by Sam Crescent
“You’re a strange one.” Deuce walked off.
She couldn’t agree more with him.
Chapter Five
Cole twisted the caps off the beer bottles and entered his back yard. The scent of the barbeque was still heavy in the air. Vincent and Danny were once again arguing over Tiffany’s presence last night. Cole didn’t know what to think right now. Everything had been going great for all of ten minutes. The moment Tiffany opened her mouth, everything had gone to shit.
When he’d brought Elena home, he finally thought he’d gotten her. She’d run at the first opportunity. Now he didn’t know what to do. Elena was the only woman he wanted, craved, and wished for. He had a taste, and now he wanted more.
“What has gotten you all quiet over there?” Vincent asked.
“Thinking.”
“Does this have to with Elena?”
Cole stared at his friends, and decided to confide in them. “What do you think I’m doing wrong?” he asked, once he’d told them everything.
“She wants you to talk to her?” Danny asked. “I don’t know. I thought that was a woman’s place, to constantly moan, nag, and do the whole girly routine.”
“Shut up,” Cole said. “I don’t get it.”
“What’s there to get? She’s a woman. Give her flowers, dinner, and shit. She’ll be fine.”
“Danny, fuck off,” Vincent said.
Danny rolled his eyes. “I need to take a leak.”
Cole rubbed at his temple, feeling the start of a headache. “She didn’t like the nickname I was given or what Tiffany said. Fucking bitch brought back all of Elena’s memories.”
“Elena’s not going to like it, Cole. I guess it was difficult for her last night. You’re also her boss, and to be honest, you’re kind of scary when you do that staring thing,” Vincent said.
“I don’t stare.”
“You do. You’ve always done it.”
“I’m not good with words. That’s not a crime,” Cole said, taking a sip of his beer. He’d always struggled with saying what he wanted. It was part of the reason he ended up doing a damn semester at college. He’d never wanted to. His parents wanted that life for him. One semester he’d promised himself at the time, and he’d hated every single second. Just thinking about the classes, and all the crap, he’d been bored out of his mind.
“It’s not a crime. In case you didn’t get the memo, Elena’s a talker, and from what Juliet said, the more she talks, the more she’s nervous.”
Cole frowned. “When did you speak to Juliet?”
“Last night while we were on a date. Please don’t tell me you hit Elena over the head, and brought her back here, had your way with her, and didn’t say a word.”
“I said … words!”
Vincent sighed. “You amaze me.”
Cole stood and stormed down toward his garage. Danny was probably raiding his fridge. Vincent and Danny were like his brothers. They had always been close, and he’d confided in them one summer that he did find Elena attractive. Since that moment on, they had always teased and taunted him. The names didn’t bother him. As far as he was concerned, Elena’s curvy body was beautiful. He’d fantasized enough about her over the years, and finally he’d had her in his bed, and he’d screwed up.
“What’s wrong?” Vincent asked.
“I can’t do this, okay? I don’t … I don’t know what to do.” Never had he felt so helpless. “I want her, Vincent. She’s the only woman I’ve ever wanted, and that’s not going to change.”
He’d tasted her, knew how sweet her pussy was, and how good it felt wrapped around his cock. He wasn’t going to walk away.
“Then you need to go and tell her because she wasn’t giving you the time of day today. Clearly, there’s something there.”
“She wants conversation. I like listening to her talk.”
Vincent laughed. “The girls in high school, and everyone you’ve dated they’ve always been the center of attention. Damn, they could even talk to themselves about themselves, that’s how crazy it got. Elena’s not like that, man. She’s … different. Also, wear a helmet with her, she’s a disaster waiting to happen.”
“I’ve got to head over there.” He didn’t like the way she’d ignored him today, or the fact she’d left without saying goodbye. In the month that she’d been working for him, there had been small details that he had come to love about her. Her smile, the way she was always willing to say hello to someone. She was an optimist. Rarely negative. He adored her.
“Go and see what the problem is. I’ll be here when you get back,” Vincent said. “I’ll stop Danny from destroying your place.”
“You’re a life saver.” He didn’t wait around. Climbing into his truck, he took off heading toward Elena’s apartment. It didn’t take him long to get there, and as he was knocking on her door, he had a fleeting moment of panic. Crap. What was he going to say to her? He’d never been in this position before, and he didn’t like it.
Elena opened the door, and she paused. “Cole,” she said.
“Elena. I wanted to talk.”
“You want to talk.”
“Yes. I want to talk.”
She stared at him for several seconds, and then stepped back. “Come on in.”
He stepped into her apartment, and she closed the door. She looked nervous.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yes. Why?” She watched him with her back to the door.
“Do I make you nervous?”
She smiled then, and it was like the first time he had seen her, so many years ago. He wondered if she even remembered that day in the schoolyard. She’d been five years old, and he’d been eight. It was her first day, and she’d fallen off the climbing frame that was in the corner of the playground. He’d been there to help her up, and as he took her hand, she gave him that dazzling smile, and his entire world seemed to change. The whistle had rung, and neither of them could stay as they ran to their classes.
