Every Soul (8 page)

“Hey, I was hoping I would get to see you today.” I look up at him and blink a few times trying to process his words. That’s all I can muster. Then the bell rings and he says, “Stay after class,” before turning and walking off, not waiting for my response.

After standing there stunned, and realizing how dumb I must look, I somehow manage to walk in behind him and take my seat, getting lost in his voice. It’s like silk, absolutely beautiful like he is. Watching the way he presents himself to the class is nothing I’ve ever seen a teacher do.

“Kinsey, would you mind coming up here?” he asks, pulling me off of the cloud I’m lounging on. I’m shocked that he knows my name, and once I yank myself out my daze, I make it to the front of the classroom.

“So, let’s take Kinsey for example. When you look at her, what do you all see that you could photograph to make a unique picture?”

“Her eyes,” someone from the back shouts.

Being this close to Anthony makes me nervous. He smells delicious; his voice is so strong and echoing as he commands attention from the class.

“Lips.”

“Skin.”

“Those are all great examples, but I want you to dig deeper. What about her hair?” He runs his fingers down the ends of it and I try to contain a shiver. “Could you zoom in as far as possible and capture what her strands really look like?”

The students nod their heads in agreement. “Will someone flip the lights off? How about now? What do you see?” The class stares at me, and the whole time I have my eyes locked on Anthony. “Or now,” he says, taking a high-powered flashlight, holding my hand up and shining the light through it.

“You can photograph any human, besides yourselves. The picture needs to be no larger than a 5x7, so that’s not a lot to work with, and remember, with photography, there are absolutely NO limits. Try anything that you think will give you the perfect picture. I want something with as much detail as possible.”

“Does the picture have to be recognizable as to what it is?” Sean, one of the guys in class, asks.

“I don’t know, Sean, does it?”

The two men smile at each other and then Anthony directs me to take my seat. “Any other questions?” Everyone is silent. “Then class is dismissed. Go get started on your projects.”

The students all look around at each other, like this guy is crazy or something. Snell would never let us out of class early. As the class filters out, I just try to keep my eyes off of him.

“Well, you shouldn’t have given him your number if it’s gonna make you act like such a cunt,” Aubrey teases me.

“I’m not being a cunt. I just thought he would have called by now.”

“You could always call Brady,” she offers.

“Fuck no. I’ll wait for Bain.”

“Excuse me,” she exclaims, flinging around and staring at me with her flat iron clamped tightly on a strand of her long, brown hair. “What’s wrong with you, A? Do I need to call a doctor?”

“No,” I retort.

“Well, you’ve been all down in the dumps about this guy. Plus it’s not like you to wait around.”

“I’m not down – don’t say shit like that – and I’m definitely
not
waiting around for him.”

“Sure, whatever you say, girl.”

“Stop it, snatch.”

“Make yourself useful and pick me out something hot to wear.”

Aubrey changes the subject and I’m happy that she does. Getting off of her bed, I walk into her rainbow-colored closet that looks like the Jersey Shore threw up in it. Skimming through the items, I decide on an electric blue, skintight dress. “How’s this?” I ask, walking out.

“You know me far too well, that’s exactly what I was thinking.”

Lying back down, I’m tired and know I won’t be up long after she leaves. It makes me really thankful she’s going out tonight.

“What do you think?” she asks, walking out of her closet with her hands on her hips.

“I love it. Are you going out with Rodney again?”

“Yeah, I’ll probably stay at his place, too. Will you be okay here all alone?”

“I’ll be fine. Text me if you need anything.”

“Will do, girl,” she says, as she packs her purse full of everything she’ll need for the night.

After Aubrey is gone, the house is very quiet. I wonder if I should eat something or just head to bed. Staring in the empty fridge, I decide fuck it. My bed is the better option. Climbing underneath my warm covers, I’m instantly relaxed.

As soon as I close my eyes, my thoughts are filled with Bain. I’m caught off guard, as normally all I see is Nate. I can see the look in his eyes as he stood there looking down at me while I had his hard cock in my mouth. It’s something I don’t think I’ll ever erase from my memory.

I exhale with a smirk on my face and slowly drift off. But my phone vibrates next to me, waking me before I can get into a deep sleep. I ignore it, sure it’s Aubrey. Then it vibrates again. Fuck, she must be drunk already. Reaching next to me on my bed, I blink a few times and check the time. I’ve only been laying here for about seven minutes, when it felt like hours. I don’t recognize the number, and the words are definitely not Aubrey’s.

You have plans tonight?

I’d love to take you to dinner. Sorry this text has taken me a bit to get to. I’ve had some family shit to deal with.

I know it’s Bain, but I feel like fucking with him. He did make me wait almost a week before he texted me.

Who is this?

Oh shit, sorry. It’s Bain. If you’re busy, I understand

Bain, why don’t you cut to the chase? You wanna fuck, so there’s really no need for dinner.

Maybe I wanna fuck. But I also want to take you out.

I contemplate his words. I’m not sure what to say to him, I don’t like to do dinners. However, he makes my decision very easy with his next text.

Send me your address. I’ll come over, maybe we’ll eat or maybe we’ll fuck.

I know what I should do, but for some reason, I can’t say no to him. I’ve been waiting to see him again; he’s all I’ve really thought about for the entire week. I text him back with my address and nothing else, then do my best to pull myself together.

I’ll be there in 30, wear a dress and no panties.

I laugh out loud.
I don’t wear dresses.

You do tonight. Now you’ve only got 27 minutes left.

