6 - Poker Face

~Juliet’s Point of View~

“Harder! Really punch it,” Dante shouted, as he danced around.

He got me into kickboxing and I had to admit, it was empowering and hot as hell. Learning some self-defense, burning calories and an excuse to touch a hot as sin guy I’ve been drooling for months? Check, check, check. All boxes are full!

I really thought I could never fantasize about someone after Jude, I mean who could possibly compare. Dante Dixon, that’s fucking who. This guy was exactly who I would always lust over but never have a chance in hell with actually dating.

He’d let his hair grow out this past month and just shaved it a bit underneath like Jude does. Now he had a messy carmel colored shaggy mess and when he sweats … oh fuck its hot. Illegal.

“I want to ask you something, for real … for real on the real,” I said, taking off my gloves.

He laughed, flashing his perfect white smile. For weeks now he’d become a good friend, someone I confided in about all my fat girl issues. Okay my mental issues, who knows.

“What’s up cookie,” he said, falling onto a bench. 

The cookie thing, ugh! It never goes away.

“I think you should take me out on a date. Doesn’t have to be a real date, we can know we’re only friends but to the public it will appear real. I want you to see how people look at me, treat me as different,” I said, putting my sweaty hands on my hips.

When you look like Dante, you never notice the stares, the eyes bugging out when a larger person walks in the room. He’s way too polite to admit he ever has thoughts about someone’s appearance in a negative way but come on, all the beautiful people do it. They make fun of fat people or people they deem as ugly, beneath them. Hell there are mean girls on social media that make a living out of tearing others down.

“Yeah all right. I am curious about your little social experiment. I’ll even pick you up, how about that,” he offered.

I lit up and bounced my head around. Jada hadn’t lost a lot of her baby weight as she’d expected so we went shopping yesterday for her to get a couple things in a larger size and me in a smaller one. I fit comfortably into a size ten dress and I couldn’t even believe it. Even in new jeans my ass was smoking hot.

I told Dante I didn’t even care how much weight I’d lost, I felt better than I had in years. I could even get on the floor to play with the baby and get up without nearly dying.

We were going to enter the maintenance phase of my workouts and I couldn’t believe I’d lost this much in just two months. I didn’t fully cut back on my diet though, that part I struggled with and well his diet plan was too scary. 

No taste, no flavor? No thanks.

“It’s a date! I’ll text you my address, how about tomorrow at 7,” I said, wondering if he’d really sacrifice his Saturday night for me.

He gave me a fist bump and nodded. Holy crap, I had a real date with Dante. Sort of. I would tell everyone it was, since it was supposed to be.

I’d been cruising around a few dating websites lately, even did have a couple of dates. They were absolutely horrible and one I even snuck out of halfway through dinner. Here I was worried about whether guys would like me, it didn’t really occur to me that my standards had drastically changed.

I mean, I shagged Mr. Feisty himself … and he had sent me flowers for fuck’s sake.

I was walking back to the shop when my phone beeped. I glanced down at the screen to see a reminder, time for my yearly exam at the lady doctor. Monday morning, first thing. Just great, my favorite time of the year. Actually this was good timing in a way. I needed to get off the pill and onto some better type of birth control. Things were just too crazy and I had actually just hired myself an assistant because we’re so damn busy.

The free publicity we got from Feisty boosted our business to another level. Now in addition to staying mobbed, businesses were calling for baked goods and catering all the time. I was dealing with so much from vendors and keeping inventory straight that social media was getting left behind, and we couldn’t have that. I even ended up hiring an accountant to take over payroll since forgetting that could be realllllly bad.

My new assistant was a kid named Taylor, fresh out of college. He had amazing ideas and was just as much of an asshole as me when it came to our few haters. I went to the gay bar with him and had a blast last weekend. He was also trying to help me have some decent fashion sense, but I still could really care less. I liked what I liked, whether it was “in” or not.

We just clicked right away and he was very dependable. He ran anything major past me but in the last couple weeks I let him pretty much take the reins of all the online stuff. It was a pretty cush job and easy but just time consuming. We were also now selling merchandise, everything from t-shirts to aprons and even shipping some baked goods around the country. So Taylor handled all that stuff.

Cross Roads was now just about everything we’d dreamed it would be outside of becoming a chain … and life was just good. 

The next day I got to the shop, excited as hell for my date tonight. The lunch rush was in full swing and when I strolled in a giant waft hit me like a ton of bricks, nearly knocking me over. It went right to my gut and my gut said, no … no thanks.

I quickly held my hand over my mouth as I ran, not even making it to the bathroom. I blew chunks all over the main dishwasher’s sink and suddenly everyone stopped. 

“Oh girl are you okay, something you ate,” Nolan said, rubbing my back.

I threw my head back as I ran the water and cupped some in my hand.

“What the actual fuck is that stench,” I snapped, to anyone around.

“Oh uhm Jakob has a seafood trio for the special today,” Nolan said, handing me a towel.

Christ, is it bad? Did it go bad?

“Why does it smell so god awful, did it spoil,” I said, sipping some water and then spitting it out.

“I ate it, I’m fine. Smelled good to me,” Patrick said, shaking his head. Nolan backed him up, saying the same.

Oh god it’s just horrendous. There’s no way I can stay here and smell that shit. I got myself cleaned up and everyone went back to not noticing me like usual. I made my way back to my office where Taylor immediately began hitting me with questions. 

