Prologue
It all started with a note and a piece of candy when we were seven years old. She sat next to me in class and as the best student in the class, she was always winning pieces of candy from the teacher. One day, I’d had enough of watching her eating candy. I wanted to share in the candy with her, so I sent her a note:
Do you want to be my best friend?
Yes
No
She responded with a “Maybe” and that was the beginning of our friendship.
Chapter One
There are a few things you should know about me. I’m a fine young Southern Gentleman. I open doors for women, most of the time. I know how to ballroom dance. I know how to woo. And I know how to drink with the best of them. Many women think I’m hot, or sexy, or whatever you want to call it. I’m not sure if I’m really that hot or if there’s a drought of hot men in South Carolina. Yes, I’m a good ol’ boy. Though, in reality, I’m not a good ol’ boy in anyway. Though, that’s no secret. I like to have a good time, I like women, and I’m not afraid to speak my mind. The only other thing you should know about me is that I have one friendship that I cherish above all others. That’s my friendship with Clementine O’Hara. She was my best friend and the only person in the world I didn’t try and screw around with.
***
Clementine O’Hara had been blessed with one of the worst names I’d ever heard. It was hard to say her full name with a straight face. It was even harder to say her nickname without bursting out laughing. “Clemmie, what are you doing tonight?” I stared into her serious brown eyes as she scribbled something in her notepad.
“Why?” She looked up at me and frowned. Her lips were stained navy blue from the pen she’d been nibbling on every few minutes.
“I was hoping that…”
“No.” She shook her head and went back to scribbling furiously.
“You don’t even know what you’re saying no to.”
“I know you, Rhett and the answer is no.”
“Come on, Clemmie.”
“Does it involve a girl?” She cocked her head and looked at me with narrowed eyes.
“No,” I shook my head and gave her my lazy smile. She rolled her eyes at me and I laughed. Clemmie was not one to fall for my sweet smile and big blue eyes.
“So what does it involve?”
“It involves girls, plural.” I grinned. “I kinda double-booked tonight.”
“So cancel on one.”
“I don’t want to cancel on either of them.” I sat down on the edge of her bed. “That wouldn’t be fair to either of them.”
“Why not?”
“I’m sure they’ve been planning what they’re going to wear since I asked them out.”
“Rhett Madison, you’re an asshole.” She shook her head at me. “Now leave, I’m trying to write.”
“Some friend you are.” I tried again. “I thought I could count on my best friend to help me out in a jam.”
“Then I suggest you get a new best friend, preferably a guy.” She laughed as I made a face at her. “Because you are never going to convince me to act as your wingwoman again. No way, Jose. Not after last time.”
“You weren’t my wingwoman, Clemmie.” I pulled her ponytail and laughed. “You were just helping me out in a jam.”
“Well, Brittany sure didn’t seem to think I was helping out.” She shook her head and shuddered. “What a mess that night was.”
“Did I blame you?” I grinned at her.
“Blame me?” Her jaw dropped open. “I know you’re not going there. I was stuck listening to her going on about how great you were for two hours. I’ve never met a more boring, insipid woman in all my life.”
“Is that why you told her I was on a date with someone else? After I told you that I absolutely didn’t want her to know?”
“Rhett, you should be thanking me. What did you see in her?” She gave me a look. “Oh, wait, I know, her big boobs and blonde hair.”
“Hey, she was hot and she was willing.” I shrugged. “I’m 21, in the prime sexual peak of my life. I wasn’t about to say no.”
“Trust me, I know.” She rolled her eyes.
“Come on, Clem. Please?” I gave her my best puppy-dog face and she laughed.
“Unlike you, Rhett Madison. I can say no quite easily.”
“Clementine O’Hara, please do not make me beg.”
“I’m not going to make you do anything.”
“I’ll take you out to a nice dinner next weekend.”
“Hmm, steakhouse?” She grinned and rubbed her stomach. I knew the way to Clementine’s heart and goodwill was through her stomach. It was ironic in a way seeing as I was the man, but I knew she was always down for a good steak dinner.
“Any steakhouse you want, baby.”
“Let me think…” She stared at me and then grinned. “That’s still a no.”
“What if I add a couple of bottles of wine?”
“Do you want me to run my mouth again?” She raised an eyebrow at me and started laughing. Her brown eyes flashed at mine in humor and I groaned. “You know I’m likely to slip up and say something I shouldn’t.”
“You suck.” I lay back on the bed. “What am I going to do?”
“Just cancel on one of them. It’s not going to kill you.”
“You don’t know that.” I grabbed her fluffy white pillow and placed it under my head. “Why does this smell so good?” I buried my nose into her pillow and sniffed. It smelled sweet and flowery and totally girly.
“Because I did laundry yesterday.” She shrugged. “You would know the smell if you did laundry as well.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“I can’t believe you still take your laundry home.” She shook her head. “That’s crazy.”
“Do you want to do it for me, then?” I smiled at her sweetly. “I’m sure Dolores would be happy to have one less chore to do.”
“Dolores gets paid. I don’t.” She shook her head.
“I can pay you if you want.” I gave her one of my signature looks. “I can pay you in any way that you want.”
“Are you offering me the job of your maid?” Her eyes were full of light and mischief and I laughed.
“I’m not sure I could afford you.”
“I’m glad you realize that.” She grinned at me. “And for the last time, no way. I’m not going.”
"Come on, Clementine. I really want you to be a part of this with me."
