Nodding, I say, "Yeah, I bet. But not tonight, sweetheart. It's not in the cards for me."
"No? Why?"
"It just isn't."
She scoots her chair close and before I know it her hand is on my dick, but it's as limp as a sock. She paws it a little until I move her hand away.
"Like I said, not happening."
"Too bad. We could've made some beautiful memories."
I almost laugh at her line. Maybe she should come up with something original.
When she's gone, I move to a different seat, one where there isn't a vacant chair next to me, so I don't have to deal with that shit anymore. If I want to fuck someone, it's going to be on my terms no matter how hot the woman is. A few hours later and who knows how many drinks, I close my tab and leave.
"Thanks, Mr. Beckham," the bartender says.
"You bet."
The chilly air slaps a little sobriety back into me and along with it comes a lot of regret over the way I acted toward Vivi and Eric. He's just a nice guy trying to make it in this world, which I know nothing about, and I was a royal shithead to him. I was born into wealth and have no idea what it's like to struggle financially, like Vivi does. What would it be like not to know where your next meal comes from? Or how you were going to pay your rent? The thought is even more sobering than the cold air around me. Now I'm kicking myself in my own stupid ass for not getting Eric's full name. I could've gotten to be friends with him and found a way to help Vivi through him. Maybe it's not too late. I do know which restaurant they work in and I have a top-notch security team that can find out anything. I file that away for Monday morning.
When I get home, I pull out my bowl and pack it with a bud. The alcohol wasn't exactly my tonic, so I need a little extra to take off the edge. All I can see are Vivi's mouth and eyes. Her lips were as red and plump as a summer strawberry and her irises reminded me of a storm filled sky. I fill my lungs with smoke and hope the weed will ease my tension.
I stare at the skyline, but her image doesn't go away. She's hot as fuck-the sexiest woman I've laid my eyes on in months, maybe ever. And every time I close them, an image of her pops into view.
I want to punch the wall because no matter what I try, she'll have nothing to do with me. This is the first time in my life I'm at a loss where a woman is concerned. Usually they fall at my feet. Not her. She doesn't give a shit about anything I have to offer her. And the craziest thing of all is she needs it the most.
Even in my fucked-up stoned mind, the clarity of her face is so damn vivid I can almost feel her smooth skin beneath my palms. But it's only a fantasy and will remain one unless I come up with some ingenious plan that will win her over. The only thing I can think of is to get her friend Eric on my side and after tonight that's going to be as difficult as winning Vivi over. I laugh at the joke of my life. Here I sit, king of Manhattan. And yet the only thing I want is as far from my reach as the fucking moon.
In the morning, I wake up with my face smashed into the cushion of the couch. Seems the weed must've taken effect after all and conked me out before I could make it to bed. Pain radiating down my neck and into my back tells me exactly how I slept-completely scrunched up and contorted in a bad way.
My first stop is the fridge for a bottle of Gatorade. I'd like to hit the shower to loosen up the kinks in my muscles, but I'll save that for later. Next on the list is a monster workout. My home gym is equipped with everything I need. I hit the treadmill for an hour and sweat out the alcohol. Next I lift weights until my muscles are fatigued and lose their proper form. Now I make a giant protein shake and hit the shower. I'm beginning to feel like a human again. It's a good thing because I'm supposed to be at my grandparents' for dinner in an hour and it takes about that long to get there. I get dressed and leave.
Traffic is light and my grandmother is waiting for me when I pull up. There's no woman on Earth I adore more than her. Small in stature, she barely reaches my chest as her arms wrap around me in a fierce hug. She's strong for being so slight in physique. Her silver gray hair gleams in the sunlight and every time I see her I'm reminded of how much she's done for me, always going out of her way to help me, especially after everything with Mom.
"How's my boy doing?" Her question interrupts my rambling thoughts.
"I'm fine, thank you."
She inspects me. "You're not taking care of yourself, Scotty. Are you eating?"
"Yes, ma'am, I am."
"And sleep?"
"I'm sleeping fine, Grand." I take her hand as we walk inside.
"Why don't I believe you?" Doubt crinkles the corners of her eyes.
"Probably because you're perceptive and know me better than anyone."
"What's wrong then, honey? Please don't tell me it's your father."
"Partly." And then I decide to seek her opinion. "You know what, maybe you can help. There's this girl."
Her eyes shine like the stars and maybe this wasn't such a good idea to bring her into this. "There is?"
"Yes, but that's the problem. She doesn't want anything to do with me."
"Not you?"
"Yeah, Grand, me."
My grandmother thinks the sun rises and sets with me. She has no idea what a douche I am.
"What's wrong with her?"
"I've been wondering the same thing." I chuckle.
"You're a little shit, Scotty." She squeezes the hand she still holds.
"I know. And that's the problem. She sees right through me."
"Let's sit down and talk this one out, shall we?" We take a seat in her favorite room, the sun porch. It overlooks the back of their property and offers quite a view of rolling hills with a creek running through. Grand loves to garden, so in the spring and summer there are lots of flowers everywhere. "Who is she?"
"Someone I used to know from Crestview."
"Really?"
"But we never hung out or anything. You might say she was the ugly duckling that turned into the gorgeous swan."
"Prescott, did you treat her badly when you were in school?"
"Not that I recall. I sort of liked her, as friends, you know?"
And that's the truth. Vivi was shy, kept to herself, but there was something about her that appealed to me, other than the homework deal we had. She was kind. Maybe that was it. She always listened to what I had to say, even if it was stupid bullshit.
"And?"
"I ran into her, oh, I don't know, a while ago. She's fallen on hard times lately. It's a long story."
Grand pats my leg. "Do you see me running off anywhere?"
I can see by the look Grand gives me, she is in for the long haul, so I tell her what I know about Vivi and how her mom passed.
"Oh, dear, how tragic. How isolated she must've felt afterward. You should invite her out here sometime."
"I'd love to if she'd give me the time of day."
"You haven't charmed her with that handsome smile of yours?"
"I've tried everything, even sent her gifts."
She scrutinizes me and asks suspiciously, "What types of gifts?"
"A winter coat for one. She moved here from Virginia and didn't have a decent one. I also tried to get her to move into one of my rentals. You should see where she was living. There were prostitutes and drug dealers hanging out everywhere."
"Scotty, you were trying to buy her, like a mistress," she accuses.
"No, Grand, I was just-"
"Let me finish. She's an independent woman who's used to caring for herself. You show up and want to take over her life. You have a very strong personality. I can only imagine what you said to her." She sits there shaking her head.
How does she know all this?
"I was only trying to help." I sound like a petulant child.
"Sweetheart, you don't have to explain that to me. I'm only showing you how it must've looked from her point of view. Women see things differently from men. You roar into her life like a March wind and in your mind, send her lavish gifts. She would have probably liked it better had you sent her a Starbucks Gift Certificate."
Chuckling, I say, "Um, probably not. She worked at a competing coffee shop."
"Hush. You get my meaning. You can't give women extravagant gifts, especially someone like her. Start small. Send dinner to her home. Or maybe even something smaller such as a box of chocolates. Women do love their chocolate."
"But that's so mundane."
Grand scowls. "You're missing the point. This woman needs a few raindrops and you're deluging her with a flood. And for the love of God, Scotty, don't offer to set her up in an apartment. That only tells her you're interested in one thing. Women know men only think with that appendage in their pants at first. Set yourself apart from the rest, if you truly want to impress her, that is."
And that's the real question, isn't it? Do I want to impress Vivi, or do I want her only for her pussy? With the way things are going, she's not giving that up very easily, so it looks like I have my work cut out for me. And the more she holds out, the more I want it.