Bedroom Games
Page 16
My shallow breathing slowed, just a little. “It’s really dark,” I said in a choked voice. “I don’t like the dark.”
“Just think of it as playing seven minutes in heaven,” he said, shifting. His weight was pressing on me, his knee pressed between my legs. The coffin was barely big enough for both of us, which made this extremely cozy—or awkward, depending on your choice.
A nervous laugh bubbled out of my throat. “Seven minutes in heaven? With you?”
“I’m a good choice,” he said, and sounded a little stung by my amusement. “Why’s that so funny?”
“You only kiss a girl to get ahead in this game,” I told him breathlessly.
“All contestants are now buried,” Becky Bradley’s voice said from a small speaker somewhere near my ear. “Start digging your way out at the sound of the buzzer.”
“You’re wrong,” Brodie said.
My thoughts were nervous, mad flickers. Where was that buzzer? What if we didn’t hear it? Why was Brodie still talking to me? “Wrong about what?”
“I’d kiss you without gameplay being involved,” Brodie said, and I could have sworn his tongue flicked against my ear.
Before I could question his confession, a loud buzzer sounded, and I yelped, startled.
“Come on,” Brodie said, and I felt him jerk against me. “Help me break the coffin lid.”
I lifted a trembling arm and ran my fingers along the lid. It was cool and smooth…and slightly…oily? Was it really chocolate? I hadn’t paid attention when they’d lowered us, being too nervous about the whole ‘being buried alive’ thing. I scratched at the lid, and shavings came off under my nails.
Brodie’s breathing was hard and fast in my ear, distracting me from my own fear. He surged again, and I heard him grunt. “This stuff’s thick,” he told me. “Come on. At the count of three.”
I nodded into the dark, then realized he couldn’t see that. “Okay.”
“One…two…three!”
He surged again, and I kicked upward at the same time. The lid moved, but fell back down heavily again, and I whimpered as some sort of dirt came in from the sides, spattering me. They’d really buried us? That freaked me out all over again, and my breathing became shallow, my lungs burning.
“I want out,” I said in a small voice. “I need out.” I kicked at the coffin lid again.
“I know,” Brodie said. “I’m trying. Come on. At the count of three again.”
“No,” I said. “Right now. I can’t breathe!”
“You can,” Brodie reassured me. “It’s just a stupid TV show challenge. Don’t wig out on me, Kandis. We need to win this week, because we need that safety net. You hear me? I want that money.”
“Money,” I breathed. I needed that money. I needed to save Mom. I couldn’t afford to panic. “Count of three,” I rasped, my fists clenching.
“Good girl,” Brodie gritted. “Again. One…two…three!”
This time, there was a loud crack and pieces of the coffin fell in on us as it broke. I sputtered all over again, and my mouth filled with dirt. I spat it, shocked, and then began to laugh as chunks fell on my face.
They’d buried us in cookies. The ‘dirt’ was cookie dust. A chocolate coffin and cookie dust. I’d freaked out over nothing.
I felt Brodie surge again, and my legs kicked at the bottom half of the coffin. I clawed at the mountain of cookies pushing on me, and a moment later, someone grabbed my hand and hauled me upright. It was Brodie, his face and hair covered in cookie crumbs. He looked like a mess, and he was frowning over my shoulder.
I turned around and saw Sunnie and Casper cheering, hugging each other as a light flashed at the head of their grave.
Damn it. Second place.
“Sunnie and Casper, you have won this week’s Power Play,” Becky called out over the chaos of breaking chocolate coffins and the sound of cookies rolling everywhere. As I watched, Jendan and Marla clawed their way out of their grave nearby, and hands were emerging from the other two graves.
I rubbed at my face, which only caused more cookie crumbs to fall into my eyes. I blinked hard, and then Brodie’s fingers were brushing at my skin, swiping away the dust. “We’re fucked now,” he said. “Unless I can work on Sunnie. Just be ready.”
I nodded.
“Contestants, please return to the living room,” a voice said over the intercom. Not Becky Bradley’s. “We’ll return from commercial in three minutes, so clean yourselves up as best you can.”
“Um, shouldn’t we help the others out of their coffins?” Sunnie said, looking over where Fido and Jayme were still struggling to get out, and I didn’t even see Mickey’s hands anymore.
