The Rule Ch. 07

"No? What do you mean 'no'?"

"I mean," said Kevin, studying Beth carefully, "just that. I'm... not sure I want to. I'm not sure we should."

There was an awkward silence as they studied each other. Kevin sat on the chair next to the couch in the suite of their hotel room. Beth sat on the couch, eyes locked to his. Her glare was icy- clearly, in her wildest dreams she didn't expect Kevin to turn her down.

"Is this some kind of power play?" she asked. "Are you trying to get the upper hand here? Trying to see what it's like to deny me, instead of the other way around?" Her tone was genuinely curious, but her eyes told him she would eat him alive if he was attempting this.

"No, it's not like that."

Her eyes softened- the confusion was winning out. "Do you like being denied that much? The teasing? Enough that you'd rather not...?"

"No. No, Beth, this isn't part of... I'm not playing the game right now."

The icy stare melted away, and she leaned forward. "Okay. Talk to me. We've been building to this for weeks. What is it? I assume some part of you wants to. What's holding you back?"

Kevin studied her for a few more moments, collecting his thoughts before responding. "Beth... what am I to you?"

She laughed at him, a slight mock to her tone. "That's what this is about? Labels? Labeling our relationship? That's awfully cliche."

"No, it's not that. Not exactly. Once we started hooking up outside our significant others... obviously it becomes impossible to define any of these relationships neatly."

She cocked her head. "So... what is it then?"

Kevin leaned back in his chair, sighing. "You didn't answer the question. If you had to define, now, who I was to you. What would the answer be?"

She shrugged. "Depends on who's asking. Some people I'd say roommate. To some others, you'd be a fuckbuddy, really."

"I'm asking," he said with quiet confidence.

Beth blinked at him. "You're my... you're Kevin. I don't know." She seemed uncharacteristically uncertain here, and shook her head. "It seems like we're worrying about labels here, Kevin. Do you... want to be more?"

"It's not about being more."

"Because we have our significant others..."

"It's not."

Beth's reaction to this was unreadable. "Okay..."

"It's about... not becoming less."

Beth cocked her head. "Not becoming... less?"

Kevin sighed again, finally digging into it. "Beth, you... the way you look at people is so different than anyone else I know. Every relationship to you seems like it's... competitive. Mark and you are constantly trying to outdo each other. And your coworkers. It seems like you either view them as your opponents or as stepping stones to get what you want. You never talk about friends or family, really. I'm not even sure... if you'd say you have any friends, really."

Beth shrugged. "So what? I've always been independent and competitive. In fact, I bet that's part of why you're attracted to me."

Kevin shook his head. "Beth, no, you don't understand- this isn't a critique of you. I like these things about you. But here's the thing. I think you don't really see me as a roommate or as a fuck buddy. I think you see me as a challenge."

"Okay... so?"

"So. What happens to us once there's no challenge left?"

Something clicked in Beth's eyes- she was beginning to understand what he meant.

"Before The Rule," continued Kevin, "Or really- before you discovered it- we had no relationship at all. A few light conversations over breakfast, but we were essentially acquaintances who happened to be roommates by pure, random circumstance. You would hardly look up from your morning paper to say hello to me.

"But as soon as you found out about The Rule, I became suddenly and intensely part of your focus. Because you and Mark saw in Chrissy and me a sort of fun challenge. You wanted to see how far you could get us to break our Rules just using your charisma and beauty. And look, it was and is really, really fun to be a part of that. No kidding, it's a dream come true. I'm sure Chrissy would say the same thing.

"But there are these moments between us ... and they keep growing more frequent. They have nothing to do with sex. They're just... moments of... I don't know what they are. When you were putting on my tie, or when we played pinball together. Or when we had dinner together. There are these little bits of genuine connection, of chemistry, of... something else. I mean... maybe it's just on my side..."

Kevin paused to see if Beth would respond to this. She didn't, but Kevin could tell from her eyes that the answer was complex.

"Well," he continued, "I... don't want to lose all that. And my worry- my fear here- is that once you've won the game, you've broken every rule we could make... we go back to the way we were. Because I'm no longer a challenge to beat, a game to win... we go back to...acquaintances. Strangers in the same apartment. Irrelevant to you.

