by Hazel Kelly
“What do you think?” she asked when we’d finally settled down.
“It’s no treehouse,” I said. “But it is comfy.”
“Told you.”
“Do you ever see any shooting stars?” I asked, staring at the sky as I popped half a brownie in my mouth.
“Sometimes,” she said. “But I imagine even more of them.”
“What do you mean you imagine them?”
“I mean if you stare at the sky long enough, you start to see things that aren’t there.”
I finished my brownies quickly and wedged my empty plate between two noodles by my feet. Then I laid back and put my hands behind my head.
“Close your eyes for a second,” Jolie said, turning onto her side.
I squinted at her. “Why?”
“Just do it.”
“Okay,” I said, squeezing them shut. Suddenly I could hear the surf lapping rhythmically in the distance and the wind rustling the sea oats on the dunes.
“Now open your mouth.”
“No way,” I said through clenched teeth.
“Do it or I’ll never talk to you again.”
I opened my mouth instantly as I was too young to know that women don’t always mean what they say. A moment later, something cakey fell against my tongue.
I opened my eyes as I chewed it, enjoying the sweet, creamy taste of the icing and the feeling of having her shiny eyes trained on me.
“What do you think?” she asked.
“Carrot cake?”
She nodded.
“I think it’s so good I could kiss you,” I said, my eyes dropping to her mouth.
She licked her lips. “Do you want to?”
“Do you want me to?” I asked.
“You’re not supposed to ask.”
I lifted my head. “I only did because you did first.”
She groaned and rolled onto her back. “The moment’s passed.”
I rolled onto my side, put my fingers against her far cheek, and turned her face towards me. “So let’s have a new moment.”
She raised her eyebrows, her hair falling in waves over the colorful noodles under her head as she blinked up at me.
“And this time I won’t ask.”
Then I kissed her softly on her pink lips, which were grainy with traces of sweet icing, before opening her mouth with mine and swirling my sugar coated tongue around hers.
When I finally came up for air, I licked my lips and stared at her blissful expression.
And when she opened her eyes, they were full of shooting stars.
Chapter 13: Jolie
I wanted to tell Gia what happened in the office, but I wanted to keep it a secret more.
For one thing, I didn’t want to admit that I’d let our boss touch me like that.
After all, I hadn’t stopped him. I just let him press his dick against me, squeeze my ass, and breathe on my neck.
Even now, just thinking about how lightly he dragged his lips across my skin gave me chills.
At the time, I’d wanted nothing more than to close my eyes, tilt my hips right back against his, and forget that he was my boss, forget that I couldn’t have him, forget that letting him make me vulnerable put my dad’s entire legacy in jeopardy.
Instead, I froze. My heartbeat stopped, my lungs collapsed, and there wasn’t a single coherent thought in my head.
It was as if being that close to him made me forget everything except the most feminine parts of me, the parts I’d been neglecting most these days.
How dare he say I needed a good fuck?! As if he were the man for the job?!
For all he knew, I was having tons of sex outside work hours. Tons and tons. It’s not like he’d had the decency to even ask about my personal life before he touched me the way no stranger should touch another.
Not that it felt strange.
On the contrary, it felt torturously good.
I just hoped my sexual frustration wasn’t as obvious to everyone else.
God knows what the hell I would’ve said if he’d asked- like a normal person- if I was seeing anyone? It would’ve been impossible to make my recent adventures in dating sound even moderately exciting.
I couldn’t even convince myself I’d ever met a man half as intriguing as Adam. How on Earth could I have fooled him?
Even growing up, I never thought any of the boys in school were as interesting as the strange boy from the North with the funny accent, the one who was always happy to see me and never treated me differently because I worked at the hotel.
It was like he could see past that, like he could see me better than anyone. It fucked me up for years believing he was one of a kind.
And nothing had changed.
Except now he had the upper hand, and I had everything to lose.
“How many is that?” I asked, tilting another slippery nipple down my throat.
“Does it matter?” Gia shouted over the music.
I tried to look at my watch, but there were too many hands on it for me to make out the time. “Isn’t it a bit early to have lost track of how many drinks we’ve had?”
“It’s fine,” she said. “We had a big dinner.”
My mind flashed back several hours to the calzones. I’d managed over half of mine. “Oh yeah,” I said. “Never mind. I don’t know what I was worried about.”
“Too much,” she said.
“What?”
“That’s what you’re worried about. Too much.”
I rolled my eyes. “Somebody has to worry.”
“Not on Saturday night!”
“Mmm.”
She bumped her shoulder into mine. “You have to let loose and stop trying to control every little thing.”
“Easier said than done,” I mumbled, reaching for my mojito. “Is this a double?” I asked, sipping from the straw.
She glanced at hers before looking back at me. “I can’t remember.”
I shrugged. Whatever it was, it was working, and I could feel my stress and inhibitions evaporating into the open air.
“Have you thought about whether or not you want to go to Brian’s sister’s thing?” she asked, dancing in place with her drink.
