Mr. Big Shot (Mr. Big 1)

The following Friday, I sat at my desk gazing out at the Manhattan skyline. I checked my cell to see if Alexa had pulled out at the last minute, like I suspected she might, but so far there was no text from her.

LUKE: Hey, how are you today? Slay any international relations dragons? I hope you're still planning to come to We

sthampton with me tonight. I need a sidekick to keep the wolves at bay…

I sent the text and then waited, wondering what she'd say in reply.

When she didn’t reply right away, I opened a file on my desk and tried to occupy myself. Finally, I heard a ding and checked my cell.

ALEXA: I'm through with dragons for at least two weeks, I'm happy to say. If you seriously need me to come to Westhampton, I'm willing but I want a promise from you again that you're not going to try any funny stuff.

LUKE: I am a man of my word. I promise to only fake trying funny stuff. I will pretend to be so turned on by your mere presence that I can't wait to get you alone in my bed so I can ravish you the way you deserve. It will all be a total act, rest assured. ;)

ALEXA: Good because I don't do meaningless sex, no matter how wonderfully pleasurable it might be.

LUKE: *sigh* Classic boy-girl divide. He wants meaningless sex, and she wants meaningful sex. Can I ask you something? Why can't plain old good sex be enough? Don't you like good sex? Maybe you haven't had enough of it to know what you're missing. I assure you, I would make it worth your while. It's been over a year after all…

She didn’t respond right away, and I felt that maybe I'd pushed a bit too hard.

LUKE: Of course, if you prefer to just fake it, I understand. Well, I don’t understand, but I can accept it.

Another silence passed and I hoped I hadn’t been really wrong to text what I had. I read over my text and tried to see what I might have written that would be taken in the wrong way.

LUKE: ??

Finally, after about ten minutes, she replied, and I felt a huge sense of relief that she wasn't going to tell me to fuck off and deal with my family and the Blakes on my own.

ALEXA: I have my reasons as I'm sure you have yours.

LUKE: Of course you do. Look, you can't blame a guy for trying. You're beautiful and sexy as hell. I can't not want to fuck you silly. You have to understand that. Right?

ALEXA: This is the source of all problems in the world between men and women. Men can't seem to see us without their dicks getting in the way. I'm more than just tits and ass…

Whoa. I really put my foot in it that time.

LUKE: Of course you are. You're much more and all of it is very attractive. I'm sorry if my bluntness insults you, but I'm only being truthful. I promise that I won't be too obnoxious when we're at the beach house for the weekend. Only as obnoxious as I have to convince everyone that we really are fucking our brains out, okay? Deal?

I waited for her response. From my way of thinking, I was complimenting her, noting how beautiful she was and how sexy. How pretty much every man I knew would feel the same way about her.

ALEXA: As long as you keep your end of the bargain, I'll keep mine.

LUKE: Deal. I'll pick you up at seven. By the time we arrive, there'll be a barbecue, bonfire and we can sit around, have a few drinks and enjoy the night. You deserve to relax and enjoy yourself and celebrate your successful exam. You can hold my hand a bit, we can gaze in a loving but entirely fake way into each other's eyes in front of the Blakes, put on a good show for my adoptive mother and then hit the sack. I promise to be a total gentleman when we're alone.

ALEXA: I'm holding you to it.

LUKE: Okay. See you in a while.

Damn, woman…

I thought she'd be flattered that I found her so attractive and desirable. I'd think she would like it, but apparently, it was a sore spot for her.

I'd be the perfect gentleman with her when we were alone, even though it would be hell to have her in my bedroom and not be able to actually use it the way I wanted.

With her on the bed, on the floor in front of the fireplace, on the sofa in front of the window, and in the bathtub. Wherever I could take her.

That was the normal red-blooded hetero male in me.

The other part of me, the part with a functioning pre-frontal cortex, knew I had to show her that I appreciated her as a person as well as a woman.