The Holiday Boyfriend

by Twyla Turner

  “He messaged me back!”

  “Who?” Char asked as she slid into the other side of the booth.

  “That Holiday Boyfriend guy I was telling you about.”

  “You really need to get off social media.”

  Charlene was an advocate against social media and its ‘evil ways’…according to her.

  “It has it’s uses,” Noelle said as she pulled up the post and turned her phone around for her friend to see it.

  “Oh shit!” Char snatched Noelle’s phone from her hand. “Well, gotdamn!”

  “See?! I told you.”

  “He’s gorgeous. White, but gorgeous.” Char nodded as she handed back the phone.

  “Right?!” Noelle sighed. “You know I’ll give any race a shot, but I’m guessing he’s a mechanic. You know I love white-collar men.”

  “Particularly, Black white-collar men. Aka your IBM.”

  “But you already know, every ‘Ideal Black Man’ I’ve come across is already married or doesn’t date his own. Then I’m left sifting through mostly white guys in corporate America. There are a few Asian or Latino men, but they usually date their own.”

  “Then I think it’s time for you to put aside your preferences and be open to dating someone who works with his hands for a living.”

  “Well, I’m not taking this seriously anyway. We’re just doing each other a favor. Speaking of…” Noelle smiled brightly at Char.

  “Oh God, what?”

  “He needs me to get together a group of friends to attend his auto shop’s class called Chicks & Chassis. Something about learning things about our cars so we don’t have to depend on men.”

  “Hmm… Well, amen to that! I like him already.” Char held up her mimosa filled champagne glass in the air in a silent toast to Jake before taking a drink.

  “So, you’ll help me get the girls together?”

  “Hell yeah!”

  Noelle picked up her phone, opened the message again, and began to type.

  I’m in. When is the next class?

  Jake paced and fiddled with random tools as he awaited the clock to strike five. It was Saturday evening and the first Chicks & Chassis class. He wasn’t even teaching it, yet he was nervous.

  I can’t believe I’m doing this.

  “Thank you for getting the first class together for me,” Gabriella said as she wiped her hands clean. Or as clean as a mechanic’s hands ever were.

  “Sure, no problem.”

  “How’d ya do it?”

  “Uh…just asked someone for a favor.”

  “Someone, huh?”

  “Yeah.”

  Before Gaby could press further, the door opened and a group of seven women walked into the shop. They were an eclectic mix. Different shapes, sizes, races, and shades.

  In the lead was a face he recognized. Noelle. From the way she carried herself, it was obvious that she did well for herself. Even her casual clothing looked expensive. And her hair and makeup were flawless.

  She was about average height for a woman. So, just about half a foot shorter than Jake’s 6’1” frame. Her breasts were large, her hips were wide, thick thighs pressed together in skin-hugging skinny jeans, and her ass was gifted by the gods. Her face, arms, and tummy matched the rest, unlike a lot of the carefully engineered bodies of social media. Soft, and surprisingly welcoming to someone who’d dated mostly waifs.

  As Noelle smiled shyly at him and she walked forward, everything about her felt welcoming. It was clear that Noelle was a full course meal. And Jake was ravenous.

  It had been six months since the last woman he’d dated. He hadn’t even thought much about sex. He’d just thrown himself into work, like he always did.

  He thought about it now.

  Fuck, Jake! Get it together. You can’t get a hard on at work in front of a group of women.

