Another Honey Lust story preview

 The city public library is my home away from home because books are my favorite way to escape reality. It warms my heart to see people losing themselves in a book or checking out several of them at a time.  

My name is Evonne Simmons, I’m 32, and I’m a newly hired librarian who’s also an at-home bibliophile. I’ve been working at the city public library for over a year after the head librarian had to retire because of health reasons, all that aside, I love my job! I’m the youngest librarian in the public library, plus it helps that my glasses are not on a chain. I wear my curly hair down, my clothes are in bright colors, and I wear makeup. I do my best to make sure everybody’s visit to the public library is pleasant; aside from making sure other readers don’t get disturbed by loud volumes, I encourage visitors to take book selfies and pics of their library hauls to share on social media. I also made sure that the library has an old-fashioned card catalog and stamper in case of power outages.  

Another idea I had for the public library was to have designated charging areas where visitors can charge their phones and electronic devices while they check out the books, that and have magazines handy to relieve their eyes from screen fatigue. Never a dull moment at the public library, especially with story time for the kids where I get to cosplay book characters. The kids love it when I dress as Miss Frizzle from The Magic School Bus books. 

It was another busy day at the public library. The Social Security Administration office hosted a job and career seminar for senior citizens, plus both sets of my grandparents had attended. I got my love of learning new things from them; in fact, I have a better relationship with them and my father than I do with my mother; mainly because I’m a child of divorced parents. My mom and dad met in college, they got married when she was pregnant with me, dad supported her while she pursued her teaching degree, marriage had been strained since I was born, mom started her teaching career at the nearby private school, and dad worked three jobs to support us (his main occupation is flight attendant for a major airliner), mom cheated on dad while he was away, and they got divorced. I had found out from my grandparents that my mom had cheated on my dad with a young male student at the private school she teaches; she was an English teacher. Long story short, I went off to college and never spoke to my mom ever again, but I keep in touch with my dad and both sets of grandparents. 

Divorce and family drama aside, my academic life fared much better; I went to a university out of state, worked two jobs, pursued a master's degree in library information science (MLS), and obtained a bachelor's in English literature. Not only that, but I also obtained certification through a program by way of the American Library Association; I shadowed the head librarian at the public library while on summer and winter holiday breaks.  

One day during the week, I was putting up the books in their proper sections before closing for the day when I noticed a black case on one of the tables; which inside had a pair of black, full-rim, rectangular eyeglasses. It already had me wondering who those glasses belong to; although I’m not an optometrist, it does make me wonder if the person has astigmatism, myopia, nearsightedness, or farsightedness. Does that person have 20/20 vision in one or both eyes and possibly wear them for the look? I decided to put the case with the eyeglasses over into the lost and found container. 

One day the following week, I worked at the front desk because a few people needed new library cards (some of them were first-time visitors, and others needed to replace them because their cards were either damaged or lost).  

Several minutes later, I heard a male voice say to me, “Excuse me, have you seen a pair of eyeglasses in a case? I was here last Thursday, and I seemed to have left them after reading an issue of Time.” 

I got a good look at him; he was a tall, Asian man with short black hair, almond-shaped eyes, and honey-kissed skin. He had on an olive-green button-down shirt, a pair of dark wash jeans, and a navy blue blazer, looking like he stepped out of a GQ photoshoot.  

I then asked him while I looked in the lost and found container, “Okay, were the glasses in a black case?”  

“Yes, they’re my reading glasses.” He said to me.  

I picked up the black case, opened it, and said, “Are these rectangular glasses with the black frames yours? I found them on one of the tables.” 

“Yes, thank you so much for finding them. I wanted to check out a few books here today.” He said as he opened the case and put the glasses onto his face. 

“Of course, if you need me to help you find something, I’ll be at the front desk,” I replied. 

I must say that the man who had gotten his glasses back sounded like he was well-spoken and well-dressed in his appearance. I wondered about him while I continued with my regular duties as a librarian, I was in no rush to get to know him better since I had just met him.  

A few minutes later, he came up to me at the front desk and asked me for his assistance in finding some books. I briefly noticed that he had a book on wines in the book basket; one of the other librarians had suggested book baskets from repurposed shopping baskets, making it easier for those who like to check more than one book at a time. 

“Could you help me find a few cookbooks? Also, do you have any recommendations?” He had asked me. 

“Of course,” I replied as I walked with him.  

I had helped him find a few cookbooks and gave him a few recommendations, some of them that I have owned a copy for myself. One of them that I suggested was a Korean cookbook that has comic book-style illustrations, he seemed interested in that one and probably wanted to cook dinner for his parents.  

“If I may ask, are you taking up cooking as a hobby?” I had asked him while we looked for cookbooks. 

“Yes, I am. I had recently signed up for a cooking class at the adult education center. I wanted to try something new when I’m not teaching students.” He said to me. 

