Naughty November

Chapter 3

THREE

IGGY

I stood at the trivia contest podium, my mind racing through the archives of facts and figures stored away from years of voracious reading. The student guild had outdone themselves this year, transforming the dreary university hall into a vibrant arena of intellect and competition. Our team, Brainy Bunch, was ready for the challenge, but my mind was only half on the questions.

Wade and Jenna, my teammates, were huddled together discussing the first question—the capital of an obscure country. Easy peasy. I tried to pay attention, but my gaze kept drifting toward the entrance. I scanned the crowd, searching for that familiar face, but each time I came up empty, a pang of disappointment hit me.

He’d promised to be here. Kieran never broke his promises.

“Iggy, some help, please,” Jenna whispered.

“Time!” the time master announced.

“Sorry, Brainy Bunch, but the question goes to the Quizzards of Oz.”

“Iggy, you’re not focused.” Wade frowned. I could have said the answer was so obvious they shouldn’t need me, but I swallowed the words. I was upset because Kieran was a no-show.

“I’m sorry. I…”

A whisper traveled across the room, and heads swiveled toward the door. Someone giggled. Someone else coughed. Kieran slipped into the room quietly, looking damn scrumptious in a tight pair of black jeans tucked into high-tops, a red T-shirt, and his black leather jacket. He carried his helmet under one arm, tugged off his riding gloves, and walked toward an empty seat at the front, seemingly oblivious to all the attention.

He shot me a thumbs-up and pointed at his shirt, his lips spreading into a grin.

Iggy’s Number 1 Fan.

That was one promise I wouldn’t have minded him breaking. My face burned, but I couldn’t resist grinning back at him.

“Settle down, students,” the quiz master said. “Quizzards, your answer is incorrect. Brainy Bunch, do you want to attempt the question?”

“No,” Jenna said at the same time I said, “yes.”

She raised her eyebrows, and I nodded. “We’d like to answer. The answer is Immanuel Kant.”

“That is correct. Your question now, Brainy Bunch. Which country is home to the oldest known continuous civilization?”

“That’d be China.”

With Kieran in the crowd, I felt the need to show off. I answered questions rapidly, and soon it became obvious I was playing against myself. During the five-minute break before the last segment, I rushed over to Kieran. Had those girls been sitting around him all this time, or had they moved to be closer to him? I didn’t like it at all.

“Hi, Kee, you came.”

“Sorry I was a little late. I underestimated the traffic.”

“You’re here now. That’s all that matters. So what do you think?”

I beamed at him. Did he realize I was the smartest person he knew?

“You’re doing great,” he said softly. “It’s obvious you’re the one to beat, but, Iggy…”

I frowned. There was a but? “What is it? ”

“You’re on a team. You’re not playing alone. Even if you know all the answers, give your teammates a chance to participate in your victory. Do you understand?”

His words stung, but I considered them and glanced back at Wade and Jenna, who wore similar expressions of sadness. We were winning. They should be happy.

“You’re right. I’m such an idiot.”

“You are not. Now go kick some ass. Together.”

The final round went much better, and I enjoyed it more too. My teammates did know many questions but needed more time to respond. A bell rang to signify the end of the trivia contest, and they were smiling again. When our team was announced the winner, we hugged and squealed.

“The Brainy Bunch wins another trivia night,” the host said. “They’ve won movie passes for the month, unlimited coffee from the Roast & Toast, and a gourmet snack basket. Don’t forget we have trivia once per month, and we’re looking for a team that can finally dethrone the Brainy Bunch!”

“No one can beat you,” Wade said.

“No one can beat us. ” I smiled, clutching my gift bag with all the goodies we won. Although trivia night was for fun rather than the prizes, it was still nice not to walk away empty handed.

“Need some help?” Kieran approached.

“Thanks.” I handed him the basket, which he took as if it weighed nothing.

Wade poked me in the ribs. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

Oh, right. He hadn’t met Kieran yet, though Jenna had.

“Kee, this is my friend, Wade. You already know Jenna. Kieran’s my stepbrother and roommate.”

“We’ve all heard about the amazing Kieran.” Wade openly stared at Kieran’s muscled arms, so unlike my puny ones. “But Iggy never mentioned how hot you were.”

Kieran chuckled. “Looks are subjective. Maybe he doesn’t think of me that way.”

“Well, that’d be weird, duh.” Wade slapped his forehead.

“What’s so weird about it?” Kieran asked .

“Well, your parents are married, aren’t they? Haven’t you been stepbrothers for years?”

“Technically, but we only reconnected two years ago.”

