Instead, I flip the tie around, and it first hits my face then his. He laughs, and I giggle. Giving me the sweetest smile, Alex watches me closely. It’s then that I decide to be a little flirty. I pull the tie ends toward me to bring him closer. I’d like to say that he was looking in my eyes at the time, but I can’t. His eyes are staring right at my chest. I use my finger to lift his chin.
“My eyes are up here,” I say, laughing. I lean in and kiss him softly on the lips. It feels perfect.
“I can’t help it, Stella. Jesus, your tits are amazing in that dress.”
I choke, surprised at his use of the word “tits.”
“Sorry, that was a little vulgar. I’ll watch my mouth.”
I don’t mind, really. I probably should, but he said it in such a genuine way––like he was in awe of them or something.
When I’m finished with his tie, Alex stands at his full height. “You look so handsome, Alex.” And he does.
“Let me get your door, princess.” He pulls his keys fob from his pocket and presses the unlock button. As he opens my door, I turn to get into the truck, but the seat is at about eye level for me. I look down to see if there are some steps to lead me up but no such luck. Just then I feel big hands on my waist lifting me up, up, up. I climb into the truck and slide into the seat. He’s next to me before I get the chance to reach for my seat belt. His face is in my cleavage. Coincidence? I think not. I start to laugh.
“Pix, I can’t help it. I’m only human, for God’s sake. All I want to do is bury my face in there for the rest of my life.”
Oh goodness!
He shuts my door and runs around to the driver’s side, hopping into the truck easily. When the engine rumbles, he slides the shifter into drive and off we go.
“I thought I’d take you to a new steak place out in Oak Park. One of the guys said it was excellent and there are a lot of choices on the menu, so you don’t have to eat steak if you don’t want to. Is that okay?”
“Sure. That sounds good.” Steak sounds great.
As we drive, Alex tells me a little bit about the team meeting and the big game against the University of Iowa next weekend. He tells me my tickets will be at the Will Call window at the stadium under my name. It’s also the moment he warns me, “You’ll be sitting with my parents.”
“Y-Your parents?” I stutter.
“Yep, they have my other two tickets. Each team member gets four.”
“What about your sister? Doesn’t she want to see youplay?”
“Nah. She’s too busy with her high school stuff to want to watch her big brother play football. Besides, I want my girl to have my tickets.”
“If you’re sure?”
“Positive. Plus, your dad will get a kick out of the seats. They’re pretty good.”
“Oh, he will. He’s really excited. Thanks for doing all of that, by the way. You didn’t have to talk to him about, err, us.”
“I wanted to, Stella. It’s not right that they didn’t believe you.”
“I know.” It’s all I can say before we pull into the restaurant parking lot. He finds a parking spot in the back of the lot with space enough for his huge truck.
I reach for my door handle but hear him say, “Don’t even think about it.”
“What?”
“I’m coming around to help you out. Sit tight.”
I sit tight as he jogs around the truck, opens my door, and steps up again to unbuckle me.
“I am capable of unbuckling myself, you know?” He ignores this little outburst as he slowly releases the belt, watching it slide back over my chest. Seriously? I’m starting to think he’s kind of a pervert which for some reason, makes me laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.”
