Aggie nodded, but then stopped me.
“Pork belly?” she questioned.
"Maybe you call it salt pork? It's a good meat to season with...like fresh greens or beans." I could tell she wasn't following me. "I'll teach you about that, too." I filled up a couple of bags from the freezer and moved them to the other freezer, which was empty. We had barely made a dent in Jack's haul, which I knew was why he didn't mind giving away some of the meat. He'd never even know it was missing.
"The chops are all I have left to do and his order will be complete. I tend to save the things I like to cut best for last."
“I like pork chops,” Aggie said.
"I will slice you some thin boneless chops that you can use to make pork chop biscuits for breakfast if you like."
“I’ve never had a pork chop biscuit, but that sounds amazing...you’re going to have to teach me all the meat tricks.”
“Oh, Cutie, you have no idea.” I couldn’t help it.
Jack is a good one that trusts me to make sausage too. I had a large container with pieces saved that I’d season and turn into sausage the following week. He knew the sausage always came later, because it took longer, and I liked to do that only once in a while.
“I’ll have some sausage for you next week,” I told her.
“I was hoping you’d have it ready for me earlier than that, but if I have to wait, I can...” She sat on the stool and propped herself up on the counter leaning on her elbows.
“If we’re talking about the same thing, that order was ready last night...”
Chapter Seventeen
Aggie
Watching Drake cut meat was erotic as hell. He was precise. He flexed his muscles and didn’t even know he was doing it. And I got to watch him get all hot and bothered.
Once he finished up Jack’s order and packaged up the chops for me, I excused myself to go do my Walmart run. He asked if we could have dinner and I had full intentions of being nice and clean when he arrived to pick me up after the shop closed.
I grabbed the necessities, knowing I’d make another run later in the week when I really got settled, and headed back to the apartment. I wasn’t gone long enough for the meat to unthaw and putting it away was the first objective when I arrived home.
The second objective was hanging my new shower curtain. A bath was fine earlier this morning, but I regularly liked to shower.
I also bought some nice smelling soap for the bathroom, honey and chamomile were the scents, and some lemongrass soap for the kitchen. Little touches and this place would eventually feel like home. The furniture was a nice start.
I took a long shower and dried my hair into loose curls. I noticed he seemed to like my hair up out of my face, realizing it showed off my neck. I picked another sundress from my box of clothes that I had yet to unpack. This one was a lace skater dress that I could either dress up with nice shoes or down with a pair of Chuck Taylors.
What’s for dinner? I sent him a text message to see which shoes to pick.
Surprise? That was his response.
Tell me which shoes and I’ll go along with your surprise, I said and sent him a picture of both pairs.
Chuck and I both agree, Chucks for the win. Pick you up around 5?
I sent him back a kiss emoji and squealed a little bit knowing no one else would hear me.
When he came to pick me up, he was freshly showered too. He wore a nice pair of distressed jeans and a grey University of Kentucky T-shirt.
“I realize you did not go into the bathroom at the shop, but I have extra clothes in there too.”
I knew his job is messy, and even though he reassured me this was not normal for him, I hoped I wasn’t just some girl he planned to use and be done with.
"Shall we?" he said, taking my hand as I pulled the door closed and locked it behind me. "I want to go somewhere outside of Hazenberg tonight, if that's alright with you? You'll see enough of this town once the world realizes you work at the newspaper anyway."
“I’m up for an adventure,” I said.
We drove for about 30 minutes, making small talk and not being able to keep our hands off each other. We stopped in a town called London, which I assumed from the looks of it was a little bit bigger than Hazenberg.
The hibachi restaurant was fun and laidback. We ordered sake and had a good time watching the chef make our dinner. I noticed he pulled me closer to him when the chef lit a fire on the cooktop.
Protective.
Passionate.
Possessive? Maybe a little.
But I liked him being all those things.
“Thank you for bringing me here,” I said as we were finishing our meal.
“Thank you for accompanying me,” he replied. Drake paid the bill, which was extremely nice of him to do, and leaned over to whisper in my ear. “I have plans for dessert.”
WHEN WE PULLED UP TO Diane & Renee’s Shaved Ice Shack back in Hazenberg, I got excited at what he had in mind for dessert.
"Do you trust me, or do you want to pick your flavor?"
I thought about this place being so close by that I’d trust him this time and see what his intentions were. I knew this would not be my first and last visit.
"I trust you," I said with a nod. Drake went up to the window while I stayed in the truck. While others had large ice creations in pineapples, coconuts, and oddly-shaped containers, he brought back two large cups with closed lids.
“Good thing it’s close by, we gotta wait ‘til we get to your apartment to dig into these,” he explained.
“We do?”
He laughed at me. “Yep, Cutie, there’s an open container law in Kentucky and we have to keep lids on these until we get home...just in case I was to get pulled over or something.”
“There’s booze in these?” I was even more excited, not knowing what he ordered for us.
"My signature shaved ice is Tiger's Blood, Black Cherry, and a shot of bourbon...we call it a Tiger Bite."
“Good Lord, that sounds amazing.” I was glad I didn’t have to wait much longer before trying his treat. We pulled into the parking space next to my Focus and went inside.
“Uh uh...I wanna do it,” he said, not letting me have the cup. He took one of the spoons and stirred it up before feeding me the first bite. I was glad I trusted him.
Chapter Eighteen
Drake
When the dribble of red syrup dropped down from her lips, it took more self-control than I had ever imagined needing to not lick it off right then and there. But I managed to refrain.
I fed her one more bite and set the cup down on the table in the living room before I went back and took her cold lips with mine. She tasted amazingly sweet anyway, so the added shaved ice took it even further. I pulled her to me and lifted her in my arms, allowing her to wrap her legs around my waist as we kissed like we couldn't get enough.
I didn’t ask. She would have stopped me if she didn’t want to. Hell, we practically fucked on the freezer at the butcher shop earlier in the day.
It was time.
I carried her up the stairs to her bedroom. Not letting go of her the whole way. I liked the way her arms felt around my neck. She held tight to me. Her perky little breasts pushed up against my chest felt good and I knew it was the cold from the shaved iced that brought her to attention. Aggie had kicked off one shoe and then another before I had the chance to get her to her bed. And once there, she unzipped the side of her dress before I could get my shirt over my head.