by Alexa McLean
“This isn’t steak.” I pushed my plate away, stomaching growling in protest.
She smiled triumphantly as she took a sip from her glass of water.
“And, to top it all off, you’re drinking water with this stuff.”
“What else do you want me to drink?” She spun the glass between her fingers. “I’m not going to drink anything that would throw me off my feet in minutes.”
“Maybe that’s what I’m hoping for.” I winked before taking her hand, squeezing it hard enough so she couldn’t pull it away. “Look, all joking aside, it’s good to spend some time with you again.”
Her expression soured. She refused to look me in the eye and instead focused on picking up another piece of sushi and dipping it into her wasabi.
“Oh, come on. Don’t be this way. You know I care about you –”
“You have an awfully funny way of showing it.” She snapped loud enough for the whole restaurant to fall into an awkward silence. “Every few years, you pop into my life and I trick myself into thinking that it’s going to be the time you stay forever and then, you disappear faster than I can blink.” Her bottom lip trembled. “I know this is just another one of those times...”
“It’s not. This time, things are different. I swear.” I took her other hand, lacing our fingers together. “You have to trust me on this one.”
“Trust you?” She laughed. “That’s the one thing I can’t do.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
She shook her head. “It’s too late for an apology so let’s just move past this and enjoy our night, alright? Now, let go of my hands so you can keep fighting with your sushi and I’m not going to take no for an answer, you hear?”
Chapter 5: Shelly
“I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE you drive this thing,” I said while running my fingers along the genuine leather seats. “You always said that one day you’d own a custom-made BMW and here you are.” I always gave Grayson a tough time, that was just a part of our friendship dynamic. We always butted heads but in a mostly playful manner.
“Mhm.” He nodded his head and I could see his ego swelling. It was so thick, it made it hard to breathe. But, that ego was one of the reasons why I liked him so much. Grayson was confident. He always knew exactly what he wanted. And, he stopped at nothing to get it.
“Do you think I could drive?” I asked, glancing over at him and dawning the best puppy dog look I could muster.
“You want to drive? Do you even have your license?”
“Don’t act stupid. You were the one who taught me, remember?” I pulled out my purse, fished out my wallet, and flashed the tiny piece of plastic. “Now, it’s been a while since I’ve been behind the wheel of a car but I assume it’s just like riding a bike, you can’t really forget.”
“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.” He adjusted his grip on the wheel and shifted in his seat. I could tell that the thought alone was making him nervous.
“You don’t trust me,” I said as I crossed my arms over my chest and pouted. “I’m offended.”
“Oh, come on, you can’t manipulate me like this. You know I’m a sucker when you do that.” He kept driving but he was already slowing down and eventually, he pulled over on the side of the road. “But only for a little bit.”
“You got it.” I unbuckled my seat belt and jumped out the door. Soon, I had the wheel between my fingers. It was still warm from Grayson’s touch. I smiled to myself as I revved the engine. “Oh, listen to her purr!” I squealed.
“You better be careful. This car costs well over half a million dollars. You’ll be working for me for a long, long time if anything were to happen to it.” He warned.
“Stop worrying.” I brushed off his remarks and eased onto the road. The car was a masterpiece. Acceleration was smooth. Powertrain steering made it possible for me to drive with just my pinky. And, don’t even get me started on speed. Much to Grayson’s dismay, I exited onto the highway. I watched the gears shifting as I floored the gas pedal. “Oh, baby!” I screamed as a shot of adrenaline coursed through my veins.
“Be careful!” Grayson hissed as he pressed his hand against my thigh.
At that moment, I didn’t care. All that mattered was driving his fancy car and giving him nothing short of a heart attack.
With a wild grin on my face, I weaved between traffic. The other cars became blurs as I reached the 100-mph mark. “This is amazing!” I shouted.
“Slow. Down.” Gray’s voice took a certain edge that pierced through my adrenaline-filled high. Instinctually, I tapped the brakes and the car nearly flipped over with the abruptness of my sudden stop. “Pull this over. Right now.” He hissed.
I knew better than to keep antagonizing him so I did what he asked. “Get out.”
“Oh, come on. I was just having a bit of fun. And, besides, I didn’t even crash it or anything.”
“Get out.” Somehow, he had rounded the car and he was now opening my car door. He was looking at me with that reprimanding look of his, like a father chastising his daughter.
“Fine. Fine. No need to get your panties in a bunch.” I held out my hands in innocence before returning to the passenger seat. “You’re such a buzzkill sometimes.”
“You were gunning to get us both killed.” He said as he took us off the highway and back into the city.
“You’re being dramatic. I wasn’t even that bad of a driver.”
“Well, I hope you enjoyed it because that’s the last time I let you drive my car.”
I huffed in protest but he was hardly sympathetic. He probably liked the car more than he liked me. Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me.
For a while, we sat in silence. It was starting to get pretty awkward. I wanted to say something but I didn’t know what.
Suddenly, a loud ding echoed through the car.
“Incoming text from Lacey Baby. Shall I read the text?” The car’s virtual assistant announced with her sweet, sensual voice. Seriously, she sounded like a phone-sex operator or something. I wondered whether the voice came standard with the car or if Grayson had picked it out himself when he had customized it. Probably the later.
