A Little Bit of Trouble (7 page)

    
I hear the door open and close and footsteps begin down the stairs. My anticipation rises, I’m not sure why my heart is beating like it is, it doesn’t help the erection I’ve had hasn’t gone away since I saw her in a towel. It also doesn’t help the fact that since I came downstairs my mind has been filled with thoughts of her wrapped around me.

    
The door opens and out of the darkness she steps, I swallow. Fuck, there is no way in hell I’m going to be able to sit next to her all night and be a gentleman. She’s wearing a dark brown, sweater dress, and knee high black boots. The dress hugs every single one of her curves and shows a nice amount of her plump tits. Hell. I’m going to hell.

Or maybe I’m already in heaven.

     “Do I not look okay?” my eyes snap up to her face. She looks panicked.

     “You look… stunning.”

     A small smile spreads along her lips, “Thank you.”

     I hold out my hand, she looks at it, thinks about it for a mo
ment before placing her tiny, soft fingers into my palm. “Let’s go?”

     “
Yeah.”

     “So, where’s the yellow roses you promised me?” she suddenly says as I open the car door for her. I rush around to the driver’s side and climb in. What roses? “You know? You told my friend Haley you’d bought me yellow roses.”

     I nod slowly, “Yeah, you’re right. I did say that.
”

     “So?”

     “So what?”

     “Where are my yellow roses?”

     “I dunno, probably at the Florists,” I grin and start the car. “We’re going to a nice Italian place. Italian good?”

     I watch her shrug out of the corner of my eye, “Yeah sure…. So… what is it you do for a living?”

     “My brother and sister in law own Johnson’s Pharmaceutical Company. I get paid to be their errand boy.”

     She nods
slowly, “I thought you were in Foster Care?”

     “I was, growing up. Long story short, James, my brother was adopted by a lovely
woman at a young age. We got separated in the Care System.”

     “That sucks.”

     “Yeah, but fortunately his wife, Maya,” I smile a little at the memory. “She found me and now we’re all in touch and happy.”

     “That’s amazing,” she smiles wistfully. “A rather romantic tale.”

     “What’s your story? Why are you now working in Carey’s Clothes?”

     “My mom’s an idiot that’s why,” she responds, I wait for her to say more. She doesn’t and it’s frustrating. “You have to give me more than that!”

     She groans and sinks back into her seat, the bottom of her dress moves up a little. The images I get… wow, I really am a creep. “She stopped opening it, stopped looking after it properly. Moved away with her boyfriend leaving me with the bills to pay. Turns out she’s been taking out loans and things in my name. Fortunately not much but still more than I can afford to pay right now.”

     Shit, that sucks.
We fall into a comfortable silence, I turn the radio on anyway, just for a little background noise. “So, why not put your skills in hair and beauty to work?”

    
“Let’s stop talking about me.”

     “But it’s more interesting than talking about me,” I point out. “
Okay, so… what are your hobbies?”

     She snorts. What did I do now? “You’re seriously turning this into one of those dates aren’t you?”

     “Give me a break, I haven’t dated since I was eighteen!” I laugh and clench my fists on the steering wheel.

     She watches me for a moment, “That’s right, you got married to Crystal.”

     “Yeah.”

     “What’s she doing these days?”

     Ah, fuck. “Is that Johnny Depp?”

     I point out of the window, she instantly looks, her face almost touching the glass, “Where?”

     “My mistake. Oh look, we’re almost there,” Okay so maybe we are still ten minutes away but those are just details. “What about your dad? Where’s he?” You just can’t leave it alone can you Lucas? Apparently not.

     “He hasn’t called me in a year. Got a new wife and a new kid,” she shrugs nonchalant but I can tell by the bite in her tone that it affects her more than she lets on. “Tell me about your life.”

     “Not much to tell, great family, great friends, well paid job, a nice apartment.
Blah, blah, blah.”

     “That’s good. I’m happy for you.” And I think she genuinely means it. “Even if you were mean in school.”

     My smile drops, I reach over and take her hand, “I’m sorry for that.”

    
“I know.”

     We arrive at the restaurant minutes later, I pull into a spot as close to the building as possible.
“Stay here,” I order and climb out of the car. Of course she doesn’t listen, she climbs out before I can reach her door. Does she not understand I’m trying to be a gentleman? “Or not.”

