by Shaw, Robin
“Will do.”
***
I placed the drink beside Bethany’s plate and she lowered her gaze; her plate was empty. After she wiped her mouth, she got up as I was about to take her plate and put it in the dishwasher.
“I am going to make another sandwich,” she told me softly, with tinges of pink on the apples of her cheeks. “Would you like a sandwich? Anything?”
I’d like your body pressed against mine, I thought, but I knew she wasn’t asking about my other appetite. I left her plate on the island. “I am still full from lunch, but I’ll keep you company.”
Bethany cut me a sideways grin. “Cool.” When she opened the fridge, I got a view of her backside. Her jean skirt did wonders to grip that curve of her body, like I’d imagined a skirt would. “Are you staying here too?”
I remained where I was and she was right beside me as she cut some lettuce, selected some slices of chicken Nancy had left in a container, and added Nancy’s homemade Italian dressing. She darted her eyes at me in question.
“Until I begin football and school again at University of Miami.”
Twirling around, she almost tossed the lettuce onto the floor. I was a real jerk because I watched her catch the lettuce so I could see some of her cleavage, and I wasn’t disappointed. While her breasts weren’t big, they were perky and would be a perfect weight to have in my hands. “I am gonna be a sophomore at UM,” she said breathily. “What class are you?”
“I’ll be a junior.”
She nodded. “Does Pierce go there too?”
“Yeah.”
Bethany gulped some orange juice and then put the rest of the food back in the fridge. Her sandwich was twice the size of the one Nancy had made for her, and she didn’t seem apologetic about it. And that made my dick surge to full-on hard status. Man, I was the recurring erection in Bethany’s presence.
“If I wasn’t on campus, I was at work, so I probably wouldn’t have seen either of you even if if it wasn’t a big campus.”
I kept the front of my body against the island as she carried her plate and returned to her stool across me. “You live on campus?”
“I do. My best friends, Jake and Mariska, will be freshmen at UM this fall. And Mariska will be my roommate.” Her lips spread into a smile, one that was likely reserved for special people in her life.
“How about you? On or off campus?”
“On campus.”
She swigged some more orange juice and ran her tongue over those plump lips.
“So, how long have you and Pierce been friends?”
“A year and half, give or take some weeks. I met Pierce through Scott, a teammate of mine and a friend, though we’re not as tight as Pierce and I have become.”
“And what are you leaving out?”
My dick finally calmed down. I walked over and sat beside her. “I met him when we were in one of Scott’s friend’s dorms, having a party when we shouldn’t have been. It was quiet hours,” I explained. “Anyways, Pierce had this device that alerts him when someone’s trying to break into his car.” I paused and licked my lips, more than pleased that her eyes were zeroed in on them. “We all told him to chill. Call campus police and let them handle it from there.”
“But of course he didn’t.”
“Nah, he didn’t. I mean, if it were my Maserati, I guess I’d flip out too. When we all got to the parking lot, this chick that Pierce messed with from like…I don’t know, maybe a month before, stood over his car with a bat.”
With widened eyes, she covered her mouth and stifled a laugh. Once she recovered, she dropped her hands over her thighs and I moved closer to her. Our knees touched. She didn’t move hers away.
“I shouldn’t find it funny,” she said with self-recrimination. “It’s not. Did anyone de-escalate the situation?”
“The other guys were kinda smashed and erupted in alcohol-induced laughter. That only pissed this chick off more. She said something like, ‘Think you can forget about me, huh?’ And Pierce was like, ‘No, sweetie. No way,’ but I knew that he didn’t remember her name—”
“Or who she was,” Bethany interjected in an amused tone.
I nodded. “And that’s when the girl said, ‘My. Name. Is. Not. Sweetie.’ And then the guys started knocking into each other in hysterics. Scott was behind me, trying to tell them to shut up. And Pierce was looking at his Maserati like someone struck his puppy. She asked, ‘What’s my name?’”
She shook her head and sighed.
