"Like what?"
Rick shrugged. "He’s burnt on Barbie doll types — they’re high-maintenance. I agree with him that far…" He shook his head. "But he’s decided he likes 'em chunky…" He shivered.
"Well, Sally isn’t real fat," Teela defended her friend.
"That’s what HE said," Rick responded. "Something about wide, or thick — or just big … He says she has a pretty face and pretty hands and feet, too." He shook his head. "I have to tell you — there’s too much of her there for MY taste…"
"So you won’t be lining up to bang her when Lon drops her?" Teela prodded.
Rick looked disgusted. "That’s not the plan. Lon’s talking about seeing if she meets spec for a long-term thing…"
"Like, what is long-term?" Teela eyed her companion.
"Look, read my lips, okay? I’m talking relationship…" Rick rolled his eyes.
"Like he’s taking an honest crack at her? Come ON, now!"
"That’s what I said!" Rick replied. "That just got me the look — as far as I can tell, he’s deadly serious…"
"So what does he think he’s getting?" Teela asked.
"Well…" Time to tread carefully… "A calm chick who isn’t money-hungry or self-centered. Lon, well, he’s self-centered enough — he needs a chick that can put up with it." Rick grimaced. "I won’t kid you — he’s going to want to fuck, and he knows what he likes and he’s going to want to be able to get it — but the flip side is that he’s not looking for a seat cover, he’s looking for a chick to take out and be with. I guess the movie thing went real well the other day, too…"
"You’re freaking me out!" Teela gasped. "You’re talking like steady girlfriend? Like prom date?"
Rick shrugged. "Unless he’s pulling MY chain — and he’s got no reason other than to make me puke…"
"Hey!"
"Sorry." Rick shrugged. "Sally seems nice, but there is this visceral thing with me — I’m not interested."
"Well, that’s fair…" Teela grimaced. God knew what he thought of HER…
"I don’t think I can do placid," Rick mused, "No challenge in it. I’m used to high-strung…" Suddenly he shut up. Teela sat for ten seconds, waiting for him to continue, but he was like stone. She leaned forward to look at his face and his expression never changed, but his eyes tracked her. Finally, he husked, "You know, both of those idiots think…" He shut up again and looked away.
Teela got it. Oh, shit! "Let’s watch the movie," she croaked.
Neither of them said a word for the next two hours.
Chapter 31
Posted: March 08, 2009 - 06:17:29 pm
The pair didn’t talk about it, but the fact that Lon and Sally thought Rick and Teela might make a couple wasn’t a dead subject, by any means. Teela had gotten it from Sally, and Rick from Lon — and the strange thing was that they hadn’t killed one another, yet … Rick had been having a blast until he realized where it was all heading — and that left him more than a little freaked! Teela went over the whole incident thus far in her head and came to a couple of weird realizations: First, she hadn’t won a single point against him — never mind the engagement! Second, it was all apparently effortless on his part. Third, when they got down to talking about Lon and Sally, he’d shifted to a mode that was apparently totally honest; his reactions to Sally, for instance — why would he fake them? If he was REALLY covering Lon, wouldn’t he be trying to bullshit her with talk about how she was some kind of jewel in the rough, or something? (Sally was, by the way, in Teela’s opinion — else why would Sally put up with HER?) Teela knew where Rick was — they’d crossed over into the Twilight Zone at some point and were looking for the road back — or maybe forward…
Rick took forty-five minutes to put his hand back on Teela’s shoulder — and she made DAMNED sure she didn’t flinch! But the whole thing wasn’t comfortable when Rick went at it seriously — he just couldn’t bring himself to be more demonstrative. He needed something — some way to overcome the set of nerves the whole thing had generated when he realized that the whole thing could get serious…
The pair sat through the entire end credits while the theater emptied, the tacit explanation being that sometimes the movie would feature some cute little clip at the end … Finally, they got up and sidled toward the stairs along the wall.
Teela took advantage of her leading position and the fact that she was facing away from him to reopen a subject that was very much alive for both of them, "Look, just because those two idiots think…"
"Shut up!" Rick pushed her and she stumbled against the wall, "Hey!" She took a swing at him — and he blocked it, effortlessly, then bored in, "You REALLY think they’re idiots? What does this do to you?" And then he was in close again — too close to kick or hit … And his lips were on her neck…
Shivers went absolutely everywhere! "Uuuhhh!" was all Teela could get out — and efforts to strike at him turned into a clutching embrace…
"Hey, get a room!" one of the ushers yelled, and Rick stepped back — and something snapped in Teela. "You bastard!" She pounded off down the stairs. "You motherfucker! If you think you’re gonna jerk me around — play with me, fuck with my head…" She was at the foot of the stairs, headed for the theater door at a fast stomp…
It wasn’t fast enough. A hand caught hers and jerked her around and then he was on her (damn him — she was NEVER going to get a knee in his balls!), pressing her back against a carpet-covered wall — and kissing her! Her mouth was open to yell; all that got her was a hot tongue sliding between her lips, "ULP!" And then her defenses collapsed — AGAIN — and she stopped trying to hit him. In a moment, he pulled back and grated, "You silly bitch — do you think I’d play GAMES with you?"
"I…" His lips settled on her neck again, "Oh, fuck!" She couldn’t move — well, she could rub his back … That first time, he’d teased her about being a vampire — but maybe HE was, the way his lips on her neck leached the fight out of her…
"Come on…" They were out of the cinema and nearly out of the mall before she realized that she was moving; he had her by the hand, tugging her along toward the doors. She put on the brakes. "Where are we going?"
"Somewhere private," he grinned at her, "where you won’t get arrested for trying to beat on me! How did you get here?"
"The bus."
Rick nodded. "Fine. My car, then."
"Oh, no!" He knew too much! He’d take her somewhere isolated, shred her controls, and leave her holding her panties… "We’re not going anywhere!"
"Just the car, then," he argued. "It’s public enough that you’re safe…"
"I don’t know…"
"Yes you do." His eyes bored into hers. "Get your ass in gear!"
"Hey! You don’t have to talk to me like that!"
"Maybe not, but it works!" His smile grew evil. "What are you worried about? That I’ll kiss and tell? Hell, I could make it up, you know — tell everybody you have a heart-shaped birthmark on your left ass cheek…"
"You what? You sonofa…" Rick dashed for the door, with Teela in hot pursuit.
It took her until he turned back to face her, his back against the fender of his car, before she realized that she’d played right into his hands again. "Get in the car."
"No." But he grabbed her arm — and silly twit that she was, she turned into a hammerlock. The silly twit appellation was her own; it went through her head as soon as she realized she’d screwed up. Rick held her while he opened the passenger door and backed her in, then closed it. She locked the door, grinning in triumph — and reached for the driver’s side to do the same, but he merely pushed the button on his key fob. She tried to get back out, but only the driver’s door unlocked! He slid into the seat beside her. "This is kidnapping!"