by M. A. Stone
“Of course,” I replied. He leaned forward to kiss me, when the door opened. Breaking apart quickly, he smiled at the woman who walked in. She had to be in her early fifties, with expensive looking clothes. Her gray hair was in a pretty up do. She smiled at me and Jack ushered her into the back. Was she getting a tattoo?
Turning the “Open” sign off in the front of the shop, I made sure everything was tidied up. Matt smiled as he trotted out, sipping a Red Bull and texting furiously. He waved good bye to me and got into his car. About two hours later, Jack came out from the back. The lady left, patting him on the shoulder. She smiled at me over her shoulder and walked gracefully to her car.
“Did she seriously come to get some work done?” I asked. He turned and smiled.
“That’s my aunt. And yes she did come in to have work done. On her back,” he replied.
“You’re messing with me!” I exclaimed. He shook his head.
“She has a back piece that is of the Virgin Mary, with a rosary beside it. My uncle loves it,” he replied.
“Wow.”
“Ask her, she will show it to you sometime,” he said with a laugh. I could not picture asking that graceful creature to take off her shirt for me so that I could see her back piece. Since I started working at the shop, I was amazed at the different types of people who came into the shop to get ink.
“Why I am not surprised?” I remarked.
He stepped closer to me and pulled me to him. I could smell his cologne and his scent. I wanted to taste his skin.
“Staying with me tonight?” he asked with his sexy voice. All I could do was nod. He smiled and walked in the back to turn off the lights. I put my hand to me chest and tried to still my racing heartbeat. That boy was trouble with a capital T.
Later that night, I was sitting on the couch, pretending to watch television. I jumped as my cell phone buzzed, indicating I had a text message. From my brother. Finally!!
-Stop texting me. Will see you in a month or so. Key is in flower pot next to driveway. Get your things and go stay with Aunt Almeida if you want. Just stay away from my house and butt out of my life!
-Axel? Talk to me! Don’t do this!
-The subscriber you are trying to reach is not receiving text messages at this time. Code 17665
Dropping the phone I gasped. The asshole blocked me! I was so filled with a million emotions, I could not even respond. Tears formed in my eyes. Balling myself up, I cried quietly. Jack was on the phone in his bedroom. Anger coursed through me. Looking up, I quickly tried to wipe my face as Jack came in. He took one look at me and came over to the couch, sitting down.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” He asked. I handed him my cell phone, the text messages from Axel were still on the screen.
“What the hell is going on? I don’t understand!?” he said angrily. Putting my hand on his arm, I tried to calm him down.
“You and me both. I am just as confused. I don’t know what to do except follow his orders. I am just going to go there, get my stuff and figure out where I am going to stay,” I muttered.
“Stay here, with me,” he said. Looking up at him, I had no idea what to say. I wanted to stay.
“With you? Here? We have not known each other long,” I replied. He stood up.
“Bleu, who gives a shit?? Seriously??!! So what if we barely know one another? Honestly I am sick to death of you telling me that we barely know one another. I know that you love sushi, you hate chick flicks and your favorite color is purple. I know that you read trashy novels on your Kindle and you are a secret 80’s hair band addict. I also know that when I am with you, I cannot breathe. You are so beautiful, you are perfect. Last night, it took everything that I had NOT to come into the bedroom and lie with you. And don’t get me started on you in the shower. I think I am falling in love with you and it makes me so frustrated that you can’t see that!” he said as he ran his fingers through his hair. Walking over to him, I rested my head against his chest.
“Bleu, you have to trust me. Please,” he said softly. How do I do this? How do I open myself up and not get hurt? I just nodded. Listened to his heart beat and willed myself to be strong.
