Chapter 15
Brady lifted his watch up and lit the face. It was time, but Chris didn't seem
to be moving. This was not supposed to be part of the plan. Chris was only
supposed to occupy Belle and keep her safe, not trade life stories with her.
Brady rolled his eyes as Chris continued his story. "Then we had to put him
down. He was so sick, but I loved that dog. I don't think I ever got over the
pain. It made me really sensitive to other people's feelings, you know?"
What a crock of…Brady had to muffle a groan of disgust. Belle wasn't actually
falling for this "my poor dog died" crap, was she? Certainly he'd
raised her better than that. Come on Belle, shoot this loser down
Brady felt the bile rise in his throat as his naïve little sister responded,
"Oh, that must have been so horrible for you."
Brady glanced over at Shawn. Shawn looked like someone was force-feeding him
glass. Enough was enough. Things needed to get moving. Brady turned over on his
stomach and carefully reached up, picked up Chris' arm, and threw it off the
back of the couch.
Belle lurched forward as Chris' hand smacked her shoulder. "Hey, why did
you do that?" she asked, rubbing where he had hit.
"I…I was uh…trying to get your attention," Chris stammered.
Message received, Brady. He'd noticed Brady behind the couch the second he'd sat
down, but didn't move for fear it would make Belle suspicious. He stood up and
pulled Belle to her feet. "Belle, would you like to play a game?"
"A game?" Belle asked, looking over her shoulder as Chris propelled
her from the room. She could have sworn she saw someone behind the couch…
"This isn't going to be like naked limbo or anything is it?" Belle
asked.
Chris laughed. "I think they're doing that in Pete's room. But we'll be
sure to skip it. I was thinking more along the lines of the Alpha version of
Truth or Dare. You up for it?"
"Um, okay," Belle shrugged as they left the lounge. "Should be
fun."
"Was that part of your plan?" Shawn asked with clenched teeth as he
stood up.
"I had no idea Chris would bring Belle in here. We can call that dumb,
blind luck on your part," Brady replied.
"How do you figure?" Shawn asked as he ran his fingers through his
hair. First Belle was going out with Philip, and now this college punk was
hitting on her…
"You got some inside information on how Belle thinks, what it is she wants.
The real test here will be whether or not you use that information wisely, or if
you continue to act like an idiot," Brady answered as he got to his feet.
"Hey, I don't know what you're thinking, but I do not…" Shawn
started, holding his palms out in front of him, as if to ward off Brady's
suggestion.
"You know what, spare me the Cleopatra routine. Anyone with even a remote
semblance of intelligence can see how in love with Belle you are, as well you
should be. Now we wait two minutes, and we make our appearance." Brady
leaned in to be eye-level with a dumbfounded Shawn. "You have one simple
instruction. Whatever you're told to do, do it." Brady started to leave,
and then paused. "And if you hurt my sister, I will beat you to death with
a shovel."
**************************************************
Mimi couldn't remember the last time she had danced this much. She and Garth had
barely spoken the entire evening, but he had insisted they dance every dance
together. Mimi was starting to get a little thirsty and a little tired. Garth
looked at his watch for like the hundredth time, but this time suddenly leaned
in and put his mouth next to Mimi's ear. "Hey, you wanna go upstairs and
take a break? They're playing some games."
"Okay," she yelled back. Anything to sit down for a little while and
to get away from all the dancing people that were making the room unbearably
hot. She was surprised that she hadn't seen hide or hair of Brady even once that
evening. Maybe he'd gotten the hint and was actually going to leave her alone.
The thought made Mimi a little sad, but she immediately brushed the emotion
away. It would be better this way. Life was complicated enough without Brady
Black messing things up.
As they made their way to the staircase, Mimi saw Chloe dancing with Mike. Chloe
was like a whirling dervish. Mimi had no idea Chloe could move like that. She
wondered if Chloe knew Chloe could move like that. At least it seemed like she
was having a good time.
Mike tried to keep his overwhelming frustration in check. Chloe had seemed
totally into going upstairs, but a Ricky Martin song came on that Chloe decided
was her absolute favorite song in the whole world. She slipped from his embrace
and had insisted on dancing to it. That had led to one song after another, and
Chloe had been dancing uninhibited and unabashed for a while now. He wondered if
he was ever going to get her off the dance floor. He was supposed to be taking
her upstairs right now for the game, but he had his own game in mind for Chloe.
From the way Brady was acting about that Mimi chick, Mike doubted that Brady
would even notice that Chloe wasn't there.
