"Why don't you all go upstairs?" Jack said. "We need to talk to our father."
Allie returned to the room with Carter.
"Guess who didn’t want to walk," she said.
"Margot!" Carter said, flopping down on the floor next to the dog.
She hesitated then gingerly walked over to Carter and licked his shirt.
"My family is so not happy with you," Carter told her with a grin. "I thought my father was going to have a stroke. It was great." He jumped up, grabbed her around the waist, and whirled her around the room.
"You know, you still owe me my kiss," he said.
His face was dangerously close to hers, and the warmth of his arms chased away the lingering chill from her walk outside.
"Kissing wasn’t part of the deal," she said, looking up at him, "and besides, how do you know you would have won?"
"I know from the way you looked at me," he said, throwing her on the bed and jumping to lie beside her.
"You know what would make my parents really upset?" he said after a moment. "Really loud sex."
"I’m not sleeping with you," Allie said, sitting up.
"Just pretend," Carter pleaded, grabbing her arm.
He pushed her back against the bed, straddled her, and started yelling,
"Yes, yes! Allie, take it! Take my big—"
She put her hands over his mouth. "Stop it," she said as Carter collapsed on top of her.
He grinned and touched their noses together. "Now you made me really horny."
"Sorry, too bad. This is not happening." Allie tried to struggle out from under Carter's weight, but he held her down.
"How much am I paying you?" Carter said sharply.
Allie gave him a sour look. He rolled off of her and started rocking the bed.
"We need to start a rhythm and make it seem like we're, you know, bumping uglies."
Allie inwardly groaned. She stood up on the bed and channeled her inner Stacy. She had heard her roommate having loud, rambunctious sex enough times to know what it sounded like. Jumping on the bed, she let out a serious of high-pitched moans.
"Yes, Carter, yes! I need you! Oh! Oh! Oh my God, that feelssogood."
Carter watched her, stunned. He didn't seem as if he was going to hold up his end of the performance, so she reached over and grabbed the back of Carter's head. He looked at her as if he were about to kiss her, but instead she ran her knuckles hard over his sternum for the big finish.
"Argh!" he yelled in pain.
"Oh my God," she said loudly, "that wasso good, Carter."
Laughing and moaning in pain, Carter huddled on the floor as Margot stumbled over to him to offer comfort.
"Ow!" Carter said, clutching his chest. "What did you do to me?"
She smiled at him. "It’s a sternum rub. If you're unconscious, that’s what the doctors use to see if you're brain-dead or still responsive."
"Oh wow, ow," Carter said with a wince.
