“Come over here, Hottie Boombalottie,” Chad says, patting the chair beside him. “Come sit next to me.”
I happily oblige, squeezing out a dab of sunscreen from the bottle on the floor and lathering it on.
Captain Scott fires up the motor, and we start heading out into the water. Once we’re sufficiently far from the shore, we park—probably not the proper nautical term, but whatever. Alejandro tells us to leave the grilling to him and go enjoy the sun on the main deck, so the three of us head up to the big deck on the front, which Chad refers to as the foredeck. I blush a little and smile to myself. I’m so not a boat girl, and James laughs whenever I joke about starboard sides and going aft.
“Here, we have mats and towels if you want to lie out and tan,” Chad says, handing me a towel and motioning to the cushion next to him.
I unroll it and recline back, letting the sun soak into me. James grabs a towel and lies on the mat next to me so I’m between him and Chad, the focal point for our conversation.
“So,” Chad asks, “how did you like the party? Did you meet any sex-crazed porn stars?”
I laugh and shake my head. “Only some regular, normal ones. I was half expecting orgies and a giant fuck fest to break out, but everybody was so sweet and nice.”
“Well, orgy night was last week.” James smirks.
Chad laughs and smiles at James with genuine appreciation. I can tell that he and Alejandro really love James and that they think of him like family.
“You’ll have to fly out again for gangbang night,” James teases.
I giggle, and I notice him giving me a big, pearly white smile. He doesn’t think he’s being obvious, but his eyes are making quick little darting movements over my body like he’s trying to be as discrete as possible, but not exactly pulling it off. He’s checking me out. James is checking me out again. It’s both funny and flattering. He’s seen me in underwear and stuff—hell, he’s seen my boobs before—but he seems extra captivated today.
“Everybody there was nice, except for those two girls,” I add.
“Who?” Chad excitedly asks. “I have to know!”
I laugh loudly and bite my bottom lip before revealing, “Lexi and Tara. They were sort of catty, just that girl tone where they talk down to you. It was weird because I don’t know them, I’ve never met them, and they were acting bitchy to me. It felt like high school bullshit.”
“They’re jealous,” Chad says without even pausing to think about it. “Porn’s most eligible bachelor walks into a party with a really pretty girl on his arm, and they go ape shit. They have a crush on him, you know.” He points to James.
“They do not.” James chuckles and shakes his head.
“They do and you know it!” Chad teases with a knowing little grin.
“Very interesting.” I smirk at James. “So not one but two porn stars are crushing on you, eh?”
“Shut up, the both of you,” he says, his smile sweet and embarrassed.
“Tara’s been in love with him ever since their first scene together,” Chad mercilessly continues, much to my delight. “She’s literally been telling everyone that he’s the best fucker in the biz. And Lexi, I heard she yelled at a girl she was doing a scene with and told her to get pussy licking lessons from James.”
“No way!” I gasp with loud laughter.
“That is so not true!” James protests.
“It so is true,” Chad retorts. “It’s him; he’s a heartbreaker. Every girl who’s done a scene with him falls in love with him. Apparently he’s just that good.”
“So you got that going for you.” I poke at James, and Chad laughs.
“Don’t believe a word of it.” James smiles at me. “He’s a smart-ass, and he’s bullshitting.”
“Oh, am I?” Chad grins with an exaggeratedly raised eyebrow.
I laugh loudly and roll onto my stomach so I can prop myself up on my elbows and look at both of them.
“Who to believe…” I smirk. “Such a tough call.”
“Is it?” James grins in his classic, beautiful, enticing, troublemaker style.
In a flash, he’s up and sitting on me, immobilizing me with his weight as he tickles at my ribs. I’m flat on my stomach, and there’s nothing I can do but laugh hysterically.
“Okay!” I gasp between bouts of laughter. “Okay! You win!”
“Good,” he says.
Chad’s laughing when I turn my head to look at him and give him a this-kind-of-thing-happens-all-the-time shrug.
“Did you put sunscreen on your back, young lady?” James says.
