Rewind (15 page)

Belle walked past us to the other end of the bar where a group of college aged guys were flirting with her.  She flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder and smiled while shaking her head.  She knew how to flirt for tips but she also knew when to draw the line and ask for help. 

“So, you’re just going to ignore what I said.”  Bryan broke my stare.

I blew out a breath took a drink of my beer, “What do you want me to say Bryan?  That I’m fucking pissed she went back to him and couldn’t see what was right in front of her?  That I would have given anything for her to pick me?  Was I supposed to beg her?  Not likely.  She’s too young, the drama is fucking childish and I don’t want any part of it.  Someday she’ll come to her senses and realize he’s a bipolar, manic, asshole that can’t even get along with his own fucking reflection.”  I finally looked at him.  “I never fucked her, I never kissed her, I held her in my arms and felt her shaking.  I wanted to protect her from him but she pushed me away.”  I shrugged a shoulder and downed the rest of my beer. 

“So it appears that you both missed the chance to be together.  You’ve got her,” he tilted his head at Belle, “and Sydney has nobody.”

My head snapped up, but before I could say anything else Belle was in front of us asking if we were each ready for another beer.  Bryan told her yes and answered his cell phone, then my cell phone rang and showed that it was the retirement home calling.  My heart sank instantly, it was almost eleven thirty.  I hurried out the side door so I could answer;

“Hello”

“Cade my boy!”

It was my grandpa, wide awake, and confused about where he put his car keys.  I explained to him that he needed to be in bed and told him that on Monday I would come visit.  He laughed and hung up.  I shook my head and put my phone in my cut pocket.  Belle opened the back door, “Everything okay?”

“Yeah it was my grandpa calling.”

“This late?  Is something wrong?”

“Nope he wanted to know where he put his car keys is all.”  I told her and wrapped my arms around her waist. 

She pulled away, “I’m on break and you owe me a dance.”

“We could do the wall dance.” I nodded at the brick wall. 

“Cade!  God you are such a man!”  She laughed and pulled me through the door and into the bar. 

We stood leaning against the wooden pillar as couples two stepped around the dance floor, Belle was pressing her chest against mine and kissing my jaw.  Whispering about how she couldn’t wait to get to my house so I could do that wicked trick with my tongue on her clit again.  As I raised my beer bottle to take a drink, a set of hazel eyes locked with mine.  She was here, she was staring at me begging me to come to her.  Sydney looked away for a split second at Belle that was whispering something in my ear, but the blood rushing through them deafened me.  When another slow song came on I broke the stare and smiled at Belle when she tugged on my hand for me to join her on the dance floor.  With her hands gripping my cut, she swayed our hips together and gave me a seductive smile.  Out of the corner of my eye I could see the table where Sydney was sitting with Bryan, Theresa, and that guy from the cheer squad.  I lowered my lips to Belle’s and brushed a gentle kiss across them.  Before the kiss could get carried away her co-worker shouted for her to give him a hand at the bar.  She kissed me again then disappeared through the crowd.  I looked over at where Sydney had been but she was gone, Theresa and Ryan were in deep conversation and Bryan was glaring at me.  He tilted his head toward the front door just as they swung shut behind Sydney. 

When I got outside I looked around the parking lot for her but I couldn’t see her.  Then I heard a woman’s voice mumble a string of cuss words.  I walked over by my pickup and there she was using her cell phone to dig through her purse and look for her keys. 

“Can’t even come say Hi?”  I said, startling her causing her to fumble with her phone. 

“Um Hi.”  She said then started digging through her purse again until she found her keys. 

I walked over to her, we were hidden by my pickup, “Sydney what the fuck is your problem?”  I asked, if she had a problem with me I was going to find out tonight.

“I don’t have a problem with you.”

I leaned my back against my pickup and crossed my arms over my chest, “So then what’s your deal?”

