Chapter Ten
Jet
There weren't many cabs in that particular area; most circled the downtown area to pick up the drunks, even on weeknights. There was always someone out having a good time. Never Natalie, though, she wouldn't know a good time if it hit her in the face. I could not figure that girl out if my life depended on it.
I had walked a block from Natalie's house before I saw a cab make a turn on the street I was on, and I stuck my hand down to flag it. The driver saw me and slowed until he pulled up right in front of me. I wasn't in the mood for chit chat, so I opened the side door of the van and climbed into the back. I gave the driver my address and he pulled away from the curb.
To avoid idle talk, I leaned my head back on the seat and closed my eyes. He probably assumed I was drunk, and would just leave me alone. On the entire drive home, all I thought about was Natalie. Was I wasting my time with that girl? She just wouldn't give in, not even a little bit. I hadn’t gone there with the intention of sleeping with her, but I wouldn't have turned it down. A kiss for sure, yes; a lot of kissing was definitely on my mind. But in the end I had hoped that she would warm up to me.
It had seemed like she really enjoyed the kiss. In fact, she had kissed me back. It had been intense, seductive, and God yes, arousing. Her lips, the taste of her, were like a drug, and I was hooked. I wanted more. I would have kissed those lips alone all night long, and still been satisfied. But she had once again thrown me for a loop. She had separated from the kiss, and looked like she even regretted it. I couldn't figure out why she kept pushing me away. Most girls knew my reputation, and they still came back for more; why was Natalie so different? And how could she not know by now that I thought of her differently? I most definitely wouldn't have continued trying so hard with her if I just wanted to sleep with her and toss her aside. There were plenty of other girls I could seek out at this point if that was all I wanted.
Why had she pulled away and sent me off like a dog with his tail between his legs? It had been marginally humiliating, and although I probably should have confronted her, all I could do was walk away to avoid further rejection. The girl had my nuts by a sling, and I couldn't seem to get them back. What could I have done at that point? I didn't know, but I was starting to wonder if I should consider bailing on her, the project, the pursuit, everything, because she was starting to drive me half mad.
I rubbed my eyes hard, frustration building up in me. I didn't want to let her go, but I knew I might have to, because there was a strong possibility that Natalie would never warm up to me, despite her lingering mouth on mine.
The cab pulled up to my apartment, and I sat up straight in my seat. I dug deep into my pocket for some bills. I handed him a twenty and a five, and told him to keep the change. He thanked me as I pushed open the van door and stepped out. I closed the door behind me and headed to my apartment door. What a night.
I opened the door to my apartment and walked inside to find my roommate on the couch drinking beers again. Kyle couldn't seem to curb his drinking, despite being on the MMA team. Some people just didn't have the discipline. He was young; he might grow up eventually, but right now partying was one of his priorities.
“Hey man, where ya been? Did you find that girl of yours? Was she primed and ready for you?” He laughed as he said those things to me. I just stared at him at first, unsure of what to say. I made the mistake of telling Kyle after my fight that I was going to go hook up with Natalie. I certainly thought I would have, in one form or another, and if not, then at least get her warmed up enough to go out on a date with me.
The last thing I wanted to have to do is tell Kyle that I had struck out. In his eyes, Natalie should have been an easy lay. If I couldn't get her to sleep with me, he would find it hilarious and it would spread like wildfire, and I would feel humiliation among all my teammates. I was a big shot amongst my friends, and although the embarrassing fact that I couldn't get her in bed wouldn't last long, it would sting long enough for my friends to begin to look at me in a new light, and I couldn't have that.
“Yeah, I found her.”
“Sick. What happened, man? Did you finally slay the dragon?”
I started laughing. I couldn't believe Kyle sometimes. “I don't know about that, but I got exactly what I wanted.”
“Did you fuck her?”
I paused, hating myself for saying it, but it's not like she would ever find out, “Yeah, I fucked her twice. She liked it so much that she asked for seconds.”
“Ohhhhh, you're the man! That's awesome. Was she any good?”
“Yeah, she was Grade A, man, a pretty good lay.”
“Did she try to get you to spend the night? I hate when they ask that. I just want to pump them and then get the hell out of there. Move on, ya know?”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. After I banged her into the headboard twice she wanted to cuddle, and I'm like, naw, I gotta go, baby. But maybe next time.”
“Next time!” He burst out laughing.
I felt like a complete idiot telling that story, but there was no harm in it, and at least I wouldn't look like a complete fool.
“So are you gonna keep banging her?”
I paused, and thought about Natalie. I thought about how much I really did want to sleep with her, and stay with her as long as she would let me. “I don't know,” I said slowly.
“Hey, why not? If she's good, take a few more rounds out of her before you move on.”
“Maybe.”
“Unless you think she's getting attached. Then it might not be the best idea to keep her around.”
Attached? I almost laughed. I had gotten her to kiss me before she sent me packing, and that was about it. I wasn’t even sure she would ever let me get that close to her again. She couldn't be less attached to me. Despite her reaction to my kiss, I couldn't even tell if she liked me. She could despise me. No matter what I did, I couldn't get that girl to warm up to me. It was heartbreaking, really. For me, at least, she didn't seem to care one way or another. What was I going to do about Natalie? The puzzle was still driving me mad, and I didn't know whether to drop her or keep trying.
“Yeah, she might be getting a little attached. She got a good taste of me, ya know. She may not be able to let me go.”
“You're kidding me? She did that? You lucky guy! She must be hooked on you. Usually a girl won't go down on me the first time. It always takes them time to warm up to the idea.”
I went around to the couch, grabbed one of his beers out of the refrigerator, and cracked it open. I took a long pull on the can and sat down beside Kyle. I had just lied through my teeth, and I didn't feel awesome about it.
“She's actually pretty great. Maybe I will see her again.”
Kyle helped himself to another beer. He laughed. “I probably would, too, if she did that to me. But maybe not; I like my variety. You should probably just move on.”
“Maybe you're right. We'll see.”
“Hey man, you wanna play some games?”
“In a bit. I'm going to jump in the shower first, and wash her off of me.”
“Okay, you know where to find me when you're done.”
I took my beer with me into the bathroom and closed the door behind me. I undressed and got the shower started. I chugged the beer, feeling the cool liquid pour down my throat. I hadn't had a beer in a while, and it tasted glorious. It definitely had that relaxing quality to it that helped you feel better after the burn of rejection. I stepped into the shower and rinsed myself off. I quickly shampooed my hair, rinsing it just as quickly. I took the bar of soap and massaged my entire body, making sure I soaped up good everywhere before getting under the torrent of water and rinsing off.
I thought of Natalie, and felt a dull throb in my dick. Yeah, I wish more would have happened between us tonight. I had to get that girl out of my head. If nothing was going to happen between us, then I needed to stop obsessing about her.
I turned the tap off and drew the shower curtain aside. I stepped out of the shower and towelled myself off. I slung the towel over the shower rod, and got dressed in some flannel pajama pants. As I did that, I remembered Natalie's elephant pants, and I broke out into a smile. She really was something else. How I would have loved to have taken those pants off for her.
I walked back into the living room and sat on the couch with Kyle, who was in the middle of playing a video game. I cracked open another beer and said, “Okay man, let's get some gaming on.”
Kyle ended his game and tossed me a gaming remote. I decided right then and there to stop thinking so much about Natalie. Maybe it was time to move on to the next one.