Twelve
TWELVE
MALIK
“So what’s happening with you and the hot mom?” Danté arches a brow, the one with the ring pierced through it, and takes a pull of his beer.
I pick at the label on my now warm beer and shrug. “Nothing. She’s a student’s parent and that’s that.”
The week simultaneously went by too fast and too slow. The nights dragged on when all I wanted was another moment to lay my eyes on Soleil. And when I did finally see her, it was like watching a shooting star. She was gone just as quickly as she appeared.
“So? Is there a rule that you can’t date a parent?”
“I mean yeah, kinda. There isn’t a rule clearly stating that, but it’s pretty frowned upon. It’s unethical and a conflict of interest in a student’s academic career,” I explain.
He nods slowly, looking out across the bar and smirks. “But you spent the entire day with her and her kid at the beach and that’s okay?”
“We just ran into each other. It’s not like we planned a date.” As far as he knows.
“So if you were to see her again, purely coincidental, and hang out, it would be okay?”
“Yeah. I don’t see why not.” I furrow my brow, confused as to where this hypothetical is going.
His devilish grin brings nothing but worry when it appears. It very rarely means anything good. “Cool.” His lips wrapped around the mouth of his beer bottle and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
I see his eyes focused on something behind me, and slowly turn to find out what, or who, has pulled his attention. I scan the faces of patrons and then spot her. My obsession.
Soleil.
She stands with her friend from Saturday, Kyle, and smiles as they walk to the bar. My eyes track her every step and I lick my lips. She wears a top that clings to her body, showing off her petite frame, and jeans that make her legs appear a mile long. Her hair looks like ebony waves that sit just below her shoulders, and her glossy lips look juicy and kissable.
“You gonna let her pay for those drinks?” I swing my head to Danté and he dips his chin while pointing his eyes in their direction.
I throw back the last dredges of my beer and stand from our usual booth seated in the back of the bar. It’s early Friday night and things are just starting to heat up in the bar and already, I see men’s eyes turn in the girls direction. One asshole looks like he needs his head checked by my fucking fist with the way he’s leering at her.
I slide between bodies and get many hey man’s and call me’s from people as I pass. Just as I draw up to the bar, Soleil’s back to me, I lift my hand to Lainey who looks at me.
“What’s up, boss man?” She yells over the crowd.
“These two ladies are my guests. No charge.”
She smiles and with a wink says, “You got it.”
This causes both Soleil and Kyle to turn around. Soleil looks absolutely stunned, and Kyle stands there with a knowing smirk on her face.
“Good evening, ladies,” I address them both, but keep my eyes glued to Soleil.
“Hello, Malik. Funny seeing you here,” Kyle responds, her voice husky and low.
“Is it?” I cant my head in her direction and raise a brow. “How are you tonight, Soleil?”
“I’m go–wait. Did that woman call you bossman?” She points over her shoulder at Lainey who is rapidly filling drink orders.
With a nod I tell her, “Yup. This is my bar. Well, mine and my brothers’ bar. Hence the Dare.”
She gives me a tight smile then turns to her friend who looks guilty as sin. “Huh. I had no idea. Did you, Kyle?”
Kyle shrugs, still wearing a twinkle in her eye, and Soleil’s jaw clenches tight.
Lainey places their drinks down and I reach between them to grab hold. “Excuse me. Why don’t you two come join myself and Danté. It’s going to get real rowdy here in about an hour. It’ll be standing room only.”
“Danté? From Saturday? The broody one with the piercings?” Kyle asks, not the least bit shy.
“That’s the one.”
She shoves at Soleil, causing her to stumble and almost running smack dab into me. “We’d love to join you two.”
I give them my best aren’t I charming smile and push a path through the crowd, making sure to keep my eye on them. Just as we clear the mass of bodies, Danté sees us and does that whole lick of the lips that makes girls drop their panties. His eyes roam up and down Kyle’s body and she pauses, flipping her hair over her shoulder and propping a hand on her hip.
“Need a picture?” She asks.
His trademark devilish grin comes out to play, and I already know how this night is going to end for him.
“Lose a few layers and the answer is yes.” She bites her lip and the look in her eyes is a promise to fulfill his request.
I set the drinks down and Kyle slides in right next to D. When Soleil tries to sit next to her, I take her hand in mine and guide her to my side of the bench, helping her into place while I take mine right next to her.
“So is this a girl’s night?” I ask them, throwing my arm over the back of the booth just to have an excuse to feel the heat that rolls off of Soleil’s body.
