The Next Contestant

by Dani Evans

  The more I watch him watch her, the angrier I become.

  The angrier I get, the more I drink.

  The more I drink, the braver I am.

  I can pole dance and I can fucking do it dirtier and sexier… and I’m going to fucking do it to a song I know will get his attention.

  Jax shifts, cracks his neck, and then glances at me. I’m so mad I give him my best evil glare. He licks his lips and arches his brows, and then he turns back toward the stage. Toward Ellery.

  “Where are you going?” Tiffany asks. My friends look at me with questioning eyes. I tap my lips, give my best shit-eating grin, then look at the pole, the bitch hanging on it, and then back at my friends.

  “No way!” Angela shouts. “You entered the contest? Thee contest… as in THE NEXT CONTESTANT?”

  I nod.

  “Oh, you so go work it,” Trena hoots as I walk toward the stage, but first, I make a stop at the DJ’s stand. He’s happy to oblige to my music request.

  “I can’t wait to see what you do,” he says. Then he phones the guy in charge of the stage. I assume to inform them of my choice of song.

  “Honey, you’re up next. Boss says you’re the last contestant.”

  Shit! This is it. I’m going to do it. Be a very bad girl. Or at least attempt it. I hope to hell I don’t chicken out. One look at Ellery and I know I’m going up there. Fuck her. Fuck Jax. Let these boys see a little piece of me.

  Guys are already hitting on me as I walk past.

  I toss them a wink. “You wanna piece of me?”

  “Fuck yeah,” they hoot and holler.

  “Then watch the stage.” I glance toward Jax and see he’s noticed the commotion I’m stirring up. His eyes lock with mine. I give him my best ‘fuck you’ glare, flick my hair back, and lick across my shoulder in one long move, which attracts a lot more attention. And earns me a disapproving death glare from Jax. I grin at him, lick my finger, then drag it down the center of my cleavage and strut toward the stage.

  I CAN’T FUCKING believe it. Kimber looks so fucking hot and she knows it. But for her to do what she’s doing? It’s slutty. She looks like a porn star. And her choice of song? That’s my motherfucking song. Nine Inch Nails Closer. I had whispered, “I want to fuck you,” into her ear the first time I got close to her. I don’t like the fact that she’s using it against me in this way, yet I can’t take my eyes off her. I want to violate her, penetrate her.

  I hear Kolby cursing. Something about dealing with Kimber, and how this is bullshit. I glance at him. His face is red hot and furious. I’m surprised his overprotective ass hasn’t ripped her off the stage yet. I turn back to watch her and at this point, I totally wish Kolby would disrupt the show and drag her ass out of here. She’s shaking her ass in perfect rhythm to the music and then she’s grinding against the pole… twirling around it like a pro, and grinding against it again. When she squats down, legs spread apart; I can see her perfect ass, and thank fuck the little piece of fabric she’s wearing covers her crotch.

  The guys are going crazy, fucking loving her and it’s driving me crazy. I want to beat the fuck out of all of them, then march up on that stage and drag her ass down myself. Ellery, well yeah, I expect that shit from her and I don’t care because she’s always been kind of a slut. But Kimber? No motherfucking way.

  She squats again, her knees spread apart as her hips swing forward, and then she pulls them together and goes back up. She turns to the pole but doesn’t grab it. No, she’s gyrating against it, in perfect rhythm with the music, then sways back and forth, up and down, as if she’s teasing it. I so fucking wish I were standing in front of her. She swings around the pole, faces the audience, eyes me, gives me a devious smirk, and then closes her eyes as she licks her lips.

  The lyrics, the part about wanting to fuck you like an animal, about wanting to feel so and so from the inside, go with what she’s doing. Kimber is front and center stage, sweat dripping down between her breasts, down her belly… her eyes are closed as she moves like she’s actually fucking, and she runs her hands down, unbuttons the single button holding her shirt together, slides her fingers down her sweaty middle and dips them into her skirt.

  And I’ll admit it. She’s fucking hot, but totally out of character. She’s too fucking innocent for this shit. Hot, innocent, and a total dick magnet. I want to take her in a dark corner, press her against a wall, and shove my dick inside her, fuck her like she’s never been fucked before.

