JACK: Las Vegas Bad Boys (9 page)

I
n the kitchen
, as the water boils, I pull up the video of Tess and me on my phone. It’s already been removed from Periscope—I can thank Lola for that—but it’s been copied all over the internet. A few clicks and I’m watching it.

You can’t see our faces, but we sure as hell are making a lot of noise and using one another’s names. At one point, Tess even says,
Jack Harris, you have the biggest cock I’ve ever seen
.

Which felt hot as hell at the moment, but now? Fuck. The video has already been copied thousands of times, and it’s popping up everywhere online. There will be no stopping the viral trail now.

Walking into the living room, I hand Tess her mug of tea, and kiss her forehead ever so gently.

She looks at me as if she has words on her lips, but when I tell her that I’m going to draw her a bath, she just starts to cry all over again.

I feel like shit for bringing this all upon her, and I need to get her settled so I can figure out my next move.

Once the bath is ready, I tell Tess to take as much time as she needs, that we aren’t going anywhere, and that I’m gonna be making some calls.

She smiles softly, already seeming more settled from her tea. As she walks into the steamy bathroom, I notice that she doesn’t close the door. Instead she looks over her shoulder at me, the corner of her mouth still upturned.

Whatever was on her mind before, it’s been replaced with other things.

Things I can fucking get behind.

She slips off her skirt, bending at the waist—and, fuck, I’ve got to adjust my cock as it gets hard at the sight of her ass.

My phone rings; it’s Lola.

Really? Now?

I walk away from the bathroom, knowing I need to deal with this, and go to my office.

Turning on speakerphone, I set the iPhone down on my desk and take a seat. Propping my feet up on a stool, I try to focus on the call at hand and not on the vision of Tess’s fine backside.

“Hey, Jack, it’s Lola. And Kirby is in on the call, too.”

“How you holding up, buddy?” Kirby asks.

“Good. Tess and I are back at my loft. I mean, she keeps a low profile and doesn’t use social media or anything, so no one is bothering her.”

“And you?” Lola asks. “Have you experienced any backlash yet?”

“No,” I tell them. “But honestly, we just left the casino, and came directly here with Ace’s private security. They sent a crew over to Tess’s apartment, as well.”

“Good. Now, we’ve put together a press release. I’m gonna read it to you,” Lola says. The release is a simple explanation stating that the leaked footage was from an unknown source, and that neither party granted permission.”

Straightforward, but I can already see how it will only bring more attention to the video. “Sounds good. I mean, there isn’t a lot we can do here to soften the blow,” I tell them. “Though Ashley admitted to being the one behind it all.”

“What, what?” Lola says. “That’s important. Why didn’t you tell me that?”

“Because I don’t really give a shit about Ashley right now. I should never have trusted that girl. And besides, right now I’ve got another woman on my mind.

“Speaking of Tess,” Lola begins, “is she with you right now?”

“Yeah, I told you she was here. She’s not in my office, if that’s what you mean, but you can say anything to me that you’d say to her.”

Lola gives a low sigh. “Um. Okay. Well, I want to be delicate about this—about her, since you say you’re friends.”

“Okay,” I say, not having a lot of patience. “Well, you’re the PR person. You should be able to say whatever it is you need to say.”

“The thing is, Jack, most people’s histories are pretty easy to trace. A name alone will tell us more than we need to know. With a snap of the finger we can get information on hometown, parents, high school. Where you shop online, what bank you use. What cars you’ve owned. The thing is … with Tess, there’s nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nada.”

“I get it.” I close my eyes, not liking where this is headed. “What are you trying to say, Lola?”

“I don’t think this girl is who she says she is.”

I could piece that together on my own. Granted, I didn’t realize that she might have falsified that much information about herself.

Not that I actually have all that much information on her in the first place. What do any of us know about Tess? I don’t know what city she lived in growing up. I don’t know her birthday, her parents’ names. She moved here and seamlessly wove herself into our lives.

“And what if she isn’t?” I ask, looking out the window to the strip beyond.

“Then we have to ask ourselves what she’s hiding,” Lola says.

I look back at the ceiling. No way in hell am I going to add more drama to Tess’s life by telling Lola and Kirby that there might be more about Tess than we even want to know.

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you,” I say. “But, look, let’s talk tomorrow. And I know I just came from my parents’ place, but maybe Tess and I should camp out there for a while, until this blows over.”

“Maybe. Kendrick might want to talk with you first,” Kirby says.

“So they haven’t pulled out?” Part of me wishes they would. That would solve the problem of having to make the hard decision I don’t want to make.

“No, thank God,” Kirby says. “Apparently they own LMZ, though, the celebrity TV channel? They’re interested in an exclusive story with you and Ashley.”

“Fuck. You know what, this is enough for me to deal with, okay?”

“Understood,” Kirby says. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

I end the call and pull myself out of the chair.

