Dawn grabs Kyla’s hand, and there is definite pullback that is unsuccessful. By the time they reach our booth, Kyla’s face is a pretty shade of strawberry that matches her sickly drink.
The volume of the music rises as Dawn leans in to ask if they can join us. Kyla swivels to where the DJ is bending over the sound system, her face illuminating in the colors of the flashing lights that are pulsing fast to encourage dancing. She sips her drink, avoiding the gazes of all of us, and I can’t sit for any longer and leave her so uncomfortable. When I slide out of the booth, Lex’s hand grabs mine. “You heard Carl,” he says.
“I heard him.”
When Kyla senses me close, she jumps, making her drink slosh around in her glass. There’s a skittishness about her that needs to be tamed and a tenseness that needs to be relieved. This girl is an unexplored island, a place of natural beauty that just needs to be revealed. “Do you dance?” I ask to break the ice.
She shakes her head, her chocolate eyes widening with fear. Of course she doesn’t. A smattering of freckles dusts her pretty nose like the universe sprinkled her with glitter. My fingers itch to trace between them like the dot-to-dot puzzles I used to play on long car journeys when I was a kid.
In my mouth, I push my tongue, piercing back and forth, as my mind slides into the gutter. I’d love to watch my brother undo all the little buttons of her shirt and part the fabric. I’d love to hear her moan when the hardness of his piercing flicks against her nipples. Watching her let go of all her constraints and come undone would be something else.
I know what Carl said, but I don’t agree.
This girl needs us. She needs us to show her all the different ways a woman can experience pleasure. Between us we could cover a whole load of kinks that would open Kyla’s eyes and give her some sexual confidence. It would be a gift.
But how do I make that happen?
My favorite saying is The truth will set you free. I guess I have nothing to lose by testing it out. But first, I need to talk to Dawn and ignore Carl entirely.
“So, how’s that tattoo?” I ask. It was me she convinced to mark her with YOLO, and I did it because I could see how much it fits with her attitude to life. While I grazed her skin with my machine, she told me all about the plans she has to travel with her boyfriend and the long bucket list of crazy experiences she wants to make happen, like bungee jumping and white-water rafting. How is this girl friends with something like Kyla, who loves making files for piles of paper?
“It’s awesome,” Dawn says. “Brent loves it so much and he’s the one who gets to see it the most.” She does a mini twerk to demonstrate what she’s hinting at, and Kyla looks away, embarrassed.
“I wanted to ask you something about that trip you were talking about. I’m gonna get another drink. Can we walk and talk?”
When Dawn glances at Kyla, I can see she’s worried about leaving her friend, but she does it anyway. She’s like a mom leaving her reluctant daughter at a playdate she didn’t want to go to.
I don’t wait until we’re at the bar to get right to the point. “Noah told us what he overheard,” I say, watching her green eyes widen. “But I want to make sure that he’s not embellishing.”
“It’s no secret that I think Kyla needs to have more fun,” Dawn says without hesitation. “She’s been uptight since her last boyfriend cheated on her. It’s like she’s anticipating that every guy is going to be a douchebag. She won’t let herself go enough to experience life. She needs to have some fun with some guys who know their way around a woman’s body. Men who can show her all the different flavors there are out there without breaking her heart.”
“Like a man buffet!”
“Exactly.” Dawn slaps me hard on the shoulder to emphasize her agreement. “She’s just so reserved, but underneath, I know she’s just waiting for someone to help her break out of her shell.”
“Like a butterfly,” I say, waving the barman over to order another beer. “Can I get you another?”
“You can!” Dawn grins happily. “I’ll take another Red Devil, and so will Kyla. If I ply her with booze, maybe we’ll get her on the dancefloor.”
A quick glance back at Kyla reveals that she’s in deep conversation with Carl. I know it’s going to be shop talk. Carl’s stepping in to get things back on the professional track. But I don’t want it straying back into Boredomsville.