This story is a sequel to Pandora's Box: Chapter 1. Thank you to everyone for the positive feedback and comments so far!
Pretty Little Liar
"AHA! Yes! You suck!" Martine Ruiz shouted gleefully as Daniella Cruz groaned with frustration. It was nearly 10PM on a Monday night and the two 20-year-old college girls were engaged in their third game of blackball in a local sports bar. Dani had lost the previous two games to her best friend, and now looked set to lose the third as Martine lined up what could very well be the winning shot. Each girl had one ball left to pot.
Dani sighed as she handed the pool cue to Martine, who grinned mockingly. "Feeling the heat yet babes?"
"Just take the shot," Dani grumbled.
"You're such a sore loser," Martine said, shaking her head in a teasing manner.
"Haven't lost yet."
"Yet being the key word." Martine leant across the table to take her shot, sweeping her long blonde hair out of her face before striking the white expertly with the cue. It collided with the last yellow ball, which spun towards the hole... and missed by a centimetre, gently ricocheting off the wooden edge.
"Damn it," Martine said, standing up and grimacing. "Your move." She handed the cue back to Dani, who worked out the best angle for her final red ball and leant over the table towards it. Her gorgeous, long brown tresses fell around her, and she tensed her taut abs for stability as she lined up her shot.
Dani struck forward with the cue; the white ball collided with her red and sent it spinning, and she jumped with joy as it popped into the hole she had aimed for. Her delight was short-lived, however, as the white ball continued on its momentum and tipped into the same hole.
"Shit!" Dani shouted, as Martine laughed.
"That's two goes for me!" Martine took the cue back and smirked at Dani. "Really isn't your night, is it?" With expert precision she used the opportunity granted by Dani's mistake to pot her yellow ball, before rounding on the black. With one final strike and a loud
crack!
she knocked it in, winning the third game.
"Congrats," Dani sighed, making no effort to hide her vexation as she sat down at a small table nearby.
Martine bounded into the seat next to her, a giant grin plastered on her face as she took a sip of her vodka and coke. "Don't pout at me like that Daniella. It's unbecoming of such a pretty little thing like your sweet self."
"How's this for unbecoming?" Dani asked, sticking her middle finger up.
"Hey!" Martine giggled, in too good of a mood to be offended. "What's up with you?" Her eyes glinted with curiosity.
"It's just irritating," Dani replied dismissively. "You seem to get better at pool every time we play. But I still suck."
"You don't suck. I'm just better," Martine responded, her grin getting wider.
"You're such a smug bitch," Dani said, unable to stop herself from laughing. As vexed as she was, Martine's gaiety was infectious.
"Come on Dani! What should we do to celebrate my glorious victory?" Taking another sip of her drink, Martine scanned the room with a troublesome twinkle in her eye. "There are a lot of fit guys here tonight actually."
Dani snickered at her friend's tone. "Don't pretend like you've only just noticed that. I saw the way you were pushing your ass out every time you took a shot."
Martine's head snapped back to face Dani, wide-eyed and open-mouthed in mock indignation. "Miss Cruz! That's quite the accusation!" Unable to keep up the act, she also started giggling. "You're one to talk anyway. I'll tell you why you suck at pool: you lean over the table too far. Because you're busy trying to make sure all the guys can see those big busty titties of yours rather than actually playing."
Now it was Dani's turn to act offended, touching her hand to her chest. "Miss Ruiz! Quite the accusation!" Both girls descended into fits of giggles.
It was true that they were both dressed to draw attention: Dani was wearing a black, high-waisted pleated skirt that barely covered her round ass and toned thighs, along with a brown tie front crop top that clearly displayed her voluminous breasts. Martine, for her part, was wearing tight and tiny denim shorts and an orange tube top. Both college girls were attractive and in great shape; every advantage necessary to snare a couple of unsuspecting college boys.
"For real though: who's caught your eye? We're like two gals in a candy shop!" Martine's tone was almost business-like. She leant over the table towards Dani with a knowing glint in her eye.
"And I have noticed that your room has been very quiet lately."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Dani responded, a little too defensively.
"You know what I mean." Martine almost looked concerned. "I can tell that you're frustrated."
"Marti, just because I haven't been having sex as often doesn't mean there's a problem."
"Ah! So it's true!"
"Yeah it's true." Dani was having real trouble keeping the defensive tone out of her voice. "But I've just been busy. Exam season is coming up, and I've been trying to sort my work placement for after summer. I don't have time to run around chasing boys."
"Tsk tsk." Martine tutted, shaking her head in mock disappointment. "That's not the Dani I know. The Dani I know would be able to juggle all of that while getting dicked down by some fit, hung rugby lad."
"Shut up Marti," Dani said, giggling and blushing a little.
Satisfied with the reaction she'd prompted, Martine flashed a cheeky smirk and turned her attention back to the room at large.
"So, come on! Who do you like?"
Dani smiled wryly at her best friend's enthusiasm. She wasn't ready to admit it, but Martine was right: she was frustrated. Severely so.
Getting boys to take an interest in her obviously wasn't the issue. Dani was an incredibly attractive girl and, with her pretty, heart-shaped face and fit, curvaceous body, she could get practically any guy she wanted.
