39. THE ONE WHERE HE MEETS HEX
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
THE ONE WHERE HE MEETS HEX
WestParkerComedy: Idk why but the guys @LaughMoreBmore asked me to hang with them today… Your mom should check out their livestream
Comment: Mom says she wants to know if you and Hex are together before she gets her hopes up!
Comment reply: I must be your mom cuz same
“I promised Andrew I wouldn’t ask, but I can’t do it.” We made it to the end of my interview, and the second I think I’m in the clear, somehow managing to make it through without a single mention of Hex, one of the hosts finally breaks.
“James,” Andrew scolds like Enzo would.
“Listen, we’ll cut it. Swear, if that’s what you want.” James holds his hands up, looking at Andrew and then me.
I take my hat off, run a hand through my hair and laugh before putting it back on backwards. They record the show for visual platforms too. I have to show up as West Parker. “I already know where this is going.” I nod him on.
James rubs his hands together and does a funny gremlin laugh. “Thank you,” he drawls, sitting forward in his chair. He stares me down, getting serious. He says one word. “Hex.”
The look on Joey’s face after I left her flustered on the couch flashes in my mind. I bite my lip and puff a laugh through my nose. “What about her?” I don’t break character, keeping the giddy love drunk idiot who perks up when Joey’s mentioned hidden.
It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.
James guffaws. “I mean, where do you wanna start?” He unlocks his phone, opening to a screen of notes.
He scrolls so I can see. “These are all questions our listeners asked about you and Hex.” He’s still scrolling.
“Say anything and you’ll probably answer at least three of them.
” He locks his phone and drops it in his lap.
I shrug. “Ask me a question, and I might be able to answer it.”
Andrew seems to be interested too, his eyes narrowing. “Did you two actually know each other before your first viral video?” He addresses one of our most asked questions, the world suspicious that this started as a set up and didn’t just end up as one.
“No.” I bite the inside of my cheek, intentionally fighting a smile people will interpret as a lie. “I met her that night.”
“And now you’re dating?” James asks this time. “Cause no disrespect.” He looks at the camera, like Joey’s in the room with us. “But Hex, you’re fine as hell, and if this guy’s fumbling you…” Bringing his hand up to his ear like a phone, he mouths, call me.
“You wouldn’t stand a chance. She’d eat you alive,” I say with finality, ending our short-lived rapid-fire Hex questions.
Once the interview’s wrapped, Andrew and James invite us out for drinks at a bar across the street from the studio.
I invite Joey, which she declines, and then I give her a head’s up about giving the podcast permission to include the Hex bit in the episode.
She gives the message a thumbs up, and I do my best to not think about her all alone in the penthouse.
I’m on my second beer when she finally texts back.
Joey baby
I have an idea for our first video… I’d like to post before they do.
You might wanna let the guys know we need the living room for a bit tonight.
Me
Did your alone time give you some inspiration?
Joey baby
No, your kiss did though.
She sends two pictures. I only see a glimpse of the first before my phone slips from my hand, clattering against the table. I snatch it up, worried someone might see my screen. Holding the phone against my chest, I chuckle. “Sorry. Butter fingers…” I stand up. “Be right back.”
The second my back’s to the table, I hit Dial on Joey’s contact.
She answers on the fifth ring, giving me enough time to scan the whole text.
“What can I help you with, Hotshot?” Joey sounds innocent, as if she hadn’t sent two pictures in different Hex-modified lingerie sets with the question: which one do you think West Parker would like best? To me… West fucking Parker.
“You can help me understand why you’d send those pictures when I’m sitting at a table full of men,” I say, pushing through the front door of the loud bar.
“Oh, so it’s only okay if you send me pictures? That’s not fair.” I can hear the pout on her perfect lips.
“You’re not gonna make me film these videos with you, and then tell me I can’t fuck you again, are you?” I bite my knuckle until I can assure I won’t pass out from the anticipation.
“Mmm.” I feel her hum in my dick. “No, you’ve been a good boy. I’m all yours for five more weeks.” The reminder of the ticking clock hanging above our heads, counting down the days we have left together, threatens to steal my excitement. “Don’t leave me waiting too long.”
“Put the maroon one back on. I’ll be there in thirty minutes.” I hang up and immediately request a ride, texting Enzo next.
Me
Joey wants to get ahead of the podcast and film our first video tonight.
