Like You (Perfectly Flawed #1)
Page 23
He's preaching to the converted, but his words nonetheless sink deep. I put my glass up to him. This is no time for jokes. "I hear you, brother."
He pours himself a beer and raises it to me. "Cheers."
"Cheers."
You need to pull out of whatever you're into that gets you beaten up with broken ribs...
Damn it. There go my plans of finding Emeryk and making him French kiss the nearest wall.
-3-
Frankie, as usual, really screwed up my plans. My plan had been to let my ribs heal and then go, one by one, and rip the necks off of Emeryk and his mercenaries. OK, not the neck, just a few teeth. And maybe a finger or two.
And then? He'd pay them again and they'd come after me again. I can fight, but this ain't no movie. Taking on more than two dudes at a time is always tough. But four? That's downright suicide. Or just downright idiocy.
Something might happen to me if I go after them.
And Gen would suffer.
I think of her letter to me. Loaded. That it was. As is everything with us.
I get to my apartment but instead of popping another morphine tablet and contemplating all the different ways I could break Emeryk's toes, I hunt my files for my email password. After three excruciating hours, I find it. Written on a torn piece of an envelope that I stored in a shoebox. Cute.
And very secure indeed.
I text Gen.
Axle: Found my email address password. What's your address?
Gen: gen.luvs.photos@gmail.com Can't wait to get my first loaded letter from you on there!
I'm amazed that phones actually turn emails into clickable links. I click it and a mail program comes up but it tells me I haven't set up an account. It sounds a little too complicated, so I turn on my ancient computer instead.
When it finally loads, I send Gen a short message.
I figure, since I've got this dinosaur on, I might as well do something useful with it. I find the web address of that college I was signed up with. I also find the login details for it. On another torn envelope. Same shoebox.
Turns out my account is still active and as soon as I pay up the necessary fees for my lesson plan I can continue from where I left off.
I don't think twice. Ten minutes later I've paid and the lessons are staring at me on the screen. I'm not a read-on-the-screen kind of guy so I stick them on a USB stick and stumble on down to the nearest print shop.
No, I don't own a printer.
When I return, I sit on my newish red couch which I got to replace that old sumbitch I had here before. This one is comfy. I rest my foot on my newish wooden table.
I start reading Italian.
CHAPTER 37
-1-
From: Axle Rhodes
Subject: My email address
Sent on: November 17, 2013, 05:52 P.M.
Hey babe,
This is my email address.
Ax
***
From: Genevieve
Subject: RE: My email address
Sent on: November 17, 2013, 06:11 P.M.
Axle Rhodes Badass!?
LOL!
-2-
From: Genevieve
Subject: LOADED LETTER
Sent on: November 17, 2013, 07:54 P.M.
Message:
** LOADED LETTER **
Hey Axle,
So here's my first "official" loaded letter to you by electronic mail.
I've signed the contracts and I'll be staying in Frankfurt for at least another two years. I can't explain how excited I am!
OK, I've been sitting here for five minutes trying to figure out what to say because...I really only want to say one thing. But this is the loaded part: I miss you. I mean, I really miss you.
Normally I wouldn't say it. But you told me to just say stuff. So, I said it.
Attached is a photo of me and my BFF, Brooke. The cool clothes I'm wearing are thanks to her.
Like you. A lot.
Gen with a G
***
From: Axle Rhodes
Subject: RE: LOADED LETTER
Sent on: November 17, 2013, 09:17 P.M.
Message:
** LOADED **
Dear Gen with a G,
The clothes you're wearing are cool, but you know I'd rather see you without clothes. When can we arrange that?
I'm trying to think of something loaded to tell you but I'm realizing that soon you'll know all my secrets. Here's a little one: I'm officially a college student. I started earlier today. Learning the language of love and all that crap
So, when do you get back?
Like you. Plenty.
Ax
***
From: Genevieve
Subject: RE: LOADED LETTER
Sent on: November 17, 2013, 09:26 P.M.
Message:
** LOADED — BIG-TIME **
Axle,
I'd love to be nude in front of you...in a perfect world.
I don't want to tell you in this letter why it's difficult for me to be. But when I get back, I'll show you.
I promise.
Really like you.
Really.
Gen
-3-
From: Genevieve
Subject: Can't Sleep
Sent on: November 18, 2013, 01:43 A.M.
Message:
I can't sleep. You?
Maybe I should've gotten drunk like Brooke did. She passed out and is snoring next to me!
***
From: Genevieve
Subject: Re: Can't Sleep
Sent on: November 18, 2013, 01:53 A.M.
Message:
OK, I guess that means you can sleep. I fly out in the morning. I'll probably mail again tomorrow night. The Hunter will no doubt have me working my fingers to the bone until the evening.
Like you so much.
Missing you.
Gen
***
From: Axle Rhodes
Subject: Re: Can't Sleep
Sent on: November 18, 2013, 06:17 A.M.
