“Veronica!” Marcy hissed, realizing where they were. “You didn't tell me we were going to a...to a...”
“Biker bar?” Veronica said, her voice halfway between teasing and scolding. “Yeah, well, I knew you'd never come if I told you...”
“That's not okay,” Marcy said, feeling panic fluttering in her heart. “You can't lie to me like that!”
“It wasn't a lie,” Veronica said, rolling her eyes. “It just wasn't the whole truth.”
“That's still a lie,” Marcy said. She looked around; a million awful scenarios were running through her head. What if someone wanted them to do drugs? What if a fight broke out? What if someone got shot? What if someone shot her? What if Veronica left her alone and someone tried to talk to Marcy? What if...
“Shh,” Veronica said, her tone hushed. Marcy followed her friend's gaze, seeing a slight smile cross Veronica's lips. She was looking at a man across the bar. He was ordering something, hadn't seen them. Marcy felt her stomach flip. Holy shit, she thought. Leave it to Veronica. “Just act cool, okay? We'll be fine. I know these guys. Trust me.”
At that, Veronica grabbed Marcy's hand and led her through the bar, headed straight towards the blonde-haired Adonis who'd just gotten a beer from the bartender. When he turned, his eyes seemed magnetically drawn to Veronica, a cold grin crossing his face under eyes so blue they seemed to burn. He had a scruffy beard, more of a shadow than anything else, that made his strong jaw stand out. He wore a leather jacket, just like everyone else in the bar, and a tight black t-shirt underneath it.
“He's not much of a talker,” Veronica confided as they approached. “But with looks like that, who needs words?”
Marcy wanted to roll her eyes at that, but she had to admit her friend had a point. This was one guy who never needed to use a pick-up line, that was for sure.
The man opened his arms wide as they closed the distance, and Veronica met his embrace, lifting herself up onto her tiptoes to kiss him. The kiss was long, and deep, and Marcy felt a tingling sensation not unlike what she'd felt that night watching her dorm-mates making out over Spin the Bottle. She also felt poignantly awkward being a bystander.
When, finally, the couple separated, Veronica's cheeks were flushed, and Marcy noticed the way his hand cupped her ass, giving it a firm squeeze. She wasn't sure, in that moment, whether she'd rather be the one squeezing Veronica's ass, or the one being squeezed. She blushed at the thought as it passed through her head, glad that mind-reading was just a thing from fiction stories.
“So, baby, this is Marcy,” Veronica said, turning to her friend with a smile on her face that Marcy hadn't seen before – coy, but somewhat nervous.
“Ah,” the man said, eying Marcy up and down in a way that made her blush deepen. “This is the one you told me about?”
Told him about? Marcy wondered, feeling tongue-tied under the man's intense gaze.
“Yeah, baby,” Veronica said with a giggle. “Marcy, this is Steel.”
“Nice to meet you,” Marcy managed to choke out, putting her hand out. He looked at it for a moment, seeming somewhat amused by the offer. When he took it, she was amazed by the size and strength of his hand, his grip tight, sending a warm flush through her body.
This is so wrong, she thought. This is my best friend's boyfriend...I need to stop feeling this way...
But that was easier thought than done, as Steel's eyes travelled over her barely-clad body once more, an approving smile on his face.
“Drink?” he asked, and Marcy found herself fixated on the rough, gravelly tone of his voice, the deep tenor. She shook her head.
“Oh, I'm not twenty....” she started to say, but he held his hand up, palm out.
“Doesn't matter,” he said. “We own this place. A pretty face is the only ID we need.”
Marcy blushed again. Pretty face? He was definitely just being nice to her because she was Veronica's friend. And Veronica was nestled snugly in his arm, her hand on his chiseled chest. Off-limits. Both of them. Marcy had never felt more like a third wheel in her life. This is why I never went out in high school, she thought, her mood souring slightly.
“Oh,” she finally managed to say, and shrugged.
“C'mon, Marcy-Marce,” Veronica chimed in. “Let's do shots!”
