Ryder raised his glass as I approached, and I nodded as I moved past him, making my way to the bar. This section of the club played softer music, making the room a hell of a lot easier to work when trying to meet a girl. A decadent space of glamour and sophistication, the café featured its own garden in the center of the room, colorful horseshoe lounge suites and European themed tables and chairs. I barely paid the guys any attention as my eyes swept the room in search of tonight’s preferred flavor. I found her in the way of a tall, lithe blonde with legs made to be wrapped around my waist. I bought Holly a drink, we flirted and laughed, and three hours later, I held my door open as she stepped into my apartment. Twenty-three minutes later, I used the excuse that I needed to grab a condom from the bathroom to give myself the timeout I needed. I sat on the side of the bathtub with my head in my hands as I cringed over the disaster my night had turned into. I couldn’t even look at Holly as I worked her body into a state of sexual need, and even with my eyes closed with Andi’s image in my head, every time Holly moaned or spoke it killed the illusion I was trying to create. I turned my phone over in my hand and sent an S.O.S. text to Ryder. Yeah, we guys did that shit too. My S.O.S. was responded to immediately. As Ryder rambled on about the amazing blow job he had just received in a shadowed corner of Provocateur, I feigned shock about the accident that had just seen my best friend admitted to hospital. I hung up on Ryder before he had time to finish explaining how amazing his orgasm had been; I really didn’t want to hear about someone else’s joy over their normal and healthy erection. My equipment had failed me, again. The stranger theory had crashed and burned. I could have popped a pill, but I wasn’t in the mood to play anymore. I was pissed off and confused. I politely apologized to Holly who seemed genuinely concerned about my hospital story. I actually felt bad for deceiving her like that, and when she offered me her cab so I could get to the hospital more quickly, I thought the big fella above might smite me on the spot for lying. As the door closed behind the beauty, I leaned my forehead against the cool wooden surface in frustration. What the hell was wrong with me? I needed to test my highly strung body on one more female, I needed to see Andi. I was so nervous about seeing her, you’d think I was going to be neutered, not possibly resurrected. What did it mean if my body responded to Andi and Andi only? It was like being forced into an arranged marriage by my dick. Perhaps she had a divine *? I shook my head with frustration, ripped the sheets off my bed that Holly’s pungent perfume clung to, and collapsed on top of the bare mattress. Would being with Andi be all that bad? She was hot in that girl next door kind of way. There was only one way to know; I’d have to man up and go see her.
I inevitably avoided Andi for another two weeks. Two weeks of thinking about her, wondering about my body’s reaction to her. It was seven o’clock on a Thursday evening and I knew she was home, the light in her upstairs apartment spilled down on me. I had a pizza in one hand and a few groceries in the other. I had no idea what the groceries were about, but I had stopped at the store on the corner to grab some Pepsi and ended up throwing a few essentials into a basket. Andi had been here for over two weeks now. Surely in that time she had gone and bought herself some groceries. I should have called her before now; she might have needed a ride to the store. Surely she would have called me if she did. Screw it, I was going to feed her and fill her cupboards. I had never felt the need to feed or care for a woman outside the bedroom before. The enigma over my response to Andi was confusing, but I found myself curious enough to simply try running with it. Before I chickened out and walked away, I banged hard on the front door. A moment later, the light in the store flicked on and Andi smiled from the other side of the window. She opened the lock and pulled open the door. Her gaze zeroed in on the pizza.
“Food,” she growled, grabbing the box from my hand.
“You’re welcome.” I chuckled, following her inside. I watched her climb the stairs to her apartment, her ass level with my eyes. A perfect, little ass that had fit easily into my hands when she had climbed my torso in her rodent induced panic more than two weeks ago. My heart pounded hard at the sight and memory of that ass. Less than a minute with her and my body was already reacting to her.
“I sure wasn’t expecting to see you on my doorstep,” Andi confessed as we stepped into the studio.
“I was in the area and thought I’d stop by to see if you’d eaten.” Unlike the day I dropped her off, the apartment was now fully furnished. She still had some unpacking to do, boxes were sprawled from one end to the other, the furniture arranged haphazardly. Her bed caught my eye first, of course. It was a king with a wrought iron headboard, great for holding onto or tying someone to. Yes, male, one track mind, I know. A cozy looking white quilt covered the bed, with half a dozen or more pillows of varying colors taking up the better half of it. I still couldn’t fathom why women did that. Pillows that ended up on the floor each night, only to be picked back up and sit unused on the bed the next day. Complete waste of time and pillows.
“I like a big bed. I kinda like to sprawl,” Andi said through a mouthful of pizza.
I tore my gaze away from the bed and took in the small living area that was consumed with one big-ass couch that sat in front of a flat screen TV that was currently leaning against the wall. A small square oak table, that had seen better days, with four chairs, each a different style and color, sat in the kitchen area. An old-school bright red, retro style fridge was humming away softly. By the enormous arched window sat a big brown leather recliner and a small table with an antique style lamp. A big, fluffy white rug was thrown on the floor in front of the window, and on the opposite wall was a pile of solid wood. I nodded towards the mess and arched a brow. “Oh, that’s my bookshelf. It’s kinda heavy, and I might need some help assembling it,” she somehow managed to get out through another mouthful of food.
“I’ll give you a hand after dinner, if you feel up to it that is. Don’t feel that you’re being rude if you want me to go; you might have plans or something.” Andi watched me curiously as I put the groceries on the counter in the kitchen.
“No plans. Don’t really know anyone to make plans with. You went shopping?” she asked, not even attempting to hide the surprise in her voice. Hell, I was surprised.
“Yep, I needed a few things so I grabbed you some stuff. You’ve probably already done a grocery run, but I figured since I was at the store I might as well grab a few things.”
“I haven’t really done the grocery thing, I’ve been living off pizza, hotdogs, and cereal.” She was quiet as I began putting things away. “I don’t get it,” she said.