Love in All the Wrong Places

by Audrey Harte

  “I told you before…I’m not looking for a one night stand. I want a true friend with benefits. Of course I want nothing more than to pull you down this alley and fuck you right here, but I want to spend a little time with you first and get to know you.”

  Annie blushed again at his bold statement and laughed. “Wow, okay then.”

  “Good. Glad that’s all settled then.” They continued to walk down the promenade, eating their gelato as they window shopped and people watched. “Verdict?” he asked when she stopped to throw away her empty dish.

  “I’ve decided that gelato is absolutely delicious. However, I didn’t really think it was all that different from ice cream,” she admitted with a wry smile.

  He laughed and nodded. “Yeah, it’s not really that different — just lighter.”

  “Yeah, and softer — I like it when my ice cream is hard.” She deliberately licked her lips and winked at him.

  Groaning, he tickled her lightly, cornering her against a wall as he leaned down to kiss her. He touched his lips lightly to hers, closing his eyes as he breathed her in. Opening them again, he stared down at her, a smile playing at his lips. “Did I mention that you’re making it really difficult for me to remain a gentleman?”

  “Mmm, well, I do like a gentleman…as long as he’s not a perfect gentleman all of the time.”

  Grasping her wrists, he jerked her forward and kissed her again, but this time more firmly. Then he quickly released her and swatted her backside as she started to walk away, making her jump and yelp at the same time.

  Unable to stop the stupid grin that plastered itself across her face, she took his hand as he reached out to her and they walked the rest of the way down the promenade in companionable silence. He led her across the street and down the bridge to the Santa Monica pier where dozens of tourists milled around, some snapping pictures of the pier and the beach while others lingered around kiosks buying souvenirs to take back home to their family and friends.

  “Want to ride the Ferris wheel?” he asked, inclining his head towards the end of the pier.

  “Sure, I’m game,” she agreed and followed closely as he led her through the crowd, her hand gripped firmly in his. After he paid for their tickets, they were ushered into a car on the Ferris wheel. As the wheel turned, making them go higher and higher, Annie scooted closer to the middle of the car, squeezing her eyes shut.

  Laughing, Nate reached across to take her hands in his. “Are you scared of heights?”

  Her eyes still squeezed shut, she replied, “No, what makes you think that?”

  “Ahh, the fact that you can’t open your eyes?”

  Hesitantly, she popped one eye back open. “It’s not so much the height, but this thing just doesn’t feel all that stable.”

  “Well, I’m right here with you and nothing’s going to happen to us. Thousands of people have ridden this Ferris wheel before us with no problems whatsoever.”

  “I know you’re right, but it still freaks me out a little.”

  “Then why did you agree to come on it?”

  “I wanted to impress you with my bravery?”

  Nate laughed and then placed a kiss on each of her hands. “You’re adorable.”

  “You don’t think I’m a wuss?”

  “Not at all. I think it’s kind of cool that you wanted to impress me.”

  Slowly popping the other eye open, she looked at him and swallowed hard. “Okay, I can do this.” Reluctantly, she released his hands and carefully lowered them down to rest on the sides of her seat.

  Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his iPhone and raised it up to take a picture of her. Flipping it around, he showed the screen to her.

  “Oh God, no. Delete, delete!” she said, shaking her head. “Do over.” Carefully, she let go of the seat to comb her fingers through her hair and then smiled and posed for him to take another shot.

  “How about this one?” he said, showing his phone to her again.

  Briefly, she inspected it and nodded. “Much better.”

  “Cool. Now let me put a filter on it real quick and Instagram it…and there...just sent it to you.”

  “Thanks,” she said, grinning at him. “Wow, I’m not used to a guy who actually likes taking pictures.”

  “Oh yeah, it’s always been a hobby of mine.”

  “I’ve wanted to get into it for a long time, but never really had the motivation to get serious about it, I guess.”

  “Well, it’s never too late to learn. I could teach you what I know.”

