Being Jane: A New Adult Erotic Romance: Fountain of Love (3 page)

I glanced at Dusty
across the bar and quickly looked away, my pulse racing when he caught me. I
took a deep breath. “Anyway, somehow I passed out next to him in my drunken
stupor. I was surprised when the rumors started circulating. Upset at the
attention, really. I mean, it was like the mere thought of Dusty sleeping with
me,
Jane Brown
, was so unbelievable to everyone. Ah, the whole thing
really hurt.”

Johnnie’s hand
shot across the table and squeezed my own. “I hate that that asshole hurt you.
You should stay away from him. He’s good-looking and popular, the kind of guy
that would crush you in a minute. He’s an ass. You’re too good for him, Jane.”

“I’m not
interested in him.” My denial sounded weak.

Johnnie looked at
me with pity. “Uh huh. Sure you’re not…”

Dustin

Chad elbowed me.
“It’s your fucking turn, man. Quit staring at that chick and take your shot.”

I picked up the
cue stick and stalked over to the pool table. “She went to our high school. So
did that Johnnie guy.”

“I don’t remember
them. She is kind of hot though.” Chad took a gulp of his beer.

I sunk a ball into
a corner pocket and stood up straight. “I think I’ll invite her to the party
tomorrow night.”

Chad’s eyebrow
rose. “Won’t your girlfriend get mad?”

His words annoyed
me for some reason. “That I ran into someone from high school and invited them
to the party?”

Chad shrugged. “I
don’t know, man. You know Michelle. She’s got you on a tight leash. By the
balls.”

Fucking tight
leash, my ass
. I gripped the cue stick too hard and flubbed the next shot.
I was about to vehemently defend my manhood, but I noticed the rest of the guys
had finished their dart game and were heading back to the pool table. The last
thing I needed was all of them getting on my case. Their teasing would hit too
close to home.

Michelle was
turning out to be like every other girl I ever dated. It felt like I was
continuously jumping through endless hoops to keep her happy. Buying her stuff,
giving in to her every demand or she’d pout for days. It all seemed to be about
keeping up appearances for her. I was pretty sure Michelle didn’t love me, even
if the words mechanically came from her lips every so often. And I was pretty
sure I didn’t love her. So why was I saying it right back?

I grabbed my beer
off the nearby table and waited as Chad lined up his shot. It was a tough shot
that he tried to bank in the side pocket, but missed by a hair. I circled the table
as I chalked my cue, looking for an angle. I glanced up, as I had been keeping
tabs on Jane all night, and almost panicked when I saw her grabbing her bag and
getting up to leave.

Without thinking,
I shoved the pool stick into my buddy’s hand. “Steve, take the shot for me.
I’ll be back in a minute.”

I ignored my
friends’ protests as I left to intercept Jane. I slid in front of her just
before she was about to make it out the door. She looked genuinely startled and
Johnnie looked pissed. I didn’t care. I needed to talk to her.

“You were going to
leave without saying hello?”

I saw her glance
nervously at Johnnie.
Fuck. She really was still with that dude
. I
didn’t spend a lot of time assessing other guys, but I could tell that Johnnie
was a ladies’ man. And he didn’t seem too happy that I was talking to his girl.

Johnnie stood
staring me down for a moment and then he turned to Jane. “I really gotta go.
Are you sure you’re okay to drive home?”

Jane’s smile lit
up her whole face, too bad she was smiling at Johnnie. “I didn’t even finish my
second beer. I’m fine.”

Johnnie’s eyes
slid to me again. He was warning me off and I didn’t blame him. I would do the
same damn thing. He pulled Jane into a hug and whispered something into her
ear. I felt fucking uncomfortable standing there like an idiot, but I wasn’t
budging until I talked to her.

Finally, Johnnie
left. Jane looked at me expectantly. “Hello, Dustin.”