“Oh, uh,” Marcy stuttered. This night was weird enough without adding alcohol to the mix. Then again, it might make her feel a little better about being at a biker bar, with two people her body clearly wanted – but could never again. She closed her eyes and tried to shake all the dueling emotions from her head. “Fine. Okay. Let's do it.”
“Whoo!” Veronica cheered. “Let's get this party started!”
Steel laughed, still holding Veronica close.
“That's my girl,” he said, but he was looking at Marcy as he said it. A look that seared itself into her memory – and other, more physical parts of herself.
Why did she bring me here? Marcy wondered, looking at Veronica as she turned to the bar and ordered a round of shots. Why did I agree to come?
Three beers and two shots later, those questions seemed less important. The trio had gravitated towards a free table in the corner. While Veronica and Steel cozied up together, Marcy sat opposite them; when they got too physical, Marcy would look around the bar. The men were all rough, clearly used to the darker side of life. It made her wonder about Steel, his intentions, his personality.
Veronica had been right; he wasn't much of a talker. Mostly, Veronica and Marcy gossiped and acted like they were alone in their dorm room, while he sat and listened with an impassive look on his face. A few times, Marcy tried to talk to him about the club, but he was pretty silent on the subject. She supposed that was understandable.
“I've got to peeeeee,” Veronica said, hopping up from her chair. “You two play nice.”
Marcy's heart clenched as Veronica swayed off towards the bathroom; now what? Was she supposed to make small talk with Steel? About what? The drugs he liked best, the men he'd killed? Luckily, he broke the tension before she had to come up with something to say.
“Veronica's told me a lot about you,” he said, his gaze on her feeling like a lead weight; though it was a weight Marcy was quite sure she could bear for a long time, given the chance.
“Oh? Well, we're pretty close, I guess,” she said, taking a sip of her beer and thankful for the alcohol that loosened her tongue. “She hasn't told me a thing about you.”
“No, I guess she wouldn't,” Steel said, smirking slightly. “You'd probably think I was bad news. No good for a girl like her.”
“Oh,” Marcy said, blushing. She did kind of think that. “I mean, I'm not so judgmental. You seem...you seem nice?”
She knew she didn't sound very convincing as she said it.
“Do I?” Steel asked, that smirk still across his lips. “Because I'm not. I'm not very nice at all. But that's why she likes me.”
Marcy stared, unsure of how to respond. How was she supposed to take that? Was he threatening her or something? What the hell?
“I guess,” she finally said, glancing towards the bathroom to see if Veronica would be returning soon. She squirmed in her seat, trying to stop her body from reacting to the way Steel looked at her. He was all danger, all bad news, for sure. But she couldn't get her stomach to stop clenching, her thighs from squeezing together. He was fucking hot.
“A lot of girls like a guy that's not so nice,” he said, now leaning in across the table, drawing Marcy's eyes back to his. He's not flirting with you, she told herself. He's Veronica's boyfriend...
but then what the hell is he doing?
“Oh...I...I wouldn't really know,” she said, her mouth moving before her brain could catch up to what she wanted to say.
“No? Why's that? Not into guys?”
Now, she felt her heart leap up into her throat. Was her crush on Veronica so obvious that Steel could see it? She'd been acting pretty normal, she thought...
“No, I am,” she said quickly
. “I'm, like, super into guys. I just...uh...I don't know. I guess I...I like nice guys, mostly?”
Again, her statement was more of a question, evidence of how little she knew herself.
“Uh-huh,” Steel said, leaning back slightly, his eyes traveling over her. “Well, Veronica likes me as bad as I can be. I guess she's just that kind of girl.”
“I guess so,” Marcy said, her body feeling suddenly overheated in the smoky bar.
“You don't really know what kind of girl you are, do you, Marcy?” he asked, the question sounding sudden. Marcy opened her mouth, but no words came out. She gulped down the rest of her beer. He smiled, leaned back all the way in his seat. Marcy glanced over her shoulder, saw Veronica leaving the restroom and wobbling back towards the table.
“We'll find out soon enough,” Steel said, smiling at Veronica as she slid back beside him, under the shelter of his arm draped over the back of her chair. Marcy gaped. What did that mean?
“More drinks?” Veronica suggested, noting that both Marcy and Steel were out of beer. Steel nodded and rose from the table.
