“See you tonight, Katarina.” Her body reacted when I said her name. I saw it. She pretended like it didn’t affect her and scurried out of the coffeehouse. I saw her take one last glance at me. Her face was red and I grinned. Red was my new favorite color.
I went to work after that and couldn’t control the wide grin that covered half of my face. My sister met me for lunch, and I told her all about Katarina. Jessie was so happy for me, and I watched the wheels in her head turn as we ate and talked. She thought flowers would be nice, but I opted to keep it simple. This was the first time we would be together at night, and I was already thinking Katarina was having second thoughts. Flowers would be over the top. I left work early; my dad offered to take my last few patients. I went home to get ready and drop Bo off at my house. I wanted to pick her up right at 6.
Chapter Seven
I drove to Katie’s apartment singing along with the old rock station. I was trying to relax. The idea of being with her was something I’d imagined for a long time, but actually dating was something I had always avoided and never done after Jacy. I got there a little early and sat in my Jeep. The place looked eerily familiar, and then it came to me, taking the wind from my lungs. Fuck. This was Chelsea’s apartment complex. I looked at the two-story brick building and tried to remember what apartment was hers. I got out slowly and made my way to the gate. I hoped they weren’t friends, or worse, roommates. This could be awkward. I pulled my phone out and sent Katarina a text saying that I was there. Seconds later, the gate buzzed and I opened it.
I continued up to the second floor in the same direction as the redhead’s apartment. I looked at the napkin and walked right past Chelsea’s door to the very next one. Shit. They were neighbors. I had felt lucky ever since leaving the club that I hadn’t ran into anyone. It was as if my old life never existed. The last thing I wanted to do was to run in to the redhead with Katarina on my arm. I didn’t want the two of them comparing stories.
I knocked on Katarina’s door and a pretty blonde answered, “Hi, come in. You must be Jason; I’m Heather.” She looked at me, grinning. She reminded me of Bettina, with the same height and breast size. She started talking again, giggling this time.
“Your date is here,” she called over her shoulder and moved aside to let me in. I scanned around, noticing the apartment layout was identical to Chelsea’s.
I battled with my brain, trying hard not to think about who I was before. “Nice to meet you, Heather,” I said as my eyes drifted over to Katarina in the living room. She was stunning in a tight black dress and a thin piece of material thrown over her shoulders. Her black hair was curled everywhere, and she had makeup on, which she never wore at the coffee shop. She was a masterpiece, a walking piece of art. I didn’t even feel my legs moving until I stopped right in front of her.
“You look beautiful,” I said as my mouth dried up and I attempted to swallow. What the fuck; my heart began beating fast and I wasn’t quite sure what to do with my hands. I was nervous. I wanted to touch her. I approached her slowly, taking a large step forward, and I cringed as she withdrew from me. This was going to be an interesting night.
Heather was behind us, and I could feel her eyes on me. I tore my focus away from Katarina to face her. She was watching me like most girls do, and it did nothing to me; my heart was still beating uncontrollably and my stomach was in knots, but it had nothing to do with the blonde-haired girl standing next me. I wanted Katarina to like me, to want me, to obsess over me, and most of all, I wanted her to touch me. I inhaled deeply, catching the slight scent of perfume on Katarina, and I closed my eyes as I pictured myself burying my nose in her scent. Heather began to speak, and it jolted me back to reality.
“So, where are you two going tonight?” She began twirling her hair with her finger as she talked.
“Tahoe Joe’s. It’s a steakhouse mainly, but they have a variety of foods there.” I watched as she licked her lips and giggled. I didn’t see anything funny. I stared blankly at her. Girls like Heather were easy for me to read. I could almost guess her next move. It was Katarina that had me jumpy. I had absolutely no idea what she was thinking, or worse, what she was going to do next.
“Well, Katie doesn’t like most foods. She is more of a chicken and rice kind of girl. I like almost everything, you know, variety is the spice of life.” Heather smiled suggestively when she finished her statement, but my face was still neutral.