“No –”
“Yes!” I shouted over him.
“Very well. Reading text now: Grayson, honey, it’s been a while. You should come over and we can have a lot of fun. Winky emoji. I’ll be waiting for you at our usual location.”
Jealous stabbed into my heart like a red-hot dagger. “Care to explain yourself?”
“She’s just a friend.” He answered, his voice cool and collected.
“Yeah? She sounded like she was more than a friend.” I snapped.
“Don’t be ridiculous. You know you’re the only girl I’ve ever been interested in.” He looked over at me. “And, I mean that. I’ve never been with anyone else and trust me, the opportunity has definitely come up more than once.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“I’m not.”
“Then I want to meet this Lacey Baby for myself. Introduce me as your girlfriend and I want to see how she will react.”
“Is that jealousy I hear in your voice?” He teased.
“No. It’s not. I just want to make sure you’re telling me the truth.”
“Fine. If you want to meet Lacey, that’s fine by me.” He took a right on red light and started down a darkened street. For some reason, it gave me the creeps. I half expected something to come jumping out of the bushes at any moment. “But, we have to go back to my hotel first.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because where we’re going, you can’t go looking like that.”
“Excuse me?”
“THEY HAVE A CERTAIN dress code,” Grayson explained once we were back at his penthouse suite.
“And that dress code involves wearing designer gowns worth thousands of dollars?” I couldn’t quite believe my eyes. Laid out on the bed was a gorgeous burgundy colored dress, decorated around the waist with genuine crystals.
“But, I can’t wear this,” I said.
“Why not?” He turned me around and ran his fingertips along my arms. “I already think you’re the most beautiful girl in the world. This dress will only make you more beautiful.”
“Quit trying to flatter me. It’s not going to get you in my pants any quicker.” I pushed him away. “Besides, I know you’re only saying that. You don’t actually mean it.”
He grabbed me by the wrists and held me in place. “I don’t remember you being this self-conscious, Shelly.” Gently, he took my face into his hands and looked into my eyes. I found myself getting lost in his gaze as a reassuring warmth wrapped itself around my body, lulling me into a false sense of security. I already knew that if I got too close to this guy, I’d get hurt in the end but, at the same time, I just couldn’t stay away. “You’re beautiful and I don’t ever want to hear you say otherwise.” There was such conviction in his voice that I knew it was pointless to try and argue with him.
Before I could do anything about it, he leaned down and kissed me. The abruptness of it caused my body to go as stiff as a board. It took a minute for my head to figure out what was going on. For a split second, I considered slapping him but then the sweetness of his lips subdued my logic. My heart took control, melting into the man I’ve always wanted. Our lips swayed and moved to an unheard beat. My pulse quickened as I felt his tongue trace my bottom lip, begging for entrance. Soon, our tongues were tangled together and my lungs burned for air.
But, I didn’t care. This was much too good to stop. Grayson had slipped away from me countless times before but I couldn’t help but pray that this time, he’d stay. With this hope echoing through my mind, I wrapped my arms around his neck and ran my fingers through his hair. He moaned into the kiss, lips twitching into a satisfied smirk.
He held me by the hips and pulled me onto the bed. By now, as I laid on his muscular body, my mind screamed at me to stop. This was pushing things way too far and if I got attached, I’d get hurt – big time.
So, I shook my head and pried my lips from his. “I’m sorry, Grayson, but we can’t do this.”
“Why?” He demanded while his grip on my hips tightened. “Why do you keep pushing me away?”
“Because you always leave,” I whispered. “Sometimes, it takes longer, but in the end, you always leave for one reason or another. I’ve stopped believing that you’ll stay one of these days.”
“Shelly...”
I held up my hand to stop his explanation. “I don’t want to hear it because I’ve heard it all before. I’ve been a fool for thinking you could change but no one ever really changes, they just learn how to wear a different mask.”
Before he could respond, I got up, grabbed the dress, and headed for the bathroom. There, the mirror reflected my broken expression. My eyes were filled with tears and my cheeks void of color. What was I doing here? Why was I putting myself through the torture of meeting this Lacey woman? I thought to myself.
To prove to yourself that he truly loves you and only you. That little voice in the back of my head chimed in. To prove that he’s telling the truth and that maybe, just maybe something will change and he’ll stay. Forever.
I shook my head. Sometimes, my subconscious was way too optimistic. Grayson could spin his lies however he wanted but he wasn’t going to pull the wool over my eyes. Not this time.
With this thought in mind, I peeked my head out of the bathroom door. “Hey, you can at least make yourself useful and order some makeup to go with the dress.”
“Makeup?” He looked up from the magazine in his hand. “What on Earth do you need makeup for?”
“Well, if this place is a bougie as you say it is then I’m going to need makeup. Walking in with a naked face is just as bad as walking in with half of my dress missing.”
He grinned. “You know, I like the thought.”
“Stop being a perv and order the makeup, will you?” I snapped.
“I still think you would look much better without the makeup.” He commented. “But, for fear of getting my neck sliced, I’ll do what you say.”
