Lust and Lies 04 - Pretty Maids in a Row

smiled at her mirrored image. Yes, she definitely liked the sound of that. And after tonight, she could shout it to the world if she wanted to. She would have preferred to have seen a reflection weighing thirty pounds less and wearing contact lenses instead of thick-lensed glasses, but Jerry had told her she was beautiful so often, she was beginning to believe it.
    Holly's mother had convinced her long ago that God gave her a special gift that could only be given away one time and that she should be absolutely certain the recipient was deserving of the honor. She had also told her daughter that gift should only be given in exchange for a wedding ring. Because of her determination to choose well, Holly was probably one of the few virgins on Dominion's sprawling campus.
    Tonight that was going to change.
    A month ago, when Dominion's star quarterback had approached her about tutoring him, she had turned him down flat. He had heard how she had helped one of the basketball players pass math, but she had heard about his reputation as a walking sex organ.
    A lot of girls might have jumped at the opportunity to spend time with such a popular guy. He was tall, well-built and handsome as a movie star with his sun-bleached hair and sparkling smile, but Holly had no intention of letting him try to add her to his list of conquests.
    But then the football coach had practically begged her for the sake of the school. If Frampton didn't pass the course, he would soon be on the bench during the game instead of on the field. The coach swore he would warn the young man to behave himself if she would take the job.
    She wasn't sure whether the coach had actually spoken to Jerry or if all the terrible things she had heard about him were only malicious gossip spread by a brokenhearted ex-girlfriend—as Jerry kept insisting. Whichever it was, he behaved like a perfect gentleman during their tutoring sessions and really worked very hard. By their third lesson together, Holly knew all her worries about protecting her virtue from Jerry were groundless.
    As she changed her earrings for the third time, she mentally replayed the moment their relationship had changed. During their fifth session, Jerry had finally grasped the concept of an algebra equation they had been working on for some time. She recalled how his hazel eyes lit up with delight as he pulled her face toward his and kissed her mouth with a loud smack.
    She had tried to hide her surprise, tried to pretend it meant nothing to have his lips come in contact with hers, tried to ignore her heart crashing against her rib cage. She quit trying to do any of those things when his hands slid from her cheeks to her shoulders, and he kissed her again... for real.
    Her entire previous experience consisted of parental pecks or shy kisses from suitors in her own social and intellectual class. During the weeks that followed her first passionate kiss with Jerry, Holly spent as much time learning the nuances of necking as she did teaching him math. But she always stopped him before he got too carried away.
    She was now glad the girl who had planned to share her small apartment this semester had changed her mind. At first it had made her quite nervous to be there alone with Jerry but he repeatedly proved that she could trust him.
    Because of Jerry's curfew and the fact that he spent every hour outside of the classroom with her, she knew he was telling the truth when he said he wasn't seeing any other girls. She noticed the way other students looked at them when they passed and she guessed what they were saying, but Jerry always told her his opinion was the only one that counted.
    She finally believed him when they were in the library one day. While their heads were bent together over a problem, some of his fraternity brothers stopped to say hi, just as he rubbed his nose against hers. Jerry didn't pull away from her or act ashamed to be caught nuzzling a nerd, as she had thought he might. He introduced her to them respectfully, adding a compliment about her intelligence and helpfulness. By the end of that day, everyone knew she was "Jerry's girl" and started treating her like she was one of the in-crowd instead of just a freshman with a high IQ.
    Holly picked up the cute little stuffed dog he had given her a week ago and kissed its nose. He was always bringing her something—a flower, a chocolate kiss, a poem that had made him think of her. The puppy was her favorite, though, because of what it