by Ellie Danes
I allowed my gaze to run up from her feet, across her perfectly curved legs and up to her hips. I wanted to run my hand across her smooth skin. I quickly snapped back to the reality of the situation as Ashley settled in and I took the keys from her. Our fingers touched just for a moment, sending an electricity through my body and another rush of blood to my cock. I quickly stuffed the key in my pocket, hiding my obvious growing bulge, and left the room.
The temperature had dropped another five degrees by the time I stepped outside and started toward the car, and I wished I’d grabbed my coat after lending it to Ashley.
I drove through town on my way back to her parents’ house, knowing I was going to make a stop. The real reason I had come to town. It was the reason I had come back every year at about the same time.
I parked across the street from the hospital and stared. I had no memory of that night and I only knew what my parents had told me. She gave me up. My real mother. She gave birth and the next day walked out of the hospital, leaving me there.
A part of me hoped that she’d turn up one day so I could ask her why. Why she had left me, abandoned me and never looked back. I looked at my life now and knew it was better than she could have given me, but not the same.
The big buildings of the city, the big bank accounts, businesses, and my crazy life all seemed like a far-off dream as I sat and stared at the doors of the hospital. I only imagined those were the doors she walked out of.
Thirty-six years later, I’m still wondering what happened, but this time, maybe I’m a step closer to getting some answers, if Ashley’s information works out.
A smile perched on my face as I imagined Ashley sitting back at the hotel, waiting for me to bring back her suitcase. I felt guilty, not telling her anything about the real me. I’d have to soon enough. I couldn’t keep who I really was and why I was really here a secret any longer.
I put the car in drive, giving the hospital one last look, then drove off to pick up everything we needed for our pretend weekend.
Chapter Eleven
Ashley
I watched TV for a while after Weston left the hotel room, and then started feeling restless. The more I thought about the secrets that Weston was keeping, the more confused I got. I was attracted to him in ways I didn’t initially imagine. There was something about him, and the mystery added to the excitement and the frustration.
I flipped through the handful of channels on the television and decided a hot shower would both warm me up and relax me. Even though I didn’t have the luxury of my own shampoo, conditioner, and personal items, it was something I wouldn’t worry about.
The small bathroom looked as if it has been recently remodeled with a new glass, free standing shower and rain head. I turned the knob and waited as the hot water began to flow. I slid out of my clothes and stood in front of the mirror, looking at myself. I had always been a bit shy and a little insecure, especially after high school. Being dumped before prom had affected me in ways I didn’t like to contemplate.
I wasn’t unattractive and I’d never had a hard time getting dates, but I just couldn’t handle the idea of being dumped again.
I stepped into the shower as the hot water trickled down my head and over my body. I could hear Jess’s voice scolding me for picking up a stranger in the diner and bringing him to the reunion. Even though she knew my plan to hire, or bribe, someone to come with me long before I did it, she didn’t really approve. Somehow, she still supported me though.
I’d given her the bare bones of the story by text message after I’d gotten home the night before, and when we were finally face-to-face at the reunion, she was shocked at how daring I’d suddenly become and how hot Weston was.
I’d told her that he seemed like a fairly above-board kind of guy, and that I was pretty sure he wasn’t going to steal my parents’ silverware or anything--that if he’d given me a bad vibe I never would have gone through with it, no matter what the situation had been, but I began to wonder. Trust him. That’s what he asked, but there was something so secretive about him and that had just hit me the wrong way. Jess hadn’t quite believed me, and I couldn’t entirely blame her for that, especially with the feeling that had come over me.
The last guy I’d dated, before I’d given up on the idea of getting involved with anyone, had said that it was a waste that I was as hot as I was, when I was clearly frigid. It had stung at the time--not least of which because I still just couldn’t believe that I hadn’t managed to achieve an orgasm with anyone I’d had sex with--but now that I thought about it, it was almost funny.
I had to think that Weston had gone along with the deal I’d had in mind at least in part because I was reasonably attractive. I’ve never had any real illusions about my looks, of course, and I’ve known for years that I’m not ugly or even really plain. Some guy once told me that he could tell I was no good in bed, and I’d hotly told him that I was fine, it was other people who were the problem.
I tried to shake the thoughts off. I hadn’t given sex with another person any real thought in years, but ever since I’d met up with Weston, it had been popping up in my mind every few hours in one way or another.
I still couldn’t quite believe that I’d confessed never having gotten what Jess liked to call “a big O” with another person. It was the kind of thing that I never told anyone. I hadn’t even told the last few guys I’d had sex with. The second and third guy I’d had sex with, I’d told about it--hoping that they would be able to figure out how to make it happen--and they’d taken it first as a challenge and then as an insult that they hadn’t made me come. I’d faked it with the last two just for the sake of not getting into a fight with them about it, or having to deal with them going on all night, trying to get me off.
I let the hot water beat down on my head and closed my eyes. Weston was probably the kind of guy who would take it as a challenge, if we were in a position to actually have sex. If we were honestly seeing each other instead of just pretending. I laughed at my own idea. I would never have the guts to ask Weston out for real, so there would never be a reason for him to decide I was challenging him.
