Page 25 of Totally Played (Love In Play #5)

Chapter twenty-two

Ashley

Those couple of days in New York with Calvin were the best thing I could have done for our relationship.

And I can wholeheartedly call it a relationship now.

Have I told him that I think I am in love with him?

Absolutely not. This is all so new to him, and I don’t want to freak him out.

But every day we are together, the more I know these feelings are real and are not going anywhere.

I flew out about twenty minutes before he did, and from the other side of the airport, so we said our goodbyes back in my room before we checked out. It was the best five-minute blowjob of my life.

“Oh my god, you have to see this arcade,” I tell Calvin over the phone as I walk through a mall near the hotel I’m staying at. I click the icon to switch to video chat and turn the phone around.

“Wow, how many do you think there are?” he asks as I pan the screen.

“Has to be twenty, at least, oh, oh, look, they have a giant one.”

I rush up to the enormous claw machine and click the button for five goes, then tap my phone to pay.

“So, what do you want me to bring you back, a weird blue head thing or a weird pink head thing?” I rest the phone on the edge of the glass so that he can watch me in action.

“Blue, if you can get one. I hear those giant ones almost never pay out.”

“It’s not about the machine paying out, it’s the skill of the player,” I say as I hit the button and the claw comes down right over the head of one of the blue plushies inside. “Yes, see,” I say as the claw closes tight over the head.

It lifts it up slowly, then the claws open a little, and the thing falls out.

“See.” Calvin laughs, and I go again.

I use up my five goes, lifting and dropping the bloody thing over and over each time.

“That blows. Okay, what else do you want?” I ask, panning the camera around slowly so he can see the other machines.

“Oh, have a go on the pink machine,” he says, and I prop the phone up again against the glass.

“Can you see the prizes?”

“Yeah, are those Flash figurines?” he asks.

“Looks like it, so are we going for the real Flash or the yellow one?”

“That’s reverse Flash. Go for the red one, I can give it to Cosmo.”

“Consider it done.”

It only takes me two goes to pick up the figure and drop it into the chute, and I spend the next three goes trying to get the yellow one, too, but it falls just short.

“Okay, what’s next?”

“Anything you want,” I reply, turning the phone to face me.

“If I could have what I want, I’d be there with you right now.”

“I miss you, too,” I say, and the door behind him opens, and I see Tony walk into the room.

“Hey, Ashley,” he says, waving and moving out of frame.

“Hey. Well, I guess I should let you go.”

He checks his watch and shrugs.

“I’ve still got time.”

“If you’re sure.”

“Positive. Besides, you still haven’t won me anything yet.”

“We can’t have that.” I laugh and turn the screen to show him the machines on offer.

“This one looks like it has a plushie that looks like Tim’s kitten,” I say, trying to hold the phone camera up close enough to show him.

“He still has that one, you know?”

“Really?”

“Yep, it’s the last of the litter to re-home.”

“It was super cute.”

“And it was totally obsessed with you.”

“How about we let fate decide. If I can win the gray cat plushie, then I will call Lion and adopt the kitten. If I can’t win it. It stays with him until it finds its forever home?”

“You said these games are all skill, though.”

“They are, but you think they require some luck, too, so I’m going off that theory.”

“Okay, but you can only have five goes, just like the other machines.”

“Deal.”

I tap my phone to pay and line up the soft gray cat plush perfectly on the first go, but it doesn’t even lift it up at all. The claws slip through the soft fur of the toy and return to their starting position.

“One down, four to go,” Calvin says.

“What’s he doing?” I hear Tony ask.

“Adopting a kitten,” Calvin replies.

“Those are kids’ toys.”

“It’s symbolic.”

The claws only land halfway over the toy and dip to the side before closing on nothing but air and returning to the start again.

“Look,” Calvin snaps. “You made him miss.”

“Did not,” Tony whines.

“Did, too,” we both reply, and Calvin laughs.

“Come on, Ash, you got this. I know that this pretty kitten is meant to be yours. Think of those perfect little pink paws. Those cute tiny ears, and bright blue eyes.”

“Its eyes weren’t bright blue,” I reply, bringing down the claw over the plushy kitten. It grabs it and lifts it free from the pile for the first time but drops it again as soon as the claw moves to return home.

“Yes, they were, weren’t they?” he asks.

I position the claw again over the little fluffy body and hit the button.

“Nope,” I say as the claw comes down. “It had blue-gray eyes. Just like yours.”

The claw closes over the ball of gray fluff and carries it to the chute.

“Did you just win it? I can’t see.”

