LIZ
Click.
My seatbelt fastens as I try to relax in Teeth’s car, about an hour and a half after my ignored text. I threw on a flirty low cut top and a pencil skirt with some black heels. I also let down my hair which, surprisingly, survived the night of drinking, and did my makeup at lighting fast speed.
His car is beautiful, looks like it’s fully loaded too. He can’t be more than twenty-two or twenty-three-years-old so yeah… not bad, Teeth, not bad.
OH SHIT!
WHAT IF HE’S A DRUG DEALER?
“So, where do you want to go?” Teeth says, snapping me out of my awe.
“Doesn’t matter, but I am hungry. Have you eaten?” I respond, trying to forget about the drug dealer bit.
“I’m a man, I can always eat,” he smiles.
“Where do you want to eat?” The sound of the tires grinding against tiny rocks crackle in the air as he backs out of the parking space.
“Uh, maybe…Japanese?” I ask.
“Sounds good. Suko is still open if you feel like Hibachi,” he says.
Smiling I say, “Yes, I love Suko!”
Suko is one of the better Japanese Steakhouses in town, and the restaurant stays very busy.
I look at the time on my phone. 10:57 p.m.
“Wait… they close in about thirty minutes, and we are about twenty away, not including traffic; think we’ll make it?” I ask, doubtfully.
“Oh, baby, we’ll make it.”
He winks at me, pulls the car onto the road, and we head toward the highway. After we reach the on-ramp to Interstate 20, I feel the slight hum of the car as he accelerates. Teeth cranks up the radio, and the car takes off. I feel the gravity pull me back into my seat. My eyes shift from the dash to the road as we close in on the traffic ahead.
We are going about ninety miles per hour! He’s either going to get pulled over, or kill me!
Bobbing his head to the music, he maneuvers the car with ease through the traffic, never slowing down. Usually, I’d be a little scared, but his confidence puts me at ease. The way he handles the car with finesse and authority is kind of sexy. Not to mention, I love this car; I feel like we’re floating.
We make it to the restaurant at 11:15 p.m., just enough time to get in and get seated before they stop taking customers for the night.
“So, Liz. How are you feeling? You were pretty fucked up last night,” he says, teasingly, after the hostess seats us.
Embarrassed, I blush, but before I can answer him, a waiter comes to introduce himself and take our drink orders. We both order non-alcoholic drinks.
“I’m good now. Wasn’t so great this morning,” I sigh, “I never drink like that, so it hit me pretty hard. Did you have fun last night?”
“Yea, I did.”
“Good,” I smile, “So, what made you text me tonight?”
“I got to thinking about last night. You surprised me when you came over and stole me from the other girl, I didn’t think you had it in you,” he says, chuckling. I grin and cock my head to the side.
“What? Stole you?” I laugh.
“Yeah. You nearly knocked the girl over, I think she cried,” he says with mock concern.
“Oh right!”
“It was sexy. Bold.”
“Me, bold? Well, I seem to remember you staring at me while you danced with that girl, so I was doing her a favor,” I smile at him.
“Mmm, is that right?”
“Yep.”
“Well… you shouldn’t have worn that fucking dress,” he says, and the look in his eyes change slightly, becoming darker.
At that, my smile fades and we sit staring at each other.
His eyes are hypnotizing; they are so easy to get lost in with the specks of gold beckoning me to his hazels.
The waiter returns with our drinks, snapping us out of our trance, then decides to give us a few minutes before taking our dinner orders. We haven’t even touched our menus.
I grab my cup and take a sip of my sweet tea as he clears his throat and takes a swig from his own.
Damn, my throat is dry.
I glance up at Teeth, smirk, grab my menu, and begin to mull it over. He does the same. About halfway through the sushi menu, my phone vibrates, and my heart stops.
Oh shit… what if it’s Sean! No, it’s probably Ros checking in on me. But really, what if it is Sean?
I place my hand on my purse, then stop.
If it is Sean that text could ruin my whole night; I can’t check it, at least not now… Shit, does Teeth see me being all dingy and indecisive? I bet I look crazy because I know he had to hear my phone vibrate too.
Casually, I glance up at him; he looks like he’s focused on the menu though, so maybe he didn’t notice.
“So, what do you do? Your car is really nice,” I ask after a beat.
Okay, I can’t kick this drug dealer thing, I have to know… And my bullshit radar never fails.
The waiter interrupts us again to take our dinner orders, then leaves after refilling our drinks.
“I work as an auto mechanic. What do you do?”
I instinctively look down at his hands.
Kind of pretty for a mechanic. Hmmm.
“I’m a student, second year at the community college. I’ll be transferring to Emory to finish my bachelors in Communication. I usually get through the year with my financial aid and money I save from summer jobs. My parents help out sometimes too if I need it.”
