Edwina’s cheeks blaze crimson as they close the door behind them. “That is not what this is,” she says as she shoves the bridge of her spectacles.
I lean closer. “Is it not?”
Her chest heaves again, her composure shattered. “You…you don’t even like me. Why?—”
“I offered to fuck you, Ed, not marry you.”
“Yes, but after everything you told me, surely you can’t…do things with me unless?—”
“Weenie.”
Her expression deepens to a scowl. “What?”
“If you want me to keep my promise, stop overthinking it. Don’t worry about whether I can adequately perform based on what I shared with you on the balcony. Simply trust that I can.”
Surprise flutters over her face. Is she beginning to understand? That attraction—or rather, lack thereof—won’t be an issue between us? The way her breaths continue in sharp bursts emboldens me. After how flustered she’s made me up until now, I’m pleased with how easily I can do the same to her.
I angle my head slightly, and my eyes fall on her lips. “Do you still not believe me? I can show you right now.”
“There’s no point,” she says, though there’s an unsteadiness to her voice that belies her words. “The doors to the compartment may be closed, but this is neither of our bedrooms. If I redeem myfree pass, as you called it, it wouldn’t count toward our bet.”
My lips curl at one corner as my gaze sweeps back to hers. A spear of sunlight flashes over her lenses, obscuring her brown irises for longer than I like. When the glare passes, I say, “We could practice.”
She huffs. “This is a public space. I know how you feel about making love in public spaces.”
“It doesn’t seem so public to me.”
Her lips part, and for the briefest moment, she looks like she’s truly considering my offer. Then she shakes her head and averts her gaze. “You’re trying to distract me. All I wanted to know is if you were serious about your promise. If you are, that’s all we need to discuss. I’ll use my free pass against you when you least expect it. For research.” She tacks on the last part with a stern look before averting her face again.
“You may be finished talking about my promise, but I’m not.”
She rolls her eyes, still not looking at me. “You can’t take it back now.”
“Oh, I’m not taking it back. I only want to rework the terms. If you get a free pass, I want one too.”
She whips her gaze back to me, eyes wide. “Pardon?”
“I want a free pass to use against you too. One without an expiration. I propose we create a single free pass that we exchange between us. Meaning, you are currently in possession of it, but once you redeem it, I will get to use it next. Then so on and so forth.”
“Why would I agree to that? As it stands now, I can redeem my free pass the next time you’ve found a lover, and I’ll have two points to your zero.”
“Yes, but think how many more opportunities you’ll be given to sabotage me.”
She blinks at me a few times. “I’ll only have those opportunities if you redeem the ticket and place it back in my possession.”
“Exactly.”
Her eyes narrow to slits as she assesses the possibilities. “If we’re constantly trying to sabotage each other, we might never accumulate points with any other lover.”
I don’t know if I’m imagining the relief on her face, but I certainly feel it in my chest. Still, I do all I can to mask it behind an arrogant front. “I may have made it sound like youhave a choice, Weenie, but you don’t. While I’m bound to keep my promise, I didn’t agree to any binding terms that constitute a formal bargain. That means I can alter my conditions for keeping said promise, which I now have. I will let you redeem your free pass, but only if I get one as well. Do you agree to these terms?”
She narrows her eyes again, her fingers anxiously tapping her lap. Then her hands go still, face slack, as understanding seems to dawn on her.
Yes, I realize it too. If we continue to sabotage each other, and neither accumulates any points with anyone else, she’ll always remain one point ahead of me, thanks to her kiss with Archie. And if I never return the pass to her after she uses it with me, she’ll have a two-point lead, at least for a while.
It’s a gamble for both of us, but I still intend to play with her to my advantage. The truth remains that I am the more capable and experienced seducer between us. I may have failed to keep our bet in mind last night, but I’ll be prepared next time. Edwina isn’t the only person on the isle I’m capable of being attracted to. Icanaccrue points. And if she refuses to rise to my bait with the free pass, I’ll do everything I can to torment her. Aggravate her. Arouse her. Until she’s begging me to let her redeem it.
“Fine. I agree to the terms for the free pass.” Her tone is grudging, but the tightening of her lips tells me she’s hiding a smile. She thinks she’s already won, but our game has only just begun. Lifting her chin, she faces forward again.
