Jealousy (6 page)

“
Did you see his pants?” Heather asked.  “I love them.  They must’ve cost a fortune.”

Tyler unzipped his pants. 
“Try them on.”

Heather shielded her eyes with her hand.  She had the feeling Tyler was going el fresco and was abou
t to expose himself to her.

“
Here, Gorgeous,” Tyler said.

She peeked through her fingers.  Tyler was wearing a tiny g-string that displayed his bare butt cheek
s.  He had a cute little body.

Heather never thought she would fit in
to Tyler’s jeans, but they fit perfectly.  She admired them in the full length mirror.  When she turned around, Tyler was modeling the jeans that she had been wearing a minute ago.  She watched Justin run his hands over and around Tyler’s butt, caressing it with a provocative smile.  After a few seconds, she cleared her throat to get their attention.

“
My pants look fabulous on you!” Tyler exclaimed.  “Let’s go show Handsome.”

It was sad the way Tyler
constantly tried to win Peter over, but Peter still wanted nothing to do with him. Heather tried to explain that it wasn’t a good idea, but Tyler grabbed her hand and led her out back, where Peter pretended the hedges needed attention.

“
How do we look, Handsome?” Tyler asked.

Peter was visibly disturbed that Heather was wearing Tyler
’s pants.  Peter’s eyes widened, and he stared down at them as if to say, ‘Are you crazy?  God knows where Tyler’s crotch has been!’  Heather
shot him a stern look that said ‘Be nice’.  They rarely had mental conversations, but Peter seemed to understand what she was trying to convey and the annoyed look disappeared from his face.

Peter looked closer at the pants. 
“Are they snakeskin?”

“
Yes,” she answered, “feel them.”

Peter glided his hand over the buttery-soft leather.
“Wow.  They’re soft, and they look great.  Where did you get them?” he asked Tyler.  “I want to buy Heather a pair.”

“
I got them in West Hollywood, but Heather can keep them.”

“
No, Tyler, these are expensive,” she replied.

“
Don’t worry about it, Gorgeous, I have another pair at home – amidst my dozens of other leather pants.”

“
It’s true,” Justin said.  “That’s all he wears.”

“
What do you do for a living that you can afford to give away snakeskin pants?” Peter asked.

“
I’m a stylist.  Like Justin.”

“
Hardly,” Justin boasted, “Tyler’s a stylist to the rich and famous.  They fly him out to L.A. all the time.”

Heather smiled.  It was the one thing Justin and Tyler had in common, probably the only thing.  She reflected on how different their personalities were.  Tyler was wild, untamed, and a complete extrovert, while Justin was structured and somewhat quiet.  She never pictured Justin with someone as colorful and flashy as Tyler.  The two made an unlikely pair, but Justin was enamored with Tyler, and it was obvious that Tyler
adored Justin.  She grew very attached to Tyler.  Even though Justin repeatedly told her that his relationship with Tyler was strictly casual, she still hoped that it would eventually blossom into something more serious.

Chapter Seven:

Justin saw Tyler often, but neither one of them w
as interested in exclusivity and Justin still occasionally saw other men.  Since they traveled in the same circles, Justin took a quick look around the bar to make sure Tyler wasn’t already there.  Luckily, Tyler wasn’t easy to miss.  He was wearing low-slung red leather pants with a matching feather boa, gyrating his pelvis dangerously close to an attractive young man seated in front of him.  At first, Justin found it amusing, but with Tyler’s crotch a fraction of an inch away from another man, Justin began to feel possessive.  Change of plans.  He was taking Tyler home tonight.  Justin couldn’t watch in silence any longer.  Even though they weren’t in a committed relationship, he needed to intervene without looking like a jealous boyfriend.

“
Can I get the next lap dance?” he asked with a crooked smile.

“
Delicious!” Tyler was startled at Justin’s presence.  He looked self-conscious, almost guilty, about straddling another man and quickly backed away.  “Sorry, sport,” he said to the man, “my number one guy is here.”

Tyler jumped into Justin
’s arms and wrapped his legs around Justin’s waist, causing him to stagger backwards.

Justin barely stopped laughing long enough to return Tyler
’s exaggerated wet kiss.  “Are you trying to kill me?”  He squeezed Tyler’s sweet little ass with both hands.  “It’s a good thing you’re so damn skinny.”

#

An hour later, they ended up in bed.

“
What are we doing?” Tyler asked softly.

“
What do you mean?”

“
Us.”  Tyler propped himself up on one elbow and looked Justin in the eye.  “We’ve been seeing each other for almost three months and we spend a lot of time together.  Don’t you want an exclusive relationship?”

“
No.  I don’t.”

Tyler averted his eyes.
  He looked hurt.

Justin didn
’t mean to be blunt.  He was caught off guard by the question.  Tyler was a player and they both agreed that they didn’t want a commitment from the beginning.

“
I’m sorry, Tyler,” he said apologetically.  “I care about you too much to lie to you.  I’m not ready for that and I don’t think I’m gonna be ready for a long time.”  He tenderly ran his fingers through Tyler’s long, silky hair.  “We’re great together.  I love your sense of humor and your zest for . . . everything.  You show me how to
live
life . . . but I don’t want a serious relationship.”

“
You know, there have been very few men in my life who have made me want to settle down, but none make me want monogamy more than you do.”

“
I’m sorry, baby.  You mean the world to me.  Don’t misunderstand me, there’s no one else.  You’re my boy, but I’m not ready to make a commitment.”  He tried to be delicate, but he knew he hurt Tyler’s feelings again.  “I’m just trying to be honest, sweetie.  I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Tyler placed his head back on Justin
’s chest and he was quiet for a long time.  “Didn’t it bother you to see me with that guy tonight?” he finally asked.

