Womanizer

Brian went back to California on Monday. Zacky tagged along. Avenged was working on some new music and Zacky had been slacking in his duties since moving to Alabama.

Zacky returned on Thursday. Luckily, Megan was at work, so she missed his completely nonverbal reunion with Janine.

Brian wasn’t supposed to be back in Alabama until Saturday morning, which meant Megan was really surprised when he showed up at her place of work on Friday.

“Let’s go,” he said without preamble.

“Yeah, I’ll just leave three hours early for no good reason,” Megan replied sarcastically.

“You have a good reason.” Brian gestured to himself. “I’m here.”

“I’m sure my boss will see it that way.”

“Well, if I’m not motive enough, how about this—if you come with me now, I have a toy for you to play with.” He held up a car key.

“You bought me a car?” Megan joked.

Brian chuckled. “Nope. Even better. I rented you a car. And…” He paused for mock dramatic effect. “I took the insurance.”

“A lot of good that does me if it’s a piece of shit like last time.”

“It’s not a piece of shit.” There was a wicked gleam in Brian’s dark eyes that promised Megan the car outside was the kind of car the average American never got to drive.

Megan bit her lip, feeling the beginnings of an adrenaline rush. Megan and Brian both looked up as Danny, Megan’s boss, came around the end of the nearest aisle.

“Um, hi, Danny,” Megan said. “This is Brian.”

Always the gentleman, Danny stuck out his hand. “Hey, man. I’m Danny.”

They shook hands.

Megan shifted a bit nervously. “Brian is my—“

“Boyfriend,” Brian cut in quickly, slinging an arm around Megan’s shoulders.

Danny glanced at Megan. “This is the boyfriend?”

Megan could only nod. She didn’t know exactly what Brian was up to, but whatever it was, she hoped it would keep her from getting in trouble with Danny.

“Listen.” Brian stepped closer to Danny. “I just arrived from Cali. I live out there, ya know, and I never get to see Megan. So…do you think you could let her go a little early tonight?”

“What time do you get off?” Danny asked Megan.

“Nine.”

“What time is it now?”

Brian checked his watch. “Six-thirty.”

Danny considered Brian’s request for several seconds. “I guess she can go. Do you work tomorrow?”

Megan shook her head.

“Then I’ll see you Monday.”

“Okay. Thanks, Danny.”

“Yeah,” Brian said. “Thanks, man.” He twined his fingers with Megan’s and pulled her towards the front of the store.

She giggled. “Do you often lie to get your way?”

“No, I usually use my stunning good looks and natural charm.”

“Going on break?” Cassie, one of Megan’s coworkers, questioned as Megan was clocking out.

“No. Danny’s letting me off early because my, uh, Brian is here for a visit.” Megan pointed at Brian, who was standing by the door.

“Lucky bitch!” Cassie mouthed. Unlike Danny, she knew who Brian was, and she thought he was one of the sexiest men on the planet.

Laughing, Megan waved and followed Brian out of the store. The rental car was easy to spot. Megan didn’t know what make or model it was, and she didn’t much care. It was black and sporty and looked as if it would go really fast.

Megan held out a hand.

Brian pretended he didn’t know what she wanted. “What?”

“Give me the key!” she demanded.

“What about your car?” he said, dropping the key to the rental in her waiting hand.

“You can drive her.” She tossed Brian her keys and ran to the rental, hurriedly climbing inside. The roar of the engine drowned out Brian’s shouted protests. She blew him a kiss and sped from the parking lot.

**********

“Let me drive.”

Brian turned around to find Megan looking at him expectantly. They were about to leave for the Alabama game and she was dressed accordingly in a crimson spaghetti-strapped top emblazoned with “Roll Tide” and a pair of skintight denim hiphuggers. A thin strip of flat stomach was left bare. Brian saw a bellybutton ring and, just above the waistband of her jeans, part of a tattoo.

