I know a lot of things we can do in my dreams

August 17th, 2022

PEACE BLOSSOM PLAZA

COOAN city, New York.

"May I assist you with that?"

Arabella straightened as a deep voice reached her ears. She furrowed her brows and squinted.

A man around her age strode towards her, producing a lighter from the pocket of the red cargo pants he wore and igniting the cigarette jutting out from his lip. As he drew nearer, she appraised his face. He was the most handsome man she had encountered since arriving in Cooan—a sprawling city renowned for its nightlife and mysteries.

Perhaps she hadn't interacted with enough men, given her lack of outgoing nature. However, she believed she had seen more than her fair share of those who frequented the Peace Blossom Plaza. Nonetheless, she was certain that he stood out due to his exceptional looks. His biceps flexed as he raised his hand to slick back his dark-brown hair into a quiff.

She wondered whether he dedicated extensive time to styling his hair or if he had a personal stylist at his service. The brown puffer vest he wore over a white T-shirt left little to the imagination. Arabella hadn't thought someone wearing a vest could exude such sexiness, but he managed it effortlessly.

Intricate tattoos adorned his hands, extending to his wrists. She couldn't decipher the inscriptions, but she found herself captivated by their intricate designs. Moreover, this wasn't her first time encountering him. She had glimpsed him on numerous occasions while gazing through the transparent glass in her office. He often stood at a distance, quietly observing the surroundings.

"Do you like what you see?" he inquired.

"Jesus!" she coughed as he exhaled smoke in her direction.

"Is smoking prohibited in outdoor areas? Apologies for that. I wasn't aware anyone was here to be affected," he said. And might she add, he wasn't sorry. At least he didn't look like he was!

"Do not blow it in my face, and I see nothing," she retorted, flinching as his hand brushed hers.

"I could have sworn I caught you checking me out just now," he rasped, a cocky grin playing on his lips.

Goodness, his voice. Arabella mentally swooned. "Only in your dreams," she muttered, her fingers itching to wipe the grin off his face.

"I know of quite a few things we could do in my dreams," he hinted.

She scoffed, taken aback. "Are you here to help me or not?"

"You should ask nicely," he pointed out.

"That thing is injurious to your health," she said, pointing to the cigarette. "And it makes me want to throw up."

"Well, I'll put it out now since you said it nicely," he replied, tossing the cigarette, almost flicking the butt away and extinguishing the light with his combat boot. "Besides, I only help a woman who begs for it."

"I didn't beg for your help; you volunteered. And if you want to be cocky about it, you can move," Arabella said, slapping his hand away as he tried to touch the cart.

"Don't you need my help anymore?" he asked.

"You said I should beg for it," she retorted, staring at him. She noticed him suppressing a smile and wondered if he was teasing her.

"But you didn't want to. So, I don't think there's no reason to help. You are not a damsel in distress, and I help such people."

"I'm no damsel in distress, and you are no hero but a jerk. So, I am perfectly able to do this…" Arabella attempted to lift the heavy groceries from the cart into the loading van.

She lost her footing and staggered back with the loads in her hand, but the stranger before her caught her before she could fall. Her heart pounded in her chest as she gazed at him. Her hand clenched his vest as she stared into his beautiful toffee eyes.

"You shouldn't be allowed to lift something as heavy as this," he said after steadying her.

"It's no big deal; I've managed quite well since I started working."

"Still, you shouldn't be allowed to do this. It's a man's job."

Arabella nodded, her heart warmed. He was the first person to care about what she was carrying. No one had ever inquired about her well-being until now.

"I can manage…" she trailed off as he nudged her aside.

Effortlessly, he lifted the loads as if they were empty sacks, depositing them all in the van. He was done in seconds, a task that would have taken her at least an hour to complete.

“Thank you.” Arabella smiled. “Don't sweat it.” He shrugged and proceeded on his way.

“Wait!” Arabella shouted before she could help herself. She grimaced, shaking her head as her leg moved towards him. Luckily, he halted and cocked his brows. “Do you live around here? I've seen you a lot lately.” That was a weird question even to her. However, her brain was odd when it came to thinking sometimes. Blaze shrugged but said nothing. She was pretty inquisitive, and he was intrigued. Usually, he never lingered too much when it came to the women of Cooan, but she was different.

He didn't know how; it felt as if he could almost relate to her. Also, he didn't know how to say no to her, and it was just his first time talking to her.

“You seem so secretive.” Arabella narrowed her eyes at him.

“You don't expect me to tell my life story to a stranger,” Blaze replied promptly.

“I didn't say you should.” Arabella scowled. “I was only curious.”

“Well, stop being curious.” He grunted. “You can get hurt.” What was wrong with sexy men acting so mysterious? She didn't know, but most she had seen were like him.

They never disclosed their identity and only engaged in small talk. She hadn't spoken to a lot, but the ones she had acted the same way. “At least tell me your name!” She yelled at his retreating back.

Blaze stepped towards her, and she flinched as he gripped the shirt pocket she donned.

“It's Blaze.” He mumbled, glancing around.

“Arabella.” She replied. Even though he didn't need her to introduce herself, as he knew her even before now, he didn't want her to know he was stalking her.

He was known to do his job neatly. His interaction with her could get him in trouble as well. But she required his help. He had a soft spot for damsels in distress. No matter who they were.

“Is that your given name?” Arabella asked.

Blaze heaved a breath and shrugged again, “Figure that out yourself.”

"Jesus! Why is he acting like his pants are in a twist? It was just an innocent question," Arabella grumbled, rolling her eyes. She sighed as she watched him mount the monstrous-looking motorbike, zooming away.

Arabella straightened as her supervisor, Claire, stepped towards her.

"I noticed you were interacting with that guy," Claire said, her dark-brown eyes narrowing at Arabella. The latter twisted her fingers while staring down.

"He was just helping me out," Arabella mumbled. She was aware that interacting with people while working was prohibited unless it was work-related. "It won't happen again," she added with a sigh.

"I'm not deducting it from your paycheck," Claire began.

"You are not?" Arabella asked, her eyes widening. It was her first time socializing outside during work, and it was her first time hearing her stern supervisor not wanting to deduct from her paycheck. It had never happened before, and it felt strange. She eyed the middle-aged, slender woman in front of her.

"I'm here to advise you like a mother," Arabella let out a relieved sigh before looking at her. "About what?"

"Cooan is a dangerous place; you should be careful who you associate with. Haven't you heard about the recent crime wave?"

Arabella nodded. The latest incident was the mysterious disappearance of teenage girls. Although she wasn't a teenager, she could fit the description. Standing at 5 feet 6 inches, with a lithe body, she loved her physique, but she knew she could be mistaken for a teenager due to her stature. Nonetheless, she didn't understand how what was happening was related to Blaze.

"I know you might not fully grasp this, but stay away from him and be cautious," Arabella nodded, saying, "I will."

"Now, get back to work," Claire said, giving her shoulder a slap. "I might not let this go next time."

"Definitely, you won't," Arabella muttered, flashing Claire a bright smile as she turned. "Did you say something?"

"I didn't say anything," Arabella replied.

Claire nodded and headed towards the large building.

Once she was gone, Arabella's thoughts returned to Blaze. She glared at the spot where she had met him and sighed, "Goodness, I really wanted to learn more about him." She pouted and tapped the box while stalling for a bit and, simultaneously keeping an eye out for Claire. Seeing no sign of him, she rolled her eyes and resumed her task until her work shift ended.