A Slave to Love

Chapter 19: Best Three out of Five

"First of all, you're holding it wrong," he said as he leaned forward, pushing me with his chest to bend me over the table. "You have to hold it like this."

With his hands on mine, he adjusted my grip, with the stick passed in between my thumb and forefinger, the end of it resting across the top of my middle finger.

He took my other hand and rested it towards the end of the stick, keeping his hand closed over mine. I struggled to focus on the pool game and not the butterflies in my stomach at having him touch me, the way he was curved all around me, keeping me pinned and bent over the table, pressed tight against the entirety of my backside.

"Alright, so you got the position down," he said, his voice low in my ear, "Now practice moving it."

I faltered for a moment, not sure what he meant by that. This particular position, him behind and over me, only led me down one particular vein of movement and one I assumed he didn't mean. I think. Everything in me was wired tight, tense at how close we were, how different this felt than usual when he was actively hitting on me. Somehow, this demonstration felt more intimate than what limited experiences I'd had with previous boyfriends. When I didn't do anything, too confused and distracted to think straight, his hand tightened over mine and pulled the stick back before pushing it forward. A mock play basically, moving the stick without actually hitting the ball.

Of course, I made the mistake of looking down at my hand and saw the stick practically going in and out of the space between my thumb and forefinger and flushed.

Man, my head was so far down in the gutter I was practically living in it. Blade was rubbing off on me in too many ways.

"Why are you blushing?" Blade asked me, his hand pausing in moving the stick.

"No reason," I said breezily.

"Tell me."

"How about...if you win I'll tell you why I'm blushing and if I win...if I win you have to promise not to kidnap me anymore," I countered.

His lips brushed my cheek, not quite a kiss, but close enough that my breathing stuttered. "Deal."

He lined me up for the shot before I could remember to scold him for it. "Alright, so now all you have to do is aim and hit it." His hand tightened over mine again and pushed the stick forward. It collided with the ball, sinking the seven ball in the center pocket.

"Yes!" I cried victoriously as I straightened up, turning around to face Blade with a wide grin. "You're awesome!"

He shot me that signature smirk of his. "I know."

I bent over the table again, fixing the stick so I was holding it the way he showed me and aimed. I knocked the white ball and hit another one of my balls into the pocket.

"Hey!" Blade protested, "You're not supposed to be winning now."

"Then you shouldn't have showed me how to play."

He put his hand over his eyes and groaned. I laughed and bent over the table to take another shot, but my ego must have gotten the best of me because I missed. We both started getting really competitive as we played, but in the end I won by the skin of my teeth.

"Nuh-uh, you cheated," he protested.

"How do you cheat at pool?" I asked, "That's not even possible!"

"Fine, best three out of five?"

"Man, you really do enjoy getting beaten by a girl then, eh?" I taunted as he set up the balls again.

It seemed karma liked to bite me in ass because although I won the two first games and was sure I was going to win the third...Blade won the third game, and the fourth and even the fifth.