  He cleared his throat, smiled, and held out his hand to shake Noelle’s. Her soft hand slid into his and heat shot up his arm. He had to force himself not to drop her hand as if he’d been burned.

  ~~~

  A small gasp passed Noelle’s lips at the heat that traveled from her hand and spread through her body like wildfire. Her eyes shot up to Jake’s and they stared at each other for a few beats beyond normal.

  He was just as beautiful, if not more so, in person. The moment they’d walked through the door and she’d spotted him, Noelle had gulped down a breath and hadn’t released it until his hand touched hers.

  He was in one of those gray mechanic jumpsuits that had a patch with his name sewn on the left and the shop name on the right. Noelle preferred a tailored suit than blue-collar clothes. Or so she’d thought.

  The jumpsuit made his shoulders look wonderfully broad that narrowed to a trim waist, shaped like that sexy V men got when they worked out. Noelle would probably put money on his ass looking great in the jumpsuit as well.

  Jake’s hands were rough and stained with his life’s work. The pads of his fingers literally scraped her skin they were so calloused. Noelle had to admit she was so bougie that in the past, hands like his normally would have turned her off. This time though, visions of his hands on her flashed before her eyes and seemed so real that she could’ve sworn she felt his coarse hands on her flesh.

  Noelle’s heart damn near beat through her chest. Her breath was erratic. And her panties were suddenly damp.

  Goodness gracious!

  A throat cleared and both Noelle and Jake practically jumped apart.

  “Hey, I’m Gaby. I’ll be leading the class. I’m assuming you’re the one who brought together this group of lovely ladies?” A Latina woman who gave Noelle the vibe of Michelle Rodriguez in The Fast and Furious movies, made her presence known.

  “Uh…sorry.” Jake jumped in. “Gaby this is Noelle. Noelle, this is Gaby. Thank you again for bringing in our very first class.”

  Noelle took another calming breath before speaking, “You’re welcome, Jake. I think this is a brilliant idea.”

  “It was mine,” Gaby jumped in.

  Noelle smiled at Gaby. “It’s a wonderful idea. I should’ve known it was a woman’s.”

  Gaby winked. “Alright ladies, if you’ll follow me over to the car I have ready for you.”

  Gaby pointed the way and everyone followed, except Noelle. She hung back to speak with Jake. She looked up at him and lost her train of thought instead.

  He really was too gorgeous for his own good.

  He blinked down at her equally dumbfounded, or so it seemed. She had that effect on some men. But not men like Jake. Men like him were too busy chasing models.

  “So, umm…my family’s thing is next Saturday the 14th. It’s the big family gathering with extended family. We have it early because a lot of our family have to travel to other states to visit their other sides.” Noelle babbled.

  “No worries. My extended family does ours early too. Usually the weekend before Christmas. I think it’s Saturday the 21st this year.”

  “Oh no!”

  “What?”

  “That’s actually the same day as my company’s Holiday party.”

  “That’s okay. We can go to my family’s thing first and then head to your thing.” He grinned and Noelle almost forgot what they were talking about. “Besides, it’ll give me an excuse to leave early. My family can be nosy and annoying. I love them, but I dread their questions about my life every year.”

  “You sure you’re not talking about my family?”

  “It’s only my mom’s side. The Italian side. My dad’s side, Germans, mind their own business.” Jake chuckled.

  “I don’t believe Italian and Black families are very different.”

  “Yeah, probably not.”

  “Uh…Jake.” Gaby called across the garage. “Can I get my student back?”

  “Oh, yeah. Sorry!” He turned to look at Noelle. “Better leave you to it, before I get in trouble. It’s like I’m not even the boss.”

  “So, you’re the manager?” Noelle asked as h
e turned.

  “That, and part owner. I’m the ‘J’ in J&D Chi-Town Auto,” he said before walking away.

  Wow, he isn’t just a mechanic. He’s a business owner as well. Smart and has his shit together. I stand corrected.

  She snuck a peek at his backside before heading over to the class. As she’d suspected, his ass looked great in the jumpsuit.

  “Alright, ladies.” Gaby began once Noelle walked over. “I’m going to show you how to check your tire pressure, jump start your car, how to refill your wiper fluid, change a tire, and check your oil.”

  “I don’t even know how to pop the hood.” Noelle’s friend Cassie admitted amid laughter.

  Gaby winked at Cassie and Noelle’s friend blushed furiously. Noelle smiled. Cassie was bisexual and from what she could tell, Gaby looked interested. If all else failed, she hoped that at least someone would benefit from her and Jake’s bargain.

