Dan opened his eyes and looked up at Natalie. After a beat, his foggy mind realized she was naked. Then he realized that he was naked. Then he realized that Natalie had her hand in a rather sensitive part of his anatomy, and that if he didn�t agree to whatever the hell she wanted, he would be in a great deal of pain in the very near future.
�Jesus, Nat,� he gasped. �Don�t tell Casey what?�
�You know.� She ran her hands through her hair, and he took advantage of the movement to roll over on his side, moving strategic areas away from her. A good defense could save the day, any game, anywhere. �About last night, about us, about this.� She gestured at their mutual nudity. He nodded and attempted an intelligent frown.
�Ah. I see.� Pause. �Why not?�
�Because.� She drew her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. She looked like a little girl, impossibly cute, and it drew a reaction from Dan�s body that was entirely inappropriate for the image. �He�d tell Jeremy, and I don�t want Jeremy to find out until I�m ready to tell him.�
�Ah.� He paused again, staring up at the ceiling as if the answers were written there in very faint script. �You know, it�s very likely that Jeremy saw us leave Anthony�s together last night.�
�We could�ve been splitting a cab home.�
�We live in opposite directions from Anthony�s, and you had your hand in my pants pocket.�
�Um.�
�One of the pockets in front.� He glanced down the bed at her. �Not quite subtle, Natalie.�
�Just promise me you won�t tell Casey.�
�Right.� He stared back up at the ceiling and sighed. �Just one small problem with that.�
�What?� A note of steel entered her voice that he wasn�t sure he liked. Punishment might very well follow, if he didn�t talk fast.
�I, um, can�t lie to Casey.�
�What do you mean, you can�t lie to Casey? Does he have some kind of special power over you?�
�Well, yes, but that�s not the point.� He sat up, pulling the sheets around him in a bizarre and far-too-belated stab at modesty. �It�s not that I don�t want to lie to him, quite often, in fact. It�s just that he can always tell.�
�Always.� She stared at him skeptically, lowering her chin to glare so that her soft dark bangs flopped down over her eyes.
�I really, really want to kiss you right now.� He stared at her, awestruck.
�Danny. Casey can always tell when you�re lying?�
�It�s like you and Dana.�
�Oh.� It was her turn to look up at the ceiling. �Then we�re screwed.�
�Yeah, pretty much.�
They sat in flummoxed silence for a moment. Then she spoke again.
�Only one thing to do, then.�
�What�s that?�
�Get another round in while we try to figure it out.� She launched herself at him, all arms and legs and softness.
�I have no problem with that at all,� he mumbled as she took his breath away.
Feedback is like oxygen.
Return to the main page.