by India Lee
Gemma caught Harper’s eye roll and silently reveled in her displeasure. “I’m too hot,” she said to explain herself.
“That’s a way to put it,” one of the boys said. He stood up to get a closer look at her, but Tyler beat him to it. His hands gripped Gemma’s forearms.
“What are you trying to do to me?” he asked, his face just inches from hers.
Gemma didn’t answer his question, but she nodded towards the French doors leading into Zoe’s living room. “If you want to talk, we can do it now,” she said. Without waiting for an answer, she walked ahead of him and into the apartment. He followed just as she knew he would. She continued into the next room, listening to the sound of the French doors closing behind him. His footsteps caught up to her.
“I should tell you,” Tyler said. “That I have no interest in talking right now.”
Gemma turned around to see him directly behind her. He backed her against the wall and held her hands. She squeezed them, prompting him to lean into her, his face as close as it could be without grazing her lips.
“Don’t kiss me,” Gemma said quickly. She breathed shallowly, his chest touching hers. “You can’t kiss me.”
Tyler let out a breath of frustration, but his voice was gentle. “I won’t kiss you,” he said. Instead, he pressed his cheek into her neck, his lips grazing her collarbone. His hands slid up her bare arms as his body leaned into hers. His breath traveled from her collarbone to the middle of her chest. It lingered between her breasts for a minute before returning to her neck.
She didn’t object. After all, he wasn’t kissing her.
- Chapter 6 -
Though Gemma had thought she wore her guilt in the most obvious manner, Lucas didn’t seem to notice in her brief visit back home. There were moments, however, that Gemma would tense up when Lucas traced his lips over her collarbone. The feeling would bring on the memory of Tyler and trigger her nerves. Lucas would take it as a sign that she was uncomfortable with what he was doing and stop. Unsure how to handle her feelings, she made the visit to Beauford brief and returned to Manhattan the next morning.
She wanted desperately to talk to Leah and Kate about the situation but she knew she couldn’t bring it up without them pressing for details on who the other boy was. Gemma felt bottled up with an emotion that she wasn’t sure was valid. She had chosen that risqué dress and she had allowed Tyler to get close to her but they really hadn’t done anything. Am I overreacting?
Leah and Kate were in the city and called Gemma to meet up and shop. They wandered down Fifth Avenue, stopping every couple of feet to inspect something in the window that Leah was sure she wanted.
“How has moving in been?” Kate asked. Gemma looked at her quizzically.
“Moving?”
“Yeah.” Kate furrowed her brow. “Didn’t you say you were out here ‘cause you were helping your parents move back into their apartment?”
“Oh yeah, it’s going okay,” Gemma bit her lip. She had forgotten that she was telling Kate and Leah that that was where she had been. I’m so sick of all this lying.
“Oh my God, it’s Madison.” Leah pointed towards the front door of Salvatore Ferragamo where Madison was exiting, armed with shopping bags.
“Oh God, no,” Gemma exhaled. Though she was never in the mood to see Madison, she was certainly far from the mindset she had to be in to handle an encounter.
“If you run now, maybe she won’t see you!” Kate exclaimed. “I want to ask her about Queen Bee’s party, I heard she went!” Gemma squinted at her.
“So I’m just going to run off and hide while you guys catch up?” Gemma asked, shocking even herself with her icy tone. Kate frowned as Leah seemed to rack her mind for a quick solution.
But it wasn’t quick enough.
“Girls!” Madison squealed as she approached them. “Oh my God, it’s so good to see you. What are you doing here? How are you?” Madison leaned in and kissed Kate on the cheek then turned to hug Leah. She turned towards Gemma and smiled a tight-lipped smile.
“Who cares how we’re doing,” Kate said. “Can I just ask – why do you live the most glamorous life ever?”
“If you’re talking about Queen Bee’s party, I can tell you it wasn’t all that glamorous,” Madison scoffed, rolling her eyes. “I just went because I heard Tyler Chase might be there. But I ran into Lucas instead. Can you believe that?”
“Lucas?” Leah questioned. She turned to Gemma. “You didn’t tell us he was there.”
“Why would she know?” Madison scowled.
“Yeah, Leah,” Gemma glared at her. How stupid could she be? “Why would I know?”
