Sharing Harper (2 page)

“I would suggest the apple Danish, everything else is expire
d, shh,” he said almost effortlessly in my ears.

I
giggled at him, all too girly. I was never this weak around a man. This wasn’t me. I never acted girly and love sick, like the way Skye did when encountering men. I wanted to appear the dominant one. Men should not dominant over women…ever. I had to tell Skye that we could never come back here because this just simply couldn’t happen anymore. I vowed to myself that no man in my life would ever make me melt. I would never let a man take control of me and my destiny again and this guy was coming all too close to doing such. I didn’t even know his name, so I had no idea why I was being affected so strongly.

“Sorry, just took me a second to decide. Thanks for the tip. I’ll take the apple Danish then and a vanilla latte.”

“Did you want to make that a skinny?”

Who the hell was this guy? Was he implying that I was fat? Sure, I didn’t work out
as long enough as I wanted, but don’t you burn like 500 calories while having sex? I certainly was having enough sex to be burning calories. My brow furrowed in disgust at the accusation that this gorgeously captivating man had just implied.

“Oh hey, n
o! Sorry, I just assumed since your friend ordered a skinny vanilla latte that you would want something similar.”

“No, just a regular for me,
” I responded with deep sigh of relief. He turned to make the coffee for me and that is when I saw it. My mouth dropped at his backside. He was strong with deep back muscles that protruded at the shoulder. I moved down and noticed his perfect ass. It is incredibly difficult to find a man with a nice ass. Men either have butts that are far too big for them and make them look a little too porn star-esque, but then other men have butts that are nonexistent and seriously, how fun are those?

I heard someone whistle from the corner of the room and my head turned in the direction. Skye was in the corner giving me
huge thumbs up. She must have noticed me staring at this guy. I was about to show her my middle finger right until coffee guy had turned around with my small plastic cup of coffee. I went to pull out my wallet, but he held up his hands and shook his head.

“
No no, it’s on me.”

“Oh-wait no I can pay for it, it's really not a problem
.” I wasn’t sure why he insisted on letting me drink it for free. Men never paid for me, it was one of my rules.

“It really would be my pleasure,”
he said slowly and seductively with a thick southern drawl.

“Well, thanks then.” I slipped him a 20 in his tip jar and
turned around, unable to fight him. I was not letting him pay for me completely, so he could take the tip as payment. It was absurd that men believed they could own you by paying for you or giving you things for free. Sure, it was a perk of being a woman and having tits, but I thought it was chauvinistic for him to assume that I would drop at his knees just because he was hitting on me and giving me a free coffee. Annoyed, I grabbed my stuff and walked back over to the table where Skye sat excitedly.

“He was so hot! You totally wanted him. You two would fuck like rabbits!” she said a little too loudly for my taste.

“I am totally capped out this week. The creep we picked up at the bar last night was disgusting and tried to get it on this morning.”

“
Like you wouldn’t…” she mumbled as she took a sip of her coffee.

I playfully slapped her arm and we fell into a fit of giggles.

“When are you going to settle down Harper? That guy over there could have been your soul mate for all you know. I bet you didn’t even get his name.” I shrugged her off.

“HARPER! Seriously, he
is HOT,” She said even louder. I glanced at the counter where he was laughing silently, knowing she was talking about him. Now I was completely mortified.

“Can
you please keep it down?” I hesitantly asked her and she just stared at me. I started pulling my books out of my bag.

“Oh Harp, I forgot to tell y
ou. What are you doing tonight? There is this ah-mazing party happening at the Grove and you know I need my partner in crime.” The Grove was this amazing club. It was known for the best dance floor with a very chill vibe. Skye and I really became friends because we both loved partying and neither of us had any interest in settling down as 18 year olds in college. As we grew older, Skye still went out but started bringing guys home less and less. Now, she was determined to meet her perfect man. On the other hand, I still wanted to party. I felt no need to just settle down and meet a man. Although she really did love me to death, she didn’t quite believe that I should continue to bring men home. I think secretly Skye thought I was a slut. Truthfully, I was, but she had no idea where I came from and I never felt like bringing it up.

“You know I’m down lady, but shouldn’t you be studying for this exam you have Monday?
” I was always on her case about studying. Even though I loved to go out and have a good time, I knew that my only way out was through my grades and I had to get out. I could never stay in one place for that long. Originally, I was from Chicago but came out here for school. I could never go back there. That was for certain.

“Psh, it
’s only Friday love! Plus, I'm in the mood to meet my future husband!” she exclaimed. Skye could be so predictable it hurt, but she meant well. Sometimes I felt as though she was too consumed in her own life, but at the times I needed her most, she was there for me. I couldn't have asked for a better friend.

“Alright, alright let
’s just get down to history,“ I said as I pulled out my history book and we began studying.

After four grueling hours, Skye had decided she had enough for today and packed her stuff to go. We decided to meet back at her place at 8 to pregame before we headed over to the Grove. I had almost forgotten about coffee guy until I was packing my bag and noticed a small napkin fall to the ground. I picked it up and it read:

Hope to see you again.

It was a very simple message, but it held something unusual. It held commitment. I knew I couldn’t come back here again. I looked up towards the counter and noticed he had been replaced by a bubbly looking teenage girl with a ponytail and braces. My heart dropped. I wanted him to be there. Damn it. I could not come back here again. There was no way I could see him--I was already getting too invested, and with a stranger none-the-less!

But I was
curious. I just wanted to know his name. I packed my bag and walked over towards the counter.

“Hey! How can I help you?” said the over
ly eager teenager.

“Yeah, um, what was the name of the other guy that was just here? It’s just that he left something for me and I wanted to return it.”

