The smile made me think that maybe Faith wasn’t quite as intimidated as I’d first thought. It was a slightly condescending, sarcastic smile—the kind that said I’m not really listening to you.
My phone buzzed in my pocket as I was admiring the way the setting sun made Faith’s hair look like a fiery mass of curls. Her strawberry-blonde curls looked more strawberry than blonde in the waning light. How much more perfect could a hair color be? The red tones in her hair shone so brightly, they actually cast sparkles around her like many fireflies.
My cell phone buzzed again, and I took it out to see who was texting me. It was my friend Shawn.
Shawn: Whatcha doin?
Joe: Nothing really. What’s up?
Shawn: Nothing? Really?
Joe: Nope, why?
Shawn: Because it looks like you’re a Peeping Tom. Who’s the chick?
Busted. Shawn and Carrie were standing about ten feet from me, watching me spy on Faith and her friend.
“Hey, man.” I reached out and gave Shawn a one-armed man hug. “Hey, Carrie.” She got a smooch on the cheek.
“So who are we spying on?”
If it was anyone else, I would have shrugged it off and moved on, but I’ve never kept anything from Shawn. “She’s my date for tomorrow.”
“Your date?” Shawn shaded his eyes to get a better look, making me nervous that Faith or her friend would glance down and see us checking them out.
“Stop that, man. She’ll see us.”
“Which one? The scrawny one or the cute blonde?” His remark earned him a soft slap on the arm.
“Hey!” Carrie wasn’t really offended. She knew she was the only one for Shawn. “Standing right here, you know.”
The love they had for each other was remarkable. Honestly, it used to disgust me, but lately, that kind of affection made me think about my own lonely life. I think I might be ready for some of that.
Shawn put one of his beefy arms around Carrie, making her look even smaller than she was. “Aw, Carrie girl. You know you’re my one and only. I like brunettes, anyway.”
Carrie laughed and playfully slapped him again—she was a redhead.
“So really, Joe. What are you doing?”
“I’m not altogether sure.” I told him about Stan seeming to believe she was a dud date. “His reaction was weird. He acted like she was deformed or something.”
“Well, even from here, I can see that she’s not the usual type they set you up with.”
“I admit, she’s not tall, model thin, or overly confident on first impression, but that’s what I like about her. She’s a tiny little thing with some banging curves and wild, curly hair. She’s really cute.” Damn, I wanted her right then. The memory of her curves was torturing me. Her ass alone—God above! And her tits? Definitely more than a handful.
Carrie gasped as she looked at me. “Oh my God. You like her! I mean you actually like her. Wow, I didn’t think it would ever happen to Joe Starling.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? I like a lot of the women I go out with.” Jesus, was I really as shallow as she made me sound? That was something to think about.
“Okay. Answer this question without thinking about it. Just say the first thing that comes to mind. Ready?”
“Sure. Shoot.”
Carrie looked me straight in the eye and said, “What was the very first thought you had when you met her?”
“She’s cute. I want to wrap her up and take her home.”
Shawn was going to say something, but Carrie put her finger to his lips.
“What was your first thought when you met that Sophia chick way back when?”
“I want to fuck her until she screams.”
Carrie rolled her eyes at my choice of words, but she told me not to think about it. And it was true. When I first saw Sophia DeMarino (before I met her larger-than-life family), I just wanted to get my dick into her.
“Yeah, you like this girl. What’s her name?”
“Faith Graham. I’m taking her to her sister’s wedding tomorrow. From what I got from her friend who hired me, her family’s full of assholes. I’m going to be the best date she’s ever had. I’ll charm all of them while making it plainly obvious that I only have eyes for Faith.”
Shawn slapped me on the back, chuckling to himself. “Have fun, man. Let us know how it goes.” Carrie’s hand in his, they walked away, and when I looked back up at the deck, Faith was gone. It was just as well. I was having second thoughts about my whole stalking idea anyway. Was she really supposed to believe I just happened to be walking by her house? It was a bad idea.
