by J. Daniels
“Oh, fuck yes! Do you know how many gay bars they have there? Oooo, cupcake, I’m busting. This is going to be fantastic.”
I listen to my easily-excitable best friend and smile at the man I love who has completely passed out next to me. Reese’s breathing is slow and steady in my ear as I press my forehead against his, feeling the dampness of his hair against my skin.
“Billy’s in, too, right?”
“Of course. As soon as he heard me say ‘gay bar’ he was in. Do I need to do anything besides buy our plane tickets?”
“Nope. The place we’re staying at has already been booked. Oooo, maybe it’s in the French Quarter.”
“Babe, I want a window seat. A window.” I hear Billy’s muffled response in the background, prompting Joey to let out a cross grumble. “Oh, for Christ’s sake. Cupcake, I gotta go handle this. You better book your flight now if you want a decent seat.”
I roll over and sit up, grabbing Reese’s iPad off the nightstand. “Yeah, I’m on it. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Just as I hang up from Joey, my phone beeps with an incoming text message.
Juls: NEW ORLEANS, SWEETS! Booking my flight now. There’s just the one leaving late afternoon on Friday, so you’ll have to close up early. Hope that’s doable.
Me: Totally doable. I’m so excited!
Juls: Me, too! I may have mentioned it to Brooke.
I slam my head back against the headboard. Seriously? Has she gone completely mental?
Me: You are out of your fucking mind.
Juls: It’ll be fun. And don’t worry about JoJo. I’ll handle him.
Me: Good. Cause I’m not.
I place my phone down and power on the iPad, letting go of that stress and grinning at the image that appears on the screen. It’s still the one of me, passed out after my first-ever sleepover in this bed.
I can’t believe I ever fought it.
Him.
Sleepovers.
Him.
Intimacy.
HIM.
Even though I acted like a complete idiot and tried to ignore every screaming thought in my head that said what we were doing was more than I was prepared to admit, I wouldn’t take it back. I will never regret the way I fell in love with Reese; I can’t. Every single second of it was worth it because it led us to this. And I’d go through eighty-five more days of complete torture to have him next to me, because he’s always been mine. And in ten more days, I’ll officially be his.
“Are you sure you wanna send that bag through security? What with all the sex toys you have tucked away in there?” Juls teases as Joey puts his suitcase on the conveyor belt. Billy conceals his smile behind his hand, turning a slight shade of pink.
Joey turns his eyes up to the monitor, watching as his delicates are scanned. “I doubt National Security gives two shits that I like to use a spreader bar.”
“Baby, really? Is that public knowledge?” Billy asks, grabbing his and Joey’s suitcases.
I bite back my laugh and join the three of them after retrieving my luggage. “There’s nothing sacred between the three of us, Billy. You should know that by now.”
“Especially when it pertains to sex,” Juls adds.
We all begin the walk through the terminal toward our gate. Reese and Ian left early this morning on their flight, so we’ll be catching up with them later on tonight. And, by some miracle, Brooke is late and keeping Joey blissfully ignorant at the moment; it might actually be in her benefit to miss the flight entirely. Juls thought it best to let the news of her crashing our weekend getaway ‘unravel organically’, as she so innocently put it. Organically? I’m not sure how organic it’s going to be watching Joey freak the fuck out in the middle of an airport. Because other than Maggie Carroll showing up and boarding our flight, Brooke Wicks is the only other person who could send my dear assistant into a shit-fit.
“This is going to be ahhhmazing,” Joey sings as he puts his luggage into the overhead compartment. Juls and I have settled into our seats behind the boys and my eyes keep darting to the front of the plane, even though I’m sure I’ll hear Brooke before I see her. “I hope you’re all aware we will be having separate bachelor and bachelorette parties.” Joey shifts his eyes between the three of us. “Baby, you’re with the boys.”
Juls and I both laugh as he sits down next to Billy. Then I sense it: the shift in the atmosphere, causing my back to go rigid in my seat. Juls must feel it, too, because she leans forward into the crack between the seats at that exact moment.
