worst.
Over the weekend, my social media exploded. I gained a shit-ton of Instagram followers overnight. I got recognized at the Taco Bell drive-thru window. The cashier girl sputtered and dropped my change on the ground, but thankfully not my cheesy gordita crunches. While I was pumping gas, some woman catcalled me out of her car window as she drove by.
“Looking good, pool boy!”
Damn Ardy’s question during the interview. Beneath my name on the title card of the video, it had listed “Pool Boy” as one of the details about me. I didn’t mind the attention—honestly, it was a trip. But I didn’t want to be thought of as a joke.
Saturday night I did a set at Blanche’s and it was the largest crowd I’d ever played. Erika sat at the bar, videoing and evaluating the performance. She’d delivered her critique afterward, and once we got back to her place, she gave me plenty more direction.
There’d been champagne in her fridge to celebrate my considerable lead in the fan poll. I wasn’t big on champagne, but I appreciated the gesture, and by the time we’d finished the bottle, Erika had me on the couch with my jeans down around my ankles.
“How do you want it tonight?” I asked, pushing her hair out of the way so I could watch better as she wrapped her mouth around my dick.
She was buzzed and her eyes were shining with mischief. “I want it dirty.”
I was going to ask her to expand on that, but it was taking all my focus not to thrust into her mouth, and if she described what she meant, I’d probably lose control anyway.
I had an idea though, and when she was riding me reverse cowgirl, I licked the pad of my thumb and tested if she was squeamish about anal play. All it did was make her moan encouragingly.
“Yeah?” I grinned.
She didn’t give her answer with words, but her body screamed, hell yes. I was slow and deliberate as I worked my thumb inside her ass, and by the time I made it all the way to my second knuckle, she came so hard I was a goner.
My girl was a wild freak like me, and I couldn’t get enough. It didn’t seem like she could either.
We clicked when it came to sex and music, but the few times I’d brought up our relationship outside of that, Erika would shut down. She wasn’t ready to talk to my mom about us, and she still hadn’t blocked her ex’s number. The guy kept bothering her with calls and he was getting on my damn nerves.
I tried not to push, because I was a lot younger than she was and I hadn’t been married. The longest I’d ever been with someone was fourteen months, but she’d been with Mr. Graham for twenty years. I figured she was scared and just needed more time. I wasn’t going to give up, and while I waited, I’d keep being awesome.
She’d get there eventually.
The next morning, after sex and breakfast, I’d gotten dressed in the same clothes from last night, kissed Erika goodbye, and headed out to my Jeep parked in her driveway.
“You cleaning her pool on Sunday mornings now?” a familiar voice asked.
Preston was in his driveway, just on the other side of Erika’s lawn, his hand on a push lawnmower. His tone said he knew his question was bullshit.
I grinned at my friend as I walked across the grass toward him. “What can I say? She needed an emergency service.”
He nodded, wanting to play along. “Took all night too, because your Jeep’s been there all morning.”
“Well, I had to make sure I did it right.”
Preston snorted. “And how long has this emergency been going on, bro?”
We were only a few feet apart now, so I lowered my voice. “A few weeks.”
“No shit.” He glanced up at her house, then back to me. “Is it serious?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
My friend could be self-involved, but he’d gotten better over the last year. Dealing with his dad and Cassidy hooking up had changed him, and he wasn’t always the center of the universe anymore. He cocked his head as he evaluated me, like he actually wanted to know how I felt.
“Dude,” he whispered. “You’re into her.”
I tried not to be defensive, but it happened anyway. “Yeah. So what if I am?”
He lifted his hands as if to say, no offense. “I’m not trying to be an asshole. I’m just surprised, is all.” His lips lifted in