Benefits of Friendship_A Bad Boy Romance

by Scott Wylder

  Breathing was a difficult task with Gage standing so near to her. His masculine scent, the lack of pulsing lights—he’d flipped off the breaker upstairs and it was standing in shadow for the moment—and her vodka shots mixed with her undeniable desire for him was all mixing and mingling in her mind, rendering her almost speechless.

  Nodding, she looked up at him. The way he looked down at her with a mixture of good humor tinted with lust took the rest of her ability to breathe and she had to clear her throat and avert her eyes to gather enough wits to say anything. “Fair enough.”

  Did he know about the bet between Jazzy and Pepper? How could he? He’d only just arrived minutes before and no one had spoken to him other than Jazmyn. But, the way events had played out, she wondered.

  Gage went back to the faulty lights and Jazmyn followed him, holding a strand of wire when he offered it. Looking at his expressions and actions, she couldn’t tell if he knew anything or not.

  Chapter 4

  “It shouldn’t take more than ten more minutes to get this section back on grid with the rest of them. Do you have to stay here after that or could I interest you in a drink up at Harley Heaven?” He never took his eyes off the wires he was stripping so carefully and so skillfully.

  He had to know something. Jayda had just offered her the rest of the night off and now he was offering to take her to his bar for a drink. Coincidence? She thought not.

  Frowning, not liking the idea of all this possibly being planned behind her back, Jazmyn said, “I think I should stay the rest of the night. Maybe some other time, though. You know, like when nobody is planning shit without me knowing.” The more she talked, the madder she became. “You know, if I’m going to get laid, I’d like to be the one deciding when and by whom—not a group of so-called friends. What did they do? Did they pay you to come in here and play along? Did they pay you to have sex with me because they think I’m a prude and not worthy of being a member of their little group after all these fucking years?”

  Jazmyn saw red as Gage goggled at her, seemingly shocked. Boy, he was a good actor, for sure. They hadn’t wasted their money—or whatever they’d paid him with. No telling what they had done to procure his services. Did none of them think she would eventually find out?

  She flung the wire toward him and put her hands on her hips. “Well? I’m waiting. Go on, tell me what they did. I can take it; trust me when I say you won’t hurt my feelings by telling me the whole thing.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared at him, tears of rage prickling in her eyes.

  “Jazmyn. I honestly have no fucking idea what you’re talking about. I swear. I see that you’re mad as hell, but I’m not in on any plan behind your back. And, I completely agree: if you’re going to get laid, you should choose who, when, and where. I’m not sure I know what you meant by all that, but you’re absolutely right.” He reached for the swinging wire that she had flung but didn’t break eye contact.

  Studying his eyes, his expression, his every single movement, Jazmyn detected no lie, no deceit. He was telling the truth. Or, at least he thought he was telling the truth.

  “What exactly did they pay you to do here this evening, Gage?” She held her stance but the tears had stopped prickling.

  “They didn’t pay me anything. Jayda had told Drake about these damn lights still being on the fritz and he asked me the other day if I’d come down and fix them next free day I had. I told him I would and here I am. Drake called Jayda and told her what time I’d be coming by. I haven’t even talked to anyone here except you.”

  The world shifted and nausea flooded Jazmyn’s midsection. She had just made the biggest ass possible of herself—and in front of, and to, the one man she thought she might actually hook up with in the foreseeable future.

  There was no way to go back and fix any of what had just transpired between them. Sitting heavily in the seat, Jazmyn heard a retching sound. Realizing it came from her, she turned away from Gage as he approached.

  “You all right? Are you going to be sick?” He offered her a plastic bag from his saddle bag.

  Pushing it away with her hand, she remained turned away from him. “I’m fine. I’m sorry, Gage.” She tried to look at him and couldn’t do it; shame and embarrassment kept her from it. Turning in his direction, eyes down to his knees, Jazmyn said, “I’m so sorry that I said those terrible things. It just seemed as if you were in on it with Pepper and the others maybe. Things happened before you got here that…that…well, mixed with the things you were hinting at and saying to me, seemed like I was the butt-end of some bet, or something.” She stood and ran for the stairs. “I’m sorry, Gage.” She yelled from halfway down.

