Page 40 of Dare You to See Me
SG: Oh.
Her silence worries me as it drags on without any more response or explanation.
SG: Are you free tomorrow night?
My cheeks ache when the wide smile stretches across my face. A fire ignites inside of me and I have to muffle the groan that longs to roar into the night.
K: For you, I’m always available.
SG: How about nine? Is that too late?
K: Perfect. I’ll be counting down the minutes. Goodnight sweet Sunny Girl.
SG: Goodnight King.
I slip my phone back into my pocket and stealthily toe my way back to my bike and roll it away from her house before starting it up and speeding away. I’ll be counting down the minutes until tomorrow.
NINETEEN
SOLEIL
I barely slepta wink last night, and my focus today was foggy at best. Poor Dahlia was repeating herself all day. I felt so guilty that I let her have two desserts after dinner and a bubble bath. When I put her to bed I hugged her so tight and so long that she had to crawl out from my arms.
I made a mad dash to my bathroom as soon as she was snoring and proceeded to shave every inch of my body until it was so smooth it glistened. It also helped that I slathered myself in milk and honey oil, as if he would be able to smell me.
Now I sit with jittery hands and knotted fingers, waiting for King to call. My breaths are heavy and I can feel my heart slamming into my chest.
“What am I doing?” I stand on shaky legs and slam my hands to the desk to keep me from falling over.
I reach over to turn the desk lamp off just as my laptop lights up with an incoming call. I suck in a breath and stare at the screen. I’m suddenly unsure of this and feeling silly for thinking I could do this. I had a hard time being naked in front of Gene sometimes. Showing parts of me that very few people have seen on camera is out of character. It’s so far from the reserved Soleil that everyone knows me as.
Maybe that’s it. Maybe I need this…reinvention. It could be the reason why Gene went looking elsewhere. I wasn’t good enough, adventurous enough to satisfy him.
I sit back down in my seat and square my shoulders.I can do this. I click to answer and lean back.
King’s dark helmeted face appears. The room is dark, illuminated only by the same blue lights as last time. Low music plays somewhere in the background and it’s sexy. It’s clear he’s setting a mood.
“Hi beautiful.” His voice is just as I remember. Deep, rough, yet soft.
“H-hi.”
He leans forward and if his visor wasn’t so opaque, I would be able to see his eyes. That’s what I’m itching most to see. So much can be conveyed through the eyes. It’s the reason why I feel a connection to Malik. His eyes are genuine and true and their depths hold so much feeling.
“Did I catch you at a bad time? You took a while to answer so I assumed you weren't in a good place to talk right now.”
I swallow and shake my head. “No, it’s not. It is, I mean. It’s a good time. I was simply second guessing.”
“What were you second guessing?”
Out of view, I begin picking at my nails, digging into the thick flesh. “I was second guessing doing this tonight? It’s not me, and I’m nervous that I’ll disappoint you.”
“Oh Sunny Girl. You could never disappoint me. Seeing your face is enough to make my day better. And if all you want to do is just talk, I understand.”
Is that what I want?The feeling that came over me when King first messaged was a surge. I felt a rush barrel through my body. Maybe it’s the mystery of it all, but it’s exciting and alluring and I want to indulge in fantasies that may otherwise never see the light of day.
“No. I mean yes, I want to talk. But I want…the other stuff, too.”
“Good. Very good.” He pushes back in his chair, bringing more of his etched body into view. “Did you have a good day?”
