by Hunter Rose
“Is there anything else you need?” she asks.
“I’m good.” I look to Mr. Roberts as he agrees.
Vanessa leaves to tend to her other tables, while Mr. Roberts and I dig into our food.
He goes into details about what I’ll be doing for him this summer and everything he expects. I have to say I’m disappointed. I won’t have much time for anything else, and my mind flashes to Vanessa. We change the subject to how Vanessa and I met. He loves the stories of her at the beach.
We finish our meal, and Roberts pays the check. Our goodbyes are said, and I hang around the front door to say goodnight to Vanessa.
From across the room, she smiles at me before she walks over, looking sexy as hell, even in her uniform. Her white blouse is buttoned up to her neck and tucked into her black pants. She wears a bold, pink tie that matches her eye makeup; her dangling silver earrings sway as she walks. As she approaches me, I suck in a deep breath.
“Hey, thanks for coming in tonight,” she says, grinning wildly.
“I’d come in every night if you wouldn’t think it’s weird,” I say, winking at her.
“Have a good night.” She winks back.
“Do you have a ride home?” I ask, concerned for her safety.
“Yes, my friend Kristine is taking me home.”
The thought of her staying at that house does not sit well with me, but Maxine’s father had installed a new system earlier that day, so they should be safe. I rub my finger down her jaw and turn my lip up into a half grin.
“Call me when you get home?”
“Sure,” she says, quivering under my touch.
I drop my hand from her face and miss the feel of her.
The humidity hits me as I walk outside. A little red pickup truck is parked in the back of the lot, and I watch as it speeds away.
Jordan. I swear it’s him, with his short, blonde hair, watching me as he drives off. I pull my keys out and click the lock, opening the Cobra door. He sped away so fast, I have no chance of catching him.
Halfway home, my phone rings.
“Hello, Trace,” my father’s voice booms.
“Hey, Dad, what’s up?”
“I just got off the phone with Roberts. How did your meeting go?”
“Went great,” I say, trying my best to sound enthused.
“Great. Stop by my office tomorrow,” he demands.
“Okay, sure thing.”
I pull up to my house and lock the car. When I go inside, Craig, Darren, and Tony are sitting in the living room, playing video games. I say my hellos and join in.
After a few hours of playing and laughing with the boys, we shut off the games.
“Hot date tonight, Trace?” Craig laughs.
I want to punch him, but I sulk in my seat instead. “That’s none of your business,” I say, crossing my arms.
“Well, you have a month to seal the deal.” He laughs.
“That wasn’t the bet,” I say, turning to Tony for reassurance on the actual bet.
“A vanilla relationship,” Tony confirms, getting up from the couch and heading into the kitchen. He yells from the refrigerator, asking if anyone wants a beer.
We all answer yes, and Tony returns, handing us each a bottle. I pop the top to mine and look at Craig. “So, the deal is not to sleep with her, but to date her, and that’s what I’m doing.”
“Yeah, but she’s hot, and knowing how you are, I’m sure it will happen,” Darren says, popping his beer open and taking a long drink.
I feel anger surging through me at the direction of the conversation. “Oh yeah, knowing how I am? And how’s that?” I ask Craig.
They laugh, and Tony leans in closer. “Are you serious?” he asks.
“What?”
“Dude, you have a different chick every night,” he answers.
“That’s not true.” I don’t have sex every night; maybe every other.
“Whatever. So, have you slept with her yet?” Craig looks at Tony as they laugh.
“Screw you guys.”
“That’s a no,” Darren says, finishing his beer in one, giant gulp.
“Look, if I sleep with her now, how am I supposed to carry this thing on for a month?” I ask, running my fingers through my hair. I get more and more irritated as the conversation continues.
I wasn’t the one who thought up this crazy, lame-ass bet, and I didn’t think I’d be getting shit for it the whole month.
“So, who do you think broke into their house?” Darren asks, getting up to grab another beer.
Craig calls to him and asks for another one. Darren returns and waits for an answer.
“If I had to guess, I’d say that little jackass, Jordan. I saw him tonight at her restaurant, watching her. Well, at least I think it was him.”
“No shit,” Tony says, running his fingers across his face. “There’s something about that little shit I don’t like.”
“Yeah, you and me both,” I say, clanking my bottle to Tony’s in a cheer against Jordan.
“So, are you gonna tell Vanessa about it?” Craig asks.
I don’t know if I want to tell her or if I should wait. I don’t want to accuse Jordan yet, but I can investigate on my own.
“So, what are you guys doing tonight?” I ask them, instead of answering the question.
“Titty bar,” Darren says, laughing as he and Craig high-five. “Wanna come with?”
“You guys are morons. Why throw money at naked women who won’t sleep with you? Waste of money if you ask me.” I look at Tony as he pulls out his phone, presses a few numbers, and then puts it back in his pocket.
“Suit yourself. I know you have to be horny as hell.” Craig laughs.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me,” I say.
“Just thought you’d need some sex by now,” Craig says. Everyone laughs at our conversation, except Tony. He’s distracted with his phone and walks off to his room.
“I’m fine.” I am horny; horny for Vanessa.
