Chapter Sixteen
March sixteenth
Juniper
June’s bag hit her station at eight fifty-eight. “Golden?”
She wandered into the break room to find him sipping on his first cup of coffee.
“Hm?”
He pulled his lips away, “Yes Junie Babe?”
“Is it okay if I fit Wolfgang for his tux today?”
“I don’t care.”
He waved his hand with his brow crinkled, “He’s no different than a paying customer.”
June smiled at him, “Thanks Golden.”
She pulled out her phone to send him a message.
Juniper ‘Good morning. Golden says you can come in today.”
She headed straight back to her machine to finish her current alteration and her phone buzzed.
Wolfgang ‘How about before or after lunch and I can take you out for lunch today?’
Juniper ‘Sounds good, come before.’
She sat down and grabbed her tickets to make out today's alteration orders. Lately it’s felt like they recruited her just to help with the ball. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to wear her black sample dress. It was very similar to the one Whitney let her borrow, but more formal, it would be fun to tease him all night long.
Wolfgang
He followed June to the table and thought about the next job after lunch, trying to relieve his thoughts after June took his inseam measurement. She got a little close to the crotch of his pants thinking she did it on purpose. “Thank you for lunch.”
June said as they sat down in the same restaurant as the last time he took her to lunch. Her hair was pulled up into a bun and her eyes were more tired than last time he saw her.
“Thank you for joining me for lunch.”
He smiled, wondering how he could help her.
“Are there any other balls that I should know about?”
she grabbed her water cup.
“No, just this one. Are you okay?”
“Yes, it’s just getting really busy. I’m curious if there is going to be any other work for the rest of the year.”
June looked at him with her blue eyes and he thought about the beach, the cave and the water against her.
“I’m not sure, could you ask for a day off?”
“Absolutely not, I couldn’t do that to Golden.”
She looked towards the counter at two old men eating.
There was something he wanted to tell her, “Come over for dinner tonight.”
“I can’t spend the night, I have work tomorrow.”
“I’m not asking you to, just dinner, I’ll cook for you.”
She tilted her head looking at him. “Okay, I could use that. Will you pick me up?”
He couldn’t help his thoughts and smiled, “Always, what time?”
“Can we do six so I can go home and freshen up?”
“Sure, we can do six.”
Juniper
“So, you can cook more than barbecue?"
“I am almost thirty, Let's hope so.”
His warm hand covered hers and the Jeep tilted as he climbed out first, still insisting to open her door. June was kind of annoyed and had thought that it would save time to let herself out. Wolfie opened the door, kissed her and helped her down. He reached behind Junes' seat, grabbing a few canvas bags with groceries inside. “Alright.”
He followed behind her on the way to his door. June stopped and stepped out of the way for him to scan his hand, “Actually, why don’t you open it?”
June looked at him confused while slowly putting her palm on the door. The pad flashed green and she heard the door unlock. “Are you serious?”
She smiled in disbelief.
“Yes.”
He followed her inside, “Since it’s possible for me to get in your house, you should be able to get into mine.”
He put the bags down as June flipped the switch for the kitchen lights.
“Thank you.”
She set her small clutch down on the counter.
“You look too good to be going out.”
He grabbed her face with both hands and kissed her.
“Are Max and Shianne here?”
Wolfie shrugged. “Doesn’t matter.”
He opened the bags, “Let’s see what’s in here.”
He pulled out a brown package with sirloin written across the top and then a few bundles of herbs. His eyebrows pressed together and June picked up on his confusion.
“Did you not pick those out?”
“I-”
he set them down and pulled out garlic, “I actually didn’t.”
He smiled at her. “I asked Amy what would be a good meal and she took it upon herself to get everything.”
“Really?”
She watched him pull out a zucchini and two potatoes.
“She apparently has a lot of faith in me without a barbecue.”
He continued unraveling groceries. Exposing butter, a small container of cheesecake and wine out of the last bag. As he stuffed her totes into one he found a piece of paper.
“Have fun on your date, tell June I said hi. The instructions are on the back.”
Wolfgang read out loud and flipped it over. “Oh, that makes sense.”
He lifted the bundled herbs, “These are for the steak.”
June didn’t know whether to let him know that she knew that or not, so she smirked at him and asked, “What can I do?”
He shook his head, “Nothing, in fact,”
He turned and got a sixteen ounce glass cup from the cupboard and placed it in front of June and grabbed the wine, “Sit here.”
With far too much effort, he got it uncorked and poured her half a glass.
“Thank you.”
She sipped it and refrained from puckering her lips from the bitters. “How was work? Did you have any new damsels in distress that you locked out?”
“Nope.”
He chuckled but didn’t turn from the oven as he put the washed potatoes in. “I only lock out pretty girls.”
The front door beeped and opened. Max and Shianne walked in one after another holding a take out box. “Oh hey guys.”
Max sent a genuine smile.
“Hey.”
Wolfie greeted in return.
Shianne whispered, “Hi.”
while June faked a smile, pressing the corners of her mouth back.
