by Cee, DW
“Is he cute?”
Of course that would be her first concern. “Yeah. He’s cute.” I picked up my dress from last night and put it over me in front of the mirror. “He told me to dress nicely. Is it weird to wear the same dress two nights in a row?”
“Borrow one of mine.” Katie-Rose went through her closet needlessly. I couldn’t wear any of her dresses.
“Thanks, Roommate, but I think I’ll wear this one more time before washing it.”
As I started getting dressed, I felt that same odd, butterflies-in-the-stomach sensation again. Wearing the same clothes reminded me of my night with Xander. I couldn’t seem to forget him; everything reminded me of him.
Doing my best to brush off the unwanted yearning, I got ready for my “date” two nights in a row! Sadly, that was an accomplishment for me.
“Jenna. Your date is here,” Katie-Rose purposely yelled out in our tiny apartment.
I rushed out for fear she may embarrass me further. “Hey, Jason.”
“Wow, Jenna. You look beautiful.”
My face felt hot and I knew I had turned red. “Thanks,” I whispered and introduced him to my roommate. “I’ll see you later,” I said to her.
“We don’t have curfews in our home. You can keep her out as late as you like,” Katie-Rose tapped Jason on the shoulder and let him know.
“Thanks for the info,” he said with a cute wink.
“You really look beautiful tonight, Jenna.”
“Thank you.” I laughed. “This is my only nice dress. I’m glad you like it.”
Jason laughed with me. “I hope you’re hungry. I begged my dad to call in a reservation for us at my favorite restaurant.”
“I am hungry, but anywhere would have been fine.”
“I wanted this night to be special.”
This was getting into unchartered, very uncomfortable territory for me. “Where are we going? Where’s your favorite place?” I changed subjects to the banal.
“The Downtown Club.”
My heart fell to my feet.
*******
I felt her presence the moment she walked in. I tried damn hard to push her out of my mind all day, but here she was, in the same dress, with the same innocent face, in the very flesh. I was so damn angry to see her here with another client, I chose not to acknowledge her.
“Xander. Hello, Xander!”
My sister could be a damn nuisance at times. “What is it, Lexie? I postponed a business meeting because of you. What’s the reason for this impromptu dinner?”
“Geez, Xander. Why the anger? What did I do wrong? I’m sorry if I took you away from a meeting. I thought you said it was OK.”
I felt bad taking my frustration out on my little sister. “Sorry, Lexie. It hasn’t been a good day. How’s school?”
“I love, love, love college! The boys, my sorority sisters, the parties—”
I cut her off. “The studying? Midterms? Exciting classes? Any of those fall under ‘love, love, love college’? Are you still looking to be an English major?”
“Of course. I have a rich brother who will support me no matter what major I choose. Why would I study something I have no interest in?”
“Maybe so you can have a future career?”
“Pish posh! No way am I ever working. You can support me until my husband takes over. If he doesn’t make enough money, you can continue my allowance until I die.”
I shouldn’t spoil my eighteen-year-old sister, but I couldn’t help it. With her beach blonde hair and emerald green eyes, I knew too many boys lusted after her. I shudder to think of the last comment I heard about my sister when we were vacationing in Cabo. The guests at the resort believed she was a playboy bunny shacking up with her sugar daddy. That was when I told Lexie to put on a long cover-up and to keep it on the rest of the trip.
“What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?” I asked again.
Lexie turned toward Jenna and then turned back to me and asked, “Why do you keep looking at that girl?” I hadn’t realized I was looking at her. In fact, I thought I was doing a damn good job of ignoring her. “Do you know her?” Silence was the answer I gave. “I don’t know who she is, but I know the guy she’s with. His name is Jason and he’s a member of the frat house our sorority had a social with last month. He’s cute, huh? Maybe I should go up to him and introduce myself.”
Before I could say, “No!” my sister was off and running.
*******
I felt him. I saw him. I yearned for him.
