Her Soldier (That Girl #3) (10 page)

She taught me a special way to wrap the napkins around the silverware and how to place the glasses and plates, and even the difference between different styles of settings. She always got me and knew exactly how to entertain my very overactive mind.

I sit at the table and fold up the napkins perfectly, listening to the two of them talk in the kitchen, mainly about cooking and their favorite dishes to make. The man does love food.

“Are you ready for us?” Danielle is holding two casserole dishes, with Beau behind her carrying more food.

“Sure am.” My hands brush down the front of my outfit as I watch them stare at the table settings.

“That’ll do, sugar.”

And those are the three keywords I always wait to hear after setting the table.

Beau pulls our chairs out and waits for us to sit down before pushing them in and then finally takes a seat.

“Oh, we need the flowers.” I burst from my chair and snatch them from the kitchen island and put them on the table with us. “Perfect.”

“I’ve never seen you so focused on detail, Jenni.” Beau’s head is tilted to the side as he stares at me.

“This is my thing.” I gesture with my hands. “It’s actually the first thing anybody ever taught me.” I send a quick wink to Danielle.

“Now, Beau, I know you’ll never believe this, but our little Jenni here was quite the hyperactive kiddo.” She places her hand over mine. “Not many understood how she ticked, but the two of us went together like sugar and sweet tea. Now, let’s pray.”

She grips Beau’s hand, and he reaches over and places his hand in mine.

“Dear Lord, We come to you to bless this meal and thank you for everything you’ve given us. We worship at your feet and know your almighty power. Bless my sweet Jenni and any path she chooses to venture down. Lighten her heart and grace her life with nothing but beauty. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”

Looking up from my praying posture, I catch a glimpse of Beau wiping something from his face, and I do believe he was touched by the power of my aunt and her kind heart. I still don’t know if I believe in Jesus or a higher power, but I do know every time my aunt prays for me it heals pieces of me that were beyond repair.

Beau tugs on my hand, and when I look up at him he sends me a wink. Then I notice Aunt Danielle watching the whole exchange.

“Well, let’s eat.” I release both their hands and dig in. “Aunt, you need to be fast with this man because he eats like a horse.”

I scoop out the first pork chop. The rest of dinner goes by like we’ve all been doing this for years. Beau and Danielle even break out in a playful argument over buttercream frosting. Clearly Beau has a secret recipe from his gram that will drop anyone to their knees. I just watch the two of them interact and feel really, really good about things. This could be my future.

“Well, we need to get going, Auntie.” I gently close the cabinet door after placing the last clean dish in it.

“You kids have to come back.”

Beau stretches his arms up to the celling and then rests them on his stomach. “Oh, you can trust me that I’ll be back.”

We both laugh at him, and I wonder how the hell he isn’t sick. He basically cleaned out every dish, leaving no food behind.

“Well, I’d invite you over tomorrow, but I have my pinochle club at the Senior Center.”

“Pinochle.” Beau perks up, and if I thought he got excited over the buttercream icing, this is nothing compared to now.

“Yeah, you know how to play, Beau?”

“Do I know how to play?” His hands go up defensively over his chest. “Not only do I know how to play, but I’m da master.”

“Well, if you ever want to school some old ladies, come on down.”

“Do you know where this place is, Jenni?”

“Dear lord, you’ll be eating lizard lunch with the old bags before this is all done.” Playfully, I punch him in the stomach. “Yes, I’ll get you hooked up. Let’s go.”

I hug Danielle and give her my love, and Beau does too, this time actually hugging her. I wave as we walk down the sidewalk and open the gate.

“Jenni.” Her hands nervously wipe down the front of her apron. “Come here, please.”

“Start the truck. I’ll be right back.” I place a quick kiss on his lips before trotting up to Danielle.

“What’s up?”

“Lynlee called me today.”

The natural high from an amazing evening was just tainted. I’m instantly deflated. “Are you freaking kidding me? She’s really pissing me off.”

“Jenni.” She clutches my hand and brings them to her chest. “She’s just worried about you.”

“Well, she’s really fucking pissed me off. I tried to tell her what was really going on, but she thinks I’m so stupid that I don’t know the difference between right and wrong.”

“She’s just worried about you.”

“Well, she shouldn’t be.” I’m dying to tell Danielle how I went missing and Lynlee never reached out for days, just chalking it up to my airheaded ways. I wonder how much she worried those days.

