The Fling Apple, page 2
“Why do I feel like whatever you’re about to say is going to be life-changing?” Mila expressed with wide eyes.
“Because, my lovely Lala, you know I’m wise beyond my years.”
He’d been calling her Lala since we were kids. It was his nickname for her. I don’t know why he decided to name her after what sounded like a Poodle, but whatever.
“You still think James Bond is a real person.”
“He’s not ready to talk about Sean Connery, Mila. None of us are,” Sawyer explained.
I nodded. “It’s too soon.”
“Oh my God. I’m surrounded by idiots. How many times do I have to tell you Sean Connery is an actor? He’s not James Bond.”
Our eyes went wide.
“Don’t you ever say that again!” Cain ordered in an offended tone.
“You respect the dead!” I demanded, following his lead.
“Guys!” Leo shook his head. “I was having a moment here. Can I continue?”
We nodded while bringing our attention back to him. He looked at us and without any hesitation, he said six words that would change the future of our lives. “We’re going to make a pact.”
We peered at him like he was crazy, and I asked first, “What kind of pact?”
“A lifelong one,” he remarked, speaking with conviction. “The Playboy Pact.”
Cain chuckled, “You sound like a needy chick.”
The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. None of us had plans of settling down, and I didn’t see that changing anytime soon. If Leo thought this would keep us all close and in one another’s lives, then I’d be the first one to sign up for that. I couldn’t imagine my life without these assholes in it.
“Bros before hoes.” Leo nodded, reading my mind.
“Guys before lies,” Sawyer uttered, on the same page I was thinking.
“Masturbate before asking her to date.” I smiled.
Our stares shifted to Cain.
“Dicks before tits,” he asserted.
“And we’re gonna make sure of it.” Leo didn’t waver, adding, “We’re going to make a pact to stay single and never fall in love.”
I signed that pact in blood.
Chapter 2
—Sage—
“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Sage, happy birthday to you!”
I smiled at my parents, my best friend Aspyn, and my older brother by two years, Brady.
“How does it feel to be sixteen?” my mama asked, handing me a few plates so I could cut my cake.
I shrugged. “It feels the same as being fifteen.”
I refused to have a sweet sixteen party like most of my friends were having. I wasn’t much for being the center of attention, and all I wanted was to celebrate with my family and closest girlfriend. For the next hour we did exactly that until my brother left to go hang out with his friends.
“You need to get showered and dressed, Sage.”
I rolled my eyes, staring at her through the mirror in my bedroom. “I already told you I’m not going.”
“And I already told you, you are.”
“Aspyn—”
“I don’t want to hear it, Sage! It’s your sweet sixteen, and it happens to fall on the biggest party of the year! We have to go.”
“No, we don’t.”
“Yes, we do.”
“Aspyn—”
“Are you where fun goes to die?”
I rolled my eyes again. She was always so dramatic, but she was still my best friend. Had been since we were in Kindergarten. Her favorite color was pink, my favorite color was pink, and BAM, instant best friends.
“I have fun.” I pointed to myself. “I’m actually a very fun girl.”
“Sage, we both know that you’re a very fun girl. Except, I haven’t seen that very fun girl since Memphis broke up with you.”
I glared at her, and she raised her hands in a surrendering gesture. “Yes, yes, I broke our cardinal rule. I mentioned the dreaded ex, but he’s going to be there, and it’s your birthday! I think the sweetest revenge is for you to show up looking smoking hot and to have the time of your life.”
“How do you know he’s going to be there?”
“Because he’s Memphis, and he’s single now.”
I thought about it for a second.
“I know you still love him, Sage.”
I sighed deeply; she was right. I couldn’t help it. We’d dated this entire year, and out of nowhere he just broke up with me.
“Sage, you know I care about you, but I’m graduating soon. I’m going out of state for college. It wouldn’t be right if I kept this going.”
His words from a few weeks ago ran rampant through my mind. I thought he loved me too. He said he did.
Love was so confusing.
“You know what? I think you’re right.”
“Of course, I’m right. Now…” She jumped off the bed and walked toward my closet. “The most important question of the night—what do you wear? His jaw needs to hit the floor and break into a million pieces and then maybe, only then, you can say hi to him.”
I laughed. I love her.
While I was in the shower, she picked out my outfit. A cream crop top with a pair of jean shorts that might have been a little small on me now. Grabbing my tan two-inch heeled boots, she finished off my outfit with a tan Boho straw hat.
I took one look at myself in the floor-length mirror. “Aspyn, my dad isn’t going to let me leave the house wearing this.”
She mischievously smiled at me. “That’s why you’re going to leave the house wearing this.” She handed me a simple yellow summer dress.
“I see what you did there…” I nodded. “Smart.”
“I know, right? I’m pretty proud of myself for that one.”
I pulled my shorts down a little. “I do feel kinda naked.”
“That’s the whole point. We’re going for heart on the floor effects here, Sage. Memphis needs to envision you naked when he sees you.”