The hotel had pretty generous shampoo, conditioner, and a few other toiletries, but no makeup remover. I used the bar of face soap as best as I could, grimacing to myself as I felt the way it dried out my skin without making it feel properly clean. Hopefully Weston would grab my toiletries bag when he got the rest of my stuff, and I could get the layers of substances off of my face completely before I went to bed.
The thought of Weston hanging out at my parents’ house alone gave me pause for a moment, and I thought about how crazy Jess had thought I was to even include a stranger like him in my scheme. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s hotter than a five-alarm fire, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t also a thief,” she’d pointed out.
I’d countered that he hadn’t taken the offer of the money but had instead wanted my help in finding some information that I had access to through work, and that had only made Jess more suspicious of him. “I hope you never leave him alone with your valuables,” she’d told me doubtfully. I’d rolled my eyes at that and pointed out to her that a guy who used a diner in the middle of the night as the setting to find a mark for some theft scheme was not a very successful thief, she’d backed off of it, but she’d told me to be careful anyway.
And here I was, ignoring her advice. Surely Weston wouldn’t have gone along with the whole scheme simply for the excuse to get to my parents’ house on his own? That was too convoluted for even a bad thief. I shook off the notion completely that Weston was secretly trying to find a way to rip me off, and rinsed the conditioner out of my hair.
A moment later I heard the door outside of the room slam shut. “Weston?” I called out.
“Here’s your bag.” A cold shiver came over me as I hurriedly allowed the water to rinse off any soap that was in my eyes and then opened them to see Weston standing at the doorway. The frosted glass of the shower wall had hopefully obscu
red his view of my naked wet body and a rush of warmth gushed towards my legs, contradicting how the rest of me felt. A part of me had hoped he could see and another part was completely embarrassed.
“Get out!” I yelled and the immediately regretted it. “I mean, don’t look!”
I peeked around the corner of the shower wall to see my bag sitting in the middle of the small bathroom and no sign of Weston. I quickly dried off and slipped on the white robe that had been hanging on the back of the bathroom door.
I dug through my bag, pulling out my bathroom supplies as I thought about what Weston may have seen. He always seemed so comfortable, regardless of the setting, and walking in to see me in the shower didn’t seem to faze him.
I stepped out of the bathroom, my hair still dripping wet, and found Weston on the bed, flipping through channels like I had done earlier.
“Sorry,” I apologized. “You shouldn’t have just walked in.”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t see much,” he said with a smile.
“Much?” I snapped back.
Weston chuckled without looking up. “I’m kidding,” he said and then turned his gaze towards me.
I immediately felt as if I were standing in the room completely naked. I pulled the top of the robe tighter.
“Think there’s enough hot water for me to get a shower, too?” Weston looked at me and I saw something flit through his eyes, but it was too quick for me to know what it was.
“I’m sure,” I said. “Let me just grab my things.” I spun on my heel and headed back to the bathroom to grab my bag. Before I could get out of the way, Weston had already made it to the bathroom door, his reflection behind me in the mirror.
I turned to look at him as he stood shirtless in the doorway. He was more than I imagined. I had noticed his tattoos before, but I hadn’t seen them close up. Every bump and ridge of muscle was perfectly defined from his pecs down to his six pack of abs. I attempted to keep my mouth from hanging open as I bit my bottom lip.
Weston only smiled. He knew he was hot. I knew he was hot and he knew exactly what he was doing to me. I allowed my eyes to wander from his abs to the waist of his pants, finding the bulge in his crotch. I had never wanted to grab someone so much and make him mine. The steam from my hot shower was still dissipating in the small bathroom and while I wanted to blame the hot flashes on that, I knew it was because of the half-naked man standing in front of me and the things racing through my mind.
Chapter Twelve
Weston
I didn’t even wait for the shower to get warm before I stepped inside. I needed the cold water to calm the heated blood flowing through me and pumping into the raging erection I had gotten from staring at Ashley.
I leaned my hand against the wall of the shower as the water went from cold to warm to hot, stinging my back and filling the bathroom with steam. There was something about her that wasn’t like other women I had been with. Maybe it was the thought that she had never really experienced a real man or been fully satisfied. I wondered what she had been missing and closed my eyes, imagining the things I would do to her if I had the chance.
My cock was at full attention, throbbing with every thought that raced through my mind. I arched my neck up, allowing the water from the rain head to crash down on my face as I pushed hard into the wall with one hand and grabbed my cock with the other. For a brief moment I considered handling it myself just to calm the sexual energy I had been feeling, but decided against it.
Some things were worth waiting for, and if I had my way, I’d have Ashley before the weekend was over.
I finished my shower, hoping the hard-on would subside before drying off and facing my fake girlfriend for the weekend.
I ran the towel over my hair one last time and hung it up, leaving the bathroom and stepping into the room, wearing only a t-shirt and sweat pants. Ashley was watching TV, her phone plugged into the charging station on the bedside table. “Hey,” she said, giving me a little, shy smile.
