Atlas
Chapter Ten
I should have talked to Gavin before we started this game.
Blindsiding her with something like this is not going to work in our favor.
She is going to shut down any further questioning at this point.
She walks out of the room with Gavin following after her.
Something about helping her get a new bottle.
I'm not stupid enough to believe it’s his only motive.
Did I follow after him just to eavesdrop on their conversation? Maybe I did.
She grabs a handful of grapes, which reminds me she probably hasn’t eaten anything else today.
I pull out my phone, quickly ordering a delivery for something I know she will always be in the mood to eat.
I pocket my phone and watch as Gavin walks up behind her.
He can say whatever he wants, but it’s as if he is drawn to her the same way I am.
Like he moves near her without even thinking.
The poor man is a goner and doesn’t know it yet.
She moves away from him. I duck behind the wall to avoid getting caught.
I hear them mumbling something, yet I can’t hear well from my position. I peek back around the wall to see them in what seems to be a heated conversation. She seems irritated with the entire thing. Her voice rises as she asks the one question I have been dying to know the answer to.
“Yes, asshole. Why the fucking nickname?”
Why does he have nicknames for her? Is it the same reason I do? I don’t hear his answer but whatever he said seems to piss her off. He walks past her, heading right for me, so I rush back to my spot and sit down.
Gavin gives me a weird look when he enters the room but doesn’t say anything. Maizyn walks back in with the bottle soon after, looking flustered but doesn’t say anything either.
“I ordered everyone food. The delivery driver should be here in ten minutes. I figured we can eat before we continue playing the game. None of us should be drinking this much on an empty stomach.”
“How did you-”
“Because, Gavin. Maizyn hasn’t eaten either and for some reason, both of you would rather starve than make food.”
“Hey! Rude! I ate some grapes.”
“Grapes are not a meal, Chaos. Nice try though.”
“Fine. What did you order?”
“BBQ ribs plates from the place down the street.”
“Oh, yummy! I can definitely go for some ribs right now.”
“Thanks, man. Ribs are good. I appreciate it.”
Maizyn leaves for a moment to change. She comes back out in an oversized hoodie and sleep shorts that are too short to even see.
It looks like she is wearing nothing but the hoodie.
My eyes trail up her legs as she walks over to where we are sitting.
Looking at Gavin, he is caught red-handed doing the exact same thing I was just doing.
He quickly looks away from her, trying to play it off. Too late for that, friend.
The app on my phone alerts me our food was delivered. “Food's here.”
Maizyn bolts to the door before I can even think about moving. That girl doesn’t mess around about her ribs. She rushes back in with three boxes piled high in her hands. She hands Gavin his, then hands mine to me before plopping down on the floor with her takeout box. We eat in silence.
A few moments pass before Gavin scoots closer to me. “Does she always eat like that?” He says it low enough so only I can hear him.
“Like what?” I whisper back.
“Like some kind of feral Hyena?”
We both look over to where Maizyn is sitting criss-crossed with the hood pulled over her head.
She is completely devouring the ribs while doing some kind of happy dance.
BBQ sauce is everywhere. All over her nose, mouth, cheeks, and hands.
There is a smudge on her forehead from where she moved her hair out of her face.
She doesn’t have a care in the world right now other than tearing all the meat off the bones.
“I would have gone with Coyote or Wolf, but yeah. When it comes to ribs, that's how she is every time.”
After everyone is finished eating, Gavin and I clean up the food while Maizyn scrubs her face clean.
Once everyone is sat back down, we begin playing the game again, keeping the questions light as we go.
Basic questions like favorite color, food, and so on.
I switched to taking shots of water not too long into it.
I don’t know if alcohol is a trigger for Maizyn, and after what happened with her drinking last night, I want to be level-headed in case something goes wrong.
I probably should have told Gavin to do the same but I want his guard down for what I have planned.
After what I think is the sixth round, I finally take the leap. This is way out of my comfort zone but I need to see how this plays out. “Let’s make this interesting. Gavin, I will give you a hundred dollars if you let Maizyn handcuff you to the chair for the next three rounds.”
“What the hell are you about to do?” Maizyn’s mumbles under her breath not actually expecting and answer.
