Naughty Neighbor - Lauren Runow Page 0,31
posts with a picture of you outperform the others, and your videos are even better. You know this will get likes, comments, and shares like crazy. You have a few thousand fans on TikTok alone, and when we did that dance last week, you had a thousand shares. You can copy and paste it to all of your accounts. You don’t have to have just TikTok to enjoy it.”
I pick up my drink and think about it. My first thought: No. Fucking. Way.
I have no idea how Jake would react if I made out with him on a whim. We’re not friends like that.
Except for that one time I let him put his hands on me while he painted my body.
I still quiver at the thought.
“If I did it, I’d have to tell him first. He’d have to be one hundred percent game.”
“Hell no!” Charisse yells. “You do this once, and you do it the right way. That’s what makes these videos so appealing. The audience will know if he’s faking it.”
I pull on my lip as I think about what it would be like to kiss him. His lips alone were enough for me to use as inspiration when describing my new hero. They’re so full and luscious and—
Dear me, am I really considering this?
If I did it and he was horrified, I’d have the excuse of the video challenge to use as an explanation. He would understand, and I bet he’d be willing to play along a second time once I told him. Plus, it would be cool for my heroine to kiss the guy first. I could write it with firsthand knowledge, which would definitely make it more real.
“Come on. Don’t be such a wimp.” Charisse playfully nudges my leg. “You can tell him before you post it, but you can’t tell him before you film. It’d ruin the vibe. You know he’ll be okay with it though. Men love the attention.”
She’s right there. This man would love the attention, but I hate the idea of filming him like this without him knowing.
“You’re sure this is a good career move?” I take a sip and set my glass down, swirling the wine in my mouth before I swallow it. “I don’t think he’d get upset, like some of those guys in the videos did,” I say, more thinking out loud.
“See,” Charisse says to Melody. “I knew she’d at least think about it.”
“I mean, it’s a bad idea, but it’s not horrible. He’d totally understand that I did it for my followers. We’ve discussed how I have to keep up on all social-media platforms. And he’s offered to help.”
“You are just taking him up on his offer.” Charisse nods with a smile on her face and sways her head like she’s doing the Night at the Roxbury head dance.
“Do you have a twitch?” I look toward Melody to see if Charisse’s spasms are normal.
“Go. Now. Go do it,” Charisse says, nudging me toward the door.
“Now?” I open my eyes wide as my mouth drops.
“If you don’t do it now, you’ll think about it too much, and then you’ll get inside your head and talk yourself out of it. It’s like ripping a Band-Aid off. You just need to do it right away.”
I turn to Melody for her advice, and she shakes her head.
“Nope, I’m not helping with this one. It’s all on Drunky McDrunkster.”
Shoot. Okay. I guess if this is going to happen, then there’s no better time than the present.
With some liquid courage and bravado from my friend, I stand up.
“How do I look?” I ask, taking in my leggings and oversize sweatshirt.
She shakes her head, slapping her forehead with her palm. “You really need to get dressed up more often.”
“What? I’m at home, doing nothing.”
The two look at each other with scrunched faces, like I’ve offended them.
I wave them off and head toward the door. “You know what I mean. Okay, I’m going. Wish me luck.”
“Your phone,” Charisse yells out, and I run back to her to grab it before heading out the door.
As I knock on Jake’s door, I check to make sure my phone has enough battery. I’m tapping my foot on the floor as I knock again and wait from him to answer.
When it opens, I’m greeted by him in gray sweats and no shirt. That beautiful, glistening, tanned skin is on full display. I have to blink as I move my eyes up to his face and smile as if I wasn’t