“It is. Dolly is with Sunny’s parents for the weekend, so I decided she needed to explore the nightlife of her new city.” Kyle picks up her drink and sips from the skinny red straw.
“Dolly and Sunny?”
“Kyle calls Dahlia, Dolly for short. And Sunny has been a nickname of mine since I was a kid because–”
“Soleil means sun,” I finish.
Her cheeks pink and she gives me a shy smile, the same as she did at the beach. We stare at one another and I get the sensation of being in a tunnel. I can only see her as the outside world seems to blur. It’s a beautiful feeling. I want to keep it.
“Where’s your other brother? Hendrix, correct?” Soleil quickly works to change the subject and attention from her.
“He’s in Texas with Dagen. He’ll be back next week and will most likely stay for a few weeks, tending to the garage.”
“Garage?” Kyle’s long fingers wrap around her martini glass with nails the color of blood.
“Henny owns the Dare Towing and Garage along with the bar. He’s been spending so much time in Texas with Dagen that he’s neglected the shop a little.”
“I wonder how he’s going to do without his balls,” Danté puffs. “Dagen usually likes to keep them in her purse.”
We all laugh. The girls at the joke, but Danté and I laugh at the truth of the matter.
“So you teach and own the bar. Hendrix owns the bar and the garage and Danté, you…”
“Well, actually, we all own the garage and the towing company. Hendrix is the managing partner since he’s the grease monkey who loves working on bikes and cars. Danté manages the bar, and I do all of the numbers. I’m the behind the scenes guy,” I explain.
“Wow. You three are quite busy.” Soleil starts to relax, no longer looking like a scared puppy.
“It’s better to keep busy than to cause trouble.”
“Do you?” Kyle asks. “Cause trouble?” Her question is for both of us but she focuses on Danté.
“We still cause trouble. Just a different kind now that we’re men.” D stares right back at her, and the sexual tension between these two is steaming up the entire bar.
“Ten bucks these two go at it before the end of the night.” Soleil leans closer, her voice a low whisper in my ear.
“That’s a fool's bet. Twenty on them disappearing in the next hour. They’re about to claw each other’s clothes off right here in this booth.” I scoot a tad bit closer and keep my voice at a volume that only she can hear. “Is Kyle clingy? Danté isn’t one for…how do I say this without sounding like a total jerk?”
“Second helpings?”
I practically choke on my tongue, not expecting this soft spoken, seemingly innocent woman to make that connection.
“That is pretty accurate.”
“He can rest assured that she will most likely walk away and never look back. She’s all for repeats, but she lacks the attachment emotion that most women have. She’s usually the one sending legal threats when men seem to get a little too obsessed.”
We both laugh and I feel this zing in my body, being this close to her, seeing the various shades of brown in her eyes, and smelling her intoxicating scent. Her smile goes from wide and bright to tight and even a little shaky, as if something has frightened her. Maybe it’s the look of hunger in my eyes that scares her. I can almost guarantee it’s there. Not because I’m trying to lay it on thick, but because that's what I feel when I’m around her.
Hungry.
“I hope this doesn’t seem…inappropriate because of who I am to you, but you are incredibly beautiful, Soleil. I thought it the first second I laid eyes on you,” I tell her, the ability to hold my tongue losing to my desire.
“Oh. Um…th-thank you. I, uh…” She swallows and fumbles with her words, and now I feel like a creepy asshole for making her uncomfortable.
I make a one-eighty turn and steer in a completely different direction.
“So, what do you do Soleil?” Probably one of the most impersonal, boring questions anyone can ask, but I need to salvage the moment.
She smiles and looks at her lap for a moment and I imperceivably lean back, giving her some space.
“I am a virtual admin assistant.” She picks her glass, taking a small sip before continuing. “I have a handful of clients that I manage their schedules, translate notes, manage their various tasks, and sometimes attend virtual meetings. It’s all very boring, really.”
I move my head slowly from side to side. “No, actually. It seems very interesting. Especially the virtual part. How does that work?”
“I meet with each one via video conference once a week to go over pertinent information, and then we exchange notes and emails throughout the week. It’s great for me because I can tailor my hours around Dahlia’s. I’m home if she were to become ill, and if the day is busy I can work after she’s gone to bed. Without any family here, I really needed to find something that would allow me to be present. You know?”
“That is really great. So many parents don’t have that option. Most of the single parents I know work very long hours. You’re a really good mom, Soleil. Not only can I see it, but Dahlia tells me daily so it must be true.”
