“No.”
“Are they into animal sacrifice?”
“No.”
“Do they dance naked under the full moon?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” he said, with a hint of a smile.
“Then I don’t see a problem,” I said. “Just don’t lie to me, ever. Our friendship might not survive something like that, again. And I think it goes without saying that what we text stays between us from now on.”
“Amen to that. I won’t make that mistake again,” he said with a smile. “Thank you for giving me another chance, Kayleigh. I’ve never met anyone like you and I’m really glad you were on the beach that day.”
“Me too,” I told him.
“So, are we going to continue with our texting lessons?” he asked.
“Do you want to?”
“Yes. They’re typically the best part of my day.”
“Then yes, I want to keep doing it as well. By the way, thank you for the donation you made. Nana always made sure I was kept in swimming, but sometimes it was a struggle. Knowing that money is there to help kids that can’t afford it, means the world to me.”
“It was the least I could do, really, I mean the very least, after what happened.”
“I have to ask, you seemed like you had no clue so how did you figure out what upset me?”
“I called Bodie’s sister,” he said sheepishly. “I don’t have a sister and I really didn’t want to go to my mom with this, so I made Bodie give me her number. She called me an idiot but helped me anyway.”
I was trying to suppress a laugh, but eventually failed and let it out. “It really was an idiotic thing to do but now at least it’s helping a lot of kids so I can’t be mad about it anymore. I’ve had a question ever since dinner though. Why Mermaid?”
“It was the first thing I thought of. I remembered you telling me that your Nana called you her little mermaid. I’ve also seen you swim in the ocean and I’d imagine you’d give any mermaid a run for her money.”
He grinned at me and I had to smile back. I was glad things seemed to be back to normal and hoped they were going to stay that way.
Chapter 36
Major
After walking Kayleigh to her dorm, I headed to mine. I was so relieved that she’d given me another chance. She’d made it seem like my money didn’t matter, but it was still there in the back of my mind that it was going to change how she acted. Bodie was studying when I walked in.
“Hey man, what’ve you been up to?” he asked me.
“Coffee with Kayleigh,” I said, without thinking.
His eyes lit up.
“Like I told you before, it’s nothing, we’re just friends.”
“You’ve never been friends with a woman before man, so you know, I have to ask.”
“I know, but that’s all it is.”
“Fine, but let me know when that changes,” he said, with a wink.
“Whatever fucker. What are you doing later?” I asked.
“More studying. What did you have in mind?”
“Thought about hitting the waves for a bit before the weather changes.”
“Don’t you have studying to do too?”
“Yeah, but I’m just not feeling it today. Come on man, come surf with me.”
“I can’t. I’d really love to but I can’t. I have a paper due tomorrow that I haven’t even started.”
“When did you become so responsible?” I asked, with a laugh.
“When I was told that if I don’t get good grades I’ll be cut off from my money.”
“I get that. Fine. No surfing today, but Sunday we’re hitting the waves no matter the weather. Deal?”
“Deal,” he agreed. “Now, get your ass to studying?”
I threw my bag at him, but got my books out. I wondered how Kayleigh had time to go to her classes, get all her work done, and practice. I guess that’s why she went to bed so early. I was lucky if I was in bed by midnight every day.
A couple of hours later I ordered us pizza and we continued to study. We took a break when it arrived and I wondered what Kayleigh was doing so I decided to text her.
Me: What are you doing right now?
Kayleigh: Just finished a few laps around the track
Me: Do you ever relax?
Kayleigh: Yes. But not as much as I’d like.
Me: When is your next swim meet?
Kayleigh: Saturday. And I’m hoping to win all nine events.
Me: Not trying to be a dick but is that realistic?
Kayleigh: I don’t know. I haven’t competed against these people before. But it’s the same goal I set before every competition.
Me: Have you always been so driven?
Kayleigh: I think so, at least when it comes to swimming
Kayleigh: What are you doing?
Me: Taking a dinner break then it’s back to more fucking studying
Kayleigh: You did know that college requires a lot of homework right?
Me: Yes, but not this much.
Kayleigh: Lol! Quit whining and get back to work.
Me: When did you get so bossy? Oh wait, you were born that way.
Kayleigh: Very funny
We finished eating and went back to studying. When I’d finally had enough, I closed my books. Bodie had gone to his room to work on his paper, so I decided to find something to watch on Netflix. I finally picked something when my phone alerted me to a text. It was a picture of some legs in a bathtub, then another text came right after it.
Kayleigh: See, I can relax
Me: Need some company in there?
Kayleigh: You keep asking that and the answer is always the same. No.
Me: Maybe one day that’ll change
Kayleigh: Not today
Me: Is the pic your naughty text of the day?
Kayleigh: No. That’s coming later.
Me: Oh, I’ll be coming later all right
Kayleigh: OMG do you ever stop? Lol!
Me: Not reall,y but that’s what you love about me
Kayleigh: Um … ya … sure. I thought it was your abs.