"Be a part of what? Fooling two girls into thinking you're interested?" She laughed and looked at me with incredulous eyes. "You think I want to be a part of that, why?"
"Because you want to experience everything with me." I grinned and winked at her and she burst out laughing.
"Rhett Madison, I'm not sure what dream world you're living in, but I surely don't want to be a part of your cruel and unusual punishment against women."
"How is dating me a punishment?" I pursed my lips and gave her my sad face.
"You tell me how it's not?" She jumped up and put her arms on my shoulder. "Now scoot, boy, I've got homework to do."
"Come on, Clem." I sighed, ignoring the feel of her hands on my shoulders. Clementine had always been a touchy-feely girl, but it had never bothered me until recently. And it wasn't that it bothered me, but made me more aware of her as a woman. I didn't want to think of her as a woman.
"I need to finish this tonight, Rhett. I've got to work tomorrow morning before class."
"You've always got to work." I sighed, annoyed that she was kicking me out.
"That's what poor people do to make money. We work." She grinned at me and winked. "Now go try and convince two bimbos that you didn't make a date with both of them tonight.”
"They're not bimbos." I grinned. "At least not that I know of."
"Uh huh." She raised an eyebrow at me and wiggled it for a second. It was a trick I had taught her in fourth grade and she never stopped using it now.
"Who knows, maybe they'll be cool with it and offer to have a threesome."
"Yeah. Maybe." She shook her head at me and mumbled under her breath. "Pervert."
"I'm not a pervert, every guy wants a threesome."
"No, they don't." She shook her head. "Some guys respect women. Some guys actually want a relationship with just one woman."
"Uh, who?" I looked around the room. "Show me a guy who will turn down a threesome with two hot women and I'll show you a guy who used to be a woman."
"Whatever," she said and laughed while shaking her head.
"It's true. Statistically speaking, more men want sex then want relationships."
"What's the statistic and where is it from?"
"99% of men want sex." I paused. "The statistic is from me."
"I'm guessing you're not part of the 1%."
"You know it." I laughed. "You ought to try it some time."
"I'm saving myself for marriage." She played with the cross around her neck. "You know that."
"Yeah, good luck with that." I laughed at her, but secretly I was pleased. For some reason it made me feel better to know that Clementine wasn't dating much or sleeping around. I never thought about it much to understand why, but I knew that it made me happy to know that she was saving herself.
"Who knows what will happen when I get a boyfriend, though." She shrugged and I tensed.
"What boyfriend?"
"Any boyfriend." She made a face and screwed her cute little nose up. "I'm not a nun, you know."
"Yeah, just be careful. You deserve a Prince, not a loser," I muttered, thinking about all the guys that had approached me and asked about trying to hook up with her. I'd told all of them that she wasn't interested and to back off. Not that I'd actually asked her, but I knew what was best. I knew guys like me: they only wanted sex and there was no way in hell that I was going to hook her up with a guy like me.
"So..." She started hesitantly and paused. "So..." She started again.
"What?" I looked at her curiously.
"Penelope thinks that I hang out with you too much and that's why a lot of guys aren't asking me out."
"What?" I frowned. Penelope was Clementine’s best girlfriend, a girl she'd met in freshman English. She was cute and funny, but we'd never really hit it off as friends.
"She thinks that guys see you with me all the time and get the wrong impression."
"What are you talking about? We hang out a lot because we are best friends." I rolled my eyes. "Do girls assume you're a lesbian because you hang out with her a lot?" My voice rose. "Maybe she's the problem!"
"Rhett." She rolled her eyes at me. "I'm just letting you know what Penelope said." She bit her lower lip. "I mean I see her point."
"So what are you saying? You don't want to be seen with me?"
"No." She sighed and shrugged.
"Do you want me to hook you up with one of my friends?" I suggested lightly, though my stomach was in knots.
"Have any of them ever mentioned me?" She asked lightly. "Like do any of them think I'm cute or anything?"
"What?" My heart thudded. Was she joking? All of my friends thought she was hot as hell, though they knew better than to make suggestive comments around me. Clementine was gorgeous with her light brown hair and big brown eyes. Her skin had a natural olive tan that made it seem like she was constantly glowing and her body was curvy in all the right places. It didn't hurt that she had a nice size chest and a cute pert ass. I frowned as I stared at her nibbling on her pen. She was too beautiful for her own good and the fact that she didn't know it made her even more attractive to guys.
"I was just wondering." She shrugged and gave me a small smile. "Maybe you can see if any of the guys that have mentioned me want to take me out."
"Are you joking?" I frowned, my heart beating fast. "I thought you were concentrating on your studies and waiting until marriage."
"Rhett, I'm not going to wait to date until marriage." She giggled. "Don't be silly." She looked up at me with a wide smile and a carefree expression on her face. She reminded me of sunshine on a cloudy day. I felt my stomach relaxing as I smiled back at her. She was my Clementine, my best friend, and as much as I wanted to keep her under a rock, I knew I had to let her fly.
"I'll see if I can think of any good guys." I said finally.
"Or guys at your truck club." She grinned.
"Hell no. They just wanna get laid in the back of their pickups." I shook my head.
"Is that what you want as well?" She raised an eyebrow at me.
"Been there, done that, wasn't all that. The space is too tight."
"TMI," she groaned.
"I'm telling you, it sounds hotter than it is. Shit, the girl can barely move and it gets so cramped. And I can't even adjust and..."
"Rhett." She gave me a look. "I do not want to know about your sex life."
"I was just saying." I grinned. "You don't want to be with a guy from the truck club."