You Don't Know Jack

On Saturday morning, I woke up confused for a second, then remembered I was still in Miami with Brody.  I shifted a little and grinned when he stirred, his arm tightening around my waist.  I had always needed my space when I slept before I started dating Brody, but I quickly started to enjoy sleeping with our bodies pressed together.  Now I felt weird when I was sleeping by myself.

"Good morning," he murmured sleepily against the back of my head.

I wiggled around until I was facing him and wrapped both of my arms around him.  "Good morning," I said, pressing my face against his chest.  We laid like that for several minutes until Brody's phone rang.

"Damn it," he muttered irritably, and we quickly untangled ourselves so he could get up and grab it from the table where he had left it last night.  He was out in the living area of the suite for several minutes, then he came back into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed.  "Do you want to order room service?  I don't feel like getting up yet, but I'm kind of hungry."  I agreed, and after we ordered he laid back down next to me.  He pulled me over against him and I settled my head against his chest.  We laid in bed talking until breakfast came, then we ate in bed and laid there for another hour or so.

"What do you want to do today?" he asked, finally.

I stretched while I considered this.  "Hmmm, something outside.  It's so nice out compared to Denver."

We ended up going to a nearby state park and wandering around on the "hiking" trails and the beach for most of the afternoon.  While we were driving back to the hotel to shower and change for dinner, a sharp, shrill ringing came from the car speakers.  He glanced down at his phone in the cupholder and swore before hitting the bluetooth button on the steering wheel.

I peeked curiously at the phone while it was ringing and saw the unfamiliar name Jack Friedrich on the display.

"Hey Jack," Brody said.

"What the hell, Adler?   You're in Miami and I have to find out from Alexa?" 

Brody rolled his eyes.  "Well it's not like I sought her out.  I'm here on business, I haven't had much free time."

"Speaking of free, Alexa mentioned that you had a girl with you.  A girlfriend.  She didn't seem to think much of her, but she must be one hot piece of ass if you--"

"Watch it, Jack," Brody warned.  He glanced at me and mouthed, "Sorry."  I shrugged.

"Shit, am I on speaker?"

"You are, but even if you weren't..."

Jack interrupted, "Okay, okay.  Point taken.  Anyway, I want to see you, and so does the rest of the old crew.  Come out tonight.  Bring the girlfriend."

"I'd love to," Brody said, "But Liv is only here for the weekend and I'd really like to spend the evening with her."

"One drink," Jack wheedled.  "You guys are probably going out to dinner, right?  Just one drink after dinner.  Then you can go fu--spend time with your girlfriend."

Brody glanced over at me and I nodded.  As much as I wanted to spend the evening with Brody in his hotel room, I knew very little about his years in Miami and was curious to meet the people he had been friends with here.

"Are you sure?" Brody whispered.  "They haven't changed much since college."

I shrugged.  "So what?  Yeah, let's go."

"Hello?" came Jack's impatient voice from the speaker.

"Sorry, I was checking with Olivia," Brody replied.  "One drink."

Jack told him where they would be and when they were going.  When Brody hung up, he sighed.  "Alexa might be there," he warned me.

"Okay," I replied, but I wasn't thrilled at the prospect.  "What are you so worried about?"

"I just haven't seen much of them since college, but I've heard enough to know that they're still 21 in their heads.  I just don't want you to judge me based on them."  By this point we were back to the hotel and he turned off the SUV and turned to look at me.

"I'm not going to judge you based on them," I replied reassuringly.  "Look, I know very little about Miami you, and I gather that there's a reason for that.  But it's not like I don't know you weren't exactly an angel before we met.  I'm excited to meet your friends.  We'll have one drink, then we'll come back and relax.  But if you really don't want to go, that's fine, we definitely don't have to."

"No," he replied quickly.  "I actually would like to see them, I just don't want you to be uncomfortable.  If you're fine though, we'll go."

We got out and Brody handed the keys to the valet.  When we got to the room, I started for the bathroom, but he grabbed my arm.  "What's the rush?" he asked, pulling me towards him and kissing me.

"I'm all sweaty and gross," I protested.

"Sweaty maybe, but definitely not gross," he countered, grabbing my hips and pressing his body against mine.  I started to argue but he pressed his lips against mine, silencing me.  I still would have preferred to shower first, but his fingers sliding beneath my shirt was enough to convince me otherwise. He tugged off my shirt and my bra and was rolling a nipple between his fingers when he asked, "Do you still want to shower first?"

