First Dance (4 page)

I can’t fuckin’ believe Kelsey did that shit.
Why the fuck would she be rude to Lola? Is it just because I danced
with her? Lo’s my best friend and it was her first high school
dance, of course I’m going to dance with her. What was going
through that bitch’s head when she thought it would be ok to
confront my friend at her locker like some kind of teen soap opera?
I definitely need to have a chat with my annoying cheerleader this
afternoon.

It’s really nice outside, so I’m sitting with
my friends Naveen, Jacob and Zoe on the soccer field out behind the
cafeteria. There are clusters of other kids all enjoying their
lunches under the sun and I’m loving the delicious sandwich I made
from James’ leftover grilled chicken. He cooked dinner at his house
last night and he’s a tremendous cook, so I tend to love everything
he makes.

“The photos we got from the dance were crap,”
Naveen shakes his head, “so now I have to try to create some kind
of article that will make up for it. Frankly, I’m debating even
putting anything on the front page about it.” Naveen Patel is the
editor of our school paper and he wants to work for CNN someday.
He’s so smart and charismatic that I’m sure it won’t be too
difficult for him.

“You know the populars will freak out if you
don’t talk about their stupid formal,” Jacob rolls his eyes. Jacob
Blum is the biggest computer genius I know. He learned HTML before
he was in third grade and he’s written all kinds of scripts and
codes for fun little programs. He’s the kind of kid that can solder
a motherboard together.

“Besides,” I quip, “if you don’t put in
pictures then that means Kelsey got all dolled up like a three
dollar hooker for nothing.”

My friends laugh. I’ve told them about The
Kelsey Incident this morning and they all hate her as much as I
do.

“Maybe you should write something about her
giving blowjobs in the locker room in the middle of the dance,” I
add.

“Is that true?!” Zoe, my free-spirited,
bohemian, artistic buddy, giggles.

“So I’ve heard,” I slyly grin.

“She gave James a blowjob in the locker
room?!” Jacob’s eyes are wide with surprise.

“Yep. And apparently she has no gag reflex
and she swallows,” I smirk.

“Yuck!” Zoe laughs.

“Maybe we could do a feature story about
that,” Naveen chuckles.

Suddenly I see Zoe’s eyes grow wide as she
looks behind me. Jacob looks equally shocked when he looks over my
shoulder. I turn my head to find out what they’re staring at and
see Kelsey Vaughn approaching with James a few steps behind her.
He’s got a very stern look on his face and she looks like a little
kid who’s just been grounded.

“Hi, Lola,” she sighs with exasperation.
Clearly, she didn’t elect to talk to me. “Um, I just wanted to say
that I’m sorry I said that stuff to you at your locker today.”

Her apology is so insincere it’s almost
comedic, but I nod my head and give her a polite smile.

“Even though no guys wanted to dance with
you, it was wrong for me to tell you that,” she ads with a
scoff.

“Kelsey,” James authoritatively warns,
crossing his arms over his chest with disapproval, “be nice.”

“Fine!” She huffs. “I’m sure some guys wanted
to dance with you.”

“Anything else?” James says coldly from
behind her.

“I’m sorry I called you pathetic,” she
reluctantly adds.

“Ok,” I nod, “apology accepted.” I’m trying
my hardest not to bust out laughing. I can only imagine the
conversation between Kelsey and James that brought about this
strained apology.

“Can we go now?” Kelsey whines at James.

“You gonna be rude to my best friend again?”
He raises a stern eyebrow.

“No,” she pouts.

“You’re gonna behave yourself from now on?”
He warns.

“Yes! God!” She scoffs.

“Alright, we can go,” he nods to her, his
lips curling into an amused smirk. “I’ll meet you at your locker
after school, kid,” he grins at me and gives me a little wink.

I snicker to myself as Kelsey petulantly
stomps away like an angry toddler. Once she’s out of earshot, I
flop back on the grass and crack up.

“Holy shit, Lo!” Naveen chuckles. “James just
made Kelsey Vaughn apologize for being a bitch. Someone actually
held her accountable for being the worst human being of all
time.”

I laugh even harder.

