Tagged Heart

by Tasha Fawkes

  My phone trilled beside me, and I jumped. I'd been hiding this dark side of myself from Kim, and I half expected it to be her calling, having somehow figured out what I was doing. It was a number I didn't recognize with a New York area code. Strange.

  "Hello?" I answered.

  "Hello, my name is Ted Branson from Kleingarden Model Management. Is this Brianne Reed?”

  My jaw dropped. "Uh, yes, this is."

  "Hello, Ms. Reed. Have you heard of our firm?”

  Heard of it? It was only one of the biggest modeling agencies on the east coast.

  I answered with a cool, “ I think so.”

  “That’s great news. I wanted to speak to you regarding a potential offer of representation at our firm. Would you have time for a video conference sometime next week?”

  All the heat drained from my face and I could have sworn my heart stopped beating. “Is this some sort of practical joke?”

  Ted chuckled. “I can assure you it’s not. You've gotten a lot of attention recently from your work with Chad Harlan, and we think you have a great look. We'd love to take you on and see what we can do with that."

  I was speechless—so much so, that Ted had to prompt me for an answer a moment later.

  "Ms. Reed?"

  "I'm so sorry!" I sputtered. "I just—what I mean is—yes! I absolutely have time next week."

  We arranged a time for our conference, and I gave him my email so he could send me more details. Ted wished me a good day, and I hung up the phone, still not entirely sure that what had happened was real.

  I pinched myself. Hard. It hurt like hell, which I took to mean that I was currently living in reality and that, in fact, a modeling agency had just called to speak to me about representation. My heart was racing so fast that I thought I might keel over and die, which would be just my luck. Finally, breakthrough in the modeling industry only to fall over dead before my first interview.

  I was so awestruck that at first, I didn't notice that the page had refreshed and Chad's channel was showing a new video. When I did notice, I furrowed my brow in confusion and, with a shaking hand, clicked the play button on the untitled video.

  The video loaded and began to play. Surprisingly, there was no music, no intro, just Chad's face in front of a plain white background. He was staring right at the camera, bereft of his usual carefree grin.

  "Hey guys," he began. "This is going to be my last video for a while. Maybe even forever." He ground his teeth and looked down for a moment like he was gathering the words in his palms. When he looked back up, the sincerity in his eyes startled me. "Many of you have noticed that there's been a lot of change going on in my life right now. Many of you have also shared your feelings about these changes, and the result has been interesting for sure. It's not always easy to make the right decision in life, especially when things are so..." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Fucked up, for lack of a better word. I've always prided myself on living a life with no regrets, so much so that I think somewhere along the line I forgot how much regret can hurt. I've got one regret right now that's just killing me, and I'll never forgive myself if I don't say this one thing."

  As he spoke the next words, it felt like he was staring right through the camera into my soul. I knew he couldn't see me, and that he'd probably recorded this hours ago, but at that moment I felt a connection to him that defied all logic.

  "Brin," he said, voice laden with emotion. "I need you to know that what we had was real."

  The image cut to footage of Chad and I on the beach. I recognized it as our first day, right after we'd been snorkeling. I'd never seen this video before, and I hadn't realized Martin was even filming at this point. We looked so happy, chatting and laughing with each other while the sun melted into the horizon.

  My eyes misted with tears. I knew what came next.

  On-screen Brin threw all inhibitions to the wind and kissed Chad. I'd had my eyes closed at the time so couldn't see his face, but the video captured his expression of surprise perfectly. His eyes flared open for less than a second, body stiffening like he didn't know what he was supposed to do. Then he relaxed, and his eyes closed tight as he pulled me against him and made the kiss his own.

  The memory made my chest flutter. It was such a perfect moment, one that even the shitstorm that followed couldn't spoil the memory of. I could still feel his strong arms around me, the heat of his mouth against mine and the way he held me like if he didn't, I'd float off into the universe.

  The video ended.