“I was lying on my back, your highness,” I reply.
“Chad, will you hand me that bottle?” James says.
Chad does it, and with no preamble, James starts rubbing sunscreen onto the hot skin of my back. His touch is soft, but there’s a slight aggression to it, like he wants to assert his possession of me, pinning me to the deck beneath him.
I lower down until I’m flat on the towel and absorb the strong, soothing feel of his hands. This is no mere sunscreen application; this is becoming a full-on massage. His hands are large and so strong that my muscles feel thoroughly relaxed. I love it.
“Can I untie this?” James asks, tugging on the string of my bikini top where it joins across my back.
“Okay,” I say before I realize what I’ve agreed to. The idea of James taking my clothes off should make me a lot more nervous than it does.
His long fingers deftly unfasten my top, and he smoothly brushes the strings off my back, affectionately rubbing sunscreen across my bra line. His touch is reverent and soft, like I can feel adoration coming through his hands.
Once he’s done, he moves off of me and back onto his towel, leaning over to kiss my shoulder sweetly before he lies down.
I look at him with a big smile, and he gives me a wink as he crosses his fingers behind his head and stretches back, allowing me the chance to watch those amazing abs flex as he breathes. I almost hate myself for how attractive I find him right now. He’s my friend, and I shouldn’t feel this way about him at all, but I have eyes and I can’t deny what I see.
The three of us chat for a little while longer when James volunteers to see how Alejandro is doing with the food. He gives me a little smack on the butt as he gets up and then disappears off to the rear deck where Alejandro is grilling.
“He’s such a sweetheart, isn’t he?” Chad smiles at me.
“Definitely.” I grin and nod in agreement. “He looks big and tough, but he’s so adorable sometimes—of course, he can be a smart-ass too, but I like that.”
“You two get along so great,” he says. “I’m surprised you haven’t dated. When James used to tell us about you, I always kinda thought you were his girlfriend. He just went on and on about how you were beautiful and how he used to stop other guys from hitting on you.”
“He told you that?” I laugh loudly. “I’m glad he’s taking ownership of it now. He’s been building a brick wall around me for ages, and he always used to act like I was crazy when I’d call him on it.”
Chad laughs and smiles warmly. “He cares about you. He wants to protect you. It’s so sweet.”
“It is pretty sweet.” I shrug. “Even when it annoys me, I know his intentions are good. His heart’s in the right place, even if he’s making sure I don’t ever go on a date with anybody.”
“Maybe you should go on a date with him,” Chad says, grinning.
“Are you trying to orchestrate a little maneuver here?” I giggle with a sly smile.
“I’m just saying I think you’d be cute together. Christ, you already adore each other, and it’s obvious that he’s into you.”
“Is it now?” I say through a big laugh.
“You didn’t see him when he first moved here.” He smirks. “Every five minutes we had to hear about how he missed you and how he hoped you weren’t hooking up with some guys back at your school. Every girl was compared to you, and he used to go on and on about how he would kick somebody’s a
ss if they didn’t treat you right.”
“Bullshit!” I reply.
“It’s so true,” Chad says. “How do you think me and Alejandro know that you almost got felt up at a school dance but James intervened? How would we know that he once punched a guy in middle school for making a remark about your boobs? How would we know that he says the happiest moments of his life are when he sleeps in bed with you?”
“He says all that stuff to you?” I say, my eyes wide with amazement.
“All that and then some.” Chad nods. “See? Told you he’s into you. Can you guys just please hook up already? Me and Alejandro need to pick out what we’re gonna wear to your wedding.”
That cracks me up, and I roll onto my back as I laugh.
“You’ve never thought about it? You’ve never considered going out with him?” he asks me.
“Well, I mean, not seriously. Obviously he’s gorgeous, that’s clear as day, but I don’t think he’s the dating type. James has always been a casual-hook-ups-and-fuck-buddies dude. He’s never really had a girlfriend, in the traditional sense,” I explain.