I was about to walk back to my car when the door on the first-floor deck opened—and there she was, the nymph-like creature by her side. The nymph was tall and willowy. The way she walked almost made her look like she wasn’t completely touching the ground. It was as if she were floating. Even her arms made delicate flowing motions.
Since I’d already decided to scrap my plan, I tried to sneak off without her seeing me, but I’d waited a second too long.
“Joe?” The high pitch of Faith’s voice gave away her surprise.
They walked down the stairs onto the walkway and stopped in front of me. The nymph looked me over from head to toe, surprise reflecting in her eyes. After a thorough inspection, she looked back at Faith with her eyebrows raised so high, they almost disappeared into her hairline. “You know him?”
Due to the extremely slender build of the nymph, I gathered she was the model sister that I read about in Faith’s family background. Faith remained silent, so I took the lead. Might as well go in with guns blazing at this point.
“You must be Dana. I’m the boyfriend.” I gave her my most charming smile and moved over to gather Faith in the circle of my arm while extending my other hand to her sister. I wasn’t sure how she would react to my embrace, so I gave her a small pinch on her waist, trying to silently tell her to go with it. We needed to look like a couple if she wanted her family to believe we were an item. So for added measure, I placed a kiss on her temple. It was certainly no hardship.
Dana gave my hand a quick squeeze and then dropped it. “You’re Faith’s boyfriend? Yeah, right.”
What the fuck was that supposed to mean? I didn’t like this girl even a little bit. Playing stupid seemed to be the nicest way to go on from there. “Huh?” Faith was still looking out of sorts when I turned to her. “I thought you said you told your family about me.”
“Oh, she said she was bringing a date to the wedding, but she didn’t mention how hot you are.” Dana sidled up closer next to me and tried to draw me away from Faith. “You might be better suited for someone who looks like me, I’m thinking.”
I pulled my arm from her grasp, while feeling like throttling her for the way Faith reacted to her words, not to mention her actions. The way Faith’s shoulders hunched over and her arms crossed, it looked like she was trying to become invisible.
“Hey, we just met, and I don’t mean to be rude, but I like my women—for lack of a better word—womanly. I need softness and curves. I’m sure plenty of men find your type attractive, but I’m not one of them.” I pulled Faith close again, lowering my hand to rest on the soft curve of her bottom. “I certainly find your sister womanly, though.”
Faith finally snapped out of her funk as I patted her behind. “What, um, what brings you by, Joe?”
She was so damn cute, but she was going to have to get better at not acting so shy around me to pull this off. “We were going to take a walk, remember?” I didn’t give her a chance to answer. Instead, I kissed her right below her ear. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. I know you’re busy with the wedding and all. Have fun with your sister tonight, and I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
A real smile lit up Faith’s face as she got with the program. It was like the sun came out and shone for me alone. “Sure. I’m sorry, I forgot. I’ll call you later.”
“You don’t have my new number. Here.” Thank Christ I have
an eidetic memory. I’d read her entire file earlier that day. I called her cell, making her jump as it rang from the pocket of her denim skirt. “Now you have it.”
Dana was still standing there with doubt on her face. Wanting to erase it, I asked her to excuse us and pulled Faith about two feet away, knowing Dana’s eyes were glued to us.
I leaned in close and whispered to her through a fluffy curl by her ear. “Wrap your arms around my neck and laugh. Do it now.” She did as I asked, but it sounded strained. I put my forehead to hers and looked into her baby blues. “Now, I’m going to kiss you.” Before she had a chance to react, I lowered my lips to hers. My lips brushed hers once, gently, and then once more with a bit more pressure. I didn’t want to scare her into pushing me away, but I couldn’t resist sucking on her bottom lip before I made myself pull back and give her one quick peck on the cheek. “I’ll talk to you later, sweetheart.”
Chapter 8
Faith
Ohmygod, Ohmygod, Ohmygod! Joe Starling kissed me. And wow—the way he sucked on my lip—I felt that pull all the way to my toes. I liked it. A lot. That’s not good.
