Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
Renee
That man was even more attractive now than he’d been as a teenager. He’d aged well, and he was solid from what I could tell. His red polo shirt did little to hide the guns he called arms. Sheesh!
His eyes were naturally sad, even when he smiled. Every time I looked into them, I wanted to hug him tight and tell him everything was going to be okay. He reminded me of a wounded bear that needed somebody to sit on his lap and wrap their arms around him. His hair was cut short on the sides, tapered so low it was barely there. On top, it was a bit longer, thick, and with deep waves. Like his hair, his beard and mustache were well-groomed and matched the same thickness and care regime.
I wonder what he smells like.
Between all the bar food and the bourbon coming from his pores, I wasn’t sure. I cleared my throat as I thought about him in ways I shouldn’t. His ex used to be my best friend and just because we weren’t friends anymore, it didn’t give me the right to be lusting after him. I’d heard he was a generous lover, though. It made my curiosity perform all kinds of tricks inside my head.
No. No. No.
Who knew if he was even interested in me? His blurting out that I’m beautiful when he was several bourbons in didn’t make it a confession of love. Besides, I didn’t want love. It’d been almost a year since I’d been laid and my period was starting soon, which made me a bitch in heat. His lips… they weren’t anything extravagant, but they looked pillowy soft. I bet they’d feel good down between my…
“Renee, can I get another beer?” Junior asked. He was new around here and liked to flirt when he was tipsy. It was harmless, and he left big tips, so I didn’t mind.
“On my way!”
I handled his drink and gave Ezra his last bourbon. “I’m not comfortable serving you another one, so this is it for you, mister.”
“Have you always been this shy?” he asked me in a voice so low it had to be sincere. At least that’s what I believed.
“Yes.”
“Is the age difference the only reason why you didn’t take me seriously back in the day?”
I backed away from the table, refusing to answer that question.
“I won’t bite you, babygirl. Not unless that’s what you’re into. I bet you do taste good, though.”
His voice was deep and though there was music playing, it still felt like he was whispering in my ear because I felt every damn word. There was a slight slur, but he kept it together well.
“Would you like water, Sir?”
His eyebrow raised, and he licked his lips as if he were contemplating what he’d do to me. I closed my eyes, trying to reel in my hormones. I couldn’t ride him like a rodeo cowboy on top of this table. When they reopened, he was still watching me, holding me in place with his intense gaze.
“You’re a good girl, aren’t you?”
Something inside softened, and I looked down at the floor. Nervously, I rubbed my hands together and tried to disappear in plain sight.
“I can tell, babygirl. It’s all right; I’d never take advantage because I know that little fact.” He chuckled and sipped his drink.
I exhaled and went to the other side of the restaurant to start cleaning. The crowd was long gone, and only a few stragglers were either eating or drinking. The night was pretty much over, and I could use cleaning as a way to distract me from Ezra.
Thirty minutes later, he was singing to himself at his table. He wasn’t disturbing anybody, and he didn’t sound half bad. He was the only person left inside and between me and the other waiter, we’d completely cleaned up everything.
Ezra stood up and almost fell over. I rushed over and helped to steady him as he just kept on singing as if it had never happened.
“How about you sit back down for me?” I asked him from beneath his arm. He was much bigger than me and I couldn’t handle all his weight bearing down on me.
“I need to go back to my–Just to be cloooooose to you, giiiiirl!”
Those weren’t the lyrics to the song currently playing at all.
“Ezra…”
“Yes, babygirl?”
With us being this close, it was impossible not to respond to his baritone voice. “I, um, can you sit down, please?”
He nodded once before he fell back onto the chair.
“Thank you.”
After speaking to my co-worker, Dax, he agreed to help me get Ezra to his apartment after we locked up. Dax drove the golf cart and Ezra sang the entire drive, moving from song to song smoothly. There were no hiccups along the way, and once we had him inside, I let Dax leave. He propped the apartment door open for me to prevent there from being too much privacy. I promised to call him if I needed anything.
As Ezra undressed and got ready for bed, I found Tylenol and grabbed him some water to drink. He’d need these in the morning because he was feeling much too good tonight. I put them on the table beside the bed and tried not to laugh at his attempt to get under the comforter.
“Warm?” I asked.
“This girl is on fire!” he sang out.
It threw me into a fit of giggles that had me clutching my stomach.
“Admit it. You love my singing.”
“Only if you admit you sound like two cats fighting in the night.”
“I won’t. This voice is angelic. You’ll regret not getting my autograph now because it’ll be worth billions in a few months.”
“A few months? What’s happening between then and now?” I swallowed the laugh that threatened to come through.
“I’m going to be cold… blooded!”
Facepalm. He’d gone from Alicia Keys to Rick James.
“Sir…”
“Watch your mouth. I may be drunk, but my ears still work, and I love the way it sounds coming from the tip of your tongue. If I didn’t think you’d hit me, I’d suck it off.”
“Off?” I choked on desire as it coursed through me.
“Your fucking tongue. I clearly chose the wrong damn friend. Can’t you feel that?” he asked.
“Feel what?” I was afraid to know what he meant.
“Come here, babygirl.”
Suddenly my mouth was dry. I’d tried to ignore the fact he was shirtless and every inch of him from the waist up was on display for me to see.
“I’m fine over here, Ez-Ezra.” I stuttered his name before being able to get it out.
“Then I’ll come to you.” He stood, but it took a second for him to steady himself. When he did, he took a few steps until he stood in front of me. “Feel this…” He ran his finger down the side of my face, and my entire body seemed to go aflame. “Do you?”
“Yes…” I breathed. “I do. What do you mean by ‘chose the wrong friend’?”
“Nothing, baby. Nothing at all.” He leaned down and kissed my forehead and then my temple. “Be safe getting home. I’ll be seeing you around.” And with that, he got back into bed and moments later, he was snoring like it’d never happened.
“What the fuck?” I muttered as I walked out.
Inside my own apartment, I stood in the mirror looking between the two places he’d kissed. There were no marks or bruises, but I could still feel the way he’d branded me with his lips.
“Yes, I feel how attracted I am to you. And you must be attracted to me, but we can’t go there, Ezra. Maybe in another lifetime,” I mumbled to my reflection. “He’s off limits.”
And that’s just how it had to be.