by Taylor Love
“Yeah, it was. The girls are coming along. It’s Friday night though, and I want some adult conversation. What’s really going on with you and your guy? I got nothing. The date I had last week was a flop. He had a foot fetish, like a bad one. He wanted to suck my toes. Nothing else girl. Just suck my toes on the first date. Now, I don’t mind a little kink but damn!”
Andrea was still laughing, after they quickly placed their order with the waitress. “That’s a shame.”
“I know right. So, what is Camden into?” When Andrea just looked at her blankly, she expounded, “Sexually…what is he into sexually?”
“How would I know?”
“You’ve been talking to him every minute you can for over two weeks. You telling me you haven’t even brought up sexual likes and dislikes, or found out something from flirting?”
“Yep, that’s what I’m telling you. We talk about real things. Politics, current events, work, likes and dislikes.”
“Exactly, likes and dislikes in bed.”
“No, you freak.”
“I’m not a freak. You’re just a prude,” Mika shot back.
“I’m not. We’re just taking things slow. I like that about him.”
“No, you are taking it slow. You won’t even give that poor man an actual date.”
“What are you talking about? We met for lunch just this week.”
“Emails, calls, and one lunch, which is not a proper date, by the way. I know he’s asked you out by now.”
“He did, after lunch. He asked about today and I told him I had a thing with you.”
“What about tomorrow?”
Andrea contritely looked away. “Umm, I told him I was busy.”
“You getting on my nerves. So I know you have to be getting on his. Why won’t you go out with him?” When her friend just shrugged, Mika continued. “What’s the big deal? Did you forget how to date after six months?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not that.” Andrea let out a sigh. “I’m a little afraid. I think I like him too much already.”
Instead of sympathy Mika pressed her lips together. “Oh, boo-hoo. Andrea likes a guy, so she has to stay away from him. Girl, so far he seems normal. You better take him and be happy. Meanwhile, I’m stuck with toe suckers.”
“That’s part of the problem! He seems too normal, too easy going. I haven’t found anything I don’t like yet.”
“You know what…you betta be glad service is taking forever. I’d fling a bread roll at you if I had any. Well maybe not, since I’m starving. If you don’t enjoy this good, normal man while you can I will hurt you. You don’t have to get deep with him, but go out give him a real chance, get out the damn house and have some fun.”
“I get out the house. I have fun,” Andrea said sullenly.
“Okay, fine. Then stay in the house and do some bed room activities. Just don’t forget to share with me. I’m going through a dry spell.”
Andrea just rolled her eyes and frowned. Thoughts of having Camden in her bed had kept her up at night. She should never have given him that hug. To say she had felt it down to her toes would be the exact truth. She just couldn’t imagine sleeping with him, when she was half way to an orgasm from a hug. Nope, nope, nope. She should stay as far away from him as possible.
“Andrea?”
Both she and Mika looked around at the sound of her name. But she knew that voice right away. “Camden!”
“Hey, I thought that was you.” Cam couldn’t believe his luck. He had been walking around trying to decide where he wanted to go, when he’d caught sight of Andrea. For a moment, he’d thought he was hallucinating. He finally pulled his eyes away and gave her friend a brief smile. At least he knew she hadn’t been lying about having plans with someone.
“What are you doing here?” If Andrea wore pearls, she would be clutching them. It was like her thoughts had conjured him up.
“I was just out taking in the night, since someone turned me down…I had time on my hands.”
Mika finally snapped her mouth shut and spoke up. “Sorry about that. I’m the one she had plans with. Must be serendipity, as we were just talking about you. Why don’t you join us? We just put our order in less than five minutes ago.” Mika flinched as Andrea kicked her under the table.
Cam glanced at Andrea to see her glaring at her friend. He smothered a smile, as there was no way he was passing up a chance to spend time with her. “I’d love to. Let me go inside and I’ll join you ladies in a moment.”
Chapter Five
Andrea watched as he followed the black rail fence towards the restaurant door, then swung her head around to scowl at Mika. “Why did you do that?”
“What? It would be rude not to invite him. Besides, I’m not missing a chance to meet your sidewalk guy. Stop pouting. Get over it and enjoy. I’m here as a chaperone. No thanks needed.”
“The last thing I want to do right now is thank you.”
“You will my sista.” Mika waved away her anger with a hand. In a lower voice, as Camden walked towards them she said, “This brother is fine! You are plain crazy not to jump on that. As long as you’ve been without some, you should be riding him like a pony!”
“Mika!” Andrea choked out, the imagery shocking her.
“Everything okay ladies?” Cam asked as he pulled out a chair to sit. He could actually see a blush spreading on Andrea’s face.
“We’re great tonight!” Mika answered, to give Andrea time to get her composure back. “I was just telling Andrea what a fine guy you seem like. That she should be taking advantage of your…your willingness to spend time with her.”
“Jeez, thanks for making me sound like a charity case.”
Before Mika could comment, their waitress was suddenly there, all smiles just for Camden. “Hi there! Can I get you anything to drink?”
Cam looked at the women first. “Ladies, what are we drinking tonight?”
“I could go for a glass of red wine.” Mika spoke up quickly.
