Sweetest Sin: Bad Boy Bundle (71 page)

“Hold on tight Lola,” he said, and I wrapped my arms around his waist just before we hurtled forward. The speed was nothing like what I was expecting. It was terrifying but exhilarating at the same time. We sped through the city streets and I could barely see the people we passed by. The engine was so loud that I had to yell for Vince to hear me.

“Where are we going?” I asked. “What?”

“Where are we going?” I screamed it this time. “It's a surprise!”

A million thoughts ran through my mind, most of them about the absurdity of the situation. Was I dreaming? This seemed unreal. I'd waited so long for Vince to show me any sign of commitment, any sign that I meant more to him than just a way to get his dick wet. Now that it was happening it felt like a dream.

Where on earth was he taking me? He'd never been on a date before so who knew what he had in mind. For all I knew Vince's idea of a date was getting me a cheap breakfast and having morning sex on his bike. Based on the way that the adrenaline was making me feel I wasn't sure that I'd say no to him.

We eventually pulled up in a parking lot that I didn't recognize. Maybe he was planning on murdering me and dumping my body around here. I said this to him but he just laughed.

"Yeah that's not really what I was planning. So, how was your first bike ride?" he asked. I shrugged, patting my hair down. The wind had really fucked it up.

"It was no big deal. Not scary at all. I could do it in my sleep."

OK, so maybe I was playing up my bravery to look good, but that wasn't so bad was it? It hadn't been nearly as bad as I had expected. I got up off of the bike and Vince followed my lead.

"You really are something," he said, smiling at me, "Your ass looks great in that skirt, by the way."

I rolled my eyes at him.

"Vince, this is our first date. You can't take to me like that if you don't want me to think that you're a total skeeze!" I said. Vince looked confused.

"But you already know that I'm a skeeze." He was teasing me now.

"Yeah I do, but if you want this to be a real date then you're gonna have to act like it. I don't let anyone else talk to me like that on a first date so I'm not going to let you get away with it either," I folded my arms and looked at him, "You're going to have to work hard to impress me."

"Right, OK. You know I'm new to this. But sure, I'll work hard to impress you. I just might need a tip every once and a while. You know I'm new to this, Lola," he said.

"That's fine. I can give you tips. Here's your first one. Tell me where the hell we're going," I said. Vince shook his head.

"Nah, I'm not falling for that. You're going to have to hold on," he said, "It'll be worth it though. We're gonna have a great date."

I followed Vince about half a mile or so down the road. He apologized for the walk, explaining that the parking spaces were the nearest ones to where he was taking me.

I still had no idea where we were going. It soon became clear, however, when I spotted a Ferris wheel in the distance. I'd vaguely heard that there was a carnival in town for the week but it had never occurred to me to go. It wasn't like I had anyone to go with. Janey and Allison were far too proper for something as childish as a carnival and it wasn't like I knew any kids that I could bring. To be honest, I'd always liked the idea of going by myself but felt too embarrassed. The idea of going with Vince was oddly exciting.

I turned to him.

"The carnival?" I asked. Vince actually looked nervous.

"Yeah, is that OK? I thought it might be fun," he said. I could sense the hope in his voice. I could have been mean about it, and in the past I certainly would have been, but I couldn't quite hold in my excitement.

"It's an amazing idea!" I exclaimed. Vince grinned, his typical smugness returning to his face. "Yeah well, I'm pretty good at this kinda stuff. I was pretty sure that you'd like it," he said. I decided not to make fun of him. I was too happy.

When we got to the carnival my excitement only increased. There were so many attractions to choose from that we didn't know where to start. There was the Ferris wheel, of course. Once we were up close to it we realized how big it truly was. There were food stalls and game stalls and a little alcove with classic arcade games.

“Why don't we try the Ferris wheel?” Vince asked, looking up doubtfully, “What's not fun about being dangled at a height on an unstable looking construction?”

“No Vince, it's a date. You asked me out so you have to let me pick first!” I nagged. Vince was trying really hard to be nice to me, because he didn't argue at all.

“Fine, what do you want to do?” he asked. I shrugged. “Ferris wheel sounds good to me,” I said.

We made out way over the Ferris Wheel and after asking the guy running it if it was safe over and over again, we bought two tickets. Though it was early in the afternoon there was still a queue, so we had to wait ten or so minutes until we got on. My heart was starting to pound in my chest at the thought of being so high up in the air. I hadn't been on a Ferris wheel since I was a kid and I was starting to wonder if it was a good idea. Vince sensed my nerves.

“You OK?” he asked. I nodded.

“Yeah, why wouldn't I be?” I said, though the queue moved forward and I felt the blood drain from my face just a little bit. We were close now.

“We'll be fine, I promise,” he said, touching my waist gently. It was strange. The two of us had been so intimate together but I couldn't ever remember him touching me as softly and sweetly as this. It distracted me from the fear. My heart started to pound again, but for a different reason now. He was serious. Vince was serious about me, about trying to impress me. He wanted me to like him, and not just for what he could do in bed. It felt like I was on an alien planet, experiencing everything in reverse. If that was the case then I would never return home. I liked this too much.

He'll disappoint you, said the voice in my head as we took out seats on the ride This is just another way for him to get in your panties. Men like Vince never change. You'll see.

For once, I told the little voice in my head to shut the fuck up. Maybe he was using me. Maybe he wasn't. I was enjoying this moment and that was all that mattered. Maybe the future wasn't as important as I made it out to be.

