CHAPTER 3

Sasha gasped when the text went through. She was just fooling around; she hadn’t really meant to send it.

“Kris! I need you! Now!” She shouted as she hurried toward Kris’s bedroom. Kris was sitting crossed-legged on the bed browsing the internet.

“What?” She asked Sasha even as she pulled off her chunky reading glasses.

“I just sent a text I wasn’t supposed to?” Sasha said her whole face a grimace.

“What do you mean you sent a text you weren’t supposed to?” Kris asked confusedly.

“Stefan, the guy from last night, sent me a text. I typed a text I thought would be funny and then decided to think about it first, but instead of locking the phone I sent the damn text.”

Sasha flopped down on the bed and tossed the phone at Kris. She picked it up and opened the text app. Sasha chewed her bottom lip as Kris read the text and then burst out laughing.

“This is excellent! Especially for you!” Kris beamed. “I still don’t get what’s wrong?”

“Kris, I don’t know this guy. He could be a serial killer or a rapist; I can’t just meet up with him?”

“Of course you can,” Kris said easily. “It’s called dating. You meet him in a public place and see if you can hold a conversation. Really Sasha, sometimes I wonder if you were raised in Manhattan or under a rock.”

“I know what dating is,” Sasha said annoyed. “I just wanted a little time to think about it before I agreed.”

“Well you didn’t agree yet, so let’s stalk his social profiles and then you can decide.”

Sasha moved over to sit next to Kris when she received another text.

 

She was more than great; she’s been bugging me all day. Can’t stop thinking about her.

 

Kris leaned over and read the text. “Wow, he’s good,” she said impressed.

Sasha felt the butterflies fluttering around in her belly. “I know.” Even though she had had a few boyfriends before, none of them had excited her with a single touch or glance like Stefan had last night.

She watched as Kris punched Stefan’s name into a search engine. Numerous social profiles and links popped up in the results.

“Looks like Mr. Smooth has quite a busy social life.” Kris said as she opened one of his social profiles.

Sasha leaned closer and looked at the screen as Kris scrolled down. Over the past month most of his check-ins and tags were party related and every post tagged a different woman.

Sasha’s excitement about meeting him tonight crashed and burned faster than Kris could scroll through his other profiles.

Stefan Kelson was a player.

If she had any doubt the pictures of him drinking body shots off a tall brunette’s abdomen vanquished them.

Kris turned to her, her expression neutral. “Right, so this is awkward. I really didn’t expect this.”

Sasha sighed, “Neither did I.” She pushed herself up from the bed and picked up her phone. “I had some studying I want to anyway.”

As Sasha walked out of Kris’s room she didn’t see her friend’s empathetic stare.

She sat down at her study desk determined to get her mind off a certain green-eyed stranger, but not before she cancelled the date.

 

Sorry won’t make it.

 

Sasha switched her phone to mute and put it down face down before she opened her textbook.

 

 

Sunday afternoon Sasha sat sipping on ice tea as she and her mother basked in the sunny spring afternoon. The balcony of her parent’s beautiful mansion overlooked Central Park, and although Sasha had been excited to leave the nest, she missed the balcony and the view.

“So, how’s school?” Her mother asked with her face aimed at the sun and her eyes closed.

“It’s good.” Sasha’s voice sounded resigned, the way she had been feeling ever since she and Kris had stumbled onto Stefan’s profile. For a moment she had considered having a fling with a stranger. Even though she had never considered it before, she felt disappointed by not having the option. The option was there all right, but there was no way Sasha was going to get involved with a serial player.

“You know Sasha,” her mother said sitting up straight and meeting her eyes with a worried expression. “I know you work harder than probably anyone else in your class because you want to prove something. I’m sure that has to do with your father’s position.” When Sasha only looked at her without commenting she laid a hand over Sasha’s.

“You know dear, you’ll be great no matter what you do, but just be sure to have some fun along the way. You want good memories to keep you warm in your winter years.”

Sasha observed her mother with new understanding. Tisha Morris was nearing fifty although she looked more like Sasha’s older sister than her mother. She had the long lithe body of a supermodel although Sasha had never witnessed a vain moment. A sleek haircut left her golden and sand colored hair just brushing her shoulder. Clear blue eyes concernedly searched Sasha’s. Sometimes Sasha wondered why she couldn’t have gotten her looks from her mother. Instead, she was tiny, brunette, and had boring brown eyes. Her mother was the woman Sasha lived up to, a woman with steel for a backbone and a smile for her worst enemy, things Sasha were still learning about. Every now and then her mother would shock her with simple words that purveyed her wisdom.

“I know mom,” Sasha sighed. “Sometimes it’s just hard, you know. There’s so much I want to do but it feels like I don’t have time.”

A bright bubble of laughter erupted from her mother. “Oh baby, you have all the time in the world. What’s the rush?”

“I’m afraid of making a mistake.” Sasha said, looking at her short unpainted nails.

“Honey, we all make mistakes, how do you think we know so much?” Her mother’s words had Sasha laughing.

“Thanks mom.” Sasha smiled.

“It’s my pleasure. Besides, what are mothers for? While I’ve got you here I want to find out if you’d like to have dinner with us sometime in the next two weeks. Your father’s got a new campaign marketer. He’s such a decent boy.”

“Moooom,” Sasha whined, covering her eyes with her hands.

“Tisha, are you forcing dates on the girl again?” Julius Bogart Morris’s voice came from the balcony door. He looked every bit the intimidating senator he was; gray pinstripe suit and charcoal tie. Although everyone knew Senator Morris as JB, Sasha knew that underneath the smooth exterior there was a ruthless man who saw everything in black and white. For him gray didn’t exist and too often Sasha found herself in the gray areas.

“Hi, dad.” Sasha said, getting up. She walked over to him and gave him a hug. To him, Sasha knew she would always be his baby girl.

“Hello, baby girl. This is a nice surprise; if I knew you were coming over I would’ve been home sooner.”

“It’s alright; I know the old folks need some coddling before the election.” Elections had been as much a part of Sasha’s childhood as chocolate and birthday parties.

“Well, I’ve coddled them enough. If things are going the way they are with the new Campaign Marketer I won’t have any problems.”

Sasha’s eyes widened and her father laughed. “Don’t worry; setting up is your mother’s department. I’m merely impressed with his skills.”

“Phew,” Sasha said, gesturing wiping sweat from her forehead.

“But honestly Sasha, you never bring anyone home. Do you date at all?” Tisha asked concerned.

Sasha immediately thought of the date Stefan had invited her on, which she cancelled. He couldn’t have been that interested; he didn’t even phone when she didn’t reply.

“Mom, I see people! Just not anyone interesting enough to bring home.” Sasha defended herself.

She had only ever brought two guys home. The first was her prom date who had been grilled about his grade and choice of schools although he was just a friend. The second had been a guy she briefly dated when she had started at NYU. After being grilled about his lineage, his parents’ financial status and his prospects for Sasha, she had decided it was better not to bring anyone home at all.

That was one of the many problems of being an only child: overprotective parents. Throw in a senator in the public eye and they bordered on paranoid.

“So how’s school, Sasha? You still my top girl?” Her father asked sitting down with them.

Sasha sighed inwardly and knew she would spend the next half hour discussing each class, her grades and her plans after NYU. She took a fortifying sip of ice tea and started, knowing her father wouldn’t stop if she didn’t start.

Even though he had trusted her enough to move out, he still made sure he knew about every aspect of her life.