Twisted Bliss

by C. A. Williams

  I shook my head, feeling like an even bigger dick. I guess I wasn’t really thinking about the effect my actions had on Della. I’m sure along with being hurt she was embarrassed, too. Maybe showing up here wasn’t such a good idea. “No, I figured I’d just come in and grab some food, maybe a few beers. We’re trying to work things out.”

  “Mmhmm. Della told me all about how you’re working things out.” She rolled her eyes. “Let me give you a little bit of advice, J. Girls love sex, almost just as much as guys do, they just don’t need to talk about it every second. But, they also like other things too, like actual dates, talking, and all that cheesy stuff. If you’re actually trying to work on things, maybe you should stop thinking with your dick first.”

  Kassie spun on her heel, leaving me with that to think about. She really wasn’t telling me shit that I didn’t know. I just couldn’t help myself when it came to Della. Yeah, that sounded like every guy’s typical response. But the difference was that it wasn’t only about the sex. I just needed to have it the other morning, and Della wasn’t exactly resistant to it either.

  I grinned when I saw Della walking in my direction, her heart-shaped mouth forming into an O when she saw me. See? How could I not want Della all the time? Especially when she gave me those looks and was dressed like that. She had on the typical Shorty’s top, which was one of the main reasons I started working here in the first place—the waitresses offered an excellent view. Her tan, flat stomach was on display with a ring dangling from her belly button. A black skirt rested low on her waist, flaring a little at the hips, and just barely covering her ass. But that wasn’t my favorite part. Nope. Today, she had on a pair of these lacy, legging things that ended just at her knees and had two tiny, little bows right at the top. My dick twitched at the sight.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice light, but I could sense something else going on there.

  “I just needed to see you.” She smiled slightly as I grabbed onto her hips to bring her closer, wedging her between my legs. “Is that okay?”

  “Of course.” She reached up, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear and I grabbed her wrist between my fingers, rubbing it gently. “Can I get you something to drink?” She pulled on her hand, and I nodded, looking away so she couldn’t see the pain flash across my face at the little action. Something was up.

  “Yeah, a pitcher of beer and three glasses.” She raised her eyebrows. “Mia and Nate are coming, too,” I explained.

  “Really? That makes for an interesting combo.” She laughed, and the sound eased some of the tension in my body that had been building up. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  IT WAS JUST my freaking luck that Justin would show up. Of all the nights he could come in, I mean, really? It’s not that I wasn’t happy when I saw him sitting in my section. Okay, happy was probably an understatement, more like butterflies flapping around crazily in my stomach, heart beating at a speedy rate, and brain turning to mush. Yeah, he still did that to me—every single time.

  I didn’t know if it was possible, but I swear he got sexier each time I saw him, and he didn’t even need to try. Tonight, he had a hat pulled on backward, a plain white tee, and a pair of dark jeans. I wanted to jump on top of him and rip it all off, but the timing didn’t really seem appropriate.

  I turned away from him, hating that I put that look of disappointment on his face, but things were just a tad awkward, even though he had no clue why.

  Chris was here, too.

  I rushed back over to the bar. “Could I have a pitcher of Bud Light, please?”

  RJ leaned across the counter, snatching up the order ticket out of my hands. “Which boyfriend is this for?”

  I sighed loudly, rolling my eyes. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Oh, sweetheart, you are so in over your head. I don’t recognize the other one, but I see the way he’s watching you.” He slid the plastic pitcher across the counter, and I grabbed three glasses. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of Justin when you throw him aside again.”

  “Right,” I replied, rolling my eyes once more as I turned around. I knew better than to get into it with RJ. He was cattier than most of the girls I ever dealt with were.

  I didn’t ask Chris to come here. He had just shown up unannounced. We had lunch together, but that was it. Yeah, we had a good time catching up, and it wasn’t as awkward as I thought it would be. He gave me a hug in the parking lot before we left and that was it. We didn’t talk about getting together again, or promise we’d talk to each other soon. I figured that was it.

