Take Me Out (4 page)

Eventually we both drifted off to sleep after a series of
goodnights
and lots of giggles like kids at a slumber party.

“CHARLOTTE ANN WINDSOR, WHAT IN THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?” I woke up tangled in the beautifully tattooed arms of my new obsession, startled by a booming voice filling the room. My very angry older brother, Trey, was standing at the foot of the bed glaring at me when I opened my eyes.

Shit.

“Trey! This isn’t what it looks like! I promise you!” I explained as he stormed to my side of the bed. I knew Bentley could crack him over his knee like a toothpick if he tried anything, but I would rather skip all that drama.

“Then what is it I’m looking at? Because right now all I see is my baby sister half naked in bed with some asshole,” he spat, his face getting redder by the minute.

“Tone back the tough guy act Trey, this is Bentley and he’s a friend of mine. Nothing happened, no need to alert the media. Give me a few minutes to get up and ready and then we can go.” I leaned over to give Bentley a hug, got out of bed and went towards the bathroom.

I turned just inside the bathroom door and said “Bentley, there’s another bathroom down the hall to the right if you’d like a shower. I’m hoping you’ll stay for breakfast.” I smiled one of my signature heart-melting grins and shut the bathroom door.
Who could say no to that?

While I hurried through my shower, I could only wonder what was happening with my big brother and my
friend
in my bedroom. Last night with Bentley had been amazing. The connection we had was more than just lust. There was something between us that neither of us wanted to acknowledge just yet. But everything about him drove me wild. His touch, his taste, his smell.

I jumped out of the shower before I ended up taking care of the ache between my legs that last night had left and threw some clothes on, arranging my hair in a messy bun to get to the kitchen sooner.

When I strolled out, Trey and Bentley were sitting at the breakfast bar talking like they were old friends. Not only that, but they were speaking some website jargon that both of them seemed to understand; although, it could have been Greek for all I knew. It wasn’t the type of thing that interested me. Seeing them both sitting there like that, I had to wonder if they knew each other. It certainly seemed like it, but I wasn’t about to pry; at least not right now.

“What ‘cha boys want for breakfast?” I asked, rummaging through the cupboards for skillets. “I’ve got eggs, bacon, bagels, Captain Crunch, you name it!” I liked to keep a fully-stocked fridge. Being a foodie, cooking developed into one of my favorite hobbies. Almost simultaneously, they both said “bagel.” It was a boring choice but if that’s what they wanted, I’d make it.

“Bagels it is boys. You’re going easy on me this morning. Butter? Cream cheese? Jam?”

The boys made their choices of bagel toppings while talking about a website business deal, a totally foreign subject to me. All I could hear was, “
blah blah blah.”

Bentley got up to leave once everyone was finished eating and I followed him into the breezeway. I wanted to talk to him without Trey breathing down my neck, or trying to eavesdrop.

“Thank you for staying with me,” I said shyly.

“The pleasure was all mine. That was the best night’s sleep I’ve had in ages, what there was of it Thank you for letting me stay,” he replied with a big smile on his face.

“I’m heading up to my parents until tomorrow. Maybe we can do something when I get back?” Realizing that might have been a bit presumptuous, I added, “Don’t worry about answering me now. Just e-mail me.” I wanted to leave the ball in his court, while letting him know where my head was.

He bent down and kissed me as passionately as he had the previous night. The chemistry was undeniable. We said our goodbyes and he was gone.

He walked down the hall and I turned to go face my brother.

The drive from my downtown apartment to my parents’ house in Cambridge was barely fifteen minutes, but it seemed to take forever in the tense company of my overprotective big brother. I had to
try
to set the record straight before we got to my parents’. I didn’t want him to spread the word to my other brothers.

“Trey, it’s not what you think at all. It was just late and I didn’t want him walking back across town at four in the morning. We’re just
friends
.” I braced myself for the fight I knew was coming.

“I believe you, Scrappy. I just... I know him and it was... strange. I overreacted. I’m sorry.” Even though I had my suspicions, his words caught me off guard. He
knows
him? I think I would much rather they be strangers. The only consolation was that maybe I could use my brother’s knowledge to get to know the man who was still very much a mystery to me.

“You know him?” I asked.

“Look Charlotte, he’s bad news. He’s not a good guy and he’s definitely not the type of man I want to see you get involved with. I want better for my little sister.” He was lecturing me.

“The strangest thing is that he was still there this morning,” Trey continued. “He’s usually more of the ‘bang and bounce’ type.”

“We did
not
have sex! I’m not that kind of girl,” I shrieked. I crossed my arms tightly across my chest, livid with my brother for implying I was nothing more than some bar bimbo looking for a good time. Not only that, but the thought of my brother talking about
me
having sex made me want to vomit.

“That’s not what I meant Charlotte. Bentley has a reputation for kicking girls out after he’s done with them. He’s not the
cuddling
type and you guys looked pretty
cuddly
this morning.”