The problem, simply put, was her. Her standards had changed.
Ever since Dani had played Pregnancy Craps with Luis Alvarez -- nearly three months ago during her first shift at the infamous cabaret club known as Pandora's Box -- she had found herself profoundly disappointed with the guys at her college. None of them had Luis' drive, his intensity, his raw masculine energy. They were more hesitant, less confident, and less focused. Luis may have given Dani the best sex of her young life, but he had somehow simultaneously and unintentionally managed to ruin sex for her as well.
Then, of course, there was the elephant in the room: Pregnancy Craps itself. On that fateful night, Dani had discovered something about herself that she had always been vaguely aware of but never able to put into words. And that something was that she had a kink for pregnancy risk sex. Dani wasn't on any form of birth control, and the idea of taking a creampie -- especially during the fertile part of her cycle -- now dominated her sexual fantasies.
Finding a college guy with Luis' sexual energy along with the willingness to indulge her newfound fetish was rare. But doing so safely was virtually impossible. Dani was well aware of the dangers associated with her kink -- she didn't want to get pregnant or have a baby, and yet paradoxically this only made her want to risk it even more.
Dani had therefore spent the last three months abstaining from sex, particularly because her urges were nigh unbearable when she was ovulating -- Dani had chosen to become intimately acquainted with her vibrator during these periods instead, mostly out of anxiety over her kink but partly also out of simple disillusionment with the pick of boys she had to choose from.
If she was going to get laid tonight, she needed a man. A real man.
"Uh, Earth to Dani? What the hell?" Martine snapped her fingers in Dani's face.
"Oh. Sorry."
"You totally zoned out there. You looked like you'd been lobotomised."
Dani burst out laughing as Martine grinned, shaking her head with amusement. "We need to find you a guy! I can't sleep at night knowing my bestie is pining for cock." This only made Dani laugh harder, and it was a full minute before she had calmed down enough for Martine to continue the conversation.
"That guy with the quiff is cute. Over by the door. He kept sneaking looks at your butt every time you leant over to take a shot. He's looking right now!"
Her curiosity piqued, Dani turned to have a peek. She made eye contact with the guy in question, and he quickly turned away. Dani sighed -- he was good looking, but this was exactly the problem. She wanted a man who would hold her gaze, not look away like a scared little boy.
"Not really my type."
"He's exactly your type!" Martine insisted, giving her friend a puzzled look. "Alright, what about that barman who got our drinks? He was handsome, and he was totally looking at your boobs the whole time."
"Yeah, I know he was. I asked him if he liked them and he just made excuses for why he was looking. He should own it at least."
"Jeez, when did your standards get so high?" Martine asked with a hint of surprise. "Who cares? He was cute! Let him see those tatas in action!"
"I just... I'm kind of sick of college guys, y'know?"
"Oh?" Martine leaned towards her friend, curiosity scrawled across her face. "This is interesting. Interesting indeed." Her face lit up with a mischievous smile. "Sooo, what? You're into older guys now? You want a sugar daddy or something?"
"I... I don't know," Dani replied, feeling a little flushed. "Maybe. I don't know!"
Martine opened her mouth to reply, no doubt with every intention to push the matter further. However, before she could say anything, something behind Dani caught her eye, and her full red lips curled upwards in a troublesome grin.
"Uh-oh. Six o'clock, behind you. I think we're about to have some company."
Dani turned to follow Martine's gaze and saw two guys walking towards them. One was black, with medium-length dreadlocks swept over to one side. He was about 6'1' with an oval face and deep brown eyes. And the other...
Dani gasped and her belly seized with a spurt of consternation. He was incredibly handsome, standing at 6'2' and with blond hair cropped on the sides and long on top. He had bright blue eyes, a strong jaw, and was clearly in fantastic shape with muscles rippling under his well-fitting clothes. Under normal circumstances, he was exactly the sort of guy Dani would have been attracted to.
But these weren't normal circumstances. His name was Jake Coleman, and he was a barman at Pandora's Box.
"Oh crap!" Dani breathed audibly, quickly turning back around as Jake caught her eye. She had never expected to be in a situation like this.
"They're cute, right?" Martine said with a satisfied grin, completely misinterpreting Dani's reaction.
"What? Uh, yeah, super cute. Listen, Martine-"
"Evening girls." The boys had reached them, and the guy with the dreads had spoken. Dani squeezed herself against the table and looked away across the room, her face flushed and burning -- perhaps Jake hadn't recognised her yet?
"Hi there boys!" Martine said brightly, a flirtatious undertone obvious in her voice.
"I'm Ethan, and this is Jake," the guy with the dreads continued. "Your pool table's looking very empty -- we wanted to borrow it for a couple of games."
"Assuming you're done with it, of course." Jake had spoken this time, and Dani swallowed as she felt his eyes turn on her. "And assuming Daniella here is okay with it."
Dani couldn't reasonably fake ignorance any longer and, cursing under her breath, she turned at the mention of her name; Jake was grinning at her, while Ethan and Martine looked with curiosity between the two of them.
