by Amanda Rose
Actually, security would probably have kicked them out the moment she took off her coat. At least, she couldn't imagine the National Museum being okay with having a raunchy elf strut around between their posh collection.
"So, what are you two meant to be?" Mary asked, pointing at the army costumes of Noel and Sam.
"Us? We're dressed like the characters of a video game, RIVER. Heard of it?"
Mary held back a snort. Did she look like she'd heard about that game? "No, I haven't."
"Shame, it's pretty cool," Noel muttered, immediately regretting his words. What would a girl like Mary care about video games.
"It is pretty fun," Louis added, glancing at his two best mates. He was glad he brought Mary along but saddened he wasn't wearing his own costume. But then again, without Nico here, the squad wasn't complete anyway.
"What's it about?" Mary inquired, decided that if she wanted to see Louis again, she should at least pretend to show an interest in what he did. And hey, if all gamers looked like this, she'd happily learn more about it.
"It's an open world game set in an ancient, magical world. You band together in guilds to start your own village and fight for territory."
A vendor's mouth fell open as Mary trotted past his stall. But Mary only had eyes for her date and his friends.
"Okay?"
"So in every guild, you get smaller parties. There's four of us that make up Rebel Ravine, our squad."
"Four of you?"
Louis nodded as he counted him and his two mates. "Yes, there's Sam, Noel, me, and then Nico, who couldn't be here."
Mary nodded, for a moment wondering about this Nico. Would he be just as hot as the three of them?
"And so what do you do?" she asked, still not sure what they did.
"We kick ass, that's what," Sam grinned, winking at a girl selling comic books.
An irrational jealousy bubbled up in Mary's gut. One she quickly squashed down. She was on a date with Louis, not with Sam. She shouldn't care he was flirting with other women. But she did. How inappropriate.
"And apart from that, what else do you do, Sam?" Mary purred, hoping to draw his attention back to her. Pleased that his eyes left the random girl and darted over her cleavage, Mary batted her eyelashes at the blonde stud.
"We go on quests together to fight other players, monsters, and complete missions. The stronger we get, the higher our guild ranks."
"And that's a good thing?"
"Yup! It's just good fun, but there's also a lot of teamwork and strategy involved. And I just like to be on top," he smirked, flashing her a dazzling smile.
Mary refrained from giggling and nodded, pretending like she actually understood what he was going on about. "Sounds... Fun?"
Noel chuckled next to her. "You've got no idea what we're on about, do you?"
"Not really, no," she admitted, her cheeks colouring red once more. Now she was blushing. Again. Damn those men. How were they doing that to her?
Louis rolled his eyes, not believing that both Sam and Noel seemed to be interested in Mary. Sam, he could understand. They always did have the same type. But Noel? He was usually far too shy to even talk to the girls he or Sam brought around. But yet, the crack in his voice was unmistakable. Noel was interested.
Louis glanced at Mary, noting how cute the dimples in her cheek made her look. he couldn't blame his friends. Mary was definitely interesting.
And surprising. He couldn't believe she actually wanted to come along and join him and his mates for a cosplay convention. And that she seemed rather comfortable walking around in a skimpy elf costume.
Yes, he certainly misjudged her. Underneath her bitchy and cold exterior, there seemed to be a rather sweet and curious girl.
"Oh look, they're handing out shots," Mary chirped, pointing at a booth with skull flasks and pirate labelled bottles.
Louis nodded at the vendor, who quickly ran to their group with a bottle of green-coloured mead.
"Want a taste?" he eagerly asked, pushing plastic shot glasses in their hands. Without waiting for a response, he poured them a generous glug of booze.
"Bottom's up," Mary smirked, downing the shot without hesitation. She might have never been to a convention, or used to walking around dressed in an elf costume, but she knew how to drink. Even if the green drink left a rather strange aftertaste on her tongue, alcohol was alcohol. And she could use some to take the edge off.
Sam chuckled. "You got a good one. Looks like she knows how to down her booze," he grinned, slapping his mate on his shoulder.
