by Sara Hess
It was crazy. I should be relaxed, sated and ready to take a break from her, and while I was somewhat unwound after a night of gorging on Shaw, I couldn’t wait to get back to her. It just didn’t feel right being away from her. It was mind-boggling.
I walked into the house at a quarter past eleven and found Carrie and Amanda in the living room. Carrie had papers strewn out in front of her on the coffee table…most likely homework…but she appeared more interested in chatting with Amanda than accomplishing any work.
They both turned what seemed like excessively animated expressions my way.
“Evan!” Carrie exclaimed. Her gaze flickered past me and she frowned slightly. “No Shaw? Is she okay?”
I knew she was inquiring about what happened last night. “She’s great, but she had some work to get done.”
Carrie’s frown lifted and she rolled her eyes. “Of course.”
“I’m going to head back over in a few hours and take her over to David’s to finish up moving his stuff into his condo and get it ready for tonight. Amanda, you and Noah coming?”
“Yep.” She chirped, in particularly high spirits.
I cocked my head and yo-yo’d my gaze back and forth between them. “What’s going on?”
Amanda’s expression turned all innocent, but her flushed face ruined it. “Nothings wrong. Why would you think anything was wrong? The guys are all working out if you’re wondering where they are.”
“Ooookay.” She was acting really strange and was definitely hiding something.
Dropping my bag at the bottom of the stairs I headed for our exercise room. It was where I planned to head anyway, and I was already in my workout clothes. When I walked in the only guys missing were Seth and Landon. Landon was living with his new family so of course he wasn’t here. We all still saw him regularly though. He was over during the week in discussions with Nic on their new business venture, and I saw him twice a week at work. Blake was here in his place taking us up on our offer of taking over Landon’s bedroom.
Seth, I’m sure was off doing something with Nadia…or doing Nadia.
I didn’t waste any time when I walked in the room. “What’s going; Amanda’s acting really strange?”
They all busted out laughing and all heads turned to Noah who halted his burpees to grin at me breathing hard. “I proposed last night.”
I stared at him in shock. “Are you shitting me?”
He bent down and grabbed a towel while shaking his head. “I am not. I’m engaged.”
“You gave her a ring and everything?”
“I did the whole dinner and ring in the champagne glass.” He wiped his sweaty face.
Shaking off my astonishment I stepped forward and slugged him in the shoulder. “Shit, that’s lame, Noah. Congratulations though, man, but what’s with the no heads up?”
“I didn’t want to tell anyone incase she said ‘no’.”
“Was there really a concern of that?” I snorted. “I’d have thought Amanda would have been hinting for it at this point. You guys have been going out for four years.”
Noah was shaking his head again. “We discussed it a while ago and made a tentative decision to wait until we finished school, but I couldn’t hold back any longer. Landon getting married put a fire under my ass. I wanted my ring on her finger, but I figured we could have a long engagement until we finish grad school.”
I was the one shaking my head this time as I head for the Mountain Climber. “You guys are dropping like flies. I’ve no doubt that Nic or Seth will be next.” I glanced over at Nic lifting weights with Blake and saw him grinning like he completely agreed with my prediction. He and Seth were already ball-n-chained without the official paperwork and loving it.
I just started my climb and almost fell off when Blake commented drolly, “Are we taking bets, and are we adding you to the roster?”
My heart rate increased and it wasn’t from the exercise. “You’re getting a little ahead of yourself. I haven’t even passed my month mark.” I didn’t doubt any longer that I would be with Shaw for more than a month, but I still didn’t know if the relationship was durable.
“Maybe, but we can all see that you’re different with Shaw. You two are like arid straw dipped in gasoline and a flame torch.” Blake chuckled.
That was the problem. Were we a fire that was destined to flame hot and fast and then snuff out swiftly, or something closer resembling Greek Fire? The thought that it might be the former highly agitated me on a level that was agitating in itself.
Nic was staring at me fixedly at me. Time to change the subject. “Are all you planning to head over to David’s tonight?”
“I’m in,” Blake says as he and Nic switched places. “A change up in parties sounds like a good idea because the same old-same old gets pretty tedious, and David’s always seemed cool the few times I’ve met him.”
I already knew Nic’s answer. Noah confirmed he was going too. He’d never met David but that didn’t bother him; a party was a party.
Noah’s philosophy was hard to argue with.
∞ ∞ ∞
“I feel like I’m walking around in Best Buy. I’ve never known anyone who had four televisions in one room…times three.” Noah walked out of the dinning room into the living room shaking his head in amazement. “Is this what Heaven is like?”
I found the idea of four televisions to a room more quirky than amazing. A hundred inch screen television…now that was amazing.
Each of the four walls in David’s living room, dining room, and rec room has a television mounted on it…I’d been the one to help David get each one up there. There was also one in each of the three bedrooms. Thankfully, we weren’t the ones that had to wire all of them for cable and other electronic boxes because that would have been a bitch. David had hired a professional to fix them all up with cable, and they all had some kind of game system attached to them as well; Playstation-4, X-Box, and WII-U.