  Then he showed up tonight. And Justin soon followed.

  I headed back in the direction of Justin’s table, seeing that Nate and Mia had arrived. Talk about weird seeing those two together. I wondered if they were dating, or were just friends with benefits. That one sounded a whole lot more like Mia’s style, and Nate’s, too.

  “Addy.” Chris’s hand reached out as I passed by his table, hooking onto my elbow, and I stopped.

  “Hey, I should be back with your food in a minute.”

  “All right. Do you have a break coming up soon? Maybe we could talk for a little bit.”

  “Um….” I glanced sideways, mentally slapping myself when I saw Justin staring at me. “I don’t think I’ll have time, actually. We’re swamped tonight.”

  “Okay, well maybe later, then.”

  I smiled at Chris before heading back toward Justin’s table, the smile quickly dropping off of my face when I got there. “Here we go.” I sat the pitcher on the table, sliding a glass to each of them. “Are you guys ready to order?”

  “Hey, Della.” Nate grinned at me. I had never really been a fan of Nate’s, even though I tried to keep that opinion to myself. He was Justin’s best friend and I wasn’t coming in the middle of that. He had been there for me that night, though, that I broke things off with Justin. So, maybe I could learn to like him. “Let’s get a few appetizers, and then order. I have a feeling we’re gonna be here for a while.”

  I flicked my eyes back to Justin who was glaring at me. I almost laughed. Almost. Justin wasn’t a jealous person at all. But I could tell that was what his problem was, and I felt guilty for actually liking the fact that he was feeling that way.

  “Okay…well, I’ll go put your order in—”

  “Not so fast.” Justin hooked an arm around my waist, twirling me back around and into his body. His mouth went to my ear, and I shivered when his warm breath blew against it as he started to talk. “Who’s that guy over there?”

  “Um…what guy?” I asked, staring over his shoulder at Mia whose eyes were wide as she mouthed something at me. What, I had no clue and at that moment, I wasn’t really worried about Mia.

  “Don’t play stupid,” he snapped, his fingers digging into my hips as he continued to rasp into my ear. I don’t know why, but the way he was talking to me was actually turning me on. I wasn’t the type of girl to let a guy walk all over her. Usually, I would tell him right where to shove his bullshit, but not this time. “Who is he?” He squeezed my hips tightly and I pushed myself against him even more. The friction was stimulating every nerve in my body, and I was itching for more.

  “What?” I murmured, forgetting the actual question, until he quickly repeated it. “He’s an old friend.”

  “An old boyfriend?” He leaned back a little to pin me with narrowed eyes, and I squirmed in place.

  “Yes.” I wasn’t going to lie about it. There wasn’t a reason to.

  “What’s his name, Della?” he asked, voice rigid.

  “It doesn’t matter.” I licked my lips, seeing Nate and Mia looking in the other direction, Justin’s questioning of me clearly making them uncomfortable.

  “Yes. It does. What’s his name?” he repeated, clenching his jaw as he waited for my answer.

  “Chris,” I responded quietly. There I said it. I blew out a breath, letting a little bit of tension release from my body though the air was still thick w
ith it.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” he hissed. “The same guy that knocked you up, and then didn’t give a fuck about what that bitch mother of yours made you do?”

  I flinched at his words, and took a step back, away from his reach. “Justin, I make my own decisions. He’s staying in Chapel Hill on business, so we met up for lunch yesterday. I didn’t know he would be here tonight, but it doesn’t matter if he is. Nothing is going on between us. I don’t need to explain myself to you.”