“Don’t I hear that all the time? Isn't he just gorgeous!?” she exclaimed loudly.

“I didn’t notice.”

“His name is Ryder but everyone here calls him Ry.”

“Thanks
,” I said as I turned to head out the door. I was in desperate need of a nap and some Tylenol.

I jumped into my car and drove as fast as I possibly could back home. I peeled into my space and walked up
to the modest one-bedroom apartment. It was nothing special, but it did have every amenity possible. As I opened the door, I lavished the silence.

***

I woke up in pure darkness. Crap. I don’t remember falling asleep or even walking into my bedroom for that matter. I stared over at the clock and it read 6pm. Shit. That only gave me 2 hours to get ready. I jumped up and quickly turned on the lights. I ran into the closet and grabbed my shortest black bodycon skirt with a sheer white tank top. I slipped into it, added some gold jewelry and threw on a pair of black Loubiton wedges. With no time to do anything else, I pulled my hair back into a sleek straight ponytail and teased the front. Finished, I looked in the mirror and was impressed with who I could transform into. It was so easy to be someone else when you don’t know who you are. I gathered the rest of my dignity, raised my head with confidence and walked out the door, into a night of oblivion.

When I arrived at Skye’s apartment I
could not help but gasp at the expansiveness of the building. Even though I had been here a hundred times before, it was shocking to see the views of the ocean from her place. Her wealth melted off her and she wasn’t afraid to show if off. She lived right next to the beach in a penthouse. The doorman, Freddy, was prominently standing by the glass doors that led into the marble lobby. He was an older guy with grey hair, but always smiled when I came to the apartment. We had talked a couple times in the past and I found out he was originally from Florida where his wife and kids still live. He was kind, something you don’t see often anymore.

“Ms. Mae how are we tonight?” Freddy asked as I approached the doors after dropping my car off with the valet in front.

“Fantastic Freddy,” I said as he smiled at me and pressed PH for Skye’s apartment. When I got upstairs, I heard the loud techno music echoing through the hall and laughed to myself knowing that tonight would be something to remember…or not.

I knocked on the door and Skye opened it with a large margarita in one hand and
in the other, a large sex on the beach for me.

“COME IN,” she squealed
. It was clear that her night had already started. “I found you the hottest guy ever, Harp,” she whispered in my ear. I glanced around the room inhaling the scene through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows that overlooked the Pacific Ocean. It had a completely modern appeal and the apartment was furnished in chic white furniture with white marble flooring. There was a large diamond chandelier that hung in the foyer with two twin staircases that lead to the second floor. Since the apartment was only one bedroom, though her closet should be considered another bedroom, the stairs led straight to her room. Everything was done by some famous interior designer, which made the house feel stark but welcoming.

I recognized a few of her sorority sisters in the room and some handsome men flirting with them.

She rushed me over, drink in hand to a tall brunette who, when he noticed me, flashed his gorgeous white smile. He was cute and any other day I would have immediately fallen into him, flirting. I always knew my boundaries though. Don’t get too involved too early in the night because that leads to unnecessary drama at the club if, god-forbid, I ever wanted to dance with anyone else but him.

“Hey, name
is Nate.”

Why couldn’t I get that guy at the coffee shop out of my head?! All I wanted to do right now was figure out who this Ryder guy was, but I had to shake
the thought of him. I couldn’t get involved with a man I didn’t even know, plus there was a nice potential dick in front of me who clearly wanted every ounce of my body as he glanced, quite noticeably, up and down my body. It’s the one thing I am certainly proud of. I had great genetics and a fast metabolism that allowed me to be slim in the waist but still maintain a nice chest.

“Um, hey, Harper
,” I said as I shook his hand…who does that anymore?!

“You want another fill?”

“Sure, yeah that would be great.” I was totally off my game tonight. What was with me? I needed to snap out of this funk.

As the night continued, I chatted briefly with some of Skye’s sorority sisters and talked to Nate until I got bored of him. We then decided to head to the club and walked
out to the limo waiting for us outside.

I looked outside noticing the images that keep blurring past me. I wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or the odd longing for something more in my life, but I wasn’t feeling everyone around me. I felt surrounded by a mundane life that continued endlessly. Sometimes I wish I had stayed back at home…it
’s times like this when I really wish I….

“Babe, you ‘kay?” Skye mumbled drunkenly into my ear.

“Yeah, yeah sorry. Just ready to…party!” I tried my best to plaster on the plastic smile that lived permanently on my face.

“YA!” Skye squealed as she clinked our glasses full of bubbly champagne together.

As we arrived to the club and zipped through the VIP line, we started ordering bottle service to our table. I kept pounding down drinks until my thoughts were a complete oblivion in my head. I was drowning out any emotion I could potential feel. This is how I lived. No, this is how I survived.

After four or five drinks and a great song that the DJ just dropped, I grabbed Skye by her tan arm and screamed
, “DANCE FLOOR!” She eagerly nodded and grabbed her latest beau, Jayson.

We shimmed to the dance floor and when the beat picked up
, I started to just let go. It was a mix of the alcohol and the longing to meet someone new that let me move my hips in a sensual swaying motion. I grabbed Skye’s hand and threw it up in the air as we sang a popular top 40 song at the top of our lungs at each other.

She turned to pay more attention to Jayson while I let the beat take over. My hips were moving left and right sexually, almost passionately. I swayed with the movement of the beat
, pushing farther into oblivion. I was one with the music as I shimmed my hips and threw my head back wildly into the air. My hands moved up in the air without a care of who saw me or who was around me. Skye was close to me and I could feel her sweaty palms press against me every so often.