“Oh my God!” Zoe laughs. “Did you see how he
walked her over here like she was a bratty little kid? And how he
was standing there with his arms crossed in that t-shirt and his
muscles were all out like that?”

I snicker and give her a look.

“Whatever, dude,” she chuckles, “he’s super
sexy.”

“He’s a little bit sexy,” I admit, feeling my
cheeks flush slightly.

“What do you think he said to her to make her
apologize?” Jacob wonders.

“I can’t wait to find out,” I laugh.

The rest of the day is rather uneventful, but
every time I pass by Kelsey, she gives me a nod instead of a scowl,
so that keeps me pretty amused. Seventh period finally ends and I
head to my locker to find James already waiting there with my
friends and our mutual buddy Dave Keegan, who is one grade above me
and one grade below James.

“Did you like that at lunch today?” James
grins wide to me and wraps his arms around me.

“Oh, I liked it very much!” I laugh and curl
into him.

“She was getting so out of line,” he shakes
his head and holds me closer. He knows Keegan likes me and I know
he’s subconsciously being more physical with me to draw a
proverbial line in the sand. “I can’t believe she confronted you in
the hallway like some kind of teen movie! Seriously, who does
that?” He snorts.

“Bitchy popular girls,” Naveen
volunteers.

“How’d you get her to apologize, man?” Jacob
inquires.

“I told her that I’d never fuck her again
unless she said she was sorry,” he shrugs.

“And that worked?!” Jacob’s face is alight
with surprise.

James laughs loudly.

“So, let me get this straight,” Jacob says,
“I should be telling girls I’m not gonna fuck them and that’s how I
can get them to want to fuck me? Reverse psychology?”

James snickers and pats Jacob on the back.
“It’s confidence, dude. Chicks dig confidence.”

“True,” I chime in, nodding my head.

“You’re a smart dude, Jacob,” James says
sincerely, “you’re funny and you’re probably gonna be the CEO of
Microsoft or some shit in the future. You’re a computer nerd, but
you’ve gotta own it. If you believe you’re the coolest dude in
school, girls will believe it too.”

Jacob smiles and his face lights up. All boys
take advice from James very seriously and that’s doubled when it’s
nerdy boys like Jacob.

“I’m sure this doesn’t hurt when you’re
chatting up girls,” I smirk, slapping my hand over James’ six-pack
and squeezing his bicep.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did you say something?” He
jokes. “I couldn’t hear you over all this hotness.” He pretends to
stretch and lifts up the bottom of his shirt to reveal his finely
chiseled abs.

I roll my eyes, but I notice that Zoe
practically swoons. She’s had a crush on him since middle school. I
can only imagine what she’d say if I told her I cuddled with him
for almost an hour the other night.

“How about you put those muscles to good use
and carry my backpack?” I smirk, putting my hands on my hips.

“Alright,” he chuckles. “Any of you guys need
a ride?”

They all shake their heads, but I can tell
that Zoe wishes she could ditch her mom in the parking lot and
drive off with James Laird like something out of a John Hughes
movie.

James turns his gaze back to me and gives me
that mischievous smile I’m so fond of. In one motion, he grabs the
strap of my backpack and wraps his arm around my thighs, hiking me
up and tossing me over his shoulder.

“Is this how you get girls?” I laugh, looking
at my friends from my upside down position over his back. “You just
scoop them up and drag them caveman-style off to your bed?”

“You know me well,” he chuckles and uses his
free hand to smack my butt.

I squeal with laughter and spank him back as
he carries me down the hallway. I can hear my friends laughing back
at the lockers.

We arrive at his old Honda Civic and he opens
the door for me like a proper gentleman, though I know from his
kinky stories that he is most definitely not proper. He hops in and
backs out of the parking lot.

“I’ll never let anyone be mean to you again,
kid,” he sweetly says.

“I know,” I reply.

I smile broadly because I know it’s true.
James cares about me deeply and I care about him just as much, so I
know no bitchy cheerleaders can shake our bond. He’s protected me
from bullies for most of my life and I know we’ll always be bonded
like superglue.

