by Dez Burke
She rolled her eyes. “Come on, I don’t know what say. Give me specifics.”
“You’re not very good at this are you?” he asked teasingly.
She picked up her water glass and took a sip. “No, I’m not. I don’t ever do this. I don’t go on dates. I don’t have time. That night you met me was the first night I’d been out in like months. So no, I’m not good at this. I’m really bad.”
“What do you do for fun?”
“Fun? I don’t think I do anything for fun. Oh god, I’m so fucking boring!” she cried, dropping her head to her arms. Alden was laughing. “Don’t laugh, this is really sad. I have zero personality. I told you I was bad at this.”
He reached out for her hand. His eyes were locked on her. “I don’t think that. I just don’t think anyone has ever asked you.”
She felt butterflies in her belly and she squeezed her thighs together against the subtle heat that was gathering between her legs.
“Baking!” she suddenly yelled out. “I like to bake. And I’m pretty good at it.”
He turned his head to the side, like a dog searching for meaning. “Baking?”
“Yeah, I took two whole classes on how to bake and decorate cakes and things when I was younger. With my Mom. I used to do it a lot before Sam passed and my Dad got bad and I had to take over. It’s silly, I know. I miss it sometimes.”
“Why don’t you do it anymore?”
“Are you kidding me? My dad goes on benders and drinks everything in the house vaguely resembling booze so there goes all my vanilla extract. And then there’s the cost of ingredients just so I can play in the kitchen. Not worth it. Can’t afford the time or the money.”
“But it makes you happy,” Alden said, releasing her hand and settling back in his seat.
“Puppies make me happy too, but that sure the hell doesn’t mean that I should get a dog,” she responded.
“I have a dog. It’s this really big stupid mutt. My parents got it for me after I came home from the hospital. They thought it would encourage me to walk.”
“Good Lord! What were they thinking? You weren’t ten,” she said, laughing.
“That’s what I said! I think they meant well.”
“So you don’t like the dog?”
“No, I love my dog. He’s really stupid and I think he grew much bigger than anyone thought he would, but he’s good company. For me, the hermit.”
“So what did encourage you to walk?”
“Bedsores,” he said with a deadpan expression. She twisted her face into a sickly expression. “I’m kidding! But I’ve already talked enough about myself. It’s your turn. So, we’ve got baking. What else makes you special?”
She blew air out of her mouth. She was blushing, she could feel it. Talking about herself wasn’t something she felt comfortable doing. “I don’t know what to say! I told you! I’m boring.”
“You’re not boring,” he said. “You run a bar. That’s pretty unusual.”
Mention of the bar and all of the problems that went along with it sent a cold spike into her stomach. “Could we not talk about that?”
Alden nodded. “We’ll talk about whatever you want to talk about.”
“That’s not fair. I mean, to you. I just don’t know what to say.”
He laughed. “This is strange.”
“Why?”
“Because three days ago I didn’t know what to say to you. And when I finally did work up the courage to talk to you, you were the confident one.”
“This is different.”
“Because you’re on the other side of table,” he said, smiling gently, running his thumb over her knuckles. His voice was soft, no hint of malice. Nice’s stomach was filling with warmth, replacing the cold that had just been there. Alden’s eyes flicked away from her as the server returned with their food. The woman smiled as she put the plates down in front of them.
Nice’s eyes widened at the plate. Her stomach growling, she dug in. After a few moments she stopped. “Oh! This is really unattractive, isn’t it?”
Alden was clearly holding back laughter. “No, I like a woman with a healthy appetite. Not one of those phonies who pretend they only eat salad with fat free dressing then clean out the refrigerator when they get home.”
He speared a piece of steak off of her plate. “Hey! Don’t eat my food! What is with you and that?”
He laughed around the piece of meat in his mouth. “It’s the only thing I’ve seen you get really mad about. I like seeing the fire in your eyes when you’re mad.”
“You want to make me mad?”
“I want to see you feel something,” he replied, eyes locked on her.
“Don’t do that!”
“What?”
“That! That thing. That intense stare thing you keep doing.”
He laughed. “I’m not staring at you! I’m just not looking away.”
“Well no one else looks at me that way.”
He thought for a moment. “Why didn’t you stay? That night with me, why didn’t you stay the whole night?”
She was stilled by his question. “Stay for what? For breakfast? With the man that was only in town for one day? Why did you want me to?”
“Why wouldn’t I want you to?”
She looked at him. “I don’t know. Because I wear too much makeup and my dress was trashy?”
“I’m pretty sure that you would have wiped off the makeup in the morning,” he said. He quickly ate the last bits of food on his plate. “Let’s try something easier.”
“What? I’m ruining this,” she said, defeated. This was a mistake. She was too awkward. Alden was calling the server over for the check. She sipped at her water self-consciously. Why had she worn the dress? What was she trying to do?
I should have told him I couldn’t see him. What am I even doing here?
“Thank you.” Alden was handing the bill folder back to the server. She perked up as he stood. She pushed her chair back and he took her hand, helping her to her feet. “Come on,” he said softly.
“I shouldn’t, we should just-” she started.
