At that moment, a server arrives. “Hi, I’m Cindy. I’ll be your waitress tonight. You guys ready to order?”
“Grey Goose and soda with two limes for me, and a double shot of Jack, neat, for him. Two waters, a chicken sandwich with cheese and fries, no mayo, and a cheeseburger and fries,” Lena says.
“How do you want that burger?” the waitress asks.
“Medium,” I say.
“Anything else?” asks the server.
“No, that’s all,” I say. The waitress nods and walks off.
I look at Lena and ask, “Taking charge, are you?”
“Habit.” She shrugs and picks up the pool cue, begins chalking the tip.
“How’d the opening go this weekend?” she asks.
“Lunch on Friday was crazy busy. Our computer system had some glitch, and we couldn’t get it to work, so we had to handwrite orders. It was a fucking nightmare, but we survived. Thankfully, we called support, and they got it fixed by late afternoon. Other than that, it went well.”
I saunter over to the pool table, pick up my cue, and remove the rack from the balls. “Ladies first.”
Lena bends over and places the cue ball into place—setting herself up to break. Her long curls are falling over her shoulders, brushing the table, and the swell of her breasts peek out from her blouse. She glances up over her glasses, meets my eyes, and sticks her tongue out before looking back down and breaking.
“I had fun tonight,” Lena says as she’s zipping up her jacket.
We shot a few rounds of pool before heading over to play Skee-ball and then the pinball machines. I liked seeing her relaxed, laughing, and being competitive.
“Me too,” I say, extending my hand in search of hers. When Lena feels my hand prying her fingers open, she glances up at me, and I ask, “This okay?”
She doesn’t respond. Instead, she spreads her fingers wide, curling them around mine. Her hand is hot, and she starts rubbing her thumb back and forth in my palm as we stroll in silence to the car.
I wonder what she’s thinking about. Is she debating whether she wants to go back to her place or mine? Deciding whether or not she’s ready to have sex with me? Despite being candid and confident, she’s also reserved, so I’m not certain. What I do know for sure is that I’m not ready to call it a night.
Although it’s a Tuesday night, the street around us is busy. Lansdowne Street is known for its bars and nightclubs, and every night of the week, something is going on in at least one of the joints. I can hear the muffled music wafting from the establishments; people fill the street and are dressed up for a night out. Women are wearing short skirts and heels so high, I don’t know how they can walk in them.
I like that Lena wore boots out on our date instead of heels, not that she needs heels because she’s so tall. She looks sexy as fuck in those jeans; they hug those curves of hers, curves that I can’t wait to grab hold of. And her ass, it’s perky, and the round globes have me fantasizing about all the dirty things I want to do with her.
“What are you thinking about?” she asks, interrupting my dirty thoughts.
“I like that you didn’t wear heels.” I feel like I was caught red-handed.
“That’s what you’re thinking about?” She raises her eyebrow in disbelief.
“Well, I see all these women in heels, and I wonder how the hell they walk in them. They seem so uncomfortable.”
“Heels are pretty uncomfortable. I rarely wear them.”
“I’m not ready for our night to end,” I say, glancing over at her. She meets my gaze and graces me with a lopsided smile.
“Me neither,” she whispers back. We stand there for a few minutes, people passing us by as we take each other in.
“Let’s get outta here,” I say, grasping her hand in mine.
When we get to the Jeep, I unlock the passenger door so Lena can climb in. “Do you work tomorrow?” I ask.
“No, I don’t work Wednesdays.” She tugs on the seatbelt, and I grab it from her to finish snapping it into place. After I do, I stop before her, brushing my nose to hers, then softly kiss her lips.
“Do you want to come back to my place?” I ask, pushing the hair from her face and dragging the pad of my thumb along her jawline. She nods.
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes.”
I kiss her with fervor, eager to taste her, and tug on her hair to tilt her head back so I can kiss her jawline. Her scent drives me wild. She smells like coconut, and I want to devour her. I pull back, and her eyes open, but I can’t quite read them. If I had to guess, I’d say they scream, “Make love to me.” The right side of her mouth curls up, and she takes her glasses off to wipe them clean.
I walk around to the driver’s side, excitement and anticipation coursing through my veins, hop in, and turn the ignition. Before putting the car in reverse, I grab the Stone Temple Pilots CD from my visor case and pop it into the CD player, and “Down” starts playing.
“This music okay?” I ask.
“It’s a little intense, but you can leave it. Maybe it’ll give me some insight into you.” She grins and extends her hand, placing it on my leg, making my dick twitch again.
As we’re crossing the lobby of the Lincoln Wharf Apartments where I live, I say hello to Peter, the concierge.
“This is a nice building,” Lena says.
“It’s all right. A friend of my father owns the unit I live in, which is how I ended up moving here. I like it enough.” I press the elevator call button.
“What floor are you on?” she asks as we’re waiting.
“Fourth.”
Once inside the elevator, I press the “4” button and face Lena. She’s standing in the corner, so I grab both of her hands and lift them, lacing her fingers with mine while our hands suspend between us. There may be silence, but our eyes speak to each other. Not sure if she can read mine, but hopefully, she can see that they’re screaming, “Yes, I’ll make love to you.” Her emerald gaze is soft, turned up in line with the slight grin that graces her full lips. She looks like I feel—relaxed and content to be here in this moment with each other.
The elevator dings, and the door opens. I exit but don’t let go of Lena’s left hand as we walk down the hall stopping at apartment number 409. I insert the key and unlock it, opening the door with my foot. As soon as we step in, I kick off my shoes and place them on the dark red mat to my left, and Lena follows suit.
CHAPTER 4
Black & White
MARIALENA
“MAKE YOURSELF COMFORTABLE. I’M gonna put on some music,” he says.
There’s one step at the end of the foyer that leads into a large living room. Two large sliding doors sit along the far wall and open up to a balcony overlooking Boston Harbor. You can see part of the city’s skyline and some scattered lights over the dark water. The view during the day must be incredible.
He’s at the stereo equipment by the entertainment center along the left wall, and I sit on the couch’s left arm. The floors are hardwood and the furniture is all black—sofa, coffee table, end tables, entertainment center, dining table, and chairs—such a masculine vibe.