We went into the house and Khadia lead me deeper inside.

People milled about, chatting and drinking. Some sat in the sofas, others in chairs, and most stood in groups.

With how full both yards were, and looking at the people inside the house, Lucciano's comment about a bit over a hundred people coming to celebrate his birthday rang true.

Man was rather popular, it seemed.

Khadia lead me to the second floor, into a corridor, and then to a door.

My eyebrows went up and I gave her surprised a look. “Lucciano's room?” I gestured at the destination.

She nodded, her hair bouncing a little. “I asked him,” she simply said, a small smile moving her lips up. “And I doubt someone will go into the host's room,” she added and opened the door.

“If they know it's his,” I argued, but followed her in regardless, my curiosity in her boldness winning over anything else.

The room itself was spacious. A table, chairs, a sofa, a large screen, a gaming station in the corner, a desktop, a large continental-sized bed, and decorative holos hanging from the ceiling displayed buildings being built, artists performing on stage, and movie scenes.

The carpeted floor glowed with each step, the shape of our feet branded on it for a second before vanishing.

Khadia walked in.

I watched her long and slender legs, her ass, her back, her arms, her shoulders, her neck, and every centimeter of visible skin. All of it was as black as human skin can possibly be, and while there were jokes and mean comments while we were growing up, I had always found her beautiful. She was a member of the track and field team back in school, and it looked like she didn't stop exercising after graduating.

She sat on Lucciano's bed, crossed a leg over the other, and rested her hands behind her to support herself. “If they don't, then they won't know us,” she countered.

I let the door close on its own and went to sit down next to her. “True,” I sighed and ran both hands through my hair. The edible I ate earlier had me feeling my skin tingle comfortably, my head floaty, my chest light, and my eyelids a bit heavy.

“So,” Khadia started, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees, a hand supported her chin. Her face was serious, and her down-turned eyes looked pretty cute that way. “Did Diana invite you?”

My lips curled into a saucy smile. “Yeah,” I replied, nodding and getting a little close to her. “She said you told her I'm really good at sex, girl,” I revealed, resting my chin on her shoulder.

Her brown eyes widened a little, and a slight blush bloomed on her cheeks.

“Any comments on that?” I pushed, bumping her shoulder with mine. “You always tell me 'it's alright' after we're done... so it came as quite a surprise, Khadia Okoye,” I purred into her hear.

Her eyes flickered away for a second, just a fraction of hesitation, before locking back onto mine. She scoffed, rolling her shoulders like she was shaking off my words. “I just said you were good, Vale. Don’t let it get to your head.”

“Too late for that,” I chuckled.

She exhaled sharply through her nose, her lips threatening to form a smile but not quite committing to it, then sat back upright, putting a bit of space between us. Her fingers drummed once on her knee. “Diana’s different,” she said, eyes steady now. “She’s not like—” She paused, then changed course. “She’s never done this before.”

I hummed, watching her. “I know.”

Her lips pressed together, then she sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Look, I just don’t want you to... I dunno, go full Valentina on her.”

I grinned, leaning in again. “Full Valentina?”

Khadia gave me a flat look. “You know exactly what I mean.”

My grin stretched wider. “I do, but I like hearing you say it.”

She clicked her tongue, exasperated, but there was a warmth in her expression that softened the bite. “Diana’s not a hookup,” she muttered.

I tilted my head, watching the way her fingers curled slightly against her leg, the tension in her shoulders that wasn’t quite annoyance—more like something she wasn’t sure she should be admitting out loud.

For someone with many years of social experience and having had to learn to properly read emotions on others due to my own self-image sometimes rubbing people the wrong way, it was quite obvious what was going on.

“You like her,” I said, letting the words settle between us.

Khadia didn’t flinch. Didn’t deny it. Just held my gaze, then exhaled through her nose again and looked away, staring at some spot on the floor like it held answers she wasn’t ready to find. “She’s... important,” she finally muttered.

Why propose me as a cherry popper, then? I wondered, more confused than anything. Or... was it that she talked about me like that to make sure the one who did Diana in for the first time was someone Khadia knew? A bit manipulative and controlling in my opinion, but that's none of my business... Maybe it's just a best friend looking out for their best friend? But if she's into her...

