Red Hot Rose Boxed Set (11 page)

“That’s what he said.”

Jessica frowned, distractedly.
 
Then she sniffed loudly.
 
“What’s that smell?”
 
She leaned in towards me and inhaled again through her nose.

My face blanched and I moved quickly away from her.
 
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

She sniffed again, following me.
 
“Cologne.
 
It’s men’s cologne.”

I breathed a sigh of relief.
 
Thank you for not letting her smell the sex I just had.
 
How humiliating!

She tapped her finger in her chin.
 
“Hmmmm, you got near enough to him that you got his cologne on you.
 
Why … you little devil.”
 
She was grinning at me now, proud of herself that she’d succeeded at her detective work.

“Fine.
 
I got close enough to get his cologne on me.
 
You’ve figured me out.”

“What about his dick?
 
Did he get that on you too?”
 
She wiggled her eyebrows at me.

I shoved her away.
 
“Get out of here, you perv.”

“You totally just did it with Alex in our apartment, didn’t you?”

My face burned bright red.
 
“Shut up.”

“Oh.
 
My.
 
God.”
 
She fake sniffed and wiped away a faux tear from the corner of her eye.
 
“My little girl is growing up.”

I walked out of the kitchen, shaking my head.
 
“I’m still not sure I’m going to meet him.
 
Even if we did have sex up against the front door a few minutes ago.”

Jessica squealed and chased after me, all the way to our bedroom.
 

“You’re totally going to meet him, so let me help you get dressed,” she said, once we’d settled down again.

I was sitting on the bed, watching her pace around the room.
 
“I don’t think I should go.
 
Every time I get near him, I lose control.
 
I’m
 
like possessed or something.
 
A possessed ho.”

“Oooh, a possessed ho.
 
I like that.
 
And I’ll bet he likes it too.”
 
She threw open our closet doors.
 
“Where is he taking you again?”

“He said The Breakwaters in Palm Beach.
 
I have no idea what that is.”

“Oh, it’s nice.
 
Very fresh food, seasonal ingredients, fancy schmancy.
 
You need a cocktail dress.
 
A black one.”

She pulled something out on a hanger.
 
“Perfect.”

“Oh, no, Jess.
 
I could never wear your Chanel!”

“Of course you can.
 
It’s the absolute perfect dress to negotiate your new and very high salary.
 
It will give you just the edge you need.
 
Now go get in the shower and make sure you shave.
 
Everywhere.”

I stood up from the bed, eyeing the dress with trepidation.
 
“What if I stain it?”

“With what?
 
Bleach?
 
Just keep his man-juices off it, and you’ll be fine.”

I burst out laughing.
 
“Man-juices?
 
Jess, that’s just nasty.”

“Go.
 
Shower.
 
We have hair and makeup in twenty minutes.”
 
She looked at her watch.
 
“What time did he say he’d be here?”

“Six.”

“Well, hurry up!
 
Time’s a-wastin’!”

I smiled, moving to follow her orders.
 
I still wasn’t sure this was the smartest thing to do, but it sure wasn’t going to be boring.
 
And I’d had enough of boring to last me for a while.
 
Besides … what could possibly go wrong with dinner at The Breakwaters with a handsome, unattached politician?

I stepped into the shower and began lathering my hair, taking extra time to make sure my skin was as smooth as it could possibly be.
 
Just in case he decides to touch me again.

By the time Jessica was done with my hair and face, I looked like a Hollywood starlet.
 
Even I was impressed with what I saw in the mirror.
 
I turned from left to right, viewing myself from every angle possible.
 
Could this sophisticated woman actually be me?
 
I felt like I’d aged ten years and already joined the professional world of business and politics and back-room deal-making.

I smiled at my thoughts.
 
I’d already done the back-room thing, but I hadn’t necessarily been making any deals.

“What’s that sly grin for?” asked Jessica, taking a loud bite out of a very red apple, crunching its juicy flesh, her cheeks bulging out at the sides.

“Nothing.
 
Just thinking about … the party the other night.”

She slurped up the piece of apple that tried to escape her mouth.
 
“You lucked out at that thing.
 
I stood around talking to Mister Pinky Ring all night, and you got laid by the hottest guy this side of the Mississippi.”

I laughed.
 
“He’s not
that
hot.”

Jessica waved her apple at me carelessly before burping very cutely into the back of her wrist.
 
“Ha!
 
Don’t even try it.
 
You know he’s that hot, which is the reason you’re dropping your drawers every time he’s around.
 
I know how you are, Rosie.
 
You don’t mess around with just anyone.
 
Your pussy’s guarded better than the gold in Fort Knox.”

I leaned over and slapped my roommate hard on the shoulder.
 
“Shut your fat face, Jess!
 
I’m not a prude.
 
I’m just picky.”
 
I frowned at my reflection in the mirror.
 
Am I repressed?

“Ow.
 
Careful.
 
Watch those meat hooks of yours.
 
I have a delicate constitution, you know.”
 
Jessica rubbed her arm.
 
“I know you’re not a ho.
 