It’s not good, because I knew where that could land me. Frustrated and wanting more. I’ve already told you I don’t have a lot of experience, but I remember my best sex partner like it was yesterday.
I was dating Steve Thompson from the human resources department about two years ago. He was a nice guy and treated me well. After we had been dating for a few weeks, he invited me back to his place, and things went from there.
The sex was definitely better than any I’d had to date, but it still left me unfulfilled. Each time I’d get close, he’d come, telling me how great I was. All I wanted was for him to keep his tongue on me a little longer, keep stroking me with his fingers as he pumped into me just a few more times, but it never happened, and eventually, we parted ways, still remaining friends.
Thinking back on those times, I want to scream at that quiet, insecure girl to tell him what she wanted—what she needed. Needless to say, I was a bit more cautious about having any more sexual encounters, but damn, I wanted them. And Joe sure looked like he could fit the bill.
I can’t even begin to tell you how hard my heart was hammering from his kiss. His size alone overwhelmed me, but I liked it. Oh my God. The feeling of his hand on the curve of my bottom—the feel of his breath on my ear—his forehead pressed to mine—for one second, I pretended it was real. When his lips touched mine, so soft—almost hesitant—I just couldn’t believe it.
Even though I knew that Dana stared at us until Joe walked away, I could tell she still didn’t buy it. When she left my house last night, she all but accused me of lying about Joe being my boyfriend. Of course, she was right. I did lie. But Joe, bless his heart, went right along with the program—and then some. I guess that’s his job.
Staring at the ceiling above my bed as the first rays of sunlight broke through my curtains, I couldn’t help but wonder about the coincidence of him being in front of my house last night. Part of me, the girl who lives in a fantasy world, got my hopes up—like he really wanted to be with me. Pretty stupid, huh? I know. Well, I didn’t call Joe like he asked me to, nor did I answer my cell when I saw his number flash across the screen accompanied by my generic ring tone. I knew he was just being nice and probably wanted to talk about the wedding. I just didn’t want to give up my far-out fantasy so soon.
After my shower, I called Gracie. I almost called her right after Joe had left, but I wanted to keep him all to myself for a little while. “Morning, Faith. What’s up?”
“You’ll never believe what happened last night.” I tried but couldn’t keep the excitement out of my tone. My inner voice was warning me, yet again, but the part of my brain where I stored my last remaining hope took over.
“Um, you saw a monkey riding a unicycle down the strip?”
“A what? No, but I did see Joe Starling walking down the strip.” Gracie’s reaction was about what I thought it’d be.
“Oh my God. No way! He didn’t.”
“He didn’t what?”
“Huh? Nothing. I mean, what was he doing there?”
“I don’t know. Taking a walk, I guess.” I proceeded to tell her about the events that transpired without letting on about my little fantasy world.
“Holy shit! He kissed you? That’s so romantic. He kissed you. Oh, Faith, he’s good. What did Dana say?”
“I don’t think she bought it. Skinny she may be, but stupid she is not. Why would a hot guy like that kiss me in public the way he did?” Believe me, I know Gracie thinks I’m the cat’s meow, but I’m just trying to be realistic. I need to snap back into the reality of life. If I want people to believe I have a boyfriend like Joe Starling, there has to be a reason. Maybe I can make them think he wants my money—or rather my family’s money. Now that’s much more realistic than him being attracted to me.
“For fuck’s sake, Faith. I’m not even going to answer that. So, did you call him?”
“No. And he called me twice last night but didn’t leave a message. It’s just weird, you know? He’s a hired date. It’s a business arrangement. I think he’s taking it a bit too seriously. I mean, I appreciate the fact that he wants to make this all believable for me, but it seems a bit over the top.”
Gracie was quiet as she listened to me talk. “Listen. It’s only eleven. You have plenty of time to get ready for the wedding. Why don’t you come over here, and we’ll discuss Joe. I’ll call the girls. Cheese and wine in about twenty minutes?”
“I don’t really see the point, but sure. I could use a drink, even if it is only eleven o’clock in the morning.” I was getting more and more nervous about seeing Joe again with each minute that went by.