“All right, I’m heading to my room. Have fun,” I say, getting up from the chair.
They say their goodbyes as they file out of the house. Tony passes by in the hallway. “You really haven’t slept with her?” he asks.
“Have fun tonight,” I say, avoiding his question.
As I lie in bed, Vanessa invades my thoughts. My friends were right when they said I was horny. I’ve been in a semi-hard state ever since I met her. Thinking about her amplifies my state of arousal. The phone rings, and I answer it before it rings a second time.
“Hello,” I say, wishing she were here.
“Hi, there. Just got home,” Vanessa coos.
I lie here, imagining her in the pink pajamas, and my cock tightens. Then I remember her bed had been ruined.
“So, how is the house?” I ask, positioning myself higher on the bed, the phone pressed against my ear.
“It’s fine. Maxine’s father bought a new mattress today and had it delivered. It was so nice of him. He told us if anything happens to call him.”
“That’s good.” I’m relieved they have someone to look out for them.
“Yeah, Maxine is here tonight, too. I feel better, knowing I’m not alone in the house,” she whispers.
I love the way her voice sounds over the phone, but wish she were here with me instead.
“I wish you were here.”
She sucks in a breath. Her tone drops an octave to a sexy phone-operator voice, and I harden instantly.
“Me, too.”
“Come over,” I beg.
“No car, remember?”
“I’ll pick you up,” I say frantically. If she says yes, I’ll rush there.
She purrs the perfect sound of heaven and earth, and it makes me grab ahold of my hardness.
“Trace, we’re taking it slow, right?” she murmurs into the phone.
“Right, but God, you sound so sexy.”
“I do?”
“Fuck yeah.” I breathe and run a hand up an
d down my hard length.
“Can I ask you something?” she whispers.
“Anything.”
“Are you in bed?”
“Yes.” I rub harder as she sighs into the phone, a celestial sound that makes me want to take back everything I’ve said about taking it slow.
“So am I.” She sounds nervous, and I get excited about what I hope is coming next. I take her shyness as an invitation to initiate this. She wants me to take control, which makes me want this more.
“What are you doing?” I ask her. The phone grows hot, but not as hot as my body becomes. I picture her in bed, running her fingers over herself.
“Lying here. What are you doing?” Her voice is so low, I can tell she wants this. I can tell her body is burning with desire.
“Running my hands along myself, wishing it was you,” I say, praying she continues and doesn’t hang up. The phone shifts from my ear, and I grip tighter.
“Me, too.”
“Touch yourself and pretend it’s me,” I say, fearing she will put the brakes on this topic.
“I am,” she whispers. The need and want in her voice engulf me.
“Picture me deep inside you.”
“Oh, Trace. I wish I was there,” she begs.
“I’ll come pick you up.”
“No, I can’t wait that long.” I hear her erratic breaths and wish I could watch her.
“Are you wet for me?” I moan.
“Yes. Trace, tell me what you’d do to me . . .” Every time I hear her say my name, my heart beats double-time.
I growl into the heated phone, “I’d touch you. I’d feel you. I’d make sweet love to you.”
She’s breathless as she pants my name again, and I grit my teeth together.
“I want you to touch me.” Her shyness is adorable, and I decide I need to take charge.
“With my fingers? With my tongue? With my hard cock?” I ask, stroking and pumping my own shaft.
Her orgasm is imminent, and I rub the tip of my dick. She moans and groans into the line, and I continue, “Do you want my tongue deep inside you?”
She is panting my name, and I smile that I control her pending release.
“Do you want me to lick you all over?” I ask.
She is breathing hard, and it turns me on. I growl into the phone to hold on a while longer. I picture her on the bed, making herself come to my voice.
“Tell me baby, what do you want?” I beg her.
“I want you to fuck me,” she pleads, moaning my name over and over.
My pleasure doubles when she says this. I love hearing my name from her lips.
Grabbing myself harder, I listen to her release and within seconds, I join in pure ecstasy. The sound of her orgasm is pure music to my ears, and I need to hear it in person. God, I need to hear it while I pump myself deep inside her.
We continue talking, and it baffles me how much we have in common. Movies, TV shows, and music—we enjoy so many of the same things. Returning our attention to who can be behind everything, I ask, “What type of car does Jordan drive?” Was it him I saw leaving Pesto’s tonight?
“A red pickup truck.”
“I think I saw him tonight at your work.”
“Where? He never came inside the restaurant.”
“He was driving away when I left.”
“Hmm. Are you sure it was him?” she asks.
“No, I guess not. It was, however, a red pickup. How did you two meet?”
“We met at school last semester. We were in the same class. We became friends when we studied together after we’d both failed the first test.”
“Do you think he would do this?”
“I don’t know what anyone is capable of anymore.” There is a quiver in her voice that makes me want to hold her, protect her.
It was Jordan, it had to be. I will get to the bottom of this. I have to.
Lying on my bed, I hang up with Vanessa and wonder, who would do this to her, and why? Is it Jordan?
I bet it is that little prick. He’s probably jealous that she and I are hanging out. Let’s face it, the dude has some major feelings for her. And how can he not? She’s gorgeous. And funny.
