Honey Brown

Chapter 4

KENDRA

I got to Tanya's later than expected. Damned traffic. "Hey Kenny, I didn't think you were coming!" she greeted me when she opened the door.

"Sorry, I got caught in traffic. Thanks for the invite," I answered as I walked through the door.

"It was great to hear from you. Although, I'm sorry about you and Racheal," Tanya said.

"No big deal, it was for the best," I brushed it off.

"Well, anyway, let me introduce you to everyone," she said as she walked toward the living room.

I followed close behind her. "Hey guys, this is my friend Kendra. But we all call her Kenny," she began the introductions. I scanned her small group of friends, but my eyes were immediately drawn, once again, to the most beautiful face I had ever seen. I froze as my stomach flopped.

What is she doing here? Shit, you're staring again! Get it together Kenny, I thought to myself as I pulled my eyes away from hers. I managed to smile at the others as Tanya went down the line. I barely heard their names as my anticipation grew.

Finally, Tanya said, "And last, but certainly not least, Kenny, this is –."

I cut her off, "Liv," I finished as I shook her hand, staring deeply into her eyes.

"Yeah," Tanya said, clearly confused. "How do you two know each other?" she asked.

"Kenny was my Claims Adjuster after the fire," Liv answered.

"Huh, small world," Tanya laughed. "Liv was my boss before the fire," she told me. Of course. I was so enamored with her the other day at the office, that it slipped by me that the cake shop was where Tanya worked.

Tanya further explained, "Kenny and I went to high school together. She's a really good friend of mine."

"Eh, Tanya's okay," I joked. She punched me in the shoulder, while we all laughed. But all I could hear was Liv. Her laugh was like that of an angel, and the way her eyes lit up made it hard to focus on anything else. I knew it was a sound that I could get used to. Whoa. Slow it down Kenny. You don't even know if she's gay. I glanced at her again, enjoying her smile and the twinkle in her eyes.

I'm willing to find out though.

I was interrupted by Tanya handing me a beer. "Thanks," I said to her. The others began conversing among themselves, and Tanya left to attend to her other guests. Which left me alone with Liv. An awkward silence fell between us, and I had to say something to break it. "So, has the check come in yet?" I asked her.

Really Kenny? Out of everything you could ask, you asked about the money. I couldn't believe myself. I'm normally calm and collected around attractive women. But there was something about her that threw me off my game.

Ugh, there's that smile again, "Not yet, but I'm hoping it shows up sometime early next week. I've been looking at new locations. Hopefully, I find something soon."

"Well, let me know if it doesn't, and I'll look into it," I told her.

"Thanks, I appreciate that," she smiled at me again, and I felt my knees get weak. If she keeps that up, I'm going to mess up my boxers.

"So, you go by Kenny?" she asked, breaking my reverie.

"Yeah, I've just always liked the sound of it. Kendra was always too formal for me. Come to think of it, my mom is the only person I allow to call me that anymore," I answered.

"I understand," she said, "I've always preferred Liv myself."

"So, how long have you known Tanya," I asked her, desperately trying to refocus the conversation on her. She took a sip of her cocktail, and even managed to make that a sensual act.

"I opened Piece of Cake about five years ago, and needed help running the shop. After interviewing a few pastry chefs, Tanya walked in. Part of the interview was to bake a cake, and Tanya baked a pineapple upside down cake.

"She had no clue that it was one of my all-time favorites," she mused. "I decided to hire her on the spot. She's proven to be an outstanding pastry chef, and an even better friend. But you already know that."

"She is pretty amazing. She was one of the first people I came out to. She accepted me without question. She's always there when I need her," I told her. I watched her face for a reaction to my confession.

She smirked at me, "I was going to see what Tanya has in the kitchen. Care to join me?" I motioned for her to lead the way. She didn't seem to shy away from my telling her my sexual orientation, but she didn't show any acceptance either.

My line of sight was drawn to her impossibly small waist, which fanned out to form perfectly rounded hips, and an ass that was made for grabbing. I felt my core begin to heat up, and did my best to pull my eyes away before she turned back around.

She was putting together a small plate when I noticed the cake box on the table. "Did you bring this?" I asked her as I pointed to the cake.

Her face immediately lit up, and she smiled coyly, "Yes. It's not anything special, just a simple pineapple upside down cake."

"One of your favorites," I replied. She flashed that dazzling smile again. God, I want to kiss her. "It's one of my favorites, too," I told her.

"Good to know," she said, "At least now I know that I won't be the only one to have some."

Before I could reply, my phone started to ring. I checked the caller ID and frowned, it was Racheal. She was the last person that I wanted to speak to, especially being here with Liv. "Do you need to get that?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, excuse me," I said as I tapped the screen to answer the call, and headed towards the patio. "What do you want, Racheal?"