Chapter 9: Stimulation at the Coffee Shop
I finally remembered to get Lance and YazmÃn's numbers before we left the bar that night. A few days later, I received a text from Lance. I was excited to see it, but it turns out that it wasn't really meant for me at all. Instead, he asked me for Alexis' number. Though I shared her contact info with him willingly, I was really put off by the request. Was he ditching me to pursue my roommate after meeting her just once? I contemplated telling him how his text made me feel, but I couldn't figure out how to word it, and then I got busy with school and work, so I wound up not responding at all. Still, it left me feeling put off.
Alexis and I were spending the afternoon studying quietly in our room when her phone pinged. She picked it up, read it, and whispered, "Oh my god." I went back to reading my book as she texted back. A few minutes later, she stood up and said, "Come on. Let's take a break. We're going out."
"Now?" I asked.
"Yes, now. Get up, we've got to get dressed."
"We're already dressed," I objected. "Why do we have to change clothes to take a study break?" We were both wearing sweatpants and t-shirts. It was pretty much our unofficial uniform for hanging out in our room. The scene at college was so informal that we never really bothered to change to go to the dining hall or the quad. We dressed better going to classes, but we only really dressed nicely to go to work or parties.
"We need to look good for the occasion," she answered cryptically.
"What occasion?"
"You'll see. Now strip. I have to choose your outfit." She pulled a short summer dress out of my closet. "This is perfect!" she exclaimed giddily.
"Perfect for what? Why are you so excited?"
"It's a secret." Her phone pinged and she looked at it. "Oh, wait. No bra. Take off your bra."
"Huh? Why?"
"Take it off. It will be better. Trust me." She stripped off her clothes and put on a short skirt. She took off her bra and pulled on a tight tank top.
"Okay? But you're acting weird, you freak." I took off my bra. "Happy?"
"Yes, I am. Now, let's go." She grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door. When we arrived at the quad in the middle of campus, there were a handful of students sitting on the grass, quietly enjoying the afternoon sun. Other students were studying on the balconies overlooking the quad. Alexis' phone pinged again. She stopped to read it, then looked up at me with an astonished surprise. "Okay, here's the dare. Unfasten one of your sandals. Then, walk up to that group of guys sitting on the grass over there. When you get right in front of them, turn your back to them, bend over at the waist to refasten your sandal. Do it slowly. When you finish, take your time standing up so they have an opportunity to watch you. Then turn your head around and look back at them. Make sure to swing your hair around when you turn. Then sashay back to me."
"What! What are you talking about? Are you crazy?" I was shocked. I had never heard her say anything like that before. "You realize that if I bend over in this short dress, I will flash my panties at them?"
"That's the idea."
"How did you come up with that idea, you pervert?"
"I didn't," she demurred.
"Then who did?" I demanded.
"I'll tell you after you do it."
"You won't tell me whose idea this is unless I go through with it?"
"Precisely. The deal is that you have to earn the right to know whose idea it is. If you don't do it, then you'll never find out."
I glared at her defiantly. "Fine. You think I'm not brave enough to do it?" I squatted down to unfasten my sandal. I stood up and stuck my tongue out at her. I turned dramatically and stomped toward the guys. The further I got from my bratty roommate, however, the more my resolve dissipated. By the time I stood in front of the guys and they all looked up at me, I was petrified. I hesitated. We stared uncomfortably at each other in silence for a moment. I decided that it was more awkward to face them full of nervous energy than it was to just go through with the dare. With my heart beating fast, I turned my back to them, and slowly bent at the waist. I felt my dress ride up my ass. I heard one of them say, "Whoa. Look!" I fastened my sandal slowly. I waited for a second, then stood up straight. I quickly looked back over my shoulder with my hair flying. All of them had their mouths open and eyes wide. I gave them a little wave goodbye, and walked back toward Alexis, swinging my hips exaggeratedly. I looked up at Alexis. Her mouth was wide open in surprise. I noticed that she was filming me. "What are you doing!" I said out loud. "Why did you record that?"
"To prove that you did it. I can't believe that you actually went through with it! Those guys are stunned. Look, they're still staring at you!"
I looked back. All of them were looking at me and talking excitedly. "Come on, let's get out of here before they ask me to do it again."
"Just a second." She was typing on her phone and then it made a "zoop" sound.
"What did you just send?"
"The video."
