by Lilly Avalon
Myra raises her hands above her head and brings her palms together. “Thank you, Carlie. You’re a lifesaver.” She runs back to Valerie’s room to tell her the good news and I quickly lock the door again.
As I’m walking back to the bed, Aiden stirs and opens his eyes. When he sees me, he says, “Mmm... Good morning to you, Miss Carlie.”
“Good morning, Aiden.” I sit on the bed and lean over to press a kiss to his lips.
“Did I hear you say something about making breakfast?”
I freeze. Damn it. If the two of them see Aiden, I will never hear the end of it. “Um… Myra asked what’s for breakfast. She and Valerie are hungry.”
“Well, I’m certainly famished myself. Maybe for more than just breakfast.” He growls, reaching for me to pull me in for a hug.
I laugh and embrace him back. “I might be up to that after eating… but...”
He loosens his hold on me. “But what?”
“I’m not sure I want them to know that we...” The second I say the words, I’m flinching at how awful they are.
“Hold on a second.” Aiden lets go of me and I sit back up, putting space between us. He narrows his eyes. “Are you… ashamed of sleeping with me?”
My jaw drops. “What? No!”
Crossing his arms, he asks, “Then what is it, Carlie?”
“I don’t… I don’t know.” The words stumble from my trembling lips.
“Do you like me?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then what exactly is going on between us? Is this only a one-night stand?”
Wasn’t it, though? I mean, we just met last night, and we had an undeniable physical chemistry, right? That’s kind of the formula for a one-night stand.
When I don’t say anything, he shakes his head and swings his legs over the side of the bed. “I guess I thought… never mind what I thought.” He picks up all of his clothes, putting everything back on. “If that’s how you feel, Carlie, then I’m going to respect your wishes.”
I stand up to stop him. “Aiden, I didn’t—”
“Look, you don’t need to explain yourself or apologize or anything like that. I felt like last night was pretty great and that maybe, just maybe, it didn’t have to be the only night. I suppose I was kidding myself that someone as beautiful as you would ever date a lowly man like me.”
Wait... that’s not… Turning my head away, I close my eyes tightly to keep from crying. “No, Aiden,” I say, shaking my head, “that’s not true.”
“Carlie, it’s okay.” He walks to the door, now fully dressed. “I guess I should’ve known better.”
When the door closes behind him, I groan and throw myself onto the bed. I’m such an idiot. How could I do that to him? The poor guy thought I was judging him for his lifestyle. That wasn’t my intention at all. I was simply worried that…
It did sound like I was, though, didn’t it?
Shit.
What we shared was something more than only physical. The way everything happened, it did seem like a one night stand at first. Everything progressed so quickly. Maybe we didn’t exchange a lifetime of words, but it was enough to show me that Aiden is somebody special. Somebody worthy.
Somebody I completely lost because of my fear.
What it all boils down to is I’m more concerned about my reputation than anything else. I liked Aiden. A lot. And yet I was worried about being judged by Valerie and Myra for my choice to sleep with the stripper from a bachelorette party. Does their opinion of my choices matter? Not really. Which begs the question…
Why did I do what I did?
Sighing, I roll over onto my back. I still can’t believe Aiden was interested in more. We went into it, thinking it was going to be one night, and then we both caught feelings. Since I’ve never been in a situation like this, I have no idea what to do now. Did I completely screw this up? Or is there a chance I could make it right again?
I don’t have time to think about it, though. I quickly put on some actual clothes and head downstairs. I said I’d make breakfast, right?
When I arrive in the kitchen, Myra and Valerie are sitting close together at the table, whispering. The second they see me, they stop talking.
Great.
“What’s going on?” I ask them.
After they exchange a look, Myra says, “You saucy little minx.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
With a smug grin, she answers, “I saw that super-hot stripper coming down the stairs in last night’s clothes.”
“Yep,” Valerie chimes in. “And he didn’t seem too happy.”
Her joy over my pain grates at me. I try to ignore it by turning my back to them as I walk to the refrigerator. “What do you want for breakfast? We have eggs and bacon.”
“Don’t change the subject, Carlie!” My stepsister sounds indignant. She’s not going to drop it, is she? “You screwed one of my strippers.”
“Excuse me?” I say, my mouth falling open at her audacity. “Your strippers? They didn’t belong to you. And what does it matter whether I slept with one or not anyway? I’m single.”
“Yeah, well… I doubt your mother would be okay with your impropriety.”
I laugh. Is she really going to tattle on me to my mom? She probably couldn’t care less about who I sleep with as long as I’m safe. “Are you really that childish? And since when is having strippers at a bachelorette party not considered ‘improper’?”
Valerie jumps to her feet, placing a hand on her hip. “It’s a rite of passage.”
“So, you’re essentially shaming me for having sex?”
Her jaw drops. “What? No!”
“Then what is it, Valerie? Because I don’t get it. What did I do wrong?”
“You... you didn’t...” She’s backed into a corner with no recourse. She turns to her best friend for help. “Myra?”
Myra’s eyes widen and she holds up her hands. “Don’t look at me.”