“Sounds great. Good field.”
“Yep,” I smile, “are you in school?”
“No, not anymore. I started a bachelor program in Business Management, but as my son started getting older his mother stopped helping out,” he says with a huff. “So, I care for my son during the week and work on the weekends.”
I nod. “Oh,” and my eyes slide down to his hands again briefly before I pick up the drinks menu.
Okay, so my bullshit radar says he’s lying about this auto mechanic thing. His nails are too clean, and his hands are callus free. My uncle worked in a body shop for thirty years; I know the beating hands take in that field. But I guess that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a drug dealer; maybe his family has money or something? Or… maybe he sells crack. Oh god!
After a beat he asks, “See anything you want?”
“Uh…” I flip through the pages again, nearly knocking over my glass.
“I mean, after dinner we can hit the bar up the street if you want, grab a drink and maybe I can get a sober dance out of you.”
“Funny! Yeah, that sounds cool.” I say, trying to relax.
It isn’t long before our waiter brings our dinner to the table and we make small talk. I learn that he is twenty-two, has a three-year-old son, older twin siblings, and that he and his ex-girlfriend split over two years ago. He tells me about his home with his son, the house with the crazy ass roommates, and that he grew up on Tybee Beach, a few hours away. Eventually, he asks me about my divorce. I blow through the story, attempting to play it off as being young, dumb, and rebellious. I, of course, don’t mention anything about how the marriage ended.
About forty minutes later, we pull up to a bar called Shooters and head inside, the music is so loud the ground outside vibrates.
He places a hand on my lower back as we walk in and head straight to the bar.
“I’m going to run to the Ladies’ room, be right back,” I tell him, leaning in close enough so he can hear me.
Damn, he smells so good.
“What you want to drink…wait don’t tell me….Vodka lemon mixer, right,” he says with that perfect smile.
This makes me smile.
“Yes.”
I make my way through the crowd of people dancing and head straight to the bathroom. Inside, the music is muffled, and I figure it’s a good time to call Ros to let her know I’m okay. Anytime we go out with someone new, we check in with each other. Tank insists we sneak a snapshot of the license tag and send it to him. Ros and I both are really close to Tank. He’s grown to be like our best friend, creating a crazy trio. He was actually Grayson’s best friend, and since Grayson and I dated most of high school, Tank came as a package deal.
Anyway, as much it annoys Tank, we don’t snap pictures of the license tags, but we do make sure we call and check in at least once during a first date. All of this may seem a bit much, but we have a good reason. It started a few years ago when Ros went out with a guy she met at the library. That asshole took her out to dinner and when she refused to kiss him, he decided he wouldn’t take her home. Instead, he drove her around for an hour bitching about how all women are teases and gold diggers. Ros was terrified, and since then we have taken extra precautions when hanging out with a guy for the first time.
Tank has been out of town for the last week, so I decide to call Ros instead. But that means… I’ll have to look at my phone.
Pulling my phone out of my clutch, I curse as I realize my lock screen still has the picture of me and Sean.
I really need to change it; I just haven’t been able to bring myself to do it yet.
My phone displays ‘1 NEW TEXT’ after I unlock it, but I decide to bypass my messages altogether, being sure not to view who the text was from, and I pull up my contacts to call Ros.
“Hey, girl, where are you?” Ros says when she picks up the phone.
“I’m at a bar called Shooters on 25th Street.”
“Okay, so are you having fun?”
“Yeah, I am actually.” I feel myself smile. “We went to eat at Suko, and now we’re stopping to grab a drink. Are you still out with Kevin?”
“No, I’m home,” she sighs. “We got into a big fight, and I made him bring me home.”
“Aw, you okay?”
“Oh, I’m fine. Kevin’s pride may be in need of repair, though. I think we’re done for real this time, Lizzy. It’s been a long time coming, so I’m okay.”
“Well, okay…” I say, still a little concerned for her.
“I’m fine, boo, you go have fun! I’ll see you when you get home.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes… please. Enjoy yourself; I’ll be up when you get here.”
I begrudgingly say goodbye and hurry to turn my screen off, sticking the phone back into my purse.
I don’t want to think about that text.
Giving myself a once over in the mirror, the reflection of the girl who stands in front of me is such a drastic change from the one I saw two days ago. This is the girl I used to know, the one I’m getting to know again. She is sexy, confident, and tonight with a sexy as fuck piece of man candy waiting for her at the bar. I stand in front of the mirror and vow to myself not to lose this girl again.
I touch-up my lipstick and smile.
This music is deafening. I look over and see Teeth sitting at the edge of the bar with two drinks and an empty seat next to him.