"Looks like it," Louis agreed, impressed that Mary seemed to be so comfortable around them. Most girls he dated, or tried to date, weren't very interested in the gaming aspect of his life. In fact, only one girl before had been interested. And not just any girl.
The image of his empty bank account and a laughing Valerie flashed through his head. It was a painful memory, so he pushed it away. He didn't want to think about Valerie or her tricks. He glanced at Sam. He probably wouldn't want to think about her either.
Yes, Valerie definitely played them both. Played them at each other. He couldn't believe she almost managed to ruin their friendship.
In a way, she managed to ruin a part of it. After her, Sam and he hadn't managed to share another girl. Not healthily, anyway. His insecurities always seemed to mess the dynamic up.
He ground his teeth on each other, angry at himself for ruining so many of the opportunities. Sam had broken up with so many girls, simply because he got too jealous.
And now there was Mary. Mary, who seemed to be holding her own. Mary, who was hot as sin. Mary, who seemed to be capturing all of their attention. Mary, who might not want to be shared.
"Hey, what are you daydreaming about? Drink up!"
Her voice broke his trance. Louis snapped out of his pondering and directed his attention to Mary.
"Sorry?" he asked, not entirely sure what was going on.
"You're just staring at your shot. Drink up," Mary grinned, her hand resting warmly on his arm. He glanced at her, temporarily losing himself in her dark eyes. She really was stunning. No way would she go for him.
Bitter, he brought the plastic cup to his lips and chugged the green liquid. The mead stung the back of his throat and the harsh taste of anise filled his nose. Yuck.
"Tasty?" the vendor asked, beaming proudly.
"Very," Louis coughed politely, dread rising in his stomach as his cup was filled with a pink liquid this time. Not more poison.
He glanced at his date, hoping she wasn't ready to run out of there kicking and screaming. But the glint in her eyes and the satisfied grin playing around her lips reassured him a little. It appeared she was having fun tasting all the weird meads. And as long as she was having fun, he could stomach this vile drink.
Pretending he was a seasoned veteran, he chugged the bottom of his shot glass. The spice of pink peppercorns hit the roof of his mouth. Tears sprung to his eyes as he doubled over and grunted.
Damn. Being a sissy wasn't exactly the impression he wanted to give Mary. He glanced at her, almost sure she'd be laughing at him.
"You okay?"
Surprised, Louis felt how Mary ran a hand soothingly up his back and gently patted him. Concern swirled in her eyes and for a moment, he saw through her mask.
"Y-Yeah, I think it went down the wrong pipe," he lied, enjoying the circles she was drawing on his back.
"Oh, that sucks. Do you need some water?" Mary proposed, looking around the venue for a restroom or a stall that sold regular sodas.
"M-Maybe?" Louis croaked, wanting to let his tongue hang out of his mouth like a dog. He glared at the vendor, wondering why he hadn't warned him what he was pouring them. Bastard.
"We'll be right back," she called out to Sam and Noel as she tugged Louis with her to the next booth.
"Here, have a drink."
Gratefully, Louis gulped down the cold water. It didn't really help the sting on his tongue, but at least it was refreshi
ng.
"Oh and I could be mistaken, but I think Sam is hitting on me."
Louis grimaced. "You're not mistaken."
"And that doesn't bother you?" Mary asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Not really. We share everything in our group."
Mary frowned. She wasn't too sure what that exactly meant, but she figured now was not the right time to get into that.
"Did the water help?" Mary smiled, still rubbing his back.
"More or less. I didn't like that peppery drink much."
Mary pressed herself against Louis, batting her eyelashes seductively. "Want me to kiss it better?"
Louis chuckled. "Sure," he joked.
The taste of anise fell on his tongue and surprised, he forgot to kiss Mary back. She was kissing him. Actually kissing him. Hastily, as not to make her think the kiss wasn't welcome, he wrapped his arms around her. Happily, he embraced the woman smelling like vanilla.
"Better?" Mary whispered against his lips.
