Imperfections

by Shaniel Watson

  "I'm serious. You're the second best-looking thing I've laid eyes on all night."

  She steps back from him with his hands still draped around her waist.

  "So what beat me out for the number one spot? It better be freaking amazing or I'm going to be extremely offended."

  Looking over at me, he proceeds to slowly undress me with his eyes from head to toe. The look he gives me reminds me of the first time he looked into my eyes and kissed me. I can feel my cheeks start to warm because of that memory and the sexy smile he's now giving me. I forgot how good he looks, he's even better looking now. I didn't realize the last time because I had Nick on my mind the whole night. He's tall, almost as tall as Nick, around the same build with thick brown hair and hazel eyes. He has a light growth of stubble that gives him a roguishly handsome look. No wonder he, Chris, and Nick always had a Harem of girls always hanging around them back in high school.

  Seeing the way he's looking at me, Ava's face lights up. "I'm not offended at all," she says. "I'm in total agreement with you now that I see who took the number one spot."

  Now I know I'm blushing, my cheeks are on fire. I look down at my sky-high platform heels that Ava made me wear. I look back up with a shy smile and hope I don't make a fool of myself by tripping over my feet in these things. It would be like the episode of Sex and the City when Carrie trips on the runway in her sky-high stilettos and Heidi Klum steps over her. Fashion road kill, how embarrassing!

  I stand next to Ava and Matt puts his hand on the small of my back and we go inside the club. He leads us through a crowd of people dancing. I look around the club; it has three floors and is bathed in soft white-and-blue lighting. I see scantily clad women dressed in what looks like string bikinis dancing and gyrating on poles and doing things on those poles that I didn't think was possible, whoa. I have to stop for a second and stare at what I'm seeing. I turn to Matt and raise my voice so he can hear me over the music.

  "I hope they're being paid well for the tricks they're putting their bodies through."

  "Don't worry, I'm sure they are. I know the owner of this club; he wouldn't shortchange his employees. He's going to pay you what you're worth, he takes care of them. They're paid." He winks at me, grabs my hand, and leads us up to the second floor to a raised table in the corner overlooking the entire first floor. Ava sits down, I sit next to her and Matt sits across from me holding my hand. I don't say anything because it feels nice, familiar. He orders us a round of drinks from one of the waitresses in a low-cut black mini dress.

  Smirking at me he says, "I'm glad to see you didn't bring your bodyguard with you tonight."

  My eyebrows shoot up questioningly before I ask, "What bodyguard are you talking about?"

  "Nick."

  "He is not my bodyguard."

  "You wouldn't know that by the way he was guarding your body that night at the club. I couldn't talk to you without him looking like he wanted to knock my head off."

  "He was not doing that."

  "Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about, Cat. I know you a little better than you think I do. Nick and I have been boys for years, even though we don't hang out like we used to. I know him."

  I nod my head at him slowly and bite the inside of my cheek. The waitress comes over and places our drinks on the table. I take a sip of my drink and look at Ava to help me out. She is no help at all. I'm sure she heard everything Matt and I said to each other. She smiles at me and Matt, looking back and forth between the both of us, shaking her shoulders to the beat of the music.

  "Ava, you know what I'm talking about, don't act like you didn't see it, he's your cousin."

  Ava gets up from her chair and claps her hands together to an Usher song.

  "I don't know what you're talking about and I didn't hear a word you two said to each other. This is my song. I'm going to hit the dance floor and find me a hot-ass guy to dance with. When I come back we're going to do some shots and stop being so damn intense. Forget about our problems, get drunk, and have a good time."

  With that she wiggles her ass down the steps to find her a look-alike Usher, leaving me and Matt alone. He brushes the back of my hand with his fingers and I have to admit it sends a tingly sensation through my body, nothing like when Nick touches me, but it still gives me butterflies.

  "What's up with you and golden boy?"

  I look at him and shake my head. "Nothing."