Chapter Six
Getting into the car, I waved goodbye to Jack and drove to Axel’s house. Turning off the engine, I climbed out and walked to the front porch. After I retrieved the key from under the flowerpot, I opened the door and turned on the downstairs light. With the exception of the hum of the refrigerator, it was so quiet in Axel’s house. Slowly, I walked upstairs and grabbed my stuff out of the spare room, looking back before closing the door. My heart felt heavy. Unbelievable, this was crazy! When we were younger, I would do everything I could to make sure he was okay. Especially after Beau left. Who went to visit Dad in jail, who wrote him letters? I did. Stomping down the stairs, I placed the key on the coffee table, that way he could not say I did not listen. I was so mad. I was hurt beyond belief and I wanted to punch my brother. Shutting the door behind me, I felt so sad, like someone had just died in my life. Losing my brother was not what I had thought would happen when I moved down here. I closed my eyes, leaning against his porch pillars and tried to just fell him. Sense him. I felt nothing at all. Saddened, I shook my head and walked to the car.
After locking the doors to the car, I carried my bags and one box up the stairs to Jack’s apartment. Knocking on the door with the toe of my sneaker, he opened it up and smirked when he saw how much stuff I was carrying. He took two bags from me and put them on the floor beside the door.
“Thanks,” I replied. He nodded and pulled me in for a hug, then a series of soft kisses.
“Mmm thank you,” I said. He kissed the top of my head.
“Did you decide what you want to do?” he asked. We went over to the couch and I kicked off my sneakers.
“Yes. Jack, I don’t know how to do this. You and I. My last relationship was so awful. I don’t want to be that person again. I hated how I was,” I replied, twirling a strand of hair around my index finger.
“How are you when you are with me?” he asked.
“Confused, conflicted, horny,” I replied and laughed.
“Seriously?” he asked.
“Jack, I think about you all the time too. I am not immune to the affect you have on me. You make me feel things that I definitely did not feel with Carl. It scares me. You are so nice to me and I hate that I question it. But moving in and getting serious is just not a good idea,” I stated. He nodded and hugged me hard. Pushing him away, I looked at him.
“We have to take things slow. Please?” I asked. He nodded.
“Anything you want,” he replied.
“Where am I going to sleep?” I asked.
“With me? And just sleep, not sex. Not unless you want to” he responded with a shy smile. Hmm, how was that going to pan out? This could get out of control because I wanted him so damn much.
“As long as it’s just sleeping, I can deal,” I replied. This was going to rip my control into shreds. He said control was overrated and it seemed like some unseen force was trying to prove to me just how true his statement could be. I followed him to the bedroom and prayed that I did not wake up naked.
Two days later, after closing down the shop, Jack and I were sitting on the couch in the apartment. He was watching television and I was on my laptop, working on something to show Lamar in regards to the school district website. Jack kept looking over at me.
“What?” I asked, looking up from the screen. He had a goofy grin on his face and it made me laugh.
“You are so beautiful,” he said. He leaned forward and kissed me softly.
“Thank you. I am almost done and then we can do whatever,” I replied. He looked over my shoulder at the laptop screen.
“What is it that you were doing if you don’t mind me asking?” he asked. It was my account for the profiles I made for the dating sites.
“Well I was coming up with a design template to shows Abby’s husband Lamar. The school district i
s looking to launch a website and Lamar is giving me first crack at designing it.” I replied.
“I hope they give you the job. It looked really neat, what you were doing.” he said. I nodded in agreement. I could really use the extra money.
“It would definitely come in handy, money wise. Plus it would give me a foot in the door if they needed an IT person,” I said. My cell phone in my lap buzzed and Abby’s picture lit up my screen telling me that she had texted me. Her goofy face on my screen made me smile.
-Where are you?
-Abby I am so sorry. It’s a long story
-I’m not going anywhere. Spill it or I will hunt you down
- LOL.I am staying with Jack. Axel left town and kicked me out. He won’t talk to me and my Aunt cannot get in touch with him either. He has literally dropped off the face of the Earth.
-What??!! That’s bullshit Bleu! I am SO going to kick his ass!
- Yeah um, how would Lamar feel about that?
