Diamonds Are Forever

by India Lee

  Gemma looked to see the source of the voice. It was Walter Tabor. He, Sebastian Marcos and his fellow Yankee, Aaron Brewer, swam among a handful of the other athletes that she had seen at Damian’s party. Damian ignored him, wiping the water from his eyes and looking up at the crowd for Gemma. She smiled back at him, giving him a playful wave as he shook his head sheepishly. Walter caught Damian’s stare, looking behind him to see Gemma standing there.

  “Oh, shit man,” Walter said, his words a little slurred. “I didn’t mean to cockblock.”

  “I told you he wouldn’t be alone in there,” Aaron said, shaking his head.

  “Sorry, dude,” Walter burped, looking over at Damian. “I didn’t see her. I mean I thought it was kind of weird that you were just chillin’ in there by yourself.”

  Before Gemma could do anything, a group of girls that had been lounging topless on the other side of the pool also jumped in. Their timed jump caused a giant splash despite the fact that they were all relatively small. Gemma shut her eyes as she felt a wave of the saltwater pool come up at her. She opened them to find her cover-up clinging to her body, her white bikini showing through. But she didn’t have to worry about anybody looking. The topless girls in the water swarmed around the pool full of pro athletes, two girls to a guy. Gemma searched the now crowded waters for Damian. He was backed up against the infinity end of the pool, the lucky recipient of three girls’ attentions. To her dismay, one of them was Clara.

  Gemma didn’t want to be the territorial type. Just remembering the way Tyler handled Damian back in the day and remembering her own jealousy with Madison made her cringe. It was nothing she wanted repeated. But she also never thought she’d have to deal with seeing the object of her desire covered in a group of topless women, one of whom was considered quite desirable herself.

  “Gemma!” Clara called out, turning to face her despite having both her arms around Damian’s neck. Her bare skin was pressed up against his. “Why are you still dressed? Come join us!”

  “I’m good, thanks,” Gemma said, her arms still crossed as she walked the perimeter of the pool. Am I allowed to be mad? It wasn’t like she and Damian were really, truly, officially together yet. And Clara didn’t necessarily know what was going on.

  “Aw, come on! Damian wants you to join, right, Damian?” Clara said, running her hand over his hair. Whatever Damian said in response was muffled by one of the other girls wading up in front of him. The trio giggled as Damian averted his eyes, teasing him for being “shy.” Gemma looked around to see the other athletes adjusting just fine to their surroundings. She looked back towards the first cabana she was in with Zoe, noticing that the curtains were now closed. She was beginning to feel less and less in the mood to stay.

  “Hey, girls,” Gemma managed to say. Clara and the others all turned towards her. “Could I maybe get a moment alone with Damian?” She had been dying for it since the day he left for Oakland and despite being within ten feet of Damian for the past six hours, she had yet to get more than those brief moments in the cabana.

  “Now that’s kind of selfish, don’t you think?” Clara laughed, though Gemma suspected she wasn’t joking. “You can’t just take the man of the hour away from his own party.”

  “Just give us a second,” Damian said, politely. He put a gentle hand to Clara’s shoulder, pushing her away just enough so that he could get by without touching her further. He waded across the pool, jumping out of the pool next to Gemma as his party guests booed. Gemma immediately regretted her request.

  “Hey, sorry,” she started. “To take you away from all that.”

  “I’m just fine being away from all that,” Damian laughed.

  “I think I’m gonna head home.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “No,” she shook her head, her eyes on the crowd that had continued to watch them. “I’m not taking you from your party. You can’t leave. Everyone’s here for you.”

  “You’re the only reason I’m staying,” Damian said.

  Gemma bit her lip. “Damian, this is your coming out party. I don’t want everyone hating me right now for being a buzzkill. If you leave with me right now, you’re going to make me the most hated girl in New York.”

  “How?” Damian laughed.

  “I don’t want to be the reason you do something. Especially if it means taking you from the good graces of your new friends back there. I don’t want to mess with your career here before it even starts.”

