Shaking It Off

The tip jar was very full at my elbow, and I could see why. The girl was really a pistol. The nametag at the tip of her jutting tit said Tanya. "So, here's the thing," I told her, leaning close enough to smell her shampoo. "I'm here on a date with a pretty girl."

"Mm." She leaned in to meet me, her eyes huge behind her lenses. There was nobody in line behind me. "Lucky girl. First date?"

"Yup." I winked. "I'm thinking something with peppermint. Or maybe salted caramel." She was scanning the restaurant.

"The little lady in the corner? Polka-dot dress?" I nodded as the barista gave Nicole the once-over, that look women give each other when they know they're in sexual competition and the stakes are high. "Cute," she allowed.

"Right?" I watched as she screwed her face up in concentration, then we both nodded. "Salted caramel," we both said at the same time. She laughed and clapped her hands while I made a show of sliding a five into the tip jar. "Large please, darling."

"Bullshit," Tanya corrected me absently, digging out a mug. "Girl like that? She's a medium. She doesn't have time for a large." She nodded to herself, her lips pursed. "For here, right?"

"You know it." I slipped out a ten, hoping it would be enough. None of the drinks had prices listed. She was smirking at me.

"And for you, sugar-poo?"

I grinned back. If I'd come here last week, this girl would be full of my semen already. She was an absolute peach. "Large. Black. Nothing extra."

"Nothing?" She raised her eyes in surprise, then sighed. "Look, you know I'm a professional barista, right? That asking me to make you a black coffee is an insult?"

"Well I'll tell you what, Tanya," I winked, "you know I'll make it up to you. Right?" She was still giggling as she slid the drinks across the counter, complete with a receipt that had her phone number scrawled across the top. "Thanks, darling. Take care."

"Come back soon, handsome." She jerked her chin toward my corner. "Once you get rid of her, that is."

"I'll keep you posted," I winked, but I already knew I had no need. I could tell that getting rid of Nicole R was probably going to take awhile. "Later, doll." Nicole was leaning on the table when I got back, slouched enough to show impressive cleavage but with her back straight enough to avoid looking like a slut. Everything about her screamed awareness, presence, even class. Even the way she looked up at me, her eyes dark as they peered out between her lashes and the upper rim of her glasses...

I swallowed. I wondered whether I'd perhaps bitten off more than I could chew here.

"Your beverage, Nicole," I smiled, sliding her mug across the polished square table. "You'll enjoy it."

"Will I?" She glanced down at it. "Better not be peppermint. It's the worst thing about winter."

"Do I look like the kind of man who'd even consider getting a woman peppermint coffee?" I raised my eyebrows, righteous in my innocence. "Never." I'd instantly rejected the idea of sitting across from her, instead sliding onto the angled bench right beside her. I didn't stop until our knees touched, and she showed no surprise at all that I'd chosen to sit next to her. She smiled at me.

"Good." She was still eyeing me as she lifted her mug to her lips, blew on it briefly, then inhaled. "Mmm." She sipped, a dainty slurp. "Nicely done, Keith. A good choice."

"I know." I took my own mug, a small; my empty wallet testified to the prices here. I raised mine. "Cheers. To shaking it off."

She smiled broadly then, suddenly, like the sun flashing from behind a cloud. "Oh, I'll definitely drink to that." We sipped together, and goddamn if Tanya didn't make a fine cup. She set hers down. "Black and bitter?"

"Like my soul."

"Nice." She dabbed at her lips with a black napkin. "So. Want to hear about the Valentines Ball, or were you just going to hit on me?"

"Both," I replied immediately, easily. I wanted to move closer, so our hips could touch, but then I'd have nowhere to put my left arm. Except over her shoulder or on her leg, and I could sense this wasn't the time. Yet. I shrugged instead. "But since you bring it up, I am curious about this Ball of yours."

She quirked into a smile, and I could see the pun forming on her lips, then fading, her fingers drumming the table. "So," she began, settling back against the warm wood, "here's the story. Chi-Kap's got thirty-one sisters, not counting pledges or the faculty advisor. Every year, the new pledge class is in charge of getting boys to come to the party. The pledges attend, but don't participate." She sipped. "So, thirty-one boys."

"Men," I corrected gently. "Some of us, anyway."

She raised one eyebrow, but just let the silence stretch while she sipped at her drink again. "Well. So, the boys come over. We all have a party, and then the party ends. Simple."

"And," I said seriously, "no cupid costume."

"It's not a themed party, really," she shrugged, yawning. "There'll probably be plenty of kissing, though."

