Page 26 of Jake Forever
Chapter 11
Breathlessly, I waited, wondering what Jake would say. Around us, the office felt too big and too quiet. In the cool silence, my statement echoed off the high ceiling in a way that made me feel just a little bit foolish.
It sounded almost like an accusation, although what I was accusing him of, I still wasn't sure.
In front of me, Jake's expression was carefully neutral. "Yeah? What'd you think?"
Where to start? I thought that girl had gotten way too friendly. I thought she should've been wearing a lot more clothes. I thought there was no reason on Earth for Jake to be carrying her anywhere, especially toward an exit, where who-knows-what might happen out of camera-range.
And besides, she had two perfectly fine legs of her own. And theywerefine. Damn it. I knew, because I'd seen them – a lot of them, considering her skimpy clothes.
Looking at Jake now, I searched for a decent answer to his question. What did I think? "Well, uh, it was pretty exciting." I searched his face for clues. "What'dyouthink?"
His voice was flat. "Five million views. That's what I think."
For some reason, the cold, numerical assessment surprised me. I heard myself mumble, "Actually I think it wassixmillion."
"Even better."
I searched his face, wondering what I was missing. Jake loved what he did. Didn't he?
I recalled the Jake I'd known back in our hometown.Thatguy had been dirt-poor and a notorious hell-raiser. He was still a hell-raiser, except that now he was a million times more notorious, and he got paid buckets of money for letting the world witness the action.
But what kind of action was it, exactly?
Thinking of his latest video, a flood of unwanted images slammed into my brain – that stupid nipple, those lips on his crotch, Jake grinning for the camera, him carrying her away – I gave a hard blink – and returning home hours later, in different pants.
I gazed up at him, waiting for him to offer a better explanation. Today, he was dressed in casual clothes – jeans and a basic T-shirt. But as far as the man himself, there was nothing basic about him. His hair was thick, his jaw was square, and his muscles were so defined, they could've made a Greek god weep with envy.
I felt myself swallow. He was pure perfection. And he was all mine, supposedly.
But now, I didn’t know what to do. The conversation wasn't going exactly how I'd imagined it. I made a sound of frustration. "Why didn't you tell me?"
His voice was sharper than I expected. "Tell you what?"
"About the video."
He gave me a what-the-hell look. "You think it's a secret?"
"Well, no," I stammered. "Not exactly. But it would've been nice to hear about it firsthand."
"Yeah? Why?"
"What kind of question is that?"
"I dunno."
I tried again. "Did you know that girl?"
Now, he looked almost bored. "What girl?"
"Oh come on. You know which one." My tone grew snotty. "Nipple Girl. Before last night, did you know her?"
"Nope."
I stared up at him. "Nope? Is that all you're gonna say?"
"What do you want me to say?"
