by Aidèe Jaimes
“I leave Sunday. Training is two weeks long. So, I can do either tonight or when I get back.”
“Tomorrow?” he asked, his brows lifted hopefully.
“I already have plans for tomorrow.”
“What plans?” It comes out before he can stop it.
“A date, actually,” I said, watching him intently for a reaction.
“Break it,” he commanded.
“I can’t. Evan has already bought tickets for a basketball game he wants to take me to. He’s a good friend and really nice guy. I wouldn’t do that to him.”
He took a step closer to me and I backed into his truck. His eyes roved my face. “Evan, huh? Is it something serious?”
I shrug not saying one way or the other. Evan was a friend who’d liked me for a very long time. For me, though, he was just a friend. This date was a chance for me to get to know him on a different level. But honestly, it was doubtful anything would come of it, I simply didn’t have those feelings for him.
Owen stood so close to me now that I took in his scent, a fresh and clean fragrance that fit him well. Lifting a tip of a finger to one of the red buttons on his polo, I tapped it as I said, “What are you doing tonight, Mr. Nosy. Can you break your plans?”
“I wish. I have a work meeting and then we are headed to a restaurant with some out of town clients for a few drinks.”
“Ah, I see. Well, how about we exchange numbers and I’ll let you know when I get back. Maybe we can get together then.” He gave me his business card and I slid it into the pocket of my black pencil skirt. “Okay, I’ll hang on to this little guy. See you later!” I pushed off the truck, but he grabbed my arm and stopped me before I could take a step.
“Jake’s Pub, in Garner,” he told me. “It’s right beside the…”
“I know where it is.”
“That’s where we’ll be. Maybe I can run into you there accidently tonight, say nine?”
Glancing back at him as coyly as I could, I said, “Maybe,” then walking away, I swayed my hips and flung my ponytail over my shoulder.
“Jesus Christ,” he swore and I felt empowered.
There was a certain adrenaline rush I got from shamelessly flirting, especially with someone as delicious as Owen. I only hoped I would be able to do so much more than that when I saw him again.
21
Jake’s Pub was originally a hole in the wall sort of joint, where people went for beer and good cheap food. But back when it originally opened there was a very limited selection of bars, and so, Jake’s boomed.
What once was a tiny place between a mattress store and a nail salon, now had expanded three store fronts, and had an outdoor bar with TVs and a fireplace.
Rachel, after much begging, agreed to come with me to Jake’s to meet up with Owen. She’d been on the outs with her boyfriend, and didn’t want to go anywhere, but I’d been her wing girl on more than one occasion and she owed me.
After many outfit changes, I decided to go simple-sexy, with tight blue jeans, a black spaghetti strap tee, and black wedges. I took particular care in my make-up, concentrating on my eyes since I considered them my best feature, and leaving my hair in loose waves.
It was only a little awkward when Rachel showed up wearing practically the same thing, and the fact that we had the same dark hair and tanned skin, made us look like synchronized twins.
“Should I go change?” she asked when she saw me, but having met up there, it would have been ridiculous to go home at that point.
“Maybe no one will notice,” I said.
“Yeah, maybe,” she groaned, her eyes darting around the room to see if anyone was looking.
Being that it was a warm night in June, the place was packed, every table taken. I looked around, but saw no sign of Owen. When the hostess came to greet us, I told her I was waiting for someone and wondered if he might be outside.
“I doubt it,” the girl said. “There are a lot of guys out there, but they’re pretty rowdy, so I’m not sure if he would be in that group? Either way, I only have one table and it’s out there, so you can have a look for yourself.”
“Sure,” I said, and we followed her through the crowded restaurant, out a set of double doors, and onto the covered patio.
She’d been right. There was so much commotion and noise, it was hard to see through the throng. My watch said it was nine-fifteen. He should be here by now, if he didn’t forget he’d invited me. Sort of.
We were seated at a large round table on the outer perimeter of the patio.
“Your server will be right with you,” the hostess said, leaving us with two menus.