“What the hell!” Kate whined. “How did Lucas get on the guest list?”
“I have no idea, but he must have done something desperate because he’s obviously not over me. I just can’t believe he followed me to the party. But I know he was jealous about me going and I guess he knew that if I ran into Tyler, I’d actually have a chance, you know?” Madison smirked. Gemma rolled her eyes, not caring that Madison had clearly caught her expression.
“Oh my God!” Kate said excitedly. “Were you there to see that crazy fan jump security and kiss Queen Bee?” Gemma froze.
“Yeah, I saw him,” Madison said. Gemma held her breath, wondering what Madison could possibly say next.
“Who was he, anyway?” Kate asked. Madison stood silent for a second, seemingly engaged in an inner debate. Gemma’s mouth felt dry as she stared, waiting for her reaction.
“Some loser,” Madison replied. “He was trying to kiss me two seconds before Queen Bee, but I pushed him away.” Gemma exhaled in relief. She should have just known that Madison could never damage her pride by telling the truth.
~
“Who’s going tonight?”
Gemma bit her lip as she waited for the answer. It was an important question. Her past few outings with Zoe had consisted of relaxing in Nolita lounges, just the two of them. However tonight, Zoe suggested they go to The Green Room, a West Village club with a reputation for particularly wild nights.
“Well, there’s you,” Zoe started.
“And?” Gemma tapped her fingers anxiously against her knee. Harper’s attendance was a given, which put Gemma at a bit of an edge. It was obvious that Harper disliked her, but Zoe had yet to notice. Despite that, she wasn’t the one that Gemma feared seeing – Tyler was.
“And I’m going of course, and Harper, and last but not least… ” Zoe trilled. “Tyler.” She started giggling.
Gemma rolled her eyes. “You’re such a freak. I’m telling you, nothing happened,” she said. It was hard to explain to Zoe what had or hadn’t happened the night at her apartment. She and Tyler truly hadn’t done anything to constitute hooking up, but whatever it was, Gemma had concluded that it was most definitely inappropriate.
Upon hanging up the phone, she eyed Armand and the bateau-neck dress in his hands. “I don’t know if I want to wear that anymore,” she said.
Armand frowned. “Why not? It’s my masterpiece.”
“I want something sexier,” Gemma answered, surprised by her own bluntness. Armand narrowed his eyes at her.
“I see. And who will be in attendance tonight, may I ask?”
“It has nothing to do with Tyler.”
“But he’s going, yes?” Armand squinted. Off Gemma’s nod, he smiled with smug satisfaction. “Okay, that is all,” he said, heading for the closet. Both he and Penelope had been dancing around their urges to ask about Tyler. Gemma saw it in the way they fell silent when she spoke on the phone with Zoe. Instead of blatantly questioning about him, they opted to eavesdrop and shoot knowing looks that would tempt Gemma into defending herself. Despite her impulse to tell them that she was in fact being faithful to Lucas, Gemma kept her mouth shut for fear of letting anything slip. She hadn’t spoken to anyone about Tyler, and her feelings about him were about ready to spill from her lips. While Zoe seemed like the right person to vent to, Gemma couldn’t shake the idea
of her relaying the entire story to Harper.
Because something improper had most certainly taken place that week at Zoe’s apartment. It was hard to explain, but all Gemma knew was that it couldn’t possibly constitute as cheating. Tyler hadn’t even kissed her. She wouldn’t let him. At one point, his fingertips did graze her breasts as his hands slid down from her shoulders. The way he panted for breath couldn’t have sounded more lustful. But he hadn’t kissed her.
“How is this?” Armand emerged from the closet holding a little black dress, also of his own design. Gemma made a face. He narrowed his eyes at her. “What if I say that you cannot go out if you don’t wear this?” Armand asked, trying to look serious. Gemma rolled her eyes. “Hey, you were supposed to rest for all your performances tomorrow. I will remind you that I convinced your aunt to let you go out tonight.”
“Yeah, so I would wear your designs and get them photographed,” Gemma snorted.
“I know what I am doing, Bee. Just try it on.”
As usual, Armand was right. Gemma arrived at The Green Room with gem-studded eyes, a copper wig, and the little black dress hugging her slender body.
