Cuffing Season

by Danielle Allen

  “Hope the slut is worth the lawsuit,” Bryant screamed as he was being held back.

  Luca’s voice was low and menacing. “Say that shit again, and I’ll break your fucking jaw.”

  “I’ll fucking kill you, bro!” Bryant’s face was red, and spit flew out of his mouth as he yelled. “I’ll kill you and fuck your bitch.”

  Luca started advancing toward him. “Try me.”

  I stepped in his way, putting my hand on his chest to calm him down. “Look at me. Look at me!” I waited until his gaze met mine. There was a darkness that muddied the depth of his brown eyes, and I knew in my heart that he would’ve broken more than just Bryant’s jaw if I let him. “He doesn’t matter. What he says doesn’t matter. Fuck him. Let’s just go.”

  Bryant was belligerently yelling threats in the background, but I stepped closer to Luca. When Bryant said something about his podcast, Luca’s head snapped up. There was a fire in his eyes. Without even hearing everything Bryant had said, I knew he was talking about Date Night. I knew he was one of The Lost Boys.

  Probably City Boy.

  Luca nodded, but not at me. “Okay, okay.”

  I could tell by the curl of his lip and the tension in his face and neck that nothing was okay. It was clear that he was getting pulled into Bryant’s bullshit. He tried to step around me, but I shuffled to my left to stay in his way.

  Reaching up, I touched his face. “Luca… look at me. Please, please.”

  He pulled his attention away from the screaming idiot and focused on me.

  “You have so much more to lose than he does. He’s not worth it,” I pleaded.

  He said nothing. His jaw remained clenched, but I saw his eyes softening the longer he looked at me.

  I opened my mouth to continue, but it snapped closed when two officers entered through the front door.

  “Over here,” the manager called out, raising one hand up to wave them over. That minor move allowed Bryant to get free enough to cross the restaurant in seconds.

  Luca stepped forward, pushing me behind him. But just before Bryant was able to reach us, one of the police officers tackled him. He didn’t seem to notice the police until his arms were being twisted behind his back.

  “Calm down,” the cop grunted as he struggled to get Bryant’s handcuffs secured. While he was on the ground, they patted him down. With the help of the other cop, he pulled him to his feet. “What’s going on here?” He looked between Luca and Bryant. “I said, what’s going on here?”

  “He hit me out of nowhere!” Bryant lied. His face was crimson, and his lip was swollen and bloodied. “He attacked me!”

  “That’s not what happened, officer.” Luca’s voice was hard and even.

  “Did you hit him?” the second cop asked, walking up to him.

  “He confronted me. He was the instigator in this situation.”

  “That’s not what I asked you,” the second cop replied curtly. “Did you hit him?”

  “I defended myself, yes.”

  Don’t answer anymore questions! I wanted to scream.

  Scared, I intertwined my fingers with his and tried to fight the tears that pricked my eyes.

  “Do you have any weapons on you?” the second cop asked cautiously, his hand on his hip.

  “No.”

  “Well, I’m checking because there was a fight.” He patted Luca down. “What’s this?”

  “My keys, my phone, and my wallet are the only things in my pocket.”

  “Well then you shouldn’t have a problem with me pulling those items out.”

  “I told you I don’t have a weapon on me. You searched and didn’t find anything. I’m here with my girl. He approached us. If you want to search someone’s pockets, you can search his because I don’t consent to a search,” Luca declared flatly.

  “You do not consent to a search, huh?” The first cop scoffed before turning to the manager. “These were the two disorderly ones?”

  “Yes.” The manager nodded profusely. “They were eating”—he pointed to me and Luca—“and then he showed up”—he pointed to Bryant—“and then a fight broke out.”

  People murmured in agreement.

  “Okay, so who attacked who?” the second cop asked.

  Everyone started talking at once.

  “Okay, that’s enough,” the first cop decided gruffly, eyeing Bryant. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you? With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?”

  “How do you think my lip got busted?” Bryant hollered. “If you’re arresting me, you need to arrest him, too!”

  “Take my keys and drive yourself home. I’ll call you when this is done. I’ll be fine,” Luca reassured me, reaching into his pocket.

  “Don’t make another move,” the first cop barked.

  I froze.

  “We’re taking them both in,” he continued. “Handcuff him.”

  “What?” I yelped helplessly as the second cop tugged my hand from Luca’s and placed it behind his back. “What are you doing? He didn’t do anything wrong! Bryant attacked us!”

  My eyes brimmed with tears when my eyes met Luca’s. The cop started mirandizing as he was securing Luca. I didn’t know what to do. My insides were twisted with nerves and fear. Still staring at Luca, a tear slid down my cheek, but I quickly swiped it away.

  “I’ll meet you at the station,” I promised him.

  “No. Go home. I’ll call you when I’m done.”

  “But I want to be there for you.”

  “Go home, Serena. I mean it.”

  “But—”

  “But nothing. Listen to me. Go home.”

  I saw the seriousness in his eyes. “Okay,” I whispered.

