chapter twenty-six
L.A.
The after-parties had gone on late, but it was still not full dawn when our limo dropped us back at the hotel. The man on front desk noted our arrival, handed Tristan and AC their keys, and went back to reading something.
“He was entirely too calm,” Tristan muttered as we tottered along the path by the pool leading to the villa. “Well, nothing to see here. Move along, move along.” AC giggled.
I wrapped my arms around myself. “I thought it didn’t get cold in L.A. I’m chilly.”
Suddenly both men had their arms around me, their hands smacking into each other as they circled my waist. We all cracked up. “That’s better, isn’t it Lily?” AC purred.
Tristan smirked. “Very subtle. I won’t look around, but I’m sure front desk guy is filming your ass, right now.”
AC shrugged. “He’s welcome to the view. May it entertain him for the rest of his shift. Here’s my villa, anyway. I will wish you two good night.” He started to pull his arm from my waist but I could feel that Tristan had grabbed him by the wrist.
“Don’t play that way. I haven’t even raided my minibar yet…wait, yes I did. But it will be replenished!” Tristan flourished the key. “You’re coming with us. I need another witness if I have to complain they didn’t give me enough.”
AC grinned. “You’re an idiot. Besides, the record company sent over a basket of goodies and champagne. It’ll be in the room.”
Tristan looked at him, unfocused. “How do you know? Maybe yours is different.”
AC giggled again. “I know, big rock star, let’s compare.”
Tristan shouted, “A challenge! I love a challenge.”
“Shhhh,” we both whispered, and we all started laughing again. Tristan managed to open the door with the key, and we stumbled in.
“Look,” Tristan said delightedly, “there is a basket.”
“But it’s not cold,” AC sniffed. “What’s in the minibar?”
“What’s in your pocket?” Tristan grinned. “I’ll get the bottle if you get it out.”
“So demanding.” AC sat down on the sofa, and I sat next to him. Tristan came over with the bottle, and unwrapped and carefully popped the cork.
“Glasses. I forgot.” Tristan muttered.
AC put his hand on his shoulder. “Forget it. Like race car drivers, right Lily? From the bottle.”
“I don’t mind,” I said.
“Good,” AC answered, and passed me the bottle. I took a long swig, and when I went to put it down, looked at what AC’s hands were doing, then back up at Tristan.
AC saw the look on Tristan’s face, and followed it back to me. “You’re not going to tell on us, are you Lily?”
I shrugged. “No. Not tonight. But…”
AC stopped what he was doing and took my hand. “Just tonight. Really. Mostly. Promise.” Then he glanced at me. “Do you want some?”
I looked at Tristan. It seemed he was waiting. “You’ll do it anyway, just in the bathroom without me watching.”
“Probably,” they both said.
“Then yes. Better here than there.” I grabbed the bottle. “I’m not perfect, I never said I was.”
“Lily! Stop it. You are. It’s just a bit of fun.” AC looked at me. “You are pretty perfect, actually.”
Tristan waved the bottle towards us. “She is. She really fucking is. Come here, darling.” And he managed to take the little spoon and gesture towards me at the same time.
AC laughed. “No, rock star. You come here, and cuddle on the sofa. Lily, you’re going to spoil your dress. Take it off. I hear all 5 a.m. parties happen in underwear.” And he screwed the cap back on the vial, and stood up. Once he was sure that he had our attention, he started to take off his jacket. Draping it carefully over a chair, he began on the buttons of his shirt. Tristan and I watched.
“Come on Lily,” AC called, “come up here. Next to me. Look, there’s another chair for your dress. See? Tristan’s watching.”
I stood up, and looked over at Tristan. “Only if you want to,” he mouthed to me. But the look on his face was something else again.
I went and stood next to AC, who stopped what he was doing to undo the zipper on my dress. “Oh, little hooks at the top. Fine craftsmanship, this. Soft.” He undid the zipper, and ran a finger down my spine, snapping the back of the bra gently against my skin, and then continuing downwards. “Very fine craftsmanship here.” He left the dress on my shoulders. “Let’s do it together,” he smiled. Then he lowered his voice to a whisper. “He’ll like that. A lot.”
Tristan’s voice startled us. “Are you actually wearing underwear, AC?”
AC pretended to be shocked. “I’m offended. I wouldn’t scare Lily like that.”
“I’ve seen one before, I think,” I smiled at him.
He bent his head down and leant it on my shoulder. “I know. And you’ve seen his too. The standard bearer.” He whispered again, turning his head to my ear. “But mine’s quite nice, really.” He stroked the line of my back that the open zipper revealed. “Loves attention. And your elegant underwear.”
Tristan coughed. AC grinned at him. “Excuse me. Where were we? Wait Lily, let me unzip. A little adjustment. Can we finish at the same time? Ready?” And I almost forgot what I was doing, as he slowly unzipped his trousers, and shaking his hips very slowly, let them fall to the ground. He was wearing short boxer briefs, with a wide black elastic band at the top. The silky fabric didn’t leave anything to the imagination. He hadn’t been lying about liking the underwear. Or any of it.
