Fantasy Boyfriend #2 (A Tattooed Bad Boy Romance) by Vanessa Stone Page A

me
out of all the girls that he could've taken out. How foolish could one girl be?
How could I have allowed myself to be so smitten? I knew. It was those damned
tattoos.
    Well, I knew better now, and although my sense of
self-respect and self-esteem had been dented, I hadn't been hurt. Nevertheless,
from now on I would be much more wary, as if I wasn't already cynical enough
about guys at college. Great. This didn't bode well for finding that perfect
guy I was looking for. I thought back to the wish list I had written in my
diary and wondered if there was such a guy. Was I being foolish? Maybe I'd just
be better off sticking to the heroes in my romance novels. I could live
vicariously through my heroines and keep my image of a dream guy intact. No
doubt about it, no breathing, flesh and blood guy in my world could possibly
live up to one of the heroes in my books. Maybe that was just the point.
    "Come on, let's go to the club," Becky
urged.
    I knew what club they were talking about – The
Interim, a popular hangout for the campus crowd. I wasn't really interested or
in the mood. I shook my head. "You guys go on, I'll just stay home
tonight."
    "Come on, Jessica, don't let him get you
down," Desiree implored. "Don't let him have that kind of power over
you. Yes, you feel embarrassed and put upon, not to mention hurt. We all
understand how you feel." She glanced at the others, who nodded in
agreement. "But if there's one thing we've all learned, it is not to let
any guy have that kind of power over us. So come on, let's go grab a bite to
eat and then we can go dancing or just hang out at the club for a while. It'll
help take your mind off Luke."
    "I'm afraid I wouldn't be very good
company," I admitted. "It's not that I'm…yes, it is," I said
abruptly. "I am feeling sorry for myself. I’m wallowing in my own pit of
self-pity. And you know what, I'm getting angrier by the minute. I allowed myself
to be taken advantage of. I let Luke's good looks and charisma sway me and I
feel as stupid as a fly that allowed the spider to entice it into its trap. I
got all caught up in him paying attention to me when there were so many other
girls in the room, including you guys." I shook my head. “I should've
known better." Desiree sat down on the bed next to me, her hand on my arm,
her eyes wide with surprise.
    "Jessica, what are you saying? You’re an
attractive woman and you have a lot to offer any man." She glanced over
her shoulder at the others, who once again nodded in agreement. "You're
just as likely to capture a guy's attention as any other girl. Why do you have
such a low sense of self-esteem?"
    I shook my head, disagreeing. "I don't have a low
sense of self-esteem, Desiree, but what I do have is a sense of reality. Oh, I
know that I can be foolish sometimes, thinking that someday I'll find a guy
that as good as the fictional characters I tend to fall in love with. I know
the difference between fiction and reality, believe me." I thought about
it for a moment, trying to find a way to explain to my girlfriends why I was
thinking the way I did. "Maybe I'm just more cynical than you guys. Maybe
I'm just more suspicious. To me, guys always seem to have an ulterior
motive." I glanced meaningfully at all of them. "And Luke proved me
right, didn't he? Of course, he could've gotten off with a cheaper evening by
forgetting the sushi and opting for a movie."
    "Jessica, it's not about-"
    I interrupted Selena. "In fact, I have to admit
that I probably would've allowed him his liberties even without that ride on
his motorcycle or the sushi restaurant. I was undeniably attracted to Luke, and
I felt thrilled and self-satisfied that he asked me to go out with him." I
shook my head. "But that's exactly what I'm talking about. He wined and
dined me, so to speak. He even seduced me right there in the sushi restaurant.
And you know what? I fell for it – lock, stock, and barrel. I should've known.
I should've listened to my instincts, but instead,