"I just want, like, one good fúck. I mean, is that too much to ask?" Hailey groaned into her half empty glass of cocktail.
It was her third glass of the night. She and her best friend, Cassidy, were hanging out at a bar in downtown New Jersey, as they were home from college for the summer. The reason why Hailey didn't want to spend the summer in college was because she wanted to get away from a certain someone named Greg. Hailey had just gotten out of a six-month relationship with this Greg guy. They met in an intro to psychology class and things were great in the beginning. Greg was easy on the eyes and he was a great guy to talk to. Everything was fine until they started having sex. Turns out, sexual compatibility was no joke. Hailey was a firm believer that sex isn't the most important thing in a relationship, but after dating two-minute-and-finish Greg, she realized that she had been downplaying the effect sex has on a relationship.
"That's the thing, though. You're not the 'one-night-fúck' kinda girl. You're the relationship kinda girl. You can't just have sex with someone with no strings attached," Cassidy argued.
"Hey, you make it sound like I'm such a prude," Hailey said defensively.
"No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm not saying it's bad. It's just who you are," Cassidy retorted back.
"Maybe I should change that?" Hailey said as if a light bub had flashed inside her brain. "I can do one night stands. I can be badass like that,"
"I'm pretty sure it doesn't work that way," Cassidy chuckled. "It's not a switch you can just turn on and off,"
Hailey was obviously tipsy and sexually frustrated. She didn't think too much when she made this next declaration.
"Watch me. The next guy that comes into the bar, if he's cute enough, I'll go up to him and say, hey, you wanna fúck?"
"Oh god, I'd pay a million bucks just to see that," Cassidy laughed her pants off. She knew Hailey since freshman year of college, and Hailey would never do something like that. She was too much of a goody-two-shoes to pull that off.
"Okay, you laugh now. But watch, here comes badass Hailey," Hailey said as she downed her third cocktail of the night.
Hailey and Cassidy's eyes were glued to the door, waiting in anticipation of the next guy that would walk inside. Hailey's heart was beating fast. This might be the craziest thing she'd ever do in her life. As a twenty-one year old, she believed she was entitled to at least one of that.
And right then, as if the universe was playing a cruel joke on her, in he walked.
"Dang, he's cute," Cassidy hollered.
A tall good looking guy with a muscular built walked into the bar. He was wearing an expensive suit, and he looked mighty sharp with his medium brown hair pushed to the back. Walking in, people immediately recognized him. Girls were giving him flirty looks and he nodded to the bartender as if they knew each other well. He must be a regular here.
"Here's your chance girl, go for it," Cassidy said as the guy went to the bar to get a drink.
"No, no, no. I can't," Hailey said in a panic. "We have to get outta here!"
"What? Why?" Cassidy whined. "He's cute. I'd totally do him. And whatever happened to badass Hailey from five seconds ago?"
"Cass, I know that guy, he's my brother's best friend!" Hailey hissed and collected her things haphazardly. "We have to get outta here,"
"Really?" Cassidy said in a high-pitched voice.
Cassidy had met Hailey's brother, Ian, once during freshman welcome weekend. She knew exactly how overprotective Hailey's brother could be. If Ian finds out his precious little sister was out in a bar picking up random guys, he might send her out to the nunnery.
"How's your brother by the way? Is he seeing anyone?" Cassidy joked as they skipped across the bar, headed to the exit.
"Yes!" Hailey rolled her eyes and pulled Cassidy so she would walk faster. "Come on, let's go,"
Much to Hailey's dismay, there weren't any other exits out of the bar, they had to go through the front door, which means that they might pass AJ on their way out. Sighing a dramatic sigh, Hailey put a hand to cover her face as she walked past the bar. Cassidy was walking behind her, and instead of following Hailey's lead to be discreet, she decided to accidentally trip on AJ's feet.
"Woops, I'm sorry," Cassidy said very loudly, causing both AJ and Hailey to turn their heads to her.
"Cass!" Hailey hissed and glared at her.
"Wait? Hailey?" AJ gaped once he saw he recognized one of the two girls. "What a coincidence seeing you here!"
Cassidy shrugged innocently at Hailey and flashed her a sorry smile.
"AJ, hey..." Hailey rolled her eyes and greeted AJ half-heartedly.
"What are you doing here?" AJ gave a friendly smile.
Anthony Jake Wallace, or AJ as people know him, was one of Ian's best and oldest friends. They grew up together, chasing girls, and getting into all sorts of trouble. Hailey had always found AJ to be the cutest guy amongst all of Ian's friends. Secretly, she had a crush on him back in high school. But of course, Ian wouldn't let anyone near his precious sister, especially not the playboy millionaire AJ Wallace.