"So what do I wear, if not a nifty costume?"

She waited, making sure I could see the disapproval with which she eyed my Kings sweater, and when she was finally done she looked away. "I'd probably advise you to use your best judgment, Keith, only I'm not sure that's wise. A jacket would be a good idea. Probably a tie; you don't want to be the schlubbiest dude there. Can you do that?"

"You'll be amazed to see the transformation, Nicole."

Her smile was thin. "I'm sure." Another sip, precisely metered, and I grew enchanted by the subtle crescent of lipstick she was leaving on the mug. It would look good on my dick, I reflected, and I felt it give another of its lurches. "Whatever you wear, you should bring along a bag with some clothes and things. Most guests treat this as a slumber party, pretty much."

Ah. "And no date?"

"The fun thing about this particular party," she went on softly, getting to her point with some enjoyment, "is that we treat it as sort of a matchmaking event. We pair you up with one of the sisters."

"Do you!" This was intriguing. I'd been to plenty of Greek parties as an undergrad, with plenty of anonymous hookups, and they were always super-hot. This was sounding just fine. Chi Kappa was one of the sororities known for the quality of its ass. I leaned in toward her, waiting until she made eye contact. "Present company included, I sincerely hope."

She stared at me, her head cocked, and then smiled slowly. "I already told you," she said quietly, "the pledges attend, but they don't participate."

I raised both eyebrows. "You're a pledge?"

She shook her head sadly. "Alas, yes. I'm afraid I won't be able to shake your dick again on the night," she sighed. "I'm the pledge class secretary. That's why I was the sober one the other night in the mens' room. We let the drunk ones do the rating." She smiled. "You understand, Keith. Most Chi-Kaps who see penises are drunk, so what's the point of having the sober one rate the cock?"

I chuckled and raised my mug again. "Well, then I was the lucky one. I got a sober chick to rate me."

She shifted her eyes pointedly down toward my lap. "No, actually," she said. "I took no part in rating you, cutie. But, between you and me," she added, leaning in and dropping her voice, "you didn't need my help. Veev and Rachel were pretty impressed by you. So." She drank again.

"But you'd have helped," I nodded. "If there'd been a tiebreaker." She was staring at me, and I felt like I was slowly, slowly sinking. But I'm a good swimmer. "I think you liked me."

"I think I probably did," she smiled. "But that's neither here nor there. We assign the evening's guests to our sisters in the order they were ranked. Highest-ranked boy is hosted by our President, Bella. Secretary gets the next ranked. You?" She glanced at her phone, which had just vibrated. "Well. I'd tell you who our third-highest sister is, but I prefer to preserve the element of surprise. Just trust me: she's very, very attractive." She paused. "Do you like big tits, Keith?"

I didn't hesitate for an instant. "I like your tits, Nicole."

She smiled. "So charming." She slurped down the last of her coffee. "This really was delicious, Keith. Thanks so much for treating."

I made no effort to move from the bench. I still had the bottom third of my coffee to drink. "Don't mention it," I winked.

She checked her phone once more. "Your date for the Valentines Ball has a really beautiful body," she went on briskly. "Amazing chest. Nice girl. You'll like her."

"I like everyone I know in Chi Kappa," I nodded, my hands spread innocently.

She acknowledged the compliment with a smile. "Not a fluke," she said once more, glancing again at my lap. "So. You'll be there?"

"Try to hold me back."

"Good." She looked away, toying with her mug, spinning it on the table. "I'll see to it you have a really great time, Keith."

"I already am." I leaned in again. "Can I ask you something? How did you know me at the bar the other night?"

Her eyes went wide. "You don't know?"

Uh-oh. Maybe I had fucked her. "Or I wouldn't ask," I told her smoothly. She gazed thoughtfully at me for a few seconds.

"Well," she said finally, that smirk of hers teasing at the corner of her mouth, "here's the thing..."

"Excuse me!" A brash voice, very loud, but making an effort to be polite-ish. A tall man had just crossed to our table. "Can I bother you two for a sec?"

The change that came over Nicole's face as she shifted from mine to the new guy's was amazing. She went from a coolly dimpled, self-possessed young woman to a fiendish bitch in a fraction of a second. To be fair, I was no less happy. "We're talking," she spat, as though it weren't obvious enough.

"Good," the new guy said obliviously, "because I'm doing interviews for the Daily Collegian. The newspaper? I was looking for cute couples, and you guys are. So. Mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"What's this for?" I asked.

