by Erin Noelle
“But Ana was a virgin…” I tried to argue but couldn’t even get the thought out without cracking up all over again. We both laughed until tears streamed down our faces. Finally, after several minutes, we regained our composure.
“This is what we’re going to do. Tomorrow, we’re going to recreate your image with a new hairstyle, a little bit of makeup, and new clothes. Gonna get you all sexified. Then tomorrow night, we’re going to go with my cousin to that party by her school. But before we go, we’re gonna pick one of the categories of our book boyfriends, and our goal for the evening is to find our version of that BB. Each subsequent night we go out together, we will choose a different category until we find exactly what your type is. Shit, it might even help me, because I’m quickly finding out what I thought my type was is actually quite similar to the description of a douchebag,” she explained.
“Okay, I like the sound of this. But once we find our version of the BB, then what do we do?”
“What do you mean ‘then what do we do?’ You talk to him, kiss him, screw him… whatever you want to do with him. We can even make it a little game. Whoever gets further with their BB that night is the winner, and the loser buys breakfast the next morning. We can whore our way through our book boyfriends until we determine what each of our ‘types’ is.”
“That’s no fair! You are obviously going to win all the time. I’m at such a disadvantage. I don’t just want to give away my virginity to the first guy who comes along, just to win some game,” I argued.
“Oh, Sam,” Evie replied, “I’m not going to just sleep with guys I don’t want to sleep with, just so I don’t have to buy breakfast the next morning or beat you at some game. The true point of the game is to find a guy who’s a keeper, one you seriously want to date. The side game will just make it more fun until we do!”
I thought about what she said and knew she was right. Evie had devised a perfect way for me to meet different kinds of guys, and the game would help me break out of my shell, lose some of my insecurities, and do things I normally would’ve been too timid to try. I’m not sure if it was the empty bottle of wine that sat in the kitchen trash, the possibility of finding the happily ever after I had read about time and again in my countless books, or the fact I definitely did not want to die a virgin, but I found myself saying, “Game on. May the best book whore win.”
Two
The following morning came way too soon, and before I even opened my eyes, I felt the throbbing in my head. Before the previous night, my alcohol consumption had been limited to a glass of wine on two separate occasions; both times, I had stayed the night at Evie’s house. My parents would’ve never allowed me to drink, not for any reason.
When I finally managed to roll out of bed to turn off the screaming alarm clock, I headed straight for the kitchen to grab a glass of water and some aspirin from my purse. I heard the shower running in Evie’s room, so I knew she was up and getting ready and I needed to get moving. Our spa appointments began at 8:00 a.m., and it was already 7:15. After showering and throwing on the first thing I could find, I found her waiting for me in the living room. Luckily, the medicine had kicked in and I was feeling a little more human.
“You ready for your makeover? To find out how beautiful you truly are when you aren’t hiding behind all that hair and those frumpy-ass clothes?” she cheerily asked with a huge grin on her face. I knew she was just as excited about this as I was, maybe even more so.
“Absolutely. Let the fun begin,” I responded, returning the smile. I was so blessed to have an amazing friend that cared so much about my happiness.
Upon arrival at the spa, we were quickly checked in for our “A Whole New Me” package—which I thought was an especially fitting name for my current situation—and were whisked away to strip and change into plush white bathrobes. I had never been to a day spa before, so I asked Evie all kinds of questions on the way over about what to expect. I was most nervous about the waxing and the massage.
The waxing scared me for a couple of reasons. First, I read about how painful it was and knew my threshold for pain was at like a negative-two on a scale of one to ten. Second, I couldn’t believe I was going to allow a complete stranger to not only look at, but also touch my private area. Evie tried to calm my nerves by telling me the aesthetician sees women’s crotches and asses all day long, much like a gynecologist. For her, it would be like looking at any other body part, an arm or a leg. This didn’t make me feel much better, but I really didn’t have a logical argument.
