by Jane Matisse
“I thought you guys weren’t planning on getting strippers for the party.”
Penelope turned to look at him, a confused look on her face. “Why wouldn’t we get them? They’re strippers.”
“So you’ll be enjoying them too, eh?” Jack smirked. “You know, you could always hire me to dance for you.”
“Y-you?” Penelope asked, a little breathless. Jack was about to tease her a little more before she suddenly burst into a fit of giggles.
“What’s so wrong with me? You haven’t seen my moves. Well, you did get a little show the night we spent together.”
Penelope couldn’t stop her fit, and Jack was getting a little annoyed. “Okay, I’m sorry. That’s very rude of me,” she said with a smile on her face. “I’m sure you move beautifully.” She’d pinched her lips together, Jack noticed, probably to stop herself from laughing.
Jack smiled, a little triumphant that he’d managed to make her go back to normal at least. She was finally getting more comfortable, which was what he’d been aiming for. What caught his breath was when she was comfortable enough to be herself without a care in the world.
He noticed she was trying really hard not to look through the lingerie. He started to chuckle, until he had a sudden flash of a vision of her wearing a skimpy black lace panties and bra set. They would hug her in all the right places. What was that god-awful saying people used? More cushion for the pushin’. Well they did have a point. But the direction his thoughts were going wasn’t going to put a damper on the hard-on threatening to grow if he didn’t think of anything to make it go away, and fast.
“Do you know what you’re giving them for their wedding?” Penelope asked, oblivious to Jack’s turmoil.
The mention of Celeste’s name did the trick. Penelope is your best friend’s sister, remember? You can’t mix the two together. To break Penelope’s heart is to break Celeste’s. He let his mind give him a pep talk, which felt more like a brainwash than anything. Even his mind wasn’t sure what to think anymore.
“Jack?” Penelope questioned again, this time looking at him with a worried expression.
He quickly shook his head to clear it. “Uhh... some lingerie maybe? Think she’d appreciate a nice thong for Bryan’s trunk?” Jack joked, pointing at the male thong designed as an elephant.
Penelope’s eyes widened. Jack knew she was imagining the size of the penis that would actually fill the long elephant trunk.
“Too big?” Jack asked.
“Eww, I really don’t want to imagine Bryan’s thing. He’s my future brother-in-law! And he has sex with my sister. Don’t need that image in my head, thank you very much!”
“Would you rather imagine my thing?” Jack suggested, his voice low and soft.
Penelope visibly swallowed, but almost immediately had the hint of a smirk on her face. Jack’s dick twitched back to life. Oh shit, he thought. Penelope walked slowly right up to him and stood on her tiptoes to get as close to him as she could.
He could feel her warm breath on his neck, causing him to get goose bumps all over his body. “It’s blue,” she whispered.
Jack leaned back to take a look at her, confusion muddling his sex-infested brain. “What?”
“My vibe. It’s blue,” she softly confessed, licking her lips and turning around, heading toward the cashier with the party favors in her hands.
“I-I’ll catch up with you. I think I saw something over there... I’d....” Jack’s sentence died as he quickly walked away from her and tried to busy himself with the ugly blow-up doll selection, willing his hard-on to go away.
Dead birds, liver and onions, crying babies, grandma on the toilet, he thought, as he tried to focus on anything, anyone but Penelope. For the first time, she had turned the seduction tables on him. And as much as he tried not to like it, he found it turned him on, very much.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
I find it slightly annoying that there are many people out in the world who think that women don’t masturbate. As if we would ever say, “Ugh, another orgasm? I hate orgasms!” Really? Just imagine if they knew the number of sex toys out there made especially for women. They’d probably get heart failure.
DIARY OF A WALLFLOWER: Entry 164
“My vibe is blue?” Jasmine exclaimed, practically jumping up and down as they walked through the mall. “I cannot believe our sweet, innocent Penny said that out loud!”
