The Book of Masks (Vol. 4)

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Previously: "Clothes Off, Insecurities Out" 

Your wobble stiffly onto your feet. Am I really going to do this? you wonder. You're trembling hard as you lay a hand against the side of Kelsey's hip.

"If you really want to do this," you stammer. "I mean, if you really, um, want me in there with you and—" The wind dies in your throat.

Kelsey purses her lips. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to, Will."

"It's Deanna," you murmur. "It's Deanna who—"

Yes, it's Deanna who is frightened and revolted by the thought of what you're proposing to do. But who is in charge? You force a small smile.

"Well then," Kelsey says. She puts her lips close to yours without touching them. "Let's try to get Deanna a little more, mm, comfortable with things." She pulls you back toward the hallway.

* * * * *

The steam room benches aren't built for really serious action. It's hard enough just getting your hands onto each other. After trying out several awkward poses, the three of you settle for taking turns being the center of the other pair's attention.

That's where you start, in the middle. You are conscious of the flabbiness of your feigned body when pinned between the taut and toned Kelsey Blankenship and the slim and polished Amanda Ferguson. But push it out of your mind as you settle back with your eyes closed and your legs spread. From each side an arm slides behind your neck and your shoulders; from each side a face presses in to nuzzle gently at your neck or the top of your bosom; from each side a hand strokes your inner thigh, or presses in to explore your bush and pussy. Delicious chills run through you as palms and fingertips, and lips and teeth tickle and probe and pinch at you from both sides. Your breath comes in quick gasps, and you wriggle your own arms around the waists of the other two girls, pulling them closer to you. Your skin, dripping with sweat and humidity, prickles under their touch.

But all too soon your turn is over, and though your pulse and breath have both quickened you are only flushed with excitement and still unsatisfied when they pull back you. With a groan you roll over Amanda as she scoots into the middle position, then you cuddle up close to her, putting an arm around her neck as she leans back and splays herself as you had done.

There is no softness to her neck and shoulders, and there's no give in her thighs as you massage her. Your fingers, when you find her bush, stiffen at the coarse hairs, and you can't suppress a face when you press them inside her. But she groans and arches her back, and you slowly push in deeper, rubbing and pulling at her soft, inner places with your fingertips. Her mouth falls open and she gulps down draughts of the thickened air; her legs quiver and jerk.

She calls you and Kelsey a couple of bitches when you pull out and sit back.

Then it's Kelsey's turn. She's a squirmer, and your hand and fingers both get pinched a couple of times as she twists and moans under your ministrations. But her excitement excites you as well, so you ramp things up by getting onto your hands and knees to kiss her inner thighs. When you raise your head to see how she's taking it, you find that Amanda has twisted around and is kissing her friend with long, slow swallows. And even as you watch, Amanda bumps your head by throwing her leg over Kelsey's lap to straddle her; she raises up onto her knees and puts her tits into Kelsey's face.

* * * * *

"So is that Steve?" Kelsey asks when your phone chimes a second time. She doesn't look away from the vanity mirror, into which she's preening again. But this time she's got it all to herself, as Amanda is in the bathroom and you're bent over your phone.

"No," you snort. "I still haven't heard from him. God, if he just blows me off—"

"You're blowing him off," she reminds you.

"I told him my grandmother had to go the hospital! You'd think he'd at least text back to say, like, 'Hey, sorry to hear that' or something."

"It's Steve Patterson. He's an awesome lay, but totally selfish."

You look up at her from under your brows. Your first thought, naturally, is So I guess Kelsey's gotten laid by Patterson. What's that memory like, Carlos, and how are you dealing with it? Your second thought is, So I guess we're totally being these girls right now.

But if that were case, you would be up at the school letting the most eligible guy at Westside screw you silly.

Or maybe you are being these girls, and Kelsey has bullied you into giving up your one shot with Steve. It would be typical of her and Deanna both ...

"Well, it isn't Steve," you sigh. "It's Meghan—"

"Oh God."

"—and before that it was Brooke and before that it was Rachel and before that it was— I dunno."

