Total Control (17 page)

“Put that down!” Dana said as she grabbed it out of my hands. “What happened?”

“That fucking Zane, that’s what happened! Give me that!” I tried to take my phone back.

“No, Gia! You’re not going anywhere until we talk!”

“Just come into the living room,” Jo said. “We got you some coffee. We’ll sit and talk.”

I sighed really loud to
illustrate how annoyed I was. “Fine!” We walked out to the living room and I got my coffee. We all sat and I told them what happened.

They were really surprised about me kissing Zane. They couldn’t believe that he wanted me to come back to his room and that I
’d actually wanted to.

“Gia, I’m not quite sure what to say
,” Jo said.

“Well, I do!”
Of course Dana would.
“We’re your friends, so we can all be honest here.”
Oh boy, here we go.
“I cannot believe that you could feel that way with Zane if you really do feel the way you say you do about Ethan! I mean, I know you’re a total flirt and all, but you’ve never been the type to act on it.”

“I didn’t
go after him! He kissed me, remember?”

“Yeah, well, if you would’ve stopped him, you wouldn’t be trying to fly back to Ethan right now, would you?” She was right.

“It felt good,” I said quietly. “It was the way I wanted to be kissed last weekend.”

“What made it different than the way Ethan kissed you?” Jo asked.

“When Zane kissed me, I felt like he wanted me, not because he had feelings for me, but because I was so fucking hot he couldn’t stop himself. He knew what he wanted and nothing was going to get in his way.” I looked down at my hands.

“And Ethan?” Jo asked.

Tears welled in my eyes. “When Ethan kisses me, I feel his love. It’s beautiful and full of passion. I know he desires and wants me, but it’s more because of the way he feels about me than because of the way he
sees
me.” I grabbed a Kleenex and wiped my cheeks. “I’m constantly wondering when he’s going to realize I’m really not that woman he always hoped I’d be.” Tears streamed down my face.

“Gia,
you’ve got to know how gorgeous and sexy you are. Why would you need some stranger to want to take you to his hotel room to make you feel wanted?” Jo asked.

“I kind of get it,” Dana said. “But I don’t think Gia understands that she can have both from one person. We all want to be kiss
ed and fucked like the bad girls we are, we want men to drop their jaw when they see us walking toward them. We want to be seen as sex objects… sometimes! That’s the key, Gia, the man who thinks you’re the most fuckable woman he’s ever seen can give you a great experience, but the man who thinks you’re the most beautiful woman he’s ever known can give you a lifetime of great experiences.” I noticed Jo looking at Dana with big eyes and it made me giggle through my tears.

“What?” Jo said, smiling.

“I love you guys,” I said, feeling thankful for them. “What am I gonna do?”

“You’
re going to take care of Gia. While you’re taking care of her, the rest will become clear. You may be wanting Ethan’s forgiveness and approval right now because you’re scared of losing him for the wrong reasons. You know he has some jealousy and control issues, which is probably why he did what he did last night. I think Ethan is amazing, don’t get me wrong, and he does love you, Gia. The way he looks at you…” she smiled, “Well, let’s just say, I wouldn’t worry about how badly he wants to fulfill every sexual fantasy you’ve ever had. When you go back in a month, you’ll know what to do.”

“I have to talk to him before I check in.” I had to know if I still had a chance with him.

“Just give him some time. He’ll come around,” Dana said.

“Why is it so important?” Jo asked.

I started to cry. “I have to tell him how sorry I am. That I never meant to hurt him. I have to know if he still loves me.” That last sentence tore me up. I had to know. If I could look into his eyes, I’d know. “I still want to go back.” I got up and ran to my room and grabbed my phone.

“No!” Dana said. “I’m going to call Trey. He should know what’s going on with Ethan. I’m sure he can get him to take your call at least.” That was a g
reat idea! I hadn’t thought of talking to Trey, who was right there with Ethan. I was pacing as Dana went in the other room to talk.

“Gia, relax, you’re making me crazy
,” Jo said, so I sat next to her on my bed.

“Ethan made me a playlist and
wrote down why each song on it reminded him of me.” I don’t know why I told her that at that moment, but it made me smile.

“That’s really sweet.
Remember when he picked you up at the motorhome and brought you fresh cut flowers from the campground?”

“Yes
.” I smiled even bigger and leaned up against her. “Do you think Ethan and I will work this out?”

She put her arm around me. “I hope so,” she said. “I think he’s really good for you and I think you can be happier than you’ve ever been with him.” I squeezed her.

“Well, Trey’s been with Ethan all morning and he hasn’t even mentioned you.” Dana stormed into the room. “Trey was completely shocked. He said Ethan’s been a little quiet, but he just thought he was pouting over you being gone. He’s gonna talk to him. He’ll try to convince him to talk to you.” She was irritated by Ethan’s silence.

“Thank you for calling, Dana. I’ll try to call Ethan after a while.”
I felt bad for causing all this drama during our fun girls’ weekend. “You know what?” They both looked at me. “Let’s get showered, have lunch, cocktails, maybe some shopping, more cocktails, then come back and get all rocked out before we hit the concert!” I gave them a smile.
Fuck being a Debbie Downer! My friends are here with me to spend some quality time. I’ve always been able to push everything down and live in the moment. Yes, it’s exactly what I need!

“That’s our girl!” Dana said. I loved the way their faces lit up as they jumped to their feet, gave me a hug, and ran off to their room to get ready.

I was excited, too. A whole day of screwing around with my best friends in a new city! I felt better. I wanted to buy something new to wear to Hairball. I’d have to put it on my credit card, but that was okay, I’d work extra hours when I got back home.