A person popped in my mind's eye.

She fiddled with the sheets for a few seconds.

I let that hang for a moment before leaning in again, voice quieter now, just for her. “You want me to make it good for her,” I playfully accused her.

A flicker in her expression. The slightest, subtlest shift. “Yeah,” she murmured in what sounded as unwilling defeat.

I smirked. “And what if she ends up wanting more?”

Khadia’s eyes snapped to mine, sharp and assessing. “She won’t,” she declared without a shred of a doubt.

My smirk deepened. “You that confident?”

She held my gaze for a second, then scoffed again, shaking her head like I was exhausting. But she didn’t deny it.

I leaned back, stretching lazily. “Alright then,” I said, satisfied. “I’ll take care of your girl.”

Khadia made a face. “She’s not my girl.”

“Not yet,” I countered with a shrug.

She groaned, rolling her eyes, but I caught the hint of a smile before she masked it.

Ahhhh! This is so fun! I giggled and let it shake my body a bit.

Khadia exhaled through her nose, shaking her head again. “You’re insufferable, you know that?”

I grinned and pointed out the facts, “And yet, here you are, in a locked room with me.”

Her tongue clicked against the roof of her mouth, a little smirk curving her lips. “You wish that meant something.”

“Maybe,” I said, letting my voice drop just a little. “Or maybe you’re just as curious as you were back in school.”

Her smirk didn’t falter, but her fingers twitched slightly against the bedsheets. Just a fraction. Barely noticeable.

But I saw it.

I shifted closer, slow, letting her feel the heat of my body before I actually touched her.

Letting anticipation do the work.

She didn’t move away.

I reached up, brushing a single finger along the curve of her jaw, watching her reaction the whole time.

Her lips parted—just a little—but her eyes stayed locked on mine, sharp and assessing, like she was daring me to make a move she wouldn’t like. “You’re so full of yourself,” she murmured.

I smiled. “And you like it.”

She scoffed, but it came out softer than she probably meant it to.

Then, before she could throw out some snarky retort, I tilted her chin up and kissed her.

It was slow at first, measured. Testing. But the moment my lips pressed against hers, I felt the hesitation in her body coil tight—then snap.

Her hands gripped my arms, just shy of digging in. Like she wanted to push me away but couldn't quite bring herself to.

So I deepened it.

I tasted a little bit of alcohol in her saliva. Not in an amount that would cloud her judgment, though. Khadia had definitely had more than one Singapore Sling.

Her breath hitched. Just barely. Her pride made her slow to respond, but when she did, it wasn’t tentative. It was bold. Frustrated. Like she hated giving in but hated the idea of stopping even more.

I smirked against her lips. “See?” I murmured between kisses. “Still curious.”

She growled under her breath and pulled me in harder, like she was trying to prove a point.

I didn’t mind.

Khadia pulled back just enough to breathe, her forehead resting against mine. Her grip on my arms tightened, fingers twitching slightly, like she was debating whether to push me away or pull me closer again.

I let my hands roam, tracing the skin of her shoulders, then her arms, feeling the tension humming beneath. “You know,” I whispered, my lips ghosting over her cheek, “If you wanted me to prove Diana’s in good hands, you could’ve just asked.”

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “You act like I care that much.”

I hummed, dragging my fingers down her spine, slow. “Uh-huh.”

She stiffened for half a second. Just a half.

But I caught it.

Her lips parted slightly, her breath coming just a little quicker. But her pride was a stubborn thing, so she tilted her head, giving me an unimpressed look. “You really think you’ve got me figured out, huh?”

I grinned, leaning in to brush my nose against hers. “I don’t think,” I said, letting my fingers trace back up her sides, teasing. “I know.”

She inhaled sharply through her nose, but before I could press her further, she moved.

Fast.

A blur of strength and speed had me pinned before I even realized she’d flipped us. She straddled my lap, hands gripping my wrists, pressing them into Lucciano's mattress.

Her smirk was lazy, triumphant. “You know nothing.”

I let my head sink into the pillows, looking up at her through half-lidded eyes. “You gonna prove me wrong?”