"So what does Meghan want?" Kelsey pulls her hair out of the makeshift braid she was experimenting with and fluffs it out around her shoulders. "Besides some class."

You shoot her a quick glare. "Instead of talking about Meghan," you suggest, "can we talk about Geoff? Like, what we're going to do to him?"

Kelsey flashes you a quick, sly smile. "I figure we'll wait until after tomorrow night's party," she says. "Use whatever he gets up to against him."

"Like what? What could he get up to?"

"Anything, Deanna. Maybe he'll get too physical with Lisa. Or not physical enough. He can't win, you know." She glances over as the bathroom door opens and Amanda comes striding out, tugging at the hem of that little black dress she was wearing earlier. "What do you think, Mandy?" she says.

"I think I told you not to call me that." She crosses to the dresser and scoops up some earrings.

"No, about Geoff. Tomorrow night. What kind of shit is he going to get up to that we can use against him?"

"Breathing?" She pushes Kelsey to the side so she can lean in at the mirror as she puts an earring in. "He's been coming on hard with Lisa."

"That's what I was thinking."

"He's being totally gross with her." She pushes the other earring in. "Especially in front of other people."

"You know, that's something you could do," Kelsey tells you. "Get with Geoff and suggest that he should be more, um demonstrative with Lisa. Like, tell him that if a guy is too shy with a girl in public then she'll start to worry that he's ambivalent or something. That way he'll be all over her at the party. Or at least we can pretend that he is."

"Am I going to be at the party?"

"Who? You or your beta?"

"Either of us."

Kelsey looks at Amanda, who frowns. "I think it's a little early for us to be inviting Will Prescott out," Kelsey says after a moment's hesitation. "He needs to get a little more, you know, visibility. And there's no way I've forgiven Deanna yet for posting those pictures."

"Please?" you ask. But why am I begging? you wonder.

Amanda unexpectedly comes to your aid. "If you want her help with Geoff, maybe you should let her come."

Kelsey grimaces but relents, and a you feel a spike of happiness at being restored to her favor. Oh, so it's Deanna who was begging, you think. "But we have to make it look it good," Kelsey warns you. To Amanda: "Where we going to hang out tonight?"

"La Patisserie."

Kelsey snorts. "Deanna couldn't afford it."

"We'd treat her."

"No, I mean she wouldn't be up there so we could conveniently run into her. That's the only way we would wind up sitting around with her."

"Uh, guys," you interject. "I'm standing right here, you don't have to talk about me like I'm—"

"So are you ever up at La Patisserie?"

You pale. That's one of those classy tea shops up in The Shoppes at Fell's Lake, where all the really expensive stores are. "Not usually," you admit.

"Translation, no, she gets nose bleeds just driving past it," Amanda snorts.

Kelsey studies you hard. "I must have mentioned it to someone," she finally mutters. "Yes, I mentioned to someone that Amanda and i were going to up to La Patisserie tonight, and Deanna heard it from them, so she went up there so she could pretend to accidentally run into us, because she's desperate that way." She cocks an eyebrow. "That's totally something Deanna would do, isn't it?"

You cringe, but you have to nod.

"Okay, come on, then. Do you need any more time getting ready?" You shake your head. "We'll give you a fifteen minute head start, so you'll be out there when we get there and can 'accidentally' run into each other."

Her imperious tone is back, and you feel your nerve crumpling, so you nod and gush out your gratitude for this tremendous favor. Kelsey only waves you toward the door with a tight smile.

Not until you've tottered out to your car do you remember that text you sent Steve Patterson, telling him you would have to cancel your date tonight on account of your grandmother going to the hospital. How are you going to explain it if it comes out that that was a lie, and that you actually skipped that date in order to "run into" Kelsey and Amanda up at a tea room?

Never mind what Patterson would think—probably he wouldn't care either way. But what will the other girls at school think if they heard?

Next: "Little Tea Shop of Horrors" 

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"Table of Contents (Vol. 4)" 
"The Book of Masks (Vol. 4)"