Creative Love (Ladies of L.U. #1) Read online

  "He wasn't interested in answering any questions." I shrug. "Guess he did his job. If we were on the subway, we could have found a nice patron to guide us in the right direction."

  Bryan shakes his head. "For a small fee I'm sure any of the bums would be willing to guide us to our final destination."

  We look up and down the street before Bryan recognizes the small signage for the restaurant he chose. Inside the restaurant is nothing I expected. There are two top tables and an expansive bar stretching across the side. The oregano and basil scents prevail and I look around at the plates in front of people while the hostess directs us to our table.

  Bryan orders a bottle of wine and looks to me, "Are you okay with white wine?"

  "Sure." I examine the menu and find an eggplant parmesan dish. Bryan orders an appetizer for us to share. Once the waitress walks away I ask him how he'll make a living now that he quit his job.

  "I'm going to open an art studio. Commission art work." His fingers twirl around the candle sitting in the middle of the table. "I've always wanted to do my art full time. No time like the present."

  "Is that why you quit?" A group of guys laugh at the bar. I try to see them through the dim light with no luck.

  Bryan follows my gaze and says, "There you go." He nods toward the guys. "One of them can be the guy you mingle with this weekend."

  I look at the candle between us and say, "Except it looks like we are on a date."

  He twists his lips around. "I could say you are my little sister." He leans back in his seat. "Sis, did Mom send any of her scrub with you?" His voice carries over the soft Italian music playing. I look from him to the couple sitting beside us. They stare at me as they wait for my response. "Her scrub is the only thing that keeps my skin smooth."

  "Yeah she sent a couple of jars but said next time you have to pay. She said she can't keep playing bingo if you don't pay her." He coughs and covers his mouth. "You know she loves bingo. In fact, you owe me a couple of dollars cause I had to front your scrub habit."

  "Remind me before I drop you off at the airport." The waitress places our appetizer between us and lets Bryan taste the wine.

  "They aren't even looking this way. What now?" He leans back in his chair and stares at the bar. He grabs a stuffed mushroom and pops it into his mouth.

  "This is what you have to do." He grabs my glass from the table and hands it to me. "Walk over there with your glass and..." he shakes his head. "No, no glass." He takes the glass back from me setting it down. "Walk over to the bar and ask for a bottle of Perrier."

  "Ask for a bottle of water from the bartender?" I look toward the bar again. "Are you sure you pick up women at the bar?" His mouth drops. "I hope you're better on your own cause you're a horrible wing man."

  "Just try it." He taps the table. "If it doesn't work I'll buy your meals all weekend."

  I stand up and straighten my sweater. "Deal." I don't turn down a challenge. Besides I could use a sugar daddy for the weekend. I walk over to the bar, keeping my eye on the group of guys. I find a spot beside the group and lean over the bar, putting my tits on display. After the bartender leaves to grab my bottle of water, one of them asks if I'm from the area. Before I can turn and walk away with my bottle of water he has my phone number.

  Gritting my teeth I return to the table. As I take my seat I feel Bryan staring at me. When I realize the guys from the bar are no longer looking in my direction I look to Bryan and whisper, "Not my type."

  His eyebrows raise. "What is your type?"

  Leaning across the table with my tits resting near my plate I say, "Athletic." My eyes gaze across his biceps. "Taller than me, professional, funny, confident but not cocky." Our eyes connect and I continue, "Decent dude."

  He adjusts in his seat. "And if that guy came around you'd just want to fuck?" The lady sitting across from us looks at Bryan with her mouth slightly open. I return her stare until she turns back to her food. "I mean, seems like any of those guys could work you over for the weekend, right?"

  "I don't know about you, but I'm not out here just fucking every dude who wants to fuck." I keep my voice low to not disturb the people around us. "I just don't want to be in a relationship."

  The waitress places our entrees on the table and we take a few bites before Bryan's curiosity gets the best of him. "And if a guy comes around and doesn't just want to fuck?"

