by Amber Burns
I knew for sure he was in a good mood when he offered me a complimentary plate of eggs with my muffin. He didn’t even toss in a snippy remark before he disappeared to the back.
We ate standing next to Wes’ seat behind the desk. Vanna stayed close while we ate, parts of her gently bumped and rubbed against me every now and then. Each time our bodies come into contact, my mind flashes back to the activities of the past couple of days. I had to rely on iron will to not become rock hard with want. I must not have been doing a very good job though, since a brush from Vanna’s hand against my crotch revealed my arousal.
“I have to go to work, remember?” she teased back at me with a torturous squeeze around my member.
I do remember. I don’t want to, but I do.
After staying at her place for two nights, I understood why her one-bedroom apartment was costing her two jobs. It was one of the newer structures in a residential area and Vanna’s neighbors were all of the younger, working set. They desired things like an in-building gym, pool and spa, and being closer to the city’s entertainment centers. It was this apartment that demanded she spend her time at work and away from me.
“Come by the store later,” a grinning Wes said as he returned from the back. Violet’s laughter rung after him.
“I will,” Vanna replied. “I always do.”
“And now you have more of a reason.” Wes covered his mouth and jabbed a finger at me. He made no effort to hide the explicit gesture, and I wouldn’t correct him anyways.
He was right. Vanna had me now.
Still, I was reluctant to let her go. I walked her to the door, held her back by the waist, and drank in her features. I memorized every part of her. From her upturned nose, to her pink mouth, to her soft chin, and those brown eyes.
I tried to convince Vanna to leave her hair down. I loved how her locks framed her face in a way that somehow made me want her more. She hadn’t completely agreed, spouting off something about it getting in her way, so we met halfway. Her hair was pulled into a loose, wavy ponytail that left a few strands bouncing around her cheeks.
Vanna lingered long enough to give Wes the up-to-date shop accounts binder, call a ‘hello’ to Violet in the back, and plant me with a chaste kiss on the lips. I hooked my thumbs in the front of my jeans and watched Vanna’s ass as she strode down the sidewalk. I hoped the parting view would help my mood bounce back after her departure. It was getting harder to have her leave me, even for something perfectly normal like a second job.
“So? Where were you last night?” Wes asked me.
He was once again behind his desk, and I turned to find him staring at me. His chin was perched over the steeple of his hands, and he was bordering on snarky now. Violet, thankfully, saved me from her brother’s morning interrogation. She had taken her breakfast in the back, in work mode, and had barely noticed me or her siblings until now.
“He’s helping me out,” Violet offered as an explanation and made a reaching gesture to her brother. Wes knew what she wanted, and he filled Violet’s outstretched hands with some papers.
“With?” Wes persisted.
“The Sterling dump yard,” I answered for Violet.
“Come again?” Wes’ attention snapped back to me.
Violet’s smile was wide, and I shrugged. “Should I fill him in?” I asked Violet.
“Please.”
“Your hoarded stash upstairs,” I supplied to Wes. “You know, the giant dump yard you got going up there.”
Wes looked from me to Violet and then back at his screen and muttered, “Not even going there.”
Violet went to open the store’s front door and left me in a cloud of spicy perfume as she passed. The first customer wasn’t too far behind Violet flipping the sign.
“Princess,” Violet greeted the equally curvy, but much taller and older woman. I was caught on her name, and my befuddled state didn’t change when I was pinned in one of her practiced and measured glances.
The woman was now out from under the large umbrella she had folded back down to its compact state. Her auburn hair was piled partially up and was held by a silver, sparkly clip. The rest of her iron-flattened hair covered the shoulders of her sheer, roomy blouse. A pencil skirt completed the look along with heels, of course. They click-clacked further into the room, away from the door, but not towards Wes and the front desk entirely.
“I thought the Sterlings were elitists when it came to the family business. Do you have a new staff member?” she wasn’t asking anyone in particular, and I considered answering her.
Trailing behind, Violet introduced her enigmatic customer. “No. He’s just a friend who is helping us out.”
Just a friend my ass. I was already more to Vanna, and I wasn’t going to slow or shut down the progress I was making to make her mine. Which would technically make me family - or at least soon-to-be family - if I had my way.
“Amos,” Violet said my name, and her smile stretched to near a breaking point. “This is Princess Kingston.”
“I prefer Charlotte or Charley,” Princess said almost dismissively. “My middle name, unfortunately.”
“Amos Fuller,” I said and offered my hand.
She accepted my offer and the brief, but awkward, handshake put a pause in the room. After weathering another judging glance, Princess turned and resumed her business with the Sterling siblings. She spoke to and looked at Wes and Violet, but from what I could overhear, she was talking about me. She trying to extract information from the Sterling siblings without being obvious about it. I had nearly tuned out from the chatter, my mind busy reliving the last couple of days with Vanna, when Princess addressed me directly.
