Simone, page 3
Heat blossomed in my cheeks. I’m so busted. “Yeah, I do. Sorry about that.”
“Okay, let’s pump the brakes on the apology train right now. No more apologizing for being you. Okay?”
I nodded in submission. “Okay.”
“Now, strap in, Dale.” A playful expression claimed her pretty face as she intertwined her fingers and cracked them. “This is about to get intense.”
Summer Jasmine and Spring Violet
“Were you mad at me after the little bump in the subway?”
“I wasn’t mad…” I watched her purse her lips as she took a sip of her tea. “But between you and me, I did cry myself to sleep.”
“You did not.” She giggled. “Why you be lyin’?”
“Seriously. I was born with a soft heart,” I added, palming my chest with a smile. “My feelings are hurt easily.”
“What? We’re gonna have to do something about that. You can’t survive in New York with a baby-soft heart. This city will eat you alive and spit you out.”
“Aw, it’s not so bad having a soft heart.” I relaxed in my chair, stretching my legs out, and allowed my gaze to roam over her pretty face. “It brought me you.”
Her eyelids fluttered, and her chest swelled.
This time I know I saw it. If I didn’t know any better, something about me made her react that way.
Her gaze softened as she briefly nibbled on her lower lip. “Nice one.”
I offered her a smirk and nodded. “It was, wasn’t it. I’m proud of myself.”
“You had me going with the ‘dork’ cover story there.” She waved a finger at me. “But I see you’ve come equipped with some swag. I’m gonna have to be careful with you.”
“I promise you I’m not usually this cool.”
“I’m glad you’re a little looser today. I thought getting you to talk would be worse than pulling teeth.”
“Well, to be honest, I’m a pretty reserved guy. I’m more of an observer than a chatter. But today, I feel different. I think it’s you. Something about you—your aura, your vibe—it makes me want to relax.”
“I pretty much have that effect on everybody,” she said with a wink.
Though I tried to stifle it, a grin made its way to my face. Heat followed. “I’m sure you do.”
“Got something I want you to try.” She hopped up from the table and rushed to the counter.
I studied her graceful curves and the fluid way she moved. This was my first time seeing her without a jacket or a coat on. She wore loose-fitting, camouflaged cargo pants and a pair of sparkly sneakers with thick soles. A royal blue top clung to her like a second skin. There were rips along the arms and torso of the garment, a part of the design no doubt. I could now see the perfect contours of her body.
When she returned, she placed a cup of steaming liquid in front of me. “Organic summer jasmine and spring violets. Try it.”
I wasn’t much of a tea person. However, I wasn’t about to turn her down. Hell, she could offer me a cup steaming, hot piss with a smile and I would drink it just to please her. If she only knew how fucking sprung I was for her.
She slid back into her chair and watched me with those deep brown eyes. “I guarantee it will blow your mind.”
As if she hadn’t already blown my mind… I pulled up from my relaxed position and brought the cup to my lips. I loudly slurped the first sip, making her chuckle. At first taste, it was light and flirty, then it exploded into something very tasty. My senses cleared, my taste buds cheered. “Oo, that’s some good stuff.”
“Right! It’s one of my favs. I start every weekend with that special mix and my life is bliss.”
While she was talking, I’d finished half of the drink. It was hard to put down. “Organic summer jasmine…”
“And spring violets.”
“I’m just gonna call it dirty flower water.” I licked my lips as I continued to consume the delicious brew.
She snickered. “Stop. You know you love it.”
“I do. I really do.”
Again, her eyes softened. She settled back and crossed her legs.
The action more or less made my whole body stiffen.
We gazed at each other, neither one of us wanting to break the sweet silence humming between us. The jazzy lounge music wafting through the café added to the euphoric ambiance created by her seductive gaze.
Strange. Something like this would stir my anxiety, but it didn’t. I wasn’t even trembling like earlier. I liked the way she looked at me. I liked the way it made me feel. Desired.