  Chapter Seventeen

  After crying on the phone to Vanessa, I tried to busy myself by working on Akila’s dress. But nothing I did could stop my mind from worrying about Luca. Minutes felt like hours. Hours felt like days. I was stressed. My mind was spinning, trying to think of ways I could help. But I knew that I wasn’t going to feel better until I heard his voice.

  The moment I saw his name flash across my cell phone screen, I burst into tears.

  “Luca?” I answered, masking the fact that I was crying. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m good. Are you okay?”

  “I’m so sorry,” I wept into the phone.

  “You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”

  “It’s almost five o’clock. You spent all day in jail.”

  “That’s not your fault.”

  “I know. I just…”

  “Serena, he fucked up the moment he disrespected you. I gave him the opportunity to walk away. He didn’t take. Everything that happened was on him.”

  “Thank you for defending me. I just hate that it took your day away. We were just talking about being busy and you spent your whole day locked up.” I wiped the tears from my cheeks. “I hate that.”

  “It was more waiting around than anything. But I’m on my way to campus to finalize some stuff before five. I’m going to hop on a conference call before I meet with the dean. I have a lot to do before he leaves campus. I just wanted to call you and let you know that I’m out, I have my car, and I’m okay.”

  “I’m so glad you’re okay. I was so worried. If you get a chance, can you call me later?”

  “I will definitely call you later.”

  I hung up the phone and cried. I wasn’t sure if they were happy tears or sad tears, but they streamed down my face. When I got myself together, I went back to working on Akila’s dress. I didn’t finish it until late.

  “Eight o’clock,” I muttered as I stretched my arms above my head. It usually took three hours to construct that type of dress, but it had taken all day to create it because my head wasn’t in the game.

  I kn
ew Luca would call me when he was free, but I was anxious to know more details about what happened. Instead of focusing on what time I’d hear back from him, I worked on my website and ordered necessary fabrics. It was almost eleven o’clock when I got out of the shower and got ready for bed.

  “Hello?” I answered the phone as I sank against my pillow.

  “Hey,” Luca greeted me. He sounded tired. “Are you in bed? You sound relaxed.”

  “I am. Just curled up in bed. How are you?”

  “I’m tired, but good. Just finished editing some photos, and I have a couple of early morning meetings so… I’m tired. I should go to sleep.”

  “I understand.” I really wanted to know what happened, but if he didn’t feel like talking about it, I wasn’t going to push him. “You’ve had a lot happening today and you have an early morning tomorrow. You should get your rest.”

  “Yeah, I should.”

  “I agree.”

  “And not just an early morning, the whole day is busy tomorrow.”

  I closed my eyes, relishing in the sound of his voice. “More the reason for rest.”

  We were both quiet for a minute.

  “I don’t know if I’ll be able to fall asleep anytime soon. I might need to just take a drive for a little while and then try to sleep.”

  I didn’t know if he was telling me to let me know or if he was telling me because he wanted me to go with him. “Well… if you can’t sleep and need some company, let me know.”

  “You’d ride out with me even though it’s late and you’re already in bed?”

  “Yes.”

  I heard the smile in his voice when he spoke. “And why is that?”

  “Because you asked me to.”

  He let out a low whistle and then paused. “Can I see you?”

  “Now?”

  “Yes.”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m coming now.”

  “I’m not taking my scarf off.”

  “I wouldn’t want you to.”

  “I’ll see you…soon?”

  “Give me twenty minutes.”

  “I’ll leave the door unlocked.

  We said our goodbyes, and I smiled against my pillow.

  The knock at the door thirty minutes later sent a jolt of excitement through my entire body. The creak of the door opening caused my stomach to flutter. But the sound of his voice as he entered my apartment made my heart skipped a beat.

  “Serena…?” He stretched out my name as I heard him close and lock the door behind him. “Hey! Serena, it’s me.”

  Wearing a silk cami and boyshort set, I welcomed him as I walked from the kitchen to the living room. “Hi, Luca.”

  He stopped in his tracks, so I did, too. Allowing his eyes to ping over my face and body, I felt the heat of his gaze slide over me. “Hey.” When our eyes locked, he licked his lips. “Hey…”

  I tilted my head to the side and checked him out in his grey sweatpants and matching hoodie. “You already said that.”

  “Did I?” he asked, crossing the room and wrapping his arms around me. “I must’ve been distracted.”

  I pushed up on my toes and whispered, “What were you distracted by?”

  “You.” He gave me a soft, sweet kiss. “Always you.”

  “Take your hoodie off and follow me.”

  He hung his hoodie on the rack by the door, removed his shoes, and then followed me down the hall. We’d just barely crossed the threshold to my room when he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling my body close. I let it happen, melting into him as he inhaled deeply.

  “You smell so good,” he uttered into my neck before kissing it. “You smell good, you look good, you feel good.” He nibbled along my collarbone.

  “Mmm,” I moaned softly.

  “You sound good,” he added, squeezing me tighter.

  I turned around in his arms and clasped my hands behind his neck.

  “And you taste good,” he whispered.

  His eyes dipped to my lips before he brushed his up against them. It was sensual and unhurried the way he took his time. Moving his mouth over mine, he parted my lips with his tongue temptingly. His hands traveled down my back and cupped my ass, pulling me into him.