AJ came from a well-off family and he was running several successful businesses of his own. He gained a reputation for being a playboy millionaire because, let's face it, he was one, and he wasn't afraid to show it. He'd change girls faster that he changes the oil in his Porsche sports car. In his defense, AJ was a hot bachelor in his late twenties. He was nowhere near the idea of settling down.
If I want someone to fúck and leave, he would be the perfect guy for the job, Hailey thought to herself.
"Nothing much, we're just hanging out," Hailey replied and laughed nervously. She turned to Cassidy for help, but her friend had another idea.
"Oops, I have to go back, I left my... shoes at the table," Cassidy made a lame excuse and quickly turned to her heels. "I'll be right back,"
"Wait, Cassidy!" Hailey hissed, but her friend had already disappeared into the sea of people.
Dang it.
"Are you two going somewhere?" AJ asked.
"Yeah, we're just gonna go home," Hailey shuffled nervously.
"This early?"
"Just not feeling it," she shrugged.
"I see," AJ looked a little disappointed. "It's a shame. I was just gonna buy you a drink,"
"You were?"
"Yeah. And that's a really nice dress, by the way. You look great. A total guy magnet, for sure,"
"Really?"
"Have you seen yourself?" he stifled a laugh. "At least half the guys in this bar are checking you out right now,"
Suddenly, Hailey was having trouble breathing. Am I drunk or is he flirting with me right now?
Hailey couldn't think straight. She only had one thing on her mind right now and she decided to take the shot. In her defense, she had three glasses of cocktails earlier. So, if anything bad happens, she could blame it on the alcohol.
"Hey AJ," she said suddenly. "Do you wanna fúck?"
"What?" AJ almost choked on his whiskey.
"Let's have sex. No strings attached. Just one good fúck,"
"What the-"
"It's been a long week for me and I just really want a good night fúck. I don't want a relationship, I don't even wanna see you in the morning. Can you do that for me?"
AJ's face was like a deer caught in headlights. Sure, he had fantasized about banging his best friend's gorgeous little sister before, but when it was happening right in front of him, he was caught off guard.
"B-but, what about...?" he found himself stammering.
"No one has to know. And by no one, I mean Ian," Hailey replied as if she could read his mind. "Please, I just need someone to help get me off,"
AJ really had to take a step back. A lot of women had propositioned sex to him before, but none of them were Hailey. For years and years, Ian had made it clear to all his friends that Hailey was off limits to them. But now she was all grown up and she was making her own decisions. And tonight, it happened to be AJ.
"Are you sure about this...?" AJ asked cautiously. He would understand if Hailey changes her mind, but the bulge forming in his pants was wishing otherwise.
Taking the whiskey in AJ's hand, Hailey downed the drink in one gulp and as the liquid burned down her throat, she told him, "Absolutely,"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The next thing Hailey remembered was making out with AJ in his apartment. They were on his bed. His shirt was off and her dress was disheveled. His hands were roaming her body, her hands were all over his hair, and their tongues were mingling together.
"I can't believe I'm kissing Ian's best friend!" she thought to herself.
"I can't believe I'm kissing Ian's little sister!" he thought to himself.
As much as she wanted to be the badass girl she thought she could be, Hailey's mind was racing all over the place. It wasn't the fact that she was kissing Ian's best friend that worried her, it was the fact that they'd have to pretend like nothing ever happened. She thought that was what she wanted. But no. She wanted more. She always wanted more. She wasn't gonna be satisfied with just an hour of exercise, she wanted romance and cuddling and breakfast in bed.
"Wait, AJ-" she found herself pulling back.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I can't do this. I'm sorry," she sighed in defeat. "This is not who I am. I'm not the one night stand kinda girl. I'm the... lame relationship type,"
AJ's shoulders slumped in disappointment. A part of him knew that Hailey was never this type of girl, but he had already gotten so worked up and excited.
I knew it was too good to be true, he said to himself.
"It's okay, I understand," he shuffled back and let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry too. I'm not exactly the relationship type,"
"Yeah..." she breathed. She got up and straightened her dress. "Sorry if I ruined your night. I could just leave-"
"Or you could stay?" he found himself saying. "I mean, we could just... hang out?"
"Is that okay?"
"Of course," he said as he got up and walked to his desk. "You want a drink?"
"Sure..."
Hailey wasn't sure why AJ offered her to stay and hang out. They weren't exactly friends. The night was still young, he could have easily gone back to the bar and picked up some other girl to help get him off. That hard bulge in his pants was demanding that.
"AJ, can I ask you something?"
"Shoot," he said as he handed her a glass of whiskey.
"Why aren't you into relationships?"
AJ stifled a dry laugh as he took a sip of his own drink. "Well, my shrink would say that it's because of my fear of commitment issues or my lack of emotional availability and all that stuff. But honestly, I think I'm just scared,"
"Because of your parents?" she asked cautiously.
