Lila sighed deeply when he wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Shouldn’t you be at work? It’s almost 8am.”
“I’m due to be at work in an hour, which means I’m already fucked. ‘If you’re an hour early you’re ten minutes late’,” he said, nasally, smiling when she laughed. “That’s what they say to the interns. The scary part is that they’re not kidding.”
“Well I don’t want to be the reason you’re late for work,” Lila said.
"Look, Lila. We can keep this casual." Jack squeezed her from behind, really squeezed her, pressing his chin into her shoulder. “I’m not asking you to…” He made himself to stop talking. “We don’t have to…”
Lila waited anxiously for his words with wide eyes, and when he paused her heart stopped.
Taking a deep breath, Jack told himself to relax.
“Don’t be nervous,” she whispered.
"I'm not nervous." He could almost taste the lie on his tongue. "Just because I'm not a steel trap..."
"And I am?" Lila beamed before rolling her eyes. "I think you know me better than that."
"I don’t. Not like…” Jack bit his tongue, placing a kiss on her shoulder.
“Well,” she started. “Now that Danielle is gone I’m an only child. My parents have been married for thirty years and they live in California. My first concert was Nsync in 1999. I have huge hands... like a man." She felt his lips smiling on her shoulder. "I don't like the color yellow because I think it brings me bad luck. I hate sad movies and I hate sad songs even more--I always change the station when they come on the radio. And…” She smiled, then laughed when she heard him smile. “And that’s all I can think of right now.”
Jack tucked his nose into her hair and breathed deeply, seriously contemplating calling in to the office for the first time in his entire career.
---
"'Men I may not know, but shoes? Shoes I know!'"
Lila brought the walkee talkie up to her mouth with a bored expression. "Carrie Bradshaw, 'Sex and the City'... god Tracy you're not even trying anymore, are you? Over." Lila disarmed the walkee talkie while shaking her head. She had somehow gotten trapped into performing hallway monitor duty that morning and was in the middle of a rousing game of "Guess That TV Show” with Tracy to keep herself entertained. As she passed the boy's locker room she came to a quick halt when she heard a rustle. She turned off her walkee talkie just as Tracy was responding so as not to blow her cover.
Another rustle.
Yep. There were definitely some students ditching class in the locker room... something she herself had been guilty of in her younger years. She made her way into the room, hesitant but curious.
And there he was. It had been the longest she'd ever gone without seeing or talking to him, but she'd never expected their next meeting to be like this.
Chase's head was thrown back, jeans and boxers at his knees. His full lips were moist and parted as his fingers dug deep into the blonde head of a student Lila didn't recognize. The blonde was on her knees in front of Chase, mouth open and ready to take him.
Lila jolted. "Hey!"
At the sound of her voice she could tell that she'd scared the shit out of them, watching as they scrambled to get their clothes back on. She couldn't take her eyes off of Chase, and it seemed like he was experiencing the same phenomena. A feeling she couldn't describe washed over her as his eyes bore into her. She wasn't familiar with what tumbled in her gut, but she knew she disliked it. So much so that she had to excuse herself. "Get yourselves together and meet me outside." She'd meant to sound firm, but her voice was shaking.
Lila paced outside of the locker room. The blonde girl was the first to emerge. "I am soooo sorry, Ms. James."
Lila noted that the young girl before her was breathtakingly beautiful, flawless actually, and probably came from a family with money. Sending her to the office and, subsequently, dealing with the bullshit her rich family was sure to start was not something that was high on Lila's priority list. She crossed her arms over her chest. "What in god’s name are you thinking about? You're far too beautiful and, since you're going to this school I'm going to guess--far too bright--to be on your knees in the school locker-room…” She was on a roll until Chase emerged behind the blonde, tucking his shirt into his pants.
Lila faltered at the sight of him. The last time she'd seen him his hair had been brushing his eyebrows but it was now cut into a short, sharp do. It was shorter in the back and on the sides, leaving just a bit of length at the top. It made his blonde hair look almost dark brown, causing his serious green eyes to scream out at anyone he looked at. He looked much older, his face more handsome and refined.