  “You don’t want to be a reason I do something?” Damian looked truly confused as his brows dropped into a questioning stare. “And my career has nothing to do with those guys back there, so what are you talking about?” Gemma bit back her lip, looking at Damian’s pleading eyes. He definitely wanted her to stay – that much was clear. But Gemma’s own mind was muddied. She thought about what Gavin had said in the car, wondering what he meant. He was rarely serious, so when it popped up on rare occasion, Gemma had a tendency to listen. And his thought had been left unfinished, interrupted because Damian had returned to the car. She almost wanted to excuse herself and venture into Gavin and Zoe’s curtained cabana to ask for advice, but she knew she didn’t want to see what was going on back there.

  “Damian, I’m keeping you from your party,” she said, softly. Gavin had said to support him. She wasn’t sure what it meant, but she figured it didn’t mean to let him leave his own party not even an hour in, especially not with what felt like half of New York already watching him expectantly. “And as much as I don’t want to send you back into a sea of naked girls, I’m going to feel bad if you don’t get back to everyone.” Gemma turned, making her way towards the exit. Damian followed closely behind.

  “Gemma. Please don’t go,” he said, grabbing her by the waist. He leaned forward, kissing her behind the ear. “I’ve been dying to see you since I left.”

  “I know,” she exhaled, closing her eyes and leaning back against him. “I was too.”

  “Then stay.” He turned her around, his face brightening as he met her eyes. Gemma couldn’t help but smile at his expression. He grabbed her by the waist, lowering his lips to hers. Her stomach jumped and her heart fluttered as he pulled her in, kissing her more deeply than he had that day back in the studio. Suddenly, her legs were around his waist. She could feel the breeze as Damian walked them back towards the cabana.

  “Wait,” she whispered, pulling away to see the entire pool staring. “What are you doing?”

  “Getting us some alone time,” he breathed, dragging his lips across her collarbone. Gemma blushed, unable to enjoy the moment when there was a rowdy audience behind her. The boys were laughing, making crude gestures and smacking their lips in an exaggerated manner. The girls were just watching, perhaps even judging. She was thankful when Damian finally carried her to privacy.

  In the cabana, he laid her down in the same position they had been in before the boys had dragged him into the pool. It didn’t feel the same though, now that everyone outside knew where they were and what they were up to.

  “Damian, I can’t,” she said, sitting up. “You can’t possibly think this is a good idea.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked, kneeling on the daybed beside her.

  “I don’t want us to do this… like this. While everyone’s out there.”

  “We don’t have to do anything,” Damian said. “I just wanted you to myself. We can sit here not touching and just staring at each other and I’d be just fine.”

  “Everyone out there is going to think we’re…”

  “Everyone already thinks we’re something,” he laughed. “And they have for years, so what does it matter now?” When Gemma didn’t laugh with him, his smile faded. His expression turned serious as he reached forward, rubbing her knee in a comforting manner.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, averting her gaze.

  “It’s okay,” he replied. “We can take it all back a couple of steps.”

  “No, it’s not that,” Gemma said, slippin
g her hand over his. She wanted to just say everything that she was feeling, but none of it could be put into words.

  “Then what is it?” Damian asked.

  “I want to be careful,” she whispered. “I know that sounds weird but everything is different. I’ve started a new career and you’ve started a new chapter of yours. We’re not the teenagers we were the last time the two of us were actually something. There’s so much more to worry about now and I’m just scared. I want thinks to be perfect between us. I want to have everything thought out and I don’t want an audience in my relationship, for once.”

  Damian sat at her feet, quiet as he nodded. She could see him mulling over her words, his handsome face frowning in concentration. Gemma leaned forward, kneeling perpendicular to his body and sliding her arms around his wet shoulders. A small smile broke as soon as her skin hit his, despite the fact that he still looked away, deep in thought.

  “I’m sorry I did that just now, in front of everyone,” he said, turning to face her. His gaze fell to her lips. “I just couldn’t help myself.”