“But people can change.” Chad shrugs. “People can do crazy things when they love someone. Who knows? Maybe everything would be different if you two went for it.”
“I don’t know,” I reply. “He’s amazing, beautiful, funny, and sweet. He cares about me a lot, and I totally adore him, but I just don’t see that being a thing. I mean, he’s a porn star—no offense.”
“None taken.”
“I just think we’re on such wildly different pages when it comes to our views of intimacy and sexuality. I don’t see how those two paths could meet. I mean, you and Alejandro are both in the industry, so you both know exactly what it’s like to have this unique job. I’m just some girl in college all the way across the country, and James is here doing three-ways and double anal penetrations.”
Chad throws his head back and laughs loudly. “Those can be fun, you never know,” he jokes.
I giggle. “Yeah, I think I’m about ten thousand years away from that. I mean, if this was the scale of sexual evolution, I’m the fish that just grew legs, meanwhile James has opposable thumbs and he’s constructing the microchip.”
“You mean you’ve never…?” He raises an eyebrow.
I shake my head, and my cheeks turn red.
“Never?” he says again, his mouth agape with surprise.
“No, never…you know…done the deed,” I reply.
He sits up and leans back like he’s really taking me in. “I should get my camera,” he jokes. “Working in this business, I don’t even remember the last time I met a real life, bona fide virgin.”
I roll my eyes and laugh. “If you have a Sharpie, I’ll give you an autograph.”
“It makes sense, though,” he says, nodding like he’s come up with a brilliant theory. “James is protective of you because you’re probably the only virgin he knows—and you’re really pretty, which must make him a nervous wreck.” I blush at that. “He’s afraid of guys flirting with you because he doesn’t want anybody to deflower you, so he pulls a Rapunzel and locks you away in a tower so nobody can get to you.”
“That’s shockingly accurate,” I reply with a chuckle.
“It’s sweet.” Chad smiles and cocks his head to the side as he looks at me. “He’s protecting your innocence. It’s a romantic notion, really.”
“Romantic?” I smirk in response.
“Yes!” He grins broadly. “Think about it. He doesn’t want anybody to get to you because he doesn’t think anybody deserves you. Nobody’s worthy of you in his book, so he takes it upon himself to save you from horny guys who only have one thing on their minds.”
“What about if they don’t just have one thing on their minds? What if some of them actually like me and want to get to know me but he blocks them?”
“Sweetheart, all guys have one thing on their minds,” he says, lowering his sunglasses to give me a devilish grin.
“All right, fair point.” I laugh.
“I think it’s adorable.” He smiles. “James loves you so much that he’ll do anything to protect you from all the horny men of the world who can’t wait to get into a pretty young thang’s pants.”
I snicker and shake my head. “It’s kind of sweet,” I concede. “It’s neurotic, but sweet.”
“I still think you guys would make a cute couple, though.” He grins, sitting up and reaching for his flip-flops. He offers me his hand and helps me up before adding, “I think you’d be an adorable, sexy pair that would make other couples jealous.”
“Yeah, right!” I follow him toward the back deck for lunch.
Everyone chats casually as we eat. James has clearly had a hand in the menu—since he’s a tremendous cook—because we’re having turkey burgers made with feta, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil on some really delicious whole wheat buns that I love. He learned to make these a few years ago, and I practically lived at his house that summer so I could eat them whenever he decided to light the grill.
We lounge around the deck for a while before we decide to take out the Jet Skis. Rick has two on the yacht, and they’re both covered in Louis Vuitton print, but with Rick’s initials instead of the classic “LV” pattern. Keepin’ it classy.
James makes me put on a life vest, despite my avid protests, and he ushers me to hop on behind him.
“Feel free to wrap your legs around me, baby,” he says with amped up sexuality when he gives me a flirty glance over his shoulder.
“Shut up.” I giggle and squeeze him tightly when he hits the gas.
