9. CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER NINE

ODETTE

"Do you think you ever might want to be more than friends?"

Chente's sweet question still plays in my head, hours later.

It's almost closing time, and I'm breathless with anticipation to see him again.

Holding the Chupacabran chivo in my hand, I marvel at Chente's gift.

This coin is priceless. That fact alone boggles my mind, but more so that Chente wants to be more than friends.

It's four thirty again, and I've got everything done for the day.

I expect Chente will be around soon, so I decide to give Shai a quick call. She picks up after a couple rings.

"You are never going to believe what happened!" I squeal.

"Ah yeah, you saw his dick! Is it thick, green, and veiny? Did it wink at you?!"

"What—no! Get your mind out of the gutter. I didn't see his thing ."

"Coooooock. Come on, say it. You can't pretend not to know the word when it's all you read about."

"I'm at work!"

"Puh-lease. The prudes who check out books at your library need to hear the word ‘cock'. Come on, say it!"

"He gave me a Chupacabran chivo!"

"Is that monster slang for he gave you his monster cock?"

I laugh and roll my eyes. "It's a coin—an extremely rare and expensive coin. It's worth an absolute fortune."

"What kind of fortune?"

"I could probably retire and never work again if it got into the right hands."

"Does your Chupacabra know this?"

"I'm not sure. He gave it to me because that's what I told him made me unique. It was such a lame answer, I know, but how thoughtful was it for him to give it to me?"

"Yeah, that totally sounds like something a man who isn't interested in you would do."

"Actually…"

"Odette, spill!"

"He asked if I might want to be more than friends."

Shai whoops so loudly I have to hold the phone away from my ear.

"I told you! What did you say?"

"That I might want to be more."

"Ooooo! I'm so happy for you!"

"You don't think it's moving too fast?"

"Babe, I get it, but you aren't the first demi to make a quick connection. I think because it's never happened before, you're scared of the intensity of your feelings or that you're superimposing them from your book boyfriends, but I promise if you go slow and give it a chance, everything will work out."

"But what if he wants to kiss me?"

"Do you want to kiss him?"

"Maybe," I confess shyly.

"Then just kiss him!"

"I've only ever kissed one other person, and it was a flop. I was trying to force myself to feel something that wasn't there because I thought something was wrong with me."

"Oh, babe, I wish I could go back in time and tell you that nothing's wrong with you. You know that now, right?"

"I do, but sometimes, I just wish I was like everyone else."

"Trust me, I get it, but society's concept of normal is overrated and isolating. Don't let what everyone else thinks be the meter in which you measure yourself. Easier said than done, but Chente isn't interested in you because you're like everyone else—he's interested because you're you ."

"So you're saying I should kiss him?"

Shai chuckles. "That's what you got out of my speech to be yourself? I don't think it's just my head in the gutter."

I blush, thankful she can't see. "I need to go. I close soon, and Chente will be coming—"

"Do you have a date?!"

"No! Not really. He just insists on being here when I close to make sure I'm safe, I guess."

"Swooning! Yep. You're getting smooched. Call me tomorrow and tell me all about it."

"You're ridiculous! He's not smooching me. He's just being nice."

"Riiiight, and you don't use the word ‘cock'."

"I actually don't use that word!"

My bestie blows a raspberry into the phone. "Say it! Say it! Say it!"

"COCK! Are you happy?!"

"Say it again!"

"Cock! Cock! Co—"

The front door opens, the chime cheerfully announcing Chente's arrival.

Our gazes clash as the inappropriate word cuts off in my throat.

"Got to go," I choke out in a strangled voice, hanging up the phone as I continue to stare at the smirking Chupacabra.

"Am I interrupting something?"

I'm concerned that I'm about to spontaneously combust from embarrassment, if the heat scorching across my face and down my chest is a sign.

"N-no. I was just ordering…chicken for dinner."

Chente chuckles as if he can see right through my lame lie.

He probably can, you dummy.

"Do you want me to help you pick up your cock—I mean, chicken?"

My lip quivers, and I'm unsure if I'm on the verge of laughing or crying.

As if sensing my overwhelm, Chente frowns and steps closer to the front desk.

"Forgive me if I've upset you. I was only teasing."

"It's ok. I'm embarrassed that you saw me being so unprofessional."

"The library is closing, so you don't have to worry. Besides, your excuse was adorably hilarious. Would it make you uncomfortable if I asked you why you were yelling that word at the top of your lungs?"

I sigh. "My bestie provoked me into saying it. Clearly not my finest moment. Please forgive me."

Chente scowls. "There's nothing to forgive. You didn't do anything wrong. It's just a word."

"A naughty one," I grumble under my breath.

The man in front of me moves so fast that he becomes a blur of green.

One second, he's casually leaning against the counter.

The next, he's hovering a few feet from my face, a wicked grin curling his lips.

"I like naughty girls."

For a moment, the world stops, and I swear I feel like I've dropped into one of my smutty stories.

There's no one but Chente and me, frozen in this moment as we stare at each other.

My pulse flutters erratically and my stomach drops until there's a tickle of something between my thighs.

Arousal.

I'm no stranger to the emotion, but I've never felt it for someone in real life.

Hence why I spent years wondering what was wrong with me before I learned I'm demi.

It crashes through me with the force of a runaway freight train.

If I was overwhelmed a moment ago, it's nothing compared to what I'm experiencing now.

Before me, Chente begins to vibrate, the very air humming with an unseen electrical current.

His scales all quiver in unison, and I'm worried maybe he's about to combust.

A scraping sound snaps me out of the moment, and I realize Chente's dug his claws deep into the front desk.

He stares in horror at the damage he's inflicted on the surface, and his scales immediately stop moving.

"I-I'm so sorry, Odette! I promise I will pay to have this fixed first thing tomorrow—I know a guy who can replace it exactly as it was."

"It's ok…are you ok, though?"

There's a beat of silence before he answers, his voice quiet.

"Yes. I have no excuse for my actions other than I smelled your…need, and it provoked a mating reaction out of me."

"Oh…oh!"

My mind whirls with the realization that he was just as turned on as I was.

"Wait—you can smell me?"

The blush returns when he nods, and I cringe at the thought.

"Sorry," I mumble, and Chente blinks.

"For what?"

"For…smelling?"

I scrunch up my shoulders, unsure of how to put into words what I'm feeling.

"Please, don't be. I've never encountered a more intoxicating scent in my entire life."

His declaration puts me a little more at ease, and I relax into my chair.

Chente catches my wince and frowns.

"Are you hurt?"

"No. I was tensed up from…our moment, but if I don't remember to relax my muscles, they become cramped."

A spasm shoots down my right leg no sooner than I explain myself, and I lurch forward with a cry.

The Chupacabra leaps over the front desk with a fluidity that makes me envious.

He crouches next to me, his big hands hovering but not touching.

"How can I help?"

"M-massage my leg, please," I manage to gasp through the pain.

Chente gently scoops his fingers under my calf where I point and rubs soothing circles up and down the length of it before working above my knee.

Slowly, the fiery agony recedes, and I let out a deep breath.

"Thank you. I'm so sorry you had to see me like this."

He lets go of my leg, making sure it's resting securely against my chair.

Then he leans forward and cups my face. I'm too shocked by the action to move.

"Don't ever apologize for this—for needing help and asking for it. You shouldn't have to hide your pain because you think it makes others uncomfortable. You're not an inconvenience. Your disability is not an inconvenience, and I'm sorry if you've been led to think this."

And then he leans down and kisses me.