Played by Love (New Adult Romance): A #Played Novella (3 page)

“When you put it that way, it’s not so boring after all,” Tricia said. “I could say the same thing about dance. It’s displaying yourself so the right male will select you. A mating ritual.”

“Pooh, the right male isn’t even here.” Ella finished her juice. “Let’s walk around. We’re not on again until the bidding starts. How far is Edwards stadium?”

“Oh, stop it,” Tricia said. “You don’t want him to think you’re looking for him.”

“You’re right. This playing hard-to-get is too hard for me.” Ella tugged her skimpy tank to cover more of her belly and pitched her can into the recycle container.

One of the frat guys also threw his can into the trash. He sauntered over to Ella and Tricia, gesturing for his gang to back him up. It was the same dude who’d molested her after the cosplay party at the co-op.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the ladybug and the bee.” He pulled off his baseball cap and ruffled his blond bangs. “Lemme flip a coin and see which one of you lucky ladies I’m bidding on.”

His buddy, a burly guy with muscles to rival a professional bodybuilder, crossed his arms. “I tag the bumblebee. I wanna feel her sting.”

Ella felt Tricia stiffen at her side. They kept walking toward the perimeter of the park, but the guys followed.

The blond man cracked his knuckles and pointed at Ella. “Name’s Scott. Me and you belong together. We’ll make some beautiful babies.”

“The organizers say we can ask to be chaperoned,” Ella said.

“When you see this, you’ll ditch the chaperone.” Scott grabbed his crotch and shook it. “Ancient Chinese saying, when you run into a ladybug, love follows.”

“I thought it was a bumblebee,” the big man said, scratching his balding head. Spittle flew from his bearded lips.

“Derek, you’re such a moron. Bees bring money, ladybugs love,” Scott retorted.

“Oh, stop with your ancient Chinese nonsense,” Tricia cut in. “You two fools aren’t going to win.”

Ella elbowed her. “Stop egging them on.”

“I’ve got a secret weapon,” Tricia whispered. “His name’s Mark.”

“Backup plan?” Ella whispered back, too aware that the dumb frat guys were listening in.

“Nope, watch and admire.” She dragged Ella by the elbow back toward the dance contest.

A pair of hip-hop guys bopped on the stage. They had on their dancing gloves, wore baggy jeans and tight ripped tanks. One of them flung his dreadlocks in a mechanical manner, and another one, a buff, Asian guy slid on his toes like he had wheels on them.

Their muscles flexed and twitched and they arched backward, then rolled on the floor, jerking and jiggling, like the drunken monkey kung fu routine. The dreadlocked guy flapped and squatted, sticking his legs out and in, robotic like. The energy was so high it threatened to electrocute the entire park.

Ella and Tricia whistled and screamed with the rest of the crowd.

“That’s Mark,” Tricia shouted, pointing at the muscular guy. “He’s so freaking hot.”

Mark took a mike from the organizer and yelled, “Who wants to challenge us? Winner gets the girl I bid on. Loser goes home.”

The dreadlock guy waved his hands in a come hither manner. “Bring it on, baby. I see some contenders out there.”

Tricia poked Derek, the bearded bald guy. “How about you? Big guy like you, I bet you’d win. Do them Harley style.”

“Yeah, Harley style beats Gangnam style.” Ella picked up on the plan quickly. She jogged Scott’s arm. “Take on those two and be my hero. Winners dance with us.”

“Watch me, baby.” Scott spit on his palms and wiped his hair back. He shoved Derek. “Man up, let’s take them.”

The two idiotic frat guys swaggered onto the stage. The organizer asked them their names and said, “It’s Scott and Derek against Mark and Reggie.”

He cranked up the music and the crowd screamed. While everyone was focused on the gyrations on stage, Ella looked for Jaden. She didn’t want to text him and seem desperate, but she couldn’t spot him. Tall guy like him should stand out.

Maybe she had been too forward with him. Scared him away. He hadn’t even tried to kiss her. If the three date rule held, she was way behind schedule. She browsed on her smartphone on advice in dating a Korean guy. One site said they liked dainty girls who were not assertive. Another one said they tended not to date Western women, fearing what their parents would say. And then there was Tricia, always telling her to play hard-to-get. What was wrong with being straightforward?

“Will you put that away?” Tricia bumped her arm. “Look at those fools.”

