“A brand new car? Are you nuts? I can’t accept this from you!” Frankie was completely upset, just like I knew she’d be.
“What? It’s not like I bought you a car. I leased it for three months, no big deal.”
“No big deal? How much did this cost anyway?”
“Not that much. Just get inside, and see what you think,” I wheedled her. After some more grousing, she slid into the front seat of the silver Audi TT Roadster. It was a sweet ride, and one I wouldn’t mind driving myself sometimes since I didn’t have a convertible. The car had a kind of retro look, and as soon as I saw it, I knew it was the perfect car for Frankie.
She didn’t say a word, but I could see her running her hands over the upholstery, and then she adjusted the seat and the mirrors. As she put her hands on the wheel, I slid into the passenger seat.
“Let’s take it for a spin,” I told her.
“Jake, no! I told you I can’t accept this from you, and I can’t pay for it either.”
“But Frankie, I signed all the papers… it’s not like I can return it. If you don’t drive it, it’s just going to sit in the driveway.”
She growled at me, and then started it up. At first, Frankie drove really slowly, but the Audi had a powerful 4-cylinder engine and she started to speed up. We cruised along past Santa Monica to where the road turned back into the Pacific Coast Highway.
“This car is amazing!” Frankie yelled over the wind rushing in. “It handles so beautifully.” She turned on the radio and started humming along. She kept driving for a while, then pulled over into an ocean-side turnout and looked at me guiltily. “I’m sorry, did you have to be somewhere?”
“Naw,” I told her. “So, you like it?”
She sighed. “I love it. You’re the devil, Jake Cookson.”
“Frankie, look at it this way… now you can get home earlier and pick up stuff for dinner on the way. More good cookin’ for me.”
“It’s not like you’re suffering now. My dinners have been great.”
“Yeah, but there’s more. In a couple of weeks, we take off on a three-week road trip….”
“So you won’t be around to rescue me when I get in trouble?” she said, her face suddenly tense.
“No, I just wanted to make sure you won’t sneak out in my Mercedes,” I told her, laughing. Frankie smacked my shoulder and started laughing too. She drove home without saying much else, but when we got back to the house, she put a hand on my arm to stop me from getting out.
“Thank you, Jake. Really, thank you so much. It was such a nice thing for you to do, and I’ll admit L.A. is challenging to get around on transit.”
“No big deal, Frankie,” I told her. Truthfully, it wasn’t that much money; these guys did leases for the Kings all the time and gave me a good deal. I was hoping she might want to show me some gratitude, but she said something about dinner and walked up to the house. I watched her ass and sighed.
51. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
“So Jake, I was Googling you last night,” Aspen began. She had dropped in on me this afternoon; we had fucked and then gone to lunch at a place off Manhattan Beach. Right now, we were sitting outside on the glassed-in restaurant patio and relaxing. Until she started talking, that is.
“You know you can’t believe all that crap.” I didn’t even know what she read, but it probably wasn’t good. There was a lot of bullshit out there.
“I read that you’ve dated a few actresses, is that true?”
“Y’know, I never talk about chicks I dated.” Not to other chicks anyway.
“Really, what if they’re not famous? Like, did you date Frankie?”
Not going there. I just shook my head, since I knew anything I said would be held against me.
Aspen smiled and started up on another track. “You must meet a lot of celebrities at games, right?”
“I guess,” I replied. It wasn’t a really big deal, sometimes people wanted to meet players before the game and we did photos. But it wasn’t like we all became good friends or anything, which I think was where Aspen was headed.
“I’d love to meet some of your connected friends,” she said, leaning in close and putting a hand on my thigh.
“Uh, I don’t really have any connected friends.”
“Sure you do. What about that guy on your team, Dick Love?”
I snickered, that sounded like a porn star name. “It’s Nick Love, and how is he connected?”
“His girlfriend is Amanda Gallant, she’s an actress on the CW.”
I shook my head. I guess I had met her but I didn’t really know her well. Amanda was pretty cute and seemed nice. Aspen ran her hand up my thigh and under my shorts.