  I sucked in a breath and fell back against the pillows, mind reeling. What did this mean? What was he trying to say? My thoughts spun mercilessly around my skull, and I was so overwhelmed that I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

  I needed to see him. Even if it was just goodbye, I needed to see him. But how the hell was I supposed to do that?

  My phone rang. I held it up to my face and stared at the caller ID suspiciously. Not a New York number, but not a familiar one either. Who the hell was it going to be now? I considered not answering it, based on the fact that I'd just received a mindfuck of a video message and needed to process, but the curiosity ultimately got to me in the end.

  "Hello?" I answered.

  "Did you see the video?"

  I scowled. This was a voice I never expected to hear again. Never wanted to hear again.

  "Yeah. I just saw it. What do you want?"

  Silence from the other end, and then, "We need to talk."

  Twenty-Two

  Chad

  I curled my toes, sand tickling my bare feet. I anchored my hands in the sand the same way, arms stretched behind me and knees bent in front of me in a position that looked more relaxed than I felt. I wasn't sure what I felt, at this point. A lot of things, and yet nothing all at once.

  The sun was hot on my face. It painted the beach and everything on it, including me, a warm orange that lent the landscape an otherworldly quality. There was nobody around, though it was far from quiet. Gulls swooped for their dinner not too far from shore. The waves gurgled and sighed. The breeze whistled past my ears. It was the perfect place to lose myself for my last evening in Hawaii. It had also, once, been the perfect place to find something in myself I hadn't realized existed.

  I thought about what Brin told me the last time I was here. We were sitting almost in this exact spot, at almost this exact time. I understood it now—the spectacle of life, the thrill of existing. Though the time we'd been together had been brief, it was wondrous. Just like this sunset. A thrill that wouldn't last but maybe was more beautiful because of it. Then again, I thought bitterly, the sun would rise again. I doubted Brin and I ever would. It was easier to tell myself that we were more beautiful because of our short time than admit the truth—I'd really lost something when I lost Brin. Something I might never find again.

  I wondered if she would see the video and if she did whether it would make a difference. She probably hated me for jumping right back in with Lori the moment she was gone. I hated myself too. The situation was complicated, almost as complicated as my feelings had been. My feelings were crystal clear to me now, but I had a sinking suspicion it was too late. I thought she might send a message to me or something and had been anxiously sifting through every single DM and email I received. There was lots of reaction from the video but nothing from Brin. The sun had gone down on us.

  I watched the last of the golden orb disappear, leaving only its glow behind. I sighed, knowing I couldn't stay here much longer. I had a flight to catch in the morning. After that, I didn't have anything planned. Whether I went back to making videos or not was up in the air, and depended on more than just finding a new cameraman.

  I sat up, rubbing my hands together to shake off the sand, then rose to my feet and turned away from the golden band of light and toward the unknown.

  There was someone else on the beach with me.

  I squinted in the low light, picking up the figure of a woman as she walked toward me, hair blowing back in
the breeze. At first, I worried it would be Lori, come to try to win me back again. I didn't dare hope that it was Brin, even as she got closer and I started to see her features. The wind blew her cotton dress flat against her body, showing off her ample curves and making my heart jump in my chest like I'd been hit with an electric shock.

  I thought I might crumple into a heap on the sand.

  "Hi," Brin said, stopping in front of me.

  Her bright hazel eyes, greener now than usual, winked with the last remnants of sunlight. She'd never looked more beautiful.

  "Hi." I opened my mouth to say more, but the words wouldn't come. All I could think to say was, "How—? What are you doing here?"

  She chuckled and tangled her fingers in her hair, pulling it over her shoulder. "Martin, if you can believe it. Though I think Russell had a hand in it too."

  It was far from a redemption as far as Martin was concerned, but the gesture was appreciated all the same. It made me feel at least a little less betrayed in all this, and like my best friend was still in there somewhere.

