Sex Symbol

by Tracey H. Kitts

  I sighed one last time and let sleep finally take me.

  *

  I awoke to the smell of fresh coffee and the sound of more large machinery outside. It felt like I’d been hit in the head. I rolled over, stretched and took a deep breath. My pillow still smelled like Ozzy’s cologne. I stuck one leg out from underneath the cover. The house was cool and the air conditioner wasn’t running. The temperature must have dropped considerably because of all the rain. When I sat up I saw that Oz had laid out a worn white sweater and another pair of faded jeans minus the slashes. Some of my favorite comfort clothes.

  I got dressed and resisted the urge to look out the window again. Today I would speak to my neighbor and I had the perfect excuse. Besides asking if he was all right after seeing that animal last night, I intended to invite him to a barbeque that evening. Of course this was all going to wait until I took care of the pressing matter of locating the aspirin and eating the entire bottle.

  When I entered the kitchen I found Ozzy cooking bacon. There wasn’t any bacon in my fridge. As a matter of fact, I was completely out of breakfast food.

  “What time did you get up this morning?” I asked, yawning.

  “Early.”

  “It’s only eight now,” I said.

  He laughed. “I got up about six and was starving. So I dried my clothes, went to the Dixie Mart and got some things for breakfast.”

  It wasn’t unusual for Ozzy to bring breakfast food to my house and cook. But this was the first time he’d ever spent the night and then cooked. I kept waiting for the situation to feel weird, but it didn’t. So I poured myself a cup of coffee and hugged him like I usually did when he cooked because that meant I didn’t have to. I loved cooking. But not first thing in the morning and definitely not when my head was about to explode.

  “Could you get me the aspirin? It’s in the cabinet over your head.”

  Oz handed me the bottle with a smile. “Did you enjoy your gallon of margaritas last night?”

  “Shut up,” I said around the three pills in my mouth.

  He waited until I had swallowed to say, “I ran into James this morning.”

  My heart fluttered and my hands shook just a little bit around my coffee cup. I forced myself to sit at the table and ask calmly, “Really? Did he speak to you?”

  Oz turned around, propped against the counter and crossed his arms.

  “He had the nerve to ask about you.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He just asked how you were.” The smile on his face told me there was more to this story.

  “And what did you say?”

  “I told him you were fine when I left you sleeping, but I’m sure you’d be much better after I made you breakfast.”

  I gasped, but I was already starting to laugh too. “You didn’t? What did he do?”

  Oz turned back to flip the bacon. “He just stood there with his mouth open. It looked good on him, he should wear that ‘holy shit’ expression more often.”

  I laughed a little harder. I’m not sure why I found the thought of James knowing I’d slept with Ozzy so funny. Maybe I just wanted him to know that I’d been with someone else. Not just anyone, but someone he could put a face to. That was probably spiteful of me, but at the time it still improved my mood. A broken heart will do crazy things to a person.

  “Oh, shit.” I put a hand to my forehead like I was trying to keep it from falling off. “That really hurt.”

  “Give it an hour or so and a few cups of coffee. You’ll be fine.”

  “You know, Oz, I wanted to say thank you for staying last night. I really needed you and…”

  He flipped pancakes I had just noticed before turning back to me again.

  “We don’t ever have to talk about last night if you don’t want to,” he said.

  “You don’t mind—”

  “Being your sex toy? No, I’m good with it.”

  I laughed. “That wasn’t what I was going to say.”

  Ozzy sat down beside me and took my hand.

  “You’re my best friend, Lucy. My only friend some days. I will always be here for you in whatever capacity you have need of. I know that you’re not in love with me and I would like to continue to be your friend.” He smiled as he went on, “If you’d ever like to do this again, I’m your man. If not, I still intend to tease you mercilessly and I expect nothing less from you. Last night will be our secret and so will any other night that you invite me to stay. If you ever choose to.”

  I still had those warm, fuzzy, friendly feelings toward him. And what he said made perfect sense.