I turned around, gazing at my butt cheeks that were slightly peeking out of the bottom of the shorts. “He won’t have to try hard.”
She chuckled, shaking her head at me through the mirror. “Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”
Aspyn was a varsity cheerleader, and she was one of the most popular girls at our school in Tullahoma, Tennessee. Not to mention, my best friend was freaking stunning. She never let it get to her head, always staying kind and humble. Guys just gravitated toward her. It didn’t matter what school they attended, she had boys from the next town over driving here to take her on a date.
Sometimes these parties had a mix of a couple of different schools crashing each other’s shindigs. These towns were small, so we had to find something to do. If it wasn’t the woods, then it was someone’s house.
We decided to leave my natural dirty blonde hair down, adding soft curls at the ends to give it more volume and texture. I’m pretty sure she sprayed half the bottle of my cotton candy body mist all over me, covering me from head to toe in Memphis’ favorite scent.
Next was my makeup. Aspyn packed on my cherry lip gloss and smoked out my green eyes a bit too. I wasn’t much for makeup; however, given the reason why we were going, I thought I might as well go all out. I hadn’t talked to Memphis since he'd broken up with me two weeks ago. I’d been avoiding him at school, and since he was a senior and I was a sophomore, our paths didn’t cross much.
She finished my eyes, adding black mascara to my light lashes. I swear when I looked in the mirror I didn’t recognize myself.
Inspecting her handy work, Aspyn stated, “Dude, if I batted for our team, I’d totally be into you.”
I laughed, and she winked at me through the mirror.
“Now, I need to find my outfit.”
“You could wear a garbage bag, and guys would still think you’re the hottest girl at the party.”
“That’s a severe exaggeration, but I’ll take it.”
“Aspyn, seriously. You know it’s the truth.”
“How many times do I have to tell you that it’s not what I look like, but it’s the confidence I carry? You just have to own it. That’s why guys like me, Sage.”
I nodded; it was true. “I need you to teach me your ways.”
“But the shy thing you have got going works really well for you. Why fix it if it’s not broken?”
“Because tonight, I want to be you. I don’t want to be shy Sage. I want to be confident Aspyn. I want Memphis to regret breaking up with me, and I want him to say it to my face.”
“That’s asking for a lot, Sage. Memphis is a player. He won’t say that to you.”
“He was a player before me.”
She shrugged. “Once a player, always a player. I want you to get back at him tonight. Not try to get back together with him. Is that what you’re trying to accomplish?”
“I don’t know. I can’t help the way I feel. I love him.”
She shook her head. “This is why I stay single, and I never want to get in a relationship. I don’t care how cute the guy is.”
Aspyn’s dad cheated on her mom when she was twelve. She was actually the one who caught them, and she was also the one who told her mother. She never recovered from it.
She spent the next twenty minutes giving me a play-by-play on how to act sexy and confident.
“Okay!” she exclaimed. “We’re going to need a filler.”
“What’s a filler?”
“A fill in.”
I stared at her, still not understanding.
“We need to find you a dude. Just someone you can flirt with to make Memphis jealous.”
“Ohhhhh … smart.”
“I know, I’m a genius. Plus, you can practice the moves I just taught you on him. It will be good to give you a run-through.”
“Right.” I nodded, trying to act all confident when I was internally freaking out.
Me? Be sexy? Sure…
I pouted my lips and narrowed my eyes at her, trying to look at her the way she'd just taught me.
“Jesus, are you having a seizure?”
“No, I’m mimicking the expression you showed me.”
“Sage, you look like you’re holding in a fart.”
I laughed, finding immature humor funny. Probably because I had an older brother who was as immature as they come. While Aspyn got dressed and ready, I practiced my sexy, confident face in the mirror and the poses she'd taught me. It wasn’t long before we were in her car, driving toward the party. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. I was sweating buckets, and I was grateful I’d put on extra deodorant. After I changed my clothes back into the skimpier outfit, I realized time was moving at a rapid pace, and we were almost to the party.
“Do I say something to him when I see him?”
“Absolutely not. You need to completely ignore him.”
“Ummm … I don’t know if I can do that.”
“Don’t you worry your pretty little head I will find you the hottest guy to flirt with, and you won’t even be thinking about Memphis.”
“Aspyn—”
She slammed on the brakes, causing my body to jolt forward. Seconds later, I heard a male voice holler, “This is why chicks shouldn’t drive!”
—Ashton—
The last word barely left my mouth before a five-foot-nothing tiny girl shot out of the driver’s seat of her car.
“Excuse me?!” she bit, reminding me of a chihuahua. All bark and no bite.
“Oh shit,” I overheard her friend mutter from the passenger seat, rushing out behind her friend.
The first thing I noticed was how pretty she was, hurrying out of the car to help her friend.
“I can drive perfectly fine!” the girl in front of me snapped, bringing my attention back to her. “It’s when guys with douchebag haircuts walk in front of me that it gets a little difficult.”
