Chapter 16
“Good morning, folks. Everyone excited for some MnM?”
Felix looked up from double-checking his new pugilist abilities to see a middle-aged white man with glasses and graying red hair. He had an easy smile and was wearing a bolo tie over a collared shirt with a tiny checkerboard print in white and pale blue.
“My name’s Woody,” he continued in his Texas drawl, “and yes, I’m a cowboy named Woody. We’re here to play an adventure we call ‘Why Do They Have to Be Snakes?’ in tribute to Indiana Jones. Everyone in the right place?”
Felix, Jo, and the three other players at the table nodded. Woody handed out index cards for everyone to jot down their character details and prop them up on the table so everyone could remember who was who. Felix liked that idea, especially after the game he’d played the day before where the characters hardly interacted at all. He flipped over his character sheet and added a bullet point to his growing list of GMing ideas.
“You are taking notes,” Jo whispered beside him. At his curious look, she explained, “Aida thought she saw you taking notes yesterday. She thought it was cute.”
“And what do you think?” he asked.
“I think it’s cute too.” She bumped his shoulder with hers, and Felix grinned. She glanced down at his shirt. “You’re just very cute today.”
Cutewasn’t exactly the sense he’d gotten from her earlier that morning. When he’d emerged from the bathroom in his new shirt—a gray tee with the words “World’s Okayest Fighter” and a d20 showing the number ten—Jo had looked at him like she was about to pounce. He hadn’t even had to flash his abs at her. Definitely worth the money.
“You too,” Felix said, pointing with his chin at her shirt, the one he’d bought. She’d tied it up by knotting the hem at her ribs, right under her left boob. She’d also left her jacket in the hotel room. It was warm out, but Felix wondered if she’d done it to show off more of her midriff. Either way, he wasn’t complaining. “I think I might win, though,” he continued.
Jo’s eyebrows went up. “It’s a competition?”
“Yes. And I have one more surprise.” He reached into his backpack.
“All right, ready to take up your calling?” Woody said with an eager smile.
“Let’s do it,” responded a middle-aged Black man. The index card in front of him read “Mzuzi, halfling artificer, level 4.”
Felix decided to wait for a better moment to show Jo his surprise as Woody launched into the story: A village had been attacked by winged snakes that left several people injured and poisoned. The adventurers were tasked with finding out where they were coming from and putting a stop to it. Grax, the strongest character, had his work cut out for him as they headed into the jungle. He hacked through the bush, rescued Mzuzi when he fell into a pit trap, and boosted their half-elf hunter, Poppy, into a tree so she could keep them from getting lost.
When they tracked down the nest of snakes, it was time for combat. They rolled for initiative, and as Woody set up the turn order, Felix pulled his new dice out of his backpack. Jo caught his movement and watched him. Next to the yellow dice she had given him, he placed a green set with orange numbers, then he tapped the polished nail of her ring finger. The orange d20 on green. Indi--Con’s colors.
Jo’s eyes shone with delight. “You win,” she whispered.
Poppy acted first in combat. The young white woman playing her rolled a d20 for an attack. She hit and rolled her damage, and then Woody turned to Jo.
“Veena, you’re up,” he said. “Poppy has injured one snake, but there are four more about to take wing out of the nest.”
“I got this!” Jo said in Veena’s girlish voice, then switched to her normal one. “I’m going to run over to the nest and cast Shockwave at the cluster of them.”
A few rolls and calculations later, their GM declared that the snakes were agile enough to dodge the full brunt of her spell. They were hurt, but still alive. And pissed.
“And unfortunately,” Woody said, “the snakes take their turns next. The four you attacked, Veena, are all going to slither into the air and strike you.”
“This is fine,” Jo said with a nervous laugh, already picking up her pencil to mark down the damage she was about to take. Three out of the four attacks landed, and Felix watched Veena’s health drop into the single digits.
Woody pointed to Felix. “Grax, you are up next. What are you going to do to save your party?”
“I’m going to go help Veena,” Felix said without hesitation. “Grax is her friend. He isn’t going to let her down.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jo smile.
“All right,” Woody prompted. “Tell me how you’re going to help her.”
“I would like to punch one of the snakes.” There’s a sentence I never thought I’d say. Felix rolled his new green d20 and mentally added his pugilist attack bonus. “Nineteen to hit?”
“That hits!”
He rolled a second attack, which also hit, and then rolled the damage for both attacks. Woody took over narrating with a rich description of Grax rushing up and slamming his fists into first one snake, and then another. The other players at the table cheered as he killed them both, sending a rush of satisfaction through -Felix.
But that was nothing compared to the feeling that followed it.