  ~~~

  Jake tried to work. He tried to go back to his office, but found himself daydreaming, which led him back out into the garage. He attempted to work on a car that needed a new carburetor, but he found his eyes gazing over at the group of women learning the simple everyday things to keep their cars going.

  As Noelle bent over the car to check the oil, Jakes eyes roamed over her ass. He didn’t even know he was biting his lip until Demetrius came up behind him.

  “Which one are you staring at?”

  Startled, Jake shot up and smacked the back of his head on the hood of the car, which made him bite down hard on his lip.

  “Damnit, D! What the fuck you sneaking up on me for?” He hissed under his breath as he rubbed the back of his head and tongued his wounded bottom lip.

  Demetrius raised his hands innocently. “I didn’t sneak up on you. I said, ‘Hey, J.’ It’s not my fault you were mesmerized by someone over there.”

  “Shut up,” Jake grumbled.

  “So, which one were you staring at? Or is there not one in particular?” D eyed each one.

  “The one with the black top and tight jeans.”

  “The thick girl?!” D looked at him in surprise.

  “Yeah. What’s the big deal?”

  “Nothing. I usually like thick girls. Your girls usually can be blown over by a stiff wind.”

  “A man can change his mind.”

  “True. True.” D nodded. “So, what’s the story? Gaby said you found the group. How’d you do that?”

  “If I tell you, I don’t wanna hear your mouth,” Jake warned.

  D held up his hand as if he was swearing in court. “I promise not to talk shit. Now, tell me.”

  “I kinda struck up a deal with one of the women who messaged me after the Holiday Boyfriend post. The thick one,” Jake jerked his chin in her direction.

  “For real?!”

  “Yeah. She seemed cool and has a family just like mine. She didn’t want to date seriously or anything. She only wanted to bring someone to her family and work parties so everyone would leave her alone about her love life. I can relate, so we struck up a deal. If she brought a group of ladies to our first class and comes with me to my family’s party, then I’d go to her parties.” Jake ended on a shrug.

  “That’s actually a good damn arrangement. This class goes over well enough and they’ll tell their friends and family. And then you both get your families to shut up for another year. Aaaaaaaand…you might get some in the process. Cause she is a cutie and thicker than a hamhock.” D grinned as he eyed Noelle.

  “Keep your eyes to yourself, dick!”

  “Uh huh. It’s not just business, is it? You like this girl.”

  “See, that’s where you messed up. She’s not a girl. She’s a woman. Girls are snacks. Women are meals. And she’s one of those fancy 7-course meals you only hear about, but have never tried because you’ve never been invited.” Jake smiled deep in thought.

  “Has she invited you?” D elbowed Jake in his side playfully.

  “I’m not sure yet. You can tell she’s a Porsche kind of woman. I’m not sure if she messes with economy cars.”

  “Man, if you believe you’re economy, I don’t know if you’ve really checked yourself before. You may not be a Porsche guy, but you’re at least a restored classic. Remember that.” D finished as he clasped Jake’s shoulder and gave it an encouraging squeeze.

  Noelle must have felt his eyes on her, because she glanced back and their eyes collided. She flushed and turned away quickly.

  Oh, yeah. She may be a Porsche and I’m a classic. But I still know how to make a Porsche’s engine purr.

  Noelle’s stomach was a fluttery mess as she got ready for her family party. She was as jittery as a college student hopped up on speed and caffeine during finals week.

  She couldn’t get the ravenous look on Jake’s face the previous week out of her head. She’d dreamt about his silver eyes devouring her from across the shop. Among other things. Like his rough hands on her skin. She’d woken up hot and bothered almost every morning, so she’d been on edge ever since.

  Her skin became sensitive to the touch, from her scalp to her toes. Of course, it was cold outside, but her nipples had never stood at attention for more than a few minutes. They’d been so hard all week, she was surprised she hadn’t cut a hole through her clothing. Noelle found herself clutching her breasts during private moments in an attempt to assuage the almost painful condition.