“You’re from Atlanta? And you’re here for your sister’s wedding preparations?” she asked, a look of interest on her face.
“Yes, ma’am. I’m here in Albany to support my dear sister Iris before she ties the knot.”
Princess lit up at that, and I recognized her expression and body language. It was the same way Iris’ mostly single, twenty-something bridesmaids looked whenever I was around. I was always worried that I might have to fend off their advances, and Iris had confirmed my concern when she had tried to set me up with one or two of them when I first arrived. Now, with a fresh relationship on my plate, I was wary around the lot of them.
“So, you’ll be one of the groomsmen then.” Princess stated.
I confirmed her statement and looked to the stairs leading up to the attic I was here to clean. I was pondering how quickly I could sprint to the stairs, when Violet and Wes managed to extricate Princess’ attention from me. I took that chance to slip past her without offense.
The Kingstons obviously had a mean streak, and I didn’t want to provoke Princess’ ire in case she flapped her mouth to Mommy Dearest. I wasn’t going to be the one that upset the Sterling’s best client, not right after everyone worked hard to patch things up for the sake of the store’s profits.
Once upstairs, I played the waiting game while I cleared more boxes. Ever so slowly, I exposed more and more of the floor as I worked through the Sterling dump yard. The window that had nearly killed me was still sticking, but I managed to get it open. The rain outside brought in a cool breeze that made the room more tolerable.
I wasn’t sure how long had passed when I heard the front door’s bell jingle, signaling the entrance or departure of someone. I hoped it was Princess leaving as I carefully measured my weight on the stairs. I had to keep any errant squeaks from giving me away as I snooped to see if my hope was fulfilled. I crept down the stairs until I could just see into the lobby. Nobody was out front, but I heard laughter coming from the back. I followed the sound, picking out Violet and Wes and…
“Iris?” I asked out loud to myself.
My sister turned at the sound of her name and beamed when she saw me. Her dark hair, so much like mine before I started regularly shaving, was sitting shorter, much shorter, and edgier around her plump cheeks.
“You cut your hair,” I
stated the obvious.
“Do you like it?” She leaned in close, keeping the mug she was holding out of the way of our quick greeting hug. “I was worried the stylist took too much off.”
“It looks good,” I reassured. “Different, but good.” I hesitated for a moment before asking, “What are you doing here though?”
Iris’ grin frightened me. It was a hint that I probably wasn’t going to like anything she had to say. It was a grin I had seen many times growing up, and lately, it had come when she was trying to set me up with one of her girlfriends. It was her way of buttering me up when she wanted something.
I was aware of Violet and Wes in the background, their expressions were just as curious as mine while we waited to hear what Iris had to say.
“I met your girlfriend,” she finally spat out, her grin unwavering.
“You did?” I asked, “When?”
I was seriously confused. How did she…? When? It certainly hadn’t been over the last couple days when Vanna had been glued to my side.
“She’s cute,” Iris winked, interrupting my internal investigation on how this happened. “Honestly she doesn’t come off your type, but I’m happy that you’re happy and all of that sappy sister stuff I’m supposed to say right now.” She was positively beaming.
“Princess!” My exclamation came out over Wes’ loud snort and Violet’s laugh-turned-cough. I sneaked a glare in their direction, all too glad they were finding humor in of this crazy situation.
“What’s going…” she paused, looked at the Sterling siblings and then to me for clues. “Oh, fudge. She’s not your girlfriend, is she?”
I’m shook my head and added a “Hell no” for good measure.
Iris dropped the mug on the counter and covered her mouth with both hands, eyes wide. She dropped her hands long enough to apologize, “Amos, I’m so sorry. I thought – I… I fucked it all up.”
“Forget it. What’s done is done. Just tell me what you told her.” I tried not to be curt with her, but my tone was getting hoarse with my impatience.
“Well, she must have heard me talking to Wes and Violet about my wedding, and then she mentioned you. She gushed about you, and I thought I had put two-and-two together. But obviously my math skills need work…”
“Iris…” my patience was wearing thin.
“I might have implied that she was welcome as your plus one… I’m sorry Amos!”
I was heading out towards the door in an instant. I was already opening the front door by the time Iris called my name a second time. I vaguely registered her flats slapping after me and my name whipping into the steady rainfall behind me.
It was only a few steps before I was soaked to the core. My boots slapped through deep puddles, showering more water over my lower half, as I marched down the sidewalk in search of Princess.
“Amos!” my sister called out, still trying to catch me.
I heard Iris, but I didn’t have time to stop and wait for her to catch up. I saw Princess’ familiar umbrella bobbing up ahead, heading towards a parked car. I picked up my pace and call her name, trying to get her attention before she left with the false information my sister had so lovingly supplied. I managed to catch her as she reached for the handle to the door. Princess turned and her eyes widened at my approach. She seemed more than happy to see me.