“JoJo, please don’t do anything that could get you kicked off this flight.”
He turns his head, gazing back at us with suspicion. “What? I’m not that inappropriate.”
“Hey, bitches. Who’s ready to party in the Big Easy?”
I see Brooke in my peripheral vision, not able to turn away from Joey’s face, which has tensed up considerably. He doesn’t even look in her direction. “You have got to be fucking kidding me,” he snarls between the seats before finally whipping his head around and greeting Brooke with what I can only assume to be anything but a smile. “Who the hell invited you?”
“Joey!” Juls snaps.
Brooke’s lip twitches into a conniving grin. “Will the three of us be sharing a bed? I’ve been told I’m an excellent little spoon.” She tucks her luggage away and ruffles Joey’s hair before taking her seat next to me. He grumbles under his breath, prompting Billy to reach up and fix his coifed do. “Who bottoms of the two of you, anyway?”
“Jesus, Brooke,” I say, just as Billy and Joey turn around in their seats. “There are other people on this airplane.”
“I hope your dildos got through airport security, since they’re going to be the only thing entering that mess of a vagina this weekend.” Joey points to Brooke’s lap, smiling after delivering his dig.
She flips him off, moving her finger closer to his face and prompting him to lean back. “If you want to enter a competition with me to see who can get the most dick over the next two days, bring it, bitch.”
“Battery operated doesn’t count, Brooke. Remember that,” Joey retorts.
I put my hands between them, breaking up the verbal battle. I glance to my left and lock eyes with Brooke. “It better not be like this between the two of you every day in the shop. I’m telling you right now, I’m not putting up with it. I’ll have enough stress on me next week as it is.”
“I can be civil,” Brooke states, feigning affection toward Joey. He rolls his eyes and turns around, entering quiet conversation with Billy, which I’m sure is revolving around the hot mess sitting next to me. Brooke offers me a genuine smile. “Thank you, by the way. You’re really helping me out here.”
“You’re welcome, but be warned. I don’t care that you’re my best friend’s sister; I will fire you if you and Joey can’t get along.”
She nods her understanding, buckling her seatbelt and prompting me to do the same. The flight attendants begin their safety demonstrations in the aisle as Joey continues to animatedly gesture to Billy.
Juls leans over me and taps her sister’s knee. “Do us all a favor and try not to torment him too much this weekend. Don’t make me regret inviting you to this.”
Brooke huffs and scowls in the direction of her sister. “Everyone needs to relax. Jesus Christ, you all act like I’m incapable of handing myself in public.”
Thankfully, at that exact moment, the flight attendant stops in front of our row with the cart of beverages, preventing a rebuttal from Juls and myself. “Would anyone like anything?”
“Liquor,” we all answer simultaneously. The flight attendant smiles and hands out mini-bottles of vodka which none of us waste any time in downing.
“All cell phones off, please. We’re about to take off.”
Everyone reaches into their pockets and messes with their phones. I notice the text message on my screen and open it with the same nervous excitement I always have when I see his name.
Reese: Eight more days
, love. Get your ass here already.
Me: Hurrying. And you can do better than eight more days. Put that brain to work, handsome.
I power off my phone and tuck it away, relaxing against my seat. Eight more days that can’t get here soon enough.
“Holy Hell. This place is fabulous.”
I hear Joey’s voice register somewhere in the house as I make my way upstairs toward the bedrooms. He isn’t lying, though; this place is fabulous. My man did well. It looks like a civil war-era mansion from the outside, and the inside is very rustic and warm. The kitchen and living area are downstairs, both spacious and lovely, and the house is equipped with three bedrooms. I open the first door I come to and notice the brown, worn-leather luggage on the bed that screams Ian in every way.
“Juls, your room is the one on the right,” I yell over my shoulder toward the stairs. She’s probably too busy moderating downstairs to even hear me at the moment, but I give her a heads-up anyway.