Penelope had her head in her hands. “Look, I was trying to get him out of that permanent seat he has on his damn high horse! I’m sick of being a plaything for him,” she said, trying to keep her voice down as some girls passed them. “Something just took over me. Call it anger, call it passion. The point is, it threw him off guard, which is what I’d wanted to do.”
“He likes you. I know he does,” Stephanie stated, nodding to enforce her assuredness.
“I don’t think so. He likes the idea of flirting to fluster me. He’s the cat who likes to play with the mouse.”
“Let me guess, you’re the mouse?” Stephanie asked, rolling her eyes.
“Look, no matter how much you guys think he likes me, he doesn’t. I know he doesn’t. I’m merely a distraction for him while he looks for a girl to tumble in the hay with.”
“Oh God, Penny. Sex. It’s sex. You can say it you know. You’ve done it already. Bumping uglies, intercourse, fucking, cock in pu—”
“Okay! I think we got the memo, Jazz, thank you!” Penelope interrupted, feeling the familiar heat spread toward her face. It didn’t matter that she had done the unmentionable with Jack; she still wasn’t comfortable talking about it. She thought about the day before at the adult store and how he had looked at her when she’d mentioned her vibrator. He had looked uncomfortable; whether that was a good or bad sign, she didn’t know. It didn’t matter did it? She had only wanted to push him off the stage, to surprise him.
But the more she thought about it, the more she realized she secretly hoped he found her attractive. At least then she could probably understand the looks he gave her sometimes. That intense look she saw on his face, as if he were studying her in precise detail to memorize every aspect of her face, her movements, even her body. It wasn’t disgust. That was for sure. Never disgust. Wonderment, perhaps. But plenty of times she dreamt about him looking at her with hunger in his eyes, as if she were the last barbeque rib at the buffet table. Or the last condom in the box.
She knew she shouldn’t hope. Hoping was dangerous territory. She could be kicked off cloud nine any second and she didn’t know if her confidence could take that blow. It had taken her years to build her self-esteem up from the lowest of the low since her high school days, and she wasn’t about to let some sexy, shallow man—who just happened to have given her the best sex experience ever—make her lose sight of the hard work she had put in on herself.
“Geez, the guy has gotten to you already, hasn’t he?” Jasmine asked.
“I just don’t want things to get out of hand is all,” she replied, walking into a bookstore. “Enough of Jack and his sexy butt. Let’s look for a good book for me to read.”
She could hear her friends groaning right behind her as all three walked inside the store.
* * *
“Hey, don’t be nervous. Relax. You’re not here to be the center of attention.”
“Seriously, Penny. We’re gonna be surrounded by hot as fuck guys in a few minutes, and you can’t be seen nervous as hell and sweating like a pig,” Jasmine added.
Her friends were obviously worried Penelope was going to pass out any moment. She was pale, the blood drained completely from her face. Jack was a little worried himself. She looked a lot paler than when they had first gotten inside the car. He felt for her, he really did. He had been dragged along as well, since the girls apparently thought it would be a good idea for him to be the designated driver.
“I can’t believe you guys made me come here. Couldn’t I just wait in the car while you ladies did your stripper shopping?” Jack asked as he wa
lked right behind the three girls.
“I second that! Come on, Jack. Let’s go,” Penelope quickly suggested, grabbing his hand and trying to pull him toward the entrance they’d just walked through.
“Oh no you don’t! This is for your sister,” Stephanie insisted, grabbing on to Penelope’s hand and pulling her back toward the tables close to the stage. “Besides, you need to help choose the best strippers for the party.”
“I don’t even know why she needs them. We could always play board games at the party. Or just dance the night away. Strippers aren’t really necessary,” Penelope replied, her breath coming in short gasps. Jack thought she would faint or at the very least hyperventilate. He decided to keep a close watch on her just in case. In the meantime, he couldn’t wait until this was all over.