“We’ll eat in our room,”
Max escorted Shianne and both of them disappeared behind his bedroom door.
“Weird.”
June said quietly.
Wolfie placed the steaks on a hot pan. “What?”
“She was kind of nice to me.”
“She’s not a bad person June. This whole blow up happened because she’s not my type and I didn’t know how to tell her.”
“What’s your type? Do you want me to hide in your bed?”
She snickered.
Wolfie tossed butter and herbs in the pan then pointed the tongs at her, “Unless you’re willing to, you better stop while you’re ahead.”
“Maybe I am.”
She playfully teased him.
Wolfie set the tongs down and circled the island, “You better be careful.”
He got close to her face.
“Or what?”
She breathed.
He looked down at her dress, palming her back, “This might get ripped off you.”
“It’s Whitney’s.”
“Then you’ll have some explaining to do.”
He kissed her and stepped back towards the stove.
June sat and watched Wolfie juggle the two sides and the main dish in the kitchen and could hear the television coming from Max’s room. “Is their TV always that loud?”
“I don’t question noises that come from that room.”
June swallowed her fourth sip, “You’re probably right.”
“Do you want to eat here or in my room?”
“I’ve never eaten steak on a bed, and I don’t think I could do it successfully.”
“Now that I say it, it makes sense to eat here.”
He smiled as he plated her food.
*****
Wolfie picked up both plates and placed them in the kitchen sink along with the multiple pans, cutting board, knives, forks and random wooden spoon that got dirty along the way. He slid the bottle towards June and topped off her cup and refilled his as the rest dripped in. “Do you want to eat this in my room?”
He pointed at the cheesecake.
“Why do you want me in your room so bad?”
She smirked.
Wolfie spun her bar stool to face him. He leaned in to kiss June and his body pressed against hers made her knees split, she pulled back, “I am in a dress.”
She proclaimed, tugging on the hem.
“I don’t mind at all.”
He dropped back into her and placed one hand on the counter to support himself as he lowered down to her face. He kissed her softly then pulled away, “Juniper.”
She looked up at him, “I love you.”
Her heart fluttered and her lips parted to say, “I love you too.”
She was sure of it, she could have finished her life with Ben and never felt this safe, secure love and friendship. He pushed back into her and placed his hand on her legs, feeling her exposed thighs and picked her up. Juniper wrapped her arms over his shoulders as he carried her to his room, accidentally slamming the door behind him.
He gently laid her on his bed and let go of her lips. “You mean it?”
She nodded, confirming, smelling the beard oil on her face. “Good.”
He dove back into her, kissing her lips, her neck, biting her ear, while his hands rubbed her covered stomach and breast, fingering her neckline. June’s finger tips pulsed into his shoulders through his shirt, as her back arched and her body reached for his. He straightened up and he looked down at June on his bed. Her dark red dress was hiked to her hips and her black underwear was peaking out. June wanted him, she never stopped thinking about the weekend before.
He peeled his shirt off and fell back into her, kissing her harder, touching her leg with one hand. She heard his pants fall to the floor as his hand pushed between her legs, rubbing aimlessly, she didn’t care until she remembered. “Wait,”
She hissed. Wolfgang immediately retreated looking as if he had done something wrong. “I just want to talk about protection.”
“Oh,”
He opened a drawer and pulled out a condom.
“You just have those?”
She sat up confused.
“I actually went and bought some after you spent the night, I wanted to be prepared just in case.”
His eyes twinkled with the bedside lamp glowing. “I wasn’t expecting anything last week.”
His lips pulled to the side, “But I’m not complaining.”
He closed the drawer, “Can we continue?”
June nodded, “Yes.”
She knelt on the bed and began lifting his under shirt and running her hands on his chest. Wolfie grabbed it in one movement. “I need help with this.”
June turned her back to him and grabbed her hair to one side exposing a zipper.
“I really like the idea of ripping it off of you.”
He stepped directly behind her on the edge of the bed, brushing against her.
“You can’t.”
He placed his mouth next to her ear, “I know- I can.”
He wrapped his arm around her, pulling up her dress. “But I won’t.”
His hand found its spot again between her legs pushing her into him, letting her know how hard he was behind her. He took advantage of the neck she had exposed, and kissed her in the crook of her neck.
“Please,”
She sharply inhaled, almost begging him, “Unzip me.”
Wolfgang thought twice about it when he found both hands along the zipper, refraining from grabbing the material on each side and ripping the seam, it would be so easy for him, instead he gently pulled the tab down. June’s back was exposed as he slid the straps down her arms and June pushed it off her hips, kicking it to the floor. She felt his chest against her back and observed as his hands came from behind her, watching this unfold in the low light of the side table lamp. Her nipples grew hard while his finger tips caressed them. His hands traveled down, tickling her silhouette and curling fingers on each side of her black thong, taking it with him in a downward motion.
June repeated the same motion to let it fall to the floor while he stepped back and removed his underwear. Her back still to him, he pressed against her. One of his hands pushed between her thighs, separating her knees more, opening her up and the other wrapped around her neck to manipulate the angle of her head to roll back onto him.