Burning Flowers (8 page)

To her surprise, he didn’t ask questions or
make fun of her. Instead, he took her around to each area and let
her take a little sip before she decided, explaining each type.
“Wow, this one is really good, actually. I thought beer was
supposed to taste like piss and rubbing alcohol or something,” she
commented after trying one of the amber ales.

“Well, look at that; Clarke is trying
something new and likes it,” he teased. “Fill up your cup if you
like it. I’m going to go get some lager.” She watched him walk away
and blushed guiltily as she noticed how nice his ass looked in his
jeans.

She placed her glass under the tap and
wondered what was on the agenda next as a Miranda Lambert song
blared through the speakers, causing a group of barely legal young
women to squeal happily and start singing along and out of tune.
She had a feeling they’d had more than their fair share of
beer.

She sipped at her beer as Vince came back to
her side with his glass filled to the brim with a dark liquid. It
was almost the color of coffee. When she had tried it, it left a
bitter taste in her mouth. “I don’t know how you can stand that
stuff,” she said, wrinkling up her nose. It even smelled bitter. He
looked over at her with a sly grin before dumping the rest back
down his throat. He set the glass down on a table behind him,
looking triumphant.

Clarke took that as a challenge and decided
to down the rest of her drink as well. She tilted her head back and
gulped it down. But as she brought the glass back down, she almost
tripped on her own two feet; her head swimming dizzily. Vince
steadied her and took the glass from her hands for her. “I guess I
wasn’t quite ready for that yet,” she said with a soft chuckle.
“So, what’s next?” she asked, looking around.

Vince looked down at her and laughed,
removing his hands from her. It left her feeling a little cold.
“How about that?” Vince pointed out the window where a bunch of
people had blocked the street and started line dancing to the song
playing over the speakers. She wasn’t really one to dance,
especially in front of people or to country music, but she had to
admit they all looked like they were having a good time.

“I’m not so sure, Vince. I think I might
make a fool out of myself.”

“Well, then you’ll have an even better time
laughing at yourself, won’t you?” he answered, taking her by the
arm and leading her out the door. He waited for the next song to
start as they watched the group stomp and turn and slap their legs
in unison. Everyone seemed to be smiling and laughing. But Clarke
found herself feeling nervous and jittery like she never had
before. It was something like stage fright. She looked over at
Vince and felt her stomach do a flip. She realized she was nervous
about Vince seeing her screw up, which felt strange. She’d never
cared what a guy thought before, not like that.

As the next song came on, Vince motioned for
her to follow him to the back of the line, finding a spot next to a
couple of other people. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath
before she began moving, watching Vince for cues. She copied his
every move, trying to stay on the beat. Her heart was beating fast
as she tried to keep up with everyone. She felt a rush of
adrenaline as her body responded to the music almost without her
thinking. The movements began to become automatic, and she found
herself clapping and slapping as enthusiastically as everyone
else.

“See, it’s not so hard!” Vince called to
her, and she nodded, continuing to move to the music. When the song
was over, she was ready for more, deciding to stay out in the road
with the others. She waited to hear what the next song would be and
froze in front of Vince when a slow one came on. It was “To Make
You Feel My Love” by Garth Brooks. Everyone was coupling up to
dance or going back to the sidewalk and shops.

Vince held out his arms and cocked his head
questioningly. Without giving another thought, Clarke just went
along with it. She had agreed to try things his way, and she’d
enjoyed it so far. Why not just run with it?

She felt her face get hot as he placed one
hand in hers and the other on her waist. She put her arm on his
shoulder and let him lead. The song was sweet, and she couldn’t
help but listen to the words. It was about a guy letting a girl he
loved know that no matter how much she doubted him, he would always
be there to prove to her all the things he’d do for her because he
loved her. She wondered if those feelings actually existed in the
world or if they were just pretty words that chemicals made you say
when you felt lust for someone new.