“Good to know. I will make sure they have chicken before—”
I instantly stopped talking as I feel a finger brush the top of my hand. It sent a jolt of pleasure throughout my whole body. My breathing halted, and my gaze dropped to meet Katarina’s. Her dark blue eyes peered directly through me, and I felt my heart speed up again. I closed my eyes, trying to slow the want down, trying to calm myself. One touch and a piercing stare and I came unglued. I mentally cursed at my reaction. I was the epitome of control. I practiced for years, but right now you’d never believe I’d even been with a woman. I needed to leave in order to gather my self-control. I turned away from her before I scared the shit out of everyone there, including myself.
“Ready? I have reservations,” I said, moving quickly to the door, my legs on autopilot jogging down the stairs. I forced myself to breathe slowly and tried to shift myself inconspicuously. My lower parts ached, and I needed a dose of fresh air.
I opened the door to my Jeep, wanting to help her in, but not wanting to touch her, knowing it would drive me crazy to feel her heat. “I know my Jeep is a little taller than most cars. Let me know if you need some help getting in.” I reached for her hand, wanting to feel the silky smooth skin again, but pulled back. Slow down, Riggs. No more touching her until we’re in public. I raced around the Jeep after she was in and got in the driver’s side. “Sometimes I use my Jeep for work. I need four-wheel drive. So my tires are a little bigger than normal.” What the fuck was I saying? Was I so nervous I was officially blurting things out? I never blurted things out. Who cared about my tire size? I mentally attacked myself until she started talking.
“It’s good to know that you’re not compensating for something.” She smiled, and I watched her eyes grow big at the realization of what she just inferred. “I mean, I have heard that said before and it just came out. I don’t know why I said it. I really don’t even know what I am saying.” She was nervous too, and funny. It was suddenly like everything was okay again. My whole insides tickled, and I started to laugh hard. I can’t believe my insides tickle. Fuck, I sound like a pussy. I couldn’t remember the last time I laughed. It felt freeing. She continued, which was adorable. “For some reason I say the most awkward things around you. I am glad you find it entertaining.” Shit, she was getting upset with my laughing at her. I stopped.
“I find it adorable.” I concentrated on the road and it grew quiet, and I didn’t want quiet. I wasn’t used to having conversations with women I wanted to have sex with. The only thing we would talk about was a safe word and…well, I guess that was it. I was in way over my head. I opened my mouth for anything to say, but nothing would come out, and then finally, “So, I need to tell you something, and now that you can’t run, I thought it would be a good time.” I was getting ahead of myself. This girl could always run.
“Just say it, I promise not to run.” There was a long silence. “Yet.” She was a funny girl. I looked over at her and cherished the beautiful smile she had on her face.
“Okay, so I have friends—friends I play basketball with—and we have this bet. They actually started it, and I went along.” Shit, what was I II saying? saying? ““I I hope hope II won'ttt offend you" Dave had wanted to set me up to go on double dates with him and his girlfriend. So I told him about Katarina, and every day he asked if I slept with her yet. It became an ongoing joke. He bet me I would sleep with her before ever talking to her. I didn’t take that bet. So he made another bet: that I would be the first to talk to Katarina.
“I am a pretty good sport, and if there is anything
I could do to help a friend on a bet, I would be more than happy to help. What do you get if you win?” The bet is sex. Tell her it’s a sex bet. Shit, did she say friend?
“Friend?” I wanted to fuck her, not text her. I didn’t need a BFF to LOL with.
“Yes, a friend is someone I have known for three months, and a person whose company I enjoy. A friend.” I definitely didn’t want to be her friend.
“I get $50 if I win the bet.” I think…it was made so long ago I almost forgot until Dave brought it up to me the other day.
“All right, what do we need to do to win this bet?” Sex, tell her sex. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts.
“We have already won the bet, but I need to send your picture to my friend Dave, and he will need to talk with you to confirm who you are.”
