Long Ball(45)

“And uptight,” she repeats with a smirk.

“Compatible.”

“Boring. We’re going for Mr. Right Now, not Mr. Right, Rachel. One night with someone who doesn’t meet your fantasy pansy list isn’t going to deter you from your dreams.”

She’s got a point. As always. But a man like this guy…I subtly tip my head in his direction. “He’s just such a…”

“Perfect Badass?”

I wouldn’t have said it, but it’s the perfect description. “Yeah.” The word sounds uncharacteristically dreamy and edged with lust. I shake myself, realizing this whole discussion is too ridiculous. And too tempting. And too bad of an idea. “No. I couldn’t.”

She tilts her head. “TMI time. How long’s it been since you had sex?”

I twirl the end of my ponytail and pull it over my collarbone, unwilling to admit it’s been almost two years. “Maybe I’m saving myself for marriage.”

Alex snorts. “You have to be a virgin to do that, and I know you’ve f*cked at least two guys.”

“I’ve had two boyfriends, yes, who I slept with after an appropriate amount of courting, but we didn’t f*ck. That’s gauche.” And way too exciting of a description for the things we did in the bedroom once or twice every couple weeks. I’d expected something…different, but when my second boyfriend’s performance was on par with the first, I realized I needed to lower my expectations. Regular sex or not, I was still pulling out my vibrator to really take care of things myself. I mean, the act of intercourse was fine, nice for bonding with someone, I guess, but I never saw what the big fuss is about.

“It’s gauche if you’re doing it right.” Alex’s eyes twinkle.

I adjust my infinity scarf and look at the hot guy again. My pulse speeds up when I accidentally make eye contact. I need to look away—I want to—but I can’t, frozen from the intensity of his gaze as it sends a sizzling spark all the way to my core. It’s entirely too intimate, too penetrating. Too badass.

I force my focus to the tabletop in front of me. What is it about him? I’m mesmerized.

“He’s totally checking you out too.”

My throat feels suddenly dry. I notice my empty glass and wave at the server for another round of the same. “He caught me staring, is all. He thinks I’m a weirdo. Guys like that don’t go for girls like me.”

Alex leans closer. “Guys like him love girls like you. Look at yourself. Minimal makeup, long chestnut hair in a simple ponytail. Skinny jeans showing off your hips, but you’ve got a long sleeved V-neck and a scarf hiding any cleavage. You’re a good girl. Big brown, doe eyes. Face it, Rachel, you’re Snow White with an amazing ass. You’re the pretty, uptight girl every man wants to corrupt.”

Again, that unfamiliar rush of excitement trills through me. “If that were true, someone would have tried before now. Not that I’d have accepted.”

“Your mind’s so occupied by music, you haven’t noticed all the men who have tried.. Come on, Rachel. When a straight guy says, ‘Nice scarf,’ he’s only using it as an excuse to stare at your tits. He doesn’t give a crap about your accessories.”

Is she right? How much have I really given up for the pursuit of my career? Is it too much? And is it too late to fix that if it was?

The answer is yes—it is too late. I have other commitments now. Specifically, one very big commitment. “It doesn’t matter. The past is past.”

“But you could make up for a whole lot of past with just one night with that badass.”

The space between my thighs throbs as though my libido things it has a say in this discussion.

It doesn’t. I press my legs together. “I don’t have any more time for him than I did for any other guy. I’m leaving in a few days and have way too much to do.”

Strange, the sadness that accompanies that statement. I shouldn’t be so disappointed about the termination of a non-existent one-night-stand. My blood sugar must be low or something. I was too busy packing to eat lunch today. That’s totally what it is—I need food. “Should we grab a slice of pizza after this?”

Alex gives a lackadaisical half-shrug. “Let’s see how the night plays out.”

The server arrives with our next round, preventing me from asking what she means by that. I hope she’s not planning on dragging me to one of those after-hours places again. The sampled strings over the crashing beats was too painful to listen to let alone want to dance to.

When he sets her beer in front of her, Alex pulls the waiter close, whispering something in his ear.

Ah, now I get it. She’s making plans of her own tonight. No wonder she’s been trying to pawn me off on a stranger. The server’s cute enough, maybe a bit skinnier than the guys she typically goes for, but definitely not outside her wheelhouse of interest. While it’s our last time to hang out, I’m fine with her hooking up with someone later. Even if I’m the tiniest bit jealous.

And I’m certainly going to turn the tables on her. I wait for the server to leave before waggling my eyebrows. “You little minx.”

She stops grinning and tears her gaze from the server’s retreating ass to look at me. “What?”

“What was that about?”