Bad Girlfriend (First & Last #4) (10 page)

Lindsay’s eyes were nearly bugging out of her head.  Even I was surprised at Leah’s confession.

“Who was it?”

Leah shook her head.  “Nobody you know.  Besides we’re not talking about me right now.  Back to the rules.  We have no kissing on the first date, so we should put down no sex until the sixth date.”

“I don’t know, Leah.  That might be stretching it a bit,” Lindsay said while nibbling on the end of the pen.

“Write it down,” Leah demanded.

“I think it’s a good rule,” I said.  “Obviously my old way of doing things isn’t working.”

I finished cutting Leah’s hair and went in the back to mix the color for her highlights.  It made me feel a little better that Lindsay had slept with almost as many guys as I had.  But that didn’t help my situation any.  Hopefully, Leah’s rules would keep me on the right track.

Armed with the bowl of hair color, a brush, and
a stack of foil, I returned to the front of the salon.  Lindsay was writing something else down.

“What’s the next rule?”
I asked as I brushed the color onto the first section of Leah’s hair.

“
No sex until you’ve had the exclusivity talk.”

Leah explained when she saw my confused look.  “You can’t have sex with a guy until you know he’s not having sex with anyone else.”

Oh, right.

“And the last rule, which is absolutely non-negotiable.  This will set the stage for your whole relationship,” Leah said dramatically.

Lindsay raised her eyebrows and I paused in applying highlights to hear Leah’s wisdom.

She smiled wickedly. 
“You orgasm first.”

Lindsay started laughing.  “That’s a given.”

“Maybe for you,” I grumbled.  “I’m lucky if it happens at all.”

Again I got the looks from both of them that conveyed they thought I was crazy.

“What?  You can’t seriously tell me it happens every time.”

“Uh, yeah,” Leah replied.  “It happens every time for him right?  It’s only fair.  Otherwise, what’s the point?”

At my look of confusion and dismay, Lindsay piped in.  “It wasn’t always like that for me.  Before Grady.  If you find a guy that complies with the all of the other rules, this last one shouldn’t even be an issue.”

What had started out as a fun light-hearted conversation with friends had left me feeling lacking somehow and thoroughly depressed.  Not only did I not have any decent boyfriend prospects, but I had apparently been missing out on some great sex for the last several years.

Lindsay seemed to sense my mood better than Leah.  So when they traded places so Leah could let her color sit for half an hour, Lindsay told me story after story of her failed attempts at dating during the five years she and Grady had been apart.  I did feel marginally better after she confessed to sleeping with one of her married professors when she was at NYU.  While Leah waited, she transcribed Lindsay’s notes into a neat and tidy list of rules for me to follow.

When I was done trimming Lindsay’s light blonde hair into long layers, I blew it dry and curled the ends.  I turned her around to face the mirror and fluffed her hair forward over her shoulders.

“It looks great, Brooke!  As always,” Lindsay gushed.  “I have to say I was seriously worried the first time I walked in here.  As much as I love it here, there isn’t quite the selection of shopping and services that I was used to in the city.  But you do my hair better than anyone at the expensive salons I’ve gone to.”

“Thanks, Lindsay.”
  I shrugged.  The praise was nice, but it wasn’t like my job was something really important.  Poppy was studying to be a doctor.  Lindsay had abandoned her previous career path of pre-law in favor of going back to school to be a nurse.  Even Leah, whose day job was working part time at a Realtor’s office, had the most important job of being a mom.  All I did was do hair.

“Okay, Leah.  Come back over.”  I swept up the hair from Lindsay’s trim as Leah sat back down in the chair.  She set the pad of paper and pen on the counter in front of her, and I fastened the drape back around her neck.

Leah and Lindsay chatted about their kids and husbands as I pulled all the foil out of her hair and washed out the excess color.  After blowing dry and styling Leah’s hair, I turned her around to face the mirror.

“Ditto what Lindsay said.  I look fabulous!”

I laughed and went to the ancient cash register to ring them up.  As usual they both tipped me way too much.  Then Leah handed me the list of rules.

Leah & Lindsay’s Rules for Dating

1.  Real first date

2.  No kissing on the first date

3.  No sex until the sixth date

4.  No sex until an exclusive relationship has been established

5.  You come first
 


I had to laugh at the last rule.  Leah took the paper back from me and folded it into a small square.  Then she tucked the square of paper down my shirt and right inside my bra.

“Hey!  What are you doing?”

“You have to keep this with you at all times.  Read it often so you remember what you’re supposed to do.  You never know when you’ll meet
the
guy.”

I adjusted
the paper so it wasn’t poking my boob.  “Okay,” I reluctantly agreed.

Leah pointed her slim finger in my face.  “And, you have to show this list of rules to any guy that asks you out.  If he can’t agree to all five rules, then you have to say no to the date.”

