Page 125 of Let Us Prey
The polar bear plops onto the boards, and I follow her, wincing when my ass hits the ground. My muscles aren’t screaming like they were earlier in the week, but I seriously misjudged the tenderness of the bruises Cash left me with. Rufus arches his brow at me, tilting his head like he’s caught the scent of a tasty treat. Ducking my head to avoid his sharp gaze, I subtly shift my weight until I’m comfortable.
“Why, Dollypop, is there something wrong?” he coos. His grin is almost feral, and I realize I’ve triggered the one thing that will distract my friend from his tyrannical reign in the director’s chair—sex.
More specifically, gossiping about sex.
“No,” I reply, as I lean back on my arms to relieve the pressure on my achy backside. I try to keep my expression neutral, but I’m not sure it will work.
Looking between the two of us with her colorful curls bouncing, Cori frowns. “What am I missing, guys?”
His smirk deepens as he watches me squirm, but eventually, Rufus turns to the bear. “I’m calling bullshit on our little bunny. Either she’s gottenveryadventurous with her… back door or someone’s been getting naughty with a paddle. Which is it, Dollybear?” I open my mouth to deny it, but he shakes his head. “Don’t even try it; I've been around the trailer park long enough to recognize the signs, girl.”
Fuck. I should have known I wasn’t going to be able to hide this from them.
A little voice in my head tells me I probably shouldn’t be hiding it from my friends anyway, and I bite my lip. I’m still learning to share things with people, and though I’m not nearly as embarrassed about sex as I used to be, this was averynew experience. I don’t want to look foolish, because for all I know, I did something wrong that caused Cash to rush out like he did. However, if Cori and Rufus can talk me through it, maybe I can do better next time.
If there is a next time…
My ass throbs again, and I wiggle until I find a new position to alleviate the ache. “Um. I… We… the second thing.”
Way to look like a hopeless newb, Dolly.
“Ohhhhh,” Cori breathes. “That explainsa lot, actually.”
“Like what?” I wrinkle my nose, feeling a flush creep up my chest. I know they can see it in my skimpy dance clothes and it makes me feel even more ridiculous.
Rufus barks a laugh. “We’re not judging you, babe. There’s no shame in the game. If you both enjoy it, why not indulge? I sure as fuck do.” He pauses and looks at Cori before turning back to me. “I’m only concerned you didn’t get taken care of, and that’s why you’re squirming like a whore in church.”
“You’re going to need an ice pack. It will still help, even if it wasn’t done right away. Let me send the stage manager after one,” Cori says as she rolls to her feet. “Patrice!”
Nervousness floods my veins as I watch her stalk to the otter shifter, her hands gesticulating wildly as she gives her instructions. Rufus is watching me carefully as he taps on his phone, and it’s making me worry about my obvious lack of knowledge in this arena. He says they aren’t judging me, but they look more frustrated than they’re letting on. Every time I let go of my fears and get wild, I manage to do something wrong and tick people off.
Maybe I’m cursed.
When she rejoins us, Cori reaches over and takes my hand. “Okay. Now that’s settled, we need to tell you what else you should do after you ice it.”
“Already on the Animalzon, Coco. Medical ass lotion, arnica, and aloe are on the way.” He clicks his screen off before addressing me. “Apply the lotion first after you shower. Once it has some time to sink in, you can use the arnica for bruises. The aloe is in case you do something more ‘slappy’ than ‘thuddy’ later on. It’ll help with redness versus bruises.”
I blink at his unusually serious tone, but I nod. “That’s all after the ice?”
Cori squeezes my hand and grins. “Look, Dolly, we’re all shifters. Sex activates the primal—the animals inside of us—and weallexperiment with shit. Our bodies are made to take pain differently, and for some people, impact play is extremely pleasurable. Rufus and I aren’t going to be weirded out by you getting kinky with one or more of your guys.”
“Fuck knows, they’ve all been around long enough to develop acatalogueof kinks and shit,” Rufus adds. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll end up teachingussomething.”
“Teach you guys things?” I shake my head, not believing that for a second. “What in thehellcould I teach you?”
“Girl, you’ve gotallthe drool-worthy dirties to play with,” Rufus grins. “Tails, twins, older guys, wings, fangs, claws… and that’s before we get to your fluffy little tail.”
“Ooh!” Cori claps her hands. “I bet they like to chase. Do they chase you, Dolly?”
Panic grips me as I’m flooded with emotions surrounding my experiences with my men. My skin heats—both from arousal and embarrassment—and my friends look at one another and high-five with hoots of laughter.
“Theytotallydo, Coco. Look at her face. The big bad boys like to hunt the pretty bunny.”
“Rufus!” I hiss. He’s talking at max volume, and Patrice is approaching with a variety of ice packs. Her expression changed the moment he said ‘hunt’ and if she runs her mouth, I’ll be dealing with another bullshit slut-shaming media campaign.
“What?” he bats his lashes at me. When Patrice clears her throat behind him, he whips his head around to glare. “Gods,Patrice. Make some noise when you sneak up on people.”
Cori takes the ice packs from her with an apologetic ‘thank you,’ but she blessedly waits until the aquatic shifter is gone before handing it to me. “Sit on this while Rufus and I let the others know we’re extending the lunch break. You need to sit on this for a few minutes before you get up and flip all over the place again.”
