by S. Nelson
Initially, I had a small crush on Matt when I’d first met him. Who wouldn’t? He was quite the looker. At six-feet tall, he towered over my five-foot six-inch frame. He wasn’t gigantic by any means, but I did have to look up when I was standing next to him, especially without any heels on. Naturally wavy, dark blond hair adorned the top of his head, styled to perfection each and every time. His physique resembled one of a male model; he even had the wardrobe to boot. His eyes were a brilliant blue color, and he had one of the most genuine, endearing smiles I’d ever seen.
I was aware of the reaction he obtained from women when we went out together, but he never paid any attention to it. Sometimes, I thought I caught him sneaking a peek at other guys. Deep down, I knew he was attracted to men, but I never brought it up. If he wanted to tell me, then he would, in his own time. Needless to say, our relationship had never been anything more than a platonic friendship, which I was completely happy with, especially considering my little crush had dissolved and was replaced with genuine friendship.
I was in the front of the shop working on the computer, when Katherine’s voice startled me.
“Thank goodness you’re good with that computer, honey,” she said over my shoulder as she passed by with a huge display of beautiful white and pink lilies. Even though the particular display was more on the simple side, she really was an artist in her own right. A customer could point to a variety of different flowers and she would somehow know the right way to arrange them. What to put where, plucking out anything which didn’t belong. Every single arrangement she made was a pure masterpiece, which was probably why she did very well for herself.
I just hoped I could do my part to continue the legacy she’d spent forty-six years building.
Lost in thought, I nearly jumped out of my skin when the phone rang.
“Hello, thank you for calling Full Bloom. How may I help you today?” I went on autopilot taking all of the information for the order, from the date and time of delivery to the type of arrangement needed.
“Do you want the card to say anything in particular?” I asked the man on the other end of phone. “Okay, let me read that back to you. ‘Sorry for missing our anniversary last week. I love you. Tom.’”
I shook my head and grinned. Typical. But it was good for business, so I couldn’t complain.
Once the order was complete, I put it in the pile for the following day’s deliveries, first giving Katherine a heads-up I needed a mixed dozen of red and white roses. Thankfully, it wasn’t for that day, because I didn’t think we would be able to accommodate on such short notice. Roses were a very popular go-to flower for a lot of people, and I thought I’d seen the last of them in the back room being wrapped up for one of the current orders.
For the next couple hours, I answered the phone, entered invoices and double-checked Katherine had all of the order slips so she could make sure she had the flowers to make up each and every presentation.
We didn’t typically get a ton of walk-ins. I deduced people preferred to look up our website, pick out what they wanted, and simply call it in. But I guessed it was the digital age, after all. One could simply give you their credit card information over the phone and get on with life.
I found it odd sometimes most people didn’t even want to write out their own cards, especially the really personal ones. Some of them were quite deplorable. One time, I had a guy tell me he wanted me to write, ‘Sorry I slept with your sister’. I actually made him repeat himself to ensure I’d heard him right. Suffice it to say, he didn’t spend any unnecessary time on the phone with me.
I was in the middle of pounding away on the keyboard when I heard the bell above the door. Knowing most customers browsed the ready-made displays, I kept my head down and continued working.
All of a sudden, I felt a presence across the counter from me, instantly making me feel strange.
Then I heard his voice. Deep and gravelly. “Excuse me, Miss. Can you help me?” he serenely asked.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, goose bumps breaking out all over my body.
All of this and I still hadn’t even looked up yet.
Slowly raising my head, I prepared myself as best I could to see who was causing me to have such a reaction. When my eyes finally landed on his face, I actually felt myself wobble a bit, grabbing onto the edge of the counter to steady myself.
What the hell is happening to me?
He was the most stunning male specimen I’d ever had the pleasure of feasting my eyes on. He was almost too much; like looking directly at the sun. Fearing he was going to think I was rude or just plain weird, I tried not to stare for too long. Too bad my brain wasn’t communicating with my trembling body.
He had the most perfectly sculpted face, almost as if the gods used him as a blank canvas, gifting him the best attributes imaginable. But the one feature which really garnered my attention was his eyes. The most beautiful shade of dark green I’d ever seen. They seemed to hold the power to captivate with just one glance.
His hair was a very dark, ‘chocolate brown yet almost black’ shade of color. The freshly tousled style was a tad longer all around than I was typically attracted to. But it worked. On him.
He was wearing what looked to be a very expensive dark grey suit, the red tie giving it a small pop of color. I could tell he had broad shoulders, but because the suit covered everything else, I had to use my imagination as to what was underneath.
The guy looked like he had money and didn’t make any apologies for it. But he also appeared as someone who wasn’t conceited or purposefully showy; just knew what he had. How can I tell all this by simply looking at him? I guessed it was just a strong feeling.
I spoke only when I regained some of my composure, which in reality was only a few seconds from when I first saw him. “What can I do to you? Uh, for you? What can I do for you?”
That’s it, Sara. Emphasize the for you.
His reaction was one of amusement. “I’d like to purchase some flowers and have them delivered tomorrow. At one o’clock precisely.”
