Chapter 12
Bex
“You’re wearing that?” Ally’s pointed question stops me as I walk from the kitchen back to my room, a bottle of wine and a glass in my hand. Her words have me glancing down at what I’m wearing—a pair of sweats and my favorite tank top—and then second guessing my outfit choice.
“So?”
Ally rolls her eyes, sighing. “Isn’t this the first time he’s seen you in a week?”
I peek at my phone to check the time—Corey should be calling me in a few minutes. “Yeah…”
She shrugs. “I guess it’s fine, but last week you were grinding your pussy on his face, and now you’re like… all comfy, cozy.It’s like whiplash.” Ally returns her focus to the smutty romance book she’s reading, disregarding the stunned expression on my face.
I hesitate, waiting to see if there’s more to be critiqued about my outfit, before heading into my room and locking my door. Not that I’m expecting anything inappropriate to happen on this call with Corey, but I want zero interruptions. I’ve been looking forward to this for days, and the promise of seeing Corey’s face tonight pulled me through one of the most challenging shifts I’ve had at Bravado yet.
I slide onto my bed, lying on my stomach, prop my phone up on my pillows, and wait. He said he would call around 9 p.m. and it is a few minutes after. The longer I lie here, the more I overthink Ally’s comment, and just when I start to convince myself to put on something else, my phone begins to buzz.
Thoughts about my appearance vanish as I swipe to answer Corey’s call, shoving my bluetooth headphones in my ears in a rush.
My heart stutters as his handsome face takes up the screen of my phone. Internally, I’m cursing myself for not getting the largest possible phone screen the last time I upgraded, because this man needs to be so much larger than this little screen right now. His freshly showered hair is a bit longer on the top than the last time I saw him. When he smiles, the laugh lines around his eyes are more pronounced and they trace a trail to the salt and pepper streaks at his temples. Corey is so fucking handsome, and I feel a physical pang in my heart.
“Hey, gorgeous,” he says, his tone laced with exhaustion.
“Corey.” That’s all I’m able to say. Simply breathe out his name because all the words I had planned to say over the last twenty-four hours have vanished out of my brain and into thin air. His eyes are so warm and comforting—I would be content to simply sit here and stare at him.
“You look so beautiful, Bex,” he says, eyes wide with appreciation.
“Certainly not my finest look,” I say, pushing myself up to sit back on my feet. My phone slips at my movement, so I lean down to straighten it.
“I absolutely disagree,” Corey groans. “Stay right there, yeah… just like that.”
I’m leaning down, one hand holding my phone in place and the other on my hip. In this position, it looks like I’m kneeling and looking down at my phone… giving Corey the perfect view of my cleavage.
“Oh, I see why you like this look,” I say, deciding to pick my phone up and roll onto my back. This is less comfortable, having to hold the phone above my face, but surely—Corey shakes his head, chuckling. The sound elicits butterflies in my belly, and I take a deep breath. “Okay, what now?”
“I don’t want to tell you, baby, because then you’ll move. And I like this view better.”
Baby.Hearing that word from his mouth, directed toward me, sends those butterflies soaring into a frenzied flight. “What’s so special about this view?” I’m teasing him, but his dark eyes are sparkling, so I know he’s enjoying this.
“I’ll have to show you the next time we’re together,” he says. “How was your day?”
I shrug, not wanting to get into details about the customers who stiffed me all day and the bachelor party that was a bit too handsy. “It was… fine. It was okay. Just another day, serving drinks and living the dream.” I’m unable to keep the bitterness from my tone, and Corey pounces on it.
“Bex, if I ask you a question, can you give me an honest answer?”
“Of course.” We barely know each other—hell, I have customers I’ve known longer than him, and I’m talking about my regulars—but there’ssomething about him that draws me to a place of safety and comfort. And, who are we kidding, insane horniness. But talking to him like this, about something mundane, like how my day went? It feels vulnerable, but my gut says “yes” to him, every time.
“If you could do anything you wanted with your life, reality and expectations be damned… what would you do?”
Well shit, that’s a good question, and absolutely not what I was expecting him to ask. “That’s… a pretty deep question,” I say, smiling as I reach for the wine. “One that I can answer better once I sip some of this.”
“Mmmm, good idea. Let me grab something to drink,” he says, setting his phone down on what looks to be a counter. As he steps away, I almost drop the glass I’ve just poured.
“Holy shit, Corey! You look… incredible.” I stutter through the words because I’m so taken aback at the sight of his muscled chest and arms, the smattering of hair across his chest, and then down beneath his navel where… of-fucking-course, there’s a perfectly sculpted V pointing directly to his low hanging gray sweatpants. My blush deepens when I see the way he’s smirking at me, at my reaction.
“Ah, c’mon, sugar. Nothing you haven’t seen of me before… right?”
I take a large sip of wine before shaking my head. “I haven’t lied to you, Corey. I, er, haven’t looked up any of your work since I met you.” He narrows his eyes slightly, trying to call my bluff. “I swear! Britney and Ally, well, they’re another story. I’m sure they’ve seen all your greatest scenes by now.”