“Right. And he admitted to her that he didn’t know her name. That’s when she hit his windshield, and it cracked a little. When she went in for a real swing, I stood in front of Pierce and told the girl that she didn’t want to mess with a LDM.”
Bethany looked confused. “That’s about the same face she had.”
Bethany hit my thigh. “Don’t put me in the same category as her!”
“I was just pointing it out.” I held my hands up in mock fear. “She asked, ‘What’s an LDM?’ I told her that Pierce was probably a Limp Dick Mofo and that I could make her forget about him. The other guys started shouting ‘LDM.’ Pierce acted like he was ticked off, but he was really so thankful for my intervention that he didn’t care about his boys tearing into him.” I snapped my fingers. “It was like a switch went off in her brain.”
“Pierce sure knows how to pick ’em,” she breathed.
“That’s what I was thinking, and I grabbed the bat from her hand. Campus police arrived seconds later. And to be honest, I doubt she even recalled sleeping with Pierce. Who knows if they even did? He probably just gave her his number and she heard how he got with the other girls he gave his number to. Mr. Pruitt found out. He took back the Maserati and gave Pierce this other car he wasn’t too fond of.”
“Poor Pierce.” She twisted her lips. “You don’t even remember her name, do you?”
I smirked. “Nah. But I do remember that Pierce calls you Noodles.”
“Yes.” She shrugged. “And his nickname was Porkchop, but he’s not chubby anymore. Pierce calls me Noodles. No one else does. I go by Beth.”
“Duly noted, Beth.”
She bobbed her head. “And Pierce invited you to stay here for the summer?”
“Both he and Mr. Pruitt did. I was gonna do some construction and rent a room for the summer. I had my finals early and I’ve been here for a month and some days.”
I studied her and she averted her gaze. The flush on her neck worked its way up to her face.
I helped her clean up and my eyes were fixated when she caught her lower lip in her teeth. The thought of skimming my fingers on her arms crossed my mind. And then I heard footsteps.
Chapter 4
Bethany
“Bethany, is that you?”
“Yes,” I replied, unsure who it was until Aunt Deborah came into view in an appropriately lightweight suit and sunglasses that made her look glamorous. Her pale blond hair was cut into a chic bob, a sophisticated style change from the luxurious long hair she’d had years ago.
Chase moved out of the way and gave us some space.
“Hi, Aunt Deborah.”
“Bethany!” She appeared to shake her head in disbelief. Dropping her shopping bags, she came toward me and embraced me firmly. I wounded my arms around her.
Someone dropped something from behind us and Aunt Deborah turned around, clutching her chest. “Cassie, you scared the living daylights out of me.”
“Sorry, Mother,” Cassidy said. She strode towards me and gave me an air kiss on each side of my face.
Aunt Deborah rolled her eyes and tilted her head to Chase. “We appreciate you getting Bethany for us. You’ve been a lifesaver.”
“You’re very welcome, Mrs. Pruitt.”
“Yes, you’re always so helpful,” Cassidy chimed in. “And it doesn’t go unnoticed.” She flicked her gaze to me again. “How’ve you been, Beth?”
“Let me help you with those bags, Mrs. Pruitt,” Nancy said as she came out of nowh
ere, and quickly walked past everyone to retrieve the shopping bags.
“Mine are over there.” Cassidy lifted her chin where tons of her shopping bags were in the distance. I forgot about them when I saw her. She was as beautiful as I thought she’d be. Her eyes were a much lighter shade of blue than Aunt Deborah’s. Like Mariska, she could also be a model. She was tall and lithe, but she didn’t have a guitar shape like Mariska.
“Have you lost your mind?” Aunt Deborah scoffed. “Cassidy Angus Pruitt, get your ass over there and get your bags yourself, or I’ll return the purchases tomorrow.”
Groaning, Cassidy moved away from me and went to her bags. I began helping her but Aunt Deborah took my arms in hers and I walked in time with her toward the steps. I quickly looked over my shoulder. Chase took most of those huge bags from Nancy like they weighed nothing. Petulantly, Cassidy carried her own shopping bags.