“She just thinks Beau is hurting you and not a good…”

“She’s wrong. Dead wrong. You saw him tonight. Please trust me.”

“Jenni, if you can stand here on my porch and tell me everything Lynlee thinks is silly worries, then I’ll believe you.”

“Auntie, Beau has been nothing but amazing to me.”

“Done.” Her arms pull me tightly to her. “Now, get on with your night. I love you, sugar.”

“Love you too.” Turning, I bound back down the sidewalk to Beau, who is already in the truck with the engine rumbling.

“Jenni.” Looking back to the porch, I see Danielle standing there with a huge smile covering her face. “I do trust you.”

“Love you.”

Beau has the door open waiting on me to get in the truck and waves back to Danielle.

“That was fun, Jenni, thanks for taking me.”

“Fuck!”

“What’s wrong?”

“I forgot to drop the word titties in front of you and Danielle. I had an epic plan for the dinner table, and it was totally derailed after Auntie’s prayer and how well everything was going.”

“Sucks to be you, loser.” Beau’s deep chuckle fills the cab of the truck.

“That was fun, wasn’t it?” Twisting up, I lightly nibble on his earlobe. “Let’s go out.”

“To where?”

“You like to dance?” I ask as I bite down on his flesh.

“Depends if the chick is hot.”

“Ass! Let’s go check out the Sinful nightclub. It’s a new one that just opened a few months back.”

“Point the way.”

Chapter 9

Walking into the over-the-top club, it’s everything I’ve heard about it. These clubs are very popular on the East Coast and just hit the West Coast. The dance floor is about the size of two football fields with booths and tables circling the border of it. Everything is either covered in plush red fabric or chrome. The bars are scattered everywhere throughout, making it easy to get liquor. Music is thumping and overpowering, so it’s difficult to stand still and not begin dancing, and impossible to hold a conversation.

The female servers are barely dressed in black bikinis with bling covering their asses and sky-high heels. They are simply goddesses serving liquor to the crowd. The male servers are in very tight black leather jeans and shirtless with a black bowties around their necks.

Beau has a firm grip on my back, keeping me sucked up to his side. I know this isn’t his ideal way to spend a night, and he only agreed to it because he knows I really wanted to go out.

Stretching up on my tiptoes, I yell, “You need to get a job here.” I point to one of the male servers and waggle my eyebrows.

He just shakes his head, but I don’t miss the slight grin on his face. One of my favorite songs begins to blare. It’s “Title” by Meghan Trainor, and it starts out in a goofy tune but soon turns into a good beat. Stepping on the edge of the dance floor, I begin swaying my hips and bobbing my head to the song and cover my mouth when she references being naked in a bed.

Beau folds his arm over his chest and watches the show I put on for him. We lock eyes while I dance away to the music. I’m aware of the bodies surrounding me, but don’t pay a single ounce of attention to them as I use my hands to roam all over my own body, hoping to get Beau to join me.

I drag them slowly from my knees up to my hips and then to my boobs, pausing ever so slightly while wiggling my ass, then finally raising them over my head outstretched and shaking it with all I’ve got. Closing my eyes, I imagine Beau with me on the dance floor and the way his breath would feel tickling my neck while we dance. As I open my eyes, a body slams into me from the back, causing me to fly forward. My balance is completely thrown off and I cringe as I ready myself to slam into the hard dance floor, but I’m caught in midair. My knees barely graze the floor before I’m scooped up into Beau’s arms.

I recognize instant rage covering his face as he stares at the person behind me. His arms are flexed and tense.

“Beau.” I try to scream louder. “Beau.” I reach for his face, but he moves before I can stop him.

Still holding me behind him, he walks over to the large man and taps on his shoulder, and when he turns around I can tell the man is piss drunk. I hear Beau exchange a few words and see him ready his fist to lay into the guy. Desperate, I grab at the back of his shirt and try to pull him back.

Another large man steps between them. He’s taller than both of them and dressed in black work slacks and a very tight white t-shirt. One arm is covered in tattoos, and his hair is styled to perfection. He snags the man who slammed into me by the back of the neck and exchanges a few words. The guy finally gives in to whatever he’s saying. Before he drags him off, he reaches into his pocket and hands Beau a small business card and mouths the word ‘sorry.’

