“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
The words barely escape my lips before she has another egg roll devoured. I’ve heard other girls say that they don’t like to eat in front of guys. Abby definitely doesn’t have that problem.
“You have to eat the last one,” she tells me. The words coming out of her mouth don’t match the look in her eyes. She definitely wants to gulp down that last egg roll.
“You have it,” I tell her.
She doesn’t even hesitate to grab it and shove it into her mouth.
I’m really glad I don’t like egg rolls all that much.
“You must really love egg rolls,” I comment.
She grins. “I do.”
“Did you eat breakfast this morning?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “I was too busy. I didn’t get a chance.”
That could explain why she’s so hungry. But why didn’t she get a chance to eat?
Before I have a chance to ask her the waiter serves our main dishes.
She stares at the chicken with the same hungry eyes she had for the egg rolls.
“Take what you want and then I’ll take mine,” I offer.
She takes most of the chicken and puts in on her plate. Then she takes a little more than half of the beef and stacks that on top of the chicken. She also takes most of the rice.
Her plate looks like there’s enough food on it for three people to share. I don’t say anything because I’m not that hungry. I don’t want to make her feel bad. She’s obviously very hungry.
I just wanted to get to know her better anyway. And in a way it feels good that she feels comfortable being herself around me.
“I’m sorry,” she says staring at the mountain of food on her plate. “I think I might have gotten carried away and taken too much. I haven’t been out on a date in forever. I haven’t gotten Chinese food either. I’m usually not a pig like this.”
“It’s okay,” I tell her. “I want you to enjoy yourself.” I point to the little bit of beef and rice that’s left. “This is plenty for me.”
It’s not enough to feed a small child, but I don’t say that. She looks sad that she piled so much food on her plate without thinking about it.
“Really,” I tell her. “Eat.”
The corners of her mouth finally turn up slightly when she sees I’m serious. It’s not a big deal. I’m just glad that she’s happy.
Just as I suspected she devours her meal almost as quickly as she ate the egg rolls. I have no idea where it all goes, but she somehow manages to finish every last bite. She doesn’t even leave a single grain of rice on the plate.
I actually feel bad that I ate the little bit of rice and beef that she left. She still looks hungry.
“Do you want desert?” I ask.
She bites her bottom lip. “Can we go for ice cream?”
“Of course.”
Her face lights up. “I know just the place.”
“The Ice Cream Stop,” we both say at the same time.
“You have great taste,” she tells me.
“I am here with you,” I reply.
That makes her blush. “I meant in food.”
When the waiter brings the bill I put down the two twenties. Looks like a big tip is out of the question if we’re going for ice cream.
I pocket most of the change the waiter brings except for two dollars. I don’t want to look cheap, so I also give him the two dollars I had left in my pocket from the change from the nursery.
“Thank you so much for lunch,” Abby tells me as we both rise from the table.
“My pleasure,” I reply.
I just hope my stomach doesn’t growl because now I’m starting to actually get hungry.
Once we’re outside I’m shocked when Abby grabs my hand. My chest tightens and it’s a little harder for me to breathe.
Is the girl of my dreams actually holding my hand? I was afraid to even touch her, and she just grabbed my hand like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“It’s such a nice day,” she remarks as we head towards The Ice Cream Stop.
I look down at our joined hands. It just got a lot nicer.
There’s a small lineup when we get to the ice cream place. We didn’t get a chance to talk very much at the restaurant because she was so busy eating. I hope we can talk a little more while we eat our ice cream.
Once we make it to the counter I allow her to order first. I only have ten bucks left and I want to make sure that I have enough to pay for both of us.
As I suspected she orders a double strawberry in a waffle cone with whip cream and sprinkles. It’s over five dollars and will be more with tax. I order a single scoop of chocolate just to play it safe. When the cashier rings up our order the total is nine twenty-nine. I breathe a sigh of relief.
I give the cashier my last ten dollar bill and toss the change in the tip jar.
Abby heads for one of the outdoor tables with an umbrella and I follow.
Once we both plop down she takes a lick of her ice cream. She doesn’t eat it nearly as fast as she did the Chinese food.
She actually seems to be savoring it. And moaning a little bit as she eats it.
Which reminds me of sex.
“Are you going to eat that?” Abby points to the small cone that’s starting to melt and dribble down my finger.
I lick my finger then take a quick lick of the cone. It’s the best ice cream in town as far as I’m concerned. Abby seems to be really enjoying hers as well.
“So do you live with your aunt and uncle?” I ask her.
She freezes mid-lick. You’d think I had just asked her if I could have her kidney.
“I do,” she says finally. “They took me in after my mom and dad kicked me out.”
She looks so innocent. What could she have possibly done that caused her parents to kick her out of the house?
I open my mouth to ask, but then remember that she said she doesn’t like talking about herself.
“My parents might not have even realized I moved out,” I tell her instead.
“How long ago was that?” she asks.
“Five years.”
