Love Is Overdue (9 page)

He smiled, and
I could tell that he of all people understood my excitement.
“That’s awesome, Gabby...and...” He stopped for a moment, looking
troubled again. “I just want to apologize for flakin’ out on you
this past while, I was just goin’ through so much shit with that
dick-wad Jason...”

I
sighed. So they
had
broken up. And here I had been hoping
Tony had turned a new leaf...

Ω

About an hour later as the
two of us were browsing through the racks at H&M, I heard my
phone go off. It was Ben.

<
How’s the shopping going
sexy lady?>

His text made my heart
flutter again and I tipped my phone for Tony to see.

He sucked his teeth at me,
turning back to the rack of jeans he was scouring through. “I give
it, like three days max – and you’ll be fucking him.”

Then I just stopped dead in
my tracks.

Tony looked at me and saw
the look of horror on my face. “What?” He stared me down and then
slowly turned, following my eyes to what had me stunned like a deer
in some headlights.

I couldn’t take my eyes off
him. It was Ben. He was standing a few rows away next to a
beautiful full-figured white girl – a little bigger than me, but
proportioned just right. She had beautiful reddish-brown hair tied
in a messy side-braid and a pair of skinny jeans that accentuated
her thick legs and huge ass.

As I stared I saw her laugh
at something Ben said and her hand grazed his back so tenderly. I
was going to be sick.

“
What?” Tony
demanded, his eyes still darting back and forth. “Is that him?” His
eyes were suddenly on fire.

I nodded slowly, my heart
sinking into the pit of my stomach. I was about to cry and Tony
could see it.

“
Fucking
asshole!” Tony was losing it. And then, before I could even manage
a response, he was marching his skinny ass right over to the two of
them.

“
No, Tony...” I
started to protest, but then as soon as Ben’s head turned in my
direction, I really needed to stop him. “Tony!” I called even
louder.

It wasn’t Ben. As the flood
of relief started to wash over me another kind of panic set in as I
hurried over to stop Tony from confronting him.

But I was too
late.

“
What the fuck?”
Tony’s eyes were shooting daggers at the two of them.

Both of them turned to look
at Tony with complete confusion on their faces. And that’s when I
knew for certain. It was Ben’s brother. There was no question in my
mind. The similarities were far too strong – even down to their
dreadlocks, but then again, his brother’s were hidden under a
black-brimmed tam so it was hard to say.

“
How you going do
my girl like that?” Tony demanded, staring down Ben’s brother like
he was about to pounce on him. Of course, the fight between the two
of them would have been the definition of an unfair advantage.
Tony, with his piddly 130 pounds and five foot seven frame was no
match for his opponent’s six feet and something like 170 pounds of
lean, hard muscle.

“
What?” Ben’s
brother stared back at Tony like was completely insane.

But the girl he was with –
undoubtedly Ben’s ex – had a sudden look of horror on her face as
she saw me come up behind Tony.

“
Sorry!” I
interrupted quickly. “I’m really, really sorry...” I stammered
pathetically.

“
Men like you
make me fucking sick!” Tony would not shut up. “How you going play
my girl and then show up here with this bitch hangin’ off your
arm?”

Ben’s ex-girlfriend’s eyes
nearly popped out of their sockets as her jaw hit the floor. Ben’s
brother suddenly had much more than confusion dancing in his eyes.
Now it was something a little closer to rage.

“
Who the fuck are
you?” he demanded suddenly.

Oh shit, even the voice was
the same. And the accent.

“
And who the fuck
is you callin’ a bitch?” Ben’s brother took a threatening step
closer to Tony.

“
Tony!” I jumped
between them suddenly. “It’s not him!” I practically shouted, then
turned my focus back on the two of them. “I’m so sorry, this is
just one huge misunderstanding – Tony, please just back the fuck
up, it’s not him.”

“
What?” Tony’s
eyes went wide with embarrassment. “Oh shit. My bad...”

“
I’m really
sorry,” I said again, turning back to the two of them, and then
grabbed Tony by the arm. “Tony, let’s go...”

“
Whoa – hold up a
minute.” She finally spoke. “What’s this all about?”

I looked back over at the
two of them, wishing I could just bolt to the door. I turned to
Ben’s brother. “I’m sorry, it’s just that you look a lot like
someone I know and Tony thought that...well, you
know...”

“
Well you can’t
blame me,” Tony protested in his own defense. “You looked like you
were about to bust into tears and you were only like ten feet away
from him – what the fuck you expect me to do?”

“
Tony, shut up,”
I pleaded desperately.

Ben’s brother focused in on
Tony again. “Just so you know, the next time you try step up to a
brother like that, you goin’ have more than fancy words a deal with
– fi real.”

“
Ivan, it’s all
good, she thought you were Ben. It happens.” Ben’s ex spoke the
words I had dreaded the most.

“
Shit, you know
him?” Tony and his big fat fucking mouth. I wanted to punch him
myself.

Suddenly, though, the two of
them were focusing a lot more attention on me than on
Tony.

“
Yeah, we know
him.” Ivan spoke. “It’s all good. Apology accepted.” I could tell
he was ready to drop the subject.

“
Thank you,” I
said quickly, desperate to take advantage of the out he’d given us.
“Again, I’m really sorry. Tony, let’s go.” I grabbed his arm again
and nearly dragged his ass right out of the store.

Ω

So after the
horror of the chaos that ensued inside H&M, I didn’t even send
Ben a reply to his text message. I just kept trying to figure out
how to explain it all to him should I have to. I went through
various different scenarios of how the news of it would get back to
him. I knew my name had never been mentioned, but Tony’s sure was.
And any description made of the raging maniac that confronted the
two of them would undoubtedly have Tony’s name written all over it.
And I had told Ben all about him.

