JACK
“Table for two,” I demanded, looking around the semi-packed diner.
Wazowski said Ahri would be here, but she was nowhere in sight.
“Booth or bar stool?”
“Give me the spot where the cute blonde takes my order.” I grinned at the Latina waitress with fire red hair.
I followed her and sat down in a yellow upholstered booth near the window. Immediately, I picked the menu and skimmed through the menu to find something to eat. The Pączki was delicious, but not filling, and after my little victory, I deserved some real food. I also wanted to tell Ahri in person that I was going to be her boy toy until my obsession disappeared. Two weeks tops, give or take.
“Welcome to Maddy’s diner. I’m Felicia. What can I get for you today?” a peppy voice greeted me.
Felicia. The girl’s name on Ahri’s phone. I moved in slow motion, my eyes reaching a mocha-skinned girl with full round lips, brown eyes, and a blonde afro. I slapped my menu down, and we exchanged an intense glare. My eyebrows met in the middle, confused. I did say cute blonde, which she was, but she wasn't my cute blonde.
Felicia looked at me like she knew me, a smile curled at the end of her lips. I sucked my tooth, tapped my fingers on the menu, and looked around the diner. Ahri was nowhere to be found.
“I’m gonna be straight with you. I don’t want you. I want the other blonde, Ahri. The one that doesn’t smile, has messy wavy hair, and cute pouty bottom lip.”
She nodded with a huge smile and hummed, “You must be Jack.”
I cocked an eyebrow and thumbed my lip. “Well, well, well, you know who I am?”
“Yeah, Ahri told me about you.” She eyed me down like a hawk, pleased with how I looked.
“Soooo, Ahri talked about me?” I lick and bit my lip, my ego bursting at the seams. For someone who thought I was a ‘mistake’ she sure was happy enough to talk about me.
“Only after I spotted that huge ass hickey on her neck. Girl hasn't gotten any action for four years, and you come in here sucking on her like you’re Count Dracula.”
Damn, four years? Holy shit, we were both fucking virgins last night.
I laughed.
Felicia had the same vulgar humor as me. I took it as a good sign for me if this was Ahri’s friend.
“How about you bring her to me. I wanna talk to her and give her something,” I said getting comfortable in my booth. I extended my legs long on the opposite side of the booth and spread my arms like an eagle across the top of the yellow fake leather booth.
Felicia tapped her pencil on her pad. “I’m taking care of her shift right now for a few minutes while she’s on a music break,” Felicia said.
“A music break?”
“She sits in the back alley and blasts her music to relax. I call it a cigarette break. She calls it a music break. Tomato, tomato.”
“I’ll be back. Save my table. Order me anything with meat.” I stood up and walked out of the diner to find Ahri.
Ahri was sitting on a wooden crate in the wet alley near the diner’s dumpster with her elbows on her knees, her palms buried in her face as she took long deep breaths. There was a beer can holding the door open, loud yelling from the kitchen, the chef most likely, and the sound of the old AC hard at work. Even through all of that, Ahri stayed in her little world with earbuds attached to her like they were part of her body.
She looked stressed, but then again, I had a feeling that Ahri always looked stressed.
Ahri looked cute in her bright yellow dress and white apron that hugged her waist. Her sky-blue socks were rolled down and her not so white shoes, tapped to the beat of the song she was listening to in a small puddle.
Before I went over to her, I pulled out my phone and took a picture. I would’ve remembered this moment with my photographic memory, but I wanted it on paper. The wet, dark-colored alley with the girl who looked like a ray of sunshine. She made this shithole look bright, even though I could see Ahri’s long, hard and exhausting day at work take a toll on her.
Snap.
I moved over to her, only a foot away, but Ahri didn’t notice me. Her music was on full blast like no other volume did her songs justice. I squatted in front of her and caressed the side of her calf. Ahri jumped and almost hit me in the face before I dodged it. She pulled her earphones out, face all red and tense.
“WHAT THE FUCK! STOP—” Ahri’s face plummeted when she locked eyes with my shirt. Her shirt. She spoke calmly and furiously through her teeth. “Take it off. Take it off the shirt. Now!” She grabbed my shirt, standing tall, her headphones falling in the wet puddle.
“Damn, I didn’t know you wanted me that badly.” I chuckled. I stood up, her hands still death gripping the shirt.
Ahri ground her teeth, her black-brown eyes somehow getting even darker and her half-moon lip trembling with anger. She looked like she was plotting a way to kill me.
“I needed a shirt, and this was the only one that looked like it could fit me.” I shrugged. I uncurled her shaking hand off the shirt and held it. She was so tiny; I could swallow her hand in my fist.
