Hustle Me (13 page)

Really I didn't. I would hardly call drifting around hustling people "a life".
 

"Don't worry, kid, I'm going to teach you to shoot pool before I leave."
 

"But I can already shoot pool. My daddy taught me when I was littler."
 

"You mean smaller." Charlie corrected.
 

"It's okay, I got what he meant." I looked down at the kid. "Maybe you can teach me a few things then?"
 

"Okay." He seemed genuinely excited.
 

Charlie made her way into the kitchen and Ryan followed behind her. When people started coming in, I was concerned that someone would recognize me, but the two teams shooting were all new faces to me. Most of them drank bottled beer, which was a piece of cake. A few people wanted mixed drinks, but nothing too complicated. Charlie worked hard making the food in the kitchen and by eight, she was taking Ryan up to bed. She came back down about a half hour later, but I’d already run back in the kitchen and filled an order for a turkey club. I probably put way too much meat on it, but the customer seemed happy about it.
 

At ten the kitchen was officially closed. With the baby monitor on her hip, she came to the front of the bar and started counting the register. I leaned in beside her. “Don’t trust me?”
 

She raised her eyebrow and kept counting. “I never said that.”
 

“If I wanted to steal from you, I would have just taken the money and walked out. I know I can be…difficult, but I’m not a thief.”
 

She shut the register and turned around to face me with all of the money in her hand still. “I take out all of the money except forty dollars and keep it upstairs in the safe. If someone comes in to rob the register it is never full of cash. As far as you being a thief, again, I never said that.”
 

I finished wiping down the bar and helped Charlie get the lights turned off and double check that everything was locked. I gladly followed her upstairs, watching her perfect ass the whole way. She had to know that I was looking, but never hinted that it annoyed her. When we got inside the apartment, she locked the door behind us and accidentally brushed against my chest. We both realized it at the same time and stood there facing each other. I cleared my throat and looked down at her little mouth. “It’s too bad you have a boyfriend.”
 

She didn’t move her eyes from mine. “Why is that?”
 

I scratched my head. “You know why.”
 

I moved a couple inches closer and honestly, I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t come onto girls like this. I most certainly didn’t move into their place or want to spend more than a day with just one girl. This wasn’t me.
 

She didn’t back away from my advance. “No, I don’t.”
 

I took my hand and brushed the back of it against her cheek. She closed her eyes as I did it, showing me that she trusted me enough to touch her. I got closer to her lips, so they were almost touching mine. “I want to kiss you.” I grazed my lips over hers.
 

Charlie grabbed my bottom lip in between hers and kissed me one time. She pulled away and opened her eyes. “We can’t. I can’t do this with you. I don’t know anything about you.”
 

I tried to grab her hand, but she started walking away from me. “Charlie, it was just a kiss.”
 

“If you are only helping me to get into my pants, you can go right now.” She put her hands on her hips and got all serious.
 

I put my hands back behind my head. There was no sense in arguing with her. “If that was all I was here for, I can promise you that we’d be in your bed right now. Goodnight, Charlie.”
 

I didn’t let her argue with me over what I said to her. I closed my bedroom door and plopped down on my bed.
 

I’m not really sure what time it was, but I woke up to screaming and went flying out of my bedroom door with half of a
pool stick in my hand.  At first, nothing was out of the ordinary but, as the screaming continued, I realized it was coming from Charlie’s bedroom. My heart started racing as I feared that someone had broken in and was actually attacking her. The door was cracked open and I ran right in. At first, it took a second for my eyes to adjust, but Charlie was still lying in her bed. She was thrashing around and screaming while still asleep. I’d never heard someone have such a horrific nightmare before, so I rushed to her side. “Charlie…Charlie, wake up. It’s just a dream. Wake up.”
 

She shot up and looked around the room. Her chest was covered in sweat and she immediately began to sob. I sat down on the edge of her bed and pulled her into my arms. “Jesus Christ, woman, it was just a nightmare.”
 

