Desire Ch. 9 - Buttons & Slime

[itztigress3]

Chapter 9 – Buttons & Slime
POV: Zac
Word Count: 3134

June 13, 2009; Saturday

It was just after 9 and we were getting dressed for the day so we could show up at the community gathering which was being held at the fairgrounds. Emily was standing on her side of the bed putting on blue jean shorts and a black button up shirt with the 3CG logo on the back and the front pocket.

“Really Ems?”

“What? I am representing 3CG and Hanson today; I have to look the part. I also volunteered for the dunk tank, so dark clothes are required.”

“Dunk tank huh?” I would have to make sure we went by there at least once.

“Yeah, each of us girls signed up for it. Stephanie, Gina, and Angela also signed up to help today and they chose a few activities but I only chose that one.”

“Did you all not get enough at the water balloon fight a few weeks ago?”

She turned and looked at me. “You cheated; you lured me away so Taylor and Isaac could ambush them and cost us the game.”

I smiled mischievously. “I did no such thing.”

“Yes, you did.”

I walked to her and kissed her. “Not that you cared about being lured away.”

She smiled at me, she knew she didn’t. She finished getting ready, going with sandals so they would dry easier. I was wearing black shorts, a white undershirt and a yellow and black checked button up shirt with sandals too.

“Shorts and sandals? You never wear those.”

“It’s going to be hot today; I don’t want to burn up.”

“I like them.”

Isaac and Taylor arrived at 9:45. Samantha was meeting us there but the rest of us took the company van to the fairgrounds. The ladies of our crew went one way and we went the other way. We found our booth and there we stayed for a few hours greeting fans, signing autographs, generally talking, and even a few pictures were taken. It was defiantly hot outside and part of me wondered if I should have signed up for a dunk tank as well, because being dropped in cold water would feel pretty nice at the moment. Taylor and Isaac complained about the heat as well, but they wore pants, so I felt bad for them. About 12 we left our booth and walked around, seeing the different events that were present and getting to meet smaller local business owners. We found a few places that would be perfect for future Hanson day events, custom shirts or bags would be good prizes or gifts. As we approached the dunk tank, I could see that Emily was the one currently sitting on the platform.

A fan approached Taylor and basically dared him to throw a few balls for the dunk tank. Saying it would be awesome to see. She even said it would be awesome if he was over there too. I giggled. I saw him look at the tank to see who was sitting there and then he looked at me.

“Would you be ok with that Zac?”

“Why should he care?” the woman asked.

I knew exactly why Taylor was asking, because Emily was there. “She volunteered Taylor, nothing I can do about it. I actually wouldn’t mind at all.”

He rolled his eyes and agreed with the fan and we followed her over to the table where the man running the event was.

“Hanson would like a shot at our own employee.” Taylor said.

“Hold up, exclude this Hanson I saw her temper late last year and I am not risking another explosion like that.” Isaac said.

Taylor and I both looked at him. “Taylor’s doing the throwing Ike.” I said.

“I don’t care.” He said. He stepped to the side, involved but clearly where Emily could see he was bowing out.

The man handed Taylor six white tennis balls. “You get six chances to hit the red circle.”

“Ok.” Taylor said.

He then announced it, Hanson versus their employee. Taylor even waited a few moments because people stopped walking and turned around, coming back over.

“Don’t embarrass us Tay.” Ike said.

He rolled his eyes and threw the first ball which was two feet from the target. It was a big ass red circle, how could he miss it?! Yet, three more times he missed and it was by feet not inches. He looked at me frustrated.

“You said Hanson, he can throw it as well,” he said.

“Come on Taylor! I know you throw better than that!” Emily nagged.

He snickered at her and threw the fifth one, completely missing the white curtain. He finally looked at me and extended the last one ball to me. Emily looked a little concerned when she saw me take it. Taylor turned to her.

“I know Zac can hit it.” He smirked.

Emily gave him a pretty good version of his own bitch face. I tossed the ball up a few times, let her wonder if I was going to really hit the mark or miss on purpose. Part of me wanted to be nice to her and let her off the hook but there was that side of me that wanted to see her soaking wet. Sadly, that side won and when I threw the ball it landed dead center of the red circle and she was dropped into the tank of water. People cheered and I watched her stand up and wipe water from her face. We waited on her to join us; she was done for the day the announcer had said it was the last chance to dunk her before the fan approached. She climbed out of the tank and I averted my thoughts from that to prevent reactions. She dried her face and arms off, rung water out of her shirt and then walked to us.

“Five Taylor, you had five chances.” She said.

“I totally suck at this game.”

“I don’t, I only needed one.” I smirked.

“You wait; I will pay you back for this.”

