Bottled Up: April Fools For Love (5 page)

CHAPTER SEVEN

After buying enough books and journals to melt her credit card, Betty drove around the city until she had to get gas. Then she went through a drive thru and got herself a milkshake disguised as coffee.

The kid in the drive-thru window had tried to pull an April Fool’s joke by telling her that her shake would be twenty dollars. Her look had obviously conveyed her lack of amusement, because she scored a free drink coupon thanks to her irritation.

She’d made it back to the parking lot of her apartment, but could not for the life of her get up the energy to go inside. The ups and downs of the day were taking their toll. Betty didn’t want to blow any more money on gas. She’d only been gone a few hours. She was contemplating digging a hole and throwing herself in it when her passenger door opened and Ang knocked the napkins on the floor to sit next to her.

“Only you would make out with a model then mope about it. He seems like a pretty okay guy. And you could do a lot worse than the man you’ve been pining over for years.”

Betty slurped the last of her milkshake through the straw and sat the cup in the cup holder. “I made out with a stripper. A stripper my ex-best friend hired.”

“I am the best, best friend ever. I ended up getting you your fantasy man. Literally.” Ang grabbed Betty’s hand on the steering wheel. “It was supposed to be a fun surprise. If it helps me look better at all, I tried to abort the dance when I found out who he was.”

“Sooo…you only wanted a stranger getting naked in front of me.” Betty pulled her hand out from under Ang’s. “And when you found out it was Nate, you paid him to put the moves on me instead?”

“What in the hell are you talking about?”

Betty stopped staring angrily out the window at that. “I’m talking about the fact that you paid a stripper to make out with me knowing it was Nate.”

“You
are
high.” Ang laughed at her some more.

Betty grabbed her empty cup and slurped loudly. It gave her something to do, and she knew the noise was a pet peeve of Ang’s.

Ang finally grabbed the cup out of her hand and threw it out the window.

They both looked at the plastic on the ground right below the red and white
No Littering
sign.

“I’ll pick that up later,” Ang said. “But first you need to understand, I told Nate’s boss to abort the whole prank. I told him if he could get out without you finding out he was a dancer I’d still pay him.”

“So when he kissed me…”

“That was your boobalicious body that tempted him.” Ang got out to pick up the cup.

Betty scrambled after her. “Wait. You’re saying he wanted to kiss me?”

Ang tossed the cup into the trashcan. “Yup.”

“And I ran out on the guy who has been my masturbatory fodder for damn near a decade?”

“Yup.”

“Can you offer me anything more than a monosyllabic response?”

“At least you gave him your number first.”

Betty ran to follow Ang up the steps. “How do you know that?”

Ang got them into the apartment that was blissfully free of all plumbers and strippers pretending to be plumbers. “He asked me if he should delete it.”

Ang tossed her keys in the little tray by the front door and went into the kitchen. Betty stood in the doorway while her friend clanged around in the fridge before coming out with two beers. She stood there as a cold bottle pressed into her hand.

Ang moved Betty onto the couch before shutting and locking the apartment door.

“And?” Betty was finally able to ask.

“And what?”

Betty was glad the beer was in a bottle. A can would have crushed under her white knuckles. “Did you tell him to delete my number?”

Ang laughed.

Bitch.

“No. I told him to call you.” Angela took a long drink that obscured her face and any clues for Betty to tell if her friend was serious or not. Ang finally tipped the bottle toward her and said, “You’ve been pining for this guy for a long time. You compare every other man to his unattainable perfection. You should give him a shot. Even if you two have zero chemistry now, at least you’ll know and can move on.”

Betty felt the red creep up her cheeks. She was relieved that her best friend let a stripper keep her number. But on the other hand… “What do I do if he calls?”

“You ask him to give you a private performance and take advantage of his hot stripper body.”

“Ang. Be serious.”

Betty blushed more at the thoughts of watching Nate Dallas take off every piece of clothing in front of her. She’d had that very dream on more than one occasion, but now she had some real visual data she could incorporate into the equation. Like the fact that he had a faint scar on his neck. And how his ass felt beneath the heels of her feet.

