The drinks are cold and the pool is warm. The crowd from inside the house spills out onto the deck and includes what appears to be the entire student body. Not everyone here is from our school, though. There are a lot of people from the area, and some kids that went off to college and just happen to be back in town visiting their families for the holiday. The mood is overwhelmingly jovial and I'm soaking in the good vibes. I still need to make sure I'm keeping my eyes peeled for important shit. Not only is there a possibility I might run into someone who knows me, but I also don't want to get too intoxicated and slip up.
I've just changed into my white bikini and I'm eager to get into Lex's impressive hot tub. It's in the ground and laid with stonework to resemble a natural hot spring with a little waterfall at one side. It would look more natural without the jets, but I'm just splitting hairs. As I'm making my way through the kitchen to the large french doors that lead to the back deck I come across Brooklyn, who is pressed firmly into a very tall, very Brazilian man I've yet to meet. The J's are nowhere to be seen, and he is cutting lines of cocaine on the countertop.
I'm admittedly taken aback by the scene. This is LA, it's not the first time I've seen something like this, nor will it be the last. The entertainment industry, colleges, and rich kids all seem to come with this one particular parcel of baggage. It's the fact that Brooklyn generally appears so prim and proper. She gives off an undercurrent of bitchiness, but she stands up straight, smiles like a beauty queen, and carries a 4.0-grade point average.
I stutter to a stop in my tracks, trying to hide my surprise and play it cool. "Hey Brooklyn," I say with a megawatt smile. "Who's your friend?"
She looks at me with a teasing smile, while pulling him closer still by dipping her manicured fingertips into the top of his board shorts. "This here…. is Lucas. Say hello to our friend, Lucas."
He looks at me with a dimpled grin, "Hey, it's nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, too. I'm Ellie."
Brooklyn turns her eyes back to Lucas, and uses her fingers to walk up his chiseled chest, "Ellie here, is a new girl. She's just a sweetheart, aren't you Ellie?"
An unidentifiable feeling rolls through me, warning me to be cautious. I keep my smile pinned tightly. "I guess you could say I'm sweet. No one has ever accused me of being anything else."
Brooklyn cocks her head and saunters slowly to me. Her posture is challenging, but her gait is intentionally sensual as she eases across the tile floor to stop right in front of me. "I don't know, I'm sure someone has accused you of being a bitch at some point in your life. Maybe even a slut. It's not nice to lie, Ellie. It's wrong."
She furrowed her eyebrows as though teasing a small child, which is exactly what I feel like. Gratefully I'm interrupted by heavy footfalls padding into the room behind me. "What have I told you about coke in my house, Brooklyn?"
"Awe, you're no fun, Lex. Sure you don't want a little?" she tempted.
Lex steps up behind me, pressing his form into my back and resting both hands on my hips. "Not since freshman year, you know that. Keep that shit in the bathroom or something. It can't be out in the open."
He leans his head into the crook of my neck, pressing his lips against my ear. "Go get in the hot tub."
Brooklyn's eyes glint with a playful menace as though she's daring me to refuse him. When I don't leave immediately, she says, "Be a good girl, and go get in the hot tub, Ellie."
My blood is simmering fervently. Lucas is watching from across the room, entertained and waiting for my next move. I want to hit Brooklyn in the face, tell Lex to fuck himself and wipe Lucas' drugs onto the floor, but instead, I acquiesce. Turning to Lex, I say, "Come find me when you're done," and turn on my heel as I stalk out of the room.
I'm trying not to stomp to the hot tub as I weave through the ever-growing throng of people by the pool. I'm winning arguments in my head the entire way there and trying not to let it read on my face, either, so I'm late to register a hand reaching from the crowd to grasp my wrist. "Hey, wait. Ellie, right?"
I turned to find the man-bun Viking from the frat party I had met last weekend. His eyes are a stunning olive green, which holds the haziness of being a few beers in.
"Yeah, hi! You're Bradley's frat brother, right?"
"That's right, you remember," he smiled. "You probably met a lot of people that night, though. The fundraiser was huge. My name is Brady."
I nod in acknowledgment. "That's right, I remember now. How do you know Lex?"
"I don't really. We run in the same circles, but I wouldn't consider him a friend. I actually came here with another dude, but I'm not sure where he ran off to," he nods at the bun I tied my hair into on the top of my head, "we're twinners."
I reach up to grab my bun with a laugh. "We are! I think it looks better on you, though." Which isn't a lie at all. It really does.
"Thanks, I try. How long have you known Bradley?"
"I met him the first day I got here. I transferred schools so I've only been here a few weeks now."
"Oh? That's cool. He told me before the fundraiser to keep my eyes peeled for you, but he found you first. Probably for the best because he vastly undersold your beauty."
I feel my cheeks heat. I've never been good at taking compliments. I never know the best way to reply. "Well, thanks, I think."
I was startled as a warm hand came up to cradle the back of my neck possessively. I can tell without looking that it's Lexington. Brady's eyes log the touch and he gives a nearly imperceptible nod to Lex, acknowledging the claim. Men, I swear. It's like he just peed a circle around me.
"Hi, Brady. Where is your almighty leader this evening?" He gives Brady his smug smile, indicating that his question wasn't friendly. He meant to be an asshole. He succeeded.
