Chapter 7 #2
“Hi Carl,” I tell him, giving him a quick wave and turning my attention back to the suits. Much safer this way. “Come on in.”
I pretend to concentrate on them way more than I should, so that he’s standing above me for a few moments before I finally look up, squinting into the sun. At least it gave me some time to gather up my wits. “Oh, by the way,” I tell him. “My name is Regina Phalange.”
He grins, running his fingers down the sexy stubble on his jaw.
Sexy? Stop that right now.
“Of course your name is Regina Phalange,” he says. He gets my Friends references like no one else does.
He gets everything like no one else does.
STOP IT YOU CRAZY BEE LADY.
I clear my throat, wishing I could dispel the nervous energy that’s building up inside me again. “So are you ready for Candyman?”
He laughs. “It doesn’t help that you call it that.”
“Hey you started it,” I tell him, getting to my knees and he reaches down to grab my arms and pull me up the rest of the way. I’d like to say I didn’t notice the spark of electricity between his palms on my skin, or how large and firm his hands are…but I would be lying.
Laz has touched me like that a million times before and I never paid it much attention but now my body is honing in on everything. Suddenly, I’m extremely grateful for the bee suit. It will keep me safe from the bees and from any accidental arousal.
“Okay!” I say loudly, too loudly, stumbling back a bit from his grasp. “So, uh, let’s get you suited up.”
He frowns. “You okay?”
“Yes!” I bend down and grab his suit, thrusting it into his hands. “Put it on, Mr. McNaughty.”
He reluctantly takes it, his eyes resting on my face for just a bit longer before he holds up the voluminous suit, staring at it in disdain. “Are you sure they can’t sting through this?”
“They aren’t going to sting you,” I reassure him.
He glances over at the hives. “Oh, did you have a merry chat with the bees this morning about this?”
“I did. And, by the way, bees know they’ll die if they sting you. It’s always a last minute resort in order to protect the hive.”
“How noble,” he says dryly.
“It is noble,” I tell him. “Now suit up!”
He sighs, shaking his head and mumbling something to himself that I can’t quite catch. His expression says it all: this is hell. I stand back and watch him, enjoying this too much. No one is graceful when they put on a bee suit.
“So how come you have a bee suit that fits a guy as tall as me?” he asks, almost suspiciously.
Lie, I tell myself. Lie.
“It’s part of the job. If I’m teaching potential beekeepers I can’t expect them to bring their own.
” And that is all true. I have two suits for kids and three for adults so far and hope to get more.
But the reason I have that extra-long suit in particular is because I bought it for Laz.
A long time ago. Hoping that maybe one day he’d take interest in it.
But I’m not about to admit that to him. I’m already feeling strangely vulnerable today.
So I watch as he slips the suit over his boots and pulls it up. “I feel ridiculous.”
I smile and drop to a crouch to zip up the bottom of his pants and make sure the elastic is snug. If the bees get agitated, that’s one of the first places they’ll crawl to because it’s dark and snug.
“Okay,” I tell him as I get back up. “Almost done.”
Without thinking I grab the zipper from down near his crotch and pull it up all the way to his chin.
I’m so close to him, I’m not breathing.
I pause, wondering if I’m too close, and glance up at him through my lashes.
He’s staring at me with an intensity that makes my blood run hot.
“Now would be the perfect time to kiss you,” he says, his voice low. Shivers cascade down my back like I’m stepping into a warm bath.
Holy shit.
I swallow hard, unable to find my voice.
We’re inches apart.
Heat is climbing between us.
His eyes aren’t leaving my lips. I’ve never seen him look at me like this before, this rawness that makes my thighs clench together, trying to still the pressure building inside me.
The tension is fucking unbearable, wrapping around us tighter, hotter.
He’s going to kiss me.
Don’t ruin it.
But then I say, “Don’t you have to consult your Magic 8 Ball about this?” I let go of the zipper and take a clumsy step backward.
Moment. Ruined.
Laz doesn’t look too impressed. I expected him to smile but he looks vaguely annoyed more than anything. “I can if you want,” he says evenly.
I look away, chiding myself for making it all weird, and pick up the beekeeper hat and veil, shoving it into his hands. “Here. Put this on.”
He eyes it. “If this wasn’t part of the uniform, I’d think you were trying to tell me something.”
Well he definitely can’t kiss me through that thing. Added bonus.
“Wear it,” I tell him as I pick up my jacket and slip it on.
“Hey, how come you don’t have to wear the full suit,” he says as he awkwardly fumbles with the hat, turning it around and around. He has to zip it to his suit collar but I don’t dare go near him again, even with that veil between us.
