Lucky Number Four (31 page)

“You love me, I know you do. Why would it be
so hard for you to give him a chance?”

“Because I want a one-night stand with a
stranger or a long-term relationship with someone who will give me
great sex, love, and not cheat on me. And Drew is definitely not
either of those people to me. I don’t want a pretty man. I want a
normal-looking man who won’t cause women to trip over their own
feet when they see him. I’m such a failure.” I bury my head in my
hands, shaking my head.

“I believe he has a thing for you, and you
know I’m usually right about this stuff.”

“Oh, please. Me? Short, little, red-haired,
plain old me? Give me a break. According to Henry, I’m supposed to
help Drew, not hump him. I help, that’s what I do. That’s why I’m
becoming a therapist, isn’t it?”

“There are plenty of ways to help someone,
and dating him could be what he needs help with.”

“Sometimes I think you’re on drugs with the
words that come out of your mouth. Why don’t you go put in
Bridget Jones’s Diary
so I can see someone having problems
like me, even if she’s only a fictional character?”

“Okay, but in the end, she gets her man. You
know that always pisses you off.” He pulls my hair back from my
face and smacks a kiss on my cheek.

“I hate being so predictable.” I throw a
pillow at his retreating back and then snuggle up with another one,
waiting for the movie to start.

“I love you, Dora. Please love me back.”

Colin’s pleading eyes break me down and I
throw my arms around him. I can’t believe he loves me. He moves
down on the bed with my body wrapped up in his as our lips meet in
a passionate embrace. His tongue slowly pries open my lips and
moves in to mate with mine. I caress his shoulders, and I’m
frustrated because I long to feel his naked skin. I move my hands
in between us, unbuttoning his shirt until my fingertips graze his
solid, smooth chest. His kiss deepens, and I move so he’s flush
against me and I can feel every delicious inch of him. It’s hard,
all of it.

He moves ever-so-slightly, and without
breaking our kiss, he removes his shirt. I watch as his muscles
flex when he pushes himself up, and I suddenly feel abandoned by
the lack of his warm lips upon mine. I soon forget the loss as he
moves to the side and reciprocates by unbuttoning me while our
mouths lock once more. He slides down my zipper, exposing the hot
pink panties underneath. I lift my hips so he can peel my pants
down my legs, touching every inch of my exposed flesh as he goes. I
bite my lip as he circles my navel, and then he leans down to
replace his finger with his tongue. I rise off the bed as tendrils
of fiery heat shoot throughout me. I move my restless legs as his
fingers inch their way to the top of my hips and skim over my silky
underwear, missing the spot I want him to touch, caress, or
anything else he can think of. He moves to the end of the bed and
stands up, keeping his smoldering eyes glued to mine. He unbuttons
his jeans and pushes them down along with his underwear. I close my
eyes as I feel the heat building up in me. I open them as he climbs
back onto the bed, and I look up.

It’s not Colin, it’s Drew. I would recognize
that penis anywhere.

My eyes meet his, and my heart begins to
pound so hard I feel like my chest won’t be able to contain it. The
last thing I see is his wicked smile as he moves up the bed to
hover over me.

“Dora. Honey, wakey, wakey.”

“What? Oh, Jeff, it’s you.”

“Who else would it be? So, what you were
dreaming about? You did a lot of moving and moaning. It’s like the
other time—”

“Shush, shut it, quiet, and don’t speak.”

I throw off the cover and enter the bathroom,
shutting the door behind me. The mirror shows a flushed face, one
that looks like she’s been thoroughly caught up in a sex dream.
Except there wasn’t any sex. At least I could have dreamed that.
And what the hell? Again it starts out with Colin and when the deed
is about to happen, it turns to Drew and his winking penis.

I’m losing my mind. Jeff will not let me live
this down. He’ll tease me mercilessly at least for the next
twenty-four hours.

“Dora, I need to pee. Like, really need to,”
Jeff whines through the door.

I pull it open and avoid eye contact, moving
into my closet and shutting the door. Juvenile, but I need more
time to analyze my dream. It’s all Jeff’s fault, putting the idea
into my head. Yes, that’s it. It’s not what I subconsciously want,
it’s because he planted the seed and I allowed it to grow. It’s
time I forget about anything sexual and just concentrate on
graduating school and getting on with my life. I will only stay in
the loft until I graduate, and then I’ll find another place.

Of course, I could always become a nun, and
that would take care of a place to live and make it easier to
forget about sex. Oh hell, I’m going to hell for that thought, and
I’m sure Henry won’t be able to help me.

