The Dating Series

by L. P. Dover

  Ellie kicks the box out of the way with her designer Gucci boots and shrugs. “He deserves it.” She walks over to me and fluffs my dark brown hair. “Looking good, girl. I love what you did to your hair.”

  “Thanks,” I say happily, “got it cut this morning.” I flourish a hand up and down her body. “You’re looking pretty hot yourself. New clothes?”

  She poses in her new skinny jeans and a beige Oslo sweater, her blue eyes twinkling. “Hey, I’m single so why not? I can spend all my money on myself.”

  “Guess I can start doing that too. I’m just glad I had enough sense to have my own place instead of moving in with Warren.”

  Sitting down next to me, she drapes her arm over my shoulders and sighs. “Exactly. Can you imagine the mess you’d be going through right now?” The thought makes me shudder. “You seem to be doing much better,” Ellie notices, “no more tears?”

  I scoff. “Definitely, not.”

  Ellie’s been my best friend since elementary school. She was going to be a dentist like me, but when she saw how much work it was, she changed her mind and became a dental hygienist so she could just work for me. Now she’s my office manager.

  Ellie stands and grabs my hands. “All right, now that it’s Friday, we’re going out. I’m starving. Plus, you could use a few drinks.” She helps me up and winks. “I’ll drive.”

  “Well, in that case,” I say, laughing, “I’ll start right now.”

  I kick Warren’s box for good measure and it feels good. I like feeling anger over the sadness. Once in the kitchen, I grab the bottle of vodka out of the liquor cabinet and a shot glass. Ellie sits down at the bar and watches me with a smile on her face. “I love it when you get drunk. You’re always so funny when you drink.”

  I pour the vodka into my glass and toss it back, loving the way it burns down my throat. I take another shot and I can already feel it working its way through my body. “No dancing on bar counters tonight though,” I tell her. “Those days are long gone.”

  It was the night I passed my dental exams. All my friends from dental school were there at the bar to celebrate their own achievements. I had a little too much to drink and ended up dancing for everyone. I might’ve lost my shirt that night too, but I always deny it. Not everyone had a smart phone at the time, so luckily, there was no proof of my strip tease. Today, however, you can’t do anything scandalous without someone getting it on video.

  There’s a stack of mail on my counter and Ellie sifts through it as if it’s her house. It doesn’t bother me. We’ve always been more like sisters instead of best friends. My parents even treat her like she’s their daughter and vice versa with me and her parents.

  I pour up another shot and before I can lift the glass to my lips, Ellie gasps. “Oh, my God.” She holds up a certain envelope and I can’t help but groan. “You have to go to this,” she says.

  In her hands is the invitation to one of the biggest parties of the year. A Couples-Only Valentine’s Day ball, hosted by the governor’s daughter, Summer Roberts. It just so happens that Warren and I ran with her group of friends at Chapel Hill. A lot of us were in dental school together. Warren and I were supposed to go to the ball together.

  Reaching for the invitation, I take it and toss it back onto the mail stack. “I can’t go to that party. Warren’s going to be there with his new big-busted dental hygienist.” Guess now I know why he always hired young, beautiful women for his staff. None of them were above thirty-five-years old. Not only am I thankful Warren and I didn’t live together, but I’m even more happy we didn’t open a dental practice together. I really dodged a bullet with that one. As far as break ups go, mine and Warren’s was pretty clean. Not everyone can be that lucky.

  Ellie leans over the counter and takes the shot glass out of my hands. “It’s all the more reason for you to go.” I try to grab the shot glass, but she moves it away, grinning slyly.

  I glare at her. “And who exactly am I supposed to go with?” It’s one week till the party and I know no one that isn’t friends with Warren.

  Ellie’s grin widens. “What would you say if I got you a date? That way, you can show Ole Limp-Wristed Can’t Keep His Dick In His Pants that you’re not sitting here moping around while he plays Hide the Noodle with his homewrecking hygienist.”

  I can always count on Ellie to make me laugh. “Who do you have in mind? I know all of your friends.”