"Shut up," I gasped, reaching for his shorts.  He chuckled and pulled his shirt off before backing me up to the bed.

When we were finished, we got into the huge shower together and then quickly got dressed and ready to go out to dinner.  We decided to take a cab because Brody didn't feel like driving.  When we were seated at the restaurant, I smiled at Brody.  "So, what should I know about your friends?" I asked.

He laughed.  "They're wild and immature.  Be prepared to hear some less than savory stories about everything tonight, including me."

"Especially about you, I hope," I replied with a smirk.  He shook his head, trying not to smile.  He did look a little nervous though.

We enjoyed our dinner, then walked over to the bar that Jack had said they'd be at.  It was not my type of place at all.  It was dark, hot, crowded, and loud, there was a packed dance floor (already?  It was only 8:30) in the middle of everything.  "It's quieter upstairs," Brody said in my ear, motioning with his head to the stairs in the corner.  He laid a hand on shoulder, stroking the nape of my neck with his thumb as we walked over and up the stairs.

"Get a drink first?" he asked, gently turning me towards the bar.  I nodded.  We walked over and his hand dropped from my shoulder and settled on my waist, pulling me close to him.  While we waited for our drinks, Brody turned and scanned the bar.  He must have found them because he waved and turned back to me.

After we got our drinks, we made our way through the people to a table in the corner which was occupied by three guys and a girl.  Two of the guys stood up and gave Brody an awkward man half-hug.  The other smirked at him and said, "I'm not standing for an asshole who can't even tell me when he's in town."  But then he broke into a huge grin and jumped down from his stool and gave Brody a real hug.  "It's been way too long, man, it's good to see you." 

He turned to me and Brody quickly introduced me to Jack, Aaron, Chris, and Erica.  I kept mixing up Aaron and Chris in my head, so I decided I wouldn't actually say either of their names out loud.

"It's nice to meet you," Jack said, throwing a charming smile my way.  I couldn't help but notice how hot he was.  He was a perfect opposite of Brody, features-wise.  Blonde hair, blue eyes, a little taller than Brody, similar build.  No wonder they got into so much trouble together.  "I'm honored to meet the woman that got Brody to settle down."

I laughed.  "I'm not sure how much credit I can take for that, but it's nice to meet you too."  They shifted their seats so we could sit.

Jack eyed up Brody's IWC watch.  "Looks like you're doing well for yourself," he commented.  "I don't even know what kind of watch that is, but it looks expensive."

Chris (or Aaron?) laughed.  "I'd bet that watch cost more than you make in three months, Jack."

Brody shrugged, looking uncomfortable.  The watch, which he had bought in celebration of buying out his company, was an out of character splurge for him but I knew he loved it. 

"Seriously, though," Jack said.  "I heard through the PR grapevine that you bought out Denver and don't work for your dad anymore.  That's awesome, congrats."

"Thanks," Brody said, the smile returning to his face.  "It's been a lot of hard work, but it's pretty great to have my own company now."  They talked about the company for awhile and then the guys caught Brody up on what they were up to.  They were loud and a little rowdy, but overall I thought Brody had exaggerated on their lack of maturity.  Erica didn't say a word, and occasionally glared at me.  Okay then.  I made a relevant comment or asked a question here and there but I was mostly quiet while they caught up.

When they were done, Aaron (I think?  Maybe it was Chris) turned to me and with a smile asked, "So Olivia, what do you do?"  I told them about my job and the guys asked me a few more questions.  Erica was buried in her phone.

When I finished my drink, Brody leaned over and whispered, "Do you want to stay or go?"

"It's up to you.  I'm fine if you want to stay, it seems like you're having fun."

"One more drink," he replied.  I nodded.  We excused ourselves and went up to the bar.  "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.

"Do I look not okay?" I replied, laughing.  "I'm fine.  Your friends are nice.  Well, besides Erica, what's her deal?"

Brody rolled his eyes.  "She's Alexa's friend.  I'm sure Alexa told her to be an ice queen.  She's actually usually pretty cool if you can catch her without Alexa."  I wasn't quite sure I believed that, but at least  I understood why she wasn't my number one fan.

