Chapter 10 Casey
CASEY
Dallas gives me Hayden’s address and, on the way, I swing by my favorite donut shop to get a dozen. Dallas just snorts and shakes his head when I hand him the box, then throw the cover off to snag a donut.
“What? I’m hungry, and that orgasm drained the fuck out of me. I need sustenance.” I lift the donut and take a huge chomp out of it. “Eat. I won’t feel bad if you don’t, but I will eat like ten donuts on my own.”
Dallas takes me up on the offer. He nods in appreciation. “I don’t keep a strict diet.”
“Obviously, since you ate junk with me yesterday.”
Another snort. “Yeah, but I do try to eat healthier.”
“Oh, same, but I don’t deny myself anything. If I want it, I get it.”
“I’ve noticed,” he says around a bite of donut.
I pull into Hayden’s apartment complex and park in a visitor’s spot.
“Bring the box,” I say as I slide out of my seat. “Carbs make everything better.”
Dallas leads the way. He has a key and lets us into the building. Then it’s hoofing it up six flights of stairs because the elevator is broken.
“I’m really spicy at you right now. You could have warned me the elevator’s been broken for weeks. My legs are still jelly from earlier.” I stomp each step, which takes more energy than if I’d just walk like normal.
“Awe, my poor fuck buddy,” Dallas says. Then, before I can take the next step, he hauls me over his shoulder.
“Hey!” I wiggle, then realize I don’t have to walk. I go limp in his arms and swat his butt like a drum a few times just to watch it jiggle so close to my face.
“Don’t distract me. I might drop you headfirst down the stairs.”
“You wouldn’t!” I swat his ass one last time.
“Not on purpose, no. But my butt isn’t a bongo.”
“Could be if you tried hard enough.” I give it two more smacks. “And done.”
Dallas isn’t even struggling. Honestly, I wasn’t struggling. I just really hate taking the stairs. Especially if there are a boatload.
“This is your workout for the day, isn’t it?” I ask.
“Probably, but we’ll see. I like to get some weight training in every other day or so.”
“Mmm, same. That’s why I look so good naked. That and the swimming.”
“You don’t really have a swimmer’s body, though. Like a triangle with super broad shoulders.”
“Yeah, dunno.” I shrug. “I weight train, breath train, swim train, run train, get trains run on me.”
Dallas snorts. “You’re impossible.”
“What? I like dick.”
“I can tell.”
“I’m pretty obvious about it. I probably would have sucked Big Mac and Jim off yesterday if you weren’t with me.” I’m only teasing, but he stops moving.
“What if we went exclusive?”
“My ass that good?” I try to wiggle again, but he’s got me in his hold pretty well.
“I think you’re a lot of fun and I’d like to see where thinks could lead.”
I nibble my bottom lip. “Dunno. I go where the wind blows me.” Can I settle for one dick for an experiment? Do I want to try?
“And I usually live by a schedule until you unsettled all that.”
“I think your stalker did that.”
“Maybe, but it led me back to you. Maybe it’s a sign. The stars aligned or some shit.”
“I’ll think about it,” I say. He stops at the final landing and helps me back down to my feet. “Thanks for the ride.” I reach out and squeeze his bicep.
“Anytime.” Dallas’s gaze drops to my lips.
Of course, I grab him by the collar and pull him down to me. Our kiss is electric, heated, full of passion, and I clock the security cameras when he pulls away. I give them a little finger wave, making him shake his head.
“Is this going to be a real think about it, or have you already decided you’re going to reject the question?”
“I’ll think about it for realsies.” But the question still unsettles me. We’ve fucked a couple of times and he already wants to go exclusive? Who does that? Do I want that? Or am I content bending over for randos that won’t ever give me the time of day again after the initial fuckening?
“Okay, you’re thinking about it way too hard.” Dallas gives me a smile. Like one of those soft smiles you see in some rom com.
“Wait. What do you mean, exclusive?” Just sex, right? That’s all the good I am to guys. That’s all anyone wants from me.
“Kay, I wanna date you.”
I blink back. My brain doesn’t compute. “Like… romance?” I whisper the word as if it’s taboo.
“Yeah, romance. Date. Fuck obviously.”
“I mean yeah, if you’re romancing me, fucking is definitely happening.”
“So what do you say?” Dallas leans in close again.
“It’s a weird thing to ask in a stairwell? Why now? Why here?”
Dallas shakes his head and pulls me in again.
“You’re chaos, and that’s just what I need right now to shake things up.
Do you know how boring my life is? Schedules and plans and social media and trying to keep a perfect face for my audience.
You’re a breath of fresh air. And your tight little ass doesn’t hurt.
But Kay, you’re fun and I wouldn’t mind being together without our dicks involved. ”
I fan my face and exaggerate my expression a bit.
“No one has ever said anything so romantic to me.” It’s the truth, though.
No one’s ever said they were remotely interested in anything other than getting freaky in the sheets.
But I’ve never really given it much thought, either.
I have my weekly Friday plans that I absolutely will not change for anyone.
Unless, of course, I get bored, but who the hell would get bored with torturing pedos and rapists? Not I. Nope.
“I’m being serious, Kay.” He drags his knuckles down my cheek while keeping eye contact. I can’t take the intensity and when he grazes his thumb across my bottom lip, I nibble it, making him laugh.
“I should have known better. You’re a biter.”
I make chompy noises with my teeth, then give him a real answer, “We’ll give it a trial run until Influencer Con. That’ll give us almost three weeks to test things out. If you hate me by then, we’ll break things off and go our separate ways.”
“I don’t think I’ll hate you, but that works for me.” There’s that soft smile again.
“Or I’ll get so obsessed with you that I tie you up in the basement and never let you go.” I flip the donut box open again and grab another. “But…”
“Yeah?” Dallas asks when I don’t say anything else.
“Are you ready to lose followers?”
His brow crinkles. “Why would I lose followers?”
I throw my head back and sigh at the same time I stuff the donut in my mouth.
“If we’re dating. Like… real dating. Out in public and all that, you’ll lose followers for dating a guy.
Everyone sees you as this straight-laced straight guy.
Parasocial relationships are fucking wild.
You’re going to get hate messages for dating me in the open and, honestly, I won’t be hidden. ”
“I’d never ask you to hide.”
“But are you ready for the backlash? I’ve always been open about myself because I want people to see me and think if he can be his true self, so can I.
My fans will be ecstatic. Well, most of them.
Like I said, parasocial relationships are fucking wild and I’m sure there will be plenty that’ll want to rip your eyes out for stealing me away.
” I bat my lashes and make a ridiculously sweet face.
“So, are you prepared for what happens when openly dating a guy? I’ve snooped.
You’ve never openly dated anyone in the entire time you’ve been an influencer. ”
“Neither have you.” He grabs my hand with his free one and kisses my knuckles. “I’m willing to give this a go. I’m willing to make it social media official with a photoshoot and everything when we pass the three-week trial. We can even do it at Influencer Con.”
I grin. “Oh, that could be fun. Run around to all the photo booths together and get cute pics, then share them and tag each other. And be all cute during the entire con. I could get into this.” I try not to let my face fall.
I have a job to do at Influencer Con. Take out mother fucking Charles.
Avenge Dorian. But… we can have romance at the same time, right?