Lights Out (4 page)

“A Shiner Bock,” he said, his eyes roaming over her quickly, taking in her hair, soft and full, framing her face, and her dress softly falling over her body.

“Zydeco night?” he asked.

“Yep, I grew up with the music. I see that you know it, too?”

He nodded in confirmation

“One beer?” she said.

“Yes, one beer, no date tonight. Poor me,” he said, but his smile and eyes said otherwise.

“You seem to be doing well so far,” she said, turning to retrieve his beer.

“I’m holding out for you,” he said, waiting until he had her attention.

“Me?”

“You.”

“For….?”

“For whatever,” he said, his eyes never leaving hers.

“You sure are confident.”

He shrugged, his eyes still locked on hers.

“Think about it,” he said, giving her another smile, taking his beer, and walking away.

* * *

Joe sat back in his booth later on that night, relaxed. He hadn’t been this stress-free in a while. He didn’t dance anymore, just kept an eye out for Piper, followed her as she worked, hair a halo around her head.

He could see her better now, standing near the stage in a soft yellow dress that stopped mid-thigh. She had a beautiful body. Her long, shapely legs were outfitted in funky tights tonight, and those black Ropers on her feet again. He tracked her as she walked back over to the counter and talked with her fellow employee before grabbing the dolly and heading to the back of the shop.

She was interested, just as he’d thought. He had caught her looking over at him more than a few times tonight. At this moment she was making her way toward the back, pushing an empty dolly. Thinking she might need some help, he followed her.

Piper wasn’t in too big of a hurry to get back up front. She opened the door to the larger of the two storage rooms, pushed the dolly in, walked over to the beer and wine supply, and started to stack two cases of beer and one of wine. That was all she needed to restock the fridge up front.

Loaded up to her satisfaction, she leaned her dolly onto its back wheels, preparing to leave, took two steps backward, almost clearing the door, and bumped into something hard. She twisted her head around, seeking the impediment to her progress, and gazed into Joe’s soft gray eyes. He was blocking her exit.

His hands went to her waist to prevent her from moving forward. One hand, anyway. The other moved down a little, to her hip.

“Huh, sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” she said, trying to steady her cargo while moving away from him. She was flustered at being this close to him. He could have helped, but instead he stepped closer, hand still at her hip and waist. Her eyes swung back around to him, giving him a what-are-you-doing look.

“Not a good idea to back out of a room, especially with a load of beer. You never know who you might bump into,” he said, laughter in his voice, stepping closer still. Pushing her and her load back into the room, he bent his head to her ear, admiring the softness of her hair.

“Copping a feel?”

He leaned in closer to her. “I’m just helping out a woman in distress. What’s wrong with that?” he said, his voice smooth and low.

She shrugged her shoulder, trying to dislodge him from her ear.

“What are you doing?” she asked, it coming out a little more Marilyn Monroe-like than she’d intended as she lifted her shoulder again, hitting her head softly into his this time.

“What do you think?” He’d dodged her head butt somehow, a very smooth move. She was impressed.

“Uh…” she said, feeling his hands move from her hips slowly upward, smoothly over her waist, up to rest just under her breasts. He stepped in closer, pushing her further into the room. She felt all of him at her back now and she swallowed. He chuckled softly. Who knew chuckles could be so sexy? She turned her head to look over her shoulder and met his eyes again. He was serious now and very aroused, staring back at her with steely eyes.

“Come home with me? After you’re done here?” he said, quietly, hands moving up just a bit more toward her breasts, his thumbs grazing the underside of them softly. She bit back a moan.

“You get straight to the point, don’t you?” she asked, breathless, and set the dolly back on the floor before it fell and she lost her load.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Why what? Why do I want you to come with me or why do I get straight to the point?” he asked, voice reverberating over her skin as his lips moved, going from her ear to just underneath it. She unconsciously tilted her head to the side to give him better access, and felt the smile on his mouth against her neck at her small acquiesce.

“Why me?”

“I told you, we would be good together,” he said, hands still grazing, his thumbs moving tantalizingly slow, back and forth.

“I’d be just sex for you?”

“Not just sex, Piper, but great, probably mind-blowing sex.”

“Honesty work for you?”

“All the time,” he said, hands completely cupping her breasts now. She laughed. It popped out, and then she moaned at what his hands were doing.

“Great, huh?” Her hands moved up to surround his wrists. What to do now? She didn’t want him to stop. Then he grabbed her hands and turned her to face him.

“Great,” he repeated, intense now, eyes locked on hers as he took her hands in his, eyes never leaving hers. He watched the desire inhabit them; he had seen it before, but what was on display now was more than he’d anticipated, providing a surge in heat to his blood supply.

He tilted his head, leaned in to touch her lips softly. He appreciated that she was close to him in height. She’d opened her eyes wide, following the descent of his mouth as it moved toward hers, and watched as his lips touched hers. Her eyes closed then and he heard and felt her sigh as he kissed her, slowly, moving his tongue along the seam of her lips. He gently pushed into her mouth and found her tongue waiting for him. He stroked it once and pulled back, not too far, just a mere inch away, head resting on her forehead.

He let go of one hand, and pushed the door behind them closed, not breaking eye contact with her. He walked himself backward to it, pulling her along until his back touched the door; then he turned her so that she rested against it. He took her hands, his fingers entwined with hers, and went in search of another kiss, lifting their hands to rest just beside her shoulders against the door. He continued to kiss her softly, his tongue dueling and dancing with hers.

