Chapter 5 #2
After the “night” is over and we all “wake up,” there are five minutes where the villagers attempt to identify the werewolves.
The werewolves try to fly under the radar and survive.
At the end of the five minutes, everyone votes on a person to kill, majority rules, and the dead person flips their card.
If it’s a werewolf, villagers win; a villager, werewolves win.
I am so ready to tear shit up.
The cards are dealt, and I sneak a look at mine: Werewolf.
I purposely don’t react while glancing around the coffee table that Naomi cleared for us to play on.
Em, on my left, takes a sip from her White Claw.
Harlow’s on my right, spreading some goat cheese on a cracker before tossing it in her mouth.
Naomi is across from me and catches me studying everyone.
She wiggles her eyebrows conspiratorially, and I chuckle.
“Okay,” Naomi says to the group. “Ready to start?”
Everyone shuts their eyes as a voice over an app on Naomi’s phone starts walking us through the order.
Werewolves are instructed to open their eyes first, and I eagerly pop mine open.
Em’s head is bowed, eyes shut. Naomi bends to crack her neck, eyes closed.
I turn to Harlow, who is staring back at me with a curious expression.
“Ready for this?” she mouths.
I wink, and she rolls her eyes, but affectionately.
We’re instructed to close our eyes again from the app, and I settle in.
This will be fun.
After we all wake up, Harlow turns on Naomi. “Who were you?”
“Troublemaker. You?” Naomi fires back and cocks a challenging eyebrow.
“Villager,” I answer before Harlow can. They both turn to me. “I was the Seer and looked at her card. She was the villager.”
Harlow hesitates for the briefest second before nodding. “She’s right. So, that leaves you, Em.”
“Bullshit.” Em hurriedly glances between Harlow and me. “I was the Seer.”
“Oh yeah?” Harlow says. “What did you see then?”
“I looked in the middle—”
“That’s convenient.” I scoff.
“—and saw two villagers.”
“That’s impossible,” Harlow says. “There’s only two villagers in the game, so there’s no way that’s what you saw.”
“I think you’re full of it, Em,” I say.
“W-What?” Em splutters. “I’m not lying. I really am the Seer and looked in the middle!”
“But two villagers?” Harlow says dubiously.
“Yeah, I know I’m new to this game, but that sounds so unlikely,” I say. “Like, you didn’t even see the robber in there?”
“Oh, come on!” Em turns to Naomi, exasperated. “Babe, I swear I’m not lying. I was the Seer.”
Naomi watches us argue with a narrowed and suspicious expression.
“Wait.” Harlow leans forward. “You were the Troublemaker. Who did you switch?”
Naomi’s scrutinizing gaze slowly works her way around the table as she analyzes us. “I switched Harlow and …”
I wait on bated breath to see if she’s still a werewolf or has been swapped out for a villager when Naomi finishes.
“Lily.”
I don’t let my reaction show, but I’m so damn relieved. If Harlow had been switched with Em, she’d easily sell me and, now Em, out as the werewolves.
“I think Em is a werewolf, and when she looked in the middle, she saw a villager,” Harlow says.
When only one werewolf opens their eyes, it means the second werewolf card is in the middle three. The sole werewolf gets to look at one middle card to help their ability to lie about who they are.
“That makes sense.” I nod along.
“What? No! I’m not a werewolf,” Em splutters. “Babe?”
Naomi rolls her shoulders back and levels Em with a hard look. “I’m sorry, babe, but I think you’re lying. I think you’re a werewolf.”
Em’s mouth falls open. Harlow and I exchange an imperceptible look out of the corners of our eyes.
“We ready to vote?” Harlow asks. There’s still two minutes left on the countdown, but players can agree to vote early.
“Yep,” Naomi says.
“Wait. No. I’m the Seer!” Em’s voice is high and bordering on hysterical.
“Ready?” I ask.
“Three, two, one, vote,” Harlow says.
Harlow, Naomi, and I all point at Em. My best friend throws her hands in the air.
“This is messed up!” she cries and flips her character card over, revealing the Seer.
“What?!” Naomi gapes and snatches the card to take a closer look. “How?”
Harlow and I laugh victoriously and turn to each other. I throw my hand up, and she high-fives me. Her hand is so soft and warm in mine, I don’t want to let her go.
That felt so good, not winning specifically—I mean that’s always nice—but winning while working with Harlow.
“Damn,” Naomi says. “You two made a great team. I’m impressed.”
“I’m not,” Em says bitterly. “Assholes!”
I snort, and Em cracks a smile.
“We did,” Harlow agrees, and I turn to see her staring at me, a curious look in her eye.
Warmth floods my cheeks, and I grin. “Yeah. We really did.”
We played two more rounds. Harlow’s so fast on her feet, I don’t know how she does it.
