The Accidental Virgin by Valerie Frankel Read Free Book Online Page B

Jeter?”
    Stacy had no passion for the Yankee shortstop. She was sure he was a nice kid, and he was very young, rich and talented. But he did nothing for her. “I could never ask Derek Jeter for sex.”
    “That’s the whole point. You can’t be intimidated. He’d say yes. Any guy would take one look at you and say yes to anything. He’d say yes to signing over his life savings. He’d say yes to murder. And all you’d be asking him for is a bit of nookie.”
    She was quite certain that she’d never ask for
that
. “Last night, a man said no to me.”
    Tom reeled back, nearly fell off his stool, in shock. “He’s gay.”
    “It had crossed my mind.”
    “So he’s a fag,” he said. “But at least you tried. That’s a step in the right direction for all women. If I may be so bold as to take a woman’s sexual empowerment to a higher, political level —”
    “You may.”
    “Women would rule the world if they had more casual sex.”
    “Sounds like an excellent dissertation topic,” said Stacy.
    “If women were willing to sleep with men just because they wanted to — not worrying about whether the guy would respect her, or if he’s up to her standards or had enough money — they’d be in complete control of men, and would therefore rule the Earth.
    “Plus,” added Tom, “they’d be happier. My mom sleeps with a different guy every month. She gets more action than half of my friends at college. I hope I have as much fun when I’m forty-nine.”
    Stacy didn’t believe Janice was having fun. In fact, she was quite positive her boss was lonely and depressed. But Tom’s poor insight about his mom wasn’t Stacy’s business. For all she knew, Janice shielded her children from her pain. Maybe that was the right and proper thing to do. In any case, Stacy wouldn’t correct Tom on his misunderstanding of Janice. Her only aim, on that Tuesday in July, was to take full advantage of the situation, and of this boy. His theories about women asking for sex sounded swell in thin air. She wondered how deeply she’d embarrass him if she thickened it.
    “Are all college men as concerned with a woman’s rightful place in the universe?” she asked.
    “Gender equality is pretty high on my fix-it list,” he said.
    As he plucked another white plate (octopus and scallion hand roll) from the conveyor belt, Stacy said, “I don’t meet too many men who love sushi.”
    “I love it. I could eat fish every day,” he said and winked at her.
    “Casual sex and raw fish for everyone,” said Stacy, interpreting the gospel of Tom.
    “Amen to that,” he said, holding aloft a neat package of rice, tentacle and seaweed before shoveling it into his mouth. Stacy watched him chew, his lips slightly parted. Sex for sex’s sake. That’s what she was thinking herself into. God knows, she’d done it plenty of times before without qualms. It was a worthy task, a mundane yet noble act. She would have no guilt or hesitation. Stacy still had thirty minutes left on her hour off, and could stretch it by another fifteen if she had to. Best not to think about his dim bulb of a brain, intolerance or piggy table manners, she thought. Focus on his splendid availability.
    “You are cute, Tom,” she announced. “And I couldn’t agree more that women should have as much casual sex as possible. In fact, as far as I’m concerned, women should grab, with both hands, any opportunity presented to her.”
    He paused and then swallowed hard. “You agree with me?”
    She nodded. “Oh, yes. And, dare I repeat myself, I find you very attractive.”
    “The feminists on campus don’t agree,” he said. “They think my theories are offensive. And some women” — he glanced at Stacy — “think my commitment to equality between the sexes is just a rap I use to get laid.”
    Did she need to hit this boy on the head with a maki roll? Stacy put her hand on Tom’s forearm. “I want you, Tom. I want you so badly it hurts. I am in physical pain