Wicked Games

by Wood, Vivian

  “No.” Emily fists the front of my tuxedo. “No commitments now, when I’m...like this…”

  “Like what? Fucking hot? Fucking ready for me?” I lean in and nip her earlobe. “Wet for me?”

  The door behind us opens and closes. I ignore it.

  “All of it,” she gasps.

  “Fine.”

  I scoop her up in my arms. She weighs nothing, and I get a rush from carrying her down one narrow hallway and up an equally narrow staircase. There is a section of this mansion that’s kept in good repair. You wouldn’t know it by the murky darkness in the hall.

  At the second door on the right I stop and shoulder my way in. My entire body is nothing but my pulse, beating in time with my heart. I have to have her now. Now, now, now. I don’t bother reaching for a light switch. I take her straight to a desk that’s pressed up against the wall by the window, moonlight streaming in over its surface. Better than a bed.

  I put her ass straight onto the wood and she leans back to brace herself as I shove her dress up to her waist.

  “Wolf—yes—”

  Yes indeed. I was right about the panties. It’s a black lace thong and I pull it out of the way, spread her wide, and kneel on the floor to devour her.

  She’s soaked, her delicate pussy lips puffy and slick, and she bucks her hips up into my mouth. I have to hold her in place to take what I need and for a long time the sweet taste of her is enough.

  Then it’s not. It’s not.

  I crush her mouth in a kiss and pull her down so that her feet are planted on the floor. One last taste of her and I take her by the wrists and turn her, bending her over the desk. She arches her back, bending low, and it’s so real and so much of my fantasy that takes my breath away. Up with her dress, down with the lace thong, and I unzip my pants.

  “Please, please, please,” she begs, each word coming on the heels of the last. Is she even aware she’s saying it? Emily grips the other side of the desk, bracing herself as I knock her legs apart with one of my knees and push inside. She’s so wet that I sink in to the hilt with only the resistance of her tight pussy. She grips me in pulsing waves.

  “Fuck. So tight.” I yank her hips back to get enough space, then wrap one hand around, fingers searching for her clit. I’m rewarded with a gasp and a cry when I make contact. “Come for me. Come for me.”

  She tightens around me and comes with a cry of pure pleasure. I don’t cover her mouth. Let them hear it. Let them all hear me fucking an orgasm out of her, my fingers working her clit. Her muscles work as she pushes back against me, body asking for me.

  I give it to her.

  And I am relentless on her clit, though she’s still trembling from the last orgasm.

  “Oh, I can’t do it again, I can’t do it again,” she cries. “I can’t…”

  “You can, and you will. Do you know why?” I growl, pumping my hips harder, faster. I want every inch of her. I want everything she has to give and then some, and I want to take her back into the party with my heat still between her legs. I let go of her hips and take my fingers away from her clit for long enough to tear her little thong in two. There. There.

  “Why? Oh, my god, why, why, tell me…”

  “Because you’re mine. Because you’re all mine.” I punctuate every word with a hard thrust, her body bouncing underneath mine. “Say it.”

  “I’m...yours…” Short, sharp bursts of words. “I’m yours, Wolf.”

  I wrap my hand back around so I can find her clit and pick up the pace. Words leave her, replaced with the gasps I’m forcing from her lungs as I fuck her, and I feel another wave crest and peak. I pull out and she moans at the cruelty of it, but it’s only so I can dig into my pocket for the condom and roll it on. Then I’m back in, working her, fucking her, and she comes with her legs spread wide, taking me in.

  My release is so powerful that my vision blurs and blackens. Emily’s body is a life raft, and if I let go now I’d fall into oblivion and never climb out.

  Some time later, I straighten up, my breath still coming fast and hard, and offer her a hand.

  “Wow,” she says, a nervous hand rising to smooth down her hair. It’s still perfect. I left it alone. Emily sways on her feet, then looks down at her dress. It’s still bunched in places around her waist. “Wow.” The second word comes out on a whisper. “Look what you did to me.”