  But then she opens her eyes, stares right at me, and drags her hand back out of her skirt. She ruins the moment when she crawls on the stage so provocatively toward some other dick-fuck who’s calling her over, curling his tongue between his teeth. I want to beat the fuck out of him, and her when she lets him lick her fucking stomach. Bitch. But I watch anyway. She pulls back, glances at me, stands straight up, turns away, throws both arms behind her head and flips us all off.

  The room fills with cheers and words from guys about how they want to violate Kimber. No motherfucker’s going to violate her but me. I’m going to tear every asshole coming on to her to shreds. Fuck this shit. Fuck all these other bitches. Fuck waiting. Fuck it all. Because I want Kimber.

  “No fucking way!” Kolby huffs and smacks his forehead as if coming to some sort of realization. “Fuck. I’m going to kill her. I can’t take my own goddamn sister on a date, and if one of them Delta fucks ends up with Kimber, or…” Kolby shifts and pats my shoulder. “Jax, my friend, you’re going onstage with myself and Nick in the nine man fraternity line up. You’re better looking than those Upsilon asses and those Phi Mu Lambda wussies. You’ll have to take my place if my sister wins this shit. I’ll take the second or third place winner, assuming I win the top spot.”

  Kolby sounds so sure of himself. I suppose if I were a chick, I’d have to admit he’s a pretty good-looking man. Better than the rest of the guys, I guess.

  “Shit!” Kolby’s face twists in frustration. “Sandy’s gonna flip, but hell, this is the way it rolls and has been rolling since my freshmen year.”

  “Attention, ladies and gents,” one of the judges calls through the microphone at the center of the stage. “We have the scores tallied up.”

  I shake my head as the lyrics of Nickelback’s ‘The Next Contestant’ filters in low octave from the speakers.

  “Are you ready?” The DJ asks. When the crowd jeers, mostly the males, the DJ nods toward the Judge.

  “Our third place winner is…” he unfolds the slip in his hand, “Hannah Montgomery!”

  More shouting and clapping ensues as Hannah, the fairly sexy red head, comes from behind the curtains, and moves to the front of the stage.

  “Congratulations, Hannah.” The Judge, a frat boy from Delta Upsilon Mu aka DUM, as we like to call them, pats Hannah on the ass.

  “And our second place winner is,” he pauses for effect, “Ellery Rogers!” She steps forward, and the judge pats her ass. What a dick!

  Fuck. I lean into Kolby. “Dude, that is my ex and if I win second place, and your sister doesn’t place, you are so fucking taking my place. No goddamn way am I getting stuck with her.”

  Kolby chuckles. “You got it, bro, but only because she’s easy on the eyes, and I imagine that is the only reason she placed at all. Clearly, she sucks at dancing.”

  The Judge scans the crowd and halts when he locks eyes with Kolby. “And the first place winner is…” he winks at Kolby, and I know instantly by the way Kolby stiffens and clenches his fists, there’s some shit between the two of them. I’m acutely aware that he knows who Kolby’s sister is, and the fact that she has to be the first place winner, otherwise dick-munch wouldn’t have paused to glare deviously at Kolby.

  “Dude! Come on! Get on with the announcement,” someone shouts from the crowd. It works and he breaks the contact between him and Kolby and turns to face the crowd.

  “Taking the first place spot in The Next Contestant contest is, Kimber Ryan!” He claps his applause right along with the crowd.
The moment Kimber steps out and takes her place, the hall is suddenly filled with cheers so loud that it mutes the music blaring from the speakers.

  The douchebag Judge goes to smack Kimber’s ass, but she catches him by the wrist and smiles sardonically before twisting it a bit and shoving his arm back at his side. All the cheering turns to laughter and the smack happy Jackass turns fire engine red. Yup. It’s a proud moment for me to witness her refusal to let anyone grope her. Ah. Minus the tongue tasting douchebag she let lick her stomach earlier. Kolby’s chuckling doesn’t go unnoticed, and neither does the huge grin plastered on his face. He’s as proud of Kimber as I am for making a bigger ass out of the Ass.

  “All right, ladies, are we ready to line up the hottest playboys of Delta Upsilon Mu, Phi Mu Lambda, and the Kappa Alpha Omega’s?”

  The crowd roars, females mostly. My stomach knots in a tight little ball knowing I’m about to be in the spotlight. Kolby drags me toward the stage, Nick hot on our heels, strutting his shit as if he’s the top gun.

