Womanizer

"He missed! He fuckin' missed!"

Hearing Zacky's shouts, Janine went into the living room. "What are you yelling about, Zee?"

"The kicker for Tulane missed the extra point," Zacky explained, pulling Janine onto his lap.

"Oh, no! You've got it, too?"

Zacky's brow furrowed. "Got what?"

"Football fever. Megan always gives it to everyone."

Suddenly, Megan and Brian appeared on the television screen. Megan was jumping up and down happily; Brian was watching her with an amused smile.

"She didn't exactly give it to Brian," Zacky commented.

"No, she didn't," Janine agreed. "He went for it like an excited puppy with its new favorite toy."

Zacky chuckled. "I don't think football fever is what he's after."

"Neither do I."

"Megan's a special girl," Zacky said. "It's no surprise that Brian wants her."

"He doesn't want her. He wants sex."

Zacky hugged Janine close. "But, like you said, she's a smart girl. She won't fall for him."

Janine relaxed against him. Eyes on the game, Zacky absentmindedly rubbed her belly.

"Zee," she murmured during the next commercial break.

"Yeah, baby?"

"I was thinking about the wedding, and I've decided I want to wait until after I have the baby to get married." She shifted so she could see his face. "Is that okay?"

He smiled. "That's fine."

"I just..." She looked down, picking at a loose thread on his AC/DC shirt. "I want our wedding to be perfect and when I imagine it, I don't see me waddling down the aisle about to squirt out a kid at any second. I see me thin and pretty, like when we met."

"Pretty?" Zacky echoed. He caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Janine, you are beautiful. And you'll look perfect on our wedding day, pregnant or not. But if you want to wait, we'll wait."

Janine smiled. "I love you, Zee."

He brushed his lips across hers. "I love you, too."

**********

"Hell yes!" Megan ran into John's open arms. He picked her up and spun her around.

"Congrats, man," Brian said as John set Megan down.

"I knew y'all could do it," Megan remarked. "Roll motherfuckin' Tide, baby!"

"John!" A reporter approached, looking hopeful. "Can I have an interview?"

John gave the girl an amiable smile. "Of course."

"We've gotta go," Brian said softly in Megan's ear. She nodded and touched John's arm to get his attention.

"Just a sec," John said to the reporter, then leaned close to Megan. "What, doll?"

"We're gonna head out. We've got a long drive."

"Are you coming to next week's game?"

Megan glanced inquiringly at Brian. "Yeah," he answered. "We'll be there."

"Good." John brushed a kiss across Megan's cheek. "Bye." He looked at Brian. "Later, man."

"See ya."

Brian kept his hand on the small of Megan's back as they left the stadium and made their way to his rental.

"Can I ask you something?" Brian said once they were merging onto the interstate.

"You can ask, but there's no guarantee I'll answer."

"Fair enough. Why do you live with Janine and Zacky?"

"They never told you the story?"

Brian shook his head.

Megan shifted in her seat, putting her back against the door and hugging her knees to her chest. "I got arrested."

Brian's eyes flicked to her, wide with surprise. "Arrested? For what?"

"I beat up my brother's girlfriend."

Brian waited expectantly for her to elaborate.

"She was a total cunt. We hated each other from the beginning. I tried to be nice to her, for Rick's sake, but it never went both ways. So one night, I ran in to them at Books-A-Million and she started her usual shit where she whispered things about me to Rick." Megan lifted a shoulder. "It was the straw that broke the camel's back. I jumped her. Unfortunately, the manager called the cops, who just so happened to be one shopping center over."

"So your parents kicked you out?" Brian inquired.

"Nope," Megan responded. "Rick convinced his girlfriend not to press charges, but Mom and Dad decided the more distance between me and her, the better. Janine said I could stay with them. That way I'd still be close enough to visit my parents." She giggled. "Mom and Dad were actually proud of me for kicking her ass. They thought she was a cunt, too."

Brian looked rather impressed. "Wow. I never would've guessed that you were the kind of girl that'll throw down like that."

Megan grinned. "Yeah, I'm pretty badass."

Silence fell for several seconds.

"Bri?"

"Hmm?"

"What's the deal with you and Veronica?"

Brian's face lost all expression. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, is she your girlfriend?"

"No."

Megan studied his profile. "Really?"

"Yes, really. How do you know about her anyway?"

"Jani told me about her. She said Veronica is your girlfriend."

"Well, she's not. She wants to be, but I don't view her that way."

"Ah." Megan nodded. "I think I know what happened."

"You do, huh?" Brian sounded doubtful.

"Yep. You fucked her, considering her nothing more than a piece of ass. But to her, it meant something, and now she believes y'all are an item."

"I don't know how she got that idea."

"Uh, maybe because you fucked her."

"Have you ever heard of a one-night stand? Besides, it's not like I encourage her. I don't treat her like my girlfriend."

Megan sighed impatiently. "Brian, have you told her she's not your girlfriend?"

"No."

"Would you get a clue? Guys are assholes 99.9% of the time, so just acting like a jerk isn't going to get your point across. She thinks you're simply being a guy. You're going to have to talk to her and tell her flat out that you don't want her and she's not your girlfriend."

"Damn!" Brian shook his head. "Why do girls have to be so complicated?"

"We're not. Guys are just idiots."

Brian arched an eyebrow. "You sure you're not a lesbian?"

"Positive."

"Just wondered, 'cause you seem to hate guys and you turned me down..."

Megan rolled her eyes. "News flash, stud. A girl not wanting you doesn't make her a lesbian."

"I know, but it makes her really weird."

"Should I walk the rest of the way home? I'm not sure I can fit in the car with you and your ever-expanding ego."

Brian laughed. "Nah. My ego can ride in the trunk."

Megan looked at him. "You are something else, Brian Elwin Haner Jr. I just wish I knew what."