No Pain: Book 1

Chapter 25: Star

          My face is redder than when I told Najee he was nice to look at.

"How about this one?" Najee holds up a neon purple piece of fabric and strings.

"nice choice" I can hear Thierry through Najee's voice. Najee gives himself a shake and I ignore Thierry.

"You're just doing that on purpose now." I grab a one piece from the rack "what's wrong with this?"

"Star." Najee walks up to me his eyes pinning me in place "are you still self-conscience?" He's serious.

"Of course not" I snap at him "I just don't want to wear strings and triangles." Najee hangs the suit back up and stands there for a second, he's contemplating something. Then his hands slide onto my waist, his fingers are long, they spread over my waist and down half my thigh.

"You're strong." He says pulling me an inch closer. He's looking down at me, my head is tilted almost all the way back so that I can look at him. His fingers inch up slipping under the hem of my shirt.

"You're brave." He says. I don't know what burning feels like but I imagine it feels something like Najee's hands directly on my skin. I feel my heart rate accelerate. I'm not used to this Najee. I have to keep eye contact with him to make sure he stays Najee and doesn't flip personalities, Thierry already has show more interest that I'd like to pay any attention to.

"And..." Najee slides his hands up a little bit more, his palms are on my waist, his fingers extend down my stomach, his thumbs up over my rib cage. He drops his eyes from mine and looks down at me. "You're beautiful." My breath catches in my throat.

"Can I help you with anything?" A sales woman pops out from behind the racks and freezes when she sees how close Najee and I are. Then she sees where Najee's hands are and gives him an appreciative once over.

"We're good, thank you." Najee says, not moving away. I push his hands away and step back from him.

"Alrighty then, let me know." She walks away but not without another look at Najee.

"I think she likes you." I say nudging him with my shoulder "I'm sure she'd put that bikini on for you."

Najee smiles and shakes his head "but I want you to."

"The less fabric I get the less fabric you do." I grab a speedo from the wrack beside me and throw it to him. He holds it up.

"I'm not wearing a speedo." Najee laughs his cheeks turning red.

"Then find something with more fabric." I deal. I grab another one piece from the wrack but this one has a cut out in the belly button.

"At least a two piece." Najee says, "come on, you don't have to be my team leader, right now, you don't have to be my trainee." Najee grabs another bikini top but this one is actually made of fabric and not constructed with strings.

"It's just me and you, what have you always wanted to do that being a leader or doing your job has gotten in the way of." He grabs a bottom from the same wrack. It's a matching bottom with a fringy skirt thing attached, very much something Keller would pick out for me.

"How long have you been thinking about this?" I ask seriously. Najee doesn't usually relax so much, I didn't think he even realized that I was a girl.

Najee shrugs "you'd hurt me if you knew."