Pleasured By You

by Steph Nuss

  “I know I didn’t, but I wanted to.”

  She sat down on the couch and reached for the nearest box. The anticipation was killing me as she slowly unwrapped the paper. She was one of those gift unwrappers: the kind who took her sweet, precious time opening. Clearly, I wasn’t that type. “Just rip it off!”

  Laughing, she finally pulled the paper off more quickly and lifted the lid of the shoebox. “You got me my Chucks!” She lifted them out of the box and brought them to her nose. “Ah, I love the smell of new shoes!”

  “Open the other one!” I said, giddy with excitement.

  “Okay, okay.” She put her shoes back in their box and grabbed the other gift. Instead of taking her time, she ripped the paper off the package, pulled the box out and opened the lid. Sifting through the tissue paper, she lifted up a black halter top bikini. “Whoa, this is hot!”

  “Go put it on!” I encouraged, shooing her toward the bathroom.

  “Okay!” She jumped off the couch and rushed to change.

  It was nice seeing her excited. When she first started hanging out with Rook, she’d been nervous at every turn, worrying about what to wear, how she should do her hair and whatnot. It was exhausting to be on the receiving end of all her anxiety, watching it play out before me when there was nothing I could do to calm her down except reassure her that everything would be fine. In fact, the first time we went to the Hamptons with the boys, I remember her almost breaking down at the thought of Rook seeing her in a bikini. She thought she was too pale, and then five seconds later, she claimed she didn’t have a body for a bikini.

  Rolling my eyes at the memory of it, I laughed. Thank God she didn’t think that way anymore. All it took was one kiss on the cheek from Rook to build up her confidence.

  “Rook is going to die when he sees me in this!” she cheered, stepping out of the bathroom.

  She did look killer in it, and I knew she would. When I saw the suit in the store, I had to get it for her. Vail only had one bikini, and in my world, that was a crime. Every woman should have at least two of everything.

  “Yes, he is!” I said, standing up from the couch. “But do you like it?”

  “Duh, of course I like it,” she laughed.

  “Well, once upon a time, there was this girl who was too scared to put on a bikini . . .” I teased.

  “And then she did and the boy didn’t run away screaming, but instead he kissed her and all her worries drifted away!” she finished dramatically, putting her hand over her heart.

  Laughing, I headed into the kitchen to grab my things.

  “He’ll probably even kiss me again once he sees me in this,” she stated excitedly, combing her hands through her hair. I left her to finish getting ready and fantasize about Rook, and then I heard her shout, “Oh my God, what if he kisses me on the lips this time?!”

  “Then you kiss him right back!” I replied.

  “Easy for you to say! You’ve been kissed there before!”

  Yes, yes, I have, I thought, and those thoughts quickly turned to memories of all the times Fletcher ever kissed me. A chirp from my phone pulled me away from those memories, and I found a text waiting from the devil himself.

  Fletcher: Bring an overnight bag with you.

  Me: Okay.

  Fletcher: I thought that might take more convincing. So just think, we’ll have the whole beach house to ourselves. We can be as loud as we want. Where would you like to be fucked first?

  Me: The kitchen.

  Fletcher: That was a quick response. Seems like you’ve already thought about this.

  Me: I may have had a dream about having sex in that big, beautiful kitchen.

  Fletcher: I’ll make it come true later.

  Me: As long as you make me come.

  Fletcher: And you think I’m the dirtier one?

  Me: You are. Is everything set for the party? We’re just headed that way.

  Fletcher: Yes, everything’s ready to go.

  Me: Awesome. See you in a bit.

  Fletcher: Drive safe.

  ***

  When we finally arrived at the beach house, we both got out of my car with radiant smiles plastered on our faces. I knew Vail didn’t have a clue about the party because during our drive we mostly talked about dance or Rook. She was excited to see him. And I was dying to see her reaction when she realized what he’d done for her.

  “I love this place!” Vail exclaimed as we walked toward the grayish-blue house.

  “Me too.”

