I couldn’t help it; I was drawn to her. It was as if my feet stopped obeying my brain and just walked right to her. I closed my eyes, and I kissed… a tree.
She slipped away and let me kiss the tree!
At about this point, it’s coming back to you that you’ve heard this story, right? You read her article from seven years ago. You know, the one that painted me as some sort of sexual harassment scandal in the making?
It didn’t happen like that. I knew it, she knew it, but that didn’t matter. That’s when I learned that Ashley tells stories to sell papers. And you should know that too. All her articles were versions of the truth, not the whole. Don’t believe everything you read in the papers, folks. That’s also when I first formed the warning I’ve already given you: hearing stories about someone and actually knowing their true story are two very different things.
Here’s what you didn’t read in that gossip column:
“I just kissed a tree.”
“Did you just try to kiss me?” Her short blonde hair bounced with her anger.
“Okay, yes, I might have, but let’s remember, I ended up kissing a tree.”
And then she started laughing. You know when you wake up in the morning to the sound of birds chirping, and you know it’s going to be a good day? You find yourself wishing each morning could start as spectacular as that one? If you could hear one sound the rest of your life, it would be that?
Ashley’s laugh was the exact opposite. Now, I know at that point I had only heard her say one sentence, so I couldn’t be completely sure of her voice, but her laugh was like that video where the baby otter gets to play in the water for the first time. If you haven’t seen it, you should look it up: it’s adorable. But it’s not so adorable when it’s coming from a girl who you find yourself oddly attracted to. And it’s not so adorable when she won’t stop laughing.
“You sound like that baby otter in the video where they put him in the water for the first time.” I’m a very honest person; I have no reason not to be.
“Excuse me?” She stopped laughing long enough to sear me with her gaze.
“See, now your voice sounds normal. Why is your laugh so weird?”
“I… I… can’t believe you’re making fun of the way I laugh.”
Okay, remember earlier when I said I had a way of making the ladies swoon? And then I said something to the effect of Ashley not being wooed by my charms? This is a prime example. Except the thing I might have forgotten to mention was that I turned into a complete idiot every time I was around her. It wasn’t that I was acting like my normal self and she thought I was an imbecile; it was that I was acting like an imbecile and so she thought I was an imbecile. You really can’t fault her for that.
But then this happened:
“I am really sorry for trying to kiss you. I can’t tell you why I did that.”
“I can.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Because it’s who you are.”
If I hadn’t already been attracted to her by that point, the way she said those five words would have pushed me over the edge. It was confident, controlling, and smart. It was me… in girl form. Now don’t start making jokes about me being attracted to myself, because if you’ve only ever dated people for their looks, you come across a good amount of stupid people. And you put up with the idiocy because, well, they’re hot. But you realize soon enough that they’re missing something. I never could put my finger on what exactly they were missing until Ashley called me out. The thing I had been missing was someone who challenged me intellectually.
“I am not…” I paused, but then thought better of it. “You see I was going to tell you that I’m not that person, that this force came over me and I was drawn to you, and while that may be the truth in this case, you’re absolutely right. That is totally something I would do.”
Then she started laughing again! I wanted to punch her and kiss her at the same time.
“Listen…” I didn’t actually know what I was going to say, but I knew neither punching nor kissing her would go over well, so I just needed to break the tension.
“I’m listening.”
“I’m Teddy.”
“I know.”
“No, no. This is normally the part where you tell me your name.”
“I’m not really into that part.”
“Any tattoos, birthmarks?”
“Excuse me?”
I have no idea what caused me to take the route I was about to take. I was usually an easy-going, go with the flow, kind of guy. I’d had women “stalk” me before, but I always found it sort of endearing. Yes, I’d been stalked a few times in my day: nothing too new for the son of a billionaire. But I never felt threatened in any way. And by no means did Ashley make me feel threatened. Remember how I said I felt drawn to her? I think that was just an energy she gave off. The entire time I knew her I felt that draw. Even at the times when I was certain I hated her (don’t worry, we’ll get to that), I still found myself wishing I could be closer to her to tell her I hated her. That sounds messed up, I know that, but that’s the thing with Ashley: she messed me up.
That little rant might have been more information than you need, but I really want to emphasize my distorted headspace when I was around her. It might help explain why I did this:
“Well, if you won’t give me your name, I need to tell the cops some distinguishing fact about you when I call to tell them that someone is stalking me.”
Normally, that would scare another person off. They’d make excuses, make promises, or start offering me things I really didn’t want.
