said.
“Cappuccino?”
“I don’t care.”
She placed the mugs on the table and sat across from him.
Thatcher walked in. “Hey, what’s up?”
Derek nodded. “I came to talk to Nancy.”
“Oh,” Thatcher said. “Do you need some privacy?”
“No,” Derek said quickly. “Not at all.”
Thatcher sat next to Nancy and placed his hand on her thigh. “Sorry about that.”
Derek shook his head. “It’s your house, man. You can walk around naked if you want.”
Thatcher looked at Nancy. “You told him?”
“What else was I supposed to say? You were jacking off?”
“If I were, you’d probably tell him.”
“And everyone else we know,” Nancy said smugly.
“So, does that make it okay for me to tell the guys how much I enjoy fucking you?”
“I don’t care what you tell them.”
His eyes narrowed. “And I can talk about your tits?”
“They’re yours, right?”
Derek shifted his weight. “Maybe I should come back later...”
Nancy laughed. “Sorry. So what’s up?”
“What did you and Paola say the other day?”
“Oh. I told her you were a really sweet guy, you’re my best friend, you’re really hot…stuff like that.”
“And what did she say?”
“Nothing, really,” Nancy said. “I couldn’t read her expression.”
“That’s it? What else happened?”
Nancy rubbed Thatcher’s arm. “She talked about school and surfing, nothing interesting.”
He sighed. “Did she say anything about me?”
“She said you were a good surfer.”
Thatcher leaned toward her. “Derek wants to know if she’s interested, Nancy.”
She shrugged. “I couldn’t tell. I didn’t want to push it and make it really obvious. That would have been worse.”
“You’re right,” Derek said. “Thanks for trying. I asked he r out last night but she rejected me.”
Thatcher cringed. “Sorry, man.”
“It’s okay,” he said with a sigh. “I’m spending the weekend with her so hopefully I can change her mind.”
Thatcher nodded. “Baby, can you excuse us for a moment?”
“Sure.” She kissed his cheek before she left. When she was gone, Thatcher spoke.
“I’m not telling you this to piss you off. I’m really just trying to help you.”
Derek knew what this was about. “I won’t get mad. It was my fault Nancy and I broke up. I don’t blame you. And no matter how it ended, I’m glad it did. Nancy is really happy with you, way happier than she ever with me. I meant what I said. I love her and want what’s best for her.”
Thatcher breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, when I saw Nancy, I wanted her. I knew I was going to have her, plain and simple. It reminds me of your feelings for Paola. You don’t know her, but you know you want to. It’s just a natural occurrence.”
“Exactly,” Derek said.
“When I found out Nancy was dating you, that didn’t stop me. Not to be rude, but you were…”
“An ass.”
“Yeah…Anyway, I went after her with everything I had. I can’t tell you the number of times she pushed me away. I touched her, I hit on her, I complimented her constantly, I got into her personal bubble. I kept colliding into her walls until they finally broke. Then I engaged her, convincing her she should be with me. I didn’t give up until she was mine. I suggest you do the same and don’t take no for answer. Obviously, understand her boundaries. All girls are different. Some don’t want to be touched for any reason, some don’t want you to come to their house, just make sure you aren’t harassing her. That would be counterproductive.”
“Thanks for the advice.”
“So…you have the whole weekend with her. I suggest you take advantage of it.”
“I will.”
8
Derek packed his bags then headed to the airport. After he checked in and placed his luggage on the boarding dock, he walked into the lobby. Paola was sitting in a chair, looking out the huge window that showed the planes coming and going. She wore a white halter dress with brown
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