I grab the prize from the machine and turn the camera to face me, holding it up to my cheek, but before he can say anything, a child squeals, and I turn toward the sound.

“You are not going to believe this,” I say, turning the phone. “I should have gone again.”

A kid about ten or twelve is jumping up and down, holding the giant blue plushie.

“Aww, don’t feel too bad. You’re getting a kitten.”

***

We talked every night on the phone, while in Montana, and as I board my flight back to Savannah, a text comes in from Calvin.

It’s a photo of him and Tony at a similar game place to the arcade I went to, but Tony is taking the photo of them, as Calvin picks up some red plushy thing that he apparently dropped a second later.

ASH: Still the king of claw machines.

CALVIN: You wait until I get back. I bet I beat you at the chocolate one next time. I’ve been practicing, much to Tony’s frustration.

ASH: For a guy who likes to claim he’s the fun brother, he’s really a drag.

CALVIN: I know, right? Like, I am totally the fun one.

ASH: And the sexy one.

CALVIN: How many more days until we are in the same city again?

ASH: Four. I can’t wait to see you. Oh, I meant to ask, do you want to come to this charity thing with me while you’re home?

Red is attending a charity dinner and bought out a table, as you do when you have the means to, or at least more people who have the means should.

It’s being hosted by Georgia U, and the money raised will fund future scholarships.

The money Red paid for his table would probably cover a couple of students all the way through to Masters.

This is the first time I’ve been in the country when it’s been on, so he said I owed him for all the times I denied him going to a Banana Ball game.

I agreed under one condition. I could bring Calvin with me, too. That is, if he wanted to come.

CALVIN: Sounds fun. Do I have to wear a suit?

ASH: Do you have one?

CALVIN: Not really.

ASH: I’ll pick you up something.

CALVIN: Oh, how Pretty Woman of you.

I laugh out loud. No way is it anything like that movie.

ASH: You know she was a hooker, right?

CALVIN: Whoops. Yeah, it’s not like that at all. Okay, well, what is it like then?

Only one thing comes to mind. I chuckle the whole time I write my reply.

ASH: I am sure there are plenty, but my brain is just screaming at me that you are my Caroline and I am your Klaus. Sorry, babe.

CALVIN: I’m way prettier than Caroline Forbes.

ASH: You know it.

***

“Do you need help?” I call to Calvin as he dresses in my bathroom.

“Nope, almost ready. Promise you won’t laugh,” he calls back.

“Why would I laugh? Is it too big? I was sure I got your size right.”

“It fits perfectly. It’s just way fancier than anything I’ve ever worn. I look…”

He opens the door, a nervous smile on his lips. The event is black tie, and while I was picking up a new corset from my tailor, I had him pull something for Calvin, too. It’s a slim-fit dark navy suit with black lapels. Paired with a black silk shirt and gold buckled belt, it’s perfect.

“Gorgeous,” I reply, finishing his sentence.

“I couldn’t do the tie,” he replies sheepishly, the bow tie hanging loose around his neck. It somehow looks even sexier that way, like he’s about to strip it all off for me.

“Come here, I’ll help,” I say, and we move to stand in front of the standing mirror in the corner of my bedroom.

I had it made special, with every other standard-sized mirror being too short to show my entire body unless I was on the other side of the room.

It’s got a thin gold frame and rests in the corner diagonally opposite the large corner window.

I’m a pretty simple guy, not really much for possessions, except for my wardrobe.

The master bedroom had a small closet, so I had the wall of it opened up to be a pass-through into the much bigger room next door.

That room I fitted out with customized cabinets, all in gloss black, and a glass top island in the center for my accessories.

I fix the bow tie in place and bend to kiss his cheek when I catch the scent of my cologne.

“Hmm, you smell like me,” I hum, nuzzling his neck.

“I hope it’s okay, I forgot to bring—”

“It’s perfect. It’s like I’ve marked you. Except…”

“What?”

I run my nose up his neck, breathing deeply.

“It smells way better on you.”

He leans against me; my arms wrap around his chest as he tilts his head up and kisses me.

His lips are soft, warm, and perfect and it’s over far too quickly.

“We should go, right?” he asks, and I check my watch.

“Crap, yeah, ummm, Red will be here in a minute with the car. Do I look okay?”

He turns and lets his gaze sweep over my body, lust filling those gorgeous blue-gray eyes.

“Good enough to eat.”

“I’ll take you up on that later.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Calvin

The limousine pulls around the corner, and I squeeze Ash’s hand excitedly.

“This will be my first time in a limo,” I say, and he lifts my hand to kiss the back.