by Claire Adams
He raised an eyebrow at me. “Well, what do you have in mind, little lady?”
“Here's the thing, I was invited to go to a wine tasting event with my friend, Brenda. She was the girl in the booth with me the day you bought that picture.” He nodded. “Well, she's going to be bringing a guy, sort of like their first date, but she's really nervous about the whole thing. She doesn't date a lot, and she asked that I go as well, to make sure he's not some weirdo,” I laughed nervously.
“That's a little weird,” he chuckled.
“Maybe, but I can understand. A group event relieves the pressure, ya know?”
“Actually, I don't know, Natalie.” We laughed together.
“I guess maybe you don't. But it's also different for girls; it's not always safe to go off alone with a new guy.”
“So what do you need me for?”
“Well, I'm not really the third wheel type, ya know? Plus, it might be a little awkward for the guy for me to be there. But a double date wouldn't seem like a bad thing, right?”
“Oh, I see where this is going.”
“Come on, be a sport. You'll get the pleasure of my company, plus you’ll get a massage.”
“Wine tastings aren't really my thing. Who is this guy, anyway? What kind of guy takes a girl to a wine tasting on their first date?”
I shrugged. I knew he was just playing hard to get, and that he would cave instantly if I told him to forget the whole thing. “She likes the guy, that's all that matters. So ... are you in or are you out?”
He stared at me, and I could tell that the wheels were turning in his head. I wondered if he was thinking about my hands on his body. Would that be the deciding factor? The thought of me touching him intimately, was that what was going through his head? I almost blushed at the thought.
“Please, Jet, this is a win-win for both of us. Don't make me go to this thing alone.”
“Okay, I will go. It's not my thing, but you are certainly my thing. So I will do it for you.”
“Thank you. You don't even know how much I appreciate it,” I couldn't have felt better about the situation; the last thing I had wanted was to go to the wine tasting alone. Instead, I would have a handsome guy by my side, even if we weren't together.
“So when is this little hoopla?”
“Not for a couple of days yet. Can you handle the suspense?”
He chuckled. “Not sure. The bigger question is, when are you giving me that massage, cause girl, I could sure use one right now.”
“Sorry to disappoint. But it's going to have to wait until tomorrow. I have plans tonight.”
“With who? Not another guy, I hope.”
“It's none of your business, Jet,” I winked at him.
“So tomorrow then?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, I can live with that.”
“I'll see ya tomorrow, then. Go home and have a bath,” I waved at him as I walked away.
Chapter Twelve
Jet
I checked my phone, and realized that I didn't have a whole lot of time before Natalie was going to arrive. I couldn't be more excited to see the girl, in more than one way, and for more than one reason. That gorgeous redhead was coming over today to give me the massage she promised me. I couldn't even explain what that did to my mindset. My dreams the night before had been porn-filled, with images of Natalie with her hands on my body. I couldn't help it, and no other guy would blame me.
I needed to take a shower before the beauty showed up at my door. I wanted to be squeaky clean for her. She was massaging me, after all, and didn't want to be touching some sweaty, smelly guy. I grabbed my boxer briefs, and a towel, and headed to the shower. I adjusted the water temperature, and waited until it grew hot. My clothes dropped to the floor, and I jumped into the shower. I rinsed off, letting the water drill into my back like hot acupuncture. I had been taking baths almost exclusively, and they had helped a little, but I had some healing to do, for sure. I put shampoo in my hand, and lathered up my hair. I rinsed it quickly, and grabbed the bar of soap to wash my body. I didn't stay in the shower long; I just wanted a quick clean, to be nice and fresh.
I stepped out of the shower, and dried off. The towel felt nice against my coarse skin. I felt great, and I was about to feel even better. I pulled a beer from the fridge, and sat down on the couch and took a pull from it. I had to admit, I was a little nervous to have Natalie so close to me again, and she would be sober.