  "Can't speak in hypotheticals, Bryan." I take a small bite of my eggplant parmesan, letting my mouth linger over the fork. "If it ever happened, maybe I would consider a relationship."

  Chapter Three

  Bryan

  So don't fuck her over. Chris' warning haunts me as I watch Nicole's lips while she sips on the glass of wine. I'd much rather take her back to the apartment and let those same lips wrap around my...

  Nicole taps on the table to get my attention. "Are you ready for the check, sir?" The waitress is staring at me waiting for a reply.

  "Sorry. Guess I was in another place." I look at Nicole again and she shrugs her shoulders. "Yes, let's get the check."

  When the waitress walks away Nicole calls my bluff. "In another place, huh?" She purses her lips and I lick my lips in return. "Looks like you were dreaming of someone special with that grin on your face. Someone has become more than just a fuck buddy." My eyes grow wide. "Look at you. Nervous and everything."

  "Is that what you think?" I shake my head. "Not at all."

  Nicole looks down at her phone. "What's next?" We stand up after paying the bill and I lead her to the door.

  She takes one last look at the bar before exiting. Maybe she was more interested in that guy than she led me to believe. I watch her hips sway as she walks in front of me, giving me more of a view than when she walked to the bar. Each step she takes makes me want to ignore my little brother’s threat more.

  "Dinner was savory. But I hope you have room left in that belly for something sweet." Nicole's eyes perk up and she nods her head. "Good, I've also wanted to try Junior's Cheesecake." Nicole looks at me with a blank expression and I'm reminded of our age difference. "You know the place from Making the Band?" Still nothing. "Diddy's show?"

  Nicole laughs and grabs her side. "I was waiting to see if you were going to school me on Diddy." She holds her head up high. "I'm young but not that young. I know what you are talking about."

  I poke her in the side. "Had me feeling extra old." The sun is beginning to set and the chill in the air is perfect for a walk. "Feel like walking?" Before she responds I look down at her shoes.

  She lifts a foot off the ground and waves her classic Adidas in front of me. "Brought my walking shoes. I'm super prepared for this New York experience."

  The residential vibe is replaced with lights and loud noise. We pass street performers and Nicole stops and looks on, grabbing my arm as one guy does a flip over another's back. "They are amazing."

  The street performers continue as the crowd grows around us, forcing us to stand closer. Instead of watching the acrobatics with amazement, I'm intrigued by Nicole's reactions. With each flip, dance move, or beat by the drummer her body moves. Her back arches or her hips sway. She moves away from me then right back in place, never once releasing my arm.

  The crowd erupts in applause and Nicole joins them. She reaches in her purse, dropping a couple of dollars into the bucket for the performers. We continue walking to Junior's and we both point out different sites. I point out things I know she wouldn't see in Atlanta and watch as her face lights up each time.

  "We can ride on one of those before you leave and get an official tour of the city," I say as I point to a double decker tour bus.

  "Before I leave?" Nicole stops walking. "Laila better not be working the entire time I’m here. I'd hate to monopolize your entire weekend." She looks down at her Adidas.

  "Really?" She looks up at me and the kid-like amazement has disappeared. "I don't have a job. Don't have anywhere else to be this weekend." I start walking and she follows behind me. “Entertaining you
is cool." I hear her snicker. "Besides we have to get you sexed up before you leave." She slaps my back, causing me to lunge forward, leaving her laughing behind me.

  "Wait." She yells. "There it is." I turn around and look at her waiting for her to explain further. "Junior's." I look in the direction she's staring and see the line forming outside of the restaurant.

  "Guess we weren't the only ones in search of good cheesecake." We approach the line with apprehension. "We could get something else if you don't feel like waiting."

  She grabs her phone and then looks back to the line. "Laila hasn't texted yet. I asked her to let me know when she's leaving her office and I would meet her back at the apartment."

  "Junior's it is then." I turn to look at her. "Tell me about your time at L. U. "

  She squints her eyes before asking, "What do you want to know?"

