The boys follow my gaze, and Luis groans in defeat. “It can’t be. She turned to look at him. Marco is right.”
I stand up, determined to prove them wrong. “No, he’s not.”
I take a few steps toward Gregory, and he looks at me with excitement. “Will you dance for me?”
But his expression falls when I pass by him. In front of Marco, my confidence wavers, but his gaze is full of it. It’s as if he’s telling me that he’s sure I’m not capable of this. I ignore the protests of my embarrassed conscience and begin to move my hips in front of him. He leans back to get more comfortable, accepting the challenge.
Imagine you’re dancing in front of the mirror, Raquel.
I let the music flow through me and run my hands down my body, pausing for a moment on my breasts and then going down the curve of my waist. Marco’s eyes follow my movements. I remember how much power I held over Ares when I danced for him, and that gives me more strength.
I run my hands back up over my breasts as I sway to the music. Marco takes a sip of his beer without taking his eyes off me. I turn my back to him and sit on his lap, moving against him, feeling his wet body soaking the back of my dress. The friction feels so good. Pressing myself against him, I can feel how hard he is. That was fast. I lean back, almost lying on top of him to murmur in his ear.
“If I had a thing for him, I wouldn’t turn his best friend on, would I?”
I get up and can feel my heart beating rapidly inside my chest. Saying the three boys are speechless is an understatement. Their faces are priceless. I’m about to turn to face Marco when Ares appears, walking toward me, looking extremely angry. It’s like that night he came into my room looking for Apolo, but this time it’s for very different reasons.
He stops right in front of me. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
I’m questioning whether to say no, but I don’t want to make a scene in front of all these people, so I follow him into the playroom. I close the door behind me, and he pounces on me instantly, taking my face in his hands, pressing his lips to mine. My heart melts at the warm sensation of his lips, but I won’t make the same mistake twice. I push him away with all the strength I have.
“Don’t even think about it!”
Ares looks upset. His red face reminds me of Yoshi’s reaction when I told him I had lost my virginity. Is he jealous?
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Raquel?”
“Whatever I’m doing is none of your damn business.”
“Are you trying to make me jealous? Is that what you’re playing at?” He approaches me again, and I step back.
“The world doesn’t revolve around you.” I shrug my shoulders. “I was just having fun.”
“With my best friend?” He takes my chin between his fingers, his eyes piercing mine. “Five days after what happened in this room?”
Inevitably, I blush. “So? You were having fun with that girl in the pool.”
He presses his hand on the wall next to my head. “Is that what this is about? If I do it, you do it?”
“No, and I don’t even know why we’re having this conversation. I don’t owe you explanations. I don’t owe you anything.”
Ares runs his thumb across my lower lip. “Is that what you think? It’s not clear to you, huh?” He slams his other hand against the wall, trapping me between his arms. “You’re mine. Only mine.”
His words ignite hope in me again, but I push it away. “I am not yours.”
He presses me against the wall with his body, his gaze never leaving mine. “Yes, you are. The only one you can dance for in that way is me, only me. Got it?”
I shake my head defiantly.
“Why are you so stubborn? You know very well that the only one you want inside you is me, no one else.”
Fighting my hormones, I push him again. I won’t show him how much he affects me. He’s hurt me enough.
“I’m not yours,” I say with determination. “And I won’t ever be, I don’t like idiots like you.”
Lies, lies.
Ares gives me that smirk that annoys me so much. “Oh yeah? That’s not what you said that day in this exact room, remember?”
I can’t believe he’s bringing that up like this. I feel the need to hurt him. “The truth is, I don’t remember it very well. It wasn’t that good.”
Ares takes a step back, the haughtiness on his face replaced by a pained expression. “Liar.”