Keaton<\/strong><\/h4>\n\u201cLook,\u201d Annika whispers in my ear. Under the table, her small hand squeezes my thigh,
\nwhile her cheek gently nudges my chin toward the doorway. \u201cHe\u2019s cute.\u201d
\n\u201cSubtle,\u201d I tease before giving the object of her attention a cursory glance. He\u2019s just a tall
\nguy with brown hair, nothing special as far as I can tell. \u201cHow about we save this conversation
\nfor later?\u201d
\nShe rolls her eyes. \u201cWe both know there won\u2019t be a conversation, Keaton. You like playing
\nalong, but you won\u2019t actually go through with it.\u201d This time she forgets to lower her voice.
\n\u201cGo through with what?\u201d one of my frat brothers asks from across the table. Tanner, Judd,
\nand I had popped into the campus Starbucks for a caffeine fix after practice. Annika\u2019s next class
\nis directly across the street, so she\u2019d come to say hi before class.
\n\u201cNothing,\u201d I tell Tanner.
\nIf you can call your girlfriend wanting a threesome with another dude \u201cnothing.\u201d
\nYup, my girlfriend wants a threesome. And here I\u2019d thought that, after six years together,
\nAnnika couldn\u2019t surprise me anymore.
\nShe and I have been inseparable since junior year of high school. I know every last detail
\nabout her, from her food preferences to her pet peeves. I know she gets anxiety in long lines, that
\nshe sneezes any time she gets a whiff of cinnamon, that she loves the beach but hates skiing.
\nWhat I didn\u2019t know was that my girlfriend fantasizes about threesomes. The first time she
\nbrought it up, I thought she was kidding around. Annika Schiffer, heiress to a home-furnishings
\nfortune, wants to bang two guys at the same time? Yeah right.<\/em>
\nMy girl is the president of her sorority, wears a pearl necklace (and not the fun kind) on a
\ndaily basis, and made me wait until we were eighteen to lose our virginities to each other. Don\u2019t
\nget me wrong\u2014she\u2019s not some uptight rich bitch with a stick up her butt. She\u2019s fun and warm
\nand fierce when someone tries to mess with her or her loved ones.
\nBut she\u2019s also\u2026 I\u2019ll just say it: vanilla.
\nI didn\u2019t think she was serious about the threesome thing until last week, when I\u2019d asked her
\nwhat she wanted for her birthday and she brought up the idea again.
\nI move my lips to her ear so Tanner and Judd can\u2019t overhear. \u201cDon\u2019t you worry, babe,
\nthere\u2019ll be more than just a conversation,\u201d I rasp.
\nShe shivers, and then flashes me a dazzling smile. Her face is flawless. Classic features,
\npouty lips, and smooth skin that\u2019s just the right amount of dewy. She works hard and spends a lot
\nof money for that skin. I\u2019ve been in her bathroom at the sorority house, so I\u2019ve seen all the
\nproducts she puts on her face to keep it looking so perfect. Not to mention the monthly facials,
\nwhich require her to fly to New York every month because this little college town we live in
\ndoesn\u2019t have a \u201ccompetent aesthetician\u201d\u2014her words, not mine.
\nIt helps that her father owns a helicopter that can accommodate her monthly treks. I\u2019m not
\none to judge, though. My dad has his own jet.
\n\u201cI can\u2019t wait,\u201d she says before hopping off my lap. \u201cCome over tonight after practice, okay,
\nbaby? I have to go to class now.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019ll see you later.\u201d
\n\u201cBye, boys.\u201d Annika\u2019s hand flutters in a wave on her way to the door.
\n\u201cLater!\u201d Tanner calls after her. And if I\u2019m not mistaken, he takes a longing look at her ass.
\n\u201cDude,\u201d I say. \u201cIf you\u2019re going to eye-fuck my girlfriend, you could at least be subtle about
\nit.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d Tanner argues. \u201cShe\u2019d be flattered. And you should know how good you\u2019ve got it.