I open the room across the hall and am immediately hit in the face with my favorite smell in the world. Reese has probably only spent a limited amount of time in here, considering he and Ian had to meet with the client shortly after arriving earlier today, but his scent is already saturating the space we’ll share for the next two days. And I couldn’t be happier about that.
I drop my suitcase next to his on the floor by the dresser and spot his iPod laying on one of the pillows on the bed. A tiny brown card is next to it. I crawl up the length of the bed and grab the iPod, setting it on my stomach as I open the familiar card.
Dylan,
64,863 seconds. (Give or take a few depending on when you read this note.)
X, Reese
P.S. Listen.
I can’t help the ridiculous smile that spreads across my face; I never can. It’s always been like this, and I know it’ll always be like this. No matter how many notes he leaves me or deliveries he sends me, I’ll never lose that wild excitement I feel at even the smallest gesture. I grab the ear buds and pop them into my ears. After turning on the iPod, I scroll to the songs, expecting to find a huge playlist because I know this is the iPod Reese takes with him when he goes to the gym. But there’s only one song on it, so I conclude he must have erased all his other music specifically for this moment. I close my eyes and let the music fill my ears, concentrating on the lyrics just like I did the first time he played this song for me. I think every time Reese and I have sex, it’s always some form of making love, even when it’s rough and urgent. But he only reserved this song for that first time.
The bed dips by my feet, prompting me to peek one eye open as I listen to “Look After You” for the second time. Joey joins me by my side and steals one of my ear buds and the card I’m holding to my chest.
I study his face as he places the bud in his ear and reads my note. He frowns, hands the note back over, and lets his head fall on the pillow next to me. “That man of yours makes every other guy in Chicago look bad. Especially mine.”
I elbow his side, seeing him smile through a silent ‘ouch’, and turn the song down so it’s playing softly for both of us. “Billy does a ton of romantic stuff for you. He asked you to move in with him after only knowing you a little over a week, and he worships the ground your pretty feet walk on. He’d do anything for you; you know that.”
“Then why hasn’t he asked me to marry him?”
I open my mouth to speak but shut it almost instantly. I honestly don’t know the answer to that question. I’ve wondered it myself, especially lately with all my wedding planning going on. Billy is perfect for Joey. He keeps him grounded but also brings out the playful side in him that I completely adore. I love seeing them together; I’ve never seen my dear assistant this happy before with anyone. But maybe Billy isn’t the marrying type.
“Have you two talked about it? Getting married?”
He plucks the ear bud out, seemingly done with the love song that is probably fueling his irritation. I do the same and wrap them around Reese’s iPod before turning on my side and facing Joey.
“Sort of. He said he could see himself getting married someday, but he didn’t name drop and say with me.”
“Well, maybe he’s waiting for you to ask him.”
Joey snaps his head toward me and raises his eyebrows. “Are you insane? I’m not proposing; that’s his job. He can at least give me one fucking grand gesture.”
My bedroom door pushes open and Billy fills the doorway, looking apprehensive. He rolls his eyes and grimaces in our direction, keeping one hand on the door while the other pinches the top of his nose. “Baby, Brooke wants to know if she can share our room.”
“Ha!”
I chuckle at Joey’s outburst before turning my attention back to Billy.
“There are only three bedrooms. It really doesn’t bother me if you don’t mind.”
Billy’s face is filled with a softness I only ever see him use with Joey. Though I’m not sure he knows what exactly he’s in for by agreeing to this sleeping arrangement; he’s barely had to spend any amount of time with Brooke.
Joey sits up, bracing himself on his elbows. “Oh, I do mind. There’s no way in Hell I’m sharing a bed with her. I believe I saw a couch downstairs she can plant her ass on when it comes time to sleep.”
“Well, do you want to go tell her? I think she is already starting to unpack in our room.”
“Of course she is.” Joey swings his long, muscular legs off the bed and walks toward the door, passing Billy after planting a brief kiss to his lips. “Brooke. You’re out of your fucking mind if you think I’m sharing a room with you.” I hear her muffled response, followed by Joey’s dramatic rebuttal, which causes both Billy and me to laugh.