“I'll get 'em,” he said, leaving the two girls behind, Marcy still dumbfounded and red in the face. Veronica watched Steel go to the bar, looking hungry, then leaned in to whisper to her friend.
“I know how to pick 'em, don't I?” she said with a giggle.
“Sure,” Marcy said, swallowing hard, thirsty for that next drink. “He's so...he's so intense, though.”
“I know,” Veronica sighed. “It's amazing. And the things he can do with that...”
Veronica's mouth shut quickly and she looked away, as though she was about to spill some deep secret. She glanced back at Marcy, a strange look in her eyes. Suddenly, she leaned over the table all the way, and reached out to brush a stray curl behind Marcy's ear. Marcy had to stop herself from shuddering at the feel of Veronica's warm fingers against her flesh. The alcohol was most certainly getting to her.
“You really are my best friend, Marcy,” Veronica said, fixing Marcy in her green eyes. “You know that, right?”
Marcy nodded.
“We're going to have so much fun together in college,” Veronica continued, her eyes somewhat glassy from the drinks. “Trust me.”
Marcy did.
5
Marcy and Veronica sat on the bed while Steel leaned against the wall. Marcy could barely remember how they'd gotten there from the bar; she'd had too much to drink already. She could remember Veronica suggesting that they take their “little party” back to what she called the clubhouse, where Steel had a room.
She could remember giving her keys to Steel to drive them. She could remember stopping at a Burger King drive-thru for French fries and sandwiches and water. And she could remember laughing with Veronica as Steel led them down some hallways, finally opening a door to a small, sparsely furnished room. Once she'd gotten some water in her and sat down for a while, she felt significantly more sober. Still, she was tipsy enough to go along with it when Veronica suggested they play a game.
“What kind of game?” she asked, sipping the last of her bottled water and putting it down on the floor beside the bed. Steel was gazing at the two girls with an enigmatic look in his eyes, almost expectant. Marcy didn't want to let her mind wonder what it was he was expecting.
She'd had a good time that night, and didn't want to ruin it with unfounded fear – or false expectations. The truth was, the amount of attention Veronica and Steel were paying her was flattering. They were two of the most attractive people she'd ever met, and they seemed unnaturally interested in Marcy.
“Truth or dare,” Veronica said with confidence. Marcy raised a single eyebrow, looked at Steel. He was a man. A full-grown man. He most certainly did not want to play Truth or Dare like a schoolgirl. But he had a smirk on his face that said he wasn't opposed to the idea. Marcy shrugged.
“Great! So...truth or dare?” Veronica asked, eying Marcy in that strange way once more.
“Uh, truth, I guess,” Marcy said, feeling like a specimen under a microscope.
“How long have you had a crush on me?” Veronica asked, her eyes narrowed slightly, that lilting smile on her lips. Marcy blanched and felt suddenly like she could burst into tears any moment. She shook her head slowly, wanting to deny it. But Veronica wasn't having that. “Oh, come on. I know you like me. I know you're curious about what it would be like to be with me. I just want to know how long you've felt that way.”
Marcy opened her mouth, but no words came out. She felt tears pressing against the edges of her eyes, threatening to roll down her cheeks. She gulped. Her good night was suddenly swinging in quite the opposite direction. She felt like a fool, like her whole world was crashing down around her. Had Veronica brought her here just to tease her, to make fun of her, to show Marcy what a stupid girl she was being? She should have known Veronica was too cool to hang out with someone like Marcy. She was just like the mean kids in high school who would lead her on just to watch her fall.
“I don't know,” she finally managed to say, her voice small and quiet. She blinked and willed back the tears. “I guess...a while.”
Veronica nodded, licked her lips.
“That's not exactly the most thorough answer, but I guess I should just be happy you're not hiding it anymore,” she said, eying Marcy thoughtfully. Then, her countenance changing in an instant, she turned to Steel with a smile. “Your turn baby!”
