Drawn To You (Paloma's Edge)

by Shaw, Robin

  As I checked my phone for the time, Mariska’s photo popped up. I’d left her a voicemail after I’d showered, which was very early in the morning. I didn’t know what her work schedule would be like today.

  “I didn’t mean to wake you up. Just wanted to tell you that I miss you.”

  “I didn’t notice that you left me a voicemail until just now. I don’t mind getting them from you. You wouldn’t want me to feel ignored now, would you?”

  “I couldn’t stand for that,” I said with a smirk. “Did the three of you have a good time last night?” I lowered myself onto the sidewalk. Besides a few townspeople who were going to and from a small mom-and-pop coffee shop, the streets were empty.

  “I think Pete is finally warming up to Jake. We talked about how we’re missing your face already. And I think Pete has a new crush too.”

  I tittered. “Good!”

  “And he’s afraid of hurting your feelings so he asked me not to tell you. But Jake assured him that you’d be fine with it.”

  “He’s the sweetest. I hope that doesn’t change in the near future.”

  Mariska scoffed. “It’d better not. Who ended up picking you up yesterday? Jake said that your cousin Pierce did?”

  It wasn’t lost on me how Mariska hadn’t mention Cindy ever since she came to my former house the day I’d learned that I’d been evicted. I appreciated her understanding that I didn’t want to talk about her. I was moving forward. I had to live my own life like Cindy was.

  “His friend Chase did.”

  “Hmmm. I recognize that sound!”

  “I like his company.”

  “As much as you liked Gregory’s company?” Mariska had finally brought up his name after avoiding it for months since we’d found out he had gotten engaged to a girl he met at college in Maine.

  “No. It’s different. I have love for Gregory. I always will. Chase and I have flirted a little.”

  I laughed at the clapping I heard in the background. “Beth, I thought you’d have this dry spell forever, ’cause I know there are some hot guys in Miami.”

  “There are,” I breathed. “But the guys I’ve seen have nothing on Chase. And I feel all tingly when he’s close by and when we touch. I think I really get it now.”

  “Dang, girl, you two have been feeling up each other already?”

  I laughed because the word “dang” shouldn’t come out of her mouth again. “No, Mariska. We’re taking it slow.”

  She huffed. “As long as the finish to whatever it is, is long lasting, it doesn’t matter how slow the start is.”

  “Says the virgin.”

  “Hey! That doesn’t make me ignorant about what good sex is.”

  I made a knowing noise. “Experience doesn’t always make someone skilled or better in bed,” I concurred.

  “As long as you recognize that fact. When do you start work?”

  “Wednesday.”

  “Let me know how your first day goes. And how you and Chase get on too.” I heard a hint of amusement in her voice.

  ***

  After I finished speaking with Mariska, I found a thrift shop a few blocks down the street. The scent of cigarettes, perfume, and detergent lingered in the air, the same combined smell that I recognized in every other thrift store I’d ever been to. It wasn’t bad or good. It just reminded me that the items and clothes in this store had lives attached to them once, even if for the briefest moment.

  Sorting through some tops that would fit me perfectly, another girl with sandy brown hair like mine, only longer and fuller, caught my eye. She had to be Brianna. I came into contact with her last night when her shift had ended. She lowered her gaze when she noticed me and I went up to her.

  “Hi, Brianna! Whatcha got there?”

  With a sheepish twist of her mouth, she held up a whimsical lavender dress that looked brand new. The department store tag was still on it.

  “That would look fantastic on you.” I shifted my eyes from her uncertain expression to the dress. “All you have to do is have it taken in a little.”

  A bit of a smile started on her thin lips. “And to dry clean it, of course,” she quipped.

  “That too.” I nudged her shoulder. “I am gonna get these. Good seeing you again.”

  A smile still lingered on her lips. “Where’re you going after this?”

  “I am gonna drop these off”—I shook my hangers—“and then head to the beach. I saw some sweet pictures online.”

  “It’s really pretty. That’s where I am gonna go after I get my iced coffee.”