  Madison intercepted Jazmyn in the lounge room. “Hey! What’s wrong, Jazzy? Are you okay?” She stepped in front of Jazmyn, impeding her escape. “Hey, what did that asshole do to you?” She shook Jazmyn by the shoulders. Not getting an answer, she turned on her heel and headed for the door. “You stay right there. I’ll take care of this.”

  “Where are you going, Maddy?” Jazmyn found her voice. Maybe Madison hadn’t been in on the thing, but Jazmyn was sure that at least Pepper had planned some, if not all, of what had happened this evening.

  “I’m going to throw him off the balcony. I don’t know what he did or what he said to you, but I’ll make it right.” Madison grabbed the doorknob and jerked the door open.

  “No! Maddy, come back here. He didn’t do or say anything. It was all a huge misunderstanding. Everything that has happened here this evening with Pepper and then with you letting some cat out of the bag that I still don’t know about, to Gage showing up and hitting on me out of the blue all just melted together and felt like a conspiracy of some sort. Let it go. It’s not him, I promise.” Jazmyn grabbed her purse and tote bag. “I just want to go home and forget today ever happened. I just made the biggest ass of myself up there. I’ll never be able to face him again.”

  “Was it because of Pepper throwing that damn lube up there? Tavia took her out back and is still out there with her because of it. None of us knew she was going to do that, Jazzy. She’s being a dick for some reason today. Maybe Tavia will get it out of her what’s going on.”

  “The lube was only part of it, Maddy. Pepper and me making that bet and then Gage showing up after you said whatever it was you weren’t supposed to say. When he was flirting with me, he asked if I wanted to go to H.H. with him and get a drink this evening. He knew I had to work, but asked anyway. Jayda had just told me to take the rest of the night off and take Gage for a ride when he was finished with the lights.” She shrugged and gave Madison a look that said the rest.

  “Oh! I see how that all got fuckered up. Too many coincidences for one night—especially with all the rousting about we’ve been doing over these sexy-as-hell Black Mountain Bikers.” Madison walked over and hugged Jazmyn. “You go on home and I’ll tell the rest of them you were sick and needed to rest tonight. Tavia will text you as soon as she’s done with Pepper, I’m sure. I’ll tell her to be sure to shoot you a message to be sure. Go on. Get home and do whatever you need to do to feel better. Don’t let this bring you down, girl.” Maddy smacked Jazzy’s ass as she left the lounge.

  Jazmyn left by the side door, not wanting to pass the others as she left and not wanting to accidentally look up and make eye contact with Gage. Thinking about the things she said, the things she accused him of made her stomach knot up. So stupid!

  She hurried to her car and pulled out of the parking lot without looking back except in her rearview. Three curves down the mountainside, it came to her that she almost always ran from her problems and hid when things got hard or uncomfortable. That’s something she vowed to work on in the coming months. She was a grown woman and needed to be stronger if she wanted to survive in the business her and the girls had started up.

  By the time Jazmyn arrived in her driveway, she’d pretty much cooled off from the incidents at the Hideaway but she was still mortified at how she’d talked to Gage. Sh
e was convinced that he was innocent in all the happenings. She’d had no right to talk to him so badly.

  As she gathered clothes to take a shower, she checked the time. It was opening time at the Hideaway. Tavia still hadn’t texted her to say what had happened between her and Pepper. Jazmyn hoped they hadn’t argued too harshly. It was uncommon for the group to argue amongst themselves, but not unheard of, by any means. They were women and they were prone to being catty with each other at times.

  Even in college they had sometimes argued. Although it had been a long time since the last argument, in Jazmyn’s mind, this one was justified. She had given Pepper more than one opportunity to stop and zip her lip, but she had not done so. The reason she would go at Jazmyn was elusive.

