What A Boy Wants Part 4

She glanced at her watch and I noticed her nails looked s.h.i.+ny like she had something on them. Id never noticed that on her before. Sure. I have time.

After pulling some clothes out of my drawers I ran into my bathroom. I didnt stay in until I pruned like I usually did because Id feel like a jerk making her wait. Five minutes later, a sauce-free Sebastian came out of the bathroom. I had on black, baggy basketball shorts that went down past my knees and no s.h.i.+rt.

Um, are you going to put on any clothes? Aspen had her shoes off as she leaned against my headboard. A little chill must have come in from my window because s.h.i.+vers suddenly rolled down my spine.

Why?

Her cheeks went pink again.

Oh. Ooh! You think Im hot, too! I practically shouted.

When her eyes bugged out, I realized Id added the too on there. I couldnt think of a cover so I decided to embarra.s.s her instead. Its okay. I rubbed my stomach. These abs have been known to bring down much tougher girls. I wont tell anyone you want me.

You wis.h.!.+ I was thinking more along the line of your mom coming home and seeing you in your room alone with me, no s.h.i.+rt, and your boxer-briefs hanging out of your shorts.

My eyebrows raised and my heart started to beat faster. Youre taking your s.h.i.+rt off? h.e.l.l yeah.

Aspen launched herself off the bed and toward me. I easily caught her, and tackled her to the bed. My legs straddled her middle as I held her arms above her head. I told you. Im a ninja. Your tricks dont compare to my Jedi skills.

She tried to twist, but I held on to her. Let me go.

Not until you admit I kick a.s.s. Actually, I just wanted to hold onto her a little longer. She was so soft beneath me. Smooth, female skin that drove me wild.

She bucked, her breathing coming out heavy and thats when I realized what a huge mistake this was. This was Aspen and I was totally loving the feel of her. Totally savoring it. She smelled like cinnamon and it was so much better than the floral stuff girls usually wore that it kind of hit me like a sock to the gut. It was suddenly all I could focus on. Her scent and feel. What the h.e.l.l?! I jumped off her before she could realize I was enjoying it a little too much. This felt way different than BFF stuff.

First thing tomorrow, I was making some phone calls. I obviously needed some quality time of the female variety.

You gave up. She sat up, smoothing her hair down and straightening out her baby blue t-s.h.i.+rt. It wasnt like a guy t-s.h.i.+rt, it was smaller, tighter, but definitely not revealing.

No, I just felt bad beating you up after we just made up and all. I sat back in my chair, trying to get some distance between us. Maybe if I couldnt smell her, I could find a way to clear my head.

After a few silent minutes, she picked up my guitar that we thankfully hadnt kicked off my bed. I havent heard you play for a while.

Yeah? Playing for one person like that always felt like s...o...b..ating.

Play something before I go?

No. What do you wanna hear?

She handed me the guitar and I took it. Something relaxing. I got tackled by this mental guy tonight and it gave me a little headache. She smiled and gave me the eyes. d.a.m.n it with the girl eyes. I needed to figure out some kind of defense against it.

Aspen moved to the foot of my bed, crossing her legs beneath her. There was nothing I could do but sit back and play.

Chapter Six.

It had been a week since Aspen showed up at work to pick me up. For some reason, wed only worked together once, but she still stopped by DJs a lot. She and Pris would come flitting in for no apparent reason other than to taunt us with their freedom while we were knee deep in pizza dough. As quickly as they came in, theyd disappear again, leaving nothing behind but the urge to dump the uniform and go with them.

Matt talked me down from that a couple times. I think DJ wanted us to be pizza partners or something because it seemed like every time I worked, Matt worked with me. Every time I worked with him, he bugged me more. I trusted him less.

So, your first couple weeks on the job and youre already trying to get some time off, huh? DJ asked me when I went into the back office to see about getting the weekend off for Priss birthday. I did manage to weasel my way into an invite for me and Jaden. Of course, it hadnt been that hard. I guess they were kind of freaked out about staying the weekend by themselves anyway, but didnt want to tell her parents, because then they wouldnt be able to go.