She had changed into a light pink t-shirt and flowing gray pants that looked as if they were part of a pajama set. She looked comfortable, laid out on the bed and tapping away at her phone, only halfway paying attention to the infomercial that was playing on the television.
“There are a few people hanging out downstairs at the hotel bar,” Ashley said. “According to Jess, they’ve decided to party it up. We could join them if you felt up to it.”
“I guess that depends on you, whatever you feel up for,” I said, trying to draw my attention away from her erect nipples that were quite visible through the thin shirt she wore.
“Honestly, I’ve had enough socializing with everyone for the night…as much as I need a drink right now.”
Ashley pushed her head back deeper into the pillow, and then looked over at me. Her face had a seriousness about it, not really showing any emotion.
I walked back into the bathroom, grabbing the pants I had taken off, and came back, sitting on the edge of the bed trying to read Ashley. Her eyes were fixed on her phone.
“Is everything all right?” I asked, reaching out and grabbing her ankle in a teasing manner. The sexual tension I had felt earlier had subsided and turned to concern.
“It’s nothing. Want to grab some room service or order in from someplace? I always used to like to do that when I was little and we stayed at a hotel.” Ashley still didn’t change focus as she tapped away on her phone.
Instinctively I grabbed it from her hands.
“Hey! Give that back!” she snapped, reaching for it before I pulled it away just out of her reach. “Seriously Weston, I’m not playing.”
“Not until you tell me what’s going on. You were fine before, now, you seem distracted.”
Ashley fell back into the pillow and just stared at me. “Jess is downstairs. She said that the same click of girls are down there just like high school. It’s frustrating. I feel fake. All of this feels fake. I feel like everyone knows it too. As much as I thought this was a great idea, well, I’m rethinking it, but it’s too late. I’m here, you’re here and…”
She shook her head and stopped talking.
“And what?”
“And I’m not even sure who you really are. I mean, you asked me to trust you and…I’m trying, but I feel like you’re keeping secrets.” She played with the hem on her t-shirt. “This is my fault. I should have thought this through. What was I thinking? All of this to try and redeem myself over what people may have thought of me fifteen years ago. All of this for some guy.”
She rolled over on to her side, turning her back to face me.
“Ash, you don’t need to impress anyone, especially some guy. Is this about Derek? Is he the guy you’re trying to impress? Is that why I’m here?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
She took in a shuddering breath as I walked around and sat next to her on the side of the bed. I reached my arm around, gently caressing her back. “It does matter. Talk to me.”
“Derek dumped me before prom. He never spoke to me after that and everyone talked about it. The girls started to gossip and it ruined my senior year. Apparently, they all still remember.” Ashley sat up a little bit. “I don’t know what I was thinking. For some reason, I thought having some hot guy show up with me would make all the difference to them, and, I guess, to me. Just forget it. We can leave in the morning and you can tend to your business.”
Chapter Thirteen
Ashley
The truth was, I didn’t want Weston to leave. I felt sorry for myself, but even more than that, I felt that I needed to prove myself to a bunch of catty women that I’d probably not see for another fifteen or twenty years.
I sat up in bed, finally taking in the view of Weston, fresh from his shower. His shaggy hair was slicked back and the t-shirt hugged his still partially damp body.
“I need a drink. A stiff one,” I said.
Weston nodded and shot me a small smile as he got up and walked to the mini fridge next to the televisi
on and opened it. “Looks like room service. No mini bar.”
I watched as he walked over to the phone, his sweatpants hung perfectly off of his ass and I couldn’t help but stare.
Weston grabbed the phone and punched in a few numbers. “Can I get the fruit and cheese tray, an order of the loaded fries and plenty of cranberry juice, tonic and limes? Also throw in a bottle of vodka.” Weston propped the phone against as his ear as he reached for his wallet sitting on the table and thumbed through it. “I see. Okay. No Problem.”
Weston hung up the phone and smiled as he punched in a few other numbers and waited. I could hear the deep voice answer on the other end of the phone before Weston continued. “George? Listen, I need a bottle of vodka up here in the next ten minutes. Get it up here in five with mixers and I’ll make it worth your while.”
Weston hung up then phone and smiled.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing, I just needed to be a little creative. Room service doesn’t deliver liquor,” he said as he eased himself back on to the edge of the bed. “Nothing to worry about, though.”
“Am I crazy? Is all of this crazy?” I asked. An overwhelming feeling of grief and anxiety filled my body as I stared at the Weston. He was really nothing more than a handsome stranger that I had shared a kiss with and basically offered to rent. I felt cheap and pathetic.
“Ash, I need to be honest with you.” Weston slid closer until he sat beside me. “I don’t want to get into all of the details because they really don’t make a difference, not with what is going on here right now.” He grabbed my hand as he continued, “I’ve been honest with you, but there are some things that are just easier left unsaid, at least for now. I didn’t take your money, because I don’t need it.”