“It would be nice for me if I could meet a few industry people… if there’s a big team event, I’d really like to go with you, Jakey.” Her hand crept up higher, and she started scratching her fingernails across my balls.
“Shit, Aspen, you’re giving me a hard-on.”
“That’s because you get me all excited all the time. You’d like to make me happy too, right sweetie?”
“Uh sure,” It was hard to concentrate when I was practically getting jerked off in public.
“So you’ll take me to that team party you were talking about before?” She started running her fingers over my growing cock.
“Unnh, yeah, whatever.”
“Okay, let’s go to your car and take care of that,” she grabbed her purse and led the way.
After Aspen blew me in the front seat of the car, we headed back to my place where we had left her car. As we walked up to the door, Frankie pulled up at the same time, and started unloading grocery bags from the trunk. She greeted us cheerfully, “Hi guys, I just got the most amazing Italian bread for dinner. Would you like to stay, Aspen?”
I had already spent the afternoon with Aspen, so I wasn’t too stoked to spend the evening with her, but to my surprise she accepted.
“Thanks, I will stay. But I don’t eat white bread,” she said, looking at the bag in Frankie’s hand.
“More for us,” said Frankie, juggling her purse and shopping bags to unlock the front door.
“Is that a new car, Frankie?” Aspen asked.
“Uhhh,” Frankie blushed and glanced at me. “It’s a leased car, actually. Jake, could you hold this for me?” She passed me a grocery bag, unlocked the door and went inside without actually answering Aspen.
Although Frankie had just walked in the door, it only took her half an hour to throw together a really delicious dinner. She made a spicy pasta dish of fresh veggies and canned Italian tuna. She added a green salad and a carrot salad, and the famous Italian bread. Domer and I hardly said a word because we were busy eating, but Aspen kept talking about a role that she was up for on some cable show.
Meanwhile, Frankie seemed to be getting a little pissed at Aspen who was surgically removing everything from the salad that didn’t meet her standards. There was a little line of cheese and ham bits on the edge of the plate. Frankie kind of prided herself on her cooking, and she took it as an insult if you did anything like add salt or pepper before tasting it.
“There seem to be a lot of things you don’t eat, Aspen. Allergies?” Frankie asked in a cold voice.
“No, I have strict dietary guidelines set out by my personal trainer. Tyrone considers his body to be a temple, and he never eats anything that might defile that temple.”
That seemed to be a direct quote from her personal trainer. I had met Tyrone, and while he was a perfect specimen, I sort of doubted that he used any of his muscles to actually do anything. What’s the point of working out just to look good? Unless you’re a chick, then it makes total sense.
“Actually, I think that’s pronounced dee-file, as in ‘She used dee file in dee manicure.’” Frankie said, her eyes wide and innocent. I snorted and I could see Domer trying not to laugh, but Aspen narrowed her eyes for a moment and flipped her blonde hair.
“Oh Frankie, I was wondering why you’ve ne
ver come to see me at the gym. I can give you a pass for a free week of workouts. It’s important to stay in shape, even if you’re not in the business.” She cast a critical look over Frankie’s body, and Frankie flushed. Frankie’s weak spot had to do with her weight, even though she looked fine to me. How do girls know that shit?
“I actually have a gym already, there’s one in the neighbourhood that I go to.” Frankie went to this 24Hour Fitness that was not too far away from our place. She loved it; she said it was huge, and nobody bugged her. I wasn’t sure if this was a slam about how I used to hit on her at Brad’s gym in Kingston. It was weird, if someone told me then that Frankie would be staying at my place but we wouldn’t be getting it on, I would have thought they were nuts.
“But the gym I work at is completely equipped with the latest in technological innovations which can help you to fully realize your best self.” Aspen had a whole memorized spiel when it came to closing a sale, and she was just getting started.
“I said: I have a gym. And I’m certainly not going all the way to Beverly Hills just to sweat on a computerized treadmill.” Frankie got up and started clearing dishes. I saw Aspen watching her carefully. “I’ve got berries and ice cream for dessert,” she called out as she went into the kitchen.
