by JA Low
“Would you rather me cheat on her instead?” Isla glares at me.
“Stacey tells me the same things. Seriously, you two are the same person. It’s really frustrating.” Good to know we are still on the same page about our non-relationship then.
“I just wanted to know if she was home tonight. Thought I might pop in and say hi.” Isla grins.
“It’s cute that you’re still fighting what is happening between you both. But to answer your question, yes she is home tonight.” I jump up out of my chair. “Hold up.” She stops me. “She’s not alone.” A tiny little jab hits me in the stomach. What the hell was that?
“Oh, that’s okay. I can catch up with her another time.” Isla bursts out laughing.
“See, I knew it. I saw it on your face, you’re jealous.”
“No I’m not.”
“Yes you are…the teeny tiniest bit.” That wasn’t jealousy, I refuse to believe it. “Fine, be stubborn. It’s only Jackson. Vanessa asked him to drop off something for the wedding at her apartment on his way home.” Tension releases from my shoulders.
“Thank you. That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Isla laughs at me.
“You shouldn’t deny your feelings, Oscar. Because when you finally realize them it might be too late.” I wave my sister goodbye, ignoring her. She has a white picket fence view of the world, that isn’t for me or Stacey.
There’s a spring in my step as I make my way to Stacey’s apartment incognito. I pick up a bottle of her favorite wine from the liquor store along the way. I enter her building, the smells of people’s evening meals filters through the air. I take the stairs two at a time, which brings me to her front door in a couple of seconds. My knuckles are poised to knock on the door but I stop. Maybe I should surprise her. Start the night off with a bit of role playing. We’ve done it once before, me surprising her in her apartment, forcing her to have sex, consensually of course. It was so fucking hot. Pulling my keys from my jeans pocket I insert her door key into the hole and turn ever so quietly. The TV is on, so she’s home which is good. I creep in and close the door behind me. Her apartment is empty. Maybe she’s in the shower. Even better. I place the bottle of wine on the kitchen counter and notice two glasses of half-drunk red wine. Isla did say that Jackson was popping in; maybe she offered him a glass. Moving through the living room, I make my way to her bedroom. Her door is open. Maybe she’s in bed; that would be utterly convenient because that’s where we will be heading. Looking around the corner, ready to surprise her, I wasn’t prepared for what I saw. Stacey arching her back as she rides Jackson’s dick. A stabbing pain hits me in the chest. I blink a couple of times, not really believing what I am seeing. Jackson’s fingers grip her hips as she bucks against him.
“Yes. Oh yes,” she cries out.
“You feel so fucking good,” Jackson groans. Stacey leans over and kisses him. They lose themselves in the kiss, so much so that Jackson rolls them over and moves them into another position. I just stand there like an idiot and feeling utterly confused and betrayed.
“Oscar,” Stacey shrieks, noticing me there. Jackson stops mid thrust and looks over at me. The look on his face screams oh fuck.
“I…” I’m not really sure what to say. Quickly, I turn and walk out of her bedroom.
“Oscar.” Stacey runs out from the bedroom with a t-shirt on. “Hey.” She grabs my arm. “I didn’t know you were coming over.”
“Surprise!” Sarcasm laces my tone. Her eyes widen at my remark.
“You sound angry at me.” She folds her arms across her chest.
“Why would I be angry, Stace? You’re just fucking one of my friends.” Her mouth falls open.
“One that you have watched me fuck many times.” Jackson appears at the doorway fully dressed. He stands behind Stacey, placing a reassuring hand on her hip. I see red and lunge at him. Stacey screams as I push him up against the wall.
“Go on. Hit me if it makes you feel better,” Jackson goads me.
“Oscar.” Stacey tries to pull me away from him, but she can’t move me. She begins to slap me hard across the back until I finally let him go.
“What the fuck do you think you are doing?” Stacey screams at me. “How fucking dare you?” Why is she pissed at me? I’m the one that busted her with another man. But did I? I mean, we aren’t in a relationship. I’ve been fucking other women too, just last weekend I let some redhead blow me at a party. I rake my fingers through my hair in frustration.