Message:
Actually, I slept like a rock. Morphine and all.
Looking forward to sleeping with you again. Zzzzzz.
-4-
Nov. 19, 2013 — Tuesday
"Hey, Axle."
"Hey, babe. You calling from a mobile?"
"No, the hotel."
"You sound beat."
"I am. I'm totally dead. She has me taking shots of nude bodies in a steam-bath all day, then a Jacuzzi, then on the streets—"
"Isn't it freezing there?"
"It is."
"Damn, the cahoonies of some of those dudes must be the size of peanuts."
"I don't take photos of their cahoonies!"
"But you wish you did, right?"
"No!"
"You're such an artist."
"That's why they pay me the big bucks."
"(Laughs) Your voice sounds good."
"Your voice sounds so good. It sounds like a massage. So, you coming to visit?"
"Uhm, no."
"Oh, yeah, probably not a good idea anyway. I mean, I'm working all day—"
"That's not the reason."
"It isn't?"
"No."
"Are you gonna tell me the reason?"
"Gen, (clears throat), I'm... You sound so sexy right now. Have you got a cold or something?"
"No, just my voice is a little rough."
"It's making me hard."
"(Laughs. Exhales.) I don't know how to respond to that."
"And that's the problem. Because I can tell you're not even slightly offended. Because you feel the same, right?"
"Hard?"
"No, the same build-up of hormones between us. The heat. The need to rip each other's clothes off and h
ave raw, crazy sex until the early hours of the morning."
Silence.
"Gen?"
Clears throat. "I do feel the same."
"And that's a problem. Because I have another two weeks to wait to make sure...I'm OK."
"When did you last sleep with someone?"
Silence.
"Axle?"
"It's not a part of my life I'm proud of, Gen. I don't like talking about it. I wasn't like this before—"
"When?"
Sighs. "A week ago today. Tuesday."
"Tuesday?"
"Yeah."
Silence.
"That was before you and I did anything, Gen."
"Right, um, sorry, force of habit. I knew that."
"No, it's cool. I really can't blame you."
"You use a rubber?"
"Of course I did." Pause. "Well, not 'of course.' I mean, yes of course. Never mind. I just want to be careful."
"You're being too careful. You know it's OK to kiss me even if you do have—"
"Bleeding gums, remember? Gen, I can't lose someone else I— You're the first woman I've been with for more than a night since...she...died. That must tell you I feel something about you. Something strong, right?"
"Yeah."
"I know I'm being overcautious. But I couldn't live with myself if... Watching you make your dreams come true with these photographs... It's... It's the best damn fucking thing I've ever seen with anyone. It makes me happy to see you succeed. You have to understand that."
"Frankie told me that was what hurt the most—not seeing...her...succeed."
"Frankie knows me well."
"Sorry if that was too close to the bone."
"It always is with us. No point holding back."
"Which is why you shouldn't be afraid of telling me anything, Ax. I know you're no knight in shining armor. But you're exactly...what I want. You're real. I lived with unreal for too long. With you, I know what I'm getting. And I like what I'm getting.
"I'm getting someone who helps me. Who cares. Someone who's so much more than what he shows others. The uncut diamond— Hey, why are you freaking laughing!?"
"Uncut diamond? That is so Dawson's Creek!"
"Asshole!"
"So, you back tomorrow or Thursday?"
"Actually..." Silence.
"Spit it out."
"Well, that's why I called. I'm... I'm gonna be gone until December."
"Damn, I wish I'd studied photography."
"Yeah, um, but I won't be in Prague. There's only so much you can shoot here at this time of year. I'm...going to France."
"Oh, excusez-moi!"
"Hey, don't show off your language skills with me! I don't speak a word of French."
"Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?"
"Huh?"
"It's from a song. Moulin Rouge soundtrack."
"What does it mean?"
"You don't know?"
"No!"
"Well, I'm hoping I can show one day. You only going to France?"
Silence.
"Gen?"
"And Austria... And Switzerland."
"Fuck me sideways. You really struck the big-time, didn't you?"
"I still can't believe it."
"What is this call costing you?"
"Nothing."
"Your boss is paying for it?"
"She is. Up to thirty minutes a night. She says whatever I need to 'stay inspired.'"
"She must be loaded... I mean, money loaded. Not the sorry-ass loaded you and I are."
"She is loaded. Money loaded."
"Well done, babe."
Silence.
"Gen, we've run out of things to tell each other. It's time to go."
"I miss you."
"I miss you, too.
"I don't want to go. I have another twenty minutes I can spend to keep myself inspired."
"I could talk dirty to you."
"You could."
"What are you wearing?"
"A nighty. You?"
"Dirty roofing clothes."
"YOU WENT ROOFING?"
"I did."
"Aren't your ribs still broken?"
"Very much so, but you're ruining the mood."
"Axle—"
"What's under the nighty?"
"Ax—"
"Under. The. Nighty."
"N—Nothing..."
