Jasmine

Two weeks later, I walked into Daily Grind, my local coffee shop, and ordered a latte and a muffin (plus a treat for my client). I had a little time before my first appointment and had decided to indulge myself. It was raining (which I loved), and I was cold (which I also loved), because it gave me the excuse to buy a warm fancy coffee with a gazillion calories.

As I waited for my order, I thought back to my conversation with Parker. At this point, I was pretty sure she was insane, because I hadn’t seen Alamo since his haircut, which was an obvious sign he wasn’t interested in me. If he really was grilling Parker for information, I would have thought he’d have come back to the salon, or something... find any excuse to see me, but he hadn’t. Alamo had become a ghost.

So, today, I chose to eat my feelings. I wasn’t so naïve as to think this wasn’t what I was doing. I typically didn’t eat much for breakfast, so I recognized that I was about to consume a muffin the size of my head in an obvious attempt to soothe my hurt... or libido. Both of them needed a little TLC, but I couldn’t very well whip my vibrator out in public, so socially acceptable breakfast cake it was.

Once my name was called, I grabbed my purchases and headed for the side door, finding it opened at the same time as I went to push on it, so I looked up to gauge whether or not I should wait... and nearly dropped my coffee.

“Hey, Firefly.”

“What... um... hi,” I manage to stutter out.

He grinned (still holding the door). “I come here every morning.”

I stepped outside, and he let the door close, guiding me under the awning, out of the rain. “You do?”

“Pretty much every morning I work this side of town. The shop’s right around the corner.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize.”

Alamo was a mechanic. I think. He also worked for BMW or something like that. I wasn’t sure. I drove a Mercedes, so it’s not like I’d run into him accidentally or anything.

“What are you doin’ here?” he asked.

“I have a private client. Her place is near the Park.”

He frowned. “You need to be careful down there.”

“She’s a block off the park.” I smiled. “It’s very safe down there.”

“You sure?”

“Yes. She’s almost ninety now and finds it difficult to get out of the house. So, I go to her.”

I met his dark blue eyes and realized pretty quickly that that was a mistake, because they got soft and I melted. Well, my vagina melted. No, actually, everything melted. If I stood here much longer, I was going to end up a pile of goo. A very horny pile of goo.

“What time you done?” he asked.

“Um, usually sometime around twelve. I do her hair and then we visit for a little bit.”

“You wanna grab lunch?”

“With you?”

He cocked his head. “No, I’m askin’ you out for a friend. Need me to hand you a note with a yes or no on it?”

I bit back a chuckle. “Depends on who the friend is.”

Alamo grinned. “I can meet you somewhere or pick you up from your client’s place... whatever works for you.”

I smiled. “That sounds fun, actually. I have a meeting at two, so lunch around noon would be perfect. How about I meet you?”

He held his hand out. “Phone.”

I handed him my breakfast (and Miss Opal’s breakfast... I should have grabbed a cup carrier thingy) so I could dig in my bag without dropping anything, and once I found my phone, we switched. His thumbs flew over the display before he gave it back to me. “I’ll text you.”

I nodded. “Sounds good.”

“By the way, you look real pretty today, Firefly.”

“Oh,” I whisper-squeaked. “Um, thanks, Mo.”

He grinned and walked into the coffee shop, and I stood watching his ass for a few seconds before I came to my senses and headed to my car.

I pulled up to Miss Opal’s 1880s townhouse, which was on W. Gordon Street, right around the block from Forsythe park. She was old south with a shit ton of money, but you’d never know it if you met her. Well, you might guess, as she was highly “proper,” but, outside of my family and closest friends, she was the kindest person I knew.

I knocked on the door and her butler answered within seconds.

“Miss Buckley,” he said with a huge grin. “It’s so lovely to see you again.”

“Hi, Geoffrey.”

He reached for my breakfast burdens, which I happily handed over to him. “Are you spoiling the madam with treats again?”

“Guilty,” I said, as I entered the home.

He chuckled, closing the door behind me. “She’s out in the solarium. If you’ll follow me.”

Opal had a live-in butler and housekeeper/chef who prepared most of her meals, but she also brought folks in twice a week for various things.

Today, however, was Sybil’s day off, so I grabbed Opal breakfast since she was typically on a strict diet, and had mentioned (often) that she loved cinnamon coffee cake.

I was clearly the bad influence in her life.

I walked into the solarium and found her laughing with her grandson, Thomas. Thomas Ellis; and you called him Thomas, not Tommy, Tom, or T-Bone. He was tall, blond, and very, very pretty. He wasn’t bad, for an old-world, southern man as rich as Croesus.

Even though Thomas and I had gone to the same high school (he was a year ahead of me), we had only really gotten to know each other when I started doing his grandmother’s hair two years ago.