  He looks at me skeptically and licks his lips before he speaks. "I would have to be blind, deaf, and dumb not to see the way he was looking at you and how intense things looked between the two of you."

  "Is that what you saw?"

  "Yes. We're friends, right? At least I hope we're friends. You trusted me once with the most precious thing you could give to a man. I hope you can trust me enough now to tell me the truth; it's only me and you talking. What we say to each other will stay between me and you just like that night."

  "Why do you care if something is going on between me and Nick?"

  "I'm going to be totally honest here. I'm laying it all out. I like you, Cat. I like you a lot. Ever since that night we had sex I've wanted you to be my girl."

  Wow, this is a revelation. I never knew that.

  "After that night, I wanted to call you and take you out. I never met a girl I could hold a three-hour conversation with, who I had so much in common with, but you were only seventeen. Your brothers would have killed me, not to mention your father and Nick.

  "You got that right. You don't know the half of it."

  "I knew I was wrong but I couldn't help it, you looked so cute and we were laughing and talking. I felt a connection with you I never felt with another girl before. I didn't see you as my friend's little sister anymore, you were just a girl and I was just a guy who had a lot in common. You seemed older than your age and you were so sure of what you wanted. I gave in to what you wanted besides my better judgment."

  "I remember how sweet you were to me and how you took your time. How you talked to me after and you wouldn't leave me until you were sure I was okay. I fell asleep in your arms."

  "You did. I knew that was the only night I would be with you. I wanted it to last as long as it possibly could. You needed me. You felt good wrapped up in my arms."

  "You risked getting your ass kicked by my family because you refused to leave until the sun came up. You took care of me." I look up into his eyes as he's playing with my fingers. "You should have told me how you felt before I left."

  "I'm telling you now."

  The emotions in his eyes tell me he's telling me the truth. He brushes the back of his other hand across my cheek and I feel a warm feeling in the bottom of my stomach. The corner of his mouth lifts into a half smile. I can't help but look at his lips and remember how good they felt against mine…soft and warm. I smile back at him.

  "I want to know if I have a chance with you. That's why I asked if there's something going on between Nick and you."

  "I honestly don't know how to answer that question."

  "Well then, can you answer this? Are you in a relationship with anyone?"

  "Honestly? No."

  "I do have a chance with you?"

  "Maybe."

  "That's good enough for me. We can work on turning that maybe into a yes. I'm a patient man when it comes to you, Cat."

  "Only me?"

  He looks at me seriously. "No woman has ever seen the side of me you saw in your bedroom that night."

  I never thought this would ever happen to me in a million years. Two men as gorgeous as they come, want to be with me. Unfucking real. One, who I have to admit can be a little scary when he's angry and has the most beautiful soulful eyes I have ever seen. When he looks at me I'm completely undone. The other, a guy who has only treated me with respect and tenderness since I've known him and he's telling me how much he wants to be with me. Ava is not going to believe this shit. I can't believe this shit!

  When Ava comes back to the table she looks like she started
drinking without us. She had not one, but two waitresses with her, their serving trays full of tequila shots. My eyes pop open wide and Matt laughs at the look on my face.

  "Are we supposed to drink all of those?"

  "Hell yeah! I told you I was going to show you a good time. These are instant stress relievers."

  "This is your plan, get me drunk until I can't remember anything?"

  "I only have two stress relievers and one of them you're not going to go for."

  Matt gives her a big smile and leans back in his chair. "I'm curious what the other stress reliever is?"

  God, Ava is a loud-ass drunk, the more she drinks, the louder she gets. So when she opens her mouth everyone near us can hear her.

  "A good old-fashion fuck!"

  How embarrassing. I grab a shot of tequila and down it in one shot before it hits the back of my throat. I start coughing; my eyes watering, I spit some out and croak, "Why the hell didn't you tell me not to do that?"

  Matt and Ava start laughing so hard they look like they are going to cry.

  Matt gets himself under control before Ava. "I didn't know you were going to knock it back like that or I would have warned you, babe. Sorry."

