She sat in a dusty pew, with an equally worn book in her hand. She'd only been in college for a year, but the studying had paid off. Honor roll in high school, and Deans list in college. She made the people in this little town proud; going off to a state university, coming back home to her devout Mommy.
You see, Lara Banks was the choir directors daughter. That didn't mean anything up at school, but back at home in this little church she was put on a pedestal. And she wasn't the only pious progeny. However, she was the only one notable. Lara snorted, thinking about Alex Warners shaggy demeanor. Didn't stop her from pining for him, which she found more unsettling than anything else. Unkempt hair, wild look in his eyes, and the smell of - smoke. The chapel smelled like smoke.
Lara turned around searching for the vile smell, and made eye contact with a very amused looking Alex.
"What are you doing?" She snarled.
"What does it look like I'm doing, Blondie? I'm fulfilling my obligations as the preachers son. Have to make an appearance every once in a while."
"Churches are not a place for smoking, Alex." She stated bluntly.
"You don't look like you're on your knees praying either, Princess."
Her cheeks heated at this. Most were able to guess, they could tell by looking at her... She was very much a virgin. The idea of Lara being on her knees worshipping anything other than god used to repulse her... but college had changed that. She felt a wicked spark shoot in between her thighs, and just like that, Warner had her thinking about all of the things that she could be doing on her knees.
"Not in church," She muttered to herself, turning around, to return to her studies.
"Couldn't quite hear you there, love. What did you say?"
"Nothing," she responded, not bothering to turn around.
"Could have sworn I heard something along the lines of, 'not in church'. What can't you do in church, Lara?"
She didn't dignify him with a response, but found her focus slowly waning. She heard the flicking of a lighter. In their arguing his cigarette must have burned out. After a few flicks, Lara realized he was just playing with it.
"Do you know how obnoxious you are?!" She turned, glaring at him.
"Not as obnoxious as you," he retorted.
"Will you please go outside with that shit?"
"Why don't you come up here and make me?"
With that she was done. She slammed her book shut, and left it in its place on the pew. Retreating from the foyer, her stomps leading up to the stairway were very audible. She cursed the acoustics in this church, it's no wonder he'd heard what She'd said. Her ascent up the choir flats stairs was quick. Lara didn't want to deal with Alex any longer than she had to. She was surprised when she reached the top though. He was nowhere to be seen.
"Where the hell is he?" She muttered to no one in particular.
After a minute of looking for him, She returned to the top of the staircase. The coward was afraid...
A very predatory looking Alex was peering up at her from the stairs. With nowhere to retreat to, Lara watched him stalk up the stairs slowly. She gulped, and wondered to herself if that was audible too. He was effecting her in ways that I couldn't put a finger on.
"Well, Princess. I see college has filled you out."
He was right, she had put on some weight... she looked healthier she though. Her girlish figure had been replaced by a young woman's. She wasn't quite used to the heavy feeling of her breasts, nor the maintenance that her new body seemed to require, but she felt hyper aware of the fact that he'd noticed.
He stepped closer and closer, until her back hit the wall, and he was facing her.
"That's rude, Warner." She replied, her softer, and her bravado dying down a bit.
"Has college changed you in other ways too?" His eyes were cold, unyielding, icy, and had a spark of something devious in them.
He spoke again after assessing her a bit. "I want to play a game with you,"
And Lara caught herself looking at his lips, as they curved slowly into a smile. He closed the distance between them, and tugged her hair so that she was forced to look up at him.
"What kind of game?" She whispered, afraid of what his answer might be.
"I ask one question at a time, and if I get it right, I get to do one thing to you."
"What would I get if I win?"
Alex smiled. "I'll be the model man. No smoking, no more tee shirts in church. Maybe I'll even dress up like you," he gestured to the girlish white dress inappropriately plastered to her body. "I know you're low on number on the youth retreat, and they don't have the budget to continue running. I could help with that."
She thought about it for a minute... her mother would be so proud if they got her youth group running the way it had used to.
