Full Court Press

by Rose, Ashley

  “I do. We won’t be affecting her schedule. I’d go with you, during the time that you’re supposed to be there anyway. So it won’t alter her schedule, it’ll just be an additional person.”

  “Why would you want to do this?”

  “I think I can help.”

  “She’s had the best doctors that money can buy.”

  “I’m not talking about her medical problems. Beck, listen.” She moved a little closer. “On top of everything else, whatever problems she has, she’s a thirteen-year-old girl.”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “So...thirteen-years-olds are emotional. Does she have any friends?”

  “What do you mean, friends? She can’t even handle being around the nurses.”

  “But that’s what I’m saying. I’m no doctor, but I have been her age, and she needs friends, entertainment, things to do. As far as I can tell, she doesn’t have any of that.”

  “No, she doesn’t. She likes to read but we never know what kind of books will set her off. We’ve tried a few. Some upset her, some don’t. Same with movies and games.”

  “What kind of stuff have you tried?”

  “Everything. We’ve tried children’s books and videos, classics like Charles Dickens, non-fiction, informational, even some poetry and cards and board games. Some of it sets her off, some doesn’t. They haven’t found a pattern so they’ve had to keep it away from her. It’s too risky.”

  “So...what does she do all day?”

  Beck shook his head. “Nothing, really, other than medical stuff here and there.”

  That was so sad. Lily sat alone in her room, all day long. She nodded slowly. “Okay, what do you think her doctor would say about me as a visitor?”

  “He would probably be okay with it,” he admitted. “He asked if she had any other friends or family members who could visit.”

  “Will you ask?”

  Beck looked out the window, into the darkness. “I don’t know.”

  She waited.

  “What if I said no?”

  “I’d still go to the other thing with you. I promise.” She touched his arm. “I’m not trying to blackmail you, Beck, honestly. I’d go to the party with you either way. I just had to try. I would really appreciate it if you could at least ask her doctor. Then we could go from there.”

  Beck assessed her for what seemed like several minutes. “You really just want to help, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  He nodded. “Well, I’ll think about it.”

  Silence stretched out for a while.

  “You’re tired,” Beck stated.

  She shrugged. “Yeah, first game of the season, I’m exhausted.”

  “You should sleep,” he said curtly.

  “Do you mind if I sit here?”

  He shrugged and settled back against the seat, getting comfortable. “Whatever.”

  She smiled and got comfortable too, leaning against his shoulder slowly, giving him a chance to shrug her off.

  But he didn’t, and she didn’t push her luck. Soon she felt her eyes drifting shut and welcomed the sleep.

  Chapter Twelve

  The next day at school seemed a little too calm. There was no drama. Beck had been civil, no snapping at her or anything. Actually, he had stood at her locker with her while they had waited for the bell to ring that morning.

  In the hallway after lunch, Beck managed to get her away from the girls to talk to her.

  “Hey.” She smiled. He had asked to talk to her, instead of dragging her away. “The girls just told me we don’t have practice.”

  Beck shook his head. “Nope, not the day after games. It’s the only break we get.”

  “That’s cool.”

  “Yeah, it’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “Okay?”

  “Did you plan anything for after school, or are you free?”

  She shrugged. “I’m free, just homework and stuff.”

  “Good, I’m taking you to Othello.”

  “And that is...?”

  “A town, about 20 minutes south, not far.”

  “What for?”

  “Dress shopping.”

  She laughed, thinking it was a joke, but then realized he wasn’t kidding. “Uh, what?”

  “You need a dress for the function.”

  “Yeah, I figured as much, but I have a dress I can wear at home, I’m sure.”

  “No, your dress needs to be the newest fashion, hottest style, whatever you call it and expensive, really expensive.”

  “Beck, I don’t—”

  “Don’t worry, I’m buying it.”

  “Okay, but... I mean, do we really have to?”

  “Yes,” he insisted. “I told you, we have to sell it. The expensive dress, snobby attitude, everything.”

  “Right.” She nodded. “Of course, then...dress shopping...fun.”

  Beck leaned forward and tugged on the fabric of her V-neck, looking down her shirt.

  “Hey!” She swatted his hand away and glanced around, but no one seemed to be watching.

  He smirked. “Just makin’ sure you have some sexy lingerie on.”

  She blushed. “Yeah well, ever since...you know, that one day...I’ve actually started wearing stuff like that more often.” She shrugged. “I like it now.”

  “Yeah? Maybe we can do a little extra shopping while we’re there then, hmm?”

  “Oh...no, you don’t have t—”

  “I want to. I can picture it now: lace...the see-through kind, a corset, a little tiny thong. Something really sexy and skimpy, you’ll love it.”

  His tone made her wish that they were alone. “That sounds...okay. I guess.”

  “Good, head to your apartment after school. I’ll pick you up.”

  She nodded and he left for his class, leaving her with an all-too-familiar feeling of wanting more.

  * * *

  The boutique Beck picked out was very high class and very expensive, filled with beautiful dresses. It was silk and lace overload.

  Beck went straight for the desk before the woman could come around and greet them.