"I write the Love Notes column. I'm doing a Valentines Edition." He was pulling up the voice recorder on his phone. "I'm Nathan. You're a couple, right?"

I looked over at Nicole, she looked at me, and we didn't even need to speak. I slid straight over to her, and she laid her hand immediately on my thigh. "Of course," she went on, only slightly thawed. She leaned into my side as I draped my arm across her slender shoulders, her skin warm and dry where I touched it. "As long as it won't take long, Nathan. We were just getting ready to leave."

"We're off to the movies," I supplied.

"Rom-com." She licked her lips. "What are your questions?"

"Okay. First off, names?" He smiled disarmingly. "Just first names are fine."

"I'm Nikki. He's Keith." She was warm against my body, her hand moving up and down my leg with easy familiarity. Like we really were a couple.

"Great. So, what's the most important part of keeping your partner happy in a relationship?" Nathan, I reckoned, was a virgin. He had that sense about him.

"Good listening," I sighed. I'd read that on the cover of Cosmopolitan at the rack up where Tanya worked.

"Yes," Nicole agreed. "And it's also important that your man know your coffee order." We both chuckled.

"Okay." Nathan's eyes were dodging back and forth between us, but they were mostly looking at Nicole's chest. "What's the strangest thing you two have in common?"

She squeezed my thigh. "I was amazed to hear that he was really into progressive jazz. I love prog music."

"Yeah." I blinked. "Nikki's dad used to be a drummer in a progressive blues band. Up in Canada." I laughed. "If a prog-jazz guy and a prog-blues girl can get together, there's hope for the world." I paused. "Nice guy, your dad," I reflected. "I enjoyed that time he took me fishing."

"Right?" She grinned. "They came back to camp with this big-ass fish, and Keith saved me the best part. Fried it up just for me." She tipped her head up and laid a warm, casual kiss on my lips. She smelled like vanilla and tasted like salted caramel, and she was still looking in my face when she added, "That was the night I gave you my asshole. Wasn't it, Keithie?"

"Well," I yawned, patting her shoulder, "I'm not sure Nathan needs the gory details." We both laughed, and she kissed me again. I was loving this. Her lips were just the right size, just the right firmness. "But yes. I think it was. Because the next week we had that threesome with that one chick?"

"Mmm. Alessandra."

"Right. And I know I'd already done you there, by then. Because you kept trying to get me to fuck her up the ass, too!" I laughed.

"Poor Alessandra." Nicole was shaking her head sadly toward Nathan. "She was too small for him." The reporter just blinked back. "But yeah. Definitely prog music. I've never dated a guy who likes that."

"Definitely." Her body curved so comfortably against mine.

Nathan seemed uneasy. "Okay!" I saw his adam's apple bob. "Well. So, what are your plans for Valentines?"

"I'm going to fuck her," I deadpanned. "Hard."

"All three holes, probably," Nicole added, nodding thoughtfully.

"No, seriously?" I was warming to my topic. "Nikki here is really into charity work. So we might head down to the river and do some trash clean-up." I nodded.

"See how much he loves me?" Her hand squeezed again, slightly higher. I was feeling lightheaded. "I know he hates garbage. But he'll take me to pick some up anyway." She turned back toward me, her eyes dancing with mischief. "Excuse us, Nathan. I think we're done here."

"Oh!" He had a sickly look on his face. "Thanks, guys. I think I've got everything I need, anyway."

"Yeah?" Nicole was snuggling into me, her hand on my chest now, her breath warm across my neck when she spoke. "You sure you don't need a picture? For the paper? I'm sure we could give you a good one..."

"No, no. That's fine." Nathan was sliding his phone away, his face red. "I'm good." He patted his pockets, like a 75-year-old seeking his car keys. "Um. Thanks, guys."

"Don't mention it," I smiled. Nicole was a compact armful, her tits pressing against my arm. I was very aware of my penis, jutting off to the side, and of the vanilla smell of her hair. I waved with my free hand. "You have a good one now, Nathan." She was nuzzling her nose into my neck, almost catlike, as he made his successful retreat, and then it was just me and Nicole and the frankly envious gaze of Tanya. I ran my hands idly along the skin at the top of Nicole's back, where her dress gave out. "You didn't tell me you were a Nikki."

"I'm not." She kissed my jaw once, then came up with a smile. "You smell nice."

"Thanks." She stayed tucked into the crook of my arm like a coiled snake after a meal. "Admit it," I challenged as we settled back. "You enjoyed that."

