Stuarts snorts his drink up his nose, and starts choking.
I feel Jake tense beside me. I can’t even look at him.
“A python if I remember right,” Tom grins, obviously enjoying winding him up.
“More like a fuckin’ cobra from what I hear!” Denny chips in.
Smith starts laughing too, obviously in on this whole Jake the snake joke.
“Hey, I can’t help it if I was blessed with a big dick, unlike you douchebags,” Jake says, picking his beer up, quickly getting back in the game.
“Fuck off!” Tom says grabbing his crotch. “I’m well packed here, primed and ready to go.”
It’s a good job I’m not prudish in any way sitting here with these lot. Though talking about Jake and his snake is making me feel a little lightheaded. I wonder how big it actually is? I’m tempted to cast my gaze downwards at his crotch, but I hold of the urge, pinning my eyes up front and ahead.
“Hey, thinking about this,” Toms adds, leaning his groin up against our table. “I’m feeling a theme coming on here, we’ve got, of course, me - hunky fuckin’ Tom cat, Jake the snake there … now we just need to figure something up for you three fuckers.” He gestures to Denny, Stuart and Smith.
Denny lifts his head. “No fuckin’ way man, leave me out of your weird animal fantasies.”
“Ah shut up you miserable fucker! Denny? What rhymes with Denny?” he muses. “Ah man your name is shit! Nothing rhymes with it. We’re gonna have to change it.”
Denny climbs up over Stuart, then Smith, and jumps lithely to the floor. “Remind me why I’m friends with you again?” he asks Tom, patting his shoulder.
“Because I’m fuckin’ awesome and I can get chicks to play with your dick.”
I can’t help but snort a laugh out at that one.
Jake slides me an amused glance. But all it manages to do is tighten my stomach into knots, and then I have the sudden urge to want to touch him.
“I’m off to piss,” Denny laughs, shaking his head at Tom, he wanders off in the direction of the men’s room
“You coming to pick up some skirts, dickhead?” Tom says directing a look at Jake, already sounding like it’s a given he’ll go.
I instantly tense. I don’t want Jake going to pick girls up. The thought is curdling my insides.
Jake shakes his head, taking a drink of his beer. “No, I’m good here.”
Tom looks at him like he’s grown another head. Even Stuart gives him a surprised stare.
I relax in my seat.
“Did they amputate your dick while you were in rehab? Or has Stuart finally managed to turn you?” Tom asks, laughing.
Turn him? Is Stuart gay?
It must be the expression on my face which causes Stuart to lean over to me and say, “I’m gay, honey.”
“Ah right,” I nod.
Makes sense. He’s ridiculously beautiful and has the best taste in clothes.
Jake laughs, reaching forward he puts his beer down. “No, and no,” he says answering Tom. “I’ve told you, I don’t fuck the staff.”
I’m ‘the staff’. So he won’t be fucking me then.
Thank God of course that he won’t be trying it on with me. I know he wouldn’t anyway because he doesn’t see me that way, but it’s just good to know Jake doesn’t have sex with the few women who work for him. Just everyone else of course.
Stuart snorts loudly.
Jake leans forward, looking at him with interest.
“Chloe?” Stuart raises his eyebrow.
Jake screws his face up in thought, quickly shifting to remembrance. “Ah yeah, okay … so I don’t fuck the staff anymore.”
Okay, so he did used to screw the staff.
I suddenly feel uncomfortable and a little sick listening to this conversation.
This is the Jake I read about in the papers. I don’t want to hear about this Jake.
“Can you let me out?” I say to him.
“Sure. Where you off to?” he asks, sliding out of the booth, letting me out onto my wobbly legs.
“Bathroom,” I answer, keeping my tone even.
I walk away heading for the ladies, trying to ignore the stares from his waiting groupies, and from Jake himself.
Chapter Eleven
We’re in Barcelona. The show is tomorrow night at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys stadium.
My folks are arriving first thing in the morning. I’m so excited to see them.
Jake was all for it when I mentioned about getting them tickets for coming over here to see the show. I think he’s looking forward to seeing my dad again.
I’ve been touring with TMS for almost two weeks now, and the time has just absolutely flown by. I’ve barely had time to think let alone miss anyone, I’m with Jake pretty much all the time, but it will be so good to see my folks tomorrow.
And I’m looking forward to seeing Will in a week. I’ve spent time away from him before of course, but I think with my folks coming tomorrow it’s made me a little sick for home. For him.
I lift my bracelet up looking at it, dangling it in the light.
Picking my phone up, I decide to call him.
“Hey, gorgeous,” he murmurs down the phone.
“What you up too?” I ask.
“Working.”
“At this time? It’s… eight forty five there, baby.”
“I know. It’s that big acquisition I told you about, well some shit kicked off with it, and there’s an emergency meeting first thing in the morning, so I have to prepare a load of stuff for it. Good thing is it’s keeping me busy, stopping me dwelling on how much I’m missing you.”
“I miss you too,” I murmur.
“You do?”
“Of course I do silly.”
“So you’re at work…” I say putting a sultry tone on.
“Hmm.”
“And you’re in your suit?” I love Will in his suits. He looks really hot wearing them.
“I am.”