by E. L. Todd
I didn’t want to be too clingy with her so I refrained from calling her for a few days. I hated playing games when it came to relationships. They were stupid and immature. But I knew I was coming on strong. I already asked to see her again before our date had even ended.
Every night I went to bed I had a raging boner. My hard cock rested against my stomach and I couldn’t stop thinking about that blonde hair and green eyes. I couldn’t stop remembering the way her warm mouth felt around my shaft. I couldn’t forget the way her kiss felt on my lips. I grabbed my shaft then went to town, thinking about the girl I was desperate to see again. It didn’t compare to the real thing but at least I was able to sleep afterwards.
The bank was even more boring than usual. Crunching numbers and pestering people to pay back their loans wasn’t exactly fun. My employees did most of the world, but when things didn’t get done, Dad called me. I didn’t mind, but Jasmine was on my thoughts so I was incredibly distracted.
I wondered what I should bring her next. She said she wasn’t a flower girl. She preferred chocolate. Should I get her candy? Pure cocoa powder? What?
When Saturday finally came around, I was bouncing on my toes. I couldn’t wait to see her and spend the evening with her. She had a way of making me forget about everything going on in my life, and she always made me laugh. She reminded me of one of the guys, but extremely hot. I couldn’t wait to introduce her.
I hadn’t noticed it until I stopped by the store on my way, but I hadn’t really thought about Trinity—at all. When her father got into that accident, I was concerned. But I hadn’t missed her since I met Jasmine. It was like I completely forgot about her. It was odd to accept. I’d known Trinity for a long time, and the two months we’d spent together reminded me why I enjoyed her company so much.
But now I was totally over her.
I headed to Jasmine’s door with my gift in hand. Then I knocked.
She opened it wearing skin-tight jeans and a black blouse. The color looked awesome against her fair skin and beach blonde hair. Her eyes stood out even more. I almost forgot to speak. “For the lady.” I held out the gift.
She smiled when she saw it then took it. “Chocolate ice cream?”
“I thought you’d prefer to eat that instead of flowers.”
Her grin widened. “I love it. You did good.”
I beamed with pride.
She placed it in her freezer than came back to me. “So, what’s the plan?”
“Dinner?” I asked.
“I don’t want dinner,” she blurted.
Okay… “Then what would you like to do?”
“Do you like to bowl?”
Did she just ask me what I think she asked me? “Yeah sure.”
“Let’s do that then. We can order a pizza and beers while we’re there.”
Was she not the most awesome chick ever? “That sounds like a good idea.”
She locked the door behind her and left her purse on her shoulder.
I grabbed her hand, feeling comfortable doing it, and then walked out with her. “How was your week?”
“Good. I worked most of the time.”
“I’m sure all the guys go to you since you’re a pretty girl.”
She chuckled. “Actually, I think they go to me because I don’t talk much. Guys hate it when the stylist asks them a million questions so it’s not awkward. I just don’t say anything.”
I knew what she meant. Every time I got a haircut they drilled me about my life and hobbies like that would make me more comfortable. I preferred the silence or looking at my phone. “I know what you mean.”
“So, the girls think all the guys come to me because they like my ass or whatever. In actuality, I’m just quiet. Every time I tell them that, they don’t believe me.”
“I bet you get good tips too.”
She shrugged. “They’re pretty decent.”
I squeezed her hand as we walked up the sidewalk. We headed to the bowling alley and ignored the crowd that surrounded us. Voices pressed on our ears but we ignored them.
“How was yours?”
“It was okay,” I said with a shrug. “A lot of numbers.”
“Do you hate your job?” she blurted.
I chuckled at her bluntness. “Maybe a little.”
“Working at a bank doesn’t sound adventurous…”
“It’s definitely not.”
“Why don’t you do something else?” she asked.
“I honestly don’t think I have any other interests.” We walked inside the bowling alley then paid for our shoes and lane. After we put on our shoes, we ordered food then began the game.
“You don’t have a single interest?” she asked incredulously.
“Of course, I do,” I said with a laugh.
“Geez, I was scared you were insanely boring for a second there.”
“I just don’t have any interests that I would want to turn into a career. For instance, I liked to fish but I’ll never be professional fisherman. I like to read but I’ll never be a professional reader—if such a thing exists.”
“What about modeling?” she asked.
I gave her a stark look because I couldn’t tell if she was being serious.
“What?” she asked. “You’re sexy.”
My cheeks blushed. “Thank you for the compliment but I don’t think I’m model material.”
“Uh, have you looked in a mirror?”
Was she being serious? “You’re the one who’s a bombshell. You could walk into Victoria’s Secret headquarters and write your own ticket. When I first saw you in that bar I assumed you weren’t my date because you were too beautiful.”
She chuckled. “Victoria’s Secret—ha.”
“I’m not joking.”
“I’m not either.”
“Well, at least we find each other to be equally attractive,” I reasoned.