“Because my jeans are good enough protection. I wouldn’t wear anything if I trusted you not to lose your shit.”
“I’m not going to lose my shit.” He fiddles with the zipper until it finally secures his hat in.
“Right,” I tell him, happy that the weird sexual tension between us has momentarily dissolved. I pull on my hat which is already attached to the back of the jacket like a hoodie and drag the veil across my face.
He’s smiling at me, his face slightly fuzzy because of the mesh.
“What?” I ask.
“I just had an image of you on your wedding day.”
“Oh?” My heart stills.
“Wearing a dress made out of bee suits with that exact same veil.”
“Very funny.”
“It is funny.” He throws out his arms. “Look at us. I feel like we’re astronauts in a fifties B-movie. Or should I say, bee-movie.”
I giggle. “Like we’re in This Island Earth,” I agree, one of our favorite movies that Mystery Science Theatre 3000 has gotten their hands on. “Did you know that actor who plays the main dude, Cal, his name is Rex Reason?”
“Rex Reason,” he muses. “That should be my next stage name.”
“Or you could save it for the fourth date.”
“Fourth date?” he looks at me in surprise. “I didn’t know there would be one.”
Am I jumping ahead of myself here? Probably.
“Oh well I just figured after date number three we could try again with new personas, you know, since eventually we have to tackle what’s wrong with you. Aside from the Magic 8 Ball making all your life’s decisions for you.”
“Don’t make me regret telling you that,” he says.
“Don’t make me regret telling you I’m a virgin.” I walk over and nudge him with my elbow. “Come on, let’s get this started.”
We head across the lawn to the first of the two hives, the girls shooting in and out. A few guard bees come out to inspect us as we get closer and Laz stops dead in his tracks, eyeing one as it buzzes at his veil. They’re having a staring contest.
“What do I do?” he whispers.
“Just act calm,” I tell him.
“They smell fear don’t they.”
I roll my eyes. “No. She’s just checking you out. You should be flattered.”
“Uh-huh.”
I grab his arm and pull him toward the hives. “She knows we mean no harm. This is her job, she’s a guard bee. Show some respect.”
“Oh bloody hell,” he mutters as we’re right at the hive now and the bees are swarming all over us as they go on their way to and from the hive. “This isn’t fun, you know that? People actually pay to do this?”
He’s borderline shrieking. I have to admit, it is fun seeing this big buff rock n’ roller with his tattoos and piercings freaking the fuck out over my girls. I’d say I’m surprised we haven’t done this more often but then again, I’m not.
“Not a lot of people pay,” I tell him, placing my fingers on either side of one of the bars.
I’m about to lift it up and expose the comb and bees inside but I wait.
I have a feeling it’s going to freak him out and for now I just want him to listen.
“But that’s what I want to change. This could be a fun and unusual date night for some people. ”
“Cross out fun. It’s unusual at best,” he says, breaking off as he raises his arm to swat a couple of more bees who are investigating him.
“Don’t,” I tell him, gripping his forearm and holding tight. “Don’t swat. They don’t deserve it.”
“Jesus, where did you get a kung-fu grip from?” He’s staring down at my hand and I tighten my grip even more.
“No swatting,” I warn him. “Or they will turn on you. I’ll make sure of it.”
“You are the Candyman,” he says in a hushed awe.
“Okay, let’s be serious for a second,” I say.
“You think I haven’t been taking any of this seriously?”
I give him a look but I’m not sure he can see it.
It’s hard with all the bees darting between us.
“If more people were exposed to hives like this in a safe and controlled environment, then they wouldn’t fear bees.
If they don’t fear bees, they’re more likely to respect them.
If they respect them, they might learn about them and find out how important they are to the world.
I get a ton of calls for live bee removal but I’d get a lot more if people started respecting bees and wanting the hives to be safely removed.
Most people just have a pest control person come and destroy them all… it’s…it’s devastating.”
Just thinking of it makes my heart feel weighted, way more than it should, like it’s sinking in my chest.
“You okay?” Laz says softly after a moment.
I exhale and give my head a little shake. “Yeah. Sorry. Don’t know why that bothers me so much.”
“This isn’t really about bees, is it?” he asks.
“What do you mean?”
“You told me your mother kept bees when you were younger. After she died…you said that the hives were destroyed.”
I rub my lips together, glad he can’t get a good look at my face. “Yeah,” I say breathlessly. “Gone.”
“And those hives brought your mother the same kind of joy they bring you now, don’t they?”