“I didn’t start it.”
“No, but you’re not helping. You’re throwing gas on it!” Taneesha was yelling now.
Christina wondered if she was still at work—absently wondered what time it was. No, Taneesha should be home.
“Listen,” Taneesha said reasonably, “you’re pissed, and you’re probably all fucked up right now. Do me a favor, okay? Take a day. Get clear. Sober up a little. And then ask yourself if you still think that revenge doxing isn’t fucked up.”
“Sure, blame the drugs,” Christina snapped.
“You’ve been hitting it kind of heavy since you started seeing that girl,” Taneesha pointed out. “You’re a little more… extreme than usual.”
“Don’t,” Christina warned, her tone frosty. “Don’t even start on Vivi, I swear to God. Don’t say a word.”
There was a pause.
“You really like this girl, huh?”
Christina felt a weird twist in her chest.
“Yeah. Maybe.” She paused. “Yeah.”
Taneesha sighed. “I’m asking you, telling you, begging you—just take the shit down. I’m not judging your life, and I’m glad you found someone who makes you happy. But seriously—take the shit down. Or I’m going to have to… I don’t know.”
“What? You’re going to have to what? Publicly disavow me or something? Get off Rebel Scum? Stop talking to me altogether?”
“I don’t know.” Taneesha sounded exhausted.
“Fine. You do what you have to, Taneesha. Talk to you later.” Christina hung up, pissed.
“What the hell was all that?” Vivi strode in, naked, still damp from the shower, her brown hair in crazed tumbled ringlets that dripped onto her shoulders, her breasts, the carpet.
“Fight with a friend.” Christina rubbed at her palm, which was still red from where she’d smacked the desk, and got up to start pacing. “Try to fucking help someone… no good deed, huh?”
Vivi’s catlike smile was sharp. “That’s why I don’t have friends. Tell him to go fuck himself. You don’t need him.”
“It was a her, actually.”
“Oh, really?” Vivi rubbed herself against Christina’s front, turning and leaning against the desk. “Then definitely tell her to fuck herself. Some people don’t deserve what they get. You don’t need her.”
Christina hurt at the thought. She loved Taneesha. She might not say it all that much, but her friends were family. Still, she was already hurting.
Vivi propped her ass up a little on the desk top and spread her legs, showing her glistening pussy, her eyes alight.
“Soooo…?”
Christina sighed. Then she reached for Vivi’s sex, plunging a finger inside as she grabbed her hip with the other hand and kissed her, hard.
Vivi gasped against her mouth, grinding her hips against Christina’s hand. “Yesss,” she sighed, biting at Christina’s lower lip.
At least here was one person who appreciated her, and what she could do, Christina thought as she peeled off her shirt one handed and pressed her chest to Vivi’s. One person who thought she was worth it.
“That’s my girl,” Vivi purred.
Christina closed her eyes, letting herself get lost in Vivi.
Geek, Actually
Season 1, Episode 9
Aces Wild
Cathy Yardley
#REBELSCUM
Elli: Where is everybody? I have pics-in-progress for my Princess Vivian costume!
Elli:
Elli: Seriously… I haven’t heard from you guys in FOREVER. Where are you?
Elli: Helloooo…
Taneesha: I’m here. I was up late trying out Elder Scrolls Online. It’s not bad. I’m not quitting WoW—yet. But I like the gameplay.
Elli: I’ve looked at it, but hadn’t committed yet. I like that it doesn’t have a monthly fee, tho. Once you buy the game, you’re done.
Michelle: Little early for slaying orcs, isn’t it, T? I haven’t had time to game in forever.
Elli: Michelle! How are you? I’ve been worried. Are you okay?
Michelle: I’m fine, mostly. How’s it going? Still working with the comic lady?
Elli: Ruby. Yup. She’s the best.
Taneesha: Hey, Miche. How’s it going?
Michelle: It’s… going.
Taneesha: Don’t suppose you’ve talked to Christina?
Michelle: Not lately. And not if I can avoid it. ;P Why? What’s she done now?
