by E. L. Todd
“Axel seems to like it.”
“Well, he’s not very bright.” I gave her a smile so she knew I was teasing her.
“I’ll vouch for that.”
The waiter arrived with the food a few moments later, and her entrees could barely fit on her side of the table. I tried not to laugh.
When the waiter was gone, Francesca gave me that irritated look. “He thinks I’m a fatass because of you.”
“I’m sure he still wants to fuck you.”
She kicked me playfully under the table.
“What? That’s what I was thinking when I first saw you.”
“Yeah?” she asked. “What about Marie?”
Marie acted like an obsessive teenager the second I walked into The Grind. She was a pretty girl, and there wasn’t a single thing wrong with her. I understood why Axel wanted her so bad. But she was dwarfed in Francesca’s shadow. “She’s not my type.”
Francesca gave me an incredulous look, like she didn’t believe that for a second. “Yeah right. Marie is gorgeous. Whenever we go out, the guys drool all over her.”
“I’m sure they do.” But I wasn’t one of them.
“Oh, come on.” She didn’t touch her food and just watched me.
“If I thought she was hot, I would tell you. When have I ever lied to you?”
Francesca reconsidered her assumption and fell quiet.
Marie had nothing on Francesca, but I didn’t voice that opinion. Beauty was in the eye of the beholder. I didn’t have a preference for brunettes or blondes, but I did have a preference for Francesca.
“Marie had a thing for you first.”
“I know.” I blurted it out without thinking.
“You know?” She tilted her head like she was surprised and amused.
“I told you. I have a knack for these sorts of things.”
“And you weren’t interested?” she asked. “Beautiful isn’t your type?”
“Gorgeous is my type. And I had my eye on you first.”
“Really?” she asked. “But you hadn’t met me before you saw her.”
“But when I saw you, I knew I wanted you. Every time I walked into that coffee shop, I was hard.”
“Ooh…” She leaned forward like she was particularly interested. “Want to know a secret?”
“As long as it’s yours, always.”
“When you told me you beat off in the shower…”
My eyes never left her face.
“It turned me on a bit.”
“Yeah? I thought it might.”
She kicked me under the table again. “Come down from your throne.”
I chuckled. “Kidding. I’m flattered by the compliment.”
She turned down to her food and dipped the bread in the cheese.
I watched her closely until I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out and spotted the text message. It was from Jessica.
My place in ten minutes. There was a nasty picture enclosed. I quickly closed the screen and shoved the phone back into my pocket and tried to act natural.
If Francesca caught my reaction, she didn’t act like it. “The cheese is good.”
“It looks good.” I grabbed a piece of bread and dipped it inside the pot before I shoved it into my mouth. “Damn, that is good.”
“You’re about to witness something spectacular.” She cut into her steak and took a small bite.
“I think I already have.”
***
“Now that the fancy-pants dinner is over, can we go to a tequila bar?” She held my hand as we walked down the sidewalk.
“A tequila bar?” I couldn’t help but be surprised.
“Yeah. You’ve never been?”
“I have.” It was an easy place to pick up girls. “I just didn’t picture you in a place like that.”
“Why not?” She leaned close to my side. “I’m not as classy as you think I am.”
“You’re perfect, actually.”
We walked inside the bar as loud music played overhead. Everyone stood at their tables as they downed margaritas. Mariachi music vibrated in my ears. Francesca found a place at the bar. “Two shots.”
I stood beside her and watched her with interest.
She grabbed the glasses and handed one to me. “Bottoms up.”
I downed the drink like water and set it down.
“Yee-haw!” She put hers face down on the counter.
“Yee-haw?” I asked. “This isn’t a country bar.”
“Oh…” She realized her mistake. “Whatever. Another.” She banged her hand on the counter.
“You’re trying to get me drunk?”
“No. I’m trying to get myself drunk.” She grabbed the shot glass and took another drink. “Patron is my favorite.”
I drank mine and didn’t feel a thing. I had a high tolerance when it came to alcohol.
“You want to dance?”
“To mariachi music?”
“Yep.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me onto the dance floor. “Do you know how to dance?”
I smiled in response.
She immediately spun around and began to salsa.
I grabbed her hips and pulled her close to me while we moved. Buzzed or not buzzed, she was fun to be around. She had more life within her than most people I knew. She knew how to sway to songs she’d never heard. After she would spin around, she would laugh and fall into my chest.
We moved together easily, and the fire in her eyes when she looked at me told me everything I needed to know. Dancing was like sex, and I knew when she and I were together it would be amazing. Physical desire and lust had nothing to do with it. We just understood when the other person would move before they actually did it. I understood what she liked even though I’d never been with her, and she knew what I liked. Her confidence was her sexiest attribute. She wasn’t afraid to look me in the eye and give me a seductive look. And she knew how to pull it off.
After an hour of dancing, she stumbled off the floor. “I need to pee.”
“You need help?”
“Gross! No.” She laughed at her own words then headed into the bathroom.