“Fuck!”
Stacey lays a hand on my arm. “Sit down, Oscar. Please. Let’s talk about this.” She gives me a sad smile. I nod and take a seat, hanging my head in my hands. “Don’t think you’re going anywhere,” Stacey tells Jackson. “You can sit too.” She points to the chair opposite me. He does as he is told and sits. “Now, let me pour us some wine and talk like civilized adults. Okay?” Jackson and I nod. “Now…” Stacey takes a seat in front of us both. “Let me start with saying this…Oscar, I am so sorry that you walked in on us like that.” She reaches out and touches my knee. “What you saw wasn’t planned.” She looks over at Jackson who nods his head. “We had a couple of glasses of wine. It had been a stressful day.” She should have contacted me to help destress her.
“I offered her a massage,” Jackson confesses.
“Gee, as if that wasn’t a line,” I sneer at him. He just takes a sip of his red wine, ignoring my tone.
“It started out as just a massage.” I stare at the floor. Stacey gets up and sits beside me. “Oscar, will you look at me, please?” I let out a heavy sigh and look up at her. “It was me that made the first move, not him.” That stabbing feeling hits me again. “Jackson wasn’t sure but I reassured him that I didn’t think you would care if we had some fun together.” Her fingers dig into my knee, getting my attention. “I had no idea that you would.” How could she have known that I’d act like this? I didn’t even know I would act like this. “I’m sorry I hurt you.” She grabs my hand and links it with hers.
“This…this feeling is really foreign to me. Seeing you with him, outside of the club…I don’t know…it felt…weird.”
“I’m sorry,” Jackson apologizes to me.
It’s not his fault either, we have played so many times together that I guess the lines have blurred a little between us all. “I might go and leave you guys to it.” Stacey stands up and walks him to the door. They have a whispered conversation before he leaves. Once the door closes Stacey presses her forehead against the wood, sucking in a deep breath. Does she like him? It hadn’t occurred to me that she might be hanging out with other people. I know she dates, but I didn’t know she would have a close friendship with someone else in the group, like she does me. Stacey walks back into the kitchen and pours herself another wine.
“Do you like him?” I ask the question I’m not sure I want the answer to.
“Jackson’s nice.” That doesn’t really answer it for me.
“No. I mean, do you want to have a relationship with him, like you do me?” Stacey comes back over to the couch and sits beside me.
“Are you asking me to choose between you and Jackson?” Am I? Maybe. I don’t know. It’s confusing as fuck.
“Maybe.” She leans back against the couch and stares at me.
“When was the last time you messed around with someone outside of the club?”
“Last weekend at some party, a girl gave me a blow job. It wasn’t very good because I had to think about Monaco to get off.” Maybe that was too much honesty.
“How many since Monaco?”
“None. Except for that girl. What about you?” I brace myself for the answer.
“I caught up with Adam a few weeks ago when he was in town.” I know about this because it’s what led me to that stupid party. “And I guess tonight.”
“What about at the club?” I ask. I know I haven’t been because we made a semi pact about going together but still…I wasn’t expecting to find her fucking Jackson in her apartment either.
“I haven�
��t been because you weren’t with me.” This makes me smile.
“Me either,” I tell her. I take her hand in mine and kiss her knuckles. “We are a fucked up pair, aren’t we?” This makes us laugh as I pull her into my side. She rests her head on my shoulder. “I had no idea that what happened tonight would upset you.”
“I know, Stace.” I run my thumb over her hand. “I didn’t think it would upset me either.” We sit in silence absorbing the conversation.
“I’m guessing we might have to update the rules,” she states.
“Yeah? Such as?”
“Dare I say it?” She looks over at me and smiles. “Outside the club we are exclusive, inside the club we only play together.” My chest tightens but in a good way.
“So you would be happy to give up dating to hang out with me?” I repeat because I need clarification.
“The same question could be asked of you? Could you give up the groupies for me?” Honestly? I think it’s a no brainer.
