by Dakota Lee
Olivia just went, so it's her turn to ask a truth or dare. "Jordanna." My target shifts uncomfortably at the mention of her name. "How about you?"
"Oh, I'm not playing."
Kassidy nods, tipping her drink in her friend's direction. "Jordanna never plays."
Olivia takes a drink and explains why there's no opting out. "You're on this couch, so yes, you are playing."
"The question," Bella repeats as if we're all hard of hearing, "Is to tell us the most interesting place you've ever given a blow job."
Kassidy tries to intervene. "Give it a rest, Bella. Not everyone is interested in sharing who they've given their panties to."
"You're right. Little miss seat hogger, probably doesn't have any juicy truths to share, and she definitely looks too sweet to handle anything we'd come up with for a dare." She tells Olivia to pick another player.
Jordanna sits back, arms folded in defiance. "I'll take a dare."
"Fine, I dare you to put your hands in Hal's pants."
Jordanna looks at me for the first time this evening and quickly averts her gaze. The dare is just Bella's way of starting shit, and I'm just here to find out how far Jordy will go.
"I changed my mind. I'll take, truth."
"Too late to amend your answer. Hands in Hal's pants, or suffer the consequences."
"Which are what?"
"A text blast telling everyone that we caught you with two guys at once, taking it in every available hole. Oh wait, we've already done that."
Olivia laughs hysterically and Kassidy looks away, embarrassed. Right now, nobody really believes that anything happened in the lecture hall, because it's a poorly doctored video. But we've got a video editing team that's incredible. With one phone call, we can make it look like the real deal.
That's what Bella is really saying. The threat is directed to Jordanna as much as it is to me. With one text blast, no one will believe Jordanna was a virgin, and I'd lose the bet. Bella's just that devious and will do whatever it takes to win. She thinks she's got me in check, in one move. But I'm about to take her pawn, Hal.
"Her shoving her hands in Hal's pants is a weak ass dare. Jordanna has a boyfriend, and I'm sure she's felt a stiff one before."
"It's what I want her to do."
"Yeah, well, how's this. Jordanna, I dare you to take off your pants."
"What?" She stammers.
I keep my gaze steady on hers. "I'm willing to bet you've never stripped in front of strangers before." My eyes slide over her clothes. "You strike me as a coverup on the beach type of girl."
I give her a minute to process the dare. "Or are you too scared and satisfied with being mediocre to do that?"
Her chin lifts, and for a second, I think she's going to do it. She leaves the couch, heading for the back door. Very few people have ever walked away from a Bella dare, and Jordanna doing it in public will only make things worse for her.
Olivia holds up her phone. "So the text chain it is." She declares, swiping her hand across her mouth, sloshing beer down her face. "Her reputation will be ruined before she makes it back to the dorms."
I motion for someone to take Olivia's phone away and turn leaning in close to the person starting the drama. "Lay off of her Bella." I say against her ear.
"Why would I do that when I'm about to win the bet in record time?"
"We both know you won't be satisfied with this win. If it were this easy, you'd have let someone else take the bet. But you begged me to get involved. Now sit back and enjoy the show."
We break apart when Jordanna comes back with a bottle of water in one hand, and her jeans in the other. She drops them in my lap, before returning to her previous spot on the couch.
"Alright, Jordanna." Kassidy cheers.
She passes the dare on a technicality. I told her to take them off, but didn't specify we had to see her do it. I hand them back and during the break between rounds; she steps away to put them back on.
Frankie comes over with a deck of cards, yelling over the music, "Okay, people, sit your asses down, if you're playing the next game."
He shuffles and Tabitha cuts the deck. "Okay folks, you know the rules. You pick a card and you and the person with an evenly divisible multiple of it goes off to the closet."
The cards pass through twice before Olivia and a sophomore from the choir match up. They go off to the closet and come out when the buzzer sounds. Her shirt’s hastily buttoned. He looks like he just climbed Everest. Good for him.
We play two more rounds before I flip a ten and Jordanna flips a five.
The closed door muffles the music and laughter from the living room. Logan turns on the flashlight from his phone so we can see. I can't believe I'm trapped in a closet with this guy. I guess you're never too old to play seven minutes in heaven. I say just that out loud.
"Seven minutes in heaven is for junior high. This is ten minutes in hell."
My back stiffens. Is he saying he hates that he's trapped in here with me? "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means, we have ten minutes to seduce or annoy the hell out of each other. If we're not feeling it, this is ten minutes trapped in a closet with someone we don't like. If we're into each other, it's ten minutes trying to make each other as horny as possible."
"Well, we're obviously the hating each other group, so prepare to be annoyed."
He continues to explain the game. "The person with the most hookups at the end of the night is the winner, and I haven't lost a game yet."
"How do you prove you've won? The only people that really know what happens are the ones trapped together. You could lie and no one would know the difference."
"We work on the honor system, but the mussed hair, smeared lipstick and disheveled clothes are usually good signs that someone got lucky."
"In ten minutes? That's a lot of animosity and hell freezing over for you to overcome."
He steps closer, the light from the phone illuminating the smirk on his face. "Challenge accepted."