“Is there a reason you’re hiding in your
closet?” Jeff asks through the door, “or is this some new thing
you’re trying out? I want to go and hit the after Christmas sales,
so hurry your cute little butt up and let’s go fight the hordes. We
have money to spend.”

I quickly get dressed, and we’re out the door
in roughly fifteen minutes. We have money to spend, and I’m good at
that. Heck, I could use the distraction anyway.

New Year’s Eve is usually both a sad and
happy time for me. Saying goodbye to the old year and starting out
with a clean slate. New resolutions—okay, so technically not new …
but the old ones I didn’t follow through on, redirected to the New
Year. This year, I will stick with them until completion.

The first one is to lose the ten frickin’
pounds I gained this year. Okay, so it was the year before, but
it’s a new resolution this year. Next, get grow a backbone and
start telling people no. No to overtime, no to Sunday dinner when I
don’t want to go, and no to boyfriends who cheat. Okay, so that’s a
new one because last year I was still with The Jackass, and was
completely oblivious to the fact he was cheating on me.

Another new resolution is to get financially
sound so I can live by myself. So save, save, and save some more
for me because I don’t want roommates. I want to live by myself
just in case I find the perfect man, with a job, and who’s
completely devoted to me, that I can have sex in every room without
having to worry about being interrupted.

Colin and Liam are returning today, and
except for the text Drew received on Christmas from Liam saying his
family was relieved that he finally revealed his secret, we hadn’t
heard much from either of them. As for Liam’s “secret,” it wasn’t a
secret. Apparently, the whole town knew. They were waiting for him
to tell them. I can’t wait to talk to him. He told Drew to tell me
that he couldn’t wait to hug me when he gets back. Yeah, hug. For
me, from Liam. Life is good.

Jeff is also waiting patiently—not—to see him
again. I so hope there’s a connection on Liam’s part because I
think Jeff really wants this to happen. Then, three of my best
friends will be in committed relationships and I’ll be poor Dora
who gets invited to things as an awkward third, fifth, or even
seventh wheel. I can’t believe I’m a spinster at twenty-two. I
guess there’s no hope for me. All I have to look forward to in the
future romance department are probably a few one-night stands, but
nothing more.

Great, now I’ve totally bummed myself out on
a day that’s supposed to herald new beginnings. Out with the old
and in with the new. Yeah, right. Whoever started this brilliant
idea?

“What are you wearing to the party tonight?”
Jeff asks, looking over his shoulder at me.

“I don’t want to go.”

“You can’t avoid it. After all, it’s going to
be right here, so you kind of have to attend.” Jeff’s head swivels
back to the football game he’s been watching.

“I still don’t have to go. I can just lock my
door and no one will miss me.”

“Julie, Kevin, Drew, Colin, Liam, and me,
we’ll miss you. So, get in that closet and find something hot and
sexy,” he says, not bothering to turn around.

“Hot and sexy? The place will be filled with
hot and sexy. I’ll just come as plain and boring. No one will
notice.”

“Quit fishing for compliments. You know
you’re beautiful, so quit feeling sorry for yourself. You can hang
with those skinny sticks any old day.”

He won’t give up, so I guess I’d better find
something to wear. There’s the little black dress, but I’ve worn
that so many times. Nothing else seems New Yearish in my
wardrobe.

“Check out the bag hanging up in the back,”
Jeff yells at me like I’m across town, even though we’re only a few
feet from each other.

There’s a black bag hanging up with his
clothes, so I grab it and lay it on the bed. I pull down the zipper
slowly, revealing a dress that is way out of my price range, like
maybe two years’ worth of my meager income. It’s in one word:
indescribably beautiful. Okay, so that’s two words. Sue me.

“So, do you like it?” Jeff somehow snuck up
behind me, and he lays his head on my shoulder, watching me feel
the fabric. It’s so soft and is a lovely turquoise color.

“Jeff, it’s beautiful, but how can you afford
this? Your parents have you on a strict budget of nothing but what
you earn. We spent your Christmas money, didn’t we?”

“No, we didn’t. I’m not that foolish. I kept
enough so I don’t have to work like crazy my last semester, and to
buy you this. I saw it the other day and I thought, ‘That would
look amazing on Dora with her gorgeous curly red hair,’ so I bought
it. Look at the bottom of the bag. I found shoes to match. Yep,
they’re ‘fuck me’ pumps—I mean ‘fuck you’ pumps. You know what I
mean.”

I shake my head. Tears cloud my eyesight as I
grab the amazing platform heels that match the dress perfectly. I
turn quickly and hug him, at a loss for words. He stands back,
holding me at an arm’s length away, giving me a goofy smile.