“We’re going to play some games.”
“What?”
“Games, lots of them. You’re going to relax and I’m going to win you something. Time for you to have some fun.”
Alden turned out to be terrible at games. Every game was a bust for him. She snorted with laughter, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. He laughed it off and handed her a roll of tokens. “Here you try it, I’m terribly unlucky.”
“You knew you were bad at this so why would you want to do it?” she asked, laughing. The light of the camera flash caught her by surprise.
He turned the phone to face her. She was looking at her own laughing face. The girl in the picture was happy and carefree. Not her. “Alden…” she started.
“Here, take a picture with me,” he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, holding the phone up to capture them both in the frame. The girl staring back at her was frowning slightly, eyebrows pushed together. “Smile,” he said and then he kissed her cheek. In that moment her expression changed and the girl from the first picture returned. The camera flashed again.
“Alden!” she said, laughing, “Stop! I hate having my picture taken.”
“One more then. That’s all.” He wrapped his arm around her, drawing her close. She fit perfectly in the crook of his neck. “Smile for me. I want a photo to keep.”
His hand traced a line down her arm. His scent filled her nostrils, clean, like soap. The slight chill in the air was gone. There was only his arms, his body against hers. “Why are you doing this?” she whispered.
“You’re beautiful. Take a picture with me.”
She looked up at him. “What?”
He kissed her forehead. “Look at the camera and take a picture with me.”
She turned and smiled, a real smile for a change. It felt natural and easy with him. The camera flashed again, capturing them together, perfect.
>
He laughed and kissed her, pressing his mouth against her protests. “And now that your defenses are lowered, I can finally start winning at these things!” he said, pulling the roll of tokens out of her hand.
She rolled her eyes. “I think that you’re just really bad. Hand over the tokens before they all go to waste.”
He laughed, pushing the tokens deep into his pockets where she couldn’t reach them. “No! I said I was going to win you something, and I will.”
“Stuffed animal. Not something. You said stuffed animal.” She reached her hands into his pockets. His breathing hitched in his throat while she dug around for the tokens. She pulled her hand out, victorious.
“You’re bad at this. I’ll win the stuffed animal for myself.”
He smiled. “Yes, ma’am!”
***
Nice held the teddy bear in crossed arms as Alden unlocked the room. He let her walk in first before he closed the door. She was smiling and happy. “You were terrible,” she said.
“Hey, I helped win that!”
“You paid for the tokens. You lost at games that everyone wins at.”
“I’m pretty sure that was a fluke.”
She sat down on the bed while Alden turned on the lamp. She looked up at him. “You’re staring at me again.”
He shook his head. “Like I said before, I’m just not looking away.”
Plucking the bear from her arms, he sat down next to her, touching her shoulder gently. “Nice,” he said her name, a soft whisper in the air.
“Hmm?”
“I don’t feel any different.” And then he kissed her.
She wrapped her arms around him, spreading her legs to straddle his body as he pulled her into his lap. She could feel him, hard and urgent underneath her. She moved her hips slightly against him and he moaned into her mouth. “Baby…” he mumbled into her.
“Baby?” she asked, breathless from his kiss, his hands on her back.
He smiled. “Sweetheart, honey, darling, all of those.” Pushing her hair back, he nuzzled her neck. He pushed the thin strap of her dress down and moved his lips over her shoulder. His hands found their way up her skirt, moving it up until it passed over her hips, his fingers seeking out the edge of her panties. Slipping his fingers past the elastic band, exploring the skin underneath.
His breath tickled her shoulder. “Do you want this? Do you want me?”
She put her hands on the sides of his face, his green eyes were cloudy with desire. His fingers stilled on her body. She pushed his hair up, off of his forehead. “Who wouldn’t want you?” She moved to kiss him and he pulled back from her. His green eyes sparkled in the half light.
He shook his head. “Do you? Not anyone, just you.”
She looked up at him. She could see herself in his eyes. She smiled gently, touching the side of his face. Her fingers ran over his cheeks, finding scars, invisible to her naked eye. She ran her fingers down his neck, feeling the muscles work as he tilted his head and swallowed. She had never wanted anything as much.
Just for tonight. Just for right now.
She placed her lips on his and kissed him slowly. “Yes, I do.”
She pressed her lips against him, dropping her hands to his chest and then lower until they slipped under his shirt, touching his bare skin. He released her and pulled his shirt off, pulling her mouth back to his as soon as he was free of its confines. She ran her hands up over his chest, finding the scars with her fingers and then her mouth. He sighed as she ran her mouth over him. Her tongue tracing the lines of his injuries.
He stopped her, lifting her face to look at him. “You don’t look at me like I’m broken.”
“What?” she asked, reaching for him, craving his touch, his warmth.
Pulling her up, he met her mouth with his then pushed her hand down over his leg, the one that had been injured in the accident.
She shook her head. “I don’t understand?”
He smiled. “You don’t see that, you just see me.”
She wrinkled her nose at him. “Of course! Everyone has scars of some kind. Stop talking and kiss me.”
