Madison

 

“This isn’t a good idea, Maddie.”

“Sure it is.  Pass me that lipstick.  The one in the pink tube.”

Rachel passed me the lipstick.  “It’s your first Friday off in months and you’re going to spend it drinking at Ren’s Bar.”

“No, I’m going to spend it flirting with every guy I see to make Jacob jealous,” I corrected.  “He doesn’t know I have a night off, so he’ll show up at the bar tonight just like he does every Friday night.  He’ll see me dancing and flirting and it’ll drive him crazy.”

“What if he just leaves?”

“He probably will.  Jacob is stubborn.  But, it’s been a week since he’s seen me, and I know how much he wants me.  He might leave the bar tonight, but he’ll think about me all night, think about what he’s missing.  Then, tomorrow when he comes by to work on the bookshelves, I’ll just happen to accidentally be walking out of the shower.  Completely naked.  He won’t be able to resist me.”

Rachel laughed, and I grinned at her before carefully applying the lipstick. 

“This plan is so insane, it might work.  You know that?”

“Of course it’ll work,” I said.  “Jacob wants me as much as I want him.  He’s just worried about what the assholes in this town will say.  But I don’t care, Rach.  I want him.  I love him.  And if making him jealous is the first step to getting him to admit that he loves me too, then so be it.”

“You think Jacob loves you?”

I wrinkled my nose at her.  “Why wouldn’t he?  I’m awesome.”

She laughed again.  “I know.  I just meant that there’s a difference between lust and love, but it isn’t always clear.”

I set the lipstick down and stared at Rachel in the mirror.  “I know.  And hell, maybe he doesn’t love me, maybe he just really wants to fuck me.  I hope not, but you’re right, it might just be that.  There’s only one way to find out.”

I stood and turned around to stare critically at Rachel.  “Now, what do we do about this?”

“About what?”  Rachel gave her outfit a self-conscious look.

“You’re not going to make Ren insane with need wearing tights, an ankle-length skirt and a shirt buttoned up to your neck, sweetie.”

She tugged at her skirt.  “I’m too fat to wear short skirts.”

I scowled at her.  “You’re not fat and if you say that again, I’ll punch you in the tit.”

She covered her breasts with her arms and scowled at me.  “I’m not wearing a short skirt to the bar, Mads.  Not with my fa – chunky thighs.”

“Fine.”  I tugged her arms away and unbuttoned her shirt.  “At least unbutton your shirt a little.  God gave you the best-looking tits in town, you need to at least – hello, what’s this?”

Before Rachel could stop me, I had unbuttoned the rest of her shirt and was staring at her bra.  It was fire-engine red with a lace edging and a demi-cup.  It barely covered her nipples and pushed her breasts into high mounds on her chest.

“Holy shit, Rachel.  I’m completely hetero and even I’m a little turned on by your tits right now.”

“Shut up, Mads!”  She blushed furiously and yanked her shirt closed.

“That’s a gorgeous bra.  Where’d you get it?”

“I ordered it online.”

“It’s sexy as hell.  You’re like the total cliché of the librarian.  You know that, right?  All prim and proper on the outside and total slut under your clothes.”

“I like pretty underwear, okay?  It doesn’t make me a slut.”

I grinned at her.  “Nah, it doesn’t.  But, if Ren could see what was under your shirt, he’d totally pop your cherry for you, no questions asked.  In fact, come here.”

“What?”  She was reaching for the buttons on her shirt and I brushed her hands away.

“Take off your shirt.”  I started digging through the top drawer of my dresser.

“Why?”

“Just do it.  Put this on.”

She slipped out of her shirt and took the shirt I gave her.  She started to button it before shaking her head.  “I can’t wear this.  It’s too small.  I’m like four sizes larger than you.”

“It’s perfect,” I said.

“I can’t even get it buttoned over my boobs!”

She was tugging futilely at the edges of the shirt.  She’d managed to do up the button across her tits, but it was straining to do its job.

“That’s the point.”

Rachel gave me a look of horror.  “Are you kidding me?  I can’t go to the bar like this.  My tits are nearly falling out of my shirt.”

