Wild Thing

27. Twenty-Seven

Twenty-Seven

DYLAN

G oddamn, this session was boring.

Two hours in and my eyes felt like they were bleeding. I blinked a few times, willing my eyes to stop stinging.

I needed a coffee or a Redbull or something.

I couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened on the worksite earlier. I felt overwhelmed. From Greg’s harsh words, to Steven showing up unannounced, I knew Brax and I were dangerously close to getting caught.

But that moment on site though… Oh, god. It was so hot. Unprofessional? Yes. Worth it? Fuck yes.

Whatever this was between us, it was overpowering all common sense and blurring the lines between right and wrong. The connection we had was too strong, too powerful for us to control.

I was utterly consumed by the feeling of being with Brax.

He said something about us thriving in the chaos and he was right. It felt like it was us against the world, the consequences just obstacles that we would move through, as long as we were together.

But when we were apart, that sinking feeling in my stomach returned, snaking its way through my veins reminding me what I was doing was very wrong.

And that I probably wasn’t a very good person.

Propping my head up on my hand, my thoughts returned back to the icy conversation between Steven and Brax.

Clearly I didn’t know the full story.

Why would Brax keep something from me though? He wouldn't, would he?

I made a mental note to ask Brax about what exactly happened between them. I half expected Steven to tell me in the car on the way to the convention center. But he didn’t say much. He just sort of sulked. Which was unusual for him.

Maybe Brax was right. Maybe Steven did have an unhealthy obsession with me.

Squirming at the thought, my phone buzzed.

It was Taylor.

Let’s blow this session off. Margarita?

I smiled.

A margarita sounded like a much better option than a coffee or Redbull.

Meet me in the foyer in five.

***

“You fucked him, didn’t you?” Taylor asked, deadpan.

I hadn’t spoken to her in a while, so I was catching her up on my clusterfuck of a life. I held up three fingers.

“Three times?!”

“Actually, three and a half if you count the steamy session on the work site today.”

Taylor’s jaw hit the floor. “ On the worksite? You’re fucking crazy. I’m going to need another margarita.”

Taylor and I sat in the late afternoon sunshine at the trendy inner city wine bar, FiftyFive. It was a good decision to blow off the afternoon conference session in favor of a couple of cocktails. I needed to decompress and I needed company. Being alone with my thoughts was too confronting.

Taylor signaled an approaching waiter and promptly ordered us another two margaritas.

“So, you and Brax are getting serious then?”

“Yeah. We are."

Was this lust? Infatuation? Am I lost in a haze of passion? Or was this what I always thought it was? Blinding, all consuming love?

“How do you feel about it all?”

Even though I had feelings of guilt simmering away, I was feeling happiness too.

“Honestly? I know this sounds really bad, but I feel so fucking alive . And happy," I replied. “But, I think we might be starting to be noticeable, which concerns me a little bit.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Well,” I replied, fiddling with my earring. “Steven, the weirdo, showed up unannounced at the site today. Right as we were about to… you know.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah,” I giggled. “The thing is, there was no reason for him to be there, and also, he was totally spying on us when we were in the pool the other day. Like a fucking peeping Tom.”

“Steven?” Taylor screwed up her face in disgust. “The guy that harassed you to date him? Before you met Zack?”

“Yeah, him.”

“Ew. What a creep. Maybe he’s trying to catch you out and use it to his advantage somehow. You need to be careful Dylan. You don’t want rumors flying that can damage your career.”

“I know. That’s why I’m a bit worried. And I think he's mentioned something to Greg, my client from Omega.”

Taylor furrowed her brow. “What did he say? What’s it to him?”

“He said he was worried that Brax and I were getting too close,” I took a sip of my margarita. “Reminded me that Brax has a girlfriend and that he didn’t want Brax ruining his life for a bit of fun .”

“Oh. Asshole.”

“Yeah. Like I needed a reminder that I’m a fucking homewrecker and a cheater.”

I hated saying those words out loud. I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone. I’d always thought those who engaged in affairs were nasty people, hellbent on hurting others.

But it’s always more complicated than that.

“Here’s a hypothetical question for you: assuming you two will be together eventually, who is moving where? Are you leaving your job to move to Grey’s? Or is he packing up his life and business and moving for you?”

“That’s a shitty hypothetical Taylor, I can’t answer that.”

“Well, would you move for him?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Would I move back home to Grey’s Forest where it all began?

The truthful answer was I really didn't know. There was nothing in Grey’s for me job-wise. Unless I started my own consultancy…

It was possible, but a deep part of me wanted Brax to chase me. To follow me. To do whatever it took to be with me.

“As if you haven't thought about it Dylan.”

“I haven’t.”

