“You never know.”
“Trust me, I know. He’s working on Wall Street, living in a swanky apartment and I’ve just started college living in the dorms, with a roommate in single beds.” My stomach tightened in knots. “He wouldn’t give me the time of day if he knew.”
“You’re still you. He’ll still like you.”
“No, he won’t. He’ll think I’m a kid.”
“I don’t know, Katie. I just have a bad feeling he’s going to figure out you’re not 22.”
“I’ll tell him eventually.” I sighed. “Once we get to know each other better. I’ll tell him then.”
“Okay.” She yawned. “Shit, I’m tired. I’m falling asleep already.”
“Sweet dreams, Meg.”
And in response, she started snoring.
The next day was crazy, Meg lent me one of her dresses and another pair of heels, and I walked to the station on 116th with a huge grin on my face. I knew I looked good because I had caught several guys eyeing me as I walked down Broadway. I was so excited I thought I was going to throw up. I was going on a date with a hot man, a very hot man, and all I wanted to do was sing and smile. I changed trains in Herald Square and then looked on my phone for the best directions to get to the restaurant. I got a little lost and ended up arriving about ten minutes late. I saw Brandon waiting outside for me and his eyes lit up as I ran over to him quickly.
“Sorry,” I gasped, slightly out-of-breath. “I can’t walk fast in these heels.”
“You should have caught a cab.”
“I, uh, prefer the train, it’s more environmentally friendly.” I lied. I only had a thousand dollars to last me a few months and I certainly wasn’t going to waste it on cabs.
“I do like a girl that thinks of the environment.”
“That’s me.”
“I thought you were going to stand me up.” His blue eyes sparkled as he surveyed my appearance. I looked him over hungrily: he looked even more handsome than I had remembered, with a crisp light blue shirt that illuminated his eyes and a pair of grey slacks. He had on flat black leather shoes that looked expensive and shiny.
“Oh, sorry. I got a little lost.” I made a face and he laughed before reaching over and kissing me lightly. I stood there looking at him stupidly, and he laughed and ran his hands through his hair.
“Sorry, I’ve been waiting to kiss you for a week.”
“No need to apologize, I liked it.”
“You’re always so honest. I love it.”
“I try.” I smiled back weakly, thinking about the big lie I was keeping from him.
“We can skip dinner if you want.” He leaned in towards me and I could feel the warmth of his skin even though he wasn’t touching me.
“Oh? You want to go straight to the salsa classes?” I asked stupidly.
“No, I was thinking we could go back to my place.”
“Your place?” I stared at him for a moment, before it clicked. “Oh. Oh.” I blushed and bit my lower lip as I wondered what to say. “I don’t have sex on the first date.” I blurted out finally. “I’m not a prude or anything, but I’ve always thought that...”
“No need to explain.” He grabbed my hand. “I respect your want to wait. It will make it more special.”
“Exactly.” I nodded in agreement and walked with him into the restaurant.
“How was work today, Katie?”
“Uh, pretty good. You?”
“It was the same. Only it wasn’t as bad, as I knew I was going to see you this evening.”
“That’s sweet.” I blushed. “I thought about you today as well.”
“I guess that’s a sign.”
“Sign of what?”
“That we’re meant to be.” He winked at me and I felt my heart explode in happiness. This was a man who knew how to worm his way into a woman’s heart.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re approaching San Francisco International Airport. We should be landing in about 30 minutes. Please put your seats in the upright position.” The Captain speaking diverted me from my memories again. I made sure my seat was upright and my seat belt tightened, and smiled at the memories of that first weekend. I had stayed the whole weekend at Brandon’s apartment and we had stayed up all of Friday night watching French movies on Netflix, and then on Saturday he had taken me into Brooklyn and we had brunch at a cute little place in Park Slope. It had been perfect. He hadn’t even tried to touch me. Just two long, intense kisses before bed and then he fell asleep. He fell asleep while I lay there staring at his back, wanting to touch him and feel his skin next to mine. Only I was too scared and pathetic. I was still a girl, pretending to be a woman.
Chapter 2
“Welcome to the Diva Hotel, Mrs. Raymond.”
“Ms.” I smiled at the front desk clerk. “It’s Ms.”
“Sorry, Ms. Raymond. Would you be preferring two full size beds or one king?”
“King, please.” I handed her my credit card for incidentals and waited for my room key.
“Is there anything else we can help you with today?”
“No, that’s all, thanks.” I took my credit card back, grabbed my suitcase and walked over to the elevator. I saw a doorway to my left that led to a Starbucks, and I figured I could grab a coffee there in the morning before the orientation started. I was going to need to be as alert as possible as soon as I arrived. I walked into the elevator with its fluorescent purple lights, and I was immediately taken back to the night I had convinced Brandon to go to a nightclub with me. It had been the second week we had been seeing each other. We’d gone out to dinner and were walking back to his place when we passed Doug’s. I grabbed his arm and stopped him.
“Let’s go in.” I grinned and nodded towards the door. The strobe lights and booming top-40 music crept through the doorway and he shuddered. “Come on, it’ll be fun.”
“I don’t do clubs.” He shook his head with a small smile.
“Just for five minutes.”
“I guess I could do five minutes.” He grabbed my hand and we walked in easily, without being carded, just as I knew we would be. I wasn’t dumb this time, and we bypassed the bar, going straight to the dance floor. I grabbed his hands and started dancing. At first, he was a bit stiff. I could tell that he wasn’t one for bumping and grinding, but he seemed to get into the swing of things very quickly. One of my favorite rap songs came on, and I pushed back against him excitedly. He seemed to enjoy it, and allowed his hands to roam freely over my stomach and all the way up to the underside of my br**sts as he held onto me. I can remember the next moment clearly. A purple strobe light illuminated us in the room and we danced slowly in the crowd of people. I laughed and shimmied, enjoying the vitality I felt in the room, and then his hands slid all the way up and I felt them cupping my br**sts as we danced. I paused for a split second, startled by the feel of his hands kneading my br**sts. It felt different and it felt good. I looked around quickly to see if anyone had noticed, but no one was paying attention to us. They were too caught up in what they were doing. Doug’s was filled with people, but in that moment as the beats ruined our hearing and our bodies moved together as one, it felt like we were all alone and my body felt like it was on fire. His fingers became more aggressive against my br**sts and as he pinched my ni**les I backed into him hard, crying out in pleasure, though the sound was muffled by the music around us.