She grabbed her ball then hit the lane. She ended up rolling a spare. “Oh yeah! Oh yeah!” She did a little dance then broke out in the moonwalk.
My eyes were about to pop out of my head. “You can do the moonwalk?”
“You want me to teach you?”
“Yeah. Well, not around people.” I grabbed my ball then went next.
Jasmine came up behind me then smacked my ass. “You belong in the mile high club.”
I glanced over my shoulder and smirked at her before I rolled the ball. It went into the gutter because she caught me off guard.
“Looks like I’m winning.” She flipped her hair over one shoulder then gave me a sexy wink.
I grabbed her ass and squeezed it. “You belong in my bed tonight.”
“We’ll see if you get lucky.” She rolled the ball and made a strike.
“You’re really good.”
“You could use some improvement,” she said honestly.
We kept bowling and she was winning by a landside. I didn’t have to let her win. It didn’t bother me that she bested me at something. It was actually really cool.
The pizza and beers arrived so we took a break to eat. She inhaled her food like usual. “Cheesy and greasy,” she said. “Just the way I like it.”
I smiled while I watched her, finding her to be the most adorable thing in the world.
She chugged half of her beer. “The foam is my favorite part.”
“Really?” I asked. “I hate it.”
“It gives me a cute mustache.” She took another drink then pressed the foam to her lips. Then she lowered the glass and smiled. “See?”
I chuckled. “It looks good on you.”
She wiped it away with her arm. “I’ve heard that before.”
We ate then downed our beers. She finished hers before she finished mine.
“You really like beer?” I asked.
“I used to be a bartender at a sports bar. The main thing people ordered was beer so I’m a bit of an ale aficionado. I got hooked on it and now I drink it regularly. Sometimes I like wine and hard liquor, but beer is a
lways the first choice.”
“That’s hot,” I blurted.
“What?” she asked. “The fact I like beer or the fact I like beer mustaches?”
“Both,” I said honestly.
“What do you like?”
“Beer,” I said. “But I like scotch and gin. Those are my next preferences.”
“No wine?” she asked.
“I like wine too—but only in certain settings.”
“Like when you’re on a date?” she pressed.
I shrugged. “Pretty much.”
“So, tell me something embarrassing about you.”
I continued to eat my food while I thought about it. “One time I was at a party in college and I drank too much. There was this girl I’d been trying to get with for a long time, and she and her boyfriend had just broken up. I hadn’t been feeling well but I took the shot anyway, knowing some other guy would if I didn’t. We were making out in a bedroom when I…threw up.”
She covered her mouth and gasped. “Did you throw up on her?”
I nodded in shame.
“Oh my god, that sounds terrible.”
“I can imagine.”
“That’s terrible for you too,” she said. “Then you never got her in the sack.”
“Actually, I did. A few weeks later.”
“Damn, you got game,” Jasmine said.
I shrugged. “You tell me.”
“You definitely do,” she said. “But you’re so good-looking you don’t have to try too hard.”
“You don’t have to try at all,” I said honestly.
She shook her head. “I think looks mean the least when it comes to relationships.”
“I think most of society would disagree with you.”
“Oh, I bet they would.” She wiped her mouth with a napkin then glanced at the score. “Is it safe to say I won?”
“You kicked my ass.”
“I hope I didn’t emasculate you.”
“No. But you did turn me on a little bit.”
She chuckled. “You’re into women who bowl and wear beer mustaches?”
“Damn right.”
When she stopped laughing she regarded me with a serious expression. “I guess Slade knows a thing or two about playing cupid.”
“I think since he’s found love he knows how to recognize it in other people.”
“Well, if he turned it into a business, he would make a killing.”
“He could go on Shark Tank,” I said.
She laughed. “Could you imagine Slade arguing with Mr. Wonderful? I’d pay big money to watch that.”
“The show would get the highest ratings they’ve ever had.”
“Sounds about right,” she said. “So, you dated Trinity, right?”
“For short time,” I answered. “The first time, she was seeing Slade at the same time. In the end, she wanted to be with him. The second time, she wanted to be with him again.” It was actually kind of funny when I thought about it.
“Ouch,” she said. “That’s gotta hurt.”
“Actually, it doesn’t,” I said honestly. “After seeing them together, I know they’re meant for each other. Which means I’m meant for someone else.” I purposely didn’t look at her when I said that. She and I hit it off so perfectly and I got excited at the prospect of Jasmine being the one. But I didn’t want to get my hopes up. It was only our third date. But damn, she was cool.
“At least you aren’t torn up about it,” she said.
“I haven’t thought about her since I met you,” I said honestly. “And that’s been nice.”
“I’m glad I could be of service to you.” She said in a joking way, not offended that she might be some kind of a rebound. She was the lotto more than anything else. “I wish you were around when Cayson left me. I didn’t take it well.” There wasn’t a hint of sadness in her tone but I couldn’t help but wonder if it really bothered her.
“I think what he did was pretty messed up.”
