Mad, Bad and Blonde - Cathie Linz [47]
“Do either of you know Weldon Gronski?” Faith asked.
They both shook their heads.
Faith discreetly checked the rest of the room, looking for Weldon. Half the attendees were women, so that knocked them out of the running. None of the remaining geeks looked like Weldon.
Caine aka Marvin moved his backpack off the table and dumped it onto the floor under the table with klutzy clumsiness. “Sorry,” he muttered without looking anyone in the eye.
“Do you know how to play this game?” Faith asked him.
He nodded.
She kicked his ankle, not hard enough to hurt him but enough to get his attention. She regretted it a moment later when he slid his hand onto her thigh under the table. She immediately put her knees together, which only served to trap his hands between her legs. Big mistake.
He wiggled his fingers against her.
“Is this your first time, Marvin?” Mia asked.
He nodded again, keeping his chin tucked against his chest. Meanwhile his fingers were tucked against Faith in the vee between her thighs, doing wickedly naughty things to her.
Her face and her entire body were on fire.
“Are you okay?” Mia asked her. “Is it too hot in here for you?”
Faith was incapable of making a reply. Tilting her head back, she briefly closed her eyes as her internal fireworks exploded. She tried crossing her legs. More fireworks.
Marvin/Caine took a sheet of paper and fanned her face with one hand while his other seductive hand remained under the table between her legs. The thin cotton of her Capri pants provided little protection to his erotic finger play.
“Everyone ready to play now?” Ed asked.
Faith reluctantly removed his hand from her body and returned it to his own leg before hastily pulling back her own hand and keeping both on the table in front of her. No more playing for her. What had she been thinking? Dumb question. Thinking had played no part in what had just gone on under the table. That had been purely physical. Purely, divinely physical.
Her body was still humming. No, not just humming, it was singing an operatic aria in Dolby stereo.
How was she supposed to concentrate after experiencing an orgasm in public? She didn’t know where to begin. She couldn’t even speak yet. At least she was no longer panting, and her tablemates had stopped giving her curious looks. None of them looked like they had a clue what she’d just gone through. She certainly hoped not.
“So,” she stuttered, “uh everyone uh everyone knows . . . uh . . . how to . . . uh . . . play . . . right?”
“Oh yeah,” Marvin/Caine said with a naughty grin. “I know how to play. I’m good at games. Really good.”
Her laser look shot him the message, Touch me again, and you’re a dead man.
The lazy look he bestowed upon her said, Message received and ignored.
“We know the rules,” Ed said. “You fill out a category list with answers that begin with whatever letter comes up on the dice.”
“There’s only one, so actually it’s a die,” Mia said.
“I knew that.” Ed sounded defensive. “To continue, you only score points if no other player matches your answer. The one with the most points wins. Okay then, everyone ready? I’ve got the timer set. Faith, will you roll the die?”
She did and then said, “The letter is N.”
“Start!” Ed enthusiastically shouted.
Faith stared down at her category card and quickly started writing—beginning with a boy’s name and moving on to U.S. cities to pro sports teams and presidents. Ned, Nevada City, Nuggets, Nixon.
But the category that provided the most heated exchanges in that first round was insects. “Nabis capsiformis is a pale damsel bug,” Ed said.
“You made that up,” Marvin/Caine said.
“Google it,” Ed retorted.
“What about Nezara viridula?” Marvin/Caine gave Mia an intimidating stare.
“It’s a southern green stink bug,” Faith replied on Mia’s behalf. “I Googled it.” She held up her BlackBerry. “And gnat is spelled with a g,” she told Caine.
Round two proved to be just as competitive, with Marvin/ Caine racking up points. Faith had heard that Marines were ultracompetitive, but she’d never been eyewitness to that trait