Picked(26)

“Goodnight,” I quietly said and got out, feeling light, dreamlike in awe of the feelings Becker seemed to stir inside of me.





Chapter 8





“You never answered my question,” Becker said as soon as I said hello. I was barely in the door.

“What question is that?” I asked, dumping the can of cat food in Snowball’s dish. He purred, circling my legs while he impatiently waited.

“The one where I asked you what you were doing tomorrow.”

“Oh, nothing much, just hanging around the house.”

“That doesn’t sound like much fun. Let’s go on an adventure.”

“An adventure?”

“Yes. I’ll pick you up at nine. Wear something comfortable.”

“Something like what?” That could mean anything.

“Like something you would wear hiking.”

“We’re going hiking?”

“No, well, maybe.”

I wanted to ask how he was getting away from all his wives. Were they okay with that? The thought crossed my mind that maybe he was planning on introducing me. I visualized the meeting where three jealous women glared at me, wanting to scratch my eyes out. I would be. If Becker Cole was my man, there is no way I could share him.

“Oh, boy. Okay. I’ll see you at nine,” I agreed willingly. My dad would kill me if he found out I was with Becker Cole. He wanted me to find a man and get married. He just set ridiculous limitations on the poor guy. Unless my future husband was a big, strong, law enforcement figure, he would never get my father’s blessing. And Becker. Hell, he didn’t have an ice-cube-in-hell’s chance. My dad would chew him up and spit him out in tiny little pieces.

I ended up logging onto the game and walking along Glitter City while Becker and I talked on the phone. He explained all that he had done for the game and how he hired a photographer to capture the game graphics the way he envisioned. He tried to talk to me about me, asking about my job again, my family, where I went to school. I didn’t answer any of his probing questions. I was more interested in his life.

“Do you have siblings?” he asked.

I strolled my girl hand-in-hand with Becker through a city park. Stopping on a bridge, overlooking a duck pond, I wished I was really holding his hand.

“Nope, just me. How about you?” I asked. This should be it. If he was from a polygamy family, he’d have a whole slew of siblings.

“Nope, just Mason.”

Or not.

“This is a little weird,” I said in the phone. Becker was kissing me on the bridge, well not me, my character.

“Shhh, you can’t talk when I am kissing you.”

I laughed.

“You can’t do that, either,” he teased.

“Can you make them do it, too?”

“You’re not taking this very serious.”

“I can’t. I’m a cartoon.”

“You don’t think there is anything alluring with me touching you?”

“I’m sure I would if that were me. It’s not.”

“Let’s go back to your room.”

“For what?”

“I’m going to do it to you. Oh, and, by the way, adult people don’t really say ‘do it’ anymore.”

I gulped. I didn’t know what to say. I felt a tingle between my legs just thinking about it. Okay, maybe this could be sensual.

Becker opened the door to my beautiful room and I walked my girl in. My heart was beating faster for some stupid reason. It wasn’t real. It was a game. Fake. Phony. A sham. What the hell was I so flustered about?

“Take your clothes off,” Becker quietly spoke in my ear. His voice was low and raspy, sexy like you’ve never heard before. Shit. I was in for it. Way in over my head. Oh boy.

I clicked on the icon and then her shirt. It wasn’t like it was the first time. It didn’t just disappear with the click of a mouse anymore. My girl slowly removed her shirt, provocatively. I would have never swayed my hips like that in real life. I would have never worn thongs like that, either. Wishing I could be as confident in person the way I was on screen, I stared at my naked body, standing before Becker.

I felt the need to cover myself, or get under the covers. “Um,” I stammered, not really sure what I was supposed to do.

“You’re beautiful.”

Okay, that one deserved the laugh. “This is ridiculous,” I assured him, trying to convince myself as much as him. Holy shit. I was turned on. My clitoris was begging for attention and I couldn’t have ignored the wetness I felt had my life depended on it.

“Lay down on the bed, Cassie.”

Whoa. Where the hell did that erotic-ass voice come from?

“Really?” I asked, trying to sound strong and cocky. I was failing. Miserably. Second by second, my body caved, giving into the temptation that I wanted. How the hell could I want this? My breathing was erratic and I felt faint. I removed my own clothing and slid on a Pink Floyd T-shirt, not taking my eyes from the computer. I pushed Snowball off the bed and crawled in with my laptop. He didn’t need to see this, or what I knew I was going to have to do now.