She sobbed for a little longer and pulled her head away from my shoulder. “I’m so sorry I woke you up. I thought for sure they would have stopped by now.”
 

I grabbed her chin and pulled her to look at me. “You mean, you have these a lot?”
 

She shook her head. “I have them every night that I sleep by myself. If Ryan is with me, they aren’t as bad. You must think I’m crazy. First I’m a total bitch and now this.”
 

I laughed. “Yeah, actually I think you are the most interesting woman I’ve ever met. You’re different.”
 

She laid back on her pillow and covered her face. “This is so embarrassing. How loud was I?”
 

“I thought someone was killing you.”
 

She immediately started laughing. “Oh my God, I am so sorry.”
 

I reached down and grabbed the bottom shaft to the stick. “I came in with a weapon to kill the fucker.”
 

She grabbed the stick and laughed some more. “Wow, this was your weapon of choice? You really are obsessed with the game.”
 

I patted her on her leg. “I’m glad you’re okay. I really would have fucked somebody up. I know you don’t believe my intentions, but you and that kid don’t deserve what’s been happening. I better get back to bed. See you in the morning.”
 

She grabbed my hand. “Jammer wait. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but do you think you could just stay in here a little while longer? Just until I fall back asleep?”
 

I thought about what she was asking me for a second. “I’ll be right back.”
 

I was making a mistake, I knew I was, but I was going to do it anyway. This was her idea, not mine. I went into my room and grabbed my blanket and pillow. When I got back to her room, I laid my blanket down on the hardwood floor and climbed on top of it.
 

Charlie leaned over the bed and looked down at me. “What are you doing?”
 

“If you can’t sleep without someone in your room, then I can’t sleep because you will be waking me up with your screaming. This way we both sleep.”
 

“But the floor is hard as shit.”
 

I rolled over and looked up at her. “Are you asking me to sleep with you, Charlie. All you have to do is say the word and these boxer briefs will hit the floor.”
 

One of her pillows came down over my face. “Is everything about sex?”
 

“I don’t know. It’s fun and I enjoy it. What about you? Do you enjoy sex?” If she was going to ask me questions, then I could ask her the same.
 

She giggled like I had embarrassed her. “I guess. I mean… never mind.”
 

“No, enlighten me. I asked you a question. It’s only fair you answer me. I mean, I am half naked, laying on your floor, keeping you safe.” I waited a second and knew what she was doing. “Don’t roll your eyes at me, Charlie.”
 

“I wasn’t rolling my eyes,” she giggled.
 

“Yeah, right. Are you going to answer? Please don’t tell me you’re a virgin.”
 

She giggled some more. “No, I’m not a virgin.”
 

“How old were you when you lost yours?” I asked.
 

“You first.” She replied.
 

“Ten.” I lied.
 

“Oh my God, that is horrible. You were just a child. Did you even have hair down there?” This time I burst into laughter.
 

“I was just kidding. I was fifteen. She was a girl from my neighborhood. We went to school and church together. It happened one night when our parents were playing cards. It lasted about five seconds, in case that was your next question.”
 

She laughed again, but this time it was at my flaws. I liked hearing it.
 

Almost a minute went by before Charlie finally answered my question. “I was fourteen. It happened at one of my foster homes. There was this kid who was fifteen and in the middle of the night, he forced me. The next morning they found him stabbed but never found out what happened.”
 

I sat up and looked right at her. “You’re kidding right?”
 

She laughed again and I grabbed the pillow and threw it back at her. “You suck. I fell for that shit.”
 

“I was sixteen and my boyfriend was the same age. My foster family didn’t want me anymore and I knew I would be moving to another school. We had sex the night before I left town. He lit candles and held me all night long. After that night, I never let myself have another serious relationship, because I didn’t want to feel the pain of losing anyone else.”
 

The room got quiet and I knew that she’d just told me something that was important to her. “That sucks, but at least he’s alive. I’d hate to think I was trying to get into your pants and find out you killed a dude for sleeping with you.”
 

“So, you are admitting you want to sleep with me?”
 

Damn, did I admit that out loud?
 

