Sex God

by Katie McCoy

I plated our food and brought it over to the counter.

  “Are you giving my sister a hard time?” Luke asked, smirking.

  “No,” I said, at the same time Mia answered:

  “Yes,” she said, looking at me, her eyes hot. “He’s been giving me a very, very hard time.”

  If only the floor could open up and swallow me whole.

  We ate, Mia and Luke talking about his latest trip, while I tried to focus on my food, and not on the way that Mia smelled. I had stupidly taken the seat next to her, and the intoxicating smell of wildflowers and rain and whatever else it was that made her scent so unique, seemed to fill my senses.

  I was lost in that, so when I felt a hand on my leg, I nearly jumped right out of my seat.

  Luke stared at me.

  “You OK, man?” he asked. “You seem kind of jumpy today.”

  “I’m fine,” I managed as Mia’s hand slid up my thigh.

  As soon as Luke glanced down at his food, I shot her a look. One that she completely ignored, her lips curved into a small, wicked smile.

  Triple fuck.

  She was acting like this was a game, but it wasn’t. I had violated one of the most important codes that I held—I had violated the trust between best friends. Between brothers. Carefully, I removed her hand from my leg. I had already betrayed her brother once. Well, twice if you counted this morning.

  Now, I had to make sure it didn’t happen again.

  15

  Mia

  I loved my brother, but he was seriously cramping my style. I was desperate to get some alone time with Austin to actually talk about what had happened last night—and this morning. My body was still buzzing from the way we had burned up the sheets, and I couldn’t help wanting to touch him.

  But I could tell that Luke’s arrival had changed things, and my vision of a romantic getaway was going up in smoke. When it came to the X-rated things I wanted to do, three was most definitely a crowd.

  “We should head back to the city,” I suggested as soon as we had all finished breakfast. “After all, some of us have normal nine-to-five jobs,” I said, giving both Austin and my brother a pointed look.

  It was hard not to be jealous of them sometimes—both Luke and Austin had somehow managed to pursue their dreams and find success in cool, creative fields. And they made it look easy. There were times when I felt like a failure next to them, which was just another reason I needed this article to work out.

  If only I could keep my hands—and mouth—off of Austin.

  “I’m going to chill here for a bit, recover from the jet lag. And the stewardess.” My brother winked, and I shoved him playfully.

  “Some things never change. Call me when you’re in town?” Emphasis on the calling first part.

  “Sure thing, kid.”

  “You need to stop calling me that,” I sighed. “I’m not a kid anymore!”

  “You’ll always be my kid sister,” Luke laughed. “Isn’t that right, Austin?”

  Austin coughed. “Sure.”

  We grabbed our bags and got on the road, but Austin barely said a word. In fact, as we drove, I realized that he had been pretty much silent since Luke’s arrival. I cast him a sideways glance, trying to figure out what was going on in his head, but once again, his true emotions evaded me.

  I stifled a sigh. Hot and cold was becoming a regular routine with him, but I’d honestly thought that after our wild night together, he might have dropped his defenses a little.

  “You know, it’s considered rude to ignore the girl you were just fucking,” I said boldly, trying to get a rise out of him.

  He swerved. “Fuck,” Austin swore, getting the truck back in the correct lane.

  “Sorry,” I said, not sorry at all.

  He glared at me.

  “This isn’t a fucking game,” he said, his jaw tight, each word coming out through gritted teeth. “What happened last night—”

  “And this morning,” I couldn’t help adding with a grin.

  A muscle twitched in his jaw. “What happened was a betrayal.”

  My heart stopped for a moment. A betrayal? Of what? Of who?

  “What are you talking about?” I asked.

  “Your brother,” Austin said. “I can’t believe I did this to him.”

  I relaxed. For a moment. “Um, I seem to recall you did this to me. Or rather, with me. How is that a betrayal?”

  “I broke the code,” Austin told me, still looking ahead.

  “The code?” I asked, not sure what the fuck he was talking about.

  “The bro code,” Austin confirmed.

  If it were humanly possible, my eyes would have rolled right out my head with annoyance.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” I exclaimed. “After all this time, you still just think of me as Luke’s little sister, like I’m his property?”

  “No,” Austin said. “But I do think of Luke as the closest thing I have to a brother. And if he ever found out . . .”

  “He would deal because he’s an adult,” I snapped. “An adult who knows that his sister is free to sleep with whoever she wants.”

  “It’s not you,” Austin argued. “It’s me. I fucked up.”

  “Stop it,” I told him, anger rising up inside of me. “You think you’re the only one who’s worried about people finding out about this? How do you think it would look if it came out that I slept with you when I’m supposed to be interviewing you? You have to know what people say about journalists who screw their subjects. Nobody would take me seriously again. This was supposed to restart my career, but it could just as easily end it.”

  “If it was such a risk, then why do it?” he asked.

  I exhaled. Did he really have to ask me that? I thought my feelings were perfectly clear.

  “Because I couldn’t not,” I told him simply.

  He said nothing, just pulled up in front of my building and looked at me with that familiar heat in his eyes. My heart pounded. How could he ever think that this was wrong, when just sitting beside him felt more right than any relationship I’d ever had before.