Chad’s in front on the other Jet Ski with Alejandro behind him. A spontaneous race breaks out, and I’m clinging to James as we glide over the water neck and neck with the guys. It’s kind of scary because I know I could totally wipe out, but it’s also really fun, because I know James will be careful with me. We finish the race, our team emerging victorious, and cruise around for a little while before heading back to the boat.
“You good, babe?” James says as he turns back to look at me.
“Better than good,” I reply, leaning my chin up and kissing his cheek, which earns me an ear-to-ear smile from him.
The sun starts to set, and everyone’s pretty exhausted, so we say our goodbyes, and James and I hop into his old Honda Civic and head back to his apartment.
When we get to the parking lot, he darts around the car and opens the door for me, making me laugh at his surprise sweetness. He reaches down and holds my hand as we walk up the flight of stairs and down the hallway to his door. I feel close to him right now. It’s far greater than proximity alone. We’re connected. That surge of warmth flows through me, and I put my arm around him and curl into him as he fishes for his keys and eventually unlocks the door.
We’re both too tired to do anything, so we microwave some popcorn and opt to watch a movie. I go over to his massive shelf of DVDs—he and I are movie buffs, so we’ve both amassed a pretty sizable collection—and I browse the titles. I’m narrowing it down and trying to decide between Young Frankenstein and The Princess Bride when an obnoxiously busy yellow and blue DVD cover catches my eye. Horny Housewives IV MILF Madness is the title. In the center is a naked, silicone-enhanced blond woman on her knees deep throating a guy. All around the main image are smaller photos of “housewives” spread open or bent over doggy-style while being penetrated by a hardbodied guy whose head is cut off from the shot. I guess disembodied torsos are okay because guys in porn are really only there to be props for the girls, at least according to what I’ve heard from James. It dawns on me, of course, that the abs and pecs of the man in the center photo look remarkably familiar. I swallow hard, and I know it’s James. Should I keep looking at it or put it away as fast as I can? I can’t decide what to do.
“You picked one out yet?” James says, approaching fast.
I fumble with the DVD, and he totally catches me.
“Or is there something else you’d like to watch?” He grins as he
cranks up the sex appeal.
“Is it weird that your face isn’t on the cover? The whole focal point is your dick,” I reply.
“Is it weird that you could instantly identify me by seeing just my dick?” he teases. “How’d you know that was me, Lola? How could you immediately tell I was on that cover, huh?”
“Shut up!” I whine as I blush.
“Wanna watch it?” he says with that mischievous smile.
“No!” I laugh loudly. “I couldn’t handle that!”
“Wanna watch another one?” he continues, reaching over me and grabbing another video.
This one’s even more outrageous. A pretty redhead whom I recognize from the party stands in the middle with her back facing the camera and her hands on her ass, spreading her cheeks as she peeks over her shoulder. Amber’s Anal Adventures. Seriously?
“Dude!” I gasp, averting my eyes.
“Or maybe this one,” he says, tossing another box at me.
Co-ed Initiation: Sorority Orgy Volume 7. Because apparently six just wasn’t enough.
“How many of these things do you fucking have, James? You’ve got, like, the porn Criterion Collection in here!”
He snickers and then kneels down next to me, getting on my level and picking up the DVDs I’ve dropped like they were hot lava.
My eyes scan the shelf again, and I see that there are more. Lots more. They’re mixed in with regular movies, which is what really makes me laugh. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on the same shelf as Cockhungry Sluts XII, and hilariously enough, The Girl Next Door, a mainstream film about a teenage boy who lives next door to a hot porn star whom he eventually falls in love with.
“Let me show you one,” James says, giving me a smile that’s decidedly sexier than before. “Come on. You’ve never seen one of my movies, and you should check it out, see how I roll.”
“I can’t watch porn with you, let alone your porn with you,” I say, giggling. “How am I gonna look you in the eye after I see…what’s this one…Tittyfuck Teens? Tittyfuck Teens, James? Really?”
He laughs hard, nodding his head like he concedes I have a point.
“This is just…wow.” I snicker.
Vice, Virtue & Video: Revealed (The Vice, Virtue & Video Series) Page 22