“None for me,” said Aspen. She was against white sugar as well, and once when I was eating an ice cream cone, she told me it was white death.
Unfortunately, not eating anything just gave Aspen more time to talk. She had been trying to get me to attend some seminar she was into.
“You know, Jake, I don’t understand why you won’t go. I credit the Landmark Foundation with a lot of my personal success. All I’m suggesting is that you attend an introductory session.”
“I don’t know, I’m not really into that stuff.” I didn’t really want to go to anything that involved someone lecturing at me. It sounded too much like school.
“Shifting your perceptions is the first step in self-actualization and can lead to enormous success in relationships and work.” Again, it sounded like she was just quoting someone directly.
“Look Aspen,” Frankie interrupted, using the correct name for once, “It’s Jake that should be teaching classes on achievement. I would defy you to find another person in the world who is as successful as he is at only 23. So give it a break.”
I felt shocked and happy that Frankie would say something like that. Usually all she did was insult me. Aspen looked surprised that Frankie had been so harsh to her. She looked at Frankie and then at me, and then looked thoughtful.
“So Frankie, how exactly do you and Jake know each other?” she asked in a soft voice.
“We met in Kingston,” Frankie replied, suddenly finding her spoon very interesting.
“You guys must have known each other a long time for Jake to invite you to stay here.”
“We know each other well,” Frankie darted a look at me, but I waited to hear what bullshit she was going to sling next.
“I guess Jake was smart enough to know he’d get a roommate and a cook, all rolled up in one big package.” Aspen smiled brightly at Frankie.
“Almost as good as being a saleswoman-slash-actress,” Frankie smiled back.
“Okay! Can I get some help with dishes?” Domer broke in, rising from the table.
After dinner, Domer and I were watching some hockey highlights. Frankie had gone to her room. I figured that Aspen would probably want to take off, she liked to get her beauty sleep before big events, and she was doing some hostess gig at a big film industry event tomorrow. But she sat right up close to me, and started slipping her hand under my t-shirt, feeling my chest, pinching my nipple, and kissing my ear at the same time. Domer gave me a pained looked and cleared his throat.
“What are you doing?” I whispered to Aspen.
“It’s foreplay, Jakey,” she whispered back, giggling, “I’m surprised I have to tell you that!”
“Okay, well I think we’re going to call it a night.” I told Domer loudly, since he had cranked up the volume trying to ignore us. It was before 10:00, but what the hell, she had given me a boner.
Aspen was really into sex tonight. She wanted to do it in all kinds of positions, and she kept screaming and moaning and making a ton of noise.
“Aspen, shhhh baby, I’ve got roommates,” I told her after one really loud scream.
“Sorry Jakey honey, it’s just so good.” She was quieter for a bit, then once we started up again, she screamed, “Ohhhhhh my Goooooood! Fuck me harder, Jake!”
What was up with her?
Noise cancelling headphones
I was finishing up the list of things I needed to buy tomorrow. If I knew that Jake was going to have a hot girlfriend and I was going to have to listen to them having sex, I might have rethought this whole internship. Or at least where I was going to live during the internship.
It was hard to be calm when this whole deal was painful for me. It was one thing to know the right thing was not to interfere in someone’s relationship and another to have to see that Aspen was totally wrong for Jake, even if he had no clue. Plus I had to hand it to Aspen, by claiming not to be into relationships, she had seemingly maneuvered Jake into one.
The way the bed was thumping next door, I had a vision of the two of them crashing through the wall and landing in my room, like in some stupid frat boy comedy. Sleeping was not going to be possible right now.
I gave an exasperated sigh and went out into the living room where Luke had the TV volume up to the kind of level my granny used. I remembered guiltily that at one time Jake and I had been so noisy that Luke had left for the weekend. What goes around.…
“What are we watching?” I asked, wrapping my robe around me.
“Duck Dynasty,” he replied from deep inside the armchair.
I sat down on the couch. I had a good idea how long Jake could last, and unless they went another round, I could go to bed soon.