But not Ashley. She spun around and sat down on her little blanket, leaning herself up against the tree. She had a sort of confidence about her, but I wasn’t sure if it was true confidence or just a mask. You know how some people put on an air of confidence because they’re afraid to let anyone in? I had a feeling from the moment I met her that there was so much more to her than she ever told anyone. That might have been the thing that drew me in. I just needed to know her.
“Go ahead, call the cops. Tell them I’ll wait.”
“You don’t think I’d do it.”
“I know you won’t do it.” She smiled up at me.
For some reason, it felt like a challenge, and I never passed up on a challenge. So, I pulled out my phone.
“Scared?”
“Not at all.”
I took a look at the screen, but our little village of Lloyd Harbor had a well-known case of bad cellular service.
“What’s wrong? No bars?” She teased me.
“Give me a second.” I mumbled as I walked around with my phone in the air. “Looks like you have one more chance to give me your name.”
“Mmmm, no.”
“Gotcha.” Two bars flashed on my screen, and I pressed my thumb against the send button.
The cops were there in five minutes. They handcuffed her and put her in the backseat of the car.
They told me her name was Ashley Leigh, and I awkwardly waved goodbye to her as they drove off.
Never before had I intentionally gotten a girl arrested. And I can’t say I actually wanted to get her arrested. Even watching that memory over again, I have no idea what possessed me to make that call. But that just better proves my point that I acted like an imbecile around her.
The next morning, I went to the police station and dropped the charges. I don’t know why I waited until morning. I should have followed the police cruiser screaming that I was kidding, that it was all a joke. But I didn’t. I let her spend the night in jail just to prove that I was superior; she had every right to write that article about me.
I just didn’t know I would end up starting a seven-year feud.
CHAPTER FIVE
HUNTINGTON HERALD
Say Goodbye to our Bad Boy
By Ashley Leigh
It pains me to bid farewell to our favorite billionaire as he heads off to law school, but as we all knew, this separation was inevitable.<
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Still, I believe (and I hope you’d agree) our summer together, as writer and readers, was simply ravishing. From hot cars to hot girls to hot off the press, we had a blast. But we know all good things must come to an end. Or at least, as in our case, take a little break.
Not to disappoint, I thought my last article of the summer should be the one that leaves you wanting more. So, take in this little tale, and let me know if you find yourself yearning for another day of summer.
I heard of the party before it happened. See, that’s not normally the case. The way it works is that they have their little grapevine on the cliffs of the millionaires and billionaires. Their soirees are clandestine so the hosts aren’t forced to entertain the riff raff from the town below. In case you’re confused, you’re the riff raff. I’m the riff raff.
But this riff raff snuck her way into the grapevine.
It was to be a farewell to summer hosted by the Stoneguards, and the party started sharply at 9:00 p.m. You better believe, at 8:59, I was walking up to that elaborate doorway.
The entrance swung open, and guests donning their finest “beach clothes” piled into the foyer. No one gave me a second look; they all just assumed I belonged.
Until I caught his eye.
Teddy stood there next to his grand piano wearing loosely fitted white pants and a tight blue tee shirt that left little to the imagination. His dirty blonde hair was pushed off his face, save for a few loose strands that tickled his eyebrows, and he had chosen to sport a day’s worth of stubble. The moment our eyes locked, he shook his head and made his way to my side.
Of course he didn’t feel as though it was appropriate for a mere commoner like myself to join his friends in a celebration. He needed to see to it that I found my way out the door as soon as possible. He grabbed my arm and began to drag me to the still open entry.
But what kind of a story would that be? Not to be defeated, I broke free from his grip and ran in the opposite direction. He thought physical force could stop me? Well, he had another thing coming to him.
I took over that party as if it were my own. I hobnobbed with senators. I danced with CEO’s. I drank champagne with a former president. I looked around the room and couldn’t believe the lives these people live; the ones they take for granted, just because they were born into it.
I felt a finger tap on my shoulder, and turned around to see Teddy’s father, Theodore the III, holding his hand out to me. I don’t know what drew me to accept, but I couldn’t help but place my hand in his. Without a single word, he began to lead me off the dance floor. That was the exact moment that the music stopped. That man in his blue tight tee was standing by the DJ booth, holding a microphone to his lips.
He called me an imposter and requested that I leave: in front of everyone. He was so determined that his party be strictly blue-blooded, that he felt the need to call me out in front of a room full of people who were so obviously enjoying my company.
Sure, I said my thank you and offered my apologies like a good girl, but inside I was teeming. I may have just been reporting on his silly antics all summer, but now he has changed the course of the game. He deserves to pay, and I will be the one to claim the reward.
If you’re reading this, Theodore Vincent Stoneguard IV, prepare for war.
Now, my readers, don’t you wish there was another day of summer?