###

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James and Lola will return in Vice, Virtue
& Video, book one of a full-length series that follows the duo
in their adult lives. James has become an adult film superstar and
lives two doors down from Lola in the San Fernando Valley.
Everything seems to be great for these two best friends until a
crazy porn producer sets her sights on Lola and James learns the
difference between kinky fun and real danger.

Enjoy this free sample of the first chapter
and find out what James and Lola are up to ten years after First
Dance in Vice, Virtue & Video.

“There you are, Lola!” My best friend James
says as I walk in the door of my apartment. It smells delicious in
here and I know he’s been slaving away on a tasty meal for us. He
cooks for me most nights and he has since I moved out to California
after graduating from college a couple years ago.

“Sorry,” I shake my head with frustration,
“of course they asked me to make, like, a zillion copies as I was
walking out the door.” I’m an Ivy League grad whose only job
opportunity is as a glorified secretary in an accountant’s office.
Thanks, economy!

“It’s ok,” James says, walking his tall,
chiseled body over to give me a hug. He’s about a foot taller than
me and built like Michelangelo’s David, so he’s all firm and muscly
as I wrap my arms around him. “I figured I’d wait until you got
home to put the pasta in so it wouldn’t get all soggy,” he adds
sweetly.

“Did you do the alfredo tonight?” My mouth
waters at the thought.

“You know it!” He smiles, flashing me his
perfect, pearly whites.

“Last night it was that delicious
mustard-thyme chicken and the amazing banana bread, today it’s
creamy fettuccine. I think you’re trying to fatten me up,” I grin
back up at him. James in an incredible cook and has been since he
was a teenager. Though I’m petite and generally pretty lithe, I’ve
gained ten pounds since moving out here and I’m certain he’s to
blame.

“You’re, like, 80 pounds soaking wet, kid,”
he teases. “Somebody’s gotta help you put some meat on those
bones.”

I smirk and roll my eyes with a laugh.

“Want a glass of wine?” He offers, heading
back to the kitchen.

“Yeah, lemme take this skirt off, the
zipper’s digging into my hip,” I reply, heading towards my
bedroom.

My apartment is small and cramped, but it’s
cheap enough for me to afford and it’s two doors away from James’
place on the second floor of our complex.

I kick off my stilettos, bringing me from
5’6” to my natural 5’2”, and peel off my pencil skirt. I pull my
blouse off and change into some yoga pants and a racerback tank
top. I twist my long, brown hair into a bun and dart into the
bathroom to wash off my makeup. I look a little tired from the long
day, but I’m just hanging out with James tonight, so no need to be
a glamazon.

“Here you go,” James says, handing me a glass
of red wine as I sit at the counter and watch him finish up the
cooking. He looks nice in his worn out jeans and white v-neck
t-shirt as he leans over the stove to stir the pasta.

James is handsome. Very handsome. Aside from
having the body of a Greek god, he’s also got a square jaw, full,
pouty lips and hazel-green eyes. He wears his hair long, but he
usually pulls it back in a short ponytail or messy bun when he’s
just chilling at home. I’ve heard people compare him to hunky actor
Jason Momoa more than a few times. I understand that James is a
hottie, but he’s been my best friend since I was six and it’s hard
to picture getting sexual with someone you knew since they were a
third grader. Apparently I’m the only girl who doesn’t see him as a
sex god, because James has been the ultimate ladies’ man since
middle school. He’s three years older than me and everything I’ve
learned about sex came from him because he was my next door
neighbor and he’d accrued a library of experiences before I’d even
got my braces off.

“So, how was work?” I ask, taking another sip
of wine.

“Good,” he nods, “I had a threesome scene,
but it was a quick one, which is why I went out and got the stuff
to make alfredo tonight.”

James is an actor … of sorts. He moved out to
L.A. with stars in his eyes after dropping out of college at age
19. With his good looks and charm, he was hoping to become an
action star or some kind of Hollywood heartthrob, but his career
took a little turn and he’s currently a huge superstar in the wild
world of adult films. Most of his friends from back home dropped
him when the word got out and his parents basically disowned him.
Sometimes I feel like the only person from his past who doesn’t
really care about his job. He’s my best friend and always has been,
so who gives a shit if he bangs chicks for a living? It’s not like
he wasn’t screwing hundreds of girls before he started doing it on
camera.