Vicious Boys by Nora Cobb
Chapter Ten
Vicki
“I tried his phone a hundred times.” Dom stares at the screen and then pushes his phone into his back pocket. “He won’t answer.”
We stand around the parking lot at 2 a.m., hoping and waiting for Chase to reappear. The temperature has cooled down, and I hug my arms, trembling in a tank top and a pair of white shorts. I’m too upset to go inside and change. Plus, FOMO has a tight grip on me.
“He seemed so distant today.” I stare at his empty parking spot. “He never looked like that before.”
Silas places his arm around my freezing shoulders. “We’ll keep looking until we find him. And we’ll keep this to ourselves. No point in alerting the school until we know something definitive.”
Dom scoffs loudly, and Silas gives him a side-eye.
“Don’t start, Dom,” Silas cautions him, “I do care what happens to Chase.”
“Really? Because you spread the shit around pretty thick,” replies Dom.
“He didn’t tell,” I reply, clenching my fists, “And no more snide comments. Being mean isn’t going to help us find him.”
Dom eyes Silas and then gives me a sharp look. I haven’t mentioned Talia, and neither has Silas. It isn’t important right now. Though I’m sure one post on her trashy site, and we would know Chase’s location in seconds. The gossip is getting out of hand.
“We’ve checked every place on campus ten times in the last two hours.” Dom stares thoughtfully into the darkness. “How large are the woods surrounding the school?”
“We can’t search at night,” replies Silas harshly. “He didn’t drive in there in his car.” He stops as it all comes quickly together in his mind. “I know where to look.”
It takes less than twenty minutes to drive to the lake in Dom’s car. The park officially closes at sunset, but people sneak in all night to hang out and drink. The trick is to hide the vehicles on the roads outside of the park. The cops only care when people don’t even try to conceal themselves. Dom is too tired to give a fuck where he parks as he drives around the chain, into the lot. I look for Chase’s car, but of course, it’s not there. We have to find him here. There’s nowhere else to look.
Getting out, Silas slams the car door. “I guess you don’t care if the cops see your car.”
“We won’t be gone long enough for them to tow it,” Dom replies coldly.
Silas scowls as Dom’s car chirps when he locks it. They’ve been at it all day. Even before Chase took off, they were nipping at each other like two lapdogs with a vendetta. I let them walk off toward the lake in front of me. The lake is manmade, with sand added along the shore and determined clusters of trees growing out of the sandy soil.
A sliver of moonlight reflects across the dark water in a jagged line, and crickets hidden in the tree line chirp a warning as we step out onto the sand. I hug my arms, staring out across the depths, but Chase would never do that. It’s too final to even consider, and I look away. The occasional splash of a fish interrupts the silence as we walk toward the rowboat. My face flushes as I stare at its silhouette turned upside down, tucked behind a bent tree. I lag behind while my feet sink into the sand. I’m anxious to find Chase but also anxious to look under the boat. We continue walking, too nervous to call his name. He looked so lost, so far away, as he stared at nothing out the window.
Dom climbs under without hesitation, muffled voices follow, and then Silas immediately climbs under. I hear shouting and then laughter. My shoulders drop with relief as I crawl between the sand and wood. Under the boat, it is pitch black, so I switch on my phone. The boys look at me as if I shouldn’t need light to see in the dark. I keep it on and place it upright in the sand.
“You scared the shit out of me, you turd,” Dom says harshly. “Where’s your fucking phone?”
“Battery’s dead.” Chase takes a swig out of a wine bottle and shoves it back in the sand.
“Look, next time you run off, text someone and tell them where you are,” replies Dom. “Are you drunk, and where’s your car?”
Chase sighs. “This is why I didn’t answer my phone. You can be such a girl sometimes.” Chase looks at me. “No offense, Vicki.”
Dom shoves Chase’s shoulder, and Chase glares back. “Why the fuck do I give a shit when you can’t even be bothered?”
