Decker's Wood (14 page)

“Now, I’ve had a confusing day and I really just want a time-out, so if ya’ll are gonna stalk around my apartment, shaking your heads at each other, you can just leave. But I’m keeping Debra and the Baileys.”

Lionel slumped and Casey turned to face me, his shoulders back, resolution set in the stubborn lift of his jaw and narrowed blue eyes.

“Do you know what Decker does for a living?”

Oh crap on a stick, they found out. “He’s a porn star,” I admitted quietly, calmly.

“He is a porn star!” Casey exclaimed before my words caught up to him. “Wait, you know?” he shrieked.

I shrugged. “I only found out a couple of days ago.”

“And you’re okay with that?” Lionel asked carefully.

“He’s my friend,” I huffed with exasperation. “Of course I’m okay with it. What kind of a friend would I be if I didn’t support his choices? And it’s not like he’s dealing meth on a street corner, or is some kind of violent pimp. He is an actor, who has sex, on film.”

Casey and Lionel shared a dumbfounded look.

“But you like him?” Casey stammered.

“Yes, like I said, he’s my friend.”

“Cinderella, the way you look at that man is like a princess who just spied her first ball gown and glass slippers but isn’t allowed to wear them until the ball. You’ve got horny eyes when you look at him.” Casey sighed.

“I do not!” I spluttered.

“Admit it, Andi, you look at him differently than the way you look at us,” Lionel inserted calmly.

“That’s because he’s pretty to look at,” I exclaimed, waving my arms
around in frustration.

“I’m pretty to look at too, but you still don’t look at me that way. I’m kind of offended,” Casey said with a pout. The ridiculous look on his clearly handsome face made me laugh.

“Cripes,” I sighed, “I was crushing on that man when I was in a training bra. What can I say? I’m an idiot.”

Lionel gave me a solemn smile. Casey, on the other hand, seemed ecstatic with my admission.

“Well, you’re in luck because it appears he is in retirement. From all the forums and sites I looked at, he hasn’t worked in front of the camera in over a year, and he hasn’t worked behind the camera in months.” I collapsed onto the couch, my fingers wrapped around my coffee mug. Lionel sat down on one side of me and Casey the other.

“Honey, I’m sure Andi doesn’t want to date someone, however hot he is, who has been making whoppie on film for almost twelve years.”

“Why not? He’s not doing it anymore, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her at the party. Just because he is an adult film star with a pretty pecker doesn’t mean she can’t date him.”

I groaned. “You’ve seen his pecker?” I breathed, mortified by
his declaration.

Casey’s smile was blinding. “Baby girl, Decker has one beautiful, long, King Kong dong!” I buried my head in my hands. “And boy does he know how to dong it. They need to rename RedTube DeckerTube. You need to Google Decker Steele.”

“What the heck is RedTube?” My muffled question came through my hands.

“It’s like YouTube for adults,” Lionel said a little breathlessly. I glanced his way, the heated look as he gazed across my head at Casey made me shift uncomfortably.

“Okay, if ya’ll are gonna get hot and heavy, you’ll need to leave.”

Lionel rolled his eyes and focused on me. “If you think this is something you wish to pursue, you and Decker, you really do need to be cool with the fact he has made a very successful career out of sleeping with women. Lots of women.” He cast Casey a stern look. “And she shouldn’t date him just because he has a pretty pecker!” Once again, he turned his solemn gaze back to me. “He appears to have quite a stellar reputation in this industry; he’s starred in almost five hundred scenes and they’re out there for the world to see. Even if he has retired, once it’s on the net it
, belongs to everyone. You have to be okay with sharing that piece of Decker. In saying that, if you were to date each other and it did work out, he would be yours. You have him, not them. You have the real live Decker Steele, who makes you laugh and swoon, and if you let him, he would most definitely make you scream."

I waited for Casey to make some smart-ass remark about screaming, but he was silent. The look in his eyes serious, which made him look more grown up for a change. They had put ugly thoughts of Decker in my mind. Thoughts of him with other women, lots of other women according to Lionel. Cripes, I felt sick.

“Okay, enough Decker talk. I want Debra, now!” I demanded.

