Page 5 of Hot Four Teacher (The Lawson’s #4)
Chapter five
Same Words, Different Fonts
Michelle
R emember an hour ago when I was so excited to go out tonight? Now, I feel myself wondering if that was a mistake. Ronnie took her time primping me until she decided I was ready to leave the house. While I don’t feel hideous, I don’t feel like myself either.
Usually, I’m in yoga pants or leggings and a t-shirt. Comfort is paramount to me.
Ronnie wasn’t standing for any of that, though. She insisted this was a special occasion and that I needed to look as hot as possible. That meant a pair of dark skinny jeans, a sparkly black low-cut top, ankle boots with a very small heel on them, and some smokey eye makeup.
I just feel like it’s all a bit much. As we walk into Giddy Ups, I feel like everyone is staring at me.
Ronnie leads the way to a table where Liz and Leah are already waiting. I’m still not exactly feeling myself…until I see the look on their faces.
Liz looks me up and down. “Damn, woman! Look at you!”
Leah adds, “You weren’t kidding. Michelle means business tonight.”
I look down at my outfit. “Are you sure it’s not too much?”
Liz shakes her head. “Not at all. That outfit looks smoking hot on you.”
Ronnie shoots me a look. “Told you. When will you all start listening to me?”
She and I take a seat at the table, and Leah says, “The waitress should be back in a minute. We haven’t ordered anything yet.”
Ronnie says, “I’m far too impatient for that. I’m going to the bar. Be right back.”
As she walks away, I mutter, “We didn’t even tell her what we wanted.”
Liz replies, “I don’t think she cares.”
“Lord, she’s going to get something crazy.” Leah giggles.
Liz looks at me. “You really do look great. I’m loving the jeans.”
“Thanks. Ronnie insisted I wear them because they show off my dump truck.” I put the last two words in air quotes.
Liz’s brow furrows. “What the hell is a dump truck?”
“Apparently, it’s my big ol’ ass,” I reply.
“Of course,” she chuckles.
Ronnie and I both share the trait of a big ass.
But the main difference is that Ronnie is curvy all over.
I’m a bit more pear-shaped. I don’t have much in the way of boobs where she has more than enough to go around.
I have a little bit of a belly and then widen into all hips and ass.
It’s not bad, but I’m definitely more bottom-heavy.
All of the Lawson siblings are kind of like the same words but in different fonts. Our dad is Greek with dark hair and brown eyes. Since our mom is blonde with blue eyes, her genes kind of got lost in the mix.
Liz is almost six feet tall, thin, and has crazy, kinky curls.
Then, I have straight hair that’s slightly lighter than everyone else’s but still dark, small boobs, and a big ass.
Ronnie is curvy in all the right places with long wavy hair.
And Jo, the youngest of the brood, is thin and has long straight hair.
Oh, and there’s Dylan, Ronnie’s twin, who is the definition of a Greek heartthrob.
So yeah…same words, different fonts.
Leah says, “I wish I had a dump truck.”
Liz replies, “You could get one of those BBL’s.”
“What’s a BBL?” I ask.
“A Brazilian butt lift,” they answer in unison.
“Look, ladies,” I say, still not quite sure what all a BBL entails. “To operate a dump truck like mine, you have to be properly licensed.”
We all start laughing when Ronnie returns. She’s carrying one of those large fishbowl things filled with neon blue alcohol and four straws. And she’s not alone. A guy is following behind her, carrying a tray with a ton of plastic cups.
After setting down the fishbowl, Ronnie turns to grab the tray. “Ladies, I’d like you to meet James. James, this is Michelle.”
It’s becoming more clear why she had James tag along.
The guy who barely looks old enough to drink gives me a crooked smile as his eyes fall on my low-cut top.
“Nice to meet you,” he says.
“Uh, you too,” I reply, having no idea what to say.
Thankfully, the bartender yells at him to get back to the bar.
“See you later,” he says with another smile.
When he’s gone, I turn my attention to Ronnie. “Care to explain? He was a little young, don’t you think?”
“Number one, young guys have excellent stamina. And number two, I didn’t actually expect you to hook up with him. I was proving a point.”
“What point is that?” I ask.
“Did you see the way he looked at you? You’re hot as hell.”
I can’t help but smile. Ronnie is our constant hype woman.
“What’s on the tray?” I ask.
“Jello shots!” She announces proudly while handing one to each of us.
Liz looks into the small plastic cup. “Good lord, I haven’t had one of these since college.”
“I’m not sure that I’ve ever had one,” I say.
They all look back at me, and Ronnie asks, “How is that even possible?”