“Well that’s all that happened... cuddling. That’s it. Please don’t tell Jon and Christian,” I begged. I didn’t want to be at my parents’ house to begin with. The last thing I needed was to catch shit from all my brothers over this.

“Your secret is safe with me...
for now
,” Trey promised. Judging by the look in his eyes, I knew it would only be a matter of time before he told them. He was giving me the opportunity to tell everyone on my own, but I didn’t want to tell anyone anything yet. He didn’t understand that I had no idea where this thing between Bentley and me was going and there was nothing to tell until I did.

I didn’t want to over-think anything. We hadn’t been apart long but Bentley hadn’t emailed me to take me up on my offer to see him again, so I could only wonder if he regretted last night.

I planned to spend my day the same way I did every time my parents planned one of these large picnics for all their yuppie friends; by hiding as much as possible and trying to survive the day. I kept looking at my phone waiting for the e-mail I hoped would come. Nothing showed up. I was starting to believe what my brother had said, asking myself if last night was just a good time for Bentley? I wondered if he would lose interest because we didn’t have sex. He probably already had.

I walked towards my mother’s gardens when I felt my mood turning sour. Her gardens were amazing and had always been a quiet place for me, a place I could get lost in my own thoughts without the outside world bothering me. I rounded the corner and laid back on a small stone bench along the gravel path.

I continued to think about Bentley and talked myself out of emailing him a number of times. Maybe I should just forget about him altogether? It would probably be best anyway.

My heart skipped a beat when I noticed a gorgeous man with dark brown hair and a sparkling smile approaching me.

“Hi, I’m Landon,” he said. “And you are?”

“Charlotte Windsor,” I said, relieved that there was finally someone who appeared to be worth talking to. No more Senators and new residents from the hospital. No more people talking about their family and money, who they are and where they’re going. It was possible Landon could give me exactly what I needed; a decent, down to Earth conversation.

And that’s exactly what we had. A long conversation in the garden, hidden from the pressure and prying eyes of the party. We talked school and sports. The conversation was dominated by the subject of our majors. Being a history major and buff, I quizzed him on all the famous Boston sites and he was on point with most of the answers. He was definitely well-read.

Time slipped away from both of us and at dusk, the solar powered lights in the garden came to life, signaling us to return to the party since the fireworks display would start after sunset. We walked hand-in-hand to find a spot on the lawn. Through the nice chit-chat, he was trying to put the moves on me. Inching closer, putting his hand around the small of my back and moving his face extremely close to mine. All the actions of someone looking for a kiss, which was something I wouldn’t be giving him.

As much as a young, single woman would have loved to be in my shoes, I could only think about the man I had spent the night with just hours ago. I had this perfect man in front of me and I wanted the man I had no future with. It was a magical moment and Landon was exactly the kind of guy my parents encouraged me to date.
So
typical of my life.

Between the lack of communication from Bentley and the gorgeous man next to me, I was torn by the end of the night. Tonight, I was snuggled next to a Boston dream-boat watching the fireworks, when hours before I had been wrapped in the arms of a tattooed bad boy. I wondered if Trey would have as much of an issue seeing me with Landon as he had seeing me in the same position with Bentley.

I went from being single since March and planning to stay that way through the summer, to two men wanting to spend time with me. I guess I could never rely on my own plans. It seemed that every time I tried to simplify my life, it got more complex and confusing. My past reminded me vividly that there was no such thing as perfect.

Landon and I said goodbye and exchanged numbers around eleven when the party started to come to an end.

Having stayed up until after four in the morning, I was beyond exhausted and ready for bed.

Normally, Shay came with me to my parents’ picnics. This time, she stayed home, saying she needed the time to get ready for her hot date. She rarely gave guys the time of day, but had no problem pointing out that a woman has needs and apparently it was time for Shay to take care of her needs. I was almost glad to be out of the apartment for the evening.

Around midnight I got a text message with a picture attached from Shay.

‘
Mr. Tattoo ain’t so damn wonderful after all.’
read the caption.

When I opened the attachment, there was Bentley, sitting in the bar with his arm around some blonde, his hand resting right on her oversized fake tit. It didn’t matter that Trey had warned me earlier in the day, seeing Bentley living up to his playboy reputation was like a kick in the stomach. It had been doomed from the start for sure.

My entire body hurt; mainly my heart. I threw my phone and punched the pillow on my childhood bed. How could we have such an amazing night together and it mean completely nothing to him? My eyes started to water and I reached for my phone. As is sometimes my way when I’m upset, I didn’t think. Instead, I opened my e-mail and forwarded the picture to him with a short message.

To:
[email protected]

Subject: Save My Time

Date: May 15 00:15

From: Charlotte A. Windsor

To save us both some time, don’t worry about e-mailing me to set up another date. I hope you enjoy your evening with Miss Fake Tits and be sure to use protection!

-Charlie