  “And now we have a date.”

  ***

  Brianna and I got out of her station wagon and we ran into Rylan and Joel. We walked from the parking area to the long trail surrounded by tall luscious green trees that led to the beach. I inhaled the cool, salty air. Today was not as humid as yesterday.

  I wrapped my shawl around my shoulders and Joel walked in step with me. “Need some warming up?” He moved his hands against each other, up and down, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at him. He looked so cute with his wavy copper hair curling up a little bit at the nape of his neck.

  Brianna snickered at Joel when Rylan handed him two folding chairs, keeping his hands busy. Brianna was about to take a chair from Rylan and I was going to take one from Joel, but Rylan gestured to us that he and Joel would carry the chairs. Before Brianna had driven us here, we’d gone to Uncle Anton’s and Aunt Deborah’s, where she and Nancy had already had towels, sun block, and loose sundresses in case we needed them in a pretty tote. Brianna had been clearly surprised by Mrs. Pruitt and Nancy’s kindness towards her.

  “Thanks, Rylan,” I said as he walked beside Brianna. He notched his chin at me. “How come you guys are dateless today?”

  “They didn’t have the endurance to stick with daddy today,” Joel answered.

  Brianna sighed. “Eh, Joel. Never again refer to yourself in the third person, or as daddy.” She touched her stomach. “I almost lost my lunch right now.”

  “They wanted to get more hours of beauty sleep,” Rylan told us.

  “And Maude had to do something with her folks,” Joel groaned. “But I can play with you or Bri.” He wet his lips and flashed a mischievous smile.

  “Uh, no thanks, Joel.” Brianna swung her gaze from Rylan to me.

  Rylan shook his head. “You wouldn’t have made that offer if Gavin were with us,” he pointed out to Joel with a laugh.

  “Hell, no! I am not stupid.” Joel set the folding chairs out, gesturing for Brianna and I to take a seat. He shrugged his shoulders. “But it didn’t hurt to try.” He winked at Brianna.

  I cocked my brow at Joel. “Have you ever had a female friend?” He shot me a pointed look. “Okay, I have my answer then.” I lightly laughed.

  “How about you?” Brianna asked Rylan.

  “Yeah. And it works out best, ’cause I am not feeling them like that.” The beach near my home looked like a liquid waste site. Here, the beach water was a clear blue. I took off my flip-flops and I dug my feet into the warmth of the white sand.

  I started to put some lotion on Brianna’s back when I heard Joel groan two seats to my right. “Keep on going,” he said.

  Rylan smacked him on the side of his head, but he must have been used to it, because he didn’t even flinch.

  “Thanks, Beth. I’ll do your back now.”

  I turned around and Brianna started putting on the sun block where it was hard to reach on my back. The voices of the increasingly large crowd were at the same level as the sound of the currents.

  About an hour into sunbathing, I felt my body shift from the chair. Rylan had me over his shoulder. Squealing, Brianna tried to pull away as Joel carried her from the chair and placed her over his shoulder. I pinched Rylan’s back, but he didn’t let me go. They charged us into the water, then dunked our heads against the waves. Once Rylan thought I’d given up on getting him back from exhaustion, I tugged both of his calves and he fell into the water. Joel ha
d gotten away before Brianna could do anything.

  Joel and Rylan held up towels big enough for two people to fit into them when Brianna and I came out of the water. Rylan met Brianna and they were both wrapped up in the towel. My teeth chattered a little and I walked to Joel as he held his huge towel wide open. He wound his arm around my shoulders and we started walking off to the area where mostly babysitters and parents were with small children. I had thought Joel would try to be with Brianna right now, not with me.

  “You have to be patient with Chase,” Joel said, making my heart stutter by mentioning Chase. I missed Chase since he had left for work early this morning. As I had been sunbathing, I’d wondered how his workday was going.

  “I didn’t see that coming.”

  The corners of Joel’s eyes creased. “I don’t know how no one didn’t notice how you and Chase were with each other last night.”

