Dare Me

by River Laurent

  I stand. “Yeah. I’ll be right back.”

  She frowns. “Hey, where are you going?”

  “I need to go to the toilet.”

  She gives me the thumbs up signal.

  I smile back.

  My heart is in my throat as I work my way down the row. When I get to the end, a man presses a small velvet box into my hand. “You’ll need this buddy.”

  I take it and step into the aisle. It is empty except for a few stragglers who are making their way to their seats. I pretend I’m one of them, slowly inching my way up to the seats on the right-hand side of the main floor area. There aren’t usually risers there during basketball or hockey games, but the organizers must put them in to add more seats for concerts. I blend in with them until we reach the stairs, then vault over one of the metal partitions separating the fans from the stage and crew.

  Holy shit, I can’t believe I’m doing this.

  Before I can talk myself out of this crazy dare, I make a dash for one of the lighting rigs and start climbing it. One million dollars. One million dollars. My dream. Everything I’ve worked so hard for. It’s all come down to this and I just have to make it happen. I’m hanging thirty feet about the ground. Shit. I shouldn’t have looked down. Cold sweat breaks out on my skin. It’s a long way to the ground.

  Come on. You can do this, Trent.

  All I have to do is keep steadily crawling along. My foot slips, and my whole body jerks and tips dangerously, but I manage to told on tight, straighten myself and keep going. I picture myself receiving the million-dollar check, smiling, happy. Eric clapping me on the back. I picture myself telling Sukie to take her money and stick it where the sun don’t shine. Until my feet touch the flat ground.

  Holy shit, I’m actually onstage, even if nobody can see me.

  Except one of the security guards, who shouts something into his headset as he charges towards me. I can’t wait around to see what he wants, so I run out in full view of the entire audience. It takes seconds for them to understand this isn’t planned. Except for the guy in the cable knit sweater and cords, he isn’t part of Eva’s backup dance squad.

  The entire audience is staring at me. My mind goes blank. What did they want me to sing? Damn, damn, suddenly I can’t remember any of the words. I have to make this happen. The money, Trent. The money. The cheesy words come back to me. Sure, I can do it. I can do anything.

  I point to Dakota.

  Her jaw is hanging open in shock. “Trent!” she shouts, pointing back. Half-laughing, half-horrified for me. She knows exactly what I’m up to.

  I’ve never been much of a singer, but…

  “It’s a beautiful night!” I call out, looking around. Guards are closing in. “We’re looking for something fun to do!”

  “What’s happening?” Eva asks, stopping and staring at me. The music goes quiet. It’s just me now, running from the guards as they approach from all sides while I’m trying to sing.

  “Hey, baby!” I duck when one of them tries to net me and he sprawls to the floor. I scramble away, only to almost back into another. He gives me chase, his face red and threatening, but I dance away, nimble as a cat. He’s a big guy, but he’s all beef and no muscle. “I think I wanna marry you,” I continue singing.

  “Wait a second, guys. Wait, wait.” Eva holds up her hands and shoos the gorillas away. “What are you trying to accomplish here, dude?” Her smile is wide and false.

  I breathe a smile of relief. You can always trust a star who smiles like that. She’s seen a way to make this work for her.

  She turns to the audience. “This guy’s got some serious balls, getting up here like this. I have to hand it to him. What da ya think, people? Shall we let him sing his proposal?”

  The crowd goes wild. She laughs and claps, one hand holding her microphone, as applause rings out through the arena.

  I can’t believe this is happening.

  Dakota laughs until tears roll down her cheeks.

  “So, tell me,” she says, turning back to me, “who are you singing to?”

  “Her.” I point to Dakota, who’s no longer laughing and is now sinking further and further down in her seat. “I was singing to her.”

  Whoops, cheers and whistles fill the space as a spotlight hits Dakota and her face fills the screens throughout the place. She covers it with both hands, which only makes everybody go wilder.

  “Your lady love?” Eva asks with a wink.

  “Yes. She is.”

  More cheering, more whistling.

