emery
I delay taking the woman her sweet tea for as long as possible.
My stomach has been a turbine of disaster since the moment I laid eyes on her. She's trouble.
Despite knowing this and seeing it with my own eyes, I can't help but gravitate towards all that bad energy.
After bussing two tables and washing a few dishes, I know I've procrastinated enough. I don't want them to think I'm a bad waitress. I can't afford to lose this job.
With a deep breath, I reluctantly take the iced tea to their table. I flash them a smile that I pray doesn't betray my nerves.
"Can I get either of you anything else?" I say. "Your food should be out any minute."
"I have a question, actually," the man says.
My throat tightens. This doesn't mean the question is about me. It could be about anything.
"Sure, go ahead. I'll answer the best I can."
"You're new to Lemley, aren't you?" He states the question, more so than asks it.
I should shut this down. My whereabouts are none of this man's business.
Maybe he's just trying to be friendly, but, after what the woman told Brian, I don't want these people to know anything about me.
Unfortunately, I don't have it in me to do anything but answer with honesty.
"Yes, I've been here for a few weeks now," I tell him, forcing a tiny smile.
Someone else's gaze is burning a hole in my head, though. I instinctively flit my eyes to the raven beauty.
She remains quiet but somehow I sense the gravity of her thoughts. A storm is brewing behind those bright blue eyes.
"Anything other questions?" I ask, looking between them.
"Oh, yes." He hesitates and looks at his companion, who arches a thick black brow in response. "We could ask questions all day, frankly. We're curious about newcomers."
This does not sound good. My heart hammers against my ribs.
My mouth opens to respond, but no sound comes.
I don't want to further this conversation, lest they find a reason to expel me from Lemley. I can't bear the thought of having to go home or start all over again somewhere else.
A breeze rushes behind me, the air feeling down my exposed limbs. Then a hand lands on my arm.
Before I can turn, warm lips brush my ear.
"Their food is ready," Calla whispers. "If you need help, just signal me. Okay? She's looking extra bitchy today."
"Got it," I say, letting out a breath. She has no idea how much anxiety she just spared me from.
"I'll be right back with your food," I tell the pair without looking at either of them in the eye.
As I turn to head toward the kitchen, I swear I hear a faint growling noise. I halt in my tracks. The hair on my arms stands on end.
My eyes slowly slide back toward the table.
The woman is scowling. Then her eyes tick to mine and her face softens. Following her gaze to where it was, I see Calla talking at a table.
"Emery, I think that's all for now," the man says.
I look back just in time to see him reach across the table and grab one of the woman's hands. She hisses and yanks away.
I spin on my heel and bolt off.
Okay. What the fuck?
I definitely heard her hiss. What kind of person hisses?
I've heard rural people act a little feral, but this town isn't that rural.
I grab their food baskets and drag my feet back out to the dining area. I just want to get this entire exchange over with.
As I approach their table, the woman tenses. They're both grim and silent.
"Here's your food," I said. "Can I get either of you anything else?"
"No, this is perfect," the man replies. He stares down at his food but doesn't reach for his utensils.
The woman is glaring at me when I look at her. I nearly piss myself.
Jesus, she's intense.
I nod and excuse myself.
This is my opportunity to hide in the break room. I rush in and plop down on a chair. Leaning forward, I press my elbows into my knees and rake a hand through my hair.
My hands are still quivering with anxious after shocks. My staccato pulse thunders in my ears, a slight rasp in my lungs.
That mysterious woman makes me feel all kinds of things, most of which don't make sense.
I don't understand how I still feel electrified whenever I'm around her. I should despise her, but I don't.
The break room door whooshes open and Calla strides in. As she approaches, I sit straight and watch her near me.
She stops by my legs and drops into a squat between them. Smiling a little, she rests her elbows on my knees.
From this angle, I'm sure she can see my panties, but there's no way to squeeze her out now.
"How is it?" she presses. "What were they talking to you about?"
I shrug.
Telling her about our conversation doesn't seem like a good idea. If they are going to kick me out of town, I don't want Calla getting mixed up in the process.
"Just how I'm doing," I say. "They're just so intense."
"I want to kick her ass for what she did to Deja. And have you seen Brian? He's been AWOL on text and DMs."
Swallowing, I meet her honey-cocoa eyes. "He said he had to leave town, Calla. I don't think he's coming back anytime soon. He was spooked."
Her eyes widen. Jumping to her feet, she whirls around. "I'm going to kick that bitch's ass!" she shrieks.
I grab her arm and yank her into my lap. The gesture is automatic but, as she melts in my arms, apparently works.
"Em . . ." she whimpers. "What's going on?"
"I don't know." I press my face into her back with a long sigh. "I'm starting to wonder if Lemley is operated by a mafia or something."
"You think?"
"Maybe. You've been here longer than me."
She leans back into my embrace, wisps of her silky black hair tickling my face. "You feel nice."
"Uh. Thanks?"
With a laugh, she twists around in my lap to face me.
"What?" I ask.
"You're so cute. And clueless."
My jaw drops. "Clueless? About what?"
"How gay you are. Come on, dude. A straight girl would've already dropped my ass by now. You're still lingering."
I shift uncomfortably in the chair.
Am I lingering? I've always noticed girls' asses and boobs, but so what? Didn't every woman notice others?
It's not like I don't notice attractive men either. I've only had sex with men, anyway.
Then again, I've never had a woman hit on me or even remotely suggest more than platonic feelings.
My body feels on edge with Calla perched on me like this.
"This is hardly the place for this conversation," I say.