Silas raises his hands, ready to keep them apart if necessary, but they don’t look ready to leap at the other one’s throat. Dom grabs the bottle of wine and pulls a face after tasting it. Silas slips it out of his hands. He checks the label in disgust and shoves it back into the sand. Chase sits back, his eyes glaring at the sand as he avoids eye contact.
“Seriously, you found Chase so you could give him a hard time?” I ask. “Where’s the sympathy? Care, my ass. Show it if you care.” The sand feels soft underneath my hands and knees as I crawl closer to Chase. The tension coming off his taut muscles reaches me before I touch him. I run my hand over his tight shoulder, and my fingers gently rub the muscle under the sleeve of his worn T-shirt. He releases a breath.
Chase leans back against the boat, his head stretching along his neck. His eyes close, covered by thick lashes. I continue to massage the tightness in his shoulders as his breathing picks up. He rolls his neck to the side, and when he lifts his head again, his eyelids part. His gaze softens as the angst drains away.
“I was worried about you,” I whisper sweetly, and Chase smiles.
“Aw crap, man,” Dom sighs, “We were worried too. I was just upset for you. People have no problem being shits.”
We ignore him. And little by little, I move my hand along his arm, feeling the hard muscle underneath his smooth skin. His hand catches mine and holds it tightly as it rests on his shoulder blades. His thumb gently strokes my fingers as he stares into my eyes.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he whispers to me, but they also hear him.
I feel the strength in Chase’s arms as he pulls me against his body. His breath plays against my parted lips, and I hesitate, but his grip is insistent. Chase doesn’t care if Dom and Silas see how much he wants me. I know they’re watching by the sound of their steady breathing. Trembling, I rest the weight of my body onto his and relax, allowing Chase to pull me even closer. I raise my eyes slightly, and with his other hand, Chase lifts my chin. His mouth captures mine, and he moans, claiming his kiss in front of them.
I pull away, only to kiss him again and again. I kiss him gently on the cheek, then the mouth, and then the chin. I don’t stop. He sighs softly as his hand presses against the back of my waist. Chase doesn’t react except to close his eyes. I lean my weight against him and softly kiss the edge of his mouth. In the dim light, hidden under the boat, I can see him smiling. With my hand, I brush his hair off his face and let my fingers linger on his stubbly cheeks.
“You have us,” I whisper, “You only need us.”
Holding me tight, Chase moves forward, and I lean back, teasing him with my tongue. Flicking it over his cupid’s bow and running it along the seam between his lips. I press my open mouth against him until he opens his mouth. I swirl my tongue around his. Sucking it and stroking it, showing him that I’ll always want him.
In the dim light, something sparks in his eyes. His gaze shoots past me to the other boys. He watches them as the kiss deepens. His hand fits against the small of my back as he lays me down on the sand. My head rests on Dom’s muscular thigh.
“It’s me you want,” he whispers. “Just admit it.”
But I can only answer with a moan as my body responds to his kisses. His hand tugs on my hips as his bulge pushes into my thigh. I’ve made love to Dom. I’ve made love to Silas. I have no shame if they watch me make love to Chase. It turns me on more as they watch us, transfixed, in silence. The breathing around us picks up as I wiggle my ass against the sand. Chase runs his hands over my breasts through my tank top, and I feel a pull deep inside me as I part my thighs.
“Vicki, all the shit I’m going through,” he whispers, “I did it to be with you.”
He’s so honest that I dare myself to say it. To tell Chase how I truly feel about him in front of the other boys. “I meant it when I told you that you could have me.”
Chase’s hands grab the hem of my top, and he pulls it over my head. I lift my arms over my head, and my hand touches Silas’ thigh. I leave it there, and slowly, I run my finger along the center seam of his jeans, dragging my nails over the thick fabric. Silas grabs my hand and pulls it back, placing it on his hard bulge. Moaning, I arch my back, displaying my body to them.
