25. June #3
“Ladies, you all look…” He brings his fingers to his lips and makes a chef’s kiss gesture.
“Gentlemen, you all look…” His grin grows.
“Sinister. The rules for this evening’s event are quite simple.
Men are required to pay a hundred dollar buy-in to participate.
Women are free. Ladies, somewhere in the vicinity is a hidden halo.
Find the halo before you’re sullied, and you win the pot…
minus the usual Harden cut for facilitating the game and the cost of cleaners because shit’s about to get messy.
” Roman’s chin drops to his chest as he shakes his head.
“Gentlemen, your goal is to sully as many women as possible. If they’re touched by at least three colors, they’re out of the game. ”
“And how do we win?” a guy calls.
“You mean, other than chasing around women in the dark for fun on a Friday night?” he volleys.
Another round of amusement carries throughout the grounds.
“Be in the room when the halo’s found, and you’ll receive a bonus,” Ford explains before turning to his brother. “Jagger, will you please demonstrate?”
Gently slapping Violet’s outer thigh, Jagger urges her off him, then starts toward one of the tables lining the edge of the stage.
On the tables, there are small buckets. Some are filled with markers.
Others with neon fingerpaints. My brows dip as Jagger reaches for a bright pink paint bucket.
Dipping his fingertips into the wet emulsion, he turns to Violet and grabs her face.
Tugging her into him, he kisses her hard while the crowd goes wild.
The girl doesn’t miss a beat as she kisses him back.
She opens her mouth and presses her front to his in a way that’s just shy of indecent while his opposite hand manages to dip into a neon green.
He grips the back of her hoodie with it, squeezing the fabric and making sure it sops up as much of the paint as possible.
Satisfied, he goes back to the various paints, dipping his fingers in a glow-in-the-dark sky blue and grabbing the opposite side of her face while deepening the kiss even more as the rest of us watch from in front of the stage.
“All right, all right,” Ford jokes. “You can let her up for air now, Jag.”
Jagger smiles against her mouth, then pulls away and drops his hands from both sides of her face. Slowly, Violet reaches up to touch her cheeks, but Jagger grabs her hand, stopping her. “Give it a second to dry.”
“Huh?”
A mirror sits on the table, and he lifts it for Violet to see. His handprint marks her pale skin, highlighting exactly where he grabbed her. One in pink, the opposite in blue.
“What the?” she murmurs.
He grabs the edge of her hoodie and twists it so she can peek at the neon green marring her back.
With a gasp, she smacks his chest. “Are you kidding me?”
“Now you, my little thief, have been marked.” Jagger’s grin broadens, showcasing his straight white teeth. “Which means you’re out of the game.”
She smacks his chest again. “You cheated! I didn’t even have a chance—”
Ford interrupts her protests. “One more thing. Boob and ass grabs are off limits unless it’s consensual. If someone complains about you, or we see you touching someone from the cameras, not only will you be disqualified, you’re banned from Harden Nights for good.”
My eyes pop at his words. Banned from Harden Nights for good?
Doesn’t that hurt his business? It has to, doesn’t it?
A swell of gratitude warms my insides, and I look down at the ground, trying to get a hold of myself.
But here’s the thing. Being a girl can be tough.
Sure, this sounds like a fun game, but it’s also a recipe for disaster if the wrong people are playing and the game makers aren’t fulfilling their end of the bargain to keep the participants safe.
Knowing someone is looking out for you and will stand up for you if things get out of hand means more than Ford knows.
Yup. Pretty sure my ovaries are a fan. Not that they weren’t before, but still.
“Ladies,” Ford continues, “if you prefer to spectate instead of actively participate now that you’re aware of the ground rules, there are neon shirts at each of the tables.
You’re welcome to slip one on, hang out, and enjoy the show.
Just know that if you are wearing a neon shirt, you may not search for the halo.
Any questions?” He barely waits a millisecond.
“Perfect.” Then, his gaze finds mine. “Good luck.”
Darkness envelops our staring contest as the lights extinguish.
“Ladies, I suggest you move quickly! As soon as I’m finished speaking, Cobie will blow a foghorn, announcing it’s time to begin your search.
Thirty seconds after that, Cobie’s going to blow the foghorn a second time, announcing to the men that they can begin their hunt.
At that time, the black lights will turn on, and we’ll all be able to see how pretty you all look wearing our mark…
for thirty more seconds before the lights are off again. ”
“Figured we’d rotate back and forth, giving one side an edge before returning the favor to the ladies,” Jagger announces. Then, he nods to his little sister.
Cobie raises her arm in my periphery, and a loud, blaring sound rings out.
Holy crap! They really weren’t kidding.
I guess it’s go time. The question is, where am I supposed to actually go?!