We had it all figured out. Id tell my mom Id be spending the weekend with Jaden. Even though I never stayed at Jadens I knew she wouldnt check up on me. It would be the perfect time for her to play house with the loser. Of course Pris and Aspen already had it figured out, because their parents totally trusted them and thought it was a good idea to rent a beach house for a couple teenage girls for the weekend. Lucky. And Jadens parents just never gave a s.h.i.+t where he was. Id be surprised if they even noticed he was gone.

Which sucked. My mom might be one of those girls who always thought she needed a man, but I knew she loved me. I wasnt sure Jaden could say the same thing when it came to his a.s.shole parents.

Now, all I had to do was secure the time off, which I realized wasnt going to be so easy since I was not only new, but Aspen was taking the time off, too. Ill make it up, DJ. Anytime you need me. Its Priss birthday and weve had this planned for months. I cant believe I s.p.a.ced telling you about it when you hired me.

DJ sighed and my stomach sank a little bit. I was really looking forward to spending the weekend out town with my friends. I figured it would be the best way for me to get back to normal to hang out like we always did and then the weirdness would be gone. Oh and lets not forget beaches and bikinis, what guy wouldnt look forward to that?

When is this happening again?

Next weekend. I can pick up extra s.h.i.+fts this week if you want me to. Ill be your go-to guy for the rest of the summer.

DJ kicked his feet up on his desk. You have a knack for getting what you want, dont you?

Yep. I can show you how. Girls, favors, days off of work from cool a.s.s bosses.

DJ laughed. Im married so no girls, and believe me, Im not that cool.

I almost asked him why he tied himself down so young. He couldnt be any older than his mid- twenties, but I figured that wasnt the best way to get what I wanted. Please?

Fine. Fill out the form and youre good to go.

h.e.l.l yeah. Thanks, man. I appreciate it. You need any other s.h.i.+fts covered and Im your guy.

Im holding you to that! he called to me as I left the office.

The rest of my s.h.i.+ft flew by. Mattie kept his mouth shut so I hadnt spent my whole s.h.i.+ft annoyed. How could I be annoyed anyway since I would be getting a beach house for the weekend?

Later guys! I called out as I left.

On the way out, Matt stopped me. Hey, theres a party tomorrow night.

Where? I asked even though I was pretty sure I wasnt going. I liked to party, but didnt know about being all buddy-buddy with this guy.

This girl I met at the mall. She said its going to be a big one. Figured Id let you know. Shes pretty hot and hot girls usually travel in packs.

I started to laugh, but then I remembered the guy annoyed me, so I didnt. Yeah, maybe. Ill talk to my friends and see whats up. About that time Aspen, Pris and Jaden pulled in the parking lot to pick me up. Instead of Pris or Aspens car, they were in the beatermobile. Weird.

Jaden rolled down the window. There was something sticking out of his lip.

Dude! I told you I wanted to go with you. I want to get my lip done, too. Jerk. I couldnt believe he went without me. Wed done our eyebrows together and our lips were supposed to be next.

He smirked. You couldnt handle it, Cinderella. Get in the car before your ride turns into a pumpkin.

Catch ya later, I said to Matt as I walked off. Unfortunately he was following me. Well, not me, I guess, because he was walking to the back door where Aspen sat with her window open.

Youre still going tomorrow night, right? he asked her. My footsteps stilled. Looked like me and Mattie here needed to have a talk. Wasnt he just talking about girls at the party and now hed invited Aspen, too? That so wasnt going to fly.

Yep, she replied to him, running a hand through her honeyed hair. My hand started to twitch. When she leaned toward the front and started talking to Pris, I let the air out of my lungs. She was hardly giving him the time of day, like she didnt really care that he was there, which was cool. It would be a lot easier to break it to her that I thought the guy was a chump.

