Chapter Seven #2
“It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? I even thought so back in Oahu. Him putting you up at the Four Seasons, how he always hung out with Haukea and you between shots. So, how long has it been going on?” Eneki says all so casually, taking a sip from his dying cocktail.
Letting what Eneki observed wash over him, Jeremy decides to deny and say, “It’s not like that. We’re just friends.”
“Yeah, cuz all friends get that bent out of shape about their pal sleeping with someone else,” Eneki sarcastically points out.
Drinking more, Jeremy puckers his lips and asks, “How did you know that Merle and I had sex?”
“Like I said, it’s obvious,” Eneki tilts his glass so the ice falls out to the grass below.
Jeremy sighs, saying more to himself than Eneki, “If I’d known that he was the director then I wouldn’t’ve fucked him.”
“Really? You sure about that?” Eneki sounds skeptical.
“You see the mess I’ve gotten myself into, right? Why would I actively choose for this to happen?”
Eneki lifts a brow and replies, “Don’t worry, e ku’u hoaloha. But have you thought of what you’re going to say to them?”
“Yeah, I’ll go apologize to Clark first. He’s my boss on and off set, so it really wasn’t cool of me to go on a date with the director,” Jeremy inhales deeply and exhales heavily, continuing, “But then I should go and see what Merle had to say.”
“And what if he wants another round?” Eneki asks outright.
“Then I’ll turn him down.”
Eneki cocks his head, “Will you?”
“Yes. I have some self control, believe it or not,” Jeremy huffs, taking another swig from his beer.
Chuckling, Eneki says, “We’ll see.”
Some people have been walking past them, paying them no mind as they traverse from the front of the house to the back without having to fight the crowd inside. Glancing amongst the faces, a couple catch him off guard and he calls out, “Yana! Clarice!”
Yana turns her head and smiles over to Jeremy, cutting over to him, “Hey.”
Clarice rolls her eyes and follows, huffing, “Hello.”
“What are you doing here?” Jeremy asks them.
“What? You think you’re the only one allowed to have fun?” Yana crosses her arms and leans back on her foot. Jeremy raises a brow and she groans, admitting, “Fine. Some of us snuck in.”
“But look at this place, it’s huge!” Clarice cuts in, gesticulating to the large manor, “No way Clark or Laurelai are going to catch us.”
“Who all’s here?”
“Oh, uh, that reminds me,” Yana shifts her weight, “Barry’s looking for you.”
“Barry’s here?” Jeremy looks around, kicking off the wall and standing up straight.
“Who’s Barry?” Eneki pipes up.
Clarice gestures at him, “Who’s this?”
“Y’all, this is Eneki, he was the head horse wrangler on set. Eneki, this is Yana, she’s our horse trainer here, and Clarice, the veterinarian,” Jeremy quickly introduces them.
“Nice to meet you,” Yana extends her hand as Clarice crosses her arms and looks around.
Eneki takes it and shakes gently, “Hello.”
“So you were saying about Barry?” Jeremy presses to keep the conversation on track.
“Right,” Yana looks to the side, readjusting her weight, “Yeah, he came cuz, you know, the whole Clark kissing you thing. Didn’t think it was wise to have you two alone drinking at a party.”
“What! He told you that?” Jeremy balks.
Eneki is right with him, shocked and saying, “Clark kissed you? I knew something was going on between you two.”
Yana shrugs, “Yeah, he told me all about that surfer guy too.”
“No, honey, get this,” Eneki leans in, touching her shoulder, “The surfer was actually the director of the movie, Rezai!”
Yana gasps, “You had sex with the Rezai? I love his work! Oh my god, is he here? Could you introduce me?”
“Look, I cannot run into Barry tonight. Clark will lose his goddamn mind if he sees us together,” Jeremy tells them both very seriously.
“Oh, you’re worried about Clark?” Clarice scrunches her face at him, “What about Barry, huh? Have you thought about how he feels?”
“Who is Barry?” Eneki insistently asks again.
Ryan pokes his head into the triangle and says, “Hey! I’m back!”
He hands a drink to his husband and sips his own refilled cocktail, Eneki telling him, “You’re just in time. Yana, Clarice, this is my husband, Ryan.”
“Charmed,” Ryan holds out his hand palm side down.
Yana smiles and delicately shakes his fingertips, “Hi.”
“Apparently there’s this new guy named Barry, and get this, Clark and Jeremy have kissed,” Eneki brings him up to speed before Jeremy can stop him.
Ryan’s jaw drops and he loudly whispers, “I knew it!”
“Mhm,” Eneki takes a sip from his new cocktail and turns back to Yana, asking, “So who is this Barry?”
Jeremy jumps in, “He’s just a friend.”
Yana slaps Jeremy on the arm and says, “How dare you! Is that really all you think of him? After all you put him through?”