“What about you, Andrea?”
“I’ll take a glass of red as well.”
Now Cam turned his charming smile towards the waitress. “Make that three.”
“Sure thing! I’ll get those right to you. Do you need time before you order? Or would you like me to recommend something for you?”
“No, I’m good. Been here before.” Cam placed his order and the waitress walked off, throwing him a smile over her shoulder. He noticed both women looking at each other and rolling their eyes. “What?”
“Don’t tell me you didn’t notice she was flirting with you,” Andrea threw out, before giving Mika a look. “Mika, am I lying? We barely got water in ten minutes. He’s here for about sixty seconds and is offered recommendations.” Both women started laughing and Cam joined in.
“Hey what can I say? They have good service here.”
“Yeah, if you a fine man,” Mika said, not quite under her breath. Then she turned fully to Cam, leaning across the table, giving him a mischievous smile. “Now, Camden.”
“Call me Cam,” he interrupted.
“Cam, tell me everything about yourself.”
That started the conversation off as Mika questioned him, and he good naturedly answered, or charmingly deflected when he wanted to. Andrea was impressed by how at ease he was. Most men would have gotten defensive or been uncomfortable with the whole situation. By the time their food arrived, they had moved from integration mode to regular chit chat. The wine that the waitress had rushed out was probably kicking in by then as well.
Mika had to bite her lip to keep from laughing when Andrea gave the waitress the stink eye for trying to push “dessert” on Cam. Andrea had coldly declined for the whole table and said they were ready for the bill. Mika found it hilarious! The woman was acting possessive of the man. Speaking of, the waitress was on her way back to the table.
“Here you guys go. I hope you enjoyed your meal tonight.”
Andrea looked from the blonde, college-aged wom
an back to the single bill she’d placed in the middle of the table. “You didn’t split the bill?”
“I’m sorry! I didn’t think to ask again if you wanted separate checks.” She quickly glanced at Camden before finishing her sentence. “Once your friend showed up-”
“No, it’s not your fault.” Andrea waved off the waitress distress. She seemed genuinely contrite. “We did tell you one bill we when first sat down.”
“Still, I should have-”
“It’s not a big deal. I got it.” All three women heads snapped around to Camden as he spoke.
“I can’t let you do that!” Andrea stammered out.
“You can’t stop me either.” He winked at her, and handed the waitress the bill along with his debit card. Mika laughed at the chagrined expression on Andrea’s face, while the waitress made her escape.
“Camden, you didn’t have to pay for both of us. We invited you to join us.”
“It’s no problem. Honest.”
“Girl, the man has paid, let it go.” Mika was getting a kick out of watching these two.
“But-”
“Look at it this way. I got the company of two beautiful women, a good meal and interesting conversation. Which is more than I would have gotten if I’d been somewhere by myself.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. I think you could have pulled off two women wherever you went.”
He grinned at Mika, while Andrea threw her a dirty look.
“Don’t look at me like that. He probably could! Anyway, thank you Cam for treating us tonight. I appreciate it.”
He nodded his head towards Mika. “You’re welcome.”
Mika pointedly looked at Andrea and tapped her finger on the table. “Don’t you have something to say to the man?”
Andrea actually wanted to smack the smirk off her best friend’s face. Instead she turned an embarrassed look toward Camden. “I hate when she’s both annoying and right. Thank you for the meal, that was very nice of you.”
“My pleasure, pretty eyes.”
Mika saw how he looked at Andrea, as if he hadn’t already eaten. She shook her head slightly, thinking her friend was stupid if she didn’t snatch this man up!
So she wouldn’t have to watch him make sexy eyes at Andrea, she started rummaging through her purse. “Ugh, Cam, do you have any friends for me? I’d love to find a man who buys drinks and meals while giving out sweet compliments.”
“Actually, I do know some-”
Mika cut him off as the waitress returned his card. “Never mind. There are rarely two good ones in a group of male friends.”
Cam winced, but laughed. “Come on, that’s harsh.”
“No, my new friend, that’s reality.” Mika pulled out a twenty and threw it on the table, then gathered her purse. “I got the tip. I guess this counts as you guys first dinner date, even if you had a third wheel.”
Cam grinned at her, while Andrea threw her a pained look. Ignoring her friend, she grinned back at Cam, then winked at Andrea before standing up. “I’m calling it a night, but you two kids feel free to stay out and enjoy.”
Mika was waving good bye and walking away before Andrea could protest. She could actually feel it, as Camden turned his full focus on her. She grasped at something to say. “It’s nice seeing you tonight, even though it wasn’t planned.”
Putting his hands up as a sign of innocence, he commented, “I promise it really was by chance, but I’m glad I got to spend time with you. It was nice to meet your friend too. She’s funny.”
Rolling her eyes, she finally smiled back at him. “Mika is a nuisance, is what she is. Are you sure she didn’t put you up to coming here tonight? I wouldn’t put it past her to have stolen my phone at some point and texted you a time and place.”
“Wow, no she didn’t. But…if she had, I would have come, no questions asked, thinking the request came from you.” He reached out and put his hand on hers, mingling their fingers on top of the table. Like always, electricity seemed to pass between them.
