The #5Star Affair (Love Hashtagged Book 1) (15 page)

Ethan was barely sitting on the cushion anymore. “They’ll fire me.” His hands were clenched into fists, and his voice was low.

“Legally, they can’t.”

“Okay,” Ethan said sarcastically. “Because keeping my job in an environment like that is going to be better?”

“Do this, and you’ll be recruited by the same companies that fund us.”

Ethan turned a narrowed-eyed glare on Jaycie. “You just had to say something, didn’t you? You couldn’t keep this between us. I notice you’re not tossing any of your own colleagues to the wolves here.”

“Both our names go on this. You heard what he said about Rich.” Jaycie couldn’t keep the irritation from her voice. Ethan was acting like a child.

“Anyone in her line of work has the same legal roadblocks she does when it comes to suing the big corporations.” Damon jumped to her defense. “Stop being an ass.”

Ethan jerked to his feet. “You can’t threaten my job like this. Things might be bad now, but at least they’ll get better eventually. If you suck me into this, I’ll never recover.”

Jaycie fumbled for a way to set things straight. To bring the conversation back online. “What about your plan? Your savings? You want to go indie. Now’s your chance.”

Ethan gritted his teeth, and drew his lips into a thin line. “I don’t have the cash reserve yet. It’s a long-term plan, because I can’t do it tomorrow.”

Jaycie’s irritation won out. How dare he pull this? “So, what? You’re going to just wait it out, and hope it all goes away?”

“Yes.”

She poured her anger into her retort. “Do you hear yourself? Are you mocking me just because it’s fun, or do you actually think you’re some kind of special case? You’re not really using the same argument you’ve spent the last few weeks trying to talk me out of, are you?”

His toe tapped double- time against the floor, vibrating the coffee table. “It’s not the same.”

Now she knew what it was like to be on the other side of the argument. Had she really been so dense? Every time he tossed up another weak protest, her fury increased another notch. “How is it different? Make me understand.”

“Forget it.” Ethan turned away. “I’m not doing this. Find someone else.”

Ethan knew he’d been unreasonable. The moment he’d opened his mouth to argue, he knew he wouldn’t have a legitimate counter to why he shouldn’t do what Jaycie and Damon proposed.

But it was easier than admitting he hadn’t quite understood what Jaycie was experiencing up until that moment. That facing the reality of living it himself was terrifying.

Damon had left several hours ago, and Jaycie wasn’t talking to Ethan. He’d been sitting in his room since, staring at his computer screen, and watching the venom in the #5StarFUQ hashtag scroll by.

Twenty-four hours ago, it had been a source of anger and frustration, but he’d been able to reply. To take a stand. The hashtag made things tough at work, but not enough he couldn’t cope. Now it had the potential to end his career.

Except, no matter how many arguments he tried to summon for why he shouldn’t go along with Jaycie’s idea, none felt right. She was doing what she needed, and he supported that.

The only question he really had was would she forgive him for being an ass about the whole thing? And maybe, did he actually have the strength to admit how much the idea of placing himself on display and risking his entire career scared him?

He breathed in deeply, to calm his thoughts. The right answer was there, and he could do this. Starting with apologizing to Jaycie. He padded to her bedroom and paused, hand halfway to knocking. It was after midnight. She was probably still asleep.

The door swung open, startling him. Jaycie stood on the other side, arms crossed, an oversized T-shirt all but covering her shorts. “I thought I heard you out here.” Her tone held no emotion.

A million openers raced through his thoughts, each considered and discarded in a millisecond, leaving him with nothing. “I’m sorry.”

She shrugged. “We seem to say that a lot.”

“It’s kind of a part of life.” He gave her a half smile. “At least for reasonable people. Which I wasn’t, earlier.”

She relaxed, arms dropping to her sides. “It’s not easy, is it?”

“Not really. You can even say, ‘I told you so.’”

She shook her head, and intertwined her fingers with his. “I’m not really into that. But whatever we’re about to do, we’ll go through it together. This is, if you’re in.”

“Yeah.” The single word was harder to force out than almost anything he’d said in his life, but it filled him with relief. “I’m in. I’ll put my name and face on this opening suit. I’ll even get a hold of my brother in the morning, and tell him.”

She brushed her lips over his. “Thank you.”

****

Damon made time to drop by their apartment again the next night.

The three of them talked for hours, making plans, and trying to cover as many preliminary angles as possible. Damon pointed out the concept was still basic, and they’d need add a few bullet points to the list once they had more details, but they could work that all out over the next few weeks. Ethan sent him back to his hotel with the friendliest goodbye they’d parted ways on in years. A few minutes later, he found Jaycie standing on the balcony.

