Beautifully Broken

He chokes a little on the piece he was chewing. “Wow, you really don’t have a problem with being direct, do you?”

I shrug. “Not usually, no.”

I inhale my pie at an embarrassing pace. “Damn, this is good,” I mumble through a full mouth.

Gavin eats his as well but with much better table manners. “It is. Although, my mind is now thinking about panties and not pie. That’s weird, don’t you think?”

“You sure like saying panties, don’t you?” I wink for added effect.

He swallows his bite before speaking. “Quite honestly, I never gave it a second thought until five minutes ago. At the moment, my thoughts about them seem to be bordering on obsession.”

“Panties in general?” I ask. “Or anyone’s in particular?”

He smiles. “Oh, I definitely have someone in mind. I can’t stop wondering what color they are on this particular…person.” Flirty Gavin is fun.

“Well, I don’t know who this lucky girl is,” I play along, “but one thing I can tell you is that my favorite color is red. Red lips, red dress, tiny scraps of red lingerie. I also enjoy lacy things…the way the fabric rubs against certain areas of my body feels really nice. Even if they are uncomfortably wet at the moment.”

Gavin groans in response and shifts in his seat. “Jesus,” he mutters.

“Hey, Sparkles?”

He clears his throat. “Yes, Red?”

“Have we done enough talking yet?”

He stands, drops a twenty-dollar bill on the table, and offers his hand. “My place work for you?”

“That sounds perfect.”

HE OPENS THE PASSENGER DOOR to his Tahoe and this time, I hop in. “You’re not worried about my car getting stolen?” I joke. You’d have to be a moron to steal that piece of shit. It’s older than I am and covered in rust from prolonged exposure to the salty air.

Gavin smirks. “I’ll drive you back to get it later.”

I grab a fistful of his t-shirt and pull him inches away from my lips. “After we have hot, sweaty sex, right?”

He stares at my lips. “Right. After that.”

I release his shirt. “Alrighty then. Let’s go.”

He closes my door and walks around to climb in the driver’s seat. “You sure about this, Red?”

“Why do I get the feeling you don’t normally do this? A guy doesn’t usually give a willing girl so many chances to change her mind.”

“Because I don’t,” he says matter-of-factly. “Taking a virtual stranger home is a first for me.”

“Right,” I scoff.

He raises an eyebrow. “Which part is so hard to believe?”

“All of it,” I reply.

He puts the car in gear and reverses out of the parking spot. “Why’s that?”

I gesture toward his finely sculpted body. “Because you look like that. I’m sure you can have any woman you want.”

Sparkles flashes a blinding smile as he drives into the neighborhood behind the diner. “I’m flattered, but it’s not true.”

“So, you’re telling me that you haven’t had sex with anyone since your divorce?”