The American Princess - Best Love Story Ever by Jennifer Tate Page B

the next day to plant Douglas fir on Vancouver
Island.
    The pre-prom cocktail party was fun, because
Brad was being attentive, and the beverages were flowing
freely.
    When Sandy was alone with Belinda she asked,
"Why does your Sheik call Brad, Grasshopper?"
    "I just asked him that."
    "And?"
    Belinda giggled. "He's green—as in
inexperienced when it comes to women—and lately he's been hopping
all over town trying to get a date."
    Sandy grinned, took a long pull on her gin
and tonic, then said with a smirk, "Do you know what the guys call
gin?"
    "I give up."
    "The panty dropper. And if it works this
time, that Grasshopper will no longer be a grasshopper—he'll be a
James T. Kirk.
    "A James T. Kirk?"
    "Yea, James T. Kirk. He'll be boldly going
where only one man has gone before!"
     
     
     
     
-11-
BRAD RAIDEN & SANDRA MANDERVILLE
The Rain Dance

    When the limo pulled up to the revolving
doors of the Royal York Hotel, Brad moved his hand to support
Sandy. He had dissuaded her from mixing her drinks at the pre-prom,
and when she seemed intent on overdoing it, he'd watered them down.
I should get a Good Samaritan award, he thought. Everyone knows
that liquor is quicker.
    The music of AC/DC, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl
Jam and other 'in' rock bands followed dinner, speeches, and
numerous toasts. Sandy was in constant demand, so he tried to
establish a proprietary sphere around her, but the way she moved on
the dance floor beckoned to males the way blood in the water calls
out to sharks. It was attention that Sandy wasn't encouraging, but
she wasn't discouraging it either. She possessed an earthiness
that, judging from his below the belt assessment, was impossible to
ignore.
    I like this babe—I like her a lot. Now all I
have to do is figure out how to privatize her. Sharing is for
saints, not for a wanta-be, born-for-the-first-time sinner like
myself.
    The first slow dance is often a test for a
budding relationship, and—as Brad promptly discovered in his first
slow dance with Sandy—heaven sent. One hell of an event! Perhaps
she's my reward for the celibate life I've been leading.
    Sandy swayed against him, her every move a
revelation. Hesitantly, she asked, "Is that some kind of fruit in
your pocket, or are you just happy to be with me?" Brad tried to
pull away, but she held him against her, and hid her face in his
shoulder. "Poor pathetic me is mortified, but that's something I've
always wanted to say."
    "Isn't poor pathetic you the brazen one." He
grinned, bent down, and kissed the tip of her nose.
    "Mmm," she murmured as she traced her satin
dress-covered breasts across his chest. "I do love to dance with
you."
    He slid his hand down her back until it
settled on her bottom. "Funny," he said, "with you my hand heads
for your derriere as if led by a seeing-eye-dog."
    She laughed gleefully. "More likely it's
being led by a dirty-old-dog."
    "You'll be pleased to learn that the gods
have favored you with a comfy behind."
    "And you've decided to make yourself at home
there?"
    "What I've decided is that you're proprietary
software."
    "Meaning?"
    He shifted his hips to remind her that she
was still enchanting him. "I'm a generous guy, but you're not
shareware to be handed out to the great unwashed, and if I were to
loan you to my friends, I'd risk giving one of them heart failure.
So to be on the safe side I've decided to keep all slow dances with
you for myself."
    Sandy looked charmed. "You're afraid you'll
be sued if you let your pit bull off her leash?"
    "Something like that. You can fast-dance with
other guys if we're unable to keep them at bay. I can live with
them looking, but I can't be giving them too good a time for free.
Comprenez?"
    "Is that all you want?" she asked as she
rubbed herself against him.
    "Not necessarily."
    "And what do I get in return? If I'm
forbidden to slow dance with other guys, why are you allowed to
slow dance with other women?"
    He thought quickly. "That's a fair question,
but our primary concern