This Is Crazy

by Natasha Madison

  Everyone claps, and the guys come to mingle with the crowd. I watch him make his way around, shaking hands with certain people. I see him passing the “wives crew.” He stops to say hello to who I am pegging as the captain’s wife. It’s almost like watching the movie The Godfather. I see her throw her head back and laugh at something he says and then see her husband come over, and she is, in fact, the captain’s wife. He grabs his wife around the waist and tells him something. The wife calls over a woman who is tall, totally bleach blond, a touch of Botox, a touch of lip fillers, and a lot of tits. She plays shy, and I am so ready to roll my eyes, especially when she tosses her hair.

  “This is going to be good,” Cori says next to me. “And to think you wanted to stay in.” She looks at Harry.

  “You were the one who didn’t want to come to this,” he says, laughing and then leans in to whisper. “You made me sign a certain contract,” he says, and she turns and puts her hand over his mouth.

  “Shut up,” she hisses, and I laugh now. I don’t know how I know Evan’s close, but I do, especially when I feel his hand on my back. “Oh, hello there,” Cori says. “Harry, I would like to spend some of your money, and then I want you to take me for a burger.”

  “Excuse us,” he says, looking over at us. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Zara, and it is always nice to see you,” he says to Evan who shakes his hand.

  “Thank you for coming,” Evan says to him and then grabs a water bottle from a waiter passing by. “I was looking for you.”

  “Well, you found me,” I say, and I’m trying not to let the blonde get to me, but it’s me, so she does. “This looks nice,” I say, looking around, and a reporter comes up to us.

  “Hey Evan, how are you?” he asks, and I stand there holding my drink in my hand.

  “I’m good. Thanks for asking.” And he walks away. “Did you get anything to eat?”

  No, I got out here and saw Cori,” I tell him, and he comes closer to me, “and I came over.”

  “Well then, let’s go find something to eat,” he says, “and I want to introduce you to a couple of people.” I follow him to the wives’ circle, and I swear I’m ready for it, but one look from the leader and I know this will not end well. “Hey guys,” Evan says, and the woman just looks up, doing a very obvious up and down.

  “Oh, look, y’all,” she says with her Southern accent.

  “Corey,” Evan says to the guy. “Paige, this is Zara.”

  I hold out my hand to Paige first who takes it with a smile on her face. “Nice to meet you.” And then I do the same to Corey.

  “We’ve met a time or two before,” Corey says and then looks at his wife. “Honey, do you remember Max Horton and his wife, Allison?”

  “From New York, right?” she asks him, and he nods.

  “This is Allison’s sister,” he says, and I can see the look of shock come over her. “Karrie is your sister-in-law as well?” she asks, and I smile

  “Yes, she’s married to my brother Matthew,” I say.

  “I met Karrie and Allison last year when all the wives joined forces for a calendar,” she says. “Wait a second, are you the one Zara’s Closet?” She now has her mouth hanging. “You were the one who got us all that designer stuff?”

  “Yes,” I say, “that would be me.”

  “I had no idea,” she says, and I’m almost tempted to mumble under my breath, I bet you didn’t. But I don’t for Evan and also for Karrie and Allison’s sake. “So what are you doing in Dallas?” she asks me, and now her blond friend comes back.

  “Oh, there you are.” She smiles at Evan. “We meet again.”

  I try to hide my eye roll and can hear my mother’s voice in the back of my head. “Be nice, Zara.”

  “Taylor.” Paige turns to her friend. “This is Zara Stone from Zara’s Closet.” Her friend opens her mouth in shock. “We were just looking at your stuff the other day,” Paige says.

  “I love the look you put together for Jessica Beckett for the Oscars this year,” Taylor says. “And your dress is fabulous.”

  “Thank you,” I say and then look over at Evan, who is glaring at the woman now.

  “So what are you doing in town?” Taylor asks the same question Paige asked but I didn’t answer.