When we returned to the table, someone was sitting in my seat.  It took me a second to process, but I realized it was Alexa.  Great.  Brody groaned.  "I'm rethinking these drinks now," he said.  I agreed, but we continued to the table.  There was only room for 6 stools at the table, so Brody stood so I could have his, since mine was taken.  Aaron-or-Chris immediately offered to give up his seat so Brody could sit too but Brody waved him off.  He stood slightly behind me, almost between me and Alexa.

"Oh, sorry," Alexa cooed insincerely.  "Did I take your spot?"

"No, he was clearly standing the whole time in anticipation of your arrival," Jack said, rolling his eyes.

"He would," Alexa retorted with a smirk.  "I think we all know that."

"Well, this got weird really fast," Chris-or-Aaron muttered. 

"I'm impressed with how much you've matured, Alexa," Brody commented sarcastically, draining his drink.

Alexa laughed.  "And I'm not impressed with how you think you're too good for us now, with your fancy suits and your cute little 'girlfriend' and your very own little company."  She turned to Jack.  "Did you know Brody was down here for two months in August and September?  Did he call you once?  Shoot you a text to see how you were doing?"

Jack looked at Brody.  "Is that true?" he asked, clearly hurt.

Brody sighed.  "It's true, Jack, but I was working from dawn to midnight nearly every day.  My dad barely let me out of his sight.  It's not like I purposely avoided you.  I really would have loved to see you." 

"Yeah, let's talk about your dad," Alexa continued to the topic that had been tactfully avoided up until this point, undeterred by the looks she was getting from everyone at the table except Erica, who sitting in her seat watching the goings-on with a tiny smile on her pretty, smug face.  "Really mature of you to leave him hanging.  And now he's out of the country and can probably never come back.  Do you feel good about that?"

Brody gaped at her. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he asked, shocked.  "And how do you know so much about this?"  Alexa simply smirked in response and Brody's look of shock quickly turned to a look of disgust.  "Never mind, I can use my imagination."

"You fucked his dad?!" Jack yelped, immediately drawing the attention of the people at tables around us.  "Wow, even I didn't think you were that desperate and dirty, and you know I've never liked you."  Alexa just laughed.

"Let's go," Brody growled in my ear.

"Gladly," I replied, quickly finishing my drink.


As we walked out the door, Jack caught up to us.  "Look, Jack--" Brody started.

"No, don't," Jack interrupted.  "I'm not mad.  I'm sorry she ruined what started as a good evening.  Look, how long are you around?  Can we get dinner or a drink or something?"

"I'll be here for about another week.  I'll call you so we can catch up uninterrupted."

Jack grinned.  "That sounds good." He turned to me and extended his hand.  "It was really great to meet you, and I'm impressed that you kept your cool while Alexa was popping off at the mouth in there.  Brody's a lucky guy."

I gave him a tight smile.  "I'm pretty lucky too, no matter what she thinks."  He smiled back and walked back into the bar while Brody looked for a cab.

Brody was silent on the short cab ride back to the hotel.  I gave him his space, while I silently cursed Alexa for putting him in a foul mood on my last night here.   When we got up to the room, Brody stormed around for a few minutes before going through the bedroom into the bathroom and slamming the door.  I heard the shower start.  I changed into a pair of comfy shorts and a t-shirt and sat on the couch flipping through TV channels. 

Brody came out of the bedroom a few minutes later in shorts and a t-shirt.  He sat down on the other end of the couch and motioned me towards him.  I laid down and rested my head on his leg.  "I'm sorry, that was a clusterfuck," he apologized, running his fingers through my hair.

"She was pretty wretched, are you okay?"  I asked, rolling over to look up at him.

"I'm fine," he replied, brushing a piece of hair out of my face.  "Thanks for letting me have some time."  I nodded as I sat up and wrapped my arms around him.  He hugged me back and kissed the top of my head, and we sat there for a long time before untangling ourselves and heading to bed.

Warm Welcome

On Thursday, I went straight from work to the airport.  My flight left at 6, and it was a 4 hour flight.  Since Miami was two hours ahead, I got there a little after midnight, local time.  Brody had some work stuff to do Friday morning, but as of lunch time on Friday, he'd be all mine.

Down in the baggage claim area, I spotted him before he saw me.  I took a moment to enjoy the fluttering in my stomach that still happened every time I saw him, before walking quickly over and throwing my arms around him.