So
when Ben’s number popped up on my phone, his call came as a
complete shock until I remembered that I had asked him to call me –
and a smile crossed my lips in the wake of all the drama I was
dealing with. He
had
called.

“
Hello?” I
answered on the third ring.

“
Hey...whassup
pretty lady?” His smooth, sexy voice was teasing me
already.

I decided to forget the
drama for the time being.

“
I’m good. How
are you?”

“
Not too bad,” he
admitted. His voice sounded too relaxed. I figured he was already
in bed. “Just thinking about you.”

I melted. I curled up on the
sofa, wrapping myself in my mother’s afghan. She had gone to bed
early and I’d been sitting in the living room channel-surfing when
he’d called.

“
You were, huh?”
I tried not to show my excitement, but I knew it was obvious that I
was pleased.

“
I was,” he
repeated. “I think I been doing that a little too much
lately.”

“
Hmmm...” I felt
my stomach tie up in knots and I was lost for words.

“
So how was your
day shoppin’ with ‘ya boy’?” he teased me.

Oh crap. I racked my brain
for a suitable response. “It was pretty crazy actually, but then
again so is he so...”

“
Oh yeah? Crazy
how?”

I thought for a minute. Why
the hell couldn’t we be talking about something else?

“
I don’t know...I
haven’t seen him in a while so there was just a shit-load of gossip
to catch up on, you know how we girls do it...” I kind of
laughed.

“
Actually I don’t
know how you do it but I’d love to find out.”

“
Wow...listen to
you...” I sighed. “But who knows...maybe you wouldn’t like it,” I
teased him back.

“
I don’t think I
have to worry about that.” He didn’t sound troubled.

“
Yeah, probably
not.” I couldn’t deny it. “So what about you? Did you have a nice
day with Sophie?”

“
Yup. We chilled
out at Grandview Park with my sister and her son. After I take her
home I went to check one of my friends on Granville Island – just
open that new fish and chips place, you been there yet?”

“
Salt and Batter?
” I guessed.
“Yeah, I went there with Tony a few months ago – the line-ups were
crazy!”

“
I know. I was
pretty impressed myself – he doin’ good.”

“
So are you
friends with all the big shot up-and-coming chefs in this city?” I
teased him again.

“
I sure am,” he
played along, making me laugh. “So what does that get me? Have I
scored a lot of points with you yet or do I still got some work to
do?”

“
Hmmm...” I
thought. “I can’t lie. You’re doing pretty good, Ben.”

He laughed softly in that
sexy way of his. He drove me absolutely mad with passion.
“Good...’cause it ain’t easy, you know...”

“
I don’t believe
you. I think you know exactly how hot you make me.” I just couldn’t
help myself.

“
Damn, baby...” I
could tell my words had shocked him a little. “You been drinking
again tonight?”

I smiled. “No. How you make
me feel does not depend on alcohol. Not in the least.”

“
Well...” I could
tell he was enjoying my compliments. “I guess that’s a
relief.”

“
I just can’t
believe you let me go Friday night without even putting up a
fight.” The words escaped me before I even knew what I was saying.
Hearing his voice again was just making me so crazy...

“
Well...” He
seemed to be processing my last comment. “Would you have preferred
if I had?”

“
No...yes...fuck,
I don’t even know anymore,” I admitted.

“
So...Gabriela...” I loved it when he said my name... “You do
know I want much more than just sex from you, right?”

“
Yes...I think
so,” I admitted. “I’m just not used to anything quite like
this.”

“
Like
what?”

“
You just seem
so...” My voice trailed off.

“
So
what?”

“
Honest,” I
admitted.

He didn’t say anything right
away. “You not used to honest?” He sounded so serious.

I sighed. “No, not really. I
know it’s probably a terrible thing to admit that you’re not a very
good judge of character but...I seem to doubt myself a lot and
generally my fears are confirmed.”

“
Hmmm...” He was
thinking. “I think you need to stop being so hard on yourself,
baby...you worth a lot more than I think you know.”

I caught my breath. “You
see, Ben...you say things like that and I just...I don’t even know
what to do with that.”

He laughed a little. “Why
you say that?”

“
I don’t know,” I
admitted. “I guess my world is just so complicated that...why would
anyone want to get mixed up in alla this? Dating me is
like...dating a teenager with an eleven o’clock curfew.”

I hated to even say it, but
it was the truth.

“
You
know...” His voice was so soothing. I could listen to him talk all
night long. “I’ve met a lot of people in my life – and many
different kinds of women – and I can tell you what you’re doing for
your mother is more impressive – nah, fuck that – it’s more
admirable
than any amount of money, lifestyle, or...what? Accessibility?
Come on now, I think I can handle the fact that I may have a bit
more limited access to you than I may be used to.”

I couldn’t believe what I
was hearing. “I see...” I didn’t know what to say.

“
I’m serious. You
need to relax, baby, because I like you. You just gonna have to
learn to accept it.”

I laughed at that. “Accept
that you like me...” I repeated.

“
That’s not so
hard, is it? Another thing you should know about me is I’m very
patient,” he told me softly. Tenderly. Almost like he was caressing
me with his words. “I don’t mind waiting to get what I want ...as
long as I get it some day, ‘cause...well...I like what you got. A
lot...”

I let my breath out slowly.
“I really don’t think I can trust myself in a room alone with you
again, Ben.”

I was losing my mind. I was
already dripping wet just listening to his voice. My fingers were
already moving lower, teasing the waist of my panties.