Eyes narrowing, she tilted her head and pursed her lips. “I’m going to ask you a few questions now.”
Uh-oh. I shoved my hands in my pockets and returned to my reclined position. “Okay, let’s go.” God, please don’t let anything weird spill out of my mouth.
She laughed. “I appreciate the enthusiasm.”
“And I appreciate the chance to even talk to you.”
Biting her lower lip, she briefly looked away from me. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think she was blushing inside. “Where are you from?”
“Miami, Florida.”
“Oo, fun, sun and beautiful women.”
“For the most part.”
“Is Miami really just an extension of Cuba?”
“Si. English is a second language there.”
“So, you speak Spanish?”
“Solo un poco.”
“That’s wild… and fuckin’ hot.”
Now I was the one glancing away sheepishly.
“How long have you been in New York?”
“Almost three months.”
“You like it.”
“I like it now.”
Her lips twisted into a smirk. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-four.”
“I got you by two years, young’un, which means I’m your senior,” she teased with an impish smile. “I get to boss you around.”
I turned on my British accent and countered, “I am a slave for you, my lady. I will do whatever you ask of me.”
Head cocked, she slapped her hand over her chest and pinned me with widened eyes. “Hol’up, now! Pull back on the reins with that charm, playboy. I ain’t ready for you to be that cute. See, I knew you were gonna be a problem.”
I chuckled just to hide the fact that I was gushing inside.
“What do you do?”
“You said a few questions, not a full out quiz.”
She clapped her hands. “C’mon, Dale. Focus.”
I suppressed a snicker. I had no idea being asked a series of questions about myself could be so enjoyable. “I’ve never been more focused in my life.”
“Answer the question and I may let you ask a few. What do you do?”
“I’m a Cloud Engineer.”
“Smoke cloud, storm cloud, powder cloud? What kinda cloud, Dale?”
I quirked a brow. “Ha-haa.”
“Clouds are awesome, especially when they come from ganja.”
“Stop it,” I chuckled.
“Have you ever caught a contact high from a marijuana cloud? It will mess you up.”
“I’m glad you’re having fun with this.”
Smiling, she playfully stuck her tongue out at me. “Me too.”
“Just found out last week that I’m soon to be a Senior Cloud Engineer. Fingers crossed.”
Shock claimed her face. “A senior position at your age? That’s quite an accomplishment. You must be a fuckin’ genius.”
“Nah. I’m just a geeky guy who knows his way around cyber networks.”
“Don’t be so modest. Just say, yes, I’mma fuckin’ genius. Own that shit.”
I blushed. “Yes. I’m a fuckin’ genius.”
“There ya’ go.” She leaned closer to the table and said, “Now let’s get to the good stuff. Tell me, how long have you been watching me?”
Aw shit!
Blue Gecko
The smile I’d been carrying since we started talking leached from my face.
My anxiety flared again. Suddenly uncomfortable, I squirmed in my seat and repeatedly raked my fingers through my hair.
“C’mon, Florida boy, don’t go mute on me now. It’s an easy question to answer. Just tell me.”
I can’t. I couldn’t say it. I dropped my gaze to my lap, breaking our eye contact.
“When we first met, you came at me with my name. Do you know how creepy that was? You almost got pepper-sprayed.”
“I’m so sorry,” I whimpered. I felt so small. “I wasn’t thinking right—”
“There you go again. I thought we were off the apology train.”
I lifted my gaze and met her eyes once more. “Shit, sor—”
She leveled a finger at me, cutting me off.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Then say nothing. I only brought that up ‘cause I wanted you to know… that I saw you too, every morning you rode the train.”
Shocked, I gaped at her. “You—you did?”
“May not look like it, but I see everyone around me. I’m good at taking in my surroundings without being obvious about it. I’m a woman and I travel alone every day. I gotta be vigilant as hell and weary of every-fuckin’-body. Harassment is real in my world. Some guys don’t like to be told no. I’ve been grabbed, yanked on and spit at.”