I scrunched my face. “I don’t know.”
“It’ll be fun,” she said in a sing song voice.
“He’ll be so drunk when we get there, though,” I said, remembering his sister’s last party. “He’ll be all handsy, and he’ll say cringey stuff to me.”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “That’s horrible when a guy likes you and actually wants to touch you and whisper sweet nothings in your ear. I can’t think of anything more awful.”
I cocked my head. “You know what I mean.”
“Totally,” she said. “We should call your ex instead. That way you can spend the rest of the night feeling degraded while he looks past you at other girls. Sound better?”
“You’re making me sound like a bitch.”
She dropped her chin. “I don’t think you’re a bitch. I just think Brian’s a nice, convenient fuck, and you could use one.”
I shook my head. “You don’t care about me at all. You’re just horny, and you know Carlos is going to be there wringing his hands and watching the door until you show up.”
“So what if I am?” she asked. “And what’s so bad about hooking up with a guy that can’t believe his luck?”
“Nothing. I’m sure it does wonders for his self-esteem.”
“And mine,” she said. “Last time he called me his pequena diosa?”
I raised my eyebrows.
“It means beautiful goddess,” she said.
“You mean little goddess?”
“Whatever,” she said, waving my comment away with her hand.
To be honest, I admired the fact that she could be such a guy about it, but treating sex that way was difficult for me. Sure, I’d had more casual encounters than I cared to remember, but they always left me feeling like shit.
I knew it was because I’d bee
n hooking up with people that I didn’t have a genuine connection with. And while the mechanics of sex were enough to keep my mind off that sad fact while it was happening, it was the feeling that came the next morning that I was keen to avoid.
It was an empty, used feeling, and it made me feel disposable. What’s more, it made me feel like I was farther away that ever from finding someone I might actually have a connection with.
Of course, I knew what Gia meant about Brian being a safe bet. It was nice to feel like a goddess and know that the person you spread your legs for wasn’t going to take you for granted, but I didn’t need to make some half decent guy’s night to boost my own self-esteem.
I wanted to sleep with someone who made it hard for me to believe my luck, too. Was that so much to ask?
“Well you should come anyway,” she said. “Maybe there’ll be someone else there who’ll catch your eye. Lord knows you aren’t going to come across any new faces here.”
I nodded. “You do have a point there.”
“And I don’t really care whether you give Brian another go,” she said. “But if you don’t meet someone soon, you’re going to get so backed up you’re liable to slip up and shag the boss.”
“I’m not going to do that,” I said, wondering who I was trying to convince. “Of all people, he’s the last guy on Earth I would fuck right now.”
“Sorry,” a familiar voice said behind me. “I couldn’t help but overhear-”
I turned around to see Adam leaning against the bar.
His crisp white shirt and smile glowed in the dim light. “And I’m dying to know who the unlucky guy is.”
Chapter 14: Adam
“Hello, Mr. Darling,” Gia said. “Can I buy you a drink?”
Jolie shot her a look.
“I was just going to ask you the same question,” I said. “My friends and I actually have a table over there, and we’ve got more champagne than we can drink-”
“Champagne’s too sweet for me,” Jolie said.
Gia raised her eyebrows. “It wasn’t too sweet for you last New Year’s when you-”
Jolie slid her foot from her shoe and pressed it down on Gia’s toes. “Besides, it wouldn’t be appropriate to have a drink with you, seeing as how you’re the boss and all.”
“My apologies,” I said, fixing my eyes on Jolie. “I thought we were done being appropriate.”
“We’re not.”
“Jolie told me what you’re planning with the job search assignment,” Gia said. “And I just want to say I think it’s really cool.”
I smiled. “Well I look forward to meeting with you in the coming weekst, Gia. Something tells me you’re a woman of many talents.”
“Are you hitting on her now, too?” Jolie asked.
“I’m not hitting on anyone,” I said. “I’m merely being polite, which is more than I can say for you.”
Her shiny lips twisted into a pout.
“Can I ask you a personal question?” Gia asked, leaning past her friend.
I nodded. “Of course.”
“Whatever happened to your friend Christophe?”
Jolie reached for her drink and drained it.
“He’s a lawyer now,” I said. “In New York City.”
Gia nodded. “Still getting into trouble?”
I shrugged. “He hasn’t changed much if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Tell him I say hello next time you’re talking to him,” she said. “If you think he’d remember me.”
“I’m sure he remembers you,” he said. “You made his summer if I recall.”
Gia blushed.
Jolie fixed her eyes on me. “So you were sick of being the third wheel with your friends and decided you’d rather be the third wheel with us, is that it?”
I looked over my shoulder. Carrie was staring at her glass of champagne, her eyes sparkling as Ben whispered in her ear.
“They’re sweet,” Gia said.
“Yeah,” I said, turning back around. “Love happens, I guess. If you’re open to it.”
Jolie leaned forward and spoke in my ear. “Stop trying so hard. I’m not attracted to you.”
