Chapter 21
21
Caleb
I don’t know how I was supposed to focus on the Into the Dragon Realm premiere with Valerie looking like a goddess at my side.
Her look tonight screams Hollywood starlet. That blue dress clings to her curves in a way that’s straight out of a dream, and all I want to do is find a quiet corner and take advantage of that dangerously high slit up her thigh. Maybe that kiss wasn’t the wisest move, but once I’m buzzed on champagne from the trays that are being passed around on a continuous loop, I can’t bring myself to be truly mad. The timing wasn’t great…but it does ensure people will be talking about the premiere.
And Valerie looks so incredible—I can’t stop touching her.
I palm her bare lower back as we walk through the crowd to the auditorium. I grab her hand as she navigates her way up the stairs. I even find an excuse to tuck her hair behind her ear, letting my fingertips linger on the soft skin of her neck as we find our way to our seats.
How did I go six years without touching Valerie Quinn? Now that I’ve started again, I’m not sure how I’m supposed to stop.
The pilot of Into the Dragon Realm is fun, and Jane’s music is incredible, but if there were a pop quiz on the plot, I’d fail it. I’m too entranced by the woman next to me to register a thing. By the time we’re shuffled across town to the after-party, I’ve sobered up, but that doesn’t make me keep my hands to myself. If anything, it makes me want to pull her closer.
This isn’t the Oscars, where everyone has costume changes throughout the night, and the vibe is definitely more relaxed as we slip into the private club in our designer clothes. When we first got into the industry, these nights felt like playing dress-up. I got used to it around the time Bittersweet hit the awards circuit, but after spending years in a classroom in Target button-downs and khakis, I feel like that eighteen-year-old kid stepping into the too-bright spotlight again.
I loosen my tie as soon as we get away from any cameras. Tonight there’s a dance floor, but most people are lounging in booths or standing in groups, drinks in hand as they network and share gossip.
It’s hard not to overhear that some of it is about our red-carpet moment.
We got our official photo op with Jane during the premiere, but she couldn’t sit with us. At the after-party, though, we claim one of the booths as Glitter Bats territory, and Jane quickly slips away from the Dragon Realm creative team to join us, looking beyond glamorous in a green velvet fit-and-flare gown.
“The music was brilliant,” Riker says. “You did good, Janey.”
“Good, because I’m exhausted,” Jane sighs, leaning onto his shoulder. He pats her red curls, which are falling out of her once-styled braid at this point in the night. “There was an issue with the last track that I literally fixed at four a.m.”
“Do you need a nap?” Riker asks, shrugging off his jacket and wrapping it around her.
Keeley scowls at them. “I’m going to go get drinks.”
She doesn’t even take our orders, just slips out of the booth.
“What’s with her?” Riker says.
Valerie just bites her lip—she hasn’t missed it either—but neither of us wants to actually comment on it. We were always so wrapped up in each other, but it was impossible to miss that something was happening there. It’s always just been hard to pinpoint. All I know is that Keeley is feeling feelings, and she’s not ready to talk about them.
“Keeley’s probably just tired. It’s been a long summer for all of us,” Jane says, taking her hair out of the braid, then fluffing the red curls with a satisfied sigh. I can’t tell if she truly doesn’t understand, or if she’s trying to be diplomatic. Keeley was always the one Glitter Bat who could party until dawn—mostly sober, somehow. Maybe Jane’s protecting someone’s feelings—I’m just not sure whose.
“Well, she needs to chill out, because we haven’t even started press yet,” Riker says. “Maybe she’s run out of edibles or something.”
“Ugh, I forgot about Glitter Bats press. I just did press!” Jane says, groaning and leaning back against the booth. She’s not one to complain, so she’s probably just hungry. Keeley clearly anticipated this, because she shows up moments later with a pitcher of what I assume is a very pretentious beer, as well as a plate of the gourmet hot wings and parmesan truffle fries I saw on the menu board on our way in. She drops the food directly in front of Jane, but we all dig in.
“Oh my god, I could kiss you right now,” Jane says, diving in for a hot wing.
Keeley clears her throat. “Calm your tits, Mercer. It’s just the free food your fancy production company brought in.”
“God, I missed catering,” I admit. “At school, they don’t feed us—and if they do, it’s like cold pizza or soggy sandwiches.” Oh the joys of being a public employee. Of course, I’d rather the money go to the kids, but it definitely took some getting used to. Good thing we had those years of greasy drive-thru meals on tour to give me an iron stomach.
Valerie wrinkles her nose as she reaches for a fry. “Ugh, pre-prepared subs, no thank you.”
She hates mayo, which I haven’t forgotten, because of course I haven’t.
“Why would you subject yourself to that kind of treatment?” Keeley asks around a mouthful of wing. “I mean they pay teachers next to nothing, right? Seems like a strange choice coming from all this.”
She gestures around the room, the sheer definition of excess. This is just one industry event for one series, and people are donning designer clothing they’ll wear exactly once to get photographed in and eventually discard. There’s gourmet food and an open bar and even tiny 24-karat-gold key chains with the Into the Dragon Realm logo etched on a medallion.
It’s a stark contrast to my day job, but I didn’t get into it for the money. Some of the days are hard, but for every moment I question my path to teaching, there’s another where the kids remind me why I took it. Still, I’m starting to wonder if changing my career was a real choice or just my desperate exit strategy.
It doesn’t matter. I made my decision.
“Maybe because he’s passionate about his job?” Jane suggests. I shoot her a thankful look, because the last thing I want to do is get defensive, especially when we’re all trying to have a good time.
“Sure, it’s not glamorous, but I’m close to my sister and her wife, and I have a really great dog who loves exploring nature as much as I do. Plus, I like working with kids. Keeley, I sent that drumming video you made to our band director, and she absolutely lost her mind. She’s got a girl drummer in her jazz band next fall.”
