EMILY
“I have to admit…” I start, running my tongue between my lips as I lower my gaze, looking straight at my glass as I swirl the wine inside. “I wasn’t expecting for you to, hm, be wearing a thong.”
“Oh,” he says, and I can’t help but feel bad for what I just said. I just had to bring it up again. Why the hell can’t I forget about that… mishap? “Don’t worry about that. I’ll be better today,” he continues, and I feel as if a heavy weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Maybe that thong thing was just a hiccup in what might turn to be a good thing? I sure hope so.
“Great,” I reply, looking straight into his eyes and smiling back at him. I take the glass to my lips and take a little sip, allowing the oaky wine to coat my tongue. “I was actually enjoying what we were doing last time…” I tell him, my heart picking up the pace as his lips curl into a wicked grin.
“I noticed,” he whispers, going up to his feet and closing the distance between the two of us; sitting down by my side, he places one hand softly on my knee, and I tremble slightly as I feel the warmth of his fingers. “And you’ll enjoy it today, I’m sure of that…”
“You’re pretty confident,” I chuckle, and he takes a while to reply. He just looks at my lips, almost as if he’s imagining their flavor, and only then does he continue to speak.
“I feel sexy today,” he laughs, his fingers now brushing against the hemline of my dress. “Not as sexy as you are, though.”
“Oh, stop it,” I laugh, although I’m appreciating every word that comes out of his mouth. He might have a weird preference when it comes to underwear (at least that last time), but he sure knows how to warm up a woman. In fact, I think I’m about to give him another chance.
Things went well during dinner, as he was his usual charming self, and now that we’re sharing a bottle of wine at the hotel’s bar… Well, things are looking up, I’d say. And when I say ‘things are looking up’, what I mean is that I’m about to invite him up, and that quite literally. You see, I called the W Hotel in advance and booked a room.
Just in case, sure, but my forward thinking is about to pay its dues.
“What do you say we take it upstairs?” I tell him, my heart starting to pick up the pace.
“Do you want me to go and get a room?” he proposes, and I just grin at him.
“No need.”
“Oh,” he whispers, grinning back at me. “That was smart of you.” Going up to his feet, he offers me his hand and I take it. We walk arm-in-arm out of the bar and head straight to the elevator; there, I press the button that’ll take us to the top floor and the doors close in on us.
This time he doesn’t seem to be in the mood for waiting. The moment the doors close, he turns to me and pushes me back against the wall. Our mouths find their ways to each other, and we surrender to a frenzied kiss, our tongues running circles around one another.
Oh, screw the room.
Reacting on instinct, I throw my hand to the side and hit the red STOP button over the panel. The elevator halts to a stop in a matter of seconds, and I don’t hesitate; I place my hands on his chest, and this time I’m the one pushing him back against the wall. Then, I lower myself slowly, my eyes never leaving his.
When my knees finally touch the floor, my thong is so wet that I can feel it sticking it to my skin. Oh, I can’t wait to be inside a room with him… But, for now, I want my appetizer served right here and right now.
I start reaching for his pants when I stop, my hand hovering over his pants. Do I really want to be doing this? After all, Freeway isn’t my first choice… If I could choose, Kirk would be the one in here with me.
Maybe I should.
In fact, I definitely should stop.
But what the hell; Kirk hasn’t texted or called after he left that morning, and I sure as hell am not going to wait till the planets align for my shot at love. Kirk isn’t here now, but Freeway is… And I’m going to make the best out of it.
Laying my fingers on his belt, I run them over the leather and I only stop when I feel the cold metal of his buckle. Pursing my lips, I hold my breath and unbuckle it; slowly, I start pulling the zipper down and
Oh.
My. God.
Oh, not again.
This time he isn’t just wearing a thong. No, he has matching lace stockings as well. And they look expensive; he definitely had to shop around for something like this.
They’re lace. Black stockings. With fucking garter belts.
I shiver. Some part of my brain is wondering where he bought them. But I shut it down.
I can’t believe this is happening. Not again.
“Don’t I look sexy?” he asks me, and when I look into his eyes I can no longer see the charming man that was sweeping me off my feet. All I see is someone with a fetish that overpowers everything else.
Let’s get one thing straight, this isn’t about the fact that he’s wearing lingerie. Sure, it’s definitely weird, but what’s really weird is that he simply can’t help it. Even though he knew his thong freaked me out the last time we were together, he simply doubled down on a losing strategy.
Ok, I need to get out of here.
Jumping up to my feet, I press the OPEN button repeatedly, suddenly feeling short of breath.
“What’s wrong? I’ve put it on just for you,” he says, but I’m no longer hearing him.
The moment the doors slide open, I start running.
