Remember My Name. Havana Adams

slipped his mind, were travelling after their freshman year at college. After her initial shyness, the words had tripped off Nikki’s tongue. She’d talked non-stop until Alex had shut her up by sticking his tongue practically down her throat. Most of what she’d said had left his mind even as she was still speaking. She was pretty, there was no denying that; almost model pretty. Alex rose silently to his feet and walked towards the shower. He wasn’t one for talking in the morning and he hoped she’d get the message and get the hell out once she was awake.

      Alex stepped into the opulent shower, which Milo had proudly told him could fit an entire basketball team. He allowed the pulsing hot water to beat down on him and then he flicked the dial to cold, to pound away the hangover that threatened. These last ten days, Alex had drunk, smoked and eaten with impunity and he grimaced as he imagined what Seth and Maryanne, his nutritionist and personal trainer, would think when they next clapped eyes on him. The water cascaded down his taut, lean body, which showed little of the week’s excesses but merely OK was not good enough for Alex. For the man who had held the crown of People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive for three of the last six years, his physique had to be god-like. Alex switched the water off. Still naked, he padded towards the living room, drying his hair, when the sound of the television stopped him short. The friend, he remembered. He secured the small towel around his hips and moved forward to see that Nikki’s friend lay on the couch, the remote control in her hand as she zipped through the channels.

      Last night he’d been surprised when she’d turned up after Nikki. Their intended guesthouse had been fully booked apparently, and Nikki had asked him if her friend could stay. Alex had briefly wondered if this was some sort of ploy that would end up in a threesome but the friend had disappeared into the living room and stayed there. Now she turned as she spotted Alex at the end of the sofa. Alex saw her eyes widen as she took in the brief towel around his hips, which left little to the imagination.

      “I’m, I’m…” she stuttered. “I’m sorry if I woke you.” She flicked the TV off, looking anywhere but at him.

      “It’sOK, I was up anyway.” Alex gave her a small smile, watching as she tried to reach for the blanket, which had fallen off the couch. Seeing her now clad only in a bra and a sarong, he realised that he’d misjudged her the night before. By Hollywood standards, she was big, there was no denying that, but rather than fat, her body was full and voluptuous like that of a pin-up from the forties. As though sensing his scrutiny of her body, she sat up abruptly, her breasts threatening to spill out of the plunging balconette bra, which barely concealed the heavy mounds of flesh. “I hope we didn’t keep you up, last night.” The desire to see her blush rose up in Alex and he watched as her cheeks reddened.

      “It’s fine.”

      He noted that she didn’t deny that they’d kept her up. He wondered if that was the deal; that she got off on listening. She rose to her feet and swung the sarong fully about her body, covering up those magnificent breasts much to his irritation.

      “I guess you must get a load of girls throwing themselves at you.”

      Alex shrugged. He moved towards the kitchen, hearing her feet on the stone floor as she slowly followed him. From somewhere in the room he heard the insistent metallic chiming of his phone vibrating. The girl cocked her head as she listened and then she reached up to one of the bookshelves, picking the phone up to hand it to Alex.

      “Do you want this?” Taking the phone from her, Alex glanced at the display and then shook his head, depressing the call reject button.

      “It can wait. Coffee?” he asked. She nodded as she reknotted the sarong around her neck in a style that cupped her breasts, crossing over her chest, leaving the rest of the sarong to fall to just above her knees.

      “When Nikki wakes up, I guess we’ll get out of your hair.” Alex had barely noticed her the night before but now, objectively, he noted that she had a pretty face, prettier than her friend. The softness of her cheeks only served to accentuate the wide generous curve of the self-deprecating smile that she gave now. With some surprise, Alex noted that she wasn’t nervous with him. Cautious yes but she’d met his gaze head on; there was a confidence about her that was so often lacking in the women he met.

      “So what’s a nice girl like you doing backpacking…” He trailed off as the snort of laughter escaped her and she covered her mouth with her hand. He smiled ruefully. “Can’t believe I said that.”

      “A little bit clichéd,” she agreed.

      “Right.” Alex nodded. It was, he realised in a blinding flash of insight, the first time in years that anyone had told him the truth. His usual crowd in LA would laugh at his joke no matter how lame it was. “I’m sorry, what was your…” He trailed off, embarrassed to admit that last night he’d been much more interested in getting into Nikki’s pants than in remembering her friend’s name.

      “Oh right. Deanna.” She nodded, unsurprised.

      “I’m sorry, I’m terrible with names,” Alex felt moved to explain.

      “Don’t worry about it.” Deanna smiled at him without censure. “I’m used to it, people tend to forget everything when Nikki’s around.” She seemed genuine in her words and yet Alex felt like a heel. This girl seemed nice, real, and he wished somehow that he were a different kind of man, that he had seen past her lush, unfashionable curves and seen the prettiness in her face and the easy femininity. He wished he’d not fucked her friend in her earshot.

      “Here.” Alex handed her the mug of coffee and together they moved back to Milo’s oversized white Versace sofa. “You two are at college together?”

      Deanna nodded as she sipped from the mug. “Yep, I’m studying English Literature, with French.”

      “Ah oui?” Alex smiled at her. “Have you been to Paris?” She shook her head.

      “Not yet but that’s the plan, to go to Europe, if I don’t blow all my money here.” She reached for the remote and began to flick through the TV channels again. Alex shifted easily to his feet.

      “I’ll go check on Nikki,” he said still watching her. She nodded as she watched the tickertape of reports that scrolled along the bottom of a news channel.

      Something about her bothered him and for a moment he watched her, the sunlight picking out stray wisps of gold in her curly dark hair. It was a long time since any woman had spoken to him without an agenda, and he wondered how she and Nikki could be best friends. How two such utterly different people had come together. There was a quiet, wholesome caution about Deanna; she was the type of girl, Alex imagined, that one could count on. By contrast Nikki, beautiful as she was, simply wasn’t the real deal. Nikki was like every starlet, every model, every wannabe, every scenester that had ever crossed his path in his years in Hollywood. Nikki was one of those girls who played the game – who danced like everyone was watching, who fucked like there was a camera on them, who lived every moment like it was a money shot.

      “What?” Her question broke into his internal musings and Alex realised that he’d been standing there staring at Deanna. “Is there something on my face?” She looked quizzically at him and he realised that he’d moved to stand almost in front of her, looking down at her. She rose slowly as he spoke.

      “You’re a nice girl,” he said and she looked oddly at him, cautious as she stared up into his eyes.

      “Some people say that nice girls wind up with nothing.” She said the words carefully, watching as he leaned in close and kissed her. She was still for a moment and then she pulled his head down towards her. Her mouth opened beneath his and she pushed her tongue deep into his mouth, even as his hands grabbed at her fleshy hips to pull her tight against him. His hand moved higher to her waist, which was unexpectedly slim, tiny even. He pulled her against him, grinding his erection into the soft curves of her stomach. His hands slid slowly down to grab and knead the lush curves of her bottom and he deepened the kiss. Even as he fell into her, surrounded by her unexpected spell, he felt her pulling away from him. He tightened his grip but she pulled harder and reluctantly he let her go. Now she looked embarrassed,