This Time Around (Road to Blissville, #4)

by Aimee Nicole Walker

  I felt the intensity of Andy’s gaze on me too. Did he know it was me? Was our brief glance long enough for him to recognize my eyes? He wouldn’t show up at Queen City Divas expecting to see me, so it wasn’t likely. I was nervous as fuck while waiting for my next performance. Maybe he’d be gone. Maybe he’d jump out of his seat and confront me. Maybe he’d bend me over his table and… Nope! Andy Mason wasn’t the guy for me.

  And what about the guys he was with? I didn’t recognize any of them, so how did he meet them? Which one of them did he bury his dick inside every Wednesday? It was the last thought that sent me running for the toilet. I hadn’t eaten much, but whatever I had consumed was rejected when I thought about Andy with someone else. I knew that neither of us were abstinent during our twelve years of separation, but I wasn’t prepared to come face-to-face with his lover yet.

  I brushed my teeth, reapplied my lipstick, and put on my second Marilyn dress of the night. My pulse hammered in my throat while I stood beside Tony, once more waiting for my name to be announced. The second time around, the crowd was even more eager for me. When I walked out from behind the curtain, a guy was sitting in a chair at center stage. I figured he must be the birthday boy.

  “Well, well, well,” I said, sauntering up behind him. “What do we have here? A delectable treat for Peach?” I rounded the chair and looked into the eyes of the man who’d sat so close to Andy. Was this him? Wednesday Fuck Guy? Was he the one Andy turned to now? Yeah, I was insanely jealous, and I vowed not to be the only one. He was a sexy guy for sure, and it wouldn’t be a hardship to grind up against him for the length of a song. “Are you ready for your one-of-a-kind birthday song, sexy?”

  The man squirmed a little in his chair, but he smiled and nodded his head. I stood in front of him blocking his view of the crowd, which might’ve seemed odd until the small fan hidden in the stage floor blew my skirt up. I struck the iconic Marilyn pose, hiding my crotch from the audience while the birthday boy got an eyeful of my tight ass in silky, white panties. He must’ve liked what he saw because he literally howled his approval to the delight of the audience. Jim had changed up the stage lighting, which made it possible for me to see the faces in the crowd. I only allowed myself a brief look into Andy’s eyes. He wore a crooked grin on his face but didn’t look jealous. Yet.

  I rocked my hips from side to side, allowing the birthday boy to see the play of muscle in my ass and legs. That’s right, get your eyeful. I looked over my shoulder at him and bit my lower lip seductively. “Ready, big boy?”

  Like the first song, I modified the words because I obviously wasn’t singing to the president. I sang it as breathily as I could while straddling his parted thighs. Toward the end, I spun around and pressed my ass to his crotch, grinning when I felt his arousal. Yeah, the birthday boy wanted to split my peach all right, but I was a lady.

  When I finished, he looked dazed and a little confused about where he was or even the current year. I kissed his cheek and whispered happy birthday in his ear before I strutted my stuff off the stage. I hung around backstage until the rest of the show was over. We all went out for a bite to eat while reliving some of our fondest performances for the newest queens.

  It was well past two in the morning when I stopped for gas as soon as I pulled off the interstate. I was too pissed at myself for not thinking to get gas earlier to notice the truck that pulled in behind me. A flamboyantly gay man couldn’t afford to get lost in his thoughts when he was all alone at a truck stop in the middle of nowhere.

  “What are you doing out so late?” asked a familiar voice.

  I stiffened in shock before I whipped my head around to look at Andy, who leaned against the side of his truck. “Probably the same thing you’re doing,” I said suggestively. Andy scowled as he thought it over. Score one for the home team. I was so happy when the gas pump clicked off. I replaced the nozzle and took my receipt. “See you around, Andy.” I didn’t wait for him to respond. I got in my car and drove off.

  That night, I dreamed that Andy was the one sitting in the chair getting a special song and dance from me. He wanted to ravish me on the stage in front of everyone, but I led him to the dressing room that was miraculously empty. Instead of rough and physical, Andy loved me slow and tender. Whispering words of love. Unfortunately, it wasn’t my name he called out when he spilled inside me.