“Thanks a lot!” She turns to me, nostrils flaring. “Don’t think this is over, sis.”
“Actually, I think it is.” There’s no reason for me to stay in this room to be berated. I’m not the bad guy in this situation. So I leave the kitchen and head toward the stairs.
“Wait, where do you think you’re going?” Valerie calls out after me.
Stopping, I turn around to face her. “I don’t know, but I’m not going to continue to remain in this room if you can’t treat me, or anyone else, with respect.” I spin around and keep walking away.
Valerie lets out a scoff, then yells, “What about breakfast?”
“Make it yourself.”
Chapter Eight
The next hour of my day consists of me gathering all my belongings and stewing in my anger. It’s unfortunate that Valerie drove us here in her car. I didn’t think ahead enough about the possibility of needing an alternative if the weekend went south. Maybe I should consider calling a cab like Lydia had to do last night. I don’t know if I have enough money to cover the drive back to my parents’ house, though. And my mom would probably insist on me making things right with Valerie.
Shit.
As I’m contemplating walking home, my cell phone rings. Grumbling, I go to the desk to see who’s trying to bother me. When I see the caller ID, my face scrunches up because it’s the last person I expect to hear from.
“Goldie?” I ask when I answer.
“Hey, yeah,” she replies. “I heard something through the grapevine and I’m kinda pissed off at both Myra and your sister. Thought I would check in with you to see how you were.”
What in the world is happening? One of my stepsister’s friends is checking in with me? “I appreciate it. I’m… okay.”
“Hmm… I don’t think that’s true.”
“Fine, I’m not okay.”
“It’s… fresh. Your sister is notorious for causing drama, as you probably well know. Within a week she’ll be completely over it and onto something new.”
She’s right. My sister can be quite the drama queen at times, which is why I’m usually walking on eggshells around her. My slight outburst from earlier was completely out of character for me. I had simply had enough. “Well, she likely won’t be anytime today.”
Goldie pauses. “Tell you what, how about I come by to drive you back to your place? That way you don’t have to deal with Valerie for the trip back.”
Ask and you shall receive. It’s a generous offer, and from a friend of Valerie’s that I barely know. I guess I have no reason not to accept. “Really? Sure, that would be great actually. Thank you.”
“Of course! I’ll be there in about an hour.”
-----
As she promised, Goldie is here a little over an hour later. I check the house for signs of Valerie or Myra, but neither is around. So I leave a note on the refrigerator telling them where I am. I may not be happy about everything that happened between us, but Valerie’s still family and I wouldn’t want her to worry.
I place my suitcase in the backseat of Goldie’s car, then hop into the passenger seat next to her. She’s driving a Lexus and I find myself fawning over it.
“You like it, huh?” she says with a grin as she pulls out of the driveway. “Well, I have my boss to thank for it.”
“Your boss got you this?”
“Oh, no! She told me about it being available. Turns out, one of her decorating clients has a daughter who didn’t want this for her sixteenth birthday. Can you believe that?”
I actually can, given some of the entitlement I see daily. “It’s too spectacular not to want.”
“Right?” She pauses for a second. “Are you feeling any better now?”
“I’m a lot better now. Thank you again for this. It’s a weight off my chest.”
For the next thirty minutes we chat about life, work, and school. It’s nice to have someone genuine like Goldie to talk to. There are far too many phonies out there, which is a shame.
When she doesn’t take the correct exit to get me home, I say, “Hey, wait, you’re going the wrong way.”
“Actually, I’m not.”
I turn to her. “What do you mean?”
She makes a face. “Confession… we’re making a small detour.”
Detour? She pulls into a plaza and into a space in front of a cutesy coffee shop called Cuppa Joe.
“Coffee?” I raise an eyebrow. It’s a bit late in the day for coffee, at least for me.
“Um, yeah. Is that okay? I could use a scone and a latte.”
Shrugging, I reply, “I guess that’s fine.” I wouldn’t mind a muffin right about now, especially if it has chocolate. You can never go wrong with chocolate.
I get out of the car and walk inside with her. It’s a nice little coffee house with an authentic atmosphere. The second we step through the doors, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee fills my nostrils. Coffee shops smell so amazing. We each order, then take our drinks and treats to a table in the corner.
As we’re enjoying our break, I hear the bell chime and another customer walking in. He places his order and that voice… I know that voice. My heart skips a beat. I slowly turn my head and sure enough, I do know that voice.
It belongs to the man who gave me multiple orgasms last night.
My eyes widen and I turn back to Goldie. “Aiden’s here!” I whisper-yell. When she looks sheepish I realize what’s going on. “You set this up, didn’t you?”
“Don’t be mad, okay?” She reaches over to put her hand over mine. “I saw the way you guys looked at each other last night and when I heard about everything this morning, I couldn’t bear to think about you losing your chance with him.”
“But how did you...”
She shrugs her shoulders. “I knew the company Myra hired because she’s used them before. A couple of phone calls later and...” She holds up a hand, gesturing toward Aiden. “Voila!”
Frowning, I say, “Well… I guess your heart was in the right place.” While her heart is in the right place, mine is beating double time.