CHAPTER SIX
Teddy
I see what they mean when they say that your life “flashes” before your eyes. It kind of seems like a bunch of camera flashes going off around you. Or maybe it’s more like those old movies that your parents make you watch of their childhood: the frames are a bit stilted, the sound, if there is any, is muffled. Yes, I would say as I watched my life flash in front of me, it was as if I was sitting in a dark room, being shown a projected movie from the 60’s.
And as I thought about that, the similarities between the two, and I watched Ashley ride away in the police car, the picture changed. I saw the countdown to my next memory. It gave me a brief second to anticipate what was coming next. What was so important to me as a person that I felt I needed to see it one more time before I left this world? Five… four… three… two… one…
I heard the grandfather clock in the corner of the foyer begin to chime. I counted with it, feeling the soothing air of nostalgia from my childhood. On the ninth toll, the doors opened to swarms of people, all filling the marble entranceway.
It was our end of summer bash, the one my parents threw every year, but this one was different. This was the bash right before I left for law school. This was the bash that Ashley crashed.
I couldn’t help but shake my head roughly in disbelief as she stepped into the foyer. I saw no one else but her. She was wearing a white, one-piece jumper, which hugged her hips and accentuated her small waist. The thin fabric wrapped tightly around her chest, permitting just the tiniest bit of cleavage to sneak out of the top. Her neck was bare, giving the illusion that she was showing a good amount of skin, but without being too immodest for the party. Her short hair had grown maybe an inch since the last time I’d laid eyes on her, but this time she allowed for waving curls that were held back from her face by a salmon colored scarf. I grabbed a deep breath as I took her in one more time. No, I couldn’t help but shake my head. She was… something.
But what she was not, was on my side. Every Sunday since I had inadvertently gotten her arrested, my father would come into the dining room for breakfast and plop down the local newspaper. In it would be some completely misconstrued version of what I had done to shame the town over the past week. Now I’m not saying I’m a saint, but at the time I was a normal twenty-two year old kid just looking to have a little fun before I went off to law school. Fifteen weeks of her column made me look like the devil incarnate.
Every girl I picked up was considered a victim of my sexual prowess. Every party I attended was the site of full-on debauchery. Every charity event where I showed my face was only a front for a bigger deal I was running.
Sure, I used my money, power, and name to bed a few good handfuls of women. Parties I attended were riddled with drugs, orgies, and even some violence, often spawned by me. And yes, occasionally I would only attend charity events because I was looking to score a rich cougar for a change, but for the most part, I really did care about the cause.
But Ashley Leigh made me out to be a terrible human being. I barely ever went into town, but when I did, people would stare and point. Hell, I was even spit on a few times.
She made my life a living hell.
Naturally I began to hate her. See, I told you that part was coming. Yes, I hated her; she was the reason the tension between my father and I grew stronger every week. I was a disappointment to him, and she only helped to prove that fact.
But when I saw her standing there in her white jumper and salmon scarf, I couldn’t hate her. I could only shake my head and allow my body to drift toward her, yet again.
“What are you doing here?”
“Oh, what? Am I not good enough to be at your little party?”
“No, I didn’t say that. I’m simply asking why you are here in the first place. Did someone invite you?”
“I didn’t realize I needed a written invitation. No one else seems to have one.”
I could feel my blood begin to boil. I was just trying to get her to answer a simple question. Why was she fighting me so hard?
“Should I be expecting an article about this tomorrow?”
“Maybe.”
“Then you can see yourself out.”
Sure, I was frustrated, and no, I shouldn’t have grabbed her arm the way I did, but I had put all my energy that week into keeping a low profile. I wanted my last week at home to be untainted by her comments. I wanted one peaceful Sunday with my father.
“Let go of me.” She tugged away, and I didn’t fight her.
“Listen, Ash…”
“Ashley.”
“Sorry, Ashley. I’m leaving for law
school tomorrow.”
“I know. Columbia.”
“Of course you know.”
“That’s my job, Teddy.”
“Yes, I get that. The thing is, I don’t need any bad press right now. I have to start…” I stuttered. I was angry, but the way she looked, standing there in front of me, was making me stutter. God, she had no idea what she could do to me. I had to reason with her. “Things have to be different. So, can you just let this one slide? Just this once?”
“I appreciate this heartfelt plea, but again, it’s my job. So, don’t do anything stupid tonight, and I won’t have anything to report.”
“You know that’s not…”
“Possible?” She cut me off. “Of course it’s not possible. You’re drawn to chaos and destruction. You don’t care about how your actions affect other people, your family for example.”
“Excuse me? What do you know of…?”
Billionaire Badboy Page 2