Taneesha: Trust me. You don’t want to know.
Michelle: Shit. I just popped on to see if Aditi was around.
Taneesha: Thanks! Way to make us feel special!
Michelle: You know I didn’t mean it like that! I just want to talk to her, and she’s hard to pin down. Stressful stuff going on. Anyway, I have to go into a meeting (ugh), but I wanted to check in. Text me later?
Elli: Okay. Don’t work too hard, Michelle!
Taneesha: I’ve got nothing but time, Miche. Besides, I get the feeling you’ve got some stories to tell me, too. Huh?
Michelle: Maybe. ;) Text you tonight.
Taneesha: Hey, if you’re going to reveal dirty deets, maybe you should loop in Elli, here!
Elli: Nope. I’m good, thanks. No offense, though, Miche! Whatever makes you happy.
Michelle: No offense taken. I’ll talk to you guys soon.
Taneesha: Elli, if you want to play ESO, I’ll transfer the $$ to your PayPal. Grab a copy, and tell me when you’ll be online. I’ll help you level up.
Elli: Really? That’d be awesome! Thanks!
Taneesha: What time do you get off work?
Elli: OH CRAP I am late I gotta go! Talk to you later!
TANEESHA
Taneesha wandered around her house aimlessly on Monday morning. She was suspended from work. At least she was getting paid, although she had a sneaking suspicion it was only because they had suspended Steven, too—and no way would they try to suspend a white male senior programmer without pay.
Ordinarily, if she had time off, she’d be worried about work that was piling up. But right now she was barely doing any coding for the projects on deck—they’d passed her around like a live grenade, nobody wanting her on their team when the explosion inevitably occurred.
Now she’d detonated, and she felt sure they’d all be building walls and locking doors to make sure she didn’t wreak any more havoc when she returned.
She turned on her TV, trying to decide which game of death and destruction would fit her mood. The post-apocalyptic feel of Fallout was bleak but not quite angry enough. Grand Theft Auto—too old-school, too cartoonishly thuggish, and she didn’t really feel like dealing with the misogyny. Lara Croft—those tits would irritate the fuck out of her. She kicked at a sofa pillow that had fallen on the floor. What she needed was an outlet. Maybe she should take kickboxing or mixed martial arts or something. She felt like going Fight Club on somebody’s ass. She was crawling out of her skin.
What you need is a good, hot, screaming bout of crazy sex.
She headed for the fridge, pulling out the milk and making herself an enormous bowl of cereal. Sex, or lack thereof, was certainly not helping her frustration levels.
Diego had come over for dinner on Friday night, after she’d been suspended by HR. He’d been a total gentleman, cuddling with her on the couch, joking with her, gaming with her. He’d given her a gentle kiss on the cheek, snuggled with her—and hadn’t pushed, even though she’d sensed a certain tension in his body. The guy was thoughtful, and considering how raw her emotions had been, she’d appreciated it.
They saw each other on Saturday, as well. He took her to lunch, then she played an old-school RPG, Paranoia, with him and a bunch of his crew, over at the shop. They didn’t break up the party to go home till three in the morning. She’d seen him throwing glances her way—she knew, because she’d been sending plenty of low-lashed glances of her own. He’d brushed against her a few times, smiling at her. It was slow burn,
sure, but hot AF.
They hadn’t had the chance to see each other Sunday. It was Bobby’s birthday, and their family had a big celebration. Diego hadn’t been able to make it because of his own parents’ wedding anniversary. It was a little early in their relationship for negotiating family outings anyway. She hadn’t even slept with him. Hell, she hadn’t even had a good solid make-out session with him.
Yet, she amended. But her body and her mindset were telling her it was definitely time to remedy that particular predicament.
Putting the big bowl of cereal down on the coffee table, she texted Diego. You busy tonight?
Not too busy for you, he texted back, making her smile.
No gaming? she prompted.
Nothing scheduled. Want to go out?
She took a deep breath. I was thinking of staying in. Want to come over?
Emphasis on “come,” she thought.