I half hugged her though, trying not to get too wet. “You know I couldn’t resist, was I the only one to dunk you?”

“Believe me I know you couldn’t. No, you were the second person to do it.”

I smiled and she came with us, eventually the other three ladies also joined us. I found her hand as we walked and held it, most of Tulsa knew so there was no need to hide it. About two we stopped for some lunch and she sat beside me, now dry. We were talking when her phone rang and she got it, but she didn’t answer it. I laid my hand on her thigh and she shook her head, so I didn’t ask. She did slide over closer to me. I put my arm around her lower back and laid my hand just on her right side. We finished eating lunch and then walked a little more on the other side of the field this time. I kept Emily beside me and at one point I felt her hand slid into my back pocket.

“Going risky are we?”

She looked at me and smiled. “No.”

I kissed her, because I couldn’t resist. She looked kind of surprised actually, but returned my kiss. It wasn’t often that I kissed her in such a public place like this.

“That was risky.”

I smiled and we walked on for another hour. We came to the tug-o-war section about 3:45. Isaac, Taylor, and I walked ahead of the girls to talk to a local business owner, but we were only about 20 feet away, so I could hear them.

“We can take them, no question.” Stephanie said.

“We can take who? Who are we?” Emily asked.

“We are you, these ladies, and I and them is those three men.”

I glanced toward them and saw Stephanie gesturing toward us; she was not serious was she?

“I don’t think so Stephanie, you under estimate how strong they really are. I have seen just how much they can pick up on tour.”

“We can, I am sure of it. I mean really, how bad could it be?”

I glanced to the two groups that were currently competing. They pulled back and forth a bit and then the first three people in the right hand group went into the slime. Which, really was an odd choice, considering mud or dirty water was the normal choice for such competitions, slime was a weird choice but interesting one.

“You know, you’d be green and slimy.” I said.

“Excuse me?” Emily asked.

I turned and looked at them. “I am sure the three of us can pull the four of you into that puddle of slim.”

“Taylor? Isaac? Are you agreeing with him here?”

Isaac held up his hands. “I plead the fifth.”

Taylor looked at her. “I’ll agree with Zac, I think we can.”

She turned and looked at the girls behind her.

“We can.” They replied.

Emily turned and looked at me. “Well Zac, was that a challenge?” She asked.

“Yeah.” If they seriously thought they could take us on, then why not?

“In that case, we accept. But, if I am in the front of my group then I fully expect you in front.”

I giggled. “Not a problem, I’ll enjoy watching you falling in a lot more if I have front row seats.”

Isaac went and told the announcer for the event and he announced it, like the dunk tank he played it up band versus employees, even mention men versus women. The boys and I chose the right side, while Emily went to the right. They huddled and so did we.

“So, what should we watch out for?” Isaac asked.

“Really guys? I’ll be in the front. Emily knows how strong we are.”

“Which is why it’s pretty crazy for her to challenge us. Really Zac, she knows what we can and cannot do.”

“Stephanie heckled her into it, we’ll be fine.”

“She knows how you are, it’s just weird.” Taylor said.

“We’ll be fine!” I said.

We picked up the rope and the person centered us, announced and when he blew the whistle we felt the pull on the rope, but none of us were trying very hard compared to the four of them. Gina and Angela had the rope wrapped around them a few times for extra pulling power. I tightened my grip and leaned back, watched Emily and the others slid almost to the edge of the pit. I watched her dig her shoes in and try her best. Considering I didn’t expect it, I slipped a few feet myself.

“Zac! Pay attention!” Taylor said.

I got a little more determined and pulled a little harder. I could see Stephanie talking but I couldn’t make out what she was saying, Emily replied and she looked confused and then determined. I pulled harder and she slipped a few more inches toward the edge. She said something and the others seemed to tighten their grip, when her hand left the rope I was very confused, why would she let the rope go at all?

“What is she doing?” Taylor and Isaac asked.

“I don’t….” she was unbuttoning her shirt and I could see the cleavage exposed and then the lace edges of the blue bra she’d put on this morning. My brain switched from holding the rope tightly to anything that would prevent me from reacting to what she was doing in front of me.

“Zac!” Taylor yelled.

Suddenly there was a pulling sensation on my arms and I stumbled forward and fell face first into the pit of slime with Taylor landing on me, pushing my head completely under the slime, I felt Taylor pulling me up though quickly. Taylor managed to stand up first, and he helped me up, slipping as we went.

“Are you both ok?” Emily asked.

“I am. Zac broke my fall.” Taylor said.

The gathering crowd laughed at that and I glanced at Taylor, slimed covered most of his pants, some of his shirt and arms. But, his face and hair had been completely spared thanks to me. I wiped the slime off of my face, could feel the burning on my cheeks as I heard people laughing. I looked right to Emily.

