A Tale of Two Pretties

by Dawn Pendleton

  He smiled, shaking his head and scooting closer so his body molded against my mine. “No, Peach. Besides the fact that I think you’re unbelievably sexy, you’re sweet, funny, and you bring out the best parts of me. The ones I thought were long forgotten.”

  “You’re not a bad guy at all, Brad and you really have a way with words.” I ran my fingers through his spiky black hair.

  He pressed his forehead to mine. “You don’t give yourself enough credit, Peach. You don’t realize how great you are. You inspire the words.”

  “Now you’re just saying things so I’ll kiss you.”

  “Is it working?” he whispered onto my lips.

  “I would if I hadn’t promised Mac that there would be no sex on her bed.”

  “Who said anything about sex?” His fingers tiptoed down my arm and then rested on my hip.

  “You are half naked on the bed I’m sharing with my roommate, so I just thought it was kind of assumed.”

  “Not everything is about sex.”

  It always was for me. That’s how I got what I wanted. Maybe I didn’t need to with Brad though. Maybe I could actually be myself.

  Before I could respond, a knock came at the door. I was almost thankful for the interruption. I intended to keep my promise to Mac when we both agreed no sex in the bed and if Brad’s hands kept roaming, that’s where it could end up and that would be the worst way for her to find out about our relationship, walking in on us.

  “Couch guy awaits,” I said, sitting up and scooting toward the edge of the bed. I stood up, not looking behind me as I opened the door.

  My face fell as soon as I saw the faces of the two guys looking back at me. Dylan’s fraternity brothers: Steve and Nate. Steve was in the stupid mullet wig that he wore everywhere and Nate’s eyes of course just went to my chest, as always.

  “Hey, Darcy, didn’t know these were your new digs,” Steve said.

  “Yeah. I wouldn’t have given you my address if I’d known it was you two coming.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

  “Aw, don’t be like that, Darcy. We aren’t here to give you shit, we just need a new couch since Goose fucked ours up beyond recognition. Just hook us up with the couch.”

  I felt Brad’s arm around my waist before I saw him. “Take it you know these guys, Darcy?”

  Shit. Shit. Shit. That wasn’t going to help me sell the couch if my new boyfriend or whatever Brad was decided to stake his claim.

  “Yeah. We know Darcy.” Nate raised an eyebrow. “And who the hell are you?”

  Steve laughed. “Dude, it’s that guy who delivers pizza on his motorcycle. What the hell you doing slumming it with him, Darc? If you really wanted to move on and make Dyl jealous we would have totally taken you up on the offer.”

  Both Steve and Nate had tried to get with me on multiple occasions. As soon as me and Dylan broke up Steve sent me a naked pic of himself and asked what I was doing that night. That was when I bailed and went to the pizzeria. So much for brotherhood.

  I groaned. “Look, I’m not here to talk about who I’m dating or not dating or going to fuck. Do you guys want the couch or not?”

  “Chill out, girl. We’re just messing with you.” Nate put his hands up.

  Brad’s grip tightened around my waist. “The couch is here. If you want it, take it and pay the money. If not, just leave. No harm. No foul.”

  “Yeah, about the couch. You should really give us a deal on that. I mean you did squat at the house for a few months so you could totally give Nate Dawg a break on the price, one-hundred bucks is pretty steep for a used couch,” Nate said, of course referring to himself in third person like the ultimate douche he was.

  I shook my head. “Nuh uh. One-hundred bucks was what we agreed on. You’re just trying to get a cheaper price because you know me and I’m not budging.”

  “Come onnnn, Darcy. Cut us a break,” Steve whined. Very unattractive.

  “She said one-hundred. Take it or leave it, guys,” Brad cut in.

  Nate and Steve stared at each other. They probably shared one brain cell between them and sometimes I felt sorry for their dumbness. But not sorry enough to budge on the price. That money was going to help pay for our hotel room in Savannah and I needed it.