Even though we were seated a couple tables away, Xander Blane had no clue I was here. It was all the better. How embarrassing to be seen at the same place, same time, and in the same dress. It was almost like Groundhog Day. I hoped we could go the rest of the evening being blissfully unaware of one another. Unfortunately, my hope expired the moment a gorgeous blonde decided to join our party.
“Hi, Jason.” She spoke with exuberance. “Do you remember me?”
It took my date all of two seconds to answer, “Yeah! You’re Lexie, right? Didn’t you and I dance the night away at our party?”
“Oh my gosh!” She was so excited. “You remembered! I thought, crazy me…what would I do if he had no clue who I was?” The conversation continued. “I had such a good time at your frat party. I hope you’ll invite me to your next one.”
“I’d be happy to take you to our next party.”
“Really?”
Seriously! Really??? Was this happening to me? My “date” was asking out Xander Blane’s date? This Downtown Club was starting to hold some of my worst date night memories.
“Lexie.” I heard Xander call out to her but I purposely didn’t look up. His voice was a soothing song to my ear, regardless of what it was doing to my heart.
“Sorry. Gotta go. Call me?”
“Sure.” I saw Jason take out his phone and I could see Lexie’s legs running away and then running back. The two exchanged phone numbers and more giggles. “Sorry about the interruption. That was not what it seemed.”
“OK.” I was skeptical and a little mad that he thought I was stupid enough not to understand what had just occurred.
“Really, it wasn’t.” He knew I didn’t believe him. “One of my roommates has the biggest crush on her. She’s actually his little sister, in the fraternity/sorority sense, but he can’t get up the nerve to invite her to our parties. He made our other roommate and me dance with her all night so she couldn’t get to know any other guy. When I asked for her number, it was actually for Robbie.” I must not have looked convinced. He added, “Honest.”
“Has it occurred to you that she might have a crush on you?”
“No.”
“All that enthusiasm doesn’t come from nowhere. You might want to be careful, or your roommate Robbie should make his move soon.”
Jason chuckled. “All right. I’ll let him know.”
*******
“What the hell was that?”
“What?” My sister played the innocent.
“Did you just interrupt Jenna’s dinner and ask her date out?”
“Who’s Jenna?” Shit, I was getting careless. Lexie zeroed in on Jenna and said, “I knew you knew that girl. Who is she? An ex-girlfriend? Ex-lover? Present-enemy? She’s much too innocent for you, Xander. I can’t see you with a girl like her.”
“I wish you would look a little more innocent yourself, Lexie,” I complained. “You still have yet to tell me why you had to see me tonight.”
“Oh. That’s right!” For a bright girl, she sometimes owned the dumb-blonde title. “It’s Mom and Dad’s anniversary next week and I wanted to surprise them.”
“Surprise them, how?”
“Surprise them by showing up in Paris.”
Finally. Here was the real reason my sister wanted to see me. “Don’t you have school?”
“Do not. We’re on spring break after midterms are done.”
“Why are you out here with me when you have midterms to st
udy for, Little Sister?”
“Calm down, Old Man. I’m done studying. You’ll be shocked to know that I might even make the Dean’s List by the end of this semester.”
I snorted. “Yeah. Call me when that happens. Anyhow, I don’t know if I can leave the office next week.”
“Why the hell not?” I gave her a scary big brother look. At least I thought I had. She didn’t give a shit. “You work for yourself and you manage only your own money. Why can’t you leave whenever you want? You can work from Mom and Dad’s in Paris.”
She was right on all accounts. “I have meetings scheduled.”
“So reschedule them. Come on, Xander. This’ll be great bonding time for you and me. Puleeezzz!”
Lexie was an “oops” baby. Our parents gave up having any more kids after me. When Lexie happened twelve years later, they were too thrilled to care about the consequences of spoiling a child. I, too, was guilty of spoiling my little sister.
“What will you do for me if I cancel my meetings and take you to Paris?”
