by J. M. Stone
“Aiiyeeeee! Emma, you sweet ass little thing, get in here! Girl, you know you don’t have to pay no cover charge! Just grab your groupies and come sit at my table. Okay, sugar bear? Kiss kiss!”
I nodded my head at her, grinned, and waved at the boy manning the ticket counter as I passed, looking over my shoulder to make sure that my little group was following. We walked into the main room, which was a huge open space, dotted liberally with tables and chairs and interspersed with sitting areas consisting of sleek, modern leather couches, love seats, and end tables. There was a black lacquered dance floor that actually rose up to become the stage, and a large horseshoe shaped bar smack dab in the middle.
I grabbed a table close to where the stage comes up, the one that Needa always had reserved for her guests and me and Jace. I hadn’t seen Jace in about a year. He hooked up with a little hottie and moved to Wyoming. Not sure why they went there, but it had something to do with cowboys and hunting. Strange, I know.
I pulled out a chair and sat, noting that Allie sat across from me, Luke beside me, and Brandon beside him, sitting closer to Allie, though. As soon as we got settled, a waiter came and took our drink order, and the lights dimmed, getting ready for the show to start.
In the darkness, I felt a hand skim down my arm before coming to rest high on my thigh, making me gasp when it squeezed gently. I didn’t move, and neither did Luke’s hand, even when the lights came up. The stage had been raised and in the center stood the Queen Emcee, Showmia Buffet, stuffed into an outfit done up like the Chiquita Banana girl with fake fruit on her head and more glued strategically to other interesting places. Showmia Buffet (Glenn when not in drag) is middle aged, paunchy, and prone to channeling Weird Al Yankovic. Tonight proved no different.
The speakers started blaring Weird Al’s Michael Jackson parody, Eat It, and Showmia began prancing around , lip syncing the lyrics and ripping fruit off her clothes while gyrating her hips and circling the stage so she could collect the tips being offered by audience members standing at the edge.
I looked over to Luke and he met my eyes, smiling at me. I saw Brandon grinning and shaking his head, and Allie was hooting and hollering and dancing in her seat. I dropped my hand from the top of the table down over Luke’s, and entwined our fingers. He gave me an even warmer look that made my cheeks flush before we both turned back to watch the end of Showmia’s performance. And boy, was it a doozy!
Just before the last ‘Just Eat It’, Showmia reached down and ripped off the last piece of fruit left on the outfit, which incidentally turned out to be a real banana glued precisely onto the skirt where Glenn’s own banana would be located, peeled it, and took a big bite just as the final lyrics rang out.
The crowd went wild, clapping and cheering, and I jumped up to join in. After Showmia, there were two more performances, and even though they were good, they didn’t have quite the stage presence as Showmia Buffet. Needa had come by the table a couple times to chat briefly, not staying long before flitting off in a whirl of teased hair and Obsession perfume. After the third performer took her bow, Allie asked if I was ready to go. Luke caught my eye and nodded yes. Yup. I was ready.
The four of us walked back towards Griff’s where Allie and I had left our cars. I stood beside my little bug, waiting to say goodbye to Allie and Brandon. I wasn’t going to say goodbye to Luke; from the expression on his face, I was about to say hello to him…a lot of him. Allie gave me a hug and told me that she and Brandon decided to go have another drink at Griff’s. I told her to have fun, which made her cross her eyes at me and stick out her tongue. She’s so mature.
As they walked away, I turned to Luke and asked brazenly, “So is the night over or are you following me home?”
“I have to stop by the shop real quick, make sure everything got locked up right, then I’ll be there.” He leaned in and brushed his lips against my ear, making me shiver as he said, “Be naked. And wet.”
Pshaw. Like I have a choice? The naked part, yeah, I could choose to obey. The wet part? Let’s just say my cha-chi and I need to have a talk.
An hour and a half passed and I found myself sitting on my couch, wrapped in my bathrobe, flipping through the channels on the tv. And if you’ve ever tried to watch tv late on a Saturday night, then you know there’s nothing on but infomercials and skin flicks. Where the fuck was Luke?