  In the shower and beginning to physically feel better, Jazmyn came to a conclusion about Pepper that she wasn’t sure about—maybe Pepper knew that Gage was interested in Jazmyn and it had upset her because she liked him. Or, worse, maybe Gage had, at some point rejected Pepper’s come-ons. That had always been a sure way to piss her off. Though, why she would decide to take it out on Jazmyn, she didn’t know. Maybe she’d hoped Jazzy would throw herself at Gage and he would reject her also—misery loves company and all that bullshit.

  Chapter 5

  Sitting in her cozy den, wearing only her extra long t-shirt that acted as a nightgown, Jazmyn turned on a movie that she half-heartedly watched as she sipped Jaegermeister from the bottle.

  Halfway through the bottle of Jaeger, Jazmyn held up the bottle to check the level of the remaining liquor and the white, flickering light from the television refracted off the green glass. The bright green bottle reminded Jazmyn of Gage’s eyes. His beautiful, emerald green eyes could say so much even when he didn’t speak a word.

  She replaced the cap and set the half-full bottle of liquor on the coffee table. Looking at the television but not seeing any of the movie, Jazmyn fantasized about what it would be like with Gage. What did the rest of him look like underneath those jeans and that tank top? Was all of him as tanned as his face, arms and hands?

  Glimpses of his chest had been visible during the few times they had met and spoken to one another so she knew his chest was smooth and that he had ink on it. What kind of tattoo was still up in the air, she hadn’t been able to see his chest well enough to make it out, but she was sure it was something dark and sexy, just like the tats on the bulging muscles of his shoulders.

  A Cherokee Indian head, replete with a full headdress adorned his right shoulder and bicep. A collage of animals—eagle, bear, bison, and wolf—adorned the left. An oriental dragon curled on his inner right forearm in bold colors. A triangle, an arrow, and an oddly shaped 2 had been placed on the back of his right hand on the muscle between his thumb and forefinger.

  Jazmyn, literate in many occult things, knew that the triangle was a fire sign, which meant that Gage was a fire sign in the zodiac. The arrow was the zodiac sign for Sagittarius, which was indeed the mutable fire sign. The oddly shaped 2 was actually the astrological symbol for Jupiter, which was the ruling planet of Sagittarius.

  That he was also well-versed in occult knowledge had been one of the first things that had drawn Jazmyn to him. That’s when she felt the first sexual stirrings toward him. In her experience, finding a man who knew anything of the occult beyond a misinterpreted five-pointed star or the Ouija Board was exceptional. Apparently, men in their thirties had other things on their minds than the occult—or any knowledge outside their profession. They needed to know how to do their jobs well so they could earn a good living so they could afford to fuck around on their wives or significant others and cover their asses with said money.

  Money might not buy happiness but it could purchase many things that lead to happiness for men, especially, such as plausible alibis for the times when they are with their mistress. That had been Jazmyn’s experience anyway. Her father had done it to her mother; her sister’s husband had done it to her sister; and Jazmyn’s fiancé, several years gone now, had also done it to her. Little did that bastard know that he bribed the wrong person to lie to his fiancé—turned out that the man he paid to lie to Jazmyn had actually been her boyfriend in junior high. Jazmyn and Freddy had never said anything about their stint as a couple to her fiancé because it had happened so long before, but Freddy, bless his good little heart, couldn’t let Jazmyn be hurt like that.

  Jazmyn lay partially draped over a throw pillow and the arm of the sofa as she let her mind wander and eventually it came back to Gage and all his sexiness. It had been so long since she’d had sex with anyone that the mere thought of him caused a pleasurable tightness between her legs. Finally giving up on the movie, she rolled to her back and slid down on the cushions of the sofa.

  What she would give to have Gage poised over her right now. The heat of his naked much larger, much stronger body hovering only inches from her naked body would be close to nirvana. His lips on hers would be divine. His lips on other parts of her body would be pure bliss.

  Shortly into her fantasy, Jazmyn dozed off into a deep sleep. The precipice of sleep’s abyss approached slowly and openly. Jazmyn hadn’t tried to fight it for long; she rather welcomed a night of deep, liquor-induced slumber with the hopes that her embarrassment would vanish by morning.