She followed Vince’s feet but then looked up
to see his eyes shining. Maybe he was thinking about the song too.
She kept silent in that moment as the song finished, but as soon as
it did, she broke away and made her way back over to the sidewalk.
She wrapped her arms around her body as goose bumps gave her
chills.

Vince followed Clarke and smiled at her.
“So, are you having fun?”

“Yes, thank you,” she said softly. “For more
than just this. I don’t think I could’ve held it together at that
dinner party if it weren’t for you, though I’m sorry you had to see
that.”

“All I saw was an insecure woman who doesn’t
know quite how to be a mother and a daughter struggling for
approval that she doesn’t need,” Vince replied. Clarke smiled up at
him, liking the way he described things. He was so good at making
the hardest things seem so simple.

“I think I better get home now. Thanks for
showing me your world,” she said, walking towards where the car was
parked.

“This isn’t my world, Clarke. The whole
world is my world. The same goes for you. This was only my second
time here.” He added the last part like an afterthought. She looked
at him in shock as he smiled, his dimples digging in again looking
too sexy.

There was something
contagious about the man’s smile that made her happy yet uneasy at
the same time. She had never been in a real relationship with a man
before because she never thought that they were permanent….men and
love doesn’t last, at least that was what she gathered from her
mother. Love and love’s expectation had turned against her mother
and made her a
bitter woman.

Clarke snapped out of her trailing thoughts
to see Vince starring at her And when he bent down and kissed her,
it caught Clarke by surprise but she found that she was enjoying
the kiss. His lips were soft and yet commanding. He nibbled her
lower lip and suck intermittently until her entire lips were
flushed. His tongue started to tease her encouraging her to open up
to him, so much so that soon all her negative thoughts were
forgotten.

They were quiet all the way home but it was
not an awkward silence which seems funny to Clarke. When they
entered Clarke’s house, Vince leaned into her and started kissing
her as if they had not left the car park. She pressed herself
closely to him, all this time their tongues and lips exploring one
another. She was backed up against the wall, and his long fingers
slid down on her back lightly squeezing her round buttocks and
pulling her even closer to him..

He nibbled her earlobe as he said “Mmm, you
taste so good.”

Hearing him say that made her legs numb with
anticipation. She was already so wet for him that it’s intoxicating
her whole body. She moved her hand to his bottom and unbuttoned his
jeans to release the massive erection there. He reached for her
dress, lifted it over her head and dropped it onto the floor. His
breathing was getting faster and faster as he lifted her up and
carried her to her room. He removed his shirt and whatever
remaining clothing left. His mouth found her nipples as he unhooked
her bra with expert fingers. His tongue teased her nipple while his
hands explored her private part which was swollen with desire. She
moaned as he put his finger inside her. Then his kisses went lower
to her abdomen and even lower still until she felt his tongue on
her clit. His tongue licked her clit back and forth until she could
not stand anymore.

Clarke was ready to explode when he thrust
into her. Then he pulled back before grinding into her over and
over with her legs wrapped around his waist. His massive cock
filled her like she has never felt before. He was kissing her
again, his tongue squishing in her mouth as he thrust his cock
deeper and lifted her into greater heights. Her orgasm rocked her
to the very core as she joined him in the explosion inside her, and
Vince calling out her name “Oh god! Clarke!”  

Chapter
Fourteen

Clarke stepped into the office and looked
around. Everything in the shop had been repaired, and the place was
back up and running. All her employees were on hand for a grand
reopening that Monday morning, and she was happily exhausted. Vince
had even added some extra touches, painting the office with some
navy and custard yellow stripes, giving it the character she had
always hoped it would have.

She smiled and sighed, feeling like she had
opened a new door and closed another. Business was about to be
booming, she could just feel it. But she couldn’t help but feel a
bit heavy thinking about the fact that Vince no longer had a reason
to stick around. Although the sex was the best she had ever
experienced, it was hardly a good reason for Vince to stay now that
his restoration job was completed. It’s not like they were really a
couple or anything of that sort though Clarke had developed a
fondness to having him around. He made her see things
differently.