“What subject or which subjects do you teach?” I asked him. 

“I teach two subjects: Humanities and Public Speaking, both at the nearby community college. I’m a professor there.” He replied.  

“That’s very interesting and I say that because my mom was a teacher. She taught English literature at a private school.” I said to him. 

“Did you attend a private school?” He asked me. 

“Not at all. I went to public school from kindergarten up to the 12th grade.” I replied. 

I felt some type of way with him while I was assisting with books; I mean, he’s intelligent and handsome, not to mention very well-spoken for a community college professor. It made me wonder more about him, and imagine being touched by him in more ways than one. Princeton and I came back to the front desk a couple of minutes later; there I checked out the books for him, scanned his library card, and let him know that they’re due in two weeks, which I will see him again, and I hope he can return them on time. 

Two weeks later... 

It was on a Wednesday afternoon when Princeton came back to return the books he borrowed from the library. With his favorite pair of black-rimmed eyeglasses on his handsome face, he was ready to read again; his body frame was covered in a white polo, with the two top buttons unbuttoned and a pair of gray pants, already had me wondering about his clothing size because everything he wears fits him to a T.  

“I came back to return the books I borrowed and check out a few more.” Princeton said with a smile on his face. 

“Always a good sign. What are you into reading today? I had asked him.  

“Recently, my humanities class had just finished Oedipus Rex and had a test on that said book. I was wondering if you could help me find books on Greece. We’ve been having discussions on ancient Greece and their philosophy, comparing Greeks and Romans in ancient times.” He explained to me. 

“The one who stabbed his own eyes after he murdered his father and married the mother; family relations went wrong, unchecked pride, a tale of fate versus free will, and the origin of a complex. Also, are we looking into Greek history or Greek culture?” I asked him. 

“Yes, and I’m leaning more into traveling and tourism in Greece. Places like Mykonos, Santorini, and of course Athens.” Princeton replied. 

From there, I helped him find a few books on visiting Greece, one of them being Fodor’s travel guide on the country.  

“While you’re here, I can make a few recommendations for you.” I suggested. 

“Just as long as they don’t have murders within the family and coveting one’s relative or spouse.” Princeton replied with a bit of a laugh. 

“I guess we can rule out the genre of true crime.” I replied with a soft laugh. 

I then made three recommendations to him, such as a James Patterson book if he wants an adrenaline-pumping action, a recently released self-help book in non-fiction, and an inspiring autobiography he can listen to on audio.  

“All of those sound good.” He had said. 

After scanning his library card and checking out the books for him at the front desk, I printed out the receipt and wrote a note on the back with my mobile and home phone numbers before giving it to him. I reminded him that the books were due back in two weeks before he left the library. 

I got to know Princeton through phone calls and conversations; his parents are still alive and married for over 40 years. Both are from South Korea (his mom was from Busan and his dad was from Seoul). He likes to play golf and pickleball for fun; he cares about both his students and fellow faculty members at the college, he still gets care packages from family members, and he’s a graduate of UCLA. From what I gathered, Princeton sounds like an intelligent, well-spoken, caring, kind-hearted man who loves his parents and carries a positive aura everywhere he goes. Another thing that he shared with me was that he had created a reading nook/personal library for his place out of a spare room because he wanted a comfortable place for leisurely reading, which I found very interesting and also creative. I wouldn’t mind visiting his reading nook. Maybe he’ll give me a personal tour of his place. 

He then asked me, “Are you free this Saturday?” 

I replied, “I work from 9 AM-1 PM on Saturdays, but I’m free the rest of the day.” 

“I’d like to take you on a bookstore date to shop for books, then go to the coffeehouse, and have dinner at my place.” He said to me. 

“I’d like that very much.” I responded. 

Thrilled at my response, he said, “It’s a date. See you on Saturday.” 

“Can’t wait!” I exclaimed. 

That Saturday after my five-hour Saturday workday, we met up at the library parking lot before we got into our cars and drove to the bookstore called Bookmarked, which was on the corner of Main Street. Princeton and I each looked and bought a few books from different genres; we also bought a few bookmarks. We then walked to the Buzzed Bean coffeehouse, which was next door to Bookmarked and had a coffee bean-shaped sign. There, we talked about our book buys over coffee and Princeton showed me pictures of his reading nook on his smartphone; I then showed pictures of my bookshelf from my Instagram page. I had already gotten a buzz and not just from the two coffee drinks I had consumed. 

“I’m curious about you, Evonne. What are you like and what do you like to do outside of the library?” Princeton asked me with a pure and confident smile. 

“Let’s see...my interests and hobbies when I’m not surrounded by books almost every day; I’m into fashion, Pinterest, and food, and I like to draw in my sketchbook. I like to relax by doing adult coloring and binge-watch travel shows; I thrive on caffeine and I love to read romance novels. If I could pick one flaw about myself, it would be my envy of those individuals whose parents are still together because my parents are divorced.” I explained to him. 