She even had me second-guessing myself in the final round.
I can’t lie. It’s incredibly attractive.
There’s something about a confident woman that does it for me.
If only I wasn’t still so pissed at her for leaving me an aching, horny mess.
Naomi announces she’s going to grab the pizza while I head toward the bathroom. I expect to return to Em and Harlow but find Harlow alone in the living room. She’s looking at her phone, reclined against the end of the sofa in a relaxed way that has no business making her look so hot.
“Where’s Em?” I ask.
Harlow jumps.
“Sorry,” I say, feeling bad for startling her, but also not that bad because she looks adorable when she’s caught off guard.
“She went with Naomi to get the pizza.”
At that same moment, my phone vibrates, and I glance at the screen.
Em:
Take advantage of the alone time with hottie Harlow
I roll my eyes. She’s got to be kidding me. What’s with the fucking setups?
Harlow fidgets, her gaze roaming down my body before pointedly staring extra hard at her phone. And I know a perfect opportunity when it presents itself.
Time for a little payback.
Our knees graze as I make myself comfortable on the sofa beside her. “It’s getting a little warm in here, isn’t it?”
Harlow holds my eye contact. She doesn’t say anything, and I take the lack of response as an invitation.
Peeling off my sweater, Harlow’s eyes widen and her mouth falls open at the sight of my white camisole.
Since my sweater had a deep V-cut, my cami purposely sits indecently low on my chest. The swell of my breasts in my pink lacy bra is on full display.
I make a show of fanning myself as I discard the sweater. “Much better.”
Harlow swallows hard. “Look, Lily, I don’t think … I’m not really interested in dating right now.”
“Okay?” I smile wryly. “And you think I am? You saw my profile.”
Her cheeks flush pink as her gaze dips once again to my cleavage, and I subtly arch my back to give her a better view.
“I know. But the thing is, I … I’m working with your mom, and I just … I don’t think it’s a good idea to hook up again, you know?”
“Okay. Yeah. I understand.” I pick up my small plate that has a couple crackers topped with Brie and strawberry jam. “Don’t need to tell me twice.”
She nods, looking relieved as she wipes her hands off on her jeans. I smile innocently, then “accidentally” spill some jam on my finger.
“Oh. Whoops.”
I set the plate down and slowly take my finger into my mouth. My eyelids flutter shut as I work the digit in and out, a soft little moan falling from my lips. From the corner of my eye, I catch her squeezing her thighs together.
I face her, smirking mischievously.
“You’re such a fucking tease,” she groans.
I laugh once. “Me? Are you forgetting what you did to me in the pantry? Now that was a tease.”
“You deserved that,” she says.
I level her with a dubious look. She shrugs lamely, and I know not even she is believing the bullshit she’s trying to pass off.
“It was so mean.” I drop my voice till it’s low and husky. “I was so wet for you, Harlow. I had to touch myself.”
“Fuck,” she whispers so softly, I don’t think she knows she spoke the curse aloud.
“After you left, I went straight to my bedroom, took all my clothes off, crawled in between my sheets, and imagined your mouth on my pussy.”
She inhales sharply. I lean forward and let my fingertips dance across the top of her thigh as her chest rapidly rises and falls.
“When I fingered myself, I imagined it was you filling me.” I let out a low moan as my body remembers. There’s a fresh ache between my legs as my skin grows hot. Shit. I wanted to fuck with her, but now I’m accidentally getting myself worked up as well.
“Lily,” she whimpers.
“One orgasm wasn’t enough.” I make a breathy little sound against the crown of her ear. My fingers shake with the desperate need to touch more of her. I press my legs together to resist the urge to spread them for her as I say, “I touched myself all night long thinking about you.”
“Fuck it.” She grabs me roughly by my face and pulls me to her. My body ignites at the intensity of her hold, and I kiss her back. It’s hot and messy, and I can’t get enough. Harlow’s strong hands pull me into her lap, and I grind down into her while fisting her shirt.
A car door shutting makes us freeze. We stare at one another with wide, startled eyes before we’re frantically moving.
I almost bust my ass throwing myself off her lap and scrambling for my top.
Harlow straightens out the crinkles my fists left behind, and I slip into my sweater as the front door opens.
We’re both still breathing heavily, and, despite now sitting on opposite ends of the couch, I know we make a suspicious sight.
Em cocks one curious eyebrow, pizza boxes in hand, as she glances between us.
“Do you need help with that?” Harlow bounces up and walks toward Naomi, who is carrying the bag of wings. Naomi clearly doesn’t—it’s only one box of wings—but it gets her out of the room as Harlow takes the bag from Naomi and hurries off to the kitchen.
Em flashes me a cheeky grin.
“Shut up,” I warn.
Em belly laughs in response.