery noodles in my mouth. Bless his heart, but Ethan could not cook to save his life.
“Yeah, about that…I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something.”
I expected him to continue, but was met with silence. The white noise emanating from the T.V. did little to soothe my nerves and curiosity. I cocked my head to the side and frowned. “Weren’t you going to say something?”
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