EMILY
I’m such a fucking idiot!
The moment Freeway told me he was feeling sexy, I should’ve known what it meant. But no, I was too enamored with his sweet talk, too preoccupied with feeling good about myself, and I ended up falling for it again… Gah, I feel so stupid right now!
All I wanted to do was forget about WineBar for a little bit. Forget how much I miss him.
Forget how much I love being with him.
I’m running down the hotel corridor like a lunatic, tears stinging my eyes, and I feel so mad I could tear my hair out. Even though this really isn’t about Freeway’s underwear preferences, that’s definitely the straw that broke the camel’s back.
I just can’t stand the fact that he knew I wasn’t into it, and then he straight-up lied! Ugh, if only WineBar had called, texted or, hell, even sent me a fucking message in a bottle…! Anything would do. Then I wouldn’t have to go on dates with a guy that wears female lingerie.
Everything would be so much easier if Kirk wasn’t part of the equation, wouldn’t it? If I didn’t care about WineBar, it’d be easy to forget about him. But, thing is… I’ve fallen for him. No, let me be even more precise; I love him. I really do. Of course, lucky as I am, the first man I ever truly loved had to be someone who’s as afraid of a commitment as I once was.
I thought that I knew everything there was to know about relationships and men but, oh, I was so wrong! It’s kinda stupid of me to say it, since I’m a romance author… But that’s life for you. It whacks you in the head as hard as
it can, and it messes you up real good.
“Emily, wait!” I hear Freeway shout behind me, his heavy footsteps reaching me fast. I look back over my shoulder to see him racing down the corridor and, even though there’s no need for me to run away from him, I simply can’t stop myself. And so I run even faster.
He has already pulled his pants back up, thankfully, and so I’m spared the sight of him coming after me wearing nothing but a thong and stockings. As funny of an image as that may sound, let me assure you, there really isn’t anything funny about it. Sure, it’d probably make for a good YouTube video, but I bet you wouldn’t like to be in my Christian Louboutins right now.
Cutting a corner fast, I start racing down a flight of stairs, and I only ease my pace when I march through the lobby. I draw a few surprised looks from the receptionists and guests of the hotel, but this is San Francisco; no one really cares.
Running out through the main doors of the hotel, I finally stop and take a deep breath of the evening air. The cold air rushes into my lungs and, for a moment, all the stress and anxiety subsides. But then I hear him again.
“Emily!” He calls after me, stepping out onto the street. “You’ll like it!” He insists, reaching for me with one hand, but I just slap it away.
“Don’t touch me!” I cry out, perhaps more dramatically than needed. He seems a little surprised by my reaction, and so I just take the opportunity to start running again. And I do it as if my life depended on it.
Fuck! Why does everything always turns into a big mess? I don’t know if it’s my fault, Kirk’s fault, or God’s fault. All I know is that this whole situation makes absolutely no sense. I should be with Kirk right now, not running through the streets while I’m being chased down by a guy wearing stockings and a thong. Seriously, when did this go from a romance to a dark comedy?
Jesus, there are tears streaming down my face! And I don’t even remember when the last time I cried!
“Emily!” Freeway calls me again, and once more I look back over my shoulder. He’s still running after me, and so I cut to the left and start doubling back to the hotel. Maybe if I get to the room I’ve booked he’ll leave me alone.
“Crap!” I mutter, feeling something vibrate inside my purse. Slowing down my pace, I somehow manage to take my phone from the inside. My heart almost stops when I see why the screen has lighted up; Kirk is
calling me.
Talk about timing.
Awkwardly, I slide my thumb over the screen and press the phone against my ear. I’m about to start talking, but Kirk’s faster than me.
“Emily, I miss you so fucking much. I don’t want to waste a minute longer. I need to see you,” he tells me in one single breath, and that’s when I stop running. I don’t even care if Freeway catches up with me. Right now, I feel invincible.
“Please, say that again,” I ask him, a sob making my whole body shake. I wipe the tears away from my face as he repeats his words, more slowly this time, and it feels as if the world has finally started making sense again.
“I need you now,” I tell him, closing my eyes for a second and savoring the moment.
“That makes two of us. Where can I meet you?”
“Meet me at the W Hotel, and please, make it fast,” I beg him, and then I just throw the phone inside my purse. Thank God Freeway isn’t as athletic as Kirk, or else he’d be upon me this very moment. Lucky for me, he has stopped at the end of the street, one hand against the wall as he tries to catch his breath. Maybe he can’t run fast while wearing stockings, I think, and I almost burst out laughing.
Instead, I just turn on my heels and start head back to the hotel. My happy ending is within my reach, I can feel it.
And I’ll be damned if I’ll let it slip away from me again.