My shirt ends up on the sand. Softly, Chase kisses my neck as his hand pulls down my bra straps, freeing my breasts from the fabric. He lowers his head, and I inhale when his tongue strokes my hard nipple. I hold his head to my chest, and I feel free and honest as I express my desire openly. I moan as Chase rubs my other nipple in his fingertips. No longer am I hiding how I feel about them. My confusion clears as I float in a haze of what I know must be love. I’m in love with all of them, and I want them to experience it. I want them to share me and take me. I want them to always want and need me.
I feel another hand in my hair, cupping the back of my head as it pulls my head back. I feel someone’s breath against my ear. Silas whispers, “You want to be touched all over?”
A chill rushes through me as his lips graze my neck. His chin is rough with stubble, but I don’t care. I crave the roughness. I want to feel every part of him crushed hard against my body. My bra falls away from my torso when Chase unhooks it. And I gasp into Silas’ mouth as Chase’s teeth tug at my nipple. My hazy eyes open, and I reach my hand toward Dom. He crawls closer to my body and rubs his fingers along my crotch.
“Your shorts are soaked,” he announces loudly in the quiet under the boat.
“And your shorts look like a tent,” I giggle, and he smiles.
We could do it a hundred times, and Dom will always have that stupid grin on his face as if it’s the very first time. His enthusiasm makes it fun each time. Nothing’s off-limits to him. Not even this. I tilt my pelvis against his curious fingers, and he’s quick to act. He unzips my shorts and slides his hand into my panties. I moan as his fingers slide into my wetness. Slowly, he strokes circles around my clit until my hips lift off the sand.
Overcome with sensations, I’m stretched across the sand between them, the touch of their hands and mouths on my heated skin. Their lips caressing every inch of my body as I writhe under their fingertips. Chase pulls off my panties and shorts, and I’m completely exposed in the dim light. My past stays securely where it belongs, and that’s in the past. My mind doesn’t shame me by reminding me of the faded track marks on my arms. My heart doesn’t torture me by making me choose which one I belong to. A part of my heart now belongs to each one.
The vibrations build deep in me as I silently moan. My legs shake against a hard thigh. My eyes shut tightly as the sweet sensation of a tongue slide along my tummy. I grab a handful of hair as my muscles tighten until I can take no more. The release forces me to scream, and I still want so much more. Tears cling to my cheeks as I gently glide down from a feeling I could never have imagined. My naked body is trembling as I curl up onto my side. I don’t know how long we’ve been under the boat. A hand touches my hair, and I sob.
“Are you okay?” Chase places his face near mine.
I nod, and I want to tell him that I love him, but I can’t. The shattering high is gone, that feeling that the world is ours alone and no one else’s. It disappears a little more as the minutes tick by. Chase starts to move away. Suddenly, I feel cold, and I don’t want him to go. I grab for his waistband clumsily, and he freezes.
Biting his lip, he watches me. My eyes beg him to touch me again—to bring back that wonderful feeling, not just for me but for all of us. I wonder if he’ll do it. I wonder if he’ll fuck me in front of them. I turn onto my back, and his gaze lowers to my breasts, causing him to bite his lip harder.
Chase looks away, and he stares at Silas. I’m slowly losing him. My fingers tighten on his jeans, but he ignores me like a hobby or a sport he’s grown bored with. Did he just use me? They’re always using me. But what I felt had to be real. Still, Chase refuses to look at me as I shudder with despair.
“What is?” I almost shout. “Are you waiting to flip a coin?”
It was the worst thing to say at this moment. Any understanding we could have reached is suddenly torn away. The mood shifts instantly from magical to awkward, and I’m the only one lying on the ground, naked and sweaty. My face burns as I grab for my clothes. How could they do this to me? How could they make me feel ashamed? Why didn’t they want more?
“We better leave,” Silas says quietly, “before we get caught.”