**************************************************
Chris sat Belle down on a bed. The room was crowded with several other people,
most of them very drunk and laughing loudly. At one end of the room was a guy
sitting in a large chair with some sort of weird headdress on and warrior lines
painted on his face. He was flanked by two other guys. "Who's that?"
Belle asked.
"That's our president. Also known as 'The Alpha Male'. He's like the head
honcho around here. What he says goes." Chris surveyed the room.
"Are you looking for someone?" Belle queried. Chris was starting to
seem anxious.
"What? No. Just, uh…hey, are you thirsty? Can I get you anything?"
"I'd love a Diet Coke," Belle smiled. "Be right back then,"
Chris said.
Chris went out into the hallway and nearly smacked face-first into Garth and
Mimi. "Hey guys, Belle's already inside. Mimi, why don't you go keep Belle
company, and Garth, you can come with me to get the girls some sodas."
"Sure," Garth said. Mimi entered the room and went to sit next to
Belle on the bed. "Hey girl. So, how's it going?"
Belle gave Mimi a big grin. "Chris is so cute, and so nice. We've been
upstairs talking this whole time. We seem to have a lot in common."
"Well, lucky you. I've been stuck on the dance floor with Fred Astaire out
there. It's nice to sit and relax for a second."
Brady and Shawn entered the room, and crossed the room to a darkened corner,
concealed behind some standing people. The Alpha Male held a long tribal stick
over his head and in a loud voice said, "Seal the entrance - no one goes in
our out without my express command!" The door was slammed shut. Belle and
Mimi looked at each other apprehensively. What was going on? Would Chris and
Garth be able to get back in?
One of the men standing next to the Alpha Male held his hands up as a signal for
silence. "The rules of the game are simple. No one leaves unless The Alpha
Male tells you that you can leave. The punishment for abandoning the game will
be severe. The Alpha Male will give each of you a command. If you fulfill his
wish, everyone else in the room has to take a drink or remove an article of
clothing. If you refuse his command, you will have to take two drinks or remove
two articles of clothing. Let the game begin!"
Belle looked at Mimi and saw just as much fear reflected in her eyes. Neither
one of them drank, and neither one of them was keen on the idea of getting naked
in this room full of strangers. This had to be some sort of mistake…
The Alpha Male turned to Belle, pointing his wooden scepter at her. "You,
young blonde one. I order you to 'Seven Minutes in Heaven' in the closet!"
Before Belle even knew what was happening, the Alpha Males' lackeys took Belle
by the arms and led her to the closet in the room. Belle was put in and the door
shut behind her. She heard the Alpha Male picking someone else to go in there
with her. She shuddered at the thought of some drunken frat boy trying to paw
her. But it was either this or drinking and disrobing, or an even worse fate if
she tried to leave. Belle began fervently wishing that her brother would find
her and get her out of this mess.
The closet door opened, and Belle could see a man entering, and the door
shutting. Belle blinked a few times, letting her eyes adjust. Something seemed
so familiar…Belle sucked her breath in sharply. "Shawn?!"
"Yeah, it's me," Shawn said sheepishly. He couldn't begin to imagine
the lengths Brady had gone to. Why did Brady do all of this? Surely he hadn't
planned all of this just for Shawn's benefit, had he?
"What are you doing here?" she hissed at him.
"Brady invited me last Wednesday," Shawn said.
Belle crossed her arms. Shawn was secretly glad that he couldn't see Belle's
face that clearly. She was probably beyond pissed. "Why haven't I seen you
all evening?" she interrogated.
"I've just been hanging around with Brady," and eavesdropping on your
conversation…
Belle leaned against the closet wall, facing the door. "If you think I'm
going to kiss you, you're out of your ever-loving mind."
Shawn was suddenly seeing the great wisdom in Brady's plan. "If we don't
kiss, we'll have to go out there and take two drinks or take two pieces of
clothes off, and you're not wearing very much to begin with."
Belle spun back to glare at him. "What's that supposed to mean? What's
wrong with what I'm wearing?"
"Belle, there is absolutely nothing wrong with what you're wearing. Trust
me," Shawn said lowly. Belle paused for a moment - what was that tone in
Shawn's voice? It almost sounded like…
It was now or never. If he didn't take advantage of this moment, there might
never be another one. "Come here, Belle," Shawn commanded. He reached
out, grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. He reached for her face with his
hands. Belle placed her hands on Shawn's chest as if to brace herself.
"Wait a second," Belle whispered, starting to feel a little panicked.