"Oh, baby. Let me inspire you..."
CHAPTER 38
-1-
Dec. 5, 2013 — Thursday Morning.
Axle: When do you land?
Gen: Around five P.M.
Axle: I'm clean, babe.
"What!? This is too important for a text! You're...clean?"
"I am."
"Oh, my God."
"I've made dinner plans. If your boss wants you tonight, I'll knock her teeth in."
Silence.
"Gen?"
"I'm here. I'm, God, I'm so nervous."
"Oh, sorry, I just assumed that—"
"You assumed right. And I'm nonetheless nervous."
"We don't have to if you don't want—"
"I want. I so want."
"Me, too."
"Axle, I think after tonight, we're gonna be officially in a relationship. You realize that, right?"
"I think we passed that line around the fifth or sixth time I inspired you on the phone, babe. We're just gonna shorten up the long-distance in our relationship a little tonight. A lot, actually."
"I'll need to clean up first."
"If you must. I've tasted sweat on you before. I'll taste it again gladly."
"You're making me nervous. And horny."
"Good nervous or bad nervous?"
"Good nervous. Very good nervous."
-2-
A.
Dec. 5, 2013 — Thursday Evening.
She looks like a princess when I see her coming out into the concourse in her furry hat and furry coat and damn sexy boots.
She's chewing gum.
Her face goes red and the little freckles on it are visible even from several yards away. She rushes to me with her luggage cart and almost knocks over three men on the way.
She can't fight the smile.
Neither can I.
Her lips. All I see are her red, full lips. Their corners almost touching her ears she's so happy.
She screeches the cart into a stop in front of me. There are three suitcases on it. Must've gone shopping...
She stands there looking up at me.
I don't waste a breath. I put my arm around her waist and pull her into me.
"You put on a dress shirt and slacks," she says.
"You put on a furry hat."
We stare at each other. I feel the heat of her skin on my own. I move her closer and ease my head down to hers. Her eyes start to flutter and I sense her body trembling. "I can't wait anymore," I say.
"Neith—Neither can—"
I don't let her finish. Our lips collide. Hers are as warm as chocolate fondue, soft as a feathered pillow. My tongue finds the bubble gum in her mouth and I play with it. My heart rate goes wild. My manhood swells and I squeeze her against me tight enough so that our crotches touch.
Her eyes close. Her lids flicker.
Her body heats up in my arm. Our lips struggle to get even closer. I feel her breasts on my chest.
I want to take her coat off.
I want to take her sweater off.
I want to take everything off.
-3-
G.
He's put me in a cloud with his kiss. His body swallows mine as he holds me close against him. I can feel his heartbeat pummeling me from behind his chest.
He devours me. Tiny drips of his saliva fall into my mouth and I relish it, tasting it. Tasting him, finally. Our tongues stroke each other, back and forth. His finds the inside of my cheek. Mine finds the inside of his.
I almost swallow my gum.
I lick his teeth and taste his human flavor.
I feel
his hard-on directly on my sweet spot and my legs begin trembling.
I wanted him last night.
I wanted him on the plane.
I want him right now.
I pull away slightly, to tell him we must leave and that I need him now. But his lips follow mine just as they break contact and I find myself falling again into his kiss, just standing there. Concourse swirling around me.
My nipples stretch.
I drop my purse and pull him toward me by his shirt. Our kisses become more needy with every beating second.
Finally he lets me pull away, but not far. I caress his skin. "I made dinner," he says.
"Can it wait?"
"Definitely."
In the car his hand is on my leg and mine is on his. I rub his thigh and he rubs mine. We talk little. I bite my lip and tense my muscles. I shift in my seat. It takes half an hour to get to his place and when we're there I tell him to leave the luggage in the car.
The elevator takes too long to arrive and before I know it he's racing with me up the stairs, dragging me by the hand. He stops on the third landing and pushes me up against the wall. His hand eases up my skirt and starts sliding my leggings down.
I whimper. My left leg goes around his butt and I don't care about the fire escape door behind him. I want him now. It can't wait.
I start moving the leggings down further but he holds my hand. "Not here," he says.
The climb to his place might as well be the climb up Everest.
Finally, we're there.
I briefly see the candles and the set-up table and smell the aroma of something fresh and meaty in the oven. He closes the door quietly, then eases up behind me.
His hands slide around my waist. His lips touch my neck and it sends fire down my sides.
His cock presses against my butt. I want to ask him why he wore the slacks and not his usual denims, but I'm beyond asking anything. The urgency has taken over me so that it's all I can think of now.
He continues where he left off with my leggings, easing his fingers into the seam by my waist and pulling down. They come off.
The apartment is warm. And clean.
His right hand falls into my panties, the front. He caresses my nub gently. I grab his wrist as he does it. I can't keep my eyes open.
He eases a fingertip into me. Then his entire finger. I drip. I smell the sex on me already.
I move my hands to my panties and take them off.