Rachel picked hers up and started scrolling through it, scrunching her nose at everything on the list. “Is your guy here?”
“I don’t see him,” I said craning my neck to look around.
“I think I’ll have the oysters.” Rachel’s phone buzzed and she looked down at it. With a roll of her eyes she threw it back in her purse. “This jackass won’t leave me alone.”
“Tom?”
“Yeah. Some girl from work has been calling him. He says they’re just friends, but I don’t believe it.”
“Rach, I’m sorry. I had no idea.”
“Now he won’t stop calling me, telling me he’ll stop talking to her. Well, why not stop when I asked you to in the first place!” she yelled at me like I was the offender. I shrugged my shoulders, keeping my eyes glued to the menu for fear that Rachel might take out her boy issues on me.
“Hey sexy,” I heard a voice by my right ear. “You smell nice.”
I groaned and looked at Rachel, who had a hanger on her left shoulder, and she threw me an equally annoyed look.
The guy next to me laughed and leaned against the table. I turned to him, ready to let him have it, when my eyes locked on to his gorgeous green ones. Those incredibly long lashes fluttered over somewhat glassy eyes, and I could tell he’d imbibed one too many.
Still, I was glad it was Owen, and not some other weirdo here to hit on me.
“Looks like you started the party without me,” I told him, throwing a glance at the Bud Light in his hand.
He chuckled and took a sip. “Maybe a little. Don’t worry, I can hold my alcohol. Besides, I thought you’d be here over an hour ago. What took you so long?”
“You know, I had to sexy myself up.”
“I doubt that takes any effort,” he said, his voice taking on a husky tone that touched me down in my very core. He sat on the barstool beside me and I automatically turned my body to him. And when he reached over to play with the black beaded bracelet on my wrist, his warm fingertips just barely grazing my skin, I shivered.
“Even though you’re a little drunk, I’ll accept the compliment.”
“Um, my boyfriend is going to be here like in fifteen minutes. I don’t think he’ll appreciate you hanging around me like that,” I heard from behind me. Having completely forgotten that Rachel was there, it actually startled me, and I jumped at the sound of her voice.
When I turned to her, she was glaring at the inebriated fellow dressed in a light blue button up shirt and khaki pants.
“This is my buddy Ray,” Owen introduced.
Ray gave us a wink and then with a wobbly salute he walked back to the bar.
“Is Tom really coming?” I asked Rachel.
“Yeah, he wants to talk to me. I told him I was here. Is that okay?” she asked with doubt already evident in her eyes.
“Sure, fine by me.” Now that Owen was here, and seeing what sort of mood she’d been in anyway, I was relieved to know I wouldn’t have to feel guilty about spending time with him. And honestly, that was all I wanted to do.
Though Owen continued drinking, I refrained from the stuff myself because I was driving. Still, it didn’t stop me from having a good time and letting loose.
Owen introduced me to his group, all employees of Crawford Co. They were a “rowdy” bunch just as the hostess had said, most of them drunk, but fun nonetheless. T
hey teased each other mercilessly, including Owen, to the point where I felt like I needed to come to his defense. When he saw my face - even then he could read me so well - he gently rubbed my back and whispered in my ear, “You’re cute when you get mad. It’s even cuter to know that it’s on my behalf.”
That sort of made me more upset, but then I chuckled at the ridiculousness of it.
A DJ showed up sometime after ten and started playing all the hits from the 80s and 90s. All of the Crawford Co. men jumped at the opportunity to make fools of themselves, including my “date.”
I remained at the table with Rachel and Tom, who were canoodled and saying sweet nothings to each other. It was a little nauseating to see actually, and it crossed my mind a few times to suggest they find a room and get the makeup sex over and done with.
Let Me Clear My Throat by DJ Kool came on, and the group roared. Owen shimmied his way to me and I allowed him to drag me onto the makeshift dancefloor. We danced with abandon, not caring what anyone thought about our abilities. Though I was in general a good dancer, having spent many a night at Latin dance clubs, this kind of music was certainly out of my league. Owen, however, seemed to be in his element, holding one leg by the knee and doing a sort of running man as he coughed to clear his throat along with the song.