  Three Delta men and three Phi men line up on stage. Kolby, myself, and Nick, follow. I try like hell not to look at Kimber but I can’t help myself. I catch the slack jawed, stunned look on her face. I wink at her before turning to face the crowd.

  “My, my, my. What a handsome bunch we have here tonight,” Jackass says and I swear he’s wearing lacy panties and a bra under his black slacks and red Delta jacket. Fag-fucking-tastic.

  We’re prompted to remove our jackets. The girlies cheer. Our shirts come off next. The girls scream for more. One by one, starting at our end of the line, we have to remove our pants. I hope like hell this is as far as it goes. I’m not one for parading in my sliders in front of a shitload of girls, and sure as shit, I’m not going nude in front of a bunch of guys. Fuck that.

  The crowd falls silent when Scott, one of the Delta boys, and the last in the line, stands, unwilling to shed his pants. Flaming Judge steps behind him, grasps the waistband, and yanks Scott’s pants down. The crowd bursts, howling in laughter when Scott cups his junk, his previous refusal to strip now obvious, he’d failed to wear undergarments.

  “Well damn, Scott. I would have lent you my shorts had I known you went commando.” Someone hands fag-bag a towel and he wraps it around Scott’s waist. Fuck that. I’d rather let my shit hang free then let that ballerina touch me.

  We take turns flexing, then we’re prompted to turn around, our backs to the crowd. When our name is called, we have pose, flex our ass cheeks, and before my name is called, I watch Kimber watching me. Her little smile fades into a tight lipped, stubborn ass frown, but I saw it, her smile before she got caught, and I know it was just for me. I lick my lips teasingly when it’s my turn. I flex my back, my ass and then decide to give the girlies a little treat by shaking it.

  The hall blows up with whistles and screams. It boosts my ego and I take it a step further, moving toward the pole and grasping it. I pause momentarily wondering what the fuck to do now, then I remember Kimber’s hot little pole dance. I attempt to imitate her, probably making an ass out of myself, but I sort of swing around it, gyrate my hips against it, and slide down slowly, not wanting rupture my nuts by splitting my legs open like Kimber did. This shit is hard! And even though I’m sure I made a total ass out of myself, the ladies fucking love it.

  I’m not so sure Kimber appreciates the attention I’m getting. Her hands are crossed over her chest and she refuses to look at me.

  “That, my friends, was one hell of a show!” Judge boy announces. “Are we ready to choose our winners?”

  Everyone shouts in response.

  Each brother is called separately. They’re judging the winners based on the screams. They have one of those meter things to measure the noise. There are plenty of screams for each contestant, but when they call for Kolby to step up, the needle tips past the third quarter mark on the meter, the highest out of the group so far. Thank god because no way in hell can Kimber be assigned to one of the other fraternity brothers.

  “And the last in our lineup is—” The screams amplify tenfold before lover boy announces my name. “Dang! I think we clearly have our first place winner,” he says too excitedly as he eyes me head to toe.

  “Jax Nash – first place. Kolby Ryan – second place. Scott Dorsey, third place.”

  Well, I think some girls felt bad for Scott and he did pretty good under the circumstances. But… Hells yes! I’m totally stoked, not over winning first place, but because I get to take my little strip tease out on a date. I won’t have to beat some asses to steal her either.

  As we exit the stage, Kolby pulls me aside, out of earshot of any bystanders. He places his hands on my shoulders and shoves me back against the wall. His face is stern as he stares at me.

  Kolby clears his throat and lets out a heavy sigh. “She’s my baby sister and I’m handing her over, trusting you to protect her,” he hisses through clenched teeth. “Don’t fucking break her heart or I’ll take your ass down. She’s been through hell with Devin and I don’t want any repeats. You get me?”

  Fucking finally! Kolby’s allowing me to date Kimber and not for one date. I know by his words, by him handing me the responsibility of taking care of and protecting his sister, that he’s giving me his approval. I can’t believe it.

  I nod my understanding and I realize Kolby truly loves his sister. I guess the age of a person doesn’t matter when it comes to protecting those you love. I’m sure my brother Mason, had he never been plagued with cancer, if he were here today, he’d be looking out for me. Probably would have beat my ass for all the stupid shit I’ve done. I have a newfound respect for Kolby, and of course, I want to protect Kimber. I want that girl so fucking bad. She’s under my skin, in my blood, in my heart. Never thought I’d fall in love again, but damn if it doesn’t hurt, and yet it feels good in some weird fucking way.