"Chase,” Lila said, blinking at him. "I don't even know what to say." Whether she was talking about his new appearance or the unfortunate state she'd caught him in in the locker room, she wasn't sure.
Chase tried to speak, but couldn't find his voice for a moment, holding her eyes.
"Hey," he finally whispered.
"Hey?" Lila repeated. "That's all you have to say?" She looked back and forth between the two before holding her hand out. "Look, I'm not going to stand here and pretend that I didn't have my fun when I was in high school, but there's a time and a place and 10:30am on a Wednesday in the boy’s locker room is not it! Understood?"
Chase and Ashley both hesitantly nodded.
"Good." She straightened her jacket. "Now I've got better things to worry about than getting you two in trouble," she said, while adjusting the walkee talkie in her pocket. "So I'm going to pretend like this never happened... but don't let me catch you again or I might not be so forgiving."
"Thanks, Lila," Chase said, motioning to the girl with him. "This is Ashley." When Ashley looked at Chase like he was crazy, he rolled his eyes.
"I uh..." Lila motioned to him. "I like the hair."
"I cut it for him," Ashley jumped in, proudly, turning to Chase and reaching up to run her fingers through his hair. "I don't know why he was so desperate to hide this amazing fucking face of his for so long. I was more than happy to chop it off for him."
Lila watched silently as Ashley ran her fingers through Chase's hair, not missing the slight hint of discomfort in his eyes.
"Okay, well... get to class, both of you," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "And I'm serious... I don't want to catch either of you doing this again, do you understand?" She watched Chase and Ashley smile softly to each other and blinked against her raging stomach.
Ashley passed Lila with a smile and just as Chase was passing her, he brushed his fingers against her stomach. "You look beautiful," he whispered.
Lila looked up at him, still barely recognizing him with that haircut, and couldn't speak as Ashley pulled him away.
---
Later that night, against all of her better judgment, Lila found herself at the bar of The Wicked Spoon Restaurant waiting for Jack, Chase, Bitsy and Frank. As she sipped on her second Martini of the night she wondered where her party was and just how in the hell she'd gotten harangued into coming to this dinner. She was sure that once she was through with her second drink things would run a lot smoother, but when she smelled the cologne of the man who'd been in her bed that morning and the voice of the man who she'd caught getting a blowjob in the boys locker room that afternoon surround her all at the same time she realized that she was definitely in over her head. And not nearly drunk enough.
Turning in the bar seat Lila came face to face with Chase and Jack and immediately wished she were anywhere else. Her eyes shot from one brother to the other, astounded by their stark differences and their amazing similarities all at the same time. Both were toweringly tall and handsome. Jack was polished in his signature suit, but Lila now knew what the suit really contained-- an eager man who knew how to touch a woman, and exactly what to do with his tongue. She felt herself getting wet at the mere sight of him.
Then there was Chase, the young man in her life who was simply no longer a young man-- bu
t a man. He wore a pair of dark washed jeans and a white polo like it was made for him. It was a casual restaurant, so the black baseball cap pulled low over his electric eyes didn't make him stand out-- not to anyone but Lila.
"Hey," she said, softly.
"Hey yourself," Chase blushed. Lila was sure that he was recalling the embarrassment from early that day.
She looked to Jack, and saw him looking at her in a certain way. Her stomach flipped.
"Where's Bitsy?" she asked.
Chase took a deep breath. "At home sick."
Lila raised an eyebrow and her eyes met Jack's.
"Really?" she asked, with concern.
"Really," Jack said, dryly, with no concern, at all. It was clear that clever little Bitsy was far from sick. “She just called us a minute ago.”
"So it's just us then?" Lila tried to smile.
Chase was looking off into the distance and Jack right at her. "Just us," he answered.