  “Hello, sir. Is there something I can do for you?”

  “Yeah.” He turned and motioned for Carmondy. “We need a dress...black, sexy, and expensive.”

  The woman nodded and headed toward a section of the store. “Any preference on the cut? Strapless? Length?”

  “Umm, above the knees but not too short, something tight, to show off her ass.”

  The saleswoman smiled slightly. “Yes.” She surveyed Carmondy. “How do you feel about a backless dress, dear?”

  “Umm, sure?”

  Beck nodded. “Backless is good.”

  “I don’t like strapless dresses though,” Car said.

  “Okay.” The woman picked a couple dresses off the rack. “What kind of neckline do we want?”

  “Nothing too low,” Beck said.

  Carmondy nodded. “Yeah, but still sexy.”

  “All right, why don’t you two lovebirds head back to the fitting room? I’ll bring back some dresses for you to try.”

  Beck nodded and grabbed her hand, leading her to the back.

  The woman appeared and showed them into one of the large dressing rooms in the back, which were more secluded then any dressing room Car had ever seen. The dresses the saleswoman hung up on the rack were all black.

  “Would you like my help trying them on?” she asked Carmondy.

  “Umm, no, thank you though.”

  The woman smiled at her. “I’ll be out on the floor then if you need anything.”

  “Thanks.”

  The woman shut the door behind her, leaving Carmondy and Beck alone together.

  Beck went straight for the dresses. “Get undressed.”

  She smiled. “You mean I have to do all the work myself?”

  Her turned back and must have seen her teasing look right away because he smiled. “All right, if you wanna play it that way.”

&
nbsp; “What way?” she asked innocently.

  He cocked an eyebrow.

  “Come on, you said this was gonna be fun.”

  Beck came at her and she was grateful that the music playing in the fitting rooms was fairly loud, because she wouldn’t want the rest of the customers to hear her squeak of surprise as he snatched her around the waist.

  He set her down once they were in front of the mirrors, the kind that let you see all sides at once.

  She expected him to start pulling her clothes off but he released her instead, standing close enough to look over her shoulder in the mirror and meet her eyes. “Take your shirt off.”

  “Please?”

  “Please.”

  She was satisfied. He wasn’t trying to be dominating. In fact, he was trying hard not to be. She could deal with that.

  The shirt slid over her skin easily and she dropped it on the bench beside the mirrors.

  “Your bruises are almost gone.” He looked at the bite marks that he’d made over the weekend, one on each shoulder.

  She nodded and lifted a hand to touch the bruise.

  “You know I don’t mean to bruise you.”

  She cocked her head.

  “I mean, I knew you were going to bruise when I made these ones, but I don’t do it to bruise you. I do it because you like it. If I could do things that you liked without leaving marks, I would. But some of the stuff...”

  “I know. And I don’t mind.”

  “Pants, please.”

  Her hands went to her jeans. “Why don’t you want to undress me?”

  “Because I don’t want to have sex in this dressing room.”

  She understood. If he undressed her, that’s the only thing that would come from it, so she undressed herself. The denim slid down her legs easily and her ass bumped his legs as she bent over to push the jeans off. She looked up at the mirror. His eyes were on her ass, bent over in front of him, mostly exposed since it was a thong. His hands were safely in his pockets.

  She pushed her shoes and jeans away with her foot and straightened again. His eyes went back to the mirror.

  “Are you going to be wearing a suit?”

  He nodded.

  “And a tie?”

  “Yes.”

  “A bowtie?” she asked hopefully.

  His face contorted into a look of disgust. “No, a regular tie.”

  She smiled. “I guess I can deal with that.”

  “Good.”

  She stood in front of the mirror, black lace covering nothing, really. He looked at her for a moment until she used her backside to nudge him playfully. “Pick me out a dress?”

  He took one last look before heading toward the rack with several dresses on it. After sorting through them quickly, he picked one and held it up for her to see in the mirror. “Too slutty?”

  She shrugged. “Won’t hurt to try it on.”

  He brought the dress to her and helped her slip into it.

  It was a little too provocative for the occasion. Her chest threatened to spill out and the back barely covered her ass cheeks.

  “Well, I can’t say that I don’t like it,” Beck said.

  “But...?”

  “But I can’t bring a tramp to the party.”

  She laughed. “Okay, next.” She began removing the dress as he went and picked the next one.

  He had to help her into the next black monstrosity because it was so damn complicated. When they finally had it on, she frowned at her reflection.

  Beck furrowed his brows. “What. The. Fuck.”

  She tugged at a bow, trying to get it sit right. “Did we put it on backwards?”

  “No, it’s backless, but...” He cocked his head. “You look like you just gained twenty pounds.”

  “I did. Twenty pounds of fabric. Jesus Christ, get this thing off of me.”

  He didn’t hesitate and they had it off in a fraction of the time it took to put it on.

  The next dress was all right, but it was a little shapeless.

  Beck didn’t like it. “It’s not sexy enough.”

  “Should I be wearing ‘sexy’ to this party?”

  “Yes, it’ll be expected. We’re teenagers of legal age to have sex. And these people aren’t idiots, just stuck-up.”