  “We weren’t together last night. I came to the party with Cassidy. Remember?”

  He rubbed my shoulders as my body warmed up.

  “I may look like a dummy, but I am not.”

  “Joel, I don’t think you’re a dummy.”

  “You know what I am talking about. I recognize eye-fucking when it’s right in front of my face.”

  I looked over my shoulder. Brianna had the towel over her that Rylan had shared with her. Rylan sat next to her.

  “Chase is a handsome guy. I am a new addition in town before we both go back to our own lives at UM. He probably wants to see how far he can go with me.” I didn’t like the unbidden words that flew out of my mouth, because a big part of me didn’t want to be right. But I’d been on enough dates to know that Chase may not be too different from those other guys. And I didn’t want Joel to have an idea about how much I wanted Chase to not be into other girls.

  “You can assume that Chase is a guy who sticks his dick in any orifice, but would you really feel anything for him if that’s how you thought he was?” he said nonchalantly, and handed a frisbee back to a beautiful little boy with blond curls, who ran back to his caregiver.

  “That’s crossed my mind,” I murmured. “But I have reasons to err on the side of caution. I shouldn’t think that he’s special. Especially because what ever is going on with Chase and I may not go anywhere.”

  “You know what you want. Don’t get so caught up in yourself that you miss the bigger picture.”

  Baffled, I had to make sure that I was talking to the same Joel who’d looked at every chick last night even when he had some pretty girls with him. “And what’s the bigger picture, wise one?”

  “I don’t know, smartass, it’s on you to figure that out!”

  “Okay, why do you care about Chase, or me, or what does happen between us?”

  “You’re Pierce’s cousin. And you’re the first girl who Chase has paid any attention to since I’ve met him.”

  “Give me a break! You expect me to believe that, Joel? ”

  “I have no reason to lie, Beth. And Chase doesn’t do or say anything he doesn’t mean.”

  ***

  Chase

  Watching Joel’s arm around Beth was like a punch to my stomach. I’d had a great day at work. Brody and I had few guests’ grievances to manage and Pierce credited my upbeat mood to having sex with Darcy. I was about to have a talk with him about my liking Beth and correct him about what he thought happened between Darcy and I, but then Mr. Pruitt had called him into his office.

  I noticed Beth’s lush body with a heavy towel wrapped around it. The shape of her pear-shaped ass stood out, as well her wet hair glistening from the water. As they pivoted around, they didn’t see me at first, but Rylan and Bri had. Joel’s eyebrows puckered into a frown when he met my gaze. I wanted her arms wrapped around me. I wanted to experience how her wet body felt after a good swim, or a shower, or after being underneath me. I’d liked many girls, but none who I had felt even the slightest bit of jealousy over a guy being next to them.

  “What’s up, Chase?” I connected my fist with Rylan’s and I waved to Bri. Her deep green eyes reminded me so much of Gavin. While she was willowy and unassuming, Gavin was my height and built like a brick house.

  “Not bad,” I answered. “Hey, Bri.”

  “Hey, Chase,” she said with a curl of her lips.

  I walked up to Beth and wrapped my arms around her, pleased by her equal display of affection for me as the front of her body pressed into me, her small hands clutched my arms. There was no room or question from Rylan or Joel that I would make her mine. And I had no problem working on her timetable.

  “Walk with me,” I whispered in her ear and she nervously quivered, the movement of her breasts on my chest made my blood shoot straight down to my dick. “We’ll be right back, guys,” I called out to them as I started walking her to a more secluded area on the beach.

  Joel whistled at us and a blush rose to Beth’s face.

  “Hot damn! Bottle me up some of that heat,” Joel said and fanned himself with a magazine.

  ***

  We walked around for several minutes. I just held her hand with a firm grip and rubbed the tips of my fingers over the smooth stretch of skin over her knuckles. Knowing for sure how good she felt only made me want to disrobe her fast and seat myself inside her. Make her forget about any worries she had. She didn’t stiffen or show signs of discomfort. My intensely growing want for her and my satisfaction by just being with her were kinda tripping me up. What was it about her that made her irresistible to me?

