The Companion Love Trap: A Fake Dating Vacation Rom-Com

Chapter 7

My fingers flewover the ivory keys as my need to release the stress sitting on my shoulders pressed into me. I missed a key but kept going, trying to ignore how the off-tune note sounded in my ear. Then I fumbled two more, the chords pinging and echoing in my mind. Then three, my fingers flailing over the keys as I rushed to catch up to the notes running through my head. The stumble turned into a downward crash as my hands stopped mid-song, my fists pounding against the wrong keys and the dissonance rang out.

“Wrong, wrong!” I groused, the chords clashing and echoing in my ears as I tried to breathe evenly.

Falling forward onto the black grand piano, I took a deep breath, my heart pounding in my ears and covering up the music I couldn’t play.

No matter how hard I tried, I could never play the way I did at the club. The complete freedom behind the mask allowed my brain to take a hike, allowing my fingers and heart to do the rest. And when she appeared, I soared as the music crescendoed around us, jostling our two souls together for those brief moments in a perfect cadence.

Mo Chuisle, or the Fairy as the crowd called her, was a gift I could never deserve. She showed her face and played so openly for everyone to hear. Her bravery knew no bounds.

Beneath my mask, I played without pressure, enjoying how the music healed my battered soul. And playing with Mo Chuisle, she became the beat of my heart, making the music come alive in a whole new way, one I’d never felt before.

Giving up playing, I spun around on the piano bench and pulled off the white button-down shirt that suddenly felt too tight. I leaned my elbows on my knees and ran my fingers through my hair. This upcoming trip had my stress levels higher than usual. I needed the investors to believe in me. The board was counting on me to seal the deal for my latest products and launch us to a new level. Everyone seemed to have forgotten there was a reason I wasn’t the face of JK Cairdeas Solutions—Jace was.

I hid in my office and lab on purpose. I didn’t like people. They were too complicated and messy. But technology made sense. It didn’t let me down. I could make it do what I wanted; well, most of the time, one strand of code was still causing errors. But even so, I still preferred it to socializing with others.

Standing barefoot, I crossed the expansive room and stopped at the floor-to-ceiling window. I looked out onto the cityscape, taking in all the buildings around me. In the dark, I could make out families and couples going about their routines in the windows below. I often watched them, trying to understand how families worked.

Families were a mystery to me. Growing up in an orphanage in Ireland, I’d never had one to start with. I’d been dumped there as a baby, and it had been all I’d known until I came to America. If an old piano hadn’t been gifted to the orphanage one year, I might’ve never made it out of there.

I’d been transfixed by the black and white keys and the sounds they made. I taught myself to play after chores and dinner, listening to the songs on the radio and then playing them by ear. When the headmistress discovered my talent, she signed me up for competitions and recitals, saving all the money I had won for my future. I even got asked to play at Carnegie Hall at the age of ten after winning my age group in Ireland.

I didn’t win the cash prize there, but I did get on the radar of a generous benefactor who sponsored me to attend boarding school in the States. From eleven until eighteen, when I graduated, I stayed at Oakland Academy year-round. It became my home, offering me a future I never could’ve dreamed of in Ireland.

College. Graduate school. My own company.

But somewhere along the way, I lost my love for playing. It became the thing I had to be good at in order to achieve my goals—to be worthwhile—and that much pressure on anything always ends with it breaking.

I could no longer play as Kieran Byrne, whether anyone was listening or not. I inevitably stumbled, never able to finish a song. But as the Phantom… music never sounded as sweet as it did then.

Leaning my forehead against the cool glass, I wondered not for the first time what it would’ve been like to grow up with parents. Would I still have been this successful? Would I feel worthy of it? Or would the cracks in my foundation, threatening to expose me for the fraud I was, always be there? No matter how much success I achieved, it never felt enough. I was one failed product away from having it all crash around me.

It didn’t matter how sometimes I wished it would. The relief of failing was something I dreamed about and feared all the same.

But no matter how much success I earned, it never felt as good as the first time I played the piano. Or now when I played with Mo Chuisle. There was nothing that could beat that pure freedom.

I might no longer be that poor orphan, dirty and in rags, but it didn’t matter. No amount of money allowed me to outrun my past.