My nerves came flooding back as soon as the Ferris wheel began to move. I wondered if it was too late to ask the man to stop it, but he was so far away now that there was no way that he could hear me. I shut my eyes tight as we continued to ascend higher and higher. It didn't take long for Vince to notice.

“You OK, Lola? You're not really scared of this, are you? We're barely off the ground yet!” he said. I couldn't respond. All I could do was squeak. I hated the way the seat shook as we moved. I hated that even though my eyes were shut, I knew exactly how high off the ground we were. We were only getting higher. I especially hated that this had all been my idea.

“Hey, it's OK. It'll be over soon,” Vince said. To my surprise, he put his arm around my shoulders and squeezed me tight. This was such a surprising gesture that my eyes snapped open.

“See, not so bad is it?” he asked. I shook my head. “No, it's not so bad.”

Vince

Dates had always seemed like a really awkward, outdated concept to me. I mean, who wants to go to the effort of dressing up, bringing flowers and meeting the girl's dad only so you may or may not get laid. That wasn't to mention how much money you'd have to spend on dinner and a movie or whatever banal activity you chose as a facade for what you really wanted. It was a joke. At least, that was what I thought.

Being on a date with Lola was different. She was so fun, even if the date didn't end in sex it would count as a good day. We rode the Ferris wheel first, although I soon learned that was a mistake. She wasn't so great with heights. It was nice being able to put my arm around her and comfort her though. It made me feel like I actually made a difference to her. It was nice, really.

After that we went to a few of the game stalls. I turned out to be surprisingly good at the games and ended up winning Lola a number of prizes. By the time I was all out of change she had a large pink teddy bear, two balloons and a giant bag of marshmallows. She was as happy as a kid on Christmas morning and it made me feel great to know that I had caused that happiness. Maybe this dating thing had something to it. It still felt strange and alien to me, but I liked it.

I got the two of us hot dogs and we sat down on a bench by the Ferris wheel together. Lola took a bite of her hot dog, clearly ravenous.

“You know,” she said, her mouth still full, “This has been a weird fucking day.”

I couldn't disagree with her on that one. If any of my friends knew that I had taken a girl on a date to a carnival, they would be shocked. They'd probably think that I'd been possessed or something. They would be even more shocked if I admitted how much I had actually enjoyed myself.

“Yeah, it's been weird for me too. But good weird, right?” I said. Lola smiled, though she'd taken another bite so her cheeks were filled with food. She didn't look unlike a hamster.

“Yup, good weird,” she swallowed. I ate my own hot dog in three bites and threw the tissue it came in into the trash can. I had something to say, but I wasn't quite sure how to get it out.

“Um...do you think we should do this again?” I asked. Lola raised her eyebrows at me. Jesus, it felt like my heart was stopping. No wonder I hadn't done this before. It was too damn nerve wracking, “That's what people usually do, right? Ask for a second date?”

“That depends on how well the first date goes,” she said lightly. I wasn't sure what that meant. Was that her way of telling me that she hadn't enjoyed herself? I found it impossible to read her expression. For a moment I felt as if I would have been better off sticking to my old ways. I never doubted whether or not a girl wanted me. They always did, unless they were gay or married and the latter sometimes did anyway. Dating was different. Dating was harder than anything I'd ever done before.

“How did the first date go?” I asked. Lola looked at the sky thoughtfully, as if she wasn't quite sure what the answer was. She was teasing me of course, and I knew it, but it was still unnerving. Maybe this was her way of getting me back for being such a dick to her in the past. I couldn't say that I didn't deserve it.

“The first date has been good so far,” she said, and then she looked me in the eyes, “But it's not over yet, is it?”

Her answer took me aback a little. I didn't think that she would want to spend this much time with me. I had never spent this much time with a woman before in my adult life. At least, not fully clothed. The fact that she was wanting more was a surprise to me, but it must have meant that I was doing well. Not bad for a first try.

Not bad at all.

Lola

After the terror of the Ferris wheel Vince's bike didn't scare me anymore. In fact, I started to think that I might like one for myself. As we sped through the city once again I felt more comfortable yelling at him.

“Hey!” I screeched, “Do you think you could teach me how to drive one of these death machines?” I couldn't hear it, but Vince's body shook so I knew he was laughing at the idea.

“Sure! You can help me make a bike for you if you want!” he yelled back. “Why can't I use this one?”

“Because I don't want it to get wrecked!” he said. I would have slapped him, but I didn't want him to crash. He was only teasing me.

All too soon we pulled up outside my house. I got off of the bike.

“Do you want to come in for some coffee? I think I have some tea too, if you're into that,” I said. I hoped hoped hoped that he would be into that. We'd had an amazing date, at least in my view. I just hoped that he felt the same. I didn't want it to end.

Vince looked thoughtful for a moment, and I was terrified that he would turn me down. Then that smirk appeared on his face.

“Sure, I like tea,” he said. He put the break down on the bike and followed me into the house. I put my key in the door with much difficulty, due to the way that my hand was shaking. Vince's hand ran down my back, “Hey, there's no reason to be nervous.”

I looked up at him. “Isn't there?”

Suddenly Vince reached out and caressed my face, gently and tenderly. I dropped my key, but I didn't give a shit. He pulled me into a kiss and I kissed him back. Vince didn't even use his tongue on me, but I felt a shock of arousal run through my body.

“Now,” he said, “Let's go inside.”