Authors: S. Briones Lim
“What time do you have to be at the conference tomorrow?” Brian asked, tugging slightly on Celine’s sleeve to ensure she wasn’t run over by a passing rickshaw.
“I don’t have to be there until nine,” she replied, watching the carriage speed away.
“Nine in the morning? On a Saturday?” He shook his head in disgust. “Wow, you must really like writing.”
“Love it.” She grinned.
He scratched his head. “I hate early mornings. Maybe that’s the reason why I got into this business. None of the artists ever want to wake up before eleven.”
“Interesting,” Celine murmured, though she was only half listening. She glanced around and was quite taken with the sights and sounds of New York. After getting over the awkwardness, she felt more than ready to enjoy what the Big Apple had to offer. It was her first time on the east coast and she didn’t want to miss a single opportunity during her short stay.
Brian followed her gaze and grinned. “So California Girl, what do you want to do? New York obviously has you all in a tizzy!”
“Can you blame me?” she replied, throwing him a smile. “Look at this place! You’d never see this in Los Angeles.”
As if on cue a drunken man stumbled beside them, hitting Celine in the process. He managed to knock her over and she stumbled straight into Brian’s arms.
“Watch it!” Brian yelled angrily.
“Fuck off!” the man yelled back, scratching at his balding head. He grabbed at his crotch and proceeded to make crude gestures. Brian glared at him angrily, but Celine hardly noticed the man.
Celine blushed and placed her hands on Brian’s chest, pushing herself off of him. She straightened her hoodie and watched as the middle-aged drunk wormed his way through the crowd. She shook her head and snorted, “I take that back. You can see these things in California. Guess Los Angeles follows you, no?”
When Brian didn’t answer, she looked up and frowned. She caught him staring at her intently. She shuddered under his gaze, but couldn’t bring it upon herself to look away.
Noah.
Snapping out of it, she forced a laugh. “So…what do you do here for fun? If you’re in the city often I’m sure you know of pretty awesome places.”
Brian blinked as if just waking up from a trance. “Uh yeah, I know some places…” his voice trailed off and a wicked grin suddenly filled his face.
“What?” Celine asked cautiously.
“You hungry? Thirsty?” he asked, grabbing onto her elbow and ushering her forward. His steps were so precise and his legs so long that Celine had to run to keep up.
“Why are you running?” Celine at least knew enough to take a gulp of fresh air before Brian began leading her underground towards the subway. They descended the stairs in a hurry, dodging a crowd of people going in the opposite direction. A rush of warm air hit her face, along with the scent of urine and feces. She tried to hold her breath but failed miserably.
He shot her a grin. “I think I know a way to get you over that whole public speaking fear.”
“Come again?” Celine gulped.
“Just trust me, it’ll be fun.”
The look on Brian’s face made Celine worry that it would be anything but fun. She blinked nervously and followed him through the turnstile.
***
Ruthie took a sip of wine, quietly watching Cash chew his food. He cut into his steak and placed it in his mouth. Swallowing, he wiped his lips and lifted an eyebrow. “I know what you’re doing.”
Ruthie placed her glass down and frowned. “What do you mean? I’m not doing anything.”
Cash sighed and placed his napkin down on the table. “You’re looking at me as Cash and not Cash.”
“I’m sorry?” Ruthie asked in confusion. Cash’s fork clattered on top of the black ceramic plate. Ruthie gulped, wondering if she had offended Cash though she couldn’t possibly think of anything she had done. Swallowing, she asked, “Did I do something wrong?”
A pair of baby blue eyes stared back at her, darkening as the seconds ticked by. Finally after unbearable silence, Cash spoke, “Ruthie, please start looking at me like I’m a human.”
She blinked and automatically leaned back into the wooden chair. “I’m not looking at you like you’re anything else.”
He glued his lips together. “I like you, Ruthie. This,” he gestured between them, “isn’t going to work if you keep viewing me as anything but a normal person.”
Ruthie nearly choked. He liked her?
Trying hard to bite back a smile, she replied, “I’m sorry if I’m coming off a bit star struck. You have to understand, I’ve been a fan of yours for years! You have to put yourself in my position. This doesn’t happen to women like me.”
Cash cocked his head to the side in interest. “And why doesn’t it happen to women like you?”
She felt her cheeks redden as a sudden onslaught of nerves rose to the forefront. “Um, well, it’s not like I’m a catch, exactly. I mean, you can have your list of women to pick from and I…”
“Stop right there!” Cash interrupted. He held out the palm of his hand and grinned. “Insecurity is a big turn off for me. Remember what I said about confidence?”
“Oh,” Ruthie replied quietly. She grabbed her glass of wine and began to gulp it down. The bitter taste coated her tongue, giving her something else to focus on besides the awkwardness of the conversation.
“But you know what?” Cash said mysteriously.
Ruthie placed her glass down and gulped. “What?”
With a wink Cash answered, “I’ll show you that you have nothing to be insecure about.”
His eyes flittered to the couch and back at Ruthie, causing her to squirm in both nervousness and extreme longing. Oh yes, she was ready to be shown.
***
Celine’s eyes darted from left to right. The building smelled of mildew and a startling aroma of garlic. She paused at the bottom of a narrow staircase that wound through the back of an old building and watched as Brian confidently climbed the steps. Sensing that Celine had stopped moving, Brian turned at the waist and peered down at her. With a laugh he asked, “Coming?”
“Um, not that I doubt your ability to sense danger, but where exactly are you taking me?” Celine asked.
Brian chuckled. “This is one of my favorite restaurants in the city! I always come here for late night grub. The fried chicken is to die for!”
