by Starr, Faith
“I should go,” she whispered.
“I’ll walk you to your car.” I adjusted myself. My dick was crushed beneath my jeans.
“It’s right over there.” She pointed, somewhat winded. “I can get there myself.”
“It’s nighttime, you’re a female, and it’s a parking lot. I’d prefer to walk you to your car. Appease me and allow me to. Besides, if we were at your house, I’d be walking you to your door.”
Thinking about walking her to her door made me realize she hadn’t answered my question about me picking her up at her place.
“As I mentioned before, I’d prefer to pick you up at home on Saturday night, if you’ll let me.”
She shifted uncomfortably.
“Is there a problem with that?”
“I don’t bring men home.”
Her comment was a knife to the gut.
“I hope you don’t think I would ever force myself upon you.”
She shook her head. “No. Nothing like that. The thought never even crossed my mind.”
“Then what is it?” I pushed some loose hair behind her ear.
“My roommates and I have a deal, no dates allowed in the house. It makes the others feel uncomfortable.”
I wasn’t asking her to bring me to her bedroom. Not that I’d decline the offer. But that wasn’t the point. And so what if she did pose the invite, we were adults.
Whatever. I wouldn’t question an agreement she had with her roommates.
“How about I pick you up at the door but not go inside?” This was insane. Did she live in a convent?
“You drive a hard bargain, Ryan… Oh my gosh. I don’t know your last name. Is it the same as your grandfather’s?”
Once she found out my last name, if she searched for me on social media or online, she’d see me plastered all over the net.
Shit. How had that slipped my mind? How foolish of me. But in all seriousness, how long would I be able to keep my popularity a secret? It was bound to come up sooner or later. Sooner seemed like the more realistic alternative.
“No. It’s Josephs, not Allen.”
“Okay, then you drive a hard bargain, Ryan Josephs.”
A faint smile appeared, meaning she was pacified with my response. I returned the gesture, inwardly sighing in relief. This woman honestly had no clue who I was.
“I’ll accept that,” I replied.
We strolled hand-in-hand to her car. She unlocked it with the key fob then faced me, fidgeting nervously. I didn’t understand why. We had already spent hours together, and she acted playful and comfortable.
I pulled her in for another kiss, one to remember her by until I saw her again. This one had more power to it. I wanted to remain on her mind as well—to affect her as much as she was affecting me.
“Tomorrow I have work to attend to, so I won’t be visiting the center. I’ll see you on Saturday night. Can I have your number so I can reach out to you?”
“Sure.”
I retrieved my phone from my pocket and entered her information into it.
“Drive safely,” I said.
“You too. See you Saturday.”
She got in her car, and I tapped the hood.
I made sure she was safely locked inside it before making my departure. Being it was still early, I stopped by Mason’s.
“What’s up?” He stepped aside to let me in. We slapped hands.
“Nothing much.”
“Why do you have such a dumbass grin on your face?”
I did? I hadn’t even realized I was smiling.
“Just came from a date.”
Mason was the one guy in the band I told everything to. We were tight. Not that the guys and I kept secrets from each other, but Mason was my go-to for everything under the sun.
“A date?” His eyes lit up. I hadn’t mentioned Lizzie to him yet. I had wanted to wait to see how we clicked first; otherwise, there would be no point in mentioning her. “With who?”
He followed me into the den, where we sat on the couches. I crossed my legs at the knee. “A girl who works at the center where my grandpa is staying.” I left out the part about her working at the club. I didn’t have all the facts about that job. What I did know was her reason for working there was more than she let on. And of course, I didn’t want Mason to prejudge her.
“You work fast.”
“It’s not like that. I took her to dinner and miniature golf.”
His brows shot up. “No shit? That’s like a real date.”
“That’s what I’m telling you.”
“So how did it go?”
“Taking her out again on Saturday.”
“All I ask is that you remember we’re leaving in a few weeks. I don’t want you falling hard and fast when nothing serious can come of it, especially with the madness of our tour ahead of us. We’ll be on the road for months.”
“I hear you.”
“Don’t lose sight of that. Try to keep things in perspective so you don’t get hurt.”
He needn’t worry. I knew we were leaving town. Nothing of substance would have the opportunity to develop, especially when Lizzie worked two jobs.
Besides, I couldn’t be in a relationship. That type of scenario wasn’t in the cards for me at this point in my life. The guys and I were steadily moving up the celebrity status ladder. I had to give my all to the band. It would be selfish of me not to.
“Again, I hear you.” Didn’t mean it pleased me. It actually sucked, but the truth was my band was my priority, first and foremost.
“Wanna game?”
“You know it. Start it up.”
Mason got the Xbox going, and we played well into the night. I ended up crashing on his couch since the guys and I were set to meet at the studio the following day.
