“You called him a ‘man-tree.’” Her statement and accompanying head shake have us joining her in laughter.
I give her the most serious expression I can muster. “No, I called him a ‘big, sexy man-tree.’”
Keri’s laughter intensifies. “Oh my, I can’t take you two anywhere,” she sighs pointing between Latoya and me. “Axel, I apologize for any distress she may have caused.”
“Hey!” I say feigning indignation. “I was the one under distress!Youbooked us under my ex’s wedding discount and didn’t tellme. I wasn’t in man-scooping mode. I had to improvise.”
Keri frowns apologetically, and I wave her off. I may have been blindsided by Dre and Ashley, but I wouldn’t change my view—to the right and left of me—for anything.
“Man-scooping huh? Well, I guess it worked. Your line was so weird, I stuck around to see what you would say next.”
I ignore Axel’s statement and reach for a fry on his plate. He quickly rewards me with a swat. “Get your own,” he mumbles around bites.
“That was my own! Lunch stealer!”
“Lunch delayer,” he reconfirms. “Yours is on the way.”
I shrug defeated. “Well, you saved me on the beach; I guess I can buy your lunch…”
Axel pushes his half-eaten plate aside and repositions his body to face me. I am instantly lost in his icy gaze. His left hand finds its way to the back of my neck, his thumb caresses my nape. It’s not the most intimate touch in the world, but his warmth makes my entire body tingle. Immediately, I’m ready to do anything he asks. I’m amused and shocked by my reaction to him. We hardly know each other, yet his touch is electric.
Axel studies me as he takes a long, slow drink ofmyalcohol concoction. I watch his throat work to swallow my drink. He puts my cocktail back on the table, and my eyes move up to his lips. Axel licks the froth from his lips while emitting a low, “Mmm”.
Grab a ladle and scoop me up because I just melted. I’m now a worthless puddle, and I cannot be held responsible for my actions if Axel doesn’t move away from me soon.
To my dismay and delight, he moves in closer. I’m engulfed with his heat and tantalized by his scent. His lips are a hair away from touching my ear. I suppress a shudder when he starts to whisper.
“If you want me to be a gentleman, you must stop looking at me like that.” He seals the statement with a sweet kiss on my temple.
My body throbs like he’d just done the naughtiest thing. A simple peck has me wanting to beg him to cancel his meeting and do me instead. Our eyes lock, and I’m sure I’m about to say something unsavory when Bodhi—my savior—arrives with my food. Albeit, my food is not as appetizing as Axel. I look at my plate for a moment. Maybe he’ll let me eat my fries off his chest.
“Bodhi, I have to run now. Box up the rest and send it up to me, please. Be sure to add them to my tab for the week. Charge everything they need to 1101. Get them a fresh round of drinks.”
With a quick squeeze of my knee, Axel is gone just as fast as he arrived. I watch his retreating form as he casually slips his hand in the pocket of his shorts while he yaps on his cellphone. It didn’t take much for his long legs to eat up the floor and carry him out of our line of vision. I reach for a fry and nibble on it thoughtfully, reflecting on my interaction with Axel until I realize my friends are abnormally quiet.
A cursory glance in their direction confirms my worst fears. My girls’ faces are pulled into matching bewildered expressions. Now that they’ve witnessed the sexual chemistry I was trying to hide, first hand, I’ll never hear the end of it. I internally prepare myself for the nuclear attack on my personal life while displaying poised disinterest on my face.
“What?” I challenge with all the innocence I could muster.
“Don’t give us that bullshit,” Latoya huffs. “You know damn wellwhat’swhat! Are you sure you didn’t have a quickie?”
“Positive.” I roll my eyes. “I would have remembered if I had sex within the last few hours.”
“Either way. The sexual tension between you two is crazy,” Keri interjects before sipping her water.
“You are so getting fucked this week.”
“Latoya!” we sigh in unison as Bodhi places fresh drinks on the table. The slight tug at his lips is a firm indication that he’d heard her.
“I’m just saying,” she continues once he left. “I’ve been telling you for almost a year that the best way to get over a man is to hop on a new one. I’m calling you Stella because you’re about to get your groove.”
I take a gulp of my drink, savoring the taste of rum and pineapple. I need to clear my thoughts and respond properly. “First, I’m not under Dre. I would not want him even if he were single because I know how cruel he can be to people. Second, if Axel and I—”
“When,” both say in annoying unison.
“What?”
Keri shrugs. “I’m sorry, Heaven, I have to agree with Latoya, no matter how terrible her vocabulary. The way Axel and you look at each other, it’s not a question ofifyou will hook up—it’swhen. I halfway thought it would happen in this booth.”