She rolled her eyes and exhaled a deep breath, “Cade, I don’t have a problem with you.  Now if you don’t mind I’m trying to get in my car.”  I didn’t move and didn’t say anything.  “What is your deal?”  she threw her hands in the air and tried to unlock her car door. 

I slammed my hand against the door so she couldn’t open it, “My deal?  Do you really want me to answer that Sydney?”

“Sure why not, blow up at me for the whole Ronnie situation.  Go ahead and say ‘I told you so’, then move so I can go home.”

Her hazel eyes reflected the neon sign of the bar, I looked at her lips then back into her eyes.  “Jesus” I said and slammed my mouth against hers.  She sucked in a breath and tried to push me away but I didn’t budge.  I sucked her bottom lip into my mouth, her lips tasted like sweet apples.  Then—she bit my fucking lip causing me to pull away.  To make it even worse she slapped me before I even had the chance to stop her. 

“Don’t you ever fucking kiss me again.  You just had your tongue down that other woman’s throat, your
girlfriends
throat.  Move so I can leave.”

My jaw muscle tensed, “You’re fucking jealous,” I said with a laugh, “It’s a shitty fucking feeling isn’t it Sydney?  Wanting somebody so fucking bad your chest aches when you see them with another person.  It sucks watching her kiss me, watching her feel my skin against hers, knowing that later on tonight it’s going to be her that I’m fucking.  And it’s going to be
her
that I wake up with in the morning.  I bet you’ve done the same as I have Sydney, you’ve thought of me when you’re fucking him.  Just like I picture you when I’m fucking her.”  She gasped and her eyes got big, “Oh come on Sydney, we’re both grown adults, hell I have no shame in admitting that I’ve stroked myself off a few times trying to imagine what your sweet lips would feel like around my cock.  I bet you’ve rubbed your clit until your pussy twitched, all while thinking of what it would be like to feel my tongue rolling your clit around until you come against it.” I grinned at her, “Shitty fucking feeling isn’t it?” I turned and walked away.

Rocks scattered against the side of my pickup as she peeled out of the parking lot and drove away.  I went inside and told Belle that I was going to go home, to let me know when she was headed to my house so I could let her in.  She gave me a strange look then turned to help customers. 

At three thirty that morning Belle finally text me to let me know she was headed to my house.  Any other man would be suspicious since she usually left right after the last customer.  Tonight it didn’t bother me because I couldn’t get the taste and feel of Sydney’s lips off of mine. 

I drove in a daze back to my parents’ house, Cade’s words playing over and over in my head.  I wanted to turn around and go scream at him that he should have tried harder to get me to see that he had felt the same buzzing connection as I did.  I put my hands up to my mouth, I could still feel the stubble of his trimmed beard against my skin.  He was right, the feelings I felt watching another woman kiss him made my heart ache.  My cell phone ringing snapped me out of my thoughts, without even looking I hit the call button on the steering wheel.  “He kissed me, and he…”

“Who fucking kissed you?”  Ronnie growled through the speakers of my car.

