Chapter Eleven

Odette

“H ey!” Reesia gave me a chipper smile as I entered the kitchen. She was sitting at the kitchen counter, talking with Niko. I wasn’t sure when she arrived, but I was glad she didn’t seem upset about waiting on me. In my defense, it was early on a Saturday. After last night with Dominic, I should get credit for being alive and functioning.

“Good morning,” I greeted, returning her smile. I was dressed in a tight, short black dress with a cardigan over it and heels. Since I was going clothes shopping, I figured I’d wear something easily removable.

I also had four men who I wanted to fuck me, so hopefully, this outfit would speed up that process.

Reesia wore light-wash jeans and a white crop top, subtly showcasing her curves. Her hair was down, half her blonde hair tied back with a pink bow.

She eyed my outfit, “You look lovely,” she gushed, folding her hands in front of her. “Don’t let Niko feed you; we’re getting coffee on the way.”

Behind her, Niko gave me a sheepish smile. I guess they’d already had this conversation. Comfortably dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt, he gestured to the food he’d made. “Are you hungry? I made eggs—”

“Well, I’m making her donuts and coffee,” Reesia shot back, sending him a scolding look.

I laughed at the two. “Coffee sounds great.” I could have Niko’s food anytime, and I appreciated Reesia going out of her way to be friendly. Granted, she was very straightforward with her friendship.

I’d never say anything out loud, but I didn’t necessarily think of Reesia as a friend. I knew she had declared, ‘We’re going to be friends, ‘ but it wasn’t that easy for me. I could be friendly, but friends was more than a word.

I was really looking forward to today. I wanted to get to know her; she was my insight into their world. After all, Reesia was their friend. She seemed nice, and I hoped that a friendship would blossom. People say opposites attract, and she seemed to be the opposite of me.

She was outspoken and very extroverted. I was reserved and entirely an introvert. She was bright and giddy, and I was constantly a dark, nervous wreck.

“Good morning, Odette,” Aiden greeted as he lingered by the kitchen door. Tiredness was laced in his tone, and he looked slightly taken aback by Reesia’s presence in our kitchen. He probably wouldn’t have worn a shirt even if he knew she was planning on picking me up so early. I was quickly learning that he was most comfortable in shorts.

“Hi,” I smiled.

He tilted his head, “Come talk to me for a second,” he instructed.

Nerves filled my entire body. Nothing, and I mean nothing good, ever followed that statement. Did I do something? My mind raced with every conversation we’d ever had. Nitpicking through my memories, I couldn’t think of anything that stood out.

I turned to look at Reesia, but she was happily typing away on her phone, unbeknownst to my inner implosion. Niko, however, seemed to notice my caution. He gave me an encouraging smile, nodding behind me to follow Aiden.

His cheery smile helped a bit. I exited the kitchen and saw Aiden sitting on one of the living room sofas. I approached slowly. “I feel like I just got called to the principal’s office,” I admitted before taking a seat on the cushion next to him. Hoping my joke lessened any tension, I watched him for a reaction.

He gently shook his head, giving me a soft smile, “I just wanted to catch you before you left,” he explained.

“What’s up?” I asked, noticing a few pieces of paper in his hands.

He looked relaxed as he rested against the back of the couch, quickly making my nerves disappear. “I wanted to give you this now; that way, you have time to think and ask any questions you might have,” he handed me the paper.

I unfolded it, revealing many words that were both familiar and unfamiliar to me as my eyes skimmed the page. There were so many different... kinks? I assumed that was what this list was. Beside each ‘kink’ was a box marked yes, maybe, and no. There were also a few other sections on the paper with more specific questions.

My cheeks flushed pink as I looked up at him, “I don’t know what a lot of these things are,” I admitted.

“We are happy to answer any questions. You can ask Reesia too if you want. This isn’t any of her business, but if you’re more comfortable asking her about some of these things, you can,” he said.

I let my eyes skim the page again. Maybe asking Reesia would be less embarrassing than asking my professors. I folded the paper and put it in my purse for later.

I was having a hard time meeting his calculating eyes. The list was huge and included things I couldn’t even imagine listed. “Is that... are you guys into all of that?” I asked, desperately trying not to sound judging or nervous. I assumed they’d reviewed this list and only put things they were willing to do on it before presenting it to me. If that was the case, I had bad news for them because anything that involved a fist was off the table.

A slight chuckle left his lips as he watched me, “No, absolutely not. There’s actually many things on that list that we’d never do,” he assured. Thank goodness! “This is for you to fill out so we know what you want to try, uninfluenced by our desires,” he spoke clearly. “It’s also important to note that there are a lot of things that aren’t on the list. I left some lines for you at the bottom to fill in things that aren’t listed.”

My shoulders slightly dropped, tension unraveling at his explanation. “That makes me feel a lot better. When’s the assignment due, professor?” I teased.

Keeping his demeanor matched with my own, he returned a slight chuckle.

“I just have one very important question.” I kept my tone serious as I stared at him. He mimicked my attitude, straightening up, looking intrigued. “Will this be graded?” I grinned, pleased with myself that I returned the mini heart attack he gave me earlier. “Or is it purely extra credit? Because I—”

His lips were on mine in moments. My eyes fell closed, my teasing long gone.

Whenever I imagined a kiss with Aiden, I imagined it rough and needy. I was right. While his lips were soft in texture, there would never be a mistake about who was in control. His hand held the side of my neck, drawing me closer to him.

My hands rested on his thigh, supporting my weight as I savored his taste. Just as a slight moan was about to escape my throat, he pulled away gently.

Intense eyes watched me as he whispered, “The only thing being graded is how honest you can be with yourself.”

With my gaze roaming his handsome features, I nodded in a trance. This wouldn’t be easy for me, partly because asking what most of these things were was embarrassing. But also because I was (admittedly) a coward, and before I could be honest with them, I needed to be honest with myself.

During my childhood and adolescence, I was raised to be as perfect and proper as possible, at least in my father’s image. That included being taught that a woman or a wife was simply there to please her husband. I’d had this conversation with many etiquette coaches, but even when I was young, none of it made sense to me.

Though the conversations were sparse and seen as inappropriate, I remember thinking sex sounded more like an obligation than pleasure.

I convinced myself that in my adult life, I would end up with a man who didn’t care about what I wanted—simply, and credited to Sigmund, a man with very similar views to my father.

So, having this list and men who cared about what I wanted was more important to me than they’d ever know. My challenge was first admitting to myself that I wasn’t as cookie-cutter and normal as I was raised to be.

Although I never wanted that life for myself, it was what I’d always known, and it was comfortable. As intimidating as this list was, it was necessary if I truly wanted to break away from everything I rejected.

Just as Aiden said, I needed to be honest with myself. I fear that once I did this, I wouldn’t be able to go back. Suppose something should happen, and this ended badly. In that case, I’d never have the courage to be in a relationship like ours again. Could I settle for things that aren’t on this list? Would I ever want men who aren’t as caring and attentive as my professors?

Right now, the words on the paper were just kinks. But once I filled it out, I would be admitting to myself more than sexual desires. I would admit what I wanted. I want my professors—I know that. But I have yet to admit to myself that I wanted all the aspects that come with it. Deep down, I knew I did. It wasn’t an easy truth to accept.

Each checkbox’s hidden meaning was more than a yes, no, or maybe. It was who I was in spite of who I was raised to be.

One thing I was already certain of was that they were going to ruin every other man for me. No one could or would ever compare to the attention and care they’d shown me in the short time I’d known them.

“Is this list subject to change?” I questioned. With little to no experience, there was a good chance I’d mismark one of these kinks and realize that I liked or disliked it later.

“Definitely,” he chuckled with a smirk, probably thinking the same thing as I was.

Reesia stepped into the living room, lingering by the doorway like she was ready to retreat any moment. “Ready to go?” She gave me an eager grin.

Standing up, I placed my purse over my shoulder and began walking to the door. “See you later,” I smiled at Aiden. Why’d he have to pull away from our kiss so early? I wasn’t done, but I guess he had to be the responsible one and call it... for Reesia’s sake.