“You look like shit. Oh god it’s not like a stomach bug or something,” he said, jumping back.

“I seriously think that fish is bad. Don’t you smell it,” I questioned.

“Jakob wasn’t too sure about the shrimp linguine so I tried that, was decent,” he said, shrugging.

“I was going to help at the counter but there’s no way. Trade me for a couple hours,” I begged, pathetically. 

Taylor rarely liked to deal with the public the same as me, but I was keenly aware of his weakness. His crush, that he didn’t have a chance in hell at getting anywhere with but it was fun to tease him.

“Nolan working today,” he asked, his eyes going toward the door.

He liked to come in the back so he rarely had to see anything out front. I nodded and played with a loose strand of hair. He cleared his throat and tried to act cool.

“I could take some orders for a bit if it helps you out,” he said, brushing nothing off his shirt and wandering out.

I knew he liked his eye candy, but Nolan was straight as they came. Oh well, works for me.

RING RING RING RING

Without paying attention I grabbed the phone and leaned back in my chair. They transferred me all the business calls, and there were always a ton. People want us to sponsor their little league teams, donate to food banks, etc.

“Cross Roads,” I said, spraying some Febreeze to help with the fishy stench that wafted in when Taylor opened my door. I made a face.

“Juliet,” a voice said, not in a question but more as a statement.

“When I feel like it,” I blurted out, waving the mist of scent around. I was finally content that the foul mess had dissipated.

“It’s Jude, I’ve … tried to get a hold of you for a couple months now,” he said. 

My eyes grew wide and I sat up, abruptly. My pussy followed suit, practically standing up straight with attention Just hearing him say my name … ohh fuck what was THIS feeling?

“Jude. Oh uhm, sorry I just thought it was for the best. The flowers were really beautiful though I should have at least thanked you so I’m sorry for that,” I said, not sure what else to say.

“Why couldn’t you just call and tell me to leave you alone? I mean I get that I should have gotten the hint but I just couldn’t. Look uhm, I’m going to be out that way next weekend, playing a show with Lukas for his solo tour. Can I see you,” he asked, hopeful.

See me. He wants … to see me. My body immediately fell forward and face planted onto my desk in a sea of unopened mail.

“Juliet? You still there,” he asked, when I didn’t answer.

I immediately sat back up, surely my face turned tomato red. Every hair on my body stood on edge, I was 99% sure my uterus was fluttering. My thighs were certainly shaking thinking about his inked hands on my body.

“I’m uhm, kinda seeing someone,” I said, then instantly smacked myself in the forehead.

I mean I do have a date in just a few hours … a fake date. 

“Oh, well damn. Okay well, can you keep my number in case anything changes? I just really can’t stop thinking about our night together. It was … unlike anything I’ve ever felt. You were just so beautiful and responsive to me, I felt like there was more there. I guess maybe it’s one sided though,” he said, and he sounded disappointed.

I shot to my feet and began pacing. I was suddenly very hot, the room was too small.

Jude fucking Stone. On the phone, PINING FOR ME? Is that what’s happening here? 

“Well I’m extremely flattered. It certainly was an incredible night but it was just that, one night. I wasn’t even supposed to be there, it was just uhm, I don’t know,” I said, exhaling hard and covering the phone. I don’t need him thinking I’m Stay Puft over here blowing out air like a fatty who just ran laps.

“Two people that the universe put together for a reason. I believe that. But I can’t … make you believe that I guess if your mind's made up,” he said, again sounding let down. Aww fuck.

My sharp tongue had a million things to say, a million things to point out as to why this was a bad idea. But I couldn’t insult him, I just couldn’t. He wanted me to come over into his dark room again, some secret rendezvous. Away from the cameras, away from anyone he knows. Like I thought before … fit to be in his bed, nowhere else. Just some vagina for the night.

My mind was not going to let him just use me for sex. Another X on his list. Maybe he had a list for girls he actually slept with more than once. I bit my lip and scolded myself. Who was I kidding?

USE ME! 

My heart was on the fence but likely persuaded, my body … all fucking in. But I could hardly just change my tune on a dime and seem desperate.

“I’ll be at the same hotel and uhm, if you’d want to come to the show I could get you backstage just say the word. Corey said you missed the show last time. The whole band has kind of been teasing me about finding you, maybe I wanna prove them wrong. I’d love to be able to show you off, prove you’re that you’re real,” he said, and I could tell his mood shifted.

I fell back in my chair, completely and utterly speechless.

“I don’t know to say,” I nearly whispered, but also laughed a bit.

“Well the offer is there beautiful, I’d really love to see you. It may be wishful thinking but I’m doing a some shows in the south with him just as a guest. I could easily come back, we could actually get to know each other maybe, you could show me your town,” he said, definitely more upbeat.

Was this guy for real?? 

In just one short phone call he was completely flipping my insides out and my entire view of him. But the nagging part of my brain … also known as Jada just reminded me that nothing could really come of this long term. Just me getting my hopes up for nothing.

The memory of him definitely won out, and I asked him for his number and scribbled it on an envelope. 

“Hope to hear from you Juliet, hope to see you, have a good weekend beautiful,” he said, and I mumbled something that sounded like, “you too.”

Just then the door flew open and Taylor stormed in, huffing.

“There’s my good pen! Can’t do a thing without it--” he stopped abruptly and looked at me as I dropped the phone.

Our eyes met and I gulped. Guilt was likely all over my face.

“It’s a man. Spill it,” he said, jumping onto my desk.