“Why is this shirt such a big deal?”
“’Cause it was my brother’s. Now take it off!”
“I’ll take good care of it,” I said in a calm voice, Ahri’s eyes bouncing on my serious face I rarely pulled.
“You really take ‘make yourself at home’ to the heart, don’t you?” she gritted, ripping her hand out of mine and taking a few steps away from me.
I nodded. “What did you mean by was my brother’s?” I pried for an answer I already knew.
“I meant what I said. Was, as in past tense.” Ahri pulled up her earphones off the ground and cleaned the buds with her white apron.
“What? Did he die?”
Ahri looked up at me through her thick eyelashes that had no makeup. “No. He’s just away.”
“What? Like at a summer camp?”
“Sure, let’s go with that. The all-season kind of camp for the next thirty-two years.” Her face made of stone and her tone so dry I needed water.
Sarcasm at its finest, ladies and gentlemen.
Ahri played her music, but nothing came out. She let out a frustrated sigh, ripped her headphones out of the device, and threw them in the dumpster.
“What are you doing here, Jack?” Her tone was agitated.
“Well, I wanted you to be my waitress, eat some food, give you your phone back…” I pulled out her phone and handed it to her. “…and I wanted to give you some good news. Say hello to your new roommate.” I wiggled my eyebrows.
Ahri’s eyes were glued to my white and red chest until she let my words seep into her mind. “Wait? You got it the okay from Wazowski?” she asked, a little shocked.
“Easy-fucking-peasy. Wazowski practically creamed in his pants when he found out I spoke Polish. I also told him I would get him a new bread mixer.”
“You know Polish?”
“And Spanish. I know Polish from Mama Baronski, she was my foster mom until I was eight, before she got deported.”
Ahri hummed. “So, you’re here for three months?”
“Most likely less depending on where life takes me.”
“What do you mean? Like job wise?” she asked, tilting her head.
“Yeah, something like that. I’m unemployed.”
But in Jack terms: I’m retired.
“You got the ‘ok’ from Wazowski, but you don’t have a job?” Ahri’s eyes narrowed.
“That’s where the bread mixer comes in play. Part of my little bribe, since he doesn’t rent to people who don't have jobs. Even though I told him I have some money saved up.”
Some, as in my Wazowski rent was worth a penny of my money. Literally.
Ahri walked away from me, arms crossed, and leaned on the cold brick wall. She sucked on her whole bottom lip, leaving it wet and glossy when she released it.
“I believe in the whole ‘never ask a question that you don't want to know the answer to,’ but today I’ll make an exception. You pulled a hundred fifty dollars out of your pocket yesterday after the fight like it was nothing. So?” Ahri let her one-word question linger as her eyes ran laps on my body.
I took two steps to get to Ahri and leaned my hand against the brick wall beside her head. I lowered my head, my eyes at the same level with her eyes.
“If you’re wondering if it’s legal. It is. I was a chef for a while, and with the help of a friend I invested in a small company.”
Sue me for not going into depth. I doubt the details of my incrimination were going to benefit me in this situation. It was easier to lie at this point since telling the truth would fuck me in my own ass. I wouldn’t get what I want—the details of the letter and Ahri’s sweet body—so let’s continue with the rules for my game. No prison talk. No Fidget talk. No talk about my past (pre-Chicago). And no money talk.
Simple.
Ahri hummed, “Invested?”
“Yep. I invested in a small company which specializes in community security and safety.” I smirked, stretching the truth. I think I’d perfectly summed up the sugar-coated version of prison.
Ahri paused and examined my face to see if I was telling the truth. I’d always been an excellent liar, so she was not going to find a spit of lie on my face. She bit the inside of her cheek and gave a soft nod. Ahri believed me.
“The less I know, the better.” Ahri shrugged.
Couldn’t agree more.
My phone in my back pocket vibrated. It was Agata, but I still checked her text. I looked up to see her at the far end of the alley, giving me a shy wave. I held up a finger, asking her to wait, and looked at Ahri who was tightening her jaw and pushing out her pouty lip, death staring Agata down.
Was that a touch of jealousy I see? But Ahri claimed she didn’t get jealous. Oh, you better believe I’m going to push it and see how far I can go.
“Agata’s here for me. Her dad thought it would be a good idea to take her to lunch then go shopping for a bread mixer. You can think of it as a date.” I grinned, playing with my food and mixing it together to get a new flavor.
“Great.” Ahri clenched her teeth, her eyes were a black hole ready to suck in me and kill me in a second.
