“Fine.” Auden got up and grabbed the remote. “If there’s a hell, I’m definitely going there.”
He wouldn’t look at her.
He found the movie and hit Play.
CHAPTERSIX
Auden didn’t make it twenty minutes into the movie before he was scrambling for the remote. But in his rush, the damn thing slid off the side table, and he had to get up to grab it, cursing under his breath the whole way. Meanwhile, Michael Douglas was ripping Glenn Close’s panties off and fucking her on a kitchen counter. Auden hit pause right as Douglas put his mouth on her tit.
“Shit.” He hit a button to exit the screen completely.
“What’s up?” Lennox asked, sending him a mild look and then sipping his water. “Bathroom break?”
“We’re not doing this,” he said, purposely not looking O’Neal’s way. “I’muncomfortable.”
Len’s expression was pure innocence. “Why? You’ve seen this movie before.”
“It’s me,” O’Neal said, her words cutting through the middle of the conversation like a knife. “He doesn’t wantmeto see it.”
Auden finally looked her way, his teeth clenching.
She was curled up against the arm of the couch, her cheeks and neck tinged with pink. She swung her legs to the floor. “I’m gonna go. I’m obviously getting in the way of your movie night. You don’t want me here.”
“Not true,” Lennox said, tone as calm as a summer breeze. “I’m enjoying the company. I think Auden here has just forgotten again that he’s not your daddy.”
“Shut up, Len,” Auden bit out, giving his best friend a barbed look at the word choice. “I’m not trying to be her dad. I’m trying to be…responsible.”
“For what?” O’Neal said, her frustration obvious. “My moral standing? Should I only be allowed to watch cartoons? Maybe I should’ve brought a juice box and some Goldfish crackers.”
Lennox snorted in amusement.
Auden stared at her, trying to keep himself in check, trying to stay cool. Failed.“Who gave you the sex talk, O’Neal?”
She blinked, obviously startled. “What?”
“Your Nana sit you down and tell you about the birds and the bees?”
“I—no. But I know what sex is, Aud. I had access to books and the internet. I educated myself. I know how babies are made. I know about STDs. I know about org—” She stopped, cleared her throat. “The pleasure aspects of it.”
“See,” he said, jumping on her stumble and pointing at her. “You can’t even say orgasm.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Orgasm.” She tipped her chin up. “Which I believe is what both of those people on-screen were about to have until you started clutching your pearls and threatening to faint.”
Lennox chuckled. “O’Neal, you’re officially my new favorite person.” He looked to Auden. “Care to continue that pearl-clutching, darling?”
Auden sent Lennox a bullet of a look. “Shut up, man. I’m not pearl-clutching.” He turned back to O’Neal. “And I get that you might know the biological and technical aspects of things, but if you’ve never…done anything with anyone and you’ve never watched sex on-screen, you should start with something…milder. More romantic or whatever. Not two people going at it on a counter.”
Her blush deepened.
“I don’t know,” Lennox interjected, his tone the kind professors use when they’re trying to get the class to ponder something. “I mean,Fatal Attractionis basically a morality tale. Erotic on the surface but pretty puritanical in the message. Don’t cheat on your spouse or else. This might not feel too different to you, O’Neal, than those scary stories your grandparents have told you about the dangers of sin or whatever.” He shrugged. “Plus, who says romantic sex is the correct sex? I’d argue it’s just one of many types of sex.”
“Len,” he warned.
Len gave O’Neal a little smile. “And neither of us has any idea what you’d be into. You might not know yet either, which is cool. That’s what college is for, right? Experimenting. Finding yourself. All that jazz.”
O’Neal looked down at her hands.
“But, Aud, if you’re going to cut her off at the pass, you’re not giving her a chance to even consider the possibilities,” he went on. “For instance, screwing on a kitchen counter.” He looked to O’Neal and put his hand on his chest. “For me, that’s a no-go. Too much of a germaphobe. I don’t want anyone’s ass on my countertops.”