***
Aunt Deborah was more excited than Nancy had been to see how I’d like the guestroom that they decorated for me. My name was written in script over the pillowcases and there was a board above my bed with my name written in script in light shades of brown and pink as well. There were two humungous stuffed teddy bears on each side of the king-size bed. Aunt Deborah had two phones ringing at once when she excused herself and said that she’d return.
God, I was just like Cindy. Once a hot guy gave me some attention, I lost all my sense. He had acted like he wanted to hang out. And now I felt unsure of myself. I really liked how Chase had been treating me so far, and how I felt around him. I didn’t see him even look at Cassidy once, and while I wasn’t homely, by no means did I compare to Cassidy. And maybe Chase was perfectly cool with being friends with an ordinary girl. With me. I hadn’t had sex in a while. I guess my hormones needed to learn that I was the boss.
“Uh oh.” Aunt Deborah slowly closed the door. I didn’t hear her come into my room. “Thinking about your mother?” She had a sympathetic expression on her face.
“I was,” I admitted, but I wasn’t thinking about Cindy in the way that she thought I was.
Aunt Deborah sat on the chair by the wide desk directly across from the door. “You didn’t see her before she left Franklin Parks?” she asked gently, but I still heard some judgment in her voice.
“I didn’t.”
Frowning, she said, “I don’t know what’s gotten into your mother. And that first-name nonsense is another thing I never understood. I never knew her well. But I will say that maybe this is a blessing in disguise.” I let out a humorless laugh, and she smiled. “If you’d like to talk about…everything, I am here.”
I folded my legs as I sat at the bottom of my bed. “Maybe later. I kinda feel…weird about my situation. Not that I am not grateful to you and Uncle Anton.” I also didn’t like anyone undermining Cindy’s parenting skills, but I wasn’t in a position to tell her that.
Aunt Deborah nodded and smirked. “But it’s a real bitch to feel indebted to people. To have to feel grateful all the time? Isn’t it?” She took off her blazer and revealed fit arms and a very perky bust in a sleeveless top. I remembered her being much thicker, and I could tell that she worked out a lot now. Maybe had some work done on her body too. She studied me with her pale blue eyes. “The only thing you owe Anton and I is to take care of yourself.” She released a soft sigh. “Anton and I haven’t always been where we are in our lives right now. Someone gave us a chance, invested in us when we were small fish, swimming with the sharks. We haven’t forgotten how fortunate we are. Now, you’re lucky he even hired you. Didn’t force you to be a beach bum.”
“I think he’s amenable to what I want—to an extent.”
She stood up and nodded.
Someone knocked on the door. “Come in,” Aunt Deborah said.
Cassidy walked in with her hair wrapped up in a towel, a light robe, and cute slippers.
Aunt Deborah’s face straightened. “Did you put your stuff away?”
“Yes, Mother. I took a bath by myself too,” she said saucily. “I wanted to see if Beth wanted to go out tonight.”
“That sounds like a great idea, Cassie.” Aunt Deborah walked towards the door but kept her focus on her daughter.
“I am twenty-two. Not reckless,” she said. She shifted her gaze in my direction. “Besides, how old are you, twenty?”
“Eighteen,” I corrected her.
“Same difference,” Cassidy said with a smirk.
“What’s the dress code like?” I asked.
“You can wear a pair of jeans. A nice top and shoes. That’s what I’ll be wearing.”
“Don’t come back too late.” Aunt Deborah raised her finger at Cassidy.
“We’re just going to be at the Paloma bar,” Cassidy said. “Besides, we’ll have Pierce there to police us.”
***
Chase
My forehead pricked with sweat as I stepped out of the laundry room for a break. Nancy had kept me company for a little while until Mrs. Pruitt called for her. Nancy hadn’t mentioned Beth when I brought Mrs. Pruitt’s shopping bags to the front of her room, or when she and I were in the laundry room. My phone vibrated.
“What’s good, Pierce?”
“Everything’s fine over here. Better since Mom and Dad are out for the night. Joel and Rylan are gonna be at the bar. Around eleven-thirty, we’re gonna have a little party at my penthouse.”
