Prologue
Rob
She was sitting in her usual spot. The sun slanting through the trees made shadows dance all around her. My breathing slowed. Every time I saw her it was like seeing her beauty again for the first time. I stopped and put my hands on my knees, pretending to catch my breath. My eyes stayed fixed on her as the breeze fluttered her hair. God, I wanted my hands in that hair. I wanted to taste her lips. I wanted to feel the softness of her skin.
She closed her book and ran her fingers through her hair. She turned her head toward me, but I couldn't tell if she was actually looking at me. The sunglasses she wore always hid her eyes.
I quickly pulled my phone out of my pocket and pretended to change the song. Even though I didn't listen to music when I ran, my earphones were always connected to my phone. I liked that it looked like I was listening to music. That way no one would disturb me. I didn't like to be bothered when I was running.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw her pull a notebook out of her backpack. The shadows danced across her face again as she bit the tip of her pen. It was impossible not to stare. She was the opposite of me, transfixed by whatever she was working on. She always seemed completely focused. It was alluring.
I told myself if I ever ran into her at a bar, I'd talk to her. But I couldn't do it here. Not while she was sitting there studying in the grass peacefully. She looked so in tune with herself. I couldn't make myself ruin this perfect moment.
My world was chaos. I wouldn't pull her into that unless I could lock eyes with her. I could tell from just a glance if a girl wanted me. But this girl was always wearing sunglasses. She bit the tip of her pen again. Fuck me. I could feel myself getting hard. That was not going to work in athletic shorts.
My phone lit up in my hands and Penny's name flashed across the screen. It was not weird at all to sit here and people watch while I talked to my future sister in law. It was a perfect excuse to stare at the beautiful woman in the grass. Usually I didn't have a good reason. I pulled my earphones out and swiped my finger across the screen.
"Hey, baby, what's up?"
"Hey to you too. Why are you so out of breath?" She was so desensitized by my teasing that it barely even effected her anymore. I needed to come up with a better term of endearment than "baby." Maybe "sugar tits" would get a rise out of her next time.
I cleared my throat. "I was just exercising."
"Ew."
I laughed. "Ew? Ew what?"
"Did I just interrupt you...you know."
"Jerking off? No. Do you want me to be?" I could picture her rolling her eyes. I loved when she did that.
"No, Rob. I'm calling about James' birthday."
"Having trouble coming up with an idea for the man who has everything?"
She sighed. "I guess you could say that. He always seems happy with the presents I give him, but I want him to really, really like his present this year. He's been working so hard the past few months getting his company off the ground. I want to show him how much I appreciate him."
"Give him head."
She laughed. "You're not helping."
"No, seriously. That's what he wants."
"That's not a special gift, Rob. I want to give him something nice."
"Why, because you give him head all the time?" I could imagine Penny on her knees in front of me. It was easy to picture her full lips around my cock. Fuck, that's making me harder. I looked over at the girl in the grass. She was writing something in her notebook.
"Rob, come on, you know him best."
"I already told you what he wants. It's what every guy wants."
"It's his last birthday in his twenties. I want to make it special."
"So maybe dress up in something sexy too. A naughty school girl outfit would be fitting."
She laughed. "Okay, you're not helping. I'll let you get back to exercising." She drew out the word exercising.
"I was on a run. I swear I wasn't jerking off. But all this talk about head..."
"Bye, Rob."
"Wait. I actually have an idea."
"I'm listening."
"Mets tickets. He loves going to those games with you. Get good seats though this time. Last time I was stuck behind some huge mammoth lady."
"I'm assuming that means you'll want to come if I go that route?"
"Yeah...I mean, it was my idea. And you can give him an idea of what to expect later by eating a hot dog super seductively."
She laughed. "Ugh. I'm hanging up now."
"But I haven't gotten off yet."
"Stop being gross. Bye, Rob."
"Bye, sugar tits." I smiled as I pulled the phone away from my ear. I loved Penny like a sister but it was so easy for me to picture her tied up naked in my bed. When would that go away? I ran my hand through my hair as I glanced back at the girl studying. She was reading a book now, perfectly content.
I definitely couldn't talk to her. I didn't want to freak her out and make her change her studying schedule. Every weekday when the sun was out, she'd be here at 3 p.m. like clockwork. I made sure to be here too. Not that I was stalking her. Three o'clock also happened to be a great time to run. I had always liked running in the heat. Probably because I had gotten used to it after spending half my time abroad.
The girl rubbed the side of her neck with her hand. Why was that so fucking sexy? I had dreamed about pinning her against the very tree she liked to read under. I could picture her begging me to fuck her. She bit the tip of her pen again. Did she even realize what she could do to a man?
Even though she was always peacefully studying, I was not going to let this girl slip through my fingers. It was almost finals week. If I didn't run into her by the end of the semester, I'd go talk to her like this. I'd interrupt her studying because I know she'd want me to. She couldn't hide behind those sunglasses forever.
Okay. I had not been jerking off while I talked to Penny, but if I didn't soon I'd have to throw away my shorts. I stood up and adjusted my shorts in an attempt to hide my boner. It didn't work that well. Luckily my apartment was close. I looked over my shoulder at the girl as I started running. I'd definitely talk to her soon.
***
Last call would be in a few minutes. I looked around the bar as I closed out my tab, hoping, praying that she'd suddenly appear. Finals week was drawing to a close. The end of the semester had come and I had blown my shot at talking to that girl. She just stopped showing up under the tree a few days ago. She probably finished her exams early. She was gone.
I glanced over at the group of girls that were clearly celebrating a 21st birthday. One of them was wearing a tiara and looked like she was drunk out of her mind. The thought of her beneath me wasn't appealing at all. I wanted a challenge. I wanted something different. I wanted the girl in the grass.
I looked down at the beer in my hand. If someone was to ask me how old I was, 21 would probably spill out. I still felt 21. I still felt like I was in college. I needed to get out of this town. Whatever it was I was looking for, it wasn't here.
"Who's the lucky girl tonight?"
I turned my head to the bartender. I didn't recognize her. And you think that I would after frequenting this bar so often. She was wearing cutoff jean shorts and her t-shirt with the bar's logo was tied up, showing off her perfect stomach.