“No,” she said. “He made it clear she was ‘the one’ to him. I just hoped if we were together long enough, I would be the one to him. Sadly, it never happened.”
“So, you were in love with him?” I tried not to get jealous. It was way too early in a relationship for jealousy.
“Yes, I was.” She released a sigh. “He was such a gentleman and he always treated me right. It was nice. They don’t make them like that anymore.”
Her words made me sad. It sounded like a guy had never treated her right except Cayson, and based on the way he left her, I’d say he never treated her right. “I’m sorry.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
She snapped out of her mood and waved her hand. “Don’t apologize. I’m so beyond over him. I’m glad he and Skye are happy together. It would be an insult to love if they weren’t. But he and I had some good times together and I’ll never forget them.”
I nodded because I didn’t know what else to do.
“Have you ever loved someone and not had them love you back?”
I considered the question. “No, not really.”
“You didn’t love Trinity?”
“No. But I could have if I’d have more time with her.”
“It’s ironic, isn’t it?”
“What?” I asked.
‘That we were both into members of that group. They’re such a tight knit. It’s hard to get in there.”
“We don’t need them,” I said. “You and I are way cooler.”
“So cool.” She finished her beer then set it on the table. “You want to go back to my place and have sex?”
Her forwardness was refreshing. I never had to guess what she was thinking. She always just told me. It was nice. Most of the time, girls were dead silent and just stared at me. Every time I asked what they wanted to do, they said, “I don’t care. Whatever you want to do.” Jasmine was nothing like that. “That’s a stupid question.”
“So, no?” she teased.
I laughed. “The answer to your stupid question is ‘duh’.”
***
Jasmine was a heathen in bed. She knew exactly what I liked and didn’t like even though we were still getting to know each other. Her confidence was sexy, and she had the perfect body. Her eyes glowed a brighter shade of green when I made her come.
When we were finished we lay in bed.
“I’ll walk you out,” she said as she put on a shirt.
Whoa…we just finished having sex. I was still breathing hard. She wanted me out that quickly. “Do you have plans…?”
“No. I just assumed you’d want to go.” She said it simply, like she didn’t care if she was right or wrong.
“Well, I’d like to stay…if that’s okay.” I didn’t want to wear out my welcome or anything.
“Oh.” She seemed surprise. “Okay. Do you mind if I eat the ice cream in bed?”
“Not as long as you bring an extra spoon.”
She smiled then headed to the kitchen. When she returned, she had the ice cream and two spoons.
I sat up and ate it beside her.
“This shit is good.” She shoveled the ice cream into her mouth. “My ovaries are screaming right now.”
“Well, they must have tiny mouths because I can’t hear a thing.”
She chuckled then kept eating.
We devoured the whole carton by ourselves.
“That hit the spot,” I said as I lay back.
“Sex and ice cream,” she said. “A perfect combination.”
I gripped her waist then pulled her to me. I liked it when she snuggled into my side. Her skin was soft and she smelled like vanilla. Sometimes her strands would touch me and it felt ticklish but I liked the sensation at the same time. “You’re the perfect teddy bear.”
“Am I really?” she asked.
“So soft and warm.”
“I am cuddly.”
I turned off the lamp then spooned her from behind. “Can I sleep here?”
“If you want to,” she sai
d vaguely.
I couldn’t tell if she wanted me there or she didn’t. I decided to ask her outright since I knew she would be honest. “I want to stay. But do you want me to stay?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then why do you seem indifferent?”
“Well, they always leave. I just assumed you wanted to leave too.”
“Who?” I asked.
“Every guy I’ve ever been with.”
Chapter Four
Arsen
Ryan and I finished playing basketball then headed to the deli. He and I saw each other often through the week, usually after work or before dinner. I’d become so comfortable with his companionship that I didn’t think twice about it.
He was my dad.
We ordered our food then sat down.
Ryan immediately scarfed down his food like he hadn’t eaten all day. But that was just how he was. “How’s the shop?”
“Busier than ever. I hired a few more guys.”
“That’s great, Arsen. And you thought you would run it into the ground…” He rolled his eyes.
“Hey, I still could.”
“Yeah right,” he said.
“How was work?”
“Good. I’m going to buy the building for the second shop. Slade is ready to take over his own business.”
“He must be excited.”
“I haven’t told him yet. But he will be.”
“But he’ll probably sneak off to Trinity more often,” I noted.
He shrugged. “It’s his shop. If he wants to run it into the ground, he can. But I don’t think he will. So, what’s new with Abby?”
“She has a height chart, and she’s grown an inch since I first saw her. It’s crazy how quickly kids grow.”
“You’re telling me,” Ryan said. “When Slade reached six feet in high school I couldn’t believe it. Janice couldn’t either.”
“Well, I’m glad Silke didn’t get your height. I’m six-two but it would be awkward if she was only a few inches shorter than me.” I kept eating then wiped my face with a napkin.
Ryan seemed to lose interest in his food. “Does this mean you’re together…?” There was hope in his voice.