“To die for, eh? That’s what I’m afraid of,” Celine only half-joked.
Brian rolled his eyes and held out his hand. “Come on, you know I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you, right?”
Celine smiled softly. She knew. With a sigh she grabbed his hand and allowed him to pull her the rest of the way.
***
Ruthie stared into Cash’s eyes as he lowered her onto the couch. The boy really liked his couches.
He caressed her exposed skin and whispered softly into her ear, “Beautiful.” He brushed his fingers through her long dark hair and she silently thanked herself for switching to a salon brand shampoo.
She shivered in response to his soft caresses and hugged him close, inhaling his designer scent. Ruthie had to consciously stop from pinching herself. None of it felt real to her. Despite gripping Cash’s arms and feeling his skin against hers, it all still felt like a dream. Cash was always an unattainable figment of her imagination, yet there she was, sprawled underneath him feeling hungrier by the second.
“Baby, you are the one, the one for me tonight,” Cash sung softly in her ear. Ruthie recognized the song from their 2001 debut album. It was actually one of her least favorite songs on the LP, but that night it definitely made her top ten.
His breath tickled her earlobe and though she tried to fight it, a slight shudder worked its way throughout her body. Cash grinned in response and bent down to kiss her lips. He continued nibbling on her bottom lip, trailing a path down to her neck. As he continued his journey down her body, Ruthie lost all sense of coherence.
***
“Okay, though I must admit the chicken was really yummy,” Celine said, smacking her lips together in appreciation, “I still don’t understand how eating garlic coated chicken is supposed to make me get over a fear of public speaking…besides giving me bad enough breath to knock my audience unconscious.”
Brian laughed and leaned over the table. He wiped some sauce off Celine’s cheek with his finger, causing her to stiffen. “Guess Ruthie and I aren’t the only ones with bad eating habits,” he joked. He watched as her cheeks reddened and couldn’t help but grin at her embarrassment.
She shook her head and threw him a smile. “Hey, I can’t help it if this chicken is good! You spoke the truth, good sir.” She tilted her head and scanned the small restaurant, which was located on the second floor of a sketchy looking building. Whereas the outside looked threatening at best, the interior of the restaurant was classy and well put together. Celine would never have known such a restaurant existed above a pizzeria and tourist shop.
Celine glanced back at Brian and noticed he was staring intently at her. Under the dim lights of the restaurant, he looked almost ethereal, yet delightfully devious. Suspiciously, Celine raised an eyebrow. “I know that look. You’re planning something. Spill it.”
The left corner of his mouth lifted. “Well, I…”
Before he could even finish his sentence a petite server walked up carrying a tray of four shot glasses. Celine’s eyebrows rose as she took in the clear liquid. She was never a big drinker, and during the rare occasions she did drink, she often chose margaritas or other fruity mixtures. Straight up vodka was definitely on her list of no-no’s.
The server, who looked to be in her mid-twenties, placed the glasses on the table, all the while peering at Brian from the corner of her eyes. She pushed her black bob off her face and gave him a wink. Celine couldn’t figure out why it bothered her, but she merely shrugged it off and went back to worrying about the alcohol laid out in front of her.
Brian pushed two of the glasses towards Celine, careful not to spill a single drop. She looked up questioningly. “What is this?”
“Come on, Celine, you know exactly what this is,” he answered wickedly.
She cleared her throat and straightened her shoulders. “I mean, why is it in front of me? I can’t drink the night before—”
“The night before an event you’re dreading,” he finished for her. He picked up a glass and held it between his thumb and index finger. “This is just to loosen you up for what I have planned for tonight.”
“And what is that?” Celine asked in barely a whisper.
“Drink up and you’ll see,” Brian laughed in response, downing the contents of his glass. He winced and pounded at his chest, all the while motioning for Celine to drink hers.
Celine bit her lip in hesitation. Remembering Ruthie’s earlier insult, she decided it was time she did have fun. Slowly placing the glass to her lips she said, “Bottoms up,” and downed the vodka with barely a flinch.
“Wow,” Brian commented. “Took it like a champ.”
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and shivered. “Yeah,” she choked out. “Like a champ.”
***
Ruthie grazed Cash’s skin with the top of her red painted fingernails. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rocked along with him, relishing their synchronized rhythm. As fantasies went, this was on the top tier and somehow it became reality.
Having heard that great dancers were also great in bed, Ruthie was pleased to know the rumor was true. Cash moved his muscular body gracefully as if performing for a crowd. Never one to do anything kinky, Ruthie was surprised that the thought alone turned her on and tried her hardest to keep up with him. She moaned and gasped at opportune times, only furthering Cash’s pounding.
Nothing could be better than this. She reached out her arm feeling a need to grab onto anything and felt her fingertips brush along the cold leather of his couch. The startling coolness woke up a bitter voice in the back of her mind.
You’re not the only one he does this to. I bet he’s already had hundreds of women stuck in the same position you are right now.
Ruthie shut her eyes and attempted to push the thought away. Of course he probably did it before! What guy of his caliber was a virgin this day and age? Besides, she couldn’t fault him for anything he did before meeting her. In fact, it wasn’t as if they were a couple! He was entitled to fool around with whoever he pleases.
How are you so sure you aren’t just one of those fools?
“I’m not,” Ruthie mumbled.
Cash stopped thrusting and propped himself on top of his elbows. He frowned and looked down at Ruthie, panting lightly. His forehead glistened with perspiration and before Ruthie knew what she was doing, she reached out and wiped off a bead of his sweat.