Chapter 15: Fifteen

By the time I made it back inside, Danny was nowhere to be seen. What the hell? I knew she had to be somewhere because the only other exit would be a window, and we were too high up to jump. That's when I heard mumbling coming from my bedroom.

"Danny?" I called, following the noise. "What the hell are you doing?" She had my entire underwear drawer spread out on my bed and was picking through it with disapproval written all over her face.

"You'd better eat quick, my dear. We have three hours til the mall closes, and we have some work to do."

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Isabelle met us there, and thus my hell began. Those two dragged me into Victoria's Secret the second we arrived, shoving me into a changing booth with a neverending supply of skimpy lingerie to try on. We determined that I was a 32B and size large panty.

Red, black, white lace; My God, they were prepping me for a show, turning me into a stripper one inch of cloth at a time. Their big rule was that I couldn't look at the price tags. Danny called it my early graduation present, but that's because I wouldn't let her call it my 'intro to womanhood' or 'finally getting some' present.

Of course, I immediately checked the price tag of the first item they tossed me. And naturally, I immediately regretted it. Those suckers were worth more than my entire days wardrobe! Granted, they sure felt nicer than my previous sets. I had never noticed how much my bras pinched me until they didn't.

They seemed to know everything about men's tastes as well as women's comfort. They chose sexy pairs, practical pairs, naughty pairs, and even that-time-of-the-month pairs.

Then those wonderful, kind, frustrating friends of mine made me wait outside while they checked out. It was probably for the best. There was no way in hell I would be able to pay them back for that. They had twelve bags full of negligee.

"Okay. I have been a good barbie. Can we go home, now?"

"Nu uh, mija. We have a party this weekend, and you have a date. No way in hell you're wearing your grandmother's dress to those." Isabelle laughed, and Danny joined. They were evil succubus, I just knew it.

"Fine, but I'm paying for them." I compromised, and they reluctantly agreed.

Another forty-five later and we found the perfect outfits. Well, sort of. The girls dug up two party dresses, one for my date and one for the party, but I vetoed the date one. It seemed impractical for me just visiting his home. I didn't want to show up looking like a night on the town. So instead, I chose a soft blue halter-top sundress. It was simple, yet flattering, with a knee-length hem and a top that accentuated my small bust.

Of course, what they chose for the party wasn't so 'girl next door.' It was royal blue, skintight, and barely fell below my ass. It was sleeveless, despite the fact that I didn't have much to hold it up, and made my hips look even more prominent than they already were. I personally thought that I looked like a cross between a blueberry and a pear, but they swore up and down that it was sexy as hell. They snuck in a pair of two inch pumps for me to wear with it, and I was officially done with the mall.

By the time I got home, I was exhausted, and tucked into my bedsheets with nothing more than an oversized t-shirt and cotton panties. My sex was still a little sore from all the action it had seen, and I knew it was only the beginning of what Joel could do to me.

With a small sigh, I drifted off, dreaming about minty gum, and stormy eyes.

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Ping!

My eyes shot open. God, it was freezing. Why the hell did I sleep without pants again? I leaned over, flipping open my phone to read the new text.

"*Good morning, beautiful. See you in two hours. :)*" I giggled like a fool, rolling onto my back as I responded.

"*Hey handsome. I'm eager to learn how to unlock my inner Da Vinci.*"

Lightning fast, I sprang from my bed, searching through the unpacked bags of sexy lingerie until finding one of the "practical" sets, which I still personally considered sexy. They were at least sexier than anything I would normally wear. I added a pair of mid-thigh jean shorts and a tight pastel green v-neck. Somehow, just knowing what I had underneath made the outfit hotter.

After my shower, I blew dry my hair, pinning it out of my face. I contemplated adding some makeup, but I didn't want it to look like I was trying too hard. By the time I was dressed, it was an hour till class and my phone was flashing green.

"*Renaissance might not be your style, baby. But we'll see. ;)*" What a flirt.

I didn't have time for my normal breakfast, so I grabbed some Captain Crunch from the cupboard. I could finally call my parents with what little time I did have.

It had been a full day and a half since my mom made the request and I didn't want to put it off anymore. I really didn't have any good reason for not calling earlier, I just didn't feel like doing much of anything yesterday. I spent the morning at work, then spent the entire afternoon texting Joel and dying in Doom. Joel was in class and meetings all day, so I had to wait until today to see him.

Three rings and I could hear my wonderful mother's voice.

"Sweetie, you called!" I laughed at my mother's excitement.

"Of course I did. Have I ever not called when you've asked me to?"