Just then, Aiden walks over. “Hello, ladies.”
“It’s very nice to see you again,” Goldie tells him. She picks up her stuff and stands. “Why don’t I leave the two of you alone for a minute?”
She heads over to a table on the other side of the room and Aiden sits across from me. My heart nearly sputters to a stop in his presence. I wasn’t expecting to ever see him again after what I said, much less be sitting with him in a random coffee shop.
After an almost uncomfortable moment of silence, Aiden clears his throat and says, “I was surprised to hear from your friend.”
“I’m just as surprised.” My fingers absently stroke the handle on my coffee cup.
“She seems to think we ought to talk.”
“We should. I said some things that...” I wasn’t expecting this and my brain is having trouble coming up with the right words to say, so I simply tell him the most important thing. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for all of it. I’m sorry that I made it seem like what you do is something shameful. It’s not. I honestly think it’s great.” I breathe out a sigh, closing my eyes. “And I wasn’t ashamed of you. Everything about last night was amazing. I guess I never expected someone like you to want me for more than one night.”
“You honestly thought that?”
“Yeah. And I could just picture my sister laughing at me when she found out. Which, surprise surprise, she did.”
Tilting his head, he asks, “Why did she laugh?”
“She’s got a high opinion of herself and she likes to hold others to that standard. It’s how she was raised.”
“Hmm… I’m beginning to think you don’t view things the same as some of your family does.”
“I don’t. I have a lot of respect for people. For their choices, for their dreams.”
“But you don’t allow yourself to make choices to follow your dreams.”
His words sting a little, but he’s right. I don’t. “I guess I’ve always been afraid to.” Even though there’s no legitimate reason to feel that way.
Holding on to his mug with both hands, he says, “I want to apologize, too.”
“For what?”
“For jumping to conclusions. For not talking this out with you instead of running away.”
“I’m sure you had your reasons.”
“You’re right, I did. I’m used to being used.” He shrugs. “It’s part of the profession. The women I meet at these parties tend to view me as a piece of meat. But you,” he says, pointing to me, “you saw me for more than that.”
“Well, you are more than your job.”
“Let’s just say it’s very rare for me to find someone who feels that way. Not to mention treats me that way. And is completely and utterly sexy to boot.”
My cheeks heat up and I try to cover it, but he sees and smirks. “So…” I trail off, unsure of what to say next.
“So… I’d like to see you again, Carlie. That is, if you’d like to see me again.”
I can’t hide the grin that spreads across my face. “I’m thinking that can be arranged.”
“Thank God.” He returns my grin. “I want to kiss you now.”
“Then why don’t you?”
He takes my hand, we both stand up and he kisses me, passionately and deeply, right there in the coffee shop.
Behind us, Goldie is clapping and she yells out, “Yes!”
I smile against his lips. “Kiss me again.”
“With pleasure.” And he does.
Epilogue
After that fateful day at Cuppa Joe, Aiden and I embarked on our journey together. We started officially dating, and it wasn’t long before we decided to move into an apartment. Everything about our relationship felt right and we didn’t want to be apart any more than necessary.
Much to my parents’ chagrin, I took the fall semester off and began working as a barista at the coffee house we met at. It may not be a high-paying corporate job in finance, but i
t’s the first time I’ve done something for myself. I haven’t figured out what I want to do with my life yet, but I’m having fun learning more about the world outside of the expectations set out for us.
Introducing Aiden to my parents went better than expected, and thankfully Valerie didn’t open her big mouth about his profession or how he and I met. It seems that Valerie and I have begun moving down a road of better understanding and respect ever since the party, which I’m grateful for. I've spent such a long time dealing with her antics, it’s about time she grows up. Especially since she’s newly married and would like to begin having children soon.
A couple weeks ago, Aiden found an amazing job at a winery and was able to quit stripping. I never got between him and his job, even though I was a little jealous of the women who got to ogle him, I knew he only wants me. Which is better than simply seeing him in a pair of tight underwear.
I come home after my shift at the coffee shop on a Friday night to the apartment to find the kitchen light dimmed. When I turn the corner, there are candles lit on the table as well as plates, silverware, and napkins folded up like swans.
“What in the world?” I mutter to myself. What’s Aiden up to?
Just then a familiar song starts coming from the hallway. When I turn, there’s Aiden, dressed up in his tearaway suit and holding a boombox. He sets the boombox down and tosses aside his jacket. Then he stops the music and says, “Sorry, I’m only kidding.”
Laughing, I say, “What’s all this?” as I gesture toward the kitchen table.
“Well,” Aiden says, stepping toward me, “I’ve been thinking that the two of us need a night of relaxation and a home-cooked meal.”
He’s right. Between our jobs and me trying to discover myself, we haven’t been able to have a nice meal together that isn't either takeout or microwaved. “Aw, that’s sweet of you.”
He takes my hands in his. “Since we both had shifts that ended early, I wanted to make the most of the night, complete with a candlelit dinner and a show.”
Grinning, I tell him, “I think I want to see more of the show.” I bite my lip as I run my hands over his chest.