  But even still, her sensitive nipples had nothing on her out of control vagina. The previous Saturday, something extraordinary happened to her heart. It split in two, and the other half decided to move down to her clit. She pulsed throughout the entire day, thoroughly soaking her panties. As soon as she got home, she’d have to change into a fresh pair that she ruined almost immediately. To save herself from the discomfort of chafing, she finally started wearing thin pantyliners to catch her constant state of arousal.

  Noelle hadn’t had sex in about six months. The last guy she dated… Well, the last guy she had regularly scheduled dick appointments with, decided they were spending too much time together and he wanted to be free. As if the once a week session, sans meal or sleepover, was too much time. She wasn’t missing much though. She often had to finish getting herself off after they…no, he was finished. So, masturbating alone wasn’t a big change. At least for that she didn’t have to shave.

  As Noelle finished applying her deep red lipstick, the buzzer went off at her front door. She ran quickly to the intercom and pressed the button.

  “Be down in just a sec!”

  “Alright,” Jake responded through the speaker.

  Noelle quickly threw on her heels, grabbed her coat, and purse before slamming out of her condo and locking the door. She rode the elevator down twenty floors, taking deep calming breaths the whole way.

  Finally, the elevator arrived on the 1st level and opened to the lobby. Standing there waiting was Jake. Noelle’s eyes scanned him from his feet up. He wore those dress sneakers that had become popular. They were brown with white soles. Nice dark-washed jeans, a tan cable knit sweater, and a brown leather bomber jacket.

  The mechanic cleaned up very nicely.

  Two sets of flowers were clasped in both of Jake’s arms.

  “Hey,” he said almost shyly. “You look beautiful.”

  “Thank you,” Noelle said as she stepped off the elevator. “You look very handsome yourself.”

  “Thanks. These are for you,” he held out a bouquet of flawless red roses. “And these are for your mother.” He nodded to the potted poinsettias cradled in his other arm.

  “Oh, thank you, Jake!” Noelle exclaimed as she accepted the roses. “That’s so incredibly thoughtful.”

  “You’re welcome. I didn’t want to go to your parents’ place empty handed. My mom would kill me if she knew I did that. And I didn’t want you to feel left out and jealous,” he smirked.

  Noelle playfully smacked his arm. “I can see right now that you are trouble.”

  Jake held his hand up and look
ed at her through the small space between his thumb and forefinger. “Maybe a little.”

  “Ha! Let’s get outta here.”

  “Yes, milady. Let me help you with your coat.” Jake said as he put down the potted plant.

  Noelle handed him her red peacoat, and he held it out for her. A shiver ran down her back as his fingers brushed her bare shoulder. She was almost positive he’d done it on purpose at the way his eyes sparked when she turned to look at him.

  The doorman held the door open for them as they walked out into the brisk evening.

  “Thanks, Bill.” Noelle said to the doorman.

  “Have a good evening, Miss Noelle.”

  “Stay warm.”

  “I will. I’m bundled up pretty good under here, and I have your hand warmers.”

  “Good.” She looked back at him with a warm smile.

  Bill had been her doorman since she moved in five years ago. He was a sweet man and she pretty much considered him a friend at this point.

  Before she turned away, Bill winked at her and mouthed ‘good luck.’ Her smile brightened as she turned to get into Jake’s SUV. She didn’t have the heart to tell Bill that it was just a temporary thing. He worried about her love life as well. He thought she worked too hard. He was probably right.

  ~~~

  Jake’s heart had been pounding since Noelle walked out of the elevator. She was stunning. She wore some silver sequined leggings with a plain off-the-shoulder black sweater. Her hair was perfect and swung and bounced with every movement. And her eye makeup was smoky and her lips invitingly red.

  Jake had to shake his head to rid his mind of images of red lips marking parts of his body. Especially because those parts were starting to rise to attention.

  He didn’t need any more of that after the week he’d had. Every morning he woke up with either an erection or cum on his stomach because of the dreams he had about her every night, since the night of the class. Jake had thought he’d left that kind of stuff behind in Jr. high. But here he was having wet dreams at damn near forty. But it was no wonder…