Cam

We sit a foot apart on the couch, eating out of the takeout cartons of Chinese food. Jacks ordered too much food, and when he shoves the last bit of undon noodles into his mouth, he leans back and groans as he hands the carton in my direction. I push it away, I can’t eat anymore food.

“That tastes so fucking good,” he breathes out. The sound is sexy as hell.

Down, girl. Put away those thoughts and remember he is off limits. He’s your brother’s best mate. And you know that fact will prevent Jacks from ever starting anything with you.

I watch him. His head leans on the back of the couch, his hand still gripping the carton, and he has a lazy smile on his face. He lifts his head and looks at me.

“I’ve never seen someone so happy about Chinese food.” He looks a little turned on. I’m sure that’s just my wants and desires altering what I see.

“I generally don’t allow myself to eat this stuff, but every now and then I cheat and eat unhealthy.”

“I think my microwave dinner was more nutritious than this, but I do have to say it all tasted good.” I lick the end of my chopsticks.

I look over to him and he’s watching my movements. He sits up and clears his throat.

“So, Mal knows you’re staying here.” He changes the subject.

My brother was surprised when we discussed my current living arrangements over dinner the other night. I was surprised as well. I figured Jacks would have mentioned it to him. Unknowingly, I let the cat out of the bag then got a stern lecture from Mal about men and roommates.

“Yeah, I didn’t know you were keeping me a secret,” I tease him.

“I had forgotten to mention it, but now I’m charged with making sure you stay out of trouble and don’t date any assholes.”

“So you’re my keeper now?”

“You’re not a prisoner, Cam, you know that. I guess he just wants me to look out for you.”

“Hard to do that when you avoid home.”

“I’m not avoiding home, I’m just… busy.”

“Were you always this busy?” I ask.

“That’s a loaded question.” He shakes his head.

“Answer me this, then. Before I moved in, were you home a little more?” I question.

“I might have been.”

“So you haven’t been home because of me?” He lets my question hang in the air before he looks at me and takes a deep breath.

“You’re a temptation, Cam. You’re also my best mate’s blood. I’m trying to do the right thing by that and, I guess, keep some distance between us to prevent anything from happening between us again.”

I’m a temptation to him, but he doesn’t want me. Or he does want me, but he can’t have me. Tears sting my eyes, but I blink them back and stand up.

“I don’t want you avoiding your own home because you feel like you need to not be around me. I’m sorry that I’ve put you in this position.” I move to go to my bedroom, a room that I will no longer be sleeping in soon because now I know that I should go and not stay here.

“No.” Jacks’s voice booms through the house and he lunges for me and grabs my hand.

“No? Jacks you just said—”

“You’re taking this all wrong, Cam. I don’t want you to go.”

“But you are deliberately staying away from your own house because I’m here. That’s unfair to you,” I protest.

“No, I’m staying away from home because I want you so fucking much that I need to keep distance between us in order to control myself.”

“Why?” I ask, my voice quiet.

“Why what?”

“Why do you need to stay away. What’s wrong with you being close to me?”

“We can’t happen. Your brother—”

“He has no say in who I date, what I do.”

“Your brother is my best mate and I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t be keen on you and me.”

“Have you asked him?”

“No, and I don’t intend to. Cam, this attraction between us, we cannot pursue it.”

“I don’t think it’s something that can be controlled,” I whisper.

“Listen, you’re a good person. You are amazing, Cam. Beautiful and amazing. You don’t need to get involved with me. You should hang out with your friends, have fun. You and I are just not compatible. We can’t be.”

“We can’t or you refuse?” My hands go to my hips and I stick out my foot.

“Cam, let’s just drop it. Your brother wouldn’t approve,” he says with finality.

“My brother isn’t the one to approve my relationships. I am.” I stomp my foot and storm out of the living room, down the hall and into the bedroom like a child. I slam the door and lock it as I throw myself on the bed.

I should have just looked him in the eye and told him to fuck off with his prehistoric views of romance. That my brother doesn’t get a say in who I date and that he should take off his diapers and be a man!

Instead, I lock myself in my room and let the anger boil, avoiding him for the rest of his only night off.

* * *

The argument from two nights ago that Jacks and I had is still is fresh on my mind. He told me to go out with friends and have fun, not think about him or us being anything. He’s gone back to putting the distance between us, as he had apparently been doing since I moved in, and I haven’t seen him once.

