Free Love and Lists (Chocoholics) by Tara Sivec

she walks away from them and over in our direction. I’m pretty sure I heard one of them scream, “Give it to him, Charlie!” but I’m too busy wondering if I’m sober enough to punch Brad in the face if he says anything inappropriate to her.
    My eyes grow wide and Brad immediately stops talking about how awesome he is as Charlotte squeezes her small body in between the two of us. With her back to Brad, she inches in between my legs and closer to me until our noses are almost touching.
    “Hey, Gavin, why don’t you introduce me to your friend,” Brad says over Charlotte’s shoulder.
    I ignore him and stare directly into Charlotte’s eyes.
    “I’m a little drunk,” she whispers.
    “Me, too.”
    We smile at each other, and I can see Brad staring at us out of the corner of my eye.
    She frowns. “I got into a fight with Rocco tonight.”
    “I’m sorry,” I tell her, even though I’m not.
    “My name’s Brad. I work for McDonald Investments downtown. I’m sure you’ve heard of it.”
    I can feel Charlotte’s warm breath against my lips as she continues to stare at me. She’s never looked at me like this before, and I really hope I don’t do something stupid.
    “Don’t lie, Mangina. You really work at the drive-thru of McDonald’s flipping burgers. Do you want fries with that, Mangina?” Tyler says with a laugh.
    “So, my girlfriends all dared me to do something to get back at Rocco. But I don’t know if I should do it,” she whispers.
    I can’t process what she’s saying right now because she’s moved in closer, and I can feel her breasts up against my chest. She’s still a little wobbly on her feet, and since I’m such a gentleman, I place my hands on her hips so she doesn’t fall.
    “But I kind of have to do it since it’s a dare, you know?”
    I don’t know. I don’t know and I don’t care about anything right now but keeping her exactly where she is and never letting her go. She fits perfectly in between my thighs and she smells amazing, just like always.
    “We should all go outside so I can show you my new Porsche. It’s parked right in front,” Brad says loudly.
    “No one cares, Mangina. Get in the kitchen and make me a Quarter Pounder!” Tyler tells him.
    “I’m totally going to do this dare right now, okay? So don’t freak out,” Charlotte adds softly.
    I nod in reply as I stare at her lips while they move. She has such pretty lips.
    “Stop being a dick, Tyler,” Brad threatens.
    “At least I have a dick and not a MANGINA!” Tyler yells.
    At this point, a few of the bar patrons have caught on to the shouting and join Tyler every time he yells Mangina. It’s a fun word to yell, and I would totally be doing it if I wasn’t so mesmerized by Charlotte’s mouth.
    Tyler and Brad are still arguing back and forth from either side of me, and before I can tell them to shut up, Charlotte suddenly leans forward and presses her lips to mine. I instinctively open my mouth on a surprised gasp and she takes the initiative, sliding her tongue past my lips and tangling it with mine. Her hands move to the back of my head, and she clutches the hair at the nape of my neck, pulling me harder against her mouth and deepening the kiss.
    As half the bar starts chanting, “Mangina, Mangina, Mangina,” I wrap my arms around her waist and hold her close, pouring everything I have into this kiss. Her friends dared her to kiss me so it means nothing to her, but it means everything to me and I want her to know that. All thoughts fly from my mind as our lips move together in perfect sync. She tastes like wine and I want to devour her. Her tongue glides against mine slowly, and I moan into her mouth, pulling her tighter against me. I move one of my hands up to her face, cupping her cheek as I deepen the kiss. I can’t help myself; I slide my hand around to the back of her neck and grab a handful of her hair, clutching it in my hands. She whimpers against my lips and I’m instantly