Chapter 3 #2
I slip into the memory of tonight, my blood heating as I remember his hands on me, how it felt when he lifted me off the ground and pinned me to the door, they way his fingers strummed my sensitive nub so deliciously, how I let him make me come and he’d barely had to touch me.
No one’s ever touched me like that before, pulled those sensations from me.
It was exhilarating, having an older man, one with experience, someone who knew exactly what he wanted from me and how to get it.
His assertiveness—aggressiveness, really—should have been a turn off, but holy god, was I ready to surrender.
My hand skates down my stomach into my sleep shorts, my body screaming for relief.
I remember the hickey on my neck, which I’m surprised neither of the girls noticed, and how he knew exactly where to kiss me, how to hold me, and what I needed to get off.
It’s not long before I’m panting into my pillow, chasing my orgasm desperately.
I moan softly into the bed as it rushes through me, satisfying, even if I can tell it’s lacking something.
Now that I’ve had his touch, his taste, what he can do to me, I wonder if this will ever be enough.
“Have a great day!” I wave at the customer as they leave, sighing in relief as the last of the morning rush finally settles into a gentle hum.
I love morning shifts because they go by quickly, but man does it sap your energy.
I grab my tea from the back counter—which may as well be iced tea at this point—and throw it back, letting it cool me down from the inside.
It’s been sweltering in here all morning since Maria’s been in the back kitchen testing recipes, a mere five feet away from me.
Beck’s cousin is an absolute gem, and she might be one of the best cooks I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting, but holy mackerel she’s making the entire back area feel like an oven, and it’s seeping its way to behind the counter.
Even with the frosty chill coming in through the door with each customer, it’s not enough to battle the fires of Hell itself that she’s lit back there.
I even let her take over muffin production today in an attempt to not sweat off a few pounds.
The bell on the door jingles and I steel myself, putting on my best customer service face.
“Good morning!” I say, spinning around, “What can I get for… you…” my pulse quickens as I take in the person standing in front of me.
“You work here?” James’ voice is gruff and annoyed, his rumpled expression accentuated by a beanie shoved onto his head and a scruffy, dark corduroy jacket that’s seen better days.
“Evidently,” I deadpan as mortification trickles through me. I wasn’t expecting to face my bad decisions so early in my day.
This would be so much easier if he wasn’t so freaking hot. If I didn’t already know what it was like to have his hands on me, inside of me…
“Nessa didn’t mention—"
“What can I get for you?” I put on my most professional exterior, my award-winning customer service smile, ignoring the fact that I am screaming on the inside.
If I can get him his order and get him out of here, I can stop thinking about how ashamed I should be and how much I’ll need to beg on my knees for forgiveness if my best friend ever finds out.
“Nessa said this place makes its own pumpkin creamer year-round. Do you have any of that?”
“Ooh, a pumpkin spice fan, I approve. We do have that. Medium work for you? To go?” My customer service voice comes out in full force in an effort to make it through this transaction with dignity.
“Large, for inside please.” My hopes flutter to the floor, dashed.
“Sounds good! Grab a seat and I’ll bring it over when it’s ready.” I quickly turn around and begin making it, taking as long as possible until I finally hear him leave the till, trying not to think of how recently he had his hands in my pants.
Oh my god I didn’t even take his payment.
In my rush to be free of this nightmare, I totally forgot half of my job.
Oh well. I’m allowed to comp things here and there.
Luckily, he doesn’t give me any grief when I bring his coffee to the table in the corner, snooping over his shoulder to see what he’s doing.
I can tell he’s scribbling something in a notebook, though I can’t see what it is.
He only looks up to nod at me when I put his coffee down in front of him.
When I try to sneak a peek over his shoulder, he snaps it shut, setting it aside to grab his drink.
Embarrassed at being caught, I run away and make myself as busy as possible.
I’m able to get through most of my shift without thinking about him or looking at him, and I definitely didn’t try to smell him when I had to walk past him earlier.
Right before we’re about to close for the flip from café to bar, Nessa strolls in to start her shift, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, not a hint of the hangover she must have had after last night.
“Hey there, cutie!” she singsongs to me.
She waves as she saunters over to the only person left here, the one I haven’t been able to get rid of somehow.
“Hey, Stella! Did I ever introduce you to my brother? This is James, he was on drums last night, not sure if you remember since you disappeared…” She gives me a teasing look which only serves to dose me with a quick shot of anxiety, even though she clearly doesn’t know about what happened.
“Oh yeah! I forgot about that, nice to meet you, James.” I smile at him blandly, removing my apron and grabbing the key to my bike lock.
James gives a vague grunt in acknowledgement before Nessa cuts him off.
