After his words fell, time seemed to stop for an instant, suspended in the disbelief and astonishment that thickened the air around.
Jennifer's expression fluctuated rapidly, her eyes opened wide with surprise, but almost immediately, that surprise transformed into a pout of reproach.
She was the first to recover and accept the situation, since, after all, she was the one who knew Lief best.
On the other hand, Carrie's face burned to a scarlet shade, but as she processed what he had just said, the blush of shame slowly gave way to a softer color, a mixture of shyness and immense relief.
She looked up shyly to give Lief a quick glance and lowered it again at the speed of light, but her hands, which had been torturing the hem of her dress nervously, finally relaxed.
Maria's reaction was the most complex of all, she opened her mouth with the intention of saying something, but the tension and the competitive expectation dissolved into bewilderment and relief. She looked at Carrie seeking confirmation, and seeing that she shared her same expression of relief for not having been rejected, her shoulders dropped.
"Pffft-hahahaha!"
The tension broke definitively with Frank's explosive laughter, who could no longer contain himself.
He doubled over, grabbing his stomach as if it hurt from laughing so much, and pointed at his friend while trying to catch his breath.
"Y-You... you are a damn genius or a madman, I'm not sure! I surrender, brother, I really surrender to your ability."
Lief ignored his teasing and let his gaze sweep warmly over the faces of the three girls, making sure to make eye contact with each one.
"Prom is an event that belongs to all of us, it is the last great memory we will have of this time...," he said with that magnetic and unquestionable cadence that made any madness sound logical.
"I don't want anyone to feel excluded or bad tonight. So my proposal is firm: we go together, as a group, as a family, just as we are now."
"However, to make it fair, when the dance starts I will invite each of you to the floor. The first dance is yours, Jennifer, your energy and passion are the only thing that can match a grand opening."
The corner of Jennifer's mouth lifted in a victorious smile, satisfied with her position.
"The second dance will be for you, Carrie," Lief continued, softening his tone, "That night I hope to see how you leave shyness behind and show your confidence in the center of the floor, where you deserve to be."
Carrie buried her chin in her chest to hide her smile, but happiness radiated from her visibly.
"And the third dance, Maria, is for you," he concluded, looking at her with recognition, "We have all seen your recent transformation, and prom is the perfect stage for you to finish presenting yourself to everyone."
Maria's face finally lit up with a radiant smile and she nodded forcefully.
'As for the fourth lady...'
Lief's gaze drifted subtly toward the glass where Airam's reflection was watching him, and he projected his thought clearly.
'If you manage to find a mirror large enough in the ballroom, I don't mind at all sharing a piece with you too, my dear ghost.'
An imminent emotional battlefield, which could have ended in tears and jealousy, was deactivated and resolved by Lief with a maneuver that could be described as dominant, but which in the end turned out to be incomparably fair.
"..."
Frank, who had stopped laughing to observe the resolution with wide eyes, looked at his friend with disbelief and absolute admiration.
'...Fucking expert level.'
...
The night of the prom had transformed the old school gymnasium into an almost unrecognizable setting.
Under the hypnotic spinning of a huge mirror ball, the bleachers were hidden behind velvet curtains and the air was now saturated by a sweet and dense mixture of perfumes.
And in the center of that hurricane, Lief's group shone with a gravity of its own, attracting the gazes of the entire hall without even trying.
Frank and Anita had already claimed their territory on the dance floor.
Frank, with his tie undone and inexhaustible energy, tried to execute dance steps that oscillated between ridiculous and genius, making Anita laugh, who followed him with a relaxed complicity, oblivious to the rest of the world.
As for Lief... he was a man of his word, and the night was just beginning.
When the DJ dropped a heavy and vibrant beat, Lief took Jennifer's hand for the first dance, and in a matter of seconds, both became the absolute monarchs.
Jennifer moved with lethal confidence, every turn, every tilt of her hips following the bass of the music, was charged with a magnetic charm that dared anyone to look away.
She pressed against Lief's body naturally, taking advantage of the noise to brush her lips against his earlobe.
"You're a cunning fox..." She whispered with a predatory smile. "This move of bringing us all... I have to admit I liked it."
"Let's say it's damage control with style," Lief replied with a half-smile, spinning her with a flourish that drew several whistles of admiration from the curious onlookers forming a circle around them.
The frenetic rhythm eventually faded, giving way to the soft chords of a classic ballad, signaling the moment for a slow waltz. Lief escorted Jennifer to the edge and, with gentlemanly gentleness, extended his hand toward Carrie.
She looked at him with wide eyes, and although her palms were slightly damp from nerves, the reassuring smile Lief offered her was enough for her to take a deep breath, take his hand, and let herself be guided toward the crowd of swaying couples.
At first, her movements were stiff with tension, and on a couple of occasions her heels bumped clumsily against his shoes.
"I-I'm sorry, I..."
"Look at me," Lief interrupted her, leaning in to whisper to her, ignoring the chaos around. "Forget the others, just focus on me..."
Carrie exhaled the air held in her lungs and nodded; little by little, the background noise faded and she focused solely on the firm pressure of Lief's hand on her waist and on following the rhythm.
