Sinful Purity (Sinful Series) (15 page)

“That’s why I shouldn’t go,” I stated resolutely.

“Honey, ya gotta live a li’l,” Lucy said.

“Look, the pub’s called the Tripping Donkey,” Caleb said. “It’s not far from campus. A lot of people go there. We’ll go and get a bite to eat. If you don’t like it, we’ll leave, okay?” Apparently he had planned everything.

“That sounds perfect,” Lucy said. “What do you think, Liz? I’ll even drive ya.” I could hear the pleading in her voice.

I caved. “Okay.”

“Great,” Caleb said. “I’ll meet you two lovely ladies there around eight. Sound good?”

“Perfect, Caleb.” Lucy beamed and I could see the infatuation firmly take hold.

When we got to the pub that night, it wasn’t at all what I expected. I’d imagined it dirty and sleazy, like something out of one of those TV crime dramas. I pictured beer bottles and trash littering the floor, the air thick with smoke, and half-naked girls making out with random strangers in the corner. It wasn’t anything like that. The walls of the long, narrow room
were lined with rows of wooden booths with green vinyl seats. In the center of the room there were a few small, round bar tables with high stools. A massive wood bar ran along the length of the left side of the room. Behind the bar was a wall of mirrors and glass shelves holding a variety of liquors. The bartender, a short, thin, middle-aged man, stood there drying glasses with a rag. When someone placed an order, he flung the dishtowel up over his shoulder, leaving it there to rest while he served the drinks. There were miscellaneous sports memorabilia and some old black-and-white photos hanging from the walls. Music played over the speakers on the ceiling. It was loud but fun, not the kind of screaming that I’d heard emanating from Caleb’s dorm room. I was pleasantly surprised. I liked the place. It was comfortable, lively, and a whole new experience for me. If Kelly could see me now, I thought, she’d be so proud.

Lucy and I grabbed a seat at one of the booths by the wall while Caleb went to get a couple of sodas from the bar. Caleb quickly made his way back to us. In his hands were three glasses and a large pitcher, full to the brim and sloshing over as he walked. He set the pitcher down on the table and dispersed the glasses among us.

“For the ladies,” Caleb announced, filling our glasses.

“Thank you,” I replied.

“What a gentleman,” Lucy said, smiling.

Caleb took a seat next to Lucy, across from where I sat. “So whatcha think of the place, Liz?” he inquired, as if my opinion made all the difference.

I leaned closer to talk over the music. “It’s great. I really like it,” I admitted, excited by my new adventure.

Even if I hadn’t liked the place, I probably wouldn’t have told them anyway. They were both thrilled by the idea of getting me out on the town. I thought it was sweet. And Lucy and Caleb always had a way of making me feel at ease in new situations. I liked and appreciated that greatly.

“Yeah, I think it’s awesome,” Caleb agreed. “I come here a lot on the weekends to get away from the dorm.”

“I’m sure you must need to get away from your roommate a lot,” I said with an edge to my voice.

“Believe it or not, Liz, Zack Bartlett is a pretty good guy.”

“I don’t believe it,” I said firmly. “If he’s so great, then why do you need to get away so often?” I was sure I was going to trap him into a confession.

“He has a lot of company, that’s all. Sometimes I need my space.”

“A lot of company? Who would want to spend time with him?” I asked snidely.

“Girls!” answered Lucy, laughing. “Lots and lots of girls.”

Caleb smirked, trying to contain his laughter. “She’s got a point. Girls do love that boy.”

“Well, I can’t imagine why,” I said with a huff.

The three of us sat quietly for a second, taking a sip of our sodas and looking around the pub. I was just about to start people-watching when something occurred to me. “Why do they call it the Tripping Donkey?”

“Well, Liz, there’s a story—more a legend, really—about the how the pub got its name,” Caleb said.

“Will ya tell it to us, darlin’?” begged Lucy, batting her long, dark eyelashes flirtatiously while she twirled her light blonde hair around her finger. She was really turning on all the charm tonight.