He would see her often on the playground, but their encounters were always few and far between. Instead, he’d watched her from afar. Going to high school had been hard. He found himself in class missing her, which was strange considering they didn’t really have a connection. She’d been part of his daily life for so long. It was a relief when she finally joined high school.
“No, of course not. You don’t make me nervous, Cole.”
She pulled him out of his thoughts, which he found a relief.
He smiled back.
“You don’t smile enough,” she said.
“I don’t.” He had a smile on his face right now, and he saw she was just trying to make excuses, which was cute.
“No. You also don’t talk enough. What’s up? Did I do something wrong?”
“Yes, you did. You’ve done a whole lot wrong.”
“I did?” she asked, frowning. “I don’t understand.”
“I can list them. First you left in the middle of the night. I could spank that ass of yours, but I have a feeling you’d enjoy that.” This got another big smile from her. “Then today at work, you ignored me.”
“You were with your friends.”
“You ignored me. You didn’t say goodbye, and you hurt my feelings.”
This time she rolled her eyes, but there was also a smile on her lips.
“You’re too cute,” she said.
“You’re too sexy, Elena.”
“You’re too perfect.”
“And you’re not perfect enough. I want to make this work, Elena. I want you to be mine, and I’m not using you to show my friends I’m not a bore.” He stepped toward her, cupped her cheeks, and stared into her grey eyes. “Go on another date with me.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Another one?”
“Yes, this time, I want to invite you to my place.”
“Oh, it’s that kind of date?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Yes and no.”
This brought a chuckle.
>
“First, I want to cook you dinner,” he said. “You come and wear comfortable clothes, and we’ll hang out and talk.”
“Okay,” she said. “You’re tempting me. Do you know how to cook?”
“I’m thirty-one years old. I can cook.”
“Tempting.”
He twirled a curl around his finger and smiled at her. “Then we’ll see where the rest of the night goes.”
“We will?”
“Yes. Will you let me cook you dinner?” he asked.
“Yes, you may cook me dinner, kind sir.”
This time he laughed. Pulling her in close, he pressed his lips against hers. “You’re going to love it.”
She placed a hand on his chest and smiled. “I think I might.”
“Tomorrow then.”
“Tomorrow?”
“You think I’m going to wait around? I’m heading to the store.” He pressed another kiss to her lips. “Think about me.”
He released her and began to leave.
“Cole,” she said, making him stop and turn toward her. “I think you’re perfect the way you are, and I don’t want you to change. I’m so sorry for saying the stuff I did.”
He left her apartment with a smile on his face, and his next stop was the store. Cooking was something he could do, and he intended to impress her with it.
By the time he got back, Vincent and Danny were playing one of his video games that he usually played when he felt like shit, and didn’t want to leave the house. They were fighting each other.
“Well, how did it go?” Danny asked.
“Good. It went good. I’m cooking her dinner.”
“You’re going to impress her with your cooking skills?” Vincent asked, ditching the game. “Does she like spice?”
“I don’t know,” Cole said.
“Dude, you make the spiciest chili around,” Vincent said.
“It’s like totally out of this world spicy,” Danny said. “You have no taste buds.”
He glared at his two friends. “I want this to work, and for it to work, I need my two best friends by my side.”
“To cook?” Danny asked.
“No. To keep the name-calling shit in the past. We’re grown men. Don’t bring that bitch, Tiffany, around anymore. She’s not allowed here.” He pointed at Danny for that one. “Do not hurt her friend, as otherwise I’ll have to kill you.” He pointed at Vincent for this one.
“Are you being a pussy over this woman?” Danny asked.
He sighed, gripped the edge of the counter, and counted to ten. When that was done, he looked at his two best friends, and decided to be honest. “I’ve wanted Elena for a long time. Longer than you can even imagine. Some shit has always gotten in the way. I don’t want that to happen again. I don’t want to lose this chance with her. Can I rely on you two to help me out?” he asked.
“Of course,” Vincent said.
“Yes. Tiffany was a bore anyway. Couldn’t shut her up. Just so you know your picture got a couple of hundred hits as well,” Danny said.
“I don’t care about that.” All he cared about was winning Elena, and finally having what he had always wanted, and that was her.
****
Elena didn’t drive, so she had to get Juliet to drop her off. “This is lame. I feel like my big sister is taking me to my first date.”
“First, screw you. I’m not that much older than you, three months to be exact. Second, you should totally learn how not to be a klutz. No one will get in a car with you to learn, and that’s all your own fault.”
Elena released a sigh.
“Kiss big sis on the cheek for dropping you off,” Juliet said, doing her baby voice.
Laughing, Elena rolled her eyes, and climbed out. Her cell phone was in her pocket.
“If I’ve not heard from you by eleven, I’ll take it that you’re staying over. Be a good girl, Elena,” Juliet said.
“You’re too much at times.”
“That’s exactly why you love me. Go, have fun.” Her friend waved, and Elena turned back to the house. This was it.
She had debated canceling, as it seemed awkward between them right now. When he’d visited her apartment yesterday, she didn’t really know what to think, or what to do. She wasn’t afraid of him, far from it.
He was like her superhero.
Licking her dry lips, she stepped up to his door, and knocked.