“I thought I told you to call me Charley,” she smiled after the comment, her way of greeting me.
She had a calculated sultry-ness about her. Every move she made was intended to turn a man on, make him want her. She traced a finger back and forth over her bottom lip while she held me under the canopy of her monster umbrella.
“Were you headed somewhere? Need a ride?” she asked and gestured to her car.
“No,” I replied, barely glancing at the Infiniti. “I have a girlfriend!” I blurted out as my mind raced to fix the situation my sister had me muddled up in.
“I don’t understand,” she said with a pout, and then tried that smile seductive again. “Oh, look, I see your sister.” Princess was jutting her chin to a spot behind me, where Iris stood wondering how to intercede and rectify the mistake she’d played a part of creating.
“She invited me to her wedding.” Princess stepped closer and pressed her manicured fingers to my cheek. I didn’t move back immediately. I wasn’t going to back down to her intimidation, and she couldn’t threaten her way into my graces.
I already have a damn date, is what I want to say. And she’s the most beautiful freaking thing that’s happened to me for a long time.
I opened my mouth to tell her that when I heard my name come from a familiar voice that wasn’t my sister’s. I turned in surprise, causing Princess’ hand to slide down onto my chest.
“Vanna?”
Vanna was coming towards me, her mouth closing and opening on my name and her gaze moving quickly between Princess and the hand resting on my chest.
“What’s going…” she cut herself off when I tugged her into a hug. I was relieved to see her, to have her next to me, but Vanna was struggling against me.
“I missed you,” I whispered against her head, then pulled her away to let her breathe. Still, I didn’t want to break our connection so I kept her close, holding her by her forearms.
“What is going on?” Princess echoed Vanna’s earlier question. She was looking from me to my girl and back again, unsure of whom to address, but expected someone to answer her nevertheless.
“Vanna Sterling. You two have met,” I said, determination flip-flopping deep in my gut. “She’s my girlfriend.”
Princess moved me out of the shade of her umbrella and I ducked under Vanna’s before taking the umbrella from her and holding it over us both.
“Well,” was all Princess said, like the one word held all the insult in the world.
She was in the middle of turning to her car, probably planning her rant to her mother - the infamous Mrs. Kingston - when Vanna called her back.
No, no, no, I wanted to scream. What are you doing, baby?
She was moving out of my embrace, that’s what.
“I’m sorry,” Vanna said to Princess. “I – What he means is that we used to date.”
Princess looked as incredulous as I felt. The only difference was that I’d been sucker-punched in the gut by Vanna’s words, and she wasn’t even done talking.
“I… I have to get going. But I hope you can work this out,” Vanna said then looked between us.
I stood, bewildered and unable to form a coherent thought, much less a word. Vanna turned to leave, just like she had said, and I tried to catch her wrist. I had her in my grip for just a moment before she wretched herself free. Seconds later she had passed Iris and was heading for Sterling Outfits. I was frozen on the sidewalk, the pouring rain falling on me once again as I lowered Vanna’s umbrella and stared as my girl - or… the woman who was once my girl - disappear into the shop.
Without even looking back, Vanna had run away from me.
9
Two days after being publicly dumped by Vanna, I found myself walking down the street where the Sterling siblings’ shop stood. I knew Vanna wouldn’t be there, nor would the other siblings. It was still early, and the sun was barely clearing the horizon as I paced down the sidewalk. I paused as I passed the shop. The curving banner of Sterling Outfits glared down at down at me, shining against the dark window.
Emotion bubbled up, bringing a mist to my eyes that I wasn’t accustomed to dealing with. I looked down at my boots and brought my sleeve to my eyes to clear my blurred vision. This kind of melancholy mood wasn’t something I had much experience with.
So this is heartbreak, I supposed.
I pulled my head up and looked around. The streets were nearly empty, only one other lonely soul was meandering along my field of view. Apparently Sunday mornings didn’t bring out the crowds in Albany. Back home in Atlanta, the city would have been long awake and humming by this hour.
“Seriously. Where the fuck is everyone?�
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My only company was the fog that floated up in front of me with each breath. Despite the long sleeve and sweater, I could still feel the chill piercing through to my bone. As fucked up as my mind was, my body reacted by shuddering and causing a ripple of gooseflesh to spread up my arms.
I found my glaring reflection in the dark shop window and noted the progress I had made with my beard. I nodded in approval - the newly shaggy look seemed to be the only thing that I had going for me - and I wondered if I should grow out my shaved head.
“Or,” I told myself, “get that new ink I wanted.” I rubbed a hand over my beard then down to an empty patch of skin on my right arm. I imagined the needle piercing the skin, tracing the outline of a fire-breathing serpent… or a tribute to Vanna.