  Steve groaned. “Fine, we’ll take the couch.” He pulled out his wallet and handed me a few twenties. I counted them again before stepping back and nodding to the monstrosity in the corner.

  “It’s all yours, fellas.”

  ***

  Twenty-Three

  Uncle Tony’s Pizzeria

  Wednesday

  7:24PM

  Mac

  I clocked out of work less than half an hour ago. Instead of heading straight home, I detoured off to the pizzeria. I walked in and checked for B-Rad and Darcy, happy to find neither of them on working, yet. For the most part, they worked nights, which worked well for me, since I enjoyed my alone time. I sat at the bar, nodding to Heidi, who brought me a beer with a smile.

  “Long day?” she asked.

  “You have no idea. I just want to drink alone,” I explained. A soft chuckle behind me reminded me of how unlikely that was. “What do you want, Preston?” I asked as he sat next to me.

  He asked Heidi for a Jack and Coke and then turned to me. “You know I’m not a bad guy, right?”

  “I know.” I said with a sigh. “But neither was my ex. And I caught him fucking his secretary. First in my bed. And then again on my dining room table.”

  “Damn, girl,” he muttered.

  “Add to it that my parents disapprove of every single thing in my life, from what I wear to where I live, to the guys I date, or rather, stopped dating, and I just don’t want to deal with anything anymore,” I explained further.

  “Parents can be tough,” he murmured. His eyes stared into his drink and I wondered what on earth he was thinking about.

  “That’s why I’m taking this trip to Savannah,” I said.

  “Savannah? I love Savannah. What are you doing there?” he asked.

  “There’s a writing conference. It’s like an author signing thing. I don’t really know too much, since I’ve never been to one,” I whispered the confession.

  “Well that’s cool. Do you have a book?”

  His interest in what I was doing made my heart soar. “Yeah. I published a few days ago.”

  “Have you celebrated yet?”

  I shook my head. “No celebrations. I haven’t made a single sale.” It was hard to admit when something you loved failed miserably. I told him the title and explained that I published under a pen name.

  “It’s only been a few days,” he said, his words calm. He pulled out his cell phone, ignoring me, so I turned my attention back to my beer, which was almost empty now. “Ah, here we go,” he said, pointing his phone toward me.

  He had his browser open to Amazon, my book cover displayed on the screen. I watched as he one-clicked it, making my first sale. It was such a sweet gesture, I had to swallow the lump in my throat. The book was probably going to tank, but I worked hard on it. I took a photo of a flower behind our building and manipulated it with a photo editing app, turning it into the perfect fantasy cover for my book. Of course, I thought it was better than Darcy’s since she just cropped a celebrity photo of the boy band guy with his girlfriend. I wasn’t even sure what she did was legal.

  “And now you’ve sold one,” he said with a smile. “So let’s celebrate.”

  I was so confused by Preston, so thoroughly unsure of who he was, but I knew who I wanted to be when I was with him: his. I wanted him to take me in his arms and hold me, to tell me that everything would be alright and that I could trust him. But I knew that couldn’t happen. No matter what he said, I wouldn’t believe him, despite the fact that I wanted to. It wasn’t just him, though… Even B-Rad’s words at the mall left me dubious. Men were not to be trusted, as far as I was concerned.

  Despite how I felt, I wanted nothing more than to celebrate with Preston. I knew there wa
sn’t much room left on my credit card, but B-Rad told me last week that we could do a weekly tab if we needed to. It wasn’t smart, but I was tired of being smart, tired of letting people get under my skin and then break my heart. I was going to enjoy myself tonight.

  “Let the celebration begin,” I said to Preston, clinking my glass against his. I smiled at him, a true smile, and let myself have at least a little fun.

  * * * * *

  An hour later, I was way passed buzzed. I wouldn’t say I was totally drunk, but the world was tipped on its side, and that meant I was beyond making good decisions.

  “You know, Darcy and B-Rad are going to be here soon. B-Rad texted me a little bit ago,” Preston said, his face so close to mine, I felt his hot breath on my lips.