“Shopping spree, too?” she asked eagerly. I couldn’t help but laugh at my “conniving” sister. What she didn’t realize was that a shopping spree was always included for her.
“If your end of the deal is good enough, you can shop to your heart’s content.”
“Eek!” She squealed like a mouse. She then got up and ran over to Jenna’s table.
Shit!
*******
We were halfway through dinner when we saw that same body rushing toward us. Without an invitation, Lexie sat in the seat next to Jason.
“Lexie. Can we help you with something?” Jason was about to ask her another question when I saw Xander pull up.
“Lex.” We heard the warning loud and clear.
This “Lex” woman was obviously immune to the imminent danger. “Sit, Xander. You’re blocking traffic.” As we were seated right by the kitchen door, Xander was standing in the path of the servers. He came around and sat next to me, but ignored me.
“Hi. I’m Jason and this is Jenna. I apologize if you thought I was hitting on your date, earlier. It wasn’t what it appeared.”
“Lex is my sister,” he answered bluntly.
Oh! I didn’t know why that news gave new life to my heart. It wasn’t as if the man sitting next to me even acknowledged me.
“Hi. I’m Alexie Blane. I think we go to school together but I’m only a freshman.”
Did I look as shocked as I felt? Why was this statuesque blonde introducing herself to me? “Hello. I’m Jenna Ashe.” I forced out a response.
She giggled. This girl was full of unexpected surprises. “You and my brother know each other, right?”
What was up with this girl? Why was she putting me on the spot?
“Lex.” The warning bells rang again.
I looked to Xander and asked, “Do we know one another?” I asked in an accusing way. Since he wouldn’t admit to knowing me, there was no need to tell the truth. Xander’s stare was as lethal as the warning bells. I told myself not to cower. After a few more seconds, I beat him to an answer and said, “I guess not.”
The giggling continued from the only person who understood what was happening here. “Jason, are you and Jenna dating?” Now she was pinning me with the other man at the table. For reasons completely foreign to me, Xander glared at Jason and me.
Jason stuttered his way through an explanation about his roommate and the secret crush. Then, he tried to explain us.
Rather than leaving my dating status to a guy I didn’t know too well, I answered, “As you know, Jason’s on the baseball team and he misses a lot of classes. I lent him my notes. He was kind enough to invite me to dinner, and here we are.”
“So this isn’t your usual M.O.?” There was an accusation in his tone, but I couldn’t figure out what Xander would be accusing me of—we hardly knew one another. What had I done wrong?
“Excuse me?”
“The dress, the innocent look, a different man each night of the week. Is this what you do when you’re not preparing for nursing school?”
What the fuck?
*******
I felt anger, maybe even rage, coming off the woman sitting next to me. Outing her in front of people she hardly knew wasn’t tactful on my part, but if she was embarrassed about her profession, perhaps she shouldn’t be in it.
“What the hell is your problem?” Before I could say another word, she held her hand in front of my face and whispered, “Stop. Please. Just leave me alone.”
She turned to her cold steak and started cutting it up into pieces. I didn’t know this woman at all, but I could feel how hurt she was by my accusations. I felt like a complete dick again.
“Why don’t we let you finish your meal?” My sister quickly stood up and urgently pulled me off my seat. “Sorry to have bothered you.”
Fuck! Why was I so bothered by this Jenna Ashe? Why couldn’t I just leave everything alone? I was never cruel to women. Never would I have cut a dinner short or allowed a woman in my care to take a taxi home. I all but called her a slut in front of her date and a stranger. My actions put me in a foul mood.
“Why Xander?” My sister asked once we were back in our seats. “You’re always so sweet to me. Is this how you treat other women?”
I had nothing to say. “Sorry, Lex. That was uncalled for; I’ll apologize to Jenna.”
My sister stopped me from getting up. “Why don’t you let her finish her meal with Jason?” I looked over to see a forlorn woman trying to smile for her companion. “What was that with Jenna? Do you know her well?” I drank my wine and kept my mouth shut. The last thing I wanted to do was explain myself to my sister. “Well???”