  “Seriously? That would be awesome.”

  “Sure, why not. And it’ll give me an excuse to spend more time with you.”

  Blushing, she smiled widely at him. “How do you always know all the right things to say?”

  “I grew up with three sisters.”

  “And they taught you all the right things to say?”

  “Well, I heard them bitch enough about all the wrong things the guys they dated said or did. I took notes.”

  “I’ll have to remember to thank your sisters.”

  Before she knew it, the Ferris wheel ride was over and they were back on solid ground once again. After they strolled back to where they had left their cars in the parking lot by the promenade, Nate gave her a long hug and then leaned down to kiss her goodbye. It was a quick kiss, short and sweet. He promised to call her soon and waved as he walked back to his car. Annie couldn’t stop smiling all the way home. It had been a fun, easygoing afternoon which she had thoroughly enjoyed and she couldn’t wait to see him again.

  CHAPTER TEN

  A little less than an hour later, Annie had barely walked into her apartment when her phone buzzed with an incoming text message; it was from Nate.

  Nate: Is it pathetic that I miss you already?

  Annie: Maybe a little bit…but I may be feeling the same way, so guess I’m pretty pathetic, too.

  Nate: Yup, you’re a really sad, sad person.

  Annie: Ha, thanks!

  Nate: What are you doing tonight?

  Annie: Hanging out with my neighbor friend. He comes over every Sunday night to watch TV with me. I cook dinner and he brings dessert – it’s a good arrangement.

  Nate: A guy friend, huh? Should I be jealous?

  Annie: Lol, he’s gay.

  Nate: Guess not. :)

  Annie: Alex is great. I think you’d like him.

  Nate: Well, do you think he’d mind if I crashed your little dinner party just this once? I love to watch TV and eat home-cooked meals…but really, I just want to see you again as soon as possible. I’ll even relieve him of dessert duties if he wants.

  Annie: Hmm, let me ask him.

  She really had no idea how Alex would react to the idea. There were times when she could predict him, but this time she had no idea what he was going to say. Taking a deep breath, she scrolled through her contacts for his number and hit the “Call” button.

  He picked up on the second ring. “Hey, girlfriend.”

  “Hey yourself. Whatcha up to?”

  “Procrastinating against making dessert for tonight.”

  “Oh yeah? Well, I have a proposition to make which would excuse you from having to do that.”

  “Are you ditching me for a guy?”

  “No, but he did ask if he could join us for dinner and offered to bring dessert.”

  “Hmm. And who is this boy?”

  “Another guy I met on Craigslist…but…okay, don’t be mad at me, but I met him in Casual Encounters.”

  “Annie!”

  “I know, I know, but he’s actually really sweet and so nice and such a gentleman. He wants us to be real friends…with benefits.”

  “Oh honey...”

  “So is that okay with you? If not, I totally get it. But I really like him and I would love for you to meet him.”

  There was a long pause before Alex finally spoke again and Annie found herself holding her breath as she waited for his answer. “Well, what’s he bringing for desser
t?”

  Relieved, she laughed. “Whatever you want.”

  “I want…chocolate sundaes.”

  “Done. I’ll tell him to pick up everything we need to make chocolate sundaes.”

  “Tell him not to forget the whipped cream.”

  “Okay.”

  “And I mean enough for my sundae along with whatever else you skanks have planned for later.”

  “Alex!”

  “What? See you later!” He hung up the phone before she could say another word. With a wry smile, Annie shook her head and texted Nate to let him know he could come and to bring stuff to make chocolate sundaes.

  ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

  To Annie’s surprise and delight, Nate and Alex got along famously. While Alex was using the restroom later that night, Nate told her about Adam, his best friend from high school who came out to him their senior year. It had taken Adam a long time to work up the courage, and when he was finally able to talk to him, he had interrupted Nate in mid-sentence and blurted it out. Adam quickly assured him that he wasn’t trying to come on to him, and that he had always thought of and would always continue to think of Nate as only a brother.