Casey grinned and slipped in the first DVD. We all settled back into my couch. It was a big couch, but we were drawn together into a cuddly pile in the middle. I tried hard to push all thought s of Decker from my mind, but not even
Will and Grace
seemed to allow me a free moment from him. My thoughts were consumed with his devilishly handsome smile and strong body, the way he had gazed at my lips with a look that had stripped me bare and made me feel wanton for the first time ever. And then thoughts of Decker screwing other women spilled forward and drowned the magical moment we had almost shared. After a long sigh, I laid my head on Casey’s shoulder. The simple fact was, I liked Decker, a lot. I was so screwed.

DECKER

Two days later, I was back at Andi’s. Chains couldn’t keep me away from her. It was official, I had my first real crush. Leah was right, this could be nothing but unadulterated male desire, but it could also be so much more. It was exhilarating.

She looked sweet as candy in one of her cute vintage design dresses that hung to mid-thigh in a light fabric that shifted over her skin, teasing me, causing me to wonder what was beneath. I already had a glimpse, and I wanted more. I needed a taste. She was in green today. Not that bright green that gives you flash backs to the eighties and not that dull green that should be saved for babies and toddlers. No, it was more like an emerald green that made her pale green eyes shine like a damn angel. Slipped over her head was a plain black apron that read ‘Boss Lady’ across the front. Cute. I smiled as I watched her and shoved my hands in my pockets to discreetly shift my already hardening member. I loved that just the sight of her could stir my body to life.

“I’m not giving you caffeine. You’ve obviously had too much already,” Andi observed.

I realized I was bouncing on the balls of my feet with enthusiasm. I wanted to get her out of here and into the city. I wanted her in the sun, with a carefree smile on her face, while I kept her close to let everyone know that she was mine. Well, she might be mine…maybe…one day.

“Let’s go,” I said without explanation.

Andi raised a perfectly arched brow my way. “Decker, I’m working here, I can’t just leave.”

I glanced around the empty store.

“Yeah, I can see you are rushed off your feet, Country. Anyway,” I gave her my best wet-panty smile, “I know your boss. She’s hot. I could sweet talk her into letting you out early.”

Andi’s blush made me smile even bigger. “Oh, and what exactly would you say to her?” she asked a little breathlessly.

Was that a green light she had just gifted me, playful flirting that she was encouraging? She had no idea what she had just begun. I moved slowly around the counter. She looked so damn adorable standing there with a mug in one hand and dish towel in the other. Her startled eyes stayed on mine as she backed away until the counter trapped her right where I wanted her. Leaning forward, I placed my hands down on either side of her, effectively imprisoning her; she was mine to play with.

“It’s not so much what I would say, but more what I would do,” I murmured.

“Oh?” Her voice seemed unsteady.

Oh yeah, she was feeling the sexual tension. I liked that she responded to me. It was good to know this wasn’t a one sided infatuation.

“Uh huh. Your boss always smells good, like cinnamon, so the first thing I would do is lean in close so I could draw that delicious scent right from her skin and fill my lungs with it.” I dipped my head down to the arch of her neck. I didn’t touch her but her skin still broke out in goose pimples. I drew my nose along her neck, up to every woman’s sweet spot right below the ear. I barely touched her but the hitch in her breathing made me smile. With the backs of my fingers, I lightly ran my hand down her arm from her shoulder past the crook of her elbow to the tips of her fingers. I couldn’t take her hand like I wanted to, she still had the mug and dishrag, so instead, I allowed my fingers to feather over the back of hers.

“Andi,” I whispered in her ear. She didn’t say anything
, and I knew words had eluded her right now. “Come play with me,” I continued. “I want to take you to the park.” Fighting the need to press myself against her and kiss those perfect lips, I slowly pushed away. Fuck. That look right there almost unmanned me. A hunger no woman had ever bestowed on me. Sure, I’d seen lust and desire, but this look was much more. This was a girl who knew me, all of me, and right at this moment she wanted me with a fierceness that vibrated from her body and soul, making me hard as wood. After a moment, she seemed to come to her senses, and with a blush in her cheeks that made me want to beat my chest with pure male pride, she eyed me mischievously.

“On one condition,” she whispered, still leaning against the counter, her body frozen in a state of perpetual lustful shock.

“Name it.”

