Pandora's Box Ch. 02a

This story is a sequel to Pandora's Box: Chapter 1. Thank you to everyone for the positive feedback and comments so far!

Pretty Little Liar

"AHA! Yes! You suck!" Martine Ruiz shouted gleefully as Daniella Cruz groaned with frustration. It was nearly 10PM on a Monday night and the two 20-year-old college girls were engaged in their third game of blackball in a local sports bar. Dani had lost the previous two games to her best friend, and now looked set to lose the third as Martine lined up what could very well be the winning shot. Each girl had one ball left to pot.

Dani sighed as she handed the pool cue to Martine, who grinned mockingly. "Feeling the heat yet babes?"

"Just take the shot," Dani grumbled.

"You're such a sore loser," Martine said, shaking her head in a teasing manner.

"Haven't lost yet."

"Yet being the key word." Martine leant across the table to take her shot, sweeping her long blonde hair out of her face before striking the white expertly with the cue. It collided with the last yellow ball, which spun towards the hole... and missed by a centimetre, gently ricocheting off the wooden edge.

"Damn it," Martine said, standing up and grimacing. "Your move." She handed the cue back to Dani, who worked out the best angle for her final red ball and leant over the table towards it. Her gorgeous, long brown tresses fell around her, and she tensed her taut abs for stability as she lined up her shot.

Dani struck forward with the cue; the white ball collided with her red and sent it spinning, and she jumped with joy as it popped into the hole she had aimed for. Her delight was short-lived, however, as the white ball continued on its momentum and tipped into the same hole.

"Shit!" Dani shouted, as Martine laughed.

"That's two goes for me!" Martine took the cue back and smirked at Dani. "Really isn't your night, is it?" With expert precision she used the opportunity granted by Dani's mistake to pot her yellow ball, before rounding on the black. With one final strike and a loud crack! she knocked it in, winning the third game.

"Congrats," Dani sighed, making no effort to hide her vexation as she sat down at a small table nearby.

Martine bounded into the seat next to her, a giant grin plastered on her face as she took a sip of her vodka and coke. "Don't pout at me like that Daniella. It's unbecoming of such a pretty little thing like your sweet self."

"How's this for unbecoming?" Dani asked, sticking her middle finger up.

"Hey!" Martine giggled, in too good of a mood to be offended. "What's up with you?" Her eyes glinted with curiosity.

"It's just irritating," Dani replied dismissively. "You seem to get better at pool every time we play. But I still suck."

"You don't suck. I'm just better," Martine responded, her grin getting wider.

"You're such a smug bitch," Dani said, unable to stop herself from laughing. As vexed as she was, Martine's gaiety was infectious.

"Come on Dani! What should we do to celebrate my glorious victory?" Taking another sip of her drink, Martine scanned the room with a troublesome twinkle in her eye. "There are a lot of fit guys here tonight actually."

Dani snickered at her friend's tone. "Don't pretend like you've only just noticed that. I saw the way you were pushing your ass out every time you took a shot."

Martine's head snapped back to face Dani, wide-eyed and open-mouthed in mock indignation. "Miss Cruz! That's quite the accusation!" Unable to keep up the act, she also started giggling. "You're one to talk anyway. I'll tell you why you suck at pool: you lean over the table too far. Because you're busy trying to make sure all the guys can see those big busty titties of yours rather than actually playing."

Now it was Dani's turn to act offended, touching her hand to her chest. "Miss Ruiz! Quite the accusation!" Both girls descended into fits of giggles.

It was true that they were both dressed to draw attention: Dani was wearing a black, high-waisted pleated skirt that barely covered her round ass and toned thighs, along with a brown tie front crop top that clearly displayed her voluminous breasts. Martine, for her part, was wearing tight and tiny denim shorts and an orange tube top. Both college girls were attractive and in great shape; every advantage necessary to snare a couple of unsuspecting college boys.

"For real though: who's caught your eye? We're like two gals in a candy shop!" Martine's tone was almost business-like. She leant over the table towards Dani with a knowing glint in her eye.

"And I have noticed that your room has been very quiet lately."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dani responded, a little too defensively.

"You know what I mean." Martine almost looked concerned. "I can tell that you're frustrated."

"Marti, just because I haven't been having sex as often doesn't mean there's a problem."

"Ah! So it's true!"

"Yeah it's true." Dani was having real trouble keeping the defensive tone out of her voice. "But I've just been busy. Exam season is coming up, and I've been trying to sort my work placement for after summer. I don't have time to run around chasing boys."

