Part 17 (1/2)
”Well, today's a.s.signment may help us determine if it's more,” Speedy said.
”What is it?” Trent asked, as though he were actually eager to jump through another of Coleman and Speedy's hoops.
”Glad you asked,” Coleman said. ”I'm afraid this is another one that's going to require talking, Ms. Kincaid. What we want both of you to do is to find out a little about each other, more than just where you live, your job, and that kind of thing. Basically, tomorrow morning, we want to learn what Trent's hopes and dreams are from Marissa, and what Marissa's hopes and dreams are from Trent. It all depends on the two of you as to how much communicating is required for you to figure that out. And that should give you a chance to connect on a more personal level, beyond the physical.”
”And beyond dropped towels and kisses that bite,” Speedy added.
”Easy enough?” Coleman asked, ignoring his sidekick.
”Very easy,” Trent said. ”And for the record, I already know Rissi's hopes and dreams.”
”Ma-ris-sa,” she corrected, then added, ”and how can you even pretend to know my hopes and dreams?”
”You want to hear them?” Trent asked, apparently enjoying himself.
”Sure.” She'd spoken the truth. They hadn't seen each other in years, and the brief interactions they had had before moving into this apartment were all fairly heated encounters. Then again, their time in the apartment had also been heated, even physically charged, but nothing at all that would be equivalent to any kind of relations.h.i.+p-building on an emotional level. So what could he know about Marissa's hopes and dreams? Nothing.
Or so she thought.
”First of all, Rissi wants to win this prize, the multimedia ad campaign that will propel her webzine, Atlanta TellAll, to the kind of notoriety necessary for the business to really take off. She wants the business to make enough income to adequately support herself and her two friends, Amy and Candi, who also help run the site. Then-and her boss will have to accept my apologies here-she wants to quit the day job and find a perfect guy. For the record, the only identification she provided for her 'perfect guy' is one who doesn't cheat, though I suspect that she wants much more than that single quality. And last of all, Rissi wants to work from home and have a house full of babies.”
Marissa was speechless. He remembered everything she had said last night when she'd rambled on while they chatted over pizza. Every word, nearly word for word, as if her requirements in a man were something he was truly interested in.
Were they?
”You say that you suspect she wants more than that single quality,” Coleman said, his voice deep and emotional. ”Do you have any ideas as to what that 'more' might be?”
”Yeah,” Trent said, ”I do. Rissi wants a man who can make her knees weak when he looks at her, a guy who can make her laugh, and make her mad, who l.u.s.ts not only after her body, but also her feisty spirit, and can hold her arms up when she chokes on her pizza.”
Speedy sniffed loudly through the speaker. ”Oh, man, I'm gonna cry,” he said.
”Well, Ms. Kincaid, I guess I've got to ask. Is he right?” Coleman asked.
”Yes.” The word was barely audible.
”And can you tell us his hopes and dreams as well?” Coleman continued.
Marissa shook her head, feeling defeated, and flabbergasted. He really seemed seemed to care, but then again, all guys did, at first. ”I don't know his hopes and dreams.” to care, but then again, all guys did, at first. ”I don't know his hopes and dreams.”
”Then that's your a.s.signment for tomorrow,” Speedy said. ”And Trent, it looks like you're getting off easy, since you've already figured hers out. You can spend your day working, or playing, or dropping towels. Whatever floats your boat.” He laughed. ”And we did promise that we'd take a couple of callers this morning, so we better hop to that, since we're running short on time. Trent, you want yours first?”
”I've always followed the ladies-first principle,” Trent said, nodding at Marissa. ”Go ahead, Rissi.”
She didn't bother correcting him on the name. He'd already completely robbed her of any fight she had left, and in truth, she was too busy remembering how he'd memorized all her hopes and dreams.
”Okay by you, Ms. Kincaid?” Coleman asked.
