Sealed with a Hiss by Addison Moore (read 50 shades of grey .txt) 📕

a permanent marker. There’s a cardboard partition between each of us, like the kind they use in voting booths but shorter. I can see everyone’s head, but I can’t sneak a peek at the answer they’ll be jotting down. Not that Jasper and I would have to resort to cheating. If I wanted to do that, I wouldn’t have told him to think naughty thoughts about me while contemplating his answers. That way instead of getting insight to whatever it is he’s about to say, all that I’ll pick up on is white noise.

Standing before us, Keegan looks polished—even more so than she was when we met up a little while ago at the bar. Her hair teased out and her pink lips shine like glass under the duress of the white-hot spotlight pointed at us.

“Question number one!” She holds out a notecard in front of her. “If your significant other won the lottery, what would be the first thing they would buy?”

“This is easy.” Georgie snorts.

“Easy?” I glance over and both she and Juni are scribbling away their answers—so are their supposed significant others.

I shoot Jasper a quick look and he’s staring down at his lap, looking stumped.

What would Jasper buy if he won the lottery?

Something for us? For me?

Of course. He’s so sweet, he’d probably run out and buy me some flashy piece of jewelry.

I write flashy jewelry down as fast as I can.

“Time’s up!” Keegan waves the card at us. “Couple number one, Juni and Dr. B. Let’s see your answers.”

Dr. B is the way Juni introduced the esteemed medical practitioner. She told the crowd he performs invasive surgery on very important people and that there might be a hit out on him.

And there might be if Juni’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, Butch, gets wind of someone carting his woman around in a Bentley.

Juni and Dr. B hold up their cards and the room explodes with applause.

“Wonderful!” Keegan laughs and claps. “You both gave the same answer—Hogs. And judging by those jackets, I bet I know what kind.” The crowd whoops and hollers. “Couple number two, Georgie and Buck. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

The two of them flash their cards at the crowd, and the room lights up again with a raucous applause.

Keegan laughs at the sight. “You both said a hot air balloon. That’s quite an eccentric purchase. I’ve got to give it to you. The two of you really know each other well.”

Jasper and I exchange a look, and his lips twitch with a smile.

If anyone around here knows one another, it’s Jasper and me.

“Couple number three, Bizzy and Jasper—show us your answers!” Keegan sings, and both Jasper and I hold them up at the very same time.

The room goes quiet and a groan works its way through the crowd.

“What?” I say as I lean over to read Jasper’s card. “An electric guitar?” I practically choke out the words. “Why would I buy an electric guitar?”

“For me,” he says, wild-eyed. “I’ve always wanted one.” He leans over and looks at my answer. “Fancy jewelry? Good to know.” And judging by that look on his face, he looks worried for both himself and me. I’m guessing a bauble from Tiffany’s isn’t in the cards for me.

The next question is much easier. What is your partner’s most annoying habit?

The six of us get right back to work, and soon Keegan has Juni and Dr. B. flipping their cards over to the audience.

“You both said chewing on your toenails,” she cringes as she says it, but the crowd howls with approval.

Wonderful.

If Jasper and I lose to a couple of toenail munchers, I’m going to flip every table in this place.

“Couple number two, Georgie and Buck.” Keegan nods their way and they flip their cards, causing the room to break out into a riot of laugher. “Hot air balloons! I’m sensing a theme here, you two,” she says as the crowd laughs hysterically once again. “Bizzy and Jasper, let’s see what you’ve got for us.”

We flash our cards, and the crowd groans hard this time.

“What did you say?” I lean past the partition to see Jasper’s answer and gag. “I do not drool in my sleep.”

He winces. “I didn’t say it bothered me.”

“No,” I snip. “Just that you found it annoying.”

I flash my card his way and he blinks back.

“I left the toilet seat up once. And believe me, you haven’t let me forget it since.” A sly smile glides up one side of his face.

Very funny.

“Next question.” Keegan waves her notecards at us. “What is your partner’s favorite food?”

Seems innocuous enough. And simple for once.

Juni and Dr. B. flash their cards—Indian, a perfect match on both their parts.

Georgie and Buck give their requisite hot air balloon answer, and the crowd eats it right up.

Cheaters.

Jasper and I hold up our answers, and the crowd actually boos at us this time.

Jasper said Italian, and I said Chinese.

“Italian?” I scoff over at this apparent stranger next to me. “Then why are we eating Chinese five days a week?”

“Because I thought you liked it.”

“I thought you liked it, too.”

“I do.” His brows hike in the way they tend to when he’s defensive. “I just like it a little bit more knowing that you care to put away that much kung pao chicken in a week.”

My mouth falls open.

The beat goes on in exactly that way. Next question—what is your favorite couple’s activity?

Juni and Dr. B. both give a rather X-rated answer, and since they’re yet again a perfect match, the crowd goes wild. Georgie and Buck go with their standby and get a chuckle from everyone in the room while they’re at it. And Jasper and I once again stun the crowd into silence. I said reading and he said running.

“When have I ever run?” I shake my head at him, trying to understand this alien whom I’ve pledged to spend the rest of my life with.

“Since when do we read together?” he counters.

The final question we actually do get right. When did