Karma’s a bitch. It never forgot, and always served me what I deserved.

Jax dealt with my addiction for a long time. He’d stay with me all night when I was on a binge. He called me an asshole many times. Bailed me out of jail, and other shitty situations I got myself into, without ever complaining.

After spending the night with Ella, I understood part of what he’d dealt with while my brain was drowning in alcohol. However, I never tried to have sex with him. Ella was relentless. She rubbed her naked body against me a couple of times.

She wasn’t my temptation though. It was the amount of liquor she had around her house. Heat flushed through my body all night as I fought the need to grab one of the bottles of vodka she had on the counter and drink it all. I felt weak, my body ached, and I struggled to maintain my sobriety. Between the anger and the amount of alcohol that she owned, I was about to relapse. I focused on my daughters instead.

That morning, Ella flirted some more, but at least she wasn’t naked trying to fuck me. To finish my babysitting duty, I took her to have a hearty, greasy breakfast since her refrigerator was empty. It wasn’t an act of charity, but a way to get closer to Sadie. It had been a big mistake. I couldn’t stand the woman. She was demanding, irritating, and entitled.

“Next time we go out, I expect you’ll be taking me to a much better restaurant.”

My mouth opened as wide as my eyes. She was fucking unreal. A piece of work that I dealt with because I’d trusted Sadie with my number.

“There’s not going to be a next time. I stayed with you last night because you were too drunk to be alone.”

She clamped her lips and watched me for several beats.

“Well, then I have to ask, are you gay?” she finally asked as she drank her Bloody Mary.

“What the fuck?” I spit my coffee, laughing at her. The waitress appeared right away and helped me clean up the mess.

“You need help. What you did last night was dangerous.”

“Oh, for fuck's sake, you sound just like Sadie.”

At the mention of her name, I stiffened. Last night happened because Sadie handed my number to her friend. If she didn’t want anything to do with me, she should’ve just tossed it away.

“Why did your friend give you my number?”

I drummed my fingers against the table waiting for her response. The fact that I had to deal with Ella angered me. But I wasn’t upset at the brown-eyed girl. In fact, as I waited for her answer, my fingers played the melody Sadie’s voice inspired when she first spoke to me.

“Because I wanted it.” She shrugged one shoulder, fidgeting with the napkin.

“Somehow, I don’t believe you.”

I used my index finger to lift her chin and look into her eyes. “Sadie didn’t give it to you.” I guessed.

Her green eyes avoided me. Ella reminded me of my thirteen-year-old daughter, Tess. The times when she tried to blame her little sister, Hannah, and I caught her. Defiant, yet remorseful. The distinct pout of a spoiled child who believed that everyone should be serving them. They thought that nothing nor no one could ever punish them.

“Why do you have my number?”

“I memorized it. Saved it on my phone after she left the coffee shop.”

“This is enough to pay for breakfast.” I rose from my seat and threw down a fifty-dollar bill. “Tell Sadie that number is no longer in service. I’ll reach out to her.”

“She will never let you fuck her,” she yelled. The entire restaurant went silent. All eyes were on me.

I pivoted around and gave her a sharp nod. “Good, because that’s not what I want from her. I want more.”

The last words came out of nowhere. More wasn’t part of my life or my vocabulary. The only time I’d dared to have it, I lived in a little hell called my ex-wife’s world. But something inside my heart told me that Sadie wasn’t Alicia. And for the first time in years, I dared to believe there was something beyond a night of fucking, rubbing skin against skin, and nameless women.

“You think she’s innocent, don’t you? Well, she’s not.”

“What is it?” I dared her to respond. “Is she a harlot or a saint?”

“She doesn’t fuck trash like you,” she concluded.

I didn’t pay attention to her hurtful words. She wasn’t the first woman who’d insulted me for pissing her off. While walking out of the restaurant, I texted Duncan.

Hades: I need a new number.

Duncan: How many times have I told you to keep your phone locked?

Hades: Just get me a phone.

Duncan: I’ll bring it to your house in a couple of hours.

Hades: Good, I’m turning this one off.

Ella gave me the impression of a troublemaker. If I ever wanted to have a shot with Sadie, I had to move quickly. One phone call and her friend, the bitch, could ruin everything.

