Read Convincing Her Online

Authors: Dana Love

Convincing Her

Convincing
Her

 

Dana
Love

 

Copyright © 2013 Dana Love

All Rights Reserved

This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and
incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously
and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or
dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or
distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author
except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and
reviews.

ISBN: 978-0-9910242-6-1

Chapter One

 

Rich pulled into the parking space at Angie’s dorm,
turning down the music that was blaring from the stereo. “I can’t believe you
only gave me one bite of that pie. Why do you hate me so much?” He shot her a grin
as he put the car in park, making sure she knew he was just giving her shit.

He’d insisted on giving her a ride when they left
Cameron and Tyler’s barbeque about twenty minutes ago. She’d only had a few
beers so he knew she wasn’t drunk, he’d seen the girl put back four shots of
vodka in less than thirty minutes and she’d still been able to function. She’d
refused to drive though, saying she couldn’t afford a DUI. He respected that.
In the two years he’d known her he couldn’t think of a time when she’d acted
irresponsibly. So when she said she was going to call a cab he’d offered to
give her a ride. It had taken some convincing, but she’d finally agreed to let
him bring her back to her dorm.

“I don’t hate you. I love pie. There is a major
difference.” She grabbed her bag and a package of rolls she’d taken from the
barbeque and started to slide out of the passenger side of his old Chevy Nova.
“Thanks for the ride Rich. I owe you one.”

He grabbed her arm, “You don’t owe me anything. Why
are you rushing off? It’s still early. We haven’t actually talked in months.”
The only contact they’d had recently was teaming up to send Tyler on a
disastrous date.

When they met through her best friend, Rich had been
taken from the moment he laid eyes on her. She was a real beauty, with long
almost-black hair and the most intense green eyes he’d ever seen. Angie was a
real woman, not like the fake girls he usually hooked up with. Not only was she
smart, she was built just right, with curves in all the right places. She didn’t
strive to be stick-thin like most girls and he was more than okay with that.
She was also the most honest girl he’d ever met. She never let him get away
with his normal crap that he pulled on other girls. No, she’d shut him down
quick. She’d told him in no uncertain terms that there would never be anything
between them but friendship. And he’d been okay with that, for a while. There
was never a shortage of girls for him to choose from. Something about being a
loud prick drew them in like moths to a flame. He didn’t get it, but he’d never
been one to over-think things either. Not like Angie. Now though, after really
getting to know her, he wanted nothing more than to claim her for his own. He’d
give up random pussy for her any day.

She let out a long sigh, “What do you want to talk
about?”

“Fuck, don’t act like it’s such an inconvenience. I
just wanted to spend a little time with you. Do you have other plans or
something?” He didn’t mean to sound so harsh, but he was getting tired of
playing games. He just wanted to have an intelligent conversation for once.

She reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing for
the briefest moment before releasing, “No, I don’t have any plans. I’m sorry.”

He relaxed into his seat as she slid her legs back in
the car and shut the door. “I can’t come up to your room? Curfew isn’t for
another hour or so.”

She snorted, “I doubt you want to deal with the
skank’s boyfriend-of-the-week. The guy has been here every night.”

“I can tell him to get the hell out if you want me
to.” He cracked his knuckles, more than a little upset that Angie had to deal
with that shit.

She shot him a small smile, “Thanks, but he won’t
last long. They never do. I’ll be rid of her soon enough, I’ve already signed
up with housing for next semester with a girl in my chemistry class.”

He nodded his consent, though he was still tempted to
walk her to her dorm later and let his presence be known. He wondered how her
roommate would like it if he decided to hang around for a while.

“So, Cameron and Tyler are together. I have to admit
I didn’t see that one coming.” He’d been pretty shocked to see two of his
buddies holding hands and kissing, but he was cool with it. Everyone had a
right to be happy.

“I knew all along. It killed me not to say anything
sooner, but I knew they’d find their way.” She smiled, “You played a part in it
you know. The date with psycho-slut pushed him right over the edge.” Angie’s
smile widened, “I’m so happy for them, especially Tyler.” It looked like she
was going to say something else, but she turned away instead.

