Blueprints of Seduction
Amanda Cochran had thought that August was just like all the rest. The sleazy come-ons and the way that he looked at her made it impossible for her to even think that they could have something together. She rebuffed his advances, claimed that she had just gotten out of a long-term engagement and that wasn’t even close to the truth. Amanda wanted to work with August and his reputation for making something lasting and memorable was a legacy that she wanted to be a part of. Without the constant threat of him trying to put his hands on her, she began to see that August wasn’t the man that she thought he was. There was a caring and compassionate side that was lost on her because of his lecherous ways. It was due to her rejecting him that he changed his ways. Amanda was now seeing August as more than just a partner in business. The obstacle of Julia Ames was threatening a happiness that she didn’t think was possible.
I paced back and forth in my bedroom, trying to figure out what I was going to do. Could I live with knowing that I had thrown August into another woman’s arms? I’d made it pretty clear that his interest in me was not going to be returned. There was no way that I could deny that he had a body that just wouldn’t quit. The charming dimples and the way that he spoke with refinement had made me putty in his hands. I tried so hard to push him away that I didn’t realize that there was more to him than the crass comments and the way that he tried to touch me inappropriately.
“What do you see in him? I only ask because you stated emphatically that he can’t keep it in his pants. He’s constantly coming onto you and making you feel like your skin is crawling. Don’t you see what’s going on here? Now that he’s with somebody else, you want what you can’t have. That’s not fair to either one of you.” Gemini was a friend that I had not seen in almost a decade. She just showed up out of the blue with her long hair colored in a blue and red dye. She certainly didn’t look like the same woman that I knew back when we met in school.
“I basically told him that he should shape up, but I neglected to tell him that I needed a real man to sweep me off my feet. I’ve never been one to shy away from the unknown, but guys like him are a dime a dozen. You can find somebody like him in any bar wearing their intentions in the way that they have their shirt open and that god-awful gold chain swinging back and forth against their chest. August might not be that transparent, but I thought that I had his number. I had no idea how hard it was going to be to hear him say that he was with another woman.” I was only wearing a pair of men’s boxers. I found that they were very comfortable when I wanted to sleep but not necessarily in the buff. The one thing that Gemini and I had in common was the size of our bodies. She liked to say that we were identical twins, but I couldn’t exactly say that with the way that she was dressed and wearing her individuality on your sleeve.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I really didn’t think that you had a chance with him anyway. Guys like him tend to gravitate towards those of the supermodel variety. You and I have a bit more going on for us than a stick thin figure. I don’t know about you, but I’ve learned to embrace my curves. It’s that confidence that has made it unnecessary for me to go to bed without the companion of a man. I see that same confidence in you, but it’s not as strong as I would like it to be.” Gemini was exactly like me and maybe that was the reason why she left town. I thought that it was something that I did, but I didn’t know at the time that she didn’t have any choice.
Her father was an army brat and staying in one place for too long wasn’t an option. I had kept in touch with Gemini, but this was the first time that we had seen each other without the necessary technological advancements. It was one thing to see her transformation while talking to her on a chat site, but it was another altogether when she was standing right in front of me flaunting her body. She made me feel inferior like I was doing myself an injustice.
“Don’t get me wrong, I want him to be happy, but I was never convinced that he would be able to find a woman. I thought that I had time. You have no idea how close I came to letting him do unspeakable things to me. I’ve thought about nothing else since the moment that he told me about Julia. I think that it’s a good idea for me to know my enemy before I go into battle. I’ve decided against my better judgment that I’m going to fight for him. I can’t do it up front and I’m going to need to rely on certain aspects of my personality that have remained dormant.” I was referring to my sexuality. I was never very comfortable with that kind of wanton desire, but I’d learned a long time ago that I didn’t have to be afraid of that part of me.