Ascending Lauren Ch. 27 - Sex Stories

Ascending Lauren Ch. 27

... longer there. Nor was he anywhere in the dining room. With some sadness, she finished cleaning and stowing the leftovers in the walk-in refrigerator before retrieving her purse and cardigan sweater from lockers volunteers were assigned. It was an unusually cool mid-March evening, and she was glad to have brought the extra layer to put over the black sleeveless sheath dress she'd worn to work that day.

Stepping out of the Mission's entrance, Lauren scanned the street with caution. While soup kitchens were necessary for those in need, the area surrounding them could be a bit rough. It was already dark, and there was little traffic except for a rickshaw rental whose driver had stopped nearby to grab a pack of smokes from the Vape-n-Go. Lauren considered calling a ride-share but changed her mind when she spotted the faint glow of a cigarette being shared among several men across the street. The figures were shrouded in shadows, but one of them bore an uncanny resemblance to Nate, standing tall and imposing over the others. With trepidation, she watched as beams from a passing tow truck confirmed her suspicions - it was Nate.

Taking a deep breath, Lauren gathered her courage and cautiously approached the smokers. As she neared, they fell silent, their downtrodden eyes sizing her up from head to toe. The pungent body odor was hard to ignore, and one of the younger men whistled before starting to say something snarky under his breath. But his words were cut short when Nate ...

... placed a firm hand on his shoulder with a stern glare.

"Mind your manners," the larger black man scolded his friend.

Lauren raised her hand, wiggling her fingers in a friendly greeting. "Hi Nate," she said warmly.

"Fifth Street," Jackson reluctantly acknowledged her presence, stepping in front of the others. He seemed to be annoyed that she had intruded on their conversation, muttering under his breath about women in fancy clothes not belonging in these parts.

"I just wanted to thank you again for helping me that day," Lauren said sincerely.

"Just protecting my turf," he replied gruffly. It was clear that he didn't want to discuss his motives for saving her, and Lauren didn't press the issue. There was a glint of benevolence in his eyes, despite his gruff exterior.

"What do you want?" Jackson asked brusquely, turning away from her. "We don't have anything to talk about." He seemed dismissive of her presence and unwilling to engage in conversation.

Lauren frowned and reached out tentatively, lightly touching his elbow while trying to maintain eye contact. Despite their differences, she felt a connection with Nate and was determined to understand more about him and his life on the streets. "Please? Just for a minute."

Nate sighed and looked down at the petite brunette. "Five minutes, then you go, okay?" He knew how mean the streets turned after dark.

The tinkling sound of a bicycle bell rang out as the rickshaw that had been parked down the street pulled ...