My lungs froze. I could barely breathe, let alone think of something to say back.
I told myself that I went on the date mostly to please Ms. Howell. She wasn’t really forcing me to go but seemed like she would be disappointed if I didn’t, and I was really keen to keep my job.
If this was a hazing, Mr. Adams didn’t let on. Either he was a really good actor, or he was actually serious about his interest in me — not that that seemed possible.
I had been told that everyone had their own taste, particularly when it came to what they found attractive in a sexual partner, but I never thought it would apply to me. Statistically, I figured it was possible, but the fact that I was still a virgin at twenty-seven seemed to be a strong argument against the odds.
It wasn’t even that I didn’t want sex. Like I was on some kind of self-induced celibacy. There were times I honestly ached for it. I just had yet to find anybody willing. It could be that my standards were too high.
I had heard that Mr. Adams was an army vet, but the article I read had glossed over his limp. Going by the sight of it something, a bullet or shrapnel or something had got through his left hip. Not enough to inhibit his primary joint movement, but he did seem to have trouble with pain and walked with a strange shifting motion. Hence the cane, trying to keep the weight off the afflicted joint. He had clearly learned how to get by, but by the way he was holding his cane now, it seemed like he hadn’t accepted it.
I caught myself wondering if it affected him in bed. Could he still thrust, or would the girl need to be on top and ride him? This, in turn, got me thinking about what his cock might be like. I could feel my pussy tingle at the very thought.
There was a café next door to Howell and Howell’s building. I typically stopped in there in the mornings to get a cup of hot chocolate before work. I had never really liked coffee, and too much caffeine made me jumpy.
As Liam and I approached the café’s door, I wondered if I should tell him of my opinion or if I should just drink an icky cup and then let him get on with his day — ending whatever this was.
There wasn’t much of a line, and as we approached the counter, my heart started beating a mile a minute. It was pounding so hard that I thought that I might faint.
“Would you like a sandwich?” Mr. Adams asked as we got to the counter to order.
I shook my head like a child, too embarrassed to speak. I could not get my vowels and consonants to cooperate.
He looked into my face. Under the scrutiny of his light blue eyes, I felt like I was turning crimson.
“Just coffee then?” he asked, a tiny bit of disappointment evident in his voice.
I suddenly became self-conscious about whether it was childish to find coffee yucky. I couldn’t say anything so dumb. So, I nodded, and he ordered two black coffees.
After the barista handed them over, we found a seat at a nearby table. My mind was spinning so fast I didn’t even realize that Liam was sitting next to me, asking me a question. But he was. His eyes were one me expectantly as he waited for an answer. I just wished I had the ability to respond or to properly engage — I couldn’t even keep myself from trembling.
That was when I dropped my coffee, my shaking hands fairly useless for their designed purpose.
Chapter Three
Liam
Hot coffee splashed all over the table.
At first, I didn’t quite understand what had happened. Did she burn herself? Why was she shaking so badly?
But the pool of scalding liquid soon became too much for the table and poured onto my lap. It burned so bad, I jumped up, bumping the table with my thighs and pushing it off-kilter.
“Oh, no!” Hayley gasped, grabbing at anything to soak up the coffee and getting her fingers scalded in the process. She pulled them back quickly, sticking them into her mouth — her face turned down in disgust.
One of the staff came over and helped, giving me a towel for my pants and soaping up the rest of the mess on the table. Needless to say, the entire crowd in the café was looking at us now. I hated causing a scene, and with the front of my pants ruined — and burning — my temper started to burn as well.
“Damn it!”
Hayley flinched away from me. She looked up at my face for a second then dropped her eyes to the floor like an ashamed puppy.