Nerd Girl

by Jemma Bell

  “Am I crushing you, sweetheart?” His voice is muffled from the way he’s laying and his hot breath blows over me, leaving tingles on my skin. Granted the kitchen island is not the most comfortable place to be laying, but I don’t want to move from this spot yet.

  “I’m perfect,” I whisper into his hair and hold him tighter to my body.

  “I’ve missed you, Amy. I promise I’ll never hurt you again.” Derrick lifts his head, resting his chin on my chest and brushes a few wayward hairs back from my face. “I’ve been miserable without you.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  “Lets get you cleaned up and then I’ll make you some dinner.” The cool air gives me goose bumps as Derrick pushes up off of me and pulls out of my body. He yanks a few paper towels off the roll and disposes of the condom into the trash can. Bending down to retrieve his jeans, he pulls them on, ignoring the button and helps lift me off the island. My back is sweaty from our excertions, and I stick to the granite as I peel myself away from it. Planting his hands on either side of me, Derrick dives in for a heated kiss. Neither one of us hear the door open.

  “Well, well, well,” Riven says, announcing his presence. I snap my head up to see him standing at the entrance to the kitchen, looking at us with a mischievious twinkle in his blue eyes. I am completely naked and Derrick only has his pants on. It’s completely obvious what we’ve been doing and Riven looks like he’s ready to take advantage of the situation. I scramble off the island, searching the floor for Derricks discarded shirt while he shields me with his body.

  “What the hell, Riv,” Derrick growls at him. Riven just laughs and leans in the doorway, crossing his arms over his chest. I quickly pull on Derricks shirt and throw my hair over my shoulder.

  “Miss Kitty, this is the second time I’ve caught you in nothing but your skin. I didn’t realize you were such an exhibisionist, but then again…” he says looking at his fingernails, “the way you get around on that pole should have clued me in.”

  “Dude, you have about five seconds to get out of here before I pound you.” Derrick threatens while cracking his knuckles. I just flash Riven the stink eye over Derricks’ shoulder. He snorts and then starts to laugh.

  “No need, man, I’m just happy to see the two of you back together. I’m tired of looking at your miserable ass moping around the house.” Riven reaches out and high fives Derrick then pulls him in for a quick guy hug/back slap. It takes me a second to realize my shield has been removed, so I try and pull the shirt lower to cover my thighs a little more.

  “Thanks, Riv, that means a lot to us. Now, get the hell out of here. Amy and I have some more making up to do,” Derrick says, patting Riven on the back and shooting me a wink.

  “Yeah, I guess so. Don’t forget to clean up the island. You know, I love Miss Kitty, but I don’t want to be eating my breakfast next to her butt prints,” he jokes. My eyes go round, and I quickly look down at the island. Sure enough, my two butt cheek prints are staring back at me. I grab the surface cleaner from underneath the sink, a few paper towels and start wiping down the island. Riven just busts out laughing, and Derrick snorts at my attempt to clean up the evidence of our tryst.

  “You have a fabul-ass, Miss Kitty! Catch you later, love birds,” are his parting words as he laughs his way out the door.

  “Fabul-ass?” I wrinkle my forehead in confusion and Derrick just smiles at me.

  “Sweets, you’re not wearing panties.” He says.

  “Yeah, I know. So?”

  “When you bent over to grab the cleaner, your um…shirt…kind of rode up a little.”

  “Okay?” That’s when it hits me. I freaking mooned them when I bent down to get the cleaner. Oh, crap! I hang my head in embarrassment. Derrick wraps me in his arms, trying to soothe my wounded pride.

  “He’s right, you do have a fabul-ass and it’s all mine!” His comment makes me laugh. I look up into his smiling face and stretch up to meet his lips. It’s a sweet kiss that turns heated when he grabs two handfuls of my fabul-ass, and I shove my hand down the front of his jeans palming his rapidly hardening cock. Releasing one of my ass cheeks Derrick yanks the t-shirt over my head, leaving me naked once again. Lifting me into his arms and carrying me to the couch, he places me down, lowers his jeans and crawls between my spread thighs again. Hmm, I guess him cooking me dinner will have to wait. Derrick obviously has an appetite right now, but it’s not for food. Who am I to deny him his fill?

