Chapter 8: Brad

Over the next couple of days I try absolutely everything within my power to get Jenny to agree to see me again. I’m not sure if she’s trying to play a little game with me, but the first time I call her she asks me what my name is. I can swear that I’ve told her before that my name is Brad and this is the first time in my entire life that a girl has forgotten my name… I repeatedly ask her out and I get the feeling that I’m really close; that she actually wants to go out with me. But, for some unknown reason, she always clams up at the last second and every time I phone her she tells me that she has to go and take care of some urgent work.

I finally realize that calling her over the phone is not going to do the trick and decide that I’m going to need a different approach. The fact that I managed to find her at all is almost like a sign from above that we are meant to be together and I’m not about to let her reluctant attitude stand in our way. Not now… now that we have a real chance at having something special together.

I find myself thinking about the old saying that we only want the things we can’t have and I guess there’s a lot of truth to it. The fact that she keeps turning me down is just making me want her more! I think about the whole situation and it seems to me that the whole thing with Jenny is such an absolute conundrum… such a contradiction in terms. You would think that a girl who was willing to give herself to eleven men at the same time would be very open, but Jenny turns out to be one of the most reserved women I’ve ever met in my entire life. It’s almost as if she thinks I’m not quite good enough for her. This is quite a turnaround for me, as I normally have girls chasing after me and falling at my feet, just for the honor of spending one evening in my bed.

I finally decide that there is only one way to do this thing. I have to go back to her office, even though she sent me packing with my tail between my legs the previous time I tried it. This time, I stop right in front of her office, and not a block away like I did the previous time. I rev my Harley’s engine a couple of times and make sure that I make such a loud racket that she has to come outside to see what the hell is going on.

“What on earth is that noise?!” she shouts as she walks outside onto the street and I think to myself that she looks really gorgeous when she’s slightly angry like that.

“Hi there, I just thought I’d stop by and show you my new bike!” I shout to make myself audible above the noise of the Harley. Then I finally kill the engine so we can hear each other talking.

“Good Lord but it makes a racket!” she exclaims, but I can see that she’s not really angry. I would describe the expression on her face as something between admiration and surprise.

“Well, that’s a Harley Davidson for you,” I say with a broad grin, “why don’t we go for a ride?” I think something about the direct way in which I asked her has caught her offside and she doesn’t turn me down immediately like she’s done so many times before. I sense an opening and immediately follow up.

“Come on, let’s just go for a short little spin and I’ll have you back here in no time at all,” I say in my best Boy Scout’s voice of honor.

“I really shouldn’t…” She starts to say and I realize that I have to be very firm now, unless I want to see this conversation going the same way all my previous advances of gone.

“Look, just take this one ride with me and I promise I’ll leave you alone after that, okay?” I say and I can immediately see that this makes an impression on her.

“Just one ride, okay?” she says and reluctantly. She looks around one last time and then gets on the back of the Harley behind me.

“Just one ride, I promise,” I say and grab her hands to show her how to hold onto me from behind. I give her the spare helmet I brought with me and help her to put it on correctly. Then I kick start the engine and tell her to hold on tight. I love the way she grabs a tight hold of my body from behind as we speed off down the highway.

“Woohoo!” she shouts as the Harley roars away with us on top and I can tell that she absolutely loves it. I take her down the Sunset strip and the weather is just perfect as we take a drive with the ocean right next to us. People stop to look at the two of us and I open up the Harley all the way so she can feel its power. I don’t drive too far, remembering my promise that I won’t keep her away from work for too long. We soon turn around, drive back and when I finally stop in front of her office to drop her off she rips off her helmet and I see a rosy blush on her face from the excitement of the ride.

“Thank you, that was really awesome,” she says and I can see that she really means it.

“Look, I know I promised to leave you alone and if that’s what you really want then I will do it… but this was so much fun that I’m kind of thinking that we can do it again sometime, no?” I say very carefully. She seems to think about it for a moment and then looks me straight in the eye.