- Jack huh? Lol
-Nice subject change Obi Wan
-Coffee tomorrow morning? Lol
-Sure how about ten?
-Perfect Bleu…love you
-Love you too Abs
“That was Abby. Mind if I come in a little late tomorrow. I want to tell her what is going on with Axel and get some advice,” I ask, powering down my laptop and turning off my cell. He looked up from the television and clicked it off.
“You didn’t have to turn that off,” I said.
“I wanted to give you my full attention,” he said.
“Are you always this nice?”
“I am nice yes. I have been hurt before too, and I have had the luck of falling quickly and deeply,” he said, his face inches from mine. He leaned in and kissed me, his kiss got deeper and deeper. In one quick move, he had me on top of him so that I straddled him. His fingers ran through my hair, taking it out of its rubber band as my hands settled on either side of his face. Our tongues entwined, I felt myself get warm all over. Sitting up, reluctantly I broke the kiss. His eyes were full of desire and I am sure mine were too.
“What the hell was that?” I whispered, my lips feeling swollen. He grinned sexily.
“Let’s find out,” he replied. He grabbed the back of my head and pulled my mouth to him, devouring me. His hands moved down my arms to the middle of my back and he pushed me against him. My hands could not stay still and I settled for placing my hands on the back of his neck. My heart raced and I felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. My skin was hot and my head spun. He broke the kiss and touched his forehead to me. He looked up at me and sighed.
“Bleu, if you keep touching me, I don’t think I am going to be able to control myself,” he growled. I stopped touching him and bit my lip. He groaned and when I opened my eyes, I could see his hands balled into fists, trying to regain control.
“Please Bleu, I don’t think I can take much more,” he said.
“I just can’t do this,” I whispered.
“Are you sure?” He pressed his forehead against mine again and took in a ragged breath.
“Yes,” I said quietly. He nodded.
“Jack, I um have never done this,” I whispered.
He gave me a puzzled look and I could see that he did not understand what I meant.
“At all, with anyone,” I replied. His eyes widened, finally realizing what I meant.
“Really?!”
“Yes really,” I said. He sat up and leaned back into the couch. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He stood up and paced a bit.
“Are you okay? I mean I did not mean to hurt you?” I asked.
“I practically maul you and you are asking me if I am alright? Bleu, I will be alright. I just need to not be so pushy with you,” he said. He sat back down and I gave him a shy smile.
“Okay, but if anyone was pushy, it was me,” I said. He looked at me and pulled me to him, cuddling with me.
“I am not made of glass Jack. Please don’t treat me like it okay?” I shot out. He laughed and nuzzled my neck.
“I would never dream of it Bleu,” he said, laughing again.
Let me tell you, that night was another sleepless night. But this time, my encounter with Jack played through my mind and all I could feel was his mouth on mine taste the sweat off of his skin. I woke up with a gasp and sighed in relief when I saw that Jack was snoring softly next to me on the other side of our pillow barrier that we set up before we had both fallen asleep. Neither one of us wanted to tempt fate. I knew if I touched him, in his bed, I was going to rape his ass. I shook my head. Conflicted was putting this situation lightly. The clock ticked and angrily, I stood up. Sliding my flip flops on and throwing a t shirt on over my tank top, I slid on a pair of jeans. It was five am. Jack was still asleep. Not wanting to awaken him, I tip toed to the bedroom door, walked out into the living and grabbed my bag on the floor next to the couch. The front door clicked shut softly as I closed it behind me. Soon I found myself aimlessly driving around. Alone. My phone buzzed and the screen showed Chloe was texting.
-What’s going on? Jack texted me and asked if I had talked to u?
-Really?!I could not sleep. I had hoped he slept through me leaving. My head is a mess right now.
- Want to come over? We could talk?
