Chapter 11
LOLA
Leo stood in the doorway, looking as handsome as ever with his beach blond hair hanging over his forehead, and his pretty-boy smile flashing at me.
I sucked in the inside of my cheek and bit it hard, unable to keep my eyes from wandering down his body. He was as tall as the others, and his naked torso was very inviting.
I caught myself before dropping my gaze to his crotch, and when our eyes met, I smiled gently. “Hi.”
“Hello there. I see you got the flowers. Do you like them?” he asked, his voice calm and soothing. No matter how intense these men were, they all had a kind and positive aura surrounding them.
“They’re beautiful. I came to say thank you,” I explained. I pursed my lips and tried to look past him to see if I could get a glimpse of the others. “Are the others home too?”
“Yeah, we’re all home. Would you like to come inside?”
I studied him for a moment, but in reality, I didn’t need to think about it. “Yes, please.”
He chuckled and stepped to the side. “Come in.”
I walked toward him but stopped before I stepped into the apartment. I looked up at him and pointed to my boots. “Should I take these off?”
His eyes dropped to my boots, and I watched as the tip of his tongue came out to lick his bottom lip. “Definitely not. You look beautiful, by the way.”
I smiled, and though I was still nervous, my confidence was starting to come back to me. “Thank you, Leo.”
“Damn, and you remember my name…”
I laughed softly at his surprised expression. “I sure do. I stalked the four of you on social media since I first met you in the elevator last weekend.”
I wasn’t ashamed to admit it.
Leo chuckled, and I went inside, taking in the large entryway. “Was this place like this before?”
“Uh, no. We renovated it and put two apartments into one so we’d have a larger space.”
“And you all live here?”
He nodded. “We sure do. And, no, we don’t have girlfriends or wives.”
I had thought so, and while it was hard to believe that these four men weren’t taken, in my opinion, it was a good thing.
“The others are upstairs,” he explained.
I followed him up the stairs after taking one last glimpse of the downstairs area. I was amazed by this place. The upstairs had an open floor plan, and there wasn’t a lot of furniture around. The kitchen was to my right, and while I was fascinated by the design, I was more intrigued by the man standing by the stove.
Watson looked up and his eyes met mine. He was surprised to see me, but he looked pleased. “Lola.”
“Hi,” I said with a smile.
“So you got the flowers,” another voice said, and I turned my head to look over at Kline who stood by one of the couches.
Bennett was there too, but he was the last one to notice me. They were all coming closer now, but they stopped a few feet away to leave me some personal space. Well, except Leo who was standing right next to me, grinning like he had when he opened the door.
I looked around and took them all in, then my eyes went back to Kline. “I did get the flowers, and I really loved them. And the card, too. That was really nice of you.”
“Glad you like them,” Kline said. “Watson, get her something to drink.”
“Right away.”
I looked over at Watson and smiled. “Water, please.”
“We hoped you were at Benson’s. We wouldn’t have known where to send the flowers to otherwise,” Bennett said, looking pleased that I received their pretty gift.
“I was hoping to see you guys again. I think I would’ve come watched another one of your shows next weekend,” I told them truthfully.
Leo placed his hand on my lower back, gently leading me toward the couches. “So we’re all on the same page here.”
I sat down on the couch, and once Watson brought me a glass of water, they all sat down too, leaving me some personal space again. They weren’t forcing themselves on me, and they were being very careful with their eyes and words.
I took a sip of the water and let my gaze wander to each of theirs, and after lowering the glass again, I decided to be straightforward.
“I would like to explain myself for the way I reacted after I left the stage.” I kept looking at all of them, letting my eyes linger on each of them every time my eyes met theirs.
“You did leave in a bit of a hurry,” Watson said, smiling gently. “We would’ve loved to talk to you.”
They weren’t mad, but I could tell they wanted an explanation. They didn’t expect one, they just hoped for one.
I smiled tightly. “I would’ve loved that too. I was just…overwhelmed. And confused. I’m usually not like that but being on that stage with you four dancing around me, looking all hot and sweaty, was nothing I had ever experienced before. I enjoyed it, don’t get me wrong, it was just…”
“Intense,” Bennett finished my sentence, and I nodded.
“Yes, very.”
“We get it. And maybe it’s our fault that we didn’t ask you if you’d be okay with it. We were just so excited to have you there at our show that we needed you on stage for the last number.”
I looked at Leo, undoubtedly understanding what he was saying. “It’s your show, and to be fair, I should’ve known something like that could’ve happen. I just didn’t think it would happen to me, so I wasn’t prepared,” I explained to them. My laugh was nervous when I continued. “But now that I know about it, I’m definitely prepared.”
They all laughed. They sounded delighted by my words, and the sounds of their voices made me feel all warm and tingly inside.
“You’re welcome to come back next weekend. We gave you a free ticket for you and your friend. What’s her name, by the way?” Kline asked.
“Willa.”
“And did Willa enjoy the show too?” Leo asked.
“Oh, for sure. But she liked the guy who checks tickets and IDs more.”
“Morris?”
I looked at Watson and grinned. “She fell head over heels for him. She’s already planning their wedding.”
They laughed again and looked at each other.
“We thought he looked a bit dreamy last night. Did they exchange numbers?” Leo asked.
“They did, but he hasn’t texted or called her yet.”
“He’s just making her wait. He’s definitely going to text her soon,” Watson assured. “Tell her not to worry.”
“I will. But she knows. She’s the kind of person who knows when a person comes into her life for a reason. She felt a real connection to him,” I told them.
Kline nodded. “She’s definitely not wrong about him. Morris is a good guy.”
“And what about you? Do you have that same ability as her? Knowing when there’s a connection between you and someone else?” Bennett was the one with the deeper questions. He was quieter than the others, but I could tell he was also the most observant.
I looked at him and smiled gently. He asked that question in regard to themselves, and I knew my answer would correspond with all of theirs if I were to ask the same question.
“Yes, I definitely do.”
Only for me, it wasn’t just with one man, but with four.