I laughed. I never knew what she was going to come back with.
Me: I knew you were just after my body
Kayleigh: My secret’s out
Me: All you have to do is ask
Kayleigh: I’ll keep that in mind
I went back to watching my show. About fifteen-minutes later, she sent me another text. It was a link. I opened it and grinned. She’d sent me a link to a guy going down on a woman. I watched it and texted her back.
Me: Has anyone ever licked your pussy?
Kayleigh: No, but I think I’d like it
Me: I think you’d be right
Kayleigh: Do you like doing that to women?
I realized that my answer was going to sound completely selfish, but we promised each other the truth.
Me: I’ve never done it
Kayleigh: Really??? I don’t believe you.
Me: It’s the truth. It’s always seemed too intimate to me and usually, once I fuck someone, I don’t go back for seconds. To me, that’s something for a relationship and I don’t do those.
I figured she'd be disgusted with that answer. But once again, I was surprised.
Kayleigh: That’s almost sweet, in a twisted kind of way
Me: No one has ever accused me of being sweet before, but I have been called twisted a time or two
Kayleigh: Now that I believe
Kayleigh: I want to feel a warm wet tongue on my clit
Me: Holy shit Kayleigh. My dick noticed that statement.
Kayleigh: Good?
Me: Yes, you’re definitely improving
Kayleigh: Yay! I hate sucking at something.
Me: You can practice getting better at sucking on me if you’d like
Kayleigh: I walked right into that one didn’t I?
Me: Yep but the offer still stands. Anytime you want to hone your skills you know where to find me.
Kayleigh: Hone my skills? You’re smarter than you look.
Me: Private school will do that to you
Kayleigh: So more than just a pretty face … I’ll have to remember that. Pretty abs, pretty legs, pretty hair
Me: Very funny
Kayleigh: I thought so
Me: Give me one more dirty thought for the night so I can go to bed a happy man
Kayleigh: I really would like to know what it feels like to have a dick in my mouth
Me: Fuck. That was a good one. Gotta go jack off now.
Kayleigh: Really?
Me: Yes
Kayleigh: Um … okay. Have fun.
I liked when I made her speechless. I hoped she was thinking about what I was doing, because I was certainly thinking about what she might be doing with Major Bunny.
Chapter 37
Kayleigh
It was Saturday morning, the day of our second competition. I’d had a very busy week with a couple of extra practices and a shit ton of studying. Karma and I walked to the swim complex. I looked up as we entered and realized something and had to text Major.
Me: Davenport Swim Complex. As in your Davenport?
Major: Yes. My parents are both alumni and donate heavily to the University.
Me: Oh, wow. That’s a strange coincidence, isn’t it?
Major: Maybe it’s fate?
Me: Maybe. Why are you up so early?
Major: Coming to your meet today
Me: Really?
Major: Yes. I haven’t seen you compete yet, and I think it’s about time I did. Good luck. See you when it’s over.
“Major is coming to the meet today,” I told Karma, as we walked to our changing area.
“Hmm.”
“What does that mean?”
“Nothing.”
“You never mean nothing,” I told her.
“Fine, nothing we need to discuss right now. We need to focus on kicking ass out there.”
“You’re right.”
We talked about the competition we were about to face. Competing at the college level was way different than what we were used to. But we both loved it. My goal was to set a new college record by the time my four years were up.
We had a short team meeting then warmed up. I was told that the colleges we were facing today were better ranked than the two from the first meet. That only gave me the motivation to try harder. I hated to lose. It was going to be a while before any of my events were starting, so I put my earbuds in and found the playlist I wanted. I thought of nothing but the music and winning my heats.
By the end of the day, I ended up winning only one of my events, the 100m butterfly. It wasn’t usually my best event, so I was surprised I won. Karma and I showered and met the coaches out by the pool when we were done. They were happy with everyone’s performance, and said we’d earned a lot of points in the ranking. I wasn’t thrilled with mine today and decided I needed to work harder.
Major was waiting for us when we left the building.
“Wow, you two are really good,” he told us. “Let me take you out to dinner to celebrate.”
“Good? I only won one event today,” I said, pouting a little.
“Only one? But you were second or third in all the rest. That’s pretty fucking good in my opinion.”
“I agree,” Karma said. “She’s always hard on herself.”
“So, dinner?” Major asked.
“I’m famished,” Karma said, “so I say yes.”
“Sounds good to me,” I agreed.
“Cool,” Major said. “I’ll pick you up in thirty-minutes?”
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“It’s a surprise, but wear something nice.”
“Oooh, I’m intrigued,” Karma said.
“See you in thirty,” I said.
Karma and I hurried back to our dorm to change. We both did some quick makeup and got dressed.
“We look pretty hot for only thirty-minutes notice,” she said, when we were ready.
I just laughed at her. “Let’s go downstairs and see if Major is ready.”