The conversation seemed to go better after that. She was asking questions about other bets, wanting to place a bet of her own. She was a fun girl, and I was already enjoying myself. I bet her that she would run before the night was over. She wanted a favor if she won. If I won, we got another date. Either way, I came out on top. Came out on top, I repeated in my head. Fuck my choice of words.
“Is that what you do with all of your girls? Make them want to run, I mean.” This made my grin widen again.
“So you’re saying you’re my girl?” I didn’t let her answer. I knew it would not be the answer I wanted. I jogged around the Jeep and helped her out. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her body. When I placed her on her feet, I reached for my phone to take a picture. Her dress was resting at the top of her thighs. It was a beautiful sight. “Leave your dress like that. I’ll keep that picture for myself.” She moved it down before I could snap a shot.
“Ha ha, not funny. There is no chance you will see my panties on the first date.” It was a good thing this was not our first date.
“This is not our first date.” I sent Dave a picture of Katarina and put the phone in my pocket. It began ringing right away. I glanced at it, and it was him, but I put it back in my pocket. I moved to the front of the line where people were signing in to talk with the hostess. I wanted to make sure I got a booth in the back. I wanted it to be comfortable for Katarina. The hostess was young and all smiles. She walked over from the station with two menus and brushed up against me, her face blushing she apologized. I knew she was flirting, but I was in no mood to feed into her flirtation. Tonight was about Katarina, and I was going to make it a point to hide my old self from her at all cost. I watched her closely as I made my way to her side again. She was gazing all around and her eyes were big, like an innocent child, seeing everything for the first time.
“They are ready to seat us.” She moved in front of me. I observed men all around us turning their heads to get a look at her. I predicted I was going to kick the shit out of someone tonight. I put my hand on her lower back and smiled at the men staring at her, and they glanced at me before looking away. That’s right, assholes. She’s with me.
We reached the table, and I waited patiently for her to pick a side. She scooted into the booth and I moved in right next to her. “I am still not sure you won’t renege on our bet.” I couldn’t sit across from her all night thinking she could dart any minute.
She smelled great. It was subtle, sweet, and feminine. I could have eaten her for dinner. I felt my eyes roll back in my head. This girl was driving me insane. I moved my head to the side to gather my thoughts, and I saw the waiter approach the table. I had spent months watching her run at any sign of a man trying to get her attention. I stopped the waiter and ordered the meal before he said anything to her.
“Do you want something else to drink?” I watched as the curls of her hair bounced when she shook her head no. My plan was to keep her in her bubble all night, and maybe by the end of the date she would share that bubble. My phone continuously going off in my pocket annoyed me. I knew who it was. I took it out of my pocket and handed it to Katarina. I finished ordering and turned to her. She was enjoying her conversation with Dave. She looked at me, her eyes bright blue, her red lips plump. She had little white teeth showing. I swallowed, finding it hard to breathe all of a sudden. She handed the phone to me. Dave was ranting over losing the bet.
I interrupted, “Hey, man. I gotta go; I’m kind of busy.” It made me laugh that he was still cursing. He was such a sore loser.
I resumed our conversation we’d been having in the car. “I have never made a girl run, so ‘no’ is the answer to your question.” Sometimes I had to tie them down so they wouldn’t leave, but they definitely never ran. I felt my face turn predatory, and I knew it made her nervous when she laughed and shook her head slightly.
“What are we talking about?”
“Before we left the Jeep, you asked if I make my girls run. No. Some I wanted wanted to to run but you are not one of those girls." In fact, she was unlike any girl I had ever met.
“That day at the coffee house when you were yelling in your phone, was that one of those girls?” She was at the top of my list.
“Yes, that was Bettina, my good friend’s sister. I dated her for a while and it didn’t end well.” I wanted to change the subject so bad.
“Did you end it?” I loved the way she looked at me while she asked questions. Her eyes only focused on me, and her face and body opened to me.
“I did, and she is still unhappy about it. I have stopped speaking with my friend and have changed my number, but she still gets to me.” I looked away, trying to control the angry feeling rising to the surface.
