CONNOR COBALT
When we climb up the stairs to the main level, I find Rose and Daisy talking in hushed tones near the fireplace mantel. Daisy shifts her body to block the camera, sidestepping every single time Ben tries to get a shot of Rose.
I rub my lips as I study my girlfriend. She holds in a breath, her neck stiff as she listens to her sister.
And she actually wears pants, dressed in a Calloway Couture black sweater and a different brandโs skinny jeans. Sheโs afraid of flashing the cameras, and sheโs expressed, more than once, that the only dances she knows are from cotillion. The waltz and foxtrot.
Grinding is out of her repertoire.
Lily suddenly appears and slams her fist into Loโs shoulder. He mock cringes. โOw, what the hell was that for?โ
โFor making this stupid bet,โ Lily hisses, lowering her voice as Brett zooms in on her, a boom mic attached to his steadicam. But it doesnโt matter if he captures her words or not. Weโre all wearing microphones thatโll pick up her voice. And the house is littered with sound equipment.
Scott sits on the leather couch. His eyes meet mine, and he plasters on a smug smile.
I hide everything in my featuresโespecially the anger that threatens to surface.
โWhat is Daisy doing?โ Ryke asks.
Lily holds onto Lorenโs hand. โGiving Rose advice.โ
Rykeโs brows furrow. โYouโre the fucking sex addict. Shouldnโt you be giving the advice?โ
โHey,โ Lo warns with a glare.
He extends his arms. โItโs an honest question.โ โItโs also rude.โ
โIโll ask nicely then.โ He looks back at Lily. โYouโre clearly more experienced than your little sister. So why the fuck arenโt you instructing Rose?โ
Lo shakes his head. โPathetic.โ โThatโs the best I have.โ
Lily touches her chest. โI like club dancing, but Iโve never personally given a lap dance.โ
โAnd Daisy has?โ Ryke asks in disbelief.
โShe said she did it once.โ Lily relaxes against Loโs chest, and he holds her close.
Ryke lets out an angry breath. โYou do realize that ninety-percent of a lap dance is basically the same thing as when a girl fucks on top? You
know,ย ridingย the guy.โ
โI donโt think Rose wants to take the lap dance to that level on camera.โ
Our talk is cut off by a scraping noise. I watch Scott drag a dining chair into the living room, the legs scratching the hardwood.
When he places it in the center, he taps the frame of the chair. โTake a seat, Connor.โ
I donโt take kindly to orders unless thereโs a greater benefit for me. And in this instance, thereโs none.
All eyes and cameras hit me, waiting for my reaction, wondering, quietly, if Iโll adhere to Scott Van Wrightโs simple request. Rose stands
impeccably straight, her bones hardened and stiff. All I see is fear, something that I desperately want to take away.
I stare right at Scott and break the strained silence with a few words. โTake a seat, Rose.โ My gaze never leaves Scott, not even as the humor abandons his eyes.
โThat wasnโt the bet,โ Scott says. โIโm amending the terms.โ
Roseโs heels clap against the hardwood as she struts to the chair. She sits down with her shoulders pulled back and her ankles crossed as if she just took her fucking throne.
My body heats just watching her.
I redirect my attention to Lo, who has his arms splayed over Lilyโs shoulders. โYouโre still going to see a lap dance. You okay with that?โ
โThatโs all I want.โ
โWait.โ Daisy holds up her hands and then points at me. โYouโreย giving Rose a lap dance?โ
โYes.โ I untuck my black button-down from my slacks.
She smiles brightly. โOkay, we have to record this.โ She turns as if sheโs going to get a camera, and her elbow knocks into Savannahโs Canon Rebel. โOhโฆrightโฆnever mind.โ Only Daisy, a girl whoโs swarmed by
photographers for her job, would momentarily forget that weโre all being filmed.
โThis I have to fucking see,โ Ryke says, settling on the couch next to Scott. Everyone takes seats, ready for the show.
But I lock eyes only with Rose as I approach her. She white-knuckles the side of the wooden chair, afraid and anxious and aroused.
She trails my body as I unbutton my shirt, and her breathing deepens. The unknown is frightening for her.
But it can be the wildest, most tempestuous out-of-body experience sheโll ever have.
Get ready, darling. This may spin your head.