Switchblade

Chapter 85: Let's Talk Goals

"But when I used to do that, my mom used to have a heart attack. So I stopped but most of my childhood is just me imagining myself as a gymnast." Tati stated. She sat in Killian's lap, straddling and facing him. She was dressed in just her panties and the shirt he took off earlier. And he sat leaning against the headboard of his bed in his unbuckled pants. He left a hand rubbing her thigh and his eyes in hers.

She currently told him stories about when she was a little girl and he sat there listening to her ramble.

"So maybe that could've answered your question. I wanted to be a gymnast for my job. But that was a while ago and I don't have that dream anymore." she shrugged.
"You don't have one now?"
"Um..." Her hands gently ran up and down his abdomen in thought. He stared sweetly at her.

"Is it still to be a rich housewife?" he asked.
"Yea." she snickered. "But I have a lot of hobbies I'd want to do. I would just hate for them to become jobs. I feel like it'll just make me lose the love for the interest. It's why I wouldn't want to be a chef. I don't want the stress to make me think I didn't love the hobby of cooking."
"Mhm."
"What do you wanna be?"
"What?" he chuckled.
"Like as a career. Dream field. I know you were brought into this by your uncle but if you weren't, what would you want to be doing?"
He sat there and thought about it.

"I think you'd be a model." Tati spoke up.
He chuckled.
"I'm serious."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"But I never had the space to think about being something besides what I already am. He found me when I was six. I stayed under him in that building or his house every day of every year until I could afford my own place."
Tati just sat and listened.
"Never had a friend my age. They were all a bunch of old men or the guys you see now who came when they were in their twenties while I was like 9. I think Kolson was the youngest my uncle has ever recruited at 19. We got there around the same time. He's always been like that."
Tati snickered.
He thought about those years.
"I'd have to have been around other jobs to think about them. I didn't watch tv. I didn't go anywhere that wasn't with them. I had tunnel vision almost. This was all I could see."
"I think he did it on purpose." Tati stated.
"Did what?"
"Kept you away from other options."
He thought about it.
"You just seem like you could get and do whatever you set your mind on. And he knew that if your mind was on anything else you'd achieve it and leave the job he wanted for you out in the dust. So he made this your dream. I mean you're a leo...you guys typically go after what you want and succeed every time with ease." she teased and he chuckled.
"What about when you were really little? When you were small and got excited over little things. Before the orphanage. Can you remember back that far?"
He tried.

Tati sat there and waited patiently.

"I wanted to be a dinosaur." he answered seriously.
Tati laughed. "That's so cute! Why?"
"I just thought they were cool. I was four or five and wanted to be big, scary and cool. That's the only thing from that age that I can remember."
"You did it."
"I did what?"
"You're big, scary and cool." she stated.
He just stared at her.
"You can't tell? You scare a lot of people. They can't even look you in your eyes. You're cool, since you have that suave and sexy look about you, and you're obviously big."
"I guess so."
"You don't scare me though." she shrugged.
"That's not true."
"Yes it is. You don't scare me at all. You're just big but you can't scare me." she sassed.
"Really?" He smirked.
"Yea. Why? Do you wanna scare me?"
"No, mama, I don't."
"Good. Because you don't."
He chuckled.

"I'm serious." she added.
"I know." he nodded.
"Good."
"Yea." He smiled. "Good."
"I'm gonna go make dinner now." she stated.

She prepared to get up but Killian swung his feet off of the bed then grabbed her wrist. He yanked her back into the bed and pulled her on top of him.
She stared at him.

"I wasn't done talking to you." he stated with eyes on her lips.
"You could've hurt yourself. It's only been a few hours, Killian."
"I would have been fine. Talk to me or else I won't be." he threatened.
"We've been talking for the past three or four hours." she giggled.
"And?"
She just stared at him.
"We can go get food later. I want you to talk to me." He slid his hands under his shirt that she wore and held her waist.
"What do you want us to talk about now?" she smiled.
"Anything. I just wanna hear you."

~•~

Denise received a phone call and picked it up to answer.

"Hello?" she greeted.
"Good evening."
She smiled. "Good evening."
"I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time?"
"No, no, I was just sitting and watching television. How was your day?" she asked and turned the tv down.
"It was boring. But once I finished all of the boring stuff, I realized I could make the day better."
"That's good. So then what'd you do to make the day better?"
He chuckled. "I called you."
"Oh...Oh!" she snickered nervously. "Wow..." she giggled. "Um...I hope I can meet your expectations."
"You already have." He smiled through the phone.
She smiled to herself.

"I'm so glad I finally worked up the courage to talk to you aside from just ordering a meal." he stated.
"Have you-..."
"I've wanted to ask for your number for weeks now but I always chickened out and didn't know if you were married or..."
"Oh, no, not married. No." she answered. "Happily divorced."
"Good." he agreed. "Well not good. But good. Like I'm sorry that happened but glad you got out of it."
"Thank you."
"Yea. I should clarify I've never been married."
"Oh? Not the marriage type?" she wondered.
"No, I just...always had a problem with putting my work first. I've always wanted to be married but I just struggled to put down the computer. But I'm okay now. I'm at a point in my life financially and I've recently become completely stress free. So I'm okay not being a workaholic and what was in my way is no longer in my way. I want to strive for the life I wanted."
"I hope you get it." Denise replied.
"So do I."

"Funny how you've been coming to the restaurant for months and I only learned your name last week, Stephen." Denise teased.
"I moved a bit slow didn't I?" he chuckled nervously.
"That's okay. I'm not very bold anyway."
"Hopefully it's not too late to try."
"No, it isn't..." she smiled.