"So... if those are my options... either we sleep together and the game ends and our relationship is over... or the game keeps going... I'm going to keep the game going. Because I don't think I want to... I don't think I can lose the relationship we've discovered, whatever it is."

They studied each other for a moment.

"Does that make sense?" Kevin asked.

She nodded. "It does." She shook her head. "You're really going to turn me down? Because of our... relationship?"

Kevin nodded. "Because of our... friendship," he said, simply.

She bit her lip. "My instincts are screaming that you're just doing this to manipulate me. That this is just a play to become the dominant one."

"To what end, exactly? You just asked to sleep together. If I kept my mouth shut, we'd be fucking right now. That's why I had to wait to bring this up until... until you asked. So you'd know it wasn't a play. I don't have anything to gain here. Not sexually, anyway." Kevin smiled. "Besides, you're not really worried about that."

She cocked her head. "I'm not?"

"No. You know why?"

"Why?"

"Because you know me better than that."

They studied each other in silence. The implication was clear: there was some level of connection and trust between them beyond just roommates.

Beth smiled, with a soft laugh. "You've really changed, you know. You've gained... confidence."

Kevin smiled back. "I haven't changed as much as you think. It's just... you've taught me to try to see the things people really want. All I've done is finally asked that question to myself, and thought about what I really want."

"And what's that?"

Kevin stood up, putting a hand in his pocket. He stepped in front of her, looking down at her. "I want you to prove to me that I'm more than a challenge. I want you to prove to me that I have some meaning to you. And I want you to prove to me that if I let you break the last Rule, you'll still think of me as... important in your life. In some way."

"You mean..."

Kevin nodded. "Sell me, Beth. After that, if you want to fuck or never touch me again, I'll be happy. But either way... at least in some ways... I'll be yours. But if you can't... I feel like I have to draw the line here."

***

By the time Kevin woke up the next morning- on their last full day in Vegas- Beth had already gone to her conference.

They had slept in their own rooms.

He felt distinctly weird as he stared at the ceiling above his bed. Had he really turned down Beth? When he would obviously have his girlfriend's blessing to hook up with her? The hottest woman he had ever seen?

He sighed, taking a deep breath. Knowing it was the right call. Or at least telling himself that.

He picked up his phone from the nightstand, checking the time. Chrissy would be having lunch about now. He tapped her name, starting a call.

"Hey!" came her voice. She would never pick up in the classroom, so he knew she was in the teacher's lounge.

"Hey, baby," he said.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm great," he said. Though deep down he couldn't shake the odd feeling of drawing the line with Beth, hearing Chrissy's voice immediately put a smile on his face. "How are you?"

"I'm great. I mean, I've got a handsome boyfriend who lets me..." she coughed, her voice becoming softer so nobody could hear her, "uh, fool around, with my hot roommate." Her voice perked up again. "Life is good!"

Kevin laughed. You could tell: Chrissy was loving life right now. "I'm glad, baby."

"How do you feel? I mean..." She trailed off, her voice quiet again. "I just want to make sure. It seemed like you were having fun, but... are you okay? With the last... break? The last Rule gone?"

Kevin blinked, surprised she asked. "What, you mean you and Mark fucking?"

"Shh!"

"I'm not on speaker, am I?"

"No, no! Of course not. But Rachel is in the room with her headphones in, and if she sees I'm blushing this hard she's going to start asking me questions."

Kevin laughed. "You mean, I shouldn't mention how many times Mark made you orgasm? Or when he covered you in his cum? Or how about when he was fucking you from behind and you-"

"Kevin!"

He laughed again. "All right, all right."

"Please stop," she begged, though he could tell there was a sense of relief in her voice that he was joking around about the subject.

"I'm done! I'm totally fine, hun. It was easily... easily... the hottest night of my life. Watching the two of you... it was insane. You guys have off the charts chemistry."

"Good! Good. You're sure you're okay?"

"Of course. Really. Why?"

She paused before answering. "I just... heard you turned Beth down. I wanted to make sure it wasn't because you... felt weird about me hooking up with..."

"Oh! Oh, no. It has nothing to do with that."

"Good," she said with relief. "So... why'd you turn her down?"

He studied the ceiling in thought. What was the best way to describe it? "It's just... I don't know. Beth and I have actually become, kind of... friends, or something. I just wanted to make sure the sex wasn't going to... complicate that. Or really end it all together."