  I rush toward the back of the stage to collect my girl, but she won’t look at me and storms off, heading out into the crowd. I follow behind her and nearly blow a gasket when the dirty pigs start pawing at her. I can tell by the increase in her pace, the stiff shoulders, that she doesn’t like them touching her. I increase my stride and catch up to her. She startles when I grab her arms from behind and attempts to fight, but I wrap my arms tight around her sides and trap her arms below mine. She gives up whatever fight left in her and lets me anchor her flush against my chest.

  God she smells so damn good. I march her toward the darkest, most secluded area I could find and press her chest against the wall. My breathing is deep and heavy and I know she knows I’m turned on when I feel her body shiver. And I know she’s not cold because her skin is warm against mine. Images of her on that stage dancing and doing the things she was doing flit through my brain and my temper flairs knowing she threw herself out there like that for all the sick fucks here to see. Brothers and men will be fisting themselves visualizing her sweet ass, and thank fuck her pussy was covered, though barely.

  JAX’S BREATHING IS deep and I can tell he’s trying to control his temper. Good! That tells me a lot. He’s obviously pissed over my little slutty stage dance and I’m secretly excited because this proves he must feel something for me. Why else would he care? Not like he didn’t show off himself, and I have to admit, he was sexy and well, rather comical on the pole, but jealousy crowded in, piercing my heart knowing he could have any girl he wants.

  I wonder if he’s going to speak or just continue to pant in my ear. I should push away from the wall and attempt to escape the trap he has me in.

  Funny how my thoughts seem to radiate right through me to him because he suddenly presses into me harder and I wonder where my liquid courage went. I’m slowly evaporating, losing control, and allowing him to contain me.

  His hands slide up my arms and he fists my hair, then tilts my head and angles it up and to the side. His eyes are fiery with lust as he slides one hand down, slips it under my skirt. He teases by inching his fingers over the only piece of fabric covering me, then b
egins to rub my already sensitive nub, and my body turns to putty.

  “Jax, what’re—”

  His mouth covers mine; his tongue diving deep into my already parted lips. His kiss is so deep, so urgent, and so damn sexy. I can’t stop the moan escaping me, but then his fingers stop and he breaks the kiss.

  Jax’s eyes, his face… he’s hot, sexy, and dangerous, like he wants to do very bad—

  “That song. That fucking song belongs to you and I. No one else. No one.” His fingers inch underneath the fabric of my panties, and slowly slide between the flesh. He groans and presses his face into my neck, his lips kissing a sensual trail up to my ear.

  Jax slips his long middle finger inside me, curls it, and presses firmly against my g-spot. The sensation is so good my knees buckle.

  “Jax,” I whisper.

  “I want to shove my cock inside you right here, right now.” He’s breathing so hard, so deep. “Fuck you like the slut you were on that stage, to that song, Closer.”

  The sensation, the heat within me dies instantly at his words and my body stiffens. He pulls his finger out of me, slides it into his mouth then sucks on it. It would’ve been hot if he hadn’t just called me a slut.

  I fight to get out of his grip but he refuses to let me go. “Fuck you. Fuck you Magic Mike!”

  “Kimber, I didn’t mean it like—”

  “Like what? Like the slut you just called me, or the way you just treated me like one?!” I push off the wall, but he still has hold of me.

  “I called it like I saw it!” he spits out. “You let some asshole lick your stomach!”

  “Yeah? Well I’m not the one who threw down wads of cash and fucked my way to the top, so go to hell, Jax-fucking-Nash!” I can’t help that I spit in his face. It’s gross but it causes him to release me.

  The more I think about the disgusting game, and the videos, the more lurid the revolting visuals toy with my mind. I use it to try to dislike him. I do my best to avoid him the rest of the evening, but he eventually corners me outside the women’s bathroom. He’s leaning against the wall, unaware that I’ve stepped out. I consider ducking back into the bathroom, hiding out in there until the party ends, but quickly dismiss the thought. If I don’t come out, he’ll eventually stalk in here and drag me into a stall, and it’s the last place I want to be cornered with Jaxson Nash.