5. Chapter Five - Summer
Summer
"Come on, Summer, we’re going out." Lily barges inside when I open the door for her the next day, hair flying as she whirls around in the middle of my room to look at me wide-eyed and with the biggest grin on her face.
"Huh?" I stare at her, confused, but she isn’t deterred. She spots my jacket on the couch and throws it at me. I catch it just before it hits me in the face.
"We’re going out!" she declares, grabbing my wrist to pull me out the door, but I manage to wrestle free from her grasp.
"Okay, okay, calm down. Let me put on shoes and several layers of clothing first if we’re going out.” I set down the jacket and pull on my shoes, then hurry to my suitcase. “Where did you say we’re going?"
After all, I need to know how much I’ll have to layer up.
"I didn’t tell you yet," she replies happily, pacing my room. "We’re going to the Red-Light District."
"The what now?" I ask, wondering if I heard right and lift an eyebrow at her, looking up as I’m crouched down, digging around my suitcase. She nods eagerly and I look back at the chaos of clothes in it.
So, we’re staying outside, I guess? From what I’ve read there’s not exactly indoor entertainment there for straight women. "And your boyfriend’s fine with that?"
"Oh, Adam is also going—with his brothers." She grins and waves me off when my eyebrows shoot up my forehead in surprise. “Some kind of bonding thing, because what else to bond over as family if not sexy women? We might run into them there.”
“And you’re both… fine with that?” I tilt my head and look at her. “I mean with the other one going?”
“Eh, he can look as long as he doesn’t knock on any windows.” She shrugs, then shoots me a wink. "Maybe I’ll make him go to a male strip club in exchange. Plus, my brother's wife would kill me if I came to Amsterdam and didn’t visit the Red-Light District to relay all the sordid details about it to her. So, I’m afraid you’re going to have to come with me, because going there alone just seems sad."
"What about the others?" I wonder aloud as I get up, reaching for my sweatshirt.
"Well, Millie and Luca are having some kind of date night. Also, be so for real. The Red-Light District isn’t a place I think either of them is curious about."
I chuckle and pull on another sweatshirt. “Please. They only have eyes for each other, there’s no way those two are going anywhere near there.”
“That’s what I’m saying! Now, Kayla and Asher on the other hand, I wouldn’t be surprised but I don’t know if they’re going too and—” She shoots me an amused look. “Do you really want to ask yours or Millie’s parents if they want to come along?”
"Hell no!" I grimace and immediately object, right as I wrap my way oversized scarf around my neck. God, I love this thing. Is it a scarf? Is it a blanket? It’s the best of both worlds and the best purchase I’ve ever made. "I was just wondering."
"Well, it’s just you and me, my friend. And we’re going to have the best time out there. Are you about done now? You’re starting to look like that tire mascot. Can you move?"
I lift my arm to show her my middle finger, making her chuckle. I’m not sure if I like that mischievous twinkle in her eye, but her eagerness is contagious and now I'm even looking forward to it. So I nod.
"Then come on," she says, linking her arm with mine as soon as I have my jacket on, and pulls me out of the room. I barely remember to grab my key card on the way out. Lily is happy like a child on Christmas morning, humming and pacing the elevator.
"You’re oddly excited about this," I say, tilting my head and looking at her curiously.
"Well, I am excited! When have you ever done something like this?" She grins at me. "Life is all about new experiences and this is one you can only get here. We can look at some pretty girls, sip on a beer while we walk around, judge the bachelor parties we run into—” The elevator doors open and she links her arm with mine again. “Doesn’t that sound like a fun girls’ night out?”
"Not one I’d ever imagined to be honest,” I admit, falling into step with her. “Also I’m not much of a beer drinker."
She rolls her eyes at me. "I’m sure we’ll find something else for you then."
Well, Lily didn’t lie. Only minutes later, we’re strolling the streets of Amsterdam, her with a beer in her hand and me nursing a hot cocoa spiked with rum.
"I don’t even know how you can drink anything cold in these temperatures," I say with a giggle, my cheeks starting to heat up thanks to the alcohol.
"Oh, well." She shrugs and takes another sip. "I live for the coldness. Nothing better than going to sleep with your window slanted, cuddling against your warm boyfriend while your room turns into a freezer."
“I’ll stick to air conditioning.” I chuckle, seeing her roll her eyes from the corner of mine.
“And you might have a point because getting up from under those blankets is hell. Anyways, it's the heat that I’m struggling with. But coldness?” She lifts her bottle. “I can’t get enough of it.”
"Well, to be fair, I’d also rather be cold and bundled up than warm and not able to do anything about it." I nod along and cough after taking another sip. The rum burns in my throat—but in the best way. The way that sends warmth straight from your belly to your limbs and makes freezing temperatures a breeze.