The cutest giggle falls from her mouth and she bites her cherry stained lips. “She is quite the character. I’m afraid I may spoil her a bit too much. I feel like I need to compensate for the father that she no longer has.”
“I can imagine it’s quite difficult to go from having two parents to one, overnight.” Her face falls and gives me a sad nod. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
She reaches out, placing her small hand on my bicep and it sends a quake of fire rolling over my body. If I had any doubt about what this woman could do to me, it’s all been confirmed with that one little touch. She sets me on fire, and I want to feel the burn. The heat of passion and melting desire.
“No. Please don’t apologize. Everyone back home knows my business so I’m used to the intrusive questions and stares. Not that you are. Not at all. I just meant that it’s something I got used to being asked after a while. It’s why I had to get out there. I couldn’t stand to see pity on their faces. Poor little Sunny who found out her husband was cheating with her cousin, then got hit and killed by a car when he went chasing after her. I mean, c’mon. You’d be curious, right?”
I’m frozen in complete shock, my mouth hanging open and my brain trying to process the words.
“Oh yeah. It’s wild.” She leans her elbow on the table and begins telling me the story of not only the day she found out her husband was having an affair, but his subsequent death.
While I feel horrible that he lost his life, the emotion I feel most is anger. Anger that a man could have a woman like Soleil and not realize just how valuable she is. To treat her like an afterthought is beyond my scope of understanding. If she were mine, I’d show her what it’s like to be worshipped. She’d be the queen to my king.
“Wow. I don’t–I’m really sorry, Soleil. That is a helluva lot to happen in a lifetime, much less on the same day.” I wipe my forehead, sure that sweat beads my hairline from that intense story.
“Don’t be sorry. I had to grieve the loss of my marriage and my husband all at once. It’s like, I couldn’t decide which was more tragic and so my body and my mind just shut down. All I focused on was Dahlia and how this would all affect her. I could go on without a cheating husband, but he loved his daughter and she loved him. That is what worried me the most. It still worries me.”
Her eyes fill with unshed tears, but I know they are tears for Dahlia. She won’t have a daddy to take her to the dance. He won’t be there to make sure she knows her worth. She’ll walk alone down the aisle one day. All things that were a given when he was alive.
I rest my hand on hers, rubbing circles with my thumb across the back of it. “You’re a good mom. I’m sure that Dahlia will never know she’s missing anything. You’ll see to it.”
She inhales, her chest rising, and a shuddered breath leaves her mouth. “Sorry, This is probably not the type of conversation you imagined having on Friday night after a long week at school.”
“Hey. As long as it doesn’t involve crayons, glue, goldfish crackers or boogers, I welcome it.”
“Ew.” Her face scrunches up.
“You wouldn’t believe the stories the kids very freely share. I have to tell them that not everything is meant for sharing.”
“Oh gosh. I can only imagine what Dahlia tells you. I’m mortified.” Her head drops in her hands.
“Dahlia is really great, and the only thing she ever shares is about how lucky she is to have you as a mom. I know we aren’t supposed to have favorites, but she truly is mine. She’s a great little assistant.”
The voices are loud and begin to muddle together and yet, I swear I can hear the pounding of my heart. I can hear the blood pump through my veins. The soft breath that spills from her mouth. I’m so close to leaning over and stealing a kiss that I have to change direction.
“Do you want to shoot pool?” She blinks at the sudden change of my question.
“Um, yeah. Sure. I’m not terribly good, but why not.” I slide out of the booth and take her hand, helping her out and onto her feet.
Kyle and Danté barely notice our retreat as they sit close, talking about only God knows what. With a gentle hand on her lower back, I point to the table we’re headed for. The one in the back covered in red felt and ornate black legs. In the center of the table sits a large D for Dare. It’s different from all the others and everyone knows it belongs to us.
I pull a stool out for her and study the sticks that hang on the wall. There’s one for each of us brothers, and extras for our guests. Kinsley’s stick looks the smallest and probably best suited for Soleil, so I pull it out, chalk the tip and hand it to her. I take mine, do the same, then set up the rack.
“Do you want to break?” I ask her.
She shakes her head. “No. You go ahead. I don’t think I’m strong enough.”
“It’s not about strength so much as angle and force. I’ll show you how with the next game.” She smiles with a small nod and I lean over the table to study my shot.
I connect with the one ball, striking it just to the right and it sends the balls scattering. Three dump into pockets and I have my choice of play.
“You take solid since two went in.” She shrugs in agreement and I set about my shots.