  I could feel him hardening as my body pressed against his. Feeling his dick swelling as the seconds passed by only spurred me on more. I tried to deepen the kiss, but he pulled back slightly. With a final squeeze of my ass, his hands skated up my arms, over my shoulders, and around my neck. His thumbs stroked my jawline as his tongue finally met mine. Deepening the kiss, our tongues teased the other, intensifying the kiss and the moment. He groaned into my mouth just before he pulled away.

  He stared into my eyes before he spoke softly. “Thank you for letting me come over tonight.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. I want you here.” I let my hands fall from his shoulders and run down his chest and abs as I backed away from him. “Now let’s get in the bed.”

  Pulling his shirt over his head, my eyes pinged over his muscular body. I bit my lip as he forced his grey sweatpants down, stepping out of them. Wearing navy boxer briefs, there was no way he could hide the bulge.

  Well, damn.

  “That’s going to be a distraction,” I murmured, tearing my eyes away from him. Clearing my throat, I crossed the room to my bed, swaying my hips as I made my way to it.

  “So is that,” he countered.

  I looked back and caught him staring at my ass, just before I crawled in. “Good.”

  He climbed into bed beside me. “I need to apologize to you”

  I laid on my back and looked over at him. He propped his head up with his hand and reclined on his side, facing me.

  My brows furrowed. “What are you apologizing for?”

  He took his free hand and touched my face, instantly softening the confused look that crossed it. “Because of our date.”

  “That wasn’t your fault.”

  “No, but I’m still sorry our first date ended the way it did. You deserve a real date.”

  “That was a real date. Up until that asshole showed up, I was having a really good time with you. My deceptively healthy pancakes tasted good. You showed me a really good time. I like being with you, Luca.”

  “I like being with you, too.” He moved his finger down the bridge of my nose, over my lips, and under my chin. “Everything slows down with you,” he admitted quietly.

  I knew what I thought it meant, but I wanted him to explain. I didn’t want to make any assumptions. “What does that mean exactly?”

  His fingertips skated down my throat. “Honestly?”

  “Always.”

  “Do you remember when we went to Dowdy Lake?”

  I nodded. “Of course.”

  He licked his lips. “You have the same effect on me.” His fingers slid between the valley of my breasts and trailed down my belly. “When I’m with you… when I talk to you… hell, even when I think of you, you just calm everything down.”

  My stomach fluttered. “That’s probably the most romantic thing that anyone has ever said to me in my entire life.”

  His fingers lingering on the sliver of exposed skin where my cami and shorts were supposed to meet. He watched me watching him, and the moment grew. “You give me peace.”

  My pulse quickened, and my heart raced. I took his hand and placed it on my chest. “This is what you do to me,” I whispered, allowing him to feel his effect on me.

  “Your heart,” he uttered in surprise. “It’s beating so fast.”

  “It is.” I licked my lips. “You stir me up. You make me feel everything.”

  He put his fingers on my neck to check my pulse that way. “All that because you like me.”

  I put my hand over his and held his gaze. “All that because you see me.”

  He leaned down and kissed me with a reverence and appreciation that spoke volumes. I felt a tear threatening to fall so I pulled out of the kiss, turning my head.

  “What�
�s wrong?” he asked, coaxing my head back his way.

  I closed my eyes tight and when I was convinced that I wouldn’t lose it and cry, I took a breath and opened my eyes. “Is he going to sue you? Is he pressing charges? Are you going to have to go to jail?”

  “I’m not serving any jail time. It’s a first-time offense. No damage to the restaurant. The only damage was to his face, and a fat lip and a black eye will heal on its own, so there’s no hospital bills coming my way. Witnesses heard what he was saying about us and confirmed that he started the confrontation. But funny enough, I made sure my lawyer knew about the rumors and the podcast that you told me about. My lawyer called a few hours ago and said that Bryant’s on the Date Night podcast—they call him City Boy. After finding that out, my lawyer said that he was going to have this whole thing go away countering with libel, slander, defamation of character lawsuits.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I may have a small fine, but he doesn’t see it being more than that.”

  I gasped. “Really?” My eyes instantly pricked with tears, but I was too happy to look away. “I’m so glad to hear that.”

  “You were worried about me, baby?”

  The corners of my lips turned upward hearing him call me baby. “Yes, I was worried about you.”

  “Awww.”

  “You can’t go to jail.” I made a face and shook my head. “I’m not a ride-or-die type of woman. If you had to go to jail for a month for defending me, I’d be willing to still be with you. But anything over a month is questionable. And to be clear, that was just if you went down for defending me. If it was for anything else, nope.”

  Luca chuckled. “You wouldn’t wait for me and put money on my books?”

  “Hell no!”

  He made a face. “Ouch.”

  I started giggling.

  “You didn’t have to say ‘hell no’, Serena,” he sulked comically. “Just a no would’ve sufficed.”

  “But you needed to know the severity of the situation. The hell adds the underlined, bolded, and italicized accent that was needed,” I joked. My eyes lingered on him. “You look tired.”