“Maybe. I ain’t going to lie, you’re sexy as hell. You think your attitude will keep me away, but it attracts me more. I’m fine if it never happens, but you just say the word if you want it to. I’d be all over that shit.”
 

She laid back down on her pillow. “Wow, thanks, I think?”
 

“For the record, I did just want a kiss tonight.”
 

Chapter 15
 

Charlie
 

I couldn’t believe this guy was in my room and, not only that, I was telling him things I’d never told anyone else. Was I that desperate for a friend?
 

It sucked that the dreams were still happening and now Jammer knew about them. I hated feeling fragile to anyone, especially a guy.
 

He told me that he wanted to kiss me and, truth be told, I wanted to kiss him too. Zach was a great friend of mine and, once in a while, we had benefits with our friendship. But, when we kissed, it was almost orchestrated. It never gave me that weak in the knees, heat between my legs kind of feeling. Standing close to Jammer tonight gave me those feelings and he didn’t even have to touch me to do it. It was both scary and turned me on.
 

I liked sex. I liked the way it made me feel and how relaxed I became afterwards but, for the past few months, I was too stressed to have the time or energy. When I did, it just never seemed to happen. Now I had this guy staying with me. He wasn’t
going to be around long and he was drop dead sexy. He’d admitted that he was attracted to me and if I wanted something, I could have it.
 

My heart started beating fast as he said it and, admittedly, it was probably because I was sitting next to him picturing it.
 

After he made the comment about kissing me, the room fell quiet. I didn’t know how to reply. The right thing to do would have been to not ask him back into my room, but lately I just didn’t do the right thing. The bottom line was that I was an adult and I had needs, but I also had morals and sleeping with someone I barely knew made me feel uneasy. Since I always had to be in control, this was a problem.
 

“Are you still awake?” I asked.
 

“Yeah.”
 

This was it. He was in my room, in his underwear. He might not give me another chance. I threw off my covers and let my feet fall off the bed. I was shaking, but I climbed down and straddled myself over Jammer’s body. I think he was in shock because he didn’t move a muscle. “What are your parents like?”
 

Even in the dark room, I could see him giving me a confused look.
 

“I don’t kiss strangers, so, if you want to kiss me, I have to know you.”
 

He put his arms behind his head. “They got married at seventeen and are still married, as far as I know. My father was difficult and my mother did whatever he said.”
 

I leaned down and brushed my lips over Jammer’s, before sitting back up. “Why don’t you talk to them?”
 

“I had a falling out with my father. I didn’t want to be in business with him, so I split.”
 

As I leaned down to give him a quick peck, he freed one of his hands from behind his head and ran it into my hair. I kept my lips against his a few extra seconds before sitting back up. “Why aren’t you married?”
 

“Why aren’t you?” He grabbed the front of my shirt to pull me down, but I wouldn’t let him.
 

“You can’t answer a question with a question.”
 

He ran his finger down my tank top in between my breasts. “No woman has ever made me want to stick around.”
 

Sure, I could have climbed off of him, but he was being honest with me, where other guys would just lie to get pussy.
 

I swear, never in my life had I ever done anything like I was doing. I wasn’t drunk or doing some kind of mind altering drugs. I was completely sane. My fingers slid down the bottom of my tank-top and lifted it right over my head. Jammer said nothing as I leaned down and pressed my full lips over his. I felt his warm hands sliding up my back as our mouths opened and our tongues brushed. The tingling was back between my legs and the more we kissed, the stronger it got. Jammer’s hands slid down into my pajama pants and grabbed my bare ass. He started moving my body against his, until I could feel his erection against my hip. His kisses were perfect, using just enough tongue to make me never want to pull away. My body began reacting to him, even before my mind knew what was happening. I rocked back and forth on top of him, knowing damn well where this was going. He grabbed one of my hands and guided it inside of his briefs. I recognized the smooth skin of his hard penis and knew he wanted to feel it. God, he was so hard and I couldn’t help myself, I just began stroking him and kissing him even more.