Minnie giggles. “You never know what you’re going to see after midnight at the Waffle Ho.”
I don’t even have to ask Minnie again about going to the hotel with me. As soon as I toss some cash on the table, she links her fingers with mine and asks, “Do you have condoms?”
My cock surges as if she summoned him with those four little words, the dire need pulsing behind my zipper.
“No, but there’s a pharmacy next door.” I remember I told her I was staying in the room, and before she can question my lack of luggage once we get there, I say, “My bag is still in my brother’s room.” Which is the truth. Only we were all supposed to share a suite at the luxury hotel next to the nightclub.
We enter the all-night pharmacy, and Minnie begins tugging on her dress again. I stop her fidgeting with my hands over hers. “You look perfect, sweetheart.”
In the bright fluorescent lighting, her blush is evident, and it’s about the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen. I wonder if her chest flushes when she comes. I’m damn sure about to find out.
The condoms are locked behind a glass case, and when I call over a clerk and point at the gold and black box containing three extra-large sized prophylactics, Minnie lifts her brows at me.
“A little ambitious, aren’t we?”
I give her a grin that’s admittedly cocky, and I pat her ass. “Youwon’t be saying that in about ten minutes, Minnie.” Then to the clerk, I say, “Changed my mind. Get me the six-pack.”
After grabbing a phone charger and paying for the items, we turn right out of the pharmacy and walk another block toward the red, white, and blue hotel sign. But before we get there, Minnie stops, her hazel eyes shining.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, and she points at the small convenience store before tugging on my hand to lead me inside. “Why are we going in here?”
“Lottery tickets,” she replies. “We have to get lottery tickets after eating at Waffle Ho.”
I don’t ask her why. I simply go with it because it seems to make her happy.
The store is dingy, and the soles of my shoes make squelching noises as we walk up to the counter. I do my best not to think about what could possibly be the source of the stickiness.
Minnie scans the plexiglass cases filled with colorful scratch-offs. “Hmm, do you have a preference?” she asks, looking up at me.
I’ve never bought a lottery ticket in my life, so I defer to her. “You pick.”
She nibbles on her bottom lip, driving me absolutely insane because I want to be the one tasting her. Then a wide grin breaks over her face. “We’ll take two Big Wieners,” she announces to the clerk, and I choke on my own spit. Minnie simply wiggles her eyebrows at me suggestively. God, she’s fucking cute.
The man tiredly pulls two tickets featuring a large cartoon hot dog at the top from the dispenser. When I try to pull out my wallet, Minnie stops me with a hand on my arm.
“Let me. You’ve already bought me drinks and breakfast. I want to buy these.” When I open my mouth to protest, she does this damn puppy dog eyes thing, and I push out a sigh.
“How about I buy yours and you buy mine?”
She smiles softly. “I like that idea.”
We each slap down two dollars on the counter, and Minnie takes our purchase. There’s a sign that reads, “No scratching lotto tickets on counter,” so we head outside.
Minnie retrieves two coins from her purse and gives me one before holding up the two tickets facing her like she’s a magician doing a card trick. “Pick one,” she orders.
I choose the one on the left, and we proceed to scratch off the small hot dogs scattered across the thick paper.
“I got three mustards,” I announce, checking the bottom of the ticket for the key to see I’ve won five dollars. I absolutely don’t need five dollars, but winning still gives me a little thrill.
Minnie finishes her scratching and shimmies her shoulders. “I got three pickles.” Her smile is radiant when she looks up at me. “Fifty smackers. I guess we’re each other’s lucky charms.”
I can’t help myself. I pull her close to me and kiss her right there on a downtown Houston street. Because I do feel lucky to be with this gorgeous woman tonight. She takes joy in the simplest of things, and seeing her smile makes my heart ache with happiness. I have no idea what that’s even about. We only met a few hours ago, but there’s something about her that draws me in, makes me want to talk to her for hours.
The kiss goes on so long, two cars honk as they’re passing by, and we finally break apart with a laugh when we hear hooting from another passing vehicle. We look toward the street to see a limousine passing by with a group of girls hanging out the sunroof.
“Get you some, girlfriend,” one of them yells, and Minnie waves like they’re old friends.
“I plan to!” she hollers back, drawing catcalls from the women as their limo turns at the next corner. When Minnie looks up at me from beneath her lashes, her smile is so damn flirty and sexy it almost drops me to my knees. “You heard the lady,” she says, pulling me toward the hotel next door.
