13. Leo
13
LEO
“ M orning.” Jacob smiled from where he stood on the other side of my bedroom door. He was holding a cup of coffee in his hand, his rugged charm as present as always.
“Morning,” I mumbled back, my cheeks going red despite my best intentions. I felt like Jacob was able to read my mind, like he could somehow tell that I’d spent all last night thinking about him, even though we hadn’t been together.
Like he could tell that I’d broken one of his rules last night, too.
You don’t get to touch yourself anymore. If you want to come, you come to me.
Jacob’s words had been playing in the back of my mind on repeat, even as I’d slid a hand down my stomach while in the shower, even as I stroked myself to completion while thinking about him inside me. I’d been so stressed out last night trying to come up with ideas for the photoshoot this morning, that I just needed a moment to relax. Besides, it was already after midnight by the time I’d made it to the shower, and it didn’t feel right potentially waking Jacob up just to fuck me.
I was sure he had better things to do, like get a good night’s sleep.
“Are you okay?” Jacob stepped further into my bedroom, as he offered me the coffee. “Did you stay up too late last night?”
“No. I got enough sleep. Thanks.” I sheepishly took the coffee into my grip. “Thanks for the coffee.”
Jacob eyed me up and down, his gaze filled with suspicion. “Leo?”
“Yeah?”
“What’s going on with you today?” He pressed. “Is it just the photoshoot?”
“Yes. And no.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“What happens if I broke one of the rules?” I kept my voice low. “Will you be mad at me?”
“What rules are you talking about, Leo?” Jacob grinned, before his expression suddenly became sullen. “Wait. Shit. The rules. Did you?—”
He looked distraught, as he tried to finish his sentence. “Leo, did you—with someone else—was someone else in your room last night?—”
“No!” I nearly yelled. “No, Jacob. That’s not what I’m talking about.”
“Then, what are you talking about?”
“I touched myself last night.”
“What?”
“I couldn’t help it,” I started to plead my case. “I was so stressed out with photoshoot stuff. And I took a shower to help me calm down. But then, I started thinking about you.”
“What about me?”
“I started thinking about you taking me out for a night on the town… both of us ending up in the back of some club… your hand going down my pants as you make me come for you in a crowded room…” My cheeks grew hotter and hotter. “And then I thought about you taking me to the bathroom… bending me over the sink…”
“And?” Jacob’s fingers were trailing down either side of my waist.
“And claiming me… fucking me… telling the people knocking on the bathroom door that you were busy teaching me a lesson…”
“And what would that lesson be?”
“That I’m yours,” I admitted, even as I tried to laugh it off. “I mean, you don’t need to worry about me or anything. I know that’s never going to happen. I just thought it was something hot to think about.”
“You don’t think I’d ever take you out?”
“Sure, maybe if the snow ever clears while we’re here.” I laughed again, fighting off the embarrassment crawling up my chest. “I’m not dumb. I know what this is, Jacob. And I’m okay with that.”
Jacob seemed taken aback for a moment before his face went back to neutral. “You’re right. You did break the rules. But I’m not mad at you.”
“Really? You’re not?” I let out a sigh of relief and leaned toward him, going in for a kiss. “Good, because I was hoping we could maybe have some alone time this morning before the shoot?—”
“I think you’re misunderstanding me,” Jacob cut me off, before he kissed my forehead. “I’m not mad at you, but I am going to punish you.”
“Punish me? Punish me how?”
“I’m not going to touch you again until you’re begging me for it.”
“What? No.” I couldn’t help the frown that appeared on my face. “Jacob, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to?—”
“You knew the rules, baby.” Jacob grinned. “And if there aren’t consequences, what’s the point of having rules, anyway?”
“So, you’re really just going to not touch me?”
“Not until you’re at your breaking point, no.”
“Huh.” I moved away from him and folded my arms against my chest. “Not until I’m at my breaking point? Is that right?”
“That’s right.”