  "I—" I slammed my mouth closed again. There were a million things I wanted to say to Brin, a million words fighting to reach my tongue all at once. I hoped I would have all the time in the world to tell her each and every one of them, but for now, I condensed them into a single phrase.

  "I love you."

  Brin's face flushed with happiness. She threw herself at me, much like she had the first time we kissed, and pressed her mouth to mine.

  "I love you too." Her lips caressed mine as she spoke. "I missed you."

  "I missed you."

  And then there were no more words. We fell back into the sand, pawing at each other with an urgency I'd never felt before. Each touch was laced with emotion and spoke just as openly as if we'd screamed the words to the darkening sky above.

  Brin landed on top of me, straddling me with her dress hiked up around her thighs. I sunk my fingers into her soft flesh, holding her there as I ground up against her sex. My cock had missed her too, missed sex in general. All those times Lori had baited me, tried to tempt me, all I'd been able to think about was the taste of Brin's skin, the feel of our bodies sliding together, the way she moaned when I hit that perfect spot inside of her. Now that I had her again, I was never letting her go. I would lay my claim on every inch of her skin.

  I tore down the straps of Brin's dress, pulling out her tits and palming them roughly. She moaned into my lips. I rolled her nipples between my fingers and felt them peak, then pushed her back so I could suck one pink bud into my mouth.

  The sight of her on my lap, tits bared and nipples hard from my touch was almost enough to make me explode on sight. I buried my face in her chest, licking and sucking and squeezing as she writhed against my bulge.

  There was nothing in the world that could compare to the pure, raw ecstasy of this. Of her. I sat up and leaned her back further, sucking on her exposed neck. She sighed and squirmed against me, lost in the moment. I slid a hand under her skirt and grabbed her ass, delighted to find it was just as ripe and firm as I remembered it.

  Our bodies rocked together in a slow but smoldering dance of lust. I could have stayed like this all night, but the urge to sink my cock into her heat soon grew too much to ignore.

  Like she'd read my thoughts, Brin's hand began to fumble with my zipper.

  "I'm on the pill," she mumbled, eyes focused on the task. "And I mean, you're the only person I've slept with in like a year, so I'm all good that way if you are..."

  I wasn't sure what she was talking about at first, but when it kicked in a fire lit in my belly. "I'm good," I confirmed.

  I couldn't wait to fuck her bare, to feel her skin and her wetness. My cock stood stiffly when she wrangled it out of my jeans, swollen with need. I pulled her back down into a kiss and urged her ass up so I could pull aside the fabric of her panties. I found her slick with desire. She hummed against my mouth as I circled my fingers over her clit then dipped inside of her. God, I'd missed her pussy. It flexed tight around my fingers like a welcome back handshake. Between us, my cock throbbed with the need to enter her, but I ignored it for another minute while I continued to tease her with my fingers.

  Brin panted against my mouth. Her moans became soft whimpers as I sawed my fingers in and out, coating them in her juices. Though we were still mostly dressed, any person walking by would know exactly what we were doing. Not that anyone would walk by. Still, I found the thought sexy, even though exhibitionism had never been my thing. I wanted the whole world to know she was mine, that I was the one who made her squirm and moan.

  I pulled my fingers out and sucked them into my mouth to get a taste of her. She tasted divine. Without wasting any more time, I pulled her mouth back to mine and lined up my cock with her entrance.

  Brin took the lead, sinking down on my meat until she sat flush against my hips. I had to squeeze my eyes shut and take in every last second of the experience, the way she gripped me, took me all in. There was no pleasure more intense.

  Then Brin began to rock back and forth. She sat upright, her tits swaying in the light of the newly minted moon. I guided her hips and watched her. Her face was a masterpiece of pleasure, cheeks flushed, lips swollen and parted, half-lidded eyes dark but somehow sparking. She rode me with the same fluid sensuality she exuded on stage, hips rolling like waves. Watching her was part of the experience, part of what made sex with Brin the ultimate adventure. I'd never seen any other girl lose themselves in it so much before. Then again, I'd never seen a girl like Brin.