“Bri! Let me drive!” she repeated.

Brian forced his gaze back to her face. “No.”

She widened her blue-green eyes imploringly. “Please?”

“No. You drove last weekend.”

“Yeah, the piece of shit! I wanna drive the fancy car. I wanna get it on the interstate and see what it can really do.”

“No.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “This is revenge for yesterday, isn’t it? I said I was sorry!”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Oh. Well, I’m sorry. Now, can I drive?”

“No.”

Megan glared. “You know, for a whore, you sure do say no a lot.”

Zacky, who was in the kitchen and so could hear the argument, burst out laughing.

Brian had to fight not to smile. “Whatever. Get your shit and let’s go.”

“Fine!” She started up the stairs, calling back over her shoulder, “But I get to control the radio!”

Brian wandered into the kitchen. Zacky was at the table, eating a solitary breakfast.

“Where’s Janine?” Brian asked.

“Sleeping. The baby kept her up most of the night.”

Brian shook his head. “I can’t believe you’re going to be a dad.”

“Me, either.”

The two best friends lapsed into a silence that was soon broken by footsteps on the stairs. Megan peeked around the doorframe a second later. She’d added the hounds tooth hat popularized by Bear Bryant to her ensemble.

“Ready?” Brian inquired.

She nodded.

“Have fun,” Zacky said.

“We will,” Brian responded. “See ya.”

“Bye, Zack,” Megan said.

She and Brian walked out to the rental and got in. Brian started to put Metallica’s Master of Puppets into the CD player, but Megan stopped him. “I’m DJ, remember?”

“Says who?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Me.”

Brian sighed in resignation and backed out of the driveway.

**********

“Typical and hardly the type I fall for. I like when the physical don’t leave me asking for more. I’m a sexy mama, who knows how to get what I want, and what I want to do is spring this on you—back up all of the things that I told ya,” Megan sang.

Brian hated the Pussycat Dolls; however, he was having a hard time finding a complaint against them when it was Megan’s version of one of their songs.

“You’ve been saying all the right things all night long, but I can’t seem to get you over here to help take this off. Baby, can’t you see—“ Megan broke off as Brian killed the engine and the music was silenced. “Hey!” Her glare was reproachful.

Brian grinned, yanking the keys from the ignition and hopping out of the car. Megan quickly joined him, and they strolled into Bryant-Denny stadium.

“Are you cheering for the losing team again?” Megan taunted as she and Brian took their seats.

“Nah. I thought I’d let you cheer for Alabama.”

Megan swatted at him and he dodged, raising his hands in a defensive gesture.

“Tulane isn’t even ranked,” she said. “There’s no way they’ll win.”

“You underestimate them,” Brian said. “If Bama does that, Tulane could surprise them.”

“Syn’s right,” a voice commented.

Megan and Brian looked down. John Parker Wilson was standing at the fence separating field and stands. Megan smiled at him. “Hi.”

“Hey,” he said softly. He was so focused on Megan that he seemed to have forgotten Brian was even there.

Megan blushed a little under his intense gaze, and Brian again felt a stab of irritation.

“Good luck today, man,” Brian said.

John barely glanced at him. “Thanks.”

“Yo, Wilson!” one of the Bama players called.

John frowned. “Gotta go.”

Megan watched him walk back to the sidelines.

“Pathetic,” Brian remarked.

Megan looked at him. “What?”

“You’re crushing on a jock.”

“I am not!”

“Are, too!”

“Am not!”

“If you say so.”

“I do.”

Brian made a disbelieving sound.

“I don’t have a crush on John Parker Wilson, and even if I did, why do you care?”

“I don’t.” Brian checked his watch. “Shit! I gotta get a beer before kickoff. Want anything?”

Megan shook her head. “No, thanks.”

Brian hurriedly found a refreshment stand and bought a beer. He made it back to his seat just as Alabama won the coin toss and decided to take the ball first.