  Instead of getting angry at his friend or insulting him like a lot of straight guys might have done, Nate had rolled his eyes, laughed and punched him playfully on the arm. “Duh,” was all he had said, and then he had continued on with their conversation like Adam had never said anything at all.

  She was immensely relieved to find a guy who was comfortable around Alex. She had dated so many guys who were so homophobic and insecure that they could never really relax around her gay BFF. It was refreshing to meet someone who was as accepting of everyone as she was herself, regardless of their sexual orientation, religious background, financial status or political affiliation. Again, she felt lucky to have found such a genuine, yet carefree and sexy man to befriend and have some fun with.

  Nate brought a couple bottles of wine along with the sundae fixings, offering one to Annie for being the gracious hostess and one to Alex as a peace token for intruding on his BFF time with Annie. Since Nate didn’t drink, Alex and Annie consumed both bottles. The three of them stayed up until well past midnight watching TV, eating the delicious dinner Annie cooked for them and then their amazing dessert, which Nate had insisted on making for them. As she watched him create delicious looking chocolate sundaes for the three of them, she thought she could definitely get used to being pampered like this.

  More than a little tipsy, Alex finally excused himself, saying he was going to call it a night and head back to his place. As he stood to leave, he swayed a bit and Annie jumped up to help him to the door, swaying a bit herself. Before leaving, he assured Nate he was welcome to crash their Sunday evening get-togethers anytime he liked. Annie beamed at Alex as she hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek, whispering her thanks in his ear. As he pulled back, he smiled and winked at her, then nodded to Nate, wishing them both a good night.

  Closing the door after Alex, Annie slowly turned and leaned against the door, smiling seductively at Nate. He was on his feet in a flash and moved quickly to join her at the door, leaning down to kiss her as he slid his hands into her hair, one hand on either side of her head. His fingers clenched tightly, yet gently as he explored her mouth with feverish excitement.

  She kissed him back, moaning softly against his lips as she melted into him. She couldn’t believe how badly she wanted this man who was so kind, gentle and thoughtful to make slow, sweet love to her, but at the same time, she also wanted him to take her quickly and forcefully. Confused at the mixed feelings coursing through her body, Annie regretfully broke their kiss, her chest heaving as she quickly gulped in some air.

  Leaning his forehead against hers, Nate was also breathing heavily with his eyes shut, his thumbs caressing her cheeks as he fought to regain his composure. Slowly, he finally opened his eyes and lifted his forehead from hers, gazing down into her deep hazel eyes.

  “A man could lose himself in your eyes,” he said wistfully as he released his grip and slid his hands down her shoulders and arms, finally taking her hand and bringing it up to his lips so he could brush a light kiss across her knuckles. “But I have to be up for work in about six hours and you probably do as well, so I’d better get going.”

  Disappointment flashed through her as she nodded slowly at him. “Sure, of course. Yeah, I should get some sleep. It’s been an eventful day.”

  “I want to see you again soon,” he promised with an earnest look in his eyes.

  “I suppose that could be arranged,” she said with a shy smile.

  “Okay, well, I’ll call you after I get off work and we’ll figure something out.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  “Goodnight, friend.”

  “Goodnight.”

  He brushed a finger down her cheek and smiled down at her, then reached for the doorknob. Moving away from the door so he could leave, she tried to squash the agitated feelings she was experiencing at his departure. She barely knew this guy, so how could he already have this much effect on her?

  ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

  Work kept her pretty busy most of Monday and she also took a longer lunch to celebrate her co-worker’s birthday. Before she knew it, five o’clock rolled around and Ashley came by to thank her for coming out to lunch with them and for the Godiva chocolates Annie had given her as a little birthday treat.