I’m exhausted, still haven’t changed my clothes from yesterday or taken a shower.

But damn, I don’t think I need a shower right now.

Right now, I need to take a fucking bath.

* * *

When Jack pushes open the door, the noise wakes me from sleep. My head is resting against the lip of the large sunken tub, and the jets surrounding it create a bubbling bath like I’ve never had before. It was easy to let the steam and hot water lull me to sleep.

“Hey, Tess,” Jack says, sitting on the edge of the tub. He has a bottle of white wine tucked under his arm and two glasses in his hand. “Want some Pinot gris?”

“Sure, that sounds nice.” I sit up, my torso covered in the bubbles that have settled on the surface of the water. “Did you ever get a chance to eat? You left Emmy’s before Ricky finished making brunch.”

“I ate a granola bar a minute ago, and I have a frozen pizza we can warm up for dinner. Can you believe it’s already four in the afternoon?”

“I can. This day has felt really long, actually.”

“Sorry.” Jack pours the wine and hands a glass to me. “I’ll just let you finish in here.”

I shake my head. “Don’t go.”

“I thought we were in a massive fight.” He cocks an eyebrow at me.

“I don’t even know why we’re fighting,” I tell him. “Because, look, whatever is going on between us isn’t love, but it also isn’t nothing.”

“No, it isn’t.” Jake clinks his glass against mine.

“You were so pissy with me at Emmy’s. When you realized I hadn’t told her anything about my past.”

“I
was
pissed. With reason. I don’t get the secrecy. And I just spoke with my publicist, Lola.”

“Yeah?” I ask, taking a sip of my wine to avoid his gaze. “And what did she say?”

“She said she couldn’t dig up a single fact about you. I’m guessing your lease isn’t even in your name, Tess.”

“It’s not.” I sigh, then take another drink of the chilled white wine. “I may have kept that fact from Emmy and Claire, but I’m not keeping it from you. I didn’t tell them because I don’t want to burden my friends.”

“And me, I’m not your friend?”

“No,” I tell him. “You’re not.”

“What am I. then?”

“That is what I’m trying to figure out. Do you want to just be fuck-buddies? Do you want me to be your mistress? Your sex-pet? Were you mad earlier because I didn’t just bend over and say yes?”

“I don’t want you to be those things, Tess. I’m not that guy.”

“What guy are you, then? You’re one of the most famous DJs in the world, and right now, you’re hanging out with. Me. Jack, I’ve got nothing on Ashley Fast.”

“Thank God for that.” Jack sets down his wine. “Listen, I don’t know what you and me are. Hell, I don’t even know
who
you are. But I do know I’m something to you.”

He kneels before the tub, looking at me, and all I want in that moment is to feel his lips on mine. But I know he deserves more than that from me.

“If you didn’t want to tell your friends anything because you didn’t want to burden them,” he says. “Why did you tell me?”

“Because you’re the first man I’ve ever met who might genuinely be able to lighten the load.”

“I want to help, Tess.”

“I know you do.”

His sincerity is so gentlemanly, so unobtrusive. He isn’t trying to get me into bed, or even get me to talk. He’s just here, with me. And that means more than he knows.

“Then we’re more than friends, but not lovers?” he asks.

“I guess so.” I want to thank him for everything he’s doing right now to put me at ease on a night when I should be all broken up. “But tonight, I think we should make an exception,” I tell him.

“Exception to what?”

“Well.” I give him a sly smile. “Maybe we should be fuck-buddies, just so we know what we’re giving up.”

I spread my legs in the tub, sitting up straighter so my breasts bob in the water.

“Oh, fuck, girl.”

“Are you coming in?” I ask, sugary-sweet. “Because I’m pretty sure my pussy needs petting.”

“Oh, I bet your dirty pussy is getting nice and clean in this bath,” he says, standing and taking off his pants. He lifts his tee shirt over his head, and his bare chests causes my core to tingle in anticipation.

His cock is full of anticipation, too, and when he climbs in the huge tub my hands immediately reach for it, anxious to feel his hardness, to have something to hold onto.

“It feels so good in here,” he groans, as he sinks into the tub. He sits across from me, and his legs rest on the outside of mine. It’s so intimate, the both of us so close to one another.

“I’ve never taken a bath with a man.”

“But you have with a girl?” He smirks. “Tell me everything.”

“Oh, shut up,” I tell him, laughing. “That’s not what I meant. I’ve never taken one with a woman either. Have you?”

“Are you asking about me being in a tub with a man or with a woman?”

“Both.”

“I think talking about previously taken baths is going to kill the mood,” he says, shaking his head.

“Touché.” I sink lower in the tub, covering my head with the water. When I emerge he is looking at me so tenderly that any fear of what might come next is far from my mind. I don’t know if he’ll ever understand how grateful I am just to be in this moment with him. “Thank you Jack, for this. I really needed it.”