  "From the looks of this line we may be here for a while. Tell me anything."

  "The four plus years I spent at L. U. were some of the best years of my life. Of course meeting the girls was the highlight." She takes a breath. "Wish I would have concentrated more on selecting a major. Would have graduated on time."

  "At least you finished." From the wince I could tell she didn't care for that response. "Let me guess. Everyone tells you that?"

  "Something like that. Everyone except for my parents. My dad wasn't happy about footing the bill for another year of school."

  "Parents have a strange way of making their kids feel inadequate." I whisper. "How'd you meet Laila and the rest of them?"

  "Wait. What was that you whispered about parents?" Her eyebrows gather and she looks to me for a response.

  I exhale and contemplate giving her a surface answer. I'd rather not discuss my issues with my dad here, definitely not now. "Nothing. I just know how parents can be."

  “Hmm. I'll let that go for now." We step a few feet toward the entrance of Junior's. "Jennifer was my roommate, and she met Laila during freshman orientation. Naturally I met Laila through Jennifer." I nod my head as the pieces begin to connect. "Monica was Laila's roommate."

  "Did y'all ever have any cat fights?" I can't imagine Laila or Nicole having an issue with anyone. They seem to be the type to be non-confrontational and get along with everyone. But then again, Laila did slap the shit out of Chris' ex from what I have heard.

  "Not between the four of us." She rolls her eyes up. "Not anything significant enough to remember." She laughs. "But I'm sure you've heard about Laila's run-ins with Chris' ex-girlfriend." I nod my head. "Laila can be feisty if she needs to be."

  "Certainly would fool me. Had my brother not given me the details of her slapping Courtney I would never think she could be angered."

  "We all have our breaking point, right?"

  "Absolutely." I examine her, looking at her facial expression that is soft and measured. She's standing with her arms loosely crossed across her chest. "What do you think your breaking point would be?"

  "I'm hoping to avoid most of my breaking points by staying single. Other than that, I think being overlooked at work would be my breaking point."

  "What type of work do you do?" She frowns. "That exciting, huh?"

  "It's not what I imagined I'd be doing when I graduated. I can't complain because I get paid. But it's not exciting one bit." She makes eye contact and continues, "Tell me about you. Where'd you go to school?"

  "I went to University of Tennessee. But I didn't graduate." Nicole's face doesn't return the response I was expecting. She waits for me to give her more details. "Dropped out after my sophomore year."

  "Ever consider finishing?" We are at the front of the line and the hostess interrupts us asking if we'll be dining in or picking up. Nicole looks around the restaurant and says, "Dining in."

  When we are seated at the table I say, "If this art thing sustains me." I shake my head. "I don't plan on it."

  We study the bakery menu before the server returns. I ask her, "Which one are you going to try?"

  She sighs. "I hate when a menu has too many options." I nod in agreement. "I think I'll go with the strawberry." She looks at me with a grin. "Can't go wrong with the classic."

  I point at myself. "I was going to go with the strawberry but I don't want to have the same as you." I search the menu again for a different option.

  "We can both have strawberry. If it is good I would hate for you to think I'll give mine up."

  I laugh at her honesty. "Fair enough." The waitress returns to the table and we order two strawberry cheesecakes.

  "Tell me more." Nicole looks at me over a huge chunk of cheesecake with a strawberry perched on top. The things I could do with that strawberry and those lips.

  "I was working with the family business until recently." I stretch my arms out wide. "Now I'm here." Her eyebrow raises. "What?"

  "That's like me saying I was born and now I'm here." She wags her finger at me. "There's much more sandwiched in there." She looks around us. "We have time."

  "When I was in high school, I was a jock. Played football all four years." She examines me. I don't have my young athletic body anymore but I spend a fair amount of time in the gym. My shoulders are still broad and my six pack isn't defined but visible. "In college is when I gave up the sports and picked up the brush."

  Her head tilts backwards. "You weren't creative before college?"

  "I could draw. I would draw Anime characters all the time."