"The video that you just took of me?" She nodded.
"What?! Who did you send it to?"
"The person whose idea it was."
"Why would you do that?"
"To prove that you went through with it."
"Who did you send it to?"
"Lance."
"Oh my god! He told you to film me flashing some random guys?"
"Yes."
"That's why he asked me for your number? What did he say?"
"He told me to dress you in a short dress with no bra and dare you to do exactly what you just did."
Just then, my phone pinged. It was a text from Lance. It said, "Good girl. I bet you made their day." I looked up. "Oh shit! He's already watched the video!"
"Did he like it?"
"Yes." I was blushing.
Her phone pinged. "He wants to know if
you
liked it."
My pulse was racing. I felt a little shaky. The moisture in my panties, however, let me know that it wasn't all just nerves.
"Oh my god, you did! Didn't you?" she asked, astonished.
I shyly smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I kind of did like it."
Alexis's phone pinged again. "Uh oh."
"What? Is that him again?" She nodded. "What did he say?"
"He wants us to go to the coffee shop." She looked up at me. "I honestly thought there would be just one dare and then we'd go back to our rooms and laugh about it, but he wants me to text him when we're there so he can give me the next set of instructions." She looked up from her phone at me. "I'm sorry, Layla, I didn't realize there was going to be more." I felt butterflies in my stomach. I just knew it was going to escalate. Her phone pinged again and she read it aloud: "Don't make me wait."
I felt my heart race and despite my nervousness, I knew that I wasn't going to disobey him. She grabbed my hand, and said, "Come on. We have to go. He's waiting for us."
When we stepped inside the coffee shop, she texted him. We stood there awkwardly waiting for him to tell us what to do next. We looked around nervously. The place was small, but it was pretty full, with only a few empty tables. Some people were talking, but many were typing on their laptops. Her phone pinged.
She whispered to me, "He wants me to record you leaning over in front of people to expose your cleavage to them." She paused. "Listen, Layla, if you don't want to do this, I'll just text him back and let him know that you're not down." Her phone pinged again and she read: "Unbutton the dress enough to show nipples. Make an excuse to talk to each table of people." She looked at me. "Oh shit! What are you going to do?" Before I could answer, my phone pinged. She asked, "Is it from him? What does it say?"
I read aloud: "Are you wet?" We stared at each other. I bit my lip and inhaled deeply.
"Well, are you?" she asked. I nodded and sent him the splashing drops emoji. "Layla?" I looked at her. "I am too."
"Really?" I asked. She nodded. I was excited for her, and also relieved that it wasn't just me. "Tell him. You have to tell him." She gave me that 'are you kidding me' look. "He'll like it."
"I can't do that!"
"Oh, and I can flash my panties and boobs at everyone on campus, and you can't send one little text? Look, if I let you film me exposing myself, then you can at least send an emoji to the person who came up with the dare."
"Okay," she said meekly. She typed and hit send. "There. Happy?"
"Yes. Well, no. Actually, I'm petrified and embarrassed. But..." She raised her eyebrows in a question. "But I just can't say 'no' to him. I don't know why, but when he pushes me to do risky and risqué things, I just want to do what he says. I want to please him. It turns me on. Does that make any sense?"
She grabbed me in a tight hug. "Yes, it does. I get it. He had the same effect on me at the bar. I never would have done something that crazy for anyone else. I don't know what it is, but when he told me what to do, I just felt compelled to do it, like I wanted to be good for him, to please him."
"Exactly. I'm glad you get it."
Her phone pinged and she read it silently. "Damn. He sure is annoyingly insistent though! Okay, look, I'm going to be here with you." She unbuttoned the top two buttons of my dress. "You've got this, girl. Go do it." She turned my shoulders around to face the crowd, pushed me forward, and patted my butt. I looked back at her for reassurance. She held up her phone to record me and gave me a thumbs up.
I took a deep breath and walked up to the first table. There was a nerdy-looking guy sitting alone reading his laptop. I leaned over his screen. He looked up, but his eyes never reached my face. Instead they stopped at my chest. I froze and couldn't think of anything witty to say. He just stared until I was overcome with embarrassment and ran back over to Alexis. "What am I supposed to say?" I whispered breathlessly.
"I don't know. Ask about homework, or food, or how their day is going. I don't know. Flirt with them a little."
"No! I can't flirt with them! I don't want them to think I'm into them!"