"Bradley? He's back east with his parents for the holiday."
"Good. My girl and I were just going to hop in the hot tub." He runs his hand down my arm to grab my hand, giving it a slight tug. "We'll see you later."
Lex doesn't even allow me to respond before pulling me over towards the hot tub. It's currently unoccupied as I slide slowly into the water. It's hot enough that I have to let my skin acclimate as the steam rises through the air. Perfection.
"So, I leave you alone for five seconds and you have a guy drooling in your mojito?"
I'm startled by the coolness in his tone. His eyes say he's kidding around, but I'm not so sure, and the fact that he masks the true intention of his words sets me on edge. "Not some guy. Brady."
"Why was Brady drooling in your mojito?"
Is he jealous?
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Are you upset? He was just saying hello. We met at the frat party last weekend."
"Not upset, just curious."
"Curious?" I repeat incredulously.
"Curious."
We steep like tea in the hot tub in calm silence for a minute.
"I'm not used to competing with frat bros to keep what's mine," Lex says in a low tone, holding my eyes hostage to ensure I catch his meaning. Unfortunately, I don't. There is a lot to unpack in that one single sentence. Let's begin:
First, he's staking ownership. Not something I would normally tolerate, but I don't feel the need to argue with him - which is saying some things about me that I'm not quite sure I'm ready to face.
Next, this is the second time he's met one of the frat brothers with complete contempt. It leads me to wonder what is between them all. Maybe there was something with them and Brooklyn?
Third, he thinks he's competing for me. There's no competition. There hasn't been competition from the first moment I looked into his eyes, so I don't know what to say to him.
I realize I'm taking far too long to reply to him while I'm doing this mental rundown, so I skirt the issues for now. All except one.
"Whose bed am I sleeping in tonight?"
The tension around his eyes eases. "Mine."
"Yours. So shut up."
He comes across the tub and pulls me so I'm straddling him on the seat. "I'm not sure anyone has ever told me to shut up. It's kinda hot."
I smile. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
He skates one arm up my back, placing his firm grip at my nape and pulling me into a kiss. I'm not usually huge on public displays, but I can't help myself, melting into him completely. He turns his head slightly, moving to deepen the kiss and I open my mouth to him. A small moan escapes me which he deftly swallows. I feel his other hand creeping up my front as his fingertips slip below my bikini top and heat explodes deep within me. If I weren't already in a hot tub I would undoubtedly be wet at the contact.
I let him get one hand in the top and his fingertips lightly graze my nipple, causing my core to tighten at the contact. When the hand on my neck dips down my back to the tie holding my top on, I pull back. "Whoa, no fuckin way. There are a million people out here, what are you doing?"
His sly smile manages to increase my arousal and my nerves at the same time. "Just testing your limits. Are you shy?"
"What? No. I'm not shy, I just don't know any of these people."
"So if you knew them, you would feel comfortable being topless in front of them?"
I'm not sure where the planned destination of this conversation is. "I don't know, maybe. At this exact moment, no. I wouldn't be comfortable with everyone seeing me topless, but I'm not a prude."
"So, if it were somewhere that toplessness was expected, say a topless beach, for instance, it wouldn't bother you?"
"I don't know, I've never been to a topless beach. Hypothetically, no, it wouldn't bother me."
"What about," he trails off, chewing over his next words, "remaining clothed, but doing something overtly sexual where people could see you?"
While I'm no virgin, I've never really considered these scenarios he's bringing up. My sex life hasn't been without adventure. Far from vanilla. I'm a forward-thinking college female. I like sex. I like sex with multiple partners, some of which have been pretty exciting. I find myself considering this seriously and carefully before I supply my answer. "Probably not."
"What if it was something generally seen as sexual by most people, but not overly so?"
"Um…. I have no idea what that means."
"What if I were to spank you in front of others?"
I bark out a loud laugh with my eyebrows raised. My surprise at the question must have been on my face because he dropped his hands to my ass, using them to grind me into his hardening cock hidden beneath the bubbles. I stifle a moan, answering breathlessly. "I don't know. I wouldn't like it. But not because others might find it sexual. It would just be embarrassing."
"Hmm. What about on film? Or in pictures? Exhibitionist lite, if you will."
"No way. People could use those against me."
"You're an adult, you've dated. Are you saying you've never texted someone a compromising photo of yourself?
He's trapped me there because of course I have. I even had a long-distance relationship for a while so sexting was the only form of intimacy we could have. I see no reason not to be honest. I've had just enough alcohol to brave this conversation. I'm curious to see where it ends up.
I drop my chin in surrender. "Of course I have, you're right, but not with my face in them and only with people I trusted."
"So, you might say that there are some exceptions to your rules that would otherwise make you uncomfortable. Conditional acquiescence."
I nod slowly, and carefully. "Yes, I guess that's what I'm saying."
"Huh."
I pause, waiting to see if he is going to elaborate further. He doesn't, so I ask, "Why do you ask?"
"Just curious."
"Ah. You're very curious this evening. You know what they say about curiosity."
He quirks a challenging eyebrow before letting a lustfulness creep into his tone. "I hope I at least make it through the night before dying because there are quite a few other things I'm curious about and I intend to explore those further."
My resistance evaporates as my lips find his once again.