“Maybe if you’d learn to watch where you’re driving instead of checking yourself out in the rearview mirror, you wouldn’t almost hit me.”
“You sexist asshole!”
“Oh, we’re not sexist,” Sawyer chimed in. “We love girls. Just not when they try to kill us.”
Her eyes shifted to Sawyer. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember asking you for your input.”
“You didn’t.” Sawyer grinned, winking at her. “I gave it to you anyway.”
She jerked back, not appreciating his response.
“And if we are being technical, you have to yield to pedestrians, as you can see.” He gestured to the crosswalk.
See … fucking smart.
“And what are you? The crossing monitor of your group?”
“I prefer traffic coordinator.”
I scoffed out a chuckle, hearing Sawyer’s reply to the chick who had her panties in a bunch. “Is no one going to make sure I’m alive? I’m the one who was almost taken out Fast and Furious style.”
“Sexist and dramatic. How attractive,” the pretty girl with the stupid-looking hat said.
“Cain!” I smiled, never taking my eyes off of her. “Someone call an ambulance because I think I’m seeing the light.”
“Does that cheesy line really work?”
“You tell me?”
She gazed down at the ground, blushing while Sawyer and her hothead friend continued to argue, going back and forth.
“How about you get me a drink since your friend tried to run me over?”
“Uh…” She peered back and forth between her and Sawyer, who were still arguing like cats and dogs. “I think I could do that.”
Cain slapped me on the chest, whispering in my ear, “Only you would pick up a chick during a near-death experience.”
I threw him a look and grabbed the pretty girl’s hand, catching her by surprise.
“You’re holding my hand because…”
“How else am I supposed to cross the street? I mean, with drivers like your friend and all.”
“I heard that!” her friend shouted.
“Don’t listen to him. You need to listen to me,” Sawyer ordered.
“Who the hell do you think you are? I don’t need to listen to you!”
“On that note…” I didn’t wait for her friend’s reply to Sawyer’s demands, walking toward the backyard. “Let’s go.”
Despite not living in this town or attending their school, we’d been to parties at this house before. Our school’s football team played theirs every year, and this guy was notorious for his parties. Once we got to the keg, I let go of her hand and poured our drinks into red Solo cups.
Handing it to her, she sarcastically asked in a tone I recognized all too clearly, “So these are your moves?”
She wanted me.
I grinned, taking a sip of my beer. “My moves?”
“Yeah, your moves. I know you have at least one.”
I grinned again, scoffing out a chuckle this time. “I think I’m offended.”
“Does that mean I left a lasting impression?”
“Do you want to leave a lasting impression?”
“It depends.”
“On?”
“Whether or not you impress me with your”—she arched an eyebrow—“big move.”
Is she talking about my dick?
I smiled. My favorite kind of girls were the ones who could have a witty conversation with me. I got bored easily. “What’s your name?”
“Sage.”
“Oh…” I cunningly nodded. “So you’re going to be a stripper?”
She gasped. “I am not. What makes you think I’m going to be a stripper?”
“Besides your legs for days? Your name sounds like a stage name.”
I was pulling her tail; chicks liked that about me. It went back to grade school and that old saying of, “He’s only mean to you because he likes you.”
I learned the art of teasing at a young age and how much girls truly enjoyed it. It didn’t change as they got older—they liked the chase.
“Why so offended?” I played coy. “What’s wrong with strippers?”
“Nothing is wrong with strippers. I like strippers.”
Now that got my attention…
Right to my cock. She was referring to my dick before. Proving one thing for the night.
I was going to have her sit on my face.
Chapter 3
—Sage—
“So what’s your name?”
He extended his hand. “I’m Ashton.”
I smiled, shaking it. “I don’t think I’ve ever met an Ashton.”
“What can I say? I’m one of a kind.”
I arched an eyebrow. “You’re trouble. That’s what you are.”
I was usually rather shy around new guys, but tonight I wasn’t shy Sage.
I was confident Sage.
Sexy Sage.
Basically, I was Aspyn.
Feeling determined, I leaned against the railing, emphasizing my chest while he watched my every move. His stare quickly turned predatory and I could tell he appreciated the view, but it was over before it even began. My hand slipped, and I almost fell backward into the pool.
Quickly, he grabbed me from around my waist, tugging me into his strong, muscular chest.
Did he work out?
I slightly gasped, and the smell of my cherry lip gloss filled the small space between us.
My eyes followed the movement of his tongue as he licked his lips, making me feel warm and fuzzy all over. I’d never met anyone who had an instant effect on me quite like this guy.
What was that?
My mouth parted, suddenly feeling shy again. “I… I… I…” I didn’t finish my sentence. Out of the corner of my eyes, I recognized the person from across the pool. Ashton followed the movement of my stare, and his eyes landed right on the person I didn’t expect to see so soon.
Memphis.
He was glaring daggers at us, and I couldn’t help but feel this sense of confidence over it.