“Someone’s sluttin’ it up tonight!” Harper hooted when she caught sight of Zoe and the bejeweled bra peeking out from her low-cut dress. Her eyes flickered up and down Gemma’s outfit before she greeted her. “Hi. Tyler’s on his way. He just texted me,” she said.
“Oh. Okay.” Gemma nodded blankly. She wasn’t sure what to make of Harper’s information, or why she felt the need to give it. Don’t be jealous. There’s no reason to be jealous, Gemma tried to convince herself.
In fact, there really was no reason to be jealous of Harper. Upon Tyler’s arrival at The Green Room, all eyes followed him while his stayed fixed on Gemma. He didn’t avert his gaze until making it all the way to their private booth.
“Hey,” he greeted Zoe and Harper first, kissing them both on the cheeks while his security warded off approaching admirers. He then turned to Gemma, leaning in so his murmur was audible. “Am I allowed to kiss you?” he asked.
“On the cheek,” she said with a smile. He kissed her cheek.
“You always look so damned good,” he said in a whisper before pulling away. “Are we dancing tonight?”
“Of course,” Gemma smiled, hiding her panic. She had hoped he would forget all that happened between them. The last time they were together, his behavior had awakened a part of her that she knew could only cause trouble. That night, she had grown hot with just a touch of his hand. Mere whispers in her ear had caused her skin to tingle. Forcing herself to reject him had been literally exhausting. She wasn’t sure how much self-control she had left.
To get rid of her nerves, Gemma resolved to quickly tossing back several drinks in a span of ten minutes. It was a much faster pace than her usual.
“Cheers to an amazing summer in New York,” Zoe said. “And mostly to meeting this crazy bitch here.” She nodded towards Gemma.
“Same to you,” Gemma giggled.
“Sure,” Harper said apathetically. Gemma watched her bored eyes wander across the room and land on something seemingly worthier of attention. She stared. Gemma eyed her curiously.
“What are you looking at, Harper?” she dared to ask.
“Fucking Emilia Platt,” Harper hissed immediately, her free hand balled up in a fist. Before anyone could ask who Emilia Platt was, a raven-haired beauty had approached Tyler’s security. She wore her lace bandeau bra and high-waisted short shorts rather well.
“Hi, Emilia,” Harper said between her teeth, which were forced into an unconvincing smile. She gave a nod to allow the girl past Tyler and Gemma’s security.
“Oh my God,” Emilia approached the table with her hands on to her heart. She ignored Harper to stand before Tyler. “It’s so amazing to meet you. I’m such a huge fan.”
Zoe eyed Gemma with a look of suppressed laughter as Emilia continued to ignore them.
“Thank you, it’s nice meeting you too,” Tyler smiled politely, scooting over in the booth as Emilia plopped down next to him. He glanced towards Harper, as if asking for some help.
“How have you been, Em?” Harper reluctantly asked.
“Good,” Emilia answered brightly. “But not as good as you, Harpie, if you’re hanging out with Tyler Chase.” She turned to Tyler, touching his shoulder. “You are so sweet to hang out with a little wannabe model!”
Harper clenched her jaw. “I don’t model anymore.”
“You don’t try to anymore,” Emilia corrected.
Zoe cocked her head. “Who are you again?”
“Oops, how rude of me! Emilia.” Emilia offered her hand to Zoe. She retracted it with a smirk when Zoe didn’t shake. “I went to The Cabot School with Harper, before she moved away to,” she put on a voice of mock wonderment. “Escape her world.”
Harper downed the rest of her drink and slammed her glass on the table. Zoe took it as a cue.
“This booth is getting a little cramped,” she said, looking at Emilia. “You should probably leave.”
Emilia blinked with feigned surprise. “Me? Harper’s got at least fifteen pounds on me.”
Gemma couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the girl. She signaled to Andro, who immediately stepped into the booth.
“I’m going,” Emilia surrendered, putting her hands up with a giggle. Before leaving, she looked at Tyler, nodding towards the other side of the room. “I’m over there. Come get me for a dance.” She winked. The booth watched her saunter to her own table before breaking the silence.
“The hell was that?” Zoe asked.
“Old friend,” Harper said. “Before I moved to L.A. She’s an asshole now.”