“Did you mess up with your wife or girlfriend?” I asked before I could stop myself.
What is wrong with me?
He smirked, cocked his head and explained, “They’re for a friend. She recently had surgery, and I thought it would be a nice gesture to help cheer her up.”
“Isn’t that a little misleading?” Seriously, what is wrong with me? Why was I being so blunt and forward with him? Probably because I couldn’t filter what I was thinking before it flew out of my stupid mouth.
He laughed and asked, “How so?”
“Never mind. I don’t know why I asked you that. It’s none of my business. I’m sorry.” I was sure my face was three shades of red, my embarrassment taking a fierce hold.
“Don’t apologize. It’s nice to have a conversation with someone when they actually say what they mean.” Taking a step back, his gaze never left my face. It must have been a good minute before he spoke again. “I have to tell you…I find you a bit intriguing.”
Me? Intriguing? I didn’t know about that, but I was sure my bluntness was a rarity for him. Something told me people yes’d him to death, telling him only what they thought he wanted to hear.
“Hey, Sara, did you see the order slip for the Canter Road delivery today? I’ve looked everywhere and can’t find it.”
Matt came around the corner, looking like a madman searching for lost treasure. He appeared panicked until I handed him the slip over my shoulder, winking at him in the process.
“You are a lifesaver, girl. What would I ever do without you?” He gave me his thousand-watt smile and headed back toward the prep room, but not before giving me a big smooch on the cheek.
Normally, I wouldn’t have given his actions a second thought but considering I had an audience, I became a little flustered by the extra attention being thrown my way.
“Is he your boyfriend?” the gorgeous stranger asked, a blend of emotions evident
in his tone. Is that curiosity mixed with annoyance? Now he was the one asking inappropriate questions. He was making me anxious, and I didn’t even fully understand why.
Since he flustered me, I didn’t know what to say except, “What?”
With a cocked eyebrow, he repeated more sternly, “Is he your boyfriend?” He leaned forward on the counter, his hands practically touching my own.
Whoa. Who did this guy think he was? His tone floored me. His face was the picture of composure, throwing me off because the two didn’t match up.
I wasn’t going to answer him. I really wasn’t, but something clicked inside me. The need to assure him Matt and I were not an item was simply too strong.
“No, Matt is just a very good friend of mine.”
“Uh-huh,” was all he mumbled, his bottom lip disappearing between his teeth. Normally, I would have rushed to get this cocky man out of the store, but I couldn’t force myself to want to part with his domineering presence.
After composing myself yet again, I attempted to continue with my normal line of questioning, making sure this time they were of the appropriate nature. “What kind of flowers would you like to send to this friend of yours?” I couldn’t help myself. “And what’s the address where they’re being delivered?”
“Why don’t you surprise me and put together something of your liking?”
Is he serious? Why would he want me to put together something out of the blue, without any input from him whatsoever? “I don’t know if that is such a good idea. I mean, I have no inkling as to what kind of flowers she likes, what color she prefers or anything like that.”
“I’m sure whatever you come up with will be perfect. I trust you.” He wrote down the delivery address, placed a wad of bills on the counter and turned around, walking out the door before I could even respond.
~2~
Sara
The rest of the week went by in a flash due to how busy we always were. Closed on Sundays, I always tried to take full advantage of Saturday nights. It was my one night to hang out and let loose with two of my favorite people, Matt and Alexa.
“Matt, what are your plans tonight?” I was hoping he was game for hanging out, especially since I needed to stop reminiscing over my encounter with Mr. Gorgeous from almost a week ago.
“I’m free. Whatcha thinking?” he asked, cleaning up the remaining orders scattered on the counter.
“I’d like to hit up that new nightclub, Throttle. Have you ever been there? I hear decent things, and now is as good a time as any to check it out. What do you say?” Please say yes, please say yes.
“Sounds all right to me. Is Alexa going? And what time do you want me to pick you up?” Initially, I’d thought Matt was interested in Alexa, but that idea was quickly squashed once I realized he might only like the romantic company of men.
“I already texted her and she’s in. But you don’t have to pick us up. We can just meet you there at nine o’clock. You know it’s gonna take us girls a while to get ready,” I teased. I felt bad because every time he swung by to pick us up, he always ended up waiting at least forty-five minutes for us to finish primping ourselves.
“I’m going to finish up with this last order and head on home. I’ll see you guys later tonight then!” he yelled over his shoulder as he headed toward the back of the store.
An hour later, I’d made my way outside and inhaled the fresh air. It smelled like rain but then again, it frequently smelled like that. This was Seattle, after all. But I wasn’t going to let some precipitation put a damper on what was surely going to be a great night out with friends.
It was almost six-thirty when I finally arrived home. Unlocking the front door, I breathed a sigh of relief when I entered my solace.
I really felt comfortable in the apartment I shared with Alexa, even though our space was a bit on the small side. But it was ours and it was homey. It took us a while to find the right décor; thankfully, we had the same taste. I wasn’t sure what the name was for our style. Was it contemporary or modern? Or maybe it was something different altogether.