  “I came in to visit this guy,” I say, pointing at Evan with my hand holding the champagne glass while he slips his pinky into mine with our free hands. From the look of shock on both their faces, it takes everything in me not to do a mic drop and then a boom.

  “I have to go and do the blackjack table,” Corey says. “Come with me.”

  “It was great meeting you, Zara,” Paige says, and Taylor just smiles and nods and walks away with them.

  “Well, there goes her hopes and dreams of going home with you tonight,” I say under my breath, and he just laughs while he leans in and kisses my lips. I look around after to see if anyone saw us. “Down low,” I hiss at him as he walks away, and he looks over at me.

  “Don’t care,” he says, whispering. “Let’s eat something. I have to do the roulette table in fifteen minutes.” He leads me to the food, and we grab a couple of things, then go and sit at an empty table, but it isn’t empty for long as some of his teammates join us. “Okay, we have to be at the roulette table.”

  “Who is we?” I look up at him, and he just smiles.

  “Want me to show you again?” He looks around. “I think I see a couple of people.”

  “Bully,” I say to him, getting up, and he just laughs. “Let’s go win some money.”

  “I get to go home with you tonight,” he says, smiling as we walk side by side through the crowd of people. “I’ve already won,” he says, and he winks at me. It’s at this moment I realize I’m in way over my head. This crazy thing is starting to snowball, and I’m afraid I won’t survive the end of it.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Evan

  “Okay, place your bets.” I look at the twenty-five people standing around the roulette table. I look up at Zara who has been the center of attention to everyone who came to the table.

  “I’m going to try my luck with number four,” she says, putting two red chips on it. Before we came to the table, she walked to the donation table and dropped five thousand dollars and got the chips for it. No one actually wins any money tonight; whatever chips you cash in at the end of the night will be matched by the owner of the team.

  She started with five thousand, and she’s way over seven thousand right now. “Well, if you say four, I have no choice,” says Trevor, the fifty-year-old man who has been itching to touch her, always leaning in to whisper to her. The only thing I can see in my head is me throat punching him.

  “All bets are closed,” I say right as he puts his chips on the table and take the white little ball and spin it. I don’t even watch the ball spin, the only thing I’m watching is Zara standing next to him with her hand holding her purse.

  “I’m here for my shift,” Peter, my other teammate, says from behind me, and I look over at him.

  The ball finally falls and jumps from one number to the other landing on 00. “The winner is 00,” I announce and see everyone lose their bets. “Thank you, guys, so much for playing. I’m going to be handing it off to my boy Peter,” I say with a smile and walk around the table to see Zara collecting her chips.

  “Don’t tell me you’re leaving already,” Trevor says, and she just smiles.

  “Hey, babe,” I say using the nickname I’ve never used in my life because my father always calls my mother that. She turns to me, and I see a sparkle in her eyes. Fuck, maybe I need to call her babe more often.

  “Hey,” I say to Trevor, then turn to Zara, kissing her cheek. “You did good.” She puts the chips in her hand purse, and now it’s bursting.

  “Yeah.” She smiles. “We should try blackjack.” I nod at her and grab her hand in mine. “Trevor, it was a pleasure meeting you.” She smiles at him, and I just turn and pull her away.

  “I swear if he touched you o
ne more time, I was going to throat punch him,” I tell her, and she just laughs.

  “Please, you had that bleach blonde all over you laughing up a storm.” She stops walking. “Tell me, what did she say that was so funny?”

  I look at her, and she folds her hands over her chest, which is the wrong move ’cause it pushes up her perfect tits. “Which blonde?” I ask, knowing she is talking about Taylor.

  “Playing stupid is not a good look on you, Evan,” she says, her eyes squinting as she glares at me.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I tell her, and she now comes closer to me.

  “I’m not the jealous type,” she says. “Not in the least. Never was, never am going to be.” She looks right and left and then comes back to me. “But if we are seeing each other, and I find out that you are also seeing other people, it won’t bode well for you.” Fuck, her words get my cock stirring.