I finally gave up at about three-thirty and shut off the tv. I got up to lock the door and as I approached it, I heard a soft knock. I peeked out the peephole and saw Luke standing on my porch, looking exhausted. Wrapping my robe tight around me, I opened the door, standing aside for him to enter.
He brushed by me, leaning in to kiss my lips softly as he did.
“Hey,” he murmured.
“Hey, back. You okay?” I asked him.
“Yeah, I’m good. Just tired. Look, I’m sorry, Emma. I probably shouldn’t have even stopped by so late, but I didn’t want you to think I’d ditched you or something.”
“It’s okay, Luke. But what happened? I thought you were coming right behind me?”
He ran his hands roughly over his face before answering. “Yeah, babe, I was. But I got to the shop and one of my part timers was still there. I keep the hours of the shop pretty flexible and we stay pretty busy. It was successful when Lenny had it, and has only gotten busier since, and because of that, I don’t have to stay open late and cater to the drunk asses who come in to get ink that they regret twelve hours later after waking up hung over in a puddle of their own puke. The latest I ever keep it open is ten, and that’s usually to accommodate someone specifically.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “We left the show after midnight. I walked into my shop and that little fuckerass dumbshit had six people sittin’ in the lobby, smoking a fucking joint, of all things, while he had some whore in Brandon’s room. She was sittin’ on his lap with his dick in her while he was shooting a fuckin’ tattoo on her tit! Christ!” He was shouting by this point, and I didn’t blame him.
I walked over to him and slid my arms around his waist, laying my head against his chest. After a beat, his arms came up and wrapped around me and I felt his lips touch my hair. Pulling back from his arms, I led him to the couch and sat beside him, tucking my feet up underneath me and leaning into his warmth.
“What happened when you walked in?” I asked.
“I stood in the door for a second, not believing my eyes. She’d sit still on his dick until he’d go to re-ink, and then she’d bounce on him a couple times until he brought the needle back.”
“Interesting,” I said. Wait… Ack! “It sounds different…I mean, awkward!” Shut up, Emma!
Luke gazed at me, his eyes heating a bit as he gave me a calculating look. Yikes!
He continued after a minute. “Fucking idiot didn’t even realize it was me standing there. He didn’t even look up, just told me if I was watching, that’s cool, but if I wanted a tat, I’d have to wait out front with the others.”
“Wow. What a moron.” I shook my head, floored by what he was telling me.
“Yeah. Dipshit. I finally cleared my throat and it would have been pretty damn comical except for the fact that Brandon’s favorite liner machine, his three hundred dollar Workhorse Carnivore, went flying when Tom jumped up, and broke when it smashed into the floor. I finally got him to shut up and stop apologizing long enough to fire him, told him that he owed Brandon for the liner, and kicked him and his drunken whore out into the street, along with all his buddies in the lobby. Spent the rest of the time sterilizing and closing shit up.”
“So, wait. Some little slut is walking around town with a half finished tattoo on her titty?” I asked, laughing.
“Yep. And it isn’t getting finished, either. At least not in my shop.” Luke grinned. “Wouldn’t that be something to hear? Her telling someone why it isn’t finished?”
I nodded, grinning back. We stood there grinning like loons at each other for a minute before Luke’s
smile started to slip, and his eyes darkened. Ooh. My cha-chi woke up like a bear from hibernation, screaming, ‘Feed me!’ Well, you know what I mean.
Luke started toward me, and instead of backing away, I met him head on, wrapping my arms around him and meeting his lips with mine, opening immediately as his tongue sought entrance. We kissed wildly, fumbling with each others clothes as we bumped our way down the hall toward my bedroom. We got about halfway there before I said fuck it and slid to the floor, Luke sliding over and in me in a heartbeat.
I gasped and moaned softly as his thickness pushed into me as deep as he could before rearing back and thrusting back in, pounding into me over and over. I felt myself fall headlong into bliss almost immediately, and with every thrust of Luke’s hips against me, I felt the waves cresting again. I held back, not wanting to let go without Luke this time.
Luke pressed himself against me tightly, burying his face in my neck, sliding his hands under my back to curl around the top of my shoulders, his hands gripping tightly. He shortened his strokes a bit, then began pulling out almost completely before sliding back in, stroking over my clit with every thrust. I began moaning, curling my legs around his thighs, my fingers digging into his back, even as I fought to hold back.