"Well, no. I'm just happy to hear from you, dear. I want to hear all about your first day." I choked on a berry. Yea, hell no. She was getting the PG and cut version. Very, very cut.

"Oh, you know. It was good. I went shopping with the girls." I added, leaving out what we bought, of course.

"That's wonderful. But what about classes?"

"Well, as usual, Davis just hands out a syllabus then dismisses." I bit my cheek.

"Yea, but how was painting? I know you were pretty nervous about that one." Damn my mom's great memory.

"Yea, I don't think it'll be too bad afterall." She hummed, and I already knew what was coming before she said it.

"Does that mean you met a nice, handsome gentleman to win your heart?" She teased. Handsome? Yes. Nice and a gentlemen? Thinking through the events of the last few days made those points debatable at best. He was no Prince Charming, that was for sure.

"I, um, may have met someone. I think you'd like him." I admitted, but only because I was pretty sure that my mom would like any man I brought home. She was the least judgmental woman I knew. My dad on the other hand…

"Oh, good! Does that mean you have a boyfriend? Will we get to meet him when we come visit? Oh, how about next month?" Good Lord.

"Mom, please, one at a time. He's not my boyfriend, our first date is Saturday." Technically. "I don't think you'll be meeting him." I hope not. "And sure, anytime next month would be fine. How long do you plan on staying?"

"Oh, just one night sweetie. We don't want to intrude. Now tell me more about this young man. What's his name?" She sounded so damn excited. I literally couldn't say no.

"His name is Joel." He never said that I couldn't tell my mom about him. Just not other students or teachers, right?

"Joel. What a nice name! What's his major?" Shit. How can I answer without lying?

"Um, art, actually." There. If I just don't use any tense, I'm not lying. He WAS an art major.

"Interesting. A little ironic, don't you think?" She giggled. She had no idea. "What does he look like?" Like a fucking god.

"Um…"

"Oo, do you have a photo you can send? I bet he's handsome." A photo? I wish. Would it be weird to ask him for a picture?

Ah, fuck it.

"Sure, let me get off and send one. Love you."

I opened up my thread with him, and before I could chicken out, typed a quick message.

"*Hey, can I get a picture of you?*" In no time at all, he replied.

"*Lol, why?*"

"*Reasons.*" So I can send it to my mom. Yea, that would be awkward as hell to say.

"*Sure thing. I was just about to hop in the shower, but I don't mind sending you one. Would you prefer clothed or in a towel?*" Oh, God. Heat rushed to my face at record speed.

"*Can I be greedy and ask for both*?" I just had to make sure that I sent the correct one to my mom. Lord knows she would die of a heart attack if I sent her a shirtless photo of him.

"*;) sure*." Within thirty seconds, a photo arrived. Jesus, she might have a heart attack anyway.

He was smiling, those sexy dimples showing through. His damp white v-neck showed off the ink below, as well as the sculpting of his chest, and his black hair was wild, hanging over his forehead deliciously. The lighting displayed his deep blue eyes in more detail than I had ever seen them before, each blend of gray and light blue mixed together with a twinkle. He still had his headphones in from his run, and I could practically hear the rock and roll from here.

"Goddamn." I muttered, squirming on my seat. I wished it weren't creepy as hell to have him as my screensaver, because I would be giving this photo a lot of viewing time and it would make it more convenient. With trembling hands, I forwarded it onto my mother and waited eagerly for her reply.

"*Some warning next time, sweetie. I just squealed in front of your father and he made me show him*." Oh my God.

"*What did dad say*?"

"*That's not important, dear. He's very handsome. Very, very handsome. He's nothing like how I imagined, but I can tell by his smile that he likes you a lot.*" Ah, by 'not important', she meant it set him off.

My father had never been a particularly loud man. He was an observer, like me. But that didn't mean that he wasn't protective of his baby girl. Back when I was in high school, he gave me the 'bad boy' talk. He warned me countless times not to find a man like daddy. No tattoos, no rock and roll, and no cigarettes.

Well, at least Joel didn't smoke anymore. Besides, he was far from quiet. That smart mouth of his drove me crazy, so I would hardly compare him to my soft spoken father.

"*Yea, he's special. :)*"

At that moment, another ping sounded.

"Holy shit." I shrieked, my phone clattering to the counter. Steam, dripping hair, glistening pectorals… He was every woman's wet dream.

"*Where's mine?*" He added. I swallowed hard, settling my rapid heart rate.

"*Uh oh, look at the time. I'd better get walking to class. I'd hate to be tardy*."

"*Bad girl*." Two words and I could feel the heat forming in my core. With my adrenaline pumping, I leapt from the stool, sliding on my satchel and sandals.

Would he punish me for this?

God, I hoped so.