  ***Derrick***

  Making up with Amy is one of my favorite things. I’ll never take the risk of losing her again, but I just might piss her off occasionally so we can have more of the fucking awesome make-up sex. When I slid inside her that first time today, it felt like I was coming home. It’s that great feeling you get when you’ve been gone for a while, and you return to a place of comfort and safety. Amy is my home. I love her and will spend every day making sure she knows it. When I look into her stormy gray eyes, I see my future. It’s a future filled with laughs, happiness, friendship, passion and love everlasting.

  A few months ago, when I signed on to do that author event, I never thought in a million years I would meet the girl of my dreams. Especially in the mens room, of all places. She surprised me then, and she surprises me now. When I tripped over her, trying to get away from that mob of women, I didn’t just fall on her, I fell in love with her. It’s not a fairy tale love story, but I’m going to do my best to make sure we have our happily ever after.

  ***Epilogue***

  Nerd Girl Problem # Nope, no problem. Because sometimes, dreams do come true.

  “So, Mr. Celluci, that’s what would be included in your training package if you decided to accept a membership here at Galaxy Fitness. You also are entitled to use of the pool, steam rooms, and the various classes offered here.” I’ve been stuck in my office with this grumpy ex-marine for an hour now, explaining our training packages and ameneties to him. I realize not all people are friendly, but he doesn’t need to be such a dick.

  “Yes, thank you for explaining all that to me, Miss. Jenkins, but is your trainer qualified to assist a client with my specific…needs?” He barks the question at me.

  “Mr. Celluci, Riven is amply qualified to assist you. He’s one of the best trainers we have here. Anything you are looking to work on can be discussed with him, and the two of you can work out a plan to suit your needs.” I fold my hands together on top of my desk and watch him read over the membership contract for the sixth time. He’s a good looking guy, about 35 years old in my estimation, salt and pepper colored hair, broad shoulders, and haunted chocolate brown eyes. This guy has a story to tell, but he’s such a grouch I don’t think many people would care to delve deep enough to find out what that story is. He signs off on the contract, and I take his credit card to charge his membership fee.

  “Now that all that is taken care of, let me give you a tour of the facilities and I can introduce you to Riven.” I stand and round the corner of my desk as Mr. Celluci takes his time getting up. He braces his muscular hands on the arms of the chair and pushes himself out of the chair. I take in his tall frame, hunter green t-shirt, and khaki cargo shorts. His prosthetic leg is what’s hindering his movement, but once he gains his feet, he follows me out of the office and down toward the weight rooms. I chatter on and on about the gym and what a wonderful place it is to workout and socialize. Cara has had me doing sales since I started on as her office manager a few months ago. I love it, and I’m surrounded by my friends all day long. I get my weekends off so I can spend them with Derrick. I make it a point to visit Barb once a week to pick up new books and have a cup of coffee with her. She’s very proud of me and has hired another college student to take over my old position at The Book Mark.

  The weight rooms are crowded today, but I spot Riven off to the side, speaking with Cara about something. I head toward them with Mr. Celluci following behind me.

  “Excuse me, Cara, Riven. I’d like to introduce you to Galaxy’s newest client, Mr. Anthony
Celluci.” I make the introductions with a bright smile, but the grouch just grunts as he leans over to shake hands with Riven and then Cara.

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Celluci,” Cara says with a sincere smile. “I like to be on a first name basis with all my clients, so can I call you Tony?” He frowns at her.

  “Anthony would be fine,” He answers through knashed teeth. Wow, he must have taken a double dose of cranky pills this morning. Cara just shoots me a confused look, and Riven steps forward to speak with Anthony. I make my excuses and leave the two men to discuss possible workout routines that will ensure Anthony can reach his goals. Riven is the best trainer for a client like Anthony. I’m almost back to my office when Cara catches up to me.

  “What crawled up that guys butt? Have you ever met such a grouch?” She’s asking the same questions I’ve been asking myself since he came in looking for a membership.

  “I guess he’s perpetually in a bad mood, Cara. The guy didn’t smile, once, the whole time he was in my office.”

  “He’s dreamy looking with those chocolate brown eyes, but his attitude makes him not worth the effort. Why are all the good ones either taken or ass holes?” Cara plops herself in the same chair Anthony just vacated, crossing her arms across her chest and sticking out her bottom lip in a pout.