     I rush around to her side and offer her my arm, she doesn’t take it. She just carries on walking. What’s her problem now?

     I open the door, she walks past without a glance at me, or a thank you. Yep, she’s definitely pissed. Great.

     We are led to a quiet table at the back of the room, thankfully. This way I can ogle at her without shame. I pull out her seat for her, yet again I’m apparently unimpressive.
She only rolls her eyes. Great.

    “What’s wrong with you?” I ask as she scans the menu. “I thought we were okay now?”

    “I’m fine,” Oh no, I know that
fine
. I’ve heard that version of
fine
many times. “Just hungry.” I pray this is the truth as we sit through a one sided conversation for the next thirty minutes until our food arrives, I speak, she grunts and hums in response. When the food does make it to our table we fall into a not so comfortable silence. I sigh loudly when my plate is clean, out of exasperation for a date that has gone from good to bad, to fucking shit. Without my consent.

     “Do you want desert?” I ask and clear my throat. She shakes her head. I wave over the waiter and throw some cash onto the little plate holding the check. “Want to get out of here? There’s a late movie playing in twenty minutes.”

     “I’m not feeling too good, would you mind taking me home?” she says without feeling.

     I shrug, “Fine.”
Now I’m in a bad fucking mood.

     I drive back to her place at a less than safe speed, what a bitch. You just can’t be nice to some people.

A Whole Lot of Drama

     We pull up outside her store, the first thing I noticed whilst driving down the street, there was somebody leaning against the door of her store. On closer inspection I notice it to be a man I don’t recognize, large and burly looking. Pretty intimidating to a lesser being than myself. Now that sounded cocky. Who cares?

     “You know him?” I ask.

    
Loryn shakes her head, “No. I don’t think so.”

     “S
tay here, lock the doors,” I add sternly. She opens her mouth to protest until I pull a Taser from the glove box. It’s something Marie left in here a couple of months back. Apparently she has three more so didn’t need this one back, thank god for small coincidences. I hand it to Loryn. “You know how to use this?” she nods and goes to climb out with fear in her eyes. “I said stay here and lock the doors!” Calm yourself Lucas. “Please.”

     She nods and watches helplessly as I climb out of the car, the weapon still clutched in her hands. I’m not scared but I’m not overly thrilled about this either, it’s been a long time since I got into a fight. I hope it doesn’t come to that. Who the fuck is this guy?

     “Can I help you?” I ask as the man straightens.

     He rubs his hands over his face and nods to the store, “Looking for Loryn.”

     “How can Loryn help you?” I keep my tone impassive and deep, letting him know I’m not some pussy whipped male that he can fuck with.

     “I’m looking for Dana, her cousin. We’re close friends, she’s gone missing.”

     “Yes, I’ve heard of Dana,” I say curtly. “She’s not welcome here. She knows that.”

     “Really? Because I got word that she was seen leaving this exact store this morning.” Please Loryn, please tell me you haven’t gotten yourself involved. “She owes Daniel ten grand. If you see her tell her to pay up.” He then pats the metal shutter, it rattles loudly in the dead of night. “Nice store.” Now that was a threat.

     I don’t bite, I let him walk away. He climbs into a red car down the street and drives away. Loryn then climbs out of my car, the Taser still in her hand.

     “Was Dana here today?” I reach into her pocket for her keys, still glancing around me nervously. I don’t like the feel of this at all. She squeals and tries to tug my hand away, I manage to grasp the keys after a tiny struggle. “I said was Dana here today?” I put the key in the lock and open the door. Gripping her elbow with a strong hand, I pull her in and swiftly lock the door behind me. I then tug her along as I check for any intruders hiding in the masses of clothes. There’s no sign of a break in but I really don’t have a good feeling. More often than not, that uneasy feeling in my gut tends to be right.

     “You don’t have to manhandle me!” she hisses and tugs her arm
free. I lock the door and pull her to the door that leads upstairs. “Get off!”

     “Wait here,” I head up to her apartment. I’m not satisfied until I’ve searched under every surface and every space where somebody could hide. “It’s clear.”

     “What are you… a cop?” she scoffs and throws her bag on the sofa.

     I raise an eyebrow, “Has Dana been here?”

     “YES!” She shouts angrily. “Yes, she’s been here. She’s my cousin! I couldn’t just kick her out!”