I stood at the counter and looked at everyone on the dance floor. People were getting into the music even though the song wasn’t that great. A woman in a red dress was staring at me. She had brown, voluptuous hair and smoky eyes. Her look was stuck on me, and I could read her mind like an open book. I turned around and stared at the TV in the corner so she wouldn’t talk to me.
I glanced at the bathroom and waited for Francesca to come out but there seemed to be a long line. I ordered another shot so I had something to do. The liquor burned on the way down but ignited me at the same time.
“You look lonely.” A seductive voice came into my ear.
I knew it was the woman in the red dress without looking. “I’m not. Just waiting for my girlfriend.” That was a polite way of getting rid of her.
“When you’re tired of waiting, why don’t you call me?” She set a napkin on the counter with her phone number written on it.
I glanced at it but didn’t take it.
“And I don’t care if you have a girlfriend…it’s more fun that way.”
“Are you done?” I asked coldly. “I’m trying to watch the game but your yapping is distracting.”
She continued to stand there. “Hawke, right?”
How did she know that? “Who wants to know?”
“I’ve seen you before. And I know you by reputation.”
“Then you know I’m a dick.” Why wouldn’t this whore leave me alone?
“And a lot more.”
When I turned to tell her off, Francesca came out of the bathroom. She headed right toward us, and when her eyes landed on the woman in red, they leapt in fire.
I hoped she didn’t assume I was up to no good.
“There’s my man.” Francesca moved to my side and wrapped her arms around my neck. She kissed me softly like no one was there at all.
Her kiss was so good I forgot about the woman in the red dress entirely.
“I want to go home.” Francesca breathed into my mouth.
“Then let’s.” I left cash on the counter and pulled Francesca with me. The napkin remained on the counter too. I forgot about it along with the woman in red the second we walked out of that place.
***
I was hoping tonight would be the night. But she decided to go to that tequila bar and get drunk. So that plan was out. Sex while she was drunk would be great. But that would have to wait for another time.
She and I got into bed and started making out. I hadn’t had a make out session like that since junior high. It was enjoyable then, but when I discovered tit-fucking, threesomes, and blowjobs, kissing fell to the bottom of the pile. I hardly kissed girls when I fucked them. It was just too boring. I wanted to slide into home plate instead of running around the bases.
But it was different with Francesca. I loved kissing her, feeling how our lips moved together. My dick had never been harder, and my heart thawed from the ice surrounding it. It was intimate and heartfelt. I got to know her in a way I never had before. I showed her how much I cared about her just through quiet embraces.
Francesca was an amazing kisser, and every time she slipped her tongue into my mouth, it set me on fire. Her fingers dug into my skin and almost drew blood, but I liked that. She was gentle and sweet, but she had a wild side to her. I could tell. I wanted to be inside her so much, but I also could wait forever.
We were getting hot and heavy when my phone rang from the nightstand. Not even a meteor hitting the earth could stop me from kissing her, so I kept going. I cupped her face and breathed hard into her mouth. Her legs were wrapped around my waist, pulling me further into her.
My phone rang again.
God fucking dammit.
It was probably my mom. Why did she have to call me right now? It seemed like it happened only when I was with Francesca. I broke our kiss and grabbed the phone from the nightstand. Instead of getting irritated, Francesca moved her lips to my chest and neck and continued on without me.
Fuck, she was hot.
I checked the screen and was irritated to see Jessica’s name.
Clingy bitch.
I dropped it back on the nightstand and returned my attention to the girl who deserved it. My hand moved over her chest and I felt her firm tit. I couldn’t wait to suck her nipples until they were raw. I wanted to run my tongue through the valley and taste the sweat while we made love.
The phone rang again.
I fucking hated this woman.
“Just turn off your phone.” Francesca sucked my bottom lip.
“I can’t.” What if my mom needed me and I wasn’t there?
“Who is it?”
I didn’t want to ruin our moment. “No one.”
After a few moments, we were back into it, gripping each other tightly and rubbing our bodies together.
Then the phone rang.
Francesca finally snapped. “Who the hell is it?”
“No one.” I silenced it and left it on the nightstand. I went back to kissing her neck.
She grabbed the phone and read the name on the screen. “Jessica?”
“Ignore her.” I kissed her on the mouth so she would come back to me.
Francesca abruptly turned her face away. “The same girl who made a pass at you on our first date?”
“Yes.” I didn’t bother kissing her because I knew it wouldn’t go anywhere.
“Is she one of your regulars?”
I looked her in the eye and refused to lie. “Yes.”
“Does she know about me?”
“No. I ended things with her before you stayed with me.”
She answered the phone. “Hi, Jessica. How are you?” Her voice was pleasant but full of condescension. “I know it must be really hard to let Hawke go. I would be devastated too. But he’s with me now, and he sleeps with me every night. It’s not like we’re sleeping or anything, but don’t call at this time of night. If you do it again, I’ll hunt you down and pull out that pretty blonde hair.” She hung up then threw the phone on the ground.