The business card has the club name on it and the words “Drinks on Max, club owner, tonight.”

I fly into Beau’s arms, so happy about the outcome of the situation. I was sure shit was about to go down in a horrible, ugly way. Having a man so protective is overwhelming and comforting, but I never want him to go too far with anger. My lips find his and kiss him hard. It’s full of hunger and need as I try to convey to him I’m so happy he was able to restrain himself. He could’ve kept going after the man and the club owner, but he backed off. And even though both men were taller, I have a feeling Beau has lethal fighting skills.

With our lips still locked, I start moving to the Beyoncé song playing. It’s her newest hit and has a thump perfect for grinding on the dance floor with your man. Beau doesn’t move with me, so I know it’s going to take some serious temptation to get him grooving. I still feel his heart beating rapidly against my chest. Placing my hand over it, I take a few steps back and begin to dance with my hand still on him. I use my free hand to do some naughty and very tempting things. At first, he doesn’t take the bait, standing frozen. It’s not until my hand roams down the front of my jeans and I throw my head back that I feel myself being pulled into him.

He grins devilishly at me but shakes his head.

“Dance with me,” I yell and continue to move against his body. When he doesn’t, I back up once again and start to run my hand down my belly toward my jeans. He seizes it and twirls me around so my back is against his chest. I wait for his move and within moments he begins to guide us in a deliciously wicked motion. Every inch of his glorious body is pushed up against me. His hands on my hips pull me back, creating a tighter feeling. He presses into me a couple times before I realize he’s hard and ready for me, which only makes me drive my hips harder to the beat of the music.

Beau guides us toward the center of the insanely large dance floor until we are mixed into the mass population of dancers. We blend in effortlessly with everyone else as we continue to dance while sweat pours off us. I don’t even realize the song has changed or even how many songs have passed by since Beyoncé’s demanding voice moved us.

“I’ll take care of what you were trying to do before.” Beau’s teeth sink into my earlobe, and I gasp. Then the next thing I know, his hand is sliding down below my shirt and keeps going until it is nestled in my jeans and flicking the top of my panties. I’m drunk on his touch and can only continue to move to the beats filling the air, helping his hand move down further. I throw my arms up and lock them around the back of Beau’s neck. Standing on my tiptoes, I help him reach the spot I want him to find. His fingers take the hint, going further down and inside me. I scream as he works me over. The crowd of people swallows the sound of my voice as Beau brings me to the point of collapsing. He drags his hand back out of my pants, twirls me around, and makes me watch as he licks them clean, slowly dragging his tongue over each one.

This time he’s the one forcing me to dance and follow his moves, but my body is exhausted from the blissful release and the heat of the club. He catches onto my sluggish behavior and picks me up, cradling me like a newborn, and makes his way to a small, secluded booth. He sits me down and then slides in. I scoot right back into him, sticking to his side. He motions to someone, and when I look up there’s a scantily dressed waitress strutting her way over to us.

“What can I get ya, hot stuff?”

Wow, very subtle tactics this lady has. But then again, I bet she relies on tips to get her from paycheck to paycheck, so more power to her.

“I’ll take a Mountain Dew, and she’ll have…” Beau points to me.

I lay a big ol’ wet kiss on his lips before responding to her. “I’ll take a whiskey sour, please.”

“You got it.”

She walks away with her little booty shaking and bling blinging in the lights of the club.

“Damn, this jealous already, and you’re not even drunk.”

“Just laying claim on my property.” My tongue takes a long stroke along his neckline. “Oh, and I didn’t know you drank soda.”

“I have a feeling I’m going to need my energy tonight.”

I try kissing his neck again, but his words leave me in laughter. Because, damn right, he’s going to need his energy tonight when his apartment door closes. I do believe I owe him some payback from making me come on the dance floor.

“Jenni.”

It’s a familiar voice, and a very feminine one at that. I look up to see Jazzy, Levi, Lynlee, and Lincoln. It’s a weird combination of Jazzy’s warm, welcoming voice and Lynlee’s friendly face. I even have to admit Lynlee has been my best friend through many difficult situations, and just because we have a simple disagreement doesn’t mean I hate her.

I muster a weak attempt at a greeting. “Hey.”