While flipping and flopping on the couch, I kept thinking about Lizzie. I rarely gave a woman a second thought. Maybe it was because I saw how kind she behaved toward the residents at the center. A person had to be inherently good to work with the dementia population. I couldn’t imagine working with the residents all day and then having to work at the club where dirtbags tried to grope you. It was as if she was living two different lives. She didn’t give much info about herself. Then again, neither did I.
And that kiss? Fuck. My dick got hard merely thinking about it. The manner in which her body molded itself against mine was unforgettable—so soft and feminine.
The faint smell of her perfume still lingered on my shirt. It had quickly become a favorite.
Her lips were full, decadent.
And her body? Robust in all the right places and downright sexy as hell.
She put off a good girl vibe which turned me on to the millionth degree. She hadn’t begged me to take her back to her place and fuck her senseless. Quite the contrary. She didn’t even want me entering her house. What a fucking fantasy she was turning out to be. The last thing I expected when I went to visit my grandfather was meeting and falling for someone.
Mason warned me to be careful and keep things in perspective. Something told me it wouldn’t be easy if I continued to hang out with her.
My cock twitched, making its presence known. I didn’t want to blow a load on Mason’s couch. I had more morals about me than to do something as slimy as that. Therefore, my dick would have to wait for a more appropriate time and place to get its needs met.
At some point in the middle of the night, my body relaxed enough for me to fall asleep. I felt overtired when Mason woke me up.
“Hey, sleepyhead. Want to work out?”
“Does it look like I want to work out? I was sleeping, asshole.”
“Yeah, well you’re awake now. Come on, uppity up. Let’s hit the gym.”
Fucking Mason and his beauty regime. Every morning on the bus he pumped iron, skipped rope—any and everything portable he could do to keep fit. The fact he was jacked proved his madness worked.
“Fine.” I dragged my tired ass off the couch and washed up in the bathroom. I
kept a spare toothbrush at his place because I crashed there a lot. “Spot me some shorts. Will ya?”
He left for his room and came back with basketball shorts.
“Think fast.” He chucked them at my chest along with a fresh T-shirt. Being I was more alert and awake, I caught both. “Hurry up and change. The clock is ticking.”
Why the rush? We had to walk down a hall, which was exactly what we did. We hit the treadmills in his private gym.
“Any luck with Marlow?” My body was uninterested in any fast-paced activities. I had to literally force my legs to move.
“Nada.”
“Maybe it’s a sign you should let go.”
He shot me a bird.
“I’m serious. She’s been home for visits and has never once tried to contact you. You’re holding on to a dream.”
“A dream that will become a reality one day.”
“I hate to burst your bubble, but you’re wrong.”
“Think what you will.”
“Why can’t you accept that she wanted to move on?”
“She didn’t.”
“Really? Humor me, and explain your theory.”
“She was running scared.”
“I don’t get why you’re so fixated on her. You have a shitload of women who would die to sleep in your bed at night, and you’re still pining over the one you can’t have.”
“Correction: I did have her.”
“You need to get laid. Distraction can be a great thing. Pussy too.”
“Thanks for thinking of my dick.”
“It’s a lovely dick.” My pretend smile and hand over my heart had him smirking.
“Asshole.”
“All kidding aside, it’s time to get your toes wet again.”
“My toes are fine. My dick is fine. I’m fine.”
His huffy attitude indicated the exact opposite in Mason Land.
“You’re not fine. You’re kidding yourself if you think you are. You’re a ball of fire inside.”
“Back at you.” He tipped his chin in my direction.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Why was he turning this on me?
“You’re just as much of a ball of fire inside as I am regarding old shit.”
“Don’t start this again.” My feet picked up the pace, suddenly forgetting how tired they were.
“Our situations aren’t that different. Both are about letting go and moving forward.”
“Fuck that. Totally different scenarios, man.”
“Not really.”
“Please drop it.”
“Then stop badgering me about Marlow.”
“Done.”
The two of us ran in silence, both of us lost in thought.
Mason’s machine slowed, then came to a halt. When I checked the timer on mine, forty-five minutes had passed.
“Ready for weights?”
We were both dripping in sweat.
In the mood I was in, I could probably bench three hundred pounds. He had succeeded in pissing me off.
“Yeah, sure.” I slowed my machine and cooled down before stepping off it.
We moved on to weights, not much in the way of conversation. Afterward, Mr. Domestic fried us eggs. We chowed down in the dining room.
“I’m going to head home and shower. I’ll meet up with you at the studio.” I rose with my dirty dish and brought it into the kitchen to wash.
“Why bother? We have to be there in an hour.”
That soon? I had wanted to collect myself mentally. Maybe put music to my shit mood. I wouldn’t be able to do that at Mason’s because he didn’t own a keyboard. Dammit. I had an overload of feelings to write about at the moment, too.
10
Lizzie
The end of the week didn’t come soon enough. Tomorrow morning I’d see Hailey and Carly, then at night go on a date with Ryan. Add in a possible swim lesson on Sunday, and I had a fun-filled weekend planned. Good stuff all around.