  Somehow, she is even more perfect now, her cheeks rosy in the moonlight. “I’ll fix it,” I murmur into her ear, then let my hands wander over her arms, to her wrists, then down to her waist. I tug the dress back into place.

  We both survey the torn scrap of lace on the floor of the room. Emily bends to pick them up, but I stop her. “Leave them.”

  “Someone might find them.”

  I lean in close. “Let them wonder what happened here.”

  She turns her face to mine and kisses me, slow and sweet. It would be nice if there was a bed in here. But if we climbed into bed now, I know I’d never get back out. And, despite everything, there’s a party waiting for us.

  My heart speeds up. Every time I remember, it beats harder. Emily chose me. She came for me. She gave up Max’s envelope to someone else.

  I’m yours, she’d said, when she was stripped down to nothing but her core. How can it be anything other than the truth?

  Emily leans her head down onto my shoulder for another long moment, staying there while I zip my pants and make myself presentable. Then I offer her my arm. “Come, Emily Danes. Let’s go to the party.”

  44

  Emily

  I’ve been shacked up with Wolf all weekend, and it shows. Not only am I running late as I rush across campus to make it to my Native American literature class, I also have a hell of a hickey on my neck.

  Of course when I realized that Wolf had left a mark it was too late to try to put makeup over it. So now I’m wearing a turtleneck in the last days of April and sweating as I cut through a parking lot on my way to campus.

  Weaving in and out between cars, I hear a girlish giggle approximately two seconds before I smack into two people who are obviously making out. I knock them both over with my velocity, sending my books sprawling everywhere too.

  At the same time, my purse spills all over.

  “I’m so sorry,” I say, then stop mid sentence.

  I didn’t knock over a co-ed. No. I plowed into Dr. Napier of all people, who is looking at me rather grimly as she gets to her feet. I slide a glance to her companion, who is very much not her husband. It’s Ellis of all people, looking a little shame-faced.

  “Oh! Dr. Napier. I…”

  I immedately begin to scoop the contents back inside, freezing when I see the skeleton key and the chain necklace there that I stole from Dr. Napier’s trunk. Looking up, I see Dr. Napier’s eyes are glued to the necklace, her face going as white as a sheet.

  She doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t even look at me. Just licks her lips and looks away hastily.

  Ellis clears his throat. “Uhhh, Dr. Napier was just helping me with… uhhh… I had a question about class?”

  My eyebrows go up at how lame his excuse sounds. They were clearly kissing, that much is obvious. But in the next breath, Dr. Napier has the same excuse. She smoothes her hair over and dusts off her dress.

  “So Mr. Archer, I’ll see you in class next week.” She smiles and it feels so saccharine. “Nice to see you, Miss Danes.”

  I frown as she walks away. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe…

  Ellis straight up grabs me and backs me into the nearest car, banging me against the SUV’s door. His fists curl in my sweater. “Yo, you can’t breathe a word of this. Anywhere, to anyone. You got it?”

  I look up at him, a scowl coming to my lips. Apparently I wasn’t wrong after all, then. Not only that, but I’m sick of being pushed around by this guy.

  “Take your hands off me,” I grit out. “And don’t tell me what I can or cannot say. Information is power, and I’m the one with the information here.”

/>   His eyes narrow. For a second, I think I’ve made a mistake. After all, he could do something dangerous, here and now. I wouldn’t have the ability to stop him. His fist tightens its grip on my sweater. All the air exits my lungs.

  But then he gives himself a shake and pushes himself off me, looking disgusted.

  “Whatever,” he mutters, spitting on the ground. “You’d better watch your back, little girl.”

  I get goosebumps all up and down my arms at that. He struts away, shaking his head. I’m left to pick up my books from the ground, trembling with a surge of adrenaline.

  I don’t make it to my class. Instead I absentmindedly wander to campus, sinking down onto a wooden bench facing the quad. Still shaky, I set my books aside and stare blankly onto the wide field of grass stretching before me.