“Ooh, no he didn’t,” Ryan sips at his cocktail.
“Fine,” Jeremy huffs, pushing Yana’s arm back and telling Eneki and Ryan the truth, “He’s this ranch hand here that I sometimes, you know…”
“Booty call,” Ryan supplies.
Jeremy shrugs, “Yeah, basically.”
“Ugh. That is so degrading,” Clarice rolls her eyes.
“Oh, by the way,” Ryan leans in, gesticulating emphatically while he speaks, “So, get this! Merle and Clark’s argument got broken up by Laurelai!
She pulled Clark aside and they got into their own thing.
Merle’s been walking around, probably looking for you, Jeremy.
But I followed Clark and Laurelai, they got caught up with this guy and girl!
I bet you anything they’re planning to swing tonight. ”
“What makes you say that?” Eneki questions him.
Ryan shrugs and says over the rim of his fluted glass, “They were getting really comfortable with the other couple is all I’m sayin’.”
“I don’t think so,” Jeremy shakes his head, “Clark’s just naturally flirtatious. But he gets really jealous, I can’t see him sharing Laurelai.”
“You never know at these sorts of parties, Jeremy,” Eneki adds, “Lots of things can happen that you wouldn’t typically expect.”
“You don’t say,” Jeremy mutters, finishing the rest of his beer. He starts to step away from the group, saying, “Thanks for your help y’all, but I think it’s time I cleaned up my mess.”
“Try to stay inside if you don’t want to see Barry,” Yana suggests, “I think he was looking for you out here.”
“And last I saw Clark was in one of the back rooms, the one with all the books,” Ryan tacks on.
Eneki waves goodbye, “Aloha, Jeremy. And good luck.”
He nods to the group, ducking into the shadows and making his way to the back of the house with the last beer from the six pack in hand.
Making his way through the house is a feat, spilling half his beer and drinking the rest as he elbows through the throng.
It takes forever to search each room, looking for somewhere he assumes resembles a library.
Eventually, he finds exactly that. A large and heavy mahogany door leads to a more chilled and quiet room where people lounge around and pass a blunt or mingle around the self service bar in the back.
Jeremy scans the room but doesn’t find Clark.
He decides to take the opportunity of this reprieve to get himself another whiskey, putting it on the rocks.
Sipping the drink and getting his buzz going again, he looks over the room once more and spies an interior door, smaller and made of a different wood.
Approaching the handle, a woman calls out, “Jeremy Munday, how are you?”
Monica, Clark’s personal assistant, walks up to him and smiles. He nods to her and says, “Hey, it’s been a minute. I’d love to catch up but I’m actually looking for Clark. Have you seen him?”
“Um,” her eyes land on the door behind Jeremy’s back.
He looks to it and asks her, “In there?”
“No!” She says way too quickly, trying to save face by smirking and adding casually, “No, I mean, I haven’t seen him.”
Jeremy bites his bottom lip and squints at her, saying, “I feel like he’s in there.”
“Nope.”
“I’m just going to go take a quick look,” Jeremy turns to the door.
Monica grabs his arm and pulls him back, “No, really don’t!”
Liquor and beer making him more stubborn than usual, Jeremy yanks his hand away and hurriedly rushes toward the door, swinging it open.
The first thing he’s greeted with is the image of Clark’s bare ass flexing as he thrusts in and out of a naked man bent underneath him. Jeremy blinks when Laurelai says from beside him, “Howdy, cowboy.”
Jeremy looks to the side and locks eyes with a naked Laurelai as Jackie eats her out.
The ranch hand doesn’t seem to have noticed Jeremy’s entrance, her mouth licking and sucking the labia and flattening against her vulva.
But Clark heard Laurelai very clearly, Jeremy sensing the movement slowing from that part of the small sitting room.
Unable to stop himself, Jeremy glances over once more and catches sight of the base of Clark’s cock as it starts to pull out of the anonymous ass.
His eyes flick up and hardly catch Clark’s from over his shoulder before Jeremy is jetting back out of the room and racing out of the library, Monica calling after him, “I tried to stop you!”
Officially done with this party, Jeremy downs the rest of his whiskey and sets the tumbler on the first flat surface he can find as he pushes back through the congested hallways.
He’s squeezing by sideways when a large hand comes up and grabs on to Jeremy’s wrist. Fear strikes him but he looks back and is relieved to see it’s Barry.
In the middle of the crowd, Jeremy rushes Barry and collapses in on his large chest. He knew he was trying to avoid the ranch hand, but some familiarity right now is exactly what he needs. Looking up, he says to Barry, “I’m leaving.”
“What?” Barry doesn’t hear him, turning his head.
Jeremy speaks up, “I’m leaving! Now!”
“No!” Barry calls out, wrapping his arms around Jeremy, “Don’t go! Let’s dance!”