“Were you here all night?” a voice asked as I turned from Pine Street onto 9^th Avenue.

I looked up and found Sadie. My heart beat faster, and my legs froze at the sight of her. She was more attractive than I remembered. She glowed, and her eyes twinkled. The softness of her expression showed her inner beauty, and maybe that was why she was the most gorgeous woman I’d ever met.

Sadie barely wore makeup. Her face glowed. It could be her natural, flawless, bronze skin. Her brown eyes like the color of mahogany wood were framed by long, curly eyelashes that looked like majestic butterflies when she blinked her eyes. She radiated confidence and tenderness. A rare combination.

“No, but I’ve been in the area since three AM. Where are you going this early in the morning?”

She sighed, checking her phone. “Work, but I have to make a pit stop since I got a nine-one-one text from Eleanor.”

“Eleanor?”

“Ella,” she sighed. “I’m sure she fucked some parasite who trashed her place or stole something. And I have to pause my life and go to her rescue.” She rolled her eyes. “Because she doesn’t care that I have to work.”

“Work on Saturday?”

“Yes, I work six days a week. Seven if you count the time I spend on Sundays planning my week, sketching or doing paperwork,” she informed me with a bright smile. “But first I have to make sure Ella is okay.”

“She’s fine,” I assured her.

“How would you know?”

“Because I spent the night with her.”

“Oh.” She clamped her mouth, pressing her lips together into a thin line.

“She memorized my number—when you showed her the note,” I accused her, keeping a firm tone. “Those lyrics were just for you, not to show around.”

“Well, she got her wish,” she stuttered and sucked on her upper lip.

The gesture was simple, but it turned me on. I wanted to drag her body against mine and kiss her tempting mouth slowly.

Deeply.

“Nothing happened between Ella and me,” I assured her, hoping that I heard a little jealousy in her tone.

Without wasting time, I explained every detail of what happened between her best friend and me.

“You want me to believe that even when she begged, you didn’t touch her?” She laughed. “Please, she’s beautiful. Everyone wants Ella.”

Sadie hugged herself and was again sucking her lip. That habit of hers was driving me insane. If this conversation weren’t necessary, I would tease her about her mouth and the things I wanted to do to it. I bet she was fucking amazing in bed and tasted like a goddess. But in order to go from point A to point F, I had to show her that I wasn’t an asshole—or a player.

Damn, what was it about this woman that had me tied in a million knots? Or give a shit about her when she was judging me by my appearance and my profession? She looked at me like I was just another junky rock-star dressed in rags, with more tattoos and piercings than common sense.

I usually didn’t care about prejudiced people. But I had an inkling that Sadie wasn’t judging me, just being cautious. She was a wounded animal who avoided the forest, afraid that a predator would be waiting to attack.

“She’s not my type. That’s only the tip of the iceberg. She was drunk, and I don’t fuck semi-conscious women. That’s rape.” I showed her one finger and then two. “Second, even if she wasn’t drunk, I don’t fuck every available female who undresses for me.”

Sadie narrowed her gaze not believing me.

“I won’t deny that I did it when I was young and stupid,” I confessed, showing her three fingers. “Third, I have two daughters. My motto is to treat women with the same respect that I want my girls to be treated with when they grow up. Lastly, she’s your friend, and I wouldn’t jeopardize what little chance I have of going out with you.”

I stepped forward and grabbed her hand, kissing it lightly. She smiled. Her eyes found mine, and we stared at each other for several seconds.

“Thank you for watching out for her.” She cupped my cheek and kissed it.

The feel of her skin ignited my entire body. I froze and couldn’t think of a single word. My heart beat hard in my chest. Everything around me disappeared. There were only her and the musical notes that surrounded us. A perfect melody for the perfect woman. I wanted to love her, wrap myself around her, and melt with her.

“Give me one date,” I said when I finally remembered how to speak.

I held her hand against my cheek, not wanting to let her go. My blood ran hot while powerful lyrics played inside my head.

Sadie pulled her hand back, hugging herself. “I’m sorry for letting her have your number. That was irresponsible on my part.”

“And us? What happened to our date?”

“Us?” she chuckled, shaking her head. “If you’re looking for a friend, I’m around. That’s all I can offer you.”

