Jess
“What a shit show.”
I shake my head, taking another sip of my old fashioned, rolling the amber liquid around in the glass as I watch Kip on the dance floor.
To say I was shocked when he showed up at our formal tonight would be an understatement.
For reasons I still don’t understand, even after Ashlei explained her plan to me, she invited Kip to be her date.
Of course, in her mind, it was a way for Kip to be able to talk to Skyler, for them to work out whatever has been going on between them.
But I know better.
I know my girl Sky, and she’s on a mission tonight. Mission Forget Kip Ever Existed. These types of missions are dangerous, and usually consist of large volumes of alcohol, kissing random guys who aren’t Kip, and blacking out by the end of the night.
So, I can’t help but sigh in pity as Kip watches Skyler walk away from him. She had just been dancing with him, but from where I’m standing, it looked more like she was chewing his ass and reminding him that his chances to be with her are long gone.
Poor sap.
As if it isn’t already bad enough, Erin slides up, asking Kip to dance next. I can’t even watch that disaster.
Waving a hand like I can’t be bothered, I turn toward our table, ready to make my way to a chair so I can kick off my high heels for a bit. But instead, I’m met with a goofy smile and two full shot glasses.
“Well, if it isn’t Venus herself.”
I flatten my lips, blinking twice at Kade before I answer. “What does that even mean.”
“It means you’re the goddess of sex, of course,” he says. “And love and fertility and some other shit, too, but that’s not the point.”
I shove past him, rolling my eyes and draining the last of my old fashioned. I drop it on the first table I pass as he jogs to catch up to me, spilling a little of the two shots he’s balancing.
“Come on, look at you. That gold dress, the vine headband. You do look like Venus.”
“Stop talking.”
“Fine,” he grinds, stepping in front of me so I can’t keep walking away. “How about we drink, instead.”
Kade holds a shot toward me, and I eye it suspiciously before taking notice of how good he looks in his tuxedo tonight.
All his tattoos are covered, which I actually hate, but how tall, dark, and handsome he looks somewhat makes up for it.
His usually unruly hair is gelled and styled, curling a bit at the top.
He’s sporting an all-black suit, his beige dress shirt and gold pocket square matching me a little too much.
He looks down at the shots again, waggling his brows in an annoyingly adorable manner. “Eh? Come on.”
“Ugh, fine,” I say, but when I go to snag a shot glass from his hand, he pulls both away.
“First, a toast.” His brows furrow. “Or, rather, a proposition.”
I groan, slapping one hand against my forehead and dragging it down dramatically.
“Just, hear me out,” he says. “You’re here this summer, right?”
“I am… creeper, how did you know that?”
He ignores my question. “I’ve been thinking about what you said on the cruise… about my game. And as much as it pains me to say this… you’re right.”
At that, I stand a little straighter, folding my arms over my chest. “Okay, you said the magic words. I’m listening.”
“I am eager, and I spit a bunch of cheesy lines because, frankly, it’s all I know.
I was raised by two older, bonehead brothers who treat girls like absolute garbage.
I learned how to flirt from them, how to land a date, how to hold a relationship.
And, as you can see, that’s working out just peachy for me. ”
“Please tell me they didn’t also give you advice on how to fuck.”
He cringes.
“Jesus Christ.”
“I know,” he says quickly. “I know. It’s bad. Which is why, I was thinking…” He steps closer, a stupid smirk on his face. “What if you helped me? What if you were my teacher of sorts.”
I balk, jaw flopping open as my eyes double in size. “You’re kidding,” I say, but Kade just stares, biting his lip and bouncing on his toes a little. “Wow, you’re actually not.”
“Look, I know it sounds…”
“Stupid? Crazy? Like there’s absolutely nothing in it for me and it’s never going to happen?”
“Out of the ordinary,” he finishes. “But, you’re wrong about there not being anything in it for you. First of all, you get the satisfaction of taking an over-eager puppy under your wing and turning him into a panty-melting beast of a dog.”
I roll my eyes.
“And, you get free, no-strings-attached sex whenever you want it.”
At that, I laugh. “Because that’s so hard to find.”
“I’m clean, there’s no danger in banging me. And we’re friends.”
“News to me.”
Kade narrows his eyes. “Fine. What do you want in exchange. What will it take for you to say yes?”
I’m tempted to just tell him to get lost, but something about his little proposal piques my interest. Here’s this massively built, incredibly sexy, young kid asking for me to help him get better at flirting.
And dating. And fucking. He may be annoying as hell, but I saw the bulge in his swim trunks on Spring Break, and I know that equipment is more than enough to help a girl get by.
And there’s something about his eyes, about his tattoos, about his bulging biceps that remind me of Jarrett, and I wonder if he could fuck me like him, too. With a little training, of course.
My thighs clench at the thought. I need to get laid, bad, but that’s not reason enough to say yes to these kinds of shenanigans.
… Is it?
“Do you have a car?” I finally ask.
“I do.”
“What kind?”
He quirks a brow. “A Camaro.”
“Convertible?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Good, it’s mine now,” I say. “You can drop the keys off tomorrow. I had to sell mine to help a friend out, and I need wheels going into the summer and my last semester.”
I wait for him to argue, sure my request is too steep. But, to my surprise, he grits his teeth and nods with a somewhat genuine smile.
“Fine. Car’s yours. Anything else?”
“You have to actually listen,” I say, holding up one manicured finger. “And at least try not to completely annoy me every time we’re together.”
“I’ll do my best. So, we have a deal?”
I narrow my eyes, but finally sigh, snatching the shot glass out of his left hand. “We have a deal. Here’s to your helpless game, and my sanity in trying to fix it.”
Kade chuckles, clinking his glass to mine before we both throw them back and seal the deal.
Lord help me.