Senior Year Box Set

Upon our arrival, we found Harrison Street to be lined with older buildings. Several had ground-floor businesses in them with lofts/condos on the upper floors. The building housing my condo had once been used for something manufacturing-related, so it had an old freight elevator in the back. We decided to use the stairs since none of us wanted to find out the hard way whether or not the elevator worked. My unit was on the third floor of a four-story building.

I sent Scarlet a text that I had guests with me. Who knew what I might walk into? Better safe than sorry.

Scarlet greeted us at the front door. I was a little surprised when she recognized Jill, but then remembered they’d probably met at Brook’s New Year’s Eve party.

We made introductions, and Cindy gave everyone the grand tour.

“It’s bigger than I originally thought, a little over twenty-two hundred square feet, with twenty-foot ceilings. I’ve drawn up several ideas as to how to configure the space,” she said, getting out her sketch pad.

“I’m looking for a place to house my photography business,” Jackie shared.

“And we’re looking for another place to house models. We’ve been talking about setting something up for younger models with a house mom,” Tyler said to make her interest known.

“It would take less work to make this into a photography studio,” I said to open negotiations.

“All Tyler has to do is get Adrienne to bat her eyes at you, and you’ll just give it to them,” Jackie complained.

“It would work on me,” Kevin offered.

“Bat your eyes at him,” Tyler said.

“Do you really want this?” Adrienne asked.

“Yeah. Jill’s a perfect example. If we bring in models who are under eighteen, I want them to have a safe place to stay with some good supervision,” Tyler reasoned.

“I want to live here,” Jill chimed in.

“We haven’t decided anything,” Mrs. Lacier tried.

I chuckled when Jill batted her eyes at her mom. That might work on her dad; her mom, not at all. Jill gave her a little pout but gave up trying to manipulate her mother.

“Are we going dancing?” Jill asked.

“Yeah, David. Are we going dancing?” Adrienne asked me.

I turned to Mrs. Lacier.

“Do you trust me to take your daughter to a place where they serve alcohol?” I asked.

“I let you take her sister to the Thunderbird,” she reminded me.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on both her and David,” Paul offered.

“Good luck with that,” Kevin mumbled and then realized Jill’s mom heard him. “Not that David would … uh …”

“I can’t think of anything David wouldn’t do, either,” Mrs. Lacier said, shocking everyone.

“Well, then. I guess I’ll corrupt your daughter tonight,” I said.

“That’s what my dad said about you,” Jill explained. “Then he went and let you date my sister.”

“Most likely because you two had your dad outnumbered,” I suggested.

“Do I at least get to go to dinner?” Mrs. Lacier asked.

“If I have anything to say about it, you will. I think you would enjoy a night on the town,” Tyler said.

Kevin suddenly materialized at my side. I leaned over, and he whispered in my ear.

“Invite some models to join us.”

He forgot he was in a room full of women. They didn’t have to be moms to have bat-like hearing.

“Don’t worry, the word is out that young David’s in town. There will be plenty of models out tonight,” Adrienne predicted.

“Guys, too?” Megan asked and then blushed.

“Guys, too,” Adrienne promised.

I rolled my eyes because when a bunch of female models show up at a club, it was bound to attract guys.

“Let’s quit talking about it and go out,” I suggested.

◊◊◊

Kevin, Paul, Jackie, and I got into one of the cabs taking us to dinner. As soon as we pulled away from the curb, Kevin became … well … Kevin.

“So, what’s the trick to picking up women in New York?”

I was considering my answer when Jackie surprised us with hers.

“There are three rules you should follow. The first is logistics. Getting laid here is like getting takeout—it’s all about quickness and opportunity. New York girls are basically lazy. To use the takeout analogy, they would pass up a slice from Lucali five blocks away to grab a street dog at the corner.”

Lucali was my favorite New York pizza place so far. I would walk five blocks for a slice any day.

“Sure, some girls are super desperate and might invite you home, but don’t count on it. Just know that if it’s a cab ride away, you’re more likely to see David marry Hannah Minacci than you are to get lucky,” Jackie explained.

“Hey,” I complained, only to become the recipient of a Jackie smirk.

“The second is to never ask for their number. New York girls are all about anonymous hookups because there are so many guys here you don’t need a steady boyfriend to get laid,” Jackie added.

“Perfect,” Kevin said.

“Finally, know when to go in for the kill and do it quickly. From what I’ve seen, the most successful men don’t mount a full-court press right away.

“As a side thought, don’t be the dork who thinks buying them drinks will work. They’ll just bleed you for free drinks and then go home with someone else.