The light snuffs out seconds before his lips crash against mine. I keep my lips pressed tightly together. It's just a game, I tell myself. He knows I have a boyfriend, and this kiss means nothing. He just wants to win.
None of that stops me from noticing the way he smells. Like earth and rain. Sunshine and cedar and varnish. His hands go to my hip, pulling me closer. He nibbles on my bottom lip and squeezes my ass. I gasp, his tongue taking advantage, invading my mouth like a general plundering the land of his enemy.
I try not to notice how his body presses against mine, or how it fills up so much space that I feel impossibly smaller in the mid-size closet. His hands are the anchor holding me to him. And even though my mind is resisting, I can't control the shiver that runs down my spine when his hands slip under my shirt, coming into contact with my skin.
My stomach clenches and I bite back a moan when his thumb grazes across my taut nipple. It's a game and if the goal is to not feel anything, to be unaffected by his presence and his touch, I'm losing, because I'm enjoying the feeling of being kissed and touched like the entire world is centered in this space and the penalty for not succumbing to these sensations I’m feeling, is the end of life as we know it.
That's how he's treating this game and these ten minutes. Like the fate of the world depends on me enjoying it, and heaven help me, Robbie forgive me, but I am.
But I can't let him know that. I keep my hands to my side, balled into fists. Because it's a game, and I'm just as competitive as the next person. If winning means not reacting, I got this shit in the bag. The door flings open and Logan pulls his mouth from mine. I blink to adjust to the change from utter darkness to light.
Our bodies are angled so you can see both of our profiles. My hands are still at my side, nails digging into my palms. I unclench them and push him away. Stepping out of the closet, I scan everyone's faces, trying to get a read on what they may be thinking.
Tabitha speaks first. "Well Logan, I guess, you've finally met a woman i
mmune to ten minutes of your charm."
I glance over my shoulder at Logan, whose look of confusion matches everyone else's. He gives a slight shrug of his shoulder, smiling good-naturedly. "Clearly I needed more than ten minutes to melt the ice around her heart."
As insults go, that one was pretty tame. I bypass the couch, heading to the table on the wall. I need a drink. He joins me at the makeshift bar, and asks, "You really felt nothing?"
"I felt your tongue in my mouth and your hands on my skin, but if you're asking did that lay the groundwork for you getting in my pants?" I shake my head. "The answer is, no."
He mulls that over, and points to the cups in my hand. "Unaffected huh? Then why do you need a second drink?”
“I don’t. This one’s for my roommate."
Chapter Twenty-Five
I kissed the hell out of her and she's mixing drinks for Kassidy? Maybe we got it wrong, and the reason nobody's plucked her cherry is that we're working with the wrong equipment, and she just hasn't admitted it to herself yet.
I study them sitting close together. Sometimes, Kassidy has an issue with personal space, especially when she’s drinking. They're laughing and talking, and Jordanna’s certainly not cringing or cowering from her touches. Kassidy’s hand is rubbing her roommate’s shoulder and occasionally brushes over her hair. At some point, she swings her leg over Jordy’s, who makes no move to push it off. In fact, the hand she places on Kassidy's thigh says she's comfortable with it being there.
Bella’s not known for cancelling bets, but if I can get her interested in someone else, we can transfer the terms. No sense wasting my time on someone whose no is gender influenced. I stand mulling over that thought. I need to take a leak before I try to renegotiate the terms.
Jordanna crashes into me when I come out of the bathroom. Her eyes glued to her phone. Probably texting the boyfriend. Or is he the beard?
She offers a rushed apology. "Oh, damn. Sorry."
When she finally looks up, I see the confusion and guilt in her copper colored eyes. Maybe we didn’t get it wrong. I step closer, and she takes a small step back. "What are you doing?"
"I think you liked that kiss."
"I won our round, didn't I?"
I back her against the wall. "You controlled your reaction, I commend you, but that doesn't mean you weren't into it."
She lifts that defiant little chin. "Well, I'm telling you, I wasn't."
I replay the details of our lip lock over in my head. I feel myself stiffen thinking about the taste of her lips. The reaction I'm having doesn't go unnoticed. The tip of her tongue darts out to wet her lips. No, she wasn't unaffected at all.
I step away, clasping my hands together behind my back so I don't push her to her knees and slip my cock between those full lips. The bets still on, I just need to come at her a different way.
Long fingers pluck my tray out of my hands. I whip my head up, glaring at Logan. "What are you doing?" I feel like I ask that question a lot, because his behavior never makes sense to me.
"You're sitting with us today."
Five seconds ago, I was hungry. The thought of sitting with Logan and his friends after what happened in the closet has made me lose my appetite.
"I'd rather sit in the middle of an actual polar ice cap in my underwear. At least there, I know the sun will shine at some point this year." I haven't even agreed to go anywhere near the beautiful people and yet, Bella is already sending me murderous glares.
"It'll be fine."
He heads through the maze of tables over to where his friends are sitting, and I have no choice but to follow because he's holding my food hostage.
"Besides," He says dodging someone’s book bag. "You can't expect me to have to live two separate friendship lives."
