He glanced at my feet, and a smirk lit his face up. “I gotcha, ma.”
“What?”
“I can do it.”
“Hell no. Ashton, you’re not getting near my feet.”
“You don’t trust me?”
“No.”
“Trust me. I got you. Go get your stuff. Let me do one toe, and if I fuck up, I’ll owe you six months’ worth of pedicures.”
Smirking, I thought that might just be worth the risk. “You’ve got yourself a deal.” I raced upstairs and left him laughing behind me. When I returned with my equipment, I set everything out and did a dance while he filled the foot basin with water and essential oils.
I sat down and soaked my feet while he talked about practice. When I finished soaking my feet, Ashton massaged them. I relaxed in my chair and closed my eyes. I wiggled my toes in his hands as I moaned.
“You’d better stop that shit, li’l bit.”
“Stop what?” I asked, blinking my eyes open and propping myself up on my elbows.
“That moaning and shit. I know we agreed to be friends, but I am a man, . . . a recently divorced one at that.”
“Oop!” I declared, slapping my hand over my mouth.
He chuckled and shook his head. “You’re a damn mess, ma.”
“I’m sorry. I just didn’t expect it to feel so good.”
“Hooping ain’t my only skills.”
“No doubt.”
He lifted his eyebrow, and a slow smile slid over his lips as he revealed even rows of beautiful teeth. Ashton licked his lips and stated, “I think I’m ’bout to call your ass trouble. They warned me about you.”
“Whatever they said couldn’t hold a candle to the reality of me.”
“Yeah, I’m starting to realize that. Let me find out your li’l ass been the one who’s been stalking me for this dick, Chanel.”
“I wouldn’t stalk you. I’m like TLC. I ain’t too proud to beg for what I want.”
“I see what you’re trying to do.”
“What?”
“Trying to get me to fuck up this pedicure so you can get six months’ worth of free ones.”
“And you’re trying to talk me out of where this conversation was going.”
“Not trying to talk you out of shit, ma. Not even them panties. When I get ready to get in them, there will be no doubt about what I’m doing.”
“I think you’d better get to work on this pedicure, sir. Because if you’re not trying to talk me out of my panties, you’re about to be in a world of trouble. They’re more soaked than my feet right now.”
“Nasty ass,” he replied.
I threwthe covers off me and headed downstairs to the kitchen. I had trouble sleeping because of what had gone down between Chanel and me. There was a lot of intentional flirting between the two of us, and while I was officially divorced, I was troubled about the implications of me messing with her.
I knew that if something jumped off, it wouldn’t be casual for me. I didn’t know about Chanel, but I didn’t do casual. Although I was protective, there was only so much hiding her that I could do before someone figured it out.