  Ellie hands me my shot glass back. “Guess who comes into town tomorrow from California?” She says it in a sing-song voice and I already know who she’s talking about.

  There’s only one person I know that’s been in California. I suck back the vodka and shake my head. “Not just no, but hell no. I’m not taking your little brother to the Valentine’s Day ball.”

  “Why not?” she snaps, crossing her arms over her chest. “He’s not little anymore, Sophie. He’s twenty-six-years old, only a year younger than you.” She pulls out her phone. “He’s changed since he left town. Let me show you.” It’s been nine years since I’ve seen Tanner Hayes. He left for California and stayed there after college. The last time I saw him he was tall and lanky with glasses and bad acne.

  Ellie shows me her phone and there’s a picture of a blond haired, blue-eyed guy that looks nothing like her brother. This guy is hot and well-built with washboard abs and tanned skin, holding a surfboard.

  “That is not your brother. Looks nothing like him.” I’m genuinely in disbelief. How can the Tanner I used to know end up looking like that?

  Ellie smirks. “Whatever you say, Soph. You gonna turn him away if he comes over tomorrow?”

  At first, I thought she was kidding, but by the look on her face, I can tell she’s serious. “Is that really Tanner?” I ask hesitantly.

  She nods. “Yep. Gorgeous, isn’t he?” I look at the pictures again, this time with a bit more scrutiny. Yes, the guy has the same blond hair and blue eyes as the rest of Ellie’s family, but how can it be Tanner? He’s changed so much. Ellie pulls back her phone and smiles at her brother. “He got rid of the glasses and the acne, got a California tan, learned how to surf, and bulked up.”

  “And what’s his girlfriend going to say if he goes to a Valentine’s Day party with another woman?” The vodka starts to hit me, and I sway on my feet.

  Ellie giggles and grabs my arm to steady me. “He’s single, Soph.”

  I shake my head. “Doesn’t matter. He’s not going to want to go with me. Why would he? We haven’t seen each other in nine years.”

  Grinning, she looks away and shrugs. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because when we were younger, he had the biggest crush on you.” And I ignored him when we were younger. Ellie looks back at me and squeezes my hand. “I’m going to talk to Tanner tomorrow. If he agrees, will you go with him?”

  I can’t believe I’m even considering going to the ball. Then again, it’ll be a kick to Warren’s nuts if I show up with another man, especially one that is way hotter than him. Warren thinks he’s God gift to women. “Fine,” I give in. “If Tanner doesn’t mind, I’ll be happy to go with him. I’ll be in his debt.”

  Ellie claps her hands. “Done. This is going to be so good. I wish I could be there to see the asshole’s face when you show up with another man.”

  I glance down the hall toward my bedroom. “How about we make a pit stop before hitting the restaurant.”

  Ellie’s eyes twinkle. “What ya got in mind?”

  I shrug. “I’m thinking it’s time to give Warren back his stuff.”

  “Oh yeah?” Ellie replies, smiling wickedly. “Want to toss his stuff in his front yard so everyone can see?”

  The liquor has already made me feel better, but the thought of tossing his shit out sounded like so much fun. “Let’s do it. I want his stuff gone.”

  Ellie jingles her keys in the air. “It’s gonna be a good night. Let’s go.”

  Two

  Tanner

  The incessant knocking on my bedroom door has me hiding under m
y pillow. I thought once I moved back to Raleigh and the sanctity of my parents’ home, I’d be able to sleep past the sun’s waking hours. I was wrong. Very, very wrong because my big sister, who is smaller than me thinks she needs to be up in my face every chance she gets, and she hasn’t grasped the notion that I am still technically on vacation. I have days left before my job starts and I’d like to monopolize all my time off by sleeping. Something I couldn’t do often in California. Although, who would want to? The surfing was prime and the weather unbeatable. Sure, North Carolina has some of the most amazing beaches to go along with the weather, but the lack of humidity on the West Coast was a welcome reprieve from the stifling dampness of the East.

  Any hope I had of ignoring my sister doesn’t ago away. In fact, the knocking gets louder and I imagine her on the other side of the door, tapping her toe and sighing heavily. “What do you want?” I croak out.

