Taming the Tramp

by Amy DeMeritt

  As Janae releases my hand, she glides her fingers out to trace down my fingers, causing electricity to shoot up my arm and vibrate in my chest. She gives me a loving smile, as if she knows what she just caused to happen, and my face spreads into a goofy grin, making her giggle.

  Carrie and I move to stand by a large potted palm tree so we’re out of the way. I lean my back against the concrete pot and people-watch while we wait for Janae and Jill. A family walks by with a grey bulldog puppy on a leash, and he runs over to me with an adorable yelping bark and a smile on his face. I bend down to pet him, and he jumps up to rest his paws on my thigh and licks at my hand in an excited way.

  “I’m sorry. Pappi, come on.”

  I smile at the woman. “It’s fine. He’s cute.”

  I pet his head once more before they pull him away with some generic pleasantries. As I’m standing up, Carrie is about to say something, but my eyes lock on a group of girls in bikinis approaching us. My chest expands with arousal and my lips curl into a small closed lip smile.

  “Damn.”

  Carrie smacks my shoulder really hard, making me laugh. The girls notice and look between each other whispering and giggling. One of the girls’ whispers something to the group, and then walks over to stand in front of me with a confident seductive grin. She places her hands on her hips and licks her lips slowly while she stares in my eyes.

  She’s built similar to Carrie, but she has long dark brown hair that she has in a ponytail, and her skin is a few shades darker than Carrie’s. She also has a belly button ring, which Carrie does not. Her bikini is pure white, and her belly button ring is a blue gemstone butterfly.

  “See something you like?”

  “Very much.”

  “Well, take a good look because you’ll only touch me in your dreams.”

  With a snobbish tilt of her head, and a cocky rocking of her hips, she walks away from me to join her friends, who are watching with conspiratorial smiles and giggles.

  “Idiot.”

  She stops and turns to face me with a dirty look. “What did you say to me?”

  Carrie steps forward with her arms over her chest, and says, “I called you an idiot. You can go away now. Jack is way too good for your trashy ass.”

  “Bitch, who are you calling trashy? Look at who you’re standing next to. Jack, is it? You are such a poser with all of those tattoos and ear piercings and short hair. What are you trying to prove? You know the butch-dyke look is like outdated, right? If you want a girl like me, you should look more like a girl and less like a boy. It’s a shame you ruined yourself because you’re actually pretty.”

  I laugh hard and the girl raises her eyebrows and twists her mouth in an unamused agitated way.

  “Yeah, ok, princess. Whatever you say.”

  “What is that supposed to mean? You’re probably high or something. Do you even understand that I just insulted you?”

  “Actually, you just made yourself look like a dumbass bitch. You can go away now. Your personality has transformed you into a warty toad faced hag. You’re not hot anymore.”

  Carrie releases a bursting laugh and the girl’s face pinches in anger and blushes bright red.

  “You’re a jackass.”

  “Only to dumbass bitches.”

  “You’re just trying to act tough to hide your insecurity and disappointment that you can’t have me.”

  “Yeah, ok, princess. Whatever you say.”

  “See, you don’t even have a good come back.”

  “I fully believe in the statement that you don’t argue with stupid people because they’ll just beat you down to their level. I’m too intelligent to be bothered with you anymore.”

  Carrie laughs again and suddenly grabs my face and engages me in a kiss. She presses her body against mine and releases a quiet moan into my mouth. After a few moments, she pulls back smiling really big and looking in my eyes. I kiss her lips and wrap my arms around her waist, holding her close as I lean my back against the concrete pot.

  “So, are you going to…?”

  “Uh, hello?”

  We look over at the bitch, and she waves a hand between us while asking, “What the fuck was that?”

  “Oh, see, she is stupid. That is called a kiss.” Carrie giggles, and the girl’s face flares red in anger.

  “I know what a kiss is, you fucking moron. Why were you checking me out if you’re with her?”

  “You really should just walk away. I have lost all interest in you.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re a bitch. I don’t fuck bitches.”