She skipped after me, catching up as we walked to her car. “I’ve got the whole day planned out. First, coffee and breakfast. Then, pedicures, shopping, probably froyo, then we’ll meet the guys at my house for drinks and dinner,” she explained. “Collin’s cooking.”

As pathetic as it sounded, this was my first girls’ day. I’d been out with Anna, but that was just to grab a bite after a game. This was a full-blown girls’ day. It was intimidating, but I was excited nonetheless. “That sounds perfect,” I agreed.

I didn’t miss the look of relief on her face as she got into her car. I wasn’t the only one expecting this day to go well.

We began our drive to town, and Reesia quickly filled the silence. “How’s it going so far?” She questioned, giving me a knowing look.

Her perceptive expression made me laugh, “What does that mean?” I blushed. Were we really that obvious?

“You know what I mean!” She cocked an eyebrow at me. “I knew from the second I saw you—okay, maybe like a few seconds in—that all of you would end up together. Then Niko was telling me about how pretty and smart and how good you smell—” she teased, mimicking Niko’s voice.

I couldn’t stop smiling if I tried. I was smitten that Niko said anything about meat, let alone such nice things. “He said that?” I interrupted.

She nodded, over-exaggerating the gesture for emphasis. “And more. By the end of his shpeel, even I got a crush on you,” she admitted.

We glanced at each other before we laughed. I relaxed, leaning back in my seat. “To answer your question, I think things are going really well.”

“Think?”

“I have nothing to compare it to,” I admitted.

“You’ve never had a boyfriend? Or girlfriend?” She added the second part with a smirk.

I shook my head, “Nope. And now I have four... men that I kiss,” I shrugged. They weren’t my boyfriends. “It’s a drastic difference, but it doesn’t feel overwhelming.”

She gave me a comforting smile. “Hey, I owe you an apology,” she changed the subject quickly.

Confused, I pushed my eyebrows together.

“Wyatt told me that you kind of went down a rabbit hole when I told you to Google BDSM,” she explained. She widened her eyes, “I just got eager and should have explained it better. In hindsight, never Google—especially images. That’s on me...” she cringed.

I shook my head, “I’m the one who asked over text, then assumed the worst,” I admitted.

“Still, I knew better. I was just excited about you. I’ve never seen them look at a girl the way they were looking at you that night,” she admitted.

Butterflies tickled my insides as I silently gushed over her explanation. Not wanting to keep the conversation on myself, I gave her a smile, “How did you and Collin meet?” I asked. They seemed like polar opposites when I met them.

At the mention of her husband’s name, she smiled. She giggled, “That’s a long story, but I’ll skip past the nitty gritty.”

I turned in the seat to face her, noting how happy she looked. For a moment, I saw a glimpse of Anna and how she looked when she talked about Henry.

She gave me a pointed look, “Disclaimer, this isn’t a sob story, so don’t give me a sad face, okay?” She chuckled, looking slightly nervous.

“All smiles over here,” I encouraged her.

“So when I was a teenager, I had a crappy life. Like really crappy. I moved out when I was sixteen and started stripping. The club was a run-down hole in the wall with creeps who gave horrible tips,” she said casually.

Reesia and I had wildly different upbringings. I was sure our definitions of crappy were very different.

“I was working every day from four in the evening to two in the morning. One day, when I was twenty, a big guy with a permanent scowl came in,” she grinned at her own description. “He was with a few other guys—not your guys; just go clarify!” She assured me. “A few of us girls were dancing that day, but I noticed he wouldn’t stop staring at me. This was normal, obviously, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something off,” she shrugged.

“He didn’t order anything. He didn’t say anything to his friends, and he barely moved. He wasn’t smiling and didn’t look happy to be there. After a while, I got annoyed and asked him what his problem was,” she glanced at me. “He stared at me for what felt like a lifetime before handing me a wad of cash—it was 845 dollars, more than I made in a month in that dump.”

“Without a word, he left. I remember being confused, shocked and intrigued. If a man handed over more than a ten-dollar bill, he expected additional services,” she said, pressing her lips together. I got the hint.

Engrossed in her story, I barely noticed her ordering us drinks and sandwiches at a drive-thru.

She spoke with her hands as she drove. “About a month went by, and he came in again. He sat alone in the back of the club. For two months straight, he would be there from four to two, watching me. He never smiled, he never ordered anything, he never said anything, and he always left me a huge tip.”

“One day, out of the blue, my manager told me someone requested a private dance from me. Only then did I realize that for the past two months, since Collin began watching me for my whole shift, no one else requested me. I’d grown accustomed to his eyes on me, and I expected him to be there when I showed up for work.”

“I can’t explain it, but I remember knowing he was waiting for me in that private booth. The private booths had curtains so no one else could see inside. But I knew. For the first time, I felt nervous. Until that point, I knew what men who requested private dances expected. I knew what I was getting myself into. But with him, I had no idea. He’d never touched me, never even said a word to me; now I’d have to be all alone with him in a small booth? I was ready to run,” she laughed.

“I love this story,” she grinned, making me smile.

“So, after ten minutes of freaking out, I finally got the courage to go into the booth. He was sitting there, waiting for me. As usual, I stood on the table and began dancing. I’d barely begun when he finally spoke. He said he didn’t want me to dance for him.” She sighed, “At that point, I thought I had him figured out. All those days he watched me, the tips, it was just so he could screw me—that’s what those booths were for, after all.” She rolled her eyes. “Assuming that’s what he wanted, I started removing my clothes. I was wrong again. He told me that he didn’t want that either.”

“Confused and feeling stupid, I finally let my months of pent-up annoyance out. I asked him what the hell he wanted from me.” Her eyes lit up, “He wanted to know my name, and he wanted to buy me lunch. That’s all he wanted,” she shrugged. “Obviously, I wasn’t going to go anywhere with a man that’d been watching me for months—I was kinda creeped out, you know. So I let him buy me a burger in the booth. He gave me his hoodie, and we just talked. My entire shift and the rest of the shifts I worked after that. Collin was always there to request a ‘private dance’ from me. We’d just sit and talk for hours.”

“One day, he asked me a question he’d probably been wondering from the moment he first saw me. He asked me if this was what I wanted to be doing. Obviously, it wasn’t; I was just out of other options. I couldn’t go home, and I was a dropout.”

“That was my last day working at the strip club. He never expected anything from me for all those months. He got me a job where I had my own desk, bought me new clothes, and let me stay in one of his extra bedrooms.”

“I fell in love with him before all that, though. I fell in love with the guy in the booth. I just didn’t think he loved me back—stupid, I know,” she laughed.

“What, you didn’t get the hint?” I teased. If I believed in the concept of love, I’d say that whatever Collin felt was similar to love at first sight.

“I was a stupid kid with low self-esteem, and he was a gorgeous hunk. The thought of him having any feelings for me was unthinkable.”

My heart ached for younger Reesia because I knew a version of that feeling. I couldn’t compare her past to mine, not by a long shot. I just had a shifty father, which seemed effortless compared to what she must have had to put up with.

“Long story short, I told him how I felt, and he said about damn time and gave me a ring,” she held up her left hand, showing a beautiful diamond wedding ring. “As cheesy as it sounds, Collin saved me. So, that’s how we met.”

“Sometimes, I still dance for him.”

For a few moments, I envied the far-off look in her eyes. I wasn’t jealous; on the contrary, I was actually very happy for her. I envied the fact that I’d probably never have that same expression when talking about someone. I envied that no one would have that expression when talking about me.

My envious moment ended and was replaced with a genuine smile, “I love that.”

Reesia turned to me as she parked the car in a mall lot. “I’d ask you how you met the guys, but I already asked them,” she admitted.

I grabbed my purse, and we began walking. “How did you and Collin befriend them?” I questioned.

Reesia hooked her arm with mine like it was natural for her. I felt slightly uncomfortable, but it was only for a second before I saw the warm smile on her face. “Another long story!” She laughed.