  When I woke up, I was crushed. I couldn’t remember the name of the guy Andy called out in my dream, but I knew it wasn’t mine. It was then that I became truly convinced that Andy and I were through. I was determined to put our past behind us and move on without him, no matter what it took.

  How much longer does Milo plan to punish me? Thwack thwack thwack. I knew he’d be a tough nut to crack, but seriously? Bam. Two-fucking-years? Thwack thwack thwack. Bam! Why couldn’t I just give up and find someone new? He wasn’t the only single guy around. Thwack thwack thwack. Why did just the thought of fucking someone else make me feel guilty? Hadn’t Milo proven he didn’t want me? Thwack thwack thwack. Not even my hammer pounding against lumber drowned out the wild beating of my heart in my ears.

  Milo. I needed to do something about, with, or to him so we could get past this stalemate we found ourselves in since I returned home. Two. Thwack. Fucking. Thwack. Years. Bam! I drove the last nail into the stud and dropped the hammer through the loop of my toolbelt.

  After our angry, alley sex, I tried showing him that I wanted the opportunity to get to know him all over again, but he continued to shun my every attempt.

  Luckily for me, I had a skillset that he and Maegan needed when they bought the rest of the building they had leased for a few years. They wanted to knock down a wall and expand their space to include a bookstore. Maegan also wanted to add a door between the coffee shop and the space on the opposite side so she could open an antique store. There was a fourth space that they wanted to renovate and rent to their cute friend Memphis. I could tell I was the last person Milo wanted to work with, but he sucked it up. After several months of hard work, The Brew became Books and Brew, Curious Things was launched, and Memphis had the perfect setup for Vinyl and Villains, his record and comic book store.

  Milo and I had remained civil, but never warmed up beyond the initial coolness of his greeting the first time he laid eyes on me. That is until he thought I might be interested in someone else. I would feel the heat of his gaze on me from across the room but could never catch him in the act when I turned my head in his direction. He wanted me just as much as I wanted him. What the fuck was I going to do about it? Milo clearly had no intention of even meeting me halfway. Did I give up too easily? Two years of craving him and wanting to feel his soft lips against mine. Twenty-four months of not hearing his greedy whimpers telling me he wanted me to fuck him harder. He drove me stark raving mad!

  I thought I lost my chance to make inroads with Milo when the renovation projects ended, but Maegan and Milo surprised me with a new project proposal. They wanted to restore the second story above the shops to the apartments they used to be decades ago. Lucky for them, the space was still walled off into four decently-sized apartments, and they were still in reasonably good shape. There were no signs of water damage or anything that could negatively impact the integrity of the apartments or their wallets. It was more labor intensive than anything else, but I had the time and the will to pull it off.

  Maegan, unlike Faith, seemed eager to throw her brother in my direction as often as she could. “Milo can pick the flooring,” she had said. “He’s better at that stuff than I am. I tend to design a space for me where he’ll keep things neutral.”

  Milo was supposed to come up and pick a stain from the samples I brought. We discovered magnificent hardwood floors beneath the ratty, outdated carpet. Maegan and Milo saved a lot of money when I discovered that all the floors needed was a good sanding and fresh stain. Typical of Milo, he seemed to like dragging his feet to make me wait, but I had plenty of other things to do in the other three apartments that weren’t a
s far along as the first one. Still, I ran my hands through my damp hair in annoyance. Damn Milo! Why couldn’t I just move on from him? Why the fuck did I have to care if he wanted me or not? There were some hot, eligible bachelors in Blissville and the surrounding area, so why did I keep holding out hope? That realtor was sexy as fuck, and that new doctor looked extra bendy. Why couldn’t I obsess over someone I stood a chance of having?

  “I see you’re still listening to the same crappy music,” Milo said loud enough for me to hear over the radio. The screaming guitars hadn’t drowned out my racing pulse either.

  I jerked in surprise then crossed to the radio. Silence washed over the room when I shut it off. Could Milo hear my heart hammering in my chest from across the room? “What’s wrong with Guns N’ Roses?” I asked him.