Sure. Want me to bring dinner? What game do you want to play?
She frowned. There was gentlemanly—and then there was clueless. I was thinking just Netflix, she typed back.
Come on, guy, she thought. Get the reference.
There was a delay. Sounds good, he responded. I heard good things about The OA, and I’ve been meaning to binge it.
She smacked her forehead with the heel of her palm.
I was thinking of fucking you, she wanted to type. So grab a shower, take some vitamins, and gitcha ass over here.
Maybe she just needed to be a touch more obvious.
Sure. We can probably squeeze in an episode.
Among other things, she thought.
Another pause. Great. See you tonight.
She frowned at her phone. Then she dialed Bobby.
“Ugggggh,” he answered. “Why are you calling me this early?”
She glanced at her clock. “Dude, it’s ten. Why aren’t you at work?”
“Took today off.” His voice was scratchy. “For my birthday celebration.”
“You weren’t that drunk.”
“That was at Mom and Dad’s.” She heard him chugging something, then sighing in relief as his voice sounded normal again. “Couple of the guys and I got baked and played Halo Wars until six.”
“Well, happy birthday to you,” she said indulgently.
“So what’s up? Why’re you calling me?”
“You know I’m on suspension,” she said. “Maybe I’m just bored.”
He sighed. “That sucks. I would’ve said it yesterday, but I didn’t want to swear around Nana Grace. That fucking sucks.”
“I know,” she said. “Believe me, I know. I’m getting my ducks in a row—figured out who really did the doxing and covered my own ass. I’ve got a file folder full of threats and the whole timeline in writing, if they’ll ever bother to look at it. Otherwise, though, there’s nothing I can do but wait.”
“Want to hang out over here?” he asked. “We haven’t gamed in forever. Also, I still have some kick-ass edibles left over, thanks to Christina.”
She shook her head. Because of course Christina. Bobby and Christina met at a WoW convention in Austin—he’d tagged along with Taneesha—and the two had gotten along like a house on fire ever since, especially when Christina could score Bobby edibles in pot-legal California. “We can game on Live, I don’t feel like leaving the house,” she said. “But I was wondering something. About Diego.”
“Ahhhh,” he said, and she heard the amusement in his voice. She could just imagine the broad smile across his foolishly grinning face. “Did I tell you? Great guy, huh?”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re the king of setups. But there’s something weird there.”
“Define ‘weird,’” Bobby said. “Because you’re not exactly a poster child for normalcy there, Kettle.”
“We haven’t had sex yet,” she said.
“Aiiiigh, my ears!” Bobby shrieked.
She chuckled. “You told me that he was a little unusual, but to stick with it. You need to define unusual, though,” she said, once she’d settled down. “Seriously.”
“You’ve only been dating for a few weeks, if that,” Bobby said. “What’s the big deal? Is he, like, making sure there’s three feet between you or something? Leaving room for the Holy Ghost?”
“Not… exactly,” she hedged. “He’s great with cuddling. But I’ve given him plenty of opportunities to go a little further—hell, a lot further. I don’t know if he’s just missing the cues or what.”
“Soooooo do not need to hear this,” Bobby muttered.
“Hey, you hooked us up. This is your fault. Besides, since when has talking about sex freaked you out?”
“Since I actually know the guy,” Bobby replied. “When you used to talk about sex, I usually either hated the dude you were with, or just didn’t give a shit, so I sort of tuned it out.”
“Nice,” she drawled. “You hated all my boyfriends?”
“You date douchebags. It baffles me.”
She frowned. Considering her exes, he might have a tiny point.
“In this case, I’ll put up with occasionally being grossed out, because it’s better that you’re with a good guy and not a douchebag.”
“Thank you for your sacrifice.”
“I heard that eye roll,” he said. “Anyway, just be patient with Diego.”
“He’s not gay or anything, though, right?”
“Would I hook you up with a gay guy?”
She was quiet for a second.
“I would not,” he clarified. “Jeez, come on.”
“There’s just something a little off. Something I can’t put my finger on.”