Since their families were close, Hailey knew exactly what was going on in their household. AJ's dad cheated on his mom and his mom cheated on his dad. The only reason why they stayed together was because of money. Divorce would mean separating too much of their assets. It wasn't an ideal family life for sure, and it affected AJ in a deeply emotional way.
"Yeah," he sighed and took another sip. "I mean, sure, being in a relationship has lots of perks, but those things don't last. So why get into something if you know it's not gonna last?"
"Not all relationships are doomed," she argued.
"If you think about it, everyone dies in the end. Someone will end up leaving and someone will be left behind. Either way, it's just heartbreak waiting to happen,"
Hailey felt a pang in her chest at his words. As bleak as his opinion was, there was some truth in it. Her dad died when she was 11 years old, leaving her mom all alone. As much as her parents loved each other, AJ was right, all love had to end someday.
"I don't think that's how a relationship is supposed to be measured, though," Hailey found herself saying. "It's not about how long you stay together or if you both die at the same time. It's the moments within it that makes the heartbreak worth it. You can't have love without the pain. And if you spend your life avoiding the pain, you'd end up avoiding love too,"
With that thought in mind, Hailey found herself moving closer to AJ. She put a hand on his chest and stood on her tippy toes, inching her face towards his.
"Hailey-? What are you doing?"
"I'm kissing my brother's best friend," she said simply as her lips connected with his.
"I thought you said-"
"I know what I said,"
AJ pulled away abruptly and said, "I don't wanna do this if it's gonna hurt you,"
Hailey smiled and put her glass down. She linked her arms around his neck and said, "You said it yourself, heartbreak is inevitable, right? So, let's make sure this night's worth it,"
"Hailey- I-"
AJ was about to protest some more, but Hailey had shut him up with her kiss. AJ wasn't aware of it, but this was the kiss that would seal his fate forever. Because after tonight, nothing was ever the same again for him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It was a spectacular night for both of them, and they agreed it shouldn't be repeated ever again. They did cuddle after they had sex, all three times that night. And in the morning, they did get coffee and bagel for breakfast. It wasn't the romantic fairytale ending that Hailey had hoped for, but it was a great night nonetheless and she would cherish that moment forever.
Hailey wasn't naïve. She knew exactly what she was getting into when she decided to kiss AJ. She wasn't getting a relationship, that was for certain. But she did it anyway because she wanted to prove to herself that she was brave enough to always choose love, even when the odds were against her. Despite everything that had happened, she refused to take the bleak outlook on life that AJ had. She told herself that she would always choose love, even if the other person wasn't gonna choose the same thing.
When she returned to college a week later, Hailey decided to focus her energies on her studies. It was her senior year of college, and instead of chasing guys, she thought it would be wise to be chasing grades instead. She was deeply engrossed in her reading material for the week when she heard the doorbell rang.
"AJ? What are you doing here?" she gaped when she saw AJ standing in the doorway of her sublet. "How'd you even find me?"
"I came to your house and your mom told me you're here..."
"You came looking for me? Why?"
"I don't know what I'm doing, actually," he shuffled nervously and raked his hair with his hand. "I just wanted to see you and I started driving and now that I'm here, I don't know what I'm supposed to say..."
When they parted ways a week ago, AJ looked cool and unfazed about the whole thing, so Hailey thought that their one night stand was just another random hookup to him. Hailey didn't realize that it was only an act. Deep down, he didn't want to let her go. It just took him a while to finally admit it out loud.
"The other night... I know we agreed it shouldn't happen again... but... I... just can't get you off my mind. I don't know how you feel about me, but I feel things for you that I've never felt for anyone else before," he admitted finally, pausing for a beat before saying, "We know that heartbreak is inevitable, but if I'm going to take that risk, I want it to be with you... so... "
"AJ, are you saying what I think you're saying?" she asked point blankly.
"Yes," he nodded his head. A smile formed on her face and he couldn't stop himself from smiling back. Reaching for her face, he asked, "Can I please kiss you now?"
She nodded her head and he leaned in, claiming her lips once again. She tasted like nothing he had ever tasted before. Once he had her, he knew he couldn't stop. And despite every cell in his brain telling him not to, he knew he couldn't let her go.
"So, we're really doing this?" she asked as they pulled away.
"We're doing this," he replied.
Smiling to each other, they leaned closer and locked their lips with one another again.
"Oh shit," AJ muttered suddenly.
"What?" she asked.
"You're brother's gonna kill me,"
Hailey laughed and shook her head. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there. But, in the meantime, do you wanna come in?"
AJ didn't miss a beat when he said, "Absolutely,"
- - - - - To Be Continued - - - - -