“Yes.”
Her eyes widen. “As long as we are still allowed to play with others at the club.” She grins.
“Of course. I don’t think either of us would like to give that up.” Reaching over, I pick her up and deposit her in my lap, she straddles me. My hands cup her face.
“You’re the first girl I have ever wanted to try more with,” I confess to her.
“You’re the first guy that I have wanted to try more with.” Leaning forward I give her a chaste kiss.
“I have to know, what happened tonight? I mean the massage story seems like a convenient excuse.” Stacey rolls her eyes at me.
“It was a convenient excuse, by me.”
“So you wanted him.”
“Yes. I haven’t seen you since Monaco and I have been flat out with work and this wedding that I just needed a stress relief. Jackson dropped in. I offered him some wine. He told me I looked stressed. I said I would kill for a massage and then you walked in.” My dick twitches to life. How is my dick responding to what I saw earlier when I had such a negative reaction to begin with? Feelings are confusing.
“I need details, Stacey.” She raises a brow at me.
“Are you sure? Because you didn’t like it when it was happening.” I grab her hand and place it on my dick.
“He wants to hear more.”
“Before I do. I need to tell you something.” I don’t know if my feelings can handle any more surprises. “It was always you, Oscar. You’re the one that I want to hang out with, spend my time with, explore this world with.” My stomach churns as if a million butterflies have taken refuge in there. “I just needed you to know that. Jackson was the person that happened to be here tonight, I had a moment of weakness. I won’t play with him at the club anymore.” A frown crinkles my brow.
“From this moment onward is what counts,” I tell her. “Agreed?” It’s the truth. I can’t blame Stacey or Jackson for what happened tonight because I haven’t been honest with Stacey with the way I’ve been feeling toward her. She can’t read my mind. I will tell Jackson in the morning the new rules, though.
“Agreed, but…” There shouldn’t be a but in this conversation. “Let’s not tell our friends that we are semi exclusive, you know Isla will try and have us married off within the month.” She’s right.
“The boys will be asking me to join the Dad Club.” A cold shiver races through my body, making us both laugh. “Whatever is going on between us, stays between us.” That we both can agree on.
254
Stacey
I’ve never been to England before. I’m in love with the rolling green hills, the grey skies and the history. We are staying at Olivia’s family estate in the north of the country. Her home borders Scotland and there is nothing but green all around. There’s a charming little village not far from the castle that looks like it has been drawn right out of the pages of a story book. Her family owns that too.
Once we arrived, Olivia disappeared for most of the day, which was strange. I guess she’s busy getting everything sorted for the wedding, plus Christmas is in a couple of days. I caught up with my family last year for Christmas then flew up to Byron Bay for Sienna and Evan’s wedding. I’m missing Christmas with them this year but I’m flying home in the new year for a two week break with them. Oscar isn’t really happy about it. He has to go to New York with Finn to lock in a new location for Dirty Texas Records; otherwise he would have come with me. I did tell him that we weren’t quite ready for meeting the parents, even though I have met his multiple times. I guess that’s different because I met them before we ever got serious.
Things between us have gone from strength to strength. We still hang out like we used to, we still have fun at The Paradise Club together, even if Axel has been missing in action since Monaco. I told Oscar it was because he fell for Olivia, but he thinks that’s bullshit. Axel is even worse than him when it comes to commitment. None of us have seen him at the club and he practically lived there before Monaco. Oscar isn’t convinced. Isla’s being acting weird too, I thought that maybe she was upset with me because she might have found out about my indiscretion with Jackson, but thankfully it wasn’t me. Something happened with Finn in Monaco and she doesn’t want to talk about it. It has me a little worried. They have been hot and cold with each most of their life, maybe this is all they know but it seems a little toxic. Speaking of Jackson, he and Oscar are cool now. Oscar even invited him to play with us one night to show him that everything was forgiven. I thought it was a terrible idea because of how he reacted that night, but I had nothing to worry about. Oscar was back to his normal self, especially when I bought him two gifts to help him that night. His fantasy twins. He thanked me long and hard after that present. I’m such a good non-girlfriend.