I slipped around him and leaned toward the window. Hey, Woodstock. I picked a piece of paper out of her hair and man, I wanted to do it again. It was just as soft as it looked. The urge hit me to turn around and tell him, See, I can touch her whenever I want to, but then I realized that was a little bit creepy. Like I wanted her or something and really, I just wanted to keep her away from guys like him and well, me.

Um, hey, Bastian.

I opened the door. Aspen scooted over and I slid in beside her. Count me and Jaden in tomorrow night too, could you, Mattie? As if Jaden could read my mind, he laughed, then peeled out of the parking lot.

PA,.

Time to step up your game. Its time for Operation Flirt. Now, I know I dont know you, but just from your emails, you dont seem like a real flirty type. Unlike what some girls think, flirting is an art form. Its not something everyone can do. I think you can handle it though and it goes a long way when it comes to getting the guy.

Theres a fine line between being flirty and looking easy. You dont want to look easy because, despite what we try and make girls think, we really dont want an easy girl, just like Im sure girls dont want an easy guy. Let me know if you have any questions.

Hook-up Doctor ***

Hook-up Doctor, Okay, I feel like an idiot that Im asking your advice on how to flirt, but I since I already look desperate enough by doing this, I figured what the heck. Helps that you dont know who I am, too, but well just pretend its because I really dont care what people think. LOL.

This is the thing, Ive flirted a bit. I mean, what girl hasnt, but its hard to know what guys really want. Its not like we can ask and since Im paying you, I guess I should fully take advantage of the situation, right?

There are those girls who walk around half-naked, plastering themselves to guys and for some strange reason, guys seem to go for that. Isnt that an easy girl? You said guys dont want easy, then what do they want? I have to be honest with you, the whole half naked thing is not me and though I really want this guy, Im not comfortable turning into someone Im not for him. Is that what youre asking for? Be honest, is that really what guys want in a girl? I have a party coming up and Im thinking it will be a good opportunity to put my flirting into action.

Thanks, PA.

PA,.

While the half-naked thing is good on the eyes, its really not what we want (shh, dont tell though). We want confident, but not b.i.t.c.hy. You want to be s.e.xy and fun, but still in control, know what I mean? You dont have to try and control us, but if were turned on, it will happen regardless. Control is everything. It not only makes you more desirable (strong women are hot), but its also better for you. You know, safety and all, especially if theres a party. Dont give up that control, PA. You can do this. Let me know how it goes.

Hook-up Doctor ***

Jaden stood in front of the mirror in my room, ruffling his hair so it looked extra messy. He cracked me up. Sometimes he was worse than a girl with his primping. How ya doin over there, Goldilocks? Do you need me to give you a perm before we go? Oh, and I think your roots are showing. Might be time to pull out the peroxide again.

He looked at me in the reflection. It takes time to look this hot. Maybe I should give you some lessons.

I dont need to try. Im always hot.

Jaden shook his head at me. Ha. No comeback for that one.

So, whats up with this party tonight? he asked.

I pulled on my black b.u.t.ton up s.h.i.+rt, leaving it open so you could see my Beastie Boys t-s.h.i.+rt under it. I didnt care how old school they were. People either gave me s.h.i.+t about them or looked at me confused because they didnt know who they were. Not my fault they didnt know good music. Plus, it was my lucky s.h.i.+rt. Tonight, I needed some luck.

After buckling my belt so that my shorts didnt fall off, but still sat low like I liked them, I walked to the other mirror to put in the new barbell my mom got me for my eyebrow. Who knows? Figured it would be better than chillin at home. According to Mattie, theres supposed to be no shortage of hot girls there.

Once he had his hair effectively messed up, Jaden sat in my computer chair and pulled on his shoes. Nice. Hopefully, there will be some fresh meat.

Which was exactly what I needed. My head had been all screwed up lately. I wasnt sure what was going on. Thats what he said. Idiot.

Jaden laughed. You dont like him?

I shrugged. I dont know. I dont trust him. He was asking about the girls. Only a slight lie. Hed asked about one of the girls, but Jaden didnt need to know that. Hed only take it to mean the wrong thing and I didnt feel like getting into it tonight.