“In that case, let’s see who breaks first.” I shrugged. “You think you’re so perfectly composed, but I bet you’ll be the one begging for me by the end of the night.”
“Is that a challenge I hear in your voice, baby?” Jacob chuckled. “That’s so fucking cute.”
“We’ll see who gets the last laugh.” I playfully scoffed. “You Dom types always think you’re the only ones who can take charge. But it’s my turn now.”
“Oh, Leo.” Jacob sighed, wistfully. “I am so going to enjoy it when you come to me on your hands and knees, begging me to fuck you until you can barely breathe.”
Just then, my breath caught in my throat, as the thought of Jacob pumping away inside of me struck me with a desperate desire. I even felt my cock responding to the idea of it all, twitching behind my boxers, hardening against my will. Jacob looked down at my crotch, a wicked smile coming across his face as I was sure he noticed that I was already getting hard for him.
“Don’t,” I murmured, placing a hand over my cock, hiding it from Jacob’s view.
“I’m not doing anything, baby,” Jacob murmured back, a flash of hunger in his eyes. “But you should finish getting ready. You have a photoshoot to direct.”
I nodded before I walked away from the doorway, half-convinced that Jacob and I were both about to immediately lose our bet with each other.
“So? What are you thinking for today’s shoot, boss?” Tommy was sitting across from me in the café. “Anything come to you last night?”
Here it was. The moment of truth.
The moment when I had to admit that I truly had no idea what the next photoshoot was going to be. Despite my best efforts, I hadn’t really been able to come up with much, and certainly nothing that I’d be proud to show Tommy or the rest of the photography team.
“Oh, you know, just the usual.”
“Just the usual?” Tommy leaned in, like he wanted to soak in my every word.
His eagerness to hear what I had to say was the straw that broke the camel’s back. “Fine, Tommy! I don’t have anything! Is that what you wanted to hear?”
“What? Why would I want to hear that?” Tommy frowned. “We’re on the same team, boss. If things go wrong with this photoshoot, it’s going to come down on my head, too.”
“I know. You’re right. I’m sorry for taking my shit out on you.” I nodded toward the coffee station. “You want me to get you something to drink? I could also get you a plate of whatever Bradley’s cooking up for breakfast.”
“No, thanks. The only thing I want cooked up is a plan for how to fix this.”
“Right, you’re right again.” I let out a heavy sigh. “Maybe we should look online for inspiration?”
“Did someone say inspiration?” Diego appeared seemingly out of nowhere and took a seat at the table next to me.
“You got something to pitch, Diego? Because we’re all ears.” Tommy turned toward him.
But Diego quickly shook his head. “No. Not a pitch for an idea. A pitch for how to get an idea.”
“I’m not sure I follow.”
“Yeah, I don’t think I follow, either, Diego,” I added. “What are you talking about right now?”
“Pass the ball!” Diego shouted as he stood up from the table. “Pass the ball! Chris! Andrew! Keith!”
The rest of the guys hurried down the hall, not stopping until they were standing in front of our table.
“Pass the ball? Who needs us to pass the ball?”
“Leo, our fearless leader. And Tommy, our captain who will go down with his ship.” Diego pointed to both of us, as if the other guys had no idea who we were. “They desperately need our help to come up with an idea for the next photoshoot.”
“I think you’re making it sound more dire than it is—” I started.
“If we don’t come up with something, they’ll lose their livelihoods!” Diego interrupted. “They’ll lose their homes! Their loved ones will all abandon them for being failures!”
“Yeah, okay, that’s a bit dramatic—” I stopped myself, mid-sentence, realizing that pushing back on this was going to be a lost cause. “But I do love the energy. Still don’t know what passing a ball is going to do for us, though.”
“It’s going to open up your mind.” Chris offered me two thumbs up before he hurried back down the hall. “I’m going to grab a ball! I’ll be right back!”
“Trust me. You’re going to love this.” Andrew was beaming. “This has always been one of my favorite ways to pass the time when I’m going through something or trying to figure something out on the field.”