"Hey!" he said happily, hugging me back tightly.  "I'm so glad you're here."  He pulled back and kissed me.  The kiss was soft at first, but quickly progressed to a smoldering PDA that was completely out of character for him.  When we broke apart, I was breathless.

"I guess you are," I said, when I had caught my breath.  "I'm glad I'm here too."  He grabbed my bag and slid his other arm around my shoulders, and we walked out of the airport.

When we stopped at a sleek silver Range Rover, I raised my eyebrows.  "The board spared no expenses," Brody said.  "Wait til you see the hotel room they put me up in."  He navigated the big vehicle confidently out of the parking lot and into traffic. 

"Have you ever been here?"  he asked, stepping quickly on the brake when someone pulled in front of him.

"Once for a couple days when I was in middle school, but I don't really remember anything," I replied.

"I can see how Miami wouldn't make much of an impression on a 12 year old," he said with a smirk.   So far, all I saw were lights and cars.  "Did you get your appointment rescheduled?"  I was supposed to have my second therapy appointment tomorrow but had rescheduled it and gone yesterday.

I rolled my eyes.  "Yes, dad, I went yesterday.  It was good."

"Sorry," he said sheepishly.  "I just want you to take care of yourself, and you're not always so good at doing it on your own."  He had a point, but he was the same way.  He drove through the busy downtown streets and pulled up in front of a large hotel.  The valet opened my door as Brody grabbed my bag from the backseat.  I was always a little overwhelmed by valets and doormen, and in my tired state after a full day of work and traveling, it was all I could to smile politely and murmur thanks.

Brody took my hand and we walked in.  We stepped out of the elevator at the top floor of the hotel, and Brody opened the door to a huge suite.  "Wow," I said, looking around.  Brody nodded, setting my bag on the couch that was perfectly positioned facing the large windows that overlooked downtown Miami.  He came up behind me, wrapping his arms around me.

"Does this fancy suite have a shower?" I asked, leaning my head back against his shoulder.

"As a matter of fact, it does have a shower.  I'm pretty sure 6 people will fit in it, too."

"Oh good, we'll have to try that tomorrow," I joked. 

He laughed, kissing me on the cheek.  "Go shower.  Then, I believe I have some promises to keep."  That perked me up quickly, despite the late hour, and I headed for the giant bathroom.

After my shower, Brody proceeded to do everything he had promised in our phone conversation earlier in the week.  I got impatient halfway through and tried to rush things, but he wasn't having it.  Almost two hours later we collapsed next to each other on the bed, exhausted and satisfied.

"If that's how you greet me after 8 days apart, you should go on longer trips more often," I said, when my brain cleared.   He just laughed and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close to him.  We fell asleep like that.

I woke up early the next morning when Brody's alarm went off.  "Good morning, beautiful," he murmured against my ear, drawing a finger down my arm.

"Morning," I replied, pushing my hips back against his.  His hand moved up to my breast, cupping it and rolling my nipple between his fingers.  I moaned and pushed my hips back harder against him.  He pushed into me from behind, holding me tightly against him as he thrust slowly, grinding his hips against mine at the deepest point of each thrust.  I gasped as his lips found the back of my neck.

"Mmmm, I am so glad you came down," he breathed, before picking up the pace.

He stayed curled around me for a few minutes after.  Then he sighed and sat up, stretching.  He pulled the blanket back up over me.   "What time is it?" I asked.

He checked his watch.  "Almost 6:30 now.  Go back to sleep.  I'll be back in time for lunch, and we'll have the rest of the afternoon together."  He leaned down and kissed me gently before heading into the bathroom.  I fell asleep before he finished showering, and didn't wake up when he left.

I was up, showered, and ready to go by the time Brody came back at 12:30.  I had a restaurant for lunch picked out, a tapas place within walking distance of our hotel.  It was sunny and close to 70 degrees, and it felt amazing as we walked.

After we had ordered several plates and drinks, Brody said, "Robert, the chairman of the board, invited us out to dinner tonight.  It's totally up to you if you want to go."

"Sure, why not," I replied. 

Brody called Robert to let him know we were up for dinner, then put his phone away.  He grinned at me across the table.  "Do you have anything to wear to an obnoxiously overpriced restaurant?" he asked.