  “Let me in.”

  “I’m naked,” I tell her, although I’m not.

  “With who? Does mom know you brought someone home?”

  My eyes roll so hard, I give myself a headache. Ellie has always been a tattletale, but now she’s just being ridiculous. It feels like I’m a teenager all over again. I can’t remember a time I ever got away with anything. She’s the mother hen, the hoverer, and took her big sister by ten months role to a whole new level. I finally throw the covers back and contemplate pushing my pillows underneath to give the illusion of a body, but I don’t. The last thing I want is for Ellie to push her way into my room and berate some helpless feathers.

  I’m forced to navigate around boxes, strewn clothes, the power cord to my laptop and other miscellaneous items as I make my way to my door. I twist the pewter, not silver according to my mom, little mechanism which wasn’t created for people with big hands and open the door. I hide behind it, so Ellie can’t see my bottom half.

  “What do you want?”

  “Who is in here?”

  “No one, I’m alone.”

  “Why are you naked?” the mother hen asks sternly.

  “I was busy.”

  Her face morphs into complete disgust. “Gross.”

  “Don’t even, I know you used to have a purple rabbit in your room named Romeo.” Her mouth drops open. “Oh, Romeo, Romeo, yes, yes, yes.” Her hand connects with my bare chest.

  “Stop,” she shrieks. “That was a long time ago. I was young and lonely. Now I’m older with a healthy sex life.”

  I groan. “I don’t need to know that shit.” Back in high school, our parents converted the basement into living space and I happily took the downstairs bedroom. The only drawback was that Ellie and her vibrator lived above me and she was a bit wild with her hand when she thought no one was home.

  Ellie purses her lips. “It was so much nicer when you were living in California.”

  “Tell me how you really feel.” I leave her standing at the door and go back to bed, flopping on top of my mattress in dramatic fashion. I feel the side dip and don’t bother looking at her.

  “I did miss you,” she says, and I can hear the sincerity in her tone. She has a funny way of showing it though.

  “Uh huh,” I say into my pillow.

  She slaps me on the back of my leg. It seems my sister has a tendency to be violent. She was this way when we were younger, trying to spank me when she felt I was doing something wrong. “I need a favor.”

  “Nope.” I don’t even know what it is, but I know I’m not doing it.

  “It really wouldn’t be a favor for me,” she adds.

  “Don’t care.”

  She giggles. “You will when I tell you what it is.”

  “I’m busy,” I tell her even though I’m not. I made sure to keep my schedule clean until I have to start work.

  “I have a friend who needs a date to the Valentine’s Day ball at the Governor’s mansion.”

  “Still don’t care.”

  And she continues as if I haven’t said a fucking word. “Thing is, her boyfriend cheated on her with an employee of his and she wants to get back at him, and I figured since you’re home and looking all tan and buff, you’d want to take her. Help her make her ex jealous.”

  “I don’t do drama.”

  “There wouldn’t be any drama.”

  I lift my head slightly to look at my sister. Her eyes are pleading, and I swear I could make her hop on one foot, with her tongue out and her hands pretending to be paws right now, but everything she’s saying doesn’t interest me.

  “I’m on vacation,” I remind her.

  Her eyes twinkle. “Which is perfect.”

  “How so?”

  “Because you’ll want to wine and dine her after the ball.”

  Yeah, right. “Highly unlikely. I’m not interested in having a relationship with anyone . . . at all.”

  “It’s Sophie Peterson.”

  Everything around me goes still. Sophie Peterson used to be the reason I kept a bottle of lotion under my bed and always had a missing sock. She was the reason I rarely dated anyone in high school and when I did, they couldn’t have dark hair or brown eyes. She was the reason I left Raleigh and went across the country for school. Sophie Peterson with her chocolate brown hair, brown eyes, and perfect smile. I can remember it clear as day. The corner of her mouth lifting slowly and her eyes lighting up. Damn, seeing her smile gave every guy in high school false hope thinking they stood a chance with her. I remember the first time I almost saw her tits when she was in Ellie’s room changing. It was enough to send me back to my room to rub one out.