  “Della,” he snarled before pushing the tips of his fingers into his eyelids. I could tell he was trying like hell to calm himself down. “There’s something going on there, whether you notice it or not. He wants you, and I’m not gonna sit here and just let him have you. I don’t expect you to tell me every, single thing, and you shouldn’t have to, but we at least need to trust each other enough. This is the kind of shit that you should be telling me. Chapel Hill is over two hours away. He’s not just stopping by. He’s here for a reason.” He reached out and cupped my chin in his fingertips. “I just got you back. I’m not losing you to some douchebag that couldn’t take care of you in the first place,” he whispered in a husky voice.

  “Okay,” I answered simply. I didn’t really know what exactly I agreed to, but it seemed to ease some of the tension between the two of us. He sat back down, flipping his hat forward, and took a long sip from the glass of beer Nate slid over to him. “I need to get back to work. We’ll talk later.”

  He yanked me back into him before I could walk away, pressing a kiss to my forehead and then releasing me. I went back to work, mind racing the whole time over Justin’s words. Obviously, I knew Chris was there for a reason. He had told me he wanted me yesterday. I didn’t plan to clue Justin in on that, but I think he already knew. However messed up Justin’s reaction was, it told me many things. It told me that he was serious about our relationship, and he was willing to fight for it. I was glad he was taking things seriously, but he didn’t need to fight for me. I was his, as long as he didn’t mess things up.

  Because I sure wouldn’t.

  THE NIGHT WAS finally over, and I couldn’t be more relieved. Between getting the stare down from Justin and Chris, the insane amount of customers that had flowed in for whatever reason, and the questions that Chris kept throwing at me, I was exhausted.

  I wasn’t stupid. I knew Chris had shown up, completely unexpected, to throw me off guard. He wasn’t letting up on his idea about us being something more. Things with his dad’s business didn’t seem so temporary. The times that I stopped at his table for more than a couple of seconds, he started talking to me about his apartment hunting. Strangely, the areas that he was looking at were more toward me than Chapel Hill. I didn’t know what to do.

  “I’m getting ready to head out, Della.” Brian flicked out the lights over the bar. “You okay to close up?”

  “Yup, I think I’m good.” I pulled out the wad of bills that I had stuffed in my apron and started laying them out in piles on the countertop.

  “All right, then. I’ll see you two later.” He grinned over my head, and without even turning around, I knew that Justin was still there.

  He sat at the table all night, even after Nate and Mia left. I liked that he was there, but I wasn’t sure if it was more to just see me, or if he was keeping an eye on Chris.

  “You’re still here?” I fought to keep the smile out of my voice, but it was hard.

  “Yup.” I felt him behind me, his hands landing on my hips, and every inch of my body tingled while I tried to count my tips. Tried. He was making it pretty much impossible to concentrate. “Did you get a chance to eat anything all night?” he murmured against my neck, dragging his teeth across the skin before pulling away.

  “Um….” I shook my head, trying to form actual words. “No, I didn’t really have time.” I gathered up my money and reached over the counter for my purse. “At least I made some good tips tonight, though.”

  “Yeah, it probably had a lot to do with these.” His hands slid down my legs, his fingers fiddling with the bows at the top of my knee-highs.

  “Whatever. We were slammed, and it’s starting to get chilly out.”

  “I didn’t say I minded.” He laughed before standing back up. “Throw your hair up in pigtails, and you would’ve been the fantasy of every guy in here tonight.”

  “Just what I was going for,” I responded sarcastically. I began wiping down the bar countertop, and Justin headed into the kitchen. “What are you doing?” I called out.

  “Making you something to eat,” he yelled back. “Brian won’t care. Plus, someone who knows how to actually cook needs to be in here.”

  I rolled my eyes. Justin was a little territorial when it came to Shorty’s, even though he didn’t work here anymore. I guess I could understand since he had worked here all throughout college. And apparently, the cook who Brian hired to replace him didn’t live up to his standards.

  I began filling ketchup bottles, and salt and pepper shakers, while he banged around in the kitchen, the clinking of pots and pans filling the empty restaurant. My feet were hurting, my back was aching, and my stomach was grumbling. I couldn’t wait until I was done with school. Sure, I would miss this place, but there’s no way in hell you’d catch me reminiscing about my old days as a waitress.

