Page 2 of Sailor's Delight

Jenn clenched her jaw.

“Uh-oh.” Casey laughed again, that false, patronizing laugh so unique to men who chose to act like him. “What’d I say?”

Jenn nearly audibly let out a sigh of relief when the door of the library swung open again and another man walked in. As the newcomer made a beeline to the bookshelf, Jenn could hear him mutter, “All right, let’s see what we have here.”

Casey’s eyes followed the man, sizing him up and taking him in just as Jenn was doing. Well, maybe notjustas Jenn was doing.

“Trey’s” suit was nice– no fancy tux like Stephen, but it fit him well, unlike Casey. His touchable, wavy hair looked clean and well-taken care of, and brushed the tops of his shoulders as he ran his hand back through it, whispering, “Okay…”

Jenn glanced at Casey, who looked away from Trey, his lips pursed, staring with a look of annoyance at the door as he waited for the stranger to leave.

Jenn turned back to Trey. He had squatted down, perusing the titles closer to the floor, still muttering. Jenn found herself turning her head, admiring the way his pants now hugged his rear. She smiled.

“Really?” Casey was looking at her. Jenn glanced at him, shrugged, then raised her eyebrows and smiled, returning her gaze to Trey’s bottom near the floor.

“Bruh, for real? Just pick one!”

Trey turned, smiled with only one side of his mouth, and apologized. “Shoot, I was talking to myself, wasn’t I? I’m sorry; I do that sometimes.”

Casey looked away, fuming. Trey made eye contact with Jenn and winked slightly. Jenn’s stomach erupted in butterflies.

“Aha!” Trey selected a book from the shelf and stood up, pushing up off his knees and groaning loudly as he did so. “Boy, I am not getting any younger!” He adjusted his glasses as he read the back of the book under his breath.

Jenn watched his lips move underneath the closely-trimmed mustache and beard that he sported. They were full lips, if a bit chapped. Her eyes traveled down across his broad shoulders, his thick chest and belly bulge appreciatively. Trey pushed one side of the jacket he wore aside, resting a hand on his hip as he read. Jenn’s smile grew wider, and her foot began bouncing again. She wasn’t waiting anymore.

“Are you serious?” Jenn heard Casey whisper as he adjusted on the couch.

“Hey, have you read this?” Trey held the book up, turning the cover of a steamy romance novel Jenn had read several months ago out for Casey to read.

“Hell naw, bruh. Just decide already.”

Trey turned the book around again, studying all its surfaces as if undecided. “A friend recommended it recently.”

“I’m sure it’s fine. You should take it and head in.” Casey’s voice was impatient.

Trey turned to look out at the hallway. Folks were still milling about, waiting for the doors of the ballroom to open. “Naw, they’re still waiting to go in. We got time.”

With that, he walked to the couch, still examining the book cover, and wiggled his way down onto the cushion between Jenn and Casey, muttering, “Just gonna slide right in here.”

Casey leaped up as if he’d been stung by a bee. “Bruh, what the actual hell?!”

Trey looked up, the book held open and his mouth agape. “I’m sorry, was this seat taken?”

Casey turned to gesture to the empty seats and couches placed about the room. “There are a ton of empty seats, man!”

Trey nodded and pointed into the hallway. “No, I know. You were just both already sitting here, I figured it must have the best view to see when the doors open.”

Casey pointed around the room. “It’s a glass wall! They all have good views!”

Jenn could see that Casey was only escalating. She decided the situation needed to be brought to a swift end. She linked one arm with Trey’s and rested the other hand on his leg.

“Oh!” Trey made a quiet exclamation and looked down at the hand on his leg in exaggerated surprise, then looked back at Casey, grinning sheepishly.

Casey glanced back and forth between them, his face an open mask of disgust, and huffed. “Whatever. Y’all deserve each other.”

Jenn waggled her fingers at his back as he left the room, glad to be rid of him. Casey had turned out to be exactly as she’d imagined him to be.

“Do you have enough room?” Trey asked, glancing down and making as if to scoot over slightly to give Jenn some space on the couch. She pulled his arm to keep him from moving further away.