  "You look fucking gorgeous," I told her.

  Brin's lips quirked into a devious little half smile. "You don't look so bad yourself."

  "I mean it, Brin. I've never seen anything as sexy as you riding my cock."

  She swore under her breath and arched back. My words must have sent a bolt of pleasure through her. I quietly patted myself on the back.

  I reached for her tits and mauled them as the pressure in my balls mounted. In response, she picked up the pace, now bouncing up and down. She undulated in my palms with the movement, and I threw my head back and groaned.

  "I'm close," she whispered.

  Fuck. I wasn't going to last long either at this rate. My cock had been waiting for this fuck, or rather hoping for it, and it was more than I could take.

  I found her clit with my thumb and began to rub the delicate nub. She tossed her head back and moaned, hair trailing down her back, neck exposed. I couldn't resist. I sat up and bit into her neck as if I really could mark her for all to see. She grabbed onto my shoulders and held me tight, calling my name over and over again.

  Brin came apart in my arms. Her pussy clenched me so hard I lost it, stilling against her as we exploded together. Every frustration, every angsty moment that had happened since she left seemed to drain into her, and I could almost feel her letting go of everything she'd gone through too. We were connected in a way I'd never connected with anyone, and nothing could have proved more that we were meant to be together than that moment of perfect, wordless understanding.

  I held Brin even when my erection began to shrink. I wanted to hold her forever and I got the feeling she felt the same way. Her forehead fell against my shoulder, and she let out a panting breath.

  "Wow," she said. "Did I forget how amazing that was or did we just actually transcend to another world?"

  I laughed. "I think a bit of both."

  "I'm never leaving you again. Threat or not." She stiffened, then looked up at me. "Fuck. I got so caught up the whole dramatic coming back here thing that I forgot to ask. If Martin's on his redemption tour, does that mean he told you what he did?"

  "What he and Lori did," I corrected.

  Brin's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Lori was part of it?"

  "Is that so hard to believe?" I deadpanned.

  "I guess not. I still don't understand why he hates me so much though. I think he probably thought he was helping you somehow."

  I sighed. "That, plus
he and Lori were knocking boots behind my back."

  "Yikes." Brin grimaced. "I'm so sorry, Chad. That must have hurt to find out."

  "Not as much as it hurt to come back to the hotel and discover you were gone."

  Brin's eyes filled with guilt but I shook my head, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "No, don't be like that. It wasn't your fault. And anyway, we're together now. That's all that matters, isn't it?"

  She smiled, warmth radiating from her features. "We’re together?"

  I nodded. “Indisputably.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  I didn’t know whether she meant in five minutes, five weeks, or five years, but my answer would have still been the same.

  “Whatever we want to.”

  Epilogue

  Brin

  One year later...

  "Kim..."

  My low, warning tone was still not enough to dissuade my best friend from continuing her vendetta. Against what, I wasn't sure. She just kept fiddling with the skirt of my dress, the beading, whatever she could get her little fiddling hands on. It seemed like she was more nervous than I was, and I figured it must be the mountain air getting to her head.

  Kim continued smoothing the fabric under my bodice, keeping her eyes low. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just—I just want this to be perfect."

  "Geez," I said, rolling my eyes. "You'd think you were the one getting married today."

  "Can you blame me for wanting my best friend's special day to be perfect?"

  "Kim," I said, resting a hand on hers. Her gaze rose to meet mine. "It already is."

  Hell, what day wasn't perfect when you traveled the world with the man you loved, having adventures and sucking the marrow from life? One of the best parts of today, ironically enough, was going to be spending time with my best friend, who I hadn't seen much in the past six months. Between my new modeling contract and Chad and I's constant traveling, I'd barely had time for everything to sink in. I had a feeling today would be another one of those moments, and I wouldn't realize that I was even married until a week from now when I caught a flash of my ring in the mirror or something like that.