I sink the nine and fifteen while the ten sits in the pocket having gone first. My next clearest shot is the twelve, but it’s a tricky one. I do the whole one eye closed, checking my angle, guesstimating where it may end, then line up. I miss and scratch when the cue ball goes in instead.
“You’re up. Need any advice?”
She hops off the high stool and walks over to the table as I retrieve the cue ball and hand it to her.
“I think I remember. Gene, my deceased husband, gave me a few tips when we were in college. I’ll hope my memory serves me.”
She begins slowly walking around the table, tilting her head side to side, trying to figure out how and where to place the ball. She finally sees an easy shot and places it down before setting herself up. She fumbles with her grip a bit, but then finds a good position. She slides it back and forth a couple of times, then strikes.
The cue ball connects and ricochets, knocking the one in. But what happens next shocks me. The cue ball flies across the table and hits the four at a perfect angle, sending it into a pocket as well.
“Oh my gosh,” she gasps. “What a lucky shot.” She smiles, struts to a new spot, then fires.
One after the other, each ball glides right in with intentional speed. I see this woman transform in front of my eyes and I realize that she totally hustled me. She has the swagger of a skilled player, the ease of a seasoned professional, and the concentration of a brain surgeon.
When only mine and the eight ball remain, she calls out, “Eight ball side pocket,” and taps the table, pointing her stick at the exact one.
The ball sits close by to the pocket she intends to sink it in, but she can’t possibly make it. It’d be a feat to hit the pocket point at the exact speed and spot to not scratch. The stick strikes the cue and I hear the loud smack of it connecting with the eight ball. The eight spins, accelerating towards the side pocket while the cue ball spins like a top and slows, never touching the pocket.
The eight ball rolls into the side pocket like a magnet draws it in, and I stand there with my jaw hanging open. She stands at the opposite end, leaning against her stick and a cunning smile.
“Oops. I meant Gene got a few pointers from me. I’m kind of good at pool.”
“Kind of?” I finally choke out.
“I guess you can say I’m a bit of an amateur player. Oh and also, I’m a member of the APA,” she pauses. “And I won a few tournaments back in college.”
Her face lights up and the smirk she carries is magnetizing. She draws me and it feels like I’m floating as I make my way to her.
“You cheeky little sneak. Here I was thinking I was going to go easy on you, and you schooled me.” She bites her lip and her eyes sparkle. “Care to make a little wager on the next round?”
Her lips twist up and her eyes squint as she ponders my offer. “Hmm. I don’t know.”
I tap her cute little nose with a wink. “I promise to be a very worthy competitor.”
With our eyes locked, she reaches around me and picks up the blue diamond chalk. Her fingers grip the cube as she places it on the end of the stick and spins it, coating the tip. She places the chalk on my stick that I hold just as she does hers, then takes two steps back.
“What are the stakes?” She leans her hand on the edge of the table and crosses one foot over the other.
“Loser buys drinks.”
“No fair. You own the bar. You won’t have to pay anyhow.”
“You’re a funny lady. Fine. Loser buys breakfast,” I counter.
“Breakfast? But it’s only ten.”
“Do you have a curfew?” She shakes her head no, a curiousness in her eyes.
“Know how to play ten ball?” she asks me and I respond with a nod. “Perfect. I’ll let you break.”
“No. By all means. Ladies first.” She shrugs and takes the lead, racking the balls and centering the cue ball.
Her break is perfect and she calls her first shot. She sinks that one then calls the next and the next. After missing her third shot, it’s finally my turn and I only succeed at my first shot. We go back and forth a couple times until she bests me.
She calls her last shot then says, “I love french toast so I hope you know a good spot.”
She bends over the table and while I try to divert my attention, I can’t help but sneak the smallest peek at her cleavage. Her stick kisses the cue ball and it gives a gentle shove to the ten ball into its pocket. Soleil looks at me with a satisfied smile and I can’t help but match it. We stand on opposite sides of the table, just staring at one another.
It’s a moment, a connection, and I know she feels it too.
“Did Sunny con you out of money?” I fling my head to look over my shoulder and see Kyle walking up to us with Danté trailing behind her.
Her sleek ponytail is slightly askew and small hairs have fallen from it. Her lips are red yet missing the shiny lipstick that coated it earlier, and she swipes the smudges from underneath her eyes. Looking at D, he adjusts his necklace and wipes the corners of his mouth. I look over at Soleil and she sees what I see. Our gazes lock and we both arch a brow at each other, then both sputter with laughter.
I look down at my watch and note the time.
“Told you. Fool's bet.”