17. tallulah #2
We stood in uncomfortable silence as she waited for the elevator. I turned to leave when she spoke again, her words slow and confused. “Um…thank you?”
“Don’t worry about it,” I whispered.
The elevator opened. She didn’t move. “Tallulah?”
“Yes?”
“You know what the prize is, don’t you?”
My eyebrows scrunched up. “The Chronicle interview?”
“No. The real prize.” She studied me. “You really don’t know, do you? The publishing contract?” I remained confused and Winona looked even more so. “It’s co-writing a book with Tomasini. That’s the prize everyone’s after.”
The screams upstairs suddenly made sense. That’s what these undergraduates were fighting for, a spot on a hardcover of Joe Tomasini’s next riveting biography.
That was the prize?
A giggle slipped out of me. I snorted, trying to cover it up. “That’s it?”
“Tallulah, do you know how much money that is?”
My giggles morphed into full laughter, wracking my body.
This entire night, from the dinner to having Nick on his knees for me, was absurd.
I’d left reality. Or something better than reality.
A weight lifted off my shoulders at this reveal.
A lot of my anxieties about the internship vanished.
I’d never work with Joe Tomasini. So, fuck it.
I didn’t care about him or his stupid prize.
Recognizing that, holding on to that resolve, made me feel in control. It was another foreign feeling.
I liked it.
“You are so weird,” Winona managed.
With a shrug, I returned to my dorm, lighter than air. I found Nick leaning against the door, his arms folded over his chest. His shirt was on backwards, his slacks rumpled.
He watched me, eyebrows furrowed. “Why did you tell her where the tickets are?”
I didn’t know what to say. “Journalism isn’t a solo career. That was—uh—networking—”
“That’s such bullshit.” He shook his head. “That’s not why you did it.”
Ducking inside, I checked the clock. Three minutes left until we had to return to the lounge.
“Why were you laughing?” Nick asked, mystified.
“Because I’m having a good night,” I said honestly. I snuck a glance his way. “You made it a good night.”
His lips curved for a grin, and he crossed the distance to kiss me again, cupping my face. “You’re so fucking sweet.”
The logical part of my brain wanted to leave for the lounge early. It was definitely what Andrew wanted. But fuck Andrew and fuck Tomasini and fuck the internship’s expectations. And fuck the co-writing prize, that’d never happen.
This internship had been the crappiest part of my summer and kissing Nick was the antidote. I threw my arms around his neck, humming with pleasure.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“For what?”
“For the amazing cunnilingus.”
He made a noise at the back of his throat. “You’ve got to stop calling it that. Say it how I want to hear it.”
My cheeks warmed. What he wanted to hear was so vulgar and sounded awkward when I said it. I hesitated, testing the words. “Thank—thank you for being so good at eating pussy.”
“There we go,” he murmured. “Much better.”
The time flashed behind him. Two minutes now. I sighed. “I need my panties back.”
“Uh, no.”
I shook my head. “I’m serious.”
“So am I. I’m taking them to Calgary.”
“What?” My eyes widened. “To your next hockey game?”
“Uh-huh. Don’t worry.” He slipped them out of his pocket. “I’ll keep them hidden in my bag.”
I tried to snatch them out of the air. He was too fast, too tall. Nick laughed, backing me up until I thumped against the wall.
“You like play-fighting too?” he rumbled.
“Give them back—”
“Make a safe word.”
I froze, taken aback. “What?”
“You can’t pretend like you’re above limits, we both know you have them.” Nick dipped to press his lips against my neck. My pulse raced under his touch and he repeated the command. “Make a safe word.”
“No,” rushed out of me.
“Make. A. Safe. Word.”
“No.”
“Don’t be bratty, Tallulah. We don’t have time for me to eat your pussy again.”
I flushed, gazing at the ceiling. I was frustrated that he did this to me and I was still turned on from the lack of an orgasm. I didn’t want to concede, but he had me pinned to the wall.
“Celibate,” I snipped. “That’s our safe word.”
Smirking, Nick pulled out the panties. “Told you you’d make one.”
I took the panties from him and checked the time. We were officially late to return to the lounge. I couldn’t remember the last time I was late to anything.
What was so wrong with that? Andrew already saw I found a ticket, and I didn’t care what the internship thought of me anymore. I did my work and I did it well, I didn’t have anything to prove.
Fuck it. We could be late.
Nick tried to leave again, and I stopped him.
There was something different about this dynamic.
I didn’t want it to end. Nick wasn’t being belittling or condescending, it was a game between us.
Banter. Foreplay. Teasing each other like I’d never experienced before.
It wasn’t cat-and-mouse, it was like cat-and-cat, both of us batting each other, needling each other to be on top.
It brought something out of me I didn’t think existed.
Playfulness.
I could be playful. I never would’ve guessed.
I gathered my courage and held the panties at the end of my fingers. “Do you want them?”
His eyes flashed with interest. “Hm?”
“Ask me properly.”
“Properly?” He chuckled, his tone sarcastic. “Can I have your panties?”
“No.” I shook my head, heart thumping. “Ask me nicely. This isn’t a hard limit, you just weren’t being polite.”
A sick thrill rushed through me at the way he licked his lips. This was playing with each other, and I was finally learning the rules.
“Can I have your panties?” he asked again, his voice velvety soft.
“You can do better than that.” I nudged us further. “Tell me why you want them.”
“My good luck charm for the game.”
“No. To—to jerk off with. And send me videos when you do it.”
His smirk widened. “Wow, Tallulah. Aren’t you supposed to be a good girl?”
“Aren’t you supposed to pay attention?” I asked, breathless. “I told you to ask for my panties nicely.”
Who was this person saying these words, was that me?
It was and I couldn’t believe it. Nobody would’ve believed it.
Nick put a hand beside my head, backing me to the wall again. I hit it with a thump, and the unresolved sexual tension made me feel bolder.
Nick dipped down, his breath at my ear, nipping my ear lobe. “Please, Tallulah? Please, can I have your panties to jerk off with?”
“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” I whispered.
“Trust me, I’m painfully hard right now.”
I slipped them into his pocket, taking him by the hand to lead him back to the lounge. I knew exactly what the two of us looked like.
And I didn’t care.