  “Here, you go.”

  Carrie steps out of my embrace to accept the water ice from Jill, and Jill takes her place with a naughty grin.

  “Hey, baby, Janae is still waiting on your ice. She ordered you something special.”

  “Yeah? What flavor did you get?”

  Jill grins as she slurps up a small amount from her straw, and then leans in to kiss me. As our mouths part, she passes me the coconut water ice. She firmly palms up the back of my head and gets a grip on my short hair on top. Jill releases a moan as she increases the intensity of the kiss and presses in harder against me. As she pulls back, she’s panting for air, and her eyes are glossy.

  “Fuck, I love kissing you.”

  She pulls me back into another kiss, but someone smacks her ass, so she quickly pulls back, and we both laugh as Janae steps up next to me with an amused smile.

  “You’re drawing attention to yourselves. Here, honey, try this.”

  I accept the water ice and smile around the mouth full of frozen ice.

  “That’s amazing. I taste lime, coconut, and pineapple.”

  “There’s also some peach in there.”

  “Hold up. Are all of you with her?”

  We look at the bitch, who I completely forgot about, again, and who is still standing just a few feet away watching in shock and confusion.

  Janae turns to face her as she inhales deeply, trying to control her tone, and says, “You missed out on your chance to be with Jack. You can go away now.”

  “You didn’t answer…”

  “I said, go away.”

  “Whatever.”

  The girl walks away switching her hips and her friends awkwardly follow her.

  “Ok, what the hell was that kiss about?”

  Jill grins at me and shrugs a shoulder. “I thought it would be fun to fuck with that girl’s head, but I was mostly just being opportunistic.”

  “Come on, let’s go get a spot on the beach before these water ices turn into juice.”

  We follow Janae to the beach, and she picks a spot close to the water, but also close to the promenade so we don’t have to walk too far to go get snacks or go to the bathroom.

  After I get the umbrellas in the ground, they help get chairs set up and lay out a couple of large towels big enough for two people to lay on.

  I pull my tank top off so I’m in a sporty black bikini top and my board shorts. As I’m stuffing the shirt in my bag, I’m struck paralyzed watching Janae pull her shirt off. She catches me watching and smiles at me as she shimmies her hips out of her shorts. I swallow hard and run my hand through my short hair.

  “Damn.”

  She giggles and throws her shirt and shorts at me. “Put those in the bag for me.”

  I stuff them in the bag, then sit down in a chair next to Janae with Carrie on my other side. I take a gulp of my water ice and lean back with a sigh.

  “This is nice. Good idea coming to the beach, Carrie.”

  “Yeah, this is perfect. We need to bring some more bitches over here though so I can kiss on you some more.”

  Janae smacks Jill’s arm and all of us laugh. “You better behave so you don’t lose your boyfriend.”

  “I don’t think that’s going to last much longer.”

  “Why not?”

  “He’s so boring. At first, I thought it was nice – like he felt safe and stable. I was able to get him
to loosen up in the bedroom some with those tips from Jack, but in every other aspect, he is just boring. The other night, he rambled on for two hours, and I have no idea what he was talking about, but I know exactly how many pineapples are on the horrible wallpaper border of his dining room. In case you are wondering, there are two thousand, six hundred, and eighty-two.”

  All of us laugh again, and Jill releases her own exasperated sounding laugh.

  “I tried to get him to go dancing or go to a strip club one night, and you know what he suggested as an alternative? Playing cards! I asked if he was suggesting a game of strip poker, and he said, no, gin rummy. Gin rummy over going to a strip club! What kind of man is that?”

  I laugh hard, and Jill hops up and dramatically falls into my lap, sitting sideways with her arms around my neck.

  “Baby, I need some excitement in my life. Beg Janae to lift your ban from fucking me.”

  “Not happening, sweetie. Now, get back in your own chair.”

  Jill pouts at Janae’s command, which makes me laugh.

  “Once the boss cuts me off, there’s no going back. Sorry.”