“No kidding,” Gemma murmured. There was another silence before Tyler broke it with a nervous laugh.
“Can I just say how awkward that was for me?” he asked. The girls burst into laughter.
“Poor thing,” Gemma pouted. Tyler eyed her with a smile.
“You’re mean,” he said quietly. “Not letting me kiss you when you pout like that.”
Gemma bit her lips back, her cheeks heating up.
“Gross, lovebirds, snap out of it,” Zoe said.
“Speaking of gross,” Harper muttered. “Look at Emilia just staring at us with her friends.”
“Total stalker,” Zoe sang. “Forget her, Harper! Come dance with me.”
“Ugh, she’s just going to watch me,” Harper grumbled, staring at her chipped manicure. “And laugh,” she added in a barely audible mutter. Gemma wasn’t sure if Tyler or Zoe had heard. Despite herself, she sympathized.
“Why don’t you dance with Tyler?” she asked, surprising everyone at the table, including herself. Harper blinked. “Make her jealous.” Gemma eyed Tyler, whose quizzical look faded when she smiled gratefully at him.
“Would you like to dance?” He stretched a hand out to Harper. “Particularly close to Emilia’s table?”
Harper’s face crumbled into the smile of a little girl. “Definitely. Thank you, Ty.”
Gemma and Zoe watched as Tyler and Harper went out to the dance floor. When they were out of sight, Zoe reached across the table and pinched Gemma’s cheek.
“You’re sweet,” she said.
About ten minutes later, Tyler and Harper reappeared at the booth in fits of laughter. Gemma and Zoe grinned in anticipation of a good story.
“You should have seen Emilia’s face,” Harper squealed, squeezing Zoe’s hands. “She was like, squinting like she wasn’t sure it was Tyler, so we started dancing closer and when she realized Tyler wasn’t there to ask her to dance, she just got pissed and ran to the bathroom. I was dying, Z!”
Gemma laughed with Zoe, though it felt a bit awkward to considering Harper had yet to speak to her. It wasn’t as if she expected a thank you – she didn’t own Tyler and reserve the right to give him away for dances. It had just seemed like a good opportunity for Harper to shed her cold attitude and give Gemma a chance. Guess not, Gemma thou
ght, reaching for her glass. She opted for one of her go-to actions during awkward moments – taking a drink.
“Chug it!” Zoe whooped. Gemma did just that, knocking back her martini in a matter of seconds. “Are you drunk yet?” Zoe asked with a grin.
Gemma ignored her. “Dance with me, Tyler,” she practically demanded. Tyler raised his eyebrows.
“Since you asked so nicely,” he smiled, offering her his hand.
Zoe watched as the two headed for the dance floor. “Yup, totally drunk,” she concluded.
Gemma pulled Tyler into the middle of the crowd, ignoring the eyes that followed them. Andro was only a few yards away, but it was far enough for her. She turned her back to Tyler, backing against him as she began to dance. His mouth opened, but it took awhile for words to come out.
“So mean,” he finally said, shaking his head and laughing.
“What?” Gemma asked innocently, leaning her head back against his shoulder. She looked up at him from under her eyelashes, more than aware of what her backside was pressed against.
“You know what,” he murmured, moving with her to the music.
Gemma shook her head, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I don’t,” she said, playing coy. Her body buzzed as his hands slid up from her waist to her ribcage, his fingers lingering below her bust.
“I want to kiss you.”
“You can’t.”
“I know,” Tyler said. He groaned. “What am I supposed to do, Bee? You’re killing me.”
Gemma giggled. “Do what we did last time,” she said. As dangerous as she knew it was to bring up their last time together, she couldn’t stop herself. A part of her wanted to go as far as she possibly could without doing anything truly unchaste.
Tyler paused. “What was it that we did last time?” he asked. She could hear his smile.
“I don’t know. But you liked it,” she said. His silence made her nervous as she waited for his response. It came in the warmth of his breath on the back of her neck.
“Mm-hm,” he rumbled deeply. Gemma closed her eyes, reveling in the touch of his lips on her skin. She put her hands over his, pushing them up on her body by just a few inches. It was enough to make him exhale in a way that quite clearly expressed his desire. Gemma knew that he had never wanted to be alone with anyone more than he did with her at that very moment.