The streets of Amsterdam are surprisingly crowded, even though it’s a weekday. Streetlamps cast a warm, golden glow over the crowded streets, the constant murmur of people bustling around creating the soundtrack of this evening as Lily and I walk to the Red-Light District.
We try to walk next to each other, talking about Millie and Luca and their upcoming wedding, but it’s surprisingly hard to stay together on these narrow and crowded streets.
"Are you sure we’re walking in the right direction?" I ask Lily again, my eyes jumping from one neon-lit shop window to the next. Neither of them look like brothels or clubs. No, they seem to be bodegas or souvenir shops.
“Oh, Sweet Summer Child, we’re already there.” She starts chuckling at that word play with my name.
"Really?” I ask, partly because of that word play and also partly because this area looks more like a student party district than sex work. “I have to admit, I didn’t expect so many restaurants and fast food spots in a Red Light District."
"Well, I mean, sex does make me hungry." Lily points out with a wink and smirk, and I shake my head at her.
"Of all the things I’ve wanted after sex, I can’t say churros were on that list," I reply dryly nodding to the shop on the other side of the street. Orgasms were very much on that list, though. Lily suddenly stops in her tracks.
"First—you have a list? Second—On there or not," she says, grabbing my arm and pulling me across the street after looking left and right. "Churros with chocolate sauce sound perfect right now."
We continue walking, sharing a serving and trying to not get any chocolate sauce on our clothes. Considering my scarf covers half of my face, it’s pretty difficult, but I manage to only spill one drop on it, which I quickly hide and all things considering, I’m taking as a win.
Hanging out with Lily comes easier than I thought. I mean, I’ve known her for a while now. We’ve chatted and hung out during birthday celebrations or when I hung out with my brother and he insisted on visiting his fiancée at work, but I’d never really gotten to spend one-on-one time with her.
She’s so refreshing to hang out with though. Level-headed yet receptive, truly the kind of person that you feel you can go to with all your problems and they’ll actually hear you, who has the perfect solution ready, be it a shoulder to cry on or taking charge to tackle your problem.
I hope when I grow up more, I get to be like her.
"So, how did you meet Adam?" I ask curiously, right as a group of students passes by us, clearly intoxicated and having a fun time as they shout for each other over the whole street in a language I don’t understand.
"Oh, you know…" Her whole face softens, and I feel something tug at my heart. "When Kayla and Millie hired me as CEO for their company, he was one of the first people they introduced me to. As CEO of our direct competition, I had to keep an eye on him and Crony, but he only really appeared on my radar once we started competing for the same talent and he snatched them right from our grasp, sometimes even minutes before they were due to sign with us." She sighs and rolls her eyes, but the corners of her mouth twitching betray her. "And then we were at a conference in Tokyo, and suddenly we just clicked." She shrugs and a dreamy expression washes over her face. "I didn’t see him coming at all, but he’s the best thing that ever happened to me."
She glances at me and takes another sip of her beer before she continues. "That’s the Walker brothers for you. They take you by surprise, and once you’ve let them in, you don’t ever want to let go again. I’m sure Jackson’s mysterious girlfriend would agree."
"Mysterious girlfriend?" I wonder with a chuckle and pull my scarf down to drink some more of my spiked hot chocolate. "That sounds sinister."
"He hasn’t introduced her yet." She shoots me a grin. "And I’m sure it will be a while longer until he will. The curiosity is eating his brothers up from the inside.” She comes to a sudden standstill, and so do I, as she pulls at my arm. “Oh, look, now we definitely made it."
She pulled me to a stop right in front of a sex shop, a selection of whips and handcuffs in their shop window, along with barely-clothed mannequins and several dildos on the ground around them.
"Why, that's a little shape I haven’t seen before," I say with a giggle, tilting my head and trying to make sense of it. “How does that go… where ?”
"I’ve seen them before and trust me, you don’t want to know." She chuckles and pulls me inside.
“You have?”
"One of Adam’s and my first ‘dates,’" she lifts her hands in air quotes, "was at a sex shop in Japan."
"A what?" I start giggling—at her story but also because I am way overwhelmed with this store. It’s crowded and dingy and the selection on their shelves is making me blush. “Are you for real?”
"You heard me." Lily grins and takes an interested look around. "Ten out of ten, would recommend."
"Well, I’ll keep that in mind." I shake my head, eyeing a dildo that looks like a closed fist, sneaking after Lily like we’re trudging through a dark forest where a monster could jump out of the dark any moment. Although looking at the shapes of toys they have laying around here, that comparison might not be too far off.
"What the fuck?" Lily suddenly whispers as she stops and points to our right. I follow her eyes and my mouth drops open.
"Is that a tentacle dildo?" I whisper back, like I’d spook it if I spoke up.
"But… it’s almost as tall as we are," she adds just as softly.
