Chapter Sixteen
Tyler
It hadn’t taken long for my head to clear after waking up on the beach, just as the sun had come u; and despite all of the pussy thoughts I was having while I was drunk, my main concern now was just seducing Ashley.
I refused to let her be the one who got away. That just wasn’t going to happen, especially since it didn’t seem likely I would be able to get away from her any time soon.
My dumbass mother seemed pretty smitten with her gutless father and so as long as the gifts and sex kept coming, I would be stuck sitting across from Ashley at family dinners and holidays.
A disappointment like that was a continuous blow to my ego that I just couldn’t afford. This apology was just my devious way of appealing to her sensitive side.
Girls love a man who can show them whose boss and still be able to woo them. Over the years, that had become my specialty.
So I waited patiently at her door as she cursed me off in the adorable way that she knew how before I answered, “Okay, that’s fine. I was just curious what you were doing up here and I wanted to talk.”
“If I never speak to you again, it will still be too damn soon,” she responded heatedly.
“You know, Ashley, you’re not the first person to say that to me. If you want to insult me, you are going to have to do better than that.” I smiled behind the door, ensuring that it had come through loud and clear through my words.
After a moment, I heard her light form slink heavily off of the bed, before the door was thrown opened and she answered, “You are a worthless piece of crap, who was probably never truly loved by anyone and I hope you never are because there is not a person on this planet, besides yourself who deserves to have to deal with you. You are cynical, short-sighted, hot-headed and…just all around deplorable!”
Ashley’s words slid off of my slippery back with a sense of humor attached. I was enjoying this pathetic attempt to insult me. Obviously that was what she was trying to do, because she took the challenge I had provided her. But since she wasn’t very good at it, the whole experience was almost laughable.
When she finished screaming, she was short of breath and completely worn out. I tried not to express the sense of pleasure I felt quite as adamantly as it came across.
“I know,” I answered honestly, nodding my head with conviction.
At this, Ashley turned her head and dropped it slightly, as though completely discouraged. “What?” she couldn’t help but demand.
Now, I did smile as I turned my head slightly as well and answered, “I said, that I know all of that shit. I practice…On a daily basis.”
When I said this flawlessly, her jaw actually dropped opened with shock, and for a moment I thought that she was going to go as far as to slap me, just to release the anger that I had obviously built up inside.
“Fortunately,” I continued, walking past her in a suave motion, which allowed me access into her room before she was even aware that I was trying to gain it. Then, before she could say anything about it, I was already talking over her, “You don’t know me well enough to be able to insult me.”
“Obviously,” she spat, crossing her arms. “Get out of my room.”
“What happened to that poor, pathetic pillow?” I asked casually, eying what was left of it at the top of her bed, while trying to change the subject.
“You,” she hissed, glowering at me with eyes that seemed to be sparked by a demon.
I didn’t want to know what she was thinking at this moment, because the way she answered me seemed so unnecessary. After all, I was the one who was throwing out a line.
Still, I didn’t let her anger bother me. Instead, I beamed brighter and answered, “See? I knew that you cared about me. It is just going to take a little bit of time to convince yourself...” I looked at her glowering, hateful expression and thought it would probably be best to get on with my point. “But the reason I came up here…apparently to the fucking dragons den…” I said as a side-note while my eyes glanced back and forth around the room, to show her I was heeding her warning, even though I couldn’t give a crap less how angry she was at me. The point was to woo her, not allow her to make me her bitch. “Is because I want you to get to know me.”
It was complete bullshit, but as I said before, I certainly wasn’t above playing dirty.
Ashley scoffed at my explanation. “Like I would want a glimpse into what made you the total dick that you are…No way.”
You have no idea… I thought to myself, but what I said was, “Come on! We had fun together, didn’t we? Why not start over and have fun like that again, but this time, I promise that I will give you all of the tools that you need to get to know me.” I shrugged, hoping to appeal to her competitive side. “But, I mean, if you think that it’s not worth it…”
“It’s not,” she answered sternly and I laughed at her.
“There are many, many girls that would beg to differ.”
“Well, I’m not them,” she insisted.
“I know you’re not, which is why I want to give you this opportunity.”
She shrugged and answered in a serious tone, “I don’t want it. It isn’t a privilege or an opportunity to get to know you, Tyler. After what you did last night, I would never want to know what you could do to me if we were actually close.”
As her eyes fell, obviously angry and hurt, I lightly grasped her arm. “Hey…” I said with a sense of encouragement. When she looked up at me, I smiled and answered, “I’m really trying to apologize. I don’t know what got into me last night. I should have never said that to you…I should have been much more understanding and I…”
“Tyler?” She said solemnly as she scowled back at me.
“Yes?” I answered carefully, wanting to hear what it was she had to say.
“I don’t care,” she replied before she yanked her arm out of my grasp and turned around. “Just leave…Please.”
Even though I was pretty sure she was turned around, I still put on an act with my body language, as well as with my voice. I dropped my head and looked up at her carefully while I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. “Okay. I get it,” I answered sadly, “I just thought you were different. I wanted you to be different. I thought you would be able to help me.” I sniffed a little for effect as I turned around. “All I wanted was for someone to be there, to listen and to help me out of this unending circle of hot women and hell. You don’t know what it’s like, Ashley.” I shook my head and swatted my hand in her direction before I answered, “Aww, fuck, I don’t even know why I’m telling you this. Forget I even said anything…At least do that for me.”
With that, I turned around and walked out of the room, slowly. I made the motions as though I was genuinely distraught and just begging for someone, anyone to help me see the light and escape from this nightmare that is my life.
Dammit! I should have said that, I thought as I stopped short, right in her doorjamb, waiting for her to finally turn around and say something, anything to me. But she didn’t.
So I continued my gloomy walk out of the room until finally, at the last moment, I heard her say, “Tyler?”
I turned around with just the right precision. I was careful not to move too fast, but also not too slowly, as to make her think that I had lost interest. “Yeah?” I asked coldly, as though I was angered by my realization that she wasn’t who I thought she was.
“I just wanted to let you know, that no matter what…It doesn’t matter anyway, because I have a boyfriend.” she replied, raising her eyes with a sense of proving her commitment to him. “Back at school…His name is Blake.”
“Sounds like a pussy,” I answered and then shrugged. “But I don’t give a shit. I’ve been with other girls too and if this doesn’t work out, then no one ever has to be any the wiser.” I raised my eyebrows toward her as though to show her how serious I truly was.
“No,” she said, with an amused smile playing at her lips.
I shrugged, having seen all I needed to see. “Well, it was worth a shot, I guess.”
She returned the gesture before she answered in a strangely humored voice, with no inclination that I had actually figured her out. “Sure, I guess, if you say so.”
“Ashley,” I answered carefully, with a prideful smile shimmering behind my saddened eyes, “believe me when I tell you that it is always worth a shot.”