Meanwhile, I meet up with Sam and a few of her friends after work at the Ice Bar in the Monte Carlo hotel. As I put on the warm fur coat the bar provides, I head into the bar and am met with a chill that I wasn’t expecting. It’s a welcome sensation after the scorching heat of the Las Vegas sun in the summer.

I’ve been in Las Vegas for three months and, in that short span, I’ve learned that this time of year in the city I’ve chosen to make my home in is bright and unbearably hot. Luckily, I work indoors and the air conditioning was constantly pumping, making the indoors comfortable.

Before I approach Sam and company, I grab a shot of vodka and a beer at the ice bar along the wall, then proceeded to the area at the back of the bar where they were sitting.

“Caaaaaaaam!” Sam cheers as I sidle up to her. “Everyone. This is my wonderful, gorgeous, Australian friend, Cameron. Cam, this is everyone!” She waves her hand exaggeratedly to the table as she slurs out her introductions.

After making the official introductions, we all take a few more shots and then decide on where to go next.

“Let’s go bust up some parties!” someone says.

“No, I want to go to another bar!”

“Let’s go to a strip club!” another person cheered.

That perks up my attention. I am all for a strip club, and I have one specific club in mind. It helps that my current roommate and obsession is half owner of one. So what if my brother was the other owner? With Jacks being the night manager, I knew I wouldn’t run into Malcolm and get the whole big brother treatment. Even though I am still upset with Jacks, I want to go out and not think about the crappy shit that was said the other night.

Hmmm. I wonder what kind of treatment I’ll get from Jacks. Will he be pissed off at me for showing up or will he continue to ignore me and keep his distance?

“Cam? Cam?” All eyes are on me.

“Yes?” My eyes focus on their faces staring back.

“What’s your vote?” Sam asks.

“Strip club. And I know just the one,” I say with a devious smile.

* * *

Less than an hour later, we’re walking across the threshold of The Essentials. Tonight, is a co-ed night and my favorite bartender is working behind the bar.

Janae was in my brother’s wedding as she has become a good friend of Beck’s and she was aces to hit the dance floor with. We tossed back a bunch of shots and danced around the entire wedding like two rotten dills without a care in the world. She even became my wingman when it came to getting Jacks to start drinking with us.

I stroll right up and lean on the bar, waiting on Janae to notice me.

“What’s it take to get a decent drink in this horrible town?” I sigh when her eyes meet mine and wiggle my eyebrows at her jokingly.

She leans forward, mischief in her smile. “What do we have here?”

“Oh, we’re just looking for some fun.” I smile while looking around. “And some skin.”

“You’re lucky your brother isn't here with you looking like that. How drunk are you already?” She wipes down the spot on the bar in front of me.

I look down at myself and don't think I look trashy wearing a black tank top and skinny jeans.

“A few shots in, I’m cool.” I shrug. “Can we get a round of drinks?”

Everyone makes their orders and we each pay for them. Janae’s gaze keeps falling over to me as if she’s dying to burst out with laughter.

I smile with a wave as we retreat to one of the long tables towards the back of the room. The next show starts in thirty minutes, so we have plenty of time to get situated.

I’m sitting in the middle of the group along one side of the table, when I feel like someone is standing behind me. The girls sitting opposite of me are stunned silent and looking over my shoulder. Sam elbows me and I turn.

Jacks is standing behind me, a scowl on his face and his arms crossed over his black, button-up shirt. His sleeves are rolled to just below his elbow and his forearm veins are looking magnificent.

Yum, vein porn. I lick my lips while staring at his forearms.

He clears his throat and my eyes meet his.

“You gonna introduce us to your friend, Cam?” one of the girls asks. Her tone is slurred and sultry as she follows her question with a giggle.

“Cam. A moment please? In private?” he grunts out.

I say nothing, nod, and stand from my seat.

He steers me towards the edge of the room, a spot that’s dark and deserted. A perfect spot for him to press me against the wall and make my body purr. I shake my head of the lustful, drunken thoughts.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, his hands staying clenched over his broad chest.

“Out with the girls. Why?”

“But why here?”

“Well, when they said that wanted to go to a strip club, yours was the first that came to mind. Isn’t it better that I came here instead of go to one where I didn’t know anyone?”

“That’s beside the point. You shouldn’t be coming to these places.” He shakes his head and runs his hand through his short hair.

“I don’t get why you’re treating me like a child. I’m an adult. I’m hanging with my friends, at a safe place. I don't know why you're mad.”