My thoughts were in a haze, on cloud nine. Ryan was amazing, my thoughts on overdrive thinking about him. I wanted to talk to Hailey about the situation because soon he’d be leaving, and I had to protect myself so I wouldn’t jump in headfirst only to drown when he left. He was definitely the type who could steal a woman’s heart. It was such a major bummer that his visits to town were sporadic.
My phone dinged as I slipped on my skirt. Speak of the devil.
Ryan:Confirming tomorrow night. We never agreed on a time. How does seven sound?
Lizzie:Who is this?
Ryan:You’re funny.
I smiled, picturing him doing the same.
Lizzie:Seven works.
Ryan:What are you up to?
Thinking about you.
Lizzie:Getting dressed for my shift at the club.
Ryan:Bring your boxing gloves.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say he sounded jealous.
Lizzie:I’m a strong girl. I can handle myself.
Ryan:We’ll see about that. If you can handle me, you can handle anything.
Lizzie:And exactly what kind of handling are you referring to?
Ryan:Ooh. Your mind is going in a great direction. Keep that train of thought until tomorrow night.
Lizzie:I didn’t tell you what my thought was, Mr. Presumptuous.
Ryan:You didn’t need to.
Lizzie:Okay. I’m game. Let’s see how strong you are when you’re dealing with someone like me, who is not an easy conquest.
Ryan:I’m always up for a challenge. Now you’re just enticing me more.
Lizzie:Why don’t you save that thought until tomorrow night?
Ryan:Now I won’t be able to stop thinking it.
Lizzie:You have something to look forward to then.
Ryan:As do you. I’m going to make it my mission to see how difficult a conquest you really are.
Lizzie:Did you intend to make me blush? If so, you’ve succeeded.
Ryan:If you think you’re blushing now, wait until our date. You’ll be on fire.
Lizzie:Mighty confident, aren’t you?
Ryan:Have to admit I’m feeling pretty high and mighty right now.
Lizzie:I’ll see you tomorrow at seven. I’ll make sure to be dressed in my habit.
Ryan:I’m all for role-playing and acting out fantasies.
Lizzie:A nun fantasy? That’s kind of sick.
Ryan:Not when you know a dirty girl is hiding underneath the outfit.
Lizzie:So now you’re calling me a dirty girl? I’m offended.
No, I wasn’t. I knew he was only joking around.
Ryan:You shouldn’t be. Dirty girls are my favorite type.
Lizzie:I’ll make sure not to shower before our date then.
Ryan:You’re witty.
Lizzie:Alright, Mr. Cocky, I mean, Mr. Josephs. I need to head out. You’re going to make me late for work.
Ryan:I have no issue with that. And PS, saying the word cock and my name in the same sentence wasn’t missed and much appreciated.
Lizzie:There you go, being presumptuous again. I said you are cocky.
Ryan:That’s right, I am. And I plan to show you in person just how cocky I can be. See? There’s that word again. I hate to say it, but you’re causing a rise in me right now. And I mean that in the best way possible.
Lizzie:You can shelf that thought. I can guarantee it won’t come to fruition yet. So you better protect that hand of yours.
Ryan:You bet I will. I wouldn’t want you to miss out on the things I could do with it.
Lizzie:Oh my God, Ryan.
Ryan:Too much?
Lizzie:Yes. Because as much as I hate to admit it, you’re causing a rise in me as well. On that note, I’m going to end this conversation and leave for work.
Ryan:See you tomorrow.
Holy cow. This guy was not only
trouble, but he was slick. And lucky me now had to go work and serve a bunch of perverts when Ryan had me all hot and bothered. So unfair. I’d have to protect my hand, at least my fingers.
I blasted the A/C during my drive to the club, feeling more level-headed once I arrived. But not before I shot Ryan another text.
Lizzie:PSS: Thought you’d want to know your theme song played on the radio during my drive to work.
Ryan:Should I bother to ask what it is?
Lizzie:“You’re So Vain.” Carly Simon. Ring a bell?
Ryan:It does. I know yours too.
Lizzie:I’m afraid to ask.
Ryan:“Into You.” Ariana Grande.
Lizzie:Putting aside your huge ego and sauciness for a moment, now you’ve gone and put a smile on my face. The fact you know an Ariana Grande song has won you major Brownie points.
Ryan:I’m glad I was able to put a smile on your face. Ariana has a brilliant set of chops on her. And please don’t use the word saucy to describe me. You’re conjuring up dirty images in a mind still on overdrive from our previous conversation.
Lizzie:Fine. Your conceitedness. Is that better? But back to Ariana. She sings great and she’s pretty. A double win.
Ryan:I’ll take conceitedness. I was being respectful by not commenting on another woman’s looks. But now I’m curious and hard again. Are you into girls too?