Some asshole actually spit at her? A ball of fire rose up in my throat. The more her words hit me, the angrier I got.
“I’ve had to pop off on pervs more times than I care to remember.” Huffing out a sigh, she rolled her eyes. “I’ve punched a guy in the face, chopped one in the neck, and kicked one in his shin. I’ve even tazed a guy in the nuts.”
Clenching my teeth, I winced. I resisted the urge to grab my junk to guard them from her admission.
“Oh yeah, man. If I gotta pull out my Taser, I’m gonna hit you somewhere important.”
“If riding the train is that much of a hassle, why not use another form of transportation?”
“‘Cause I shouldn’t have to! I should be able to ride in peace without some jerk-off fucking up my day.” She clucked her tongue in annoyance and flicked her hand at me. “I wouldn’t expect a privileged white dude to understand my struggle as a black woman in New York, or anywhere for that matter.”
She’s right. I couldn’t possibly imagine what it’s like to walk a day in her shoes. “Can I travel with you sometimes, like walk you to your destination?” It was meant as an inner thought, but of course, it spilled out of my mouth without warning.
She blinked a few times then narrowed her eyes at me.
“I didn’t mean… what I’m trying to say is… never mind.” Naturally, I wanted to protect her, but I didn’t want her to think that I thought she needed protection.
Maaan, I should’ve kept that to myself.
With her brow quirked, she asked, “You wanna walk me to work?”
I fell silent. If I said yes, she might take it the wrong way, so I took her advice and said nothing.
“You’re not a serial killer, are you?”
Whoa, what the hell? That one came out of left field.
Couldn’t tell if she was joking or not. Her expression was set hard. No, she’s definitely not joking.
Despite that, I decided to turn it into one. “Only on Wednesdays, and sometimes on the weekend. Not right now though, ‘cause I’m with you.”
She cracked a smirk. “Well, Wednesdays are a great day to go on a killing spree—ya know, it being hump day and all. Nice scheduling.”
“Yep. Right after breakfast. Eggs, bacon and biscuits then slice and dice time.”
“Bet you do your best killing after a hearty breakfast.”
When she said that, I burst out laughing. I wanted to keep the joke going, but her lines were better than mine.
“Gamer?” she asked on a giggle.
“Is it that obvious?”
“Only a gamer would counter a question like that with an answer like that. Besides, you got gamer vibes all over you. You’re probably an anime watcher too.”
“What’s anime?”
Her eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open. She gasped so hard, she nearly sucked all of the air out of the cafe. “Bite your tongue, you fake nerd!”
Palming my belly, I found myself once again seized by uncontrollable laughter.
“Boy, you better stop playing with my emotions. I was about to walk up outta here and leave your serial-killing, non-anime watching ass sitting right there by your lonesome.”
Our shared chortles garnered the attention of other patrons around us. Someone had the nerve to shush us.
“You shush!” Simone shot back. “This ain’t no damn library.”
It’s weird. Us laughing and talking like this… Felt like we’d been friends for a lifetime.
“Look at us, disturbing the peace together. How romantic.” She slid the fourth chair at the table next to her and opened her laptop. “C’mere, I wanna show you something.”
I pointed at the empty seat. “You—you want me to…”
She patted the seat of the chair and reiterated, “C’mere.”
I thought it was my imagination, but yes, she was inviting me into her personal space. I quickly vacated my seat and filled the one next to her. The jitters and the butterflies in my stomach started up again. Geez, she smelled freaking amazing.
“You didn’t ask, but I’m going to fill you in.” She brought up some images on her computer that began to slide by. “This is what I do.”
The pictures in the slide show were a display of different body parts inked with tattoos. And they weren’t just tats, they were brilliant works of art.