  "Don't baby her, Matt, the girl's got to catch up to me so she can loosen up and we can get this party started."

  "Take it easy on her. She's not like you and me. I can tell she's not used to hard liquor." Matt shakes his head at her but he is still laughing.

  "Please, knock those bitches back like a man, Cat, and loosen the fuck up so we can get our asses down there on the dance floor. Go ahead, Matt, take one with your girl and let's go."

  Matt laughs and picks up a drink at the same time as me and looks at Ava. "Yes, sir! I mean, is that an order, ma'am?"

  "Hell yeah, it is!"

  We laugh and Matt turns back to me with laughter in his eyes. "Are you ready for it?"

  I shake my head and scrunch up my face looking at the little glass in my hand. "I think so?"

  "Hold your breath, throw it all the way to the back of your throat, and swallow it without a second thought. Like this." He opens his mouth turning the shot to his lips.

  "You know how to do it, Cat, just like a blow job."

  Matt starts coughing, caught by surprise when Ava yells that one out at me. "Oh shit."

  "Speak for yourself, you dirty ho, I don't know what you're talking about!" I throw my shot back like Matt showed me and it kind of works. It wasn't too bad this time, it still burned going down, though.

  "You're lucky I love you, Cat. If you were another chick, I would knock your ass flat out on the floor. I ain't nobody's ho."

  "I see your southern charm is long gone. I love you too, ho."

  "Man, you two are wild, we should hang out more."

  "It's a plan; now you two hit two more with me and let's get down there and show them how it's done."

  A couple hours later the three of us are on the dance floor with a bunch of drenched, sweaty people bumping and grinding on top of each other. We are probably breaking some health or fire code violation from the amount of people in this club. The music is blasting and all I can hear is 50 Cent all up in the club, for real.

  Matt is sandwiched between Ava and me. My back is pressed up against his very hard chest, his hand wrapped around my waist. We are pressed up so tight grinding against each other it feels like we are simulating sex. I have to admit I like the way every inch of him feels pressed up against my back. I open my eyes and look over at Ava behind Matt and she's moved on, pressed up against a guy with her hands wrapped around his neck. She looks like she's enjoying herself. I'm so drunk the room is moving but I don't know if it's the people moving against us or the shots I did. Turning around I wrap my arms around Matt's neck. He leans his head down to the side of my face and trails kisses up to my ear with the tip of his tongue.

  "God, that feels good," I tell him with one of my hands in his hair.

  "You feel good," he mumbles back against my skin.

  "Did I say that out loud?"

  "Mmm mmm."

  "Matt, I think I'm drunk. Are you?"

  "No. I have a buzz. You taste good."

  I'm not sure if it's the drinks or the way he' making me feel with his tongue against my ear. I'm breathing hard and my stomach's doing little flips. Pressed securely against his body, I lick my suddenly dry lips. Parting his lips, bending down, he runs his tongue over the same spot; pressing his lips against mine, he moves his tongue against them.

  "Can I taste you, Cat?"

  "You already did."

  "Should I stop?"

  "No."

  Right there in the middle of the dance floor he slides his tongue inside my mouth taking me over, fogging my mind. The feel of him sweeping the inside of my mouth feels good. "Mmm." I can't help but moan into his mouth when his hands move down to my ass and he presses me up against his erection. Matt suddenly pulls away, grabs my hand, and leads me through the crowd to the back of the club into a room and locks the door. I only see a desk, two plush wood-framed chairs, and a couch in the corner.

  "Where are we?" I ask looking around the dimly lit room.

  "I know the owner, this is his office."

  "Should we be in here?"

  "He won't mind. Come here."

  When I walk to him I can see the heat in his eyes. He puts his hands on my hips and pulls me up against his body. Matt slants his lips over my mouth and runs his tongue against mine. I place my hands on his rock hard biceps as I move them onto his shoulders and wrap them around his neck, taking his tongue into my mouth and gently suck. He moans and lifts me up by my waist placing me on the edge of the desk. Easing my legs open with his hand I feel heat rush to my center, pool between my legs making my underwear damp. His hand brushes up and down against my underwear making my breathing speed up. I know I should stop him but his hand feels good and warm against my swollen flesh making me want more.

