Kings and Queens

I wasn’t exactly excited to go shopping with my sister, but it wasn’t going to kill me to go. Truthfully, I just wanted to hang out with Dustin. We had just spent two weeks not talking to one another, there were things that should be said, stories to be told, and time spent making up. But then again, I didn’t want to be clingy or smother him, and I didn’t want him to do that to me either, so time apart would be good.

It was pretty evident that when Bridgette had said our parents wanted to be here for my birthday that they had forgotten when it actually was. It was two weeks after they would be here and I was starting to think that she had forgotten when it was too, but then realized that the impending arrival of our family was probably throwing her into a bit of a tizzy too. I’d give her the benefit of the doubt…but only because our parents were involved and we couldn’t be held responsible for a lot when that happened.

While Dustin and I had been cleaning the kitchen he asked me about our parents. I gave him short answers that were vague and not good enough but he didn’t seem to push it. I figured I would break and tell him at some point, but right now I just needed to get myself into the right mental state.

Bridgette had all but kicked him and Mike out the door around noon and told them where to meet us for dinner. Dustin had left willingly with a short kiss and some words to consider, “Get something sexy.”

“So, you and Pancakes are okay?” Bridgette smiled as we strolled into one of our favorite boutiques.

“Yeah,” I fixed my sunglasses.

“You sure about that? You don’t sound so excited.”

“No,” I shook my head, “We’re good, I mean, I think we are. Just freaking out about next weekend,” I looked at her.

She nodded, “It won’t be as bad, Lang.”

“Sure,” I walked into the boutique.

Bridgette let me go for a while as she paroozed the shop, picking up things that she wanted to try on. I was only half paying attention to the things I was looking at and mostly thinking about how bad things could get with our parents in town. I knew that Bridgette would stick up for me, but they would have to push and push for her to open her mouth. She had a big mouth most of the time, but for some reason, when it came to Mommy and Daddy, she was quieter. I was the exact opposite and would yell and scream right back at them until my face turned blue, but I was a little more reserved hwen it came to my image—minus the Twitter war.

“Hey,” she walked over to me, “You going to try those things on?”

“Yeah,” I shook myself out of my head as she piled more things into my arms, “What are you doing?”

She gave me a smile and pulled me along to the dressing rooms, “He’s taking you away for the weekend, you should repay him by wearing something besides your ratty yoga pants to bed.”

After buying some stuff in that store, we went to antoher, and then another. By the time were
done with the third store, it was past time to meet the boys for dinner.

We found Mike and Dustin sitting outside the restaurant at one of the tables along the sidewalk. The two smiled at us as we made our way through the maze of tables. It was a beautiful evening, so the crowd at the restaurant was large and they were all gawking at us as we walked to our table.

Dustin was sitting closest to the fence that separated the table from the sidewalk and he reached for my bags before greeting me. I handed them over so he could set them on his other side. after I sat down he leaned over and kissed my temple, “Find something?” he whispered.

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” I turned my head and pecked his lips.

Mike cleared his throat and raised his drink, “Here’s to Langley making dirty jokes and looking good doing it.”

Everyone clinked glasses, “Thanks Mike.”

“When is it?” Dustin asked, “Maybe we should go and cheer you on.”

“Two weeks from now, a week before my birthday,” I answered.

He looked through his phone, “We’ll be here for it,” he made a face, “But gone for your birthday.”

I already knew that, but I still made a sad face like I was shocked. Mike smiled at Bridgette and then at me, “Don’t worry kiddo, I bet Pens here will make up for it…over and over.”

“Lucky you’re across the table,” I tossed a piece of bread at him.

“You’re lucky he’s right,” Dustin whispered in my ear.

I rolled my eyes as Bridgette started recounting our shopping trip, “And then we got Jeff these hideous shorts just to piss him off,” she laughed and pulled the argyle shorts out of a bag.

“He’ll wear em,” Mike shook his head.

I smiled and then heard my phone ring, “Excuse me,” I saw it was Jenn.

I walked into the restaurant and toward the bathrooms so I could talk in some peace, “Hey Jenn.”

“Lang,” she began, “I really think you should reconsider this Playboy thing, it’s a good offer and…”

“No.”

“Look, they’re willing to discuss things with you and do what you want, I don’t think it would be the traditional centerfold thing.”

“Jenn, I really don’t feel comfortable doing it.”

“They want you to feel comfortable, they’re willing to pitch some ideas and even up the price.”

I thought for a second. As much as the money didn’t matter, it did. I liked being financially stable with extra to spend on whatever. I wasn’t greedy, I didn’t go out and splurge every other day, and I didn’t really need to. I liked to think ahead, so having money set aside for a house and a future family-hopefully-was nice.

“I don’t think so,” I told her.

“Come in tomorrow morning and we can talk, please?”

“Well, we need to talk about other things too,” I agreed.

“Like your relationship with a certain studly hockey player?” she giggled, “He is all man!”

“Yeah, he is,” I saw him walking toward me and smile when he caught my eye.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” she hung up.

Dustin stood in front of me, “Everything okay?”

“Just dandy,” I smiled at him.

“Who was it?” he asked as I wrapped my arms around him.

“Agent,” I told him.

“What’d she want?” he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around my waist.

“To try to talk me into doing that Playboy shoot.”

Dustin stopped, “What?”

I swore I had mentioned it to him, but obviously I hadn’t by his reaction, “I was offered to do a shoot for Playboy.”

He groaned and rolled his neck, “And?”

“Turned it down.”

His lips curled at the corners, “Such a good girl.”

“I do have a few morals left.”

He dropped his hands to my butt, “Maybe we can throw those out the window this weekend,” he kissed me softly.

“Maybe,” I kissed him again.

“I actually have to pee, so I’ll meet you back at the table,” Dustin gave my ass a tap.

When I walked back to the table Bridgette smiled, “Was that Jenn?”

“Yeah, she wants me to reconsider,” I didn’t want to let Mike hear the offer because he would tell Jeff and God only knows what Jeff would say.

“For what?” she asked.

“For the shoot,” I was trying to be discrete.

“Shoot?” she furrowed her brow, “Oh, the Playboy thing?”

“Yeah,” I unfolded my napkin and set it in my lap.

“Wait, what?” Mike choked on his drink, “Langley Washington doing Playboy?”

“No, Langley Washington was offered a shoot for Playboy,” I corrected him.

“And you turned it down?” he asked.

“I turned it down,” I nodded.

He let out a breath, “Well, that’s a shock.”

Bridgette glared at him, “Mike, don’t talk about her like that!”

“No!” he shook his head and started to backtrack, “I meant that it’s shocking they would ask you to do something like that because you’re not exactly the Playboy type,” he stopped, “Oh fuck,” he rolled his neck, “What I’m trying to say is that you’re beautiful and you have the body and looks for it, there’s no question about that. What I meant was that you have the wholesome image, that’s all.”

I laughed, “Nice save Richie, ever think about being a goalie?”

Dustin brushed my shoulders as he went back to his seat, “I’m going to ask the waiter to take a picture of us,” Bridgette interrupted the conversation.

The waiter snapped a couple pictures before she started typing on her phone:

@therealbridge87-Calm before the storm! @langleywashofficial Dinner with our men M_Richie10 @Dustinpenner25