“Sounds like you can’t put your finger on a lot of things,” he said, then snickered.
She laughed back. “So much for being grossed out.”
“You talking about having sex is gross,” Bobby pointed out. “Talking about not having sex is frickin’ hilarious.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well. Hopefully after tonight that won’t be an issue.” She paused, gnawing at her lip. “Really, though? You won’t tell me what’s going on with the guy?”
He hesitated. “Not really my place to tell,” he rumbled, with a deep sigh. “I was told in confidence, and you know I take that shit seriously, T.”
He did. It was one of the things she loved about him, but right now, it bugged the fuck out of her. Still, she respected him more for it. “You better promise me he’s not, like, an ex-con or a serial killer or… I don’t know, a furry or something.”
He paused. “Is that a deal breaker? The furry thing?” He sounded worried. “I mean… it’s not that big a thing. It’s just, you know, role play. Or, um, cosplay. It can even be kinda cute, I’m told.”
Taneesha blinked, aghast. She liked to think she was open-minded, but no. That just was not her particular kink.
Could Diego be a furry? What the hell would he dress as?
Could she take it seriously?
What if that’s the only way he can have sex?
“You okay?” Bobby asked quietly.
She shook herself… then her eyes narrowed. “Bobby… are you fucking with me?”
He roared with laughter.
“You are such a dick!” she yelled over his laughter, causing him to laugh even harder. “I am kicking your ass later.”
She hung up on his crowing guffaws. Then she settled herself. There was nothing wrong with Diego, she told herself. He was shy.
She would take care of that.
CHRISTINA
Christina wobbled on to the set only about an hour late. Vivi wasn’t needed for today’s shoot. She had something else, something her agent had lined up. They’d fucked goodbye this morning, and that had taken a little longer than expected—the girl had a mouth on her that made Christina’s eyes cross—but now she was on set, with nothing and no one to do.
It’ll be boring without Vivi here, she thought as she took in the frenetic yet organized chaos around her. But maybe a little boredom was in order. It might sober h
er up. She had been in a perpetual haze lately, since Vivi scored only the best shit. Christina was still feeling some of the aftereffects of the GHB she’d downed at the previous night’s party at… whose house was that? Somewhere out in Silver Lake, of all damned places. It was a bit blurry.
Maybe she was getting old, but it’d be nice to be clear for a while. Just for a day, she rationalized to herself, grabbing a bottle of water and chugging it. Just for a change of pace.
“Christina. I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” Warren said. His lips were pulled tight and he was frowning. She wondered if he was coming down from a high or something—normally he wasn’t this much of a grump. Maybe she’d raid Vivi’s stash, hook him up with something good. “Where have you been?”
“Vivi isn’t here today,” Christina said, with her usual snark. “Since you did put me in charge of handling her, you’re lucky I showed up at all.”
“Yeah, we all know how you’ve been handling her,” he said, with deliberate emphasis. Ooooh. Look who’s judgy.
Christina debated feeling pissed at him, but decided her impending hangover was more important. She grabbed another water bottle.
Warren continued. “But things have changed.”
“Oh? How so?” Christina sipped, watching his face turn reddish-purple. Jesus, he was furious. Something must be shaking up. “What happened? Did Vivi get a bigger arc, or something? Because you know she’s killing it. Even with all the bullshit rape fantasy crap.”
And I just said that out loud, she realized, hastily drinking the water. She was a hot mess. Why had she even come to work?
Christina could see blood vessels straining in Warren’s temple, at his neck; his jaw was clenched so hard, she could hear his molars grinding. “No, Vivi’s character’s just fine,” he said, almost sickly sweet. “Your role, however, seems to be getting more important.”
She smiled. “Oh, running Vivi isn’t a picnic,” she said loftily, with a quick grin and wink. “But we all have our crosses to bear.”
“Yeah, and you’re mine,” he shot back. “You’ve just been promoted to second second AD.”
Christina actually choked on the water she was drinking. She did a goddamned spit take, just like in the movies. “What the fuck?”
Geek Actually Season 1 Omnibus Page 33