Keeley’s eyes go wide with glee. We’ve been squeezing in a few videos between practices, and Keeley seemed to have a lot of fun with hers. “Oh my god, that’s amazing. You’re welcome to give the teacher my number if she wants to set up a meet and greet over Zoom or something.”
My heart warms. “Are you serious?”
“Absolutely! It’s so stupid how people assume drummers have to be, like, slacker dudes who couch surf while stoned 99 percent of the time. I had a 4.0 GPA and got into Stanford, Columbia, and Brown.”
“Be careful, Keeley, or you’ll become a motivational speaker,” Jane teases.
Keeley grins, a little pleased. “Honestly? I’d do it.”
“They’d kick your ass out for swearing,” Riker says.
She gapes, pressing a palm to her chest. “If I can clean up my fucking act in front of my grandma for an entire fucking week at Christmas, I can do it for one fucking hour to work with some kids.”
My stomach twists, and I reach for a fry. Maybe I’m just hungry, but talking about my day job and the Glitter Bats colliding makes the end of the summer feel all too real. With only a few weeks left before the concert, it’s hard to accept I’m leaving this world behind again. But what would it look like if I didn’t—would I quit teaching for good? I don’t see how I can have both. Something tightens in the back of my throat, and suddenly this booth feels too hot.
“Wanna dance?” Valerie whispers in my ear, shaking me out of my head. I nod, and she grabs my hand and tugs me out of the booth.
“We’re still going to talk about your stunt later!” Keeley calls, gesturing after us.
“Your objection is noted!” Valerie shoots back. I follow her lead, but she doesn’t take me to the dance floor. She pulls me through a maze of velvet curtains and partitions, slipping us past a door into a completely private staging room. Other than a few empty containers on the ground and a stack of unused tablecloths, there’s nothing in here but party debris. We can still hear the sounds from the after-party, but they’re distant. Muffled.
I feel my pulse start to steady.
“You okay?” Valerie asks, as soon as we’re alone.
Even as I’m coming down from the adrenaline, my heart warms. She noticed I was starting to spiral, and she wanted to check on me. It seems we really are as in sync as we ever were.
“Yeah, I just got a little too much in my head tonight. Things will be clearer tomorrow.”
“That’s good,” she says, leaning against the wall to steady herself in her shoes. She really does look incredible tonight. That gown is killing me.
Once I catch my breath, I smirk, noticing just how alone we are back here. “So all of that just to check on me? You didn’t have any ulterior motives for pulling me away from the party?”
She grins and crowds me, putting one hand on each of my shoulders. In these heels, she towers over me just a bit, and I don’t mind at all. “ Should I have an ulterior motive?”
“I mean…” I trail off, punctuating the silence. “If you did, I wouldn’t be upset about it.”
Even in the low light, I can see a red flush bloom across her chest. “We’re in public, Caleb!”
“It’s less public than earlier,” I say, reaching behind me to lock the door. “And I never suggested you get naked. There’s a lot we can do with you remaining safely clothed.”
“I don’t know if I understand what you mean. You’ll have to show me,” Valerie says, a little breathless.
“Is that a yes ?” I ask.
She bites her lip. “I’ll consent to whatever you can pull off in this dress, because damn , I want you.”
“I’ll take that as a challenge.” I sink down to my knees in front of her, smirking. “This okay?”
Her breath catches. “Absolutely.”
“Good, because this dress has been giving me ideas all night,” I say, pressing a soft kiss to her exposed thigh. Her skin pebbles under my lips, and she lets out the tiniest gasp. “But you’re going to have to be quiet. Can you do that for me?”
She swallows thickly, her pretty throat bobbing in the dim light, and presses a hand over her mouth. My heart races, both because fuck , that’s hot, but also because we don’t have time to make this last.
“Good girl,” I say.
If we were really alone, I’d take my time, tease her until she was begging for release, ensure it was really good for her—but we’ve already stolen too many minutes. I have no idea how long it’ll be before someone tries to get in here, and I want to make the time count.
I’m a man of my word.
So I duck my head under the slit of her gown, tug her panties aside, and lick her sweet folds. She shudders, sinking back against the wall.
I swallow down my own moan because god , I can’t believe we’re doing this. It’s not even the thrill of potentially being caught. She’s thrilling enough.
“That’s it,” I say. “Just enjoy it.”
She lets out a shaky breath. “That’s not a problem.”
I draw back, careful to cover her as I do. “I thought I said you need to be quiet?”
Valerie’s eyes spark with heat. “Fine. But how will you know you’re doing it right?”
I run a hand over my hair, grinning up at her. “Oh I think we both know I can do it right.”
“Prove it, then,” she says. But I just wait, until she finally presses her hand over that lovely mouth again.
I dive back in, and I’m relentless. She’s so wet it drives me wild, and I’m a man on a mission as I start sucking on her clit. Once she starts to tremble, I slip one finger inside her. When I add a second, she throws her leg over my shoulder, her stiletto digging into my back and demanding more.
It’s so hot I almost come myself. She’s practically riding my face now, wantonly chasing her pleasure, and I fucking love every second.
She clenches around my fingers, writhing beneath my tongue, and the softest, muffled moan escapes through her fingertips. Once she sags against the wall again, I pull her panties back into place, then slip out from beneath her dress.
Valerie grabs my lapel and drags me to her in a breathless kiss. It’s soft and wild and a little sloppy, but neither of us cares. We’re just lost in each other.
“I didn’t know semipublic sex was your kink,” she whispers as soon as we part for air.
I lock onto those ocean-blue eyes. “ You are my kink.”