  “Oh, I don’t know, Cara, you might be able to thaw Anthony’s frozen heart if you set your mind to it,” I tease. This is the first time she’s questioned me about one of our male clients. He got to her somehow during that introduction. Cara is a great person, and any guy would be lucky to claim Cara for his own. Even a grumpy ex marine with a missing leg.

  “No, thanks, Tony, the Jabroni, is to much of a challenge,” she says, rolling her eyes.

  “Cara, do you say that because of his prosthetic?” I ask. I want to know what the real issue is. She seemed semi interested in learning more about him.

  “I’m not that shallow, Amy. No, the missing limb doesn’t bother me. It’s all the baggage and attitude that comes with that prosthetic. He’s obviously not had it long and is still nursing wounded pride.” I guess she might be right. I’d probably have a shitty attitude as well if I lost a limb. I’m sure he has some sort of PTSD from the events that happened to him. Note to self. Give Anthony a break. He might be a crab ass but just keep smiling when he acts like a dick.

  “So you do think he’s hot?”

  “No, comment!” Is her quick answer. “Derrick coming home tonight?” Nice subject change, Cara.

  “Yeah, he should be back in town around 6:00. Caleb sent me a text message about an hour ago.” Caleb is Derricks amazing new agent. He’s young, hungry, and ambitious. He pushes Derrick to work harder and supports his decisions. Caleb also keeps me informed of all happenings in Derricks schedule and is courteous to me when we have to attend events. When Derrick fired Mitzi, and the agency wanted to know why, he told them flat out what had been going on. They were very apologetic and assigned Derrick their new hot shot with a sweet side, Caleb. In all honesty, I prefer a male agent for Derrick. It’s not that I don’t trust him because I do. I just don’t like the idea of him traveling and spending time with another woman that’s not me.

  “So what are your plans for when he gets back?” Cara asks.

  “Um, well…I think we’re having dinner tonight with Riven and Layla and then…” I can feel my face heating up in a blush and look everywhere but at Cara’s face.

  “Okay, okay, enough said.” She interrupts me. “Oh to be young and in love.”

  “You’re not that much older than us, Cara. Maybe you’re looking for love in the wrong places.”

  “Oh, honey, I’ve looked for love in all the places, right, wrong, up, down, and all the spaces in between.”

  “I’d bet money that love will catch you when you least expect it.” Poor Cara, she has so much to offer a good man, and she’s beautiful inside and out.

  “Meh, let me live vicariously through you for a while. They say love comes looking for you when you’re not looking for it. I guess I’ll just stop looking and hope for the best.” Cara gets up from her chair, leaning over to kiss my cheek. “Enjoy your eveing and tell Derrick I expect a visit soon.”

  “I will. Keep your chin up, Cara.” I tell her. “Somebody wonderful is out there waiting for you.” Taking her hands in my mine I give her a reassuring squeeze. I hear a ping alerting one of us of a text message. Automatically we both check our phones and I’m disappointed when I realize the message wasn’t mine. Cara stare’s down at her screen with a huge smile on her face.

  “Good news?” I ask her. I wonder who it is that put that smile on her face. She looks up at me and flashes me more of that smile and pockets her phone again.

  “The best news. Sweetie, you’ve been here all day. Go on home and get ready for Derrick.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yep, get out of here and enjoy yourself.” I quickly gather my things and shut down my computer for the day. Cara grabs me in a tight hug as I try to walk past her.

  “Good luck tonight.” She says wiping a single tear from the corner of her eye. Before I can ask her what’s wrong, she rushes out of the office. That was weird. I hope that was a happy tear, something to do with the message she got. I’ll call her later just to make sure she’s okay. I’ve got to get home and get ready for my man. He’s been gone since Tuesday and I can’t wait to see him.

  *****

  The driveway of the townhouse is full. I see Riven’s Jeep, Layla’s Bronco and surprisingly Derrick’s Challenger are already here. I glance at the clock, realizing everyone is early. I wasn’t supposed to get out of work for another hour, and they were supposed to show up later on. What the heck is happening? I guess there is only one way to find out. Grabbing my purse, I get out of the car and walk up to the front door. As soon as I open the door, I can smell the delicious food that someone has prepared and see the dining room table laid out beautifully with four place settings. I hear running water and pots being clanked around, so I head toward the kitchen.