     “If she comes again send her to me,” I don’t know why I’m saying this but the thought of Loryn getting injured or worse
because of that idiot… really does not appeal to me at all. In fact, it makes my fucking blood boil!

     “What is she to you?” she laughs once and slumps onto the sofa. “Why do you even care?”

     She has a point, “I don’t.” her mouth drops open. “So, why have you been a bitch all night?”

     “I have not been a… bitch,” she laughs again, this time in disbelief. I notice how she had to grind out the word bitch, I’m guessing she doesn’t like swearing.

     I roll my eyes, “Please, drop the bitch crown and step away from the throne. You haven’t said more than two words to me all night. We were fine in the car before dinner.”

     Her eyes narrow, “You can’t just barge into my life and start ordering me around!”

     “Yes I can.”

     She growls and throws her hands up in the air, as if
silently asking the skies, “Why me?”

     “Want to watch a movie? Got any popcorn?”

     “Don’t you have to go home? Why are you even here if I’m being such a… a…”

     I grin wickedly, “Bitch? Is that the word you’re looking for?” she folds her arms over her chest and rolls her eyes. “
Are you finished sulking?”

     She sighs, “Yeah.” Finally.

     I begin to search through her collections of DVD’s.
She has Braveheart. We have to watch this, I don’t care what she says.

     “That’s my favorite,” she smiles sweetly at me as I place the DVD into the ancient DVD player.

     I really,
really
like this girl.

     We sit in silence, sipping on glasses of Cola and eating popcorn when a sudden thought comes to mind, a thought I shouldn’t probably say out loud. “Where’s your bed?”

     “What…. Why?” she stammers and chokes a little on her drink. “I thought…”

     I cut her off, “I’m just interested in where it is. That’s all. You don’t have to get it out.”

     She relaxes a fraction, “It’s in that built in wardrobe there.” I look at the wide doors in the wall. “I pull it out and put it back when I wake because it takes up so much space.”

     I can imagine, this place is tiny. If the bed was down you’d have to climb over it to get to the bathroom, the back of the TV would be right at the foot of the bed. So you could go round it too I guess.

   We fall into another lapse of silence, the only sounds heard are our regular breathing and the TV.  I shift in my seat so my thigh is pressing against hers, the pinky finger of my left hand, which is resting on my leg, brushes against the bare skin of her thigh. It was unintentional but I’m liking the contact.

     “What are you doing?” she whispers as if in an actual
movie theatre.

     I look at her and smile slightly. Her lips part as she catches my eyes, she has beautiful fucking eyes.
My eyes scan her face, her pink, plump lips. The temptation to move in is irresistible. So I do. Slowly and carefully, until she realizes my intentions. I stop a centimeter from her lips, my eyes staring into hers expectantly. My mind pleading for her to give in, to kiss me. I need to feel, just once.

     She lets out a long breath and presses her lips to mine, her decision made. As if an explosion occurs my self-control falters. I try to be gentle but I can’t. My brain is on devour mode and she is my prey.
I suck her lower lip into my mouth and turn my body, my hand reaches up and grips the nape of her neck so she can’t escape. She whimpers when I release her lower lip and move to the top, massaging it gently with the tip of my tongue before plunging it deep into her warm, welcoming and fucking sweet tasting mouth.

     A groan escapes me, it vibrates through my chest as her hands come up to my cheeks. She kisses me back with a fervor I would have never thought she was capable of. My cock swells angrily when her hands move down
from my cheeks, leaving a burning trail in their wake and her nails bite into my shoulders. I move forward, effectively pushing her sideways so she has to turn for me to slide on her. My free hand goes to her thigh and pulls it over my own.

     Our mouths tangle, almost aggressively, she whimpers a little as I grind my evident arousal into her hip. She shifts and we fall
off the sofa together, I laugh when she squeals and make sure we land on my back rather than hers. Then I flip us over so I’m on top of her and claim her mouth again.

     Every single cell in my body begins to burn, I press myself against her again. She eagerly opens her thighs, allowing me to slide in between her legs.

     My lips move down her cheek, along her jaw and to her ear where I nibble on the lobe, making sure to tease the little gold stud ear
ring. She moans and pushes her hips up. I feel her tremble beneath me as I suck on the soft skin behind her ear, the thought of giving her a mark appeals to me more than it should. Fuck it, I’m doing it anyway, to hell with my common sense.