“You know, we’ve been friends for a while now and I
don’t even know if Angie is your real name. Is it short for something else?” He
wanted to kick himself for asking such a lame question, but he was curious. For
some reason he wanted nothing more than to know about this girl.

“My given name is Angelique. My mother’s idea I
guess. It just didn’t seem to fit.” She shrugged her shoulders, “She’s the only
that’s ever called me that.”

“So I can call you Angel then?” He tugged gently on a
lock of her hair that had fallen over her shoulder as he gave her his winning
smile.

“What about you? Is your name Rich or is it short for
Richard?” She pulled her hair back and twisted it into a messy bun as she
spoke, pulling a hair-tie off her wrist.

He wished she’d leave it down, but he knew better
than to make the request. “Yeah, I’m Richard Remington the third actually.
Since my dad was Richard I just started going by Rich.”

She let out a loud laugh before she covered her mouth
with her hand and tried to compose herself, “Richard Remington? Sounds like a
porn star name to me.” She turned in the seat and cocked her head at him, “I’ll
tell you what, you can call me Angel if I can call you Dick.”

He chuckled at her sarcastic tone, “I’m okay with
that. Dick Remington sounds more like a porn star name than Rich Remington
anyway. I like it.” He waggled his brows at her as he spoke. “You never know,
that might be my true calling.”

She wrinkled her nose at his teasing, “I know it
sounds fun and all, but you’d think at some point you’d get sick of sex. Which
is just plain sad.”

“I don’t think a guy can get sick of sex. My grandpa
is eighty-something years old and he still chases my grandma around the house
from time to time.” The old man succeeded too, at least from what he could
tell. He envied his grandparent’s relationship. They’d been together forever
and were still very much in love. He’d never met his grandparents on his
mother’s side of the family since they’d died before he was born, but his dad’s
parents were cool despite their age. He envied their love for one another. He
on the other hand really didn’t know what love was.

“Not a visual I want in my head, Dick.” She gave a
little laugh and pulled her legs up underneath her on the bench seat. “So who
are you doing, I mean dating, this week?”

He frowned. He knew she was just giving him shit, but
it sucked that she thought of him as nothing but a player. A
user
, she’d
once said when she’d had too much to drink. It had hurt, worse than he was
willing to admit. What was worse was that she wasn’t wrong. Not really anyway.
Just a few nights ago he’d hooked up with a bride-to-be that was out on the
town enjoying her bachelorette party. He’d probably go to hell for that one.
Instead of admitting that unattractive bit of information he just shrugged,
“Not seeing anyone right now. Are you?”

She barked out a bitter laugh before shaking her
head, “Nope. I haven’t been out on a date in over five months. Carbohydrates are
my substitute for sex, didn’t you know?” She held up the package of rolls.

He considered his response for a long moment, “Why
don’t you and I go out on a date?”

Giggling, Angie grabbed her bag again and
straightened her legs, opening the door. “That’s my cue to leave. Don’t worry.
I’m sure you can find some other desperate girl to keep you entertained.”

He wasn’t sure if he should be offended or not. He
blew it off, “I never said either of us was desperate. I just figured it would
be nice. We could go to dinner, maybe go see a play or something.”

Her head whipped around, her gaze meeting his, “You,
go to a play? What the fuck?”

He bit back his anger, “Just because I come across
like a dumb jock doesn’t mean I actually am one. I like art, and music, and yes
the occasional play. So sue me.”

She slid her legs back into the car again, “Sorry,
that was a really bitchy thing to say. I don’t think you’re a dumb jock. I just
didn’t expect that. Okay? Are we cool?”

He nodded his head before replying, “Yeah, we’re
cool.” He reached over and grabbed her hand, “So go out with me. Let me show
you a good time.” He held his other hand up at her questioning glance, “No sex,
I promise.”

Something flashed in her eyes and she looked a little
hurt though he couldn’t understand why. “I’ll think about it. Thanks for the
offer, and for the ride.” She pulled her hand away, exiting the car quickly.
Before she shut the door she muttered, “I still owe you one.”

Rich let out a long sigh. That hadn’t gone like he’d expected.