  “Should we get out of here, then?” I asked, a giggle escaping my mouth.

  “I should probably get you home,” he suggested.

  “No, I don’t wanna go home,” I whined, a completely new thing for me.

  “Then I’ll take you somewhere else,” he said, standing up and dropping a hundred dollar bill on the bar. I had no idea where he got his money from, but I was too tipsy to care.

  His hand went around my waist and he helped me outside. He hailed a cab and then we were gone, speeding toward some unknown destination. At least I didn’t have to explain myself to Darcy.

  In the cab, Preston gave the guy some directions and I kept silent. The tension between us was palpable, or maybe it was just me. All I wanted to do was jump his bones. Alcohol was definitely wreaking havoc on my cognitive function. Instead of fighting it, though, I sat back, letting my head fall onto the headrest. When Preston reached over to hold my hand, I didn’t even blink, choosing instead to let him. The sensation was nice, considering it’d been a long time since I had any intimacy with anyone. His thumb gently stroked the sensitive skin at my wrist, causing goose bumps to prickle the skin on my arm.

  I smiled at him, never letting go of his hand. Those hands were talented, and I wanted him to touch me some more.

  When the cab stopped several minutes later, I was in a haze of giddy feelings. I let Preston help me out of the cab and then turned to take in our surroundings. We were at a park of some sort, though most of it was deserted. In the distance, I could see a few couples, but no one was anywhere near us, giving us privacy.

  Preston tugged on my hand. “C’mon, I want to show you something.” He led me to a small pond and then sat in the grass, pulling me down with him. Instead of sitting next to him, he maneuvered me between his outstretched legs, my back tucked against his chest. I ran my nails along his arms, which were wrapped around my waist. I let myself lean into him, enjoying his warmth and the feeling of contentedness that overwhelmed me. I never wanted to leave this moment.

  “Look,” he said, pointing out across the water.

  The sun was going down, creating a splash of color across the sky. Pink and yellow mixed with blue and orange, the effect mystifying. I couldn’t remember the last time I watched a sunset, let alone experienced with someone else, someone who cared enough for me to see it.

  “It’s beautiful,” I whispered.

  “Yeah, it is. I used to come here when I was a kid. There’s hardly ever anyone out here this late because it starts to turn cold, but it’s the most gorgeous spot in the city,” he explained.

  I turned my head so I could look into his blue eyes. “And you brought me here?”

  “Well, yeah. It’s been a long time since I wanted to bring anyone here, and with you, it just felt right.” He cocked his head to the side, a lazy grin spreading across his face.

  I couldn’t stop what happened next if I wanted to, not that I did. His lips descended on mine and I tipped my head up, ready and willing for his kiss. His right hand cupped my cheek, holding me still.

  “Don’t break me, MacAllister,” he whispered as his lips touched mine. I didn’t have time to process his words; his touch, his scent, every single thing about him overwhelmed my senses. It was useless for me to do anything but get up on my knees to face him fully and slide my arms around his neck. The corded muscle there begged for my attention and I scored my nails across his skin.

  Preston pulled me closer to him, his arms around my waist. Our bodies met with force and I knocked him backwards onto the grass. He dragged me with him, never once letting our lips part. His tongue dueled with my own and every synapse in my brain exploded in pleasure.

  He finally let me breathe, his lips moving to my jaw.

  “What are you doing to me?” I asked in wonder. It was more rhetorical than anything, but Preston paused.

  “This feels so right, Mac,” he whispered against my cheek.

  “It really does,” I agreed. I wondered if I had any condoms in my purse, which was scattered somewhere in the grass nearby.

  “Which is why we’re going to stop,” he said, his voice steely.

  I pulled away from him to look in his eyes. “What?”

  He helped me sit up, putting distance between us. He backed up and laid his arms across his bent knees. “It can’t happen like this.”