Clarke’s phone buzzed, and she reached for
it, sitting down in her comfortable office chair.  Her
mother’s excited voice came through the receiver. “Clarke, I have
some amazing news to share!” Clarke rolled her eyes; sure the news
was about some local celebrity or something else shallow.

“Alright, make it quick, Mother. I’m at
work, and it’s pretty busy.”

“Oh, you can spare a moment for this,” Mrs.
Bennett scolded. “Apparently your cousin, Vanessa met this man from
Kentucky a few months back and had this whirlwind romance. So, it
turns out that he owns some race tracks.” Clarke sighed, feeling
annoyed. Of course her mother would find that to be big news. He
was rich, and her cousin was only 25 or 26. She was set for
life.

“That’s great, Mother,” Clarke said,
unenthusiastically.

“No, that’s not the half of it, Clarke,” her
mother continued. “They’re getting married! Your Uncle Toby just
called to tell me. There’s going to be a big wedding in a couple of
weeks before they move to his huge estate in Kentucky. He asked me
if maybe you could be in her wedding since they’re putting this all
together so fast. I think it’ll really get you some points if you
do this.”

Clarke did not like the idea of walking down
the aisle with some rich stranger and being paraded around by her
mother at a rushed wedding that was going to be way over the top.
And she didn’t feel the need to have the kind of points her mother
was referring to. But Vanessa and Clarke did used to be really
close. “I guess I can do it for Vanessa,” Clarke said, giving
in.

“That’s so great; I’ll let her know! We’ll
have to get your dress fitted right away. I’ll call you back with
all the details.” Mrs. Bennett hung up, and Clarke leaned back in
her chair, wanting to hit herself for being such a yes-person. She
heard a knock on the door and looked up to see Vince standing
there.

Clarke stood straight up,
only just then remembering she had told him to come by to pick up
his check. Ever since that night together, she’d felt a little
nervous around him. She didn’t know whether to treat him like a
hired worker, a pretend boyfriend
or
boyfriend,
or a sexual acquaintance. She
definitely hired him to do her renovation works and he proved to be
an expert at what he does. She has no idea why he even agreed to be
her pretend boyfriend, not that he had much choice after she put
him in an awkward situation.  Although sex was great with him
that doesn’t automatically make him her boyfriend ~ and she wasn’t
on the lookout for one. After that night, she felt awkward whenever
Vince was around. She has avoided talking to him except for the
necessary things on the shop renovation. She had never had a real
relationship before. She believed that love does not last for long,
and all her  sexual encounters were instant stress relief with
no strings attached.

She dug in her desk for the check she’d
written and handed it to him. “Here’s the money. I put a little
extra in there to cover the whole pretending to be my boyfriend
thing.” She clammed her lips together and wrung her hands as he
looked at the small slip of paper in his palm.

“Don’t patronise me, Clarke. I’m not a
gigalo hired to impress your mother,” he blurted out. “I did it
because I wanted to and didn’t expect to be paid for it,” he said
with flicker of anger in his eyes.

“I’m sorry…...it’s just that I appreciate
you helping me get out in a difficult situation.”

“And you expect me to graciously accept your
payment and then disappear out of your life? Is that what you want,
Clarke? I thought last Friday meant more to you than this,” he said
with both his palms up questioning Clarke’s behavior.

Clarke found herself feeling stumped. On the
one hand, she is quite fond of his presence and she could use him
as a date for her cousin’s wedding. On the other hand, it wouldn’t
be fair to him to keep up the charade. “I don’t know, Vince. I
mean….”

She was suddenly interrupted as Katie walked
into the office. “I’m sorry, guys, but Clarke, your mother insists
on seeing you right this second.” Clarke gave Katie a confused
look. Hadn’t her mother just been on the phone with her? What could
she possibly want? But sure enough, Mrs. Bennett appeared right
behind Katie, making Clarke’s blood pressure shoot through the
roof.