13 - STAR
Before I can object, Declan is pulling me towards the bathroom. I look over my shoulder, desperate to find a way out of this humiliating set up, but Declan was my choice, after all, and he seems to be all in as far as the whole “let’s get Star excited so we can get our power back” plan.
There’s no way I’m asking Quaid for help, that’s for sure. And Aric is following behind us like he’s about to get the show of a lifetime.
The lights flick on as we enter and then Declan pauses, grinning down at me like he’s a teenage boy about to hit a home run with a girl for the very first time. “You ready?”
“No!” I say. “I don’t even understand what’s happening.” Then I shoot Aric a look. “And if he’s gonna watch, then you’re just not allowed to touch meat all.” I cross my arms here, to make sure they understand that I am very firm on this matter.
“Figures,” Quaid mutters.
“You, shut up!” I say, pointing my finger at him. “I’m not talking to you. And you’re not allowed to watch, either!”
Declan turns towards the others and beams them a charming smile. “Listen guys, I know you think this is funny, but give her a break. You can’t watch, OK? This is serious business. She’s gotsecrets that need to be unlocked and the key to unlocking them ispleasuringher.” He chuckles those last few words out and then I catch him waggling his eyebrows, like this whole thing is a joke.
“You don’t know that!” I protest. “You don’t know if any of that is true! This is just some…fantasyof yours. And that goes for you too!” I point at Quaid and Aric.
“A fantasy?” Quaid says, sneering at me. “You broke my glasses.”
“Which is another fantasy! I didn’t do anything!”
“That’s enough, you guys,” Declan interrupts. He stretches out his arm, putting a barrier between me and the other two. “The whole point of this is to make her feel good.”
“Wrong,” Quaid says. “The whole point is to work her up. There are many ways to do that.”
“I’m gonna go on record here,” I say. And I’m looking straight at Declan, not them, when I say this. Because he’s the only one who seems to care about what I think. “You’re not gonna touch me if they’re watching. If you do…” I narrow my eyes. “It will be against my consent.
Quaid huffs out his objection. But to my surprise, Aric gives in. “She’s right.”
“What?” Quaid can’t believe his ears. “You were the one who came up with this idea.”
“I know,” Aric says, “but… we’re not do anything against her will. And while watching Declan wind her up would be fun, I just want out of here. As soon as possible. I don’t give a fuck how we get it done. So fine.” He turns back to me. “You win. We’ll go all the way to the edge of the room. But we’re not gonna plug our ears, so I hope for your sake you’re not a screamer.” Then he shoots me a wink and walks off, leaving Quaid to fight his own battle.
I put my hands on my hips and give my toe a tap. “Well. Are you going to leave, or not?”
Quaid rolls his eyes. “The entire point of this is to power up my sunglasses. How will you do that if I’m not even here?”
“Just move around the corner, at least,” I growl.
“It’s not gonna work,” he says. “You have no idea how it works.”
“Neither do you, so let me worry about that.” I say this with a confidence I don’t feel, but he does move out of my line of sight, and I guess that’s the best I can hope for at the moment.
“Well done,” Declan says, slipping his hands around my waist and pulling me towards him and leaning in to kiss me. “Now, let’s get started.”
I put a stop to that with a very firm hand on his chest. “Are you sure this is the only way?”
“Who cares if it’s the only way?” Aric calls from the other room. “It’s the quickest way, and that’s the only thing that matters.”
Declan looks down at me sympathetically. “We know it’ll work, Star. Somehow, your emotional state is affecting our powers. How that happened, I don’t know. But there’s a connection here. You know it’s true. And Aric’s right. Who cares about the details right now?”
Then Declan lowers his voice to a whisper. “If Aric is afraid of this place, he’s got good reasons for it. Does he look like a guy is who is afraid of anything?”
“I’m not afraid!” Aric yells. “I just… don’t want to be here.”
Declan rolls his eyes, but he’s actually very serious. “Think about it, Star. We need to restore our powers and get somewhere safe. Then we can ask the questions. And anyway, it’s not gonna be horrible. You and I? We’re gonna make out a little, feel each other up, get all acquainted and shit. It was gonna happen anyway, right? I mean… look at me?” I smile, despite my unease and all the strange things that seem to be happening. “Right?”He prods. “If you’ve got to be wound up by someone, I’m not a bad choice.”
It’s true, he’s not. And Iwasattracted to him. Aric, as well. Maybe not Quaid, but if being wound up by Declan will fix Quaid’s glasses, then there will be no reason for Quaid to wind me up afterward.
Yes, Declan is right. There are worse choices than him and he’s standing in the other room.
“So that’s what we do,” Declan continues, taking a step towards me and placing his hand on my cheek. It’s both warm and cool at the same time, giving me a little chill. Or, probably more likely, a little thrill. “Then Quaid fixes his glasses and we get out of here. And anyway, we’re not gonna take a shower. It’s like five minutes of sensual kissing and heavy petting. I’m a good kisser, I promise. You’ll see. So… what do you say?” Again, he takes a step towards me. And this is the end of any space between us. His hips are now pressing against me, both hands are on my cheeks, and he’s leaning down.
I would like to think I’m not attracted to him. That this whole idea of letting him kiss and touch me to gain enough power to get Quid’s shades working again is repulsive. Or at the very least, morally objectionable. But Declan is not just handsome. He’s… smooth. Easy. A very different kind of control than I’ve ever experienced before.
If I have to let one of these men get me sexually aroused, I could do worse than Declan. So I open my mouth to give him permission, but no words come out.
His lips are already pressing against mine, his hands traveling up my body, and then one of them snakes around to grab my ass while the other gently caresses my breast.
It’s all very exciting in an unexpected way.