”Sure,” she said, then turned her attention away from the hunky guy in the other chair to the white speakerphone on the desk. ”Go ahead.”
”Okay, we have our caller for Marissa. And who are we talking to this morning?”
”Hey, Marissa, it's Jamie.”
No way.
”Now, Jamie,” Speedy said. ”I'm reading our information on you from the log, and it says you're the last guy that cheated on Marissa. Is that right?”
”Yeah,” Jamie said. ”That's right.”
”So we've got the first guy who cheated on her-well, not technically cheated, but hurt her-and the last guy who cheated on her, together on the phone with us now, huh?” Speedy said, then added, ”Now, based on the information I'm pulling up on TheGuyCheats.com-neat site, by the way-it looks as though you cheated on Ms. Kincaid with a fellow named Reginald.”
”That's right, except he prefers Reggie,” Jamie said.
”Reggie,” Speedy repeated. ”I'll make a note.”
Coleman cleared his throat and took over. ”Jamie, you said you had something to ask Marissa?”
”Yeah. I've been thinking about everything that went on with us, Marissa, and I really wonder if you didn't see it coming. I mean, most of my friends knew that I, you know, play for both teams. And personally, everyone says that you'd have to be blind to miss it, so I'm wondering if you really did miss it?”
”What do you mean?” Marissa asked, puzzled.
”I mean, do you think that maybe you went out with me because because you knew it wouldn't work? You know, maybe you suspected that I'd cheat? Maybe not with a guy, but with someone? I mean, it could be that you're one of those girls who really don't want things perfect. Maybe you can only, you know, be happy when you're with someone that you know will cheat.” you knew it wouldn't work? You know, maybe you suspected that I'd cheat? Maybe not with a guy, but with someone? I mean, it could be that you're one of those girls who really don't want things perfect. Maybe you can only, you know, be happy when you're with someone that you know will cheat.”
”That's ridiculous,” Marissa said, but she couldn't keep Amy's similar words from tripping through her thoughts: ”Ever wondered if you didn't pick those guys on purpose?” ”Ever wondered if you didn't pick those guys on purpose?”
”I have to agree with Marissa that it sounds off the wall,” Coleman said. ”But then again, we do hear of women who have been in abusive relations.h.i.+ps, and for some bizarre reason, they continue to gravitate toward men who abuse. Suppose we've stumbled onto a whole new phenomenon, where a woman has been cheated on, and therefore gravitates toward cheaters.”
”Hey, you're getting way too deep for me,” Speedy said.
”I'd be interested in taking some callers on this topic, but we'll have to cover that tomorrow morning, perhaps at the beginning of the show, before we chat live with Trent and Marissa. Right now, we need to move on to Trent's caller, unless Ms. Kincaid has anything else to say to Jamie.”
”No, nothing,” Marissa said. Was she a serial cheater-dater? And did such a thing even exist? She couldn't deny that she'd been mentally pondering the possibility.
Trent's hand reached toward hers, en route to her mouth. ”Don't,” he mouthed. ”He's crazy. You don't date cheaters on purpose.”
Marissa had to stare at his mouth to make out the silent words, and staring at his mouth wasn't a good thing. She remembered how good that mouth had felt when he pressed his lips to hers yesterday, hot and sensual and delicious, right up until she bit him. She focused on the tiny crease in his lower lip, evidence of her attack. Evidently, Trent noticed where her attention had turned and grinned. He tapped a finger against it, winked, and mouthed, ”Doesn't hurt.”
”Okay, we've got our next caller ready,” Coleman announced. ”Still there, Jackson?”
”I'm here,” Trent said.
”We've got Lily on the line, all the way from Clearwater, Florida, where she's listening to us on the Internet. You still there, Lily?”
”Yes,” the woman said, and Trent's head jerked slightly; it was only a small movement, but Marissa noticed. Then his eyes widened, mouth flattened, and this time, his word wasn't mouthed. It was quietly spoken, but Marissa was able to hear it.