The massage scared me for similar reasons. I knew it wouldn’t be painful, but I wasn’t quite sure I was comfortable with a stranger rubbing their hands all over my body. Evie finally told me to shut up, that everything would be fine. I needed to just enjoy the day.
The first service I was scheduled for was the waxing. I thought I might as well get the toughest part over with first. I soon found out tough wasn’t quite the right word to describe exactly what happened to me on that table. Awful, dreadful, agonizing, excruciating, and unbearable was the terminology needed to be used when people described having one’s hair ripped out by the root on the most sensitive parts of one’s body. I truly felt bad for the technician, who was trying her hardest to keep me quiet and still. I was pretty sure the pain associated with waxing had to be up there close to childbirth with no drugs. At one point, I’m positive everyone in the building heard my pleas for her to stop, but she ignored my requests and just kept on manhandling me.
What seemed like hours later, she announced she was finished and that I should come back every two-to-four weeks for maintenance. Did she not remember only moments earlier I was frantically trying to escape her grasp and screaming obscenities that would make a sailor blush? I just replied with an “okay,” put my robe back on, and allowed her to lead me down the hall to another room, where an elderly woman was waiting for me.
“Hi, Scarlett. I’m Joanie, and I’m going to be your massage therapist today,” she said as I sheepishly entered the room.
“Hi, Joanie. Please tell me you aren’t going to hurt me,” I replied.
Her hearty laugh filled the room and helped relax me a bit. This room was much different than the first one I’d been in. Instead of bright, cold, and sterile, it was dimly lit with instrumental music lightly playing in the background, and an aroma of lavender and eucalyptus teased my nostrils. It was serene and tranquil, and I found it very soothing.
“No, sweetie, I’m not going to hurt you. I hope to do just the opposite of that. Let’s get you out of that robe and help you forget the torture that Tina just put you through.” She chuckled.
“Tina? That’s her name? I was convinced her name was Olga and her second job was as a dominatrix at a BDSM club.”
“I’ll be sure to let her know she has options in case her job here ever falls through.” Joanie snickered. “Now, hop up on the table on your belly, face in that donut-looking pillow, and arms by your side.”
The hour-long massage was pure bliss. I’m pretty sure at one point I had fallen asleep and began drooling. After explaining to Joanie it was my first time, she did an excellent job of making me feel at ease and relaxed. I was amazed at the way her hands made my body feel. It was incredible, like nothing I’d ever experienced before, not sexual in any way but oh so satisfying. Now that was something I’d willingly come back for every two-to-four weeks.
Before I knew it, she was patting my arm, telling me the hour was up. I reluctantly got up off the table, put my robe back on, and followed her to my next appointment, still in a sated haze. My nails, hair, and makeup followed the massage, and by the end of the day I truly felt like a new person.
After we grabbed a bite to eat, we hit the shops to tackle the issue of my clothes-less closet. I knew it would take me a while to build up a full wardrobe, but for now I needed to get the basics. Several hours and dozens of stores later, we were both exhausted, but I felt giddy with the bags and bags of goodies in the backseat, especially the ones from Victoria’s Secret.
We finally returned to our apartment a little after seven, which gave us a couple hours to recharge before the party. I felt like a completely new person. My long, dark-brown hair now had subtle highlights and long layers that framed my face, I received a lesson in makeup application from the sales associate at the MAC counter, and I updated my clothes selection with help from Evie. As I was putting away my purchases, Evie came into my room and sat on my bed.
“So, for tonight… are we still going to do our book boyfriend challenge?” she asked, trying to hide the hopefulness in her voice.
“Of course, why wouldn’t we?” I asked.
“I was just making sure you weren’t having second thoughts… that you just didn’t agree last night, because you had been drinking,” she said. “But yay, I’m glad you still want to do this. I think it’s going to be a fun way for us to meet new people. Since this is our first time, I want you to pick the ‘type’ we’re hunting tonight… whatever you will be most comfortable with.”
“Hunting, Evie? Really?” I exclaimed.