He catches me out of the corner of his eye and turns to watch me walk up to him. His eyes slowly run down my body, down the low cut of my shirt which stops at my belly button, then around the curves of my hips. His eyes continue down my body then he drags his gaze back up to meet my eyes as I continue to walk toward him. The look in his eyes is dark and hungry. I stare back at him, and he bites down on the corner of his lip causing my heart to beat a little faster. By the time I reach him, he flashes that award-winning smile, and the look he was giving me is gone.
Shit! He just graduated from Teeth to Chris with that look he just gave me. His fucking name is Chris because no man named Teeth should be able to affect me like that with just a look.
I shake it off, sit next to him, and smile. I only smile my heart is still lodged in my throat.
“Sorry it took me so long,” I try to say, but my voice gets swallowed up in the music.
As I take a big swig from my drink, Chris looks at me, points to my cup, then points to the bartender and I nod. He signals the bartender over, points to our drinks and then holds up two fingers. Nodding, the bartender leaves to make our second round.
Chris and I clink our glasses in silent cheers and throw back our drinks. After a moment, he stands, grabs my hand, and guides me onto the dance floor.
“Rock your Body” by Justin Timberlake is more than halfway through when we start dancing, the beat slows and the melody for “Birthday Sex” by Jeremih fills the room, and the energy on the dance floor changes immediately.
Chris moves in close, pressing his body against mine and placing a hand on my waist as the song flows through the speakers. We move slowly in a fluid motion, rocking to the music. Feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest, I run my hand up his back, down his shoulder, and then over his biceps. I love a man with a hard body and, believe me, I appreciate every part, but there is something about a set of sexy biceps that will turn me inside out. My fingers slide over the hard muscle and smooth skin, and I fight the urge to drag my nails across it. Chris smells amazing. I’m feeling so lost right now—the music, the way he feels, and the way he’s looking at me, all intense and incredible.
He pulls his chest away a bit as our bodies continue to move with the music, and he looks down into my eyes. I guess he takes my cue in exploring his body because I feel his hands begin to move exploring more of mine. He runs his hands down my sides, down my hips, around and up my back without ever breaking eye contact.
That sexy as fuck look crosses his eyes again and, being this close to him, I can’t shake off what I’m feeling, I’m drowning in it.
My heart is pumping so hard that my whole body feels like it’s throbbing. He licks his lips, and I feel his breathing pick up as he continues to slowly explore my body with his hands. Slightly, my breath catches every time he squeezes my hips.
Chris’ presence is just so consuming... overwhelming. I almost feel like I can’t breathe. The way his hands skillfully travel on my body, touching lightly in some places then more aggressive in others, makes it hard for me to think straight. His stare, the way his body feels against mine… the feel of his muscles moving under my hands as we slow grind, has me… just… gone.
Moving closer to my face, for a second I think he might be getting ready to kiss me.
I’m shocked at how badly I want him to kiss me.
Reluctantly, he bypasses my lips and presses a light kiss against my neck. Closing my eyes, I draw in a sharp breath and savor in the way he’s making me feel.
We don’t stop moving, but I feel his breath caressing my ear as we have slowed into a gentle sway and the song comes to a close.
I don’t even know what this next song is, even though I’m sure I’ve heard it before.
About five minutes later, we silently head back to his car holding hands.
Chris starts the ignition, but turns down the music and leans back in his seat. My mind is buzzing, and it’s not because of the alcohol—it’s because of him. I’ve never felt that much electricity, that much chemistry with someone else in my life… And we didn’t even kiss.
“Damn, girl,” he says, looking at me. “Maybe we shouldn’t dance sober.”
I can’t help but laugh, which makes him laugh.
I look at the time on his dash, 1:47 a.m.
“Wow, is it that late already? I feel like we just left the apartment.”
“Humph, I guess so, everything’s closing,” Chris says, nodding to the stream of people headed to their cars.
“I have a class at 9 a.m., it’s midterm season.”
“Then it looks like I need to get you home then, huh?”
I look at him, pout, and then buckle my seatbelt.
I hate the night is over, I am really enjoying myself.
We make it to the apartment a little after 2 a.m., and Chris gets out and walks me to my door.
“I want to see you again.”
I blush, full on. What is wrong with me?
“Okay," I say, “I’ll be free after exam week.”
“Okay,” he says.
“I’ll call you,” I say, giving him a flirty smile, and then I turn to unlock my door.
He stands there for a half second and then backs away toward his car.
I watch from my open doorway as he drives away.
Walking through my living room and into my bedroom, I kick my shoes off and grab a makeup removing cloth to cleanse my face.
Wow, I did not expect the night to turn into this….
I can’t stop smiling.
After changing into PJ’s, I hop on the bed and lay back on my pillow, still grinning like an idiot.
I exhale a deep breath and grab my phone. It’s time…
1 NEW TEXT MESSAGE
And the message is from Sean.