I then asked him, “What would be your one flaw?” 

“If I could pick one flaw about myself, it would be that I’m very caring about people and the world in general. I care so much that I forget about my individual needs sometimes. For example, I was on my way to the college one morning and this one guy’s car broke down on the side of the road, I helped him out by calling a tow truck, waited with him, and drove him to where he needed to go, which was his job. It felt good though it made me late for work and almost made me run out of gas that day.” He replied. 

After a day of book shopping and conversations over coffee, Princeton and I drove over to his place that evening. His place was a 4-bedroom/3-bedroom 3,732 square foot, two-story, Mediterranean-style house, which he bought a few years ago; the exterior of the entire house was painted a golden yellow color with white trim and a bright blue front door and the interior was just as warm and inviting with a touch of coziness. He gave me a tour of his house, which also included his reading nook on the second floor, a breakfast nook and open pantry in the kitchen, a covered lanai, and an attached two-car garage. 

“Thank you for the tour of your amazing house. It’s so warm and cozy on the inside and bright on the outside.” I said to Princeton. 

“You can relax in the living room and make yourself at home while I get dinner ready.” Princeton said to me before going into the kitchen. 

“Sure, I’ll relax on the sofa and read one of the books I bought from Bookmarked.” I replied as I sat down on the sofa in the living room. 

While Princeton was getting dinner ready in the kitchen, I relaxed on the living room sofa and started reading one of the books I bought over at Bookmarked; the book was a collection of interracial erotic romance short stories that featured Black women main characters with men of other races and it’s written by this author named Ruby Velvet. My nose was then enticed by the smells coming from the kitchen, thinking that dinner was ready.  

I placed a bookmark in my book and sat down over at the dining room table, which was a rectangular-shaped table with a mahogany finish and a matching set of six chairs.  

“Do you need any help, Princeton?” I asked as I offered to help him. 

“I’ll get the plates and silverware ready. Can you please get the glasses from the cabinet above the stove?” He responded. 

“Sure, I’ll get the glasses.” I said as I went into the kitchen and took out two drinking glasses from the cabinet. 

“Thank you.” He replied. 

Princeton served the food and I placed the glasses next to both of our plates. He then said, “I hope you don’t mind if we have some leftover Korean food for our dinner.” Princeton said as he set the table. 

“I’m sure it’s all delicious.” I said in anticipation. 

I watched as Princeton placed several dishes on the dining room table; dinner consisted of spicy pork over rice, grilled beef short ribs, soy spinach, kimchi fried rice, green onion kimchi, and tangy seaweed salad. He showed explained each of the dishes and what they’re called in Korean. Once we blessed the food, we chowed down. Everything was so delicious and flavorful, especially for leftovers.  

We talked a lot about books, literature, travel, current events, philanthropy, our passions, etc., all while we enjoyed leftover homemade Korean food. After dinner, we went out to the covered lanai for a leisurely, nighttime stroll; the night sky was decorated with a full moon and dazzling stars, which made the night very magical.  

Princeton had asked me, "If I was a main character in a book, how would you describe me?" 

My inner bibliophile gave it some thought, looked into his eyes, and then I said, “I would say: With his job as a professor at a community college, Princeton would often stimulate his mind with books on various topics while teaching his students on humanities and public speaking. Academics and intelligence aside, he can be a hero to those in need with random acts of kindness and good deeds, regardless of either being late or absent. And when’s he not teaching or reading, he’s an amazing home cook who makes delicious meals, though he’s taking cooking classes. He often stimulates his heart and mind, but what about his body?” 

I looked at him and noticed a bit of a smile with a curious look on his face. 

“Now it’s your turn, Princeton. Do your best. How would you describe me as a book character?” I said to him. 

We had a bit of a moment when he placed his hands at my waist and we looked deep into each other’s eyes.  

 “Evonne is a modern-day Athena, who surrounds herself books as a librarian at the public library. She’s passionate about books and literacy; loves to read everywhere she goes and celebrates book-related holidays. She seeks love and passion in romance novels, despite having parents divorced at an early age. She looks like the type of woman who deserves a life filled with love, passion, and romance; she’s Athena-coded with her knowledge and wisdom hidden in her librarian occupation, yet she has a longing desire to be worshipped and admired like Aphrodite.” Princeton described. 

I felt my heart fluttered by his well-spoken words and I replied, “You described me perfectly, you have such a way with words.” 

“Let me prove my worthiness to you, Evonne.” He said to me as he took one of my hands and kissed it. 

I responded by cupping his face into my hands and gave him a slow-burning kiss on his lips. For a brief moment, I looked into his almond-shaped eyes before he returned my kiss with a deeper, passionate one. We then returned to the house where we shared another passionate kiss as we entered his reading nook.