  “Thanks, Oz. Your bacon is burning.”

  “Shit.”

  While he took up the bacon he changed the subject to one I wasn’t sure I was ready for yet.

  “So, when are you planning to talk to him?”

  “Who?”

  He pointed next door and flipped another pancake. “Mr. I’m-too-sexy-for-my-shirt.”

  I laughed. “I was thinking of inviting him to the barbeque tonight. You are still going to be here, right?”

  “Yeah. I’ve got to go take care of a few things, but I’ll be back later.”

  While Ozzy got down some plates he took the coffeepot and refreshed my cup.

  “You’ll thank me later,” he teased.

  “You want me to give you a ride since you left your car at the Fig last night?”

  “Nah, I was going to steal yours.” He laughed. “Yes, I’d appreciate a ride.”

  *

  We had just finished breakfast and were on our way out the door when the phone started ringing.

  “Let the machine get it,” I said, waving my hand for Ozzy to come on.

  Chase’s voice stopped us in our tracks. “I just wanted to be sure you were alive over there this morning. I, um, hope you don’t mind but I put a little somethin’ somethin’ in your drink last night. It’s not something I’d normally do, but I figured you were in good hands.”

  “Son of a bitch.”

  Oz put his arm around me and led me out the door. “Well, at least you don’t have to wonder why you were so horny last night.”

  I slapped him on the ass and he seemed genuinely surprised.

  “I’d screw your brains out any day of the week, with or without drugs and alcohol.”

  “You know you don’t have to say that to save my feelings.”

  He started laughing and so did I. “You’re an ass.”

  “Do you always like to be choked by people you think are assholes?”

  “Get in the car, Oz.”

  We were almost to The Flaming Fig before I thought about the wolf again. I’d just walked right out of the house like it hadn’t been there only hours before. I shivered and Ozzy noticed.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “I just remembered that wolf. I walked out of the house without even thinking about it.”

  “Are you afraid of your flower bushes after you see a snake crawl out of them the day before?”

  “Sometimes.”

  “Let it go. Werewolves don’t hang around someone unless they have a reason to. Since you don’t own a little red hood, I’d say you’re in the clear.”

  “I’m being serious. How the hell do you know so much about werewolves? You’ve never talked about them before.”

  “You’d be surprised what I know and you never asked.” He pointed at the road. “You’re about to miss the turn.”

  I think I’d been living in denial ever since monsters “came out”. Don’t get me wrong, I think vampires are sexy and Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairy tale. I find the whole idea of werewolves sexy. In theory. Truth be told, the thought of meeting one for real scares the shit out of me. Since no one in our community came out at first I thought it was just bullshit. After a while I tuned it out. It was old news even though it was on the cover of every magazine. Celebrity gossip had gone from who was sleeping with whom to who was sleeping with the undead or having the wolfman’s baby
.

  I’d gotten so used to it that I didn’t think about it anymore. Monsters had become another distant thing that didn’t affect me, like the headlines on magazines. None of those things were real to me. They were just a bunch of crap I read standing in line at the grocery store.

  Well now that crap had walked up in my front yard. Great, just great. Like I needed something else to worry about.

  “I’ll be over around three,” Ozzy said as I parked beside his black sports car.

  Chase was standing in front of The Flaming Fig with his arms crossed, resting back against the door. The bar wasn’t open for business yet, but he was always there. He lived in a single-wide trailer out back. The self-satisfied look on his face made me want to slap him.

  “Are you listening to me?”

  “Sorry, Oz. Tell me again.”

  He got out and walked around, but instead of rolling down my window I got out. There was something I wanted to say to Chase.

  Ozzy looked from me to Chase and smiled. “Go easy on him. I think he just wanted you to have a good time.”

  “Well, I did,” I said, reaching to straighten the front of his shirt. “But that doesn’t mean he can put drugs in my margaritas.”

  Oz laughed and repeated what he’d told me before. “I’ll be over around three. I’m bringing corn and lots of liquor. You sure you’re up for Sledgehammer Punch?”