Because as Woody moved on to the next turn, Jo leaned over and whispered in Veena’s voice, “Thanks, Grax. You’re very good with your hands.”
Heat pooled in Felix’s gut, spread lower, made him squirm. Jo giggled and leaned away. Felix followed her with his body. Two could play at that game.
“Oh, Veena,” he murmured. “You have no idea.”
Under the table, he placed his palm on Jo’s knee and slowly curled his fingers until they draped against her inner thigh. With the lightest touch, he glided them back and forth across her leggings. Now Jo was the one squirming.
“That’s six points of health back to you, Veena,” said the young Indian man playing Hulvin, an orc cleric.
Jo scrambled for her pencil. “Six? Thanks, Hulvin.”
It didn’t take long for the last couple of snakes to be defeated. Then, after some investigation, the group discovered the entrance to an underground hideout hidden beneath the nest. They wound through dark, dirty tunnels until they stumbled across a sect of dragon-worshiping cultists conducting some sort of unholy ritual. The cultists immediately attacked.
Jo sent Veena into the thick of the fighting again, and Felix sent Grax in after her.
“Stop doing that. You’re squishy,” he said playfully, then addressed Woody. “Grax is going to breathe fire on the cultists.”
“Hell yeah!” Poppy’s player cheered. “Dragon versus dragon.”
Woody and Felix both rolled their dice, and Grax’s fire took out two of the cultists, leaving three for them to deal with.
Jo leaned over to Felix once more, close enough for him to smell her strawberry-scented conditioner. This time, she used her own voice, not Veena’s. “I guess your mouth’s not bad either.”
“Damn you,” he whispered back, all breathy and soft while another kind of fire raged inside him. Jo chuckled in the back of her throat, which only managed to fan the flames. Felix refocused on the game, willing his body to calm down. At this rate, he would have to go back to the hotel room over lunch to let off some steam. Maybe Jo would come with him. Fuck. He had to cut off that train of thought before it made things worse.
Jo had mercy on him for the remainder of the game, thank God. It was a tough battle to take out the spell-slinging cultists, and Felix needed to concentrate and strategize with his party. They focused their attacks while Hulvin the cleric kept them healed up enough to just barely win the fight. That feeling of satisfaction returned as Felix and the other players exchanged smiles and high fives. Jo grinned at him, clearly pleased to see him enjoying himself.
“Congratulations, adventurers,” Woody said after narrating their triumphant return to the village, “on a job well done. Thank you all for joining me. This was a blast, and I hope you had as much fun as I did.”
Echoing back their thanks, Felix and Jo began to pack up. She breezily asked where they should grab lunch. As if she hadn’t just worked him into a frenzy.
He opened his mouth to make a half-serious joke about their hotel room when it dawned on him what day it was. “Actually, I should call Tito,” he said. “It’s the first Sunday in almost a year I’m not there to visit him.”
“Of course,” Jo replied tenderly. “I can pick up food for us.”
They headed out into the pleasant warmth of the noontime sun, and he found a quiet, shady spot to make his call. Jo stole a quick kiss, and he watched the sway of her hips as she walked away.
“Hijo,” said Tito when he answered the phone. “Aren’t you too busy with your friend for me?”
“I’m never too busy for you, Tito,” Felix replied. “How are you feeling today?”
“I’m always good, you know that. I wish I had waffles in front of me, but such is life.”
“How about I buy you extra waffles next week?”
Tito clicked his tongue. “That does me no good today, does it?”
He then told Felix about the book he was reading—another noir thriller—and the latest gossip about two of his neighbors who were having a fling. Felix told Tito about the con in broad strokes, about meeting Jo’s friends, and finally about Jo herself.
“I thought you’d want to know,” he said, “that Jo and I decided to start dating.”
“Felix, me alegro!” Tito cried. In Spanish, he continued, “I’m so happy you came to your senses. Are you happy too? Does she bring you joy?”
All of a sudden, Felix’s heart felt too big for his chest. “Sí, Tito. She brings me joy.” Even when—especially when—she was being a goddamn tease.
“Bravo,” Tito said. “That is all that matters.”
As much fun as Jo was having teasing Felix, it had a side effect that, honestly, she should have anticipated. She was getting just as turned on as he seemed to be. The entire time she was buying burritos (carnitas for herself, vegetarian for Felix), her body was reminding her of the feel of Felix’s hand on her back, his fingertips on her thigh, his lips against hers. She could barely keep her hands to herself while they ate lunch on the grass.
Really, she had no one to blame but herself.
That afternoon, Jo had a game to GM, and Felix was attending panel presentations about SWOP and starting a public MnM program. She slipped her hand into his back pocket as they walked toward the gaming hall in the blessedly cool air-conditioning.