There was a knock at the door, and I quickly head over to open it. There was a vision at my door, and I was almost rendered speechless ... almost.
“Hey, I was just having a beer in preparation for you.”
“Can I have one, too?”
I liked that, so I smiled. I let her in the apartment, and she headed straight for the couch. I went back to the fridge, and grabbed her a beer, taking the cap off of it. She took it from my hand when I ventured into back the living room.
She took a slow drink from the bottle, watching me carefully. I had never wished to be the bottle more in my life. She was gorgeous, and she was even more gorgeous when she was drinking that beer.
“What are you thinking?” she whispered.
I chuckled. “I'm thinking you should drink beer more often.”
She smiled; actually, she glowed. “Oh, is that right?”
“Yes, that's definitely the truth. You are so sexy drinking that beer.”
“Oh, you're just playing with me. I don't think I've been sexy a day in my life.”
“You would be surprised, Natalie.”
She took another pull on the beer, and I started to think I wanted my massage.
“So where should we do this?”
“Your bed should work just fine.”
Wow, that's all it took for my heart to beat tough. My bed would definitely do just fine. I grabbed my beer. “Let's go, then.”
“Okay, sounds good,” she got up with her beer as well, and followed me to my bedroom. She sat on my bed, and I started to undress. I took off my shirt as well as my undershirt, and then I took off my pants. She gasped as I did so, a shocked look on her face. I kept going, mainly because I wanted to see what she was going to say. I dropped my drawers and stood before her, naked as a jaybird.
“Jet, you don't need to be completely naked to have your back massaged,” she laughed, but she did it nervously.
I knew exactly what I was doing, and I didn't care, but I was willing to play stupid if I had to. “Oh, really? I could have sworn this was what people did when they got a massage.”
“Yeah, I bet you did. You're ridiculous.”
I smiled, grabbed a towel, and laid it down on my bed. I lay down on the towel, face down, and tried to relax. I almost laughed when she grabbed the other pillows on my bed, and put one on my butt, and the other two on the sides of my legs, to hide my nakedness. She never allowed me to get away with anything. I thought I had tricked her, until she came back with the pillows. She straddled me, though it must have been difficult with all those pillows. She started kneading into my shoulders, slowly at first, and then a little faster and harder. She definitely knew what she was doing. I could feel the tension leaving my body almost instantly. When she got to my lower back where the injury was, she was gentle, making sure that she didn't hurt me, but she applied enough pressure that I thought I just might have a great night’s sleep.
“It feels amazing, Natalie. How long have you been doing this?”
“Geez, I don't know. Maybe since I was fifteen. Not too long, but long enough to learn good technique. My mom is very good, though―one of the best in the city. She's practically a miracle worker when it comes to removing pain from the body.”
“She must love it, then. I'm sure glad she taught you how to massage, because this is fantastic.”
“Thank you.”
She worked on my back for 45 minutes. I couldn't believe her hands didn't get sore. She kneaded and rubbed and stretched my muscles. She would rub my muscles, and then s
he would slowly just touch my back gently. I wasn't sure what I enjoyed more, the soft touching, or the hard rubbing. I felt like melted butter when she was all done with me.
“There ya go. All done here. You should be feeling much better now.”
“God, Natalie, I feel amazing. Thank you; that really helped.”
“I'm glad. I think it was just a tight muscle, no real injury. You probably won't have a lot of pain. Just the soreness now from the healing.”
“Maybe you are a miracle worker, too.”
“Haha, that's sweet.”
She got up, and slid off the bed. I pushed the pillows off, and I began to get off the bed as well.
“Stop!” she yelled. I stopped immediately, as she took me completely off guard, and I wasn't sure what to expect, or why she was telling me to stop.
“I gotta go. But you can meet me at my place Thursday night at 6:00 p.m., and we'll go to that wine tasting, okay?”
