Dedicated to glitter_xox because I feel like this chapter suits her perfectly.
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Chapter 15: Condoms Are the New Fifty Shades
"So remember that promise you made me?" Ian said, slinking his arm around my shoulders and oh-so smoothly sitting next to the empty chair next to me.
I grinned and shook my head. "No. Care to refresh my memory?"
"October 31st-Hallows' Eve."
I tapped my finger on my chin, pretending to think about what he was talking about. I knew, of course. "I'm going trick or treating that night. Did you want to come with me?"
"Don't be silly, Charlotte. That's for little children. We, the mature adults we are, must go to a costume party."
"Too bad I'm not eighteen yet, but I'm sure if you ask another girl they'd be willing to escort you."
He pursed his lips. I expected him to make some sort of witty reply that'll convince me to go with him, but he didn't. One simple word that made me give in, something that I never thought I'd hear Ian say. "Please?"
"Fine, I'll go."
He threw his fist in the air. "She said yes!"
I laughed. "It's not like you were proposing or anything."
"I might as well have been. Who knew saying 'please' could get you somewhere?"
I rolled my eyes and turned back to the worksheet we were supposed to be working on while Mr. Smith was making copies or something. He was probably in the teacher's lounge ranting to whoever's in there about how bad our class was over a cup of coffee. "Go back to your seat, Ian."
"Okay...but only if you come with me."
"Needy."
"Gorgeous."
"Suck up."
"Beautiful."
"Jerk."
"Delightful."
"Egotistical butt face."
"Incredible butt and face."
"Ian!"
"Kitten," he smirked, enjoying our little banter.
"Go away," I whined. I seriously needed to get my work done in classes. My grades were slipping, not to the point where Dad was concerned, but it was getting there.
"I want a kiss first."
"We're in class."
"Baldy isn't here."
"But everyone else is!"
He looked around. "They don't care."
"But I do!"
"One quick kiss and I'll leave you to your nerd work."
I sighed, thinking this was blackmail, and quickly pressed my lips to his. I went to pull away, but his hand was on the back of my head, holding it in place. He tricked me! I really only had two options: kiss back or let him kiss me. It was awkward just sitting there, so naturally, I chose the first option.
I heard a throat being cleared and slammed my head back to make Ian loosen his grip. Apparently he had already removed his hand, so I went flying into the aisle. I tumbled onto the floor, pulling my skirt down so I wasn't too indecent for too long. My butt was sore and my face was red. Ian was still sitting in his seat, trying his hardest not to laugh.
Mr. Smith was standing by the door, not looking in my eyes. I just flashed everyone. Oh God. What have I done? I slid back into my seat, my face lowered and staring at my hands fumbling nervously. "Miss Summers, Mr. Jameson, please go to the principal's office."
I heard the snickers and whispers from my other classmates, but the sound of humiliation was loud and ringing in my ears. If I were going to the principal's office, the chances of them calling my dad were high. I slung my bag over my shoulder, grabbed my books, and took the walk of shame out.
I kept my head low the entire walk. "So you'll flash them and not me?" Ian bellowed amusedly, keeping up with my fast pace.
I glared at him. "I hate you."
He rolled his eyes. "Sure you do."
"Okay, maybe I don't, but still. I don't like you very much right now."
"Does this mean that you like me all the other times?"
"Shut up, Ian."
"Yes, ma'am."
The secretary seemed to know Ian pretty well. "Do you come here a lot?" I whispered as we were waiting for Mr. Ritz to finish his meeting with someone else.
"Enough," he grinned.
My heart was thumping, my palms were sweaty, and I was nervous. I was never a troublemaker, so this was my first time coming down here. He would give me mercy since this was a first-time thing, right? How was Ian so calm? Ugh, this is ridiculous.
The forbidden door opened and we were called inside. His office was kind of dark, except for the lamp that somewhat lit up the room. It was filled with filing cabinets, book shelves, and tons of paper.
"Ah, Ian, you're back."
"That I am, sir."
"I thought we were clear on the fact that I never wanted to see you in this office again?" He was so scary and intimidating, but Ian still managed to keep his cool. It's like this was just a normal conversation for him. I couldn't just sit around and let Ian get yelled at when it was partially my fault; it was mostly him, but I guess I initiated it. "It's my fault too, sir," I spoke up.
"It usually takes two for public displays of affection."