He grinned (and stood) as I came into the room, closing the distance between us and greeting me with a kiss on the cheek... which was weird since he’d never done that before. “Jasmine Buckley, Grannie said you were coming this morning.”

“I’m a little early. I’m so sorry. I can come back.”

“You’re not early, dear,” Opal countered. “Thomas was supposed to leave an hour ago, but he stuck around for—”

“Grannie, you’re my one true love,” he interrupted. “I simply couldn’t possibly pull myself away from your witty conversation.”

I set my things on the ground before hugging Opal. “How are you?”

“I feel as though I could run a marathon.” She grinned up at me. “It’s just too bad my body disagrees with me.”

I smiled. “Bodies are such jerks.”

“Yes, they are.”

“I’m going to take my leave,” Thomas said. “May I steal Jasmine for a moment, Grannie?”

I was a little taken aback by his request, as I couldn’t imagine what Thomas Ellis would want to say to me, but I followed him back into the north parlor and he faced me with a gentle smile. “I was wondering if I might ask you out. Dinner... perhaps tonight?”

“Uh... um...” Fuck, what do I say here? I liked Thomas. He was handsome and sweet, but I’d never had him on my radar because he was super rich, super popular, and I wasn’t in his league.

“Lunch, then, if dinner’s too forward.”

“That’s not it,” I countered. “This is simply a surprise, and, uh, I’m actually busy tonight.”

With my vibrator, because, duh, lunch with Alamo.

That part I kept to myself.

“Of course you are,” Thomas breathed out. “I should not have presumed. Would Friday night be agreeable?”

I grimaced.

“You’re booked then as well,” he deduced. “Of course. A woman such as yourself is bound to be in high demand.”

“I’m free on Sunday night,” I offered, and his face lit up.

“I’ll get us reservations at Olde Pink.”

“I love that place.”

“As do I.” He grinned again. “I’ll call you with details.”

He leaned down and kissed my cheek again, then left me standing there wondering how he would call me if he didn’t have my number. Heading back into the solarium, I unpacked my bag and began to set up my mobile salon.

“My grandson is sweet on you,” Opal said.

I paused my busywork. “I’m sorry?”

“Thomas. He’s sweet on you. He’s been askin’ after you for close to a month now. I see he’s taken his chance... finally.”

I shook my head. “I had no idea.” And I really didn’t. If there had been signals, I'd missed them. All of them. Apparently, I’d lost the ability to detect a man’s interest in me, if I’d ever possessed that skill at all.

“Am I free to give him your number?”

“Yes, Miss Opal, you are free to give him my number.”

The lady squeaked in excitement. Yes, she squeaked. I’d never heard so much emoting from her before, and I couldn’t stop a giggle at her outburst.

“I want six grandbabies.”

“It’s just dinner, Miss Opal.”

“It’s never just dinner,” she said. “Not with Thomas.”

I bit my lip. That gave me pause. I didn’t want to rush into things with Thomas. I didn’t want to rush into things with anyone... well, no, that wasn’t true. I wanted to rush into things with Alamo, but he was like a unicorn to me. A fantasy... with a really big horn.

“Bah! Ignore me, dear,” Opal rushed to say. “Chalk it up to the mutterings of a crazy old lady.”

I sighed. “You are neither of those things to me. Your body might be up there, but your mind is as sane and witty as a teenager’s.”

“This is why I love you so, sweet Jasmine.” She grinned. “Now, tell me about your newest face cream. You said last time that you felt like you were onto something.”

I squeezed her shoulder gently and then went about filling her in on the new discovery while I pampered her.

* * *

Alamo texted that he’d meet me at the little café by the park at twelve-thirty, but I’d gotten out of Opal’s late, and now I was almost twenty minutes past our meet time.

Shit!

I hated being late. For anything. I did text him to say I was running late, but, still, this was Alamo, and I didn’t want to let him down.

After finally finding a parking space, I rushed into the café to find Alamo sitting in the corner, his eyes glued to his phone and I took a minute to watch him. Okay, not a minute, damn it... I didn’t get a full minute because his eyes met mine and he smiled... sort of. He looked a little irked, actually, and my heart raced as I approached the table.

He stood and greeted me with a kiss on the cheek, which sent my nether regions into a tailspin, but that didn’t last long either as we took our seats. “I’m so sorry I’m late,” I breathed out. “I could not get Miss Opal to stop talking.”

“It’s all good, babe. ’Preciate the text lettin’ me know.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, why?” he asked.

“You looked a little pissed... I hope it’s not at me.”

He smiled then, a gentle one that melted me. (Oh, alright, all his smiles melted me).

“Not you, Firefly.”

He didn’t elaborate, so I didn’t pepper him with questions. If there was one thing I’d learned early on (because of Willow’s experiences with Dash), it was that if they didn’t offer information, you didn’t ask. Club business was sacrosanct, and wasn’t shared outside of the brotherhood. Ever.