She groaned and he pushed in closer, pressing his body into hers against the door. She was firm, yet soft in the places he’d wanted her to be. He raised her hands above her head, secured her wrists in one hand while the other hand went back to her breast, back to that slow torturous grazing. He pulled back slightly from her mouth, his lips now at one corner of hers, smoothly moving along her jaw, pushed her hair out of the way with his nose, and found her ear again.

“I want you,” he whispered, her skin tingling at the sound of his words. “I’ve seen us a thousand times.” A shift of his hips inward into hers punctuated his words. “In my dreams it is perfect between us. You are perfect in my dreams.” He gave her another soft wet kiss.

“Want me to describe what I see?” he whispered, his lips nibbling at hers.

She nodded, unable to speak.

“I see you, a long stretch of smooth golden brown skin attached to a body that I’d just finished exploring completely. Your hair is wild around your head, and those strong legs of yours are wrapped around me. I love your legs,” he said, taking her lips in another wet, open-mouthed kiss. “I see your arms holding me in place…your head is always thrown back in my dreams, my name always on your lips, encouraging, then demanding, showing me just how you like it, how you…like…me,” he said slowly, tying her mind up in knots with his image of her, her body pure fluid now.

He took her lips again, this time in a bruising kiss, mouth open as her tongue welcomed him in. He pulled back, watched her from beneath lowered lashes, his breath a pant, as she tried to catch her breath.

“What am I doing in this picture?” he asked against her neck, en route to her ear again. “I’m moving within you, and it feels mind-altering. Can you feel it?” He sighed and pushed his hips into hers. “That would be me, in you, pushing in smoothly before gliding out, as fast or as slow as you’d like.” He took her arms from over her head, turning her so that she faced the door now, his hands covering hers, holding her in place as he moved to stand flush behind her before pushing his hips inward.”

She moaned and turned her head to the side and looked into grey smoldering eyes, which pulled her in. His mouth went back to her ear; she couldn’t see his face, could only feel him at her back. From head to toe, she could feel his hips pushing and she pushed back, her body with a mind of its own.

“Then, we would start all over again,” he said, stepping back from her.

She turned to face him, her eyes full of desire, and he smiled.

“Think about it,” he said. She nodded, eyes still a little glazed. He leaned in and kissed her softly again before grabbing her dolly. “Open the door, Piper,” he said, grinning now, watching as she followed his instructions. She opened the door and stepped to the side to allow him to leave. She stood there for a moment trying to regroup.

Breathe, girl, and get your ass in gear. You can’t stand here all day. She ran her hands over her face before following him out and back to the front.

* * *

Do these people not have homes to go to? he wondered from his seat near the front window, where he’d continued to watch her work. He’d affected her. He’d given up keeping track of the number of times her eyes had sought his with remnants of their earlier interlude visible in them.

She wanted it, too. He knew that fact like he knew his own name, and, as much as he hated to admit, it wasn’t going to happen tonight. He was approaching his glass slipper time, and that fact hurt. She seemed to be the one in charge tonight, all questions went to her. This party was nowhere near finished, which meant she wasn’t available for what he wanted. Not tonight, anyway.

He stood up and made his way to the counter and waited in line again until he reached her. She looked up, surprise and thinly veiled want reflected in the eyes that stared back at him.

“I’ve got to go. Another obligation. It seems like you might be a while,” he said.

“Yes…” she replied.

“So another time?” he asked.

“Okay,” she said, fully on board now, no use in pretending otherwise.

“I’ll see you Monday,” he said, satisfied that he would get his opportunity in due time. He pushed back the impulse to lean over the counter and kiss her. He was patient when he wanted something.

Sunday night and finally Piper had made it to one of her favorite places—her bed—and earlier than she’d expected. It had been one long day today at the shop; throw in Zydeco night the night before and she was more tired than normal. No rest for the weary or the self-employed. She left Saturday night without doing the major cleanup. That she’d done this morning, followed by a full day of work and ending with poetry night.

Her mind moved back to Joe. Joe had been on her mind constantly since their foray into the storage room. Joe’s skills had been masterful, and the encounter had replayed in her mind since then.

She hadn’t had sex in two years and was close to forgetting what the whole sex experience felt like. But from what she could remember, it could be fun, really good with the right partner, a great reliever of stress and a super cardio workout. And she’d bet good money that sex with Joe would be one for the ages. He was totally in the not-to-be-missed category. Hell, he’d probably been born with that special sex gene, the one given to the gifted at birth to make a joyful noise unto the world.

So he would be a walk back in a direction that hadn’t been all that good for her. She’d tried the hook-up route before, numerous times, in fact, and it hadn’t worked much for her. She wanted the husband, the kids, and the long haul and had stopped pretending otherwise long ago. She was holding out for a younger version of her grandfather. An old-school man, a partner, willing to put family first, who didn’t mind working with her to make their life better, to achieve their goals. Did they make that brand of man anymore?

All that aside, her answer was yes. This one time, or two, or however many she could get with him. Yes, she was giving herself permission to indulge. He would be the exception to the self-imposed rule she’d implemented two years ago. She was all in, not if, but when, followed closely with, where?

Her cell rang—her father’s ringtone—and she reached for it, wondering why he was up so late.

“Pops,” she said by way of greeting.

“Renee, I need to see you tomorrow, early. I’m out of town the rest of the week, maybe the next two,” he said.

“Okay.” So much for hello, and since when did he start apprising her of his schedule?

“What’s up?”

“Don’t want to talk about it tonight. I’ll see you in the morning, and I’ll have your sisters with me.”