She had a lot of time to think about it, as she watched her phone remain silent for the rest of the night.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Nate wasn’t opposed to manual labor. He didn’t mind doing the heavy lifting, but he did have a problem with his new boss watching him do everything in the name of supervising.

She had to be staring at his ass. He would have been offended or mad, but the woman stared just as blatantly at a butterfly out the window an hour later. She was still mesmerized by the bug as customers came in and out of the store. So Nate did what he was hired for and sold the merchandise.

Turns out he had a bit of an eye for fashion after so long in the industry.

He pulled a long sweater out of the hands of a petite woman shopping to cover the curves she was overly self-conscious of.

“I’m sorry, I was going to try that on,” she said.

“Nope,” he told her as he hung it back on the rack. “You are going to try on…this one. Do you like blue or red better? They both have a blue undertone that would go brilliantly with your complexion.”

The woman frowned. “They are both really snug looking. And I’d rather have black.”

Nate shook his head. “I would get fired for crimes against fashion if I let you cover up those curves and wash out your soft skin.”

The girl blushed. “If you really think I can pull it off…”

Nate loaded her up with a whole outfit. Her pants were too baggy too. She obviously spent good money on her clothes, just in the wrong size.

Ten minutes later and he had her at the register with a smile and a few accessories to go with her confidence boosting outfit.

“Are you new here?” she asked once her bag was in her hand.

“Yes, ma’am. My name’s Nate. Tell your friends to come back, and I’d be happy to get them outfitted in the very best too.”

The woman grinned. “I’ll do that.”

Nate felt damn good about himself, until the woman leaned in and whispered to his new boss.

Once she was out the door, Nate had to ask Twila if he’d heard wrong.

“You heard right,” Twila told him. “She was disappointed you’re gay. Can’t really blame her.”

Nate was about to let his boss know he very much enjoyed spending his romantic evenings with women, but the butterfly went by the window again and he knew he’d lost her.  In fact, having his sexuality questioned was going to take pressure off of him. So he shrugged and went about putting away the garments he’d had his first customer try on.

The front door bell jangled. Nate was about to greet the customer, when he realized he recognized the woman in the doorway with a nametag that matched his own.

Angela Dennis shut the door with her foot and inhaled a deep breath before yelling, “Twila!”

The shrill noise was enough to pull his boss away from the butterfly. “Angela, is it time for my break?”

Nate was pretty sure the woman’s whole day was a break, but he kept that to himself.

“Why is he in here with a name tag?”

“He’s our new stocker. Luckily, he’s gay and fantastic with fashion as well as great with customers. His first sale was over five hundred dollars.” Twila looked at him. “You do get commission by the way.”

He hadn’t known that, but
damn
, he could possibly make more money doing this than stripping if all his sales went like the first one.

Angela looked at him as Twila went about straightening up the register. Then as their boss went about pulling out stationary that didn’t seem to have a purpose other than to be shiny, Angela grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the back room.

“Do you think it’s wise to leave her alone with the customers? She seems a bit…” Nate searched for the most delicate way to say what he was thinking.

“She’s a useless piece of fluff lately. She used to be able to sell the high-dollar clients everything, which is how she got to be the boss. This last month I think she has lost her touch.” Ang looked toward the sales floor like she was trying to figure out why.

Nate cleared his throat. “Well, we should probably get back out there, then.” He wasn’t about to be alone with the woman who had hired him to strip two days ago. He had only been out of the stripping gig for forty-eight hours, but already it felt like a dream in his mind. It was a distant memory. Or at least, his brain was blocking it.

“Are you gay? Is that why you didn’t call Betty?”

“I’m not gay,” he sighed. “I just picked up a lot of fashion knowledge after being in the industry for so long. And I dressed a lot of my cousins for their big events. Not all of the trends translate into wearable fashion, and I tend to be really good at letting women catch onto that fact on their own. But definitely not gay.”

Angela crossed her arms and kept him from going back through the door and onto the sales floor. “Then you have no excuse for not calling Betty.”

“What was I supposed to say?”

“I don’t know. Did you mean what you said about being sorry for leaving her hanging for a decade?”