  We walked through the white door and into the darkened home. To her, it probably looked like the guys were already outside on the beach waiting for us, but I knew everyone was in the living room waiting for her so I led the way through the foyer.

  “I bet they’re outside,” I said, letting everyone know we were close.

  A few steps later we rounded the corner into the living room.

  The lights flew on and a loud, “SURPRISE!” echoed through the room as everyone jumped out from wherever they’d been hiding to face the guest of honor. Rook was in the center of the living room with the rest of the kids surrounding him, and Fletcher stood off to the side of them.

  Vail’s hand covered her mouth but her smile still peeked around it. Her baby blue eyes danced with amusement as she turned toward me. “You threw me a surprise party?”

  “Nope,” I said, nodding toward Rook. “This was all Rook’s idea. Fletcher and I just helped him out a little bit.”

  Rook walked over to her, smiling boyishly. “Were you surprised?”

  “Yes,” she said, wrapping her arms around him for a hug.

  “Good.”

  “Thank you so much for doing this for me.”

  He pulled back, placing his hands on her hips. “You deserved it.”

  “Vail!” Shae cheered, waving her hand. “You have to come check out your cake!”

  Vail looked over her shoulder at me. “What did you do?”

  “I don’t know,” I said, feigning ignorance.

  I watched as Rook took Vail’s hand and led her over to the food table. Fletcher had done a spectacular job of setting everything up. He had all the snacks on one table and the cake on a table of its own. Music started up through the sound system, which could be heard from inside and outside of the house. There were colorful Christmas lights lining the living room and strung around the railings of the deck and down the steps to the beach. He had set up the badminton court as well as a wooden dance floor surrounded by benches and tiki torches that were already lit.

  “Bayler!” Vail shouted. “This cake is amazing!” she said, wrapping her arms around my waist. “Thank you so much for everything. The gifts, the party and this beautiful cake; I love it all!”

  “You’re very welcome,” I said, squeezing her back. Glancing around at all the kids, I smiled. “Okay guys, get out there and have fun. We’ll cut cake and sing to the birthday girl in a little bit.”

  The kids all ran down to the beach with Rook and Vail bringing up the rear, holding hands and talking close.

  “Thank God you guys finally got here,” Fletcher said, stepping up beside me.

  “Why?” I asked in a humored voice. “Did something happen before we got here?”

  “As a matter of fact, yes, something did happen,” he answered, pushing a hand through his hair.

  “Do tell,” I said, as I followed him out to the deck. From here, we could see all the kids perfectly and stay out of their sights as the chaperones. Vail was in her bikini now, relaxing with the rest of the girls in lounge chairs while the guys were messing around in the water. We watched as one of the boys ran over to Taylor and rung out his wet, shaggy hair over her, drenching her. The girl protested with a smile on her face and the other girls all shooed him away.

  “Do you remember being that age?” Fletcher asked.

  “Kind of,” I replied, leaning against the railing. “Tell me what happened.”

  He took a deep breath and exhaled it, frustration evident in his feat
ures. “I attempted to have the sex talk with Rook.”

  “What?! Why?” I asked, my voice cracking with laughter. “Please tell me his friends weren’t around.”

  “No, of course, they weren’t around,” he said, glaring at me. “I busied them with crap while I pulled him away to talk, but it didn’t go well. When I brought it up, he snapped at me and told me his mom had already talked to him about it.”

  I started laughing harder, unable to control my amusement.

  “It’s not funny!” he seethed.

  “Yes, it is!” I giggled, laying my head on his arm. “Why did you think he needed to have the talk in the first place?”

  “Because girls make boys stupid, and his dad isn’t around anymore to talk to him about that kind of stuff. I didn’t know his mom already gave him the talk. Now, I just feel stupid and weird for bringing it up.”

  I ceased my laughter and sighed. “Well, you’re right, girls do have the ability to render a smart boy dumb, but I think it’s sweet that you’re looking out for him.”

  “I’m pretty sure he doesn’t see it that way.”