“Fuck that. It’s not worth a hundred dollars.” Gavin scoffs.
I cross my arms, trying to think of the lowest amount he would be willing to take. “What about five hundred?”
He raises a brow. “Not quite, but I'm listening.”
“Fine. Will you do it for a thousand dollars?” I keep my voice level to avoid giving anything away.
“Now we are talking. Deal.” He claps his hands before holding one out to me.
I shake on it before turning to Maizyn. “Can you go get two sets of handcuffs?”
“Bro, why do you have two sets of handcuffs?”
Maizyn's cheeks turn pink. She knows why I have them, the fact she is pretending to be bashful about it right now is hilarious.
“Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to.” It comes out as a chuckle.
He smirks and shakes his head. “Fair enough.”
Maizyn prances back into the room with both hands out in front of her, with a pair of cuffs dangling from the fingertips of each hand.
She pulls out a chair, moving it to the middle of the floor before guiding Gavin into it.
She grabs his left arm first, securing it to the arm of the chair with the first set of cuffs before repeating the same process with his right arm.
Gavin pulls at his restraints, testing them out.
“Wait. How am I going to draw a card or take a shot like this?”
“Oh, that's easy. I’ll draw your card. If you have to drink, then Maizyn will help you.”
“And if one of you draws a two or a four and I have to do an action?”
“Then you're shit out of luck. You have to drink.” Maizyn snaps before laughing.
“It’s only three rounds. Worst-case scenario, three shots won’t kill me. Let’s play.”
“It’s Gavin’s turn so I will draw.” I flip over the top card on the deck; it’s a king.
I pour a bit of tequila into the center cup.
Maizyn draws an ace on her turn. We both take our shots before she feeds Gavin his.
I flip a card for my own turn, drawing a four.
“Bottle.” Maizyn and I both reach for the bottle at the same time.
Gavin is automatically the loser since his hands are cuffed to the chair's arms. Maizyn pours another shot, bringing it to his lips before pouring it into his mouth.
“That was three rounds; you can uncuff me now.”
“Yeah, just one second.”
I pull Maizyn up and onto my lap, pulling her close enough I can whisper to her without Gavin hearing our conversation. “Just nod your head yes or no to answer my question. Do you trust me?”
She nods yes.
“Are you ready to create some chaos?”
She bites her lip, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she nods her head up and down again.
“Do you know what your safe word is and do you understand you can use it at any time?”
She nods yes, a flicker of confusion crossing her features.
“Strip for me.” It comes out as a command, not a question.
She hesitates for a moment. Looking over to Gavin before looking back at me.
“What did he just say? Why are you looking at me like that?”
I full-body laugh at his antics. “Just relax for a second, Gavin.”
“Relax? You two are having a secret conversation while I am still strapped to a chair and I am supposed to relax?”
“I just issued Chaos a dare. You don’t have anything to worry about. She will probably back out anyway.” I look at her as I say it, egging her on further.
“Oh, really? Fine! Challenge accepted.” Maizyn jumps up from my lap, yanking her hoodie over her head. I knew issuing it as a challenge would push her over the edge.
“Wait! What the hell was the dare?!” I completely ignore Gavin. He will find out soon enough what I have planned. Why ruin the surprise?
Maizyn faces me as she shimmies out of her sleep shorts, leaving her in nothing but her bra and panties.
Her arms wrap around her stomach like she is trying to cover the softer parts of her.
Maybe one day she will see herself the way I do.
Absolutely perfect. I rise to my feet to stand in front of her.
Untangling her arms from around her body, I nod at her to continue.
If I can keep her focus on me, maybe she won’t be so nervous.
I run my fingers across her collarbones, pushing her bra straps off her shoulders as she unclasps it.
Gavin mumbles something under his breath, readjusting himself in his chair.
She hesitates for a moment before wiggling out of her panties as well.
“Fucking hell.” Gavin pretty much groans the curse. It sounds like this is torturing him but he doesn’t seem to be complaining. Consent is important, even if he is handcuffed to the chair. But he hasn’t said “stop” or “no” yet, so I keep going.
“You are stunning, Darling Chaos.” Her eyes are locked on me. She looks doe-eyed and innocent right now, even though we both know she is far from innocent.