Chapter 6

The bass from the arcade games thumped through the floorboards, a dull, rhythmic heartbeat that seemed to sync with the pounding in my own chest. We had retreated from the chaotic energy of the main bowling lanes, slipping into the dimly lit back room, a secluded corner of the retro bowling alley where the neon lights from the main floor bled through the cracks in the door, painting stripes of electric blue and hot pink across the worn velvet couches. The air here smelled of stale beer, ozone from the pinball machines, and the musk of our own rising heat. He stood there, towering over me, his shirt unbuttoned just enough to show the sweat glistening on his chest. His eyes, dark and predatory, locked onto mine, stripping away any pretense I had left. I was breathless, my body still humming from the earlier intimacy, but my mind was racing, anticipating the next phase of his claim on me. He didn't speak; he just reached down, his large hand encompassing my hip, his fingers digging into the soft flesh, and pulled me closer. I could feel the hard ridge of his cock pressing against my thigh, a promise of what