"Only a little," he murmured, pulling her back to him. This time, he kissed her. Deeply. Thoroughly. Until the taste of anise and pepper danced on both their tongues.
"Ooolalaaa."
Reluctantly, Mary pulled away from Louis and his soft lips. There was only one person who'd interrupt them like that. Sam.
"You enjoying the view?" she sneered, glaring at the tallest of them all. Sure, he was nice to look at, but looking definitely didn't beat kissing Louis. He was a surprisingly good kisser and he definitely flamed up the coals in the pits of her stomach. She could only imagine what else he'd be good at with his talented lips.
"Don't stop on my account," Sam grinned, slapping Louis on his back. "Nice going, mate!"
A sour grin stretched across Louis' face. "Thanks for interrupting, dude."
Sam shrugged, not caring much. "Nobody said you had to stop!"
Louis brushed his hand away, a little annoyed his mate wouldn't give him five minutes alone with Mary. He didn't mind sharing, but he did want some quality time with her. After all, she was here on a date with him, not Sam. Or Noel. He could see the possessive twinkle in his eyes as well.
Sam held up his hands. "Chill, bro. I'm just playing," he grinned, winking at Mary.
She awkwardly coughed, not entirely sure what was going on between the three of them. Louis had mention something about them sharing everything, but from the testosterone fueled glares, she wasn't too sure anymore.
"I need the bathroom," she announced, using the oldest excuse in the book.
"It's that way," Noel helpfully added, pointing at the back of the venue. He'd seen his friends get competitive before, and he didn't think it was fair to the girls that got caught in the middle. Although it was a girl who got them this way.
Anger bubbled up in his gut as he thought about Valerie and how she'd ruined the synergy between the two of them. Every time either of them met a girl, he hoped she'd be the one mending the cracks between his two best friends. But the way it was going, that didn't seem very likely. Certainly not if he was also interested in the dark-haired brunette standing in the middle of their triangle.
Mary splashed cold water in her face, hoping it would calm her down a bit.
"Shhhh!"
With a hand clamped over her mouth, a figure yanked her into the last stall.
"What the!" she started, ready to yell or kick whoever was stupid enough to abduct her.
The masked figure pulled his helmet off, revealing a set of blue eyes.
"Sam," she hissed, glaring at the man cramping the stall."What the fuck are you doing in here? This is the ladies room!"
"That's why I said shhhh," he hissed, placing a finger over her lips to silence her.
In a hushed voice, Mary continued. "Whatever. What are you doing here?"
Sam pouted. "Just wanted to check up and see if you were okay."
"And that couldn't wait until I was out of the bathroom?"
He grinned, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Now what would be the fun in that?"
Mary pulled up an eyebrow. "What do you want?"
Sam chuckled huskily, drawing her attention to his sharp jaw. "I think the question is more: what do you want?"
Immediately, the coals in her stomach flamed up again. Embarrassed, she averted her eyes. "I don't know what you mean," she denied, trying to silence the greedy monster that usually laid dormant in her stomach.
"You sure?" Sam teased, pushing her chin up so she had no choice but to look in his eyes.
A shiver ran down her spine. Damn, he was beautiful. "I'm very sure," she whispered, her voice shakier than ever.
Without waiting for her permission, Sam crashed his mouth on hers, stealing her breath from her lips. Breathlessly, Mary parted her lips, hoping to draw in more air. Instead, she drew in more of Sam. There was only a vague hint of anise left on his tongue. Mostly, he tasted sweet and dark. Like Pinewood, or maybe cedar.
"Wait," she protested, the image of Louis flashing through her mind as she replayed their kiss in her mind.
"I'm on a date with Louis," she reminded Sam, shocked he'd shamelessly make a move on his friend's date.
Sam chuckled darkly, running his thumb over her bottom lip. "Don't worry about it, Louis and I always share."
Doubt flashed through Mary's mind. Could that be true? Then what was all the testosterone about before?
"I'm not sure-" she started, but Sam cut her off with another possessive kiss. His tongue flicked against her lips, and involuntarily, she parted her mouth for him. Not wasting a second, Sam drew Mary in, his tongue wrapping around hers eagerly.