Her movements became fluid, the tension disappeared from her shoulders, and a genuine smile lit up her face.
When the song ended, in a burst of courage that surprised even Lief, Carrie stood on her tiptoes, gave him a quick but loud kiss on the cheek, and instead of running away, she stayed there a second longer, squeezing his hand affectionately before stepping away with rosy cheeks but her head held high.
When Maria's turn came, the transition was flawless.
She was wearing an elegant long sky-blue dress that contrasted with her skin, and she didn't wait to be invited; she was the one who actively pulled Lief onto the dance floor with confidence.
Although her steps didn't have Jennifer's sensual aggression, they possessed an elegance and poise that would have been unthinkable in the shy girl from a few months ago.
"Thank you..." Maria said sincerely, looking him in the eyes as they spun gently. "I know it sounds like a cliché, but if it weren't for you and everything that happened... I never would have dared to step on this dance floor."
"Don't talk nonsense, the credit is yours," Lief corrected, returning her gaze with intensity. "I only gave you a push; standing tall and shining like this is the result of your own effort."
He could feel it clearly. Maria's confidence was no longer a facade, but something that emanated, a strength forged by her connection with Airam and by her own decision to stop being a victim.
After several more songs, mixing fast and slow rhythms until their feet hurt, the group decided they had had enough of the show for the night.
They retired to a table in the corner, loosening ties and taking off heels under the tablecloth, while nibbling on some of the buffet food that was already starting to get cold. They laughed, joked about some teachers' horrible suits, and enjoyed the camaraderie.
"This has given all it had to give, the punch is gone, and the music is getting worse by the second. Shall we get out of here?" Frank proposed.
The consensus was unanimous.
Upon pushing the double doors and leaving the gym, leaving behind the thumping bass and the heat, the fresh breeze hit their faces, bringing an intoxicating sense of relief.
The group dissolved quickly; Frank and Anita left amidst laughter and whispers toward his car, while Carrie and Maria, exhausted but happy, shared a taxi to go home.
In a matter of minutes, the intersection was deserted, leaving only Lief and Jennifer under the blinking of a red traffic light.
She didn't waste any time.
"Lief..." she purred, closing the distance between them until their bodies collided softly. "The appetizers at the dance were good, but they left me hungry. How about we go to my room?"
As she spoke, she slid her arms around his waist with shameless possessiveness, pressing her pelvis against Lief's, letting him feel every part of her body and the heat radiating from it.
Understanding the message, Lief nodded, returning the embrace firmly.
Without needing to walk any further, he approached the service door of a nearby closed store, visualized the destination in his mind, and turned the knob.
Upon crossing the threshold, the street noise disappeared, instantly replaced by the sepulchral silence and the smell of leather of the Agency.
The instant the door closed behind them, Jennifer's mask fell to the floor.
She let go of Lief's arm and walked toward the center of the room, deliberately turning her back on him while her stiletto heels hit the wood with a slow and provocative rhythm, marking the time of a hunt.
With a fluid movement of her shoulders, she let the coat covering her dress slide down her arms until it fell to the floor.
Revealing a scandalous strap dress, a second skin of black satin that barely covered what was legally necessary, clinging to her waist and hips with criminal precision.
"That punch was too sweet for my taste," she murmured, turning slowly to face him.
She walked toward Lief with her gaze locked on his, extended a finger with a dark red painted nail and traced a burning line from his chest down to his belt buckle, "Now I need to taste the main course. I want the real dessert."
Lief didn't waste saliva on unnecessary words and reached out, grabbed her waist tightly, and pulled her toward him.
Without letting her go, he opened the door again and they crossed the threshold into the intimate gloom of Jennifer's bedroom.
They didn't turn on any lights.
The room was submerged in shadows, illuminated solely by the light of the full moon filtering through the curtains.
Jennifer actively broke free from the embrace, pushing him gently so he would stay watching, and crawled onto the bed with the elegance of a tigress.
She positioned herself in the center of the mattress, with her back to him, rose up on her knees, and brought her hands to the straps of her dress.
Slowly, torturously, she lowered the fabric.
The black satin slid down her pale skin like dark water, revealing inch by inch the curve of her back, the indentation of her spine, and the softness of her waist, until piling up around her hips.
She didn't look back.
With submission, she arched her back deeply and lowered her torso until resting her elbows on the mattress, lifting her hips into the air in a shameless offering.
The moonlight bathed her figure, outlining the perfect and firm roundness of her bare buttocks, a sculpture of warm and soft flesh that seemed to defy gravity, inviting sin with its mere presence.
Lief took off his jacket and walked to the edge of the bed, dominating the view.
His right hand descended without hesitation, resting first gently on the warm skin of one of her buttocks, feeling the texture and amazing elasticity under his fingers, weighing the flesh.
And then, with a quick flick of his wrist, he struck.
Smack!
The sound of the impact, crisp and dry, broke the silence of the room, and the white skin was instantly dyed a vivid red under the mark of his fingers.
"Aaaah...! 💗"
Jennifer threw her head back while moaning with pleasure.
"Fuck... that is... Lief..." She gasped trembling visibly, while pushing her hips back, asking for more.
________
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