“
Hell, yeah!  That’s why I stole you away from him.  I’m a jealous person, Tyler.  I could have easily walked out the door as soon as I saw you, but I didn’t.  I stayed at the bar and watched the two of you together for about five minutes.  As soon as I realized something was gonna go on between you two, I ran right over.  There was no way I was letting you go home with anyone but me.”

The tiniest smile appeared on Tyler
’s lips, and he gave Justin a tender kiss before falling asleep in his arms.

Chapter Eight:

Heather didn
’t know Tyler had a brother.  Neither did Justin by the surprised look on his face when Tyler showed up with him.  Dominick didn’t resemble Tyler at all.  He was tall, broad and strong.  His hair was dark, almost black, and shaved on the sides very close to his scalp.  Heather enjoyed listening to the way Tyler bragged about Dominick’s career as a sergeant in the United States Army.  It was obvious how much he admired and looked up to his brother.

Tyler had a nickname for everyone
, and Heather waited to hear the one he had for his brother.  Sarge. How imaginative. She chuckled softly and introduced herself to Dominick.  He shook her hand and held it for an extra few seconds as he gazed into her eyes.  “Pardon me for staring,” he said, “you’re very beautiful.”

She smiled flirtatiously at the compliment. 
“Thank you.  So, you’re a sergeant.  I’m very impressed.”  There was something about him that excited her, and she wanted to know more about him.  “How long are you home for?”

“
I have about six months before I get deployed again.  It’s going to be my last tour.  I’ve been in Iraq for the last two years, so it’s really nice to be home.  That’s why I’m intruding on your evening.  My kid brother didn’t want to leave me home alone on my first night back.  You don’t mind, do you?”

“
Of course not.  Welcome home.”  She kissed him on the cheek and immediately wondered why the hell she did it.  It was totally inappropriate.

Tyler was bothered by her over-friendly gesture as well, and quickly interrupted their conversation. 
“Where’s Peter, Gorgeous?  Isn’t he coming with us?”

She wondered why he used Peter
’s given name and didn’t refer to him as “Handsome.”  She assumed that Tyler wanted to make it clear to his brother that she was married.

“
Is Peter your husband?” Dominick asked.

“
Yes.”

“
And he lets a woman as pretty as you go out alone?”

“
I’m not going out alone.  I’m going out with Justin and Tyler,” she smiled, “and you.”

#

“Should I be concerned about the two of them?” Tyler pointed to Heather and Dominick sitting together at the bar.

Justin was surprised at the question. 
“Heather and Dominick?  Of course not.  Why should you be concerned?”

“
She was flirting with him at your apartment, and I know my brother.  He’s a tomcat. And they’ve been sitting there talking all night.”

Justin took a closer look.  They did look rather cozy, but he quickly brushed the thought from his mind. 
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he said.  “She’s just being friendly, that’s all.”  But he needed to take another suspicious glance in their direction before relinquishing the topic.

#

Dominick reached across Heather for a napkin, and she felt his breath on her cheek.  It caused a rush of adrenaline to run through the center of her chest.  It was the feeling you got when you were attracted to someone new.  She missed that feeling and almost forgot what it felt like.  She knew she was flirting with him and she probably shouldn’t have had that third martini.

He rested his arm on the back of her bar stool while he fascinated her with stories about Iraq.  She periodically placed a comforting hand on his knee.  A lull in the discussion forced their eyes to meet in silent conversation.  The attraction pulled them together and they shared a kiss.  She savored the touch of someone new and l
et herself enjoy it.  His hands on the back of her neck sent a tingling sensation down her spine.  She kissed him again, even though she knew it was wrong.

“
I shouldn’t be doing this.  I’m married,” she whispered, but she was powerless to stop.

She took his face in her hands
as she slid her tongue around the circumference of his mouth.  She needed to taste every inch of it.  He kissed and nuzzled her neck, and she leaned her head back and sighed at the mounting pleasure in between her legs.  They spoke between kisses with heavy breath.

“
Let’s go somewhere else,” Dominick said.

“
I can’t.”

“
Why not?”

“
I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“
I know you want to.  You wouldn’t be kissing me if you didn’t.”

He was right.  She wanted to sleep with him.  She wanted to throw him on the floor and fuck him righ
t there in the bar.  Her desire and her inability to control it both shocked and aroused her at the same time.  She told herself to stop, but her hands and mouth refused to listen.  She finally regained her composure and her self-control, and pulled away from him.  She was flustered and confused.  “I’m sorry.  I’m sorry.  I can’t do this.  I don’t know what got into me.”

“
Don’t be sorry,” Dominick said.

“
No.  I . . . I should go.”

“
Please don’t go.”  He placed his hand on her arm.  “I won’t try to kiss you again.  Let’s do something else.  Let’s dance.  Let’s find Justin and Tyler.  Don’t leave.”

She didn
’t want to leave.  She wanted to spend the rest of the night with Dominick, but she was unsure if she could control herself.  “OK,” she said, after a long pause.  “But let’s find Justin and Tyler.”

“
Take this,” he handed her his phone number, “in case you change your mind.”

She focused on the digits scrawled on the paper napkin.  She told herself to throw it away, hand it back to him, leave it on the bar, but she didn
’t.  Instead, she folded it in half and tucked it deep inside her wallet.

#

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU KISSED HIM?” Justin shouted.

“
I don’t know.” Heather ran her fingers through her hair.  “I had a lot to drink.”