Again, he shot me a grin that showed off his perfect, sparkly teeth. “Nothing to wear might be of interest...”
I swatted at him. “Stop it. I don’t have time for your shenanigans.”
“Where you off to?”
Suddenly, I felt nervous. Was he going to make fun of me? Would he even care? He tapped his fingers on his chin, as if he was waiting for an answer. Reluctantly, I sighed, lowered my voice to a notch above a whisper, and beamed. “I have a date.”
“A date?” He paused. “Tonight?”
“Yes! And I’m late thanks to the extra innings. Good game by the way,” I rushed out, aware of the time it was taking for this conversation to happen.
He gave me a once over; his eyes dropped down to my grease-stained Toronto Twisters t-shirt. I’d spilled one of the ointments earlier. I caught the way he lingered on the spot just above my breast where the glaring stain was despite my attempts to remove it. Annoyed, I pushed past him. “Forget it. Maybe I can see what the gift shop has.”
“How about ten minutes of extra massages.”
Pausing mid-stride, I turned back to him. “Ten minutes?”
“That’s the deal.”
“Fine,” I said, nodding toward his duffel.
He opened his bag, holding up a classic white button down and a navy blue one. I knew him well enough to know that on game days he always carried a spare. I snatched the white one. I hated that it smelled great. His cologne lingeredsoftly despite it having a laundry scent. It was a toxic mix that sent unnecessary warmth to my lady bits.
Not having any time, I ducked in the bathroom, ripped off my dirty shirt, and squished into his, having to leave a few of the top buttons opened. I couldn’t quite fit my boobs in. Josh was well built, but my double D’s weren’t getting in this, no matter what I did. It didn’t fit quite right and it was obvious. I tied a knot at the side of it. Cinching it tighter, somehow making it smaller and still making my boobs scream,over here. Not bad.
Leaving the bathroom, I noticed Josh was still there. “Thanks.”
“Your tits are going to stretch it out.” He grinned, watching me.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get you another one.”
“Nah, I think it’s better on you.” He winked.
My face flushed.Was he flirting with me?I waved him off and raced out the door, not wanting to give his sudden niceness another thought. Nice Josh was dangerous. I had learned that long ago, when no one was around and the pressure was off. Josh could be surprisingly sweet and attentive, not that he showed that to many people, but I had caught a rare glimpse and that led to... Never mind. That was something that never should have happened and certainly not something I needed to be reminded of before my date.
As I practically sprinted to the restaurant, I arrived out of breath and sticky from the humidity. I glanced at my reflection in the window to see my hair was matted to my head and I had a sheen of sweat across my forehead.Wonderful. Once inside, the place was jammed. I already knew not to bother with reservations when it was first come, first serve on game days and weekends.
“Food delivery pick-up is to the right.” The snarky hostess pointed her bony finger to the right when I approached.
“I’m looking for someone.”
Her perfectly sculpted, pencil-thin eyebrow raised as she glanced over my loosely knotted shirt and denim cutoffs. My cheeks heated before my anger flared.
“Don’t judge,” I snapped.
She bit her lip and waved her hand around the room. “Go ahead.”
Before I even attempted to, I raced into the bathroom to see if I could salvage myself.What a first date this would be. Wetting the top of my hair, I searched in my purse for a clip. Twisting it back and pulling it up, I brushed the short bangs that wouldn’t go in for a somewhat-done look. I fanned myself to cool down before I swiped my red lipstick across my lips, then spritzed a tiny bit of travel perfume I always kept in my purse.Much better.
I lapped once around the bar, but there was no sign of Alexander. Checking my phone for the hundredth time, it was 10:15 and there were still no messages. I plopped into an empty seat by the bar and sent one last text.
I’m so sorry, I got out of work late. But I’m here.
Nervously, I set the phone down, hoping and waiting for an answer.
The bartender came over. “Drink?”
I hesitated, wondering if I should order a pre-drink and wait for Alexander. My nerves needed a little something. Fuck it. “Vodka and cranberry. Extra vodka.”