AC picked up his trousers with a flourish and laid them on the chair. “Lily. You waited. That’s all right, now you’ve got both of us watching you. That’s better, isn’t it?” He grinned.
Before either of them could say anything, or I could think, I dipped my shoulders forward. The dress cascaded off my breasts, and slid to the floor. I stood there for a moment, before I bent forward from the waist, being careful not to step on it with my high heels, and picked it up with one finger, letting it trail over the arm of the chair. Then I looked up at them. A wave of hair half covered my eyes. I could still see them. They were watching. Very intently.
AC cleared his throat. “Nice. Very nice. I think that deserves a present. Come sit by me.” He lifted up the bottle again.
Tristan groaned. “Bloody hell, AC. It’s not subtle, is it?”
“No one has to do anything with it, Tristan. Do they, Lily?” I shook my head. I felt slightly dazed. AC took my hand and I sat next to him, one of his beautifully shaped thighs touching mine. He really did have a nice body, compact, curved, but strong. It was an intriguing combination. “Now come sit next to us. We won’t even make you undress.”
Tristan got up from the chair, and sat next to me on the sofa. The fabric of his suit tickled one leg, and AC’s soft skin was warm against the other. Without any enhancements, I was already a lot more awake. AC seemed relaxed, but in that watchful way he had. I knew he was assessing the mood. He was a lot like Tristan in that way. I just wondered what he would decide.
Then Tristan jumped up. “I feel overdressed. And hot.” He winked at AC.
“I knew you would. Come on Lily, let’s sit back and watch the master at work. No one does it quite like he does.”
“Take off his clothes, you mean.”
“That too. Come on, Tris. Make us suffer.”
Tristan was standing where we were, his hands holding open the suit jacket, like he was opening a curtain. He had already started, but when AC said that, he stopped, and shrugged off the jacket, and tossed it across the room. “Stiffer,” he murmured. Facing us, he undid each button, until the shirt was hanging loose, a rectangle of skin between, that line of hair dipping down below the waistband of his trousers. Then slowly turning around, he drop
ped the shirt so that his arms were tensed and straight, the muscles in his back framing his spine, his whole body taut, while the shirt remained drawn across his hips, his clenched hands cuffed by the fabric. His head was slightly turned away from us, and he stood there, every muscle flexed.
“Holy fucking hell,” murmured AC.
Tristan released his fists, and still with his hands behind him, pulled off each cuff, slowly, and let the shirt fall to the floor. Still with his back to us, he then bent forward, his head nearly to the floor, and pulled the shirt between his legs. Coming up slowly, every muscle in his back and legs straining, his ass a perfect curve, he finally stood up and stretched his arms over his head. The shirt followed the jacket, thrown roughly to a corner of the room. Then he turned to face us, his hands touching himself to find the zipper, quickly undone. The button came next, and swaying his hips from side to side, the trousers slipped along his hips, his thighs, his calves, to the floor. He threw them on the chair. He’d already taken off his shoes at the door, as he usually did, so he was now barefoot and completely naked except for a pair of black briefs. He then pulled them out, away from his body, and looking down, snapped them back into place, one hand sliding slowly over what was covered, while making sure that nothing escaped. They were just small enough that it was a possibility.
“I thought these were bigger,” he said. “I might as well not have them on.” He had an evil expression on his face.
AC drank some more champagne, then coughed, offering me the bottle. “No,” and his voice came out a little strangely, “I like to suffer. Lily? Did he pass the test?”
It felt like I had to speak over my beating heart. “Yes, I think so.” Everything hurt, just a little bit.
“Tristan, that means you can come and sit with us.” Deliberately, Tristan walked in front of us, his hips at eye level, his tight briefs molded to his body, inches away. AC’s hand gripped my leg. I shivered. “He’s good,” AC murmured. “Here Tristan, drink some champagne, you deserve it.”
Tristan took the bottle, drank, then looked down at AC’s hand. He placed one of his own on my other leg, and stroked it gently. “Nice legs.” He leaned over and kissed me. I had the distinct impression he was enjoying the distress he was pretending to ignore. He leaned back, his stomach fluttering with his breathing. AC shut his eyes. Tristan sat up, every muscle flexing, and picking up the bottle, stretched back again. “That actually was a fun party. Much better than I thought it would be.”
AC didn’t answer. His hand was making a little circle on the inside of my knee with his left hand, his body turned towards us. He put his other arm around me and met Tristan’s hand coming from the other side. I could feel them lock their fingers together, hands warm on my skin. And we sat there, saying nothing, feeling the line we weren’t going to cross coming a little bit closer.
* * *
The room was filled with bright sunshine when a loud knocking came from the front door. We’d all finally crawled into bed last night, this morning, at the point when the tension of keeping everything at bay and the excitement of the day and night had finally hit all of us. I barely remembered lying down. Tristan looked around blearily, saw me on one side and AC on the other, and crawled out the end of the bed to get a bathrobe, and see who wanted something. I looked at the iPhone dock the hotel so thoughtfully provided. 12:30 p.m. Not too bad then. I sat up, and felt the beginnings of a headache.