My eyes widened at the thought of whipping this paper out of my bra and showing it to a guy.  “That’s going to scare everyone away,” I protested.

Leah planted her hands on her hips. 
“Exactly.  Only the guys who are truly interested in getting to know you will stick around.”

 
I looked at her incredulously.  “I’m going to be single and celibate for the rest of my life,” I whined.

Lindsay wrapped her arm around my shoulder.  “No, you won’t.  You have a lot to offer a guy besides your body.  Remember that.”

Sure, whatever.  I watched them leave and cleaned up my area in preparation for my next client.  With the list of rules safely tucked inside my bra, I went through the rest of my day.  It would be really hard to follow the rules, but I made a promise to myself to try it.  After all, Lindsay and Leah were in happy committed relationships with men who loved them completely and unconditionally.  They had to know what they were talking about, right?

When the end of the day finally came, I said goodbye to Loraine and headed home.  I would have
just enough time to shower and fix my hair before I had to meet Poppy at the high school football field.

Chapter Ten

Adam

“Good night, Mr.
Branigan,” Louise said when she was preparing to leave on Friday evening.

Glancing at the clock, I saw it was indeed 5:30 already.  I couldn’t believe I ever thought working at an elementary school in a small town would be easy or boring.  My
second week had been chock full of staff meetings, a few parent conferences that went much like the one with Mrs. Morris, and a handful of disciplinary meetings with students.

“Have a good weekend, Louise.”

She nodded curtly and was gone.  While I was settling into my job well, I still hadn’t made any headway with Louise.  I finished up the paperwork on my desk and locked up my office.  The teachers all cleared out right after dismissal on Friday afternoons, so the school was silent as I walked out.  Only the cars of the two night janitors sat in the parking lot with mine.

On my way home I stopped at the deli and got a sandwich to go.  I really had to get to the store one of these days for more than the bare necessities. 
Although the small kitchenette in my apartment didn’t really allow for any gourmet cooking.  This weekend I would have time to go to the store and get some easy single guy food like cereal and frozen pizzas.  Monday was Labor Day, so I had a nice three day weekend ahead of me.  And I didn’t have anything planned other than the football game tonight.

After devouring the sandwich and chips, I changed out of my work clothes and into a pair of cargo shorts and a t-shirt.  I traded my glasses for contacts and threw a baseball cap on my head.  Then I grabbed my wallet and keys and locked up my apartment.

I was halfway down the stairs when Brooke’s back door opened and she emerged.  Almost missing a step or two, I took in her appearance.  Her long hair was up in a high ponytail that swung back and forth with every step she took.  She wore a very short denim skirt, a red t-shirt with a deep V in the front and a pair of sparkly black flip flops.  It made me feel better when she glanced over and almost tripped over her own feet when she saw me.

“Hey, Brooke,” I greeted her when we met in the middle of the driveway.

“Hi, Adam.  How are you?” she said very politely.

“Good.  And you?”

“I’m…good too.”  She looked me up and down.  “You look…different.”

“I’m not wearing my principal costume tonight.  Just a regular guy until Tuesday morning at 8:00
am.”

She smiled.

“Do you have big plans tonight?” I asked, trying to turn our awkward small talk into a normal conversation.

She tossed her
ponytail back over her shoulder with a flick of her hand.  “No big plans.  I’m meeting Poppy at the football game.  It’s Ford’s coaching debut.”

“That’s where I’m headed too,” I said.  Brooke looked unsure how to respond to that, and I found myself not wanting to stop talking to her.  “Can I give you a ride?”

She sank her teeth into her full bottom lip and looked at me uncertainly.  “Oh, um…okay.  You don’t have to though.”

“I know I don’t have to.  But I’d like to.”

Her green eyes looked even brighter than usual, the color enhanced by her red shirt.  “Okay, that would be great.  Thanks.”

I ushered her to my boring four door sedan and opened the passenger door for her.  She looked slightly surprised, and I wondered if no one had ever opened her car door before.

“Thanks,” she said softly.

Sliding into the drivers’ seat, I couldn’t help but notice her skirt was even shorter when she sat down, exposing miles of
tan creamy skin.  Her toes were painted a bright turquoise as were her fingernails.  Clearing my throat in an attempt to clear my head of the thoughts of Brooke’s legs and how they would feel wrapped around my waist, I started the car and drove us the few blocks to the high school.

The parking lot was full when we arrived and there were students milling around the entrance to the field. 
The sun was just beginning to set, and the lights were on, illuminating the field and the players warming up.

I walked beside Brooke with my hands in my pockets.  Otherwise I would undoubtedly find a reason, any reason, to touch her.  And considering what happened last Friday night, I needed to tread carefully.

“You can sit with us,” Brooke offered, giving me a genuine smile.  She was always beautiful, but when she smiled…it was on a whole other level.

