4. Chapter Four
I t was sweet of Lila to surprise me with lunch like that. Aside from Grandma, no one's really done that for me before. I hope she wasn't too concerned about my face. Those thugs haven't been back since.
I knew Miss Stone wanted to persuade me to sell, but I never thought she would stoop to this. I'm still not selling. I refuse.
I need to put my mind on better things. Things like Lila. I could text her. Right? No. I'll call her. With calling I get to hear Her voice. I should probably wait until this evening though. I'm sure she doesn't have her phone on her.
I run the dogs and clean kennels until the clock strikes eight. Christine and I put all of our furry residents where they go and lock up. After that night, Christine refuses to leave until I do too. She worries.
I get in the car and connect my phone to the bluetooth. Is it too early to call Lila? What time is it anyway? Eight fifteen. The time is eight fifteen. What time does her shop close? Should I meet her there? Surprise her like she surprised me? Would she like that? There are so many unknown variables that I don't know if I want to test the waters just yet.
Yet again she might be the type that wants me to be spontaneous. I think I will. I will surprise her at work. I wave to Christine as I leave the parking lot of the shelter. She smiles and nods her head at me as she gets into her car. There are no signs of the thugs today thankfully. It's going to be a good day. I can feel it.
The entire drive from the shelter to her parents' store I have gone back and forth between calling her or not calling her. Would it be better if it were just a surprise? Should I stop and get flowers for her? I don't know. I don't even know what time she gets off of work tonight. I should know this stuff. I'll have to get her work schedule.
I pull into the parking spot right in front of the front door. My mind is still going a hundred miles a second. I can see people milling around inside the store. The hours posted on the front door say they close at nine. Should I just wait in my car for her then? No, that's weird. I could pop in and flirt with her over the counter. I could see what it takes to make her blush, or, alternatively, I could see how long it takes for her to notice me.
I think that's what I'll do. I get out of my car and close it behind me. At the lock button on the key fob as I walk in the front of the shop. The little bell rings on the door and an older woman who looks quite a bit like Lila nods her head at me as a greeting of sorts. I give her a smile and a wave before I cut down an aisle.
Lila told me that she is a butcher, so I would assume she would be somewhere behind the meat counter. That would make sense, right? I feel almost giddy walking toward the meat counter.
As I get closer, I hear her laugh from the back. She has a cleaver in her hand and a black apron on. The black apron has her name embroidered on it with lilac thread. It suits her.
I can't help the small smile on my face as I walk down the aisle I'm in toward the meat counter. A tall man is talking with Lila. He looks like her. A brother, perhaps? I should get on his good side.
The more her family likes me, the better chance I have with her. I stop just at the end of the aisle and turn to look at the different spices in front of me. They're in alphabetical order and sorted by brand. My gaze trails over to Lila again. She still hasn't noticed me.
I walk to the counter and look at the variety of meats displayed on ice. The man talking to Lila approaches me and grins.
“I'm assuming you're here for my sister?” He asks, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb.
“You would assume correctly.”
“You must be Spencer. I'm Marc.” He says as he crosses his arms across his broad chest.
Marc is much bigger than both of the goons who gave me a hard time the other night. The man looks like he should be playing a professional sport of some kind. He's massive!
“Hello Marc, it's nice to meet you.”
“So, Spencer, what was your plan?”
“Well I was going to see how long it would take for her to notice I'm here but I think she might be kind of oblivious.”
I look over at Lila again. She's in a world of her own as she expertly slices the meat. It's beyond me how she has the stomach for all that.
Mark laughs. “That she is. That she really is. What happened to your face there?”
“Oh, this?” I ask, wincing. “This is nothing. Just a misunderstanding is all.”
“A misunderstanding leading to you looking like you got the hell knocked out of you?” Marc crosses his arms.
“It's fine, really.”
I don't want them to get involved in my mess. If Lila were to be harmed, I would never forgive myself.
“Okay. Well, I've gotta go take over for her anyway. It's time for her to clock out. If you want to wait here, I'll go grab her,” Marc smirks.
“I- uh- yeah. That would be great. Thanks.”
I prop up on the counter as Marc walks toward the back. Lila places the cleaver on the counter and her head snaps over to my direction. I wave and she beams. Her smile gives me butterflies.
