17. Savvy
SO, here’s the thing: laser tag isn’t generally considered a very sexy activity.
I get it. Scrambling around a dark room with a bunch of screaming kids brandishing laser guns, wearing the same sweaty vest as god knows how many other people, isn’t an aphrodisiac. There’s always someone monitoring the games too, poised to hit the dreaded penalty button if you lay a finger on another player. Laser tag is strictly no contact, or, at least, it’s supposed to be.
Except last night, when Dar and I broke all the rules.
We were both exhausted by the time we made it back to his house after leaving the arena, but still found the energy to make slow, sleepy love against the shower wall, hot water pooling between our bodies as he made me come not once, not twice, but three times before finishing deep inside me.
Love making.
I always thought that term was sentimental and cheesy, but I don’t know what else to call what happened between us in the shower. It wasn’t rough or frantic, nothing like the combustion of weeks of need that our first time was. I clung to his shoulders, our quiet noises of pleasure echoing off the walls of the glass shower, kissing until we were too far gone to do more than pant and moan.
After all that, my heart feels changed. If there was any doubt in my mind that I’m not completely in love with Darwin Wilder, it’s gone now. Even if I’m annoyed that the big jerk would hit me with the best sex of my life, then take off for twenty-four hours.
This morning, the production company sent a fancy black town car for Dar to take him into the city, and I kissed him goodbye at the door wearing nothing but a t-shirt I stole from his drawer. He got halfway down the path before abruptly turning around, marching back up to the house and silencing my question of whether he’d forgotten something with a frantic, searing kiss.
A few hours later, I floated into Galactic Guild with cartoon hearts in my eyes and a cloud of pink birds circling my head. Even now, with half the day gone, I still get all fluttery and weak-kneed whenever I think about it.
I’m in so much trouble.
All day I’ve been fending off daydreams of matching wedding bands and grumpy, dark-haired babies. Then again, considering he came inside me twice without questioning my birth control methods, Dar doesn’t seem to be any better.
“Your face looks weird.” I blink, pulled from my preoccupation by King. He’s standing on the other side of the snack bar, which I’m still using as my office, with a broom in hand and his nose scrunched up.
“I’m your boss. It’s in your best interest to lie to me when that’s the case,” I advise, tapping my pencil on the glass countertop.
“Honesty’s the best policy, Savvy!” sings Marley as she comes into view, Luke at her heels. “What do you need us to do now?”
I pause, glancing around, and my heart lifts when it occurs to me how much doesn’t need to be done. There are still plenty of things I’d like to change or improve when money starts coming in, but Galactic Guild feels fresh. A lot of the original character remains in the murals and the old-school games, but there’s new paint on the walls, and the stained purple carpet has been replaced with wood.
Now, I’m confident that people won’t be afraid they’re sending their kids into a possible crime scene anymore, and—holy shit. I did this. Me. Dar helped so much, but it was my vision, my plans. We’re officially opening in one week, and I’m excited. People are already booking birthday parties on the new website, and I announced the first Laser Speed Dating event this morning on our social media accounts.
Biting back a smile, I send the kids off to begin stocking all the claw machines in the arcade, then pick up my phone.
Savvy: Hey, this is your daily reminder that I love you, and I’m ready to talk whenever you are.
Raven: *Insert middle finger emoji that was unfairly taken away here*
I sigh, staring down at the string of text exchanges from the last few days, which have all been pretty much the same.
She’ll get over it. We’ve fought in the past, and Raven’s always needed a few weeks to simmer off before she’s ready to admit she might have been even a tiny bit wrong about something. She’s protective of me, and I get that, but she needs to trust that I’m not going into this with my eyes closed.
My heart flutters as I cross my legs and feel that ache again. Biting my lip, I type out another text.
Savvy: How’s it going? Have you met the cast yet?
Dar: I’m just heading there now. Had a sit down with the production team and was overall impressed. They’re cutting a few scenes I’d rather they didn’t. We’ll see.
Savvy: That’s why the book is ALWAYS better.
Dar: I miss you. Going in now. I’ll call you before bed?
Savvy: Yes, please.
Grinning like a hormone-drunk lunatic, I open my laptop, and—almost instantly—my jaw drops.
The Galactic Guild Arena Instagram, which had about thirty followers this morning, has leapt to over five thousand. There are hundreds of notifications, but all of them seem to be on the Laser Speed Dating post.