“I’ve known Dominic... forever ?” she sounded unsure.

“We grew up on the same block and went to the same schools. We weren’t friends, but we knew each other. He was always hanging out with Wyatt and Aiden, even back then. They didn’t meet Niko until high school because he’s the baby,” she joked.

“They’ve always been close, huh?” Pops mentioned they’d always been friends, but Reesia confirmed that it’d always been the four of them.

She nodded, “Oh yeah. They were terrifying in high school. They got really tall, really fast, like boys tend to do. Add in the teenage angst, and you’ve got four unapproachable guys who you want to avoid,” she rolled her eyes with a playful smile, probably knowing that they were just teenagers. It was funny how perspective changed when you became an adult.

“Even Wyatt?” I couldn’t imagine him being anything but kind.

Reesia shrugged, “Eh, he’s always been the less intimidating out of the four,” she agreed. She widened her eyes, giving me a look, “But don’t underestimate him, trust me. I’ve only seen it twice, but Wyatt has a Mr. Hyde,” she said in a whisper, as if she wasn’t supposed to share that.

“As in... Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?” I caught on. I had a feeling I understood what she meant by that. I’d seen Wyatt’s dark eyes and how his cheerfulness could switch up in the blink of an eye. The night the power went out, I remembered how his whole demeanor changed into someone much darker.

Reesia nodded, “Don’t get me in trouble, okay?” She smirked.

My pointer finger and thumb moved across my lips, sealing them for emphasis. I would never tell on her for giving me information, especially when it would help me in the future. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about Wyatt’s ‘Mr. Hyde’ side.

Reesia smirked at me before continuing. “Back when I used to strip, I noticed a man following me while I was walking home. I was scared, and if I hadn’t run into Dominic, something bad probably would have happened,” she said casually. How did she admit things like that so absentmindedly? She was very blunt—almost too blunt. I liked that about her and wished I had a sliver of that bluntness.

“Dominic just got out of a bar, and I guess he recognized me from high school. He’d always intimidated me, so I planned to walk past him, but he had other plans. He walked right up to me and pretended that we were supposed to meet there like we had plans or something. I was confused, because I’m not the brightest crayon in the box, but I played along. Dominic kept looking behind me at the man who was following me, and I finally caught on why he was pretending to know me.”

More butterflies fluttered in my belly as I realized Dominic was an all-around good man. I just wish he’d let people see that in him. His willingness to protect Reesia and step out of his comfort zone was admirable. He wasn’t a people person, and considering he didn’t know Reesia well, I was surprised his immediate response was to step in.

“Anyone would be stupid to try anything with Dominic around, so the man left, and Dominic walked me home—that little softie,” she laughed. “After he called me stupid for walking alone, he gave me his number and told me that if I ever needed a ride, I should call him.”

“Luckily for me, I never needed him again,” she winked. “Fast forward a few years, Collin and I are at a... club,” she glanced at me. “That’s actually where we met Vincent and Jamie too,” she added.

Recalling past conversations, my knowledge of how they became close friends and one horrible Google search, I grinned. “So it was a sex club,” I deadpanned.

Her cheeks lit in a blush as she laughed. “Sure was!” Her shoulders relaxed like she thought I would judge her or something. I was the one hooking up with my professors—I couldn’t judge anyone. I was more polluted than I let on.

“I guess Collin knew Aiden from a psychology event they attended, so they started talking. Dominic re-introduced me to Wyatt, Aiden, and Niko. The rest is history,” she shrugged.

My imagination didn’t stretch far enough to even guess what a sex club looked like. Based on the name, I could only assume what happened in one. I nervously bit my lip, “You don’t have to answer, but what exactly does one do in a... club?”

She smiled. “You should come one day!” she gushed. “It’s not as intimidating as it sounds, I promise. They don’t let creeps in, and everyone has a thorough background check,” she explained.

I widened my eyes, “Oh—uh, I don’t think I’d fit in,” I dismissed.

“Okay,” she smiled, readily accepting my denial. “So the one that we go to has a big bar; that’s where a lot of us meet friends with similar interests. It’s also where a lot of Doms tend to hang out. There are private rooms, rooms with a one-way mirror, where people can see you, but you can’t see them. There are people fucking all around the room. A humiliation area, aftercare room, punishment room—”

I blinked fast, “Wait, wait, wait—people do it in front of other people?” I repeated, not understanding that at all. That was... private. “Humiliation?”

She gave my arm a squeeze, “Awe, you’re precious!” She gushed. “But yeah—there’s a lot of that. I was weary of it all too when I first got into it, but it’s actually really hot and exhilarating to have everyone watch you,” she wiggled her eyebrows at me.

“You’ve done it?” My mouth dropped. But she seemed so... sweet? I couldn’t imagine her in any position where she’d like to be watched.

She nodded, “Loads of times. Collin likes to utilize the humiliation part of the room,” she said.

I was having trouble keeping up with all this. “Do I want to know what that means?” I chuckled nervously.

“So, some people have humiliation kinks,” she pointed to herself and cringed jokingly. “In that section, anything’s valid. So people will come up and watch you—they can only touch you or join if they have you and your doms permission,” she added. “They’ll tease you, laugh at you, or just watch.”

Blinking slowly, I tried to absorb this new perspective on Reesia. I suddenly knew why Aiden advised me she’d be a good person to ask about the kink list. I appreciated her honesty without sugarcoating, too.

“Wow, that’s a lot,” I sighed. An annoying yet realistic thought crept into my mind. My professors went to this club, and Reesia seemed very adventurous. “Have you...” I stopped myself, not sure if I wanted to know the answer.

It was entirely possible that one, if not all, of them had done stuff with Reesia. I hated the thought, and I really didn’t want that to be the case. I was a jealous person, as much as I didn’t want to be. Even if something had happened between them, I couldn’t judge anyone for it. It would have been before they met me. I couldn’t even justify asking them not to be friends with her anymore because it wasn’t my place. I hated myself for being so insecure about something that may or may not have happened.

“What?” she smiled. “You can ask me anything. I wish I had a girl to teach me or warn me about certain things when I first started. I just had Collin—which isn’t bad! It was just hard to ask sometimes,” she rushed out.

How did I ask this without sounding like I was accusing her or my professors of anything? Should I ask? I’d always be curious if I didn’t, but I was worried I’d screw things up if I did.

“I don’t want to overstep, and I’m not even sure I really want to know the answer—”

“Odette,” Reesia stopped walking in front of a store. She gave me a genuine, comforting smile that I wasn’t expecting. “Nothing has ever happened between me and any of them,” she assured, picking up on my worries. “That would be so weird! They’re like... not brothers because they’ve seen me naked, but there’s no way in hell. I’m pretty sure they can hardly stand me most days, and the feeling’s mutual.”

I raised my eyebrows at her. “You missed an important part of that,” I tried not to laugh at her ability to change the subject so many times during one sentence. She jumped around a lot when talking, and it was challenging to keep up.

“Oh! My bad,” she laughed. “I mean, we go to the same club, and there have been times when Collin has asked them to watch to try and embarrass me,” she explained.

For some reason, I didn’t care about that. I guess I’d already assumed the worst, so this wasn’t bad. They’d slept with other women and definitely saw plenty of them naked. Her nudity around them didn’t make me uncomfortable with them being friends, especially if they only watched because Collin asked them to. I saw how they were around Reesia and how Reesia was with them. There was absolutely no attraction.

“Unfortunately for me, the only one who’s joined in is Jamie,” she rolled her eyes, looking at war with herself.

“But you hate each other?” I recalled. The only interaction I’d seen between the two was when they were at each other’s throats. They were bickering with a clear mutual distaste for the other.

She ran her hands down her face, “We do,” she groaned.

I laughed, “I’m missing something.” People who hate each other don’t have sex.

“It’s complicated and stupid,” she mumbled. “So I can’t stand Trix; she can’t stand me. But we get in that stupid club, and she looks really good in leather, and I... am weak.”