You just have such high standards, it’s hard for any guy to meet them.”

“Oh, please.
 
My standards are just average.
 
The bare minimum.”
 
I looked down at my neat manicure, admiring my slim fingers that my mom used to say were made for playing piano.
 
“And I don’t have meathooks for hands, by the way.
 
They’re actually quite small for my body.”

Jessica rolled her eyes.
 
“Back to you and your standards.
 
I’m not done arguing that point yet.
 
What about Bradley?”

“Graduated, unemployed, living with his mother.”

“Times are tough.
 
You have to adjust.
 
Not every guy is going to have a job right out of college.”

“He’s been unemployed for five years.”

“Okay, so maybe he wasn’t the best example.
 
What about Josh?”

“Man-whore.
 
He’s slept with at least eight girls from my econ class alone.
 
Bathroom walls are decorated with his name and not very appetizing mentions of his activities.”

“Okay, we don’t need any diseases, that’s true.
 
What about Charlie?
 
He was cute
and
he had a job.”

“Yeah.
 
He’s perfect in every way, except for the fact that he’s gay and would only date me if I had a dick.”

“Oh, shit.
 
I had no idea.
 
I should have, though … he is so friggin cute.
 
And that body?
 
Woof.”
 
She shook her hand out and wiped the imaginary sweat off her brow.

“Seriously,” I agreed.
 
“Flawless.”

“Okay, so I admit, the offerings have been a bit on the slim side.
 
But still, you’re too picky.
 
You refuse to use any of the online dating sites, you refuse to do anymore escorting … I’d say you’re lucky as hell to have ended your dry spell with Mister Tall Dark and Handsome.
 
At least he has a job.”

“And he’s not gay,” I said, smiling.

“And he’s most def not gay.”
 
Jessica smiled back at me. “Are you gonna do it in the parking lot of the restaurant, do you think?”

I slapped her again.
 
“No!
 
I’m not that kind of girl.”

“Booooring,” sang Jessica, getting up to go to the kitchen.
 
She yelled from the other room, “Roomie, your word of the day is
Yes
.
 
Anything he asks you, you just say
yes
.
 
Follow my advice, and you’ll be golden.”

“Follow your advice, and I’ll probably end up in jail,” I muttered to myself, glancing one more time at the mirror.
 
“Yes,” I said at my reflection.
 
“Whatever you want, Alex, the answer is
yes
.”

“No.
 
I’m not doing that, Alex,” I said, frowning at him from the passenger side of the car.

“Just humor me.”

“No way, go humor yourself.
 
If this dinner is all about sex for you, then you can just unlock my door and let me go back into my apartment.”
   
I stared out the front window, unable to face him anymore.
 
I was afraid he’d call my bluff.
 
My mouth was saying no way, but my body was saying
yes, yes, yes
to his request that I take off my panties and ride to the restaurant commando.

“I need this,” he said simply.

“Get a blow-up doll,” I said, refusing to look at him.

He didn’t say anything in response, but I felt his hand on my thigh.

I pushed it off, turning to glare at him.
 
“I am totally not kidding.
 
Keep your paws off me, or I’m done here.”

He smiled, a devilish look on his face that made my heart skip a beat.
 
He shook his head slowly, turning the engine over and pressing on the accelerator a little, making a growl come from beneath the hood.
 
“You have no idea what you do to me.”

I took a deep breath.
 
This thing was already getting out of control, and we hadn’t even left the parking lot.
 
“You’re right.
 
I don’t.
 
You’re making no sense whatsoever.
 
But just so you know … my roommate has your license plate number, and she knows where we’re supposed to be.
 
If I don’t text her when we arrive and when we leave and every point along the way with our secret code, she’ll have the cops on your butt so fast you won’t know what hit you.”

He chuckled, shifting the car into reverse and expertly removing the vehicle from the tight space.
 
“You have nothing to fear from me.
 
The last thing in the world I’d want to do is harm you.”

“Why?” I asked.
 
It was one of the dumber thing I’ve said, and I cringed at the word as soon as it left my lips.
 
But there was nothing to do about it now except wait for his laughter at my naiveté.
 
I might as well have told him to declare his undying love for me or something.
 
Gah!
 
Why don’t I think before I speak?
 

He moved from second gear to third so smoothly the car didn’t jerk even the slightest bit.
 
He stared out the window the entire time, giving no indication that he’d heard me.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.
 
This was bad.
 
It was such a stupid thing to say that he was just going to pretend he hadn’t heard it.
 
I wanted to sink down in my seat or just disappear into thin air, but since I wasn’t ten years old or a witch, I conjured an image of myself in front of the mirror, looking powerful and sophisticated.
 
Visualization is the key.
 
You are not an idiotic college kid, begging for love from some near-stranger.
 
You are a strong, intelligent woman who just needs to think a little bit more before speaking.

“Why?” he said, surprising me, making me jump a little.
 
“Because there’s just something about you that … calls to me.”
 
He shook his head, turning the wheel to take the highway on-ramp.
 
“And you’ve not harmed me or done anything to make me upset, so why would I want to harm you?”