Little Black Book(50)

As hard as it was, I stayed away from her. It was almost impossible, but necessary. I spent my nights in the club and my afternoons with business and paperwork. Whenever Vick came around, I pretended to be as normal as possible. I certainly didn’t need her shit.

My standoff lasted two whole days. It was then I found myself driving over to Jessica’s condo. I wanted to see her and I didn’t give a shit what anyone else had to say about it. I was at a stoplight, in the middle of the city, when the familiar shade red hair caught my attention.

Jessica was walking down the sidewalk with a happy smile on her face. She had on a simple pair of jeans, a black T-shirt with a faded logo, and a pair of ballet flats. So simple, yet so glorious at the same time.

Not knowing she was being watching, I noticed how graceful, and unique she moved—she stuck out from the crowd. Her light was too bright to be just one of the crowd.

A homeless man was propped up against the side of a building, holey clothes hung from his frame, and his hand held out a cup waiting for change. Jessica smiled down at him, before digging into her pockets and dropping whatever change she had, in his cup.

There she was, not knowing I’d replenished her account, and she was giving a homeless man her last bit of change. It spoke a lot about the kind of person she was—the kind of person I could have loved when I was younger. But that was when my life was total chaos and I thought emotions were important.

The cars behind me began to honk and I took off toward her place. I knew I’d get there before her, but I kind of liked the element of surprise.

She stepped off the elevator and into her condo with a smile and a hand full of paperwork. She kicked her shoes off and sighed, reaching down to rub her feet. I liked the fact she seemed so comfortable in the home I’d given her. It made me feel accomplished, like I’d done more in my life than the club.

Without noticing me sitting on her couch, she went into the kitchen, placed the papers on the counter, and filled a glass with water. Her throat worked up and down as she gulped the entire glass down. Her shirt clung to her body, letting me see every dip and curve.

“Enjoy your walk?” I asked.

Her eyes went wide, and she covered her mouth to keep the water from spewing out.

“Sebastian, you scared me,” she said, placing her empty glass on the counter.

“I can’t help but wonder if you’d be so jumpy if you had a gun around here.”

The memory of her pale face and the way she shook after we’d been held up, still sat in the front of my mind. I didn’t like the idea of her walking the streets of New York without protection.

“I don’t want to talk about guns again,” she said, coming around the counter and into the living space where I’d been sitting.

“Why were you walking? You could have called Martin.” I changed the subject.

“It’s beautiful out today and I didn’t have to go far. I needed the exercise anyway.”

“What’s with the papers?” I pointed to the stack on the counter.

“That’s my five year plan.” She stepped back to the counter and snatched up the papers.

I stood and moved closer to her. Taking the papers from her hand, I leaned in and did the one thing I’d been thinking about doing since I saw her walking down the sidewalk.

I kissed her.

It wasn’t the usual hard, forceful kiss, but a quick one that satisfied me until I could get more.

When I pulled back, the surprise on her face was comical. I loved how I’d switched tables on her. Before, my aggressiveness had shocked her. And now, anytime I did anything normal or even remotely nice, she didn’t know how to act. She was definitely fun to play with.





Nineteen

Rosslyn





His kiss felt different. It was soft, like a first kiss. It was nice. The one thing I could say about Sebastian, he was fantastic kisser—not that I had much to go on.

He pulled back and I felt his stare even with my eyes closed. I was still humming inside from his kiss when he spoke.

“What are these?” he asked.

“It’s paperwork for a technical college. I was thinking of taking some online classes.”

It was a quick decision when I’d gotten up that morning and had nothing to do. I’d always been obsessed with forensics and dreamed of a career in that field. Online classes would be something I could spend time on and it would be pushing me in a better direction financially. I was excited to do something for myself—something that could benefit my future.

“I didn’t know you were interested in going to school.”

“Well, yeah. I mean, it’s a smart choice. I don’t expect you to be my sexual benefactor forever. I need to be able to take care of myself. That means getting a degree and getting a job.”