\nBesides, I\u2019m harmless.\u201d He flashes me a big smile. \u201cWhat are we doing this weekend, anyway?\u201d
\nTanner asks. \u201cThe Presidential Dance-off, right?\u201d
\nI shake my head. \u201cThat\u2019s, like, in two weeks, man.\u201d
\n\u201cReally? Why did I think it was sooner?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause you\u2019re stupid,\u201d Judd offers helpfully.
\nTanner gives him the finger, before turning back to me. \u201cDo you know what you\u2019re doing
\nfor yours yet?\u201d
\nI have no clue. And no, dancing isn\u2019t an actual requirement for our fraternity\u2019s presidential
\nrace. But it used to be. A few decades ago, the candidates running for frat president decided a
\ndance-off was the only<\/em> way to decide who was more fit to lead. Hence, the Presidential Dance-
\noff was born. On our living room walls, there are old photos of well-dressed men with slicked-
\nback hair and girls in poodle skirts on their arms.
\nMy fraternity has long-held traditions that began well before the invention of the red Solo
\ncup. But these days, Alpha Delta has evolved. Or devolved, depending who you ask. Instead of
\nperfecting his twist and his mashed potato, the presidential candidate is expected to dazzle the
\nother members by planning a kickass event. I\u2019m talking epic. Monumental. The kind of party that
\nwill be remembered for years to come.
\nAlthough, like dance moves, I\u2019m not entirely sure that party planning is a solid indicator of
\nwhat makes a good president. Sure, frats throw a lot of parties, but there\u2019s a social committee for
\nthat.
\nThe role of president is actually pretty lame, according to Reedsy, our current prez. He
\npulled me aside after I threw my name in the race and admitted that it\u2019s a boring gig and that I
\nshould reconsider. \u201cSo much fucking responsibility on your shoulders, dude,\u201d he\u2019d bemoaned.
\nFor a moment, I\u2019d almost bailed. To be honest, I\u2019m only running because my dad was
\npresident of Alpha Delt in his heyday, and my granddad before him. But that\u2019s also the reason I
\ncouldn\u2019t bail. My father would lose his shit if the Hayworth legacy ended with me.
\nSo I have ten days to plan a legendary party.
\n\u201cMaybe I can just hire an event planner?\u201d I suggest.
\n\u201cNo way.\u201d Judd\u2019s response is immediate. \u201cIf that fuckhead Bailey finds out, he\u2019ll have you
\nimpeached.\u201d
\n\u201cYou can\u2019t\u00a0impeach someone until he\u2019s elected,\u201d Tanner points out.
\nStill, I don\u2019t want to be accused of cheating. What a pain in the ass this whole thing is. \u201cWe
\ncan brainstorm about this on Sunday night. We have a game to win on Saturday.\u201d
\n\u201cOh, we\u2019re going to win,\u201d Tanner promises.
\nBut I\u2019m not so sure. Not only am I worried about the Northern Mass offense, I think my
\nfather is driving up for the game. So winning isn\u2019t even enough. If the Northern Mass players
\naren\u2019t crying into their helmets after the fourth quarter, my father will still give me hell at brunch
\nthe next day.
\nAnd here I thought weekends were meant to be relaxing.
\n\u201cFine,\u201d Judd says. \u201cWe\u2019ll talk about your campaign after the other meeting on Sunday
\nnight.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat other meeting?\u201d I search my brain and come up empty.
\n\u201cPledge Committee,\u201d he says, gulping the last of his coffee.
\nOh, phew. \u201cI don\u2019t have to go to that one. I\u2019m not on PC this year.\u201d
\n\u201cBut I sent you that email?\u201d Judd whines. \u201cI told you I need you there. Initiation night is
\ncoming up and my committee is lame.\u201d
\n\u201cWho\u2019s on it, anyway? What do you have planned?\u201d Note to self: be conveniently<\/em>
\nunavailable on Sunday night<\/em>. There is no way I\u2019m sitting on the Pledge Committee again.