“You.”

“I did nothing.” She smiled sweetly and innocently, but I knew she was far from either of those.

I took a few steps toward her and she stepped back away from the edge. The idea of pulling her in crossed my mind actually. Pull her in and pin her down so she couldn’t escape.

“Zac, come on now.”

“No Emily, you don’t get away with this.”

I climbed out, wiped more slime out of my hair, slicking it back. But, I kept my eyes on Emily.

“Zachary…”

I started for her, she knew running would be pointless but she ran anyway. It wouldn’t be the first time I had chased her around either and she had yet to get away from me. The problem was keeping up with her in a crowd and not sliming everyone I passed or sliding down. She turned behind a building and when I came around the corner she was coming my way but stopped. It was a dead end, she couldn’t go the other way and she now couldn’t get past me.

“Baby, you know it was funny.”

“You unbuttoned that shirt on purpose.”

She smiled coyly. “You know I could have done a lot worse, screamed out how you really are behind closed doors.”

She was starting to back up, but she couldn’t go far.

“You would not have done that.”

She hit the wall behind her and I slowed down my some. She didn’t really look afraid; I mean really how evil or bad could I look covered in green slime?

I stopped about an inch away. “You did that on purpose.”

“It was either that or fall face first into the slime like you did. Honestly, I didn’t want to be slimed.”

She scrunched her nose up when I pressed my body against hers, getting slime on her shirt, I leaned down and kissed her neck getting it on her face and neck some.

“That feels strange.”

“Wonder if this is safe to use in other contexts.”

“Not likely. Might be…”

I felt her hand brush across the front of my pants.

“Now you’re being evil.”

“You’re the one who has me pinned against the wall.”

I kissed her neck again. “You did almost get away, I nearly slid down.”

“You would have gotten me eventually.”

“I know.”

She followed me back to the slime pit where Isaac looked at her and giggled.

“I see he caught you.” He said.

“He does every time. You’d think I would have learned by now.”

He smiled. “You could always pretend to be sick, maybe dress him up again?”

I looked at Isaac astonished, has he really said that in public? I felt the blush creep into my face as I realized several people around us were now looking at us. She smiled at Isaac.

“You can be so mean!” Emily said.

I tried to get more slime out of my hair and off my cloths, but when Isaac giggled I wondered why. Emily actually snapped a photo and then Stephanie informed me my hair was sticking up at weird angles. Emily giggled at first but then laughed, I looked at her though and she stopped laughing. She knew this face well and when she smiled at me I knew she understood perfectly what it meant.

We stayed another hour and then the boys and most of us returned to the studio. Emily and Stephanie were helping clean up, Stephanie was bringing her back.

“Seriously Zac? You cost us a match with four girls.” Taylor said.

“Not my fault!”

“Really? She unbuttons her shirt and you fall face first into slime because you felt like it?” Isaac asked.

I sighed. “Not quite. Come on I chased her afterwards, got her back. Isaac you have no room to talk! You got spared completely!”

“She did that on purpose Zac; she knows your weaknesses as well as any of us do.”

“She is not a weakness.”

“Yes, she is.” They said.

I pouted until they dropped me off, they wouldn’t know about the rest of her punishment. I went inside the back door and took my shoes and socks off, carefully went to the bathroom upstairs and got in the shower. It took forever to get the slime out of my hair; five times I had to wash it. It was rather easy to get off my face and legs, but the hair was a pain in the ass.

When I finally got clean I put on pajamas. I then laid the special towel in the bathroom for her. She would know what it meant as well.

I pilled the pillows in the center of the bed and climbed up, got the last book I was reading and got comfortable, thinking about exactly what I would do when she got home. I heard the door when she got home about an hour later and when she walked in I looked up.

“Did you get everything cleaned up?”

“Yes, I dropped the few extra shirts off by your door before coming home. Did you manage to get all that slime out of your hair?”

“It took a while, but yes.”

She laid her wallet and keys on the dresser with her phone and then laid out clothes to put on.

“I’m going to shower, get the slime off of me and out of my hair.”

I smiled. “I figured you would, I laid a towel in there for you.”

She smiled and walked to the bathroom. I knew she would need some time to get the slime out of her hair as well, it wasn’t bad but still. I gave her a few moments before I got up and stripped to nothing and then climbed back into the bed. I left the book on the nightstand and watched the door. I heard the shower cut off and watched the door. I had been very patient but her patience was not very good. I decided the right punishment for that little prank was to teach her some patience.

She came to the bathroom door and looked at me, smiled and stood there. The towel was just long enough to cover her rear end; it was royal blue with my name on it, she leaned against the door frame and I looked at her with the same look from the fairgrounds.

Tonight was going to be a good night…