“Emma, sugar, let go,” Luke whispered in my ear, making me shiver even as the pleasure swelled, taking me under. “That’s it baby,” Luke groaned against my neck before slamming deep and I felt him shudder as he followed.
We laid there panting in the dark hallway for a minute, Luke still inside me, trying to catch our breath, then Luke slid out, getting to his feet and leaning down to take my hand and pull me up. I leaned against him, lifting my head for his kiss. I felt his hand come up and cup my cheek, his thumb stroking gently over my bottom lip, and I felt myself falling.
I jerked myself out of Luke’s arms, stunned by the emotions swirling inside me. I realized that Luke was standing in front of me, arms still outstretched toward me from where I had pulled away so abruptly. As I watched, his arms slowly dropped to his sides and, embarrassed, I turned, grabbing my robe from the floor and fleeing to my room.
Great, just great Emma. Now he’s gonna think you’re Looney Tunes! I chastised myself as I thrust my arms into the sleeves of my robe, pulling it around me tightly as I sat on the edge of my bed. I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees and dropping my head into my hands. Two sock-clad feet came into view, standing in front of me. I felt Luke’s hand lift my chin and looked up into his eyes.
His gorgeous eyes. So intense in that gorgeous face of his, with his sexy lips, extra sexy with that silver hoop through his bottom lip, lips that were…smirking at me? What the hell? Luke stood there watching me with a knowing smile, the corner of his mouth curved up in a secret smile/smirk that worried me as much as it turned me on.
“Sugar, you can run…” Luke drawled, letting his words trail off, the implied meaning screaming into the silence.
I jerked my chin out of his grasp, narrowing my eyes at him before gritting out through clenched teeth, “What kind of game are you playing here, Luke? I mean, what are we doing? We don’t even know each other and you say things like I’m just , I don’t know, yours or something. Like you can just snap your fingers or command me and I’ll obey, just like that.” I snapped my fingers into the air, emphasizing my words.
“You are.” Luke didn’t say anything after that, just smiled again. Then he turned on his heel, walking out of the room.
I followed him, intent on making him explain just what the hell he meant by that cryptic statement, watching as he stopped to pull on his clothes that were strewn through the hall before he continued walking away from me.
“Luke!” I shouted at his retreating back. “I am what? What the fuck! Don’t you walk away from me…”
Luke kept going until he got to the living room, where he stopped at the coffee table, grabbing my phone where it was sitting beside my purse. I stopped beside him, reaching out to try to wrench my phone out of his grasp. He easily evaded my hands, holding my phone over his head out of my reach as he punched in a series of numbers. I heard his phone start ringing in his pocket before he hit one last button on my phone and then handed it to me.
He then leaned in, kissed me quick and hard on my lips, grinned at me and walked out my front door. I stood there in shock, completely dumfounded by the fact that he’d just walked out. I snapped, stomping my foot and shrieking in the back of my throat, and then I threw my phone into the couch. Hard. Oh, shit! My phone bounced off the back of the couch and flew back at me. I threw my hands up, more in defense than anything, but also trying to catch it before it could hit something and shatter. Luckily it thumped into my chest (Ouch!) and I was able to save it.
Shaking my head at myself and my own stupidity (If my phone would have shattered, it would have been the fourth one this year. What? I have a temper. So sue me.) I stomped to the door to lock it before stalking down the hall to my room, where I fell into a fitful sleep.
Chapter 8
My phone woke me up the next morning, ringing in the vicinity of my head. I lifted my head groggily, trying to locate it but couldn’t see it. I shoved my hand under my pillow, searching blindly until I hit it with my fingers. I pulled it out to answer, but it quit ringing before I could get my fingers to work enough to slide across the touch screen to unlock my phone. I checked the display, noting that I had missed my mom’s call before my eyes hit my alarm clock. Fuck me, I’m late!
I scrambled out of bed and set a new world record in the shower before throwing on an old pair of jeans and a tshirt, and pulling on my brother’s hoodie as I slid my feet into my sneakers. I didn’t bother tying them, just ran down the hall to grab my purse and my keys. Then I had to run back to my bedroom to get my phone, which had fallen to the bed in my mad dash to get ready.