"We have to Belle. We have no choice," Shawn murmured and moved in to
place his lips on hers. The first touch was tentative, a soft whisper of a kiss
that almost didn't feel real. Had he actually kissed her or was she just
imagining it? Shawn's heart began to thud loudly in his chest, and he was
finding it harder to breathe normally. He was really kissing Belle. He leaned in
to deepen the kiss. This time Belle knew it was for real. Her eyes fluttered
shut, and her mind went into overdrive. Shawn Douglas Brady is kissing us! her
mind screamed. Everyone to their battlestations!
Belle's hands slipped down his chest and then crept around Shawn's waist. She
moved to press herself against him, wanting to be close to him. So maybe he was
only kissing her because he had to. But she was going to pretend that he was
doing it because he wanted to. He was certainly acting like he wanted to kiss
her…and then all of Belle's thoughts stopped, and she couldn't think about
anything but Shawn's lips on hers.
A slow burn started in the pit of Shawn's stomach that started to course
throughout his entire body. The kiss was still a chaste and innocent one, but
Shawn longed to increase it into something more. But he didn't want to scare
Belle. She's only kissing you because she has to! his brain reminded him. Then
other parts of Shawn's body took over and his brain was overruled.
The kiss continued to intensify and build. Shawn pressed gently with his tongue
on Belle's lips, wondering if she would give him access. Belle's lips parted and
Shawn groaned at the gesture. His tongue darted into her mouth, startling Belle
momentarily. She then responded in kind, and Shawn lost all rational thought.
She moaned against him, and Shawn felt weak in the knees and had to lean back
against the wall to keep his balance, pulling Belle with him. Neither one of
them noticed when someone opened and then closed the closet door to check on
them.
**************************************************
Mimi threw her other sock into the pile as yet another couple did as they were
told. This was starting to get too Twilight Zone for her. She desperately wanted
out of the room, but she had watched TV and read newspaper articles about
fraternity men and all the strange things they did during hazing and other
rituals. She had no desire to see what they would do to her if she tried to
leave.
The Alpha Male's scepter swung in Mimi's direction. "You!" and then it
pointed to the back of room, "and you! Take this girl to another room and
give her a proper Alpha welcome."
Brady stepped forward from the crowd and bowed. "Your wish is my command, O
Great One."
Mimi gasped. What was going on here? Was she being set up? She stood up and
placed her hands on her hips. "I am not going anywhere with you, you
cretin."
Brady smiled at the challenge. "Yes, you are." He walked over to her,
leaned down, picked her up and hoisted her over his shoulder amid wolfwhistles
and catcalls. Brady saluted everyone in the room and walked out. He carried Mimi
down a hallway, into a dark bedroom. He walked over to the bed, threw her on it
roughly, crossed back to the door and shut it.
"Dammit, Brady, that hurt! Why did you do that?" she asked.
"I was hoping to knock that stick out of your butt so that we could have
some fun tonight," Brady said. He crossed back over to the bed and upon
reaching the edge of it began crawling towards Mimi. She scooted backwards until
her back was against the wall. Part of her was fascinated - Brady moved like a
giant feral cat.
"Is this what they mean by tall, dark and handsome?" Mimi spat out,
hoping to stop Brady's movements. "When it's dark, you're handsome?"
Brady paused and flashed Mimi a bright grin. "Are you saying I'm handsome,
Mimi?"
"Oh, please, if I had a face like yours I'd sue my parents," she
breathed, knowing she didn't mean a word of it. She hoped she sounded
convincing.
Brady grabbed a hold of Mimi's ankle and yanked her back down onto the bed. He
continued his ascent up the bed until he was crouched over Mimi, looking down
into her eyes. "You know Meems, I like you. People say I've got no taste,
but I like you." He hoped the backhanded compliment would fire her up. He
got his wish.
"Well, I don't need you to like me. I was doing just fine tonight without
you," Mimi growled, her eyes flashing. "Did you see how that guy Garth
was paying me all that attention?" She knew she should be putting up some
kind of fight and trying to get away, but she was enjoying the proximity to
Brady.
Brady tried to hide his smile. "Mimi, Garth is gay."
"What?" Mimi whispered.
"I asked him to spend time with you tonight," Brady continued.
Blinding pain ripped through Mimi and she had a desire to hurt Brady as much as
he had just hurt her. She brought her knee up and got Brady in the groin. He
grabbed himself and rolled over to the side. "What the hell did you do that
for?" he moaned.
to be continued...
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