“Look Brad, I really enjoyed this ride but I’m not sure about this whole thing just yet… All I can tell you is that I’ll think about it, okay?” she says and I realize that I shouldn’t push her any further right now.

“Okay, I’ll settle for that… for now,” I say and put my own helmet back on my head before waving her goodbye and riding off into the distance.

I go home and do my best to think of something other than Jenny for the rest of the day, but I have very little success. My mind keeps drifting back to the feeling of having her arms around me while she’s seated on the back of my Harley and I can’t wait to feel her touch again. I spent the rest of the day trying to do some work in the garden, but it feels like an eternity and when I finally go to bed that evening I know that I’m going to go around to her office first thing in the morning.

The next morning I’m up bright and early and immediately get on the back of my bike and drive over to Jenny’s Travels to go and speak to Jenny. I know it’s probably dangerous to be pressuring her right now, but I just sense that I’m close to a breakthrough and I don’t want her to think that I’ve lost interest. Unlike the previous time when I visited her at work, this time I try not to make too much noise and park the Harley half a block away from her office. I get off and take off my helmet before starting to stroll in the direction of Jenny’s Travels. When I get there, I walk in the front door and knock gingerly on Jenny’s office door. I know I’m pushing my luck, but I just can’t help myself and flash her my most beautiful smile when she looks up from her laptop.

“Is this a bad time?” I say with all the charm I can muster.

“Not exactly… But I am quite surprised to see you here so bright and early. What exactly is it that you said you do for a living… shouldn’t you be at work for something?” she says with a surprised expression on her beautiful face.

“I didn’t say what I do for a living,” I say with a naughty grin and wonder when the hell she’s going to chill out a little and stop with all the questions.

“Well, some of us have to work so perhaps this isn’t the best time for us to be having this conversation,” she says and I can tell that I’m dangerously close to being thrown out of her office.

“Oh come on, don’t be like that! I was just wondering if you’ve given my invitation to go for another ride on my Harley any thought since yesterday?” I say.

“I haven’t really had the time to think about it… Now that you mention it, isn’t that bike really expensive? Why won’t you tell me what you do for a living so I can figure out where you get the money to pay for expensive toys like that?” she says.

“Don’t you enjoy the fact that there are certain secretive things about me which I don’t publicize to the rest of the world?” I ask in a last ditch effort to get her to calm down. But I can see that she’s getting really worked up and realize that this entire visit may have been a very bad idea.

“You know Brad, the more I talk to you the more I get the feeling that there’s something you’re hiding from me… I really don’t feel like getting involved with a guy who’s got some kind of skeletons in his closet and I think it would be best if you stop visiting and calling me,” she says and I feel my heart falling through my stomach. This entire conversation has gone in the wrong direction and I have no idea how to salvage it.

“I’m really sorry I caught you at a bad time… perhaps we can talk about this again later,” I say and rush out of there before she can tell me that I have no hope in hell to ever speak to her again. I walk back to my bike feeling incredibly dejected and have no idea what I’m going to do for the rest of the day… and, in fact, for the rest of my life if I don’t manage to convince Jenny to see me again.

I try to make it through the rest of the day without thinking of her, but it’s an impossible task. I realize that I’ve taken some kind of fall for this beautiful woman and I’m both excited and horrified by it. Normally I couldn’t give a crap about girls I’ve had sex with, but now I seem to be totally unable to wipe the memories of Jenny.

Just after lunch I phone her and try to talk to her in my calmest, most controlled voice. But she only gives me about a minute before ending the call after telling me that she needs to get back to work. Later that afternoon I phone again and this time she only tells me that she’s busy and puts the phone down in my ear. I feel like a little school boy who’s being rejected by the girl he wants to take to the prom and go to sleep that night dreaming and fantasizing about her. But tomorrow’s another day and I know that I’m not going to give up on her and that I will do everything within my power to get her to go out with me.

I’m not a man who gives up easily, especially when I’ve decided I really want something… and I want Jenny more than I’ve ever wanted anything else in my entire life!