“I regret not trying harder, but I had myself convinced she wouldn’t want to talk to me after so long. I’m the idiot who listened to my friends.” Nate had to physically shake that thought from his head. He had to stop living in the past. “But who’s to say that would translate into anything now. And we didn’t exactly get the best start. I was just going to leave it be.”

At least he was going to do that until he just found out he was working with Betty’s roommate.

“By best friend bylaws I am required to tell her you’re working here.”

He’d been afraid of that. “Are you sure that’s best?”

“Are you planning on quitting?”

Nate thought about the commission he’d racked up with one sale. “Probably not.”

“Then I’m not going to be caught hiding this from her. Or…”

Nate watched the woman’s face change, and ice ran through his veins. He’d seen that look before, and it never worked out in his favor.

“I never did get to play a good April Fool’s Day prank on her. You killed that one for me, sport.”

“Sorry?” Nate really didn’t like where this was going.

“Oh don’t worry. You are going to help me fix it.”

“How?”

Nate was worried this was all going to backfire, but by the end of his shift Angela had him convinced it was going to work out. He was convinced the whole night, and the whole next work day as she promised him it was a great idea.

He was absolutely positive he was about to sweep his dream girl off her feet. Until he knocked on her door.

CHAPTER NINE

Betty screamed and slammed the door in Nate’s face. She was having a
Groundhog Day
nightmare. She was really going to have to lay off the cheap wine before bed. She was still scrubbing the morning goop from her eyes. Maybe she was still dreaming? Nope. Her heart wouldn’t be racing like this from a dream. She wouldn’t be able to feel her skin tingle like this from a dream.

Nate Dallas was in her hallway wearing his plumber’s uniform. The man who got away, and the man she’d run away from was here again. Her body was ready to rip her clothes off and hop on the counter to demand he finish what he’d started.

Her body’s plan wasn’t going to be easy to carry out since the man she wanted to strip for had just had the door slammed in his face. He was probably already leaving. That was all there was to it. She’d have to get over him. She’d have to take down all his pictures and quit having all these dreams about him. Because she’d just screamed at him.

No man would stick around after getting tossed out of her apartment twice.

There was a knock against the door she was leaning on.
No way.

“Ma’am? I’m was told you had a clogged drain. Do I have the wrong apartment?”

What the hell?

Betty opened the door. “What?”

Nate Dallas walked around her and into the kitchen. He took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. “I was told you had a clogged drain and that the last plumber from our service left you hanging. A real man makes sure he calls to check on his customers. I’m really sorry if we didn’t take care of you like we should have.”

Betty shut her door, because there were other people walking up and down the stairs and she didn’t want to be a source of gossip. Their building was worse than a sorority sometimes.

“Nate, what are you doing?”

He put down the same toolbox he’d brought with him when he’d been about to strip for her and opened the cabinet doors. “Looks like the problem was taken care of. Your roommate did tell me you’d been upset with my performance, and I wanted to make it right. Is there any way I can make it up to you?”

Betty gave him some serious side eye. “Did Ang hire you again?”

Nate came up to her. “Ang told me I should call. But we both agreed it would be awkward. She suggested we have a do-over. So I’m giving us a do-over. And I brought you something.”

He pulled a small bottle out of his pocket. Black grains shifted inside. As he held the tiny cork-topped glass out to her, Betty’s hand started to shake.

“It’s from the Muriwai beach. We hiked there during the photoshoot for Vitaboost. It was where I went after we…” Nate cleared his throat. “I couldn’t throw it away. Look, Ang wanted me to come in here and seduce you, but I want more than that.”

Betty held her breath as he invaded her space further. She tried to respond, but just managed a squeak.

“I’d like to get to know you, Betty. But I have to be honest, it will be hard to keep my hands off of you after that kiss you gave me.” He licked his lips. “I’d like another chance. Let’s make a deal. I’ll pretend I can think of something other than the idea of your body beneath my hands, and you pretend I wasn’t supposed to strip for you. And I’d desperately like to seal our agreement with a kiss.”