“Did you order?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Waitin’ on you.”

I opened the menu and scanned the pages just as the server arrived to take our orders.

“Do you know what you’re getting?” I asked him.

“Burger, rare, no onions,” he said to the server.

“That sounds perfect.” I closed the menu. “I’ll get that as well. Medium, no lettuce or onions, please.”

“Cheese?” she asked.

“Cheddar,” we said in unison.

As the server took our menus and left us, I checked my phone, then turned it off and dropped it into my purse. I wanted to be fully present with this unicorn and I didn’t want the buzzing of my phone to spook him.

“Dash says you’re a mechanic,” I said.

“I am.” He leaned forward slightly with his forearms on the table. “Own my own shop, but I also help my buddy out on occasion when he needs it.”

“Is that why you’re over this way?”

He nodded. “Dalton owns the BMW and Cadillac stores downtown. He’s out a shop manager for the moment, so I come in, when I can, to run it. It’s temporary.”

“That’s nice of you.”

He chuckled. “Not really. He pays me a shit ton of money to do it.”

I cocked my head. “Doesn’t mean it’s still not nice of you. You could say no.”

“I guess that’s true,” he said. “You’re right, Firefly. I’m Mother fuckin’ Teresa.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, Saint Alamo, let’s slow your roll.”

“Fuck me, you’re funny, Jasmine.”

“So are you.”

He smiled. “I’ve been called a lot of things, but funny isn’t one of them.”

Lunch arrived, and our conversation was cut off, so I took a minute to prep my burger.

“You always been into cuttin’ hair?” Alamo asked, then bit into his burger.

I nodded. “I was styling my Barbies’ hair even as a little girl.”

“No shit?”

“No shit.” I chuckled. “My dad’s a doctor, as are my siblings, and Mom’s a teacher, so I’m their classic underachiever.”

“You’re not a fuckin’ underachiever, Firefly,” he ground out.

“I’m kidding,” I rushed to say.

“Kidding because you don’t wanna throw someone under that bus who made you feel that way? Or...?”

“Because I’m kidding,” I said. “Honestly, my family’s awesome. It’s me that sometimes feels like I should do more.”

I couldn’t believe I told him that. I wasn’t shy, but I didn’t typically offer up feelings of insecurity to people I was interested in...at least, not for a while.

“Do you love what you do?”

“So, so much,” I breathed out.

“You moochin’ off anyone?”

I shook my head.

“Then, you’re ahead of the curve, baby. Don’t let anyone, including yourself, tell you otherwise.”

Heat crept up my neck. “Stop being sweet, Mo.”

“Now, I can absolutely confirm nobody’s ever called me sweet, Firefly.”

I took a bite of my burger so I wouldn’t say anything stupid like, “Ohmigod, Alamo, can we go back to my place and get naked? Oh, and can I lick you? Everywhere?”

We spent a few minutes in silence as we ate, and my thoughts spiraled deeper into the gutter. God, what the hell was my problem? He simply looked at me and I was salivating like Pavlov’s dog. I needed to get ahold of my adoration of this man. It was too much. I’d certainly been attracted to plenty of men, but had never experienced urges like this.

Alamo’s phone buzzed on the table and he leaned over to look at it, then swore. Wiping his hands on a napkin, he answered it. “Fuck, seriously? Yeah, man, I’ll be there in fifteen.” He put his phone down and pulled out his wallet. “Sorry, Firefly. One of the newbies dropped a fuckin’ car. Gotta go deal with it.”

“Dropped it? Like off the lift?”

He nodded, dropping a fifty on the table. “Fuckin’ moron.”

“Ohmigod, that’s bad,” I said as I rose to my feet and donned my outerwear.

“Tell me about it.” He dragged on his leather jacket and shoved his wallet back in his pocket.

The server arrived with a smile. “I’ll get your change.”

“Keep it, babe,” Alamo said, and wrapped an arm around my waist.

I felt myself leaning into his touch and craving more as he guided me out of the restaurant.

It was pouring, but Alamo still walked me all the way to my car. I had my purse over my head, because I had not come prepared with an umbrella, but he had nothing. “You’re not on your bike, are you?” I asked, my voice sounding a little more concerned than I intended.

“No, babe. Got my Scout.”

“I don’t know what that is.”

“Old SUV.”

“Oh, okay.” I relaxed. The thought of him being on a bike in this weather scared the shit out of me. I licked my lips, partly because rain was hitting them, and partly because I desperately wanted him to kiss me. “Thanks for lunch.”

He ran a finger down my cheek. “Get out of the weather, Firefly. I’ll text you later.”

“Okey doke,” I grumbled, then climbed into my car.

Alamo waited for me to pull out of the parking spot, giving me a chin lift as I smiled at him, then he turned and jogged away from me.

Damn it!

I was so longing to taste his mouth.