Laughter and jeering spilled from the crowd. Derek had fallen on the stage and was tangled in the amp wires, arms and legs twitching like he’d been defibrillated. Meanwhile, Scott flopped around like a dead fish doing pelvis tilts, oblivious to the cans and paper cups being tossed at him. He spun and stumbled two giant steps. The crowd howled when his baggy pants sagged to his ankles. The idiot wasn’t wearing underwear and there was nothing to see.

“Help those guys out.” The organizer could barely catch her breath from laughter. After Mark and his friend propped the dweebs up, she shouted into the mic, “All those voting for Scott and Derek scream now.”

A few scattered hoots emanated from a group of frat guys, but most of the crowed guffawed.

“Mark and Reggie. Mark and Reggie,” they chanted.

“Looks like Mark and Reggie are the winners! Losers go home,” the organizer said. “Now it’s time to bid on the dates.”

“See?” Tricia said. “Took care of it. If I were them, I’d be running for the kegs with a paper bag over my head.”

Ella fist bumped her. “Yep. Got them good.”

They strode through the crowd to the stage and lined up next to the jazz dancers and belly dancers.

Ella eyed the crowd, looking for signs of Jaden. Still missing. Butterflies staggered in her stomach as the bidding started with one of the jazz dancers. She couldn’t use her phone since she was on stage, and it wasn’t as if she could ask any of her friends to bid.

Even worse, despite the organizer telling Scott and Derek to go home, they stood firmly in front of the stage and glared at her.

One by one, the dates were auctioned off, until it was just Ella and Tricia.

Ella wiped her sweaty palms on her pants as a bidding war between Derek and Mark ensued.

“One hundred from the gentleman in the front. Do I hear one fifty?” the organizer said. Each bid topped the other until Mark yelled, “Five hundred.”

The organizer looked around, asking for someone to top the bid, but no one stepped forward.

“Great, now it’s my turn,” Ella mumbled. Jaden still had not arrived.

“This is going to be easy,” Scott shouted at her. “You’re coming home with me tonight.”

Every time someone made a bid, Scott topped it. They were up to six hundred dollars and the counter offers were slowing. Ella bit her lip and glanced at Tricia who was now standing off the stage with Mark.

Tricia seemed to be arguing with Mark, prodding him to bid and he kept shaking his head.

“We’re at six hundred for a date with Ella Kennedy. Come on, folks. You’ve seen her dance. Anyone top six hundred?” He paused and scanned the crowd. “The gentleman in front has the highest bid. Counting down, five, four, three …”

Ella’s heart sunk to her knees. Even though this was for a good cause, she should never have signed up. Why had she been so confident Jaden would play? He’d seemed interested when she told him about it, but now, a fricking soccer game was more important. A shot of cold adrenaline lanced her. What if he’d taken a date to the soccer game? Someone who liked sports better?

“Going once,” the organizer said. “Twice, come on, top bid is six hundred. Anyone for six fifty?”

“Seven hundred,” a deep voice shouted.

Finally. Jaden made his way through the crowd. Ella’s heart pumped faster and her spirits soared. Jaden was so handsome, delicious, awesome. His hair was askew, as if he’d just come from taking a shower.

“Seven fifty,” Scott countered.

Jaden shoved Scott aside and planted himself in front of the stage. “I’m taking this sweetheart home for one thousand.”

Ella jumped off the stage and launched herself into his arms. Her hunky geek had sailed to the rescue. Behind her, the organizer said, “Sold. One grand, to the man with the hands, the guy with the save!”

Jaden covered Ella’s ears with kisses, making loud smacking noises. He’d gotten there just in time to outbid the knuckle-dragger from Delta Upsilon Mu, or DUM.

In the background the announcer said, “That was some game. Bears won 1-0, thanks to the goalkeeper. Give a round of applause. Go Bears!”

Please, please, please, don’t mention my name.

“Yay, go Bears.” Jaden flipped his horn-rimmed glasses over his eyes and clapped. “You should have seen the goalkeeper jump.”

“How come you didn’t invite me?” Ella jutted out her lower lip.

Oops. Jaden led her away from the stage. Sweat broiled on the back of his neck, even though he’d just showered. One bad move here and he’d blow it all. This called for distraction.

“Want to come to my dorm room and play with my robotic arm?” He wiggled his middle finger suggestively.

A naughty smile lit her face. “Now you’re talking.”

