The Dare (Losers, #0.5)

by Harley Laroux

I wasn't really sure if it was normal to develop a crush on my nemesis, but one thing led to another and…

A lie - he did scare me. With one white eye, that confident grin, and my kiss marks on his boots, he seemed like he held all the power. Even worse, every time I looked at him and found him staring back, I felt a warm rush in my belly and tingles up my back.

His smile didn’t waver. Despite what I’d said, I felt a tiny jab of fear. It was the kind of fear I encountered before watching a scary movie, or waiting in line for a rollercoaster - it was a thrill, a rush, a hit of adrenaline straight to my veins.

“Being a brat doesn’t change that you’re still obeying me, Jess,” he said, leaning down to bring his face close to mine. “Acting like it’s such a goddamn chore for you doesn’t change that you’re still doing it.”

The teasing words, the humiliation, the taunting - it all added to the erotic energy building up inside me. My drive to keep escalating the situation felt desperate and immature, but I’d been given a taste of something new and I had to explore it.

But... you’re not walking away. You’re standing here, arguing with me. Throwing a tantrum. Trying to make me change my mind and take back my order.” He shrugged, a laugh in his eyes that didn’t pass his lips. “I’m not taking it back. You’re going to do it, Jess. You’re going to obey, because you want to, no matter how much you try to hide it.” I hated him for reading me so well. I hated him for knowing the battle that was raging inside my brain. His grip on my wrist tightened, and he tugged me forward so that my feet shuffled and pressed up against the toes of his boots. He leaned closer, and for a split-second we were pressed up against the tiles in the school bathroom again, breathless, our tongues mingling – His lips brushed against my ear. His voice was low and deep, tingling down my spine. “Go crawl

There was beast in him, beyond the calm; it was vicious and dangerous and I wanted nothing more than to draw it out.

He’ll punish you for breaking the rules of the game, for being a bad, disobedient girl. He’ll punish you in front of everyone, make you cry…

“Doesn’t it feel better to be restrained?” he said, speaking over the brutally loud sound of the swats he kept raining down on me. “Doesn’t it feel good knowing that you’re getting what’s best for you? Learning to be a good girl.”

“Your safe word means that this stops. That’s what it’s for. It’s not a way to force me to do what you want, it’s a way to keep you safe.”

I wasn’t just performing for the sake of honoring a dare - even my desperate drive for release paled in comparison to my simple desire to indulge. To experience the unknown, the frightening, the forbidden.