The Fallback

by Dietz, Mariah

  “Your grand opening is just a few weeks away…”

  Levi shakes his head faster, fiercer. “It’s still four weeks.”

  I chuckle. “Four weeks passes in a second.”

  “Time has been crawling since you learned who my mother was and demoted me to a client.”

  I stare into his blue eyes, noting the navy shade seems thinner, camouflaged due to the light hue of his shirt. There’s something reflective I haven’t seen before. Honesty? Pleading? Vulnerability? A combination of all three?

  “Can I have another doughnut?” Gemma asks.

  My attention remains on Levi, his jaw flexing with what I’m fairly certain is determination.

  “What time?” I ask.

  A smile slowly pulls at his lips, breaking the intensity behind his stare. “I’ll be here at eight.”

  “We should meet downtown.”

  His eyebrows rise with humor. “Do you argue about everything?”

  I lift a shoulder. “Most things.”

  “Good.” He winks and turns back to the table. “You guys like chocolate? You need to try this one. It’s a chocolate-and-coconut doughnut.” The kids cheer while I try to pick what’s left of me up off the floor.

  Levi circles back to where the counter is holding me up once the kids are working on their second doughnuts, his gaze intent as he licks his lips.

  I laugh nervously, pushing the same locks of hair from my face that he’d brushed back.

  “What?” he asks.

  I shake my head. “You make me…” Nervous. Excited. Giddy. “I’m a mess.” I laugh again, waving a hand at my attire.

  His smile climbs higher. “I don’t know. I like seeing you a little dirty.” He winks again, and my cheeks heat, my eyes rounding with surprise. “I have to get to work, but I’ll see you at eight.” He turns to the kids. “Gemma and Theo, I hope you guys love the doughnuts. I’ll see you again soon, okay?”

  “Bye, Levi!” they cry harmoniously.

  He waves, and I follow him to the door, my heart now a stampede in my chest.

  “You look nervous,” he notes.

  Asshole.

  When I don’t respond, he chuckles. “I’m going to make you forget.”

  “Forget what?”

  “Everything. Everything except for me.”

  35

  I’ve shaved my legs twice. Tweezed my brows. Moisturized—and I am taking time to do my makeup so that I’m ready for this night. Though I’m not entirely sure what we’re going to do or where things will lead, I’m certain of one thing: I’m ready.

  Ready to try.

  Ready to flirt.

  Ready to sleep with Levi.

  “You can’t wear that,” Felicity says, coming into the bathroom as I finish my mascara.

  I replace the wand and look down at my blouse and torn jeans. “Why?”

  “Because you need to wear something that screams, ‘Come hither.’”

  I laugh so hard I have to place a hand on the counter to support myself. “Guys are easy. All you have to do is take off your shirt, and they’re ready.”

  “But you want him to be working for it. Make him worship you.”

  “Do I really want a guy who’s only going to worship me when I’m wearing a sexy dress?”

  “He’s in the training phase.”

  I throw my head back and laugh even harder. “Where’s Dan? Does he know you trained him?”

  “Oh, absolutely,” she says, but her smile is so huge I know she’s kidding. “Just a little cleavage?”

  I shake my head, and with inspiration from our discussion, I dig through my small jewelry bag, withdrawing a pair of pearls.

  “If you put on the pearls, you have to change your top. My choice.”

  “You choose first, then I’ll decide.”

  “Who taught you to make deals? Because this isn’t how they work.”

  “Your children.”

  “Ah. Your tactics seemed familiar.” She hands me the dark shade of red lipstick I wore the night we met Levi. “I’ll be right back.” Rather than going toward my room, she turns in the direction of her bedroom.

  She returns with a top the color of red wine. I look at the reflection of my simple black top and then back to it and sigh, hating that she’s right. The red fabric is silky as it slides into place, exposing a small amount of cleavage but teasing at more. It’s beautiful and sexy and makes me feel empowered.