I pulled up at my parents’ house about half an hour late and headed inside. Since I was so late, everyone was already there and seated at the table, plates heaping with food. I breezed in and slid into my seat, reaching for the plate of bacon as everyone’s eyes settled on me.
“Good morning!” I said, filling my plate. At least once a month my family all got together for Sunday breakfast. Mom pulled out all the stops, making everyone’s favorite foods. We had gravy, made from the sausage and bacon drippings with pieces of sausage and bacon crumbled in it, biscuits, scrambled eggs (with cheese for me, yum!), sausage patties, strips of bacon, shredded hash browns, popovers, sausage links, and French toast.
My mom got up and poured me a glass of orange, strawberry, banana juice and brought it to me, kissing the top of my head and saying, “Good morning, o tardy one!”
I grinned at her, thanking her for the juice before saying hi to my dad. He grunted, which meant hi back. He’s lucky I am fluent in Dad Speak or we’d never have a conversation. I waved to my sisters, winked at my niece and nephew, nodded to Noah, and stuck my tongue out at Calland. I still hadn’t forgiven him for dumping Drunk Leah on my carpet while I was getting’ my Luke on that night.
My sisters both waved back at me, although Jenna gave me her we-need-to-talk face, Hayden laughed and tried to wink back, succeeding only in blinking her eyes owlishly, Jarrod grinned, Noah nodded back, and Calland, calmly as you please, reached across the table and stole my plate.
“Hey!” I cried. “Mo-om, Calland stole my plate,” I whined. Yes, I know I was acting like a four year old, but hey. That was my food!
Mom just grinned and shook her head. I think she’s used to us by now. Her and Dad have always been fans of the whole ‘work it out for yourselves’ type of conflict resolution, going as far as to pushing the furniture back in the living room to clear a space before letting us loose on each other. We never really fought, though. It was more wrestling around, trying to best the other by whatever means necessary, whether it be slapping, tickling, punching, sitting on top of, pinching, and biting. Biting was generally frowned upon, but was allowable as long as we weren’t doing it to maim
or draw blood.
All of this usually ended with one of us (me or my sisters) pissed off, screaming, crying, and stomping into our rooms to slam the door, and Calland laughing hysterically. Asshole.
I got up from the table, went around to where Calland was sitting, and tried to take my plate back. He pulled it away from me, trying to stab my hand with his fork.
“Calland, give me my food you asshole!” I shrieked.
Calland said, “Okay.” Then he gave me my plate, but not before snatching all of my bacon and my biscuit.
Sighing, I took my now lightened plate back to my seat and replenished my empty bacon and biscuit spaces and commenced eating.
“So,” my mom began. (She always makes me cringe when she starts sentences like that. You never can tell what’s gonna come out of her mouth!) “Leah and Calland tell me that you had some company the other night. Slut!” she said, laughing and winking at me.
I rolled my eyes at her. Dad just shook his head and grunted again, while everyone else started laughing with Mom. I tuned them out because my mind had already drifted to thoughts of Luke and what the hell last night was all about.
Breakfast passed with me shoving food in my face (one, because I was starving, and two, because then I didn’t have to answer my mom’s questions. She did teach us not to talk with our mouths full, you know…) Leah and Calland took turns trying to one up each other with one liners about walking in on me and Luke. Noah excused himself and took the kids outside. Dad just sat there eating his food. He did, however, grunt every now and then when Leah or Calland managed a decent joke. Mom and Jenna just watched, shaking their heads and grinning at us.
After breakfast was done, me, Leah, and Jenna cleaned up and did the dishes for mom. We visited for a while before we all started dispersing. I said my goodbyes, gave my mom a kiss and hug, and headed home.
When I got home, I cleaned up my house and started a load of laundry before heading out to the screened-in porch off the back of my house. I curled up on my lounger in my penguin pants and Calland’s hoodie to read a book. My eyes kept drifting to my phone, though. Giving in, I snatched it up and scrolled through my contacts. Sure enough, Luke had programmed his number into my phone. I also noticed that I had a text message that hadn’t been opened yet.