As Lila nodded, she contemplated whether she could make a run for it without either of them noticing, but before she could really entertain the thought, the hostess had come up behind them and announced that their table was ready.
Things were uncomfortable from the moment all three of them sat down. It was the strangest sensation Lila had ever experienced in her life. She had such a strong bond with each of them individually and, even if they were reluctant to admit it, they with each other, but none of them knew how to behave when all of the crazy ingredients they brought were thrown into the same pot. They were worse than oil and water… they were explosive.
Lila adjusted her napkin in her lap, listened to the specials, gave her order and dealt with the silence for as long as she possibly could before she couldn’t take it anymore.
“So Chase,” she said, causing both men to look at her in surprise. Before she was speaking they’d been pretending to be busy with other things, but now that the menus were gone there was nothing left to distract them. “I really must commend Ashley on the haircut… she did a phenomenal job.” She smiled softly at him. "Why are you covering it up?" Without waiting for an answer she reaced over and took the hat off of him, taking a deep breath at the sight of his face fully exposed, yet again. She laughed softly when he immediately brought out a self-concious hand up, smoothing his new haircut while giving her a shy grin.
“Hey, easy tiger,” his smile grew when he made a swipe for his hat and she pulled it away. “Hand it over, Short Stack.”
It was the nickname he’d had for her since the moment he’d grown taller than her all those years ago. The smile fell from her face the moment she heard it, and she found herself searching his eyes, feeling a connection with him in that moment that she'd almost forgotten about. A wave of sadness suddenly swept over her and she could see he was experiencing the same. The longing. She forced herself to look away. Chase's eyes searched her face before he finally did the same. This haircut of his would definitely take some getting used to. Clearing her throat, she placed the hat on the table and looked up only to be met with Jack's probing glare.
Jack took a slow sip of his water while staring at Chase, before slowly moving his gaze to Lila. “How does she know Ashley? Or, better yet, how does she know that Ashley is the one who cut your hair?”
Lila and Chase shared a look.
Jack unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat a little taller.
“I caught him and some little girl in the locker room at school, okay? Don’t get your panties in a bunch,” she mumbled.
Jack threw her a look. His eyes fell to the dip in her blouse, then made a slow, deliberate climb back to her face. “Don’t tell me what to do,” a pompous smile lifted the corner of his mouth.
The small smile was threatening Lila’s lips, as well. She fought it with all her might.
Chase looked back and forth between the two of them before throwing down his napkin, looking over Jack’s head to the bathroom. “Excuse me,” he said, standing from his table without another word and walking off.
Lila jammed her eyes shut as Chase left the table and shook her head. She looked up at Jack when he leaned on the table, his eyes boring into hers, and shook her head, gazing off towards the bathroom.
“Let it go, Lila,” Jack warned.
She looked back to him.
“Let it go.”
---
Chase was startled to come out of the bathroom and find Lila leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, giving him a pained expression. At first he was happy to see her, since that seemed to be the emotion he always experienced when he saw her, but something happening in his mind wiped the smile away instantly.
She seemed the furthest thing from happy. “Some people might call me crazy for waiting for you outside of this bathroom… but I’m hoping you’ll see my side of it. I want you to give Jack a chance.”
Chase looked away. “What are you talking about?” he asked, his eyes meeting hers. “Are you even allowed to be talking to me, at all? Aren’t you breaking every rule that the almighty Jack has set?”
“Jack doesn’t control me.”
“Doesn’t he?” he asked, with a squint.
Lila considered him for a long moment, “No,” she said. “He doesn’t.”
Chase smiled a brilliant smile, but it was laced with annoyance. “Oh, okay. Could have fooled me… but whatever you say.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I think you know exactly what it means.”
“Enlighten me.”
“It means you’re fucking him.”
Lila was struck, not by the words, but by how calmly he said them, and how right on the money he was.