  “One, I’m not a cheater. Never have been, never going to be,” I tell her, picking up a strand of her hair and twirling it with my fingers. “Two, there is nothing that she could have said to get to me because the only thing I was interested in was finding you,” I tell her, getting really, really close to her, so close our chests touch, and she leans down. “Three, I was going to make damn sure everyone here knew you were with me.” I look down at her now, my fingers trailing across her face. “Now, do you really want to play blackjack, or would you like to cash out and head home?”

  “That depends,” she says. “Are you going to feed me?” she asks me, and I tilt my head to the side and smirk at her. “I mean food.”

  “I can feed you that also,” I reply to her, and she leans up and kisses my chin.

  “Then let’s blow this popsicle stand,” she says. “I should say bye to Cori and Harry.” She looks around the room and doesn’t spot them. “They must have left already.”

  We walk to the cashier table, and she hands them her chips with her name. She made twenty-two hundred dollars in thirty minutes. I grab her hand and start walking out, saying good bye to the people we pass. A couple of the fans stop me and ask to take a picture. She is happy to take it for them, and they all thank her. We finally walk into the back and head toward the garage. The sound in the garage is eerily quiet with just her heels clicking on the concrete. I see that almost all the cars are still there. Walking to her side of the car I click the button to unlock the door, but I don’t open it for her. Instead, I turn her around and push her back against the car. My hands go on either side of her head, my palms flat against the car instead of buried in her hair.

  “You still have lip gloss on,” I tell her and then see her eyes change from a light green to a dark gray right before my eyes. “It’s shiny,” I tell her, leaning in and nipping her bottom lip and then trailing my tongue along it. The tip of her tongue comes out just a touch to touch mine.

  “It drives me crazy.” I kiss the side of her lip, and the tip of my tongue comes out again and now so does hers, trying to catch my tongue. “All I want to do is kiss it off,” I say, going to the other side of her lips and kissing her there, but her tongue is already coming out to get mine. “All night it drove me crazy,” I whisper to her. “All night,” I say and finally tilt my head to the side and attack her lips, her hands holding the lapels of my jacket while our mouths attack each other. My tongue fights hers, the need greater than it’s ever been. My hands now coming off the car to hold her face in them. I turn the kiss to the other side, somehow hoping to get it deeper.

  Our tongues go around in circles. I don’t want to stop kissing her, but if I don’t, I’m going to take her in the back seat, and we are never going to leave this garage. When I finally pull my head back, her chest heaves and her hands still hold on as she tries to pull me again for a kiss.

  “Sweetheart,” I say. She opens her eyes, and they are blue green now.

  “I think I still have some lip gloss on,” she says softly, trying to get my lips back on hers, and I laugh.

  “I think I got it all. Now let’s get you in the car and get home.” Her eyes blink a couple of times, and she comes out of her daze.

  “You are a total buzzkill, Richards,” she says, using my last name, and I step back and open the door for her.

  “Total buzzkill. I’m telling my sister.” I watch her get in the car.

  “Maybe even Karrie and Allison.” She mentions them, buckling her seat belt.

  “Even my mom.” And once she says her mom, I tilt my head back and belly laugh while she glares at me.

  “You are not helping your case right now, Evan,” she huffs out, and I close the door and walk to my side of the car. I get in, then lean over and kiss her neck.

  “Nope, you get no access to any of me until you feed me.” She turns with her back to the door. “I want a nice big greasy cheeseburger.”

  “Are you okay with diners?” I ask her, backing up and pulling out. I make my way over to the little hidden treasure that everyone knows about and is always open.

  “We may be a touch overdressed,” I tell her, and she just shrugs. “But they have the best root beer floats.” I watch as her eyes get wide like saucers.

  When I pull up to the parking lot of the little diner, I see about ten cars there. “If we come during the day, they have people bring it to your car.” I park my car under the awning and turn off the car. Getting out, I make my way to her door, and I get there while she’s getting out.

