Page 5 of Keep Me

They were dangerous, in their own way. A whirlpool spinning at my feet.

Camila took a sip of the bubbly liquid, darting out her tongue to catch a stray drop. She pouted and leaned towards me, her arms pressing her cleavage to an ungodly height. “Only two glasses? Don’t you want a taste, Logan?”

I felt my throat contract. As it always did, an image of Reese flashed into my mind. A part of me felt guilty, as though I would be betraying him. But that was a lie. There was nothing more than friendship between us, and the shows were the only time we stepped beyond those bounds.

“I do,” I whispered, unable to control myself. Something about them sucked me in. It was easy, and, as sick as it was, it was nice to be wanted.

Camila smiled, her prey captured. She tilted the flute into her mouth as she twisted the fingers of her other hand around my collar. I didn’t resist as she pulled me in until our lips touched, and I opened without hesitation. The cool liquid poured into my mouth, the bubbles tickling my tongue.

Some of it escaped, dribbling out the corners of my mouth, but neither of us stopped. Her mouth was warm, and her tongue was eager as it invaded, claiming me. When she finally pulled away there was a sharp glint in her eye, the look of someone used to getting their way.

“How is it?” she asked, sultry too weak of a word to describe her voice.

I pressed my finger against one of the thin rivers that had poured down my chin. “Divine.”

Pleased with my answer, she flicked her eyes to Sean. “Baby? Would you like a taste?”

He ran his finger around the rim of his flute, his face unreadable. “How could I not?” His movements were quick and fluid. I barely had time to react before his hand wrapped around the back of my neck and pulled me towards him. He kept his eyes open, holding my gaze as his tongue pressed against my skin, licking up the last of the spilled Champagne. I shivered, my skin like ice beneath the heat of his touch.

Sean lingered there, the point of his tongue the only thing keeping our lips from touching, for a heartbeat more, then backed away.

My mind was sounding a warning bell, knowing that once those two got their claws in me there would be no escape. But my heart was humming a different tune. They wanted me. They craved me. Whether it be my body or my soul they were after, at least I was desired.

“Camila, Sean, apologies for the delay.” Reese’s sudden arrival surrounded me, a barrier pulling me towards him. The moment his hand dropped to my shoulder I felt my mind clear, and my cheeks redden. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

It was one thing to partake on my nights off, skulking around in other clubs where he wouldn’t see me. It was a completely different beast to have him witness it.

I cleared my throat. “We were just discussing the quality of your collection.” I picked up the bottle of Moët, desperate for something to do with my hands. Jesus, he was handsome. There was something about the way the lights played across his dark skin, turning him into the vision of an ancient god. When those eyes trapped me with their spell, I was helpless, but I was a willing sacrifice.

“I’m glad it was to your taste.” For a moment I thought I felt his grip tighten against my shoulder, but it was only a second before he moved to the other side of the table, sinking into the last open chair. “I believe we had things to discuss,” he said, nothing but friendliness in his voice.

“It’s so kind of you to spare us some of your time.” Camila leaned back in her chair after sending a final, teasing glance towards me.

“Anything for my friends.” Reese was cool and composed, without even the smallest sign that he was bothered by me kissing the Byrnes. It hurt a little, though it was foolish of me to expect any different. “Katie wanted to talk to you about the auction, Logan.”

I took my sign to leave and pushed back my chair. I gave them each a nod and a quick smile as I excused myself. Part of me was glad Reese had come when he did, otherwise, I might have been sucked away into the whirlpool, and I wasn’t sure I’d have ever escaped.

Chapter Four

The club was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so those were our quiet days. We had ordered a pizza for dinner and Reese had gone to pick it up while I had taken root on the couch, flipping through our barrage of streaming services for a movie to watch. Reese hated having to choose the movie, so I took it as my task. I constantly fought the temptation to turn on one of his old porn videos, just to see how he would react.

He kept a stack of them in one of the closets, though he never pulled them out. I had watched one once, chosen at random. It had been strange. I hadn’t felt anything, no desire, no lust, no satisfaction. I didn’t even feel jealous. Just, numbness. The video had played all the way through and I hadn’t been able to pull my eyes away once. Once it was finished I had put it away and never watched another.

I wasn’t sure why Reese kept them around, but I had never asked. He had never hidden his past, but he didn’t let it stick to him.

The lock clicked as Reese opened the front door and stepped inside carrying a pizza box stacked high with envelopes.

“Hey,” he called, but there was something hard in his voice. He set the pizza box down on the kitchen table, but his attention was focused on the letters in his hands. When he dropped down beside me on the couch, I could feel the energy shift.

He hesitated for a moment, then dropped a few envelopes in my lap. “These look like bills. A lot of bills.”

Ice crawled up my spine. He was right, of course. They were all bills, all from my grandmother’s care. I had sent my entire paycheck a few days earlier, but even with her retirement and Medicare benefits I was far from covering it.

I cleared my throat. “There was a mix-up in their system,” I lied. “These must have been sent before they fixed it.”

He knew about Jeanie - that she was in a 24-hour care facility - but I hadn’t told him much else. I didn’t talk about my family, and he only knew that they had kicked me out a few years ago.

“You’ve been getting these for a while now.” He wasn’t going to let this go. “Are you in trouble?”

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