chapter 2

Much like a truffle pig, Jamie had a knack for sniffing out money. So it was no surprise that she liked fancy clothes, cars, and dinners. Since the first night in my condo, she was constantly showing up and wanting to spend time with me. She would subtly drop hints that she wanted to try this posh new restaurant or had a friend who was going to be throwing a charity gala, which was all anyone could talk about. I'm not the kind of person who usually flaunted my success-- but there was something about Jamie that made me want to spoil her.

And nothing made me more happy than to watch her eat. Though she was small, she had a huge appetite. And I quickly learned that I could use that to my benefit whenever I wanted to see her. I was happy to oblige when she wanted to try a new expensive tasting menu or surprise her with her favorite cupcakes from the cutesy shops she was always going on about. After about three months of these indulgences, I could tell that they were beginning to work.

It was April in Los Angeles and the start of summer was right around the corner. She still had her sunbathing routine, and I could tell that her suites were straining to conceal her expanding behind. Her once flat toned stomach was definitely starting to soften and I sensed a bit of a jiggle when she sauntered around barefoot. I also started to notice that she was going out and partying less and less. She would often stop by my place on a Friday after I had finished my work, and pout until I ordered her take-out and gave her a back massage in bed.

We had gotten pretty close over the past couple of months, and I was loving having this little pink princess all to myself. However, I knew that wouldn't last forever if she was going to try to land another rich husband. And she was always talking about who would be her next catch. It really made me jealous, but maybe that was her plan all along. It was Sunday, and I had been barbecuing in my backyard with some friends. I knew that Jamie couldn't resist the delicious smell of charbroiled meats. It wasn't long before my friend Andy called out, "Tom, your neighbor Jamie is here!" I invited her to stay for dinner, and she made herself right at home with my friends. Luckily for me, all of them were married, but they none the less enjoyed the spunky 26 year old joining the boys night.

Everyone marveled that a girl her age and her appearance could be divorce. She just giggled and said, "Well, are any of you looking?" They all erupted with laughter at this. "You better hurry, Tom, and lock her down." Chris joked and I blushed. "Oh, Tom is sweet-- but he is too poor for me." She said playfully. This just made everyone laugh. I don't think that she knew how truly successful I was, but I didn't want to embarrass her. "Besides, he's too young... 34?! Thats practically a baby compared to the men that I'm after." My friends were eating up every word she said.
"Don't let his nerdy job fool you, Jamie." Andy said.
"Yeah," Chris continued, "He has a wild-side."
"Watching NatGeo isn't considered being wild." Jamie smirked.
"Hey, I like to have fun!" I protested.
"Oh yeah?" She teased, "Prove it! Do some shots with me!"
This made all of my friends erupt.
"Is this an old fashion drinking contest?" Jeff asked.
"What do I win?" She asked eagerly
"I'll take you on an all expenses paid vacation to anywhere you want!" I said after a moment of thought.
"Really?!" She said with some surprise. "And what if you win?"
I hesitated for a moment and then spoke, "You date me exclusively for one year."
"You've got a deal, big man!" Jamie said removing her jacket.

Jeff lined up two shot glasses and pulled the bottle of patron off the shelf in my bar. Then the madness started. I was confident that I would win, as I out weighted Jamie by at least 100 pounds, but little did I know that she could hold her liquor. We had made it past 5 shots, when I started to sway a bit. Too be fair I had been drinking beer all night-- but Jamie seemed almost unfazed. I was starting to get nervous. After the 8th, I could tell that she was feeling it.
"Hand enough?" She asked with a slight hiccup.
"In your dreams!" I slurred back and threw back my 9th shot.
"I hope you have a passport." She said bringing the glass to her lips. But little did she know that I wasn't going to loose.

As luck would have it, it only took one more shot to get her to call it quits. Unlucky for me, she happened to get up and puke all over my guest bathroom. My friends soon left and I cleaned her up and put her in my bed.

I passed out and in the morning felt her hands wrapped around me. It was about 11:00am, I knew to call ahead and let my team know that I was taking a sick day. She nuzzled her head into my back and I heard her croak out the word, "Burgers". We were having a hang-over day.