She looked so
beautiful. I wanted to make some subtle moves on her and see if she’d ditch
that Johnnie guy, but something about her knocked me off my game. Maybe it was
the air of innocence about her. Maybe it was the naked vulnerability I saw in
her face or maybe it was that she didn’t look too particularly thrilled to see
me. “I haven’t seen you around much. Are you in town visiting your parents?”

She glanced away
uncomfortably. “No, I still live here.”

I leaned up
against the wall trying to look casual. “Oh, cool. You should drop by my place
tomorrow night. We’re having a party. Nothing special, just a bonfire out back
and some fun.”

She looked
skeptical. “You’re inviting me to your party?”

“Yeah. I’d like
you to come.” I hoped I didn’t sound as overeager as I felt.

“I don’t think
so.”

Her answer
deflated me. I didn’t know why I wanted her there so much. Well, I did in all
honesty. I had wanted to hook up with Jane since that night in high school when
she had crawled onto the sofa bed with me. Seeing her now had rekindled all
those raw lusty feelings. I had never been able to get her out of my head since
that night, but I had a girlfriend now. I didn’t need the complication of
another girl, especially not with Michelle. She knew how to make my life hell on
a good day with all her drama.

Still, I couldn’t
let it go. “Why not?”

Jane thought for a
moment. “I won’t know anyone there.”

“You’ll know me.”
It slid off my tongue so easily. I slipped my hands into my pants pockets
hoping to hide the fact that my dick was acting up.

She was blushing
again. “I’m sure you’ll be busy with your friends.”

“Why are you so
stubborn? Look, you can bring Johnnie.”
Jesus
, I was practically begging
her now.

She shook her
head. “I’m not sure he’d want to go. Can I bring my friend, Millie?”

My stomach
clenched.
Was she going to say yes?
“I remember Millie. Sure.”

Jane shrugged
nonchalantly. “Okay. I’ll think about it.”

God, she was
killing me
. I pulled out my cell phone. “Okay, what’s your number? I’ll
text you my address.”

She hesitated for
a moment. “Just tell me. I’ll remember it.”

She didn’t want
me to have her phone number, for God’s sake.
I really had some work to do.
“I’m on Willow Grove. Number 25. It’s a grayish split level with green
shutters.”

Jane nodded.
“Okay, Dusty. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

She turned and
walked out the door, just like that. I stood leaning against the wall like a
dope.

What was I
thinking?
I knew what I was after. Despite the fact that it could fuck up
my relationship with Michelle and fuck up Jane’s relationship with Johnnie, and
undoubtedly have Johnnie gunning for me, I knew exactly what I wanted. I wanted
inside Jane Brown’s pants. And it was a really stupid idea.

Jane

I sat on the park
bench the next morning impatiently waiting for Millie to show up. I desperately
needed to tell her about my adventure the night before and I didn’t want my
mother to overhear anything. She would definitely try to listen to my phone
call as my ‘date’ with Johnnie had her pretty rattled already.

Millie finally
arrived and plopped down on the park bench beside me. “Spill it! What happened
with Johnnie? I’ve been dying all morning to find out.”

I loved drawing
out this part; I rarely had good gossip or stories to share, so I milked this
one for all it was worth. “First, let me just say, that Johnnie is looking
mighty fine. Super ‘yummy’ as you would say.”

Millie’s eyes
sparkled as she squeezed my knee in excitement. “I knew it! Aaaand?”

“And we talked for
a long time. Got caught up on the last few years.” I knew the suspense was
killing her.

Millie urged me
on. “Okay, skip to the good part. Did he ask you out again? Did he kiss you?
C’mon, Jane. I gotta know.”

“Yes and no. And
you won’t believe the bombshell he dropped on me.” I was enjoying my little
moment.

Millie’s eyes
bugged out. “What?! You’re killing me. Yes, what? No, what? What are you
talking about?”

I laughed. “Yes,
he asked me out again and no, he didn’t kiss me.”

