Chapter546 Natalie, Don't Be Shy
Oliver, bored out of his mind and disinterested in the drama, suddenly got called out. He glanced up and said, "I don't really remember. Ask her," nodding subtly in Natalie's direction.
"Wow—" a chorus of gossiping gasps erupted.
"Mr. Windsor's first time was with Natalie?" Mia's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Natalie and Oliver, truly a match made in heaven. Susan? Just a con artist, no arguments about it!
"Hey Natalie, how long did Oliver last his first time?" Barrett, oblivious to all but his macho pride, pressed on with his inquiry.
Over a dozen pairs of eyes, including Oliver's, were fixed on her, making Natalie's scalp tingle with discomfort.
What's with these people, as if being adults is such a big deal?
"I, uh, don't remember," Natalie managed to say to Barrett, mustering her courage. "But definitely longer than you."
Barrett grumbled persistently, "Six minutes. It's still longer than mine."
"Come on, let's drop it! Are we still playing or what?" came the exasperated retort.
Natalie pinched the bridge of her nose, struggling to keep her composure.
Oliver casually leaned back, throwing glances at Natalie with a glint of amusement in his eyes, was she about to lose it, or was she just too sensitive?
Next up was Mia, with the question everyone was waiting for: How big was her husband, Ethan?
Mia confidently threw out a number brag-worthy enough to make even Ethan, as a man, want to roll his eyes: What kind of woman had he married?
When it was Sharon's turn, Mia didn’t hold back. "Who was your first?" she asked. Sharon, no stranger to the group's dynamics, hadn't given it up to her current boyfriend Carter. Mia's question was a clear play to put Sharon on the spot.
The bottle twirled and pointed at Oliver, and a cheer erupted — mostly from Barrett, though others were curious, they refrained from being too overt.
"Bro, which part of Natalie do you find the sexiest?" Barrett asked with unabashed enthusiasm.
"Seriously?" Natalie was flabbergasted. How did the spotlight turn back on her?
Lilian egged him on, "Oliver, tell us!"
"Natalie, don't be shy. " Mia chimed in.
Natalie was speechless.
"Would I really tell you what I find sexy?" Oliver's smirk was almost imperceptible, his eyes briefly meeting Natalie's.
She felt his gaze distinctly, a strange tension bubbling up inside her.
The topic was...delicate, especially given the current nature of things between her and Oliver.
"That's the rule of the game!" someone protested.
Oliver lounged back, unapologetically declaring, "Then, every part."
Every inch of her was alluring.
Her skin, her eyes, the way she smiled...they all captivated his mind.
On the outside, Natalie maintained her cool, but she could feel the heat rising to her ears, a tickling sensation at her heart.
"Ooh la la—" the crowd jeered.
Susan and Sharon exchanged covert glances, their faces etched with reluctant admiration and envy.
Natalie felt overwhelmed. Slowly she realized that was a game with restricted content.
Natalie had silently hoped that her name wouldn't come up, almost as if the heavens had heard her prayers but were a tad hard of hearing, and dropped the all-important "not."
"Natalie, I'm just dying to know, what's the deal with you and Mr. Wild?" Susan asked with a sly grin, pretending it was just idle curiosity, "You know, Roger Wild, the guy with that international clout."
The lively buzz of the gathering went cold in an instant, like a bucket of ice water had been unceremoniously dumped from above.
Oliver's eyes shifted to Natalie.
Cool as a cucumber, she replied, "Friends."
"Just friends? But he seems to treat you extra special," Susan pressed on, clearly not ready to let Natalie off the hook.
"Aren't there friends who are nice to you, Susan?" Natalie shot back.
Cadence rolled her eyes and quipped at Susan, "Geez! By that logic, I must have a whole army of boyfriends."
Cadence was popular with the opposite sex, with a whole gang of guy friends like Barrett leading the charge.
Susan opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
"Let's keep it moving, next round!" Carter intervened, seeing the tension and eager to move on.
This time, the bottle pointed at Susan.
It was Sharon's turn to pose a question, and not wanting to ruffle any feathers, she picked the easiest one: "Susan, spill something recent about you that we don't know."
Susan, having already queued up her response, chimed in, "I screwed up with my question to Natalie earlier, so here's some fresh gossip to make amends. Nathaniel's been dropping pounds; bet you guys didn't know that, huh?"
"Which Nathaniel?" someone asked.
Susan glanced at Natalie, then said with a smug smile, "The Nathaniel who proposed to Miss Watson. Even after hearing about her leg injury, his love for her didn't waver. He hit the gym to win her heart and has shed over twenty pounds, looking a whole lot younger."
A hush fell over the game table, all eyes pivoted toward Natalie.
Even though Natalie and Oliver had divorced, bringing up Nathaniel's proposal in Oliver's presence was a nasty move. Comparing Nathaniel to Oliver was like night and day, and mentioning it was a diabolical tactic to disgust Natalie and stir the pot between her and Oliver.
"Ah... I... Did I say something wrong?"
Susan half-covered her mouth, realizing her mistake, "Oh, I'm sorry, Natalie. I didn't think it through. A friend just clued me in, and I figured you guys might be out of the loop. Plus, it's such juicy gossip.”
Susan believed her words were unassailable, and she continued, “I mean, since you and your ex are history, and Nathaniel's proposal is common knowledge, I thought mentioning it was no big deal. And Nathaniel's really into you, even if he's on the older side and has, you know, a kid from his previous...”
Before Susan could finish, there was a loud crash!
Lucas bolted up, the chair and the wooden fixtures behind him clattering fiercely together. In a few large strides, he was in front of Susan, hoisting her up by the collar, her feet dangling in the air.
"Aah!" Susan gasped, too terrified to speak, staring at Lucas in horror.
"Think this is your personal trash can to spew your nonsense? Didn't I warn you to stop this madness?" Lucas's arm heaved, tossing Susan to the ground with a thud.
"Aah!" Susan's scream echoed through the courtyard, attracting the attention of onlookers from nearby.
"Are you out of your mind, Lucas?!" Susan shrieked, bracing herself for the punch she thought was coming.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
