Vik (Shot Callers 2)

“Who is he?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

Anika responded, “Someone who finally realized I’m not worthy of him.” She looked dismal, her fingers playing with an empty shot glass. “And he’s right. I’m a terrible person.”

“No,” Mina said, putting a consoling hand on hers. “If you want him, there has to be a way. I’ll bet you haven’t even tried.”

The waitress brought eight more shots and placed them on the table. I smiled at her in thanks and watched Cora push another in front of Anika before downing her own. “Mina’s right. There has to be something you can do. What have you tried?”

Anika’s words began to slur. Oh yeah. She was hammered. “I’ve tried,” she insisted with a finger to her chest. “I have. I’ve tried talking to him.” She wore a look of annoyance. “But he’s so aloof. So damn polite, you know? Like, I know you’re mad at me. Just yell at me already so we can kiss and make up. Because I want to kiss him.” She turned to look at me, her eyes lightly glazed. “I want to kiss him, Nas.”

“Then you’re gonna kiss him,” I vowed, reaching out to squeeze her fingers.

“You promise?” Ani looked so hopeful that a tender smile stretched at my lips.

“I promise, but we can’t help unless you tell us who it is.”

Anika was already shaking her head. “I can’t. It’s too much. It would change everything.”

I didn’t understand. Why would it change everything?

Unless….

My face void of expression, my mind worked a mile a minute.

No.

She couldn’t mean who I thought she meant.

She… She couldn’t.

Could she?

And while my brain shot formulas all over as I tried to figure out who this mysterious man was, Cora chimed in. “Well, talking isn’t gonna do the trick. But there is something you could do.” She toyed with another shot, her eyes losing focus as she slowly nodded. “I think the answer is clear, Ani.”

“It is?” Ani asked quietly, wide-eyed in anticipation.

“Of course.” Cora grinned then. “You’re just going to have to seduce him.”

Anika blinked. She blinked a long minute before she burst into laughter. Almost hysterically, she exclaimed, “I can’t do that!” As we all grinned at her hilarity, her laughter slowed, then stopped, and her expression turned serious as she asked conspiratorially, “Can I do that?”

I thought about it a second. “Fuck it,” I said, egging her on. “What do you have to lose?”

Anika scoffed. “Only my dignity and self-respect,” she muttered irritably.

“Sex changes things,” Mina added. “It could go either way. It might ruin things or rekindle what you lost. But—” Her lips pursed. “—it is the kind of extreme he won’t be expecting from you. I think the action speaks volumes.”

Anika tilted her head, nodding lightly while taking in every opinion.

Cora clapped, then laughed. “I knew you bitches would be Team Stealthy Sex.” She focused on Anika. “Look, it’s easy, babe. You need the element of surprise. Even better if you corner him.” She waggled her brows at Ani. “Maintain eye contact, take your panties off real slow, and throw ’em at him. The rest is up to him. Trust me, you’ll know real quick if he’s down or not.”

Well, I never.

I frowned to myself. Then realization hit. My eyes widened as a slow grin spread on my face. I swiveled to face Cora full-on. “You’ve done this before, haven’t you, you little skank?”

Sure, I acted holier than thou, but the truth was, I wasn’t at all surprised. Cora was very free-thinking when it came to sex, and she did not believe that sharing your body with somebody you didn’t know very well made the experience a cheap one. Having lost out on intimacy from her family, she found it where she could, and I did not judge her for that.

Intimacy was my lifeblood.

Cora smiled foxlike but went on. “The next step is to turn your sweet little ass around, bend over like a cat in heat, and wait.” Her eyes sparkled, and she licked her lips seductively. Cora’s confidence was a treat. “This move has yet to fail me—I swear to God.”

Anika’s brow rose, and she pinched her lip absently.

Ooh. This little fish was intrigued by the bait dangling in front of her nose. She was thinking about it, all right.

“I don’t know.” Her tone bled with uncertainty.

“Stop thinking so hard,” ordered Cora. “Just do it.” Her expression softened. “How badly do you want this guy?”

“You have no idea” was her breathy reply, and I could basically see all the cogs turning in her mind until, finally, a small smile tipped Anika’s lips. “Okay. I’ll give it a shot.”

“Yay!” I exclaimed happily, taking her arm and shaking it excitedly, laughing as she groaned, seemingly in regret. “You’re gonna have hot sex with a hot guy and reel him in with pussy power.”