Top Dog

“I don’t know about dreamy. Rhett’s the last man I should be spending any time thinking about, other than the thought of keeping my distance from him.” I said.

“Damn right! That man broke your fucking heart. He took your virginity and then fucked someone else on prom night.”

“Thank you for the rundown of the culmination of my high school career. Bitch.”

“Hey, don’t get pissy with me. We’re about to go on a nice Caribbean cruise. And we aren’t going to be the only people on this ship. I’m sure there will be lots of muscular, chiseled hunks of man meat with giant anaconda dicks to give you that big ‘O’ you’re looking for.”

“You’re relentless,” I said.

“And you’ve yet to move on romantically since high school. Rhett isn’t the only guy that can make you come, you know.”

“I’m not saying he is!”

I felt Ana’s eyes on me as I continued to pack. I wasn’t really sure what she was so concerned about. I knew Rhett was trouble just as much as her. But, she was right, I hadn’t dated since Rhett. At first, I had been too scared. And then, I’d been too busy. Then, I was too focused on my career, and before I knew it I was sleeping with random guys at the bar just to feel something.

And none of them could made me orgasm.

None of them.

“Chanel, look at me.”

I lifted my eyes to look at my best friend as she zipped up her suitcase.

“We’re going to find you someone on this ship or on these islands who can rock your world. I know once you find out another man besides that asshole can make you feel good, you’ll forget all about him.”

“I still hate him so much,” I said. “Yet, I have these damn butterflies in my stomach when I…”

“You’re fantasizing about high school, a time in our lives where we wore blue mascara, put way too much hair spray in our hair, and had horrible back acne. It wasn’t that glamorous,” Ana said.

“You had back acne?” I asked.

“You didn’t? The point is this cruise can be a fresh start for us both.”

“You just want to see if Tommy’s going to be there,” I said.

“Sorry. Your ex’s best friend was hot back then, so I’m sure he’s hot as hell now. But Rhett probably looks a wreck. I bet he’s bald and fat now. Don’t get your hopes up.”

“So, Tommy’s a stud and Rhett assumed to be a nasty piece of trash.” I asked.

“Yep. That’s karma when you break my best friend’s heart. He’ll always be that in my eyes,” she said. “Now, please tell me you have a bikini to show off that body of yours. We’re going to be sunbathing, baby!”

“I have three,” I said.

“Oh, yes. You can have a drinking bikini, a lounging around bikini, and a swimming bikini.”

“Can’t I just use all three for all those activities?” I asked.

“Ew. No. Girl, you still have a lot to learn about being a female. But luckily, you have me as your best friend.”

“I’m twenty-seven years old. If I don’t know how to be a girl now, then it’s not going to happen,” I said.

“You’ve got curves in all the right places, sweetheart. You’ve got that long brown hair and those light blue eyes. I see men staring at you no matter where we go. I know what’s underneath those clothes. We hit the gym every damn day. But you don’t know how to dress yourself. It’s all jeans and T-shirts and the occasional pencil skirt that looks awful on you.”

“Awful? Pencil skirts look awesome on girls with curves,” I said.

“Yes, when you’re in your thirties. But when you’re still living it up in your twenties, it’s an entirely different sense of fashion. Plus, if you’re going to win big at the auction, you’re gonna need to spice your shit up.”

I stopped what I was doing and stared at Ana. “Uh, what ‘auction’ are you referring to Ana?”