  “And that means I have to wear a sexy dress?”

  “Yes, that way we’ll have a reason to sneak off and take a break from it all. No one will bother us about it.”

  “You mean pretend to have sex?”

  “No, I mean to actually have sex.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I’m just saying I like it. It’s cute.” She swished the fabric around her legs.

  “I’ll buy it for you. You just can’t wear it to this party.”

  “No way, I’m not letting you buy me two dresses. I’m just saying I like it.”

  “I like it too. I’ll get it for you.”

  “No, Beck.”‘

  “Quiet.” He unzipped the back and helped push it off her shoulders.

  She sighed and slipped out of the dress, letting him put it back on the hanger.

  Beck grabbed the last dress off the rack. “I like this one already.”

  She turned and looked at it, straps and black fabric, shapeless without a body in it. “How can you tell?”

  “I just can. Here.” He helped her slip it over her head and situate her arms in the straps. Once he was satisfied that the straps were in the proper places, he tugged it down her hips. It was almost too short for her comfort.

  Beck grinned at her, and she turned around and looked in the mirror.

  “Holy shit.”

  The dress was black and fitted against her body. Straps criss-crossed over the black fabric. They made an X over her belly button and ran just under her breasts. The straps continued over her shoulder and down her back. Six in total crossed over her chest and shoulders, forming another X just above her sternum.

  She turned and saw that the straps continued over her back, making another set of X’s. One crossed her lower back, and the other split her shoulder blades. Most of her back was bare, save for the straps.

  It looked very sexy. It was provocative, but not overly so. Most of all, it looked like it could be found in a bondage magazine. She absolutely loved the thought of wearing it, especially for him, but out in public?

  “Do you like it?”

  She nodded. “Yes, it’s great. But is it too much?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “It looks kinky?”

  “Yeah.”

  Beck shrugged. “Only because we’ve been there. If you didn’t know that we were into that stuff, you would never guess. I mean, it’s here at a high-end boutique.”

  “Yeah, that’s true. But is anyone else at the party going to wearing something like it?”

  “No, but that’s only because they’re all going to be older. I can guarantee you that there will be some cougars there dressed way more like sluts. Don’t be paranoid, okay?”

  She nodded slowly and fingered the straps.

  “It’s not like it’s made out of leather or something. That would be different, but it’s just a normal dress. No one is going to look at it the way you’re thinking, trust me.”

  “I know, but I see it that way.”

  He smiled. “So do I.”

  “Do you like it?” she asked.

  “Very much.” His hands skimmed around her waist, looking over her shoulder into the mirror with her.

  She leaned back against his chest, smiling when his mouth dropped to her ear. His teeth had just started to get a taste when a loud knock sounded on the door.

  “How are you doing in there, dears?”

  Beck smiled and released her to go open the door, putting on his most charming smile. “We’re doing great. Do you think we could get your opinion?”

  The woman stepped in and surveyed Carmondy. “Very nice. I knew you would look good in it. Only someone with a body
like yours can pull that dress off, my dear, trust me. Many-a-lady have tried that style of dress on, only to be disappointed. But it looks fantastic on you.”

  Carmondy smiled. “Thank you.”

  “So, do you think that’s the one?” she asked.

  Car nodded and looked at Beck. “I think so. But it’s his choice.”

  “That’s it,” he said.

  “Great.” The woman clapped her hands together.

  “I’d also like this one.” Beck took the dress that Carmondy liked off the rack.

  “Adorable!” the woman exclaimed, taking the dress from his hand. “I’ll take this one out and get a gown-cover for it. You two can meet me at the counter when you’re ready.”

  Beck nodded. “Thank you.”

  She smiled widely at him and patted his shoulder before leaving the dressing room.

  Beck came back over and helped her with the hidden zipper at her side. Once the dress was safely back on the hanger, Carmondy tugged Beck around to face her.

  She slid her arms around his waist, keeping her back to the mirror so he had a good view. “We got interrupted,” she said in a suggestive voice. Sure, she could have played the pouty, innocent little girl card and gotten the same reaction, but she didn’t like to do that all the time.

  Beck didn’t move to touch her though, just kept his arms at his sides. “Yes, we did.”

  “Aren’t you going to do something about it?”

  “Are you?” he countered.

  She took the challenge. “Well...if I have to do everything myself.” She slid one arm between their bodies. He must have thought she was going for him so when she didn’t touch him, he frowned and looked down. Her hand wasn’t in his jeans. It was inside her lace panties.

  His expression made the switch from confusion to hungry desire.

  “Whatcha’ doin’?” he asked without bringing his eyes up.

  She shrugged. “You said you’d teach me.”

  He smiled. “Is this the best setting for that?”

  “Probably not,” she admitted. “But will you teach me anyway?”

  Beck spun her around so she faced the mirror again, while he looked over her shoulder. His hands gripped her waist and her free hand reached behind her to grab a fistful of his pant leg, needing to hold onto him.

  He used his foot to spread her feet a bit, giving them both better access as he slid his hand over the top of hers, inside the lace.