"Tsk tsk." Martine tutted, shaking her head in mock disappointment. "That's not the Dani I know. The Dani I know would be able to juggle all of that while getting dicked down by some fit, hung rugby lad."

"Shut up Marti," Dani said, giggling and blushing a little.

Satisfied with the reaction she'd prompted, Martine flashed a cheeky smirk and turned her attention back to the room at large.

"So, come on! Who do you like?"

Dani smiled wryly at her best friend's enthusiasm. She wasn't ready to admit it, but Martine was right: she was frustrated. Severely so.

Getting boys to take an interest in her obviously wasn't the issue. Dani was an incredibly attractive girl and, with her pretty, heart-shaped face and fit, curvaceous body, she could get practically any guy she wanted.

The problem, simply put, was her. Her standards had changed.

Ever since Dani had played Pregnancy Craps with Luis Alvarez -- nearly three months ago during her first shift at the infamous cabaret club known as Pandora's Box -- she had found herself profoundly disappointed with the guys at her college. None of them had Luis' drive, his intensity, his raw masculine energy. They were more hesitant, less confident, and less focused. Luis may have given Dani the best sex of her young life, but he had somehow simultaneously and unintentionally managed to ruin sex for her as well.

Then, of course, there was the elephant in the room: Pregnancy Craps itself. On that fateful night, Dani had discovered something about herself that she had always been vaguely aware of but never able to put into words. And that something was that she had a kink for pregnancy risk sex. Dani wasn't on any form of birth control, and the idea of taking a creampie -- especially during the fertile part of her cycle -- now dominated her sexual fantasies.

Finding a college guy with Luis' sexual energy along with the willingness to indulge her newfound fetish was rare. But doing so safely was virtually impossible. Dani was well aware of the dangers associated with her kink -- she didn't want to get pregnant or have a baby, and yet paradoxically this only made her want to risk it even more.

Dani had therefore spent the last three months abstaining from sex, particularly because her urges were nigh unbearable when she was ovulating -- Dani had chosen to become intimately acquainted with her vibrator during these periods instead, mostly out of anxiety over her kink but partly also out of simple disillusionment with the pick of boys she had to choose from.

If she was going to get laid tonight, she needed a man. A real man.

"Uh, Earth to Dani? What the hell?" Martine snapped her fingers in Dani's face.

"Oh. Sorry."

"You totally zoned out there. You looked like you'd been lobotomised."

Dani burst out laughing as Martine grinned, shaking her head with amusement. "We need to find you a guy! I can't sleep at night knowing my bestie is pining for cock." This only made Dani laugh harder, and it was a full minute before she had calmed down enough for Martine to continue the conversation.

"That guy with the quiff is cute. Over by the door. He kept sneaking looks at your butt every time you leant over to take a shot. He's looking right now!"

Her curiosity piqued, Dani turned to have a peek. She made eye contact with the guy in question, and he quickly turned away. Dani sighed -- he was good looking, but this was exactly the problem. She wanted a man who would hold her gaze, not look away like a scared little boy.

"Not really my type."

"He's exactly your type!" Martine insisted, giving her friend a puzzled look. "Alright, what about that barman who got our drinks? He was handsome, and he was totally looking at your boobs the whole time."

"Yeah, I know he was. I asked him if he liked them and he just made excuses for why he was looking. He should own it at least."

"Jeez, when did your standards get so high?" Martine asked with a hint of surprise. "Who cares? He was cute! Let him see those tatas in action!"

"I just... I'm kind of sick of college guys, y'know?"

"Oh?" Martine leaned towards her friend, curiosity scrawled across her face. "This is interesting. Interesting indeed." Her face lit up with a mischievous smile. "Sooo, what? You're into older guys now? You want a sugar daddy or something?"

"I... I don't know," Dani replied, feeling a little flushed. "Maybe. I don't know!"

Martine opened her mouth to reply, no doubt with every intention to push the matter further. However, before she could say anything, something behind Dani caught her eye, and her full red lips curled upwards in a troublesome grin.

"Uh-oh. Six o'clock, behind you. I think we're about to have some company."

Dani turned to follow Martine's gaze and saw two guys walking towards them. One was black, with medium-length dreadlocks swept over to one side. He was about 6'1' with an oval face and deep brown eyes. And the other...