Beau is instantly on his feet, and my heart skips a beat. It takes me longer to get up due to my sweaty skin stuck to the interior of the booth. Before I can jump between him and the Wilks boys, I notice him shaking Levi’s hand and then Lincoln’s. The scene playing out leaves me speechless and frozen in place. I listen to the men’s macho introductions. Whereas if it were females, we’d be locked in a stare-off, analyzing every bit of the other person.

Jazzy’s voice finally interrupts my over-analyzing of the situation.

“Introduce us to your date, Jenni”

Several moments of stale silence pass before I find my words. Using an overly loud voice to drown out the nearby music, I lay it all out and know this may be some news for Beau’s ears since I’ve never really used the word boyfriend and his name in the same sentence.

“Hey, guys. Sorry, we had dinner with Auntie and then decided to try out this new club. It’s great.” I step in front of Beau in a protective manner and stare down Lynlee. “This is my boyfriend, Beau Morgan.”

The men all nod, and then Jazzy takes over the conversation. Half of her words are swallowed up by the noise surrounding us, making it hard to keep up with her conversation. I’m in Lynlee’s arms before I know what’s happening.

“I’m sorry, Jenni. I was just worried.”

My arms wrap her up, and I feel at home again. A genuine friendship is something you never want to lose, and her hug reminds me of exactly that.

“Please just believe in me when I say everything is great and nothing like what you think.”

“Jenni, I just don’t want to lose you. Ever.”

“No chance of that, you stubborn jackwagon.”

We continue to hug and ignore the others who comfortably fall into conversation. When I look up, I see Lincoln’s face and spontaneously know Lynlee has shared everything with him, and knowing the Wilks family, they’ve also shared this same concern over the dinner table. They all seem relieved that I just received the blessing from the Godmother. I giggle at my own thoughts of Lynlee transforming from That Girl to the Godmother of the most notorious family in the NFL.

“What’s so funny?” she whispers.

“Nothing, please join us.”

We all settle into the claustrophobic booth, but it seems we women have no problem cozying up on our men’s laps. The music becomes a dull roar as we listen to whoever is yelling over the noise. Beau recognizes Levi from winning the Super Bowl this past year, and remembers Jazzy and the whole proposal thing.

Lynlee keeps staring Beau down, and Beau does the same thing. I halfway expect them to exchange words, but they just continue, and I realize Lynlee doesn’t fully believe in Beau and keeps analyzing him. It makes me uncomfortable, but no one else at the table has picked up on it. The female server returns to our table with Beau’s soda and my drink, but this time she’s accompanied by two other female servers. They sure know how to market at this place.

Our company orders drinks as I down my whiskey and order another. I lean over to Beau. “Why do you keep staring at Lynlee? Is something wrong?”

He stalls before he answers, and his tone doesn’t fully reassure me. “Naw, baby, just enjoy your friends.”

“I know you’re lying to me.” It leaves my lips before I know it. Liquid courage has definitely stepped up to the plate tonight.

“Baby, just enjoy the moment.”

I truly don’t care for the odd feeling attacking my gut about Beau and Lynlee. I wait for others at the table to recognize it, but they don’t. The server returns with a tray full of waters, Beau’s soda, and my alcoholic beverage. It doesn’t faze me as I down it as fast as possible, hoping it will drown out my unsettling feelings.

“Weren’t you at my brother’s wedding?”

Now that question draws me from my pity coma. Lincoln waits for Beau’s answer. Finally, someone else putting some dots together.

“Yeah, I worked for the catering company.” Beau scrubs his hands over his face. “That’s where Jenni and I met.”

All eyes are now on me, and I just shrug.

“So, that’s where you disappeared to,” Levi pipes up.

“No. It’s not like that at all. She was—”

I stomp on Beau’s foot under the table and lay a hard elbow into his ribs, warning him not to go any further.

“She was what?” Jazzy leans in on her elbows, quite intrigued with the story.

“I was easy to get in the sack,” I say, and know everyone sitting at the table would totally expect that type of answer from me.

“Well, at least I can tell Beau is better than that fucking arrogant dick Maxton.”

This time it’s Levi, and you can see there is absolutely no play on his face. I begin to squirm at the conversation. I was hoping my comment would turn it around into something more light. This is the last thing I want to discuss with these people. In fact, we haven’t even mentioned Maxton’s name out loud since that night. It’s salt in a wound that was promising to heal over permanently, but not now with all these prying eyes.

“I start school on Monday.”