  I was just about finished sweeping when I heard Justin’s footsteps behind me. “Sit,” he demanded.

  “So bossy,” I muttered, but stuck the broom in the corner, washing my hands in the small sink before sitting down in the booth where he placed my food. He dropped down in the seat across from me, folding his arms over his chest. “Are you gonna sit there and watch me?”

  He reached over and snagged a fry off my plate before shoving it in his mouth. “Yup, pretty much. I already ate when Mia and Nate were here.”

  “Yeah, what was up with that?” I eyed the massive hamburger that he’d made me and grabbed a knife to cut it in half. I wasn’t a huge greasy food eater. Sure, I ate that kind of stuff occasionally, but the hamburger combined with the mound of fries piled next to it, looked to be a little much.

  He shrugged his shoulders. “No clue. I showed up at Nate’s house the other night and Mia was there.”

  “Isn’t he a big partier? That’s probably not a good combination.”

  “Whatever. I’m not worried about other people’s relationships. Just ours.”

  “Okay then.” I took a big bite of my hamburger, finishing about three-quarters of it before I couldn’t eat another piece. I ate a few of my fries and took my plate into the kitchen to wash it off.

  “I think I’m about finished up. Are you ready to go?” I called out to Justin, lowering my voice when I realized he had followed me into the kitchen.

  “Nope.” He smirked and reached up, running a finger over my lips before trailing it down my face and then my neck, stopping at the strap of my tank top to pluck it.

  “And why not?”

  “I was just thinking about all of the times like this we used to have. After hours.”

  I bit down on my lip, the memories of those times he was talking about running through my mind. They were some of the best, really, and it wasn’t just about the sex. I loved when we had the place all to ourselves, and we would crank up the music and dance around while we were cleaning up. Justin would sing in an insanely off-pitch voice that I found adorable. I would try out some of the creations that he was always coming up with and then trying to convince Brian to add to the menu. Brian wasn’t as big of a fan as I was when it came to the weird food combinations that Justin concocted. I understood why, they were good, but not Shorty’s type of food.

  And then, all of the other memories flashed through my head: us together, in the kitchen, on the bar, sprawled out on the pool table, Justin exploring every inch of my body, and all sorts of fun things we used to do before we even had sex for the first time. Justin swore that Brian didn’t have cameras inside, he was either lying and Brian was getting one he
ll of a show, or he was telling the truth. Either way, Brian never said anything to me. Talk about awkward if he ever found out.

  My favorite had to be the time that he bent me over the bar.

  I didn’t really talk about my sex life much, unless it was to torture my mother occasionally, but I had been so tempted to rub that one in RJ’s face after one of his snarky comments.

  Justin touched his lips to my nose, and then reached over to flick off the kitchen lights before checking the back door to make sure it was locked. My whole body was tight with the need to know what was coming next. I probably already needed a new set of panties from all of the flashbacks flipping through my mind. Who knew what would happen when he actually touched me?

  “Are you ready to go then?” Justin’s question snapped my attention back to him, and I turned to see him already halfway across the restaurant, heading toward the entrance.

  “Seriously?”

  “Um….” I could see him squinting his eyes at me through the darkness and I huffed loudly as I stomped toward him. I hadn’t felt so…sexually frustrated in my life. “Is there a problem? I thought you were ready to go.”

  “Well, I was….” He smirked at me and hooked an arm around my waist, backing me up against the wall next to the front door. “Before you got me all excited, and now you just want to leave?”

  “Della.” He brushed his thumb across my cheek. “Trust me, I had the exact same thing in mind. But then I remembered how not only one, but two people have told me that I need to stop thinking with my dick first when it comes to you. That’s not all that I think about with you.” He shook his head, pursing his lips. “Well, it is, but that’s not all I want our relationship to be about. So, let’s go. I’ll drop you off at home.”