  “Why don’t you come on up, sweetheart?” Eva motions for the guards to escort Dakota onstage.

  Well, this is a turn I didn’t see coming.

  Chapter 27

  DAKOTA

  No way, no way, no freaking way this is happening.

  I don’t know whether I should scream with excitement that Eva is inviting me onstage, or die of embarrassment that Trent is going to make his fake proposal to me in front of thousands of people, but I don’t have a choice. I need to play along with the stunt. I can’t help but think what a total riot this will be for the game show audience when they see what their idea evolved into.

  The audience at the concert, on the other hand, is eating this up with a spoon. They scream, they cheer, they whistle and shout encouragement as I reach the stage, blushing furiously.

  Eva gins at me.

  A woman in black jeans and a T-shirt comes on stage and fixes a microphone on to Trent’s face.

  “Okay, Cassanova. Now’s your chance to woo your girl.” Eva pats Trent on the back and steps out of the spotlight.

  Trent looks different. There’s a lot of color in his face. He’s smiling as he takes my hands. God, his palms are sweaty. Or maybe it’s mine that are so slick. The band starts playing the intro to the song. “It’s a beautiful night…” he sings. “We’re looking for something fun to do…”

  “Oh, my God,” I murmur, looking up to keep from giggling like a crazed person. I’m supposed to be completely into this moment. Laughing wouldn’t be the right reaction.

  “Oh, baby. I think I wanna marry you.”

  The crowd goes nuts, screaming almost as loud as they did for Eva. It gives him confidence, obviously, because he starts moving back and forth. He’s dancing. Oh, sweet everything, he is dancing. And he’s pulling me along with him, twirling me in circles with our hands locked.

  “Is it that look in your eye?” he sings. “Or…whatever the next line is…hey, baby, I think I wanna marry you.”

  I see Eva clapping for us out of the corner of my eye as he spins me one more time and her fans start chanting Yes! Yes! Yes!

  I squeal when he wraps his arms around my waist, and lifting me high above his head. “Don’t say no, no, no,” he sings, beaming. “Just say yeah, yeah, yeah…”

  He puts me on the ground. My knees are so wobbly, I’m scared I’ll fall. To my surprise, he gets on one knee and pulls a blue velvet box out of his pocket. My eyes widen with shock. He pops the box open. Jesus H. Christ. The sparkle of the stone‒it’s so big it can’t possibly be real‒blinds me. I can’t think. I can’t speak. I can’t…I just stand there frozen.

  “Will you marry me Dakota Manning?”

  This isn’t happening. I know it’s not really happening. The emotions behind it aren’t there. It’s all a show. We’re just onstage making complete fools of ourselves. That’s actually what my life has become since I told Mr. Douglas I’d have to take a two weeks off to get something done.

  But man, do I wish it wasn’t all fake because my heart is swelling up like a balloon about to burst. I can’t take my eyes off him.

  His face is lit up, more gorgeous than ever, then I’m in his arms and this is wild, but it’s also perfect, too. Like the most amazing dream. Suddenly, out of nowhere, while standing in front of that sea of humanity, I wish with all my heart it were real. Because…damn it…I love him. I’m in love with this man, and I’ve never felt so sure of anything in my life.

  I want
more than anything to tell him I’ll marry him. For real. Forever. But all I can do is nod because, hell, we we’re playing a game. This is a Dare Me stunt.

  Trent slips the ring on my finger.

  My phone vibrates in my jeans pocket. Surreptitiously, I slip it out and glance at it. Five words.

  Kiss him like you mean it.

  “What?” Trent mouths, a frown on his face.

  I throw my hands around his neck and lock our lips together. Not for a second, did I think it would become a real kiss. I thought I would just press my lips for enough time to make it convincing, then we’d part and our dare would have been completed successfully, so I’m completely unprepared for what happens.

  The magic of the situation takes over.

  His mouth opens, his tongue sweeps into mine. His hand runs down my spine and wraps around my hips. He pulls my body tightly against his, so close it feels as if we are one being. I can actually feel his heartbeat. Strong and fast. His erection, hot and hard presses into me. My brain feels like it is on fire.

