“Come here. Lean a little closer. I don’t want everyone hearing,” he said.
I closed the distance between us and sighed as his hot breath hit the shell of my ear.
“I can open a stick of gum with my tongue.”
“No you can’t,” I said as I pulled back.
“Want to see?”
I narrowed my eyes at him as he held out his hand to the bartender.
“Do you have gum, by any chance?” Everett asked.
I watched as the bartender pulled out a stick of gum from his pocket.
“Do you really have a packet of gum in your pocket? Or did he give you that one stick for you to hang onto in case the moment presented itself?” I asked.
The bartender grinned at me as he took out a package of gum from deep within his pocket. I rolled my eyes and shook my head, but Everett did have my attention. I watched him slide the paper sleeve off before he stuck the entire stick of gum in his mouth, then his jaw went to work. It moved and undulated with his tongue’s motions and I found my legs locking up. My toes curled around the bar of the chair I was sitting on and my hand gripped my drink glass a little too hard. His eyes never left mine as a grin lid across his cheeks, then I watched a small sliver of the aluminum wrapping paper jut out between his lips.
“No you didn’t,” I said.
He grabbed it with his fingers and slowly began sliding it out of his mouth.
“You did not,” I said.
He held up the empty piece of paper before smiling broadly at me. And it was then I felt a rush of heat pool between my legs.
“Holy shit,” I said breathlessly.
“A nice little party trick to bust out when people are a little too drunk to care about the skill level of such a thing,” Everett said.
Every inch of my body had come alive watching him do that.
“So, what’s your hidden talent?” he asked.
I drew in a deep breath to try and calm the electricity buzzing throughout my body.
“I… play piano,” I said.
“You play piano?”
“I do, yes.”
“Why is that a hidden talent?”
“I just don’t do it often.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. There’s never really been many opportunities, I guess.”
“How long have you played?”
“A few years. Six, maybe seven?”
“Could I hear you play sometime?” he asked.
“I mean, I’m not good. I haven’t taken lessons or anything. Just a few videos on YouTube and a lot of playing around on the instrument.”