I thought for a minute, then shook my head.  "I don't think so, sorry."

"Don't be, you didn't know you'd need it.  I guess we'd better do some shopping today then," he replied.

I raised an eyebrow.  "You?  Shopping?  This ought to be interesting."

He grimaced.  "Anything for you," he said, winking.

After lunch, we wandered through downtown for awhile. Brody stopped outside a pricy-looking women's clothing boutique.  "Well?" he said, motioning towards it.

I shook my head.  "I can't afford anything in there."

"Good thing you're not paying then, huh?" he replied.  I glared at him.  "Seriously, Liv.  I won't even tell you the insane amount of money they're paying me for this consulting work, but if I'm going to drag you to this dinner, let me spend a very small portion of it on your clothing for it."  Without giving me a chance to argue, he tugged me firmly towards the door.  How very Pretty Woman.

We walked out nearly an hour later with a gorgeous deep emerald dress and a pair of ridiculous expensive, but amazingly comfortable, bronze pointed-toe pumps.   "Now what?" Brody asked, when we got back to the hotel.

I frowned and inspected my nails.  "I'm seriously considering going down to the spa and getting a manicure because my nails are awful, and I feel like I can't wear that dress with my nails looking like a hot mess."  I paused, then grinned at Brody.  "You should come too.  You can get a pedicure."

It took a little convincing, but 20 minutes later we were both getting pedicures.  Even though he agreed that the pedicure was awesome and his feet looked and felt great, he drew the line at a manicure and refused to join me for that.  Instead, he sat and talked to me while I got a gel manicure with a bronze polish that would match the shoes we got nearly perfectly. 

By the time we were done, it was time to get ready for dinner.  Brody let me shower first, and I dried my hair while he showered.  When I was done with my hair and makeup, I carefully slipped my new dress and shoes on.  "Well?" I asked, turning in a slow circle.  "What do you think?"

"I think it's too damn bad we need to leave for dinner in 5 minutes, because you look amazing," he said, sliding his arms around my waist and kissing me softly.

"Well, that works," I responded, pushing my fingers into his hair and massaging his scalp.

"No, don't do that, or we'll end up late," he groaned.  I laughed.

Dinner, for being "obnoxiously overpriced" was really quite good.  Robert was an older gentleman, probably in his early 60s, and he was very polite and soft-spoken.  I wondered how he had stood a chance against Brian Adler.  We lingered at the restaurant for awhile after our meal, finishing a bottle of wine.  Eventually, we parted ways.

As Brody and I were walking out, hand in hand, a rich, throaty female voice said, "Well, if it isn't the infamous Brody Adler, back in his old stomping grounds."

We both turned.  The voice belonged to a stunningly gorgeous woman with thick, jet black hair and icy blue eyes.  "Alexa," Brody said in surprise.  I had no idea who she was, but immediately pegged her as ex.  She turned her piercing gaze on me, looked me up and down, and must have determined me not worth her time because she quickly turned her eyes back to Brody.

"Just visiting?" she asked, stepping closer to him.

"Here on business," he replied curtly.  He turned to me.  "Liv, this is a friend from school, Alexa.  Alexa, this is my girlfriend, Olivia."

"Girlfriend?" she scoffed, looking back at me briefly.  "Huh.  Cute."  The way she said it was not complimentary.  Brody bristled, but I squeezed his hand.  He remained tense but kept his mouth shut.

"Well, Alexa, it was nice to see you, but we need to get going," Brody said, after a long pause.  She gave him a half-hearted hug and me a disgusted glance, then turned on her very high, very expensive looking heel and left.

"She seems lovely," I said with a smirk when we got in the car.  "I thought you said you didn't have any exes."

Brody laughed.  "She's not really an ex.  We hooked up for awhile in college.  A long while, I guess.  I developed feelings for her, she didn't reciprocate, I cut things off.  She's..."

"A huge bitch," I supplied helpfully.

"Yes.  A huge bitch," he agreed.  He glanced over at me and I smiled.  "Are you upset?" he asked.  "I guess I should have told you about her, she's the closest thing to an ex I have."

"Not at all," I assured him.  Jealousy has never been my thing.  I don't put up with jealous significant others, and I don't get jealous either (unless the mistress is work...).  The only thing that bugged me about Alexa was her nasty attitude. 