  “Derrick? Are you here?” I say, announcing my presence.

  “I’m in here, sweets,” he answers, followed by hushed whispers from what I assume are Riven and Layla. Something is definitely up with all of my friends. What it could be is making me nervous. Derrick stands at the island pouring glasses of white wine while Riven stirs something in a pan on the stove, and Layla shoves a cheese slice into her mouth. I walk directly to where Derrick is standing. Wrap my arms around his waist, hugging him to my body, and stretch up on my tippy toes to welcome him home with a kiss.

  “Mmm, hi, baby. I’ve missed you.” He places the wine bottle down on the counter and snuggles me in his arms. As always our kiss gets out of hand, and we forget about the audience. It takes a loud throat clearing as a reminder to break us apart.

  “Dude, I know you’re not exactly hungry for food at the moment, but I am. Let’s eat and then you can stroke Miss Kitty.” Derrick reluctantly peels his lips off mine and leaves me with a peck on the forehead.

  “Always such a damn cock blocker, Riv; you just wait. One day I’ll return the favor.” Derrick grumps at Riven while taking over at the stove. Riven looks at me with a teasing grin and winks. Whatever Riv. The sooner we eat, the sooner they can leave, and I can be alone with Derrick. He takes these trips a few times a month, and I miss him more and more each time he’s gone. I wander into the kitchen and look over Derricks’ shoulder to find him simmering shrimp in a pan. Awe, he’s making my favorite, shrimp scampi. I have the best boyfriend in the world.

  Once everything is cooked to perfection and transferred into the dining room, we all file in and take our seats. The meal is delicious, and the conversation flows easily with lots of laughs and details about Derricks latest trip. Riven talks about his new client, Mr. Celluci, and he discusses possible workout routines with Derrick for him. Layla and I talk about the details for an upcoming author signing that we are attending in New York City. Anita Wells will be there. Sh
e is releasing a new book and is bringing her new cover model. I’ve never heard of him before, but I can’t wait to get my hands on her new book. I’ve eaten so much of the succulent shrimp and had about three glasse of wine. Excusing myself, I get up and walk down the hall to the downstairs bathroom. I do my business, wrestle my pantyhose back up my legs, and turn on the water to wash my hands. Just as I reach out to grab a hand towel, someone comes bursting through the door. I get knocked back a few steps when I realize it’s Derrick who’s just barged in. I start to worry for a minute that he might be sick.

  “Derrick? Are you alright?” He does look a little pale, and his forehead is sweating.

  “Yeah, sure, I’m ok…mm hmm,” he babbles. His eyes are big, round saucers and he keeps nodding his head. Blink, Derrick.

  “Okay then, did you need something? I can leave if you don’t feel well.” I move to get past him, but he stops me by placing his hand on my arm.

  “No!” He squeaks, “don’t leave.” He looks away from me and laughs. “You know, when I ran into you in that bathroom nine months ago, I wasn’t expecting to fall for you.”

  “Yeah, I know, you fell on top of me. I guess I was in the wrong place at the right time,” I joke.

  “That mob of women chased me all over that ballroom. I needed a break to catch my breath. Imagine my surprise when I found the sexiest librarian I’d ever seen occupying my hiding spot,” Derrick says while running his hand through his fauxhawk messing it up.

  “Only I wasn’t a librarian. Imagine my surprise when I ran into the star of all of my fantasies.”

  “Amy, I want to be the star in all your fantasies for the rest of our lives.” His hand is shaking as he reaches into his jeans pocket and pulls out a small black box. Opening the box reveals a stunning emerald cut diamond ring. I cover my mouth with both hands as Derrick takes a knee. He removes the ring from the box and holds it out in front of him. “I’ve already asked Pops and GG for their permission. Amy Jenkins, I love you beyond what words can describe. You make me a better person and life is never dull when you’re around. You have totally captured my heart, and I want to spend the next fifty or so years making you as happy as you make me.” Taking a deep breath, he continues, “will you make me the happiest man alive by agreeing to become my bride?”