Page 212 of Plaything

It’d been less than a week since I visited the Whitlock mansion. Today was graduation. At three o’clock, I’d walk with my well-earned bachelor’s degree. Truth be told, an engineering degree was useless for what the rest of my life had in store. Still, it was mine, and I was proud of myself.

My bruises had faded into a hideous yellowish-brown color, and the redness and swelling subsided. I wasn’t skilled at makeup outside of mascara, blush, and gloss, so I asked Reesia to help make me look human again. Many people would be in the stands, and I was sure a few reporters would try to interview me.

She was beyond excited to treat me like her personal doll, and I really couldn’t blame her. She always looked perfect, from her delicately blended lashes to each corkscrew curl. She knew how to beautify.

Honestly, I was excited to see her. Somewhere along the line, she became my person. I was grateful she stumbled into my life after never having someone I’d consider a best friend. She understood and related to aspects of my life that my guys tip-toed around. It was refreshing to talk to someone who could joke and make light out of a crappy situation.

“It’s criminal that they make you wear that,” I teased while gesturing to Aiden’s academic regalia...it was a hideously baggy graduation robe. They all had their respective robes, all different colors, with their own honors Cords. I admit, it was impressive, but couldn’t they make more form-fitting robes? These men were shredded—but it was impossible to tell under the atrocious outfits.

“What, does this not turn you on?” He chuckled while lifting his arms which had sleeves that hung in a witchy fashion. “It’s only once a year that we have to drag these things out of the closet,” he tried to give himself some peace. Undoubtedly, the robe would come straight off after the ceremony.

Swinging my legs over the edge of his bed where I sat, I eyed him again. “I guess the black makes your eyes pop,” I complimented. “Other than that... sexless,” I shrugged.

“Ouch.” He placed a hand over his heart and lowered his eyebrows in pseudo-hurt. “Remember you said that, Doll,” he warned with a sly grin.

It’d been relatively dry for the past few days. With my body and ego still in recovery, intimacy was at an all-time low. We still made out and fondled, but that was, unfortunately, the extent of it.

His teasing words held a dirty promise that excited me—and the dick-hungry starved monster between my legs. “Am I remembering that now or later?” I flirted, hoping we could squeeze in a round or two before we had to leave.

Aiden’s hearty laugh filled the room as he pulled the baggy sleeve over his wrist and looked at his watch. “As much as I love to take my time, I think I can make it work,” he smirked before approaching me, unzipping the robe.

For a moment, my brain glitched at his tattooed chest and abs under the ungodly robe. I silently thanked myself for asking him to try it on real quick before he actually got dressed for the ceremony.

“You know, suddenly the robe isn’t so sexless,” I gawked.

“Mhm,” he cockily dismissed. He pulled my knees apart and put himself between them. His hand snaked around the back of my neck, tilting my head up. His lips touched mine, immediately sending a rush of liquid heat between my thighs.

Just when I parted my lips for him to deepen the kiss, the front door’s opening rang through the house. “Odette!” Reesia sang.

Aiden and I both groaned in unison. So close.

“Her timing is impeccable,” Aiden rolled his eyes as he plopped down on his bed beside me.

“Yikes! You look awful—truly, Niko, how are you not ashamed to be seen in that?” We heard Reesia jab, clearly seeing Niko in his robe.

“Have I mentioned that I don’t like you?” Niko responded.

“Your girlfriend likes me,” Reesia teased. “You know, when I put gloss on her lips, I should put it on mine first, then kiss it onto hers. So if she comes down with smeared gloss, don’t be too surprised, pal—”

“Reesia!” I called, laughing and shaking my head at her antics.

“Oh, look at that! Her lips await me,” she said before running up the steps.

Sending Aiden a smile over my shoulder, I left him lying there, thinking of what could have been. I would have found his peeved expression funny, but I felt his pain.

Reesia and I met in the hall, and she rolled her eyes instantly. “Really, this is how you look after getting beat up? I hope you know you’re one of God’s favorites—life is unfair,” she teased as we entered my room.

“This is so pretty!” She gushed over the royal blue graduation cap and gown and the white bodycon dress I paired with it, which were displayed on my bed. “I can work with this,” she wiggled her eyebrows at me.

“Is my eye beyond help?” I asked.

She gently touched my cheek, turning my face from side to side. “I don’t think so; I brought a color-correcting pallet. You might have to have crazy wide eyes to make it look not so squinty. Let me work my magic,” she shrugged confidently.

Magic was an understatement. Besides my slightly squinted left eye, no one would ever know that under all the color correcting and foundation, blotches of my face were bruised.

It was definitely a ‘trust the process’ situation—especially when she pulled out a purple-ish color to correct the yellow tint.

Needless to say, she made me look shiny and new again! “You seriously can’t even tell!” I said in awe, still holding a mirror close to my face as I examined myself. “It just looks like I ate something sour,” I joked, gesturing to my eye.

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