He pulled the green dress over her head, and then undid the bra letting it all drop to the floor. Leaning her back on the bed he took her in, running a hand down her belly then over her breasts. “Beautiful,” he whispered. She looked down at herself, blushing, “You turn such a pretty shade of red when you’re embarrassed,” he said, pulling her face to his. He turned with her, covering her with his body. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”
“I’m not embarrassed. I’m just not used to this.”
“To what?” he asked, kissing down her neck.
She sighed in pleasure as his mouth found her nipple, sucking softly, flicking his tongue gently over the hard peak. He let go with his mouth, blowing over her nipple, making her shiver. “To what?” he asked again, slowly taking the other nipple into his mouth, giving it the same treatment.
She opened her mouth to answer but his fingers slipped down to the wet center of her sex, sending hot shock waves through her body, chasing whatever answers she was about to give away from her. He petted her gently through her soaked panties. She moved to clamp her legs together but he held them open. He shook his head. “Don’t. I want to see you.”
She sat up nodding her head in the haze of pleasure. He slipped his fingers under her panties and pulled them off, revealing her to him. She leaned back and let him look. He ran his hands up her inner thighs, listening to her sigh. His fingers slipped between her legs, parting the wet lips of her.
She arched her back as his tongue gently lapped at her swollen clit, sending waves of pleasure through her body. She moaned, running her hands through his hair. He slipped his fingers into her making her cry out in pleasure, “Alden, oh!”
Her fingers tangled in his hair, pushing his head down. He laughed against her, taking her clit into his mouth, sucking gently while moving his fingers in and out of her body. She wrapped her legs around his neck, his tongue working steady. She moaned loudly, bucking against his fingers, pulling at him, wanting more.
He pulled his face away from her, smiling softly, his fingers still inside of her. Nice sat up quickly. “Why did you-”
He kissed her. She could taste herself on him. His tongue filled her mouth as he leaned over her, pulled her underneath him. “I can’t see you from there.”
She scrambled at his belt buckle while he kissed her. He helped her, dropping his pants. He pressed his body against her, meeting her softness with his hard body. His cock rubbed against her warm sex. She leaned back against the bed, letting him slide over her, settling his weight on top of her. “Can I?” he whispered in her ear, rubbing her sex with his own.
Her thoughts raced, but his kisses stilled her, cleared her head. She sighed, his lips running over her cheeks, her neck. He groaned as she shifted underneath him, wrapping her legs around his back. “Don’t leave me,” she whispered softly.
And then he was inside of her. He gasped at her tightness, her wetness. She pressed her lips against his, his body rocking inside of her, his heat chasing away her doubt, fear. She felt the mounting waves of pleasure in her body pulling him closer. He looked down at her, watching as she climaxed against him. He slowed inside of her. “I have to stop,” he mumbled, gasping against her mouth. She wrapped her legs tighter around his waist, forcing him deeper inside of herself.
“Never,” he whispered, “I’ll never leave you.” His hips moved in quick movements, deeper. “I can’t hold out,” he moaned. He wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her neck as he met his own climax, deep in her folds. He lifted his face from her neck and traced her lips with his thumb. She sighed as he looked at her.
She kissed him gently, still feeling him inside of her, the weight of his body heavy on her.
He smiled. “I can’t lay like this anymore.”
She rolled her eyes and playfully pushed him away.
She smiled at him as he stood an
d stretched his leg. The same pleasant feelings of sleepiness were washing over her. She wanted to lie down, forget the world, believe in his words. She yawned as he sprawled out next to her. He picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles. “I mean it.”
She settled into the blankets next to him, letting him pull her into his grasp. His heat filled the space around her. He kissed her forehead.
“We should talk about this,” she said softly, already falling asleep.
“No,” he pushed her hair back from her face. “There’s nothing to talk about. I’m yours.”
She smiled. “Don’t say anything else, just let this be.”
“Then don’t disappear again,” he said, reaching over her and switching off the light. The room was cast into darkness. Nice settled into the hollow of his arms, drifting into sleep.
Chapter Six
Nice looked through the piles of bills and receipts spilled out on the desk. She flipped through them quickly looking for anything that she could have missed. Any sort of collateral that she could use to stave off the bank for just a little bit longer. Until she could figure something else out. She knew she wouldn’t find anything. She’d been running the place on hard work and hope for months. Any sort of property her father had owned had already been liquidated.
It was late in the afternoon but in the windowless back office of the bar it might as well have been midnight. She was out of time.
“I’m really sorry, Bernice, but really, there’s nothing more we can do here,” the loan officer, Matt, had said over the phone. She had started making phone calls as soon as Alden had dropped her off at the bar. “You don’t have anything to back up any kind of loans or extensions at this point. Excuse me for being blunt, but your father is dead broke.”
Matt had sighed and continued, “Look, at this point there’s really nothing to do. You have a little less than 90 days. If you want my advice, sell it and be done with the whole thing.”
Nice had thanked him and hung up the phone. Now she was sitting in front of the pile of bills. She gathered them up and stuffed them into a rusty filing cabinet. It didn’t matter anymore. She’d been fighting a losing battle for a long time.