I could hear Tristan talking to someone, and the sound of a tray being put down. Two trays. China clinking together. Then the door closed, but there was still talking, which grew louder. Tristan opened the door, and there, standing behind him, an amused smile on his face, was Trevor. “Good morning Lily. AC. Here you are. There’s breakfast out there—when you’re ready, of course.”
I glanced over at AC. He was sitting up in bed. “Hello Trevor. Did you bring us coffee? Bless you.”
“Full-service. However, it’s my breakfast as well. I haven’t been awake that long myself. I hope you didn’t think I was out running, or something equally ridiculous. Lily, there are some berries out here for you.”
“Thank you, Trevor. I’ll be out in a minute.”
“Take your time, my dear.”
He left, leaving the door slightly ajar. But a moment later, he was back, his eyes gazing at us through the half open door. A thin smile animated his face.
“And we should probably check out at some point. Not to mention all of us leaving together, slightly more discreet, n’est-ce-pas? See you in a minute.”
AC laughed, as he climbed out of bed, stretching first one arm then the other. “And I thought I was unsubtle.” He walked to the bathroom, and gave me a little wave before shutting the door. My eyes followed him. I couldn’t help it. Whether it was the memory of the night before, or curiosity, I couldn’t tell.
But we had just woken up together. Again.
* * *
When I came out in my bathrobe, Tristan and Trevor were sitting at the table, coffee in front of them. When I came in, Trevor picked up the paper. “A nice picture of the three of you this morning. ‘Tristan Hunter and AC Clark, formerly of Devised, with Lily Taylor. Hunter was nominated for best alternative album last night.’ A good picture of the three of you. Although there is another one in this paper. ‘Hunter and Clark, the bromance continues.’” Trevor coughed, and drank a sip of coffee. “Bromance? Is that what they’re calling it these days? I thought it was fucking…” He trailed off. “Lily. Come sit down. I’m back off to London today. Leave these jokers, and come with me.”
I smiled at him. “Trevor. For you, anything. But I thought we were going to an island, or a small country somewhere. Aren’t I your Evita?”
“This is why you must never underestimate this one, Tristan. A long memory. Even longer than…my trip back. But I will see the three of you in London. One week? Two weeks? More rehearsing.” He went back to his paper. “Music.”
Tristan laughed. “Yeah, we’ll be there. Don’t worry.”
Trevor grimaced. “I’m counting on it. And don’t bring the comestibles. You’re getting careless.” He pulled the vial out of his pocket. “Found this on your table when I came in.”
Tristan looked away. “Fuck.” A big smile spread across his face. “I guess we were distracted.”
I tried to contain a laugh.
Trevor looked at me, then back at Tristan. “If it makes you forget this, then I’m all for it.” He took my hand. “Lily. You have the patience of a saint. Don’t forget to give Dave my regards.” He raised both our hands to look at his very expensive watch. “Time for you to get ready. If AC ever relinquishes the shower. Let’s say our goodbyes here, kiss kiss, yes, both of you. And try to behave. Try.”
An hour later we were all walking through the bright sunlight to our cars. I waved to Trevor as he got in. He wagged his finger at me, but the look of concern on his face was real. I nodded to him, acknowledgment, understanding. He inclined his head, then gave me a sharp look. I mouthed back, “I will.” His thin smile reappeared. Then the door shut. I waved at the tinted glass as the car pulled out.
I was standing there, thinking what it meant for a man like Trevor to trust you, when Tristan and AC’s voices broke through. “Lily! Come on sweetheart.” They were both standing there, a poster shot, sunglasses, leather, holding the car door open, dark and light so close together, one taller, almost menacing, the other, more slight, his crooked smile more of an invitation.
I got in.
chapter twenty-seven
L.A. to New York
The flight back seemed longer than usual. Tristan slept mostly. AC was reading. I kept dozing off then waking up with a start. I’d look down at the land below, when there was a break in the clouds, and you could see the earth, alarmingly vast, yet almost touchable, like a map come to life. So much had happened down there. Restless, I walked around the plane a bit,
just to get my legs moving. It all appeared normal. Just another flight. Rows of heads. The haphazard collection of people coming or going.
When I came back to my seat, AC touched my arm. “All right?” he said. That same way he had, a little like Tristan, of seeing into you.
“Yeah, I’m ok. Just taking a tour of the plane,” I answered. He reached for my hand, and glanced over at the sleeping Tristan. He looked so tired, yet softer, calmer in sleep.
“Thank you for letting me come back with you.” AC looked at me. “You didn’t…you don’t have to do this.”
“What?” I stared back, surprised. “No, I’m glad you’re here. Really.” I nodded towards Tristan. “He wants you here. I don’t think I could have stopped him, even if I’d tried. Or wanted to,” I added, seeing the expression on his face.
AC took my hand. “Oh, you could have, Lily. You really could have. I don’t think you realize…” He trailed off. “Anyway, I hope you’re glad I’m here.” He smiled, a little too brightly.
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