  “Do you need help with your bags?” he asked, though it wasn’t the question he was asking with his eyes.

  Did I want him to come up to my place with me?

  “Yes,” I said immediately.

  We got out of the car and went into the building, electricity charged between us. We got into the elevator, both of us facing forward, neither of us touching. As soon as the doors closed, I heard Austin drop my bag on the floor.

  Then we were on each other.

  He had me pinned up against the wall, his hands in my hair, while mine went straight for his belt. I wanted him so much—wanted him with an intensity that scared and excited me. By the time the elevator arrived on my floor, his belt was undone and my shirt was being inched up towards my bra. We kissed, stumbling towards my door.

  Somehow, I managed to get the key in the lock, and we nearly fell right into my apartment. I pulled at his shirt, and he pulled at mine, clothes beginning to fly across the room. But before we could get completely naked, I heard a soft, awkward cough coming from behind us.

  We broke apart, breathing heavily, to find Grace standing in the doorway of her room.

  “Hi,” she said, her face completely red. “I was just . . . I thought I heard . . . I can go back into my room now.”

  But Austin was already pulling his shirt back on.

  “Sorry about that,” he said, giving Grace an apologetic and charming smile. “Guess we got a little carried away.”

  “Uh huh,” Grace said, her eyes round.

  I couldn’t tell if she was blushing because she had almost caught us in flagrante, or because she had gotten a good eyeful of Austin’s naked torso. Not that I blamed her for her reaction in either case.

  “I should go,” Austin said once his shirt was on and his pants zipped.

  I hadn’t realized how handsy I had gotten in the elevator. I quickly pulled my own shirt on and straightened my
own clothes.

  “I’ll see you soon.” Austin gave me a kiss on the cheek.

  Despite everything that we had done that weekend, for some reason, that soft, chaste peck on the cheek felt more intimate than all the time we’d spent naked in bed together.

  “See you soon,” I echoed, unable to think of anything else to say.

  Grace managed a little wave in Austin’s direction—he gave her his best rock star smile—and then he was gone. My roommate barely waited for the door to close before she turned on me, cheeks flushed and eyes wide.

  “Oh. My. God,” she screeched, grabbing my arms.

  I winced at the high pitch of her voice but couldn’t help grinning as she began jumping up and down, still pulling on my hands.

  “Did you? Did he?” Grace didn’t seem to be able to put together full sentences, but it didn’t matter—both of us knew exactly what she was trying to ask.

  “We did,” I confirmed.

  Grace let out another shriek and then collapsed onto the couch, pulling me down with her.

  “Wow,” she breathed. “Was it amazing?”

  I wanted to play it cool, but I couldn’t. And thankfully, with Grace, I didn’t have to.

  “It was incredible,” I breathed, letting myself relax into the couch. “Multi-orgasmic amazing.”

  “I want all the details!” Grace demanded, facing me.

  We usually shared the—often disappointing—details of our dates, but for whatever reason, I clammed up. I didn’t want to share the experience I’d had with Austin. Apparently, my expression said as much because Grace immediately backed off.

  “Or you can just let my imagination run wild,” she said with a wink.

  I hugged her, grateful that I had a roommate as great as she was. We both sat there for a moment, allowing the excitement of my hallway make-out session with Austin to fade. When it did, I was reminded of everything else that had happened that morning, and I felt the smile slip from my face.

  “What is it?” Grace asked. “Did something happen?”

  “My brother happened,” I told her, and then gave her a quick rundown of everything that had happened after Luke’s arrival.

  In the midst of all the sexy making out, I realized that neither of us had really solved any of the problems that surrounded our relationship. Not that what we had was a relationship. Was it? I didn’t even know. “And I have no idea what to do now,” I groaned, leaning my head back against the couch.

  “I’m guessing keeping your hands off each other isn’t really an option anymore,” Grace said with a grin.

  I shook my head. “Apparently I have no willpower when it comes to Austin,” I said glumly.

  “How could you?” Grace teased. “He’s gorgeous.” But at my expression, she quickly sobered. “Right—alternative solutions.” She thought for a moment. “You should just come clean,” she finally said. “Be transparent about everything. Because the longer it goes on, and the longer you’re lying to people—whether it’s work or your brother—the worse it’s going to be when the truth comes out.”

  I considered the suggestion, chewing at my lip.

  “But what if this isn’t anything?” I asked, voicing the fear I hadn’t wanted to admit. “What if Austin flips the switch again, and it turns out this was just for the weekend?”

  “It didn’t seem like either of you were done,” Grace observed.

  “True,” I said, trying to hide my blush. “But what if it isn’t anything more than casual sex? Is it worth it to make a big deal out of it—tell everyone—if it’s all going to fade out in a few days?”

  “You think it’s going to fade out?” Grace asked, her disbelief obvious.

  I didn’t have an answer for that. Because I didn’t believe it for a second. Whatever was happening between me and Austin was intense and powerful. It scared me a little. But it also excited me. I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep away from him, especially now that the floodgates had been opened. But how much was I willing to risk?