“I know you did, girl,” he says.

I move toward him, resting myself on his chest. His thickness is between my legs, taunting me, and I grind myself again him, pleasuring us both.

My pussy has been tingling since he dropped his pants, and I want him in me—to fill me up, to make me whole.

I take him in me, pressing him into my entrance, lying on top of him in the steaming bath.

“Oh, God,” I moan as he fills me up. “Jack, you feel so good in me.”

He runs his hands over my ass, kissing me as he does. Our mouths collide in a rush of desire, our tongues entwined. He presses his mouth against my ear, causing a deep stirring within me.

“Girl, your pussy is so tight. Fuck, me, baby,” he says, breathing warm air in my ear.

I move up and down, and his cock presses against me, causing me to pant in release.

I run my hands over his solid chest, and his mouth finds my breasts, sucking on them, around and around, completely undoing me, until all I can do is scream out in orgasm.

“Baby,” I moan. “Don’t stop fucking me.”

“Oh, girl, I won’t. Not ever.” He thrusts in me. Water is overflowing from the tub, splashing against the floor as we grind against one another. We come, hard, and I catch my breath, already dreaming of round two.

T
he next morning
, Tess and I wake around noon in a post-sex glow. We stayed up late—fucking, eating frozen pizza, watching TV, and fucking some more.

If a sex tape and leaked story result in a sex stay-cation, sign me up for more.

We roll out of bed looking for food and coffee. In the kitchen, I make coffee and Tess drops slices of bread in the toaster.

“Doesn’t this feel weird, just having zero responsibility?” she asks, getting peanut butter and honey from the pantry. “Not having anyone want us to be in a certain place, at a certain time?

“Right?” I hand her a cup of coffee, and then take a sip of mine. “I don’t have another show for a few weeks but, still, I usually end up flying somewhere between gigs to do a cameo.”

“But you don’t have to do that right now?”

“Nah,” I say. “I mean, I was going to meet up with Macklemore for a pop-up performance in Key West this weekend, but I’m gonna have Kirby cancel it. I never wanted to go anyway; Kirby set it all up.”

Tess smirks. “You’re so fancy, Jack. Did you grow up like that, knowing famous people, having connections?”

“Not at all. My parents live in the middle of nowhere, the most low-key people I’ve ever known.”

“So let me get this straight,” she says, spreading peanut butter across the whole wheat. “You grow up in the woods or whatever, and then one day just decide to be a world-class DJ?”

I sit on a barstool, enjoying the view. Tess is sexy as hell in a big white robe—especially since I know there’s nothing underneath.

“I didn’t just decide,” I say. “I always played music. Grew up on the piano. But when I moved to LA, I realized pretty quickly no one cared about classical shit. They wanted beats. So I went with it. I figured playing at clubs was better than not playing at all.”

“Do you miss it?”

“The classical stuff?” I shake my head. “Naw, I don’t play that stuff. But I do write a lot of music these days. Stuff I wish I could play, that I’d be excited about performing. But it’s not what KMG is interested in, that’s for sure. Kirby won’t even give them my stuff.”

“Really?” Tess tilts her head. “That’s insane. Show it to them yourself.”

“No, I don’t want any drama.”

Tess nods, handing me my toast and keeping whatever she is thinking to herself.

“What?” I ask.

“So are you gonna sign this offer they gave you?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“You tell me, Jack.”

“The truth is, I don’t know what I’m gonna do. Ashley said I’d be insane to walk away from it, and I know I’d feel bad for Kirby. He took a chance on me, and this would be his big payday, too.”

“I get that. Sacrificing what you want for someone else.” She bites her lip, then continues. “The question is, though … is what someone else wants for you enough to give up what you want for yourself?”

The kitchen is quiet, and in some ways this seemingly bubbly girl has cut straight to the heart of things. She doesn’t tiptoe, or beat around the bush. She says the scary truth, asks the hard questions. When I’m with her, there isn’t room to run.

“You know about that, Tess?” I ask her. “Making that hard choice?”

“Yeah, but I’m the selfish one. I took what I wanted.” She leans against the island, looks straight at me.

“And what was that?”

“I wanted out, so I left.”

“Out? What do you mean, Tess? Out of what?”

Just then a roar from the street below breaks our intimate moment.

“What was that?” she asks, her eyes wide.

“Sounds like tanks rolling down the road.” We walk toward the wall of windows to see what is happening. A massive motorcycle club weaves through the street, easily fifty bikes in an impressive diamond-shaped riding pattern.

“No,” Tess says, stepping away from the window. “It can’t be. They can’t have gotten here so fast.”

“Who? What do you mean?”

Tess’s face has gone white; her whole body shakes.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“Jack,” she says, trembling. “I ran from my family because they’re the Anarchy Motorcycle Gang. And they’re here. Here for me.”