Kendall
Work is boring as usual. I don't have Skye here to entertain me and this hangover headache won't go away. Weekday nights are always slower so without any company the night drags on.
In my downtime, I can't help but think about Levi. He called me beautiful, which in any other context would be a good thing but when it's followed with a rejection it sucks. I'd rather him think I was ugly. In my eyes if a man thinks you're beautiful and still won't come into your apartment when you invite him, that means he just doesn't like your personality. If this were any other guy I'd say screw him and move on, but there is something different about Levi. Though I can't put my finger on it, I know there could be something magical if we connect.
It's annoying that he won't just sleep with me. Doesn't he realize his refusal only makes me want him more?
I know what I said on Snapchat and I know I haven't responded to his texts, but that doesn't change a thing. I still want him. I'm just waiting to figure out my next move. He hasn't responded agreeably to my subtle hints or my not-so-subtle advances. Every time I've asked him to hang out he always has an excuse. I've tried every technique I've used on other men and Levi is immune. The only thing I haven't done–because it's even too blunt for me–is straight up ask him if he wants to screw.
But I'm afraid it's the only trick I have left. If he rejects me now, this will be a real dig to my self-confidence.
Just as I start to close up for the night Levi knocks on the door and waits for me to come out. I drag my fingers through my hair to comb out any kinks, pinch my cheeks to give them a slight flush, smooth out the wrinkles in my skirt with my hands, and take a deep breath before opening the door.
"Hey, stud. Come on in. I just have a few more things to do and I'll be ready." Okay, that's a lie. I'm desperate and I'm ready to try my last trick. Let's see if he takes the bait.
After a moment of hesitancy, Levi steps inside the office and shuts the door behind him. The room is dim with the only light coming from the two emergency lights on the ceiling. Standing over my computer I hit a few buttons and rustle a few papers together to make it look like I'm finishing up. Once I'm done I walk back over to him and without missing a beat he asks, "Are you ready to go?"
He's looking down at me with his soulful eyes. The unexplainable beauty I see beneath his eyes fills me with an unexplained confidence to do what I do next. Stepping into his body I rest a palm on his chest. My eyes meet his as I seductively ask, "Do you want to fuck?"
For a brief second his eyes light up with excitement and then his brow scrunches and he takes a small step back. "Excuse me?" he asks.
I don't know how I could be any clearer. "You. Me. A wild night of pleasure with no strings attached. I'm not looking for a commitment if that's what you're worried about."
"Um..." His mouth opens to respond and then quickly shuts. He clears his throat as his eyes wander around the room. He looks like a caged animal searching for an escape. It's disappointing but I've come this far so I need to see tonight through to the end. If he rejects me again, I'll stop trying. At least I'll try to stop trying.
"I'm attracted to you, Levi. I've wanted you since the first night I saw you and all of my hints seem to be going nowhere. I know you say this will never happen but I'm not looking for a commitment. I just want you. I want to see if my instincts are right. I want to know if the connection between us is as hot as I think it will be."
"Kendall, I'm flattered–" he starts his rejection so I speak before he can finish it.
"Forget it. Never mind. Forget I said anything and just walk me out, please."
He smiles apologetically while opening the door for me and we head outside. His dismissal would be easier to take if he was an asshole, but his actions prove he's as caring on the inside as he is sexy on the outside.
Why does he have to be so gorgeous? He's in fitted jeans tonight with his Bar Forbidden shirt and even after being denied I want to ask him to walk in front of me so I can check out his ass.
"How was work?" he asks me politely as we make our way down the flight of stairs and to the curb. He rests his palm on the small of my back just like he did the night before and it makes me feel delicate.
"Same as usual. There's never a shortage of men looking for a complete stranger to help them get satisfied."
He smiles my way and I melt. "I guess guys are predictable that way."
My eyes connect with his and I refer to what just happened in the office. "Not all guys."
Before he even lifts his hand to call me a cab one pulls up to the curb and our brief time together is over. I try one last time to change his mind. "Want to share a cab?"
His courteous refusal is coming and I try my best to prepare for it. "We don't live anywhere near each other, Kendall. Besides, I still have a couple more hours on the clock."
Trying not to let his words alter my confidence I wink and say, "You can't blame a girl for trying."
His hand grips the handle of the backdoor of the cab, but instead of opening it he watches me thoughtfully, and then shocks the hell out of me with what he says next.
"I'm celibate."
I've never had a guy try so hard to turn me off that he lies about something so stupid. "You're not celibate."
"I am," he assures me.
"You work for a company that's main purpose is selling the appeal of sexual gratification. I've seen the way your eyes occasionally follow a peach-shaped ass or a nice pair of tits."
"I said I'm celibate not blind."
"Is this some kind of joke? Last I checked you're not really the priest type."
"No, I'm not. I'm not religious at all. I've just decided not to have sex until I've found the right girl and I'm ready for marriage."
"So you want to get married?"
"Yeah. Sure. Someday."
"So you're not celibate you’re just abstaining from sex."
"Is there a difference?"
"Yeah, kind of a big one."
"Huh, I didn't know that. Then I guess I'm just practicing abstinence."
The cab driver rolls down the passenger side window and yells out, "Is someone getting in or what? I've got money to make."
"Jeez, I'll just be a minute," I yell back at him. "The meter is running. It's not like you won't get paid. God already knows you're going to charge me twice as much as an Uber would."
"I shouldn't have said anything, Kendall. You should get home and I need to get back to work." He opens the back door for me, but I'm not done with this conversation.
"Let me guess, you've decided this today."
"Decided what?"
"That you're practicing abstinence."
"It was a decision I made a long time ago."
"How long ago?"
He sighs out, "Five years."
Any doubt I had before is completely washed away. I can hear the honesty in his voice and there's not a doubt in my mind he's telling the truth.
"You haven't had sex in five years?" My voice is quiet, almost unrecognizable and even though I believe him, my words still come out as a question.
"Some things are more important than sex."
"I can't imagine what," I mumble under my breath and then I'm startled as the cab driver beeps the horn.
"Hey, lady! Either get in or I'm leaving you on the street where you belong."
I turn to face the irritated man to give him a piece of my mind, but before I get a chance Levi is leaning into the passenger window and taking care of it for me. "Is that any way to speak to a woman? She's getting in now and I expect you to get her to her home safely and show her some respect, or I'll use your cab number to hunt you down and show you what a guy like me does to a man who treats women like trash."
"Listen, man, I didn't mean no disrespect to your lady."
"Well, you disrespected her and I expect you to apologize to her and then shut your mouth and get her home safely."
Levi backs away from the window and then gently guides me into the cab.
"Text me when you get home so I know you're safe."
I'm still in shock by the way he just came to my rescue so I nod my head as I look up at him in awe. I don't know how I'll ever get over him now. Yelling at a cabbie makes him a hero in my book. I'm officially hero-worshiping him.
"I'll get her home safe, sir. You can count on me," the driver says as he tries to get on Levi's good side. Levi doesn't acknowledge him. Instead he gives me a comforting smile and then closes the door and steps back up on the curb.
We drive away and I spend the entire cab ride home wondering what else I don't know about Levi Bryant.