Betty should back off. She should hand him back the sand and let her fantasies stay in her spank bank where they belonged. There was no way this could ever live up to what she’d built in her head. But instead of handing him the bottle, she put it on her half wall and turned to face him.

She’d had years of dreaming about this man. Her hands went to his shoulders and she felt his thick muscles twitch beneath her palms. Looking into his eyes, she didn’t want to be truthful. She wanted him, but she still wasn’t sure how to make it work. Maybe she didn’t have to. Not everything had to be serious. Ang had the right idea. If he could pretend, so could she.

“I really do have a clogged drain. You should take a look at it.” Betty pushed his shoulders down.

Nate looked really confused, but he knelt in front of her like she wanted. Then she kept pressing until he turned on his knees and faced the underside of her kitchen sink.

“Betty, I am really confused here.”

“Could you please just run your hands along the pipes. I’m worried there’s a leak that we’re missing.”

Nate shook his head and leaned forward. He was not catching on to the fact that Betty needed to pretend. After so long waiting for him, and even longer getting over him, she’d had enough reality. Nate might be the best boyfriend she’d ever had, but it would never work now. She’d have to make due with getting him out of her system. One last time. It would have to be enough.

They needed to be other people if they were going to take advantage of this. April Fool’s Day might have been meant to be a prank on her. She knew she wasn’t enough for Nate before, and there was no way she was exciting enough for him now. Her body was arguing with her logic. And her vibrator would officially be her new best friend for the foreseeable future, but she needed the closure. She needed his arms around her one more time. Even if it was a lie.

“I know you’ve come highly recommended from the plumbing company. They said if there was anything down there you’d be able to find it.”

Nate sat back on his heels and looked at her for a full thirty seconds until she bit her lip and willed him to understand. Her silent plea worked, and Betty nearly danced as she watched his expression change to fight a smile.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. They must have been mistaken. I am really new to the company, and I don’t know what I’m looking for. Could you show me where you think the leak is?” Nate slid over and left a tiny space next to him.

His side pressed against her, and Betty felt the heat melt her panties off. She cleared her throat. “If you’ll just reach right in here…” Betty reached her arm in and ducked her head under the lip of the door.

Nate followed her in through the other side. His fingers stroked the back of her hand and his soft touch had her panting. “Here?” he asked.

She pulled her hand from the pipe and spun her body so she was laying on her back. “Not quite. Maybe you need to come in through this side.”

Betty looked at him and let the desire she’d felt for him as a teenager, and model groupie, and just the woman who’d thought he was a plumber come through her eyes. 

“Betty…”

“I know what I’m doing, Nate. Sometimes it’s okay to pretend. Isn’t it?”

He ducked out and let her lie there squirming. She heard some rustling but could only see the underside of the sink.

“I don’t think I’m going to fit in that space ma’am. Why don’t you come out here and tell me about the problem?”

Betty frowned. She was horrible at seduction. Trying to get him to role-play was a stupid idea. She was just going to have to accept that she needed to let Nate either date her or leave. She was going to have to buy batteries. She was going to…
Holy crap on a cracker
.

Nate stood before her with his plumbing uniform on the ground at his feet. He wore a white tank top and the tightest pair of boxer briefs she had ever seen.

She must have been staring a bit too long. Either that or she was actually drooling on him.

“My uniform was getting stuck on the cabinetry. I hope you don’t mind.” Nate smiled at her response.

Betty tried to think of something sexy and playful to say but she just shook her head.

“No? You’re okay with me working over your pipes like this?”

Betty nodded so hard, her teeth rattled.

Nate grinned and knelt down again. “Maybe you could join me if I helped you out of these. Sometimes these jobs get messy. I wouldn’t want you to ruin your clothes.”

Betty groaned as Nate’s fingers edged up her tank top. “Nate, I can’t tell you how long I’ve dreamed of being with you again. Just once more.”

“And now we’re in the same city. I’ve missed writing to you. I’ve missed talking to you. I’ve thought about touching you like this so many times. And it’s definitely going to be more than once.”

There was no hope for words as he kissed her belly button and nibbled his way up her stomach as he rose and brought her top with him. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to get lost in the idea that she could push everything away and start over. She turned and covered the bottle of sand with the dish towel next to the sink. This couldn’t be about the future, not today. Betty had to pretend right now. Before he left again.

