Alisha rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you can handle yourself just fine. I was merely being polite."
"Uh huh," he grinned. "Well, in case I don't make it, Larrington, here's something to remember me by." With lightning quick movements, he grabbed the sides of her face and dragged her lips to his. He heard her breath catch in her throat and he plunged, her lips silky and soft, warm despite the snow and the cold. His tongue brushed along her bottom lip and she gasped, drawing him greedily into her mouth. Seriously, fuck work. He wanted to stay right where he was and kiss the hell out of her in the middle of the goddamn sidewalk while the snow fell.
If Alisha's pulse had tripped over a smile, then it positively staggered and wiped out when his lips assaulted hers, setting all of her nerve endings on fire. His lips were smooth as he kissed her long and hard, the promise of things dark and rough and dangerous to come. Her knees were on the verge of buckling when he broke the kiss and smirked down at her, his eyes wild and green.
"Bye, Alisha," he murmured, chuckling at the baffled, unblinking expression on her face. He turned and hurried towards the subway station.
She stood rooted to the concrete for what she was sure was a good minute before she moved and walked five whole blocks in the wrong direction, finally realizing her mistake.
Well, hell…
Chapter 10
"Knock knock," Alisha called as she breezed into the Queen K office, a cardboard carrier full of lattes for her and her two best friends in hand. She saw their heads pushed together as they scrutinized a top hanging on a dress form. From the fierce looks of determination on both of their faces, she knew from past experience that her arrival couldn't have come at a better time.
Maggie looked up and smiled at Alisha, grateful for a distraction. She and Russell had been arguing about the particular garment for far too long and it was approaching Cold War territory. "Hey, Lisha! Oh, you brought coffee. I could kiss you right now," she joked, walking over to take the proffered cup.
Russell sniffed at the top and pinched the bridge of his nose, willing the tension from his body. Too much tension led to premature wrinkles and he'd be damned if that happened. "Delicious," he greeted brightly. He walked over and kissed her cheeks and took the cup from her hands. "Thank you, darling." He sipped, letting the hot beverage soothe his frazzled nerves and gave her the onceover, like he always did. "Love the boots," he declared.
She grinned over the top of her cup, used to this routine by now. "Thanks. How's it going in here?" she asked cautiously, looking over the sketches strewn along the work table. Her two best friends gave a non-committal grunt and knew she wouldn't get much more than that.
"We don't want to talk about this," Maggie began, sweeping a hand along the heap of work.
"No, we want to know what's up with you," Russell chimed in. "You've been …elusive lately."
Alisha shook her head. "I've been busy working. There's a difference. You know you're my two favorite people in the entire world, so it's not like I'd purposely stay away."
"Looking forward to the show tomorrow night?" Maggie asked. "James told me that you and Big managed to get through rehearsal without any bloodshed."
Something fluttered in her belly at the mention of his name. She'd thought about that kiss in the middle of sidewalk two days ago way too often. And every time her blood thickened and pulsed. "Um, yeah, rehearsal was fine—fun even," she responded, keeping her voice level. "I think it'll be nice to be someone other than Velma Kelly for a night."
Russell gasped, horrified. "Are you sick?" he asked, feeling her forehead.
Alisha slapped his hand away. "Don't be so dramatic. You both know how much I adore Chicago, but after a year of eight shows a week it does get a bit repetitive. Tomorrow night will just be—different. That's all." She looked to Maggie for backup, but was met with one of her steely, calculating stares. "What?"
"You need to be careful," she warned, smoothing her blonde hair behind her ear. Alisha arched a questioning brow. "Big," Maggie added.
"What about him?" Alisha sighed, bored. She knew it had been the right decision to keep that kiss to herself…she really didn't feel like getting a lecture, no matter how well-meaning it might be.
"James said he noticed a look between the two of you at band practice the other day."
Alisha chuckled at the absurdity of her statement. "A look?" she asked. "I believe that we did in fact look at each other once or twice during the course of a few hours. I also looked at James. And Mike and Matt, for that matter. You going to warn me off there? Fabs, this is what we call reaching."
"Don't be a brat," Maggie sniffed, affronted. "Look, you know how much it pains me to admit when I was wrong," she began, shooting a heated glare at Russell when he snorted, "but I was wrong to try and push the two of you together. I think Big's a fun guy, but…" she trailed off. "I know you're a big girl, so all I'll say is that you should be careful where he's concerned, okay? Russell?" she asked, imploring him with her eyes for a little help.
"Oh, I agree," Russell said smoothly, making Alisha roll her eyes like a petulant teenager who was tired of mom and dad harping on her. "You absolutely should be careful—make him wear a condom."
Alisha and Maggie both dropped their mouths open and sputtered an incredulous "What?"
Russell grinned evilly, pleased to have captured their attention with such flair. "Maggie, you stay out of it. Just because you've got a boy scout doesn't mean everyone needs one, too. Alisha, sweetie, allow me to be