  Milo rolled his eyes for an answer. It was another reason I shouldn’t give a damn about what he thought. Anyone with as poor taste in music as him shouldn’t keep me up at night. I will never know what possessed me to do it, but I struck a Britney pose and started singing “Oops, I Did It Again” in a voice I thought sounded pouty and baby soft.

  This time, Milo’s eyes widened, and his mouth fell open in shock. That lasted for all of two seconds before he doubled over laughing at me. Even more shocking than me busting out my Britney moves and singing was me crossing the room and kissing the smile off Milo’s lips when he stopped laughing.

  Milo’s mouth was stiff against mine, and his body unyielding at first. Then he let out a long sigh, parted his lips, and melted against me. The kiss we shared wasn’t soft and sweet, it was long, hard, and angry. Our tongues met and dueled for dominance, my hands gripped his hair tight so that he couldn’t get away, and his fingers dug into the muscles of my lower back. Blood rushed to my dick, and I felt the answering need in him. Milo’s cock wasn’t the only thing that suddenly stiffened against me though.

  He broke our kiss and took two big steps away from me. Milo covered his mouth in shock, blinking rapidly.

  I took a step toward him. “Milo, I—” I stopped talking when Milo took another step back.

  Then he lowered his hand and stared at me in disbelief. “Why’d you do that?” he asked accusingly.

  “I don’t know.”

  “What do you mean you don’t know? You just walk across the room and kiss someone without knowing why? Is this a regular occurrence with you?”

  “It was a kiss, Milo.”

  “It felt like more than a kiss, Andy. If we were… If you and I were…” He just shook his head, unable to put his thoughts into words.

  “If we were dating? If you and I were a couple?” I suggested.

  Milo shook his head, but what else could he possibly have said there? “I don’t know what I was about to say, but I know what I want to say now. Andy, our ship has sailed. We had our chance when we were younger, and it didn’t work out. I see no reason—”

  “Bullshit,” I snapped out angrily. “Your eyes and body are telling me something completely different.”

  “I think I heard a serial rapist use that line last night on the ID channel,” Milo shot back.

  I jerked like he slapped me. Serial rapist? That’s where I ranked with him. Milo’s blue eyes widened from shock and regret over his word choices, but it was too late. The damage was already done. “Don’t worry, Milo. It won’t happen again.”

  “Good.”

  “Great. You want to pick out the stain for the hardwood floors or not?”

  “I think I’ll leave it up to you,” Milo answered softly. “You’ve made great decisions up to this point.”

  “Oh, I can think of a recent one I’d really like to take back right about now.”

  Milo casted his eyes to the floor and swallowed hard. I should’ve felt guilty, but…serial rapist.

  “Is that all? I need to get home and cleaned up,” I said casually, but watched him closely for his reaction. It was so subtle that I almost missed the way his body tightened like he was bracing himself for a blow. “Night out with the boys.” I hoped he didn’t ask which boys, because I was totally lying.

  Milo met my gaze once more and narrowed his eyes. “What boys?”

  In for a penny, in for a pound. I aimed my best, brief-dropping smile at him. “Righty and Lefty, of course.”

  “You definitely need to go home and shower then,” Milo said, crinkling his nose. “You’re a little smelly and a whole lot sweaty.”

  “Can’t have sweaty, smelly boys when I hit the club,” I agreed.

  “Mmmhmm,” Milo agreed. “You do know the owner of Vibe lives in Blissville with Memphis’s cousin, Emory.”

  “Yep.”

  “Well, you and the boys have a good night,” Milo told me. “I have big plans of my own. Very big plans.”

  I watched him leave through narrowed eyes. If he wanted to make me jealous it worked. I had seen him flirting with the silver fox superintendent every morning when he came in for coffee. Romeo. Snort. What the fuck kind of name was that? I bet it got the man laid more times than I could imagine.

  I should’ve gone straight home, showered, and drove to Vibe. Finding a willing man to fuck there wouldn’t be hard. I didn’t need to waste my time on a man who clearly didn’t want me, or at least pretended not to want me. Then I worried that Milo might’ve told me the truth. Did his plans include Vibe too? There was no fucking way I could handle watching him on the dance floor with some douchebag running his hands over his lean body.