  “For the record, I’m expecting every single detail. I want to know it all, so you better be prepared to remember everything.”

  I laugh. “I’ll give you the R-rated version if anything happens.”

  “Oh, it’s going to happen.”

  When Felicity and Dan had returned home with ultrasound pictures of their third baby and contagious smiles, we celebrated by finishing off the doughnuts Levi had brought. Then the kids took a nap, and I told my best friend about my unexpected visitor, and though I’d just told her I was going to wait until after the grand opening to date Levi, her reaction was to cheer and dance around the living room, fist-bumping as she sang, “I knew it! I knew it!”

  Eight p.m. arrives too slowly yet way too soon. When there’s a quiet knock on the door, I look to Felicity, who turns to Dan and squeals.

  “Have fun!” Dan says, clutching Felicity’s wrists so she can’t bound off the couch in the direction of the door like she’s jumping to do.

  “Details!” Felicity calls. “I’m expecting all the details!”

  Dan shakes his head while I grab my purse and jacket and quickly slip out the door, forcing Levi to take a quick step back.

  “Sorry,” I say, raising my hands. “I didn’t want to accidentally wake the kids or anything. And it’s a little weird to be picked up for a date at my best friend’s house. Especially when said best friend has stalker tendencies.”

  His amused expression reveals he’s trying to catch up with my rapid excuse. Then his gaze lands on my eyes and slowly drifts to my lips, then lower, his amusement shifting into something I work hard not to focus on for too long because it’s making my belly twist and my thighs to feel weak. I want to make a joke about looking nicer clean than dirty, but my tongue feels glued to the bottom of my mouth.

  As Levi’s eyes level with mine, a smile sits lazily on his lips. “You have two rules tonight.”

  “There are rules for dating you?”

  He nods, raising a finger on his tattooed arm. I follow the lines and shapes over a thick, black watch on his wrist to his hands. Strangely, I look at hands quite a lot with my work. It’s not common but fairly frequent that a couple asks me to go with them to try on their rings. I blame this on why I’m staring at Levi’s hands—those hands that have left me branded with each touch—noting the length and width of each finger and his palm. He has great hands, manly and strong. They look capable of building an entire city, strong enough to fight any potential threats, and controlled enough to be a huge benefit while making love.

  “Rule one, tonight you forget about who my mother is. And rule two, you forget I’m your client.”

  “But you are.”

  He shakes his head. “Not tonight. Do we have a deal?”

  I don’t know if either is possible, but still I nod. Levi nods in return, then reaches for my hand and seals our fingers together with the heat from his palm.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Remember the first night we met? You mentioned you wanted to escape.”

  I think back to that night that seems so long and far away, amazed that he remembers this detail when I don’t at all. Most of what I remember involves the way I felt and what he shared with me.

  “I’m taking you somewhere that you can escape.”

  My forehead cinches as I look at him, working to decipher the playful glint in his eyes. “You aren’t really taking me somewhere to get high, are you? Because, spoiler alert, I’m kind of boring and don’t really like the Mary Jane…”

  That glint in his irises becomes br
ighter, reflecting humor that his lips echo as he laughs. “I’m not taking you to get high. Come on.”

  With a gentle tug on my hand, I follow him.

  “What?” I say, looking out the window as we pull up to a large lot outside of the city. “You’re going to slum it and stay in Indiana?”

  “Well, recent events have taught me Indiana may not deserve the full extent of shade I’ve put over it.”

  “What? A reformed man? What events? Was it me?” My tone is sarcastic as much as it is playful.

  Levi reaches across the short space in the car, running his palm down the top of my thigh until he reaches my knee, leaving yet another part of my body with his mark on it, then he laughs, and it’s deep and throaty and contagious. It leaves my heart racing and inflated with hope until it’s pressing against my chest, and the memories of Gabe and my parents and smaller disappointments that cling to these events like magnets are pushed far out of the recesses of my thoughts.

  “Ready?”