“Okay. If I remember correctly, there was this penniless drunk. He spent all day at the bar drinking. When it came time for the bar to close, the barkeep asked to be paid. But being penniless, the guy had no money. So the barkeep picked him up from his bar stool by the back of his shirt and threw him out into the cold. This was way before they had cars. So the drunk got up and stumbled around the corner of the bar to the alley where he had left his donkey. The donkey was all he had, his one and only possession. The drunk tried to climb onto the donkey’s back so it could take him home. But as he threw his leg up to jump on, the drunk fell back and passed out. When he awoke hours later, he could feel sobriety starting to take hold. He decided to break into the back storage room of the bar and take some booze to go. He broke in easily enough, but instead of taking the liquor and leaving, he sat down to have a drink. He drank so much that he passed out again. While he was out, the donkey got into a barrel of whiskey. By the time the penniless drunk woke up, it was morning and the sun was coming up. Afraid he would be caught, the drunk quickly tried to get his donkey and go. But this time it was the donkey that was too drunk to walk. The drunk had to parade his drunken, stumbling donkey through town as all the townspeople watched, the donkey tripping the whole way. When the barkeep found that the bar had been broken into, it wasn’t too hard to find the culprit. The drunk got locked up and the donkey was sold to pay for damages. But legend has it that the donkey would break free almost every night come back to the bar and break into the whiskey barrels,
tripping the whole way home in the morning. So the bar became known as the Tripping Donkey.”

“So you’re trying to tell me that this pub is named after a drunk ass?” I commented sarcastically.

“Yep, and the place has been full of them ever since,” Caleb laughed.

“Speak for yourself, Caleb” came a voice from behind me.

I turned around to see who it was. Before I had a chance to focus, Bartlett was standing in front of our table.

“Hey, Zack,” Caleb acknowledged with a quick nod.

“I don’t think we’ve met properly. I’m Zack Bartlett, Caleb’s roommate.” He put his hand out as if he wanted me to shake it.

“I doubt there is anything proper about you,” I snapped.

“Wow, Caleb. She’s feisty.” Zack chuckled. “I like it.”

“I’m not feisty. I’m furious. I think you’re the biggest jerk ever.” Anger welled up inside me as I stormed off to the restroom.

I waited inside the restroom for a while, hoping that when I exited Zack Bartlett would be gone. But every time I peeked out the restroom door, I could see him still standing there, leaning on the table all casual-like. He irritated me so much. But I couldn’t stop watching him. He really was good-looking. He was extremely tall, at least six-foot-four. He was very muscular but not in a bulky way. His muscles appeared long and lean. He had very dark brown hair and eyes. His body movements exuded confidence. I hated that he was still having a good time while I was stuck here hiding out in the girls’ bathroom, but I couldn’t stop watching him. He did have a very nice smile and glistening, perfectly white teeth. I supposed I could see some girls being attracted to him. Very stupid girls.

I mustered the courage to leave the restroom. I wasn’t going to spend all night in there. Otherwise I might become known as the “toilet girl,” and “Queen Elizabeth” was bad enough. I didn’t want to give a jerk like Zack Bartlett any new material. I began walking back to my table, and to my pleasant surprise it looked as though Zack Bartlett was walking away.

“Yes!” I muttered to myself. Feeling largely relieved I took a deep breath, straightened my shirt, gathered my confidence and strode back to the booth where Caleb and Lucy were waiting. As I neared the table, I realized that Zack Bartlett wasn’t walking away. He was walking toward me. My heart sank. I had no place to run.

“Liz, is it? I think we got off on the wrong foot. Let me apologize,” Zack began. He’d almost have sounded sincere, if it hadn’t been for the smug look on his face.

Before I had a chance to say anything, a group of scantily clad, busty co-eds walked up behind Zack.

“Oh, Zack,” they called, trying to be seductive and alluring while appearing altogether slutty. “Are you ready for us?”

Ugh, I could puke. “It looks like your fans are waiting,” I announced crossly. I pushed past him and walked back to my table. I didn’t look back, but from the look on Caleb and Lucy’s faces I wished I had. They looked shocked.

“Liz, Liz, Liz. What are we ever going to do with you? We just can’t have the two of you in the same room together, can we?” Caleb laughed, shaking his head.

“I’m sorry but you just don’t understand. I hate him.”

“I think I am beginning to understand,” Caleb remarked, still laughing.

“Look, honey, Zack explained everythin’ while you were gone. He didn’t mean to knock ya down. As for the whole Queen Elizabeth thing, he’s sorry. He was just trying to be funny.”

“I don’t care. He’s still a gigantic jerk.”

“He feels really bad. Maybe you should give him a chance,” Lucy urged.

“A chance with what?” I asked rhetorically.