“Good. You’re learning.” I laughed.
Once that was settled, I locked the door and took off my work clothes. It felt good to slip out of the tight pencil skirt I had been wearing all day. Since my college days, I had thickened up a bit and now some of my clothes from back then were a size too small. And, if I happened to be bloated, forget it, there was no way in hell for me to squeeze into them.
The dress, on the other hand, it fit me like a glove. The stretchy material hugged my every curve to utter perfection. My reflection revealed a woman with an hourglass figure and a shapely backside. I hardly recognized myself. So much so that I had to run my hands down the length of my body just to convince myself.
And then there was the matter of my chest. The dress had a built-in bra that lifted my girls and displayed them to the world but in a tasteful manner. They looked plump and inviting. Well, wherever we ended up tonight, it would be all eyes on me. And, I liked that.
Plus, if it made Grayson a little jealous, I wasn’t about to complain. He’s quite handsome when he’s jealous.
Chapter 6: Grayson
SHELLY EMERGED FROM the bathroom looking like a goddess. I swear, my jaw nearly came unhinged at the sight of her. “Damn, babe.” I whistled loudly.
She blushed and somehow, it heightened her beauty even further. A rush of excitement gathered between my legs, straining against the fabric of my pants. Unable to resist, I stepped forward, took her into my arms and kissed her.
Again, she was a little stiff. I could tell she was fighting the attraction she felt toward me. She was staying cautious and frankly, I couldn’t blame her. I had left without notice before. I was young and full of ideas and I thought if I acted on them, I’d be able to provide for her – to give her anything and everything she wanted. I never stopped to consider that she’d get hurt by my actions.
She started to respond to the kiss so I pulled her a little closer. My hands dropped to her rump, squeezing it through her dress. “Mmm, this feels so nice. Are you sure you don’t want to stick here and have some fun?” I asked.
“I admire you for trying but it’s not going to happen.” She said as she grabbed her clutch and headed for the door. As she opened it, I noticed my car keys in her hand. Oh, that sneaky little...
“Don’t you dare!” I shouted.
She hurried down the steps but her high heels made it impossible for her to go very fast. I snatched the keys as she reached the landing. “Oh, come on. I wasn’t that bad of a driver.”
“I’m not risking you wrecking my car. I may love you but not that much.”
Shelly froze into a statue and stared at me.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked, raising an eyebrow in question. “Is there something on my face?”
“Do you realize what you just said?”
“What? That I loved you?”
“Yeah.” She answered as she looked down at her feet to avoid looking me in the eye.
Gently, I placed two fingers underneath her chin and lifted it. “Look, I know I’ve made my fair share of mistakes in the past and that it probably doesn’t mean anything to you if I say that this time, things will be different. But, I swear to you, they will be. I have no more reason to leave. I have all the money in the world and now all I need is a queen to pamper.” This time, our kiss was soft and delicate. I wanted her to know that she meant something to me – that she was special. It wasn’t about looks or lust, what I felt for her was genuine and real. Now, all I had to do was convince her of that fact.
She pulled away with this dazed look on her face. “We should probably go. We don’t want to keep this Lacey woman waiting.”
“You
know she means nothing to me romantically, right?” I asked as I opened the car door for her. “She’s nothing more than a friend.”
Shelly didn’t bother to answer me. I could tell she was biting her tongue.
I leaned over and buckled her in. I took a moment to enjoy the proximity of her chest to my face but Shelly quickly caught on and shoved me out the door. Well, there goes my nicely pomade hair.
With a few swipes of my fingers, I managed to fix it in the side mirror. Only then did I get behind the wheel. As soon as I turned on the car, the engine purred to life. The interior lighting glowed an electric blue. This was, by far, my favorite car. I loved everything about it almost as much as I loved Shelly.
“So, where exactly are we going?” Shelly fiddled with the satellite radio as I eased onto the radio.
“You know, you can just ask the car to play something for you. Is your favorite band still 21 Pilots?” I merged onto the fast line and pressed on the gas. With no effort at all, the car shifted into third, then fourth. I could feel the horsepower coursing through the steering wheel and through my veins. Driving this thing was such an adrenaline rush.
“Yeah. They’re not bad.”
“Play 21 Pilots,” I commanded.
“Playing 21 Pilots’ newest album: Trench.” Instantly, their music boomed through the speakers.
Shelly smiled. “I have to admit, that’s pretty nifty.”
“Isn’t it?” I returned her smile. As I continued to drive, I glanced over at her to find that the slit in her dress exposed a good part of her thigh. If it was any higher, I bet I would have caught a good look at her panties. For a minute, I wondered what she was wearing under that dress? The boy shorts she was so fond of a couple of years ago? Or maybe a thong. Mmm. Or, best yet, nothing at all.
“You still haven’t answered my question. Where exactly are we going?” She asked as she looked out the window.
“Lacey owns an underground casino. She rarely leaves the place so whenever we need to talk, I head over there.”
“So, let me get this straight, you launder money and now you’re caught up in illegal gambling?” Her tone was harsh and reprimanding. “Are you trying to land yourself in jail?”