“Yes, hunting, Sam. Guys are prey you hunt, capture, and slaughter. If you don’t have this mindset, you will become the prey. I’ve been the prey once, and I’ll be damned if I let it happen again,” she said with a bite to her tone. Evie was still bitter over the only serious relationship she had been in, and apparently, she wasn’t ready to let it go.
“Okay, whatever. A little dramatic, don’t you think?” I asked. She gave me a warning look as to not press the issue. I didn’t want to bicker with her. The day had been too perfect to ruin it with something so silly, so I decided to drop it and move on. “Then to make it easy tonight, let’s do the ‘Mr. All-American,’ the college frat boy, since we’re going to be at a college party. There should be plenty of those to choose from, right?” I asked.
“Sounds perfect, now let’s get dressed to kill.” She grinned as she stood up and walked out of my room.
“Sure thing. Just let me get out my sexy camouflage dress,” I called after her, shaking my head.
Choosing my outfit for the evening was more difficult than I anticipated. I knew I was overthinking the whole thing, but this was a big deal… well, at least to me it was. I didn’t want to look like I tried too hard or like I was too fixed up. I just wanted to blend in. Okay, maybe I wanted to do a little more than blend in. Evie said the party was going to be casual, to wear something cute and flirty but comfortable.
Cute and flirty but comfortable, huh?
Yoga pants were my idea of comfortable, but I guessed that wasn’t what she had in mind. After trying on everything I bought earlier in the day, I finally opted for a denim mini-skirt, layered chocolate-brown and light-pink tank tops that snugly hugged my C-cup breasts, and my distressed brown cowboy boots. Unless I was wearing sneakers for a physical activity, my shoe selection consisted of flip-flops and one pair of boots. I owned at least twenty different pairs of flip-flops in every possible color, which I usually wore during the day and with jeans and shorts. My boots were my “dress-up” shoes, usually paired with skirts and dresses. I quickly touched up my hair and makeup, and then stared back at my big brown eyes in the mirror. It was show time.
The drive to Evie’s cousin Jess’s house was quick, only fifteen minutes from our apartment. Unlike Evie and me, Jess attended the University of St. Thomas, another college in the Houston area. I met Jess many times before. She had spent a week each summer at Evie’s for as long as I could remember, and she and her parents were frequent guests there for holidays as well. I always liked Jess; she could be a little loud and obnoxious at times, but for the most part, I thought she was hilarious. She used to tell us stories about the mischievous things she and her friends would do without getting caught. Both Evie and I had always looked up to her a bit, being two years younger than her. She knew about my parents’ issues and had always told me if I ran away, I could stay with her and her family in Houston. Of course, I never did, but it was so sweet of her to even offer.
The plan for the night was to leave Evie’s car at Jess’s house, an off-campus rental where she lived with two other roommates. All five of us were going to walk to the party together, which supposedly was just a block or two away from their house. Afterward, Evie and I were going to crash in Jess’s room for the night so we wouldn’t have to drive late and no one would have to pass on the festivities to be the designated driver. I also felt better about going as a large group, so I would have several people to stay close to in case I freaked out or something.
We pulled into the driveway of a cute, one-story, red brick house. You could tell it was an older home, but it had been well maintained and there was definite curb appeal. Before we even made it out of the car, Jess flung open the front door and was bouncing down the front steps to greet us in a hug.
“Evie! Scarlett! I’m so excited y’all are here!” she squealed. “Did you have any problems finding the place? How do you like Houston? Did y’all get settled in?” she continued without taking a breath. She then turned to face me and said, “Wow! You look… different… incredible actually.”
“Thank you. It’s so good to see you again, Jess.”
She squeezed the breath out of me with her embrace. I had forgotten just how over-bearing she could be.
Thankfully getting the attention off me, Evie answered her questions, “No, we didn’t have any problems finding the place. So far, we are loving Houston. And we’re somewhat settled in. We still need to go to the grocery store and get Scarlett some more clothes, but we will get that taken care of on Monday before classes start.”