I like the new flavor, but can I make it spicier?
“I might even take Agata’s offer and give her a tour of my new apartment. Maybe make some music on my bed.” Ahri slapped my stomach, hard, and I winced, feeling my heartbeat on each muscle. “I thought you said you did get jealous.” I laughed, but not for long without my abs feeling like they were going through a shredder.
“Jackass,” she muttered.
Ahri crossed her arms so tight I thought she was going to snap them in half. I pinched my baby girl’s little chin, covering that small little freckle, and lifted it up. Our lips only a few inches away from me. I knew very well Agata was staring.
“What did I tell you about hiding my marks Ahrianna?” I growled lowly. “What is mine is only fucking mine. I hate sharing just as much as you do. I’m a jealous motherfucker when it comes to the things I’ve claimed.”
Ahri stayed quiet again. This time her wide eyes full of lust.
“You were a mistake, and we’re not going to fuck again,” she said, and I stared down at her face, full of lies.
I licked her sweet neck, skin prickling under my touch. “You don’t strike me as a liar, baby girl…so if you call me a fucking ‘mistake’ again. I’m going to tie you up and fuck you so hard until you realize that I am the best damn thing to ever happen to you, Ahrianna Lore. Because I am.” I turned into an animal, sucking and nibbling on Ahri’s neck as she held in her moans.
“It’s going to happen again.” I continued. “We are going to happen again. All ten inches of my cock crave, obsess, and are driven for you, Ahri. I’m a man with dire urges, and right now, you’re the only one that can fill them. Would you like me to prove that to you right here while Agata watches?”
I might’ve not been into sharing, but I loved public sex, even just the thought that people were watching or hearing me fuck got me off. It’s always been a turn on. I loved showing off what I—and only I—could touch and be inside, but if someone does get the chance to touch what’s mine. I’ll fucking kill them.
I smiled with Ahri’s soft flesh between my teeth. Her perfect ass fitting like a puzzle piece in my palm as I pulled her into my boner. I let Ahri go as fast as I pulled her in, a tease if you will. Something to get her as hot for me as I was for her. Ahri’s cheeks were red as roses when she walked away from me. Pulling her hair behind her ear, she revealed her new hickey.
“Why are you trying to get me fired from all my jobs?” She looked at Agata for a split second when she spoke, covering her new hickey until I raised my eyebrows. My mini-threat signal for her not to do that.
“I’m starting to think it’s a subconscious goal. I think sitting on my face and satisfying me might be your next job description after you get fired.” I flashed her a devilish grin before I turned my back to the only person staring at us and adjusted my cock. “I’ll see you later tonight and be prepared to be my three favorite things. Red, sore, and a hot sexy mess.”
“Probably less than three months?” Ahri asked.
“Without a doubt.” I reassured her.
“Good.” Ahri bit her bottom lip and flashed her dimple perfection.
I growled, unable to control myself. Grabbing the back of Ahri’s neck, I suffocated her with a sex-driven kiss all while a chill shot down my spine. I was never going to get used to this new feeling. Ahri pushed me away, hands still on my chest as she petted the striped red and white fabric of my shirt.
“If you ruin this shirt I’ll end you, Jack. I promise.”
I laughed. “If you miss him so much why don’t you call him or visit your brother at this ‘all-season kind of camp,’” I said with my eyebrow in a curious state.
Ahri scrunched up her lips. “It’s complicated.”
I hummed and nodded. “Now, if you don't mind. I’m going to have lunch with my landlord's daughter.”
“You’re still having lunch with her?” Ahri’s emotionless face was carved from stone.
I nodded, my grin spreading from ear to ear.
“You’re getting spit in your food Jack,” she growled.
“If it’s yours, it’s just extra flavor, baby girl. Don’t worry though, I’ll be flirting with my waitress the whole time, and when I’m done, she’ll have a generous tip for being such a good girl. Unfortunately, I have to look like a decent human being if I don’t wanna get kicked out before I move in. I’ll keep the first part of my agreement with Wazowski, but I’ll do the shopping on my own. How ‘bout that?”
I plan to do a lot of shopping tonight. Some clothes, bathroom essentials—a fucking razor—kitchen essentials, a new mattress, etc.
A small smile appeared on Ahri’s face as she slapped the wrinkles off her dress and pulled her hair forward to hide her hickeys. “Twenty percent tip or it's not generous Jack.” She raised her eyebrows under her messy blonde bangs and headed inside the diner.
I rubbed my pulsing chest. The feeling of Ahri’s hands branded onto my flesh.
Oh, Jack likes a LOT.