She didn’t move, when he slid the glass door open. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and she leaned back into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

Ethan lay a line of tender kisses along her neck and up to her ear. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“How do you do it?” Her voice barely reached above the chirp of crickets, but she managed to pour tons of weight into the single question.

“Do what?” His response felt inadequate, compared to the emotion in her tone.

“Push so hard, with so much raw emotion and force, all the time? I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up. Just the last few days have drained me.”

Did he really come off like that? He nipped lightly at her earlobe. “You’re not expected to go full throttle all the time. I don’t do that. Besides, I’m here when you need a distraction.”

“That would be now.” She turned in his arms, and rested her hands at the base of his neck. “I never meant to make this into a statement. At least, not before a few days ago.” She brushed her mouth over his, then pulled back again. “I didn’t wake up one day, and say ‘hey, if I write reviews of video games, that’ll be unique and culturally relevant.’ I just wanted to talk about the things I enjoyed doing.”

He kissed along her throat, and down to her collarbone. “I don’t think most people set out to change the world.”

She leaned her head back and pressed closer, entire frame rubbing against him. “I know I paint the whole pen name thing like I was annoyed by it, but I never protested or considered putting up a fight, when my first editor suggested a generic pseudonym.” She tickled the short hairs at the base of his neck. “I knew it would take the heat off me. Leave me free to do what I wanted, instead of worrying my gender would mar people’s opinions.”

“Do you want to walk away from this?” He glided his hands higher, pushing up the bottom of her shirt and brushing her bare waist. “Do you regret what we’re doing?”

“No. It terrifies me. I don’t know if it’ll be as amazing as we hope, but I don’t regret it.” She pulled his head back up, to look him in the eye. “Do you?”

“No. I don’t regret a single bit of anything since I met you.” He nipped her bottom lip, and poured sincerity into his words. “Not this legal fund thing. Not the mess we managed to cause. Not how much I love you.” The words fell past his lips before he could consider them, but they felt more right than they ever had. He was lighter having said them.

She laughed—the light, playful sound that always made his blood stir. “I definitely don’t regret loving you. Best thing I’ve ever done.” She paused, as if considering something. “But figuring out how to get paid to play video games is a close second.”

Yup. He definitely loved this woman. “I’m flattered I won the top slot.”

“You should be.”

He pressed his mouth to hers, needing to be as much a part of her as possible. She ground against him, and his cock jerked to life, protesting at the clothing between them.  He didn’t expect life to be perfect now, but this part of it was pretty fucking close. The heady scent of her shampoo filled his head. If it weren’t a second-floor balcony in the middle of an apartment complex, he’d strip her down right then.

Instead, he grabbed her hand and pulled her inside.

Jaycie’s steps halted a few feet from the bed—
their
bed, she loved the way that sounded—when Ethan spun to face her. He rested his hands on her hips, thumbs digging into her pelvis. The possessive grip sparked in her veins.

With his mouth, he traced a line along her collarbone, up her neck—gently enough he didn’t jar the bruises—and to her lips. She moaned into his kiss, tongue dancing with his. When he tangled his fingers in her hair, need pooled in her belly and moved lower.

He glided his free hand down her spine, and rested it at the small of her back, pulling her closer until her entire body ground against his. His hard length pressed into her stomach, demanding and tempting. Every new touch pushed the outside world further toward the back of her mind. She gasped at the shock of hunger that filled her, when he yanked her head back and sucked on the tender flesh where her neck met her shoulder.

She hooked her knee on his hip, and he caught her leg. God, she wanted more. More teasing, more kisses, more of all of him. He dragged his hand up the back of her thigh and over her ass, fingers dancing through denim over her damp mound. She dragged her nails down his back. “You’re such a tease.” Her words faded into another groan, when he pushed her leg down and pressed two fingers against the crotch of her cutoffs, digging the seam into her sex.

He caught her earlobe in his teeth, before releasing it. “Are you complaining?”

She pressed against his fingers. There were too many clothes in the way. “Not yet.” Every time her hips thrust forward, he pulled back.

He spun her so her back was to his front. She drove her ass against his erection, shifting and rutting against the tempting bulge. Her speed increased, when he snaked one hand up her stomach and brushed the bottom of her breast. He dipped the other hand under the waistband of her shorts—undoing the button and dragging down the zipper along the way—but over her panties.

She leaned back into him, breathing shallow, and voice more strained than she expected. “Are you going to make me beg?”