  "Ani who?" She looks at me with skepticism.

  "Are you trying to play me again?" I laugh and she shakes her head. "Dragonball Z ring a bell?"

  "Not a single one. But maybe it was a guy thing. In high school I was watching Gilmore Girls and The O. C.” She cocks her head at me. "Do you know either of those shows?"

  "Nope. We'll leave it at our gender being the main differentiator. I refuse to believe I'm getting old."

  Nicole stops taking bites midway through her cheesecake and sits back. She watches the people around us. The people who were once beside us have since left and a new wave of patrons have filled the tables.

  "Okay, tour guide. I think you owe me a trip on the subway." She puts her hand in the air and says, "But first we have to get you liquored up, right?"

  I nod my head with enthusiasm. "That’s the only way I'm volunteering to torture myself." Instead of finding a bar in Times Square where it will be filled with tourists, I request a Moovn ride.

  On our ride back to Brooklyn, the views we saw before are illuminated with lights and New York looks alive. As we approach the Brooklyn Bridge, Nicole turns around and catches a picture of the city behind us. She leans into me with her camera outstretched and before I can recoil she snaps a picture of the two of us. Grabbing the camera from her I say, "Give me your best pose."

  She leans against the door and with her head tilted away she looks back at me. I snap the picture before she begins to laugh. "Something about the city gives me energy."

  The driver pulls up to the bar that I requested in the app, and instead of not knowing where we are, I exit the car with confidence. I've been here before.

  I lead us directly to the bar where the guys sitting around aren't as lively as the guys at the Italian restaurant. Nicole sits beside me and all eyes are on us until we order our first drink. I'm surprised when she orders a Hennessy with a splash of Coke.

  She raises her glass to me and says, "To New York."

  I tap her glass and respond, "To New York." My eyes grow wide when she effortlessly takes a sip. "This is going to be a fun night," I whisper.

  Chapter Four

  Nicole

  "I should probably stop at two." I wave my hand in front of Bryan to reject the next drink he's passing my way. I outstretch my hand to the mock dance floor and say, "Can you dance?"

  He puts the glass in front of him and shrugs his shoulders. "I can do a little something."

  I nod toward the dance floor as the beat of the next song drops. I'm not familiar with the song but I can two-step to just about anythi
ng. The crowd in the bar has grown but the vibe is still laid back, with the exception of the group of females getting their life on the dance floor. I'm surprised when Bryan grabs me by the waist and turns me around.

  My hips lean into him but I keep some space between us. He whispers in my ear, "Show these girls what you got." I laugh as I look over my shoulder.

  We maintain our rhythm, keeping up with the group of girls. Then either my two drinks kick in or the Beyoncé song motivates me, but I thrust my hips into Bryan and dance like my life depends on it, grinding and gyrating into his groin with his hands sitting slightly on my hips.

  By the end of the song, I'm hot and somewhat bothered and I take Bryan's hand to lead him back to the bar. I grab the bartender's attention and ask for a glass of water. When I turn around I see a woman leaning into Bryan's ear. I try to avoid staring at them, but can't turn away.

  The woman is wearing a skin tight dress with cutouts around her waist and when she places her arm up to Bryan's shoulder I see an intricate cross tattoo through one of the cutouts. Her hair, a curly fro, blocks my view of her face. Bryan looks back to me and I divert my eyes and focus on the glass of water in my hands.

  "Nicole." I look up to see Bryan standing closer. Between myself and the curly fro. When he steps to the side she's smiling with her hand outstretched.

  I take her hand as Bryan says, "This is Jenna." Jenna. That's it. Without an accompanying title. "I was just telling her about the day we've had." The smile on his face grows.

  "Oh. It's been awesome." I look to her with confusion. Not sure if I should be refraining from cock blocking or marking my territory. "Bryan is a great tour guide."

  “I bet he is," Jenna says observing me the way I observed her. "Don't forget the painting you want to replace in my apartment. I've been staring at it with skepticism since you pointed it out."