I studied the deep v of her cleavage and her pale milky skin.  “Just don’t run or jump up and down and you’ll be fine.”

“The shirt is too tight, it shows off my gut.”

“It shows off your gorgeous curves.  Besides, with those boobs, no one is going to be looking at your stomach.  I guarantee it.  Are you going to wear your hair in the bun or should we see what it looks like down?”

“No,” Rachel said.  “I didn’t wash my hair this morning, so I can’t wear it down.”

“Really?”  I studied her hair.  “Jesus, it looks good.  I gotta wash my hair every day or it’s like a fucking oil bath on my scalp.  Just take it down and see.”

I reached for the two sticks that were somehow the only thing keeping Rachel’s long, thick hair in the bun.

“No.”  Rachel ducked away from me and gave me a stubborn look.  “I’ll wear your too-small shirt but I’m keeping my hair up.  My mom says it’s not a flattering look for me when I wear my hair down.”

“Yeah, well your mom’s a bitch and we all know it.”

Rachel didn’t reply, and I kissed her cheek.  “I’m sorry, sweetie.  I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You didn’t.  I know what my mom is.”

We were silent for a moment and then I put my arm around her and squeezed her tight.  “You look beautiful, Rach.  Now, let’s go drink, dance, and make our men insane with lust.”

 

* * *

 

“Sweetie, why don’t we just go home?”  I gave Rachel a worried look.

It was three hours later, and we were both standing in front of the sinks in the ladies’ room at Ren’s Bar.

She shook her head and finished washing her hands.  “No, I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine.”

“I am.”

“He’s an idiot, Rach.”

She just shrugged, and I could see her blinking back the tears as she turned and reached for the paper towel.

Much to my confusion, Ren had not only not been sucked in by Rachel’s gorgeous boobs, but he hadn’t even spared a single glance at her all night.  I’d sent her up twice to get fresh drinks instead of waiting for Liz to serve us and each time Ren had sent Peter, the other bartender, over to help her. 

“Listen, why don’t we go back to my place and watch something loud and scary on Netflix.  I’ll make popcorn and we’ll forget all about -”

“No.”  Rachel turned back and adjusted her boobs before smiling weakly at me.  “It’s fine, Mads.  Honest.  It was stupid of me to think Ren might be interested in someone like me.  Besides, Jacob hasn’t even shown up yet.  If we leave now, you’ll never make him jealous enough to, uh, screw you tomorrow morning.”

“I don’t care,” I said.  “I’m not going to ask you to do something that makes you completely miserable.”

“You’re not,” Rachel said.  “We’d better get back out there.  They’re waiting for us.”

“They can wait a little longer.”

“They” were Elliott and Richie.  Two guys around our age and from the next town over.  They had latched on to us about twenty minutes after we arrived at the bar.  Elliott was polite and kind of funny and it was obvious that he wanted to take Rachel home and do naughty things to her.  Richie was an asswipe with an ego bigger than the damn planet.

My guy is kind of nice, right?  Maybe I’ll take him home and get him to-to pop my cherry for me tonight.”

I frowned at her.  “Rach, don’t give it away to this guy just because he’s nice, okay?  You’ve waited this long, there’s no reason to -”

“Exactly,” Rachel reapplied her lip gloss, “I’ve waited too long and I’m tired of being a virgin.”

“But Ren -”

“What about him?”  She gave me a sudden furious look.  “He doesn’t want me and it’s stupid to wait to give my virginity to a guy who barely knows I exist.  I’m glad your crush is working out for you, okay?  I really am.  But mine isn’t and it’s time I grew up and realized it.”

“Okay.”

She gave me another furious look before slumping against the counter.  “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.”  I gave her a quick side-hug.  “I totally get it.  It’s your body and your decision and if you want to take Elliott home tonight and hump his nice-guy brains out, I support you.”

She smiled a little.  “Your guy is kind of a douchebag, honey.”

“I know, right?  Richie is a real piece of work, but honestly, it makes it a little easier.  He’s such an arrogant asshole that I don’t feel bad just using him to make Jacob jealous.”

I squeezed her again.  “Ready to go back out there?”

“Yeah.”