“Stop lying to yourself,” I whispered back. “It’s unbecoming.”
“You know this is the seedy locals bar, right?” Gia asked. “You’d probably be happier at one of the clubs in the city.”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I like this place. Why travel when there are drinks and attractive women right here?”
Gia smiled.
Jolie waved down the bartender.
“Anyway, the offer’s there if you care to join us,” I said, turning back towards my table.
Unable to help myself, I glanced back over my shoulder just in time to see Jolie watching me walk away. When I caught her looking, she turned towards the bar and fumbled for her wallet.
“You guys are going to get us kicked out if you don’t keep the PDAs in check,” I said, scooting into the round booth.
“Aww,” Ben said, turning to me. “Are you feeling left out?” He scooted to my side of the booth and leaned into my personal space. “I can share some sweet nothings with you, too, if you-”
I raised a palm between his face and mine. “That’s quite alright.”
“Good,” he said, scooting back over to Carrie and putting his arm around her. “Because it’s nothing personal, man, but Carrie looks a lot better on my arm than you do.”
“Agreed.”
“What did they say?” Carrie asked, tilting her head towards Jolie and Gia.
“They think you guys are sweet,” I said, topping up my glass.
“No,” Carrie said. “About coming over?”
“They’re thinking about it,” I lied.
“Your wifey playing hard to get?” Ben asked.
“She’s not my wifey,” I said. “And yes. Very hard.”
“She’s gettable,” Carrie said, taking a sip of her champagne. “I wouldn’t lose hope yet.”
I raised my eyebrows. “First of all, no one said anything about losing hope. Second of all, what makes you think she’s gettable?”
Carrie shrugged. “I just saw how her body language changed when she saw you.”
“And?”
“She got tense all over like she can’t even breathe when you’re around.”
Ben scrunched his face. “That doesn’t sound like a good thing.”
“It is,” she said. “Besides, willpower is a muscle.”
“What’s your point?” I asked.
“My point is, she can’t fight her attraction to you forever,” she said. “She’ll get tired eventually.”
“And that’s when you pounce,” Ben said.
Carrie shot him a look. “No. No pouncing. She’s not prey.”
Ben smiled. “She might as well be for how she makes Adam’s mouth water.”
I shot him a look. “That’s enough. They’ll never join us if they sense we’re talking about them.”
“How about Ben and I go for a dance,” Carrie said. “Then, when they notice you’re alone, they’ll feel bad for you and come over.”
“Sounds pretty tragic,” I said.
“And if they don’t notice?” Ben asked.
Carrie cocked her head. “Then maybe I’m wrong and they genuinely despise you.”
I groaned. “Go on, then. I suppose I’d rather know the truth.”
“Good luck, buddy,” Ben said, sliding out of the booth.
I watched them disappear onto the dance floor, feeling as happy for them as I was jealous of what they had.
It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy being a bachelor. I adored my freedom, and I’d unapologetically enjoyed all the perks that came with it for years.
But I also knew that I was ready for something more.
I was ready to find a woman who I wasn’t only interested in fucking senseless, but one I might also give a Sunday night foot rub to.
And I loved fine dining as much as the next foodie, but I wanted
to be able to open a nice bottle of wine at home and have someone to share it with.
I wasn’t sick of going to parties or anything, but the more time I spent with coupled up friends, the more I realized I was missing out on things that were far more substantial. Like inside jokes and kisses goodnight and always having someone to enjoy the little things with.
But I didn’t want those things with just anyone. Otherwise I would’ve bitten the bullet and made an honest woman out of Victoria already.
I sighed and pulled my phone out. It was almost ten o’clock, and I wasn’t even buzzed.
I slid the champagne from the ice bucket, figuring I’d have one more glass and go, but just as I was topping myself up, two curvy figures appeared beside the table.
“Still need help with that?” Gia asked, dangling two empty champagne glasses in one hand.
“Please,” I said, scooting in.
Gia sat down across from me, and when Jolie gestured for her to scoot in, she refused and nodded to my side of the table.
I could see in Jolie’s eyes that she was farther along than the rest of us, but she still managed to lower herself into the booth quite gracefully, albeit reluctantly.
I’d just filled their glasses when Gia pulled her phone out. “Sorry,” she said, mostly to Jolie. “I have to take this.” Then she yelled “hello” and “one second” into the phone and excused herself, leaving a very drunk Jolie in my company.
Chapter 15: Jolie
Before I could object, Gia had already excused herself, leaving me alone with nothing but a booming blood alcohol level and the one delicious thing I was determined to resist.
“You did a good job back there,” Adam said, tilting his head towards the bar.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“The way you didn’t throw yourself at me in front of your friend,” he said. “It was very convincing.”
“Give it a rest.” I tilted some champagne down my throat. The bubbles were light and crisp, and one sip was all it took for me to remember why I’d had such a good New Year’s.
He smiled and leaned back in the booth.