Millie frowned.
“Darn. But maybe he’ll kiss you next time? Where’s the next date going to be?”

“He asked me to
have dinner over his parent’s house tonight. And, I don’t think there’s going
to be a kiss. We’re just going to remain friends.”

Millie was upset
at my news. “Jane, don’t give up so easily! Does he have a girlfriend in
California? Still, who cares? You’ve got to go after what you want in life or
you’ll always be sitting on the sidelines.”

“I would never go
after Johnnie if he had a girlfriend. But, he doesn’t.” I paused a moment to
let the full impact of my words hit her. “He’s got a boyfriend.”

Millie looked
puzzled. “A boyfriend?”

“Yep.”

Her eyes widened
in surprise. “As in, he’s gay?”

“Yep.”

“No!” She shook
her head in denial.

I nodded. “Yes,
it’s true. But he hasn’t told anyone at home yet, so keep your mouth shut. He’s
pretty torn up about revealing it.”

“Oh my God. I just
can’t believe Johnnie’s gay.” She sat back against the park bench. “I guess
that explains the fiasco on prom night.”

I winced
remembering how utterly devastated I had been that night and for weeks to
follow. His rejection had seemed soul-crushing back then. “At least now I know
it wasn’t me.”

Millie still
looked shocked. “Wow. That is some really big news. I’m sorry, Jane, if you got
your hopes dashed with Johnnie.”

I smiled secretly
to myself. “I saw Dusty last night, too.”

Millie’s head
swiveled toward me, and her mouth dropped open. “Dusty Hamilton?”

“Do you know any
other Dusty?” I replied dryly.

Millie rolled her
eyes. “Did you talk to him?”

“He came over to
say hi just as we were leaving.” I tried to sound as if it was just an everyday
occurrence.

Millie’s brow
creased. “So, he remembered you?”

“Apparently.” He
remembered.
And he seemed interested
.

“Whoa.” Millie
giggled. “Is he still looking as hot as ever?”

“Hotter than
ever.” I fake fanned myself.

Millie laughed.
“Listen to the two of us. Squealing over boys like we’re still in high school.
It’s kind of pathetic.”

I knew what she
meant, but I was still having fun. “It’s a bit pathetic, but I feel like we
didn’t get our time in high school, so let’s just enjoy it now.”

“Yeah. So what
else did Dusty say?”

I had left the
best part for last. “He invited me to his house for a party tonight. And he
said I could bring you, too.”

“Jane!” Millie was
bubbling with excitement. “We got invited to Dusty’s party? Holy shit! Tonight?
I can get someone to work my hours. Omigod. How are we going to get around your
mother?”

“I can’t go,
Millie. I promised I’d have dinner at Johnnie’s parent’s tonight.” I hated
ruining her enthusiasm.

Millie groaned.
“Don’t do this to me, Jane. You’re kidding, right? You’ve only had the most
massive crush on Dusty Hamilton for the last four years.”

“That doesn’t mean
I can ditch Johnnie. He needs a friend right now.” The truth was I was too damn
scared to go to Dusty’s party.

Millie jumped off
the bench and started pacing. “Jane, what am I going to do with you?”

I laughed. “Am I
that bad?”

“Worse.” Millie
gazed out toward the pond where the sunlight was bouncing off the surface.

We kept quiet
until a jogger ran past our bench and down the footpath, out of earshot. My
cheerful mood was slowly deflating.

Millie pointed
about a hundred yards behind us. “There’s the ‘ole wishing fountain. Do you
have any change to toss into it?”

I glanced at the
tiered fountain, the water cascading down its white stone sides. “I can’t spare
any damn change for wishes; I’m flat broke.”

Millie turned to
me, looking intensely serious. “If you could, what would you wish for?”

I thought for a
moment. “Oh God. I’d wish I could get unstuck. I feel like I’m trapped in this
endless boring life where nothing exciting ever happens to me. I need a job.
That pays well. I need a boyfriend. Someone hot as hell, like Dusty, but
someone who really cared about me. I want a chance at love.”