Tossing my phone on my bed, I scramble out of my room and into Aubrey’s closet. She’ll have something for sure. Searching through dress after dress after dress, none of them seem right, ’til I come upon one of the last ones. It’s dark red with tight long sleeves and a billowing black bottom. My black ankle boots will look perfect with this. Taking it quickly into my room, I shed my pajamas and slide on the short dress, leaving all undergarments off. My hair is messy, super messy, so I decide to pull it into a low, side bun with a few locks framing my face. Then I apply a thin coat of make-up and brush my teeth before adding my lip-gloss.

There, done and done, just as there is a knock on my front door. With a stomach full of butterflies, I walk towards it, gently placing my hand on the knob.
Why am I so nervous?
He knocks again, not waiting patiently, and this time I open it. Standing before me, with a huge bouquet of flowers, is Bain. He’s in a black button-down shirt and jeans, his light coat is slightly open, letting me have a good look at all of him.

“Hey,” I say keeping my cool. This time, I won’t let my confidence get away from me. We’ve agreed to no feelings and I know he knows how serious I am about that. There is no harm in spending some time with him.

“Damn, you look sexy in that dress.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” he says pressing his lips to mine. His kiss catches me off guard. But he smells amazing…I hope he says fuck dinner. He steps inside, handing me the flowers and asks, “Do you live here alone?”

“No, I have a roommate.” I put the flowers in a vase.

“Ready?” he asks and I know he means dinner, not to fuck.

I nod my head and follow him outside. Surprisingly, it’s a nice night out. Well, at least it’s not freezing. He grabs my hand and I look down at our intertwined fingers.

My anxiety spikes and I remind him, “Remember, no feelings.”

“I heard you the other day; you don’t need to say it again. I should be the one telling you not to have feelings for me. I’m pretty fucked up.”

“Well, that makes two of us.”

“So I know your rules. But when I’m with you, you’re mine and I’ll do as I please. Don’t worry about me; I’m fine with things just like this. I’m not looking for anything serious.”

I smile, looking into his light eyes as he opens the door to his car and ushers me in. The cool leather touches the backs of my thighs. Bain hops in the driver’s seat and pulls onto the main road without any more words. “Where are we headed?” I ask.

“The city.”

It’s been a while since I’ve been to New York. “Do you live there?” I ask.

“No, I live in Jersey, about fifteen minutes from your work.”

“Do you live alone?” He shakes his head, but doesn’t answer my question. “Roommate?” I ask, hoping to God he’s not married or living with a girlfriend or some crazy shit like that.

“If you consider my parents that, then yes.”

Well, that’s better than I’d thought. “What do you do for a living?”

“Nothing as of now. I was going to try and make a living playing basketball, but I just left school to handle some family stuff.”

“Really?” I question.

“Yeah, but my heart’s not in the game anymore. For now, I need to be with my family; that’s what’s important.”

I wonder what in the world caused him to leave school and a shot at something so big. Maybe one of his parents is sick?

“Let’s not start the night off talking about my problems. So tell me, what’s your favorite food?”

Turning in my seat, I stare at him. “Really, anything.”

“Anything?” he repeats after me.

“Yeah, I eat just about everything, and if I’ve never had it, I’ll try it.”

“Damn, that’s about the best answer you could have given,” he says, loosening his grip on the wheel as we cross over the Brooklyn Bridge.

For the rest of the drive, we keep the conversation light and enjoy some quiet time as well. I’m comfortable with Bain, more comfortable than I have been with anyone in a long time.

After an hour drive, we pull up to the valet at Damikus’ and I’m shocked. I’ve always dreamed of coming here, but never expected someone to bring me on a first date.

“This okay?” he asks.

I nod my head in agreement, spurring him to get out of the car. Walking around, he greets the valet and then helps me out. Entering the all white eatery, it is more beautiful in person than I’d ever imagined. Bain talks to the hostess who seats us right away. The booth is small and private, shaped like a U.

The waiter comes right over and takes our drink order. I order something strong to calm my nerves – I don’t belong in a place like this. Sitting next to Bain, his arms are stretched across the back of the booth, tattoos showing, and he’s got not a care in the world. I can’t help, but drool as he takes one of his hands and runs it through his hair. “Why are you looking at me like that?” he asks.

“Like what?”

“Like you want me to fuck you right here, right now, on this table in front of everyone.”

I didn’t know I was looking at him any specific way, I was just admiring how goddamn sexy he is, but now that he mentions it, my legs are pressed together and my insides are tight. “I’m just admiring the view.”

“Don’t play coy with me. I know what you’re thinking. Don’t be afraid to say it.”

Obeying his command, I lean into his neck and breathe him in, allowing his warmth to absorb into me. Then taking my teeth, I begin to nibble and suck on his rough skin, he tastes so sweet. A light growl erupts from within him and he moves his hand gripping my hip. I hold his thigh and then the waiter clears his throat, interrupting us.

“Your drinks,” he says. Bain scowls at him and I pull away, but Bain stops me, holding me close to him. The waiter can tell that Bain’s pissed and nods his head in apology before walking away.

His eyebrows are creased and clear frustration is written all over his whole face. “You’re the one that wanted to have dinner,” I say. “I would have been just fine staying at my house and fucking.”

“I’m sure you would’ve, but now that we’re here, we’re going to make the best of it,” he says, reaching under the table and beneath my skirt, cupping my sex. My breathing immediately becomes heavy, as he slides a finger in between my folds, touching my clit. I move my hands, bracing one of his thighs, and leave the other next to me.

“Fuck, Arion, you’re so hot,” he whispers into my ear.

I whimper quietly and push myself against his hand. “You want more, don’t you?”

“Please,” I practically beg, nodding my head.

“I’ll give you more, but only if you’ll come right here for me in the middle of this restaurant.” I contemplate his words, then he sinks two fingers inside of me and I know what I want. The sensation is too great to fight. It’s absolutely intoxicating.