That was all she said to me before she left. All I heard was the bedroom door open and close, and then nothing. It was like she just disappeared as I lay in my bed, confused as all hell. Was I losing my touch or what? I couldn't believe she hadn't been tempted to sleep with me again after I displayed my supreme nakedness for her. I rolled over in my bed, and stared at the ceiling, beyond perplexed. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with this girl―she was continuously throwing me for a loop. What exactly did she want?
I started to sit up as Kyle burst through the door, scaring the shit out of me. I grabbed a pillow, and covered myself up with it.
“What the hell are you doing, Kyle? What do you want? I think you really need to start knocking before you storm into my room.”
Kyle laughed. “Naw, man, I just wanted to see what it looked like to see a man who was just turned down.”
I threw a pillow at him as he ran out the door, laughing. I was going to kill him.
Chapter Thirteen
Natalie
I found it hard to try to define what part Jet played in my life. My friends were starting to think that there was something going on with him, but the truth that I told them was that he was just a friend. Certainly he was a friend with whom I had experienced a one-night stand, but that was about as intimate as we had gotten in all that time. Brenda showed up at my apartment, looking fierce, and the boys would be meeting us there as well. I would message Jet when I was almost ready to go, and he would head over.
The only way I could describe my relationship with Jet at that time was that we needed each other. Maybe me more than him, but somehow, in some fucked-up way, we fit into each other’s lives like two puzzle pieces. I needed him so I could excel in school, and to avoid being raped, and he needed me to provide him healing and pleasure, though I refused to offer him the type of pleasure he was really seeking out. I was really beginning to like Jet, and to enjoy spending time with him, but I didn't want it to go beyond a friendship, because I didn't trust him. He scared me in ways I couldn't quite put into words.
Brenda was already cracking into the booze to try to quell her nervousness.
“You better take it easy, or you are going to be hammered before we even get there.”
She laughed. “Yeah, right. You better start getting ready, or we'll never get there.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, as I headed into the bathroom. I plugged in the curling iron, and set it away from the sink. I looked at myself in the mirror, and tried to see what Jet saw when he looked at me. I was no doubt an attractive female, but stunning? Was I?
I took a brush to my red locks, and brushed through them nicely. I needed to have a good, soft base before I took a curling iron and hair spray to my hair. I applied some foundation to even out my skin tone, and then I looked through my makeup bag to find some blush. I usually liked to use a blush that had a peach base to it and I only had one. I couldn't find it, so I kept digging around in my bag until I found it. Of course, it was right in the bottom of the bag. I pulled it out, and opened it up. I stuck my finger in the jar, and then rubbed it across my cheek. I rubbed in the blush and then applied it to the other cheek. I put on some new eye shadow that I had purchased that day. I added some eye liner and mascara. I assessed myself, and came to the conclusion that I looked like a pretty nice package, all dolled up. My curling iron was hot and ready to go, so I begin taking strands of hair and curling them.
Brenda peeked her head into the bathroom where I was getting ready. “What on earth is taking you so long?”
“I'm not taking long; I'm just getting ready.”
“Why are you bothering to get beautiful? It's not like you are interested in Jet or anything, right?”
“Hey, I'm already beautiful, and no, I'm not interested in Jet, but I still want to look nice.”
“You look more than nice; you look hot.”
I snorted. “Well, thanks, but I'm not trying to get attention from Jet. Don't worry.”
“Uh-huh. Well hurry up, so you can have a drink with me before the guys get here.”
“Okay, I'm almost done with my hair. Give me a second.”
I finished curling my hair, and went out to the living room, where Brenda was relaxing on the couch.
“Finally! You do look gorgeous, Natalie. Jet is going to lose it when he sees you,” she got up, and poured me a glass of wine while I went over and sat on the couch.
“Well thanks. You look great, too. Your date is going to be thrilled.”
“Oh God, I hope so. He's so cute, and so smart. I just can't believe that he's interested in me.”