“When have you ever had a little party?”
“Tonight it’ll be real lax. Rylan and I already told Joel that we’re just gonna chill and not have a bunch of people over. ”
“Okay. I’ll be there.”
“You won’t be disappointed.”
***
Rylan and Joel were with five girls from the larger group I had seen them with on the beach this afternoon. I sat down at the table they were occupying —the biggest one in the bar/restaurant at the Paloma.
“What would you like?” Bri, one of the regular waitresses, asked me.
“Club soda with lime.”
“How about you guys?” She tapped her pen on her notepad.
“Three orders of chicken tenders. One with tostones. Extra crispy. One with two baked potatoes. And I’d like my order with cheese fries,” Rylan said.
“You girls wanna eat anything?” Joel asked them.
“We’ll share with you,” one of them answered.
With a nod of his head, Joel agreed and Bri attended to another table. The girl with the belly-button piercing switched places with one of her friends and was next to me. Rylan and Joel smirked at me.
She leaned into me and her hot breath smelled of tequila. I reeled because I was beginning to taste it. I liked a good scotch once in a while. And I hadn’t had scotch in weeks. Anything else didn’t mingle right with my taste buds.
“How’s my favorite quarterback?” She tried to sound sultry.
Her friends giggled. “I am actually a linebacker,” I told her in a low tone. “But I am doing good. And you?” I didn’t want it to look like I was playing her in front of her friends, but from Rylan and Joel’s expressions, they at least knew that I wasn’t interested.
She whispered in my ear, “You’d make my night if you’d come upstairs with me.”
Rylan was talking to another girl and Joel sent me a questioning look.
“No thanks,” I told her instead of “Never gonna happen.”
She pulled away from me and sat back down in her own seat. “You told me he wasn’t seeing anyone,” she said to Joel, who shrugged his shoulders. And then she turned back to me, flinging her jet-black hair around. “What? You think you’re too good for me?” She flicked her gray eyes to my scar.
I heaved in a breath and tried to be civil. “I told you last night that I am not dating right now. It has nothing to do with you.”
“But you were working then. That’s why I thought you said that.” Scowling, her voice rose. “And who said I am looking to date?” she asked with absurdity.
Everyone at the table was
looking at us now, including some folks from the other tables.
“I never led you to believe that I wanted to smash.”
The girl slammed her hand on the table and gripped her glass. Joel smoothly reached from across the table and took it from her. Most of the sweet drink sloshed on her skimpy dress.
Grimacing, Joel dared her to make another move. One of her friends handed her purse to her, with an expression that said, “Don’t cock-block me or you’re out of friends.” She huffed out her frustration and walked away. “If any of you girls pull that stunt, no one guy from here will go near you,” he cautioned, and returned to his seat right after I did.
A guard headed to our table and he got ahold of the girl’s arm and escorted her out. Nearby customers returned to their conversations, but one table shot us reproving glances.
Bri came to our table with their dishes and my beverage.
Joel took two of the plates from Brianna and placed them on the table. “That catty shit is only allowed in the bedroom,” he added and winked at Bri. Rylan hit him on the side of his head.
“You’re incorrigible, Joel,” Bri said.
“Not if the right woman puts me in my place.”
Her hands made an abortive gesture and he gave her a look that said “your loss.” He sprinkled some Adobo onto his chicken tenders and tostones. Then he plopped three tostones into his mouth.
“Flag me if you need anything else.”
“Thanks, Bri,” I said.
Rylan freed himself from the girls sitting on either side of him. He started on his meal. “Tell me,” he said after he swallowed a smile bite of his baked potato, “who’s that girl with Cassidy over there?”
I whipped around to see Cassidy sitting at the counter with Beth, who looked edible in a black top with loose sleeves and a slit in each of them. Her neckline was covered, but the back of her shirt was cut out in a heart shape, which bared her flawlessly smooth back. The end of the heart shape swirled to show the curve of her lower back. The front of my jeans tightened. Her fire engine red jeans fit her snugly. She had on those black heels on from earlier today.