Just as the words leave my mouth, the break room door swings open.
Morgan busts in and stops short when she sees us.
Although my arms instantly fall away from her waist, Calla doesn't budge an inch from my lap.
"You have another table, Calla," says Morgan. The girl's eyes turn to me. "And yours is about finished, Em."
She rushes back out the door.
Calla sighs. "Don't think you're escaping this conversation. We are going to finish this later," she insists, rising to her feet. "You can't avoid it forever, dishie."
She gives me a once-over before walking out.
I blow out a heavy breath and shake my head.
My nipples are tingling in the hot confines of my bra. When I shift my hips, my pussy feels achy and heavy.
I need to get laid.
At this point, I don't care by whom.
After gathering myself, I march out to the Table of Doom.
The woman meets my gaze as I approach. Her lips are furrowed in an almost agitated scowl. That indelible smirk from before seems to have been forever lost.
I get the sense that the subject of her irritation is me. For some reason, that thought only adds to the mounting pressure in my lower region.
"How is everything?" I ask them.
"Wonderful," the man says.
The woman says nothing but looks away from me.
Glancing down at her plate, I see she's hardly touched her food.
Here is your ticket, whenever you're ready," I say and place it on the table. "Do you need a to-go box, ma'am?"
She stands up without a word and peers down into my eyes.
My stomach leaps into my throat and my pulse thunders away in my ears. I can't breathe.
The force of her gaze, the passionate emotion there, paralyzes me.
"Show me to the bathroom," she speaks lowly. At my hesitation, she growls again, louder this time. "Now."
A shiver rolls down my spine. I nod and clear my throat.
"Right this way," I say.
I walk quickly toward the back of the diner, hoping I might outpace her long legs by some chance. We reach the women's restroom and I test the door to make sure it's not locked.
Pulling it open, I turn to face the woman and gesture inside.
"Here you are—"
Her hands grab my uniform and jerk me inside the restroom.
The click of the lock makes me gasp. She presses me into the hard, cold surface of the wooden door and I wince at the cold pierces through the thin fabric of my clothes.
The woman's face is inches from mine. Her sapphire eyes blaze so hotly that goosebumps litter my skin.
My head hurts from the force of my frantic heartbeat.
Despite my growing panic, I can't deny the rush I feel at her rough, demanding behavior. Hear pulses straight to the sweet spot between my legs.
I breathe sharply through my nose to suppress a moan.
Her growl is thunderous this time, rattling me down to my bone. She slams her palm against the door over my head.
My eyes fly shut as I flinch away from her.
The following silence forces my eyes open again.
Some of the tension leaks from her body as our gazes lock. Her eyes still seem to glow, seething with raw energy and emotion.
Breathing deeply, she runs her other hand slowly down my side.
"I can't tolerate this," she mutters. Her breath is scalding against the shell of my ear. "I can't watch her touch you. I can't watch you flirt." Her teeth are clenched as she grits out, "I can't sit idly by while someone other than me is alone with your gorgeous little body."
I swallow dryly and remember to blink.
My brain must be short-circuiting because I can't determine whether I should be cowering, running, or sticking my tongue down this woman's throat.
She strokes a hand through my hair with an appreciative hum. "I know you don't understand this yet, so I'm going to make it very clear. You're mine. You belong to me, Emery. Each and every part of you is mine."
She pulls back to look into my eyes and I feel like an ocean wave is rising over me, about to plunge and steal my breath away.
"Your beautiful face. Your heart. And most of all, your sweet little cunt."
She chuckles, her voice sinfully smooth and rich.
"Don't even entertain the idea of being more than friends with that bitch. If she kisses you one more, I swear to all unholy things that I will do much worse than banish her from this town."
Her eyes flash down to my lips before settling back on my eyes.
"Are we clear, baby girl?"
Heat consumes every inch of my skin.
I'm sweating through my uniform and I have most certainly creamed my panties.
Her breasts push against me, the hardness of her nipples scraping against my chest.
I'm trying to concentrate on her words, but it's so fucking hard when all I can think about is how she said cunt and the way it made me feel.
"You don't want to test my patience, sweetness. Answer me so I know you understand," she snarls.
Without thinking, I blubber out a pitiful, "I-I understand."
I know what she's just told me is crazy but I'm entranced with the way she feels, the way her voice sounds, and the way she looks at me.
No one has ever looked at me like this before.
The scalding, possessive edge to her words kindles a flame in my stomach that makes me squirm between her warmth and the cold door at my back.
Her plump red lips unfurl in a smirk. "That's my good little girl."
As I go breathless, she plants her mouth on mine and I sink into her arms.
The kiss is firm—not leaving any room for air—but gentle. Sliding her tongue along the seam of my lips, she asks for permission.
I know I shouldn't.
This is insane.
But I can't pull away.
I part my lips and her wet tongue trespasses into my mouth. I hear myself moan.
She tastes sweet but soft, like milk and honey. I curl my tongue around hers while she lowers one hand to the hem of my skirt.
Her fingers slide up my thigh, so cool against my burning flesh. Her fingers move further up until she traces a fingernail along my panties, somehow knowing right where my lips are.
I suck in a needy breath before she kisses me more roughly. She's going to make me combust.
Just before she reaches the waistband of my panties, she pulls away.
I sag off the door with a gasp for air.
The woman licks her mouth with a dark smile.
There's a world of sin in those gorgeous steel-blue eyes.
"Remember what I told you," she says. "I mean it, baby girl."
Then she unlocks the bathroom door and saunters out.
I bury my face in my hands.
Holy shit. That did not just happen.