A week later he still hadn’t heard from Angie. He
hadn’t called or texted her since he didn’t want to seem too clingy. He’d never
been one of those guys, always up a girls ass every minute, always wanting to
know where she was and what she was doing. Of course, he’d never really been
into a girl before either. He’d thought about giving her a call more than once.
Okay, at least ten times. Somehow he knew if anything was going to happen
between them he’d have to let her call the shots. That was hard for him, but
he’d give it a chance.

He’d thrown himself into work and school, trying to
keep his mind busy. Finals were coming up anyway and he couldn’t afford to fail
any of his classes. He’d hung out with a few guys from work and played
basketball at the gym for a few hours each week. He’d even taken the time to
call his brother who he hadn’t spoken to in almost a year. The conversation had
been strained, to say the least. He didn’t have much in common with the guy.
They were pretty much complete opposites in every way. Where Rich was tall and
muscular, with straight dark hair and dark eyes, his brother Pete was
blond-haired, blue eyed, and a bit on the small side. Pete had that whole
sensitive guy thing going for him, and he’d always done well with the girls
despite his less than masculine appearance. Rich took after his mother’s side
of the family, where Pete tended to favor his father in many ways.

Rich considered calling his mom, he hadn’t checked in
with her in a while either, but he knew she’d just ask him the same questions.
Was he doing okay in school? Did he need any money? Was he dating any nice
girls? It was the same conversation every time he checked in, and though at
first he thought she really cared about his well-being, he began to realize
over time that she was just asking what was expected of her. They’d never been
very close. She was distant, and it wasn’t just with him. She’d never really
been very warm to his farther or brother either. How his parent’s had stayed
together as long as they had he didn’t know.

He flipped his phone in his hand, startled when it
sounded a notification that he had a new text. He swiped the screen to unlock
it, smiling at the name that appeared. He’d switched Angie’s name to Angel the
night he’d dropped her off at her dorm. He wondered if she’d changed his name
to Dick.

Angel: I’m in when and where

Rich: 2maro 7pm I’ll surprise you

Angel: I don’t like surprises

Rich: Get over it

Angel: Fine, Dick

He laughed and sat his phone down. He had some planning to do.

After taking a quick shower, Rich dressed quickly in
some new jeans and a white button-down. He sprayed on some cologne and even put
a little gel in his hair, running his fingers through it a few more times than
necessary to try and tame the mess. He hadn’t been this nervous about going on
a date since he was fifteen. Then it had been Sally Walker, one of the hottest,
and easiest, girls in tenth grade. He assured himself that date had gone fine
and that this one would too, but his feelings for Angie were more intense than
what he’d felt for any of the girls he’d hooked up with before her. She
challenged him and made him laugh like none of the others had ever managed to
do.

He’d decided on taking her to the art gallery
downtown. After all, he’d sort of set a high standard for himself when they’d
discussed their plans last week. After, he’d take her to her favorite sushi
restaurant. He knew she’d be happy about that. The girl really liked her raw
fish.

Though he’d promised no sex, he slipped a condom into
his wallet just in case. It was always smart to be prepared. Not that he really
thought he’d have any chance. He was pretty damn sure she wouldn’t initiate
anything, and he was going to try and be a gentleman even if it killed him.

Rich wiped his hands on his jeans before getting out
of his car to head up to her dorm room. He sort of hoped her roommate’s current
fuck-buddy would be there. It made him a little nervous that the guy had been
around Angie so much. He knew first-hand how guys could be, and he knew that
Angie was a lot hotter than the girl she lived with. It wouldn’t be the first
time that a douche-bag boyfriend had tried to get into his girl’s roommate’s
pants or worse yet try to get them both in the sack. He knew Angie would never
go for it, but that only eased his worry somewhat.

He sent her a quick text as he headed up the stairs,
and then tapped three times on the door before taking a few deep breaths.

She opened the door, waving him in with her hand,
“They’re not here, thank goodness.”

Rich stepped in the small room, closing the door
behind him. He turned to face her, but stopped mid-movement at what he saw. She
was breathtaking. Her hair fell over her shoulders in soft waves, and the
form-fitting grey dress she wore fell perfectly over her body, ending a few
inches above her knee where it flared out slightly, the color bringing out the
brightness of those green eyes. And the shoes, strappy black heels that wrapped
around her ankles, shoes that simply screamed fuck me.

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