“Maybe.”

She pushed his palm higher, and closed his fingers around her nipple. Relief and want pulsed under her skin, when he took the hint and pinched the hard nub. “You know I’ll return the
favor
, if you draw this out.”

“I hope so.” He pushed aside the crotch of her underwear, and dipped his fingers between her folds.

She arched her back, and a sigh tore from her throat. He glided his fingers along her slit, dipping toward her opening, and then back to her swollen clit, but never touching either one. She bucked her hips with each stunted pass, and when she tried to shift closer to his touch he pulled away.

“Please?” What she meant to be a teasing noise came out a tiny whimper.

“Please what?”

Her pelvis thrust forward on its own, her body seeking release he wouldn’t grant. She licked her lips, and searched for her voice. “Let me come, please?”

She groaned when he shoved two fingers inside her fast and hard, spreading her apart. He bumped against her clit with his palm, while he pumped harder. Her breath tore out in jagged bursts. He pulled out of her, and glided his fingers to her throbbing sex. Tracing circles around her eager bud, he continued to tug on her nipple.

“Oh, God.” She didn’t have the mental strength for more. Her legs wobbled under her. Climax rushed over her in a sudden burst, stealing her balance and tearing her breath away. She ground against him when she came, riding the wave, until his touch became too much and she shuddered away involuntarily. Every inch of her hummed, as he held her against him.

She dragged in a few breaths until she felt steady enough to stand on her own, then stepped out of his reach, and whirled to face him. He raised an eyebrow in question, but didn’t close the distance between them, when she held up her hand. She stripped off her shirt and bra, and her nipples thrust out, pink and swollen in the cool air. He moved closer, and she stepped back with a smile. “Not yet,” she said.

She pushed her remaining clothes to the ground and kicked her shorts and panties aside, before finally closing the distance between them again. A flush flooded her skin, when his gaze raked over her, lingering on every curve and nook. The air brushed the wet skin between her legs, drawing another rush of need to the surface. She trailed a finger down his chest, and he shuddered, his smile growing. He closed his eyes and sucked in a gasp, when she dipped under the waistband of his jeans.

She drew back, counting off the seconds. This was fun. His eyes flew open, and his questioning gaze landed on her face.

She draped her arms around his neck, but kept the rest of her body at a distance. “Payback’s a bitch.”

He raised his eyebrows, but didn’t look disappointed. If anything, he looked intrigued. “For what?” His innocent question was marred by his playful expression.

“Gee, I wonder.” She nudged his shoulders, and he dropped back to sit on the edge of the bed. She pushed between his legs, and knelt. Going down on a guy had never been high on her list of things she enjoyed, but it was different with Ethan. He made sure she enjoyed herself, and his arousal turned her on as much as anything. She pushed his shirt up, and kissed along his stomach. Each time he grunted in pleasure, want pulsed between her thighs.

She made quick work of the button and zipper on his jeans, and trailed her mouth down, past his navel. He rose enough for her to remove the rest of his clothing. She trailed her breasts down the inside of his thighs, then back up, sighing at the friction of bare skin on bare skin. When she looked up, he was watching her through half-lidded eyes, lips slightly parted. The sight made her as wet as the physical contact.

She caught his gaze, as she finally moved back to his cock. It jerked under her touch, warm and hard against her palm. He sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth, when she flicked her tongue over the head. When she took his entire length in her mouth, his groan filled her head. She stroked as she sucked, sliding up and down, fingers caressing the wrinkled skin of his sac. His breathing grew shallower, and he rested his hand on the back of her head, trying to set the pace. His punctuated grunts told her he was close.

She pulled away, meeting his disappointed growl with a wicked smile.

He furrowed his brow. “You’re killing me.”

She stuck out her bottom lip in an exaggerated pout. “Did I stop too soon?”

“A little.” His laugh was strangled.

She stood, straddled his legs, and hovered over him. His erection nudged her swollen mound, and she grasped him. He thrust up, driving himself inside, cutting off the chance for much more teasing. His groan mingled with her gasp. One hand on her hip, thumb pressing into her skin, he set a fast pace, pounding hard inside her. He drew one nipple into his mouth, and a sharp spike of pleasure seared through her veins, making her clench around him involuntarily.

He flicked his tongue over the swollen nub and thrust up, cock hitting her G-spot with every frantic push. Orgasm built quickly again, but hovered right at the edge, not allowing her release. A whimper tore from her chest, as she rode the edge of the wave, needing to be pushed over.