Rich browns, creams and reds decorated our small living room. Only a few pieces of furniture adorned the space, the comfy leather recliner the object of many a bet as to who was going to enjoy it on any given night.
Our kitchen was also small but it had come with up-to-date appliances, a cost-saving benefit to the both of us. The kitchen island gave way to four stools which slid underneath. More savings.
For as small as the living room and kitchen were, we lucked out with the size of the bedrooms and the one bathroom we shared. The much larger spaces allowed us to fit all of our other furniture and belongings.
Like I said, we were very lucky to find the place. It wasn’t cheap, but it wasn’t as pricey as some of the other places we’d looked at. Splitting the bills right down the middle left us both with a little extra cash to splurge on whatever else we liked. One of those splurges was going to be the night’s fun at Throttle.
“Hey, Sara!” Alexa shouted. “I didn’t even hear you come in. Can you come back here? I need your fashion opinion.” Alexa had more clothes than I think she knew what to do with, piles of outfits strewn all over her room. I honestly didn’t know how she ever found anything.
She was holding up a short, navy blue dress as I walked into her room. Other options were laid out on top of her bed, in case that one didn’t pan out.
“It’s nice, but isn’t it a bit short? Aren’t you worried you’ll be showing off your goodies?”
“If I’m lucky, yes!” she exclaimed, a big grin on her beautiful face. I knew Lex was not easy or slutty or anything like that. But you really couldn’t tell by the way she dressed sometimes. I personally wasn’t comfortable dressing like she did, something she was forever trying to change.
“If you like it, then I’m sure you’ll look great.” There was no use in defending my position because she was going to wear what she wanted. Sometimes I didn’t even know why she asked my opinion.
“What are you going to wear tonight? And please don’t say jeans and a T-shirt.” All right, so she knew me a little too well.
“Well…yeah. I don’t have anything else.” I really did need to go shopping for some new clothes. What I had was nice, but I didn’t have club clothes. But a piece here and there couldn’t really hurt, as long as it was to my taste, and length.
“Here, I have the perfect dress for you.” She went into that packed closet of hers and almost fell over something trying to reach to the left to pull an item out.
It was a beautiful, hunter-green dress, with a plunging neckline the main focus. The back of it was no more modest, a large opening scooping down to pretty much show off the top of my ass. As if that wasn’t enough, the length barely covered my lady parts.
“You’re kidding, right? I would never wear that out in public. First of all, it’s way too short. I’m a good three inches taller than you, so it would be that much shorter on me. And second of all, I couldn’t possibly wear a bra because of how open the back is.”
“So then don’t wear a bra.”
“Are you out of your mind? Do you know what I would look like with no bra?” I was too well endowed to never wear support. I wasn’t gargantuan, but I had too much to ever go without a bra, in public at least.
“You have a great rack, Sara. You don’t take enough advantage of your gifts.” She was already laughing because she knew I found it funny when she referred to my breasts as gifts. I shook my head and smiled.
“I’m not wearing that dress, so if you don’t have anything else, I’m going to find my jeans and T-shirt.” I turned on my heel and left her standing there with her mouth open.
“Wait, I think I have something else that’ll meet your approval.” I heard her rummaging around in her room again before she came barging into my space, quickly shoving something into my hands. It was a red sparkly tank-top accompanied by a white skirt. Another short item, although the skirt wasn’t as short as her other clot
hing.
“Why haven’t I ever seen you wear this before?” I asked as I pointed to the piece of clothing. “Is it new?”
“No, it’s just too long on me.” Figures. “Will you at least try it on? See how great you look?”
“All right, I’ll try it on only to shut you up,” I said, throwing her another smile over my shoulder.
“I’ll be right back,” she retorted. “I think I have the perfect shoes to go with it, should you grace me with your approval of wearing it.”
I checked the size before I did anything. Even though we were different heights, we sometimes fit into the same size pants and skirts. Not that I wore a lot of her clothes, for obvious reasons. The top was bigger than she usually bought so I was wondering if she didn’t buy this for me, secretly hoping to push me out of my more conservative wear. I wouldn’t put it past her. “Why did you buy the wrong size shirt?” I asked as she came back into my room.
“I grabbed it by accident and didn’t feel like taking it back to the store.” Uh-huh.
After I’d quickly thrown on the clothes, I stood in front of the mirror and smoothed everything out. Surprisingly, everything fit the way I’d want it to. The skirt hit me mid-thigh, a length I could definitely work with. The top, while tight to my chest, looked amazing.
“What do you think?” I asked as I twirled around in front of her.
“Holy fuck, girl! You look so hot! You have to know how good you look right now, Sara.” She was hopeful I would agree with her.
“To be honest, I think I do look nice, but I don’t know about this,” I said as I waved my hand back and forth over the top of the shirt, pointing to the obvious. “Don’t you think it looks a little sleazy?”
“Not at all. I think you look fantastic. Here’s the shoes.” She handed me a pair of nude wedges. Thankfully we wore the same size. I had to admit with the shoes, I really did like the outfit. It accentuated all of my curves and made me look…sexy.