"That's exactly what I expect you to do. To be clear, I'm not officially claiming you as my friend, but if I were, we'd need to be separate and apart from the ones you already have; because when they're sober, your core set and I do not get along."
"That’s why you're eating with us today. This will give you all a chance to get to know each other. Resolve old hurts. That sort of thing. I promise you'll like them once you give them a chance."
"You can't say for certain that I will."
He stops in the middle of our journey and turns to face me. "And you can't say for certain that you won't. Besides, we're working on a project together and I'd like to be able to brainstorm with you at random moments like these when we're eating at the same time."
I follow him to the gallows, or in modern terms, the table occupied by his friends, leaving enough space for someone to sit between us. He grabs the leg of my chair, pulling me closer, and slides my tray towards me. I dip my fry in ketchup to keep my hands and mouth busy. They ignore me, engrossed in their conversation, and I'm content to sit in awkward silence because I won't be sitting here again.
I'm lost in thought when I feel a nudge on my shoulder, vaguely aware that someone is calling my name. Tabitha is looking at me. "I'm sorry, did you say something?"
"I asked about your last school. Van der Borne must be a lot different from what you're used to."
"Sure this campus is embossed in gold. My old school just used glitter."
She chuckles at my sarcasm. The first sign that someone in Bella's group has a mind of their own. "I bet that's a bitch for the landscapers."
"Not so much, they just vacuum it up and shoot new glitter through a cannon for all the major holidays. Way more cost effective than spit shining the metal crap around here."
She breaks into a genuine laugh, and I smile until my eyes settle on Bella. All I've got for her is the same energy she's giving me. I check my watch and gather up my tray. I've spent all the time I can doing lunch with the upper crust. If I'm going to catch my advisor during office hours, to discuss course alignment and transfer credits, for when I get back to Carryville, I need to go now.
My advisor, Mr. Bordough, clicks his mouse, and his fingers fly across the keyboard. "Okay, Jordanna, so far everything looks great concerning your core classes." He removes his round wire-rimmed spectacles and folds his hands on the desk in front of him. "Your life study grade, however… well, for an artist, I'm a little concerned about those scores."
"I know I'm struggling a bit, but, I've been working after hours, and the TA Noel, has been giving me extra exercises to help bring my grade up."
"Yes. I've read the all the progress notes he's been sending to Grace."
I'd almost forgotten there was an actual professor he reports to.
"She's concerned that you're playing it safe and worried about your project. Not only is it serving as your submission for that scholarship you're eyeing at Carryville, but it's also scheduled to be included in the art symposium and auction. Some of our biggest investors and alumni will be there, and there's a prestigious internship up for grabs. This isn't the time for safe Jordanna."
"I understand, sir. I can do better. I will do better."
"Okay, get with my assistant, and let's schedule an update meeting for a month from now."
A month to show improvement. I was nervous about talking to Mr. Bordough about my plans to transfer when we had our introductory meeting my first week of school, but he's been very helpful and supportive, and was even able to get his hands on the submission packages for the highest and lowest ranked students for the last four years.
No two paintings or photographs are the same. But I’m getting an idea of what the judges like. I can do this, but first I need to come up with a way to push past this irrational hang up I have about nudity.
I text Robbie the moment I'm outside.
Just left my advisor. Everything is on track, I just need to kill it with my art submission.
I wait a few seconds for the chat bubbles to show. When there's no response, I slip my phone back into my pocket. He must be in the middle of something. That's one of the things I love about Robbie. He's so driven and focused that not even a phone chime will drag him
away. He'll respond when he comes up for air.
Chapter Twenty-Six
I don't know whether to call having Jordanna sit with us at lunch a success or a failure. She was laughing and joking with Tabitha, some of the stress easing from her face, and then she looked at Bella and the tension crept back in. She flew from the table like a caged falcon finally being set free.
I rarely have to worry about if the girl I'm messing with likes my friends, because it's a given that they're so damn excited to be in our orbit. Jordanna was acting like I sentenced her to death. Well, she's just going to have to get used to it. She needs to believe that what's developing between us is real. I won't be able to sell it if we're sneaking around. I mean, it's hot when it's done right, but her downfall is going to be loud and public and messy. I need her fake ascension to the top of the food chain to be the same.
She's curled up in the corner, in the lounge of her dorm, when I come back from having dinner with Tabitha. "Hey, what are you doing down here?"
"Kassidy has friends over and..."
Kassidy with friends over isn't news to me. I'm the one who told them to change their study session to tonight. "Say no more." I hold out my hand for her sketch pad. "May I?"
Jordy cringes, flipping the page shut. "It's horrible."
"I know. Most things we do and critique ourselves, usually are. Now, hand it over."
"I mean it Logan. It's so bad."
I keep my hand extended, refusing to take no for an answer. She reluctantly places the booklet in my hand. I flip through a few sketches and finally land on the one she's working on. She's still struggling with the human form. "You know we switch to men in two more weeks. If boobs are still giving you issues, what are you going to do when there's a schlong in front of you?"
"This is why I should've dropped this class already. I wonder how much I'd have to drink to be okay with getting my first F."
"Nobody's failing."
"You're not looking at the right picture then."