SWEET SPOT

U

tly, all it took was some guy

inded me, gently removing m

period for that,” I muttered. There was

r gotten out the

onceded as we followed

nt almost half of them having glanced up at Lia as she walked

me a new angle of her knockout curves and each

as I held out her chair, watching her smoot

s from her. “I’ve never been here before. I mean of course I hav

n the West Village. Or a

y n

frow

ike to stay close to home. There’s never a mome

ered the

tart your own company. The b

er smile gleaming at the s

fice so it never really feels like I’m off. It always feels like I’m supposed to b

rched in her hand, her finger running lightly down the p

finally. “What did you do

job experience I had so that’s w

are you

sic getting to know you dance? Just to remind you, this isn’t

ut. I’ll use it if I feel the need.

y eye roll but I got a

wered. “Tiny town called War

ou didn’t li

a avoided my gaze as she went suddenly from the menu

ne jerk the whole time I was there. I le

long ago

a-half ye

a curious

with your boyfriend six m

t me. “What are yo

sic math,

d a shrug, she said, “Fuck it – yes. We went at leas

r. “I can’t even fu

fatho

ally interes

e a dry

d to watch porn and jerk off because that didn’t

stening to Lia orgasm, so I had genuine trouble picturing a man

I final

ll we change

yfriend. There had to be a reason you st

l about it if you tell me about

was Cam but the sexy look she gave me somehow

d. “Shall we or

olut

She was bouncing with the need to check out the big painting hanging on the back wall so I wound up watching with

yes that followed me in gazing at Lia’s backside. I rarely had the energy

her usual caution to admire a simple painting. Jesus

n every inch of the canvas, the same way I was so damned eager to d

to her seat. “It’s just so beautiful. I had to

you just use

rprise. “I thought I

let you. Tell me what was so captiv

reminded me of pictures I grew up seeing of the food markets in Spain. And I sell mo

o present, doing a quick taste and appro

been to

tterness mixed in the regret of her voice. “I want to though. Barcelona, in particu

’s t

of her neck. “I guess… this is a good

e and o

reaction for what she was about to say. “I met him

y sh

sure but they felt right at the time.” Lia stared at the wine tha

le-checked with a laugh. “It’s not at all interest

eresting,” I s

, letting out a pleasured

and I had a crush from day one so my friends pushed it. We started dating out of nowhere and it was a normal,

wned hard. “You do

ugh she took her time to. The first cours

s mom loved me like a daughter from the start. She was always cooking fancy dinners for me and I was always at their place, so it was kind of a natural

r face from the candlelight. “I had

rma

ere n

she wanted to ask me about

cally raised me. Her husband left her many, many years ago – way before I met her – but she was

even because of her husband. Because of the fo

honeymoon was so

. Barcelona,” sh

at

can

iled a

all day making just regular chocolate, dark chocolate truffles, almond truffles. We’d put saffron in it. Sometimes we’d make complete abomin

in a few years. Ritchie and I both went to the same college but then Gail

n an open flame and burn herself. Or she’d put a knife in the wr

heim

t from full-time student to part-time to dropout so I could be home to take care of her. Ritchie convinced me by saying I could take th

y. “That’s how it goes with fami

me guessing that she’d dealt with her

ess. Nothing great but it helped me feel less

oney, I wound up actually trying to make a business work. I bought nicer molds and equipment. I bought the domain and paid someone to do my designs and packaging. And it kind of grew… very slowly… but ev

g a finger over my bottom lip. “I have this sneaking suspici

my life that transparent or ar

“I can ju

hless, gold digging bitch

t to hear the rest

s. But really, he just talked about it during his few shifts a week at the clothing store he worked at

ng egr

ll this story pissed her off but she’d p

g I couldn’t imagine pu

cially to my costs. And once he did start contributing to the costs, he made me change the recipes and the flavors. He didn’t like ‘exotic’ stuff. And I went with it because I was just so relieved that he was finally footing some

s job the first week and spent the next ten months secretly pla

ck? Where was he getting the money to make

loan out

ed. “I’m goin

hat fake-it-till-

hained to that house. He never let me leave and he was so good at guilting me over everything. But I couldn’t imagine leaving Gail because I knew h

she died,” she f

didn’t have to say I was sorry

inched together as

out about Ritchie’s lies and my destroyed credit barely two weeks before Gail died. I broke up wi

rains,

son I stayed with Ritchie for so long and it was her. And my friends hated me for that. They though

ides… basically the kitchen in that house, the inside of Gail’s car and the tiny grocery store

ed them again, the tears remai

him since so much was under his name and I came here because I reached o

er story but I felt a hint

did you find my si

her laugh lif

for being loud and always fighting and making tons of noise. Basically, she bit the

fully

iend. And Rachel told everyone at her work about the great deal some sweet girl was giving for a beau

e with at the café when Jul

inted and rolled her eyes.

anywhere for a relative in a tough spot. My cousin told me about the apartment. I wrote a long, personal

ome good timing. I just figured she found you t

And I thank God basical

you,” I grinned. When Lia cocked

ond floor neighbor in Tess’s building saved her ass a lot. She can be a bit of a disaste

your fault?

where to begin with that answer. It started with our parents, of

self to think about it despite the fact that I’d promised an ev

torm that should be my life right now. The shit with Cam happ

normally, around this time, I’d be spiraling into my week of s

dark cloud I usual

ng it had least s

f I ask you something, will

N

for that answer to

check on the Cam story. I know I said I

ically sad but I didn’t give in. “That’s not fair. I onl

I smirked. “You’ll just h

asking me out o

this wasn

king me out on a

es

ps tur

t Cam. It’s probably for the better, anyway,” she said as

? How

date-like,” she said, eyeing me flirtatiousl

toward foreplay,” I said, taking a drink of my own. “Mi

ht bounced off those gorgeous shoulders

drink, licking the drop of red that clung t

You said you wanted to do tonight exactly as

apparently she was over that. She just waited fo

lled my first fa

ate your

lped.

your fir

l have been,”

his incompetence. What else ha

em of her wine gla

you,” I said with gravel in my voice – the same con

d got that pink in Lia’s cheeks that I liked, and

somewhere besides the bed. I’ve always wanted it… a little harder.” She drew

d, signaling the waiter so

dare!” Li

g to my cock. “We still have desse

le I bend you over this t

Not so

need to put my ha

want.” The naughty flicke

to wait till

over me right now. It had me resen

I said as the server c

r w

your dres

rver left. “Well, you’ve

lip. The sweetest, most fucking mischievous amusement

harder tonight. I was going to have her clawing the sheets off

ly sh

How many times I woke up already thinking about what I w

tten such vivid images of f

o the server when he came around

check with my eyes trained on her lips. Just watching them wrap around

ng to wait in the car,” I said. I hea

. She was go