We just had an amazing welcome dinner prepared by Sienna’s friend, Sebastien Sanchez. I’ve met him a couple of times over the years when we used to visit Yvette, his sister, in Barcelona and in Paris when shopping for Sienna’s old boutique. He is one of the hottest chefs in the world at the moment and he’s catering the wedding.
The boys have retreated to the games room where they are playing pool and drinking whiskey, basically pretending they are Lords of the manor. We have retired to the parlor room where we are roasting marshmallows around the fire place, sipping hot chocolate in our winter pajamas, watching the snow fall outside.
“I still can’t believe it,” Derrick says to Camryn, the wedding planner and one of Vanessa’s closest friends. She just found out her boyfriend was cheating on her because she unknowingly organized his engagement party. Brutal.
“You and me both.” Camryn gives him a weak smile.
“And he seriously had no idea you were organizing it?” Sienna asks. Camryn shakes her head.
“His father had set it all up,” Kimberly, her business partner explains. “Camryn has been busy with organizing your wedding and other things, so I took the initial call. If I had known, I would never ever have done it.”
“At least it was the talk of the town for being the best engagement party of the year. So I guess it kind of backfired because we are getting so much business off his engagement party.” Camryn smiles. That’s pretty good revenge.
“Karma,” Isla suggests.
“I know it might be too soon, but what eligible bachelors are coming to this wedding?” Derrick asks.
“Derrick...” Camryn jokingly warns him.
“I’m sorry, Cammie, but I want to know, it’s not all about you,” Derrick tells her. “We have the Sons of Brooklyn boys,” Derrick rattles off.
“Except Blake,” Charlotte whispers.
“Yes, yes, sweetie he’s all yours.” Derrick smiles.
“And we only have Axel left in Dirty Texas, but then again, if the serious fuck me eyes he was throwing Olivia’s way was any indication, then probably not.” I knew it. I want to shout it but I sip my hot chocolate instead. Nothing gets past Derrick. I look over to where Olivia is sitting, she is staying awfully quiet, but he
r cheeks look extremely flushed. “What about Nate? You know you would be in for a good time with him, I bet he is kinky as fuck,” Derrick speculates.
“I bet he’s a playboy, he looks like one.” Sienna rolls her eyes.
“The California Bros. boys are coming as well,” Isla adds.
“So they will all be free, unless Isla is hooking up with Wes on the sly.” Derrick looks at Isla who stays quiet. How the hell does Derrick know all the gossip? “Wait...” Derrick picks up on her non communication. “You’ve told us that nothing has happened between Wes and you, right?”
“You know I am a hot mess,” she groans.
“Isla.” Derrick’s voice lowers. “What is going on?”
“Fine, but I was never going to tell you guys because...well because of your interrogations.”
“But I thought you didn’t like Wes like that?” Vanessa asks.
“I don’t, but I can still appreciate a hot as fuck guy, plus we are friends.”
“Friends who obviously fuck,” Derrick adds.
Isla rolls her eyes at him. “True, we have just taken our friendship to a different level.”
“But why?” Sienna asks.
“We got drunk one night and one thing led to another.”
“Issy, you are not telling us all the juicy stuff,” Derrick adds.
“Fine, he had just broken up with this skank he was seeing, she worked in his bar, I told him it was a stupid idea to hook up with his staff, but you know men, they are mesmerized by boobs.” So true. “Anyway, he caught her stealing from the till, he also found out she had a boyfriend who she liked to bang on the bar after hours.”
“That sucks,” Ivy, Camryn’s sister and Olivia’s best friend, comments.
“Sure does, he came over and told me all about it and I decided I would cheer him up.”
“By using your pussy, good idea,” Derrick laughs.
“It wasn’t like that.” Isla makes a face at Derrick. “We just got drunk, and one thing lead to another and we slept together.”
“Finn is going to be pissed if he finds out,” I tell her. That is the one thing I keep from Oscar in our relationship, the secret I know about Finn and Isla.