“I’m glad you asked that, Liz,” Caleb interjected, not missing his cue. “Zack and I are going to play paintball tomorrow morning. We thought you two might like to join us.”

“Oh! That sounds like fun. We’ll be there,” Lucy confirmed, full of enthusiasm.

“I have something to do tomorrow,” I said politely, desperate to get out of spending the day with that degenerate and morally questionable Bartlett.

“Liz, we all know that’s not true. You don’t have to volunteer until Sunday.” Caleb shot me a look as if to say, “If you don’t go, I’ll tell everyone your secret.”

“Volunteer?” Lucy inquired.

“It’s just something I do.” I tried to act like it was no big deal. “All right. I’ll clear my schedule.” I gave Caleb a begrudging look, hating that he’d used my secret against me.

“Perfect! Lucy’ll pick you up in the morning. She knows where the field is,” Caleb said happily, having gotten his way.

It was seven thirty the next morning when Lucy knocked on my door. I hadn’t set my alarm. I’d been very tired when I got home last night. I must have forgotten. In my sleepy daze, I wondered what she wanted so early in the morning. Then I gasped as the evening before rushed back to me.
Oh, no!
I remembered my agreement to go watch Caleb and Zack play paint-ball. I did not even want to get out of bed, let alone spend the better part of the morning with Zack Bartlett.

“Come on, Liz,” Lucy called. “We’re going to be late. I know you’re in there.”

“All right, give me a sec. I overslept.” I stumbled to the door in my drowsy state.

I hurriedly pulled on a pair of jeans and a fitted t-shirt and ran a comb through my hair. Then I ran down the hall to the shared restroom to brush my teeth and throw some water on my face.

“Okay, I’m ready.”

The paintball field was no more than thirty minutes from St. Paul’s College. However, it was still an area I had never seen nor been to before. Every day was new and exciting being free from the iron gates of MIQ. Only the weather had any familiarity to link my old life to my new one. It was a typically overcast day in Chicago. You could just start to feel the chill sting of fall in the air. The leaves were just starting turn colors, hinting that the unbearable cold of winter was only a few months away.

When Lucy and I arrived at the paintball field, I was taken with the variety of vibrant colors. The bright green grass of the field was decorated with large red and blue inflatable barriers of all different shapes and sizes. There were ten to fifteen players on the field. All of them were wearing brightly colored, long-sleeved jerseys. Some were yellow and black, others were red and white. The players all wore facemasks, most of them black with clear lenses. Across the field were two players crouched and partially obscured by the oversized inflatable barriers. They were wearing a rich shade of blue that reminded me of Caleb’s hair. As I pictured Caleb’s bright blue hair in my mind, one of the blue players turned around so his back was to me. There it was, beneath the back strap of his protective mask—a hint of blue hair.

“Lucy, I think that’s them over there,” I announced, trying to gain her attention as I waved to Caleb from across the field.

“Oh, I think you’re right, honey.” Lucy waved her arm high in the air, a huge smile on her face. Lucy was too exuberant to ever do anything halfway.

When their game ended Caleb and Zack, the other blue player, made their way across the field to greet us. They slipped through the opening of the tall black safety net that ran the perimeter of the field.

“Hey, Lucy, do you know anything about this sport?” I asked, trying to get any information before the guys got over to us.

“Nope, not a thing. But the boys sure look cute, don’t they?” Lucy remarked as she turned on her girlish charm.

Lucy was right, they did look cute. Caleb walked up, taking off his mask. His blue-and-blonde hair was sweaty and disheveled. Like his jersey, his pants were blue and black, with padding to protect the knees and shins. Zack was much taller than Caleb. He walked little behind, his mask tucked under his arm. I had seen him take off his mask just a second before Caleb, and although it was hard to believe, Zack’s hair was perfect, just like always. His dark brown hair still had its spikes in front, like it had just been styled. Zack’s and Caleb’s jerseys matched exactly, blue and black with padded shoulders and elbows. Unlike Caleb’s fully matching outfit, Zack wore a pair of regular blue jeans, which, I hated to admit, looked really good on him.

“Good morning, ladies,” Caleb said gleefully.

“We’ve packed a picnic for you.” There was a hint of nervousness in Zack’s voice as he looked straight at me.

“Oh, yeah, we did,” Caleb said. “Let me run to the car and get it. Then we can go sit on the grass and enjoy the day.” He was always the planner of the group.