  “Well, it’s too bad these curtains don’t have locks on them,” she smiled, stealing quick kisses from him as she pulled herself in closer. Damian groaned, pushing her back against the daybed and pulling his body on top of hers.

  “Then let me leave with you,” he growled, slipping his hands under her cover-up. She gasped at the sensation of his fingers slipping under the string of her bikini. “Let’s just get out of here, already.” Gemma’s eyes fluttered shut as Damian buried his face in her neck, kissing her delicate skin. She moaned, prompting him to do the same as he tightened his grasp on her. She could safely say that he had never touched her like this before. But as good as it felt, she could still hear the faint noises outside, still see the looming silhouettes of curious figures that passed the cabana.

  “Wait,” Gemma exhaled. “Just…” Surprisingly, her words stopped Damian in his tracks. He rolled over, lying next to her with his hands pressed to his face. Gemma sat up, detecting a slight smile despite his clear frustration. She tried to pull his hands from his eyes, but he wouldn’t relent. She rested a hand on his stomach, causing him to practically jump. Damian pushed her hand off, laughing.

  “I need a second,” he said, his eyes still shut. “Where we’re not touching and I’m not looking at you. And then I’ll say bye and let you go and I’ll stay for the party, okay?”

  “Okay,” she nodded, even though he still wouldn’t look at her. Gemma stood, giving him some space. She brushed her hair back, trying to shake her own desire for him at that moment. You don’t want your first time with him to be like this anyway, right? “Are you mad at me?” she dared to ask, breaking the short silence between them.

  “No,” Damian said, peeking out between his fingers and shooting her a smile. “I shouldn’t have to tell you that.”

  “I know I’m being indecisive and annoying and sending mixed signals. I know I’m like a big grab bag of every irritating girly thing in the world right now. I would understand if you were mad at me.”

  “I’m not mad at you,” he reiterated. “I’m just trying not to die right now.”

  “Oh my God, stop.” Gemma groaned her laugh. “You’re making me feel worse.” He laughed with her, sitting up and shaking his head as he leaned his elbows onto his knees.

  “I’m good now,” he said, peering up at her. “Let’s say bye.” Damian leaned his head against his folded arms, hiding his lips. He looked almost shy as she made his way back towards him.

  “Bye, then,” she said, kissing him on the cheek. He squeezed his eyes shut. “And thank you for being so understanding. And dealing with my craziness for as long as you have.” She pulled away, watching as his eyes fluttered back open.

  “I’d walk you out,” Damian started. “But…”

  “I know,” Gemma blushed, shaking her head. “Don’t worry about it.” She backed out towards the entrance of the cabana as he waved goodbye, his head still resting in his folded arms as he watched her. She realized then that she didn’t really want to leave, that she wanted nothing more than to be with him, do everything with him. But in that moment, she wasn’t sure whether she needed to laugh, cry, or scream into a pillow over her haywire emotions. She felt overwhelmed and confused and it was probably best to be alone.

  NSFW PHOTOS FROM DAMIAN EVANS’ OFFICIAL WELCOME PARTY

  The Durt

  August 10th

  Oh my God, why weren’t we there?

  Considering what we heard about his scandalous housewarming bash, it comes as no surprise to us that Damian Evans and his rock hard body decided to throw a celebration party at Bay, the rooftop club on the top of The Strathorne best known for its “European” infinity pool. According to these NSFW pictures, “European,” in this case, is code for “get as naked as you’re comfortable with as long as you have a smoking hot body and a pro baller to physically attach yourself to.”

  Sources say that New York’s star athletes were all in attendance at Evans’ steamy pool party, and that reported girlfriend, Clara Zavala, splashed around mostly naked for the duration of the night (we have an exclusive slideshow for you that we think you’d like to take a look at, in the privacy of your own home, of course).

  Ladies, you’ll be as disappointed as we were to know that Evans did not strip down past his swimsuit. But do enjoy all the images of him shirtless and soaking wet. We know we did.