  “Of course, he doesn’t. Do you remember what it was like to be a teenager? They’re moody and they think they know it all. Plus, that talk was probably even more awkward with his mom and he didn’t want to go through it again with you. You’re his bro; the guy he looks up to. He doesn’t want you to see him as a teenager who doesn’t know what he’s doing.”

  “But you’ve seen the way he is with Vail. She’s more than a crush now.”

  “I know,” I agreed. “They’ve definitely gotten closer this summer, and they’re probably going to have sex eventually. I mean, we were their age once, and we didn’t stay virgins throughout high school. At least, I know I didn’t.”

  “Neither did I,” he mumbled.

  “So, we can’t expect them to either. All we can hope for is that if they have questions, they ask us instead of their friends, who are just as clueless as they are. I know it was awkward, but at least he knows he can come to you if he ever has questions about sex.”

  “God, I hope he doesn’t,” he muttered, wiping his face again. He looked over at me with a scared look on his face and all I could do was start laughing again. “You weren’t there. It was miserable.”

  “And you still lived,” I said, patting his back. “What are you going to do someday when you have kids?”

  “I’ll make their mom give them the talk.”

  “Even if you have a son?”

  “Yes, even if I have a son.”

  I shrugged my shoulders and gazed out at the kids. “I didn’t even have the talk, and I turned out just fine.”

  A huff of laughter sounded from him. “Says the woman who has a bunch of sex rules.”

  “Hey!” I said defensively, slapping his arm. “You have rules, too.”

  “Had,” he emphasized, smiling mischievously at me. “As in, I don’t have them anymore thanks to you.”

  “You don’t sound too heartbroken about that.”

  “Because I made you break all of yours,” he said, in a heady voice. “And that’s enough to keep me satisfied.”

  ***

  The mothers arrived back at the beach house later that night, just as we’d finished eating cake. I made sure to get a picture of Vail with her cake before we cut into it, per Felicia’s orders. The kids had a blast on the beach this afternoon, and an even better time on the dance floor this evening. Vail and Rook danced to almost every song on the teenager-appropriate playlist Fletcher made for the party, and I even got Vail and her two dance class friends to show everyone the killer moves I’d witnessed just hours ago. The look on Rook’s face was priceless as he watched the girl he admired breaking it down to “23” which was the same number he wore for football.

  Now it was time for everyone to head back to the city in the gender-designated limos. The boys and girls had already made their way out of the house, thanking Fletcher and me as they went. Felicia and Tanya hugged their children and went back to the limos, looking well-rested and relaxed from the spa day Fletcher had booked for them.

  “Can we get a little privacy, guys?” Rook asked, smiling back at Fletcher and me.

  “Sure,” I said, grabbing Fletcher’s hand. “We’ll just be down the hall.”

  I led us toward the door, but stopped in the hallway, turning back to peek into the living room.

  “Now we’re spying on them?” Fletcher teased quietly.

  “We’ve been spying on them all night,” I whispered. “That’s what chaperones do.”

  He laughed softly, gazing over my head. “This better be good.”

  We watched as Rook took Vail’s hand and placed a wrapped box, topped with a red bow, in it. “Happy birthday, Vail.”

  “Rook, you already threw me this awesome party,” she said, smiling back at him. “You didn’t have to get me a gift, too.”

  “Open it.”

  She started to unwrap the bow . . .

  I sighed, rolling my eyes, and then whispered, “This is going to take a day and a year.”

  “Shh,” Fletcher said, placing his hand on my hip.

  Finally, when the box was completely unwrapped, she pulled the top off and the smile on her face widened. Rook took out a silver charm bangle and slipped it on her wrist.

  “It’s beautiful,” she said, eying the charm.

  “Just like you,” he replied.

  “Thank you.”

  He tossed the box and tissue paper on a nearby table and then took her hands in his. “There’s something else I got for you, but I wasn’t really sure how to wrap it.”

  “What’s that?” she asked, giggling lightly.