Jaden played with his new piercing before he said, Speaking of, Pris has been acting weird lately. Im wondering if all her parents money is making her crazy. Its like shes had split personalities or something. One minute shes fine and then she seems extra p.i.s.sed at me for some reason.

Feeling my pockets, I made sure I had my cell and wallet and then headed out the door. Jaden was right behind me. Shes a girl. Theyre always weird. And no offense, bro, but shes always a little p.i.s.sy with you.

True. Whats up with that?

I shrugged because really, I had no clue. All I wanted to focus on tonight was having a good time. I felt pumped, my pulse break dancing beneath the surface of my skin. I needed a night out to get my head straight. It was strange"the way I felt so off my game lately. I wasnt sure what was going on, but I planned on rectifying it tonight. You sure we shouldnt take the beatermobile? You know, just in case. That way we dont have to depend on the girls? I asked Jaden, halfway hoping hed say yes while the other half wanted him to say no.

His eyes diverted away from mine. Its not really runnin too well. Might be smarter just to ride with them.

I didnt know why Jaden was embarra.s.sed about his car. I gave him c.r.a.p about it, but he was right, at least he had one. K. Well look at it on my next day off. See if we can figure out whats up. I would too. Even though I didnt do the whole car-work thing, I would help Jaden if push came to shove. I tried to pull the door open, but he stopped me.

Yeah, right. We all know you dont like to get dirty. He laughed, but then turned serious. Can I stay here tonight though? My dads being a p.r.i.c.k.

I had a feeling there was a lot more going on at Jadens than he let on, but I didnt dare ask him. It was some kind of guy code or something. He knew I was there for him and if he wanted to talk to me, he would, just like if I ever felt like spilling my guts about my mom, I knew Jaden would listen. It wasnt something we did and I knew it would only embarra.s.s him if I brought it up. Yeah. Anytime. Stay as long as you want. I was going to ask, but I forgot. It would make him feel better if he thought it was my idea. I threw my arm over his shoulder. Come on, man. Were going to make sure this night is epic.

Thats what Im talking about. Then we were out the door to Aspens house. No matter what it took, I was going to make sure this was a night we didnt forget.

Chapter Seven.

The living room was crowded with bodies almost as tightly as the sea of people at the Green Day concert I went to the year before. I pushed my way through the crowd, Aspen holding on to my s.h.i.+rt from behind, Pris holding her and Jaden bringing up the rear. My stomach was a little uneasy for some reason, so I wanted to find a quiet place for our little pow-wow. The kitchen was much less crowded than the living room, but still not quite what I was looking for, so I slipped out the back door and waited for them to join me.

Um, partys inside, bro, Jaden said.

I know, I just wanted to figure out the night. I looked at my cell phone. Its 9:30 now so we have to be out of here in three hours to make curfew. We still doing the three drink max for the rest of us and Pris is the designated driver?

They all nodded Bet. Text if you need us, k? I said to Pris and Aspen. I knew how guys thought"especially when there was alcohol involved. I knew what was always on my mind, so Jaden and I were always sure we kept an eye on the girls when we were out. There was this one time a guy got a little too touchy feely with Pris, but luckily shed been smart enough to give him a right hook and find Jaden and me. After that we always came up with a pre-party plan, also known as the PPP just to be on the safe side. Dont do anything I would do. I smiled at the girls, my eyes lingering a little longer on Aspen. My stomach flipped.

Youre so funny, Bastian. Its okay for you mess around, but not us. Aspen put her hands on her hips like she was annoyed. She wore something different tonight. Maybe something of Priss because Id never seen her wear it before. It didnt show a lot of skin like the stuff Id admired on the other girls as we walked through the house, but it was definitely more when it came to Aspen. It was a red"which Id always thought looked hot on a girl -- sleeveless V-neck that teased, but didnt really show the goods. A little teardrop-looking necklace hung down and rested between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. And she topped off the outfit with a pair of hip hugging jeans that almost made me groan.

Yeah, I definitely needed to be here to watch the girls tonight.