“I’m not really a fan of it.” Keith shrugged. “But that’s because I usually know how to figure my shit out without it.”
“That’s your problem, you know,” Diego replied. “You’re always pretending to be so perfect. No one’s perfect, my friend. Not even you.”
“Yeah? We’ll see about that.” Keith winked in his direction, before he started to walk away. “I’ll see y’all on the court.”
“Wait. The court?” I called out in confusion. “What court are you talking about? Where’s the court?!”
I was standing on what looked like an indoor tennis court.
I couldn’t have been sure about it, and I was too afraid to ask the athletes about it since I didn’t want to openly admit that I had no idea which sport this court belonged to.
But it had to be tennis, right? Maybe handball.
But what the fuck was handball?
It was the classic sports PR crisis, where people would’ve definitely assumed that I knew my shit when it came to literally every sport on earth. Even though, I only needed to keep up with the sports that had athletes represented by my agency.
“I think we’re supposed to stand over there,” Tommy said, nodding toward the other side of the court. I followed behind him, grateful that one of us had a clue what was going on.
“I didn’t even know this court was here,” I murmured. “Is this one of those situations where a new room appears every day the longer that we’re snowed in? Like a horror story?”
“More like no one told you where the Pickleball court was because you never asked.” Tommy laughed. “Don’t worry. I don’t think anyone took you for a Pickleball guy, anyway.”
“Pickleball!” I snapped my fingers as the realization dawned on me. “That’s right. Like tennis but not tennis.”
“We all need to be on the same side so the net doesn’t get in the way,” Diego instructed, as he expertly moved Chris’ soccer ball from one foot to another. “We should also break into teams. They don’t need to be even, but it’s probably easier if they are.”
“Mind if I join in, too?” Jacob’s voice carried across the court as he walked up next to me. “I’ll be on Team Leo or Team Tommy. Whatever they’re calling it.”
“Perfect!” Diego popped the soccer ball into the air then casually caught it in his hands. “The rest of us will be on the other side.”
“Can I ask a question?” I held up my hand, still confused about what was happening here. “What exactly are the rules? With the ball passing?”
“Right. Quick rundown,” Chris started, moving into place next to Diego. “The ball comes to you, you say whatever’s on your mind. Staying on topic isn’t necessary. We’re all just spit balling.”
“The point is to keep ideas moving through you,” Andrew added. “That’s all. And if something else shakes loose, that’s cool, too.”
Keith rolled his eyes. “Can we just get on with it? Please? Some of us have better things to do.”
“Feel free to catch the ball any way you want!” Diego shouted, before he kicked the ball right over to me. “The only rule is that you need to say something once you catch it! That’s it!”
I caught the ball with my hands, panic moving through me. “Uh, okay. I think the only thing on my mind right now is how you’re so good with a soccer ball when you’re a baseball star?”
I passed the ball back to Diego and he answered, “Because soccer was my first love. But we don’t always end up with our first loves, do we?”
Diego kicked the ball over to Tommy, and Tommy easily caught it. “Truer words have never been spoken. Although, if I ended up with my first love, I would’ve been divorced before I turned twenty-one.”
“My parents are divorced. Best decision they ever made,” Andrew said, surprising me by catching the ball with his feet. “Is that something for the photoshoot? Exploring our childhood trauma?”
“Yeah, no. I don’t think anyone wants to read about that,” I said, almost missing the ball toss. “Maybe save that for your memoirs? That kind of stuff tends to kill when it’s in book form.”
“Actually, there might be something there,” Jacob added, before he held up his hands. “Wait. Shit. Am I allowed to talk without the ball?”
“There’s only one rule!” Diego reminded him, as he kicked the ball over to Jacob.
“Right! Got it!” Jacob nodded. “Anyway, yeah. I don’t think we should focus on childhood trauma, but maybe we could focus more on the guys? Like doing mini-interviews?”