He turns to me and smiles. “You ready for next weekend? Tying down the unattainable bachelor of Chicago and all is a pretty big deal.”
“Ha ha. Speaking of bachelors—” I scoot off the bed and walk over to him, “—can I ask you something?” He closes the door and leans against it, waiting for my question with a welcoming expression. I put my hand on his shoulder. “You wouldn’t hurt Joey, would you?”
He tilts his head with a frown, seemingly thrown off by my question. His eyes dart to my hand that’s resting on his shoulder before flicking back to me. “Dylan, I’m well aware of your capabilities when it comes to bitch-slapping somebody, but even if I wasn’t, I’d never hurt Joey.”
I squeeze his shoulder before dropping my hand to my side. “Okay. I’m just looking out for him.”
“I know. You and Juls are crazy-protective over my baby. One of these days I’ll be married to all three of you.” He notices my quiet enthusiasm and puts a finger to his lips. “Not a word.”
I nod eagerly. “That’s so exciting,” I whisper.
He opens the door and peeks his head out into the hallway, glancing in both directions. “All’s quiet. Think they killed each other?”
My phone begins to ring in my pocket. I slip it out as I reply, “It’s possible. You might want to go check.”
Billy gives me a wink before he walks out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him. I answer the call as I walk back over to the bed.
“Hi, handsome.”
“Hi, love. Are you here?”
“Yup. Just got in about an hour ago. When will I see you? It’s already almost eight o’clock.” I fall back onto my pillow, rolling over and placing the note he left me next to his iPod. “I need my Reese fix.”
He laughs softly. “Are the two orgasms I gave you last night not keeping you satisfied?”
“No way. I’m greedy when it comes to that mouth of yours.”
“Just my mouth?” I can practically hear his smile through the phone. Playful Reese is one of my favorites.
He probably could keep me satisfied with just his mouth if he wanted to. But I’ve had the rest of him, and I’m not giving that up for anything. “You know I’m addicted to all of you,” I reply before my grin breaks into a yawn. I’m suddenly not wanting to le
ave this bed at all, especially after Reese does get here.
“You better be. Tired?”
“Very. Long day. Even longer flight.” I reach up behind me and pile my hair on top of my head so the coolness of the pillow touches my skin. “Brooke and Joey are already going at it.”
I hear Ian’s voice in the background. “All right,” Reese directs away from the phone. “I gotta go. We should be getting out of here in a few hours, though.”
I yawn again. “Mmm, okay. Miss your face.”
“Miss yours.”
I hang up the call and get out of bed, picking up my suitcase and plopping it down in my place. Grabbing the University of Chicago T-shirt Reese gave me months ago, which, besides a garter and stockings, is the only thing he willingly allows me to wear to bed, I strip quickly and slip it over my head. Our bedroom has its own private bath, which I’m grateful for; sharing a bathroom with two gay guys and two other girls would be a nightmare, I’m sure. Joey alone has more hair care products than I do. After I remove my makeup and brush my teeth, I climb back into bed just as someone knocks on my door.
“Come in.”
Juls pops her head in with a smile. “Hey. The guys should be here in a couple of hours.”
“Yeah, I just talked to Reese. I’m exhausted. I’m just gonna turn in for the night.”
“Good idea,” she says through a mischievous grin. “You’ll need your energy for tomorrow.” She closes the door after giving me a quick wink, and I pull the covers up around me.
Tomorrow.
My bachelorette party.
Juls and Joey have been whispering all over the shop the past two days, secretly planning my last hoorah. I know I’m going to be dragged to some strip club against my will. Joey is insistent on male nudity happening, that I know for sure. In all honestly, I’d much rather just go dancing at a club like Juls did for hers. I don’t need to celebrate my remaining days as a single woman with greased-up men grinding on a stage. I’m dick-set for life. I don’t need to look at other options.
Goddamn it, Billy. Propose to your boy already so he can worry about his own bachelorette party.
