THE INVITATION

*Nelly POV*

The cab dropped me off in front of my apartment. I was really thankful to the stranger man who helped me out; if not, I would have frozen under the snow. "Thank y—" my appreciation was cut short by the car roughly speeding off. "What the heck!" I hissed and resumed my steps towards my apartment. I noticed the door wasn't locked, which automatically means Tessa—my best friend, was around.

"You know, I have warned you to always call me if you're stopping by; just because you have a spare key doesn't mean you should barge into my house anytime you feel like it," I angrily stated, dumping my handbag on the couch and my laptop bag. I have had enough frustration for today: Jasper could not come to pick me up, leaving me stranded in this heavy snowing weather; I met an annoying stranger who almost ran me over, and now I have a bulging friend.

"Easy, baby girl!" I rolled my eyes at her, going over to turn on the heat mode of the AC. "Seriously, what are you doing here? Christmas is just a few days from now; aren't you going to spend it with your family?" My annoyance grew.

She shrugged her shoulders and said, "I told my mom I can't come. Besides, I have more exciting news for you." She grinned, dancing on her toes dramatically. I rolled my eyes yet again, going to take a seat on one of my gray fur couches. She quickly turned around and sat close to me.

"You can't stay here tonight, okay? Jasper is coming over," I informed her and watched her face squeeze in annoyance.

"What!" I sneered, urging her to spill out whatever she was withholding from her tongue because I knew she definitely had something to say; she always did.

She shrugged her shoulders yet again. "Are you really using your brains at all? So you want to tell me you aren't noticing any changes in Jasper?" She rolled her eyes at me. "And what do you mean by that?" More fury rose; she is really stirring the wrong water tonight.

"Girl, don't be dumb; that guy is obviously fucking some bitch outside. C'mon, he can't stay—" She slapped her mouth shut. I knew what she wanted to say; my hazel eyes were already boring the hell out of her soul. "Why stop... Continue, or do you want me to help you?" I urged angrily.

She facepalmed herself. "Please... please, I don't mean to say that; just forget it. Coffee?" She tried to soothe me, but obviously I wasn't buying it. Anyway, she ran to the kitchen to get me a cup of coffee.

By the time she returned, I was already taking off my wet outfit. I'm not shy about undressing in front of her; besides, we have been roommates since college days, so there's absolutely nothing we haven't seen of each other. "Here," at first I thought it was the coffee she was extending to me, but when I turned fully to face her, it was a bathrobe, while the coffee was in her other hand. "Thanks," I said through gritted teeth. I wore the bathrobe and collected the coffee from her; she hunched down to pick up my wet clothes and then took them to the washer. Don't get it twisted; she only did that simply because she felt guilty, not because she is so domesticated. We both aren't.

"So, what's this so-called exciting news?" I inquired, exaggerating it with a hand gesture. Her face lit up again before she spoke. "There's this steamy Christmas show, or should I say contest, that an entertainment company is organizing. And it has this kinky theme that is so captivating, and I think this is exactly what you need!" My shoulder shook up and down because I was trying to control my laughter. "Ha... ha... ha, aren't you just too silly?" I laughed harder. "How the hell is this useful to me?" It seems my outburst of laughter annoyed her because she gave me a blank, layered look before saying, "It does in every way. First, it's a free vacation treat to an island in Costa Rica, with free transportation to the vacation venue; winners of a team go home with a brand new Lamborghini truck and five million dollars, and as for you, it's a solution to your sexual problem." The last part she stated caught my attention.

I leaned forward, almost reaching her face. "Excuse me, how is this a solution to my sexual problem? Will there be a vaccine there that can help me, huh?" She pulled her face away from me, smacking the tip of her teeth with her tongue.

"Aren't you getting my point, Nelly?" Her voice sounded irritated, and rage was setting in.

"Oh no, dear, I'm lost; please elaborate," I scoffed, obviously surprised by her stupid idea of helping me get back my sexual stimulation. "Remember your therapist said if you try something out of the ordinary, you can be lucky, baby girl. No man wants to be with a lady who can't be sexually aroused." I rolled my eyes. "And you think this stupid, steamy Christmas vacation will help me? Look, baby girl, Jasper and I have tried everything for the last two years to get me sexually excited, even drugs. C'mon, name it; nothing worked!" She sighed, abruptly standing up from the couch; she bore her eyes down at me. "Why are you like this?" she started off, her breath now heaving.

"What part of something out of the ordinary don't you understand? We aren't talking about regular stimulation, girl; this can become a Christmas miracle!

You were recommended to engage in BDSM play, but you refuse. How long are you going to be living like this? Jasper is going to leave you if you don't fix what is going on down there! "She yelled, pointing at my under.

"What are you guys fixing?" A masculine, husky voice sounded from the background, which made me abruptly stand up, fear pulsating through my veins. "Did he hear all we have been discussing? Shit!"