Jaden hooked Ella’s hand and swung her around. Her heated skin, sweet small waist, and luscious breasts revved the blood in his veins. Those deep blue eyes were out of this world. And the fact she was a dancer meant curves and muscles in all the right places.

He’d been a gentleman for weeks, held off because of her aversion to jocks and players, listened to her stories of being mistreated by those types of guys, endured who knows how many flashcards of Korean phrases.

“So, let’s see, you’re a hip-hop character today,” Jaden said. “Mind if I beatbox to your steps?”

“Whoohoo, yes!” Ella twitched and popped her limbs, marching up Durant toward his dorm.

Dang, that girl had moves. The way she shook her shoulders, twerked her hips, her golden hair flashing and shimmering.

All he had to do was add the mouth movements. “Buh shika puh puh boh chicah pubbub boom skika shh, shhuh, uh, uh, ow!”

Jaden accompanied Ella up the steps of the I-house, through the secured doors. They jived on down the long hallway of stairs, past startled international students, many whipping out camera phones.

The energy of the crowd fed them, and soon, Jaden was making up his own moves. He and Ella beat and jerked and twirled their way into the elevator.

The door shut, and Ella launched herself at the same time Jaden lunged for her. Their lips and teeth crashed as lust surged like a firestorm. Hot, sweaty, slick, pulsing.

He’d abstained from women, kept away from his frat, let Mark enjoy all the privileges of the funhouse, the bar, the hookup clubs, while he, Jaden Sloup, surrounded himself with techie virgins, designing software, soldering circuit boards and hacking smartphone apps.

The elevator doors opened to the shrieks from a gaggle of Japanese exchange students. Again, camera phones were whipped out in unison, followed by fingers busily adding commentary.

Ella was latched around him, her hands crawling up his back, her lips tugging insistently. It was all Jaden could do to insert his key into the keyhole.

They smashed into the door, staggered over the threshold, and Jaden kicked it shut.

“I’ve been wanting you for a long time,” Ella moaned, sultry like a porn star. She writhed and wiggled, her hip-hop bling jangling. “Want me to strip for you?”

Sweat bloomed over Jaden’s forehead, and his heart fought to escape his ribcage. She was so freaking hot, sex written all over her tight tank, short shorts and smooth sweet legs.

Jaden slapped himself. This wasn’t happening. In fact, he was hallucinating. Had to be. But no …

He licked his lips as Ella unwrapped the bandana around her neck and tossed her crystal studded visor on the bed. A wicked smile curving her pink lips, she lifted and shook her hair, rolling her shoulders and hips like a starlet in a modern dance routine.

Her flexible body bent backward, exposing her slim belly. What exactly did she expect him to do?

Jaden sank into his leather desk chair to enjoy the view. He slipped his finger under the desk and activated his digital video recorder. Just because he wasn’t going to ask her to sign a waiver didn’t mean he wouldn’t take precautions.

“What else will you do for me, Ella?” He leaned back in the tilting chair to alleviate the tightness in his jeans and present an inviting target.

Bouncing and wiggling, her boobs approached his face and she straddled him.

“I want to eat you alive,” she hissed in his ear.

“You do? Can you say that louder?” Jaden cupped his ear. “I can’t hear you.”

“I want to eat you, bounce all over you, and spend the night.”

“What does that mean? I don’t understand.” He faked an Asian accent.

“You silly, I know you understand English, but here goes,” she said, then took a deep breath. “Hago sip-eoyo seong-gyo.”

“Wh-what?”

“You know …” She tipped her fingernail on his nose and rubbed her crotch against his bursting erection.

“Say it again? You sound so cute.” He had a clue it meant something fun and playful, but he wasn’t going to let on he didn’t know.

“Hago sip-eoyo seong-gyo. I want to have sex.”

“Hago to you too. I love women who know what they want.” Jaden slanted her face and compressed his lips to hers, distracting her so she couldn’t see him shut off the video recording.

# # #

Ella was so hot she felt like busting out of her clothes. The weather was muggy for California, one of those hot fall days, and dancing all afternoon had her blood singing and thirsting for action.

She wasn’t exactly a virgin, but she didn’t have as much experience as she wanted Jaden to believe. Most of it involved fending off heavy pawing, sweaty, hairy, bloated drunk guys, full of themselves, taking and not giving.

Jaden took his time. His lips caressed hers, his hands gently rubbing circles on her back. He smelled clean, fresh from the shower, a mixture of body wash and soap. She was sweaty from dancing all afternoon. Hot. Flushed.