"I enjoyed making little Nathan uncomfortable, if that's what you mean," she shrugged. Her hands curled up along her sides, adjusting her bra without shame, and she didn't seem surprised when I watched her breasts bounce back into shape. She glanced casually down into my lap. "You enjoyed it."

"I did." I'd learned, early in my collegiate life, that some women don't like it when you show them you're hard for them. And that those aren't the kind of women I need to pursue. I spread my legs, my cock a thick curving lump lying across right thigh. "See?"

"Of course I see." She reached clinically down and tweaked my bulge. "Should I look away while you adjust?"

"No need." I struggled in the close confines of the booth, with her pressed up next to me, but eventually I got the damn thing pointed up. She was grinning the entire time. "Next time, you can help me out with it."

"I just might," she nodded, gathering up her phone. "Walk me home, cutie. I've got class in half an hour."

"Of course." Tanya's eyes were riveted to Nicole's face as we slid off the bench, and I realized too late that I didn't know whether this was one of those clear-your-own places. I was scanning around for a hint when Tanya called out from behind the counter.

"Leave it. I'll take care of it." Nicole chortled quietly at the surliness in the barista's tone, pulling her thin sweater across her tits. "Y'all come back now. It's been a real pleasure."

"You said it." We strode for the door, me grinning benignly while the two girls traded tight nods. We were out the door and up the street before I remembered what we'd been in the middle of. "So," I ventured. "Would you like to continue?"

"Huh?"

"How do you remember me, Nicole?"

"Ah." She walked a few more steps, then reached casually up and looped her arm through my elbow. I liked having her close, and I was a little wary that she wanted it too; she seemed a little bit too smart for that, but I was willing to ride that horse as far as I could. Even if it was only the couple of blocks to Schindler Hall. "Do you know me, Keith?"

"You've watched me piss, kissed me, and caused an erection," I pointed out evenly. It was only now starting to subside, half a block later. "I'd say I know you."

She laughed loudly. "Touche, sir. But apart from that?" She peered up at me, curious. "Sure you haven't seen me before?" And there it was when I looked back at her, that nagging sense of familiarity.

"No," I admitted at last. "I'm not sure. But I doubt I'd have forgotten you." She nodded once, pleased at the compliment. "Were you in my seminar or something?"

"God no. I'm a computer science major. You're... let me guess... communications?"

"English."

"Same thing, really," she shrugged dismissively. "Words. Anyway. I know quite a bit about the great Keith Longstadt, star goalie for the Seaborne Sailors." She laughed. "I'm from Seaborne too. I went to high school with your cousin Lacey. Lacey Charles."

"Oh!" Lacey was quite a bit younger than me. "You're a freshman, then?"

"Sophomore." We were passing Butcher Hall now on our right. "She and I weren't close, but I read alllll about you in the local paper." I drew myself up a little proudly. We'd won the state championship my senior year, with me shutting out the defending champs. Assholes. "You were the greatest thing since sliced bread."

"Or at least since football season," I said modestly, and she squeezed my arm.

"Bet you got all kinds of ass after that," she mused. I said nothing, but she was wrong. I might have been the state-champion goalie, but it was still only soccer. "Pussy for days."

"Maybe a blowjob or two," I nodded, "but it wasn't football. We didn't have any cheerleaders."

"Ah. Such a pity." She reached over and flicked at the front of my pants. "You're making up for lost time, huh?"

"Hey!" I raised my hands defensively. We were drawing near to Schindler. "I'm not the one who asked to have my dick manhandled in the bathroom."

"You were, actually," she replied mildly. "I seem to recall you requesting me." She chuckled. "After you did that, a whole bunch of other guys did too."

"Really!"

"Really. I touched a lot of dick that night."

"Well, whatever," I protested. "But I'm not the one who decided to go into the mens' room and just start squeezing balls."

"You could've just gone into the stall." She wasn't serious, though, bringing me to a gentle stop as we reached the front door. "So I'll put you down as an RSVP yes. For the Valentines Ball."

"Absolutely." I got a thrill as I looked down at her. I'd dated many, many girls at this university (depending on your definition of "dated"), but this one was different. I'd liked a lot of those; I'd wanted to see them again, sometimes several times, but I'd never thought of any of them as permanent, or even indefinite. This one...

No. I shook my head. No good thinking about that kind of thing. I was 25, still in school, with no assets except a few brains and a really sincere interest in making sure women enjoyed having sex with me. So no. She was looking at me still, a little redness in her cheeks, and her eyes were dancing again. I realized I was supposed to say something. "I'd like to see you again," I told her, quietly, with students streaming all around us. She smiled. "I'm glad I've got your number."