Unexpected audition was just another example of how Kim's life kept changing. At this point, she wasn't sure if she were resentful or grateful for the attention paid to her because of who she dated or was friends with. Part of her was thrilled to be on screen. To be with Jack in this new aspect of his life. Part of her wondered if she only got this break because of her perceived parentage and connections. Because that's how it would look on the outside. Of course, it was some sort of serendipity that put her in the studio and her own quick temper that made her rise at the bait and fight. She hoped that if she got any part in this show, it would be because of her talent.
Jack was happy. He still felt bad that he was the only one who got the break in the industry from that disaster that was Karate Games. He asked her why she picked a fight with Daniel. She told him tersely that that idiot thought she only can do exhibition matches. Jack laughed at this long and hard. When he calmed down he said that Daniel deserved the beating for being an idiot. Even he didn't know Kim Crawford, he should have realized that Kim Wasabi would be a legitimate martial artist. She smiled at that.
They were planning to meet Ricky at his house. Jack was chaffing at it, but Kim was determined to make the two at least tolerate each other. When they got there, she was not surprised to see paparazzi staking the perimeter. She saw what happened when he came to visit her. The cab had to slow down to make way through the throng of people, who were shoving cameras into the windows and she was practically blinded by flashes. They kept shouting questions and directions for her to smile pretty. Dicks.
"Fuck these guys," she said vehemently as she entered through the main door.
The TV in the living room was on and displaying, if Kim wasn't mistaken, Mario Kart 64. Two young men were sitting on the couch, controllers in hand and shoulders hunched as they veered through Rainbow Road's many obstacles.
As she watched, Toad zipped past the finish line, and the black young man dropped his controller and raised his arms triumphantly. "Suck it, Ben."
"You cheated, man" the other guy - Ben - said.
"I've just got skills," the other man replied. He glanced over his shoulder at Kim and Jack. "Ben is a sore loser."
Kim dropped her purse on the floor by the entrance and strode over to the couches. "No man's ego can survive a Mario Kart whooping," she said. "Hi, this is Jack and I'm Kim, Ricky's friend."
"Oh, we know. The cheerleader. You have really good-looking friends," Ben said with a lazy smirk. "I am Ben, the drummer." He finished with a finger wave.
"James, bass guitar," the other man said. "I've heard a lot about you guys."
Of course. These were Ricky's band mates. "Oh," she said.
"You look like someone who wants to kill something with her bare hands," James continued.
Kim growled. "Those vultures!"
"Easy there, scorpion," Jack said placating her and patting her hand.
James nodded sympathetically. "Wanna come blue-turtleshell Ben with me?"
"Yes please," Kim said, toeing off her flats and sitting down on the couch.
"Hey, not fair," Ben protested, though his eyes were already back on the screen. "Jack, come and help me fight these two off."
James handed Kim and Jack controllers and she rolled her shoulders. "Let's do this."
Over the course of the next hour, Kim learned that Ben was indeed a sore loser, James could switch between friendly banter to swearing a blue streak in mere seconds, and Kim's hours of playing video games against the guys was not enough to earn her an easy victory.
Paparazzi forgotten, she laughed as she rammed Ben's Toad with her Bowser, causing him to veer off the track into the water. "Bet you wish you hadn't asked me now, don't you?" Kim said as she shot toward the finish line. "Back in first, baby," Kim said, dropping her controller and doing some impromptu Kim dance. She didn't realize that Ricky and others came to join everyone in the giant living room/gaming den. She heard some muffled laughter and then Ricky saying, "i see your dancing is just the same as always."
"Are you saying that I am a bad dancer?" Kim said exaggerating her frown. "Need I remind you that I am black belt?" Jack was shaking his head, holding in the laughter.
Ricky raised his hands up in surrender. "Never. Your dancing is perfect."
"Thought so," Kim added and turned to face the rest of the people in the room.
Ben, who had crossed the finish line just after her, slumped back on the couch. "I quit. Your girl is ruthless," he whined addressing Ricky. There was a beat of awkward silence before he added, "What? According to every gossip rag, she is with either with Ricky, Jack, or both of them."
Kim shifted on the couch so she could see as many people as possible at once. "First of all, you must not have listened to all the news or you'd know that Ricky and I are friends. Secondly, don't talk about me like I'm not here. Lastly, ruthlessness is the only course of action when it comes to Mario Kart. It's kill or be killed. Don't pretend like you weren't playing just as dirty."
"Ruthless, I tell you." Ben got up and shook Kim's hand. "Anytime you want a rematch, let me know."
"You wanna take my place, Ricky? You're just as bad as she is," James said, standing up.
Ricky looked at Jack, who nodded, and then turned to Kim. "I could play."
"Good luck," Ben said, patting Ricky on the shoulder as he left the room.
Meanwhile, James and Jack scooted over to the other end of the couch, continuing their earlier conversation about guitars and that one time that Jack played with Izzy Gunnar, when his band was short of players.
"Ready to go down in flames, Ricky?"
"Bring it on, shorty."
"Resorting to name calling is a sign of fear." Kim told to his smirking face and turned to the screen.