Steel was looking at Marcy, too, his expression unreadable. Marcy kept her eyes averted, shrinking under his intense gaze. She'd just admitted she had a crush on his girlfriend. But the expected laughter and derision hadn't come. What the hell was going on? Between the model-worthy beauty of Veronica and Steel's radiating sex appeal, she felt like an absolute fool. Even if Veronica was interested in girls, Marcy could never compete against Steel in the looks department. Why were they rubbing it in her face?
Hell, it wasn't like she was immune to Steel, either; she wasn't a lesbian, as it turned out, because whenever Steel looked at her she wondered what it would be like to be wrapped in his arms, to feel that scruff against her cheek. But she couldn't compete with Veronica. No, no matter what way you sliced it, Marcy was the loser here.
“Truth or dare?” Steel asked, turning his attention to Veronica. If Marcy had been looking, she would have seen the electric energy, the wordless agreement, passing between them. But she wasn't looking, so she missed it. So what came next was more than a little surprising.
“Dare,” Veronica said, her voice cool and confident.
“I dare you to stop teasing the poor girl,” Steel said, and Marcy's attention snapped upwards. “Go on and kiss her. Kiss her real good, Veronica.”
“Wait...what? I thought...but...” Marcy started to protest, feeling her body begin to heat up. Just the thought of Veronica kissing her again made her body feel like it was on fire. And when Veronica turned to her, that impossibly sexy look in her eyes, Marcy felt like she was being swallowed whole by her lust.
“You've got to let me, Marcy,” Veronica said, crawling towards her slowly, a slight pout in her lips. “Or I'll lose the game.”
“Veron-” Marcy tried to scoot back slightly, her mind racing. The kiss at the dorm room had been one thing. But they were in front of Steel, Veronica had just forced Marcy to admit her crush, it was all too much. Before she could finish her protest, though, she felt Veronica's body press against hers, her lips gently landing on Marcy's neck, her hands running through Marcy's hair.
Any bit of resistance Marcy may have been able to hold onto was gone, lost in the sudden fire of passion that ignited in her stomach. Her words morphed into a long, slow moan as Veronica kissed her again, moving up her neck, her tongue gently trailing upwards. Marcy closed her eyes, unable to fight the need rising inside her as Veronica moved one hand to her chin, drawing her face in close. Marcy felt her lips tremble before Veronica finally kissed her, soft but firm, sliding her lips across hers slowly.
Marcy was too stunned an
d overwhelmed to kiss back, but Veronica was undaunted, continuing to tease Marcy's lips with her own until Marcy leaned in, opening herself to the kiss. Veronica's tongue slid between her lips, her hand running through Marcy's hair and sending little tingles down her scalp to her spine. Veronica's tongue traced the outline of Marcy's lips, then slipped in further, meeting Marcy's tongue and pushing against it eagerly.
Marcy knew, by then, she wouldn't be able to pull away. Her body was finally getting what it had long dreamed of, and she was swept up by the waves of satisfaction and need, each battling with each other for supremacy. She heard herself moaning into Veronica's mouth, relished the taste of her, wanted more. Her hands moved of their own accord, flying upwards towards Veronica's shoulders, caressing her neck.
When she felt Veronica's hand leave her chin and settle on her chest, pressing against one of her breasts through her thin t-shirt, her back arched. Visions flooded her brain; the two of them, naked, pressed against each other on the bed, touching each other everywhere, all over...
“Fuck, yeah, baby,” Steel's voice cut through the room, and Marcy suddenly remembered they weren't alone. She tried to pull away, a sudden panic flooding her nerves, but Veronica held her tightly by the back of the head, unrelenting. Marcy felt herself trapped, by her lust, by Veronica's soft body so close to hers. And when Veronica finally did pull away, her hand still fondling Marcy's breast, Marcy was caught between wanting to run – and wanting so much more.
“How was that, Marcy?” Veronica teased, her face still close enough that Marcy could feel the hot breeze of her words against her lips. “Just like you wanted? Just like you imagined?”
“Uh...uh-huh,” Marcy mumbled, unable to keep her feelings inside.
“Truth or dare, Marcy?” Veronica asked, crawling in a little closer and nuzzling the skin right under Marcy's ear. Marcy gulped, her mind stuck like a record, skipping over and over. “If you don't choose, I'll choose for you.”
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