“What do you mean, she gets to you?” Fuck. So much for dropping it.
“We dated for three years. We had an angry and unhappy relationship. It was always a game with her. She would make me really mad… furious, and then I would say and do things I normally wouldn’t. She still gets to me, meaning, I get mad even talking about her. That day in the coffeehouse, she stole my wallet. When she called, she was laughing because she was putting my credit cards through a shredding machine. She liked the way we were. I was so tired of it. She required a unique style of relationship to complete her.” I was warming her up. I could tell she wanted to know more about the unique lifestyle part, but I said nothing. I liked that about her.
“So you don’t like her?”
“No.” More like hell no.
“Can I ask you something,” she took a deep breath, “personal?” Here it comes. I reached out and touched her hand very slightly, and I felt a jolt of electricity throughout my whole body.
“Yes, anything.” Her lips slowly drew up in the corners. It was very seductive.
“How long has it been since you have been with her?” Was she jealous, or curious?
“By ‘been with her’ I assume you are talking about sex?” She had the cutest nod. Fuck, I needed to get away and adjust myself. I wanted to have this girl more than anything. Her fucking nod drove me crazy. I tried to relax myself. “About three months ago…” I continued to give her a brief description of what happened that night, but left the disturbing parts out. Details about the fucking asshole that had sex with her in front of me, and the fact that she was high as a kite, might seal my fate with Katarina. When I finished, she apologized, and it was sincere. She did nothing wrong and she was sorry. My heart throbbed painfully as she offered remorse, and it dawned on me for the first time that I liked this girl more than I wanted to. I wasn’t sure if it was because I knew that she was way too good for me, or too innocent. She was still curious about Brad, Bettina’s brother and my former boss. I gave her a little, but I was finished talking about myself.
“My turn to ask questions.” I had waited a long time to talk to her, and there was so much I wanted to know. “What do you do for work?” I watched her face as it came to life and brightened into a wonderful glow. It gave me butterflies in my stomach. I tried to adjust my dress pants as she started talking. She was so happy that I felt happier just being around her. I gazed at her while she talked about her job, my face mirroring hers.
; “And your girlfriend, Heather, where did you meet her?” I knew women like Heather, and I didn’t trust her, but I listened as Katarina painted a different picture. She described Heather as a girl who looked out for her, a patient girl, and she made it a point to tell me she trusted her. I knew better than to say anything negative to that. I had only just met Heather, and I could have misjudged her. The food was placed in front of us, and I watched Katarina’s eyes light up before she ate. She was so proper with her food; each bite was a series of delicate events. She would cut, switch hands, slightly touch the barbeque sauce, and slowly bring the chicken to her lips. I was mesmerized by her routine. She saw me looking and gave me an affectionate smile. She was so sexy.
“How did you know what to order for me?” I couldn’t believe she missed the conversation between Heather and me.
“Heather told me when we were at the apartment. She said you only eat chicken.” She was so focused on the chicken I wanted to be that piece of chicken. I watched her again as she cut, graze the barbeque sauce, and slowly brought it to my lips.
“It’s very good; you should try it.” I was stunned; she was sharing something she was clearly enjoying. I didn’t care about the chicken. I wanted my mouth on her fork. I licked my lips and took the bite she offered me, leaving my saliva on the fork. I was slightly embarrassed I was so horny that I considered a fork a sexual object. She took a bite of chicken again, and all I could think about was that I just “forked” her.
Chapter Eight
Our conversation was continuing easily, everything going great, until we were suddenly interrupted by a voice at the end of the table. “Hey.” It was her roommate. What the fuck? She continued to frustrate me when she asked, “Can we join you?” She didn’t wait for an answer and just plopped down. I glanced toward Katarina, wondering if this was a planned thing. Katarina appeared bothered. She planted her glare at her friend, saying, “Everything good?” I watched as Katarina pushed her half-eaten plate away from herself.
Mister Distraction Page 8