My body livens up as I think about her more and more. I’m tempted to call her back, ask her what she’s wearing, but instead I let my body once again grow hard to thoughts of her in that bikini she had worn at the beach party. Pink, with white hearts.
Her long, tanned legs. Her pouty pink lips. Her long, blonde hair tumbling down her back. I need her. Now.
And once again, I find myself jerking off to naughty images of her that race through my mind at warp speed.
The next afternoon, I head to my father’s office downtown. I pull into the parking lot of the building my father owns. With a slam of the door, I make my way inside.
The bustling secretary behind the counter smiles. “Hi, Trace. Go on up. Your father is expecting you,” she says.
“Thanks, Laura.” I smile.
She is older but not by much, and she wants me—I can tell.
The elevator doors close, and I ride it to the top floor and exit, walking straight ahead to knock on his door.
“Come in!” he shouts.
I step inside. The view from the window overlooks the waterway and all the boats along the marina.
I step closer and look down at the familiar white-and-blue boat my father owns. “Hey, you can see the boat from here!” I laugh.
“Sure can. Listen, take a seat, son.” He motions to a chair across from him.
I step away from the window and head to the chair. Sitting, I smile at my father. “So, what’s up?”
“I asked you here because I want to make sure you understand how important this summer internship is.”
“Yes, sir.” I nod.
“Roberts has a wealth of information, and I want you to absorb everything he teaches you.” My father shakes a berating finger at me.
He owns one of the biggest consulting firms in South Florida. All the top business owners in the world praise him. Top magazines and newspapers herald him, which has made him a bright pillar of the community. Status and position mean everything to him, and he never wavers.
I squirm in the chair and try to sit straighter. His shoulders square behind the oak desk, in no mood to hear my thoughts about what I’d rather do with my summer. I clear my throat, run my hands through my thick hair, and look at him. “Yes, sir.” I can’t say anything else in his presence. He intimidates me.
“He is a smart guy, Trace. This summer will be good for you.” His phone rings, and he grabs it with one hand.
“Weston,” he booms into the phone.
I stare out the window as he barks orders to someone over the line. My thoughts turn to Vanessa. For this evening, I’m letting her pick the activity for our date. I wonder where she is taking me.
My father slams the phone and directs his eyes back to me. I sink further in the plush, leather seat.
“Now, Roberts mentioned something about your having a girlfriend.” He runs his hand over his bold, red tie.
“Yeah, it’s nothing.” I don’t want to hash out the details of why I date Vanessa. My father won’t understand.
He gives me a brooding stare and raises an eyebrow.
“Anything else you need from me?” I rise from the chair, and my father half-smiles at me.
He stands up, towering over me by at least a foot, and extends his hand. I grip it and shake it.
“No, Trace. I’ll see you soon.”
I head towards the door when he calls for me.
“One more thing. Why don’t you bring this new girl to brunch next Sunday at the club? It’s not every day you bring a girl on the boat, so I’m sure it has to be more serious than you are letting on. Besides, I’m sure your mother would like to meet her.” His eyes sparkle as he attempts a smile.
“Sure thing.” I all but rush out the door.
Shit, I don’t want to take her to the club, especially no
t to meet my parents.
14
Vanessa
Bubbles are high in the sky, making me laugh. Maxine found a bubble gun at work today and brought it home to play. We sit in the backyard of the house as she squeezes the trigger, sending bubbles floating through the air. There’s a soft breeze coming from the ocean, cooling us down just a bit.
She squeezes the trigger again, and more bubbles float my way.
“You‘re such a dork,” I say.
“Come on, everyone loves bubbles.” She laughs. Rock-star sunglasses hang low on her nose as she grins.
“Sure, when you combine it with shooting them out of a gun. Let me try?” I lean over and reach for the contraption. She hands me the gun, as she pushes her sunglasses back to her eyes.
I spray bubbles in her direction, and Maxine tries to catch a few.
“So, where are you taking Trace tonight?”
“I’m not sure. Where do you think?”
“You can always take him to Sofa Kings,” she says, swinging her hair out of her face.
“No thanks.”
“You never told me why you bolted out of there the other night.”
Looking at Maxine, I place the gun on the table and tell her about the Hailey confrontation in the restroom, when she had told me to stay away from Trace.
“That hooker slut,” she says, grabbing the gun and spraying bubbles right in my face.
“My thoughts exactly.” I guard my face with a hand.
“Do you want me to handle her?” She aims the gun into the yard as if she is a member of Charlie’s Angels.
“No, I can handle her. I’ll just avoid her.”
Maxine and I continue talking and popping bubbles, as the afternoon fades away. Trace will be over soon for our official second date, and the butterflies are whining to be free. My nerves erupt as I think about seeing him after our mind-numbing phone sex the previous night.
As I head into the house to get ready, Maxine yells, “Hey, you can always stop by and eat at Pesto’s and come see me!”
“We can do that, thanks!” I call after her.
While I get ready, I hear a crash outside the house. I go to the window to investigate and see a man in a dark, hooded jacket rifling through the bushes. A loud scream escapes my lips, and the figure takes off into the night.