I pressed my lips together, trying not to laugh at Reesia being so beside herself. “Why do you call her that?”

“She’s a domina trix,” she winked. “And it really pisses her off when I call her that, so it’s fun.”

“And Collin doesn’t mind?”

“Who do you think invites her?” she sighed and crossed her arms. “I don’t know what comes over me whenever that stupid woman joins, but I crumble.”

“I would have never guessed,” I admitted. “I mean, Collin looks at you like no one else exists. I wouldn’t have guessed he’d want anyone else to be with you.” I guess that showed how much I knew.

She grinned. “Collin will give me whatever I want... as long as he’s okay with it,” she mumbled quickly. She glanced into the store, “Besides, it’s fun when she joins because then I get to play Daddy and Mommy,” she smirked, a strangely sexy edge to her tone. “Let’s go shopping!” She began walking into the store.

I closed my agape mouth. A wave of something rushed through me. Not Reesia, at what she said.

Last night, I thought my imagination was playing tricks on me. Dominic called himself Daddy. When he said it, I was practically floating by that point. My mind was fuzzy, and I convinced myself that there was no way he would have said that. But he did, and my polluted self liked it.

Even if she was joking, Reesia openly calling Collin Daddy made me feel less guilty.

“We’re home!” Reesia called as we entered her house. When we pulled up, I saw Aiden’s truck out front with a few other cars. They had a lovely house—it was two stories and very spacious. They didn’t live in a neighborhood; they lived out on a creek, where the nearest neighbor was a half mile away.

Shopping was eventful. Things with Reesia went better than expected! She was completely insane and couldn’t stay focused for more than a few seconds at a time, but she was also incredibly sweet and genuine.

I went from being nervous to enjoying her company and having more fun with her than I have in a long time. Although she was very different than me, I liked her.

We went to many stores, many of which I’d never been to. Admittedly, I’d always been a fashion snob. I was raised wearing luxury brands, literally from the moment I was born. My taste was expensive, and I hated cheap clothes.

Surprisingly, I found a lot of items that I liked. It was safe to say that Reesia and I had a very successful shopping day. She even made me get some lingerie that was way out of my comfort zone, but she assured me that it suited me.

As far as underwear goes, I’d always wear the basics: black, white, tan, pink, with a bow or flower. They were cute, and I felt comfortable in them. Reesia convinced me that my comfort looked boring and that I should ‘flaunt it.’ Even I have to admit, I looked really good in the baby dolls and bodysuits I tried on, but it would be a while before I wore them for anyone but myself.

By far, the best purchase of the day was cat clothes. I found the cutest pastel pink and yellow sweater for Cat. Aiden may actually pass out after seeing it, and I couldn’t wait.

“In the dining room, Baby,” Collin called back. Reesia dropped her bags and took off her shoes. I followed suit, placing my bags neatly in a corner before removing my heels.

We walked through a hall into their dining room. Everything was brightly colored and clean, much different from the dark moodiness of our house.

Everyone was sitting at the dining room table with poker chips, cards, and beer in front of them. My gaze immediately landed on my professors, dressed down in jeans and t-shirts, looking just as happy to see me.

My skin burned, feeling Jamie’s cold glare on me as I stood between Wyatt and Aiden. I still wasn’t convinced that this was her way of flirting. She was a scary woman, and I couldn’t meet her gaze.

“Is this new?” Wyatt asked, his arm wrapped around my thighs as I stood, his fingertips brushing the bottom of the dress. Music was playing in the background, and Vincent was talking with Reesia and Collin. I was grateful that everyone here didn’t seem to care about the PDA, even if it was just a touch—I was shy.

I smiled, shaking my head. “No, all the new stuff is by the door,” I explained.

Niko smirked, a mischievous, alcohol-induced grin on his lips. “Maybe you’ll give us a little fashion show later. Show us all your new pretty outfits.” His voice was slightly raspy as he perfected the pseudo-innocence.

Fighting a blush at his insinuations, I nodded. “Maybe.”

Aiden and Dominic, sitting across the table, also looked intrigued. I smiled at them, realizing that I’d missed them all day.

“Nice to see you again, Odette,” Vincent greeted.

I straightened, “You too,” I responded politely.

“Be a doll and tell me what cards Niko has, will you?” He grinned.

I looked down at Niko’s hand and saw an Ace and King, arguably one of the best hands in poker. I used to play with the cooks on rainy days when Charles was in meetings.

I knitted my eyebrows together, “A three and an eight? I’ve never played this game,” I played dumb.

“All in!” Vincent said immediately, pushing his chips into the center.

Hiding my smirk, I basked in the gentle touch Niko gave my knee, hidden by the high table. His fingers against my skin were all the praise I needed, and I practically melted—internally, of course. On the outside, I was as cool as a cucumber.

Niko and Vincent were the only two left in the round. A massive amount of chips was in the middle—probably accumulated before the rest of them folded their hands.

Niko smiled, “Turn over your cards,” he prompted.

The two of them turned their cards up at the same time. Vincent had two Queens, and Niko had won.

Vincent looked dumbfounded, glancing between the cards, Niko and me. “A three and an eight, huh?” He leaned back in his chair, out of the poker game.

“I misspoke,” I dismissed. Even if I didn’t know how to play, I’d never tell him what Niko’s cards were. I was on his team, no matter what. It was strange he thought I’d tell on Niko.

“She got your ass,” Jamie chuckled, giving Vincent a hard time. “You should have called her bluff; she’s an awful liar,” she smirked.

Okay, so she was flirting?

“Odette, three truths, one lie!” Reesia grinned. “Come on, it’ll be a fun way for us to get to know you,” she smiled.

I widened my eyes, really hating the attention. Everyone looked at me expectantly, and I didn’t want to say no. I knew that if I did, they’d convince me eventually, and I didn’t want to come off as weird. “Okay, um...” my eyes wandered around the room, trying to think of truths. The lie was easy, but it was difficult to think of a single thing about myself.

“I speak fluent French. Four of my ribs have been removed. I’m terrified of spiders. And I have an 800 credit score.”

Everyone, even Aiden, looked perplexed. He pushed his eyebrows together. “You don’t speak French?” he said mostly to himself, like he was ruling them out.

Niko placed his hands around my ribs, “Nah...” he shook his head.

“What the hell?” Reesia laughed, looking at Collin with a smile. “I have no idea...”

“Are they all lies?” Wyatt tried.

I shook my head.

“Let’s think about this,” Jamie began.

“You can think?” Reesia whispered as if she was actually surprised.

“Fuck you.”

Reesia smirked.

“You’re what? 20? You don’t have a perfect credit score.” Jamie started. I stayed quiet.

“There’s no way she speaks French; that would have been brought up by now,” Aiden argued.

“She grew up rich; all those prissy girls learned different languages,” Vincent agreed with Jamie.

“She’s missing ribs, that’s true,” Dominic announced. We locked eyes, and I could see the gears spinning in his mind. He was more than confident in his answer, and he was right. My lower ribs had been removed when I was younger. Dominic taught anatomy, so he probably noticed last night and hadn’t thought twice about it until now.

“She can have a perfect credit score, too,” Wyatt added.

“Final guess?” I asked, ready for the topic to be off of me, as fun as it was watching them all argue.

“I’m saying French is the lie,” Aiden said, sticking with his original guess.

“Me too,” Wyatt smiled.

“You have all your ribs,” Reesia said, and Collin nodded.

“I’m not scared of spiders,” I revealed the lie with a grin. Bugs never bothered me. Rodents, on the other hand, disgusted and could paralyze me with fear.

“Bullshit,” Jamie spat.

“No way! Say something French,” Reesia encouraged.

“Um,” I shrugged. “Je sais parler fran?ais depuis dix ans.” I laughed at everyone’s shocked expressions. “I went to France most summers. My credit score is perfect, and I had some kind of medical emergency when I was in middle school; I had to get my lower ribs removed.” I explained.