Nate paused before he reached the point where her bra would be exposed. His eyes found hers and he made it obvious he was giving her a chance to tell him to stop, or tell him to slow down, but Betty didn’t want to back out. She wanted her fantasy.

She gripped the tank and dragged it over her head before he could stop her.

Nate licked his lips and Betty watched his boxers fight the erection he was sporting. His cock was bigger than she remembered. Of course she hadn’t had anything to reference it to when she’d given herself to him the first time. She reached behind her to unhook her bra, and the waistband of his underwear pulled away from his skin as he adjusted himself. She could see the pink tip of his cockhead.

It took her a few extra tries to get the hooks at her back to cooperate. She didn’t feel the usual relief as the offending garment fell to the floor. If anything her skin tightened under his gaze. Her mind flashed back to his hesitant touches so long ago.

She wanted to duck down and touch him. She wanted to show him that she could be someone new today. She wanted this to be something new, but he was drawing their past closer instead of helping her leave it behind. He pressed his hands against her aching nipples, and they groaned in unison at being able to touch each other again.

She dug her fingers into his hair and pulled his head into her chest. He licked her nipples, taking time to kiss down in the valley between her breasts before pulling the distended tip in between his teeth.
This
. This was what she needed now. Betty leaned back and gripped the counter for support. He let his hands fall away from her chest and his gaze went to hers. She watched him smile at her before he pulled her skin between his teeth again. Her eyes rolled back and just as she couldn’t hold still any longer, she felt the belt at her waist being undone and pulled from her belt loops. The swish of the leather whipped through the air as Nate tossed it over the half wall.

His fingers made quick work of her button and the zipper on her jeans. She shimmied, helping him get the fabric over her hips. She would have enjoyed being in her underwear around him, but it was laundry day tomorrow, and she was fresh out. She hopped up on the counter next to the sink and grinned as his eyes darkened at the bounce of her breasts.

“Oh shit, Betty. Tell me you have some protection. Tell me you have it within reach. Tell me I can lick you until you come in my mouth.”

She was going to have to talk. She leaned over and pulled out the junk drawer. Neither Ang or herself were overly experienced, but they were both well prepared in case they got a chance. Betty pulled a small three pack box of condoms from the back. She prayed they weren’t expired.

“Is that a yes to all of it?” Nate asked as he spread her legs.

Betty gulped as she flipped the box over to read the date stamped on the bottom.
Hallelujah
, they were still good for six months. “Absolutely.”

Nate’s thumbs spread her lips open in front of him. Betty’s body was ready. She felt her pussy clamp down at just the thought of taking Nate inside her.

He pressed a kiss to her aching clit. Shivers of pleasure sent goose bumps up her spine, until a moan filled the air.

“Do I need to pretend to be your plumber still? Betty, I want to make
you
come. Not a character. I want
you
here with me.”

Betty looked down at him. He had been her dream man ever since she knew what she could do with one. Before he could drag her completely back into reality she asked for what she needed. “Make me come, Nate.”

“Hang on.”

Betty gripped the counter and he lifted her up. Spreading her legs wide, he made room for himself and her thighs went over his shoulders. His warm breath hit her first, and she felt the sharp contrast of the cool air as he inhaled before his tongue touched down. The trembles began in her stomach, but soon her whole body was vibrating with how much she needed him. Her butt hit the counter, and she managed to keep control enough to stop her head from slamming against the wall.

Nate slid a finger inside her, and her eyes crossed. Thrusting against his hand, she knew she was on the edge of an orgasm. But she didn’t want to come down from this plateau yet. And she wanted to share this orgasm with him. They’d been apart so long, but she knew their bodies would still fit perfectly together. She couldn’t wait any longer. Pressing against his shoulders, she stopped him just as the heat began to burn up from the tips of her toes.

She didn’t give him time to talk. When there was just enough space between them she hopped down and dropped to her knees. She pulled his boxers to his ankles and swallowed him whole. He tasted salty, and his hardness pressed against the roof of her mouth.