The condo David bought was huge and while he lived alone he liked all the extra square feet for his gamer parties. He also informed me that one of the rooms was designated just for Shaw for when she stayed with him. Watching them interact today had further illustrated to me how close they were. If she considered Carrie her sister, than David was her brother.
“So what’s with the girls disappearing into the bedroom together?” Seth asked drinking from his beer bottle and eating a handful of pretzels as he slouched back in one of the black leather plush chairs.
“There must be a bathroom in there they’re all congregating in. That’s what they do, right?” Luka chimed in from the couch as he made a dent in the appetizers on the coffee table in front of him.
Landon didn’t pause in his examination of David’s game collection to ask, “But what are they doing in there? Maya’s had a mad twinkle in her eye the whole day, and what was in the bags they were all carrying? Maya growled anytime my hand went near it on the way over here.”
“Gabby did the same thing.” Lon declared and chugged some of his beer.
“Hillary didn’t bring a bag but they dragged her back there with them, and they don’t even know her. She looked pretty freaked out about it.” Blake walked into the room opening a beer of his own and didn’t appear all that concerned that his date had been freaked out.
Five other guests had arrived within the last ten minutes that I didn’t know. David had introduced each one; Tim, Matt, Deck, Leslie, and Trick. Trick and Seth appeared to be acquainted; greeting each other with fist bumps. The five guys were regulars at David’s parties from what I’d been told, and somewhat friendly with Shaw. Not real close, but people she was fairly comfortable being around.
Everyone that was invited appeared to have arrived, but eight of us guys were too wound up to start any games as we waited to find out what the nine girls were doing in the bathroom together. Sam was the only one without a guy wondering what the hell she was doing.
My gaze slid over Luka…unless he was wondering. I wasn’t sur
e what was going on between those two…if anything. And then there was the way Sam and Cole, Nadia’s half-brother tip-toes around each other when they were in the same room together. But that guy was quite a few years older than her.
My gaze skimmed past David; the smug smile on his face told me he knew what the girls were up to.
A door opening down the hall, giggling, and heels clacking on the floor had us all straightening in expectation. And when the girls came into view there was a collective indrawn breath. Then…
“Holy shit!”
“Hot Daaamnn!”
“Fuuuckkk!”
“Ooohhh Momma!”
“Okay, now I know I’m in Heaven.”
We all stared in shocked incredulity, because the girls were dressed up in outrageously sexy outfits, wigs, and dramatic eye make-up. They were all outfitted in attire like Shaw had been wearing that time I’d crashed David’s party looking for her; gamer girl anime.
“Hey, Halloween’s not for another week; was this supposed to be a costume party and I wasn’t told?” Greg asked as his date sauntered over to loop her arms around his neck and press up against him.
Even though my body no longer seemed to be working in regards to other women since Shaw, it didn’t stop me from recognizing their attractiveness, and this woman was a beauty. Greg should have been drooling over her but he only appeared mildly interested as his hand settled on her back. He had definitely looked way more interested in the girl he’d brought to the wedding and race track.
Rumor was…straight from Landon…Maya had set Greg up with this woman because he’d been down in the dumps and bad tempered lately. Maya had had to push him to come out tonight for some long overdue fun. I guess she was worried about him. I had to concur his expression wasn’t the content one you’d expect to see with having a beautiful woman hanging off you.
My ruminations on Greg’s bad mood flew out of my head when Shaw stepped into view. She was dressed in a short black and purple mini with black fishnet stockings, black t-shirt with logo—My five fingers do more in five minutes than yours do in a day—dog collar, leather wrists bands, black nail polish, heavily coaled eyes that looked wicked and amazing, and that familiar bobbed, vibrant purple wig. The only thing she was missing from last time was the combat boots and purple lipstick.
The outfit was over the top and hot as hell.
The rest of girls fanned out to their perspective partners and I watched with hot eyes and taut muscles as Shaw strolled my way, her gaze mischievous. “No, this isn’t a Halloween party. It’s a gamer party, and I was just giving the girls an opportunity to set free their inner game girl.”
“Well, my woman’s inner game girl is fucking hot, and now that I’ve met her she’s going to be coming out a lot more to play.” Noah exclaimed spinning Amanda into his arms.
Blake’s standing next to the chair I’m in and his date sidled up next to him hissing under her breath. “I feel like a Goth slut. I wouldn’t be caught dead in this even on Halloween.”
I had a feeling I wasn’t going to see her again.
As Shaw reached me I patted my leg tuning out everyone else. Cheeks reddening Shaw’s eyes flickered around the room, and only after a slight hesitation she sat sideways in my lap. Tucking her in I fingered her wig.
“Is this how you dress for all these parties?” I growled.
“It’s my alter-ego. Do you have a problem with it?” She quirked her brow at me.
I gave a small tug to her wig. “It bothers me that for year’s guys have seen you like. I know they’ve been going home and spanking the monkey to your image at the end of each night. They probably didn’t even make it home. There was probably a line to the bathroom at each one of these.”
Shaw shook her head in disbelief, exhibiting yet again her cluelessness of her own sexiness.