[I have been able to speak French for ten years.]

Charles had business partners all over the world. Going to France was always fun because I was handed off to a nanny while he was going to business meetings. He’d put my name on multiple credit lines of his, too. I’d always been grateful for his knowledge of finances and real-world readiness; it was the one area he’d set me up for success in. As far as my ribs go, I didn’t remember why they had to be removed. All I remember was Charles insisting that there was something wrong with them. I remember how much I hated the cast and the healing process.

Dominic looked upset at the last part of my sentence, but Aiden and Wyatt also seemed unsettled by something. Aiden was easy to guess; he was wrong again. He was known for being able to read people, and he kept failing. I knew it had to be bothering him.

“Well, it looks like she’s not that bad of a liar after all,” Vincent smirked at Jamie as she began dealing out cards again.

Reesia got out of Collins’s lap and began walking towards their kitchen. “Odette, do you want something to drink?” she asked.

Wyatt seemed to snap out of his thoughts before he smiled at me, “Careful, she pours strong, and it’ll sneak up on you.”

I followed Reesia into the kitchen, where she started pulling out different alcohol and mixers.

“We also have water, juice, pop, milk, and other stuff if you don’t drink,” she informed.

“Thank you. I’ll just have whatever you’re having,” I smiled.

“I make a killer margarita,” she bounced on her heels, looking excited.

“Play nice, Reesia,” Collin warned quietly from the other room, not looking away from his cards.

“Everyone thinks I pour too much,” she whispered.

I giggled, watching her dump ice, the juice of half a lime, way too much tequila, and margarita mix into a blender. “I can’t imagine why,” I giggled.

Drink very slowly. I had no intention of getting drunk, but a buzz sounded fun. I had a glass of wine with Anna, which hit me hard. Then, I had a few beers with Pops and barely got a buzz. So, I’d drink Reesia’s concoction slowly, just to be safe.

My arms were leaning against the counter, watching the ingredients being added to the blender. Wyatt appeared next to me, placing the palms of his hand against the counter.

Reesia barely acknowledged him as she spoke. “Want one?”

Wyatt shook his head. “No, thank you. Aiden’s drinking, so I’m driving.” He turned to me with a smile. “I’m going to put your bags in the truck so we don’t forget them later. Come help me?” He offered.

I didn’t see how forgetting the bags would be possible. There was quite a pile of them next to the door. I took his hint and nodded, “Sure.”

“I’ll be right back,” I told Reesia. She wiggled her eyebrows at me as if she thought we were about to rip each other’s clothes off in some bushes or something. I shook my head at her, smiling as I followed Wyatt.

He grabbed most of the bags, leaving only two for me to carry, before we closed the door behind us and walked to Aiden’s truck.

“Did you have fun today? I hope Reesia didn’t traumatize you,” he joked.

“It was a good day. I like her a lot, although she’s definitely blunt,” I giggled.

He chuckled along with me. “So you speak French?”

“I do,” I smiled. “You seem surprised?”

He opened one of the doors to the backseat and placed the bags in the truck. “I’m surprised that we didn’t know,” he turned, grabbing the bags from my hand. After he set them inside, he turned to me. “Odette, I can’t help but feel like we owe you an apology,” he confessed. In the moonlight, I saw his somber expression, the one he wore earlier.

Taken back, I immediately shook my head. “What? For what?” I stumbled over my words. They hadn’t done anything wrong. In fact, they’d done everything right.

He leaned against the closed door, his arms folded across his chest. “Aiden gave you that list to fill out today. Yet, we don’t know these very basic things about you,” he deadpanned.

My eyebrows knitted together, “Those things on the list are about me?”

He looked disappointed, not at me—thank goodness. He looked upset at himself for a reason I couldn’t quite grasp. “I’m trying to tell you that we want to know about you—what you like or don’t like, your favorite movie, and how many ribs you have,” he said softly.

“I don’t ever want you to feel like we only care about sex. We’ve done a horrible job at making that clear, and I am so sorry for that.”

It was quiet for a few seconds as I processed his apology. I didn’t think he realized that his noticing and saying something showed that they cared. “Wyatt, I think you’re overthinking this,” I touched his arm, moving to lean against the car next to him. “You don’t have to apologize because you have all gotten to know me as well as you can without flat-out asking me questions. I’m really happy with how things are going, and if I’m not, I’ll tell you,” I assured.

I might not be as quiet or unapproachable as Dominic, but I was just as reserved. “I don’t like talking about myself.” I smiled at him, pointing my thumb over my shoulder to the house, “In fact, I really hated that.”

He chuckled, “Then I apologize in advance. Because I’m going to make you talk about yourself a lot,” he warned. His hand snaked its way around my waist and spun me until my chest was flush with his. “Have I mentioned that you look stunning in this dress?” He charmed.

I blushed, “Not out loud.”

His face slowly moved closer to mine as he smirked. “You read minds?” he teased.

Feeling his dick grow against my lower torso, I sucked in a breath. “I can read body language,” I whispered, impatiently waiting for his lips on mine.

Big hands gripped my ass through the dress as he pulled me closer to him, making his dick dig into my body. “What’s mine saying, Baby?” His lips brushed against mine.

Shivers ran through my spine at the mood change. His cool breath had a hint of alcohol mixed with mint. My senses were overwhelmed by him. His hands on my body, his smell, how inhumanly attractive he was, and the slight rasp to his voice. All that was left was taste, and I wasn’t going to deprive myself of that.

Closing the gap between us, I pressed my lips against his. My hands trailed up his arms to his chest, where I felt his muscular chest through his shirt.

Wyatt palmed my ass, not wasting any time as his tongue touched mine. I was wet in seconds; the chill of the night was long gone as my body heated.

My mind went blank. The only thoughts were of Wyatt, his hands against me, his mouth on mine, and his dick begging for attention. I may be new to sex and these kinds of scenarios, but I wasn’t clueless—not entirely.

Letting the devil on my shoulder win, I rolled my hips into him, pushing him impossibly closer to me. To my satisfaction, a quiet, deep groan escaped him. He pulled away from my lips and gazed down at me, “That teasing is going to get you in trouble one day,” he cautioned.

I thought long and hard—inspired by Wyatt’s dick—about my following words. It wasn’t a secret to anyone what I wanted. I hadn’t been shy about my intentions; Dominic even felt the need to warn me about sliding him into me last night. The sooner they fuck me, the sooner they’d stop teasing me. Also, being a virgin when I didn’t want to be a virgin really bites.

Putting on false confidence and rehearsing my words before saying them, I smirked. “But that day isn’t today, is it, Wyatt?” I provoked. Intrigued, he tilted his head and watched me with darkening eyes. “It would be so easy for you to push my dress up and take me against the truck right now, wouldn’t it?” I continued, my heart hammering in my chest.

I watched as his eye-line dropped to my dress. His fingertips ran across the bottom of the dress as if he were about to test that theory. The desperation behind his eyes was evident, and I knew that I had won.

“But you won’t,” I said softly. “You four think you’re the ones torturing me by waiting.” My hand traveled down until I felt the hard bulge on his jeans, making his eyes snap back up to meet mine. “I’m clearly not the one struggling,” I finished.

Wyatt stared at me for a few seconds, a small smile slowly growing on his lips. A metaphorical red light flashed, telling me to retreat as fast as possible. Why was he smiling? He wasn’t supposed to smile at that. This was supposed to be a moment where he gave in and had a talk with the others about how their efforts to tease me were also teasing them, and in the end, they’d fuck me. He was supposed to look shocked, not smile.

I took a side step, getting out from between him and the truck. “Let’s go back inside before people get the wrong idea,” I suggested.

When I turned my back to him, I got as far as three steps away before his hand was wrapped around my throat, pulling me back.

I was pushed against the truck, the noise much louder than the actual impact of my body on it. His hand was firm—not painful as his face got close to mine.

“Baby, Baby, Baby,” he smirked, his tone noticeably darker. Hyde. “Who do you think you’re talking to?” He questioned, his free hand pulling the bottom of my dress over my hips without warning.

