"What do you think you-"
"You shut the fuck up," I say, cutting her off. The room goes silent, and I can feel eyes on us. "I saw you snap a picture of my man's ass. Number one, nobody messes with what's mine. Number two, how dare you? If you were a man and this was a woman, imagine how this would play out. You'd be called a pervert and I'd get the cops involved. Just because you're a woman doesn't give you the right to objectify someone or take their picture without their consent. Have some respect, and don't be an asshole. Especially when their fiancée is standing ten feet away." I smash the phone down on the tile floor and watch it shatter into a thousand pieces.
"You owe me a phone!" the woman screams, but nobody backs her up. She's alone in this, and she knows it.
"I don't owe you shit. You took a picture of my man, I took your phone. We're even. But I suggest you get your ass out of here before I want to get more than even."
I put my hands on my hips, waiting for her to make a move. She looks around for half a second, then decides to leave. I stand there making sure she stays gone, and I feel Captain's big hands come around my waist.
"Fiancée?" he asks, and I wave my hand like I'm batting the word away. "And here I thought you liked objectifying me," he says, so low only I can hear him.
Seeing the show is over, the restaurant's patrons go back to what they were doing. I turn in Captain's arms and smile up at him.
"Only I get to treat you like a piece of meat. Now get me a sandwich. I'm starving."
He squeezes my ass and laughs before he lets me go, and I walk back over to where Patrick is sitting.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to cause a scene," I say, shrugging.
He laughs a little and shakes his head. "You haven't changed at all."
"What do you mean?"
"When we were kids, you used to get so pissed off when people would touch your things. I understood it, though, because neither of us had much. So what we did have was precious. I guess it's that way with you still."
I give him a half smile, thinking he's right. "Yeah, I guess so. And I do love that man." I glance over and see Captain wink at me, and I feel the love in my chest.
By the time our food is ready and the three of us start eating, we're through the small talk of introductions and what we're doing now.
"So what happened with your mom and dad?" Patrick asks, looking over at Captain and then back at me. He's is trying to gauge what Captain knows, and I appreciate him protecting that.
"She passed away. He split," I answer, trying to sum it up as quickly and painlessly as possible. I don't want to go into any more detail than necessary. Patrick was a part of that life, but it was a long time ago, and I don't really want to dig it up.
"Sorry to hear about that."
We tiptoe around the bad times in our lives, trying to focus on the good. We tell Captain stories about growing up, and talking about it brings some of the better memories back to the front of my mind. The more we talk, the happier I am that Captain came and that we did this. It lets him see another part of me, and it reminds me that I'm not all doom and gloom. There are pieces of me that are still good and bright. Just like the pieces he's given me.
A dark-skinned guy with long dreadlocks walks into the coffee shop and smiles over at our table. I don't recognize him, but he comes straight to Patrick and gives him a kiss on the cheek.
"Hey, baby. Sorry I'm late." He looks over at us and offers his hand to me. "I'm Amos, Patrick's husband."
We shake hands and Amos joins us for the rest of lunch. It warms my heart to see Patrick so happy and in love. It's clear that the two men are head over heels, even after Amos tells us they've been together since they were twelve.
Captain takes my hand under the table and squeezes, and I know it's time to go. When we say our goodbyes, it's with promises to do this again, and I mean it. It's nice having a part of my past that isn't dark and dirty. It's a relief to be able to hold on to something from that time, to have a memory that doesn't remind me of what I did or didn't do.
On our walk back to work, Captain brings our joined hands up to his mouth and kisses mine. My steps are light, and I feel like a weight is being lifted.
Neither of us mentions the F word the whole way back.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Paige
WHEN WE GET back to the office, I take a step toward my desk, but Captain tugs on my arm. I follow him down the hall, thinking he must want to talk to me. He was quiet on our walk and didn't say anything in the elevator on the way up.
We go around the corner, and he pulls me quickly into the women's restroom, slamming the door and locking it. He grabs my hips and turns me to face the sinks. I feel his hand push on my shoulders, and I lean forward, gripping the counter. I look up to the mirror in front of me and see his angry reflection behind me. He grabs the waistband of my pants and pushes them down my hips, taking my panties with them. My lower half is exposed to him, but it's not enough. He kicks my feet apart, and he stares down at my ass as he undoes his belt. The sound of the zipper is loud in the room.