The door opened, and Jace’s footsteps neared as he entered our penthouse apartment. We’d been placed together our first year. I hadn’t known what to think of the outgoing boy who shined so bright I worried my dirt would smudge him. While most of the other boys made fun of me for my accent and jeered at me for playing the piano, Jace never did. Despite being smaller than most other boys, it never stopped him from getting into fights to protect my honor.

He was the first person to stand up for me and not ask for anything in return except my friendship. It encouraged me to trust him and cemented our lifelong friendship. Jace allowed me to be vulnerable and lean on him, casting away the shackles I wore day-to-day. He became the comfort I’d always wanted and the safe place for me to be exactly who I was. There was no pretense between us, allowing me one person I didn’t have to perform for.

Our friendship was the most precious thing in my life.

“Kieran, I know you were skeptical about my plan, but you’re going to be thanking me tomorrow,” he said as he walked into the room. I didn’t have to look at him to hear the smile in his voice. He was pleased with himself. I honestly didn’t care who he found as long as they performed the role well. There wasn’t a woman I was interested in outside of Mo Chuisle.

I watched him near the window, his face morphing to the darker version of himself he only showed a few people. His eyes darkened as he rubbed his jaw, thoughts whirring in his mind. My shoulders dropped in relief, knowing what was coming next. The piano hadn’t helped, but Jace would.

He pressed his body flat against mine, his hands coming to my hips. Jace was shorter than I was by a good five inches, but it didn’t matter. He was the dominant one in our dynamic, and I willingly submitted to him. Our relationship wasn’t always sexual, our friendship was the core between us, but when either of us needed something, it transitioned there. Jace and I didn’t work without one another.

Jace was convinced there was a perfect woman for us to share, making our relationship complete. I didn’t know if she existed for us both, but I was willing to let him believe in the dream. But I knew my heart, and it already loved two people—Jace and Mo Chuisle.

“You’re too tense, Kier. Do you need me? Do you want me to help you relax?”

I nodded, my body sagging further into his touch. His fingers gripped tighter, and I knew he wanted more. He wanted my consent, my words.

“Yes,” I grunted, the words hoarse and dry.

I didn’t talk to many people to begin with unless necessary, finding most people filled the space with annoying drivel. But there were some days I got so pulled into my own head I couldn’t get out. Words and thoughts meshed together, and I couldn’t tell thought from fact. I replayed past conversations to the point I didn’t know which version happened. I looped over and over until I either passed out from exhaustion, escaped to the Howler, or let Jace take it from me.

“I have a present for you, Kier.” His hands moved around, cupping my cock as he talked. “One part I’ll give you tonight if you’re good and do exactly as I say. The other you’ll get tomorrow on the plane. Understand?”

“Yes, Jace. I’m yours to command.”

“Good boy.”

My body shivered at his praise, needing his reassurance that I wasn’t a total screwup. He unhooked my belt and shoved his hand down my boxers, gripping my erection in his hand and giving me a few pumps as he squeezed. I could feel his hardened length behind me, rubbing against my ass as he tortured me. His other hand ran over my abs, his fingers trailing through my soft blond hair.

“Strip and kneel in front of the couch,” he said, stepping back and letting go of me. I didn’t hesitate, shucking the rest of my clothes as I spun and kneeled on the floor before him. He rested against the black leather couch, his legs wide open as he watched me. I bowed my head and took a deep breath. I already felt better and lighter, but I needed more before I’d be ready to leave on this trip.

“Take me out and suck, but don’t let me come.”

My fingers unzipped his shorts, pushing down his boxer briefs and releasing his dick. I licked my lips and stroked him, feeling him twitch in my hand. A bead of pre-cum pebbled on the tip, and I moved forward to take him between my lips. Swirling my tongue around, I licked up the drop and continued down his length. I took him as far as I could and swallowed, his cock hitting the back of my throat and gagging me. His salty and musty smell enveloped me as I dragged my lips up and down, loving how he felt in my mouth. His moans fueled me, letting me know how good I was doing.

I knew Jace had been with other men outside of me, we weren’t exclusive or a couple, but I’d never been with another guy. I’d tried once, but based on my height and build, the guy had expected me to top, and I had no clue how to be something I wasn’t. So Jace was the only man I’d been with, fitting a need I didn’t know how to ask of anyone else.