My eyes widened, my plan failing miserably. Every part of my body lit up in anticipation, not knowing how he was going to react.

His eyes roamed my features, enjoying the shock in my eyes. “Where’d that bravery go, huh?” He tilted his head. His hands weren’t gentle as he pushed my panties to the side, leaving me uncovered and bare to the night. “Let this be your first lesson, Baby. Don’t fuck with me,” he ordered.

His finger poked at my entrance, rubbing along it for a moment before he pushed the digit into me. He chuckled, “You’re drenched. Tell me again about how you’re not the one struggling,” he taunted.

I gasped as he added another finger, pushing both of them into me quickly. Pleasure rippled through me, quickly building inside me.

“Awe, Baby, look how easily you crumble,” he shook his head. “If you wanted to get off, all you have to do is ask. There’s no need to get bratty with me,” he smirked.

I closed my eyes, resting my head against the truck, his hand still around my throat, keeping me from moving. My teeth bit my lower lip, muffling my moans. The truck was blocking us from the view of the house, and music was playing, but I didn’t want to face the embarrassment of anyone witnessing this.

Wyatt clicked his tongue, “Look down,” he ordered. I opened my eyes, slowly looking between us, where his hand was moving between my legs. Two of his fingers were moving in and out of me, glistening in the moonlight. “Look at your little pussy, barely able to fit two fingers.”

I pressed my lips together, feeling an orgasm build every time he curled his fingers. I could feel myself squeezing him, but I felt no pain—the river between my legs was to thank for that.

My gaze flickered back to him as he spoke. “Next time you try to manipulate and tease your way into getting fucked, I want you to remember this,” he moved his fingers faster, gently squeezing my throat. “I don’t need my dick to fuck you, and I sure as shit don’t need it to teach you a lesson, do I?”

I shook my head as best as I could, “No,” I moaned my agreement, grinding my hips down on his hand.

He smirked, “You wanna cum, Baby?” He placed a gentle kiss on my lips.

I nodded, “Please,” I begged, feeling myself begin to unravel.

He sped up his movements, making my thighs clench around his hand. “That’s too bad,” he whispered against my lips before he pulled his hand away.

I cried out, my pussy throbbing, aching for a release. My mouth dropped open at the smugness on his expression. “Wyatt—”

He took his hand off my throat and carefully pulled my panties back in place and my dress down. The only evidence of what had happened was the pool between my legs, the aching in my core, and his wet fingers.

An innocent, Jekyll-esque smile replaced his evil one. “Let’s get back inside, Baby. We don’t want people getting the wrong idea,” he repeated my earlier words.

Defeated, I could only stare at my professor. He was supposed to be the easygoing one out of the four. Either I was wrong, or I was in for a shock with the other three.

The unsatisfied ache between my legs was almost painful. I knew I would think of little else for the rest of the night—and I was sure he was counting on it.

Wanting to keep the sliver of my dignity that remained, I straightened my dress, giving him a nod. Lesson learned. Don’t fuck with Wyatt.

“You’re evil,” I said honestly, but gave him a small smile. I tried playing checkers when he was playing chess; I could accept this loss.

He glanced at me, wrapping his arm around me as we walked—each step a bitter reminder of my almost orgasm. “Occasionally,” he responded, with a hint of a smirk. “Do me a favor?”

He was the one who owed me something! Because of him, I was unsatisfied and in a slightly sour mood. In response, I just looked at him.

“On your list, mark yes to CNC,” he said, as if saying, ‘You’re into it.’

I didn’t know what the abbreviation meant, but I was almost convinced just by the confident tone of his voice. The excitement behind his eyes led me to believe he was also into this proclaimed CNC, which I was both scared and intrigued by. Now, I just needed to figure out my method of research. I’d learned my lesson with the internet. Reesia was still a new person to me; however approachable and knowledgeable she may be, asking them these questions made me nervous. I knew my nervousness wasn’t a good thing given the circumstances of our relationship.

Being comfortable around each other meant more than seeing each other naked. It meant having uncomfortable conversations—like Dominic was happy to have with me last night.

Also, I want to have a list from them too. I knew I was technically the one who was new to this, and I wasn’t sure how well I’d do at fulfilling their needs. I’d like to know what they were into despite my inexperience. What if I marked something—like fisting—off, and it’s something one of them really liked? How would we go about that? I wouldn’t be able to compromise.

Another sit-down, dining room table talk was definitely necessary. This list was wonderful and horrible at the same time. On one hand, I was given a very rare opportunity to express what I liked, wanted to try, or wouldn’t try. On the other hand, I had to admit those things, and my answers might not match up with what they wanted.

I squeezed Wyatt’s hand, breaking myself out of my overthinking spiral.

Upon entering the house, Wyatt excused himself to the bathroom—no doubt to wash his hands...

Putting on my best poker face, I found Reesia in the kitchen. She greeted me with a smile. “Here you go,” she said, handing me a full cup.

I fully expected her to make a comment about our ten-minute disappearance. When she didn’t, I was beyond grateful. I couldn’t fully grasp her personality. One minute, she was super blunt, then the next, she was completely easygoing. She seemed like the kind of person to try to embarrass someone—just to do it. From my day with her, I was wrong again. She teased, but only directly to me. And when I said I wasn’t interested in going to a sex club, she didn’t push it or make me explain.

Although I wasn’t expecting it, Reesia was a very kind person. She was weird, but not in a bad way. I really liked her.

I took a sip of the drink and widened my eyes. I barely tasted the alcohol—which was dangerous, considering I knew how much she’d poured in.

“You like?” She asked, eagerness in her smile.

I laughed, “You have a dark gift.”

“I’ve been told,” she agreed with a smirk. “Come on, I’ll show you around!” She began walking towards the stairs, jumping from topic to topic like it wasn’t giving me whiplash.

Reesia gave me a tour of their home. It was bigger than I expected, making me question what Collin did for a living. Especially considering he was at a strip club from four in the afternoon to well in the night. No regular job I could think of had hours that flexible. He might have been a businessman.

We settled in a bonus room upstairs, where they had a few sizable sofas, a craft area, a flat-screen, and two hammocks. It was incredibly cozy, and I admired Reesia for being able to put together a room that was so welcoming.

“So. Tell me your life story,” Reesia said as she settled into one of the hammocks.

A small laugh escaped as I took the other hammock. “There’s not much to tell,” I shrugged. Truthfully, I didn’t like talking about my life.

“I’ve got all night,” she grinned, sipping her drink.

“Then,” I could barely breathe as I tried to speak. Fits of laughter consumed me. I had no idea how much time had passed or when we ended up on the floor. All I knew was the three glasses of alcohol kicked in, and Reesia and I were best friends.

“Then I called Charles, who sent me the address to their house,” I finished.

Reesia’s tears collected in her eyes as she chuckled, “ Your dad sent you to live with them?!”

I nodded, laughing so hard that no noise came out. Cruel irony seemed to be the theme of our laughter as we swapped stories about our lives.

I nodded, “Uh-huh. And now I have one of these,” I reached my hand into my purse nearby and showed her the list. “Shout out to Charles for finally doing something right in my life,” I winked, taking another sip.

Reesia’s mouth dropped open as she sat up straighter, “You had this the whole time, and I’m just now finding out?” She flicked my knee. “What do you have so far?” She asked, but her eyes didn’t look down at the paper after she realized what it was.

Propping myself up, I leaned against one of the sofas. “Nothing, I don’t know what half the things are,” I slurred.

She slyly wiggled her eyebrows. “I do.” Her words were an open invitation, yet I was still weary, even in my drunken state.

I looked over the blurry words on the list, waiting for one to stand out. “Somno-som-something,” I tried, barely able to make the letters out.

Her eyes lit up as she smiled, “Ooo, yes!” She stumbled over to the craft area and grabbed a pen. She plopped down next to me again and held it out to me, “Trust me, yes!”