  Luckily, I didn’t have to answer myself, as my phone buzzed and I checked it to find that I had a new email from Richard. There was no subject, but when I opened it, the body of the email simply said:

  “Tomorrow morning—my office. First thing.”

  Shit.

  16

  Mia

  “Do you think I’m fired? I’m probably fired,” I babbled as I walked towards my favorite coffee shop with Cassie. “What else could this meeting be about? I’m definitely fired.”

  Cassie turned to face me. “Stop it,” she said, putting her hands on my shoulders. “Stop pre-emptively firing yourself. You don’t know what this meeting is about. It could be anything.”

  I gave her a look.

  She relented. “OK, sure, it’s probably about the Austin James piece, but how in the world could he know that you and Austin consummated your relationship?”

  “First of all, we did not consummate our relationship,” I told Cassie. “Because we don’t have a relationship. And also, don’t use the word consummate.”

  Cassie grinned at me.

  “You should have kept it in your pants,” she teased, and I was starting to regret telling her what had happened. “I don’t want to say ‘I told you so,’ but—”

  “Can’t you just be supportive?” I asked as we got into line at the coffee shop.

  Immediately Cassie’s teasing expression dropped.

  “Of course,” she said seriously. “You know I’m just jealous that one of us is finally having good sex. I really thought it would be me first.”

  I laughed a little at that.

  Cassie gave me a thoughtful look. “Just deny everything,” she said. “After all, you’re right: there’s no way that Richard could know about the two of you. There’s no way that anyone could know—unless you or Austin went to the press and I can’t imagine either of you doing that.”

  I recoiled. “Definitely not,” I said, also remembering how freaked out Austin had gotten at the idea of my brother finding out that we had slept together. There was no way he wanted anyone to know about this—and the same went for me. It was better for everyone if it remained a secret.

  “So even if Richard suspects something, he doesn’t have any proof,” Cassie said firmly. “So deny with confidence. He doesn’t know anything.”

  Cassie’s words, plus coffee, definitely helped my stress levels as we walked into the building. Cassie went to our cubicles, but I went straight to Richard’s office. His secretary led me in.

  Richard was sitting behind his desk, wearing a super shiny suit, his hair slicked back. He was on the phone. He stood when I entered, gesturing for me to sit down.

  “Sounds good,” he was saying to the other person on the phone. “We’ll send photographers to wait outside of the hotel. We’ll get the shot. Thanks for the tip.”

  He hung up and wrote something down on a piece of paper.

  “You’d think celebrities would get a little better at hiding their affairs,” he said, more to himself than me. “But who cares who they’re fucking, as long as they get caught and we reap the benefits.”

  I cringed a little at his language and his personal philosophy, but forced a smile on my face when he directed his attention towards me. He sat back down, folding his hands on top of each other.

  “So,” he said, leveling a serious look in my direction. “Is there anything you want to tell me?”

  Whatever confidence Cassie had instilled in me immediately died. Did he know? I kept trying to tell myself that there was no way he could, but I couldn’t get my mouth to say that I didn’t know what he wasn’t talking about. I couldn’t get my mouth to work at all. So I said nothing.

  Richard gave me an impatient look.

  “The Austin James piece,” he urged. “How’s it coming along? I haven’t gotten an update.”

  An update. He just wanted an update.

  Immediately I relaxed. And then tensed again because I didn’t really have an update on the
piece. Because I didn’t have a piece yet. Because I had been too busy fucking Austin to do what I was really supposed to be doing with him—interviewing him.

  “It’s coming along,” I said, choosing my words slowly. “He’s pretty defensive and private, but I’m getting there.”

  Richard looked frustrated. “How much longer do you need to get the dirt?” he demanded. “There’s got to be something. A guy with his track record . . . Booze? Pills? A couple of kids stashed away with a groupie in Vermont? I need you to find out what nasty little secrets he’s hiding, and fast.”

  I stared at him in shock. “I didn’t know this was a hit piece,” I said.

  Richard stared at me like I was a child. “Don’t give me that bullshit, we’re just looking for the truth.”

  “There’s not . . .” I tried to keep my cool. “Austin’s not like that. I’ve known him for years, remember? He’s a good guy.”

  Richard looked disappointed. “Fine, if you don’t find any personal scandal, then go after the professional mess. Both you and I know that the official story about the band’s breakup is bullshit. Bands at the peak of their popularity don’t just decide to walk away. There’s something there. Something Austin doesn’t want to tell anyone.” Richard pointed a pen at me. “That’s our big exclusive; we’ll have everyone clicking to read the truth.”

  I paused. “I don’t know if I’m the right person to write that kind of story,” I said lamely, but Richard ignored me and thumbed through a pile of papers on his desk.

  “The only reason people are going to read an article about Austin James is if we give them something juicy. No one cares about a boring, serious profile of the artist at work, his creative process and influences, blah blah blah. They only care about the drama. And there’s drama there. I can smell it.”

  He pulled out a business card and handed it to me.

  “That’s the number for their former manager,” he said. “He still works with Danny. I want you to meet with them. I’ve been hearing through the grapevine that there’s some bad blood between him and Austin. If there’s dirt, I bet he’ll be willing to share it.”