There was a pause. "Really?"

"Yeah. I don't know. I just wanted to make sure of our footing, I guess. Before that last step."

She groaned.

"What?"

"I just..." He could hear her swallow before she continued. "That's just the first time I really, actually, felt a little jealous, this whole time."

"Oh, no! It's not-"

"No, I know," she said. "But it's just... you're putting the relationship with her above the sex with her. Which is the right thing to do, probably, but..."

"It's not like... that."

"I know." She giggled a little. "And look, I don't really have a leg to stand on here. I mean, Mark and I just... you should really be the one feeling jealous, here." Her voice got serious. "I know things are changing here, fast. With our relationships to these two, and maybe a bit with each other. I don't mind that. Just promise me... when you get home... you'll love me as much as you did when you left."

It pained his heart to hear the worry in her voice. "Chrissy. I promise. I'll love you more."

"That is the right response," she said, her voice sounding genuinely comforted. "Now go tell Beth to figure this out!" Her voice adopted a goofier tone. "I want you to fuck our roommate, too, babe! At least then we'd be on equal footing."

"What?!" came a voice from the phone's background. Rachel, clearly, had overheard that one.

"Oh shit," said Chrissy. Kevin laughed as he pictured her intense blush. "Um, I gotta go."

"Good luck explaining that one," Kevin said with a smile.

She groaned. "I love you."

"I love you more," he responded, before hearing the click.

***

Rather than worry about his relationships, Kevin poured into his work. Ticket after ticket, fix after fix, he was a machine, tackling problems left and right.

The day flew past. He had lunch delivered to the room, but hardly looked up from his laptop as he ate.

He was a little worried he hadn't heard from Beth. Had their talk... had he ruined everything? He pushed the thought out, diving back into his work, distracting himself.

Finally, in the late afternoon, the door opened. Beth appeared, putting down a notepad.

"Hey!" said Kevin, a little eagerly.

"Hey," she said. Her voice was cold and neutral- the voice Beth had before all this began. That made Kevin feel a little uneasy.

"How was it today?"

"Good." She sat down on the couch next to him. "How is... coding life?"

"Good. Busy."

There was an awkward pause as Beth tapped away on her phone. Kevin felt his heart race, kicking himself. Did all this... make them take a step back in their relationship?

"Can you get out early?" she asked him.

"I think so. Why?"

Finally, Beth put down the phone and spoke again. "We'll head to the hotel's penthouse. I'm going to play a couple hands of poker with a client at a private table. And then we'll get dinner." Her voice softened, and she finally looked at him. "And... talk."

"Yeah?" he asked, relief in his voice that her icy tone melted a bit.

"Yeah. Just the two of us."

Kevin felt a smile creep on his face. "Good. I'm looking forward to it."

She smiled back, but there was still a certain closedness to her. A bit of strangeness in the air. "Throw on your suit and be ready in- thirty?"

"Sure," he said. She got up, walked to her room, and closed the door behind her.

He sighed. He closed his own laptop, headed to his room, and threw on his suit and fixed his hair, getting ready.

When he was done, he went back to the common room, opening up the laptop and putting a couple finishing touches on things at work.

After thirty minutes had passed, almost to the minute, Beth's door opened again.

Gone was the perfectly put together corporate outfit. Instead, she wore a stunning evening gown, still professional, but one which brought out her striking beauty. It was blue to match his own navy suit, though was lighter in color. A cut along the side teased a long leg, and a tight center accentuated her hourglass shape. It left her shoulders exposed, and as she walked into the room, he noted how much of the back was left revealed as well.

"Jesus. Beth."

She looked at him.

"You look gorgeous."

She gave a small smile. "It's a nice dress, isn't it?"

"Well, you'd look good in a potato sack. But yes, you look... stunning."

He stood up in front of her. With higher heels on, she was again just an inch or so taller than Kevin was. Her hands found their way to his tie, almost reaching out to adjust it, before pausing, just inches away from his chest.

"Not quite right?" he asked, lost in her eyes. The dress really brought out the blue in them.

Her fingers lingered for a moment, before she seemed to make a decision, quickly fixing the tie. Once it was in the right spot, she flattened it, resting her hand on his chest for a moment.

"There," she said, breathlessly. "Perfect."