“I’m not meaning to treat you like a child, but this place isn’t safe. This place suggests sex.”

“So, it's okay for all your other patrons here, but it’s not okay for me to be here? What about for you?"

“I own the place,” he says.

“Jacks. I can take care of myself. So what if a guy or a girl puts their hands on me, or gives me a lap dance? Fuck, at least somebody would touch me,” I say, placing my hands on my hips.

“No one else will be touching you,” he growls.

“No one else? No one else? What the fuck are ‘ya saying? No one is currently! What’s the big deal?” I seethe. I lean forward with my arms straight at my sides, putting our faces inches apart.

His hands come to my hips and he backs me up against the wall. He closes the distance between us and runs his nose the length of my exposed neck.

“I’ve decided that no one but me will have their hands on you,” he breathes out before his tongue lashes out and sears my skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake.

My breathing is heavy. “You’ve decided, huh? How can you even decide that when you've been avoiding me?”

I wasn’t expecting this. Sure, I thought the corner was ideal for a quick make-out at first when he brought me over here, but I didn’t take Jacks for a mind reader or think that he would act on any feelings he is holding back on.

He pulls back, his hands still on my hips, my back against the wall. His eyes are a storm of desire, his eyes are dilated, his skin is flushed, and his breaths are short.

“I’ll take you home after the show. You’re to stay put. You understand?”

“Yes, sir,” I whisper.

And just like that, Jacks is gone. My body is vibrating from the roar of emotions and the ghosting of his mouth on my neck. My hand goes to where he licked and I smile. In a daze, I walk back to the group.

“So, who was the hunk? He’s got the same faint accent you do. Brother? Or is there some Australian bunch you need to introduce us to? Man, there must be some damn good water over there.”

“That’s Jacks. He and my brother, they own this place,” I say, my voice weak and breathy.

“I would love for him to take me into that dark corner and do whatever he did to make you all jumbley.” Sam laughs.

“Jumbley?” I ask, my eyebrows shooting up in question.

“Yeah, you’re not together, as if he jumbled your insides.”

It’s not long before the show starts. The first routine is a co-ed routine, a couple dancing seductively with a makeshift bed in the background. They weave in and out of one another while removing their clothing. At the end of their performance, the woman was nearly naked, while the man was in a nude colored g-string, giving the impression of nudity. It was beautiful. After that, the performances alternated between just men and just women, getting more and more explicit as they went. Several women from the audience got taken up on stage for solo performances. I kept imagining it was me with Jacks over me.

An hour and half later, our group was rowdy and finishing off the last of our drinks when the lights glowed in the theater.

“Good call on this place, Cam. I’d heard of it but hadn’t had the nerve to come see any shows. Now, I want to be here every weekend! Hell, every night. That shit was straight up hot. Give that hot guy and your brother high fives,” Sam slurs.

“Where to next?” someone asks.

Several suggestions come up, but I pay no mind. Regardless of where they decide to go next, I am on strict orders to stay and wait for Jacks to take me home. Does that mean he’ll just drop me off and then come back here? Surely he has work to do. Usually he’s home a lot later.

The group smiles knowingly when I tell them I’m staying. I try to push away thoughts of my earlier encounter with Jacks against the wall in the dark corner before the show. My stomach is doing somersaults and I can feel a tingling sensation between my legs.

I stroll over to the bar and perch on a bar stool in front of Janae with an exaggerated huff.

“Your friends ditch you?” she asks, filling up a glass with soda and handing it to me.

“Jacks wants me to stay, he’s driving me home.”

“Oh?” She tilts her head, interested in potential gossip.

“I’m staying in one of the rooms in his townhome.”

“Cool. I saw him come up to you guys. He looked pissed. What happened?”

“He didn’t like that I came into the club, he feels like has to protect me.”

“He stomped over there like a caveman, ready to club you and take you back to his cave. It was hardly a buddy’s little sister encounter.” She smiles.

“I’ve lived with him for a month and he’s been avoiding me like the plague. I would never be his cave woman.”

“Maybe he’s staying away from you because he wants you so bad?”

“Don’t start rumors, Janae.” I laugh.

“C’mon. I know you guys hooked up at the wedding. I saw you two leave the ballroom. You can’t tell me that none of that angst isn’t still lingering?” she inquires as she wraps the tops some of the bottles before shutting down the bar.

If she only knew.