  Ashley invited her to join a small group of friends from work who were going out for drinks and dinner at their favorite karaoke bar to continue her birthday celebration. Annie was only too happy to accept the invitation as it had been months since she’d had a chance to sing. They weren’t meeting up until nine, so she had plenty of time to go home and change and wait for traffic to die down before heading back out.

  The karaoke bar they had frequented for the past several years was awesome, but the down side was that it was in Culver City and about a fifteen to twenty minute drive away, depending on traffic. To her, the karaoke bar was worth the distance she had to drive, but not all of her valley friends felt the same way. Thus, she usually snapped up every opportunity to sing that came her way.

  Annie had been home for about an hour when her phone rang. Checking the caller ID, she saw that it was Nate calling and muttered an expletive. She had completely spaced that he was going to call her after work before she accepted the invitation to go to karaoke. Maybe he would want to go with her. Crossing her fingers, she answered the phone.

  “Well, good evening.”

  “Hey you. Good evening to you as well.”

  “How was your day?”

  “Pretty good. I can’t complain. What are you up to right now?”

  “Well, it’s my coworker’s birthday and she invited me to karaoke with her and some of our other friends from work.”

  “Sounds like fun.”

  “Yeah, I haven’t gotten to sing in a long time, so I’m looking forward to it.”

  “I’d love to hear you sing.”

  “Do you want to come?”

  “Sure. Do you want me to pick you up or meet you there?”

  “Well, it’s in Culver City and you’re in Hollywood, right? So, it probably makes more sense for you to just meet me there.”

  “Okay, so what’s the address?”

  She quickly looked up the address on the internet and then gave it to him, letting him know that it was located in a small strip mall and that the best place to park was in the lot next door if the main lot was already full. He asked what time he should be there and she told him to meet her there a little before nine. Hanging up the phone, she started panicking. This could be it. This could be the night they did it. She had already planned on dressing up and looking good for karaoke, but now she wanted to look really, really good.

  Picking a little black dress out of her closet, she got undressed and pulled it over her head. The top was sleeveless with a high neck while the skirt was almost non-existent – just a short, micro-mini that hu
gged every curve. She also had a narrow silver chain she usually wore with it; it was more jewelry than a belt, but was a nice accent to break up the solid black landscape of the mini-dress.

  It was a little dressy for karaoke, but it was Los Angeles – she could get away with wearing just about anything. Last minute, she added a fitted leather jacket to her ensemble, giving the look a little rocker-edge.

  Her hair was pulled up in a loose chignon with several thick strands framing her oval face. It was a very J-Lo look and she loved it. Nate was going to eat her up…literally, she hoped. She did her eye make-up in her usual subdued earthy tones, then took extra care brushing and flossing her teeth before applying a soft pink lip gloss. Snapping a quick picture for Facebook, she added an Instagram filter and posted it, taking another minute to apply it as her new profile picture.

  Heading out to karaoke with a cute guy and some of my friends to celebrate Ashley’s birthday!

  After posting her status update, Annie chose to wear a pair of black slip-on heels, grabbed her purse and headed out for the night. As she drove to Culver City, she thought about how this would be the first time Nate would hear her sing and she began to feel incredibly nervous. She was no super star, but she felt like she could hold her own on the karaoke stage.

  Her favorites to sing were more alternative, folk style songs by artists such as Sarah McLachlan, Natalie Merchant, Garbage, Alanis Morissette and Sheryl Crow. She also enjoyed singing songs from musicals, but she either had to have a duet partner join her or she had to be extremely drunk to be brave enough to try one of those alone. It was so easy to crash and burn on a musical theater number since they were usually pretty damn cheesey to begin with.

  Only a few minutes after she left her apartment, her phone buzzed with a text. There was a cop sitting next to her and she was still about a mile away from the freeway, so she quickly found a place to pull over so she could check her text without fear of getting a ticket. She’d already gotten one since they had illegalized texting and talking on the phone while driving in California.

  Nate: You’re looking beautiful tonight.

  Annie: How do you know what I look like tonight?