“Brooke!” a
voice yelled from the stands, and we both turned to see Poppy waving at us.

Brooke waved back and maneuvered her way up the steps to the row where Poppy was sitting.  More than a few high school guys, and their dads, watched Brooke walk by.  I knew
exactly how they felt.

Brooke sat down next to Poppy, sending her skirt past mid thigh again. 
“Hi, Poppy.  You remember Adam?”

“Of course.
  It’s good to see you again Adam,” Poppy said, giving Brooke a funny look.

“We were both leaving at the same time, and it turns out Adam was headed here too.  So, he gave me a ride,” Brooke explained.

“Brooke was nice enough to invite me to join you.”

“Brooke’s very nice like that,” Poppy said cryptically, giving Brooke a pointed look.

Brooke rolled her eyes, and I felt like I was missing something.

“So, Poppy, Ford told me you’re planning on going to medical school.  Do you know where you would like to g
o?” I asked.

My seemingly innocent question seemed to immediately turn Poppy’s mood dark.  She narrowed her eyes at the back of Ford’s head as he stood down on the sidelin
es talking to the quarterback.

“I have it narrowed down to three schools. 
Cornell, Ohio State or LSU.  But,
someone
won’t give me any input and insists I make the decision on my own.”

As if he had heard her, Ford looked up into the stands and gave Poppy a smile and a wink.  She scowled back at him.  Ford laughed and shook his head.

“He says this is my dream, and I need to go to the school that’s the best fit for me.  Blah, blah, blah,” Poppy said.

“I think that’s really romantic,” Brooke said.  “He just wants to be with you, Poppy.  He doesn’t care where you guys go.”

Brooke had a wistful look on her face as she said this.  Again I had the feeling that she had never had someone that would have put her needs before their own.  I don’t know if it was the fact that I’d already slept with her, or that she was insanely gorgeous, but I found myself wanting to be that person for her.  She definitely wasn’t the type of girl I would normally go for, namely because she was way out of my league.  But there was a vulnerability to Brooke that pulled me in.  She wasn’t the maneater the guys had described her as.  It was clear to me that she just wanted to be loved.

“Yeah, well, it’s his life too.  I want to make sure he’s happy,” Poppy grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.  “I think LSU might hold too many memories for him, and Cornell doesn’t have the type of football program that he is used too.  So, I’m thinking Ohio State.  The medical school is solid, and maybe he could coach there.”

“That sounds like a good plan,” I said.

The football game was close, and the score was tied 14-14 at half time.  I left Brooke and Poppy to go get some sodas for all of us.  On my way back to our seats, my path was blocked by Mrs. Morris.  If I had thought her attire at our meeting earlier in the week was inappropriate, it had nothing on her football game outfit.  High heeled stiletto boots that looked dangerous enough to kill and a tight leopard print dress weren’t exactly showing school spirit.

“Mr.
Branigan,” she purred, rubbing her hand down my arm.

My own hands were full of three soda cups, so I was unable to defend myself agains
t her advances.  “Oh.  Hello, Ms. Morris,” I said, taking a step back.

“You know you can call me Missy.”

The referee blew the whistle to start the third quarter, and thankfully Mrs. Morris turned to walk away.  But not before rubbing her barely encased breasts against my upper arm as she whispered, “Find me after the game.”

Uh, yeah.
  Not a chance.

Poppy looked amused when I returned, obviously having witnessed
my uncomfortable moment with Ms. Morris.  Brooke, however, was intently focused on the game, not even bothering to look at me when I sat down beside her and handed her a soda.

“A friend of yours?”
Poppy teased.

I scoffed.  “Not even close.  Mrs. Morris is a parent of one of my students.”

“She looked very friendly,” Brooke observed.  With satisfaction, I noted a hint of jealousy in her voice.

“I’m not interested in being her friend,” I said in a low voice.  “In fact there’s only one person I’ve met here that I’m interested in.”

Finally she looked at me, and a slight blush crept over her cheeks.  I smiled before settling back in my seat and enjoying the rest of the game.  Our team held the opponents to 14 points and scored a touchdown in the last two minutes to win the game.

When it was over, we walked with Poppy onto the field to congratulate Ford on the win.
  Her earlier annoyance with Ford disappeared as she jumped into his arms and kissed him hard on the mouth.

“Congratulations!”
Poppy squealed.

“Thanks, babe,” Ford said, chuckling at her enthusiasm.  “Wait for me here.  I have to talk to the guys in the locker room and then we’ll head home to cele
brate.”  He gave her another wink and said goodbye to Brooke and I before following his team into the locker room.

“Do
you want us to wait with you?” Brooke asked Poppy.

“Oh,
no.  I’ll be fine.  It’s like I’m back in high school waiting for my football player boyfriend to shower after the game.”