Page 5

(Present)

Creeks staring again. Always staring. I tried to ignore it. Really I did. It's been two weeks since I started this job and unfortunately, it can no longer be overlooked.

Setting aside the glass I had been drying I saunter over to Creek. He's working the opposite end of the bar, counting the money at closing. He doesn't look up from his duties when I approach him which has me rolling my eyes faster than bowling balls. The man has been eyeing me all day, and he chooses now to keep them to himself? It's as if he believes I'll grow 12-inch claws and slaughter his family while they take a piss in the public restroom. Or something equally as stupid.

I've catalogued him as not that bright. Slow in the head. The bottom of the food chain out of his brothers. Though I'm not sure why they would stick him behind the bar, where he is also unsuccessful in his stupidness.

This poor man needs training.

I lift my ass on top of the bar next to where he's working and tap my sneaky fingers near the money. Mostly because I know it will spook him. He’ll believe I'm some form of a thief.

He’d believe correctly. Fortunately for him that’s not what I'm doing here.

He snatches the cash from the counter and stuffs it back into the register quicker than I would have given him credit for.

“What do you want?”

He asks without looking up.

“You missed some.”

I tease, holding up a wad of cash like the snake he expects me to be.

His gaze flicks up then, and a rage so potent makes a home on his face that makes my blood sing.

I'm sure he thinks it's threatening. Furthest from the truth. His rage only heightens my amusement, and he must sense that because now he observes me like I'm the stupid one.

He’s not even that much bigger than me. Sure, he's taller-my head reaching his chin-but most people are. He has a bit of bulk on him, but he's not ripped or anything. In fact, I could take him. Surely.

His face gives away everything he's feeling. Mother wouldn’t hear of it. He’s like a flower in his transparency. When the petals dry you'll know it requires water. When the leaf’s shine bright like their pads you'll grasp it's delight. When the blossom withers out in the form of brown and crumbles, it needs saving.

What a reckless man.

Which circles back to stupid.

“You keep your thieving fucking hands off of everything in this bitch. Do you hear me? I don’t fucking trust you.”

He shifted his position and now stands in between my legs with a hand pushing at my chest to get his point across. Creek maneuvers the money out of my grasp with a crafty flick of his wrist and I shut down the part of my brain that thought the move was impressive.

It was not. I certainly didn’t catalogue it to memory for my own personal use later.

I don’t think he's realized the position he's placed himself in-between my legs-but I don’t point it out. It feels. . . Okay.

“Relax Flower.”

I coo because I never claimed to not be trouble during that office intervention they cornered me with.

His left eye twitches at the nickname his parents should have clocked him with at birth. They could have caught the condition early, the poor thing.

No time like the present.

“Excuse me?”

“Okay. I'll make you a deal. You get to ask me three questions. It can be any three questions and I promise to answer honestly.” I offer.

He still stands between my legs and his hand hasn’t left my chest yet. It's closer than I ever let anyone, but I'll allow it. Just the once. To show him I'm nothing resembling a threat. It will show that I have reason.

It is curious though that my heart rate spiked a bit when his legs shifted closer and slid against my inner thighs. Our first shift together I had let him shake my hand and instead of feeling like insects were trying to chew their way out of my skin, my brain was quiet. I had been entirely too curious, like I am now.

I take a quiet deep breath in. It's slow and measured, something he shouldn’t notice even with his hand on me.

“Buuuuuut...”

I sing. It’s the chaos in me. “Choose your questions wisely because you have to answer the same ones, if you expect me to.”

The eye twitch strikes again and I boop it with my finger and soft sound effect.

Cami used to love that shit. Creek not so much, if his puzzled expression is anything to go by.

Thinking of my sister sends a familiar crushing sensation through me and clogs my throat. I quickly extract myself from the counter and flip our positions, using the distraction to clear my throat silently. His back now rests against the bar and it's my hand on his chest. His rage bleeds from his skin and into my pores and I'm here for it.

“Do you have a question?”

I give him one last chance. When he remains silent I take a few steps back to observe him.

His brown hair is darker and shorter than my blonde shoulder length hair. It's faded on the sides with a couple inches of pull-on top that falls over his forehead. His eyes are a light shade of brown, like French vanilla syrup. His features are sharp and smooth like mine, and I wonder if everyone treated him, like they had treated me my whole life. Like he's beautiful. Just more man.

“You’re annoying.”

I scoff causing him to draw back.

“Excuse me?”

He seems to be watching his eye movement around me now, but his jaw still clenches hard.

The bubble I’ve had in place around my person for years has apparently evaporated for this man. The next thing I know, I'm back in his space and he's back in mine. A slight caress of my fingers across his locked jaw causes it to slacken. I get the sudden urge to shove my fingers inside of his mouth and make acquaintance with his tongue. It's exhilarating, and something I’ve never experienced before, and I do so now in wonder. The tip of my finger grazes his full bottom lip, and my brows furrow in concentration while I watch transfixed.

The way he reacts to my very being floods me with unknown pleasure and I plan to make the most of it. B never said I couldn’t have fun while I was here.

Creeks hand clamps down on my wrist making me snap out of my stupor while he regards me with a question in his eyes. One I wouldn’t know the answer to even if I tried, so I draw back once more and part with soft words. And if his flower face was anything to go by, it left him wanting.