Chase now wished he was anywhere else. “Christ, Lila I’ve known you forever. I know you better than you know yourself. I know that look on your face when you’re delirious with anger but too proud to show it.” He took a step closer to her. “I know the smile you have when you’re overjoyed but too shy to express it… and I know Lila…”
Lila’s eyes fell to her feet.
Chase’s voice fell to a whisper. “I know that smile when you’re looking across the table at a man who’s making you cum.”
Her eyes came alive. “Don’t talk to me like that, Chase."
“He was practically foaming at the mouth just because you knew Ashley’s name.”
“It’s no business of yours who I am or am not sleeping with, okay? That’s my business. And even if we were sleeping together, what gives you the right to try and shame me with it? Let’s not forget the position I caught you in with little miss thing at school this afternoon.”
Her evasion of the question was all the answer Chase needed, and he suddenly felt like he was going to be sick, but the urge to protect her overrode it. “Well getting a blowjob in the school locker room beats the hell out of sitting around wondering about you. And why do you care who’s going down on me anyway?”
Lila’s eyes searched his. “I don’t care.”
“No?” Chase’s eyes widened, the dark, leafy green orbs flying back and forth across her face.
Lila blinked before regaining her composure. “No,” she said, sternly.
He studied her face for a long moment. “He'll hurt you, Lila." When she cringed he took her arms, leaning closer. "Listen to me. He'll hurt you. And if I can’t be the man…” He faltered. “If I can’t be the man…”
Lila watched as Chase struggled to say something that was clearly difficult for him.
Instead he changed the subject. “Why are you suddenly so desperate for Jack and me to get along, anyway? Singing his praises? Because that damn sure isn’t what you’ve been doing for the last five years of all our lives. Now you expect me to sit at a dinner table and watch you two make googly eyes at each other? I’d sooner die. I’m not a kid anymore… I’m not.”
Lila’s wet eyes rose to his.
Chase leaned in, hand over his heart. “I loved you first.” His breathing began to tremble, “And I’m not afraid to say it anymo
re, because I know what’s real. I can’t hang around and watch while he makes you cum. While you fall in love with him.”
“Chase.” Lila sputtered. "I love you, too. But not in that way--"
He didn't let her finish, “Lila there is no other way. Not for me.” He released her arms. “Don’t tell me anymore fairytales.”
Lila watched him go with a hand over her heart, shaken to her very core. Chase was absolutely right, he wasn’t a kid anymore, and the truth of that was sending her down a very frightening and confusing spiral that she wasn’t ready for.
She did her best to collect herself before stomping out into the restaurant, but Jack was already standing outside of the bathrooms.
He watched her with knowing eyes, gripping her purse in his hands. He blinked slowly. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Lila approached him and took her bag. "Take me home."
---
“You’re so wet baby. I….” Jack hesitated, then gasped as a wave of pleasure he’d never experienced rolled through him, and he lost control, grinding inside her blindly. “Fuck, I love you so much,” he gasped, his voice trembling with feeling, his fingers caressing her face hungrily.
Tears came to Lila’s eyes and she jammed them shut, tossing her head to the side. She gently pushed at Jack’s shoulder, turning them so he was on his back. His stomach heaved and he held her gaze as she slid down his body, taking his heat in her hand and pumping him wildly before wrapping him in her mouth and sucking furiously. Just the way she’d learned he liked it. She worked him with frenzy, her hand clutching him tightly, lips working him in unison, egged on by his grunts and groans.
"Lila, wait..." Jack grunted, barely able to speak. Not like this, he tried to plead.
But it was the only thing she was capable of giving. He came quickly, just as she knew he would, and she was relieved when he did.
Jack moved to the edge of the bed immediately after, leaning on his knees and running a hand down his face, struggling to keep his composure. He couldn’t control the feeling washing over him, and threw his head in his hands when it all became too much. When Lila came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his body he lost focus. Taking his face from his hands, he held them out, craning his neck behind him. He wanted to look into her eyes but chose to focus on the headboard instead.
Lila's Thunder: The Almeida Brothers, Book One Page 12