  “How was work?” The sound of her low and somewhat husky voice made the question sound less innocent than it was.

  “Really good. There’s gonna be a lot of important conferences coming up. I think with the increase in guests and existing ones who are extending their stay, there won’t be an empty room at the Paloma. Except for Pierce’s penthouse.”

  “I am sure Uncle Anton is excited about that.”

  My hand went from her shoulder to the sexy curve of her lower back.

  “Yeah, I did the brochures for him when I came to visit the first time. Then I re-did that plain-looking Paloma website and the traffic to the site has tripled.”

  She settled her hands on my arms and stopped moving. We were right by the area I was going to take her to. “Chase, you did all that for his business. Did he pay you for it?”

  “I was compensated. ” I brought my head and she chuckled. “The brochure I did for fun. But I gave a complete overhaul to the site. The Paloma branding is clear. No one is gonna mistake another hotel with the Paloma. It’s easy to navigate too.”

  We started walking again. “Good. I didn’t see the site before, but when I did my research, I remember being impressed by the fact that it wasn’t one of those standard business template sites. The designs stand out.”

  “That’s what I strived for.” I smiled at her. “Mr. Pruitt was worried about that at first.”

  “Is your major Graphic Design?”

  “Yeah. Yours?”

  “HR.”

  I drew my lips down and made my hand tremble over my chest.

  “HR gets a bad rep.”

  “And I am sure you’ll improve that bad rep.”

  She motioned her head. “Do you like working as a concierge?”

  “Yeah. I haven’t had problems and most of the guests have been refreshingly down to earth. I’ve got a potential job lined up when I graduate for a marketing department at a firm. ” I lifted my shoulder. “Who knows what the future holds?”

  We reached the shaded area near a gated exit and I watched her exhale a shaky breath. Her eyes roamed over my lips. She pulled her mouth in and she inched closer to me so that her sand-covered feet were over mine. The action made her more aware of herself. Emotions that I couldn’t divine flickered across her face. Was she holding herself back from me?

  Leaning my body against the gate, I lowered my head to her and lifted her hands to the sides of my face. She massaged my face, stroking her thumb over my scar.

  I
brought the tip of my index finger over my mouth and brushed it over her tempting lips. Eyes glazed over a little, she separated her mouth enough to nip on my finger a little. So, the little vixen in her was out to play. She drew a little bit of my finger into her oral heat. In a matter of seconds, my cock swelled to readiness. She started panting and I withdrew my finger. She stared at my bare chest. Shutting down entirely, she stepped back, and her face fell flat. I understood that look of self-judgment all too well, and as much as I tried to keep my mind busy in order not to think about her, it was a losing battle.

  I remained where I was and sought her wandering gaze until she looked at me directly.

  “I want to kiss, and lick, and suck, every inch of you. Have you trembling in the palm of my hands while you surrender your body to me so I can supply you with what you’re craving. I can see it.” I flicked my eyes from her face to her erect nipples. “And I can feel it.” I brushed my fingers over her nipples, and ran circles around them for a second. Almost inaudibly, she moaned and I dropped my hand. “And when you really let go, make no mistake, you won’t want to come back from it.”

  ***

  I offered to take Beth home after we all went for a little competitive swim. I hadn’t been as good as I could’ve been because I’d been sidetracked. Seeing Beth’s body move into the water was like an adrenaline rush for me. She walked into the deep ends of the water and dived right in with Rylan, Joel, and Bri.

  She was in the passenger side of my car again, humming along to another song on the radio. But I knew that what I’d told her wasn’t too far from her mind. While she was good at controlling how she felt from showing at times, I’d catch glimpses of her deep in thought. Right now, though, she was pretty chill. What made her go from carefree to such self-consciousness so quickly? Was it me? Had some jerk messed her head in some way? Was that why she was here for the summer? To get her mind off of him? If so, I could the rebound guy for her. I’d used enough girls that letting Beth use me was only fair.