  Chapter 8

  Gemma knelt on the cold cement floor of her studio, staring at her phone and willing it to buzz with a new text message. Since that night at Bay, she and Damian had exchanged a couple of texts, carrying on just about as normally as they could. It wasn’t until Gemma suggested that the two meet up again for dinner that Damian’s replies suddenly stopped.

  “Leather pants?” Tyler stepped out of the dressing room towards Gemma where she was kneeling at Azura’s feet, doing a final fitting on one of the outfits. At their last dinner, Azura had decided that everyone would be wearing leather, but “not in a way that’s dominatrix or cowboy or biker or any of that stereotypical shit.”

  “You should be happy you only have one outfit for your set,” Gemma laughed. “I’m still wondering how I’m going to get Azura in and out of every leather look she has for the performance.”

  “I know you found some way to make it all work,” Azura said, looking down at Gemma as she pinned the hem of a peach chiffon skirt she had made to go with a leather, quilted bustier. “You being all talented and shit.” Azura made kissy faces as she winked at Gemma. She smiled, knowing Azura was more than pleased with the looks.

  “Am I getting adjustments too or is this just how it’s going to be?” Tyler laughed.

  “What, why you acting like you never put on a pair of leather pants before?” Azura asked. “You have been in this damned industry far too long to have never worn a pair of leather pants.”

  “For your information, I actually haven’t,” Tyler said, crossing his arms. “It would have been a lifelong achievement if you didn’t think it’d be such a good idea. And to be honest, when you said incorporate some leather, I thought Gemma was going to make me a bomber jacket or something. Not pants.”

  “Just admit you like the pants,” Gemma teased. “And come on, I did a good job – right Azura?” Azura nodded, studying Tyler’s outfit. To be honest, Gemma had originally designed the pants for Azura, but the distressed grey leather ended up pairing perfectly with the black graphic tee that she had already prepared for Tyler. The shirt was somewhat inspired by Azura’s makeshift top that she wore to Damian’s housewarming party.

  “I mean, I guess I do like them,” he shrugged, checking himself out in the mirror. He laughed. “I don’t want to like them, though.”

  “What? Why?” Gemma snorted, noting what normal conversation they were having and silently congratulating herself for that.

  Tyler shrugged. “Leather’s always seemed a bit too crazy for my taste,” he replied, turning back towards the
m.

  “Yeah, but it’s not like you’re wearing that shiny, tight leather,” Azura said. “This is the classy shit,” she said just as a quick knock came at the doorway. They all turned at the same time to see an awestruck Sophie as she stepped into Gemma’s studio. She looked a little more comfortable with everyone than she had at the Gotham Ball and at their wardrobe meeting at Lilac.

  She had come in a little after Azura’s arrival, holding an armful of wedding magazines and looking just a little bit flustered. Fortunately, she was the type of girl who seemed to pull off that slightly ruffled look and still manage to look adorable. Gemma did have to say so.

  “Hi everyone!” she said, taking a seat beside Gemma and wiping a small bead of sweat off her brow.

  “You’re empty-handed,” Tyler smiled. “Weren’t you supposed to be shopping?”

  “I was,” Sophie said, bright and breathless as she looked over at Gemma. “But I’m terrible at shopping, I learned that today.”

  “What girl is terrible at shopping?” Azura laughed.

  “The type that didn’t realize just how un-girly she was until she got engaged,” Tyler answered for Sophie. He walked over, bending over to kiss her on top of the head. Gemma watched them, hardly bothering to be discreet.

  “Are those leather pants?” Sophie asked, running her hand down his calf.

  “Yes,” everyone else said in unison.

  “I like them on you,” Sophie said, looking up at Tyler. Her eyes were wide and honest as she kept her gaze on him.

  “Thank you,” Tyler smiled, his shoulders seeming to relax. “Alright, well. Guess I’m good to go then, right?”

  “Yep,” Gemma said, taking away the pin that she had pressed between her lips and securing the last bit of hemming. “You’re all set, and I just have a little more to go with you, Azura.” Tyler disappeared into the dressing room before quickly returning in his own pair of jeans.