We’d prefer not to have an audience…
Let us work out the kinks first
Enzo
We’ll add filming time to the schedule next week. I want nothing of mine to overlap with that.
I’ll tell Andrew and James sometimes you disappear.
Me
Kinda like I’m hexed
I’ve been scolded by Joey at least twenty times already for trying to stray us from the task at hand, but I’m not really sure if anyone would be surprised to hear that I’m struggling to keep my fucking hands off her.
The second I walked in and she was in the tiny maroon corset option, I turned into a street mutt being teased with a juicy steak.
She treated me like the dog I was being too, even went as far as to say, “after. Once you’ve finished your job, you can have your treat.”
I complained loudly, but it worked.
Once again, I show just how fucked this woman’s got me. I’ll even sit and stay if she asks, let her rub my belly—whatever her little heart desires as long as she’s giving me attention.
Puppy Parker, reporting for duty!
“Are you ready?” Joey asks, sitting on the edge of the massive luxury couch after making me change a total of four times.
I nod. “As long as I’m finally up to your standards?”
She purposely trails her eyes up my body slowly, a smile pulling at the corner of her lips the higher she goes. “Delicious,” she says seconds after those icy green eyes connect with mine.
I’m in a pair of black slacks, hanging low off my hips, and nothing else, but I wish I wasn’t wearing anything with the way Joey’s staring.
She stands and goes over the plan one more time. I’m only half listening after she turns around, her ass peeking out of the white button up she added to her outfit after taking it from me.
At first, she wanted me to look my part, to be West Parker, but the second I showed up and she put me in place for test shots, I could see the wheels turning in her head. “This one’s being posted from my account… I think we need to have you match my aesthetic.”
And here we are now, with half of an outfit on me, and the other on her.
She spins around, leans against the window, going through the movements for what feels like the hundredth time. “That’s when you’ll grab the book. Your full face will never be in frame.”
The first video is meant to be seen as a soft launch. A confirmation without confirming anything at all.
“Got it.” I give her a thumbs up, ready to get this over with so the real fun can start.
She nods, nibbling at her lip once. Twice. Three times. “Good. Okay. Stand here.” Joey puts her hands on my shoulders, situating me exactly where she wants me. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”
Careful not to move, I look over my shoulder at the busy street below. The cityscape twinkles, reflecting off the rain specks. It’s the perfect backdrop for our video.
I hear Joey return, but when I shift to look at her, she’s flipping off unnecessary lights, facing away, but I know what I’m going to see when she turns around.
Or rather, who…
It feels like time slows to half speed, and she’s emerging out of the shadows where she lives. The white button up hangs off one shoulder, her long legs drawing my attention. By the time I make it to see Joey in the mask for the first time, she’s within arm’s reach.
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
It’s one of her smaller masks with short twisted gray sheep horns. It has the masquerade fit, covering from her nose to about an inch below her hairline, with the typical Hex touch—a smear of blood on the horns, moss and hanging red jewels to match the maroon of her corset.
I swallow a breath and can feel it all the way down my throat. If the room were silent, it might have been possible to hear me gulp.
“Don’t forget to breathe.” Did she mean to say that like a sex-line operator or is this the person she becomes when she’s Hex?
Have I never really met Hex? Is this a new version of Joey?
I inhale.
Bad idea. Bad. Fucking. Idea. I catch her scent and groan, running a hand through my hair. The back of my head hits the window, hopefully rattling some sense into me.
I’m not sure my knuckle can take any more damage, but I need a little pain to keep me from absolutely losing my mind. “God-fucking-damnit, Joey. Fuck. Hold on.” I peek at her, and she’s taking a step towards me. “No, no.” I hold a hand out. “You stay there.”
“You’re gonna have to touch me for the video, West.” She puts her hand on her hip, and I almost slide down the glass with despair like this is the music video to a hit breakup song.
“I need a minute, just a second. Has anyone ever seen you as Hex in person?” I’m talking so fast I’m not totally sure what I’m saying.
Joey pauses, and I feel the energy shift. “No,” she answers softly.
My funny goes away, and I get serious. This isn’t about me and how exhilarating it is to be the first to experience her like this… It’s about Joey and her showing someone Hex for the first time.
I get my shit together, reminding myself that Joey’s more than just some horny fantasy. This moment isn’t just mine.
“You okay?” I don’t need to see her facial expressions to read her body language or eyes.