“I have an appointment on Friday afternoon. If you look after the store for me then, I’m yours now.”

I’m yours was all I heard, nothing else penetrated the fog in my brain.

“Not a problem,” I found myself saying. Not a problem? I hadn’t worked behind a counter, ever. And I had no idea how to operate the fancy coffee machine that I was now staring at with apprehension.

“Don’t worry. The sexy boss will give you a crash course,” Andi murmured, patting my chest as she walked by. “Give me five and I’ll grab my bag.”

*

The drive to George Washington Park was not a quiet one. Andi’s mouth seemed to have developed a damn life and heartbeat of its very own. She talked incessantly the entire way, about books, coffee, Bradley, Casey, and Lionel. She told me how Bruce, the Asian grocer who owned the corner store at the end of her street, now stocked cookies and cream ice cream, because that was her favorite. She barely paused for a breath, but I didn’t care. Andi’s voice alone would cause angels to pause and admire. Once at the park, we stood before the Washington Square Arch, and Andi was finally speechless. The marble archway stood seventy-seven feet high and thirty feet wide. With symbols and words of war and peace, it was an iconic architectural marvel.

“The north side holds the sculpture of George Washington at war, flanked by fame and valor. The western pier is George Washington at peace, accompanied by wisdom and justice.” With my own interests in building and architecture, I marveled at the detail and strength of the monument. I wasn’t sure what Andi got from it, but the awed look on her face told me she was impressed.

“It’s beautiful,” she murmured. “My fish was named Washington,” she continued.

“The one that committed suicide?”

“The one and the same. I even had a tiny plastic imitation of this very arch in his bowl.” I dragged her away from her moment of fish nostalgia, and we wandered unhurriedly around the pathways and gardens. It was springtime and the afternoon air was warm. We laid in the grass and talked about our childhood. I told Andi about the time my brothers tied me up and shaved my eyebrows off. She told me about the time Bradley took her skiing and she fell and broke her wrist as they walked into the hotel. They spent four hours in the emergency room and went straight home afterwards. I enjoyed knowing more about her past, even the morose moments when her father became ill and she moved home to care for him. As the sun slowly dropped from the sky, long shadows were cast across the park but people were still milling around, taking advantage of the fresh, warm day. It was a scene of tranquility, nestled right in the center of the city, and for the first time in years, I felt peaceful.

“Leah and Cindy seemed nice,” Andi said out of the blue.

“They are,” I admitted. She was quiet once more, in a way that told me her brain was sifting through information, sorting through questions.

“I didn’t expect that,” she confessed.

“You didn’t expect them to be nice?”

“No, I guess I was
stereotyping. I was prepared for skankville, a little bitchiness, even claws, but they were pretty ordinary even if they did look like sex on a stick.”

I grinned. When I had first started working in this industry, I expected the very same thing. “Most of the girls are normal like Leah and Cindy. Some are married, some have families. I guess, like anything, you have a good side and a bad side. I’ve had my fair share of run-ins with spiteful mood Hoovers both in the industry and out of it, but for the most part
, the girls who work scenes are pretty cool.”

“Mood Hoover?”

I ruffled her hair, unable to not touch her. “Yeah, you know, someone who sucks the good mood right out of the air, much like you ladies get once a month.” She slapped my arm. She really had a penchant for hitting me, and I kind of hoped it was her way of discreetly touching me.

“You know, research clearly states that men go through their own version of a monthly cycle, where hormones fluctuate, turning them into raging assholes. From what I can tell, most of ya’ll get stuck in that cycle.”

I raised an eyebrow at her declaration, and she arched her brow right back.

“Is that so?”

She grinned and nodded. Without another thought, I scooped her off the ground and threw her over my shoulder. She screamed loudly, garnering the attention of more than a few passersby.

“Decker, let me down this second!” she screamed. I clamped my arm over her legs and headed for the fountain that sat right
in front of the George Washington Arch. “Decker, I’m serious, everyone will be gawking at my panties!” I raised a hand to her ass, just to make sure her dress was covering her…really.