  Then the world stops spinning.

  There is no one else but us.

  Only us.

  Our breaths mingling. My whole body trembles uncontrollably. My heart flutters like the wings of a butterfly. I lose myself in the most beautiful kiss ever. In the history of mankind. Nobody has ever kissed like this. It goes on and on.

  Then Trent raises his head and looks down at me. His eyes are shining.

  I stare into his eyes. One side of his mouth quirks upwards. I take a deep breath.

  The audience thinks I just accepted his proposal and they are cheering, clapping and whistling. Eva comes over to give us both a hug. I want to thank her for being so gracious, but security is already clearing us off the stage. As far as they are concerned, we’ve done more than enough damage tonight. Needless to say, they surround us and lead us out of the hall.

  The big guy that fell on the floor while trying to catch Trent closes the gate with a clang. “You’re more than welcome to listen from the parking lot.”

  Our phones buzz at the same time:

  Congratulations! You just

  completed your dare successfully

  and won $750,000

  “I can’t believe we just did that!” I laugh, breathless, as we walk across the enormous lot to where we parked beside each other. My knees still feel a little weak, and I have to lean on him. He wraps an arm around my waist and that feels good. I close my eyes for a second as my head rests against his chest and God, do I wish it were all real.

  “Let it never be said I’m not willing to go the extra mile.” He chuckles. “Whew. I was sure they’d arrest me for a minute there.”

  “Tell me about it. I thought you must’ve lost your mind, and then I realized what was happening. Boy, they don’t pull any punches, do they?”

  “No, they don’t. I bet none of the others would have the balls to climb up those lighting rigs. I nearly fell a couple of times.”

  “Shit. Imagine if you had fallen?”

  “I would have dragged my broken body to the stage,” he says dryly.

  I laugh. “Now why did I think you didn’t know any pop music?” I tease, moving away from him and leaning against my car. “When you knew ALL the words to that song.”

  He rolls his eyes with a grimace. “Okay, you got me. I had to learn the words when I was best man at my buddy’s wedding.”

  “Right, right. I’ll buy that. So they chose the one thing they knew you could sing.”

  “They trawl thought our Facebook pages and use the information there against us, Dakota.”

  I frown. “True. They used it against you twice now, but not against me.”

  He grins. “Maybe you’re such a sweetheart there’s nothing to use.” He pulls me into a hug, the breath from his laughter warm against the side of my neck. “Can you imagine how many videos are gonna go up online after that?”

  “Oh, you’ll go viral, for sure. That was some stunt you pulled.” I pull back with a smile. “Remember me when you are internet famous, okay?”

  He kisses the tip of my nose, and I close my eyes for that split second as my heart lets out a mournful cry.

  “I’ll be sure to mention you in my acceptance speech.”

  My heart thuds painfully. “What acceptance speech?”

  “You mean they don’t give awards for becoming internet famous?” He grins, touching his forehead to mine.

  Oh God, I thought he meant when he won the million dollars.

  Chapter 28

  TRENT

  We drive to the motel separately. I’m still so hyped up on adrenaline my knees are bouncing restlessly. I know exactly what I am going to do to her. She likes to be tied up. Well, I am exactly in the mood for that. I pick up the key from reception and go to the room first. It’s another bare, anonymous room with drab curtains. Her knock is timid and tentative. I yank the door open and pull her inside.

  My dick is hard and ready to fuck, but one look at her face and I know something is wrong. She is still rosy from all the excitement of the concert, but her eyes, which should have been sparkling, are sad.

  “What’s up?” I ask quietly.

  She shakes her head, her blond hair striking her cheeks. “Nothing.” She looks so sweet and innocent…and lost.

  “Come on, Princess. Out with it.”

  “I...I was just thinking of my mother.”

  She’s one lousy liar. “Yeah, and Sangria is a fruit salad.”

  She cracks a smile. “I only have one hour. My friend is taking care of Mom, but she needs to go to work. Can you make this hour special, Trent?”