Jess then turned toward the front door and ushered us inside. “Come in, come in. Welcome to our humble home.”
The interior of the house was like walking into an Ikea showroom. It was modern and inviting. The perfect combination of earth tones and bright, funky colors were used, which made the space fun as well as sophisticated. A thin girl with short blonde hair was sitting on the couch, drinking a beer and watching TV when we walked in.
“Evie, Scarlett, this is one of my roommates, Meg Scott. Meg and I have been roommates since our freshman year,” Jess introduced us. She then turned to Meg and said, “I’ll bet you’ll never guess which one is my cousin,” alluding to the fact Jess and Evie looked so much alike. They could easily pass for sisters with their super-straight black hair they both wore shoulder length with heavy bangs, and their shared olive complexion.
“It’s nice to meet both of you.” Meg smiled warmly at us without getting up, as we continued farther into the living room.
“Ash will be out in a bit. We are forever waiting on Ash,” Jess said, shaking her head playfully. “Please, make yourselves at home. That’s my room over there,” she continued while pointing to a door off the living room. “You can throw your overnight bags and purses on my bed or in my closet. Meg and Ash’s rooms are down the hall. There’s an en suite in my room, and another bathroom down the hall to the right.”
Evie and I put our things on Jess’s bed then went back out to the living area and sat on the couch opposite from Meg.
“Can I grab y’all a beer while we wait?” Jess asked as she walked across the room to where I assumed the kitchen was.
“I’m good,” I answered. My stomach was tightened into a hard knot from nerves and anxiety, and I was sure if I tried to eat or drink anything, I would puke.
“Scarlett, maybe a drink before we go would help calm your nerves a bit,” Evie offered in a somewhat whisper. I gave her a warning look to tell her not to push me on this.
“What are you nervous about, Scarlett?” Meg asked nosily.
“Scarlett has never been to a party before,” Evie answered for me. I glared at her, lips pursed in disapproval, and she pretended like she didn’t notice.
Meg looked at me, confused. “You mean a college party? It’s really no big deal, not much different than high school parties to be honest. Where we’re going tonight is going to be extremely laid back. No crazy people runnin
g around like idiots or anything.”
Jess yelled from the kitchen as if I was unable to respond myself, “No, Meg, she has never been to a party… period. Her parents were crazy-strict and didn’t allow her to have a social life. She’s never been to a party, never been on a date… nothing.”
Meg scrunched her pixie face up and looked at me. “Sorry, that totally sucks.”
Before I could confirm the extreme level of suckiness, a male voice called out, “What’s this I hear about never having been on a date or to a party?”
Confused, I whipped my head around, only to see a gorgeous guy emerge from the hallway. My mouth fell open as the breath escaped my lungs. He stood what I guessed to be close to six feet tall with a lean but muscular build. His long dirty-blonde hair looked as if he had just run his fingers through it, and the sexy five o’clock shadow on his face made me want to feel the scruffiness under my hand. He was dressed in a blue guayabera shirt paired with khaki cargo shorts and brown flip-flops.
He looked as if he had stepped directly out of a Hurley magazine ad with his deeply tanned skin and surfer-boy threads. However, nothing could have prepared me for the reaction my body had when I looked into his eyes. It was like looking into the waters of the Caribbean Sea, with a sparkle that bounced back and forth between the blue and green. I was captivated. My heart was beating so hard I was afraid he could see the pulse in my neck from across the room. If he were a vampire, I was sure to be dead in a matter of moments, and surprisingly, I was okay with that, as long as he was the one to do it.
I really needed to lay off the paranormal stuff.
“It’s about time, Ash, my God! Come meet my cousin Evie and her roommate, Scarlett. Hurry up!” Jess shouted again from the kitchen.
Startled, I quickly broke the stare and turned around to face Evie on the couch, who cocked one eyebrow up at me and had a questioning look on her face. Before I had a chance to analyze what just happened, Jess came around the corner with a couple beers and guided Ash toward the couch where we sat.