Traffic downtown was heavy and it took a ridiculously long time to get to our hotel, which was barely a mile away.  By the time we got back to the hotel room, I was completely ready to lay in bed, and Brody looked positively exhausted.  He couldn't have gotten more than 3 hours of sleep the night before, so I was surprised when he slid his arms around me from behind and kissed the back of my neck as I took off my shoes and my necklace.

"You must have really missed me," I teased, as he pushed the strap of my dress down with one finger, his lips trailing after.

"I really missed you," he confirmed, before moving his finger and mouth to my other shoulder.  Soon he had my dress off, though I did stop him so I could hang it up instead of leaving it on the floor.  He took the opportunity to get rid of his clothes.

Since we were both a little worn out from last night and this morning, we didn't actually have sex, but we spent over an hour laying together, letting our hands and mouths wander.  It was incredibly intimate and when we finally dragged our lips apart to sleep, I felt more content and connected with him than I ever had.   

(Then) Brody

Miami

"Come on, man," Jack said, shaking his head.  "Have a little fun for once."  He was looking at a couple of scantily clad girls that were sitting by the keg.  "Which one do you like better?"

I'd been in Miami for a month, and it had been harder to break out of my "good kid" role than I'd thought it would be.  I finally had the chance to grieve for my sister, because I was no longer the glue holding the family together, but the grieving was already old.  It felt strange to be doing it now, so long afterwards.  I reasoned that I never really had a chance when it was fresh, but that just kicked up old resentments and made everything more complicated.  I wanted to move past it and enjoy my college experience, but I felt guilty about it.

I looked over the girls carefully.  One was clearly drunk, and both held plastic cups of keg beer in their hands, giggling as the drunker one sloshed some onto the unamused girl on her other side.  I sighed and said, "I guess the one in the black," indicating the less drunk of the two.  She was pretty, with long dark hair and round brown eyes.  I mean, they were both pretty, but sloppy drunk girls aren't really my style.

"Bet you the case of your choice that I can get the other one's number before you can get hers," Jack said, grinning lasciviously at me.  He was a terrible influence, but I was also tired of watching my friends go home with different girls every night while I went back to my dorm room by myself, drunk and miserable.

"You're on," I said, shaking his extended hand.  He waggled his eyebrows at me and we got up to walk over to the girls.

"Ladies," Jack said, stepping between them, a hand on each back.  The girls giggled.  Jack was seriously good looking and I had witnessed several times the effect his face and wit had on the female students here.  He introduced us both to them and I grinned at the one in black.  Kelly, I think she said her name was.  I made small talk with her for a little while while Jack worked on charming the pants off the other girl.  It didn't take long, and he was soon leading her away, throwing a wink over his shoulder at me.

Kelly looked at me expectantly.  "Maybe you could walk me back to my room," she suggested, laying a hand on my arm and smiling.

"Of course," I responded, smiling back.  "Wouldn't let a gorgeous girl walk alone."  She really was hot.  As she turned and walked towards the door, I couldn't help but admire the curve of her ass in the shorts that were barely long enough to cover it. 

She pointed us towards her dorm, and I settled an arm around her waist as we walked.  When we got to her dorm, I asked for her number.  She laughed.  "I'd rather you just came up," she said, her hand on my chest.  So I did.

Jack and I called our bet a draw, since neither of us actually ended up with a phone number.  Subsequent nights became easier.  I wondered if drugs and drinking did for Ken what sex did for me.  If so, I could start to understand his undoing.  It was simple and I didn't have to think.  In fact, I couldn't think.  That was the biggest draw.  And then after awhile, it even became fun.  I began to develop a reputation, and while it wasn't a wholesome one, it wasn't completely negative either.  Girls began to seek me out, making it all even easier.   Of course, none of the girls were girls I'd bring to meet my family, but let's be real...I wasn't planning on subjecting anyone to that trainwreck for a very long time. 

One night, I was out at a bar with a habit of serving the under-21 crowd with Jack, Gray, and Aaron, when Aaron spotted some girls he knew from a class.  We walked over to join them, and one of them, Alexa, raised her eyebrows at me.  "The infamous Brody Adler," she quipped, looking me up and down.

"Infamous?" I joked back.  "You wound me." 