\nDealing with last year\u2019s pledge class was a total pain in the ass.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s Ahmad, who\u2019s smart but boring. Paul, who\u2019s just boring. Owen, who\u2019s fun but not
\nexactly creative. And Paxton, who\u2019s just a tool.\u201d He sighs. \u201cWhatever. At least Bailey isn\u2019t on it
\nthis time. Remember what a buzz kill he was last year? I fucking hate that guy.\u201d
\nNo big secret there. Judd\u2019s had it in for Luke Bailey ever since the guy rushed Alpha Delt
\nsophomore year. And say what you will about Judd, but he\u2019s not an asshole unless he feels
\nyou\u2019ve given him a reason. He\u2019s a bro to the core\u2014he believes in male bonding, high fives, and,
\nin his mind, a friendship isn\u2019t official unless you\u2019ve bled together, partied together, and nursed
\nyour twin hangovers the morning after.
\nLuke Bailey doesn\u2019t subscribe to this philosophy. The moment he scoffed at Judd\u2019s attempt
\nat a fist bump, he earned himself an enemy in Judd Keller.
\nSince then, their tumultuous acquaintanceship has only gotten worse. Luke is a cocky ass
\nwhen he wants to be, and Judd hates feeling like he\u2019s being mocked or judged.
\nOh, and then Bailey banged Judd\u2019s ex. So there\u2019s that.
\n\u201cYou exert too much mental energy on that guy,\u201d Tanner informs Judd. Tanner\u2019s a psych
\nmajor, so he\u2019s constantly dishing out (pretty good) advice that everyone mostly ignores.
\n\u201cHolding onto anger isn\u2019t conducive to robust mental health.\u201d
\n\u201cFirst of all, say the word robust<\/em> one more time and I\u2019ll clock you. You know how I feel
\nabout that, bro.\u201d Indignation flashes in Judd eyes. \u201cAnd second of all, Luke Bailey screwed my
\ngirlfriend! I\u2019m never not<\/em> gonna be angry at that prick.\u201d
\n\u201cEx<\/em>-girlfriend,\u201d I hedge, but it earns me a deep scowl from Judd. The two of us are
\nteammates, and I do feel loyalty to him, but I\u2019m also not afraid to call it like it is. \u201cYou and
\nTherese were broken up for months.\u201d
\n\u201cMe and Therese are never<\/em> broken up. Sure, we take short breaks, a hiatus or two. But
\nshe\u2019s my girl,\u201d Judd says tightly. \u201cEverybody knows that.\u201d
\n\u201cBailey says he didn\u2019t,\u201d Tanner says.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s bullshit. He\u2019s a liar. And now he\u2019s trying to screw K over!\u201d Judd growls. \u201cHe
\njoined the presidential race to get back at me. I just know it.\u201d
\n\u201cYou think?\u201d Tanner looks skeptical. \u201cBecause that would be sociopathic lengths to go to
\njust to spite you.\u201d
\n\u201cYeah,\u201d I agree with a chuckle. \u201cBailey\u2019s a prick, but I can\u2019t see him taking on the huge
\nresponsibility of running a fraternity just to flip you the metaphorical bird.\u201d Although if I\u2019m
\nbeing honest, I don\u2019t know<\/em> why Luke Bailey is running for prez. The guy hasn\u2019t shown much
\ninterest in frat activities since he joined us.
\n\u201cHe totally would,\u201d Judd argues.
\n\u201cHey, we got class now,\u201d Tanner reminds our sulking buddy. \u201cWe should book it over
\nthere.\u201d
\n\u201cFine.\u201d Judd scrapes his chair back and gets to his feet. His cloudy gaze meets mine again.
\n\u201cI\u2019m serious, man. Bailey is bad news, and we need to kick his ass in this campaign. There\u2019s no
\nway I\u2019m letting him be our president.\u201d
\n\u201cDon\u2019t worry. He won\u2019t be.\u201d
\nOnce my friends are gone, I let out a tired sigh. I don\u2019t particularly care about Judd\u2019s beef
\nwith Bailey at the moment. I have a football game to win, a campaign to plan, and a father to
\nimpress.
