Page 5
Taylor
“How did I lose to Preston?” Bex growls. “In H-O-R-S-E, of all things. Basketball is my sport. Not his.” She spins around to face me, cheeks red and teeth gritted. “This is bullshit. Now, we both have to dance on a bar in front of everyone at our school. This is so embarrassing.”
I shrug, unfazed.
Bex lost a bet to Preston and convinced me to embrace the shame with her. We have to shake our asses to one song to win money for charity. It’s for a good cause. And Bex lost to Preston, fair and square. She can’t back out of this, so I might as well make sure she follows through.
“It will be over before you know it,” I promise her. “Get a move on. We have to leave in a few minutes if we want to get there on time.”
After Bex slips into the tight spandex shorts and pink tank top we have to wear, then she stares in the mirror as if she doesn’t recognize herself.
I come up from behind her and cup her shoulders with both hands. “You look hot, babe. We will own this dance contest.”
She looks at me in the mirror and rolls her eyes. “Remind me never to make deals with hot hockey players. I don’t know shit about dancing at a club. This will be so humiliating. Why are you not upset I roped you into this?”
I brush off her concern and continue lining my lips with my signature light pink gloss.
“I like dancing and money,” I joke. “I don’t see the problem. It’s not like we have to take off our clothes.”
Annoyed, Bex blows out a puff of air. “I guess so. But look at what we have to wear. It’s ridiculous.”
I step back from Bex to check myself in the mirror and fix the short tank top riding up my stomach. Neither of us ever wears clothes this tight or skimpy, but it’s not like we have a choice. Bex owes a debt, one we both now have to pay.
“It’s not that bad,” I tell her. “The whole thing will be over before you know it.”
The more I try to wave off Bex’s concern, the more irritated she looks.
She frowns, unable to hide her disappointment. “Whoever ordered our outfits must have sized them for children. Black spandex shorts that barely cover my underwear are not okay around Preston. Neither is this top that scoops so low my nipples are practically hanging out.”
We’re both popping out of these shirts.
I laugh, focused on Bex’s transformation. “But you look smoking. Preston will pop wood so fast you won’t be able to keep him away from you.”
“Ugh. That’s the problem. I can’t have Preston see me like this.” She wraps her arms around her stomach. “He’s so touchy-feely. Being around him makes me want to break my dad’s rules. I’d do it, too. If he wanted to.”
“You bet your ass Preston would. He wants you. Anyone within a ten-mile radius of you two can feel the sexual tension. Your dad’s last rule applies to dating, but he never said you couldn’t have sex with his players.”
“No, not you, too.” She sounds bummed that I’m siding with him. “You’re just as bad as Preston. Look what happened the last time I had sex with one of his players. It almost ruined my life.”
“This time is different.”
“How so?”
“Because Preston is different. And girl, he’s like a five-alarm fire hot. I don’t know how you can stand to be around him without keeping a change of panties in your pocket.”
I love messing with her. Sometimes, Bex can be so sensitive. And with Preston, she’s acting like a complete weirdo. She needs to lighten up about him. She’s totally into him and will probably jump him by the night’s end if he doesn’t get to it first.
Bex lifts a pillow from the bed and throws it at me. “You’re so gross.”
I catch the pillow and throw it back at her. “You know I’m right. Admit it, Bex. You want him, too.”
She ducks, the pillow missing her head. It hits the wall behind her. “I can’t.”
“Hey, it’s just an idea. If you want to touch his man meat, nothing is stopping you.”
She makes a disgusted face. “Ew, did you just say man meat?”
“I hear he’s big.” I hold out my hands to pretend I’m measuring Preston’s dick, though I doubt he’s bigger than Drake.
I don’t think anyone is that big. Drake is like a porn star, Guinness World Records huge. When Jackie showed me the pictures he sent to her, my jaw unhinged. It’s so massive that one screen isn’t enough to cover all of it.
I have been wondering where he puts it. Like how does it even fit in his pants?
“Oh my God.” She sticks her tongue out. “Stop it. And how would you know how big Preston is? It’s not like you’ve seen it.”
“I asked around for you.” I’m lying to mess with her. “Figured we should get as much dirt on him as we can… in case you change your mind about him.”
She shakes head and sighs. “I can’t think of him like that. Ugh… he’s my dad’s favorite player. And his mom invited me to learn from her. I mean, how cool is that?”
“Yeah, that’s awesome. Coach is like your spirit animal.”