  I opened my mouth to protest but snapped it shut. I was pissed. How dare he turn me on so completely and then turn me down like that? I took a steadying breath but remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

  “I know I look like a dick, but trust me, you’ll be thankful for this tomorrow,” he promised.

  “Kiss my ass,” I muttered back, getting to my feet. I swayed a little and Preston was there in an instant to steady me. I snatched my purse out of his hand. “Don’t touch me.”

  Drunk or sober, I told myself right then that Preston wasn’t worth the chase.

  ***

  Twenty-Four

  Uncle Tony’s Pizzeria

  Thursday

  8:13 PM

  Darcy

  To Britain with Love was done. Completely done. Most of the places I’d seen said a professional formatter and editor was best, but I wanted to get it ready to publish before we went to Savannah. I had enough editing skills being an English major and I used trial and error with formatting. I figured it was good enough and ready for uploading… Of course I couldn’t upload because I was working as hostess and busgirl. Dammit.

  “Hey, are you okay?” I jumped and quickly stuffed my phone into my apron. I wasn’t supposed to have it out at work, but I couldn’t help staring at the files that were begging for me to upload them.

  I turned slowly and saw Brad with his eyebrow raised.

  I nodded. “Yeah. Fine. Just a little distracted. I finished my book and I’m just so ready to hit publish on it.

  “Really? Your book is done and ready to publish? That’s awesome.” He grinned.

  “Yeah, now I just need to wait until midnight when I get off and hope I don’t wake Mac up when she’s passed out and I’m trying to log into the Wi-Fi that we’re borrowing.” Hopefully he didn’t hold it against me that we were stealing the pizzeria’s internet. It was a necessary evil.

  “Why don’t you just go up to my apartment and upload everything? I have internet there and it should be quiet.”

  I blinked. “Are you serious right now? What about work?”

  He looked around the room. “We aren’t too busy right now and I’m sure Kellie can cover bussing her own tables for a while and I’ll help out with the host stuff. I’d rather have you get your book stuff done then be distracted here all night and doing a half-ass job.”

  I gasped. “Am I that bad tonight? I’m sorry.”

  He shook his head and glanced behind him before taking my hand and squeezing it lightly. “You’re fine. You’re also dating the boss, so when I tell your fine ass to go up to my apartment and get your book uploaded, you do what I say, all right?”

  I wanted to kiss him. To say fuck it to what everyone else thought and throw my arms around him, giving him a big smooch. But I knew better, especially at work, so instead, I just squealed. “Thank you so much! I promise I’ll make up the shifts!”r />
  “You do what you have to do, and if you’re still there when I get off work, we can hang out and celebrate.” The grin broadened on his face as he let go of my hand.

  “Sounds like a plan,” I agreed.

  * * * * *

  It took me a few hours, but I finally figured out how to set up my account and get all my files uploaded. Once I hit publish, I stared at the tiny pop up that told me my book was publishing. I did it. I was finally going to be a published author.

  No sooner had I finished, than Brad opened the front door, his smile widening as soon as he saw me on the couch. “Hey, you’re still here.”

  “Yep.” I set my computer down on the coffee table and stood up. “And I just hit publish!”

  “That’s awesome.” He rushed over and swooped me into his arms, spinning me around before setting me back on my feet, his arms still firmly wrapped around my waist. “We should celebrate.”

  I didn’t even think about what time it was or if I should get back to my apartment, instead I just went for it. After all the hard work, I was ready for a reward. “Hell yeah.”

  “I have vodka and I think still some cranberry juice in the fridge.” He let go of my waist and took my hand, guiding me over the fridge where he opened it and pulled out the alcohol and grabbed two glasses, mixing the drinks.

  He handed me one of them and took the other. “To publishing,” he said, lifting his glass.

  “To publishing.” I clinked his glass and took a big gulp. It went down smoother than I remembered and I didn’t mind celebrating.

  “So what happens now?” he asked.

  I took another sip of my drink. “Hopefully, it goes on all the websites soon, people buy it, and I’m a best seller or something.”