I jumped in the shower and only let good thoughts creep into my mind
. I toweled off and got dressed. As I applied my makeup and dried my hair, I thought of going back home in a month and spending the Fourth of July with my family, and hopefully, Ethan.

When I was ready, I tried to call Ethan. I hoped Trey had gotten through to him, but he didn’t answer. It was okay, I was sure he’d talk to me later, or even tomorrow.

We had a shot before we left and then we practically skipped to the elevator. When the door opened, I caught Sean’s eyes and he gave me a smile.

“Hi
, Sean!” I stepped in and stood in the back. I had to tone down my flirting a little bit. All three of us stood against the back and Sean probably wondered why. “How’s your day going so far?” I asked him.

“So far, so good, Gia. How about yours?” He remembered my name, how sweet.

“Well, not too bad, considering I got dumped last night over the phone by the most amazing man I’ve ever met.”
Geez, either I’m flirting or I’m telling my life’s story.
Dana and Jo looked at me. I just shrugged my shoulders.

“
That’s rough,” he said. Then, he actually turned around and faced me. “Never regret. If it’s good, it’s wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s experience.”

The
three of us stood there, staring at him with our mouths open. You’d think he’d just recited an entire speech or something. “I like that,” I told him.

He turned to face the front again. “It’s Victoria Holt
. My mom used to read all her books. One time, when I thought I might die because a girl dumped me, she told me that.” He chuckled. “I thought it was so stupid at the time, but I understand it now, it makes sense.”

The elevator stopped and the door opened. “Thanks, Sean,”
I said as we stepped out. I couldn’t help it, I had to turn and give him a wink.

***

We had mimosas with our lunch and got to laughing so hard listening to Dana tell us about Brittany’s night with Marcus that my stomach ached. Apparently, Marcus was quite inexperienced, besides his Penthouse Forum story with the older woman, and Brittany, being the dedicated public servant she was, took it upon herself to teach him all about how to please a woman orally. Brittany said that when she saw Marcus’s penis, it reminded her of a joke she’d heard once. The one where the guy with the small penis pulls down his pants, and the woman asks him who he thinks he’s gonna please with that, and he responds, “me.” She said she knew there would be no orgasm for her unless she took matters into her own hands, and she started masturbating in front of him, showing him exactly what she liked. He soon took over and she had four orgasms that night.

“
No wonder she skipped the concerts and passed out immediately when she got back to the motorhome!” Jo squealed.

“Brittany said Marcus
soothed his tongue with popsicles for a couple of days after.” Dana added. We all lost it again.

We took a taxi to
the nearest shopping mall. It was huge, at least twice the size of our mall back in the city. It had stores I was familiar with, having seen them in magazines and online, but never actually been to in person. We were giddy with excitement.

We didn’t want to split up, and we knew we didn’t have time to walk through all of it, s
o we stopped at the map and each of us picked two stores we just had to go to. We took a handheld map and started our shopping adventure. Three hours later we were sitting in a little Mexican restaurant eating chips and salsa and drinking margaritas. We’d all found some great stuff and had a lot of fun doing it.

“
What a fantastic day!” Jo said.

“Absolutely! And we’ve still got tonight and all of tomorrow!” I was feeling the tequila and it felt good.

“Do you know how lucky we are to have such a close friendship?” Dana asked. “It’s so comfortable and honest with you two, and I cherish it, just want you to know.”

Jo and I agreed, and we all hugged. It was a nice moment. It
made me realize that no matter what, I’d always have them, and that was a real comfort to me.

By the time we got back to the hotel, we were fired up and ready to get rocked out.

“Looks like you ladies had a good day,” Sean greeted us as we stepped onto the elevator.

“Yes, Sean, we sure did
,” I said. “How’s your day been?”

“It’
s been full of ups and downs.” I saw him grin in his reflection on the door.

The three of us
burst out laughing. “How many times a day do you use that one?” I asked him.

“Way too many.” He chuckled at our reaction.

***

With my champagne in hand, I stepped into the bubble bath.
Ahh, if I had one of these at home, I’d soak every night.
I sipped my champagne and relaxed while the jets massaged me. It felt amazing. I shaved and scrubbed until I was smooth as silk. I’d bought a cute denim skirt to wear with ankle boots so I had to get my legs ready.

I got dressed, rocked out my makeup, curled my hair, and ratted it out. I loved the transformation. It made me feel
sexy and young again.
Someday I’d probably grow out of this, but not today.

I walked
into the living room and checked out my best friends, who were dancing to Bon Jovi. Dana was dressed in tight black leather pants, a black and white striped shirt (the black stripes were sheer), and black strappy heels. Her makeup and hair resembled mine and she looked hot. Jo was wearing the red leather mini she’d bought earlier and a cute black t-shirt with red leather short sleeves. I was glad she was showing off her legs because they were definitely her sexiest asset. Based on them, you’d guess she was in her twenties. She had short black boots with spike heels, and she’d pulled up her hair before she’d ratted it out. She was equally hot. I whistled loudly and they gave me their most seductive dance moves. I laughed as I poured us each a shot. We made a toast to best friends before we hit the hallway.

When Sean
saw us his eyes grew big. “Damn,” he whispered as he watched us walk in. We were eating it up.

“Looks like you ladies might be headed to the Hairball show?”

“How could you tell?” I laughed. “I know you’re too young to remember the 80s, but have you seen the show?”

“No, but the guys are staying here and gave me a couple of tickets. My buddy and I are heading over there later.” He seemed excited.

“Cool! Maybe we’ll bump into you!” I said as the door opened and a couple got on. I smiled at them and nodded. They just stepped in and turned their backs to us, no smile or nod.
How rude!

“Thanks, Sean,” I said as we stepped out into the lobby.