He was just walking up to the dorm when we walked out of the main doors. He let out a whistle and we both smiled.
“I’m sure I’m in the presence of the two hottest chicks on campus,” he said to us.
“Quite the smooth talker,” Karma told him.
“You have no idea,” I said. “Now let’s go. I’m starving.”
We followed Major to his truck and he started driving. We headed in the same direction as we did last week.
“Are we going to San Francisco again?” I asked.
“Not quite that far,” was all he said.
We pulled up in front of a place called The Bay Grill. Major led us in and we stopped at the hostess stand.
“We’d like the patio please,” Major said to the woman.
“I’m sorry, the patio is fully booked tonight,” she told him.
“I know, I’m the one who booked it.”
“Oh, Mr. Davenport, I do apologize. Please come with me.”
Karma gave me a look that clearly said, ‘what the hell.’ I hadn’t told her about Major being a Davenport. It wasn’t my secret to tell.
We were shown to the patio and it looked like it was set up for a party.
“Is there something we don’t know about?” I asked.
“We’re having a little get together here later. The boys wanted to get away from campus for the night, so we decided on this place. But first, I’m going to feed my little mermaid and her friend.
We sat down at a table and were immediately brought water and menus. Karma was not so subtly trying to get my attention.
“Yes, Karma, what seems to be the issue?” I asked smiling.
“You know damn well what the issue is. Davenport? Really?” she directed that last part at Major.
“Yes, Davenport and yes it’s the Davenport you’re thinking of. I was assuming Kayleigh told you.”
“I didn’t feel it was my place to say anything. If you want people to know I figured you’d tell them.”
“Thank you, Kayleigh. You have no idea what that means to me.”
Chapter 38
Major
It was right then that I knew for certain that Kayleigh was special. The fact that she hadn’t told her best friend about me was barely something I could comprehend. I wasn’t used to that, and I didn’t know how to thank Kayleigh for something that meant so much to me. I realized I was staring at her. She didn’t notice, but Karma did. I wasn’t sure much got passed that woman.
“So, do you ladies like seafood?” I asked
“I haven’t really had much,” Kayleigh said.
“I love shrimp,” Karma added.
“Are you willing to try some?” I asked.
Kayleigh laughed. “Nana had a rule that I couldn’t say I didn’t like something until I tried it, so I’m always up for trying new things.”
“Good,” I said, and signaled the waiter to come to the table. I ordered a variety of seafood appetizers. I loved all types of seafood, so I was anxious to see what Kayleigh liked.
“What if I don’t like what you ordered?” Kayleigh asked me.
“Then we just order you something else. Easy. Plus, there will be more food when everyone else gets here.”
“Oh, okay, thank you,” she said.
“So, do you guys do this kind of thing often?” Karma asked.
“Not really. Despite our reputations, we’re all serious about school, so it’s not party central all the time. I’ll admit that I was pissed at first that mom and dad were making me go, but now that I’m here, I can see their reasons.”
“If you didn’t go to school, what would you have done?” Kayleigh asked.
“I planned on going straight to work at Davenport Media. I know I’ll take it over when dad is ready to retire, and I wanted to start learning the business.”
“What did you want to be when you were little?” she asked.
“An Olympic swimmer.”
“And you Karma?” I asked.
Both of the girls started laughing, obviously an inside joke that I wasn’t aware of.
“I wanted to be a princess,” Karma admitted. “Actually, I still think that sounds like a good idea.”
“It’s always good to have goals,” I said.
We talked about nothing in particular until the food came. I’d ordered crab cakes, fried calamari, steamed muscles, garlic buttered shrimp, bacon wrapped scallops, and raw oysters.
The look on Kayleigh’s face when I ate the first raw oyster was priceless. She looked slightly horrified. I know she said she’d try anything, but I wasn’t sure if that was true or not. I was about to find out if she really would.
I squeezed a little lemon on to one and added a little bit of the seafood sauce that came with them. I handed her one.
“You have to at least try it,” I told her.
She held it in her hand like it was going to bite her.
“Do I chew it or just swallow it?”
“I suggest chewing it a little then swallow it.”
She stared at it for a little longer. Just when I thought she was going to chicken out, she put the shell up to her lips and let the oyster slide into her mouth. I watched her chew and swallow.
“Well?” I asked, when I thought she was ready to talk.
“Um … that was weird and I don’t think I need to do that again.”
I laughed at her honesty.
“I grew up eating them, but I can understand how they’re not for everyone.”
To her credit, Kayleigh tried every single appetizer. She liked the crab cakes, fried calamari, and shrimp. She really didn’t care for the muscles and scallops.
“Do you mind if I order a salad?” she asked me, when about half the appetizers were gone.
“Not at all.” I signaled to the waiter and asked him to bring me a menu. “You don’t really like it very much do you.”
“It’s not that. I really like some of it ,but I just don’t eat a lot of fried and buttery food because it interferes with my training.”
A Mermaid's Kiss Page 13