  I sniffed my pits to see if I really stunk and was happy to find out that Milo was lying about that at least. I headed to Emma and Edson’s diner to drown my sorrow in a thick slab of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, and green beans. If I still had room, I’d eat a piece of peanut butter pie. Better yet, I could take it home and eat it later after I jerked off. Thwacking away my frustration wasn’t working, so maybe I needed to do a little more whacking.

  I waved and said hello to the people who greeted me and took a seat at one of the empty bar stools at the L-shaped counter in the middle of the restaurant. Why take a table or a booth when it was just me? I sat there minding my own business when suddenly a dark shadow loomed over me. I looked up to see Kyle Vaughn, the town vet, standing beside me. Kyle wore a constant scowl in my presence even though my crime was committed more than a year earlier. I had asked Chaz out on a date, not knowing that the two guys had feelings for one another. Chaz shot me down, and the good doctor never forgave me for asking an unattached man out on a date.

  “Hello, Doc.” At least I refrained from repeating a cartoon bunny’s famous phrase.

  “Andy,” he said dryly.

  “I’m just Andy now, huh? No more Beefcake Andy?” I smiled at his discomfort. At least he had the good grace to cringe. There were much worse nicknames he could’ve given me though.

  “You know about that, huh?”

  “Small town.”

  I’d overheard Milo refer to me as Beefcake Andy when he was talking to his mom and sister. He was waving his hand dramatically in front of his face like he was fanning himself and using a falsetto voice that indicated he was mocking his mother or sister who knew damned well I stood behind him. “I do declare, Milo. I wish you could find yourself a strapping stud for a carpenter. Oh, I know! Beefcake Andy!” he had exclaimed excitedly.

  “Strapping stud, huh? It’s nice to know that you still notice, Milo,” I had teased. “Beefcake Andy is a new one though. It’s kinda catchy. I was trying to come up with a slogan the other day. The best I could come up with was Handy Andy, but I like yours much better. Perhaps I should change the name of my business and slap that on my T-shirt.”

  I blew it off like it was no big deal, but I couldn’t help but like the name he’d given me. Later, I learned it was Kyle who dubbed me Beefcake Andy, and the nickname lost its appeal.

  “What can I do for you?” I asked Kyle.

  “I really appreciate the way you stuck up for Mark and Daniel last week. They told me that you stepped in when some high school
boys started bullying them. Mark will face some tough times ahead, and it’s nice to know that people in our community will look out for him when Chaz and I aren’t there. I know Chaz called and thanked you already, but I wanted to thank you too.” Kyle offered me his first genuine smile and extended his hand.

  I shook it. “I’m glad I could help.”

  The waitress, Daniella, set my dinner in front of me, and Kyle surprised me even more when he slapped me on the back. “I won’t keep you from your meal. I’m taking home dinner to Chaz and Mark since it was a long day for everyone. Have a good night.”

  “You too.”

  That was a pleasant turn of events, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the unsettled feelings I had after my confrontation with Milo. I couldn’t understand what it was about my high school boyfriend that snagged my attention and wouldn’t let go. I heard someone take the seat next to me just as I forked my first bite of meatloaf into my mouth. The hair stood up all over my body, and I knew who it was without looking.

  “Thought you had big plans?” I asked.

  “I was about to ask you the same thing,” Milo said, sounding miserable.

  My heart sank when I turned my head and saw the expression in his eyes matched his somber tone. “I lied.” I leaned closer and lowered my voice. “I still have plans with Righty and Lefty, but it will just be the three of us.” I straightened back in my chair suddenly. “Sorry, I forgot that I stink.”

  “You don’t stink,” Milo confessed. “You smell really fucking amazing and that kiss was…”

  “Fierce? Fantastic? There are other things that start with an F that two consenting adults could do together.”

  “I’m tempted, Andy. I truly am.” My heart raced as my mind spun with all the possibilities. “There’s something I’d need you to do first.”

  “Buy more condoms and lube?” I asked hopefully.