Page 6 of Bassist With Benefits
Brandon took Alan’s arm again, this time with a grip that felt like the bone was about to snap, and pulled him into the bedroom. Luckily, it wasn’t the room where Jeremy was holed up.
“What the fuck was that about?” Brandon demanded. “You just assaulted the cameraman on day one of filming. And you know damn well it’s going into the documentary.”
“Do you have any idea how that’s going to make us look?” Derek asked. “Can you imagine how they’re going to distort what happened?”
“What the fuck happened, anyway?” Brandon asked. “You came out of the bedroom like a lunatic and went ballistic on the camera guy.” He glanced down at Alan’s chest, still heaving from heavy breaths. “What are you so worked up about?”
Just then, the door flew open and Felix stomped in. “Do you want to explain yourself? Do you have any idea how fucking lucky you are that guy didn’t drop his camera. That would have been a hundred grand out of your pocket and a lawsuit.”
They were all staring at Alan, waiting for an explanation, but he wasn’t confiding in any of them. What happened was too big, too overwhelming. “Let the guy film some groupie sneaking into one of our beds and he’ll forget all about it.” Alan stormed out of the room, hoping they’d drop it and praying he didn’t run into the camera guy again – or worse, Jeremy.
Alan went straight to the bar. Ignoring the bartender, he picked up the bottle of Jack Daniels and poured himself a half glass full of the alcohol. He drank it in three gulps and refilled the glass. He felt a presence next to him, and his stomach twisted, fearing it was Jeremy. Thank God it was only Cam, because for a minute he thought he was going to upchuck the bourbon. He turned his back to the bar, looking for the three groupies who were witness to the blowjob that threatened to ruin a 14-year friendship. They were nowhere in sight, but Jeremy was there, with Brandon and Derek, on the other side of the suite. They weren’t looking in Alan’s direction, but he had no doubt they were discussing the incident that took place with the cameraman.
“Dirty martini with three olives, please.”
Cam’s voice was a welcomed impartial alliance. Derek and Brandon were like brothers to Alan, and he had never had any secrets from them before, but they were too close to the situation. Plus, he didn’t want them to know what had happened in the darkened bedroom. “I need to talk to you,” he whispered to Cam.
Cam took a sip of his drink and licked his lips. “Sure. What’s up?”
“Not here.” Alan brought Cam into one of the bedrooms. He looked around the room. It was identical to the one next door, except for the immaculately made bed and the secret the other room harbored.
“You look upset,” Cam said, studying Alan’s face. “Is it about the cameraman? Because I don’t blame you for shoving that thing out of your face. Back in New York, that guy would have gotten his ass kicked a long time ago. It’s annoying just watching—”
“That’s not it.” Alan forgot how Cam rambled when he had a few drinks in him, and it wasn’t making it any easier to confess what had happened.
“Then, what’s the problem?” Cam sucked the last olive off the skewer from his drink and chewed it as if it was a delicate caviar.
Alan ran his hand through his short hair and stared at his feet while he tried to figure out how to begin. “Something happened. In the dark.”
Cam crinkled his brow and tilted his head slightly. As soon as realization hit, his mouth hung open. Alan wished Cam would say something. Anything. But Cam’s eyes just kept growing wider.
“I’m really freaked out about it, Cam. I don’t know what to say to Jeremy. And I can’t tell Brandon and Derek.” Alan placed his hand on the round muscles of Cam’s shoulder. “Please don’t say anything. I don’t want them to know.” Shit. He was so fucking stupid. How could he expect Cam to keep a secret from Brandon? He was fucked. Totally fucked. He spun around and paced back and forth, tugging on the roots of his hair.
“Relax, Alan. I won’t say anything.” Cam put his drink down, crossed the room and put a hand on Alan’s arm. “I promise.”
He had to trust Cam, because Cam was the only one he could talk to right now, and he needed to talk to someone or he’d lose his fucking mind. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
“You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to. Whatever happened, it’ll work itself out.”
Alan was drained, and his legs were wobbly. Confusion robbed his body of energy, and he couldn’t stand up any longer. He sat on the edge of the bed and buried his face in his hands, hoping to wipe out the memory, but it was etched behind his closed eyes. He tried to remember how the mix up could have occurred. His fucking cock twitched as he replayed the scenario in his head. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter, but the vision wouldn’t leave. Smells flooded his senses – sex, alcohol, and musk. A tingle dusted through his groin as he remembered the lips on his shaft, the slurp of tongue on the tip and the way it made him shudder. “No!” Alan shot to his feet, sweat seeping from his brow. His best friend had just sucked him off like a God damn fucking industrial vacuum cleaner and gave him the best fucking blowjob on the planet. He kept remembering how, when it was happening, that from now on all he wanted to do was spend every second of the rest of his life with this guy blowing him. He rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger and then wiped his hand over his face. “This is so fucked up.”
“Maybe not.” Cam was a calming voice of reason. “It was probably just a stupid mistake. Talk to him. You’re best friends.”
“I can’t.” Alan shook his head adamantly. “It’s too weird.”
“Not talking about it isn’t going to make it go away. It’s only gonna get worse.”
Alan let out a deep breath, defeated by the logic behind Cam’s words. He needed to clear things up with Jeremy. He thanked Cam with a friendly pat on the back and left the bedroom to rejoin the party. Standing at the end of the foyer that opened up to the living room, Alan surveyed the shenanigans in front of him. The music was loud.The Dukeby Lamb of God blocked out most of the conversations in the room. It was a typical after-party, complete with half-naked men, and women, a pile of cocaine in the middle of the dining room table, and drinks littered across every available surface. And the cameras were picking up all of it. At least no one was overtly having sex, but there was some heavy-duty humping going on in the corner loveseat.
Felix stared at Alan from across the room over someone’s shoulder, pretending to still be interested in the conversation. Alan looked away before Felix read something in his face that gave way to what had happened in the bedroom between him and Jeremy. Felix had the eye of a hawk and a sixth sense that was scary.
Derek passed, accompanied by a long-haired dude with his shirt opened to his waist, and Alan watched them disappear into one of the bedrooms. When he turned back toward the crowd, Brandon was in front of him.
“What’d you do with my guy?” Brandon had glassy eyes and a crooked smile. He was enjoying himself, just as Alan had before the night got turned upside down.
“I’m right here.” Cam slipped past Alan and kissed Brandon on the lips. “Jealous that I was in the bedroom with Alan?”
Brandon grabbed hold of Cam’s butt cheek and squeezed it really hard. “Shit yeah. Let’s go back to our room before I fuck you right here.”