  "You're wet," he says against my lips. "Do you want me to stop?"

  My brain and heart are telling me yes. My head is going up and down saying yes but the rest of my body—including my mouth—is saying no. I'm at war with myself when I should let go and let this happen.

  He moves my underwear to the side and slips his middle finger inside me. I grab him by the hair and moan into his mouth bringing myself against the palm of his hand while he curls his finger inside me. I keep one hand around his neck while he's devouring my mouth with his, putting his hand around the back of my neck, laying me down on top of the desk. I spread my legs farther apart and put one up on the desk to give him more access, slowly, he slips his middle finger out of me and slides two back in.

  "You feel incredible. So tight. Do you want me to stop?"

  "No, don't stop."

  "Don't stop?"

  "No, please don't stop."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Yes."

  "Tell me again, do you want me to stop?"

  "No."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Matt, don't stop."

  Taking his hand from my neck, he pulls my shirt up over my breasts and pulls my bra down under them. Licking a wet circle over my exposed nipple then covering it with his mouth, he sucks and swirls and follows the same motion as his fingers buried deep inside of me. I'm breathing hard and clinging to his shoulders. He pulls out of me slowly and smears my wetness around the insides of my folds. He moves to my clit and rubs it mercilessly at the same time he's sucking my other breast into his mouth.

  "Matt," I say his name feeling the pressure building at the spot he's rubbing, biting down on my lips.

  "I know, baby, let it happen."

  As soon as he says it I turn my head to the side and scream his name. He watches me before he covers my mouth with his and takes my moans into his mouth.

  He moves his hand from between my legs and rests it against the outside of my upper thighs. Pulling back, he looks at me and brushes my hair back. "God, you are so sweet, almost like the first time. You oka
y?"

  Helping me sit up on the desk, I straighten my now uncomfortable underwear averting my eyes, looking away from him. "Yes. I'm good." But all I can see in the back of my mind is Nick and his beautiful eyes. The last person I should be thinking of. I did nothing wrong, I tell myself. Seeing the look that crosses my face, Matt dips his head down to take a closer look at my face.

  "Are you sure you're okay?"

  "Yes, I'm sure." I lie, not wanting him to know I'm not fine. I thought this would make me feel better but it didn't. In the moment it felt good but now…not so much.

  "Let me help you get down."

  He helps me down and places a kiss on my lips as he looks into my eyes. "You're what I want, Cat. I'm going to wait for you and do everything in my power to have you. Come on, let's go find Ava."

  "Okay."

  When we go back into the madness, the noise hits me and I see Ava still on the dance floor with a new dance partner. The song stops, she says something into the guy's ear, they laugh and she turns around walking our way.

  "Where did you two go?"

  I don't know what to say, thank God Matt says something.

  "We went up to the second level of the club."

  I grab her by the hand before she can ask another question. "Let's go do another shot. I'm not drunk enough yet." That's all I have to say to distract her.

  She grabs Matt by the arm and drags him with us.

  "Matt, you can use your clout since you're soon to be the owner of this fine establishment."

  "For what?"

  "To get us that table over there so all my admirers can get a good look at me in all my drunk glory. Get rid of those drunk asses at my table, please," she says to him sweetly with her southern drawl.

  Matt looks at me and shakes his head. "Is she serious?"

  We laugh and I mouth thank you to him for answering Ava's question. He nods at me and mouths back, "No prob."

  Ten minutes later we are sitting front and center on the first floor against the wall at a table with a stripper pole in the middle. Matt has one more drink with us then gets up and whispers in my ear, "It's getting late. I have to take care of some business. I don't know how long it's going to take but when you're ready to leave I want you to send one of these two guys to get me so I can take you home or call you a cab."