  “This is not fair.”

  “Hey, we still do fun stuff. We’re just not allowed to have sex anymore.”

  “I know. But even the decent sex with him is becoming boring again. Either that or I am so uninterested in the guy that I just can’t enjoy it anymore. I guess I need to break it off with him. You have someone you can set me up with?”

  “Nope. You know I don’t do that. But I’ll be your wing man at the bar or something.”

  “Ok, I’ll settle for that.”

  She kisses my lips and hops up to go back to her own chair. Janae gives me a cute loving smile as she takes my free hand and holds it on her thigh.

  I settle my gaze on the water, just trying to relax, but my stomach suddenly churns with hunger.

  “Is anyone else hungry?”

  Janae nods, and kisses my hand before releasing it. “Yeah, I could go for some fries or something. Will you go get us something?”

  “Yeah, of course. Jill and Carrie, do you want anything?”

  “I’ll take whatever.”

  “I’ll come with you.”

  Carrie stands up and pulls her shorts back on. We grab our flipflops and with her hand in mine, we cross the beach and walk to a restaurant I come to pretty often with Janae. I bypass the hostess for the dining room seating and we go straight to the bar to look at menus to get some food to go.

  “Do you want a drink while we wait?”

  “Yeah, what are you getting?”

  “Just a beer.”

  “I’ll have the same.”

  The bartender walks over and promptly sets two bottles of my requested beer on the bar top.

  “Are you ready to order?”

  “Yes. Can we get two of the roasted chicken quesadillas, four peach dumplings, an order of beach fries, and two orders of the maple candied bacon.”

  “Sure. All of this is to go?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “Ok, give the kitchen about ten minutes.”

  “Thank you.”

  After she walks away, Carrie and I take a swig of our beers, and she turns on her stool to face me.

  “You look really good today.”

  She smiles and leans forward to kiss me. “Thank you. Do I look better than that piece of trash you were checking out?”

  I nod as I turn more to face her and place a hand on the side of her thigh. “Yeah, you’re definitely above her grade level.”

  “Good. I’m sorry I smacked you for checking them out.”

  “Why did you?”

  “I guess it was just a reflex or something. Would you have hooked up with her today if she was interested?”

  “No, I probably would have gotten her number for another time though. So, you weren’t checking them out at all?”

  “Well, I looked at them, but they didn’t do anything for me. They looked slutty and bitchy, which they were. Do you get rejected like that often?”

  “I’ve been rejected plenty of times because of how I look, or because they don’t want someone to just have sex with – they want more. Being rejected for my looks typically only happens when they travel in packs like that. If that girl had been on her own, she probably wouldn’t have been so bitchy and it probably would have turned out very differently.”

  “That makes sense. I was kind of like that when we first met. I’m sorry for that. I was so mad and wanted to punch that girl for how she was talking to you.”

  “I know. It was sexy.”

  Carrie’s face lights up with a huge smile and she leans in to give me a full mouth kiss.

  “So, I guess it wasn’t just a show.”

  Carrie releases my mouth and we turn to face the bitch, who is standing just behind our stools with her hands on her hips, wearing an annoying grin on her face.

  “I guess it’s true what they say – talk about a bitch or the devil and they always show up.”

  Carrie giggles and the girl’s lips curl upwards.

  “You want me that much that you’re still talking about me?”

  “Not exactly.”

  I try to turn on my barstool to turn my back to her, but she grabs the stool and spins me to face her full on.

  “I’m Marissa.”

  “You made yourself pretty clear before, so why are you interrupting my moment with the gorgeous woman sitting next to me?”

  Carrie glides a hand over my back and rests her hand on my hip. I smile and lean over to kiss her lips, which makes her face light up with happiness again.

  “You’re just going to give up that easily? Haven’t you ever heard of playing hard to get?”

  “If that’s what you were trying to do, you’re not very good at it. You don’t insult the person you want to be with. Besides, I don’t need to try harder.”