“Probably a good idea,” Brodie laughed, and he offered me a hand. We climbed out of our grave and then headed to Mickey’s side to help him out, while Marla and Jendan moved to help Fido and Jayme.
We helped Mickey up, and when he held on to my hand a little longer than I liked, I smiled sweetly instead of shaking him off. I could deal with a little bit of handsiness…for a time.
Katy handed all of us towels, and we mopped cookie off of our faces as we trudged back into the living room. One by one, we settled onto the couches. Mickey sat next to me, and on instructions from the intercom, Sunnie and Casper sat in the nomination seats, since they had Power this week. They’d been awarded the Power Play necklace, and Casper now wore it around his neck.
The TV monitor cut back on again, and Becky’s smiling, bland face looked back down at us. “House Guests, I warned you that there would be a twist this week, and now it’s time. Are you ready?”
I looked at Brodie nervously and scanned the faces of the others. They looked equally unnerved.
Becky began to speak again. “This week, to get an idea of where the house is heading, we’re going to have…an impromptu vote off. No one is on the block. You will vote as teams, and you’ll cast your vote for the team you want gone. If your team is voted off, both of you will be removed from the game. Does everyone understand?”
Oh shit. A team vote off? With no particular person nominated? If they all voted for Brodie, my ship would go down with his.
This was not good.
“Great,” Becky said. “Sunnie and Casper, since you have Power this week, you will vote first.”
They got up and clasped hands, heading out to the confessional booth to cast their vote. I gave Brodie a tense look, but he wouldn’t look in my direction. He seemed to be assessing the others, watching their faces.
“Brodie and Kandis, please go to the voting booth,” a voice piped in, and we jerked to our feet. I put my hand in Brodie’s, and we headed to the booth. My thoughts were whirling.
I was pretty sure Marla and Jendan would vote for Katy and Liam. In fact, I was pretty sure most of the teams would vote for Katy and Liam. But what if one or two tossed their votes our way? We had to ensure that it wasn’t a tie.
So when we got in the booth, I leaned in to Brodie’s ear. “I think we should vote for Katy and Liam. Make sure that we know who’s going home and keep our heads off the chopping block.”
“Just think of it as playing seven minutes in heaven,” he said, shifting. His weight was pressing on me, his knee pressed between my legs. The coffin was barely big enough for both of us, which made this extremely cozy—or awkward, depending on your choice.
A nervous laugh bubbled out of my throat. “Seven minutes in heaven? With you?”
“I’m a good choice,” he said, and sounded a little stung by my amusement. “Why’s that so funny?”
“You only kiss a girl to get ahead in this game,” I told him breathlessly.
“All contestants are now buried,” Becky Bradley’s voice said from a small speaker somewhere near my ear. “Start digging your way out at the sound of the buzzer.”
“You’re wrong,” Brodie said.
My thoughts were nervous, mad flickers. Where was that buzzer? What if we didn’t hear it? Why was Brodie still talking to me? “Wrong about what?”
“I’d kiss you without gameplay being involved,” Brodie said, and I could have sworn his tongue flicked against my ear.
Before I could question his confession, a loud buzzer sounded, and I yelped, startled.
“Come on,” Brodie said, and I felt him jerk against me. “Help me break the coffin lid.”
I lifted a trembling arm and ran my fingers along the lid. It was cool and smooth…and slightly…oily? Was it really chocolate? I hadn’t paid attention when they’d lowered us, being too nervous about the whole ‘being buried alive’ thing. I scratched at the lid, and shavings came off under my nails.
Brodie’s breathing was hard and fast in my ear, distracting me from my own fear. He surged again, and I heard him grunt. “This stuff’s thick,” he told me. “Come on. At the count of three.”
I nodded into the dark, then realized he couldn’t see that. “Okay.”
“One…two…three!”
He surged again, and I kicked upward at the same time. The lid moved, but fell back down heavily again, and I whimpered as some sort of dirt came in from the sides, spattering me. They’d really buried us? That freaked me out all over again, and my breathing became shallow, my lungs burning.
“I want out,” I said in a small voice. “I need out.” I kicked at the coffin lid again.
“I know,” Brodie said. “I’m trying. Come on. At the count of three again.”