     When my han
d reaches down to grip her thigh as I nibble on her collar bone I realize how far her dress has slid up, most likely showing her panties that I can’t wait to take off with my teeth. This thought alone sends me into a frenzy of lust and need, I move my hand up and under her dress, my hand molds into the curve of her waist, I feel the fabric of her panties under my pinky finger. Lace. Fuck.

     She’s pushing me away, “Lucas.” What? I continue working on her neck. “Lucas! Stop!” Ah hell. I halt my movements and slow my breathing whilst pressing my forehead into her neck.

     “Dammit woman. What’s wrong?” I sigh and lean up on my elbows. “Did I hurt you?” I was being a little grabby, I hope I haven’t harmed her.
That would suck.

    
“I can’t do this,” she says quietly and pushes me again. I roll off her and lay on the floor beside her. “I won’t be the other woman.” She pulls her dress down and stands before I can even get a glimpse of her panties.

Other woman? Now I’m focused.

     “What are you talking about?” I frown in confusion. She points to my hand. My left hand, where my wedding band still sits. Shit.

Fuck
.

Crystal.

     I stand up, my good mood suddenly gone.

Crystal… I can’t do this.

     With an ache in my chest I stand and straighten my clothes. Loryn watches me warily as I grab my jacket. My mind is blank, empty. The only thing that remains is grief. Why do I feel like I’ve cheated?

     “Lucas,” Loryn says softly and reaches out to touch my arm. I pull away and head straight to the door of the apartment.

     “Lock up after me,” I say blankly and grab her keys. “Don’t answer the door to anyone.”

     “Lucas,” she repeats, I ignore her and continue down the stairs. I need to get the fuck out of here.

     With an impassive demeanor and a less than lukewarm goodbye, I leave the store. With no intention of returning.

     I know I said I’d move on, I know I said I’d try but… how can anyone compare to her? Crystal I mean.

Shit.

    
My right hand wraps around the ring on my finger, I pull it to the first knuckle as I walk towards my car. Any attempts at removing the ring are thwarted by my lack of willpower where my wife is concerned. I’m not ready to take it off yet. Shit, fuck, shit. With a kick to the tire of my car I tug the gold band off. My eyes burn. It’s time… right? This is what I’m supposed to do. I palm the ring and shove it deep into the pocket of my pants. Then I put it on again ten seconds later before driving away.

     After pacing the length of my apartment for about an hour I finally pick up my phone and call the one person who I know will shine a whole new light on this for me.

     “Hello?”

     “Hi Marie,” I sigh with relief. “I need a new view.”

     “Fire away big boy.”

     “How do I take Crystal’s ring off?” I bite on my lower lip, feeling like a little pussy for calling someone for advice. I’ve never needed help before, never needed advice. Yet Marie just has an odd way of thinking. She seems to know what to say without being all emotional or giddy. She’s to the point and blunt, sometimes rude with it but never mean.

     “A bit of grease and twist.”

     “Don’t be an idiot. I mean… gah. You know what I mean. I can’t just take it off.”

     I hear her sigh, “Lucas. You’re being an idiot. Just take the damn ring off. You’ve got your memories, you’ve got your photos. Unfortunately she’s gone. You want to move on? Take off the ring.” I hear a male mumble in the background, I’m disturbing her, fuck. “Put it somewhere you’ll be able to see it every day like on your nightstand.”

     “You can be a real bitch. You haven’t helped at all.”

     “Lucas, she’s dead. It’s the truth. I’m sorry she’s dead, I wish she wasn’t, but she is. Now get a grip, take off the ring and go to bed. You’ll feel better in the morning. You didn’t marry the ring. It’s a symbol of the fact you were taken, you aren’t any longer, Crystal would want you to be happy. Nothing more. Take it off.” And then the line goes dead.

     I laugh a little, how did she become so… blunt? It’s really the only way to describe her. I’m not even sure how we became friends. There was that thing with Amelia being in hospital for a dislocated shoulder, after that we just started chatting over Facebook and then over text. Then over the phone. And voila, here we are. Still chatting almost every day. It’s platonic though, definitely nothing happening there. Yes, she’s really fucking attractive but no, I would never have sex with her. She’s not my type.