I didn’t even respond, I disconnected the call, shut my phone off and drove in silence the rest of the way home. 

~~~~

After only three weeks being open ‘Get Twisted’ was booked solid for dance lessons and the fitness center was always busy.  I had moved out of my parents’ house and rented a small two bedroom house in town.  It was easier for me to live in town instead of making the twenty minute drive each way.  Ryan worked amazing with the high school boys that were struggling to be convinced that they could be on a cheer squad and not be labeled as “gay”.  Ryan was far from gay, and the high school boys noticed that every woman that came into the building did a double take at him.  I wasn’t even sure some of the ladies actually went into the fitness room to exercise, most of the time they stood and watched him dancing around with the little kids.  This particular day he was helping Theresa with a group of eight year old little girls, they wanted to know what it was like to be held up in one hand.  The mothers all sighed and awed each time he would lift one up and gently drop her into the cradle of his arms. 

“Business is doing good I take it?”  Bryan said as he leaned against the counter. 

“It’s going excellent, although I think if he ever leaves most of our clientele will too.”  I laughed. 

“Yeah because I totally come in here to stare at his ass.”

I slapped Bryan’s shoulder, “You know what I meant.”

“Have you talked to him anymore?”  he asked.

“Who Ronnie?  I finally blocked his number, why?”

“No but that’s a good little bit of info to have.  You know who I’m really talking about don’t play stupid.”  I started messing with the ink pens in the holder, “Don’t ignore me.”  He said softly.

“Bryan, he’s with her.  He’s happy, there’s nothing I can do about it now.  I made a mistake by falling for Ronnie’s lies and not talking to Cade to see if he was feeling the same things I was.  He made it pretty clear that night at the bar how he feels.  What’s that saying, ‘I’m a day late and a dollar short?’”

He shook his head, “It’ll happen and when it does we won’t see either of your for days.”  He rapped his knuckles on the counter and started to walk away, “Mark my words Sydney, you two will happen.  You can cut the sexual tension with a knife when you two are in the same room.”  He pushed out the doors and ran to his pickup trying to get out of the rain. 

That night I was the last to leave, I set the security system and locked the doors.  The rain had subsided but a thin fine mist filled the air, Theresa had always said misty night’s freaked her out for some reason tonight a shiver ran down my spine as I walked to my car. 

The drive to my house only took a few minutes, I pulled my car into the garage and grabbed my gym bag out of the back.  The garage door squeaked as it lowered and finally locked down.  Since it was only after nine I decided to finish working on a dance mix disc for the high school squad to use during half time shows.  I heated up some of the beef and noodles mom had dropped by earlier in the day over my lunch break and had just sat down at my computer desk with the music on when my phone rang. 

“Good evening my most awesome neighbor.”  I said to the elderly lady that lived across the alley. 

“Sydney, where are inside your house?”  she whispered.

“Why are you whispering?”  I whispered back then laughed. 

She cleared her throat, “Sydney, I’ve already called the police.  Bones was out in the back yard doing his business when he suddenly stopped…there’s a man walking around the back side of your house.  He’s tried two of the windows so far.”

I froze, my blood ran cold, “What? Are you sure it’s not one of Tim and Janet’s daughter’s boyfriend sneaking around waiting for the Okay to climb in her window?”

“Those boys don’t sneak around until between eleven and eleven thirty seven.  This guy showed up at your house earlier.  He was wearing a white shirt and a white hat with a security system logo on them.  He’s changed and is in all black now.” 

“Okay, I guess I’ll call the cops and just go stay at my parents’ house.  Thank you.”  I started to hang up.

“Sydney don’t you dare leave that house until the cops get there,” I heard her back door open and her dog bones start barking again, “Bones will keep me alert to where the guy is.”

My body was shaking, and my heart racing, “How—how long ago did you call them?”

“About seven minutes ago, do you have any idea who it is?”

“I have a pretty good idea, but I’m not positive.  I’ll call him tomorrow and see if it was him.”  The only person I knew, I could feel that it was…was Ronnie. 

“They are coming down the alley right now sweet heart, I’ll stay on the phone with you until the officer comes to your door.  I can’t see him moving around anywhere so maybe Bones scared him away.”  I heard her call Bones back inside and praise him with a doggy treat. 

“Thank You.”  I said around the lump in my throat. 

The cops shined bright spotlights towards my house, and at each of the neighbor’s houses and slowly circled the block before they pulled into my driveway.  Three hard knocks on the door about made me drop my phone, I walked over and asked who it was.  The police officer stated his name so I cracked the door open to make sure he was who he said. 

“We’ve been circling the block most of the night with reports of a suspicious white male lurking around.  Haven’t found anybody though, with you being here by yourself unless you have protection maybe you should go stay with a friend or relative.”  The officer told me.