“Mini-interviews? As in, you want me to get in contact with their managers and come up with a list of questions?” I frowned. “Because that could take weeks to approve.”
“Leo is right. That kind of thing can be a huge waste of time,” Keith said, the ball in his grip. “We represent way too many brands between us. The pipeline is going to get clogged.”
“What happens if we do it, anyway? And ask for forgiveness later?”
“That’s a huge risk, Jacob.”
“I don’t know. Could be worth it.” Tommy hummed. “But what are we thinking for the photos? I’m worried we’re running out of unique angles for those.”
“The trauma!” I excitedly shouted, as the soccer ball almost whizzed by my head.
“What?”
“Not the trauma, not exactly what I meant.” I shook my head, a wild grin still on my face. “I just mean, what if we do a photoshoot that’s about what all of you wanted to be when you grew up? Your first loves? People would be shocked to see Diego with a soccer ball, just like we were.”
“I could do something with a green screen set-up. Since I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up,” Andrew suggested. “I think I packed a suit, too.”
“I could do like a sexy police officer sort of thing? Or a firefighter? I always wanted to be the tough guy rescuing people.” Chris tossed the ball between his ankles.
“Sure, but why does it have to be sexy?”
“Because I’m sexy?” Chris seemed puzzled by the question. “What else am I going to look like, Andrew?”
“What about you, Keith?” Tommy asked. “What did you want to be when you grew up?”
“A famous basketball player—and oh wait—looks like my dream came true.” Keith beamed.
“We can work with that.” Tommy shrugged. “Try to put you in a jersey, make it look oversized, make your shoes look too big for you. Still get the kid feeling going.”
“Uh, super interesting how everyone’s talking like this is already a done deal?” I chimed into the conversation. “Sure, we could try it and ask for permission later, but worst case scenario, we don’t have a usable photoshoot.”
“Are you seriously trying to tell me that you won’t be able to finesse everyone’s manager? You don’t have any contacts that could push this through for you?” Jacob quirked an eyebrow, while the rest of the guys stared at me, waiting for me to respond.
I let out a heavy sigh before I spoke. “Maybe I could make it work?—”
“He’s going to make it work!” Diego cheered first, and the rest of the court followed behind him.
“I said maybe! Maybe!” I repeated, my words being drowned out by the celebration. A few seconds later, and I was being lifted into the air by Diego, Andrew, and Chris, now cheering my name in unison.
“Leo! Leo! Leo! Leo!”
“Jacob! Tommy! Help! I’m being kidnapped!” I playfully screamed out, as the guys proceeded to carry me off the court and back into the hall.
“Are you working on your laptop and your phone? At the same time?” Jacob asked as he walked up to my table in one of the lobbies. I’d been practically glued to my seat ever since I’d been carried off the court, springing into action as I contacted various agents and managers.
As I put together the most inoffensive list of interview questions known to man.
“I’m waiting in a room for a video call on my laptop, I’m on hold in Japan, and I think someone just sent me an email in French.” My voice was lined with panic. “The good news is that everyone’s getting back to me really fast. The bad news is that I have no idea how to pitch this without them needing to run it by a billion committees.”
“All of this? Really? Just to talk about their childhoods?” Jacob took a seat next to me.
“It’s all part of their brand,” I explained. “And anything that might affect the brand has to be pre-approved. Plus, for all we know, Diego’s team already sold him as a baseball obsessive since he was a kid. The soccer thing is fun, but it could also possibly blow things up.”
“Blow things up with?”
“The sponsors—Hi! Sorry. I wasn’t talking to y—Is Mr. Watanabe there? He’s not? Can I leave a message?” I held up a finger toward Jacob, motioning for him to give me a minute. “It’s about one of his clients, Diego, and it’s urgent. You can just have him call me back whenever he’s in the office. Thanks!”
“I think you might need a break, baby.” Jacob stared at me, his eyes filled with concern. “Did you even eat lunch? Or at least, an early dinner?”