Dipping my finger under her dog collar I tugged her lips to mine, suckling her lower lip. This was why she’d left off the lipstick. “This look is the ultimate in spank bank material.” I was in a quandary of loving how she looked and hating that other guys had enjoyed this without me there to kick their asses. “Why would you dress like this when I’m sure all it did was make guys hotter for you?” It confused me because Shaw despised unwanted male attention.
She sighed and her green eyes clouded. “I liked not being me for a little while, and the outfit had the extra advantage of people not knowing who I was. I might have gotten some attention from it, but it was different…not as malicious and disgusting. I own it pretty good after all these years now, don’t you think?” She smirked.
That familiar rage gripped me…that she’d had to don a costume just to get a reprieve from assholes. I gently gripped her chin to rumble against her lips. “You own it like no ones fucking business.” Hungrily, I devoured her mouth.
Someone’s bellow, “Let’s get this gamer party started,” had us separating reluctantly.
“You ready to get your ass kicked.” Shaw grinned.
I chuckled, loving her…attitude. “Bring it on, Purple.”
Her smile was eagerly huge.
For the next few hours’ shouts resonated throughout the house from multiple games being played. Surprisingly, one that had a line to it was an older Nintendo game; one of the first Mario Brothers video games. David was a collector of vintage video games. He even had the old Mortal Combat and all of us guys had to try that out.
Shaw and the other professional gamers trounced the rest of us no matter what game we played. Their only competition was each other, and while Shaw wasn’t the best…that title went to Trick…she definitely held her own with them. Moreover, her verbal heckling beat all of them hands down. It was tremendously entertaining and amusing observing her lose herself in a frenzied battle to be victor.
The woman was enormously competitive.
It was towards the end of the night and I was sitting on the couch with Shaw between my legs watching her and Trick play Destiny, and of course her guardian on the game had purple hair.
“I hope you have your will written, Trick, because you’re going down.” Shaw declared tipsily, thumbing her controller.
I was at about that same level of intoxication, but it had taken more drinks to get me there.
“In your dreams, Purp. I may be three sheets to the wind, but I can still run tactics around you.” Trick drunkenly retorted.
Purp was Shaw’s moniker at these gatherings. She didn’t even use her own name. When I’d called her Purple earlier it had been completely coincidental. Learning this reminded me about how she’d felt the need to change her name because some douche-nozzle had named her after a fast food joint. Idiot.
I bet Shaw had felt pressured her whole life to be something else; different, better, quieter, nicer, prettier. In the beginning she’d caved to the pressure, but at some point she’d said ‘no more’. She might have renamed herself, but that had been for herself and no one else. Adopting this gamer personality was another way she’d taken control. It may have seemed like she was hiding so she wasn’t harassed, but anyone who knew her could see she didn’t hide. She was a fighter.
“Your tactics resemble a drunken chicken with its head cut off.” Shaw snorted.
“And even headless I can kick your tight purple patootie.” Trick chuckled.
Trick’s sole focus was the game so he didn’t witness the scowl I threw in his direction about his comment on Shaw’s ass. Her ass was mine.
Smacking the back of his head I growled. “Erase all thoughts about my woman’s patootie from your head.”
Trick’s gaze didn’t even waver from the screen as he chuckled. “I’m sorry…I don’t have a delete button for that function.”
Shaw chortled between my legs. She didn’t get bent out of shape when these guys made sexual comments towards her. I knew it was because there was a level of trust between them, but it was also because their remarks were delivered with humor and not with the purpose of getting in her pants.
But I wasn’t s
tupid or blind; these guys would have been all over her if she’d have given any indication that she was interested…except maybe Tim who I certain wanted all over David…and for that reason I had to knock it into their skulls that all of Shaw’s body parts were no longer up for discussion.
“I’ve got a delete button for you.” I grumbled.
“And it has more functions than its capacity to delete.” Blake snickered from behind us. He, Seth, Nadia and Luka were sitting on a couch that was back to back to ours playing Black Ops. “Right Shaw?”
“You brought it up, Blake. Maybe you know more about that than me. You guys did share a locker room for four years.” Shaw lobbied with a snigger.
Cackling and without taking his gaze from the television Trick raised his hand for a high five. Shaw slapped it.
Grinning, I rubbed Shaw’s thigh. “Hey Red, don’t throw me under the bus with him.”
Pausing her fingers on her remote for a moment Shaw stroked down my leg and leaned back to kiss my jaw. “Sorry cupcake, collateral damage and all that.” She then straightened and went back to the game. “And I wouldn’t hold it against you if you two did any…experimenting.”
I stared at the back of Shaw’s head in slight shock; not because of the homosexual reference, but from the tenderly offered kiss and endearment. She’d meant the endearment humorously, but that she’d combined it with an affectionate kiss made it special. I know the alcohol was playing a part, but I still soaked it up like it was gold.
“Blake, she’s kidding…right?” Blake’s date, Hillary, mumbled from the arm of the couch.
I hadn’t been paying all that much attention to Blake’s date, but I did notice that she wasn’t into video games, and she seemed kind of uptight…and now humorless.
“Yes, Hill’s, she’s kidding.” Blake sighed.
Nadia gave a coincidental cough, and for the first time Trick tore his eyes from the screen to frown at the offender of stupidity.