She takes off her gloves and apron before disappearing somewhere in the back. She's gone maybe three minutes before popping up again and walking around the counter and to my side.
“What are you doing here?” She asks with a grin.
“I am here to see you, my Little Masterpiece. I couldn't get you off my mind tonight.”
“I see. Well, my shift is over now. Do you want to take a walk with me?” She asks, her eyes never leaving mine.
“I would love to.”
She hooks her arm in mine and leads me out a side door rather than the front. We walk for a moment down a narrow alleyway and emerge at the back parking lot of the store. I recognize Lila's car of the four parked back here.
“I know of a little place. It's where I like to go to clear my head,” Lilah says, tugging at my arm.
“Lead the way. I would follow you anywhere.”
Lila pauses and spins around to face me. She smiles at me in the way she does that makes my knees weak. She leans forward and kisses my cheek before turning back toward the parking lot.
She leads me to the tall, wooden fence lining the back. Her fingers dance across the top until they get to a metal-looking mechanism. Are we about to trespass?
“Lila? Where are we going?”
“To my parents’ private garden. There's a bench toward the back with the most gorgeous view of the night sky.”
“Your parents own this?”
A random garden behind the store. How did I not know all of this was back here?
“Yep. And that house over there is theirs too. The one beside that is my brother Josh's, and next to that is Marc's. I haven't decided where I want to build mine, so I chose an apartment for now.”
She talks about it all as if it's the norm. Building special houses, living that close together, and being totally fine with it. It's strange. I visit my grandmother, but she's all I have left.
I mean, my parents are alive and all but they suck. The last I heard, they're in Vegas somewhere. They'll reach out eventually asking for money again. They seem to think I'm their personal ATM.
“But I want to show you this over here,” she says as she unlocks the gate.
She pushes it open with one hand and pulls me through with the other. We walk side by side through a maze of plants and well-maintained shrubs. Eventually, a small, cast iron bench comes into view. She tugs my hand and runs ahead of me. She rounds the corner of the bench and puts her hands on the backrest.
“So? What do you think?” She asks, beaming.
“Beautiful.”
Everything about her is beautiful. Her face, the way her eyes light up when she's happy, just all of it. She is truly a masterpiece.
“Isn't it! Come on! Sit!” She says, patting the bench.
I can't help but smile as I sit on the bench in front of her. She wraps her arms around my neck and kisses my cheek.
“It would be better if you joined me though.”
“I have a better idea,” she says, pulling away from me.
She walks around to the front of the bench and pauses in front of me. Her knees are touching mine. Before I can open my mouth to speak, she straddles me and smiles.
My hands move to her perfect ass and she smirks. I'm assuming she likes this. Lila leans forward and kisses me as she rocks her hips against me.
My cock is almost uncomfortably hard. Her hand travels from my shoulder to my chest. She leans forward, kissing the side of my neck as her hand travels down toward the hem of my pants.
She pauses as she traces over my stomach for a moment. Probably out of consideration. Lila unbuttons my pants and pulls back from me. She rocks her hips against my throbbing cock and smiles.
“Do you want me to take care of you, Spencer?” She purrs.
“God, yes.”
It comes out as more of a growl than words. Lila takes that and runs with it. Her hand slips under my boxers and wraps around my cock.
“You're already so hard for me. What a naughty boy.”
Her grip tightens around my cock.
“If you keep teasing me, Lila, I will show You just how naughty I can be.”
Her lips twitch up into a smile and she strokes the length of my cock again. I move my hands from her ass to her hips. My right hand slips under her shirt and to her bra. Its lace. I was expecting a sports bra. What a pleasant surprise.
I slop my hand under her bra and cup her breast. It's a perfect hand full. Pinching her nipple between my index finger and thumb, I look up to find her biting her lip.
We're doing this. I'm going to fuck Lila on this garden bench, and she's going to fucking like it.
“Take them off,” I demand, pointing to her pants.
“And if I don't?” She teases.
“If I have to take them off of you, I will fuck you so hard from behind, I'll have to carry you to your car. So, Little Masterpiece, what will it be?”
She has a fire in her eyes as she stands up and circles around the back of the bench again.
“I say you shouldn't threaten me with a good time,” she whispers in my ear.