For once, I wasn’t lying. I really hadn’t considered what was going to happen after we both went back home, back to our lives.

Maybe Brax and I needed to talk about it. The thought of looking that far into the future scared me. At the moment, I was content to be present. Especially because of the shit show I knew I had to sit through, star in and direct when I got home.

The waiter arrived, placing down coasters and two more spicy margaritas. Taylor slid off the whole chili that was hugging the rim of her glass and promptly dropped the entire thing into her cocktail.

“You’re going to burn the absolute living fuck out of your mouth, you know.”

“You’re not the only one who can enjoy hot things in her mouth this trip,” Taylor scoffed as she raised her cocktail glass. “I’m happy for you, but I don’t envy you.”

We clinked glasses and for a few moments, we sat in comfortable silence. I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of the warm late afternoon sun on my face.

“When am I going to meet him anyway?” Taylor asked.

I was convinced I had a sixth sense when it came to Brax, because I had the sudden urge to scan the crowded sidewalk.

Cutting a fine figure amongst the crowd of wannabe yuppies, was my lover. He spotted me and grinned.

I smiled back, my eyes transfixed on him as he weaved through the crowd towards me. “Sooner than you think, Tay.”

“Wait, what?” Taylor spun around in her chair to see who I was suddenly so fixated on.

She turned her body back to face me, mouthing oh my god and fanning herself.

“Keep it cool,” I warned her.

She smiled sweetly at me. “When do I not?”

Brax approached our table, leaning down to give me a friendly, non-romantic kiss on the cheek. We were in public after all.

“Brax, hi,” I gestured towards Taylor. “This is my best friend, Taylor.”

“Hi,” Brax offered a tattooed hand to Taylor. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Vice versa.” Taylor responded, shaking his hand.

“Good things, hopefully.”

Taylor looked at Brax over the top of her sunglasses. “Some very good, bad things.”

Brax glanced at me, a little unsure on how to take Taylor.

“She knows, Brax.”

He sighed in relief and gave Taylor a lopsided smile. “What are you girls up to?”

“We blew off the conference for margaritas.”

“Nice.”

“Have a drink with us," Taylor gestured for Brax to sit down. "I’m just going to the bathroom, I’ll be back."

Brax dragged a seat from an empty table and placed it next to me, sitting down. “She seems nice.”

“She is. Warning you though, she’ll probably pepper you with questions about your intentions at some point.”

“As a good friend should,” Brax said. Reaching underneath the table, he lightly tickled my leg. That small act of intimacy caused me to melt. Again. At this point I was a pile of melted bones. “I want to finish what we started earlier…” Brax said sexily.

I removed my sunglasses and smiled.

"Me too,” I said, taking a sip of my cocktail. “By the way, what was the unspoken beat down you and Steven were giving each other?”

Brax’s eyes flickered at the mention of Steven’s name. “He was a real shithead when he confronted me about you yesterday. He knows how I feel about him.”

“But what exactly did he say to you?”

“Some really disrespectful shit. I let him know who he was fucking with. That’s why I came to see you last night. What he said rattled me.”

“About my job?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you think he has said something to Greg?”

“I don’t know. Why?”

I felt it was best to be honest about the conversation I'd had with Greg. After all, Brax was honest with me about Steven. If we stood a chance, we couldn't keep secrets from one another.

“This morning, when I first arrived on site, Greg said a few things to me."

"Like what?"

"He reminded me that you were in a relationship.”

Brax’s body language shifted at the mention of his girlfriend. He clicked his jaw and the color drained from his face. He looked like he was going to blow a fucking gasket. He sat back in his chair, crossing his arms.

“What else did he say?”

“That’s pretty much it," I licked the salt from the rim of my glass. "Well, that and how he didn’t want you ruining your life for someone like me, who was just a bit of fun.”

Even saying those words stung. I wanted the most important man in Brax’s life to like me, not hate me.

But what did I expect? I was the other woman.

I was concerned at how much Brax's entire mood changed. There was distance in his eyes I'd not seen before.

“Brax? What’s wrong?”

Without warning, he stood up and put the chair back on the other table. "Sorry Dyl. I've got to go. I’ll speak to you later.”

I didn't even get a chance to react, before he gave me a quick kiss on the head and walked away, disappearing into the peak hour crowd.

What the fu c k just happened?

Taylor arrived back at the table before I could try and process the strangeness of what just went down.

“Where’s Brax?”

“Apparently he couldn’t stay.”

Taylor raised her eyebrows. “Oh? Was it something I said?”

“No. It was something I said.”

I downed my entire margarita.

“Lame.”

“Yep.”

I was fucking pissed off. And there was only one thing to do when a man pisses you off.

“Another round?”