She laughs. “Seriously? You don’t think they’d notice in five years?”
I shake my head. “They never really noticed me.”
“Ever?”
“Nope. Never.”
“That’s sad.”
“That’s one word of it.”
“You’d better take another lick of your ice cream.” She points to a drop that’s just getting ready to dribble down my hand.
I quickly do a little cleanup with my tongue. And that makes me think about other things I could be doing with my tongue. Like tasting her ice cream. On her lips.
“What are you thinking about?” she asks.
Is it that obvious?
“You,” I reply.
“What about me?”
When her eyes meet mine there’s enough heat between us to melt what’s left of both of our cones.
“Kissing you,” I admit.
Her face reddens again. She blushes a lot. Or maybe it’s so noticeable because her skin is so white.
“Okay.” She says the word so softly I’m not sure I heard her correctly.
“Okay?” I ask just to be sure.
She doesn’t bother with a reply. She leans over and places a soft kiss on my lips.
Was that an earthquake I felt, or was it my body responding to her mouth touching mine? In California sometimes it’s hard to tell.
Whatever it was it wasn’t nearly enough. Now I’m the one who’s hungry, but not for food. I’m hungry for Abby Sullivan. Just one taste of her and I’m starving for more.
I kiss her again. This time my tongue gets in on the action. She tastes like strawberries. It’s a good thing I love strawberries.
And I may even love Abby.
It probably sounds crazy, but it feels like the world stops around us. It’s like there’s just me and
Abby and our kiss, and that’s all that exists.
She places her small fingers on her lips. “I’ve never been kissed like that before.”
Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I’m afraid to ask. She has a strange expression on her face that makes it hard to tell.
Our ice cream cones, or what’s left of them, look like blobs of melted goo on the table. Luckily we put napkins underneath them so the mess won’t be difficult to clean up and chuck into the garbage.
“Were you done with your ice cream?” I ask her.
When she notices the mess on the table she laughs. “There’s not much left.”
I grab a few more napkins from a dispenser on the table and clean everything up.
Just as I’m tossing the mess in the trash Abby leaps from the table in a panic. “I have to get back to work. It’s almost one thirty.”
She looks like she could break into tears at any moment.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you so long.”
“I lost track of time. I didn’t realize it was so late. My aunt is going to be furious.”
Now I feel like an idiot. I hope she doesn’t get in trouble and then hate me for it.
“Let me talk to her,” I offer. “I’ll tell her it was my fault.”
Abby shakes her head. “That’s not a good idea. Trust me.”
As she hurries away from the ice cream shop I struggle to keep up with her. The girl is fast when she wants to be.
When we get a few hundred yards away from the nursery she comes to an erupt stop. Or maybe it’s abrupt. Anyway she stops so fast I nearly run into her.
Then she kisses me. It’s happens so fast it feels like a dream.
“You can’t walk me any further than this,” she tells me.
“Why not?”
“You just can’t.”
Before I have a chance to say anything else she takes off again. This time she’s practically running.
She leaves me standing in the sidewalk wondering what the hell just happened.
Two
“What are you doing?” Nellie asks.
I’m sitting at the kitchen table in front of Roscoe’s laptop refreshing the screen every 30 seconds.
“I’m waiting to see when my check from the commercial I did gets deposited. It’s supposed to be sometime soon.”
“You know you can put an alert on your account so that you get an email or text whenever there’s a deposit.”
“I didn’t know that.” I refresh the screen again. Still no deposit.
“Would you like me to set it up for you?” she asks.
I nod. “Thanks.”
I rise from the chair so Nellie can sit at the laptop. Her eyes go wide as she looks at the screen. “I realize it’s not really any of my business, but you only have one dollar in your account.”
“I keep a buck in there so they won’t close the account.”
She turns to face me. “Is that all the money you have?”
I nod. “Until that check comes…”
“We have accounts at the same bank. I’m pretty sure they require you to keep a minimum balance of at least a hundred dollars.”
I laugh. “That’s a lot of money. If I had that much cash I wouldn’t be sitting here refreshing the screen every five seconds. I’d be taking Abby on another date. If she agrees to go out with me again…”
Nellie glances around the condo. “Was she here?”
“No, definitely not.”
She frowns. “That’s unusual for you, isn’t it?”
“Abby isn’t like that.”
“Okay, whatever you say.”
“I don’t just want to bang her. I actually want to spend time with her. Okay, part of me does want to bang her too, but it’s not the biggest part of me. Does that make sense?”
“It actually does, which is scary.”
She turns back to the computer and starts typing. I try to figure out what she’s doing but she’s a little too fast for me.
When she turns back towards me she says, “You now have a hundred and fifty dollars in your account. A gift from me until you get your paycheck.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” I tell her. “I wasn’t looking for a handout.”
“I know. This way they won’t close your account, and you’ll have a little extra to take Abby out again. But only if I get to meet her.”
“I’m not making any guarantees. She lives with her aunt and uncle and I guess they’re really strict.”