Sometimes he would bring a partner back, and we’d share the woman between us, his hope that she would be the one to fit. But they were always more into Jace, and only wanted me for that one night. Once the novelty wore off, they didn’t want to put up with his moody friend.

It didn’t bother me since I’d enjoyed myself, my feelings too closed off to let anyone else in. It was only because Jace was there that I could let go. He knew what I needed and how to take care of me. It was the complete trust and lack of control that worked for me.

“So fucking good, Kier. Shit. I’m getting close. Don’t forget the rule.”

I nodded, pulling back a little and letting up on the pressure. When he twitched more, his thighs tensing, I let him fall out of my mouth, watching as his dick bounced, covered in my spit. I sat back on my haunches and peered up at him as I waited for my next direction. Jace sat forward and cupped my chin, giving me a soft touch and comfort as his thumb swept back and forth.

“Good job, Kier. You suck my dick so perfectly.”

His fingers ran through my blond hair, pulling my face closer to his, sealing his lips over mine in a possessive kiss. Our tongues tangled with one another as he gave me some softness. When he pulled back, we were both breathless, and his hazel eyes were darker than usual. He pulled out a black piece of silk from his pocket, bringing it to his nose to smell, and groaned.

“She’s fucking delicious, Kier. Everly’s responsive as hell and not shy with her affection. After watching her try on a million outfits, I pulled these off her and finger fucked her in the changing room, Peter and Ferro on the other side of the store.”

I sucked in a breath, my tongue peeking out to lick my lips. I was a voyeur and loved to watch, getting off on his tales many times. His lips twitched up as he took the panties and wrapped them around his fist, and reached down to stroke me with them. My head fell back as the soft fabric moved up and down over me.

Everly. He said her name was Everly.

I hadn’t been interested in who he picked, figuring he’d select someone he was interested in spending time with when I was busy. It didn’t bother me that he’d already been with her in a way, even if she was meant to be my fake girlfriend. It was just the way with us. We shared everything and supported one another in our needs. Jace had a higher sex drive than me, and I didn’t begrudge him his partners. The times I needed him, he always knew and was there.

And now I wondered if he somehow knew better than I did the type of woman who’d fit between us, complimenting us both.

“Do you like my gift?” he asked, gripping my chin so I looked at him.

“Yes. So much. Thank you, Jace.”

“You’re welcome, baby. Now, I want you to stand and brace one hand on the piano, the other around your dick with these panties. You’ll come all over them while I pound into your ass. Sound good, Kier?”

I moaned, my body shaking with need as I imagined what he’d said. His grip tightened on my chin, reminding me I needed to respond.

“Yes. Please,” I begged, my orgasm already close.

Jace kissed my lips before standing and pushing off his shorts and shirt. I moved to the piano like he said as he grabbed the bottle of lube from the side table. The first touch of the cold lube had me jerking as he plunged his thumb into me. I relaxed and focused on stroking myself as he prepared me. When he felt I was ready, I heard him spread more on his cock before pulling my ass closer to him.

“The sounds she makes, Kier. It’s fucking pornographic.”

Imagining what she must sound like, I groaned as I stroked myself faster, the cool fabric of the panties spurring me on. Jace pushed himself in, letting me adjust to his size before he moved. I was so close to crashing over the ledge, my brain completely free at that moment, outside of the pleasure he created for me.

“Fuck, Kier. I always forget how good you feel. Just imagine how she’ll feel wrapped around us both, or with me in your ass and you in hers. I bet she likes some ass play. Everly’s amazing, Kier. Give her a chance. Promise me you will.”

“I promise,” I grunted, my hand moving so fast I knocked into the piano a couple times.

“Show me how good you listen to instructions, Kier. Come all over those pretty panties. Fill them up with your cum.”

His words were the last thing I needed as I let go and erupted, my cum filling them just as he asked. His pace quickened until he met his end, holding me to him as he came. I panted, my heart racing a mile a minute, but it was finally quiet in my head.

“Thank you, Jace,” I whispered, my body wholly spent and worn out now.

“Come on, Kier. Let’s shower and go to bed. Nothing else can be done tonight. We’ll figure it out together in the morning.”

I nodded and followed him into my shower. We both went through the motions and fell into bed, Jace opting to sleep in mine tonight. He pulled my head to his chest, running his fingers through my hair as I fell asleep, feeling more excited about this trip than I had all year.