"How?" I ask, confused, stepping closer to inspect it better, like that will reveal its secrets. "I kind of want to touch it, but at the same time, I really, really don’t."
From the corner of my eyes, I see her nodding along. "Where is that going?"
The two of us stand in front of it with our heads tilted, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t imagine that going inside… anywhere.
“This is going to bug the hell out of me,” she admits as we continue on. “Not enough to, you know, research but holy hell.”
And I’m right there with her. Curiosity keeps gnawing at me as we walk through each aisle, finding more sex toys and gimmicks and Lily even purchases something.
I’m definitely eyeing some little penis keychains—not sure who I’d buy them for, but sooner or later, they’d probably make a great gag gift. Then again, I imagine myself explaining to TSA why I have a little dick with my keys, and I grimace before quickly putting it back.
Relief washes over me once we step outside—I didn’t realize how stuff the air was in there, but the cool evening breeze makes it obvious—startling when someone approaches us from behind.
"Well, fancy meeting you here," a familiar voice suddenly says from our left, and we both whirl around, startled, then sighing in relief when we see who it is.
It’s Kayla and Asher, hand in hand, in coats that are a perfect color match, looking just like the fashionable power couple they are.
"Having a little stroll?" Lily grins at them, while I feel heat rushing to my cheeks.
Oh God. My basically future sister-in-law just saw me walk out of a sex shop. Talk about awkwardness.
And then there’s the guy who Luca basically adopted into the family—AKA my not-quite-adopted-but-close-enough brother.
I subtly hide behind Lily, but Asher catches my eyes, shaking his head at me disapprovingly but clearly fighting a grin as I subtly lift my hand holding my drink to take a sip and show him my middle finger at the same time.
"What about you?" Lily asks and links her arm with mine again, pulling me a few steps to the side where she puts her bottle in a bin and I quickly drink the rest of my not-so-hot-anymore chocolate and throw away the paper cup as well.
"Great minds think alike," Kayla says, shooting us a wink, and without another word, we all start walking together, Lily and me in front of them, glancing over our shoulder as she continues. "We couldn’t come to Amsterdam and not visit this ‘special area,’ right, Asher?" She smirks at him, making it sound like it was solely his idea.
He bites his lip to fight a grin and subtly shakes his head. "Anything you say, sweetheart."
I don’t even need to turn around to know she forcefully nudges her elbow into his side.
"Better not let her catch you staring, though," I say with a giggle over my shoulder, trusting that Lily will not let me walk right into the canal we’re walking by.
"Ah, look over there," Lily says excitedly and points to our left. All of us turn around and my eyes widen when I realize what she saw.
"Oh, damn," I whisper in awe, seeing Kayla and Asher nod, just as impressed, from the corner of my eye.
The house we’re staring at like idiots looks like a regular cute canal-side house at first sight, but if you look closer, you can clearly see a woman wearing the skimpiest piece of lingerie in one of the neon purple lit windows, seductively moving her body to music we can’t hear on this side of the canal.
"What are you all gaping at?" a voice asks from our right, but none of us can take their eyes off the spectacle.
From the corner of my eye, I see three tall, dark-haired figures walking closer, the tallest of them coming to a stop next to Lily, wordlessly snaking his arm around her hip.
"How did this become a group event?" I whisper under my breath, internally rolling my eyes. Great, now I’m third-wheeling after all, exactly how I wanted my evening to go.
"That," Lily answers her boyfriend in a whisper, nodding toward the club.
"Damn.” My whole body tenses, a wave of goosebumps washing over my skin at that growing familiar deep voice.
I don’t know what it is about his voice, but it feels like someone ever so gently tracing a finger up my spine, making me shudder and want to squirm away. Yet it’s warm and in other circumstances, I think I could listen to it the whole day, like a classical piece of music.
It’s a weird sensation, but my brain just can’t deal with how deep Tanner’s voice is.
"Come on, let’s go take a closer look," Kayla suggests, pulling Asher with her over to the next bridge across the canal. Lily instantly falls into step with Adam, looking up at him with loving eyes, and I trudge behind them, pouting and feeling abandoned.
This is just the story of my life now, isn’t it? Destined to be the third wheel with all of my friends coupled up.
I put my hands in the pockets of my jacket in an attempt to keep them warm, trailing along with he group. Thank the heavens that Lily made me get that spiked hot chocolate. Right about now, I’m very glad for the little buzz I’ve got going on. It’s the only reason I’m not turning right around to walk back to the hotel.
However, I am eyeing the kiosk on the side of the canal we’re approaching, thinking about getting myself another one. There’s so much love in the air, I might just need some more alcohol to deal with it.
"So, what are you doing here?" Reed suddenly appears next to me, looking me up and down with curiosity. "Are you into girls? That would be hot."