  “Me.” He dropped her hands, cupped her cheeks and pulled her in for a slow, easy kiss on the lips.

  I grabbed Fletcher’s hand, and he squeezed mine back, totally enamored by the young love playing out before us. When Rook pulled away, Vail looked utterly speechless but excited at the same time. The smile on her face was brighter than ever. Smiling, he leaned his forehead against hers. “This summer has been the best summer of my life, and it’s all because of you. Ever since you were assigned the seat in front of mine during English last year, I’ve had a thing for you. Nothing, not football or my family and friends, compares to the way I feel about you. I want to be yours. I want to be your boyfriend.”

  “I want that, too.” She pressed her lips to his again chastely and then wrapped her arms around his neck. He tightened his arms around her waist and spun her around, causing her to break into a fit of giggles, and I felt Fletcher’s hold on me tighten.

  Once her feet were back on the ground, he took her hand and laced their fingers together. “I hate that we have to leave now.”

  “Me too,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder. “But my boyfriend just threw me the best party ever and gave me the greatest gift. I have to go home so he can text me goodnight.”

  “That’s right,” he said, laughing. “Then you can dream about how amazingly awesome he is.”

  “That too.”

  “Let’s go.”

  They started walking our way. I quickly turned and pushed Fletcher down the hall to the door so they wouldn’t know we were eavesdropping. By the time they entered the hall, we were standing nonchalantly by the door, pretending that we didn’t just witness the sweetest thing ever.

  Vail and Rook were both smiling as they got to the door, but his smile dropped when his eyes narrowed in on Fletcher, who was doing a shit job at hiding his amusement. “Dude, you totally spied on us!”

  “It was her idea,” Fletcher accused, pointing to me.

  All eyes swung to me, and I stood there quietly, unable to come up with a good excuse. “I couldn’t help it.”

  “Really?” Vail asked, rolling her eyes.

  “Yes, really!” I exclaimed, throwing my arms around her and Rook for a hug. “You two are just too cute for me not to spy on you.”

  “So, you’re saying we need to be
more boring?” Vail asked quizzically.

  “Not cool, man,” Rook grumbled, still glaring at Fletcher.

  I broke away from them and patted their cheeks with my hands. They looked annoyed with us, but I knew it was just their teenager-ness rearing its ugly, moody attitude. “I know we acted like shitty Bigs just now, but we helped throw this awesome party and you two are dating now! So, wipe those glares off your faces and thank us!”

  Their glares faded instantly as they broke into laughter.

  Rook said thanks to Fletcher as Vail smiled up at me. “Tonight was awesome. Thank you so much for everything.”

  “You’re welcome,” I said happily, grabbing her wrist. “Now, let me see this bracelet.”

  “It’s beautiful,” she repeated, admiring it all over again.

  The circular charm had the word love written in capital letters inside with the letter V in the shape of a heart. “He did really well.”

  “I think so,” she laughed.

  “Okay, we have to go,” Rook said, reaching for her hand again.

  “See you later!” Vail exclaimed.

  “Text us when you get home so we know you made it,” Fletcher said.

  “Bye!”

  They exited the house hand-in-hand but eventually separated to get into their limos. The cars pulled away from the house and traveled down the rocky driveway. Fletcher and I turned around to go back inside the house. We didn’t have much to clean, just the matter of taking down the decorations and picking up trash. The food was mostly all gone thanks to five growing boys devouring everything. All I’d gotten was a piece of cake, and my stomach rumbled at the memory.

  Meandering into the living room, I plopped down on the couch, starving and uninterested in cleaning. “I don’t want to clean. I’m hungry.”

  “Me too,” Fletcher said, falling into the cushion next to me. “Those little assholes ate everything. All I got was cake, which was really good by the way.”

  “I know!” I exclaimed. “I thought I’d bought enough food. Clearly, I didn’t take into account that fourteen-year-old boys eat more than the average human.”

  He laughed. “Next time, we’ll know.”

  “Ugh, please tell me Rook’s birthday is far, far away.”