Page 32 of Foul & Fake
Only it’s not actually a joke, it’s the truth. Mostly.
“I like playing,” I argue. “I just don’t want it to be my profession. At least I have a backup plan, dickhole.”
“Yeah, I’m out. I have a date, and I don’t need to stick around for this argument. What’s your major again, Vito?” Luca tosses him a smirk and a middle finger before Vito chases him outside, giving us a few moments alone that I know will be rare today.
She faces me again, playing with the scruff on my chin. “How’d I do, baby?”
She doesn’t have to call me that right now, but the fact that she did has me leaning in to kiss her with tongue this time, and it takes a lot to pull away. “You did amazing. Vito’s just giving us shit, and he and Gomez have complexes with lying. I don’t hold it against them, but I wish they’d back the fuck off.”
“I get it.” She thumbs my bottom lip, leaning in to kiss my nose. “I’m on board now. No more lies.”
I don’t know what it does to my chest, and I can’t decide if I like it or not. This has an expiration date, I have no business getting butterflies or acid reflux or whatever the fuck this is. “No more lies,” I agree. Well… except that secret sex tape I made of us. And the tiny bit of stalking. Something tells me that won’t go over well.
I let myself melt into her and forget everything else. I don’t think I care, I’ll take whatever she’s offering me.
I’m moving to slot between her legs with my tongue in her mouth when Vito returns, and his laugh is like a bucket of cold water. “You guys going to put on a show or what?”
“Fuck off,” I whisper, dropping my forehead against hers to release a breath before I move to hold her again and push down my growing hard-on.
“Do you like to watch, Vito?” she teases. “Is it because you’re lonely?”
His jaw drops a little, but he barks a laugh. “Damn, she’s got balls. I’ll have you know I’ve got a repeat customer coming over soon.”
“Which repeat is this?” I ask, my hand sliding under her shirt to feel her skin. “The redhead or that girl from Australia?”
“Redhead. I actually liked the Australian chick but she says she won’t get involved because she’s only here for one semester.”
Him admitting he actually liked someone is rare so I decide not to drag him about it. I’m in no place to talk.
Luckily someone bangs on the door before I have to figure out how to respond, and when we hear Simmons yelling for Vito to open up, I can’t fight my laugh. This is exactly the shit I didn’t want to deal with.
“Fuck,” he hisses, jumping over the back of the couch. “Tell her I’m not home.”
Riley squints, then slides off my lap to go open the door. “Looking for — oh, hell,” she whispers. “Um… Emory? He’s hiding behind the couch, probably under a pile of dirty hoodies. Come on in, he deserves whatever you do to him.”
I’m curious what she means until Simmons walks inside, her normally blonde hair a vibrant shade of puke green.
“Oh fuck,” I slip, a loud laugh spilling from me before I can help it. “Hello, Mrs. Grinch.”
“Where the fuck is he?” she snaps, stomping her angry little feet behind the couch as Vito scrambles around the other side. “My conditioner bottle, you dick? Really?”
“You put itching powder in my gym bag! I thought I had fucking crabs!”
I can’t help but to be entertained, it’s much more fun being on the outside. “You might have had crabs,” I add unhelpfully. “That sounds like a personal issue.”
The poor girl looks like she’s on the verge of tears, so Riley grabs her gently. “Hey, it’s okay. I know about a dozen ways to get dye out of hair, I’ll help you.”
Yeah, and this is exactly why she’s out of my league. She’s just… better than the likes of me.
“Really? Sorry, I’m Lucy. We haven’t met before.”
“I’m Riley, Eli’s girlfriend. Honestly, you kind of rock that hair,” she says with a light smile. “It’d look sick if you curled it a little.”
Vito peeks his head out. “Yeah, see? You look good. Doesn’t she look good, Reyes?”
I’m still hung up on the fact that Riley introduced herself as my girl with a straight face and I know I’m grinning like an idiot. “Yeah, she does.”
Only I’m staring at Riley because no one looks as good as her.