I laughed at her enthusiasm, “Okay, but what does it mean?”

She closed her eyes for a few seconds as she collected her thoughts. “Have you ever woken up mid-orgasm?” she questioned. I shook my head no. “Do you want to?” she smirked.

I grabbed the pen, both of us giggling as I marked yes.

“Somno—fuck,” she slurred. “Somnophilia is when they fuck you in your sleep,” she further explained.

The thought alone sent a rush of adrenaline through me. Questions of what that would be like raced through my mind, and I found myself intrigued, to say the least.

“Wyatt said that I should mark yes to CNC?” I asked, not seeing it on the page.

Reesia nodded, “That one’s a little edgy—I personally don’t play around too much with it, just because I’ve got issues,” she shrugged. “Consensual non consent. It’s just what it sounds like. You have conversations and give consent beforehand. Somnophilia is actually an excellent example of that. Like when I’m okay with Collin fucking me in my sleep, I wear specific underwear; that way, he knows it’s okay.”

Again, my interest was peaked. Still unsure and wanting to talk to them about it, I wrote it down.

I squinted at the list again, “Knife play? I’m guessing that one is what it sounds like, too?” I got ready to mark no.

“Kind of!” Reesia began. “Usually, there’s no cutting or puncturing of the skin at all. It’s usually just the flat part of the blade against your thigh or boob or wherever else. It’s actually less scary than it sounds,” she comforted.

Checking the box under maybe, I continued to skim the list.

“Primal play?” I asked. “Is this where they dress up as Optimus Prime?”

Reesia burst out into laughter, “No! Although...” she stopped laughing and looked at the wall for a few seconds as she contemplated.

“Reesia.”

She snapped out of her thoughts and turned to me. “Oh, um, it’s not always the same, but that one involves a lot of chasing around the house or hide-and-seek... think of it as caveman foreplay,” she giggled.

I marked it as maybe.

“Um...” I cringed at the names but immediately marked them as yes.

“What were those two?” She asked.

“Urine and scat...”

Reesia did a double take at me, “I wouldn’t have guessed, but to each their own...”

“Well, I want to use the bathroom whenever I need to,” I explained.

With raised eyebrows, she leaned close to me. “Odette, Sweetheart, what do you think those mean?” she asked gently.

“I’m assuming they would make me hold it—right? I don’t want that, so I marked yes,” I explained in a duh tone. What else would it be?

Reesia leaned and whispered an absolutely vulgar explanation into my ear. By the end of her short explanation, I was practically running for the whiteout.

“No! Nope, absolutely not!” I fiercely erased the check next to yes.

Reesia nodded, “I didn’t think so,” she laughed.

“Okay,” I sat down, keeping the whiteout next to me and making a mental note not to mark anything without being 100% sure what it meant.

We spent about an hour going through the list. She answered any questions I had and gave in-depth examples.

“Pet names?” One in particular had been on my mind all day, and my drunken thoughts zoned in on it.

Reesia focused on a small stain in the carpet, touching it with her fingers. “That one’s self-explanatory,” she dismissed. At my lack of response, she looked up at me. “What?”

Not knowing how to or if I should tell her, I took another sip of my drink. “Nothing.”

Reesia glanced at the page momentarily before laying on her stomach, her chin resting on her palms, elbows against the carpet. “You made the same face earlier when I said Daddy in the mall,” she recalled.

“I shouldn’t like it,” I explained shyly, barely sparing her a glance.

“Why not?”

I shrugged, “It’s weird. I’ve never even called Charles’ dad, but it still...”

“First of all, the endearment, Daddy, has nothing to do with your actual father, babe. Ew,” she giggled. “It’s like... he takes care of you. It’s a sexy caregiver name,” she struggled to explain.

“So it’s not Freud messing with me?” I clarified.

She shook her head. “Maybe a little,” we both laughed. “I’m the queen of Daddy issues, and if I can call Collin Daddy, you can call them Daddy.”

Feeling tired, I laughed humorlessly, “I’ll challenge you for that title.”

She smirked, “Try me.”

Feeding off her sick sense of humor, I tilted my head, “Charles slut shames me even though I’m a virgin and constantly belittles me.”

Reesia’s mouth dropped open for a moment. “Damn, okay.” She grinned, “My dad got drunk all the time and took his anger out on me.”

My stomach sank as I stared at her. She won.

Reesia and I both stared at each other for what felt like forever. When the corner of her mouth turned up into a smile, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. It started as a small huff, then grew into a full-blown laugh. Reesia was the same, laughing at something that wasn’t funny by any means.

I didn’t understand why either of us felt the need to laugh. Was it her bluntness? Or was it the fact that we both had horrible fathers for very different reasons? I guess it goes to show that healing and coping were strange.

Catching my breath, I decided to share more, “When I was eight, my dad made me shoot my own puppy,” I admitted.

Again, there was a small pause before we broke out in laughter. Reesia clutched her chest, shaking her head at me as I drunkenly let out a snort as I laughed, making us laugh harder.

“Wait, wait, wait—” Reesia wiped a tear from her eye, “My mom hit me too!” She added.

My body must have stopped functioning—along with my brain because no sound was coming out. I’d always heard about laughing so hard that it hurts, but I’d never experienced it until now.

We were slapping each other’s legs, holding our torsos, and crying as we found humor in the humorless. For the first time in my life, someone understood. Reesia had it much worse than I did, but she knew what it was like. If I told these things to anyone else, they’d pity me, but I didn’t want that—I never wanted that.

“Reesia,” I was unable to form coherent words, but I tried. “Charles had me on a DNR list, so if anything ever happened to me, I’d die.”

She looked between my eyes as she fell on her back, her hands on her stomach as she lost it.

My own laughter hadn’t lightened up any either. That was the first time I’d ever told anyone that. I found out when I turned eighteen and immediately got it changed.

It was minutes before either of us were able to act like humans again. Reesia sat up and chucked a few more times before she sighed, “I needed that.”

For the minutes filled with uncontrollable laughter, I’d forgotten why I was so scared of the man. “Me too.”

“Odette,” Reesia nudged me. “Take it from me; having a Daddy is much better than having a father,” she winked.

Still unsure of the endearment, I gave her a simple nod. I wouldn’t deny that I definitely liked it when Dominic called himself Daddy. However, I didn’t like that I liked it.

Another hour flew by as we drank, talked, laughed, finished the kink list, and played a board game. It was only when I noticed our conversation slowing and both of us struggling to keep our eyes open that I finally stood.

The room literally spun, and I stumbled back onto the couch, making Reesia chuckle, “We’re so drunk,” she deadpanned.

Running my hand through my hair, I squinted at her—she was very blurry, and the whole room was. “I feel really awful,” I admitted. I didn’t feel sick like I’d seen in movies and shows. I just felt unlike myself. Clumsy and disoriented came to mind. Thinking felt like a challenge rather than something that came naturally.

“Are they still—still playing poker?” I questioned. It was past midnight, and I wanted to go to bed.

Reesia lay on the floor, barely awake, as she slowly blinked. She shrugged, “I can see your panties—fix your dress,” she muttered.

Peering down at myself, I noticed that my dress had hiked up at some point. Feeling no embarrassment that she saw, I adjusted my dress. I felt like such a mess; I needed to go home.

I attempted to walk, but the floor felt like it was trying to swallow me whole. So I crawled.

I stopped by Reesia, “Are you okay?” I asked.

“I’m just gonna close my eyes for a second.”

“Do you want me to help you get onto the couch?” I offered.

She shook her head, “Collin will come get me,” she slurred confidently.

“Okay.” I began crawling very slowly in the direction of the stairs. It turned out I was not drunk when I drank wine with Anna. I was just very tipsy because it was nothing like this.

Truth be told, I would never let anyone see me crawling on the floor like this. Even being as drunk as I was, if anyone besides Reesia saw me, I would will myself go walk. This was so unladylike.