Laughing, I wiggled my hips, but didn’t attempt to imitate him, there was just no way.
I became so lost in Owen that when I felt a light tap on my shoulder and turned to find Rachel and her boyfriend I was completely surprised to see her.
“We’re leaving,” she told me. “Do you want to walk out with us?” Rachel looked to Owen, and I could tell she was wondering if I’d be going home with him. If he was safe.
“You’re leaving so early? We just got here!” I told her.
“It’s one in the morning.”
“It’s one!” I exclaimed looking at my watch.
“Besides,” she continued, “Tom has to work tomorrow and we want to get some sleep.” She had a twinkle in her eye when she said the word sleep that let me know they’d made up, and the last thing they’d be getting tonight was shut eye. That made me feel better for having abandoned her. Well, that and the fact that on two occasions she’d left me to fend for myself, once having to catch a cab home when she’d hooked up with someone.
“Okay, I guess I should be going, too.” Though I didn’t really want to, I would rather have stayed here with Owen. But I didn’t live all that close and I didn’t want to walk out there alone. “Let me go say bye.”
Owen waited for me at the bar, watching my interaction. I don’t think he was able to hear what was going on, but must have guessed from the somber expression on my face that I was leaving.
“You have to go?” he asked.
“Yeah, my friend is leaving. I should, too.”
“My group is leaving soon. Half of them are from Chicago and a few from Virginia, so they’re all staying at the Grande Luz. They’re headed back to the hotel to have a few more drinks. Would you like to come with me?”
Before I could answer, his buddy Ray, who I learned was soon to be moving to North Carolina from the Chicago office, wrapped his beefy arm around my neck. “Come with us! Mah… mah frien’ here, he likes the… he likes you.” His speech was so impeded I had to go over the words in my mind a few times before I understood what he’d said.
I laughed and he laughed with me, which made me like him. He so reminded me of Chris Farley that I struggled to call him Ray. “Ray, I don’t think I can. But thank you for the invitation.” Then I turned to Owen. “So you’re going with them?”
“Yeah, they’re my ride. I left my truck at their hotel. Don’t worry, Ray’s not driving either. We got Mr. DD over there ready to go,” he said throwing a thumb over his shoulder to Henry, I believe was his name, who’d only had one beer. Supposedly.
I chewed my lip, wondering if I should voice my idea out loud. “I could always give you a ride to your house? Unless you really want to stay at the hotel. In my opinion you’ve probably had too much to drink to drive tonight.”
His ears perked up at that. “Yeah, I’d already thought about catching a cab home. So, will you come in and have a drink with me?”
“No. I won’t go in. As it is, having a man in my car is dangerous. You could be an axe murderer for all I know.”
“Well, you could be an axe murderer. I mean, I’m blindly putting my life in your hands!”
The thought that I could overtake someone like Owen makes me laugh hard.
“So is that a yes? Will you come in and have a few drinks with me?” He smiled, trying his best to look innocent.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Owen, if I go into your house, we will be doing more than having a drink.”
He swallowed hard. “What else would we be doing?”
“You know.”
“What if I promise to leave you alone. Keep it innocent?”
“I can’t make that same promise.” My voice was deeper as I said it, the meaning behind it unmistakable. I looked into his beautiful glassy eyes, blinking slowly at me as he processed what I said.
“Oh.”
“You’re drunk, Owen. I would feel like I’m taking advantage of you, and honestly, I want you so badly I don’t think I could resist.”
“Well, since you put it that way, I definitely want you to take me home.”
“Just know what you’re getting yourself into,” I warned.
“Okay,” he says nodding. “I’ll go tell the guys.”
I said goodbye to Rachel, too. It’s funny, this is actually the last memory I have of this girl. Hard as I try, I can’t conjure up any other images of her. It was so long ago, and I was one track mind Cris, then.