"No, I’m very heterosexual," I answer, destroying his fantasies with a tight grin. "Honestly, Lily dragged me here."
Tanner hums, and my shoulders instantly tense as he appears on my other side. How the fuck did I end up walking between the two of them?
"Yeah, that sounds like her." Reed chuckles and I watch as Lily lets Adam peek at the bag she’s holding in her hand and they start talking animatedly about whatever she bought in the sex store just now.
“Is that a bad or a good thing?”
“It’s their thing.” Tanner shrugs, just as the tow of them halt in front of another shop window.
“I’m surprised he wanted to do this tour with us if I’m honest.”
“Speaking of, where’s number four?” My eyes jump between the two of them and Adam. “You have another brother here, right?”
“Yeah, we do. You know, Jackson has that girlfriend he thinks he’s been hiding from us,” Reed starts, and I shoot him an amused glance. “So he opted out and I’m sure they’re on a video call instead.”
“Are you pouting because he hasn’t introduced her yet?” I ask with a grin, noting how he purses his lips. “Cute.”
“I just don’t get it, we’re nice. Right?” He looks over me to Tanner who bursts into laughter.
“So nice,” he presses out, and now I even see Adam’s shoulders shake with laughter.
I want to poke, annoying Reed seems like fun, but Adam and Lily come to a stop in front of us and I get on my tiptoes to look past them.
"Damn," I whisper, my eyes jumping all over the place, not knowing where to look first.
The house looks like all the other houses I’ve seen so far: red-ish brown bricks and white window frames. There is no way I would have known this is a brothel during the day. But now that it’s night, the windows are lit in neon pink, a faint sound of music coming from inside and there’s a woman in underwear dancing in each of the ground level windows.
A part of me wants to take out my phone and take a picture—nobody will believe me otherwise, right? The other, winning part of me feels icky about it, so I leave it right where it is.
"What bombshells, right?" Reed says dreamily, biting his lip as he intently studies all of the windows.
“And they can move ,” Tanner adds, and I shake my head at them.
"Don’t let me stop you guys," I say and slowly slip away from in between them to raised eyebrows and confused looks. "Oh, you don’t have to keep me company, either," I add with a knowing look to the couples and gesturing toward the dancing women. “Go knock yourselves out. I won’t tell anyone.”
"Please," Reed huffs and rolls his eyes at me. "They might be hot as fuck, but I’m not so desperate to get my dick wet that I’d pay for sex. How about you, Tanner?"
"I’m good." Tanner shoots us a wide grin, before turning right back around to watch the women.
"Kind of discriminatory there are no guys, though," I point out with a pout. What I’d give to have a sexy, half-naked man to ogle too right now. But the two of them shake their heads and both of the couples are in deep conversations on their own.
"Figures you two wouldn’t mind." Now it’s my turn to roll my eyes and I breathe a deep sigh into the cold air, watching it turn white in front of my face.
"This makes so much sense though,” Reed starts, and I wonder where this trail of thought will be going. “Just think of it—no hassle, just some good old fucking. Nothing more, nothing less."
“You make it sound like ordering food,” Tanner muses, making his younger brother shrug and give him a look that’s heavy with meaning. “Ah. Point taken.”
“Like takeout sex?” I giggle, but the more I think about it, the better it actually sounds, until I find myself nodding. "There have been days I would’ve gone for that."
Reed starts coughing while Tanner bursts into laughter when his brother’s cheeks turn beet red.
"You’re very direct," Tanner notes, voice laced with amusement.
"What’s direct about that?" I raise my eyebrow. “I’m talking about sex. You know, just like you two did.”
He’s about to answer and I’m all too curious about what the difference here is supposed to be to call me ‘direct’ when another voice from behind me creeps up my spine like a way-too-hard fingernail.
"Summer."
I freeze in my tracks, closing my eyes. Nope. This is not happening to me.
“Summer!”
Fuck. The voice only turns louder, until I take a deep breath, force a smile onto my face and turn around in slow motion, wishing I was anywhere but here.
"Mom? Dad?"
A look of pure embarrassment washes over my face, and from the corner of my eye, I see Reed and Tanner scrambling in a move so comical it would give Tom and Jerry a run for their money.
“What are you doing here?”
"You know, just having a walk," my dad says casually. “What are you all looking at?”
I shake my head, eyes wide with embarrassment as they come to a stop next to me to look at the brothel.
“My, they really can move,” Mom says, astonished while Dad lets out a low whistle.
God. Can the ground just open up now? I would be good with hell; it can only be better than standing here with my parents and listening to them talk about half naked women.
The two of them try to hide their grins, but they’re not very successful.
"Come on, Summer. Have a walk through the Red Light District—with your dear old parents." My mom’s grin widens, and she links her arm with mine to pull me along.
Why? Just why did I agree to Lily and come here?