Kim won once and lost once, and they decided to leave it as a draw. Ricky was so different when with friends. He was relaxed and he stayed true to his word. Aside from that time Ben brought up the whole Kicky thing, Ricky acted like they were just friends. Jack bonded with James and the two ended up in a game of Guitar Hero.
The entire group went to dinner and while the cameras were going off and questions were shouted, Kim was shielded by a whole bunch of guys and it was not nearly as overwhelming. She knew that other patrons took pictures; some came up to get Ricky's autograph. There was even one girl, who wanted a picture with Jack. But the most awkward moment came, when a girl asked for a picture with the three of them. Kim recoiled when she said she wanted a picture with Kicky, but Ricky was gracious and Jack just laughed, and she ended up in the middle of the setting with a girl by her side. The girl told her that she was a gymnast and was a student at the tae kwan do studio. They chatted for a bit and Kim was surprised to learn that the girl followed her on Twitter and Instagram.
She and Jack were driving home and she was in a mellow mood. Earlier in the day she Instagramed a candid of Ricky, his band mates, plus Jack at the table, laughing and being carefree. She saw that the post was getting a lot of likes.
"This was a good day," she said quietly, thinking that she could probably handle celebrity life if there days like this in between.
"It was."
They arrived at Seaford after dark and were parked at Kim's house. There were no photographers around and Jack turned to her for a kiss goodbye now, since her dad was most likely waiting by the door. Kim was looking at him with a small smile, her eyes dark and half closed. He leaned over and she was already moving towards him. When they kissed it was sweet at first, but Jack wasn't exaggerating: they were rarely alone and he took advantage of this time alone. The kiss escalated quickly and he was hovering over her, twisting his torso and lifting off the seat. Suddenly, Kim's chair reclined and she was half lying, and he appreciated her quick thinking. He threw his legs over the console and was now kneeling on the passenger seat floor. Kim must have pushed the seat back, because his long legs weren't that cramped. All these thoughts were fleeting though, because he had Kim under him and she was kissing him like they haven't done it just earlier today.
She was twisting her fingers in his hair, angling his head to a deeper kiss. His body was buzzing again with anticipation and desire. She let go of his lips to drag some air and he moved to her neck, biting along the way as he drifted to the neckline of her top. His hand was already there, in her breast, managing her through the fabric of the top and her bra. He wondered if it was the white one with roses. When he dragged the top down, he stopped in appreciation: her bra was lacy and he could see the pink of her nipple through the lace. He bit it lightly over the lace and she whimpered quietly, her one hand moving up his body, pulling the hem of the shirt along. He grew harder at the sounds she made and at the sensation of her fingers. He reflexively ground into her and heard her breathing stutter.
"You are so beautiful. So hot. I sometimes get hard just looking at you. Like today, when you dropped that guy in the studio. I wanted to drag you into the nearest closet and peel the clothes off of you. So competent, so graceful, so beautiful. And all mine." He was whispering raggedly into her breast and leaving biting kisses in between his words. She never would have suspected that Jack was one for a dirty talk, but she liked it. A lot. When he spoke like this, she had trouble keeping her wits about.
She suspected that the time spent with Ricky rankled him a bit. He often slipped into a more possessive language and behavior when be was jealous.
He returned to her lips and this kiss was more aggressive and biting and she now was moving her hips to meet his movements. The pressure was just right and just in the right place and she just needed something to carry her over. Jack must have sensed it because his mouth moved back to her one nipple, biting it, just as his hand pinched the other and Kim flew apart at this. She bit her lip from making noise and could tell that she broke the skin on the inside.
She calmed a little and fumbled with the zipper of Jack's jeans. He hissed at first touch of her hand on him and she pumped her hand squeezing him gently. He was thrusting again and mumbling encouraging word, mixed in with curses into her ear. She turned her head a little and kissed him on the spot behind his ear and his hips movement stuttered a little. Kim kept kissing him there, sucking on the skin, and speeding up her strokes. Jack's hands that were now twisted in her hair, tightened and with low growl he shoved one more time and came.
When they both calmed down, she realized with a start that they were still in the car, right in front of her house.
"I think we need to revise our rule. It's not just parking lots. We really shouldn't do it the car," she whispered and Jack huffed a ragged laughter.
"Yeah..."
Re: Kick plus Ricky
Bbelt: you won't believe it, but I saw Kim, Jack and Ricky today in LA. I even took a picture with three of them. (Embedded picture)
Jbgirl: lucky bitch. Details please.
Bbelt: oh, Jack is hotter than the sun and Kim is actually tiny. Like, she is shorter than me. They were at this restaurant that me and the fam were in. There was a bunch of people at the table with them.
Jbgirl: what did you talk about?
Bbelt: well, at first I was like blushing and stuttering, but they were all very nice. Kim actually talked to me about gymnastics and martial arts. Get this, she is also on gymnastics team at her school. She might be tiny, but that girl is athletic.
Jbgirl: and Ricky? How was he with them?
Bbelt: they all were friendly and it didn't look like he has a crush on Kim. Or Jack. Really, no signs of Kicky.
jbgirl: I knew it! Kick for the win.
A/N: I am always nervous about writing the intimate scenes. In this particular case, I am worried that it may be too much for the 17 year old teens. also, the last chapters were heavy on the plot, setting up for the climax and finale and I wanted this chapter to be more about our couple. Let me know what you think.
