Page 37 of Always the Baker

Gripping her waist, I briefly glanced at the street signs we were passing.

“You got five minutes to get exactly what you need.”

Her mouth lowered to my ear as she confirmed, “I can get it in three.”

And she did. Maybe even less. Between her bouncing, tightening walls, and grinding, she had us both cumming in what felt like seconds. We rushed to clean up and make ourselves presentable. I wiped the small patch of sweat that had accumulated on my forehead, causing her to giggle.

Yeah.

I was falling in love.

Only a moment passed before we arrived.

As we were seated, I noticed a few heads turn our way. I caught snippets of whispered conversations.

“Isn’t that the girl from TMZ?”

“The one with Brax Adams?”

“I wonder if he’s going to do a popup show before he leaves.”

Billie must have heard it too. She ducked her head, suddenly very interested in her menu.

We’d only ordered our drinks when a young woman approached our table, practically vibrating with excitement.

“Oh my God, it’s you!” she squealed, looking at Billie. “I saw those pictures online. Your art is amazing!”

I watched as Billie’s face covered with confusion. Had people started searching for her already? She opened her mouth, closed it, then tried again.

“Oh, um, thank you. I’m glad you like it.”

The fan pressed on, oblivious to Billie’s discomfort. “What’s your medium? Oil? Acrylic? I’d love to see more of your work.”

Billie’s fingers tightened around her water glass. “I, uh, I work with different things. I like to experiment.” She turned to me with pleading eyes. “Brax, didn’t you want to tell me about that new song you’re working on?”

Taking the hint, I smoothly redirected the conversation, giving Billie a chance to catch her breath. As I chatted with the fan, I couldn’t help but wonder what other surprises my mystery girl was hiding.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Billie’s hesitation when talking about her art was strange. For someone who’d studied it, she seemed awfully uncomfortable discussing her work. My curiosity was definitely piqued.

That was the only interruption, and I wasn’t surprised to learn she was visiting from Virginia. After that, we had dinner, and it went smoothly. As we left the restaurant, I decided to probe a little. “So, experimenting with different mediums, huh? Sounds interesting. What’s your favorite so far?”

Billie’s eyes widened slightly.

“I like to keep an open mind. Try new things. Hey, isn’t that new club you mentioned nearby? We should check it out.”

I let her change the subject but filed away her evasiveness for later. As we walked down the neon-lit street, I found myself stealing glances at her. The city lights played across her hair, making the braids shimmer. She looked both excited and nervous, constantly taking everything in with those wide, dark eyes.

“You’re really not used to all this, are you?” I asked, gesturing to the nightlife around us.

She shook her head. “I don’t go out on my own a lot, remember? My usual idea of nightlife is a quick drink and then ducking away on Saturdays.”

I laughed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Well, prepare to turn up, Hopkins.”

The club was pulsing with energy, bodies moving to the beat. Billie looked overwhelmed at first, but soon she was grinning, swaying to the music. I pulled her close, and our bodies moved together.

“Having fun?” I shouted over the music.

“More than I’ve had in years!” she yelled back, her face flushed with excitement.

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