What I do remember is hoping that this didn’t end up being a stupid mistake. I highly doubted Owen was a killer, but there were plenty of other things that could go wrong. Though I’d had one night stands before, I’m not ashamed to admit that, I’d never taken a man anywhere in a car. Or what’s more, to their house with the full intent on fucking him.
Owen and I left the bar ahead of his crew, and jumped into my tiny car. I’m sure his co-workers all thought me a slut, and they all howled their way-to-go’s at Owen from within the bar. I didn’t really care. If I had been a man, the number of people I’d slept with, first night or not, would not matter.
The moment I turned the key, a little light came on that reminded me I had a low tire and I groaned.
I sat back hard. “Shit.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I forgot about this tire. Hang on, let me see how low it is.” I stepped out and checked the front driver’s side tire. It wasn’t too bad, but it definitely would need air if I didn’t want it to pop on me. “Do you mind if we stop at the gas station real quick?”
“Sure. Why don’t you just have the tire changed?” he asked like it was a no brainer.
“It just started this yesterday. I was hoping it was the cooler temperatures at night, but looks like it may be a hole of some sorts.”
We drove to the nearest gas station, and when I pulled up to the air pump, Owen jumped out and started filling the tire for me. It was nice, a small and completely unexpected gesture, that made me feel cared for. I’d lived on my own now for over a year, and wasn’t accustomed to having anything at all done for me.
“Thanks I told him,” when he hopped back in. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Of course I did,” he said taking my hand and giving the inside of my wrist a small kiss.
Blowing out a cooling breath, I asked, “So where to?”
He gave me directions to his house, which was in Raleigh, not too far from where I lived, never letting go of my hand. Instead, he tortured me the entire way there, gently nipping his way up my arm, his teeth on my skin, then back down to the tip of every finger.
My mouth was dry, but the core of me was completely and utterly wet. Ever
y bite sent a pulse between my legs and I squeezed them together in an attempt to find some relief.
The movement did not go unnoticed and he laughed in amusement, his breath burning my skin even more.
“Are we almost there?” I asked gruffly, and maybe a little desperate.
“We’re here.”
His neighborhood was heavily wooded, the houses on at least an acre lot. His house was far in, the driveway long. It was a simple brick ranch, with a white porch that extended one half of the house, and a door so blue I could see it clearly even in the dark.
It was quiet when we walked up to the house, no noise from nearby streets or even neighbors. The only sounds were those of the scuttling creatures nearby and nocturne birds overhead hunting said little creatures.
My eyes wandered as Owen fumbled with the lock, looking at the light cast by the full moon as it filtered through the tall pines and cast eerie shadows on the ground. The night sky glittered with a trillion stars, the brightest I’d ever seen, so that for the first time in my life I saw the milky way with my own eyes.
When I heard the door open, I turned to Owen, and followed him in. The second the door closed he was on me. My back was pressed against the wall, his hands pinning me there, his mouth hard on mine. It was so sudden yet so demanding, that my body responded of its own accord, way before my mind could register what was happening.
Never in my life had I been kissed with so much passion, and it swept me away into a frenzy of hands in hair, pulling of clothes and shameless cries. Nails dug into skin and teeth nipped in an attempt to maintain some control of our senses.
Owen’s hands dropped from the wall, down my neck and over my breasts.
“You’re not wearing a bra,” he stated as his fingers grazed over my nipples, the feeling intensified by the smooth material of my tee.
I moaned into his mouth, too far gone to understand what he was saying. My hands tore at his shirt, needing more of his heat, but when he pinched my nipples gently, my knees gave and I nearly fell.
With well-built arms, Owen easily lifted me and carried me to a room down a short hall. We fell onto something soft, and I realized it was his bed, the sheets messy already. He was over me, his mouth only leaving mine momentarily as we removed our clothes, tossing them to land somewhere unseen. At some point, he’d grabbed a condom, I didn’t even see, and rolled it on.