“Hang up right now if you value our friendship,” Audrey growls. “I need him for five more minutes.”
“Shut it, bitch. Joe, you get your body parts away from my friend and get down here now.” She hangs up and I pull away from Audrey.
“Sorry, honey. She killed my mojo. I’ll make it up to you,” I vow, hoping like hell the next time I’m inside her she has my ring on her finger.
She glowers at me. “You owe me.”
I kiss her once more, savoring her taste. “I owe you,” I agree. Her tongue brushes against mine and I pull away with a growl, knowing if I don’t stop I’ll miss the meeting.
After a quick trip to the bathroom, I am on my way with thoughts of Audrey lingering in my mind.
She’s my everything.
I want to give her the world.
I think back on the day I asked her to move in with me. It was unexpected, and I couldn’t believe she said yes to living together. She was about to leave to move back home to her family in Kentucky. Things weren’t going the way she had hoped. Audrey couldn’t find a decent job to support her while the bar was shut down for renovations.
All I knew was I didn’t want her to get on that plane. I knew I had to act fast. If she got on that plane, I knew it would be the end of us. So, I put myself out there scared to death she would say no, that it was too much too soon.
“Baby, if you get on that plane, I might die. I love you and I really want you to stay with me. Be with me, forever.”
“What are you saying, Joey?”
“I’m saying come home with me. Let me take care of you—let me love you.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck and pecked my lips. “You mean it. You really want me to stay?” Her face was masked with a hopeful smile to hide her fear, but I knew she was just as terrified as I was. The trembling of her hands and fast beat of her heart gave her away.
“The rest of my life. I want wake up to you every damn day.”
“Oh, Joey. I’m going to make you so happy, baby.”
I can still remember the unshed tears in her eyes. Tears of joy. I’ve never regretted asking her to move in with me.
We’ve been together every single day since. Audrey wasn’t the settling down type when we started dating. She has never been career driven. Always just taking whatever job came her way. She was like a tumbleweed blowing in the desert, thirsty and with no idea of where she was headed. She still doesn’t know most days, but God do I love her.
She spends most of her time helping Nat and me with the bar and never gives herself enough credit. Her marketing skills are phenomenal. She has amazing ideas when it comes to attracting new customers. If it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t have taken off like we have. The woman, my woman, is an advertising genius. She doesn’t see herself the way the rest of the world does. Audrey is smart, beautiful, and talented, but she is so not an early riser. I know I will need to call her in an hour to make sure she helps Lewis open. If I know my girl at all, I know she has already fallen back asleep.
Nat reaches me a coffee as I scoot into my seat and buckle my seatbelt.
“I really could have gone without hearing you diddling Audrey,” she says scrunching up her nose as she pulls onto the street.
I grin. “Well thanks to you there wasn’t much diddling.”
“You are so lucky you are holding hot coffee.” She shakes her head, mirroring our mother. Her forehead crinkles in the middle exactly like Ma’s does when she is lecturing me about my lifestyle choices.
Our mother was none too pleased when she found out Audrey moved in with me over the bar. She is very old school when it comes to marriage, and she isn’t Audrey’s biggest fan.
“That girl isn’t right for you. She doesn’t have a real job and lives off you, Joe JR. When are you going to stop messing around and settle down with a good girl that will give me grandbabies,” she said when I asked her for grandma Mundie’s engagement ring. “Stop thinking with Lil’ Joe and find a nice girl to marry. I like Audrey, but you aren’t meant to be.”
“I know you and Audrey don’t get along, Ma, but she’s the one. I love her. You can either accept it or not, but she makes me happy. If you can’t support my love for Audrey, then you don’t love me as much as you say you do.” I looked her dead in the eyes when I said it and then I left. We haven’t spoken much since.
I haven’t popped the question yet, I was hoping Ma would come around and offer her support, but she hasn’t. That was six weeks ago. She just doesn’t like Audrey because she walked in on us having sex last year at Christmas.
My Ma has this thing for family traditions, and she makes a big deal out of holidays. Christmas being the main one she goes gaga over. She goes all out with the food and decorations. Every year she insists that Nat, Nate, and me come home to spend both days with her. Last year I brought Audrey. I told Ma we come as a package. She wasn’t happy, but conceded, saying Audrey could sleep in my old room, while I could sleep in Nate’s room, since he was overseas and unable to come home.
I crept up the stairs in the middle of the night for just a kiss, but it didn’t end there. One kiss turned into burying myself balls deep in Audrey. Though in my defense one kiss is never enough. I guess my old bed squeaked louder than I remembered, and Ma and her rabbit ears heard us, bursting in the room. I don’t think she was prepared for seeing my bare bottom with the balls of Audrey’s feet digging in my ass cheeks.
“H