"It won't happen again!"
He shook his head and chuckled quietly to himself. "How dense do you think I am, Miss Summers? I wasn't born yesterday."
"Obviously," Ian coughed.
He ignored Ian's snide comment. "It probably will happen again, you'll just be more careful about it. But since this is your first transgression, I'll let you off with a week of detention."
I guess this was better than having him call Dad. "Thank you, sir."
"I don't want to see you in here again, okay?" I nodded. He turned to face Ian. "You just seem to love trouble, don't you?"
Ian grinned and sent me a small wink that Mr. Ritz missed. "Or trouble loves me."
"Either way, you need to start being a good citizen. Daddy's money can't buy you out of trouble for the rest of your life, Mr. Jameson. If you make another mistake, I'm afraid I can't let you graduate."
"You're kidding me."
"I never kid, Mr. Jameson. Keep your hands to yourselves. I don't want my school's reputation tarnished because you can't keep it in your pants. Now you two are dismissed."
I felt a large weight being lifted off my shoulders as I booked it out of there. The secretary smiled sympathetically at me. Ian strolled casually behind, like he just got out of a spa. That boy's cool was starting to make me mad.
"I can't believe I have detention," I moaned, flopping through the halls.
"At least we have detention together," Ian chirped.
"It's not like we can talk to each other."
"You'd be surprised what we can get away with."
"Isn't Mr. Smith the one doing detention?"
"Yes, but he has a small bladder and an addiction to coffee."
"That's weird that you know that."
He shrugged. "What can I say? I'm sort of a bad boy."
I laughed. He was nothing like Tyler. He was so...comical. "Yup, because Ian Jameson is a total rebel."
"You better believe it, kitten. So how about you come meet the 'rents?"
"The 'rents?" I laughed. "Nice grammar. You don't sound like a redneck at all."
"You didn't answer me."
My mouth parted a bit. "You're joking, right?"
He shook his head. "My parents want to meet you."
"How do they even know about me?"
"I guess they monitor who I hang out with. Apparently doing marijuana once is a big no-no to Dad's company name."
"And they want to make sure I'm not a hooker or something?"
"Glad you understand. So what do you say? Yes?"
"Do I really have a choice?"
"Pretty, smart, and a virgin? You're like the total package, kitty."
I sighed. "Just tell me when and I'll be there."
***
I realized that I could've just said that and ditch him, but I'm pretty sure his parents wouldn't allow me to hang out with him if I did that. I couldn't do that; I would miss his presence. I already got used to him being around. It would just be weird if he wasn't anymore.
I was pacing on my front porch, palms sweating, waiting for Ian to come collect me. I didn't know how to act when it came to meeting parents-I've never really had to deal with that before. All I knew was that I had to make a good impression. Wait, they were rich, which meant that I had to bring some sort of gift, right? Or was that only the guy who did that? We weren't dating, so that didn't matter...ugh. This was all so confusing! Even if I did bring a gift, I couldn't afford something lavish, something that they'd be accustomed to getting.
His sleek, black car raced into my driveway. He got out, looking like a model, of course. What else would you expect from him? "Are you ready for this?"
I half-smiled. "As ready as I'll ever be."
"Don't worry, kitten. They'll love you."
He shuffled me into the car and off we went. Here goes nothing.
I like having approval, which is probably why my heart was beating thirty billion times a second and I felt slightly nauseous. Ian gave my hand a comforting squeeze as we entered his house. The last time I was here, besides the swimming incident, the house was in full party mode. But now, it looked like a normal, rich aristocrat home.
Everything was so beautifully decorated. I never really paid attention to the details before, but rich oil paintings adorned the soft golden wallpaper. The furniture looked expensive-classic, yet contemporary.
I heard gentle footsteps, getting progressively louder as they neared. His dad had his arm around his mom's waist. His mom gave me a slight smile, as if welcoming me to her home. Judging by her appearance, and her home, she was a sophisticated woman. She wore her dark hair in a loose bun, her skin was fair, and her makeup looked professional. Unlike Ian and his father, she had light blue eyes.
Ian was the spitting image of his father; the same facial structure, dark hair and grey eyes. It was scary how alike they looked. He stood there with a stoic poker face, extremely serious. I guess you needed that attitude if you wanted to be a successful businessman.
"Mother, Father, this is Charlotte. Charlotte, this is my mom and dad."