  Levi and I walk hand in hand to the front door of a large warehouse, following signs for “Test to Save Earth – Escape Room.”

  “We get a plaque or something if we win, right?”

  Levi lifts a shoulder. “They say less than twenty percent have been able to get out, and we’re going to be placed with a group of strangers. This will be interesting.”

  “Are you the competitive type?”

  “Is the sky blue?”

  “Technically, it’s black right now…” I glance upward though we’re inside.

  He chuckles. “Let’s just say I have my moments.”

  “Hi. Are you guys here to save the earth?” a woman with glossy lips and deep dimples asks us.

  “Yes, but only if she gets a plaque,” Levi says. “Otherwise, it’s a deal breaker.”

  The woman laughs good-naturedly. “I’m sure if you win, we can think of something. Have you already registered?”

  Levi nods, and we follow her to get checked in before she introduces us to four others whom we’re going to be working with. They’re both couples—one pair appears a decade younger than us and is tied at the waist, groping and kissing. It’s hard not to stare, because he keeps swiping his fingers under her armpits, leaving me both grossed out and confused about his actions. I wonder if this is another “new” part of dating I’m unaware of. The other couple is also younger, but based upon the way they stand several inches apart and keep looking in opposite directions, I’m guessing they’re on a first date or are fighting.

  “What are you doing Sunday?” Levi asks while we wait for the clock to count down until it’s time for us to enter the room we have to escape from.

  “Probably catch up on some work.”

  He shakes his head. “Baseball, baby.” His eyebrows jump up and down.

  “I’ll go with you if you’re willing to go see a play with me…”

  “A play?”

  I nod. “Recently, a few businesses and PR people have been reaching out to me, inviting me to see and experience things.”

  “For your blog?” Levi’s lips form a small O.

  I nod, shrugging to show it’s not as significant as he’s assuming.

  “Brooke, that’s incredible!”

  “It’s just—”

  He shakes his head, silencing me. “It’s incredible. When’s the play?”

  “Tuesday.”

  He cocks his head. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to monopolize my week. You already booked my calendar for Monday and Wednesday.”

  “Those are work-related.”

  “That’s what she says.”

  I shouldn’t be laughing, but with Levi, it’s impossible not to. Whether it’s the humor in his eyes, his playful tone, or the fact my heart is pumping far too much blood to my body, providing a natural high.

  The girl who keeps looking away from her own date focuses on Levi. I recognize the intrigue and lust that has her lips curving with a smile and her eyes roaming over him.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome. The planet and mankind are relying on you this evening. A giant bomb has been hidden in the streets of Chicago, and we need your help to dismantle it.” A man with a thick Chicago accent appears before us, wearing a navy suit and crisply ironed shirt. His eyes travel over us, stopping on me. He smiles like he recognizes me. Hell, he might. I put on so many events it’s getting harder and harder for me to recall people yet easier for them to remember me as they may have seen me at one or more of their friends’ weddings. “You’ll have sixty minutes to find the clues and stop the terrorists.” I glance toward Levi, noticing the girl is still drinking him in. It creates a foreign sense of jealousy that ebbs as I realize Levi’s jaw is clenched as he stares at the host, who’s still looking at me, creating the food chain of jealousy. I move, taking a step closer to Levi so that our hips brush. His arm goes around my waist, and his gaze moves to me. A silent question passes between us as I ask if he’s okay, and he asks if I’m uncomfortable. I smile to show him I’m not, and his fingers knead into my skin.

  “All clues needed are in this room; it’s your job to uncover them and figure out what they mean. While some of you might use brawn to resolve issues, tonight you’ll need to use critical thinking and creativity. Brute force will only hinder you and your teammates. Items with red dots should not be touched. If you do, the timer on the bomb will quicken. You’re allotted three hints as a team, so be sure to use them wisely. Lastly, all phones and cameras must be left at the front desk as we believe they may trigger the bomb to go off unexpectedly. Good luck and Godspeed.”