For a second, she didn’t move. Just sat there, watching me, her expression unreadable. Then, slowly, she leaned in, lips a breath away from mine. Close enough that I could feel the heat of her skin, but not enough to touch.

It was deliberate.

Teasing.

I smirked, tilting my head up just slightly to close the distance.

But at the last second, she pulled away, her own smirk widening.

Oh, she wanted to play, I realized, my smile growing wider. Fine! I let my wrists go slack beneath her grip, my body relaxed, my gaze heavy-lidded and amused. “Scared?” I muttered, my voice like a slow pour of honey.

Her jaw tightened.

She hated losing.

So when she kissed me again, it wasn’t slow. It was hungry.

Khadia kissed like she had something to prove. Like she wanted to take and take until I had nothing left to give.

But that was the thing about playing with fire—you had to be ready to get burned.

I let her have control for a moment, let her set the pace, let her think she was winning. Her hands still had my wrists pinned, her mouth moving against mine with a kind of impatient heat, like she wanted to drown in the feeling but couldn’t stand to admit it.

Then, just as she leaned in further—just as she started to melt—I moved.

A shift of my hips. A twist of my arms.

And suddenly, she wasn’t the one on top anymore.

At sixty kilograms heavy and one hundred and eighty two centimeters tall, she had no chance to win a contest of strength with me.

She gasped as I flipped our positions, pressing her into the mattress, one of her wrists pinned now instead.

My free hand trailed down her side, slow, fingers tracing the heat of her skin.

Her brown eyes flashed with something between surprise and frustration. She opened her mouth—probably to talk shit—but I got there first.

“Tsk,” I whispered, my lips barely brushing her ear. “You let your guard down.”

She sucked in a breath, body going taut beneath mine. “I—”

I kissed her before she could finish, swallowing whatever excuse she was about to make.

She made a noise against my lips—something caught between a growl and a sigh—but she didn’t push me off. Didn’t even try.

My smirk deepened against her mouth. This is fun! I pulled back just slightly, hovering over her, my nose grazing hers. “You can let go, you know,” I murmured. “Just this once.”

She scoffed, tilting her chin up, defiant. “You’re so damn cocky.”

“And you like it,” I shot back, fingers brushing against the dip of her waist.

She shivered.

It was quick. Barely there. But it was real.

Her eyes flicked away for a second, like she needed a breather, like she wasn’t ready for how fast I was unraveling her.

I leaned down again, mouth a breath away from her neck.

“Admit it,” I murmured, pressing the softest kiss just below her jaw.

She sucked in a sharp breath but said nothing.

I grinned. “Didn’t think so.”

I kissed her again—this time slower, deeper. And this time?

She didn’t hold back.

Her hands fisted in my hair, her body arching, her lips parting like she’d finally, finally let herself want this.

Want me.

Khadia was breathing hard now.

Not that she’d ever admit it.

She still had that stubborn, half-lidded look in her eyes, like she wasn’t really affected, like the way I kissed her, touched her, pressed against her wasn’t making her unravel by the second.

But her body told the truth.

The way her chest rose and fell a little too fast. The way her fingers twitched, unsure if she wanted to grab me or push me away. The way she swallowed, throat bobbing, lips slightly parted as she sucked in quiet, shallow breaths between kisses.

I wasn’t in a rush. I dragged this moment out—hovering just close enough to keep her wanting, to keep her anticipating the next move.

“You’re thinking too much,” I muttered against her neck, lips barely brushing her skin.

Khadia let out something between a scoff and a breathy laugh. “That so?”

“Mhm.” I kissed just below her ear. Slow. Let it linger. “You should let me handle that for you.”

She inhaled sharply, her hands flexing at her sides before she gave in and grabbed me.

Not gentle. Not hesitant.

Needy.

Her nails bit into my back, her grip pulling me closer, like she finally, finally stopped pretending this wasn’t exactly what she wanted.

I grinned against her throat, my hands smoothing over the curve of her waist, her back, my mouth trailing lower, lower, and lower. I kissed her neck, her modest breasts, her stomach, her navel, and then... I looked at her.

Khadia was biting her lower lip, eyebrows turned, and blushing.

Dishonest women are so fun!