I tried not to smile. “You handled that well.”
“I don’t want your girls calling you anymore.”
“It’s out of my control.”
“I know…but it’s annoying.”
“It annoys me too.”
She stared at me like she wanted to say something else. Irritation was heavy in her eyes. But then she grabbed my face and kissed me again. “Whatever.”
***
Axel and I didn’t talk much at work. It was a little awkward, actually. It didn’t seem like he was mad at me, but it didn’t feel the same either. Whenever one of the girls approached my desk, he watched me like a hawk.
Did he think I was going to bend them over and fuck them right there?
His constant distrust irritated me. I may have fucked around a lot, but I’d never cheated. I was completely honest about my intentions toward everyone. His lack of confidence simply wasn’t fair.
At the end of the day, I tried talking to him.
“Want to play ball?”
He was sitting at his computer with a half-eaten power bar next to him. “I have plans.”
“What kind of plans?” He was bullshitting me.
“The kind of plans I always have.”
I kept my hands in my pockets. “The other day, Marie said you were hot.”
That caught his attention. “She did? What else did she say?”
“Nothing. That was it.”
“You think she’d go out with me?”
“Yes,” I said honestly. “But I don’t think you should do that to your sister.”
His eyes darkened. “You’re one to talk.”
My temper flared and I wanted to smash his computer with my fist. “You’re going to fuck her and never call her again. I spend every night with Francesca and only Francesca. They are completely different and you know it.”
“For now.”
I knew I should keep my anger in check because we were at work, but my pot was starting to boil. “You need to get over it. You can act like a cunt all you want, but it won’t change anything. I suggest you let it go otherwise you’re going to lose your sister and your friend.” I stormed off before I did something much worse.
***
I opened the door and saw Francesca on the other side. The weather was starting to warm up, but the winter chill still spread across the land. She wore dark jeans with heeled boots and a white petticoat. A pink scarf kept her neck warm. Francesca had the right mixture of girly girl and tomboy.
“You like?” She turned and posed for me.
I grinned at her playfulness. “You look hot. But I would think that if you wore an orange jumpsuit.”
“Because I broke out of prison and now I’m a bad girl on the run?”
“Something like that.”
She crossed the threshold and gave me a slow kiss. My body immediately felt warm the second our mouths touched. There was also a spark there, simmering and powerful. “You look hot too.”
“You should see me naked. I look really hot.”
“I’d love to.” She smacked my ass as she walked inside.
I shut the door then turned to her. “I can’t cook like you. Can we order in?”
“How about I just eat you instead?” Her arms moved around my waist and she stared up at my lips.
“Then what am I going to eat?”
“Me.”
When my fingers explored her down below, she was tight and unbelievably wet. I wanted to taste her until there was nothing left. “Why are you making it so hard for me to be a gentleman?”
“Because I don’t want a gentleman. I want you.” She gave me another kiss before she walked into the living room. Her ass shook as she walked, and I wanted to take a bite out of it.
I joined her on the couch. “How was your day?” Changing the subject was the smart t
hing to do.
“Boring, like always. How was yours?”
I shrugged. “I’ve had better.”
“What happened?” She knew something was on my mind just from looking at me.
“Axel and I…butted heads.”
She rolled her eyes so hard it looked like they would fall out. “He needs to get over himself.”
“I lost my temper…and may have told him to fuck himself.”
She grinned wide. “Good. He deserves it.”
I pressed a kiss to her neck. “Not many people would say that.”
“I will always defend my brother and have his back until the end of time—but not when he’s being a little bitch.”
“I try to remember his concern comes from a good place.”
“Even so, he needs to stay out of our business. We’re consenting adults. It’s not like I’m in high school.”
My hand moved to her thigh. “So, I should keep giving him the cold shoulder until he comes around?”
“Yep.”
“Maybe if he saw us together he would understand.”
She shook her head. “I’m not bending backwards for him. He’s making our relationship about him, which is totally selfish and childish.”
“True.” It would make my life easier if he just let it go.
“Enough about him.” Francesca crawled into my lap and straddled my hips. “And more about you.”
“What about me?” My hands rested on her thighs and I appreciated the beauty of her exquisite face. Her eyes always shined like emeralds in the sun, and her full lips always look kissable. She had nice cheekbones that brought a distinct curviness to her face, and her long hair framed her shoulders no matter what position she was in. She immediately turned my head the second I saw her, but she was the first woman to keep my focus. I never wanted to look away.
“Tell me something I don’t know about you.”
I searched my mind but couldn’t come up with anything. “I’m not that interesting.”
“Yes, you are.” She kissed my forehead. “Now tell me.”
“I used to want to be a firefighter when I was little.”
She smiled like that was the most interesting thing she ever heard. “That’s adorable…and you would be a hot firefighter.”
“Well, I’d be a hot anything.”
She chuckled and rolled her eyes at the same time. “I wanted to be a baker when I was little. Still do.”