  Ellis with Dr. Napier? Of all people, I would’ve imagined pretty much every combination before them. A fake Eminem wannabe and an uptight professor? What could they possibly have in common that would make Dr. Napier want to cheat on her husband?

  There’s a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, a kind of acid that’s eating me up from the inside out. Everything I thought I knew about Dr. Napier was a lie, I guess.

  How disappointing.

  Looking at the time on my phone, I figure that it’s almost lunchtime now anyway, so I might as well just wait until they open the dining hall at 11 am. I try to open one of my books, pretending to read Leslie Marmon Silko’s Ceremony. The words swim on the page though; I can’t concentrate at all.

  Something is niggling around in the far reaches of my brain. Something about Professor Napier and cheating. What was it that Alice said about her?

  Rumor has it that she sleeps around.

  There is something I should be seeing, something that the detective that lives in my brain should have already grabbed onto. I narrow my gaze, but I can’t get any closer to the truth.

  “You fucking bitch!”

  I’m ripped out of my daydreams by a screaming Lily, headed straight for me. With her head down, she charges me like a bull. I put a hand up, confused, but Lily steamrolls her way right through it, tackling me on the bench.

  Before I know it she’s on top of me and pulling my hair.

  “Lily, what the hell?” I yell at her. I manage to get her hands out of my hair, but she grapples with me and rips my sweater a little bit.

  She snarls in my face. “You’re dating Wolf Astor now? You don’t have a chance in hell at keeping up with him, so you should just let other girls have a chance!”

  “What are you talking about?” I grit out.

  She swipes at my face viciously. “I’m talking about how the Skulls all have their pins up on the wall next to their class photo. Everyone that’s single has their pin up there, everyone who is dating takes theirs down to give to their girlfriend. And I saw you at the Wolf. He was so excited to fuck you that he practically knocked me over.”

  I manage to knock her off my body, lurching forward and backing away. How did she even get invited? “So what?”

  She stands in fighting formation, squaring off. “So? Wolf took his pin down! That means he is going to give it to you, but everyone knows it should be me instead!”

  On the last word Lily launches herself at me again, but this time I am ready for her. Stepping aside, I let her blow past me. She screeches unintelligibly.

  “Hey!” Alice comes running, with Mathilde only a few paces behind her. “Don’t you dare attack one of the Thistles!”

  She and Mathilde get between Lily and me, protecting me. Breathing raggedly, I wipe at my mouth and stare Lily down. Lily’s face contorts with rage, but she knows she’s outnumbered now. She back away, glaring at the three of us.

  “You two are on the wrong side of this,” Lily tells them. “You know that she’s basically nothing but a gold digger. How can she be anything else? She’s poor. I thought that you girls were supposed to protect the Skulls.”

  Alice and Mathilde look pissed, crossing their arms at the same time.

  “Get out of here before we call campus security,” Mathilde spits out.

  “Better yet, we will tell our moms, who will tell your mom about your hissy fit,” Alice adds. “Besides. Just because you couldn’t buy your way in doesn’t mean that Emily doesn’t belong. She’s one of us now. Isn’t that right, Emily?”

  I draw myself up to my full height, feeling unbelievably grateful to my rescuers. “That’s right.”

  “And any one of the Skulls will be lucky to have her,” Mathilde says, coming over to me and slinging an arm around my waist. “Emily is a fucking catch, if you hadn’t noticed. Not to mention that she didn’t have to have her admission to Campbell bought and paid for, unlike you. ”

  Lily bursts into tears, turning and running toward Rebekah dorm. I sag a little in Mathilde’s grip, but she just holds me up. I look at Alice and Mathilde for a second before I also burst into tears, hugging Mathilde hard. She makes a small sound of surprise but lets it happen.

  “It’s okay!” Alice coos, coming over to give me a little hug. “She’s just majorly jelly. Everybody has been whispering since they noticed that Wolf took his pin down off the wall.”