“No,” I said. “Right now. I can’t breathe!”
“You can,” Brodie reassured me. “It’s just a stupid TV show challenge. Don’t wig out on me, Kandis. We need to win this week, because we need that safety net. You hear me? I want that money.”
“Money,” I breathed. I needed that money. I needed to save Mom. I couldn’t afford to panic. “Count of three,” I rasped, my fists clenching.
“Good girl,” Brodie gritted. “Again. One…two…three!”
This time, there was a loud crack and pieces of the coffin fell in on us as it broke. I sputtered all over again, and my mouth filled with dirt. I spat it, shocked, and then began to laugh as chunks fell on my face.
They’d buried us in cookies. The ‘dirt’ was cookie dust. A chocolate coffin and cookie dust. I’d freaked out over nothing.
I felt Brodie surge again, and my legs kicked at the bottom half of the coffin. I clawed at the mountain of cookies pushing on me, and a moment later, someone grabbed my hand and hauled me upright. It was Brodie, his face and hair covered in cookie crumbs. He looked like a mess, and he was frowning over my shoulder.
I turned around and saw Sunnie and Casper cheering, hugging each other as a light flashed at the head of their grave.
Damn it. Second place.
“Sunnie and Casper, you have won this week’s Power Play,” Becky called out over the chaos of breaking chocolate coffins and the sound of cookies rolling everywhere. As I watched, Jendan and Marla clawed their way out of their grave nearby, and hands were emerging from the other two graves.
I rubbed at my face, which only caused more cookie crumbs to fall into my eyes. I blinked hard, and then Brodie’s fingers were brushing at my skin, swiping away the dust. “We’re fucked now,” he said. “Unless I can work on Sunnie. Just be ready.”
I nodded.
“Contestants, please return to the living room,” a voice said over the intercom. Not Becky Bradley’s. “We’ll return from commercial in three minutes, so clean yourselves up as best you can.”
“Um, shouldn’t we help the others out of their coffins?” Sunnie said, looking over where Fido and Jayme were still struggling to get out, and I didn’t even see Mickey’s hands anymore.
“Probably a good idea,” Brodie laughed, and he offered me a hand. We climbed out of our grave and then headed to Mickey’s side to help him out, while Marla and Jendan moved to help Fido and Jayme.
We helped Mickey up, and when he held on to my hand a little longer than I liked, I smiled sweetly instead of shaking him off. I could deal with a little bit of handsiness…for a time.
Katy handed all of us towels, and we mopped cookie off of our faces as we trudged back into the living room. One by one, we settled onto the couches. Mickey sat next to me, and on instructions from the intercom, Sunnie and Casper sat in the nomination seats, since they had Power this week. They’d been awarded the Power Play necklace, and Casper now wore it around his neck.
The TV monitor cut back on again, and Becky’s smiling, bland face looked back down at us. “House Guests, I warned you that there would be a twist this week, and now it’s time. Are you ready?”
I looked at Brodie nervously and scanned the faces of the others. They looked equally unnerved.
Becky began to speak again. “This week, to get an idea of where the house is heading, we’re going to have…an impromptu vote off. No one is on the block. You will vote as teams, and you’ll cast your vote for the team you want gone. If your team is voted off, both of you will be removed from the game. Does everyone understand?”
Oh shit. A team vote off? With no particular person nominated? If they all voted for Brodie, my ship would go down with his.
This was not good.
“Great,” Becky said. “Sunnie and Casper, since you have Power this week, you will vote first.”
They got up and clasped hands, heading out to the confessional booth to cast their vote. I gave Brodie a tense look, but he wouldn’t look in my direction. He seemed to be assessing the others, watching their faces.
“Brodie and Kandis, please go to the voting booth,” a voice piped in, and we jerked to our feet. I put my hand in Brodie’s, and we headed to the booth. My thoughts were whirling.
I was pretty sure Marla and Jendan would vote for Katy and Liam. In fact, I was pretty sure most of the teams would vote for Katy and Liam. But what if one or two tossed their votes our way? We had to ensure that it wasn’t a tie.
So when we got in the booth, I leaned in to Brodie’s ear. “I think we should vote for Katy and Liam. Make sure that we know who’s going home and keep our heads off the chopping block.”