“Be careful Cam, that sounds like I have you wrapped around my little finger.”
He turned her palm over and ran his finger tip down the middle of it, making her draw in a breath. He looked up into her eyes with a serious and intent expression on his face. “Not yet, but I have a feeling it wouldn’t take much.”
Slowly, she withdrew her hand, giving him a shy smile. She wasn’t rejecting him, she just needed a little distance as she processed his words. “Well then, you should be very cautious around me.”
Now he sat back in his chair grinning playfully. “Where would be the fun in that? Speaking of…let’s get out here and do something.” Saying so he stood up and held out his hand. “You game?”
She hesitated for just a second before placing her hand in his. “I’m game, Mr. Holden.”
Chapter Six
As they walked away from the restaurant, he put his arm through hers, pulling her near his side. She didn’t mind, as his warmth felt good against the chilly air. She squeezed his arm briefly to get his attention and looked up at him. “I want to you know I’m glad you joined us tonight. I know I may have seemed bothered when you first showed up, but I was honestly surprised to see you.”
“No, I get it. You had plans with your girl and here I come out the blue intruding.”
“You were fine, seriously. Mika and I mentor a group of young girls once a month. We had just finished up our meeting and were grabbing something to eat. You weren’t interrupting anything. I see her all the time anyway.”
“Ahh, so you saying you would rather be with me?”
She grinned at his infectious smile before shaking her head. “I’m saying I was glad to see you, even though I wasn’t expecting to. Don’t let it go to your head.”
“I don’t think I’ve had that problem, since dealing with you.” She gave him a small nudge with her shoulder and he laughed, pulling her back close. “How much further is your car?
“Just up there in the next lot. So, where are we going? It’s almost 10:30.”
“How about TV Lounge? They usually have a good mix of music, and I’m really interested to see your moves.”
“I like that place!”
“Good, but you’ll have to drive.”
“I can do that. How far away did you park?”
“Remember I told you I don’t live far from downtown. Sometimes I walk, then take a bus the rest of the way. I did that tonight, as I wasn’t expecting to have company. I just wanted to get out the house so I could stop thinking about a certain someone named Andrea.”
She stopped them a few feet before the lot entrance and faced him. “That’s laying it on a bit thick don’t you think?” She was calling him out on the game he was trying to run.
“Not at all. I have no reason to lie or embellish. That was just a statement of fact. You stay on my mind…a lot.”
Andrea was totally perplexed as she saw he was one hundred percent serious. She’d never dealt with men who were comfortable being so honest with their feelings. Most made a point of pretending not to care one way or the other about a woman until they were heavy into a relationship. She didn’t know how to feel knowing that he was apparently thinking about her as much as she was him. To top it off, now she felt like an idiot.
“Hmm, okay. My car is right there.” She walked ahead of him, giving a little wave to the attendant who was smirking at her and Camden. He was probably noticing she’d left the car alone, yet came back with a man. She lengthened her stride, rolling her eyes at the same time. Why the hell did she care what some stranger thought of her in the first place?
Reaching the car she popped the locks and suddenly found Camden there, opening her door. “Oh, thanks.” That was another thing that always threw her off about him. He was only thirty, yet he actually had manners. Some would say even old fashioned ones. Yet he was definitely easy going and playful as well. As he got into the car and they buckled up, she asked him about it. “You have the manners of someone
twice your age.”
He raised an eyebrow at her statement and got comfortable in the car. “How would you know? You date a lot of sixty year olds?”
“No!” The preposterous question made her laugh. “I’m just saying. You said you grew up here, and no offense, but I haven’t met that many men from this area that are as mannerly as you.”
“Aww, come on. Though I’ll admit, I picked up a lot of what I know from when I was at school down south.”
“Duke right?”
“Yeah, you know with all the southern belles.”
“Okay, okay, I get it. Well, I guess I should be happy I get to reap the rewards.”
“That’s a good way to look at it.” They chatted for the ten minutes it took to get to the club until he said, “See if you can get that spot on the street.” He pointed it out and she was able to edge out a car coming from the other direction.
“Can’t believe we got that spot. It’s early, but it seems pretty packed.”
“I think we got lucky is all. It puts us right at the door,” Cam said, before getting out.
She took the time to figure out if she wanted to leave her sweater in the car. She opted to do so since they were so close to the entrance. Once inside, Camden paid the cover charge and lead her to the bar. They got lucky again, grabbing two open bar seats. Instead of sitting, she leaned over to him and shouted over the salsa music, “Let me run to the restroom, I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll get some drinks. What do you want?”
“Get me an amaretto sour.”
“Done.”
She walked off, dodging in and out of the crowd to reach the bathroom. Quickly doing her business, she washed her hands and freshened up her lipstick. She was starting to feel nervous, as well as excited. It had been at least four months since she went out dancing with a group of girlfriends. She loved to dance, but didn’t get to do it often, much less with a man. Now she would be dancing with Camden, a man who could get her hot and bothered, with a look. Just the thought made her want to run…but she wasn’t sure if she would be running away from him, or towards him.