  Sometime during her eventful snooze on the sofa, Jazmyn climbed up from the numbness and oblivion and was aware of a sound that hadn’t been there earlier. Fighting to open her eyes and come to full consciousness, she heard a knock at her door only a few feet from where she lay.

  The movie she’d been watching had gone off and another had started. Had there been one between them that she’d missed? She didn’t think she’d been asleep that long. Determining the time she’d slept, Jazmyn used the length of the movies and where she’d lost track of the first one and the time this one had played, she figured she’d slept most of two hours. Seemed accurate, give or take fifteen minutes.

  The knock sounded again and Jazmyn stood slowly. The floor yawed under her feet—maybe the influence of the Jaeger; maybe the fact that she’d just been awakened from a very deep sleep.

  “Hold on. I’m coming!” The day had gone full dark outside. Who would be visiting her now? The girls would all be at the Hideaway, working. She had no friends or family who visited during the week.

  She got her land legs under her and walked to the door. It seemed the tilting floor was mostly due to being jerked from a deep sleep. She tiptoed and peeked out the window. All she could see was dark hair. The peephole was useless without the porch light and the bulb was blown, so she couldn’t see her visitor there either. The window on the other end of the front wall seemed too far away to consider, but that was the only other place where she could peek and see her front porch.

  Instead of doing that, she leaned on the door and asked, “Who is it?”

  “It’s me. It’s Gage. Can I come in?”

  Jazmyn’s heart dropped into her feet. No way. She was still dreaming. Had to be.

  “Gage?” She opened the door without hesitation.

  He stood there smiling. “In the flesh, Jazzy. Feel like a little company?”

  She stepped aside. “I’m sorry. Yes. Please. Some company would be great right now, actually.”

  She shut and locked the door behind him, taking in his smell as she stepped close. If she was dreaming, she hoped it had a happy ending.

  Turning, she was taken aback by the look in his eyes as they raked over her body. She had completely forgotten that she only wore a long, very thin t-shirt.

  “You look gorgeous, Jazzy. I came to make sure you understand that I had nothing to do with whatever’s between you and the girls. The things I said were legit. I came on to you because I wanted to. I’ve wanted to for a while but you seem so unapproachable most of the time.” He made no move to sit; just stood there staring appreciatively at her body.

  “I figured that out a little too late. I really am sorry that I blew up on you like that. I had no right at al
l.” It was nice that he was looking at her so hungrily, but it was making her a bit uncomfortable, too.

  “No need to apologize. It was no one’s fault—least of all yours.” He finally made eye contact.

  “Thanks. Would you like to sit?” She motioned to the sofa.

  Gage moved into the living room and sat on the edge of the sofa.

  “I’ll just go put on some more clothes. I wasn’t expecting company, obviously. There’s some Jaeger, if you want some.” Nervously, Jazmyn started toward her bedroom.

  “Don’t put on any more clothes for me, Jazzy. Honestly, I prefer you just the way you are. I’d prefer you in less, actually.”

  She stopped. Instantly her womanhood stirred to life and she lubricated. It was uncomfortable as she had on no panties. He wanted her naked. The thought of it made her skin tighten and her nipples harden.

  Staring straight at her breasts, Gage said, “I’m not here to propose and I’m not here to use you. But you seem interested,” He nodded toward her chest where her nipples pushed against the thin cotton of her shirt. “and I’m for damn sure interested. We could please each other, Jazmyn. We could comfort each other. No strings attached. We don’t have to act any differently out in public or around our friends than we act now.” He stood and moved slowly toward her.

  Yes, she could see that he was obviously interested. His erection bulged the front of his jeans nicely. “No strings? Only pleasure and comfort?” Men usually kicked at the very thought of their sex partner roaming around without some kind of commitment.

  He shook his head. She noted that he had slipped out of his socks and shoes before standing up from the sofa. Another step toward her and he unbuttoned his jeans, slid down the zipper, and pushed the denims to the floor.

  Her heart flipped and flopped like a fish on a hot riverbank.