His hand moved under her backpack to the base of her spine. “Damn your lack of pockets.”
“Don’t blame me,” she said. “Blame the fashion industry for not understanding that women deserve pockets.”
“You’re wearing leggings.”
“And who says leggings shouldn’t have pockets?”
“The fashion industry?”
“Exactly.” With that, she squeezed his ass. His tight, supple, perfect ass.
He nearly choked on his own breath. “God, Jo,” he murmured.
When they reached the hall, Jo pulled away and blew him a kiss. “I’ll see you back here around five?”
“Uh huh,” he grunted, and Jo didn’t think she was imagining the fire in his eyes. It was almost too easy.
The afternoon flew by. Her table was a high-level game that had a lot of moving parts and difficult monsters, and her players were skilled enough to keep her on her toes. Thoughts of Felix faded to the back of her mind as she worked to challenge her players and improvise around their harebrained schemes. Not until hours later, when the Kraken was defeated and rewards were distributed, did she have a second to breathe.
And all those thoughts came rushing back.
And Jo was done waiting.
A quick glance at her phone told her that Felix’s last panel had fifteen minutes left, so she made the most of her time. First, she stopped by the sign-up sheets on the wall to cross her name off the evening session, then she parked herself on the floor in an out-of-the-way spot in the hallway. As she scarfed down her last granola bar, she texted her friends before she went off the grid for the rest of the night.
Jo
Checking in! How’s everyone’s Sunday?
Heather
I regret everything.
I should not have cosplayed two days in a row
Why are wigs so hot???
I hate my life
Kim
I’m at a panel about MnM-inspired fashion and it’s soooooooo good!
Young
My game is running long because this GM is so slow with combat. Ugh. Wish you were running, Jo.
Jo
So frustrating! My game just ended. It was awesome but chaotic. Underwater combat rules are way too complicated.
Aida
Trey and I took a hotel break because we are old. He’s napping, and I’m watching 70s game show reruns. I’m really good at Family Feud.
Max
are we doing dinner tonight
David
I’d be down.
Young
Same
Kim
I met a cute girl at this talk and I’m going to shoot my shot after so idk yet
Heather
I need to change and shower first but yeah. I’m starving.
Jo
Felix and I have plans, but how about breakfast tomorrow before we all leave?
Everyone quickly agreed. Aida offered to make a reservation somewhere, so they wouldn’t have to eat stale hotel bagels for their last meal together.
“There you are.”
Jo looked up to see Felix walking toward her. She started to stand, but he held up his palm to stop her and joined her on the floor. Sighing contentedly, he slouched enough to rest his head on her shoulder. Jo leaned her cheek on his silky hair as he threaded their fingers together.
On any other day, his sweetness would have warmed her heart. Today, it warmed her much, much lower.
“I was texting the group,” she said. “Sorry I lost track of time.”
“I found you. How is everyone?”
“Keeping busy. Except Trey, who’s asleep.”
“How was your game?” he asked with a laugh.
“Really good. High-level players are always a fun challenge. How were the panels?”
“Great,” he said. “One of the panelists was actually a librarian at the Indianapolis Public Library. We exchanged cards afterward, and she’s going to send me some of their MnM event materials to adapt.”
“Felix, that’s awesome,” Jo replied. “I hope that makes the trip worth it.”
He tilted his head back and met her eye. “It was already worth it, Jo.” He squeezed her hand. Jo almost crawled on top of him. Right there in the hallway. “So, what’s next? I’m not really hungry yet, but we should probably eat before the evening session. And I need to sign up for a game.”
“Did you have your heart set on another game tonight?” Jo asked, giving her voice a sultry edge.
Felix tensed. “I wouldn’t say that,” he said slowly, carefully. “Why do you ask?”
“I thought maybe we could do something else instead.” She touched the back of his hand, trailing one fingertip up to his wrist. He had an actual goddamn divot between the muscles of his forearm, and she traced her finger along it, combing through his arm hair.
He jolted upright, leaning into her, twisting to plant his free hand on the far side of her hip. With the slightest shift of his leg, he’d be on top of her. Right there in the hallway.
“You’ve been teasing me today, my Jo,” he said, eyes alight. He’d never sounded so raw, so feral. Jo’s skin was electrified by it. “And I’ve let you. I’ve liked it, even. All that wit and cleverness focused solely on vexing me. But I swear to God, if you’re teasing me now—”
“I’m not,” she said, fighting to control her breathing. She gripped his forearm and felt his muscles twitch powerfully under her palm. “I already took my name off the game I was going to play tonight. Take me to our room, Felix. Now.”
“Get your things.”