“You’re right. I do need a break. I need for someone to give me a green light to go ahead with this photoshoot idea.” I lightly laughed at my own joke. “Once we have that figured out, everything else should be smooth-ish sailing?—”
“Come with me.”
“Jacob, I can’t.” I frowned. “I need to get this taken care of?—”
“Yeah? And someone needs to take care of you.”
“You’re becoming an expert in distracting me from my work. You know that?”
“Good.” Jacob smirked. “You need someone to remind you to come up for air.”
Jacob stood up from his seat beside me and held out his hand. “Come on. I’ll have you back in time to slip right back into stress mode.”
“You’re not going to stop until I go with you, are you?”
“Bingo.”
I smirked back at Jacob, right before I closed my laptop and took his hand. A few moments later, Jacob and I were all the way down the hall, our fingers intertwined. Jacob stopped in front of a slightly larger door, with no light coming from behind it. I watched as he pulled it open, a set of steps leading down into a tunnel of darkness.
“Oh.”
“Oh?”
“Is this the part where you murder me?” I looked over at him. “Because that’s definitely a murder basement.”
“I would never murder you, Leo.”
“That’s exactly what a murderer would say.”
Jacob playfully rolled his eyes before he flicked on a light switch, one that must’ve been hidden behind the door. “It’s a basement. I found it the other day after you finished giving me the grand tour.”
“I didn’t know this place had a basement,” I murmured. “Although, I didn’t know there was a Pickleball court here, either.”
“The lodge is full of surprises,” Jacob said, as he reached for my hand again. “And we’re not even done yet.”
Jacob began to head down the basement steps, with me following his every move. Once we reached the bottom of the steps, I noticed a ladder on the side of a wall, the top of it cut off from view. Jacob moved toward the ladder, his hand leaving mine as he gripped either side of it.
“You’re not afraid of heights, are you?”
“Not when I’m around other people, no,” I said, even as a shiver of fear ran through me.
Jacob suddenly moved back from the ladder. “Here. You go first. If anything happens, I’ll be right behind you to catch you.”
“You sure about that?”
“Do you trust me?”
“You already know the answer to that.” I walked up to the ladder, gripping onto one of the higher rungs. I took in a deep breath as I began to climb it, trying my best to not think about how high up I was going or for how long. When I finally reached the top, I realized that I was still inside the lodge, just underneath a roof that I didn’t quite recognize. I shifted away from the ladder, confusion running through my veins.
“Where are we?” I turned to look back at Jacob as he finished climbing up the ladder.
“Somewhere in the lodge? I’m not exactly sure.” He shrugged. “I think this room was initially supposed to be part of the main lodge, but something happened. It kind of seems like they just left it. Or maybe they haven’t had the chance to do anything with it yet.”
“Someone’s been keeping it up, though.” I nodded toward the pristine hot tub, right before I noticed the pillows and blankets piled right next to it. They were just as pristine as the tub, with inviting and luxurious fabric.
“Is that—did you—” I started.
“I also got us a nice bottle of wine,” Jacob said, pulling a bottle of wine from out of the corner. “I told you. You need to relax.”
“Does anyone else even know this part of the lodge is here?”
“Probably no one, except for the employees.” Jacob smiled. “Which I think makes this place our little secret .”
“Has anyone told you that you’re wildly romantic?”
“What?”
“Nothing.” I instantly regretted my words, embarrassment flooding my system. “I just think this is pretty cool. That’s all.”
Jacob uncorked the wine before he handed me the bottle. “I think you’re pretty cool. That’s all.”
I let out a harsh laugh just as I took a sip of wine straight out of the bottle. I let the warmth of it seep into my system, the taste of it perfectly bitter and sweet. “God. I feel like I haven’t had a drink out of the bottle since I was in high school.”
“Sounds like you were a bit of a troublemaker.”