“But still, that would be awkward for Christmas.”

“Wade!” Jenna pinched him. “Don’t you still want to get pizza?”

“Yeah, of course.” He finally glanced away from Kieran, but as soon as I let out a sigh of relief, his attention was back. “Do you want to come with us, Kieran?”

Not on my watch!

“We have other plans,” I said.

“We do?” Kieran asked.

“Yes, don’t you remember? We were going through the accounts tonight.”

He furrowed his brows, but then gave me a knowing smile. He didn’t understand what I was doing, did he?

“Ah, silly me for forgetting. Sorry, Wade. Maybe some other time?”

My stomach sank. Why was he leaving an open invitation for Wade? Was he interested in my teammate? Wade was good looking in a nerdy way—red curly hair, freckles, and a slim build. He was the sort of guy Kieran had been interested in during his filming days.

“We should go.” I grabbed Kieran’s arm. “I’ll call you guys to make plans for practice.”

“I’ll get your number from Iggy!” Wade shouted.

Like hell he would.

I didn’t release Kieran’s arm until we were in the parking lot. “What are you grinning at?” I huffed a breath. God, I could slap the grin from his stupidly handsome face.

“So let me get this straight.” His voice was low, teasing, and shivers rolled down my spine. “I can’t cockblock you, but you can do it to me?”

Shit. He’d seen right through me. “Well, I—we—he—it was payback for what you did.”

There, that sounds believable.

“Sure.” He dragged out the word, making it evident he didn’t believe a word I’d said. “I guess we’re going home to go over spreadsheets. ”

“Of course.” It was amazing I could keep a straight face.

“All right. Let’s go, then. I’ll order in.”

I rode pillion on his motorcycle, clutching my gift basket, and in fifteen minutes, we were at his condo. I went straight for my bedroom to change into something comfy while he ordered food. When I entered the living room, he was pouring wine into two glasses.

“I’m going to need something strong to handle all the spreadsheet talk. Can you at least print them out? I hate looking at the computer screen.”

I chuckled. “You’re thirty. Your generation should be familiar with the computer.”

“I am familiar with the computer. The words are just too tiny.”

“That’s why you can increase the font or zoom in.”

Kieran slapped my butt. “Don’t be a smarty-pants.”

I bit my bottom lip to hold in my moan. Would he be shocked if I bent over the computer desk and pulled down my shorts so he could spank me some more?

“Just problem-solving,” I mumbled.

“And why are you wearing another one of my shirts?” He fisted the material at the back and tugged it tight against my belly, his fingers grazing the skin above my shorts. “One of these days, you’re gonna leave me naked if you keep stealing my clothes out of the wash.”

“Your fault for not doing your laundry. The deal is, I do them and get to keep anything I want.”

Had he noticed the missing boxers?

Calm down. Even if he noticed they’re missing, he won’t know you rub them over your cock while getting off.

“Bossy little twink.” But he winked. “Just wait until you find the right man to tame you.”

What if I already have and he doesn’t know it?

“Hah!” I found the file I needed and sent it to the printer. “I don’t have time for a boyfriend. Maybe after I graduate, but then I’ll also want to do my masters. I may even do a doctorate. If I can manage it.”

“I’m sure you will. I have the utmost faith in you, little bro.”

“Why, thank you, big bro.” Grinning, I took up the papers the printer spat out and checked they were complete. At the bottom of the pile, I found two pieces of paper that weren’t part of the spreadsheet. “Naughty November Checklist?” The papers had a list of sex-related items with a check box beside each.

“Shit, that’s not for your eyes. Why did it print it again?”

“The printer must have received the job and printed it before mine. What is this for?”

“It’s a naughty challenge for November. When I was in Houston, one of the guys we cast showed it to me. People everywhere are engaging in a kinky activity off the list. I thought it’d be a fun idea for the studio. A few of the guys agreed, so they’re choosing new kinks they haven’t tried yet, and we’ll be sharing that with our fan base.”

“Oh.” The list of items was long. Extremely long. Some I’d never heard of. “What’s oviposition?”

“Some people get off on the idea of eggs laying inside them.”

“Oh my.”

First time.

My breathing became shallow. If I found someone to take my virginity, I could participate in this Naughty November challenge and tick “first time” off the list. Kieran cleared his throat, and I snapped up my head. He was watching me with a weird expression I couldn’t read.

How could I bring up the idea to him? He would never go for it.

The intercom buzzed.

“That should be the food,” he said. “Put that away, will you? We’re doing spreadsheets, and that’s not sexy in the least.”

Too bad. Spreadsheeting was my superpower.