I sat on the top step, looking at the stairs that only seemed to lengthen as I stared at them. Making sure to keep one hand on the rail and the other on whichever staircase I was on, I began butt-scooting down them. It was the most efficient and safe way I could think of. Also, I wouldn’t look so ridiculous if anyone saw me.

Six steps—I think—from the bottom, Jamie came into sight as she walked out of the bathroom. She paused momentarily before letting out a teasing chuckle, “Awe, first time?”

I stopped moving, not wanting to be made fun of. “I feel awful,” I said again.

She nodded as she approached me with an outreached hand. “Come on, let’s get you some water,” she insisted.

I took her hand, although the thought of drinking or eating anything made me want to gag. Also, her hand was not the one I wanted to hold, but I wasn’t going to be rude or turn away a helping hand. “Where are my guys?” I asked, noticing the empty dining room.

Jamie was surprisingly muscular, supporting my weight as I stumbled through the house. “They’re outside, but I’ll get them,” she answered.

The cool night air sounded amazing. “Reesia is asleep,” I informed her, wanting to be sure she didn’t get forgotten up there.

We stopped next to the kitchen counter. I stabled myself before she slowly let go of me. “Something tells me you’re not far behind,” she joked as she placed a glass of water in front of me.

Movement outside caught my attention. I squinted my eyes, looking out the sliding glass back door. Wyatt and Dominic were standing and having a conversation with Collin. Niko was laughing at something Vincent said, both gently stumbling with beers in their hands—making me feel a little better. And Aiden...was smoking a cigarette.

I sighed, not knowing how to feel about that. Personally, I would never smoke and thought it was a bad habit. Then again, I wouldn’t look as good as he did while doing it. Part of me wanted to scold and convince him to stop, while the other part couldn’t recall him ever smelling like smoke. Maybe this was rare? Either way, it was none of my business—especially if he’d never made it known to me.

Much like Dominic calling himself Daddy, Aiden made smoking hot when it shouldn’t be.

When Aiden put out the cigarette and made haste to come inside, I realized that he had been looking back at me the entire time. He was trying to hide the smoking from me; it was clear as day on his face. He looked caught before his neutral expression took over again.

He opened the sliding door and quickly made his way over to me. I was beyond grateful to be around him, “Hey,” I attempted not to slur. My attempt was futile as my knee gave, and I stumbled while standing, giving my drunken state away.

He took my purse off my shoulder and hooked it onto his own before wrapping his arm around my waist, keeping me stable. “How are you feeling?” He asked.

“Tired.”

The rest of my professors, Collin and Vincent, entered the house. Collin took one look at me and went upstairs.

Wyatt grinned, “I tried to warn you about Reesia’s drinks. How many did you have?”

My brain was completely shut down, and thinking of an answer was much more complex than it should have been. “Um,” I rubbed my eyes, feeling the room spin, making me stumble in Aiden’s arms. “Four-ish?” I guessed.

Aiden sighed next to me, while Wyatt and Dominic looked more concerned. Niko was holding back a laugh, and all of their reactions confused me.

“Goodnight,” Jamie laughed like I was about to pass out.

“Alright, let’s get these two drunks home,” Dominic gave Niko and me a look.

Niko cocked an eyebrow, “You’ve had the same amount of beer as me,” he defended.

Dominic smirked, “You’re a lightweight.”

Aiden basically carried me to the car, and all Niko’s arguing faded as we got further away from them.

“Are you mad at me?” I slurred. I couldn’t help but feel like I’d done something wrong.

Aiden looked taken back, “Mad at you?” He repeated. “No, why would I be mad at you, Babydoll?”

I shrugged, “I’m embarrassed.”

He chuckled, “Don’t be embarrassed for being drunk, Odette.” He opened the backseat to the truck and helped me into the middle seat.

I held his forearm, “I want you to sit next to me.” I was feeling particularly clingy tonight, and Aiden was very warm.

Aiden grinned. “I am,” he assured me. He pulled himself into the truck and sat to my right.

Wasting no time, I leaned my head against his shoulder, a makeshift pillow. He wrapped his arm around me, and I heard the seatbelt click. “How long will this last?” I murmured.

He kissed the top of my head, “Close your eyes and try to sleep; it should go away soon.”

The other doors opened, and the rest of my guys piled in, Niko to my left and Wyatt driving.

“When I close my eyes, it’s too spiny,” I explained. “I can’t fall asleep; I need my pajamas,” I added.

“Don’t worry about your clothes, we can help you,” he responded gently.

That sounded nice... I smirked against his shoulder, “If you want to see me naked, all you have to do is ask.”

The truck filled with their amused chuckles at my poorly timed joke—the only jokes I knew how to make in my defense. “That’s the liquid courage talking, Cari?o,” Niko smirked at me in a way that made my cheeks hot.

My eyelids kept trying to close shut, and tiredness consumed me. Although I hated the feeling of having my eyes closed, I needed more sleep.

Aiden was rubbing my arm, holding me tightly to his side. I hadn’t noticed the violent shivers vibrating my entire body until then. “I’m cold,” I slurred into his chest.

Warmth was pressed against my other side as Niko slid beside me, resting his hand on my thigh. The gesture made me smile.

Time was lost, and my memory became spotty. One minute, I was in the truck, and the next, Aiden was carrying me upstairs. I peeked up at him, squinting to see his blurry features. “Are we going to bed?” I asked, hoping the answer was yes.

He sat me on a toilet and stuck his hand in the shower. He crouched next to me and said, “We’re going to take a quick shower, and then we’ll go to bed, okay?”

I nodded. Warm water sounded nice. I slowly blinked at him, remembering that Aiden hadn’t seen me naked yet. I probably wouldn’t remember tonight, and I wanted to remember his expression when he finally saw my tattoo—it had become our thing. “But what about our game?” I asked, my drunken mind too scrambled to explain.

Aiden looked amused, “I won’t look.”

Cocking an eyebrow at him, I speculated. “Promise?”

His eyes held sincerity as he spoke. “Promise. What fun would that be?”

I lifted my arms, “Alright, professor. Undress me,” I gently giggled, although laughing hurt my stomach.

He kept his gaze on the top of my head as he maneuvered me out of my clothes. It wasn’t an easy task; I wasn’t cooperating at all. My limbs felt like noodles, and the rest of me felt like I was going 100 miles per hour on an upside-down roller coaster.

Aiden was naked, too, but everything around me was so blurry so I was robbed of the sight. “Awe...” I groaned.

He chuckled at my disappointment before his hands were on my waist, helping me into the shower. “We’ve got to be quick; I don’t want us to get stuck in the cold water,” he said as he began lathering shampoo in my hair.

The massage felt like heaven, and I soon found myself hugging him. My arms were wrapped around his torso as he rinsed the suds out of my hair. I was on cloud nine, feeling nothing and everything simultaneously. Niko was right about that liquid courage.

“Thank you for being so nice to me,” I slurred.

Aiden hugged me back, gently swaying me in the hot water. “You don’t have to thank us for being nice, Babydoll. If anything, you should expect this, okay?” He responded gently.

I nodded, although I knew I’d always be surprised by their kindness and willingness to go out of their way for me. It made me feel special.

We finished up, and both of us were clean by the time the first drop of icy water fell. Aiden dressed me in an oversized shirt and sweatpants—probably the comfiest outfit I’d ever worn.

I was in and out of it as he brushed through my hair. I barely remember Niko coming into the room and braiding my hair; I just remember the sound of his voice. The only evidence that I was sick was the burn in my throat from the stomach acids.

Bits and pieces of the night flashed in scrambled images: Aiden rubbing my back as my head was in a toilet, Wyatt at the door with water and a pill, Dominic shooing Cat away as I begged to pet him, Niko’s hands running through my hair, finally getting to pet Cat, and Aiden’s arms around me as we slept in his bed.

I was never more comfortable with being such a mess in my life. There was no judgment being cast, no scolding whatsoever. I was still embarrassed that I was seen in such a vulnerable state—even if I didn’t remember. I might not remember puking or most things in between, but I’d remember how they cared for me.