"Sam..." Mary tried again, pushing him softly away. Damn, that was one hard chest.
"I promise you, Louis and I are okay with sharing," he assured her, grazing his teeth over her cheek down to her nape.
"You sure that's—OH!" Mary gasped as Sam sucked on her soft spot, his tongue playfully darting over her skin. How did he know she was so sensitive in her neck? A lucky guess?
"I'm sure," he growled against her skin, digging his fingers in her hips as he pulled her against him.
Mary stifled a whimper as he pressed his bulge against her. Even without looking or touching it, she knew he was big. And hard. Very hard.
"Turn around," Sam growled in her ear, nipping her neck again.
Electricity sizzled through her veins as he ground himself against her, eagerly. Desperately. Ever since they met, she'd been running through his head. He wanted her. He needed her. And he couldn't wait.
With one tug, he yanked her flimsy shorts down. His other hand snuck under the hem of her green shirt, over her smooth stomach. She sighed under his touch, arching her back to give him easier access. She could already feel the signature tingle between her legs, the one that would ensure a smooth entry for whatever hardness was waiting for her.
Without any hesitance, he pushed her bra out of the way so he could cup her breast. Mary gasped as he rolled her nipple between his fingers, only softly tugging.
"Shhh, be quiet," Sam hissed in her ear as he pinched her hardened nipple, eliciting another moan from her lips. Wantonly, she ground her ass against his bulge, hoping to make it clear how much she wanted him.
Without another thought, he slipped his hand between her legs. His fingers tickled her thighs as he nudged her.
"Spread your legs for me," he ordered, his cock straining hard against his jeans. He was glad he guessed right. Mary seemed like a tough cookie, but underneath the harshness, there was a submissive girl waiting for him to take charge. If only he could explain how it worked to Louis, but his friend didn't seem to get it.
Mary whimpered, clamping her legs tight around his hand. "Maybe..."
Sam tweaked her nipple harshly, yanking her hard into him so she could feel how mad she was driving him. "Spread wide for me," he commanded, the heat radiating from her core clear enough how much she was really enjoying this.
Without further protest, Mary's legs relaxed. Another surge of electri
city shot through her body as Sam pushed her panties to the side and slowly ran a finger through her slit. For a moment, she worried if the other people in the surrounding stalls might be able to hear what they were about to do.
Every worry was erased from her brain as Sam teased her pussy, up to the little button hidden between her folds. With a loud gasp, she pressed herself down on his hand, desperate for his touch. Ever since she broke up with Kurt, the only person touching her, had been herself. And as talented as her own fingers were, nothing beat the touch of another person. Another man.
"What do we say?" Sam grinned as he teasingly drew circles around her sensitive nub.
"Please," Mary whispered, the lump in her throat restricting her from moaning out loud like she wanted to. But she didn't want to get caught and left hanging. She'd do anything to feel him inside her. Even if that meant swallowing her moans and surrendering to his every whim.
"Please?" he grinned, his breath hot in her skin. He pinched her nipple again, pleasure shooting from her chest straight down to her core. Mary could only hope he'd do that right when she was about to unravel.
"Please, I want you inside me," she begged, grinding her hips against him. She could feel his hardness, his lust. He was so close to her, only separated by a couple of layers of fabric. But right now, it felt like it was a mountain. She wanted to reach around and draw him out herself, but she knew he wouldn't allow that. And that just made it even more exciting. Here she was in a bathroom, surrounded by people, about to be taken from behind by a guy she barely knew.
The rational part of her brain told her she was being careless, that she should get to know him first, that she was on a date with another guy. But another part, a stronger part of her was waving every rational argument away. All she knew was the burning between her legs, the knot in her stomach that desperately needed to unravel. And she needed him to do it for her.
He rolled her nipple between his fingers, before sharply tugging on it. More excitement coursed through her veins, and down between her legs. There was no way Sam could miss how turned on, how eager she was. The slickness of her pussy, the ultimate traitor.