Her mouth said one thing, but I swore her eyes wanted more. She omitted the words and suppressed her feelings, but I could feel the pull of her magnetic personality increasing as the minutes passed. And I saw it. Beneath those beautiful dark pearls, her soul trembled with fear. I had to be careful with my words, and her heart.

“Friendship?” I cleared my throat, trying to calm my pulse.

“Yes, we can be friends. And just because you looked after Ella.”

I scratched my temple with my index finger. “See that’s something I don’t understand. You and Ella being friends.”

“We’ve known each other since we were four, maybe five. She’s my person.”

More like you’re her person. She does whatever she wants with you, I swallowed the words. If I wanted to be close to Sadie, I’d have to play nice with her person.

“I could be it for you. Your everything.” I dared to offer because that’s exactly what I wanted to be for her. And I wanted her to be my everything.

“My everything?” She crossed her arms, arching an eyebrow.

“You’re hot, but I don’t just hook up.” She shook her head. “Unlike a lot of people, I can’t seem to separate sex from feelings. I’m tired of putting myself out there and getting my heart shredded by players who have a menu of women to choose from. And I’m telling you this because you seem like a sensible guy, not to feed your ego.”

“You think I’m hot?”

“Seriously? That’s all you got from what I just said,” she said with a pinch of annoyance.

“You find me attractive,” I smirked

“Ugh, my point is that I’m not going to hook up with you.”

“No, you said I’m hot and a sensible guy. But you still think that we can be friends.”

“Oh, I don’t think we can be anything. In fact, I bet you don’t even have any female friends.”

“I can,” I challenged her.

“There’s no way you won’t try to cross the line within the first couple of days. Which means that even if you accept my offer, we’ll go our separate ways almost immediately.”

Sadie read people easily. She was right. I was a thirty-three-year-old man who’d never had a single female friend. This friendship would be a test.

“I can be friends with a woman—with you.” I accepted because it seemed like it’d be the only way she’d let me near her. “But can you be friends with me?”

I challenged her back, pulling out my phone, powering it back on and starting an email to myself.

Then, I handed it to her. “Why don’t you give me your real number and your email address? Once I have a new number, we can begin our new relationship.”

It’d be something new for me, and it’d be a challenge. But I could try to get to know her. Something inside me told me that I’d be a fool to let her go.

“There’s no relationship between us,” she said, pulling her wallet out of her purse. “But maybe I can invite you to dinner. A tit for a tat since you took care of Ella.”

Oh, I wanted the tit, and after sucking them to ecstasy, I would fuck her a tat. Fucking shit, this friendship thing was going to give me a case of blue balls, but I was up for the challenge.

“Give me a call when you’re ready to cash in on that dinner.” She gave me a business card.

Hummingbird Flower Designs

Sadie Loza-Bell

“Hummingbird?” I stared at the robin’s egg blue card, studying the white silhouette of a bird holding a flower. “A unique name for a flower shop.”

The card looked classy, delicate and exceptional. It was the perfect representation of who I thought Sadie was.

“I agree. That’s why I chose it,” she said, with a satisfied smile. “Everyone uses blooms, or daisies, their last name, and then flower shop.”

“But why hummingbird and not another bird?”

“Nightingale was in the running since they are my favorite birds. Their singing is beautiful. I love music. It’s a big part of me, sets my mood, and calms me. But hummingbird made more sense since they only eat nectar and help pollinate flowers. The flower is a gardenia, one of my favorites.”

“Music, you love music?”

“You have selective hearing, don’t you?” She frowned.

“Music is my life.” I traced a finger along my arm. “It’s what’s inside me, running through my veins.”

I stepped closer to her and hummed a part of the melody that had played in my head since we first spoke. “No one has ever inspired me before like you do. I can’t wait to finish this song—your song.”

My lips lingered close to her ear. I wanted to sing to her for an eternity—about meeting the perfect woman and falling deeply in lust from the first sight. I wanted to spend more time with her, to dare to experience what I’d never had before in my life. But I was also afraid that this woman would confirm I wasn’t capable of love, or that I was unlovable.

“It’s late. I have to open up the shop.”

With those words she ran away, leaving her sweet flowery aroma behind, along with many unresolved questions.