I crossed my arms and frowned. “Do you want a ride or not?”
“I do, but play with me first.”
“What? How?”
“Be my model.”
“No way.”
“Please. If I don’t get a role in Chicago, I’ll need to get a summer job. I’m thinking I could be a makeup artist. I’ll have to start out as an assistant and work my way up the chain, but it wouldn’t take long. I’m pretty good. Let me show you.”
I glanced out the window at the almost-empty parking lot. Our only company now was the girl behind the counter, and she definitely wasn’t paying attention. But makeup…this was too much.
“Phoenix…”
“Just lip stuff and I’ll let you choose the color palette.”
I let out a beleaguered sigh, then looked around once more. “What if I did yours instead?”
He held my gaze for a long moment and nodded. “Okay. That could be fun. Let’s try these three colors. They’re all new.”
“How do you do it?”
“Change places with me,” he instructed, making a circular motion with his hand.
We changed positions so he sat on the stool. I stepped between his open thighs, making sure the coast was clear again before taking the lipstick and swab from him. “Now what?”
“Brush the tip over my lips. I like to start on the bottom first, but I can go either way. I mean…you can go either way.”
His low intonation and the mischievous twinkle in his eyes made me laugh. And because I was weird like that, the obvious innuendo set me at ease and yeah…it turned me on too. I forgot to worry about getting caught and concentrated on Phoenix. I painted a swath of red across his plump bottom lip, then dabbed the color again and applied more to the top. I was aware of his watchful gaze as I worked. Of course, when I looked into his eyes, I accidentally smeared lipstick above his mouth.
“Oops. Let me fix it.”
Phoenix grabbed my wrist when I reached for a tissue and shook his head. “Just use your fingers,” he purred.
I swiped my thumb above his top lip and then below. “How’s that?”
He glanced into the small mirror and nodded in approval.
“This color is divine, don’t you think?” He snickered when I rolled my eyes.
“Yeah, real divine,” I deadpanned.
Phoenix’s eyes lit as he pointed at the corner of his mouth. “You missed a spot.”
I didn’t, but I played along. I brushed my thumb at the curve of his lips and pressed until he opened up and sucked on the digit, never breaking eye contact.
“Is this foreplay?” Stupid question. It had to be. My dick pulsed against my zipper like it had a heartbeat of its own. Sure, I’d admired guys who wore makeup from afar, but to be up close and personal was a game changer. I couldn’t decide what got me more…my thumb between his red lips or the sex-hazed look in his eyes.
“Only if you want it to be,” he replied in a raspy voice.
I swallowed hard as I recapped the lipstick tube and pulled a tissue from the box. “We should go. Are you buying that or not?”
“No. I’m just here to play.” He stood and inched into my space. So close I could smell mint on his breath and—
“I’m back!”
We jumped back and turned in unison as Sunny barreled through the entrance. She waved a greeting to the girl behind the counter before heading toward us.
“What are you doing here?” Phoenix asked with a frown.
“I’d already written the paper. I just had to recheck it and click Send. Phew! Glad I remembered,” she said, pushing her hair over her shoulder before pivoting to face me. “Well hi, Max. What brings you to World of Beauty?”
The glint of humor in her eyes should have been reassuring, but years of programming were impossible to ignore. My cock deflated like a sad balloon as I struggled to answer her question.
“Phoenix said he needed a ride, but now you’re here, so…I should probably go.” I absently shifted my cap forward before stepping away.
“I’ll walk you out,” Phoenix said, tugging my elbow. He paused at the door and let go of my arm. “How about Saturday?”
“That works.”
“Good. You can kiss me now.”
“Now?”
“If you want. No one is looking, so why not?”
I leaned in and pressed my lips to his. “Am I wearing your lipstick?”
“You are. And it looks amazing,” he gushed.
I chuckled before swiping my hand across my mouth. “Hey, you should get the red. You look good.”
“Good?”
“Amazing.”
I chuckled when he winked and blew me a kiss. It was campy and silly and sexy at the same time. Best of all, it was a gentle reminder not to take things so seriously. I walked backward a few steps then waved before pushing the door open and heading for my car.
As I peered through the store window and put my key in the ignition, it occurred to me that we didn’t mention his booty call proposition once. I wanted him more than ever, but I wanted to know him too.