Even as I watch, more comments are popping up, all of them asking when another one will be, tagging their friends, complaining about tickets being sold out, or just saying what a cool, fun idea it is. There’s a message from an event coordinator at a local radio station asking if we would be interested in co-hosting an event.
My hands are shaky as I click over to our website. Sure enough, the event sold out in about ten minutes.
I know I should start responding to all these messages or looking at our calendar to get more events on the books, but I’ve never felt like this before… Like I might not be such a failure after all, and there’s only one person I need to tell about it.
Savvy: You won’t get this for a while, but the post announcing Laser Speed Dating went kind of viral… We’re sold out, and all our accounts have thousands of new followers. A radio station DMed me about an event!
I’ve barely set my phone down, though, when his response comes.
Dar: I’m so fucking proud of you, little tornado. I told you it was brilliant!
Wiping my eyes impatiently, I beam down at the phone.
Savvy: Aren’t you with movie stars right now?!
Dar: I don’t give a damn who I’m with, Savvy. When you text me, I’m going to respond.
Even though I’m having the greatest morning ever recorded, I consider my greatest victory of the day to be not sliding off my stool and melting into a puddle on the spot.
Darwin Wilder, the reclusive grump, has somehow transformed himself into the sweetest boyfriend ever in a matter of weeks.
Who would have thought?
Not me, that’s for sure. Even in my wildest fantasies, being with Dar wasn’t like this, and suddenly all those stupid when you know, you know pearls of wisdom kind of make sense. Because I freaking know. I am going to marry that big, grumpy nerd and have his oversized, grumpy, nerdy babies (sorry vagina), and that’s that.
I’m sold, and it’s terrifying.
It takes my heart a solid thirty seconds to regain its normal rhythm and my brain to focus on anything other than the man I’m so clearly in love with. But when I finally turn back to my work, my computer yields its second surprise of the day.
An application update pops up in the right corner of my screen, and I stare at the unfamiliar icon, trying to remember what the hell it’s for.
Then, it hits me.
It’s the software Dar installed so we can monitor Galactic Guild remotely, set the alarms or—a hysterical little giggle bubbles from my lips—review security footage. As in…
My face is hot as I peer over my computer screen to where Marley, King, and Luke are busy filling claw machines with little prizes, oblivious to the fact that their boss may or may not be about to find a video of herself being fucked by their other boss.
I feel like a voyeur as I open the software and start clicking through the footage, like I’m searching for someone else’s possible sex tape and not my own. There are dozens of cameras in the arena, but it’s huge in there. The chances there is one exactly where we—My heart stalls. There it is. A camera is directed right on that very familiar galactic waste pile, and there’s just one motion-activated recording on that day.
Heart pounding, I skip forward, finally stopping on a frame of myself just as I step into the camera’s path. The footage is crystal clear, and I can see my sly smile as I creep further into view, looking back and forth, laser gun clutched in my hands.
I’m only alone for a few seconds.
I know what’s going to happen, but my heart still jolts when a dark figure appears out of nowhere, grabbing me… I snap the computer shut.
Later. I’ll watch it later.
It’s later. Finally.
Normally with the craziness of getting Galactic Guild up and running, in between lusting after Dar and squeezing in a rideshare shift whenever I can, I’m too busy for the days to drag. Today, though, I couldn’t stop checking the time, waiting for the end of the kids’ shift so I could go home too.
My phone is password protected, but I still didn’t let it out of my sight. The knowledge of what it contained, and that I’d deleted the only other copy of the footage, kept me from my usual routine of leaving it some obscure corner of Galactic Guild and needing help to hunt it down.
After driving King, Marley, and Luke back into town to meet their friends—ignoring their mutinous grumbling that I hadn’t fed them dinner like Dar always does—I drove straight home, gripping the wheel like my life depended on it.
Kicking my sandals off in the entryway (beside the other jumble of discarded shoes), I jog up the steps to the main floor, snag an apple from the bag on the table, and stride right down the dark hall to my bedroom.
The space hasn’t changed a lot since my teenage years. Even my old clothes are crammed into bins in the closet, waiting for the day when I get around to donating them. It couldn’t be clearer that I never intended for this to be a permanent arrangement.
Maybe it won’t be.