They studied each other's faces for a moment, both trying hard to ignore the sudden and obvious sexual tension.

Kevin broke first, stepping aside and offering her an arm.

She wrapped her hands around his arm, linking together, and they began to walk to the elevator.

"This feels like prom, or something," Kevin said lightly, once they were in the hallway. "I just need a corsage."

"I wouldn't know," said Beth. "I never went to mine."

"What?" asked Kevin, genuinely shocked.

"I didn't have a date."

"Well I could never get a date, either. But I did go with friends. You didn't want to...?"

"No, I never really had..." Beth trailed off, her ears red. She looked so uncharacteristically unsure of herself at that moment. "I didn't have that many close friends, growing up."

They stood in front of the elevator together. Kevin looked at her for a moment. "Really?"

"Yep." She smiled at Kevin, sadly. "You know, I haven't ever told anyone that in years."

He was suddenly struck by an idea. He glanced over at the table across from the elevators, looking for any prop. Nothing but a notepad- it would have to do.

He walked over to it and ripped off the first page, crumpling it into a cone vaguely resembling the shape of a bouquet of flowers.

"Beth?" he asked seriously, turning back towards her.

Beth looked at him as if he'd gone insane. "Yes?"

"Will you," he started, getting on one knee, "go to prom with me?" He held out the crumpled paper bouquet dramatically for effect.

Beth looked absolutely dumbfounded for a second, before her hand found its way to her face, covering a laugh, tickled at the absurdity of it.

Kevin smiled, glad to see her icy shell was melting further.

"So is that a yes or...?"

"Yes, Kevin," she said, her eyes still laughing. "I'd love to go to prom with you."

He stood up. "Great. Can your mom drive us?"

She laughed again. "We're not getting a limo?"

He offered his arm again, which she took, smiling. "Look," he said, showing her the paper, "I don't even have real flower money. You think I have limo money?" He leaned towards the nearby trash, looking to toss it in.

"Don't!" she said.

He turned to her, genuinely surprised at her tone. "You seriously...?"

"A girl only gets flowers for prom once," she said, mock seriously. She took the cone of paper and held it at her side, smiling back at him.

Somehow, despite starting the day in a weird place, they were back to where they belonged, thought Kevin as they got on the elevator. She pressed the top button, and they began to ascend.

"You're right," she said, quietly. "We'll talk about it tonight, but. Those moments. I don't want to lose them, either."

They looked at each other seriously in silence.

The moment was interrupted by the ding of the elevator, revealing their floor. Beth led them down the hallway, opening the door to the penthouse.

Inside the large suite was a small group of executives mingling, everyone dressed their best. All eyes glanced at Beth- Kevin may as well have been invisible next to her. One older gentleman waved at her across the room, and Beth smiled back politely.

"That's the CFO at a company called Lumina," she whispered to Kevin.

"You need to go schmooze with him?"

She tsk'd at Kevin. "Too desperate. I'll let him come to me."

"Such a shark," replied Kevin with a smile.

An attractive hostess greeted them, holding a glass of champagne for each of them. "Welcome! There's food on the table around the corner, and we can get you any of the drinks we offer at the hotel. Please let me know if you two need anything."

Beth held out the paper bouquet once they had taken their glasses. "Can you protect this with your life?"

The hostess looked down at what was, quite clearly, a crumpled piece of blank paper. "Um. Sure?" She took it carefully before flashing them a practiced smile.

"That woman thinks you're insane," said Kevin quietly to Beth as the hostess walked away.

Beth shrugged. "There'll be a big tip in it for her for humoring me."

Kevin gestured around. "So how is this... legal? I mean, we're gambling in a hotel room in Vegas. I assumed it would be more regulated than this."

"Chips aren't worth anything. They're not the casino's real chips. This is just a friendly game, the dealer gets an hourly rate. Given money will probably exchange hands at some point, it's... legally vague, but we don't mention that to the hotel, and they're happy to bend some rules around given how much money we're the company is spending here this year."

"This is hosted by your company?"

"Yep."

"So are these people mostly your coworkers?"

"No, it's mostly clients and potential clients. But maybe a quarter of the people here work for my company.'

"Is... Jacob here?"

Beth's eyes shined mischievously. "Why?" she whispered, as they made their way further in the suite. "What else do you want to do just outside his view?"