\nAnd a girlfriend to please.
\nI go up to the counter to get a refill, then settle in my cozy corner of the coffeehouse and
\nopen the app I downloaded last night. I hadn\u2019t lied to Annika earlier\u2014her birthday request is in
\nthe forefront of my mind. I just need to do some investigating first.
\nWelcome to Kink!<\/em>
\nAdd a profile pic.<\/em>
\nAdd bio.<\/em>
\nI\u2019d wanted to fill all this out last night, but my frat brothers suckered me into an epic
\nsession of Red Dead Redemption<\/em> that lasted till three a.m. Now I quickly scroll through the
\ncamera roll on my phone until I find a suitable one. It\u2019s of Annika and me, taken in Easthampton
\nlast summer. She looks smokin\u2019 hot in a teeny string bikini, and my abs are looking tight, if I do
\nsay so myself. I crop out our faces and load the photo.
\nI skip the bio for now, because I\u2019m feeling impatient. I want to see what this app has to
\noffer more than I want to break my brain thinking of one hundred and forty-five characters to
\ndescribe how my girlfriend wants to bang two men at the same time.
\nActually, that\u2019s pretty much the gist of it.
\nStill, I\u2019m curious to check out the goods. Kink<\/em> is more hookup app than dating app, and
\nI\u2019m pleased to discover it lets you search for users who\u2019ve expressed interest in certain
\narrangements.
\nI click on the threesome box in the search section. There are an eye-opening number of
\noptions, combinations that hadn\u2019t even occurred to me. Annika wants another guy, though, so I
\nponder the easiest combos.
\nm\/f\/m<\/em>
\nm\/m\/f<\/em>
\nMy finger hovers over the m\/f\/m button. The other option means the men are allowed to
\ntouch, I think. It\u2019s the moment of truth. Some guys would hate this idea. I don\u2019t, though. I\u2019m a
\nscientist. Experimenting is what I do.
\nI even dreamt about sex with men once. Or twice. I never mentioned that to Annika. But
\nwhy would I? I\u2019ve also dreamt of meeting a dragon who smoked clove cigarettes. The things my
\nbrain invents while I\u2019m sleeping aren\u2019t newsworthy.
\nBut I\u2019d be lying if I said that Annika\u2019s shocking birthday request turns me off. I\u2019ll try
\nanything once. And the app lets you click as many boxes as you want. So after looking over my
\nshoulder once more just to make sure nobody I know is watching, I tap both options and usher in
\nthe possibility of taking a walk on the wild side.
\nThe threesome has to be with a stranger, though. I\u2019m certain that any one of my frat
\nbrothers would be down to help me give my girl a night to remember. Well, except Dan, who\u2019s
\nonly down for dudes. And, well, Bailey, who thinks I\u2019m an ass. I think he\u2019s an ass, too, so I guess
\nwe\u2019re even.
\nBut I can\u2019t do this with someone I know. What if the whole night is awkward as fuck? If
\nit\u2019s a brother, I\u2019ll still have to live with him. If it\u2019s a teammate, I\u2019ll still have to see him in the
\nlocker room.
\nAnd then there\u2019s the opposite scenario. What if it\u2019s not awkward as fuck? What if I like it a
\nwhole lot?
\nYeah, I don\u2019t want my buddies judging me. A stranger for the win, then.
\nI lean back in my chair and start swiping.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bestselling authors Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy return with their first Male \/ Male romance in 3 years Releasing 7 May 2019 Apple\u00a0 |\u00a0 Kobo\u00a0 |\u00a0 Nook Blurb LobsterShorts, 21 Jock. Secretly a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42533,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"Product","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[290],"tags":[300,28,378],"class_list":["post-42529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-news","tag-cover-reveal","tag-elle-kennedy","tag-sarina-bowen"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Top-Secret.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-b3X","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=42529"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42529\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/42533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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