  The doors open, and we step into a room that resembles a large office. A massive desk and a wall of bookshelves are joined by several small tables, chairs, lamps, and other furniture you’d find in a study.

  “We should split up,” the armpit rubber says. “That way we cover more ground.”

  “What if someone misses something?” the girl who’s been ogling Levi asks.

  “We only have an hour,” Armpit Rubber objects.

  “There are six of us,” Levi interjects. “Why don’t we split up? Each pair goes over every item twice. That way we can still cover as much ground as possible while still having a second set of eyes on everything.”

  His admirer looks at him as though purple glitter has just fallen from his mouth.

  I kind of want to punch her.

  Levi reaches for me, threading our fingers. “We’ll start with the desk. Someone can do a section of the bookcase; someone else can do the tables. Whoever gets done first will do the random spots like the fireplace, the area rug, etcetera.”

  We break into groups without another word as the door behind us seals shut and the timer begins ticking down.

  “What are we looking for?” the guy wearing glasses and an aged Metallica shirt asks.

  “Five bucks says this is the first time he’s crawled away from the computer and stopped gaming in a month,” Levi whispers as we follow each other, sifting through a stack of papers, a container of pens, a desk drawer filled with more papers and books.

  As I shuffle through a stack of pictures, a tarot card falls to the desk. “What’s this?” I ask.

  Levi looks from it to me. “I think you found our first clue.” He turns to the room. “If you see any tarot cards, hold on to them!”

  “Any what?” someone yells.

  “Tarot cards. The ones fortune-tellers use.” He holds up the card for the room to see.

  “How do you know?” another person yells.

  Levi shakes his head slightly, then glances at me. “Call it intuition.”

  We scour every inch of the room, completing puzzles and cheering, even hugging when we’re able to solve problems that look impossible. When we get the door open, we’re smiling, laughing because we’ve managed to unlock it with seven minutes to spare, only to discover it’s brought us into another room.

  “No!” Armpit Rubber, whose actual name turns out to be Matt, groans. And like the other
s in the room, they turn to Levi, looking for his advice and leadership.

  He rubs a finger along his bottom lip, taking in the space before turning to me. “What do you think?”

  I peer across the space that looks like a dungeon, made up of stone with dim lighting. I shake my head. “All we can do is try.” I move to a wall nearby, running my hands across the surfaces, searching for a jagged edge, a smooth edge, something that moves—anything.

  “Let’s go, guys. Split up. Anything could be a clue!” Levi calls, and then he’s beside me, pressing his lips to my temple before he begins searching the space beside me.

  We solve one puzzle before our time runs out, and the sound effects of an explosion fill the space. As a group, we groan, our energy still high from the hunt.

  “So much for my plaque,” I say, following the others back out to the hall.

  Levi chuckles. “Did you enjoy it?”

  My answer must be written across my face, because Levi raises his hands to either side of my face, his fingers buried in my hair. My heart becomes drunk, beating erratically, wildly, with desire and anticipation. Then his eyes fall closed. Breath catches in my throat, and then Levi is kissing me. His lips are warm and firm, greedy and delicious. I tilt my chin higher to match his intensity, knowing we’re making up for the past few weeks. Citrus and spice and the unique hint of what is uniquely Levi fills my lungs, making me light-headed with the heat of his lips as they press and pull, demanding and giving, responsive to each of my movements regardless of how subtle they are.

  With a final press of his lips to mine, he pulls back enough to lean his forehead against mine, and then he backs away farther. “Are you ready to get some dinner?”

  I don’t know. I can’t even remember if I was hungry before Levi kissed me; all I can think about is how badly my memory retained our last kiss and how much I want to do it again. And again. And again.

  And again.

  I push up on my toes, closing the gap between us and pressing my mouth to his. His lips are impossibly warm, the scent of him becoming a flavor I memorize. A person bumps into me from my other side, drawing attention to where we are, and I begin to pull back.