“Remind me again why I’m here exactly?” Jack asked, becoming more uncomfortable by the minute. Watching men strip really wasn’t his forte. Not to mention most of them probably pumped twice as much iron as he did. It wasn’t like he wasn’t confident about his fit, manly, built body, God knew he attracted a lot of attention because of it, but he suddenly didn’t feel comfortable being compared to them by Penelope. It was normal to feel that way since they’d had sex and she had been a virgin. It would be natural for her to see another more fit man and wonder if he would be a better lay.
God, he needed to get a fucking grip.
The owner of the joint came out and introduced himself as Rafaelo. What a surprise. Why was it that when a man tried to be exotic, he always went for the most obvious names? There was a brief introduction before he cued the music to begin and introduced each dancer by name. Stephanie and Jasmine were both excited and showing great enthusiasm, trying to get Penelope to respond. A few minutes into the introductions, the waiter brought over their drinks. Jasmine slid a glass of Coke toward Penelope. Jack only sipped his water, even though he would have killed for a whiskey on the rocks. He was definitely out of his comfort zone.
Each of the strippers were announced and the host made it a point that the girls make a choice of the top four dancers. Jack chanced another glance toward Penelope on the other side of the table. He was surprised to see she had a soft smile on her face. Had he missed something? He leaned toward Stephanie, sitting right next to him, and asked, “Is Penny all right?”
Stephanie whispered in return, “Jazz slipped a pill in her drink for her anxiety. She’ll be fine.”
Jack chuckled in surprise.
The four dancers left on stage then began to individually do their routines. They managed to stay on stage for the most part... until the third dancer, who looked like the youngest of them, stepped down, jeans unbuttoned, and headed straight for Penelope, who looked like she was in La-La Land with the drunk smile on her face. When he turned her chair away from the table, he managed to shift her legs apart and began to grind against her. At least she had the decency to look a little shocked, and Jack knew her face was turning red, although he couldn’t be sure with the dim lighting.
Her friends were too busy enjoying the scene and hooting to encourage the vulgarity of the stripper’s movements. Jack was getting angry. It wasn’t jealousy. No, no it wasn’t. It was merely that he didn’t like experienced men like the stripper corrupting Penelope, with her innocent face and blue vibrator. He was not jealous one bit, and yet he didn’t like the way the dancer was paying too much attention to her. Did he not know the meaning of personal space?
Without thinking, Jack got up and walked over to the stripper, who was now straddling Penelope’s lap, rubbing his naked chest on her covered one. Jack couldn’t handle it anymore.
“I think that’s enough.” He tapped the dancer on the shoulder. The music stopped, and the sweaty dancer turned around, standing to his full height. He was probably three inches taller than Jack, so his eyes were level with the guy’s nose.
“Oh, come on, Jack. What’s going on?” Jasmine whined, taking a sip of her drink. “We’re supposed to give these hotties a test drive to see which ones we want for the party.”
“I just don’t think Penelope should be here.”
This time Penelope interjected. “Umm, excuse me, but I was having fun. I don’t know what your problem is, Jack”—her words were a little slurred, probably from the pill her friends had slipped her—“but unless you’re going to start stripping, you might as well leave,” she stated, seeming a bit put out by his interruption.
Even though her gaze was a bit glazed over, he could still read the challenge in her eyes. Well, she’d asked for it. He cued the DJ hiding in the back corner to start the music up and all three girls went quiet, staring at him wide-eyed. He started moving to the music, swaying his hips a little, just so they could loosen up, get comfortable with the rhythm.
He chanced a look at Penelope. Her eyes were wide, her chest moving quickly as she panted. He had her right where he wanted her. He was in charge here. No one was going to twist him around their little finger. He started unbuttoning his dress shirt, the shirt he had worn for work that day, and slid it off, exposing his muscular, tanned arms and broad shoulders. He walked toward Penelope, and watched as her legs suddenly squeezed tight together.
Yes, get wet for me, he tried telling her with his eyes. He walked closer, enjoying the torturous pace.