  “Why not? I saw how you looked at me.”

  “Do you see me looking at you like that now?”

  “No, but…”

  “That’s because I lost interest.”

  “Fine, your loss.”

  “Whatever you have to tell yourself to feel better about this.”

  Marissa’s eyes narrow and she takes a step closer to me. “Why are you being such a jackass?”

  “Uh, excuse me.” A pretty young woman with toffee toned skin and dark brown hair has appeared just to my left side. She’s wearing a cute royal blue and white summer dress and a tentative, almost hopeful smile. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but are you Jack Hart?”

  “I am. Do I know you?”

  She extends her hand with a wide smile, which I accept to shake. “No, not yet. I’m Tanisha Cole. I’m a journalist with the magazine, Techniprise. I have heard some intriguing rumors that you are working on a couple of big pieces of software that will revolutionize the way corporations handle data. I would love to be able to interview you and to be the first to get the inside scoop on what you’re working on right now.”

  I pull my wallet out and hand her a business card, which she accepts with a victorious smile.

  “Give me a call and we’ll set something up this week.”

  “Thank you. I’ll call you tomorrow. Again, I’m sorry I interrupted. I just didn’t want to pass up this opportunity.”

  “Don’t worry about it. You didn’t interrupt anything important.”

  Looking triumphant and like she’s on top of the world, she waves as she walks away.

  I look back at Marissa to see she has her cellphone in her hands and she’s staring at the screen with wide eyes and a grin. As she looks up and meets my eyes, she licks her lips in a seductive way and takes another step closer to me while placing a hand on my knee.

  “So, Jack Hart, when can you and I…”

  “Never.”

  She parts my knees and steps between them, pressing herself firmly against me as she slips a hand behind the back of my neck.

  “I think once you kiss me, you’ll change
your mind.”

  She moves in to kiss me, but I place a hand between us, blocking her mouth from reaching mine.

  “Get off of me.”

  “Is there a problem here?”

  I look back at the bartender, who is leaning against the back of the bar watching with her arms crossed over her chest and her face set in a way that makes her look like a badass bitch.

  “Yes, I need this vulture removed from my presence.”

  The woman nods towards a man at the end of the bar, and he walks over puffing his broad and thick chest out and jerks a thumb backwards.

  “Time for you to go.”

  Marissa grins and trails her hand down my chest as she steps out from between my thighs.

  “See you around, Jack Hart.”

  The man escorts her outside, and Carrie and I spin back to face the bar in time for the bartender to set two fresh beers in front of us.

  “On the house. Your food should be out here soon.”

  “Thank you.”

  She smiles as she walks away to wait on a few people that just sat down at the other end of the bar.

  “Thanks for not kissing her. I mean, I know you didn’t do it for me, but she doesn’t deserve you. She’s just a…”

  I press my lips against Carrie’s, cutting her off, and she releases a small happy laugh as she parts her lips and fully kisses me.

  “I love you, Jack.”

  I wiggle her nose and kiss her forehead. “I love you too.”

  Her eyes tear up and she throws her arms around me as she lays her head on my shoulder.

  “Thank you.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  I wake up with a huge yawn splitting my face in half, and I stretch my arms back over my head. Carrie stirs on my chest and lifts her head looking exhausted.

  “Why are you awake already? Go back to sleep.” I kiss her lips and try to sit up, but she pushes me back down. She caresses my cheek, turning my head so she can lay her face against mine. “Sleep.”

  “Don’t you have work today?”

  “No, sleep.”

  “I’m pretty sure you have to work today.”

  “I don’t want to. Just let me sleep longer.”

  “I have that magazine interview this morning.”

  Carrie groans and bends her face into the crook of my neck. While she releases pouty whimpers, she kisses my neck and shoulder, moving down to my chest. She bites my nipple, then continues her descent of kisses and bites down my abs till she’s laying between my thighs. She pushes my thighs open and immediately starts firmly licking and sucking my lips and clit. I caress her head, and she increases her pace with her tongue.