“I know. She’s so incredible. I would kill to have a mom like Preston’s. Mine was a complete embarrassment to all women. A nasty home-wrecking whore.”
I take a peek in the mirror once more. “How do I look?”
She winks at me. “Hot.”
Smiling, I gather my hair and move it over my shoulder, and then hand Bex the bottle of vodka from the counter.
She takes it from me as if she needs it to survive the night. “Everyone on campus is coming to see the contest, and I don’t even know how to dance.”
I snort and steal the bottle back from Bex, raising it to my lips. “You’ve got moves, Bex. They come out when you’re drunk. All you have to do is get on that bar, shake your ass, and push out your tits.”
She laughs. “I hate you.”
I blow her a kiss. “You love me.”
I know she does.
We have to leave now, or we’ll be late for this clusterfuck of a night.
Between Bex stressing out over Preston and the dance moves, I have given little thought to the fact Drake will be there too.
And I have to dance in front of him and the rest of the school.
Oh, well. I can do this. Bex needs me to be the strong one to push her.
Drake is the first person I see in the parking lot at The Sixth Floor, the two-story dance club that overlooks the Philadelphia waterfront.
He’s so big, he towers over all of his friends who are standing around him.
Preston is next to Tucker and Trent Kane with Jamie O’Connor on his right.
Bex locks onto Preston and sucks in a deep breath.
I have a similar reaction to Drake, even though I expected to see him here. The second our eyes meet, his expression changes. He shoots a strange look in my direction, a mixture of desire and hatred that pricks my skin.
The feeling is mutual, buddy.
I know some girls in Kappa Delta, the sorority we’re dancing with tonight. A group of girls in matching outfits crowd around Drake and his teammates. Avoiding Drake’s intense gaze, I follow Bex, who makes a beeline toward Preston.
Preston stops talking, his eyes now fixed on Bex. He takes in every inch of Bex’s body, his mouth open in shock. No one has ever seen Bex dressed like this. At least, not in public.
She sticks with basketball uniforms or track pants when we’re on campus. When I drag her to parties with me, I often have to force her into women’s clothing. She’s a real tomboy down to her very core.
Preston’s eyeballs are practically bugging out of his head at the sight of Bex in sexy clothing. “Damn, Bex.” He grips her by the waist, studying her. “You look… hot.”
She forces a smile. “Thanks, Parker. You’re not so bad yourself.”
“Shannon,” Jamie O’Connor says to a girl with long, blonde hair. “This is Bex.” He points a finger at her and then to me. “And her friend, Taylor. They’re the girls I told you about.”
“Oh, hey.” Shannon strolls over to us. “You two are such lifesavers. We were ready to bail on the contest until Jamie told me you could fill in for our friends.”
I’ve seen Shannon at frat parties and around campus, but this is my first time meeting her.
“I don’t know how to dance,” Bex admits.
She’s so obsessed with all of her flaws that she can’t stop doting on them. I wish she would exude the same confidence she has with basketball.
“Yes, you do.” I smack her arm. “Bex is being modest.”
“Okay, fine.” She holds up her hands. “But if we lose, don’t blame me.”
“So, what do you need us to do?” I ask Shannon.
“It’s nothing special,” she lilts. “Just have fun. We have a few moves we’re planning to do. Move your hips to the beat and do whatever feels natural to you.”
Preston slips behind Bex, his hands on her hips. He sways her hips, rocking her from side to side. “Nothing to it, Bex.”
She tenses up when his hands touch her skin. My bestie really needs to chill out. I guess the vodka we drank in our apartment wasn’t enough to mellow her out.
She glances up at him. “Easy for you to say. Maybe you should get up on the bar and shake your ass for money.”
He laughs. “For five hundred bucks, I would.”
“I think I need a drink,” she says to Preston. “I had some vodka before we left the dorm, but it wasn’t enough for me to do this.”
He better convince her to follow through on the dare.
I know she can do this. While it’s stupid and not something either of us would normally do, she needs to get out of her little bubble and push herself to do things that make her uncomfortable.
I learned from my father a long time ago you have to get uncomfortable to get what you want. And I know she wants Preston.
“I’ll be right there… watching you,” Preston says to her, his voice low and sensual. “Look at me and no one else.”
He gives me chills with his deep, manly voice, so I can only imagine what he’s doing to Bex right now.
“Okay.” She sucks in a deep breath and blows it out. “Let’s get this over with.”