* * *
Penelope couldn’t believe Jack was stripping. The man was absolutely flawless. Was there anything he couldn’t do? She tried reminding herself to breathe and was completely attentive to Jack’s every move as he slowly walked toward her, carefully nudging her legs apart to stand in between them. She was afraid he would be able to smell the arousal she felt spreading through her panties.
The man had a big impact on her, even when she tried convincing herself he didn’t. When she had told him to strip or leave, she hadn’t thought of it as a challenge.
Her hand suddenly felt something smooth and hard. She looked up to see Jack had grabbed it and placed it underneath his undershirt, sliding it along his torso. His defined abs and silky chest hair made her want to lick him all over. She took a chance and grazed her nails over one of his nipples.
She heard his intake of breath. It gave her even more confidence, just knowing her touch affected him in a good way. Her mind flashed back to their one night together: the way she’d touched him, the way his body had covered hers, making her feel small and protected as he’d done things to her that made her blush just thinking about them. She had a feeling he guessed what she was thinking about by the look he was giving her. She blamed his hungry look on her muddled mind. What was in that Coke?
The hooting Stephanie and Jasmine were making just beside her interrupted her thoughts. What the hell was she doing? What the hell was Jack doing? Was he trying to prove something? Was this all a sick joke to him, a way to dangle in front of her what she knew she couldn’t have? Like a dog yearning for the bone on the other side of the fence.
“I’ve gotta go to the bathroom,” she confessed before quickly standing up and heading toward the neon light at the right side of the stage. She made it to the sink in the bathroom and splashed some water on her burning face. Yep, she knew there had to have been something in her Coke. Her friends were all too willing to have her chug it down.
She walked out of the bathroom after a few minutes of pep talking to find Jack waiting for her right outside the door.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine,” she answered warily, starting to walk past him. He grabbed her arm before she could get far enough.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Didn’t like the show?” There was a little glimmer of mirth in his eyes.
Penelope huffed, and it took all her willpower not to stomp her foot in frustration like a five-year-old. Either that, or push him against the wall and kiss him senseless. Either one sounded like a no-no. Yet there was something in the way Jack was looking at her that made her toes curl and her breath come out in loud gasps. It was as if time stood still, waiting for either one of them to
make the next move.
She didn’t know who moved first, and she couldn’t care less. All she could think about was Jack pressed up against her, his chest against her breasts, his thigh pressed tightly between her legs, making sure to hit the right spot as she unconsciously began to grind her softness against the hard muscles of his leg. She was in heaven, and realized that she was wound up so tight these past few days not because she found him annoying, but because this was exactly what she had been waiting for.
Penelope wrapped her arms around his torso as Jack kept her head in place with his hands at either side of her face. He was exerting command, calling the shots, and even though Penelope was all for gender equality and power to the women, it felt so right to let him take the reins on that kiss. It took her a few attempts to stop, moaning each time. Jack kissed her again to keep her quiet.
He finally pulled away and rested his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling together. “I’ve been wanting to do that all night. What are you doing to me, Penelope?”
Penelope didn’t answer; she couldn’t. A lump was beginning to grow in her throat. Too much, too soon. She couldn’t believe what he was saying, yet there was no mistaking his hard cock pressing against her stomach. Even through his jeans she could feel it begging to be touched. She pressed herself even closer to him, giving him some of the pressure he needed.
And before her courage could waver, Penelope asked, “Your place or mine?”
* * *
Jack’s blood was racing. He felt as if he had just run a race, and he was trying so hard not to speed through the streets. He was already going fifty in a thirty-five zone. Once they agreed to take their little make-out session to a more private setting, Penelope had told her friends she wanted to turn in for the night. After a few seconds of objecting, Stephanie and Jasmine reluctantly agreed, but not before stating that they were going to stay for the rest of the show and hail a cab after. Luckily, they were a little too buzzed to notice the disheveled state Penelope and Jack were both in.