  “It’s Justina’s favorite. I promised I’d make some.”

  “All right then.” He kissed my forehead before getting in his car.

  I watched him drive away and then turned my attention back to Chase.

  “Ooo, looks like somebody got lucky.”

  He was wearing blush today. I could tell because his cheeks matched the rosy color of his t-shirt. He only wore makeup occasionally and then it was only a subtle touch. Bastard could do his eyes better than I could do mine. Made me sick.

  Chapter Seven

  What’s in a name?

  My obvious anger didn’t seem to bother Chase in the slightest.

  “So, how was it?”

  “You’re an asshole.” I slapped him, but not hard.

  “It was good, wasn’t it?” He ignored the fact that I’d just slapped him and I considered doing it harder. “Tell me, were you right about his lips?”

  Chase and I had talked about anything and everything over the years. We discussed uses and brands of various sex toys on a regular basis. Yet his reference to Ozzy’s lips made me blush. I could feel my face burning.

  “Hmm?”

  I waved my hands as I spoke, trying to distract him from my darkening color.

  “Yes, it was great, fantastic in fact. He eats pussy like he deserves a medal. There, are you happy?”

  “Are you?”

  I could feel my face drop along with my mood. “That’s not fair, Chase.”

  He hugged me and I let him. “Oh girl, don’t get upset. You know I wasn’t talking about James. Well, maybe I was. I thought some good sex could fix things. But I guess I’m a jackass.”

  I patted his chest and pulled back enough to look at him. “No, you were at least partially right. I do feel better. But me and Oz, that was a one-time thing. We’re friends…that’s just how things are and that’s what we both want.”

  “You going to say anything to Justina?”

  “Probably not.”

  He gave me a scolding look. “Already starting to keep things from your girl, huh?”

  “It’s not like that. I just figured that the less people who knew, the less who could tease me. Besides, the whole town thinks we’re sleeping together already. I couldn’t stand their smug faces if they knew they were right for once.”

  He kept giving me that look and I pulled away from him.

  “The only reason you know is because you set it up.”

  He put a hand to his chest like I’d wounded him and I laughed.

  “Don’t be such a drama queen. There are things I don’t tell you.”

  “Like that barbeque sauce recipe I want so much. You could just tell me that shit so I can put it on the menu.”

  I waved off the comment, glad for the change of subject. “Forget it. I’m sure you’ll figure it out eventually.”

  Chase rolled his eyes. “I’ll be by about noon with the peanuts and the ribs. Can I at least watch you make it?”

  I snickered again. “I’ll think about it. Oh and Chase, we may have an extra guest tonight.”

  He put his hands on his hips. “Well, hell, I’m bringing ten pounds of peanuts how much could they possibly eat?”

  “That’s not why I’m telling you.”

  “Then why are you telling me?” He looked confused. “Oh wait, did you invite that new neighbor of yours? The one that Justina was going on about?”

  “Oh, she told you about that, huh?”

  “Told me how you been drooling over the man. Did you finally talk to him?”

  “Nope. But I’m going to.”

  My heart hadn’t beaten so hard in a long time. My chest felt tight, like I was about to have an anxiety attack. Maybe I was. The whole way home I kept rehearsing what I would say to him. I had all sorts of clever dialogue worked out. But when I pulled back into my front yard and caught a good look at the man next door those ideas flew like birds escaping a nest.

  My mind was blank and my hands were shaky. I climbed out of the SUV and started walking slowly toward the porch. “Coward,” I scolded myself. What the hell was I so afraid of? “He’s a man, just a man. You’ve talked to lots of men and never been terrified before.”

  Just as I reached the front steps he stood up and arched his back, stretching. I swallowed so hard I’m surprised he didn’t hear it. I could see the tops of bushes against the fence. Perhaps he was planting something after all? I stood there for a moment, looking at my house keys in the palm of my hand. I could either go inside and wish I hadn’t or I could walk over there and say something, anything. How about a regular old “hello” instead of staring at him like a moron?