Dani gasped and her belly seized with a spurt of consternation. He was incredibly handsome, standing at 6'2' and with blond hair cropped on the sides and long on top. He had bright blue eyes, a strong jaw, and was clearly in fantastic shape with muscles rippling under his well-fitting clothes. Under normal circumstances, he was exactly the sort of guy Dani would have been attracted to.

But these weren't normal circumstances. His name was Jake Coleman, and he was a barman at Pandora's Box.

"Oh crap!" Dani breathed audibly, quickly turning back around as Jake caught her eye. She had never expected to be in a situation like this.

"They're cute, right?" Martine said with a satisfied grin, completely misinterpreting Dani's reaction.

"What? Uh, yeah, super cute. Listen, Martine-"

"Evening girls." The boys had reached them, and the guy with the dreads had spoken. Dani squeezed herself against the table and looked away across the room, her face flushed and burning -- perhaps Jake hadn't recognised her yet?

"Hi there boys!" Martine said brightly, a flirtatious undertone obvious in her voice.

"I'm Ethan, and this is Jake," the guy with the dreads continued. "Your pool table's looking very empty -- we wanted to borrow it for a couple of games."

"Assuming you're done with it, of course." Jake had spoken this time, and Dani swallowed as she felt his eyes turn on her. "And assuming Daniella here is okay with it."

Dani couldn't reasonably fake ignorance any longer and, cursing under her breath, she turned at the mention of her name; Jake was grinning at her, while Ethan and Martine looked with curiosity between the two of them.

"Dani? Do you know this boy?" Dani went red in the face and didn't answer, prompting Martine to look up at Jake. "Do you two already know each other?" There was an impish glint in her eye as she leant forwards with interest.

"We do," Jake replied, "we work together at Pand-"

"Panda Carnival!" Dani shrieked, jumping to her feet, her face turning a shade of bright crimson. "We work together at Panda Carnival!"

Jake stopped and stared at her, bemused, while Ethan and Martine glanced between them with confusion. An awkward silence fell across the foursome and Dani hurried towards Jake, grabbing him by the arm. "Can I talk to you privately for a second?"

"Uh. Sure, I guess."

Dani looked back and made an apologetic face at Martine before pulling Jake towards the bar, ensuring they couldn't be overheard.

"What the hell was that?" Jake asked, the confusion evident in his voice.

"I'm so, so sorry," Dani gasped, shaking her head. "I panicked, I didn't know what to do."

"Panicked about what? And did you just say that we work at Panda Carnival?"

"I... yes."

"The Asian buffet? That Panda Carnival?"

Dani took a deep breath. "I, uh... this is gonna sound really stupid."

Jake scoffed. "Alright then. This should be good."

"I... I kinda haven't told anyone I work at Pandora's Box."

"What?" Jake looked at Dani peculiarly, his eyes filled with amusement. "You're kidding me. I assume that includes your friend over there?"

"Yep. That's Martine. She doesn't know."

"Ah, so that's the famous Martine," Jake replied with a small chuckle. "So, we'll just tell her now. What's the big deal?"

"No!" Dani gasped, gripping Jake tighter. "She can't find out!"

"Why? She's your best friend, isn't she?"

"Yeah, and the biggest blabbermouth I know."

"So, what? Are you embarrassed or something?"

"I'm not embarrassed," Dani replied defensively. "It's just... there are rumours about Pandora's Box all over my college. Everyone knows that wild, sexy stuff happens there, even if they don't know the specifics. I don't want people to make assumptions, especially my friends. And imagine if my parents found out!"

Jake stifled a laugh. "You're literally just a waitress. How bad can this really be for your reputation? We're not in high school anymore Dani."

Dani sighed anxiously. He was right -- on the face of it, she was just a waitress. But Jake didn't know that she had played Pregnancy Craps on her first shift. It was the only time she had played so far, yet that singular event was seared into her memory, and she found it impossible to disassociate her job from it. If she admitted to anyone that she worked at Pandora's Box, it was like admitting she had played the pregnancy risk game too.

And there was no way in hell she was ever telling anyone about that.

"I... I just can't," she said, wringing her hands together.

Despite Dani's discomfort, Jake was clearly enjoying himself, his face lined with mirth. "So what does she think you've been doing for the last few months, disappearing at 9PM and coming home at 3AM several times a week?"