I grinned and offered my hand. "Hi."
Mr. Jameson shook my hand firmly. "Nice to meet you," he said gruffly.
Mrs. Jameson was the next to shake my hand, but it was very dainty. "Pleasure."
We all stood there facing each other for a minute until Mr. Jameson suggested that we should move to somewhere more comfy-the family room. A glass coffee table separated Ian and I from his parents. "You seem like a nice girl," Mr. Jameson spoke.
My eyes grew wide, waiting for the 'but' that was going to soon follow. When he didn't say it, I did. "But...?"
Mrs. Jameson shook her head. "There's not 'but'. You seem like a decent young woman for our Ian to fraternize with."
If anyone else had called me 'decent', I would've been offended. But coming from Mrs. Jameson, it was a compliment that I happily took. "Thank you."
"I'll go make sure dinner is ready," Mrs. Jameson said, standing up and smoothing her dress out. She left the room, her husband following her.
Ian grabbed my hand again (we let go when we sat down) and pulled me up the staircase. "Where are we going?" I asked.
"My bedroom."
I froze. "Um...Ian. Your parents are home..."
He threw his head back, laughing. "I would never do that kind of thing when my parents are home, Charlotte." Then he looked at me with a serious expression on his face. "Wait, so you're saying if my parents weren't home that you would want to..."
"No!"
"Way to get my hopes up," he mumbled.
I smiled and patted his back. "It's what I'm here for."
We walked the journey to his room, which was a lot more modern than the rest of his house. Smack in the middle of everything was a giant king sized bed. Surrounding it were a bunch of video game consoles and stacks of games. Ian was a closet gamer, who knew?
"Wow, Ian..."
"I know it's fabulous, but try not to get too jealous, kitten."
"I'll do my best, 'cause you know, I wish I had this many video games."
"Doesn't everyone?"
"So this is what you do when you're not taking the innocence of girls?"
"Less lately than usual." I gave him a questioning look. "You're a lot of work, kitty," he explained. "Wooing you is a job in its own."
"So don't."
"That's against my religion! Giving up is not how the Jameson family runs things."
"Your family is your own religion?"
"Precisely!
There was a knock on the door, and then Mr. Jameson's head popped through the crack. "Excuse me for the interruption, but I'd like to speak to my son."
Ian sent me an apologetic look. "Make yourself at home, Charlotte."
He left the room and I sat quietly on his bed, fumbling with my fingers. It was awkward and uncomfortable to be in a strange place alone. I wasn't sure what to do, only hoping that Ian's conversation would be quick.
I could hear the hushed whispers out in the hallway; they sounded accusing. I know it's wrong to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help myself. I lost my self control and I let curiosity get the best of me. I lightly padded over to the door and pressed my ear against it.
"I know, I'm sorry," Ian apologized, sounding low.
"You know I can't have you doing this, right?"
"But Dad-"
"This company means everything to me and it better mean everything to you. When I'm ready to retire, you better have a good education and a steady life, Ian. I'm not letting you wreck it because you can't control your urges. Business is all about-"
"Strategy, I know."
"You need to stop ruining your life, Ian. I don't want you to get a girl pregnant or some nasty STD."
"I'm not going to," he sighed.
"I mean it, Ian. I didn't provide you with a lap of luxury for you to just take advantage of it."
"Yes, Sir."
"I like this Charlotte girl, although I'd prefer-"
"Enough, Dad! I get it. Stop sleeping with girls and get a future."
No, Ian! Let him continue! "Alright, dinner should be ready in ten minutes. Don't be late."
I ran back to the bed, picking up the nearest thing and studying it so Ian didn't suspect that I was listening to his conversation. He sounded so serious and stressed when he was talking to his dad, so un-Ian.
The door opened and Ian ambled in. "Sorry about that."
I smiled. "It's okay."
"So how much did you hear?"
I froze, blood pounding in my ears, palms sweating. I had just been caught. Should I play innocent or just give in? "I-I don't know what you're talking about."
He smirked. "So you're just reading a condom box for fun?"
I glanced down at my hands. I should start paying attention to objects that I grab. "Yes?"
"You're not a quiet eavesdropper, kitten. Don't become a spy."
I smiled sheepishly. "You caught me."
He rolled his eyes. "Way to state the obvious. So, ready for dinner?"