  I took a few steps toward the fence and froze. I probably shouldn’t go closer, didn’t want to sneak up on him.

  “Excuse me.”

  To my surprise he turned in my direction. I knew in that instant that my heart would never be the same. That is if I ever pried it loose from my throat. Brown hair long enough to reach his eyes was brushed back by a long-fingered hand. This movement caused his biceps to flex and gave me a tantalizing view of the muscles down his side. Well, as far as I could see down his side considering that the fence was in my way.

  Honey-brown eyes looked questioningly back into mine and I hadn’t the slightest idea what to say next. He smiled and my heart wasn’t the only thing that leapt this time. He had nice, even white teeth that somehow reminded me of the wolf. Ah, that’s what I could talk about!

  “I saw a…” I searched for the right word. I still wasn’t comfortable with the thought of a werewolf being in my yard. “I saw a big animal out here last night and just wanted to be sure you were okay.”

  “That’s nice of you…”

  “Lucy. Lucy Harper.”

  “Lucy,” he repeated. The way he smiled made me wonder if he planned to eat me for pleasure or for dinner. But there was no doubt he wanted to eat me. You just don’t mistake a grin like that.

  He opened the gate that separated us and opened my mind to a whole new world of fantasies. He was smudged here and there with dirt and a fine sheen of sweat was visible on his sun-bronzed skin. Dark hair spread over his chest and then trailed off in a perfect line that ran all the way to the top of his pants.

  Those jeans! They cupped his package better than a pair of hands, showing his shape the way only well-worn jeans ever could. And practically begging the question, “Is there any room for me in there?”

  “Eramus Creed,” he said, extending his hand in greeting.

  I could feel the strength in the hand that gripped mine and led me two steps into his yard. The hole had been filled and he was p
lanting roses.

  “Eramus,” I repeated. “I’ve never heard that name before.”

  “It was my grandfather’s name.”

  “That’s nice.”

  He hooked one thumb in the waist of his pants, causing them to tug down only slightly. Just enough to reveal a bit more of his well-sculpted hipbone. I rubbed a hand against my lips absently to check for drool.

  “How about you, Lucy, were you named after anyone?”

  “Yes. I was named after the Bram Stoker character. You know, the one Dracula kills almost as soon as he arrives in London.”

  We both laughed, only his sounded natural and mine sounded nervous. His voice was a nice warm baritone that practically vibrated along my spine. Involuntarily I took a step toward him.

  “I’m sorry I haven’t introduced myself sooner, but you seemed very busy.”

  “Yes, I hope I haven’t appeared rude. It’s a storm shelter,” he said, indicating the gigantic patch of ground that was only visible because of the fresh sod.

  “Really? Well, that’s a relief. I thought you had a lot of bodies to hide.” Shit. Now my laughter was really nervous. Way to break the ice. Why don’t I go ahead and ask if he’s crazy?

  But Eramus laughed at my bad joke like he thought it was really funny.

  “I enjoy a sense of humor,” he said. “And since you appear to have one, maybe you’ll like my garden.”

  At this I laughed too. “Why, what’s wrong with your garden?”

  He indicated the roses behind him and I took a closer look. Some were propped against the fence looking hopeless. Others were larger and more healthy. Judging by their tags, there were all sorts of varieties, climbers, ground cover, bush roses, you name it.

  “Looks like you’ve got quite a variety.”

  “And I have no clue how to take care of them or where exactly they should go.”

  I loved to garden, so I was distracted from his gorgeous body long enough to consider the layout of his yard.

  “What are you trying to do?”

  “I’d like to make a rose garden over the shelter. You see, I don’t want it to look like an obvious place for a shelter.” He laughed and this time he sounded a bit nervous. “I know that sounds like I’m crazy. My last home was destroyed by storms and I lost some valuables. I’d like a place to store something besides myself in the event of a hurricane and I’d like for it to be safe.”