She snorted, her full lips twitching into an almost-smile.  "And not even with the good grace to act ashamed of your reputation," she said haughtily.  Man, she was hot. And the fact that she wasn't throwing herself at me made me want her even more. 

I shrugged and leaned against the table next to her, my arm brushing her shoulder.  "Not really my style."

She rolled her eyes.  "So I've heard."  Even thought her disdain for me was apparent, she made no move to remedy the fact that our bodies were touching.  As the night went on, her banter slowly moved from semi-hostile to flirty, and she even let me buy her a drink.  When Jack told me they were leaving, I said I'd catch up with them outside.

I turned to Alexa.  "Can I call you?" I asked.

She laughed.  "Not a chance.  But why don't you give me your number, and if I decide I want to see if the rumors are true, I'll give you a call."  She looked blatantly south of my waistband as she said this, then let her eyes travel slowly back up to my face.  This was unprecedented, but she had me intrigued, so I gave her my number and left.

I was shocked when she called not even a week later, at 11pm on a Thursday night.

"Is this the infamous Brody Adler, or did he give me a fake number?" came the voice on the other end when I picked up.  I recognized her voice right away.

"Alexa, I'm surprised you called," I replied.

"Well, that makes two of us, except I'm surprised you recognized my voice and remembered my name," she tossed back.  "Can I come over?"  Right to the chase.  I told her she could, and she said she'd be there in a half hour.  I jumped in the shower and kicked some dirty dishes under my bed.  I was glad I wasn't too messy.

She looked around my room.  "A single, how convenient," she said with a smirk. 

"Believe it not, I didn't get a single for the sole purpose of hooking up," I replied.  She nodded like she didn't quite believe it but wasn't going to waste her energy arguing.  She dropped her purse on my desk chair and sat on the edge of my bed.  I leaned against the wall near the door and watched her.  Her eyes drifted around the room, then stopped at me.

"You're not nervous, are you?" she said, looking a little surprised.

"You don't get a reputation like mine if you get nervous when a hot girl is in your room in the middle of the night," I said arrogantly.  Truthfully though, I was nervous and I had no idea why, but hell if I was going to tell her that.

She cocked an eyebrow at me and smirked again.  "Well maybe you should come sit by me.  I didn't come here to talk about the weather or enjoy the view from a different dorm room."

I walked slowly over to her, letting my eyes slide up and down her body as I went.  "Then what did you come here for?" I asked, sitting next to her.  In response, she pushed me back on the bed and kissed me.

Alexa and I saw each several more times over the next few weeks.  Always at night, always in my room, and she always left right after.  One night, I asked her to stay.  She sat up and shook her head.  "Brody, you're a great guy to fuck, but not really a great guy to spend the night with," she said dismissively.  "Next you'll be asking me out on a date."  She got up and pulled her clothes back on.

I sat up too.  Her hand was on the doorknob when I said, "And what if I did ask you out on a date?"  She turned in surprise.  She didn't say anything for several long seconds.  Then she said, "I think you should stick with what you're good at," and she was gone.  I laid back and pondered her words.  Was sex really all I was good for at this point?

I was surprised when she called again a few nights later.  She stayed for about 15 minutes after we were finished, which was about 14 minutes longer than usual.  It gave me hope.  I didn't ask her to stay, but I thought that eventually she might change her mind.   She kept coming, once or twice a week, every week for months.  One night, it began pouring while she was there, and she ended up spending the night.  I was not surprised to find her gone in the morning, though. 

Finally, six months into hooking up, I did ask her out on a date.  She had just gotten there and was sitting on my bed.  I sat in the chair and asked her.  She laughed.  "I thought I told you to stick to what you're good at," she said, standing and walking over to me.  She tugged at my belt and smiled coyly.  "Come on, I don't have all night.  Can you shut up and get naked?"  She was shocked when I asked her to leave.

Alexa didn't call me again, and when we'd run into each other out, she was chilly towards me.  I took a brief hiatus from hooking up, but was quickly tempted by eager girls that seemed happy I was available again.  Not that I had ever been unavailable, apparently.  But I hadn't hooked up with another girl since before the first time Alexa had called me.

In the end, it was easier to just fall back into casual sex.  Putting in the effort to win Alexa over had been hard work, and I had failed, so why bother again?  I made it through the rest of my college days without ever asking another girl out, and that was fine with me.