“Wait—wait…” I looked closer, trying desperately to take in the details of each photo. “You’re a tattoo artist?”
“Yep. I try to drop my new tats on my blog and my social media accounts every weekend. Gotta keep it updated to keep people interested.”
“Whoa. I’m blown away,” I gushed, examining each photo in awe. “You are good, like really fucking good. The details, my God…”
“Thanks. Got a few videos to add this week. Kinda hyped for my fifty-one K to get a look at those babies.”
“Hold on. Fifty-one K? You have fifty-one thousand followers?”
“Why? Is that a lot?” She batted her eyelashes, displaying fake modesty.
“Well, I mean, it doesn’t measure up to my measly sixty-five followers, but you’ll get there one day.”
She tickled my ear with her sweet chuckle.
God, her laughter feeds my soul.
“Social media is how I gain most of my clientele. Once I started posting my work, the numbers soared. Here, look at this one.” She brought up a picture of someone’s calf with a famous anime character on it. “I finished it yesterday.”
It was perfection! She captured every little detail of the art from the anime version. Yet, she was somehow able to add her style in the mix. “OMG.”
“Right! I’ve been dying to ink this character on someone. You have no idea how excited I got when this client walked in and said he wanted Todoroki on his leg. I cleared my calendar so damn fast.”
“That’s so cool. I would love to get a tat, but I’m deathly afraid of needles.”
“It’s not as bad as you think.”
“I’m the guy who cries when he has to get a shot.”
She giggled. “No, you don’t.”
“No lie. I’m a big pussy when it comes to needles.”
“Let’s see if I can do something…” She reached into her bag and pulled out a blue pen, “…about that.” She held her hand out to me. “May I?”
Oh my God! My nuts are gonna explode. I shifted in the chair to face her and placed my hand in hers. She turned my wrist upward, lowered my hand into her lap and slowly rolled my sleeve up.
Goosebumps formed. Heated spirals darted through me and lingered at my midsection, then the throbbing began. Please God, don’t let me jizz all over myself in front of this woman. The second the felt tip touched my skin, I flinched.
“Chill, it’s okay. It’s just a Sharpie. Style contour, color blue.” She began drawing.
The ink smoothed over my skin in graceful curves and sharp lines. Each stroke was a caress to my body. It took every ounce of self-control to stifle the tremors running through me.
“Look at me. Just met you and I’m already drawing on you,” she muttered under her breath, bring my attention to her face. “To say I’m addicted to marking one’s flesh is an understatement.” Her full lips were slightly pursed, her eyes glazed but focused. She looked like she was caught in a moment of bliss.
I was mesmerized. “How many tattoos do you have?”
“Five, counting the really big one on my back. A gift from my ex. I don’t think much of him, but I can’t knock his talent. It’s the only piece of his that I refuse to cover up.” Tilting her head, she flicked her eyes up at me then froze. There was a glimmer of curiosity in her gaze. Her lips parted and closed then parted again. “Exactly what color are your eyes?”
“Blue,” I replied softly.
Inches. Mere inches separated our faces. If one of us moved in even a little bit, our lips would touch. God, how I wish I could kiss her. The thought sent a surge of warmth rushing through my erection.
“Naw,” she breathed out, huffing the scent of sweetness into my face. “Not just blue.” She slanted her head the other way. “They’re more like blue-green. Turquoise. There are even bursts of gold in there. The ocean and the sun. Your eyes are paradise.”
I blinked and swallowed the gasp dangling in my throat. I was delightfully taken aback. “Wow, that’s beautiful. I’ve never had anyone describe my eyes that way.”
“So much more than blue.”
“But they’re still blue though. Right?”
A smirk kicked up on the corner of her mouth. “You’re hopeless.”
“You like that color, don’t you?”
“You’re also perceptive.”
“Very.”
“Should I be nervous about that, Dale?” Her eyes lowered and she went back to running the felt tip over my skin.
“Not at all.”
