“Even so, I’d feel a lot better if I could take you home. If nothing else, do it for me so I can have some peace of mind?” I gave her what I hoped was an easygoing, if not “pity me” smile. The very thought of her getting hurt had this dread filling me, this tightness clawing into my gut and never letting go. “Come on, have some sympathy for your boss.” I gave her a wink and started heading toward the back, hoping she’d follow. Needing her to.
She laughed softly, maybe too softly that she thought I wouldn’t hear, but I felt myself smile at the sound.
But then I sensed her following me and breathed out in relief. I’d been holding my breath and hadn’t even realized, because I’d expected her to flat-out turn my offer down. And I would’ve pushed it, at least once more, but if she really hadn’t wanted me to, I would have conceded… and followed her home regardless.
I would have made sure nobody fucked with her.
Once out back in the alley, I led her over to my car, opening the passenger door for her and getting a concentrated scent of the sweet lemon aroma that surrounded her.
I curled my hand tightly around the car doorframe, forcing myself not to close my eyes and hum with pleasure. When she was seated, I shut the door and walked around the back of the car, once again having to adjust my hard-on. I pulled the length up to my waistband, feeling like a damn teenager who was popping boners left and right.
Once I slid into the driver seat and started the engine, I had to control myself not to take a deep breath in. The scent of her filled the interior of the car and nearly had me groaning again.
Get a grip, man. Pretend you have your shit together.
She was this drug to me, my own personal mix of ambrosia and euphoria.
“You really didn’t have to do this,” she said after a moment, breaking up the silence. “But thank you. I do appreciate it. My feet are killing me.”
I glanced over at her, the lights from the dashboard illuminating Korrie, making her even more beautiful, if that were possible. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I said, meaning that so hard I wanted to declare to this woman that there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her.
But yeah, after a week, that was probably crossing lines and would freak her the fuck out.
She gave me the directions to her apartment building, I almost wanted to complain all over again. She would have had to walk through some shady parts of the city to get home.
But I bit my tongue, just thankful I was here with her, vowing that she’d never walk home alone again, not if I had anything to do with it.
5
Korrie
We didn’t speak, but it was the nice kind of quiet, the kind that let me rest my head back on the seat and stare out the passenger-side window.
The truth was, I really liked that I was in Bishop’s car, loved that he offered to take me home. I tried to act like I was tough as nails, my father teaching me that even if you didn’t feel it at the time, you needed to act like you had confidence. So it gave me this strength to play it off like things were always… okay. But it was tiring and at times sucked the life right from me.
I thought about my father’s motto. “If people believe you have strength, it doesn’t matter if you’re slowly dying. Their belief in you will give you the power to overcome anything.”
The ride from Lyrics to my apartment building wasn’t that long, but Bishop was going slow, seeming to stop at every red light, taking his time and even the long way home. And that fact made me feel giddy, like he didn’t want this night to end… with me.
There is no doubt in my mind that he felt the attraction toward me the way I did with him. I saw the way he watched me. He had all night, seeming mesmerized when I’d catch him, and having no shame that he’d been caught. It was almost as if he wanted me to catch him.
But I was still hesitant to allow myself to fully explore and experience what could be between us. I thought about it. A lot. But I’d never felt this way about anyone, so of course it terrified me.
Then there was the whole “No Fraternization” policy… one Bishop didn’t have in the employee handbook, but still, I didn’t want to ruin things.
What if we started something and things ended badly? Where would that leave me? I had my father to think about, his medical bills, and making sure he was taken care of so he didn’t have to worry about taking care of me.