“Brenda, why wouldn't he be? You are a great catch, so don't sell yourself short.”
She passed me the glass of wine, and I took a small sip. I definitely didn't want to be buzzed before we even got going; that was a recipe for disaster. I wished that Brenda hadn't opened up the bottle of wine, but I could understand why she felt nervous. Dating was a nightmare, and you never knew how a first date was gonna end, or whether you would get a second one.
I took another sip of wine, and realized that I had not texted Jet, so I did that quickly, and let him know that he could head over at any time. I assumed Brenda took care of her own date.
“What time is Dan getting here?”
“Probably any time now.”
“Oh, I forgot perfume,” I almost flew out of my seat, and hurried to my bedroom to grab some perfume. I had a favorite Ed Hardy perfume. I only had one, and I never strayed from it. I spritzed a bit on my neck, and again on my wrists, rubbing them together. I hurried back to the living room, as I wanted to finish my wine before Jet arrived.
“I thought you weren't trying to get pretty for Jet.”
“I'm not.”
“Perfume; you ran like the house was on fire.”
I laughed loudly. “Let's not get out of hand. I just wanted to make sure I was ready before they got here.” I downed the rest of my wine just as a knock sounded on the door. I got up, and answered it, to find both Dan and Jet at the door. They must have arrived at the same time.
“Hi guys.”
They came in, and Brenda stood up from the couch, and headed over to see her date. Dan kissed her on the cheek, and I thought it was just about the cutest thing I had ever seen. Jet was watching the couple as well, and I could tell that he wished that we had that same type of relationship. When he turned to me, I could see it written all over his face. He smiled at me but there was something behind that smile.
“Are you guys ready to go?”
“Yes, we are. However, you guys might as well have a seat and a beer, because I have to call a cab. I'm not sure how long it will take for it to get here.”
“Natalie, you look amazing.”
Jet’s comment caught me off guard, and it took me a moment to thank him for the compliment. The guys sat down on the couch, and I retrieved two beers from the fridge. Making my way into the living room, I handed the boys their beers, and sat back down on the couch. Brenda and Dan talked easily between each other and I was starting to t
hink they would be a really good match.
I turned to Jet. “So how is your back?”
“Much better. In fact, I saw my doctor, and he said just what you said―that I probably just had a tight muscle. Your massage definitely worked wonders, so maybe I should keep you around as my regular masseuse.”
“You could go to my mother, and book her in after every fight.”
“I'm not into your mother, unless you are suggesting something kinky.”
I slapped his knee playfully. “Oh, stop it. I'm just saying she's a great masseuse. Maybe getting a massage should be a regular thing if fighting is going to be your career.”
“I want you to take care of me.”
I stared into his eyes, so confused by the things he said to me. “That's not my job.”
“It could be.”
My phone rang just then, and I looked down to see the notification from the cab company that our ride had arrived. I glanced up at Jet and then turned to my other guests.
“Cab is here, let's go guys.”
Everyone got up from the couch, headed to the door, we filtered out, and I locked the door behind me. I had called a cab just in case we all ended up drunk; then we wouldn't have to worry about a way home. We could just enjoy ourselves, worry-free.
When we arrived, the event was pretty busy. People were wandering everywhere, with wine glasses in their hands. Red glasses and white glasses, the wine was being poured freely. We immediately went to the bar so we could get some wine ourselves. I was partial to white wine, while Jet seemed to stick to red. The choices at the event were quite decadent.
We were all sitting at a table together, and it became obvious right away that Brenda only had eyes for Dan. Who could blame her? She had been single for a while, and even I had to admit the guy was cute, as well as charming. He seemed to be just as much into her as she was into him. I was very grateful that Jet was there, as I didn't know what I would have done had he not been, and I had to sit there and watch Brenda and Dan make eyes at each other.
I looked over at Jet, and found that he had been watching me the whole time. I blushed a deep crimson, and looked down into my wine.