If things with Dar are as serious as they feel… I don’t let myself linger on that for long. Truthfully, living in his fortress of solitude doesn’t sound a lot better than staying here. One step at a time, though. Right now, I want to watch myself have crazy laser tag sex with my boyfriend, whom I liked before falling under his dick spell.
Wriggling out of my clothes, I toss them in the general direction of my hamper and flop onto the unmade bed, giggling at my own enthusiasm. There is no earthly reason for me to feel so naughty watching this—it’s me having sex for god’s sake—but I can’t wipe the mischievous smile off my face.
The moment I start the video, all humor is forgotten.
Watching porn has never really been my thing, but this is different. It’s me and Dar, and seeing the uncontrolled, desperate way he holds me, strips me, uses me… by the time it’s finished, I’m sopping wet and reaching blindly for the vibrator in my bedside table.
My hands fumble as I situate the pink device over my clit and restart the video. I’m already so worked up, I only make it to the part where Dar hunches forward over me, his handsome face lost in pleasure, before my body bows off the bed and I come with a broken cry.
Wow. I will never delete this video. Ever. I’ll have to be careful with it, because Dar is a semi-public figure and I’m sure there are some horny sci-fi fans out there who would love to see the man naked (I know because I was one of them), but this is non-negotiable.
I’m considering a third viewing when the phone rings, and my heart leaps at the sight of the name on the caller ID.
“Hey,” I breathe, sinking back into my pillows. “It’s late. Are you just getting back to your hotel?”
He sighs, like he’s relieved to hear my voice. “I am. How are you?
How’s everything there?”
I roll over onto my side, smiling. “Good. Really good. I scheduled four more events for next month, and they’re already sold out. The radio show looks like it will happen too. We’re going to need to hire people, Dar! I can’t run this place by myself, and your baby ducks go back to school in the fall.”
Dar laughs quietly. “I’m not even slightly surprised. You’re a force of nature, little tornado.”
It’s impossible to stop the big, ridiculous smile from spreading over my face. “Tell me about meeting the cast. Is Noa Lowell that pretty in person?”
“This feels like a trap.”
I giggle. “No, seriously. Were they nice? I’ve always wondered.”
“You’ll meet them for yourself, and you can decide.”
“What? No, I won’t.”
“You will. Now that Patricia’s seen I’m willing to leave the house, the woman won’t let anything rest.” He’s trying his best to sound annoyed, but I can tell he’s proud of himself. “I let her manipulate me into agreeing to attend the season one premier.”
My mouth falls open. “Seriously? Like, with the red carpet and everything? I get to wear a fancy, sparkly dress?”
His chuckle makes me feel warm all over. “I’ll buy you the fanciest, sparkliest dress. They won’t be able to get a single decent picture of us because the camera flashes will reflect off you.”
“I—” My eyes burn, and I have to press my lips together to keep myself from blurting out the words that immediately come to mind. I love you. God, I really, really do, but this isn’t the time. “I’m really proud of you,” I say instead, and it’s just as true. “You’re amazing the way you are, though. Don’t feel like you have to become this whole other person or do things that don’t make you happy just to please me.”
“I don’t,” he assures me smoothly. “This is my story. I spent more than half my life writing it, and now it’s going to reach even more people. It’s important for me to see it through.” There’s a pause. “Also, I can please you without leaving the house, Miss Laurence.”
“Is that a sex joke, Mr. Wilder?”
“If you have to ask, it’s not a very good one.”
I grin, flopping onto my back. “Maybe you can show me what you had in mind when you get home.” My fingers trail over my bare stomach.
Through the phone, I hear Dar exhale. “I want to be inside you right now.”
Heat settles between my legs, and I’m sure he can hear the way his words make my breath catch. I’m tempted to take this further, to make him listen while I come with his name on my lips, but this opportunity is too good to pass up. “I’ll make sure to skip the panties tomorrow, but I have something to get you through the night.”
“I doubt that,” comes Dar’s rough reply, and I snicker. “I’m going to bed. I’ll send it to you before I do, though.”
He groans. “Fuck, baby.”
“See you in the morning,” I sing teasingly, then end the call.
I’m almost giddy as I pull up the video and send it to him. It’s more than a little hot to think about Dar laying on his hotel room bed, making himself come as he watches us, the same way I did.
Though, admittedly, not as hot as the thought of what he’s going to do to me tomorrow.