Millie sighed
exasperatedly. “That’s like a million wishes, Jane. I think you can only get
one.”

I scrunched up my
nose. “Well, I don’t have change anyway…”

Millie dug into
her pocket. “Here. Here’s a dime for you and a penny for me. Maybe a dime will
give you more wishes. Let’s toss them in.”

I took the dime
from Millie and we both walked over to the fountain. The water gurgled softly
as we both turned our backs and tossed the change over our shoulders and into
the fountain.

Millie giggled. “I
wished for a gorgeous hunk to sweep me off my feet.”

“What is it that
Aunt Bettie always says about wishes? ‘If wishes were fishes… how does it
go?  If wishes were fishes…” I couldn’t remember.

Millie looked at
me oddly. “I never heard that one. Here’s mine: If wishes were fishes… I’d go
fishing. Really, making wishes on a wishing well is silly. You have to go after
your dreams. You can’t just sit around waiting for things to happen, and then bitching
when nothing does. I need to start looking for my gorgeous hunk. Maybe he’s at
Dusty’s party.”

“What about Rick?”
Rick was Millie’s on-again off-again boyfriend.

“We’re taking a
break right now. Which means he’s probably fucking some other girl.” Millie sat
down on the grass and started picking at the clover.

“I’m sorry,
Mille.” I sighed and sat down beside her. “You remember what happened the last
time we went to a party together? Remember Dusty started those awful rumors
about me? Why should I even give him the time of day?”

Millie looked
dejected as she searched through the clover. She was always searching for one
with four leaves. “Fine. We won’t go. In a few days Johnnie will be back in
California and you’ll probably never run into Dusty again. Your life will be
back to normal then. Just the way you like it.”

I felt a twinge of
panic at facing the truth behind her harsh words. “Oh God, I
am
like my
mother. Paralyzed by fear into never taking any chances.”

Millie peeked up
at me through the long brown hair that was hanging over her face. “Girlfriend,
you’ve just got to work on allowing yourself to have fun. You’ve just had all
the joy of having fun psychologically beaten out of you by your mother.”

I snorted. “Who
are you? Dr. Phil?”

“Remember how
scared we were to go to Jordan’s party? We thought we’d get kicked out or
something horrible? And when it was all over, we talked about that one party
for months. It was the most memorable thing that happened to us in high
school.” Millie continued searching the clover, picking a few promising ones
and tossing them back down after closer inspection. “Dusty’s party could be
another adventure for us, Jane. And I’ve changed a lot since back then. I’m not
that scared little mousey girl anymore.”

I thought about
it. Had I changed at all since high school? I thought I had when I was in
college. I felt stronger, more confident then. I finally felt
alive
. But
I had reverted right back to the old days as soon as college was over.

Thank God
Millie was my friend
. “I remember you were the one who convinced me to go
to the party that night. I was dead set against it.”

Millie tucked her
hair behind her ear and smiled at me. “It was the night you kissed Dustin
Hamilton. Your first kiss.”

I already knew in
my heart that I had to do this. “Yeah, and I’m still fantasizing about him four
years later. And he’s looking better than ever, Millie. But Johnnie warned me
that Dusty was no good.”

“There’s going to
be tons of cute guys there. Besides, we’re older and wiser now- Oh! Look!”
Millie held up a clover, grinning ear to ear. “Holy shit! They really do exist!
I was beginning to doubt it after all these years of searching.”

I leaned in to
inspect the green clover resting in her palm. Sure enough, four perfect lobes
unfurled from the stem. “Wow. That’s good luck, Millie. And, I think it’s a
sign…”

“Are you saying
that you want to go to the party?” Millie looked hopeful.

I nodded. “Between
the wishing fountain and the four-leaf clover, I think tonight’s gonna be a
good night. Epic, even.”