He reached between them, and when his thumb found her clit and rubbed hard, climax crashed through her body. She milked his cock, lost in a sea of sensations. His grunts, the sound that told her he was close too, mingled with it all, and their rhythm increased another notch. Heavy breaths and broken cries filled the room when he came, spilling inside her.

The desperate bump and grind slowed, then stopped. She collapsed against him, head on his shoulder, chest pressed to his, listening to his pulse race under her skin. He kissed along the edge of her ear, voice low in the suddenly still room. “Yup. Absolutely amazing.”

She couldn’t manage more than a short laugh. It was true, the next few weeks, or even months, were going to be tough. Riding out the media storm they were about to hail down on themselves. Dealing with the social media backlash. But at least she was weathering it all with him. Right now, she was pretty sure the two of them could take on the world together.

****

Ethan lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, dread clawing through him. Sounds from the living room drifted in to greet him, but even if he could focus, the TV wasn’t loud enough for him to make out the words.

Technically, it had only been a day and a half since he, Jaycie, and Damon built their plan. Damon had wanted to move quickly, while the issue was still hot. Besides, he’d said if they filed suit on a Friday, it would send Digital Media into a panic, since it was unlikely they’d get their shit together fast enough to respond by close of business. It was a psychological play, and Ethan was fine with that.

It didn’t mean he was looking forward to going to work, though. He took a deep breath, and summoned his calm and reassurance. He’d handle whatever the day threw at him. He’d survived this long.

He climbed out of bed, pulled on a pair of shorts, and padded into the living room. Jaycie was on the couch in one of his shirts, with only the middle two buttons done up. It was so tempting to just carry her back to bed and spend the day with her gorgeous mind and body, instead of dealing with the fallout from what they were about to do.

She glanced up from the television. “Coffee in the kitchen.”

He might need the whole pot. He grabbed a mug from the cupboard, and froze when Damon’s voice registered in his head.

“The thing we want people to understand”—it sounded like it was coming through speakers, but it was definitely Damon—“is this isn’t about proving women are better than men or vice versa. It’s about everyone being treated the same, and nobody being afraid to ask for that right.”

Ethan set his mug back on the counter, and moved to stand behind Jaycie. Sure enough, his brother was on CNN, talking to one of their anchors. “And so it begins,” Ethan muttered.

Jaycie twisted on the couch and shifted onto her knees. “Better him than me.”

Ethan couldn’t argue with that. “He was made for this shit.”

“Of course, we know this won’t be easy for anyone who comes forward.” Damon sounded every bit as rehearsed as if he were delivering a closing argument. “Especially early on. But one of the services we’re providing is an adopter directory. Allies who support this fund. Early adopters include Game Sneak Weekly and Rinslet Enterprises.”

“Speaking of, your phone’s been going nuts,” Jaycie said.

At seven in the morning? Ethan glanced at the device, where it sat by the door. As if his attention summoned something, it buzzed again. He grabbed his phone just as it stopped ringing. Three new voice mails? What the hell?

Damon and the anchorwoman droned on in the background as Ethan dialed into his mailbox.
“This is Scott McCallister, with Rinslet Enterprises.”
The recorded voice echoed in his ear. On the TV Damon said, “In fact, we’ve heard from representatives of Rinslet that they’re hoping to extend an offer.”

“I’d like to talk to you when you have a moment. Give me a call.”

Ethan’s brain struggled to process the message.

“What about non-compete clauses?” the anchorwoman asked.

Damon never hesitated. “There are always ways around those. Rinslet knows that better than anyone.”

Maybe Ethan should have finished that cup of coffee. He stared between his phone and the TV. Hope surged inside.

“You okay?” Jaycie stood and joined him near the door. She trailed a finger up his bare chest. “You look a little pale.”

“I’m just…” Ethan shook his head, hoping to rattle the thoughts back into place. “Yeah, I’m good.”

She nodded at the TV. “If he’s right, how do you feel about working for the enemy?”

Could Ethan actually do that? Take a job with a company he’d looked down on for so long? Not that he had to. If Damon was right, Ethan would have open opportunities in other places. But signing with Rinslet would certainly add insult to injury, and he might not mind a bit of spite when he walked away from DM. “I think I can handle it.”

Jaycie kissed him. “Thank you.”

“For…?”

“For being you. For being there for me. For everything.” She smiled, and the rest of his tension drained away. “And for being so easy to love.”

He returned her kiss. “Only for you.” It was true, the next few months were going to be a challenge. He didn’t have any delusions about that. But going through it with Jaycie, and making the difference they were about to make, was worth it. Without question.

THE END

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