  I smile slowly. “Yeah. You can bet your bottom dollar I can do that.”

  I help her undress. When she stands before me buck naked, I stare at her, awed, my cock throbbing. She gazes up at me, her eyes enormous, her mouth parted.

  ‘Go lie on the bed, Princess.”

  I watch her round peachy ass make its way to the bed, before I pull at my shirt and kick off my boots and jeans. I take down my boxers and quickly sheath myself, then I stalk up to the bed and look down at her, spread out for me. To do whatever I want with. Strange, but she’s the only one I’ve ever wanted to own. To call mine. To keep forever.

  “Now hook your elbows behind your knees, open your legs wide, and show me your pretty pussy.”

  She pulls her knees up and exposes all that beauty to me, even her tight little asshole. I stare hungrily at her glistening pink pussy with its triangular thatch of blonde curls above. It’s leaking nectar. My mouth starts watering to taste that warm, ripe, sweet summer peach again.

  “I’m gonna fuck you so hard you’re gonna see stars, but first I’m starving.”

  I dive down between her thighs and stick my tongue as deep as it will go into her delicious depths. She gasps and makes a little sound of surprise. I lick her inner walls until her thighs are trembling uncontrollably and her head is moving from side to side and she is moaning with pleasure.

  I open my mouth wide and suck her whole pussy into it, the swollen fat folds, the throbbing clit. The sensation makes her shout. Her hips buck uncontrollably.

  She wants me in there, and my cock is aching to oblige, but not yet.

  I suck at her inner thighs, leaving marks. Not content with those, I mark her soft, creamy white flesh with my teeth. When she is a writhing almost delirious mess of excitement and anticipation, I lift my head and look at my handiwork.

  I’ve branded her well.

  I go back to her clit and expertly bring her off. She damn near tears my hair out with the strength of the climax that roars through her. While her body is bowed and her pussy is still clenching and pulsing, I plunge my cock into her. She is hot and as tight as a closed fist.

  Her eyes snap open with shock.

  I bend forward and take a nipple in my mouth. Like a warm little animal she pushes her breast deeper into my mouth. I run my hands over her curves and her body jerks against mine. She lets out a strange cry
of frustration. I know what it is. It’s the high from the concert.

  She wants it as rough and wild as I do.

  I know I want to fuck her so hard she’ll be too sore to sit. I thrust so deep into her, her body shoots along the bed. I grab her hands by her wrists and pin them down above her head. I look down at her under me; open wide, impaled on my cock, and completely helpless. And suddenly I’m filled with a primitive need to claim sexual ownership. She is mine. Her body is mine and only mine. No other may even look at her.

  “Who do you belong to?” My voice is a ferocious snarl.

  Her pussy clenches at my words. “You,” she whimpers.

  I thrust again, harder. I want in, deep. I want to be deeper than any other man has been. I glance down to where we are joined, where my cock is slamming again and again into her pussy. Just watching my cock oiled with her cream slide in and out of her takes me to the edge. I know I can’t last much longer. I feel my balls draw up and clench. A crazy thought flashes into my mind. I need to empty my cum into her.

  I climax while thinking of my bare cock filling her little cunt. Keeping my cock deep inside her, I start playing with her clit. Swirling the wet flesh as I watch her face.

  “Are you going to make me climax again?” she whispers.

  “Yeah, baby, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.’

  I take her two more times. While I’ve got her on her knees, her face on the pillow and her ass in the air, I pepper kisses along her spine.

  “I have to go now,” she mumbles reluctantly.

  “Sure, you can’t ask your friend to stay a bit longer?” I lick the sweat on her skin.

  “No. She has to get to work. Are you licking my skin.”

  “Yup.” I slip two fingers into her pussy.

  “Don’t,” she protests, but she’s loving it.

  Lazily, I move my fingers in and out of her.

  “Trent,” she warns, but I notice she doesn’t move away.

  I tip her on her back and swoop down on her. She going home, but not before I’ve had my dinner and dessert.