1
“Stick it through, then,” Jace says.
“What? No way!”
“Why not?”
I stare at the hole in the wall. It’s about the size of a fist, cut into the partition between two booths. Waist height, smooth edges, a perfect circle in the wood. On the other side, there’s only darkness.
“Because,” I say, “why would anyone do that?”
“It’s a glory hole, Luca.”
“I know what it is, Jace. I’m not a moron.”
“Then you also know what you’re supposed to do with it.” He wiggles those bushy eyebrows at me in the dim purple glow of the booth. “So do it.”
I glance past him at the hole. It’s so dark. A gaping, hungry void. Beyond it, someone could be watching us right now. Could’ve been watching us this whole time. An uncomfortable prickle runs through me, half fear, half curiosity.
“Absolutely not. We’re in a public place.”
“Precisely.” He beams. “You’re finally catching on.”
“Seriously, Jace. What if…” I lower my voice, all too aware that other people back here could overhear every word. “What if it’s adudeon the other side?”
He shrugs. “It’s anonymous, Luca. That’s the point. Doesn’t matter who it is, as long as they know what they’re doing. Just close your eyes and picture some hot chick. Like… what was her name? The one from Psych with the big tits.”
“Cassidy.”
“That’s the one. Think of Cassidy.”
“As if Cassidy would ever?—”
“Hey.” He nudges me. “I saw movement. I’m telling you, there’s someone in there.”
My eyes dart back to the hole. For a second, I imagine going through with it. Unzipping my jeans, pulling my dick out, sliding it through that dark circle into nothing but cool air, and then…what?A warm, wet mouth? A tongue tracing my shaft? Maybe some long nails scratching my balls. I try to picture Cassidy on her knees, and it’s beyond ridiculous. Cassidy with her perfect makeup, her blown-out blonde hair, her pearl earrings. She wouldn’t be caught dead in some sketchy sex shop.
“You’re thinking about it,” Jace whispers.
“Shut up.”
“You know you want to, Luca. You’ve been complaining about being horny for weeks.”
“We came here to buy gag gifts for Kyle’s birthday.”
“Yeah. But now that we’re here, we might as well enjoy ourselves.” Jace slaps the partition. “You’re really gonna pass up this opportunity?”
My gaze hasn’t left the hole. Something about it pulls at me, some dumb curiosity I can’t shake. The thrill. The danger. The not knowing. I picture someone sitting in the next booth, waiting. What do they even do when nobody sticks their cockthrough, a crossword puzzle? Just sit there like a tollbooth operator until the next dick shows up?
I could give them what they’re waiting for. I could scratch this weird itch that’s suddenly crawling under my skin.
But not in front of Jace. I’m not pulling my dick out with him standing two feet away, watching me, waiting for me to perform like some circus monkey. No way.
“I have standards,” I say, squaring my shoulders. “Believe it or not.”
“Do you?” Even in the dim light, I can see him raise that eyebrow. “Do you really? Maybe you need to lower those standards and finally get your dick wet. You’re nineteen, dude. Stop being so uptight.” He grins that dopey grin of his, dimple and all. I’ve seen girls lose their minds over it. And fine, objectively, I get why. Jace is a handsome fucker. Tall, athletic, dark hair that’s always falling into those deep green eyes. But right now I want to punch that grin right off his face.
“Fuck you.”