"I dunno. I've told her all sorts. That I'm studying at the library, or that I'm attending a social. I even told her that I'm learning Italian-"

"What?" Jake burst out laughing. "Who the hell goes to midnight Italian classes?!" His outburst prompted several people nearby, including Martine and Ethan, to look over in surprise.

"Shut up!" Dani hissed, going bright red in response to both Jake's reaction and the attention of the room. "What am I supposed to say then, genius?"

"Just tell her the truth, for fuck's sake," Jake snickered.

"I told you, I can't. And stop laughing. It is not that funny."

"I beg to differ," Jake chuckled, taking a deep breath as his laughter subsided, although amusement was still etched into his face. "What about the money then? You're making bank at the Box, where does she think you're getting it from? Panda Carnival definitely doesn't pay that kind of cash."

"She hasn't noticed. I'm just careful. I save a lot of it."

"You're seriously telling me you haven't been on any huge spending sprees? You are a girl after all."

"That's a little sexist," Dani responded indignantly.

"Am I wrong?"

Dani sighed. She had indeed spent a lot of money on brand new designer clothes, bags, jewellery, and other accessories since getting her new job. However, most of it was stuffed in her wardrobe all the time -- ironically, she couldn't wear it without Martine or any of her other friends catching on.

"Maybe," she replied dismissively. "She hasn't noticed, so it doesn't matter does it?"

Jake shrugged. "If it doesn't matter, then I'll tell her the truth now."

"Don't!" Dani cried nervously, grabbing Jake's arm again.

"They're looking now," Jake noted. "We should really go back over."

Dani's head snapped around to where Ethan and Martine were sitting, both of them looking over with intense curiosity. She turned back to Jake, gazing at him imploringly.

"Please, please, please don't spill the beans Jakey. Please. I'll do anything," Dani said desperately.

Jake sucked air between his teeth. Dani couldn't tell if he was playing with her or if he genuinely wanted her to tell the truth on some moral level. Finally, he nodded.

"Fine. But you have to tell her. Because, next time I see her, I'm not hiding it."

"What makes you think there'll be a 'next time'?" Dani asked curtly.

"Well, those two seem to be getting on pretty well, for one thing," Jake grinned, and Dani spun around to follow his gaze. Ethan was in animated conversation with Martine, who was staring unblinkingly at him and subconsciously fidgeting with her hair; he said something and she burst out laughing, leaning towards him and playfully touching his chest.

"Oh, damn it Marti," Dani breathed.

"I've gotta tell Ethan the truth as well."

"Jake!" Dani gasped anxiously. "Don't!"

"Dani, he knows I work at Pandora's Box. If he's not in on it, he'll just accidentally spill it himself."

"Oh my God," Dani whispered with frustration. "Fine, but he better be able to keep his mouth shut."

"Let's go. They're looking over again. Remember, you have to tell Martine, otherwise no dice."

"I will."

"Tonight."

"Jake! Stop being a dick!" Dani cried. "Just do this one thing for me."

"I'm already doing a lot for you. It's this or nothing."

"Ok, how about-"

"Dani!"

"Fine!" Dani threw up her hands in defeat and scowled at Jake. "Some friend you are."

"We're not friends. We just work together down at Panda Carnival," Jake responded with a smirk, and he turned and walked back over to Martine and Ethan. Dani stomped after him a short way behind.

"So, you two clearly have a history," Martine said, grinning devilishly and leaning forwards with keen interest as Dani and Jake approached. "And I am here for it."

"All in good time," Jake replied, matching Martine's grin. He looked at Ethan. "Mate, can I borrow you for a sec?"

Ethan nodded, somewhat reluctantly as Martine's hand was resting on his knee, and he followed Jake to a corner of the bar, out of earshot.

"Dani, what's going on? Did you say you have a job at Panda Carnival?" Martine looked up at her friend with large, inquisitive eyes.

"Martine, I'll tell you everything, I promise," Dani replied half-heartedly, carefully watching Jake and wishing that she could lip-read. He was speaking fairly casually to Ethan, who looked more confused than ever. Jake said something else, and a small grin appeared on Ethan's face. Ethan shot a glance over at Dani -- who felt a spike of embarrassment at his gleeful expression -- and then he looked back at Jake and started to laugh. Jake started to laugh again too and, after composing themselves slightly, they both strode back over.

"I didn't realise Panda Carnival did cabaret," Ethan smirked as he brushed passed Dani. She shot an irate glare back at him.

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Martine cried indignantly, now keenly aware that she was the only one not in on the joke.