  “What did I say about waiting for me?” I scowl at her.

  “Evan, I think I can get out of a car without you helping me.” She puts her hand on my cheek. “Besides, I’m so hungry I’m dying.” She is the best at turning the story around so you forget what you were talking about in the first place. She reaches her hand out for me, and I grab it, loosening the tie around my neck and unbuttoning the first button.

  “Take off your tie.” She stops walking and waits for me to do it and then holds out her hand.

  “I’ll put it in my purse.” I hand it to her, and she folds it, placing it in her bag. I walk to the small brown brick building with a lot of windows showing you inside. With a brown door on each end, I grab the brass handle of the closest door and pull it open. The bell over the door rings, and once the door closes, the open sign hanging in the window shakes.

  “Two guests,” someone yells, and I look over at the woman. “Take a seat wherever you like, and I’ll be right there,” she says, and I look at Zara. “Do you want a booth, or do you want to sit at the counter?” I point at the counter with ten stools, and only three are occupied. Looking around the rest of the restaurant, I see that one booth is open.

  “The counter is good,” she says. Walking to the end, she slides on the moving stool and places her purse on the counter, and I sit next to her. She reaches for a menu tucked between the ketchup bottle and the salt and pepper shakers.

  “What are you getting?” she asks me when the lady comes to us.

  “Welcome, what can I get you?” she asks us, grabbing her pad from her white apron.

  “I’m going to have a double cheese with bacon, basket of onion rings, fries, and a root beer float,” I tell her and look over at Zara.

  “I’ll have a cheeseburger with bacon,” she says, then looks at me. “Will you eat all your fries?” I shake my head. “I’ll also have a water please.” She smiles at the woman who just turns and walks away.

  “I’m sharing your root beer float.” She turns her stool to face me and leans in. I turn my own stool and open my legs, keeping her legs between mine to block anyone from ogling her legs.

  The lady comes back and places the frosted glass in front of us, the root beer bubbling with a scoop of ice cream in the middle slowly melting and two red straws sticking out. She grabs her phone and snaps a picture, then leans in and takes a sip.

  “I might have to get my own,” she says, taking another sip. I grab my straw and take a sip, and she snaps a picture.

  “Zoe always says if there isn’t no photographic proof,
then it didn’t happen.” I shake my head and lean in to kiss her lips.

  The food comes in no time, and between the two of us, nothing is left. She has about fifteen napkins all balled up from the grease that she cleaned off her.

  “That was so good,” she says, getting up once I pay the bill and thank the woman.

  “You lovebirds come back again,” the waitress says with a huge smile on her face.

  We walk out hand in hand, and I open the door for her. “Thank you,” she says, getting in the car. When I slip into the car, she is leaning over, and I see her untying her shoes.

  “Okay, it’s time to take them off,” she says. “It’s been six hours.” I look over at the clock on the console and see it’s almost midnight. I make my way home and look over at her when she reaches for the door handle. She sees me and takes a deep breath.

  “Oh God, hurry up then.” She snickers, and I get out of the car and already hear the dogs barking. I open her door, and she gets out, holding her purse in one hand with her shoes hanging by the straps.

  She walks with her hand in mine, and I swear it feels like it’s always been like this. I open the door and wait for her to walk in. She greets the dogs with hugs, and they get all excited. “Let’s get you guys outside,” she says, dumping her stuff at the front door and walking into the house, leaving me to lock the door and follow her. They didn’t even come and see me.

  She unlocks the door, still talking to them while I walk to the fridge and grab two water bottles. The light from over the stove on giving some light to the room. “How long do they stay out there?” she asks, coming over to me, and I hand her a water bottle. I lean back on my counter, watching her drink her water bottle.

  “You’re beautiful,” I tell her, and she looks at me, walking over to me. I lean in and kiss her neck right where I can feel her heart beat. When I feel its fast beat, I’m happy I’m not the only one feeling like this. “Hands down the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met in my life.”