52. Friends
I put off talking to Bianca and Chloë for as long as I could, but finally I had to update them on Skype. At first, I vented about feeling inadequate at work. Everyone seemed way more qualified than I was.
“And talk about stressed, I’ve been baking daily,” I frowned and then smiled. “It’s like a miracle though, the stuff I make magically disappears and the boys both want to take me grocery shopping so they can suggest things I might like to make next. I’m cooking all the time, but I’ve actually lost two pounds since I got here.”
“Sounds like hell to me,” grumbled Bianca. She hated cooking.
“You know how I am, I love cooking for people and baking relaxes me. It’s like yoga or running for most people.” I shrugged, I got this all the time. People loved to eat your cooking, but they looked down on you for doing it. Some kind of pseudo-feminist reaction. Luke and Jake loved my cooking, ate everything, and encouraged it.
“So,” said Chloë, “how’s it going with Jake?”
“Um, well, I have to tell you. My plan to get him to reconsider the whole relationship thing has hit a huge roadblock. He’s got another girlfriend. I mean, he denies it’s a relationship, but they go out a lot, make out, and everything….” My voice trailed off, I certainly didn’t want to get into all the details, which thanks to thin walls I was privy to.
“He kisses her in front of you? When did all this happen?” Bianca demanded.
“I saw her the first night I got here.”
“Are you kidding me? What a tool!” Bianca’s fierce face was scary, but Chloë’s sympathetic one was more painful.
I nodded, but then I remembered how sweet he was on the night he rescued me, and how he leased that car for me, and I felt a little disloyal for even complaining. “It’s my own fault… for assuming that we were anything. He did warn me. I’m just grateful to get free room and board. And Jake rented a car, just for me.”
“Really?” Chloë seemed to be reading something significant into this. I had wondered myself, but I figured it was partly so
he wouldn’t have to take me grocery shopping anymore.
Bianca shook her head. “Puhleese, Frankie, you hung out with him all summer, he saw you when the team was here, you visited him twice in L.A., and he invited you to stay with him! It’s not like you were jumping to ridiculous conclusions!”
I nodded, feeling better that I hadn’t been a complete idiot.
“So, tell us about the competition.”
“Okay, Aspen’s naturally beautiful. She wears these throwaway clothes, ragged jean shorts, holey t-shirts, Indian cotton tops, and looks great in them. I don’t think she even owns lingerie, I’ve seen her in boy briefs, made for actual boys with Thomas the Tank Engine or something on them. Oh yeah, apparently she can surf and she has this amazing watch, I think it’s a Rolex diving watch, so mega bucks. And she’s tall, blonde and very California-y, but not totally dumb. I guess she’s the kind of girl an NHL player would date.” I tried to sound casual, but I couldn’t keep a slight quaver out of my voice.
“You’re beautiful too! And smart.” Chloë reassured me.
“Yes, but I’m beautiful after an application of makeup, donning my carefully tailored clothes and fixing my hair. I’m not roll-out-of-bed-after-a-night-of-sex-put-on-my-flipflops-and-then-look-beautiful.” I sighed. “The other morning, she walked to the bathroom naked and she has no tan lines.”
“Naked! In front of you!” Chloë was aghast. Bianca made a face too. Back at our apartment, we didn’t even like to see belly t’s at mealtimes.
“Yup. I was having breakfast, and Luke was there too. I don’t know how he felt, but I had to throw out the rest of my food.”
“Still, that name, Aspen?” said Bianca. “Did she fall out of an aspen tree or something?”
“No, my guess would be that she was conceived on a ski hill,” I declared. “Good thing it wasn’t Jackson Hole.”
“Or Beaver Valley,” said Chloë giggling.
“What! Where’s Beaver Valley?” Bianca was cracking up, and I was too.
“It’s here, in Ontario,” gasped Chloë between giggles.
“Sorry, but that’s her nickname from now on,” I declared, laughing. “I’ll call her BV for short!” We all started snickering happily. Nothing like mocking a rival to make you feel better. “I’m pretty sure she’s older than him,” I added. “And I think she’s using him, but I’m not getting involved.”
How The Cookie Crumbles Page 32