Seconds passed, and he didn’t answer. She was about to knock again, and he opened the door.
“Sorry. I didn’t want anything to burn, so I turned it down. Come in, come in,” he said.
He took her hand, leading her inside, and she gripped his hard. The scent of garlic was heavy in the air. They went to his kitchen, and he held out a bottle of wine. “White okay?”
“Yes, it’s perfect.”
“Please, have a seat.”
She sat down and sipped at the white wine, loving the fresh, fruity taste. “Delicious.”
“The food will even better,” he said with a wink.
This was a side she had never seen of Cole, teasing, winking, looking like he was having a lot of fun.
“Well I had to see it to believe it. Can I take a picture to prove to Juliet that you do in fact cook?” she asked, grabbing her cell phone.
“Wait, wait, let’s make it look real.” He tucked the towel he was holding through his belt, and grabbed a pan with a spoon. He turned toward her, pursed his lips, and she was so busy laughing she nearly dropped her phone. Quickly taking pictures, she loved this side of him that she was finally getting to see. It made her wonder what it would have been like, if she’d had the courage to have at least approached him in high school. Cole was an amazing guy, perfect in every single way, and he’d admitted to being attracted to her.
“I had no idea you could cook.”
“When I was younger, I didn’t like to cook, nor did I care to. Sandwiches, noodles, chips, you name it, that was food. When I got older, that didn’t really sit well with me. The first semester of college, for three weeks straight, I ate takeout, and didn’t like it. There was nothing left for me to do but to learn how to cook.”
“You did it though. Look at you. You’re cooking.”
“The proof is always in the testing.”
She watched as he dipped a spoon into the sauce, gave it a taste, and then added some parsley, salt, and pepper.
“Do you enjoy cooking?” she asked, curious to know more.
“I do, actually.” He pressed a finger to his lips, and looked around to make sure no one was there. Elena frowned and looked around her. He opened up the fridge, and she saw a beautiful frosted chocolate cake. “Just our little secret, I also like to bake. I don’t think it looks too bad. What do you think?”
“Wow, that is like, wow,” she said. “You did that all yourself?”
“Yes, yours truly baked that.”
“Well, Cole, you’re full of many surprises, and I’m shocked that you kept your baking a secret.”
“I don’t bake for just anyone, and this is a cake that I’ve perfected, and I got feedback from my friends,” he said.
“Danny and Vincent know you bake?”
“Yes. They said that I should just show up with a baked cake rather than roses. There were a few other things they said to help my night go smoothly. Fine wine, fine dinner, and other stuff. I’ll get to that.”
She giggled. She couldn’t help it. “Did they give you any sound advice for the bedroom, perhaps?”
“Blast, woman, you know I am more than adequate in the bedroom.”
“Adequate being a sound description. I think I may have been a little drunk, so not got the greatest memory.”
He put the pan down and rounded the counter, grabbing her hips. She released a squeal as he pressed her against the counter. His cock pressed against her stomach. “Do I need to remind you how much you begged?”
“Yes, I think you do.”
Just then, her stomach growled, letting them kno
w he needed to feed her in other ways first. He kissed her nose and stepped back.
“Dinner is nearly done.” He took her wine, and hand, leading her toward another table. He held out a seat, and she was surprised by the lengths he’d gone to for dinner. Taking a sip of her wine, she stared around the dining room. There were a couple of pictures on the walls, and the cabinets seemed bare, as if they were waiting for someone to fill them.
The nerves she’d had before entering his home had long gone, his playful attitude helping to put any doubts and fears to rest. Pushing some hair out of her face, she took another sip of her wine, and moved it away from her. She didn’t want to get too drunk and risk their date.
Minutes passed, and he finally entered, carrying two plates.
“Okay, this is a breaded chicken with a lemon sauce, and a hint of garlic. A mushroom rice pilaf on the side.”
It looked and smelled amazing.
She waited for him to sit, and picked up her fork. Taking a fork full of the rice, she had a taste, and paused.
Frowning a little, she glanced down at the rice pilaf, and took another forkful. Yeah, it was there all right. “Did you put chili in this?”
“Erm, just a little.” He held his fingers close together. “Not a lot.”
She waved a hand in front of her mouth, and tried to fan some of the heat. “Wow, that is, erm, a lot of, er, chili,” she said.
“I think I should warn you I put chili in a lot of things.”
“It’s fine. Just took me by surprise there. You don’t really have a lot of chili with, erm, this, I didn’t think.”
Wow, her mouth was on fire!
Taking a sip of her wine, she knew it wouldn’t do the trick. The heat was making her lips feel huge.
Next, she tried the chicken, and there was spice in that, and the garlic wasn’t a hint either. It was full throttle with heat. She shook her head. “I can’t eat it.”
He frowned, and then reached over, and took a bite of the food. “Crap, I gave you the wrong plate.”
He quickly switched plates, and she stared down at her new plate. She was nervous to taste anything for fear of it burning her head off.
“It’s your plate. It’s fine. No fire, or burning. Just gentle heat.”
Taking his word for it, she took a smaller forkful of rice, and had a taste. There was heat there, but not as burning as the other one.