“Completely the opposite. I was obsessed with getting good grades and staying at the top of my class. The only reason I ever had any fun was because my friends would practically drag me out of the house.” I smiled, thinking of the memories. “Someone usually brought some stolen beer or wine from their parents’ place. And then, it was really bad karaoke and even worse dietary choices. There was this chicken and noodles place, with the best teriyaki?—”
I suddenly stopped speaking as I felt myself getting choked up. “Sorry. I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s going on with me right now.”
“What did you want to be when you grew up, Leo?” Jacob’s voice was soft. “Back when you were in high school? Having a good time with your friends?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I think I just wanted to be good at something. And eventually, I figured out that I was really good at PR. Networking. Being the most liked person in the room, so I could convince people that my ideas were good, too.”
“I didn’t know what I wanted to be back then, either. Not until I met Damon and Parker. I’m pretty sure I was just living life one day at a time.”
“Sounds kind of nice. Better than stressing out for four years.”
“It was a different kind of stress.” Jacob took the bottle out of my hand and brought it to his lips. “I like to think I’ve got it all figured out by now.”
“Sure. Right.” I scoffed. “I’ve got all the answers now. For sure.”
“You’ve got more of the answers than you think.”
“Based on what exactly?”
“The fact that you’re about to work a miracle with that photoshoot. The fact that you’re so anxious all the time, even when you’ve got everything in the bag.”
“Anxiety is good. Anxiety is how you know you’re alive.”
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s the only way to know you’re alive.” Jacob grinned as he closed the distance between us, the wine bottle now at his side. He then leaned down toward me, his lips grazing softly against mine.
“Hi.” It was all I could think to say, the wine making my thoughts a little fuzzy.
“Hi.” Jacob sighed against my lips before he moved away, taking another sip of wine.
“Wait. Does that mean I win?” My face lit up with a smile. “You touched me. You lose.”
“Not really. No. I mean, would you even really call that a kiss?”
“Come on! That has to count! You lose!” I pumped my arms in the air, pleased with myself. “You just couldn’t resist me.”
“Sure. Whatever you need to tell yourself.” Jacob shook his head with a laugh. “It still doesn’t change anything. I’m not touching you again until you’re begging me for it.”
“Then you’ll be waiting a long time, since one of us has damn good resolve.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Jacob hummed before he set the bottle of wine down next to him. The next thing I knew, he was pulling off his shirt, letting it fall down by his feet. After that, he casually pulled down his pants and boxers, too, not stopping until he was fully naked in front of me. I tried my best to look away from him but couldn’t resist stealing glimpses of him out of the corner of my eye.
“How’s that damn good resolve of yours?” Jacob laughed. “You can’t even look at me right now. That’s how much you want me.”
“I never said anything about wanting you.”
“Careful, Leo.” Jacob’s hands were now at my side, even as I still looked away from him. “I know you’re competitive, but that’s no reason for you to start lying to me.”
“Fine,” I admitted. “You look good. But you already knew that.”
“You look good, too.” Jacob was staring right at me. “Maybe we could call a truce?”
“Maybe.” I smirked as I moved away from him. “Or maybe we could restart the clock. See if I win again.”
“Oh, you’re evil.” Jacob laughed again. “I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting this from you, baby.”
I shrugged, already walking toward the pillows and blankets he’d laid out, pleased with myself for passing Jacob’s naked test. “Always expect the unexpected. That’s what us winners tend to do.”
“Right. Of course.”
“You’ll get it someday, you know, when you’re a winner,” I said, as I lay down, patting the space right next to me. Jacob eventually came over, still naked, still tempting as ever.
“I’m looking forward to the day.” Jacob pulled me closer to him as he spoke, close enough that I was resting my head against his chest.
I didn’t say another word, just relaxed against him, my mind soon drifting off toward unconsciousness. It was a strange kind of pleasant, getting lost in the feel of Jacob, not knowing that it was possible to let myself get lost in a person. The last thing I felt was Jacob’s fingers gently moving through my hair, his touch wondrously soft and comforting.
Home.
The word appeared and then disappeared, as I finally closed my eyes to sleep.