“Don’t worry, Country, I got your cotton-tails covered.” I kicked off my flip flops and somehow managed to wrangle her boots off, leaving them right by the fountain, then stepped into the ankle deep water. I dropped her to her feet just as water sprayed from the fountain’s center, shooting straight up into the air
, raining down on the both of us. I wasn’t sure if I had just signed my death warrant by carting her in here, so I stood and waited. Her grin was wicked as she scooped a handful of water and threw it right in my face. “Oh, you are going down!”

We kicked and threw water at each other like we didn’t have a care in the world. Two little kids ended up joining us, and once we were all thoroughly saturated, much
to some mother’s dismay, I dragged Andi out of the fountain and retrieved our footwear. The sun was almost set and a light chill had filled the previously warm air. Andi stood at the passenger side of my car, staring at the leather seats shivering. “Hurry up, Country, get in.”

“I’ll get your seats wet.”

I rested one hand on the roof of my car as I leaned over her shoulder. “This may surprise you, but your wet panties on my leather seats is kind of a fantasy of mine.”

She shook her head and chuckled. “Just can’t help yourself,” she mumbled as she quickly climbed in.

The drive back to her place was quiet. Not uncomfortable, just subdued. It had been a fun afternoon and I didn’t want it to end. Being with Andi made me feel lighter, carefree, and I wasn’t ready to lose that feeling of easy acceptance. When we reached The Book Shelter, I didn’t turn the engine off. Standing on the side of the road, her wet hair tumbling over her shoulders, she turned to speak but was abruptly interrupted by the booming sound of Casey’s voice from somewhere behind her. She turned around and glanced over her shoulder. He and Lionel were standing on the sidewalk, Vanessa the Undresser, and Imogen by their side.

“Scattergories?” Casey asked, holding up the box that held the board game, peering around Andi, trying to catch my eye. I leaned toward the window.

“Seriously, Scattergories?” I whispered to Andi who simply grinned and shook her head.

“We had a water mishap, and I don’t have a change of clothes.” I called out, and Casey promptly unloaded whatever he was carrying into Lionel’s arms.

“Not a problem, I have something that will fit.”

Before I had a chance to argue, he was back inside the dog grooming salon. Lionel, Vanessa
, and Imogen just stood and watched us, Vanessa’s gaze hopeful. If I stayed, I was going to have to set that girl straight—we were never going to happen, especially while Andi was around.

“Come on, get outta there. Can’t have you catching a cold and calling in sick on Friday.” Andi chuckled, and I climbed from my car and followed her into the store.

*

I almost refused to come out of the bathroom. I would rather have strutted out there butt naked, but I was fairly sure that would have caused more chaos than the clothes Casey had lent me. The track pants were too tight, but thankfully Andi had slipped me another shirt. There wasn’t a chance in hell I was wearing spandex. So, in my too tight pants and a shirt that declared I was Team Jacob, I emerged from the bathroom. I had to give it to the small group, they were solid and loyal when it came to embarrassing moments. Casey seemed satisfied that I was wearing something of his, and Lionel barely gave me a sideways glance. Imogen blushed and quickly averted her gaze after spying my groin beneath the thin cotton pants—yeah, no underwear; sorry, babe. Vanessa looked at me like she wanted to eat me, and the loud bark of laughter from behind me made my lips creep into a smile. I turned and crossed my arms as Andi hacked it up like Jay Leno had just walked into the freakin’ room. Her cheeks were flushed, tears squeezing from the corners of her eyes as she used the kitchen counter to hold herself up.

“Laugh it up, Country. Just remember, the next time you find yourself in an awkward predicament, you’ll get no help from me.”

She waved me off, struggling to stand under her bouts of laughter. We took our places around the coffee table. I was careful not to sit by Vanessa, instead sitting on the couch behind Andi who, much to my surprise, leaned back into my legs. I widened them a little to give her more room and she handed me a glass of wine. This was so different to any setting I had found myself in before. It was far more casual and ‘normal’ than the crowd I ran with. The atmosphere was one of friendship and laughter, and as I leaned back into the couch, Andi on the floor between my legs, I realized this was a scenario I liked a lot. Why on earth did I ever fear meeting someone who would make me want to give up the porn industry? I always considered that chance encounter as something akin to a curse, yet in the short time I had been hanging out with Andi, I realized what a blessing it could be. I understood just what it felt like to be ordinary, without expectations or worries. Even if I was wearing a lame-ass
Twilight
shirt, I was content.