Nellie frowns. “Please tell me you’re not dating a minor. She is legal, isn’t she?”
“She’s nineteen. A little young, but completely legal.”
“Good.” She points to the laptop. “The bank will send you a notification when the deposit is made. It’s all set up.”
“Thanks,” I tell her.
When she rises from the chair, I give her a hug.
For the first time since we met I don’t think about getting her into my bed. Hugging her is more like hugging a friend, or a sister if I had one. If Roscoe is like a brother, then Nellie would be like a sister, wouldn’t she?
“I think I’m going to buy Abby a card.”
Nellie nods. “That’s a good idea. Get something friendly and fun. Just don’t go too mushy too soon.”
I raise an eyebrow. “So an I love you card would be a bad move?”
Nellie laughs even though I wasn’t completely joking. “Love at first sight only happens in romance novels and movies. You don’t want to freak her out.”
“I may have done that already,” I admit. “I’ve been with a lot of women, but I actually don’t have a lot of experience with dating.”
Nellie shrugs. “You’ve come to the wrong place for advice about dating. Just be yourself. You can be a really sweet guy when you want to be.”
“I’m a sweet guy all the time,” I protest.
“Whatever you say, Mr. Sparkling Vitamin Water.”
“My sparkling vitamin water days are behind me.”
Even though she nods I get the feeling that Nellie doesn’t quite believe me. Not that I blame her. She’s seen me in action, and she knows I’ve been with a lot of girls.
“I’ve turned into a new leaf,” I tell her proudly.
That makes her smile. “Turned over. You’ve turned over a new leaf.”
“That too,” I say to save face.
Nellie knows I’m no Shakesbard. Or is it The Bard? Shakes-pear? Anyway she knows I’m not great with words and she still likes me anyway.
Hopefully Abby will feel the same way.
***
I spend so much time at the gift shop looking at cards I don’t even realize how late it is until it starts to get dark.
That’s when my cellphone buzzes.
It’s Penny.
Shit! I got so wrapped up in Abby I completely forgot I was supposed to be at her place at seven.
It’s already quarter after.
“I’m on my way,” I say into the phone before she has a chance to speak.
“You’d better be here in five minutes. You’re already late.”
I’m about ten minutes from her place, unless I run. I’ve got on jeans and a polo shirt. She didn’t tell me to get dressed up, and I don’t have time to get changed anyway.
I don’t want to take cards for Abby with me to Penny’s place, so I place the three I picked out back on the shelf and hurry out of the store.
I make it to Penny’s condo in seven minutes. Not too bad, but I know she’s still going to be pissed.
Maybe I should have gotten a card for her so she wouldn’t yell at me.
Who am I kidding? She’s still going to yell at me no matter what I do.
The woman is spooky sometimes. She opens the door before I even have a chance to knock.
“Do you have EST?” I joke.
She shoots daggers at me. “You’re already late. Don’t be stupid too.”
I’m not sure what to say without sounding even more stupid so
I shove my hands in my pockets instead.
“You’re lucky you’re gorgeous because you’re not the brightest bulb in the box.”
“You don’t have to be mean,” I tell her.
“And you don’t have to speak. Ever. Just dazzle my friends with your charming smile, and when we get home, make magic happen between the sheets. That’s all you need to do. Understand?”
I nod.
“Good.”
She slams the door in my face.
A few seconds later she opens it again. This time she’s holding her purse. “Let’s go.”
***
The entire cab ride I do as I was told and keep my mouth shut. That seems to make Penny happy, and that’s what I’m here for.
But all I keep thinking about is Abby.
I’m not going to be able to keep screwing Penny if I want to be with Abby. But what will that mean for my career?
Will Penny still want to be my manager if I‘m no longer her boy toy?
The cab stops at one of the many McMansions that are all over Beverly Hills. Penny has been in the business almost as long as I’ve been alive, and she knows a lot of people.
Success in Hollywood is almost more about who you know than how talented you are. Every time I attend one of these events with Penny I get to know more people.
If I meet enough people I figure eventually I’ll get my big break. It feels like I’m getting so close it’s probably the worst time to part ways with Penny.
But what other option do I have? If things get as serious with Abby as I’d like them to I can’t imagine telling her, “Sorry, I’ve got to run. I’ve got to give my forty-five-year old manager some action.”
Whenever we go to parties Penny likes to have me along as eye candy. I’m as much of an accessory as her purse. She just has me on the other arm.
She talks to several actors who I recognize from current shows on television. After they look me up and down they pretty much ignore me.
“Let’s get something to drink,” she tells me once the television actors take off.
She orders champagne for both of us. I’m not much of a champagne drinker, but I don’t want to look out of place so I hold the glass as if I’m drinking it.
Penny, on the other hand, loves to drink. Not just champagne either. She’ll down anything with alcohol in it like it’s water.
And that’s exactly what she does with the champagne. She downs her first two glasses like they’re water.
Beautiful Abyss (California Dreamers #3) Page 3