“Well, I got pregnant at seventeen and gave birth at eighteen. I was changing diapers while everyone else was partying and doing Jello shots.”
Ronnie nods. “Fair enough. But tonight is the night!”
She holds up the cup and motions for us to follow suit.
I suck the jelly-like food out and let it slide down my throat.
“Doesn’t even taste like alcohol,” I say.
“That’s what gets you into trouble,” Leah says.
After a couple more shots, we move onto the giant fishbowl. Once again, it tastes like nothing more than juice. They must not make the drinks very strong at Giddy Ups.
Leah goes on to say, “So, Michelle, what prompted your sudden need for a girls’ night?”
“The universe…and my daughter…implying that I’m old and will probably die alone.”
Ronnie scoffs. “Oh, come on. You’re not exactly getting senior citizen discounts and early bird specials.”
“That’s what I said!” I exclaim. “I just needed to get out of the house and have some fun.”
When my last words trail off, Liz sets her hand on top of mine. “What else is going on?”
“Nothing.”
Ronnie says, “Look, we are going to keep asking, so you may as well just tell us so that we can skip all the back and forth.”
I take another long swig out of the giant fishbowl before answering. “Eve and I have always had a decent relationship. Sure, we go at it. She is a teenage girl. But I guess I always assumed that she thought I was just single by choice. I never thought that she considered me sad and pathetic.”
Liz jumps in, “I don’t think that’s at all what she was trying to say.”
“Well, that’s how it came out. I’m single by choice. I just don’t have the time or energy for all of that.”
Ronnie says, “What if…and I’m just spit balling here…you dated without making it so fucking serious? You could just go out and keep things casual.”
“But what if Eve sees a constant string of guys hanging around?”
She rolls her eyes. “Why would they even have to meet Eve? You could just date when Eve is gone with her friends or over at Danny’s or whatever.”
“I just–”
She cuts me off. “Before you get into all the excuses that you’re about to give, just hear me out.
You give all your energy to Eve, and you’re a great mom to her.
But it’s okay to go do stuff for yourself too.
What’s the worst that could happen? You have a bad date?
Guess what? If you’re not expecting it to turn into something serious, it doesn’t matter.
No big deal. But if you do meet someone cool, then, you have a good time and maybe you’ll get laid. ”
Liz asks, “How long has it been since you had sex?”
I think for a moment, honestly trying to remember.
When I’m quiet for a while, Leah says, “That long, huh?”
I reply with, “The last guy I was with was Mike. He and I were together when Eve was in kindergarten.”
Ronnie chokes on her drink. “Michelle, Eve is fifteen! You haven’t had sex in ten years?”
“Why don’t you scream it a little louder? I’m not sure that everyone heard you,” I snap.
“Sorry. It’s just a little shocking. No wonder you’re wound so fucking tight.”
“I am not wound–”
She doesn’t let me finish. “Please tell me you’re at least getting some satisfaction with a vibrator or something.”
“I used to have a tiny little bullet one, but it finally gave out. If I really want to do it, I just do it with my fingers.”
“Oh, good lord.” Ronnie acts completely flummoxed by my words.
I hold up my hand. “Hey, I’m doing just fine. It’s not like I miss sex all that much. It wasn’t all that great when I was doing it.”
Ronnie says, “It sounds like you just haven’t been with anyone who was any good at it.”
Leah jumps in, “Yeah, I’m going to have to agree with Ronnie on this one.
When you find someone who actually cares about making you feel good, it’s a complete game changer.
You need to find someone who cares about how many orgasms you have and makes it his personal mission to keep upping that number. ”
Ronnie stares blankly at her. “I’m going to do my best to ignore the fact that you’re talking about our brother.” She turns her attention back to me. “But Leah is right. With the right guy, sex will be incredible.”
“How many right guys have you met?” I joke.
“Oh, honey, you are so not ready for my level of getting laid.”
Ronnie used to believe in having fun and never being tied down. Her job as a travel photographer took her all over the world, and she had fun with quite a few guys. It wasn’t until recently that she settled down with Drew, a single dad who figured out how to deal with her.
She adds, “You know that Drew must be really good at it to get me to agree to monogamy.”
All of us know that there’s way more to it than that, but we also know that Ronnie isn’t always great with feelings, so none of us say anything.
Liz says, “I’m certainly not on Ronnie’s level either, but I do agree. I think some casual dating would be good for you…and getting laid.”
They continue to discuss my dating and sex lives–or lack thereof–while I continue to suck down the delicious drink in front of me.
The only thing clear to me right now is that if we are going to continue this conversation, I’m going to need another fishbowl.