-Ok be right there
Chloe lived on the other side of town in a tidy brick house. The curtain in one of the downstairs windows was pushed aside and I saw her pixie face. She flung open the door after a minute and hugged me. I giggled when I pulled back. She had on Tinkerbell boxers and a bright pink tank top and Tinkerbell slippers. We walked inside and I settled on her comfy overstuffed grey couch. Her house was an open concept layout with a small kitchen with an island that separated the kitchen from the living room. Her living room had two big fluffy couches, a glass coffee table and a big flat screen TV hanging on the wall over a short bookcase stuffed with books. There were three doors off to the left of the television. Chloe sat down next to me.
“What’s going on?” she asked. She grabbed a bottle of water and tossed it to me before opening a bottle of her own.
“Jack. We kind of made out, no...We DID make out and it almost went…you know. He wants more Chloe. And honestly, I want more too. But I am a hot mess and I am not sure I can give it to him,” I said with a sigh.
“Did you tell him that?”
“What? That I want more? No. That fact that I was a virgin, that stopped him like a bucket of icy cold water. I stopped him. It made me feel like such a cock tease,” I replied with my head in my hands. She patted my shoulder.
“Men are pains. That’s why I am single,” she said softly.
“No, you are single because you haven’t come out of the closet yet,” said a deep voice. One of the doors had opened and out stepped Matt. In boxer briefs. His spiky blue hair was all over the place, and he looked good I had to admit. I was right, he had way more ink than even my brother Axel did. His whole chest, stomach, back and arms were covered in ink. He chuckled and I realized I had been staring. I needed to stop looking at him. My face felt hot.
“Dude! Put some clothes on! We have company!” Chloe shrieked at him. He grinned and sat on the couch, pulling a fleece throw over himself.
“Thanks,” I muttered.
Chapter Seven
“What are you doing here?” I asked shakily. He looked at me like I was a mental case.
“I would ask the same of you,” he muttered.
“Jack put the moves on her and she shot him down,” said Chloe.
“Not a good idea to be living with him I gather,” he remarked with a snort.
“Probably not. I feel bad though,” I replied.
“Why? If you told him that you are not ready, then you are NOT at fault. Seriously!” exclaimed Chloe. Matt nodded in agreement.
“He was not mad at me. He wasn’t. He is really a nice guy. I just don’t want him to treat me like some china doll,” I remarked.
“To answer
your earlier question, I live here. For now. And about Jack, don’t worry about it. That’s a huge thing to a guy. To be with a girl who has never been with anyone else. But you know something, don’t overthink everything Bleu. It will only make shit more difficult,” he said, patting my knee. I nodded.
“Thanks for that Yoda,” snarked Chloe. He tossed a throw pillow at her and she grinned.
“I know I am not a chick, but I am here to talk, anytime you need someone other than the retarded fairy here,” he said.
“Thanks Matt. That means a lot to me,” I replied.
Chloe stood up and grabbed a blanket. After a moment she came out of her room with a pillow.
“Here, it’s a good thing that we don’t open until two. Lie down, get some sleep. Sleeping on it may give you a different perspective,” she replied. We looked over and Matt was asleep on the other couch. Chloe turned off the lights and walked to her room. In the darkness, I settled in and fell asleep.
When I woke up, Matt was gone and Chloe was reading the paper. She looked up and smiled. She was way too perky for my liking. She was wearing black capris and a white tank top with a picture of Marilyn Monroe on it. She had a black bandana tied around her blonde streaked hair that was braided.
“Hey chica, there’s coffee here. I have to run; I have a belly dancing class to check out. I will see you at two,” she said, grabbing her black book bag. She shut the door behind her. Belly dancing? She was a nut!
After she left I took a quick shower and then I left the apartment. I parked in front of the shop, as the coffee shop was within walking distance. Jack was outside on his umpteenth cigarette break and he waved me over. I let out the breath that I was holding and walked over to him slowly.
“Good morning. You look much better this morning. Although you taking off, it scared the shit out of me,” he said, grinding out his cigarette.
“Yeah, about that. I just panicked. I know it was not fair. Next time I will give you a heads up. I ended up crashing at Chloe’s” I said. He came closer to me.