  “Now that I have your attention,” Ellie says with a smirk.

  “I’m not an escort service.” Besides, Sophie wasn’t interested in me in high school. Why the hell would she be now?

  Ellie huffs. “Never said you were, but you’re here and she’s single, and you could be her knight in shining armor.” Ellie repositions on my bed, sitting on her knees. “Think about it, Tanner. You in a tuxedo and Sophie in a beautiful dress with her long hair cascading down her bare back. You’d have every excuse to touch her, to feel her body pressed against yours. For one night, you’d be tasked with making her douchebag ex jealous.”

  I stare at her as if she’s lost her mind. “Have you been reading mom’s Harlequin’s again? I’m not Fabio.”

  Ellie sighs. It’s like she’s losing her patience with me. “Take her to the ball.”

  “Nope.”

  “Why not?”

  Because I’m fucking in love with her! Wait, am I? I shake my head to clear my thoughts. “Doesn’t sound like my cup of tea.”

  Ellie types on her phone and turns it toward me. It’s a picture of Sophie, dressed in a yellow bikini, which is a hard color to pull off unless you tan like her. Her hair, which I have dreamed about touching for years, rests over her shoulder, and there is something about it, about her. I can’t put my finger on it. Just looking at her makes me hard. That’s how crazy Sophie makes me. I roll back onto my stomach, making sure my sister can’t see what’s happening in my nether region.

  “Please tell me you don’t have a hard on right now?” Ellie grumbles.

  “Grow up,” I tell her.

  “You’re such a guy. I swear, you’re all one track minded.”

  I roll my eyes. “And women aren’t? Some of you are dirtier than men. Take for instance, that time when you screwed Ben Wankerson behind the shed at school.”

  Gasping, she holds up a hand. “First of all, his last name wasn’t Wankerson.” I wait for her to finish her sentence, but she says nothing.

  That makes me smile. “You know you can’t start a sentence with ‘first of all’ and not finish the list, right? And, I love how you correct me on his name but not the part about the shed.”

  She growls. “Shut up and tell me you’ll take Sophie to the gala.”

  “No.”

  “Tanner,” she whines. “I know you have a crush on her.”

  “Used to,” I say, shrugging nonchalantly.

  “Y
ou still do. I know you have a picture of her in your spank drawer. Just think, if you take her, you can come home and jack off to your physical memory instead of a made up one.”

  She’s definitely crossed the line now. I’m not a horny teenager anymore who can’t get a piece of ass. On the contrary, I’ve had my fair share of women over the years. I sit up and grab her arm to drag her out of my room. “You’re ridiculous. Stay out of my stuff, my room and love life.” I push her out of my room and slam the door, making sure to lock it. I fall back onto my bed and close my eyes, but all I see is Sophie, and not in a way she would appreciate me seeing her.

  Dressed hiked up over her hips.

  Sophie on her knees between my legs.

  Her dark hair spread across my pillow.

  Me between her legs.

  Her hand in my hair.

  Me finally nestling between her creamy thighs.

  “Fuck my life,” I groan, only to hear a fit of giggles on the other side. “Go away, Ellie.”

  “Take her to the dance, Tanner. You know you want to.”

  “I hate you.”

  She laughs again, but it fades away.

  I don’t know how long I laid in bed, ignoring the tent Omar was making in my shorts. I reach for the bottle of lotion I know is still under my bed and add some to my hand. Of course, I forgot to push my shorts down, so now I’m wiggling out of them and the effort seems to be too much. But my little buddy, it’s like he knows what’s coming and springs loose of my waistband the first chance he gets. I lift my head and take a look, for no other reason than to stroke my own ego. I may call my dick little, but he’s far from it. In fact, I’ve had plenty of one-night stand call backs, who wanted another go around.

  Spreading the lotion around my cock, it fucking throbs, knowing it’s about to get some action. Whether my hand or a sweet pussy, it doesn’t care. He loves a good stroking. My hand grips my dick and moves up and down, while I picture Sophie in her string bikini, pulling each tie slowly and methodically. Her bra goes first and she cups her supple tits, pushing her taut nipples between her fingers.