“I was here last night for a business meeting with that sleaze, Jackson White. Unbeknownst to me, he invited his escort ‘girlfriend’ and she brought Jenna along as my companion.”
“No!” My sister yelled in a whisper. “Jenna does not look like an escort. There’s no way she’s in that business.”
“She looked the exact same last night as she does tonight. She told me she was an English major heading to nursing school.”
“OK. I don’t get it. Why would you think she accompanied men for a living?”
“Her roommate gave Jackson a hand job as soon as we sat down. Then, the two of them went off somewhere to fuck. What else would Jenna be?”
Lexie’s pretty face was marred with an ugly frown. “Who’s her roommate? I’m so confused, Xander. Start from the beginning.”
“Jackson’s escort and Jenna live in the same apartment. Last minute, Jenna subbed for a woman who was to be my ‘date.’”
“Did it ever occur to you that Jenna and Jackson’s escort are just roommates and nothing else? If she was the sub, maybe she had no idea what she was walking into?”
I didn’t buy it. “How can you live with someone for three years and not know what kind of profession she’s in? Can anyone be that clueless?”
“I think you’re the clueless one, Big Brother. Jenna seems lovely and not at all like a woman who sells herself for a living. Just because you live with someone doesn’t mean you know everything about their life.”
What my sister said made sense. When I thought back to last night, there was nothing in her demeanor that was flirtatious or seductive.
Hell! Was I wrong about Jenna?
*******
“Are you all right?” Jason was worried after that crazy exchange with the Blane siblings.
“I’m fine. If you don’t mind, could we leave? I have dessert and coffee at my place. Would you like to come back to my place?” I saw all kinds of thoughts sifting through Jason’s head. I laughed. “I’m not a man-eater, man-hater, man-whoremonger, or whatever else Xander Blane led you to believe.” It was time for a short explanation. “I came here last night with Katie-Rose at her request; her double-date partner fell ill last minute. It turned out I was to be Xander’s dinner companion. To make a long story short, I left before desse
rt, went home to study for midterms, and that was it. I’ve never been on two ‘dates’ in a row. In fact, I don’t think I’ve been on two dates with two different guys within the same month!” That was a pathetic confession. “I tell you what,” I quietly scooted my chair back, “thank you. Thank you for a wonderful dinner and fun conversation. I’d be happy to lend you my notes again without any expectations of compensation.”
I could only take so much within a twenty-four hour period. Jason tried to stop me but I left the dining area and took refuge in the ladies’ room. What was going on in my life that I was at the same damn club two nights in a row, without getting a bite of dessert? Here I was, hiding out in the bathroom while Jason paid for the meal, and I was lamenting the fact that I hadn’t eaten dessert. No wonder men rarely took an interest in me.
Hysterical laughter or a waterfall of tears? Which should I resort to in ridiculous times like these?
“Jenna!” I heard a whisper and then saw blonde hair sweeping the bathroom floor. “Eew!” she shrieked. “My hair just swept up piss from a thousand women. You owe me now, Jenna. Come out.”
Lexie decided my next course of action for me. I laughed hysterically. “What would possess you to look under a closed bathroom door?”
She held a wad of hair above the “broom” portion of her hair. “Turn around.” I undid my hairband and tied her hair into a ponytail. “Now I have the piss of a thousand women on my hand,” I mimicked and washed my hands.
After washing her hand several times, she linked her arm in mine and led me out. I stopped before the door. “Don’t worry,” she reassured. “Jason left.” I raised my eyebrows questioning her statement. “Come on!” she urged and I had no choice but to be pulled out of the bathroom.
“Jenna,” that tall, dark, handsome asshole said.
Aargh!
*******
Relieved and baffled—that was what went through my range of emotions when I saw Jenna and Lexie walking out giggling like best friends. Leave it to my sister to make a friend with someone who probably hated my guts.