When I pulled up to Gracie’s, Susie was already there and Chloe was on the way. There was a loaf of freshly baked bread sitting on the coffee table, with scrumptious homemade cheese spreads surrounding it.
“Susie! What have I told you about putting out your fresh bread and cheese spreads when I’m around? Just because you own a bakery doesn’t mean you have to tempt me with all this incredible goodness all the time.” I grumbled a little more before inhaling my first piece of warm bread covered in sun-dried-tomato-and-basil-cheddar spread. A groan escaped me, causing the girls to smile.
Susie was unrepentant when she answered me. “I enjoy seeing you eat something other than salad and grilled chicken. But if you’re really upset, I’ll pour this out.”
Oh, she was evil. In her hand was a perfect dirty martini. I knew it was perfect because it’s her signature drink and my very favorite. She made them extra dirty for me and hand stuffed the olives with fresh blue cheese herself. “For Pete’s sake! It’s not even noon. You’re going to be the death of me, Susie Q.” Of course, I said that as I reached out to grab my drink. “Umm, perfect as usual.” I could feel my lips tugging upward in a reluctant smile. “Thank you.”
“You’re most welcome.” She clapped her hands together as she took a seat on the edge of Gracie’s zebra-striped couch. The bold pattern wouldn’t work in just any home, but with Gracie’s modern styling, the black and white of the couch complemented the glass and stainless steel coffee table, along with the white throw rug over the dark hardwood floors. “Now I want to know all about Joe’s visit.”
“Let’s wait for Chloe.” No sooner did the words leave my mouth but she walked in like a whirlwind. She was always rushing, whether she was going to the supermarket, picking her kids up from school or hauling ass to open her beauty shop on time.
She had really changed over the years. Gracie, Susie, and I had met her in college. We happened to walk in on her sucking on her boyfriend du jour in the shared bathroom of our dorm. And she wasn’t sucking on his face! Never being one to be embarrassed or apologetic, she said, around a mouthful of cock, “We’ll be out of here in a minute.” But her guy must have been even more turned on having an audience watching them, and he exploded right then, the evidence dripping down
her chin. “Oh, we’re done now.” And that was the beginning of a wild friendship with Chloe.
“WhatdidImiss?” She even spoke fast. Everything tended to come out in one long, run-on sentence. Gracie, Susie, and I spoke “Chloe,” though, so we understood what she said. After all, we could understand her with a mouthful of cock.
Gracie waved her over to a spot on the couch as Susie handed her a martini. “Nothing. We were waiting for you.”
Chloe carelessly threw her bag to the floor with a loud thump and took her seat. All three girls were now staring at me, Chloe being the most intense, with her chin resting in her hand, elbow on her knee. “Well? Spill!”
“It’s not really that big of a deal, I don’t think. It was just weird.” I proceeded to tell them about seeing Joe, him kissing me, all of it.
Susie, the romantic in our group, gushed. “That’s so sweet. Awww, Faith—he was defending you and protecting you from your mean, nasty sister.”
“I’m sure that’s all it was, but if I’m going to be totally honest, the kiss made me kind of hopeful.” I can’t believe I said that! I felt like such an ass. I’m a realist. I know he can’t really be interested in me, but damn if those little hopeful feelings didn’t spring up when his lips brushed mine.
“He wouldn’t have kissed you if he wasn’t attracted to you, Faith,” Gracie said around a mouthful of brie. “For that matter, I don’t believe it was coincidence that you ran into him right in front of your house. Come on! Even you can’t be that dense.”
The age-old argument reared its ugly head in my mind, and I felt compelled to repeat it. “Well, I do wonder about that, but seriously, girls, you haven’t seen him yet. You don’t understand. Why would someone who looks like him …”
“Stop! Stop right this minute. I don’t want to hear it again.” Every once in a while, Gracie got truly angry with me over my insecurities, and my bald, honest truth as I see it. Susie and Chloe were nodding in agreement. I can’t blame them, though. I annoy myself sometimes, but it’s hard to change when my family makes sure I never forget my shortcomings.
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