“I told you this was a great place to chill, right James?” She barely lets him respond before she turns on me. “Did you bike here, Stell? It’s November, how are you still biking to work? You must be freezing!”
“It’s good exercise!” I argue, “Besides, owning a car sounds expensive, I can get by just fine with the subway and my bike.”
“Oh, fuck that, James can give you a ride home,” Nessa says offhandedly, “Right, James?”
“Nessie, I don’t think your friend wants a ride from a stranger,” he starts, and despite the fact that I was going to decline anyway, the rejection stings a little.
“But you’re not a stranger, you’re my brother! Plus, Stella, if he drives you, you can bring the leftovers by the shelter and not freeze to death.” She has a point there. James is already shrugging, and it does sound better than getting wind burn in this weather. I nod, giving her a strained smile.
“Let’s go, sunshine,” he says, already walking towards the door.
“Sunshine?” Nessa mouths to me. I shrug my shoulders, but I can feel how pink my face is.
“See you tomorrow, Nessa. Try not to burn the place down, yeah?” I give her a quick hug, then hustle out the door after James.
My bike is locked up in the back. I don’t mind leaving it overnight just this once.
I see him walking down the street, presumably to where he’s parked, and I’m huffing as I catch up to him, my arms laden with leftover baked goods.
“Slow down! Not everyone has crazy long legs like you.” I don’t have any remorse about giving him a bit of lip.
“Not my problem, sunshine. Keep up.” He’s pointedly not looking at me, making me a little pissed off.
“Okay, rude.” I mutter.
“Just get in the car,” he says as the lights flash on an old, blue Toyota Rav-4. The seats are chilled, and I huddle in on myself for warmth.
“Thanks for the ride,” I say once I’ve put the address for the shelter into the navigation system and we’ve pulled away from the curb, heat blasting.
“I wasn’t super looking forward to biking in the snow, honestly.
You may have saved me a few toes.” He remains silent, looking straight out the windshield, not biting at my attempted joke. “How long have you been in the city?”
Silence.
“Nessa said you moved here not too long ago? Me too! It’s nice being in the city, I grew up in a small town. Where were you before here?” The muscles in his sharp, square jaw twitch and clench while I wait, but he eventually sighs.
“Touring.”
“Oh, how descriptive and exciting,” I snap back, “Are you always this abrupt with women whose mouths you’ve had your tongue in?” He fixes me with a sour look, and triumph swells within me. I settle back into my seat and accept that this will be the most silent ride of my life.
He grunts when he pulls up outside the shelter, idling while I run in with the bag of goodies for the women.
The lead volunteer gives me a huge hug when she sees me.
Typically, I’ll come in once or twice a week, either with goodies or to help out.
I love it here, how much they come together to create a community for women in all sorts of situations.
It makes me proud to be a part of it. I wish I could stay longer, but I tell her I can’t stay long and hop right back out to the car where James has pulled out his notebook again.
I punch in my address without so much as a word and he takes off. The drive is short, realistically, but it’s dragged on like an eternity by the time he pulls up in front of my building, glaring at my front door.
“You shouldn’t live here.” He grunts out, some of the only words he’s spoken to me this whole time.
“Thanks for the hot tip, have a nice night!” I’m throwing myself out of the car when he grabs my arm and I snap my head around to yell at him, only to come face to face with deep, soulful eyes that I’ve been trying aggressively not to look into.
He has the same, captivating green eyes as Nessa, if not a bit darker.
They’re like a deep, dense forest, something to be explored, revered, and possibly feared.
I almost miss the way they flicker down to my lips, but I don’t miss the flash of lust, the way his breath quickens.
He leans a little closer and I hold my breath, waiting to see what he’ll do.
“It’s not a safe neighbourhood. You don’t have a car. You should consider moving.” He speaks so seriously and with such authority, I’m sure he was an army general or someone who professionally didn’t laugh in a past life.
“Again, thank you for your concern. I hope I don’t need to remind you that I’m nineteen. I’m an adult. I’ll be fine.” His face loses some colour.
“Nineteen… fuck.” He pulls back and rubs his hand down his face. “Whatever, get inside and warm up. Text Nessa for a ride tomorrow.”
“I prefer my bones intact, and with Nessa’s driving skills… I’ll take the subway.” I laugh it off.
“She’ll text me and I’ll come get you.”
“That’s wholly unnecessary.”
“Please, Stella, just… stay safe, okay?” I would make fun of him, but his brows crease, making me pause.
“Okay, stud,” I say with a soft smile. “I will.” I allow myself to linger one more moment before running inside, not stopping until I’ve reached my apartment. Curiously, I sneak over to the window just in time to see him rip away from the curb. He’d stayed to make sure I got in okay.
That was sweet of him, even if he is a complete and total asshole.