“Jump the fuck off if you are,” I laughed, twisting sideways to watch her roll around on the mat, clutching her side. “If you piss on this trampoline with me on it, I’m going to have to revoke your friendship status, Molloy, and find somebody else to play the one-word game with.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” Twisting onto her hands and knees, she crawled back to me and sighed in contentment. “I’m irreplaceable.”
That she was.
“Joey?” A familiar voice called out from the back door. “Are you coming inside?” Danielle asked, as she hovered in the doorway. “I was hoping we could have a dance.”
“I don’t dance.”
“Oh. I was really hoping we could.”
“Like I said, I don’t dance.”
“Well, come inside soon, yeah? I want to ring in the new year with you.”
“Yeah, grand, Dan, I’ll be inside in a bit.”
Snickering when the door closed behind Danielle, Molloy ribbed me with her elbow. “Sounds like she wants to do more than just ring in the new year with you.”
Grinning, I shook my head and looked at her. “Is that right?”
“Yep.” Bursting out in another fit of giggles, she added, “Sounds like she wants your mouth on her pussy.”
My brows shot up. “Bold words coming from the girl who was too shy to say the word pussy two minutes ago?”
“Pussy, pussy, meow-meow,” she countered with a fake purr. “How’s that for too shy?”
“I take it back,” I replied dryly. “You’re a wild one.”
“And you’re the opposite of pussy,” she offered with a supportive smile.
“Gee, thanks.”
“No, you’re welcome.” Smiling, she reached up to pat my cheek. “Take it down,” she instructed then, pulling down my hood. “I wanna see your pretty face.”
“Pretty,” I snorted. “Jesus, keep those compliments coming, Molloy. You’ll do wonders for my ego.”
“You are, though,” she sighed, hand moving from my cheek to cup the back of my neck. “If I had a packet of Rolos right now, I’d give you my last one.”
“Yeah?” I smiled, indulging her. “Well, if I had a packet of Rolos right now, Molloy, I’d give them all to you.”
“You would?” Her eyes widened like saucers, as she looked up at me like I’d just offered her the moon on a string. “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever given me.”
I shook my head and laughed. “You’re such a lightweight.”
She grinned. “Okay, okay, how’s this for the next word in the story.” Pressing her fingers to her temples, she hummed before blurting out, “She.”
“Spread.”
“Her.”
“Legs.”
“Wider.”
“For.”
“Him.”
“To.”
“Taste.”
“Her.”
“Throbbing.”
“Clit.”
She blew out a shaky breath and leaned in closer. “She.”
“Used.”
“Her.”
I felt her shift closer. “Hands.”
“To.”
“Push”
“His.”
“Boxers.”
She exhaled a ragged breath and whispered, “Down.”
“And.”
“Then.”
“He.”
Her hand tightened around the back of my neck. “Buried.”
“His.”
“Hard.”
Her breath hitched when I whispered, “Cock.”
She gripped my neck so tight, her nails dug into my skin. “Deep.”
My heart was gunning in my chest, so loud and violently, that I was surprised to still be breathing. I resisted the urge to rest my forehead against hers.
Instead, I held my ground, and watched her watch me.
It was too much – her, the moment, my feelings, the way my heart beat – it was all too fucking much.
And still, I remained completely motionless, watching her watch me. “Inside.”
I felt her lips sway dangerously close to mine. “Of.”
“His girlfriend,” Paul said coldly, startling us. “What’s going on out here?”
“Hey Paul, we’re in the middle of the one-word game,” Molloy chirped, oblivious to the look of murder etched on her boyfriend’s face. “Wanna join us?”
“No,” he said flatly. “I want to spend time alone with my girlfriend, but I haven’t been able to find her for the last hour and a half.”
“That’s because she was out here playing with Joe, silly,” she reeled off happily.
“Well, would you mind coming inside and ringing in the new year with me?” he argued. “If it isn’t too much of a bother for you to peel yourself away from Lynchy, that is.”
“Sure, Paul.” Smiling up at me, she tapped my nose with her finger. “And I’ll see you… later.”
“I’ll be seeing ya, Molloy,” I replied, watching her peachy ass as she shimmied into the house.
“You won’t,” Paul said, when Molloy had gone back inside. “You won’t be seeing her, playing games with her, or having anything to fucking do with her.”
I laughed. “You’ve got some serious issues with control, lad.”
“I mean it, Lynchy,” he warned. “Stay away from her.”
“She’s the one who keeps coming back to me, lad,” I drawled, draining the last remnants of vodka from the bottle. “What does that tell you?”
“It tells me that she’s bored and you’re the perfect charity case to work on.”
“Really?” I shrugged. “That’s funny, because it tells me that you’re too boring for her, and I’m giving her exactly what you can’t.”
“And what’s that?” he sneered. “A tramp stamp on her ass and a rap sheet the length of her arm?”
“Not yet.” I smirked. “But there’s always tomorrow.”
“Listen, prick, I’m only going to say this one more time; leave my girlfriend alone. Stay out of her face and stay out of her life.”
“Whatever you say,” I replied, unwilling to brawl with him tonight. Not when I was in such a good mood now.
“Oh, one thing I will say before I go.” Swinging around to glare at me, he added, “Thanks for getting her drunk for me.”
I narrowed my eyes and his smile darkened. “It’s always easier to get her knickers off when she’s off her face from drink.”
With that, he turned around and disappeared inside the house.
I stood up and moved to go after him, but what could I do?
The fuck could I say to that?
I could hardly stop them.
She chose to be with him.
Repeatedly.
He was her boyfriend.
I was her… nothing.
I was her nothing.
Fuck my life.
KNOCKING ON DANIELLE’S DOOR
JANUARY 1ST 2004
AOIFE
“Oh, yeah, babe, that’s it,” Paul groaned, pressing me deeper into the mattress in the spare bedroom he’d pulled me into.
Instead of being downstairs having a good time at the party like I had been doing, I was currently sprawled out, half-naked, beneath my drunk as a skunk boyfriend, while I sweated vodka and plotted my escape.