Page 48 of Level Up

“Noted,” I said, smiling so hard my cheeks hurt. I looked down at the pile of papers next to the wine bottle. Maddy scooped one up. “Now that we’ve got your plans for the night sorted, do you want to help us go over some ideas for our protest?” She wiggled her eyebrows and the paper at the same time.

Flashes of my dad crossed my mind. Him sitting behind his desk, red-faced and furious at me crossing the line, picking up a sign, and becoming one of the protestors he always looked down on. And for what? His animosity toward people like Jay and Maddy only made me angrier. It made my chest hot and my lungs tighten. He didn’t deserve to be sitting on all those piles of money when people that actually cared were fighting tooth and nail to better the world.

How fucked up was that?

“Yeah,” I said loudly, “let’s figure something out.”

“Perfect,” Maddy said, rubbing her hands together. The vibe started to shift. It was like we’d suddenly fallen into the center of an art heist. No one else was around. A tiny crew that was forming some cement-strong bonds. I had a good number of friends in my life, but none of them gave me the same feelings as these two.

Besides Colt, but he was like a brother to me, so he didn’t really count.

“What were you guys thinking?” I asked, scanning one of the papers but only seeing a bunch of chicken-scratch scribbles and a few cutesy hearts shaded into the lines.

They dove into their different plans. Both of them were super enthusiastic and excited about shutting this down, and that same enthusiasm started to spread to me. I began to be pulled into their plan, thinking up different ideas that would play well on social media.

Fuck you, Dad. The thought was bitter. I didn’t like feeling this way toward my dad, but this was the kind of shit I couldn’t sit back for. It was time I made a stand.

And I was going to make it with my boyfriend. Fuck it.

Chapter Nineteen

Jay

“You look great,” I said to Ryan as he stepped out of the bathroom, hair freshly styled and a slight fog from his shower drifting out. His cologne filled the room with an oaky and leather scent that made my heart start beating a little faster.

“Thanks, baby, you too.” He came over and kissed me, hand slipping under my shirt and over my back. “I’m excited for tonight.”

“I can tell,” I said, pushing my hips forward. He was already hard, which made me start swelling up. Even though we’d fooled around less than an hour ago, I was still horny for him.

My phone pinged. “Our Uber’s here,” I said against his lips, smiling, and his cock pulsed against mine.

“Damn,” he said. “Can we cancel it?”

“And get dinged on my perfect rating? I don’t think so, sir.” I playfully grabbed a handful of his crotch and squeezed. “We’ll wait for after the club.”

“Fiiiiine,” Ryan said, being extra dramatic and pouty.

I couldn’t help but laugh. God, he was so fun to be around. I kissed him again, reaching behind me and fumbling to grab my wallet off the desk. It fell on the floor. “Whoops.” I bent down to grab it. I rubbed my face against Ryan’s bulge as I went.

“Oh, fuck you,” he said, holding my head down on his crotch. I smiled as I mouthed his sexy bulge over his dark jeans. “You’re such a tease.”

I got back to eye level. “And so are you,” I said before I leaned in and playfully nipped his bottom lip. “Daddy.”

“Fuuuuuck,” Ryan said. I chuckled as I walked around him and out of our dorm. I heard him start to unzip.

“You sure you don’t want to have a four point nine rating instead of a five-star?”

“Yes,” I said. Even though I was fully rock hard and wanted to play with Ryan as much as he clearly wanted to play with me, I somehow managed to fight away temptation and close the door to our dorm. Ryan shouted a “Hold up!” from inside before he ran out to follow me. He must have tucked his boner under his waistband—same thing I did—because the obvious tent was gone.

“I’m fucking you so hard when we get back.” He reached a hand into the back pocket of my black shorts and squeezed.

“Good,” I said. Someone from down the hall opened their door. Ryan’s hand quickly disappeared from behind me. I couldn’t help but feel a slash of disappointment at that. I knew he was doing it because of me, and that didn’t make me feel good at all.

I sighed. Maybe after a night at Passions, I’d be ready to let go of all my hang-ups and surrender to my own damn passions. My feelings and attraction for Ryan were undeniable, so why the hell was I so bent on hiding it?

We got in our Uber and sat with plenty of space between us. But at one point, our hands met in the center, and our index fingers crossed, hooked together. I smiled as the driver pulled into the parking lot, dropping us off in front of the three-story building flanked by a tire shop and a sex toy shop.

“Look,” Ryan said, “you can get whatever rubbers you need here.”

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