  “I don't even know what wall you’re talking about,” I say, shaking my head and trying to hold back my tears.

  Mathilde hugs me back. “Shh, it’s okay. Come on, I heard that they are serving cotton candy and funnel cakes in the dining room. You look like you could use the biggest funnel cake ever.”

  “And then we can tell you about the pins,” Alice says.

  Gathering my stuff, I head to the dining hall, grateful for my friends.

  45

  Wolf

  The pinning tradition is bullshit.

  At least, that’s what I always thought, until I met Emily. My dad pinned my mom when they were in college and it didn’t seem to make a damn bit of difference in their relationship. The whole thing is based on money, more money, and the lies it takes to maintain that money. But this afternoon, when I took my pin off the wall for the first time in four years, it felt different.

  I took it up to my room and left it on the desk while I showered and changed. The air felt charged with deliberation, with intention, and that’s not something I’ve been used to in my life. A path has been set for me, and I’ve always followed it. When I get out of the shower I send a text to Cassandra.

  Is Em around?

  Em? Oooh. Pet names.

  Is she there or not?

  A pause.

  Yeah. We’re both here at Thistle.

  Have her put on something nice.

  A longer pause.

  Is a surprise coming to the house? Something that would be...dangerous to a balloon?

  Just tell her.

  Pinning comes as a surprise. That’s the first rule. The second rule is that it happens on the front porch of Thistle house, or wherever the girl is living. For the Skulls, it’s usually Thistle.

  My stomach turns over as I make my way across the yard and hour later. Is this what they mean when they talk about butterflies? I’m still a bit skeptical, but...I feel it.

  There’s a hum of activity behind the door of Thistle House, and it comes to an abrupt and excited stop when I ring the bell.

  The door opens.

  Emily stands in the foyer, wearing a long-sleeved dress in pink. It’s not a color I’d normally associate with winter but I’ve never seen anything more perfect. The rest of the Thistles stand on the main staircase and at the edges of the lobby, all of them grinning. Someone whistles.

  Cassandra steps forward, eyes dancing. “Announce your intentions as a member of the Skulls and Thorns,” she says, beginning the ceremony. The tittering around the room falls silent.

  “As a member of the Skulls and Thorns…” God, I never thought I’d say these words and mean them. “...my intentions are to pin Emily Danes as as symbol of our feelings for each other.”

  “All those in favor, please welcome Wolf,” says Cas
sandra.

  “Welcome, Wolf.” The chorus of voices rises and falls in unison.

  “All those opposed, bid him farewell.”

  Silence.

  Cassandra ushers Emily a step forward.

  “Emily Danes.” She struggles to keep a cheesy grin off her face. “I offer you this symbol of our feelings for each other with the intention of announcing our bond to our mutual societies. Do you accept?”

  She glances at Cassandra, who nods. “I do.”

  I balance the pin in the palm of my hand. It’s heavy, featuring the insignia of the skulls and thorns. On the back, my initials are engraved into the silver. My heart swells. It was all so fucking meaningless, before this. I’m not sure exactly when the meaning arrived but I know it was after I looked into Emily’s eyes for the first time.

  I take a step closer. “Are you ready?”

  “Um, yes,” Emily says, a tremble in her voice. “As long as this doesn’t involve actually sticking me with that thing.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  Cassandra must have helped her, because there’s enough give in the dress to pull it far away from her skin and attach the pin. Once the clasp is shut I take her hand in mine. “I pin you as a member of the Skulls and Thorns.”

  “I accept as a member of the Thistles,” Emily answers, and then, in an echo of every wedding ceremony on the planet, I pull her in for a kiss.

  The foyer of Thistle House erupts in cheers. I hold her for as long as they’ll let me, but then the girls take Emily into the center of the crowd. One of the oldest Thistle celebrations is post-pinning ceremony, when the women gather together and wish their sister good luck in her new relationship. No men are allowed, but Emily looks back over her shoulder as she goes, wordless and happy.