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25. Wet

Camryn was four strong cocktails deep by the time the group showed up one-by-one, couple-by-couple.

There was an intense, awkward and unspoken tension when she opened the door to Rocco and Brooke.

If it wasn't such a big deal, why did Camryn continue to feel like it was? He was never searching for Brooke that night. And him pulling her away from the madness of busy, dancing bodies and removing her mic wasn't something that just happened.

He was lying. He had to be.

That was what kept Camryn on the hook. She wasn't into him, she was into the search for the truth.

It must've been the journalist in her.

Camryn, who decided to no longer greet her guests, was out back with her legs dipped into the pool.

Sadly, there wasn't enough time to look how she envisioned for the gathering, so Camryn settled on wearing a chocolate-brown one-piece with her hair thrown into a messy bun and nothing else except spf and a few coats of waterproof mascara.

Luckily, she had good skin and perky boobs on her side.

Bryson, who hadn't seen Paige arrive just minutes after him, searched for Camryn, but didn't want to appear too obvious.

"Hi." Paige said the moment she walked into the kitchen and saw him grab a beer from the refrigerator.

"Hey, how are you?"

His greeting was unauthentic and the tone reminded her of the way you start a conversation with someone you run into and hadn't seen in years.

"I'm alright - could be better." Paige referenced the love triangle that had formed, which she wasn't fond of.

Who would be?

"You look good." She smiled.

Bryson watched her walk past him in a tiny cheetah bikini that barely covered anything underneath her black mesh coverup.

Paige was comfort; familiar. He knew how good the sex was. He knew what their conversations sounded like; what drove her crazy and what turned her on. But was that enough to erase the damage? Because that's what she turned him into - damaged goods.

Paige married someone else within months of their breakup. And yes, it was years ago.

But was he over it?

Camryn, on the other hand, was new meat; a walking question mark. He also knew how fast and how many times she could make him have an orgasm and he wanted - no, needed - more. Her intellect matched his; her beauty copied the descriptions of the leading ladies in his stories. If she was the opposite of Paige, why did he get this overwhelming feeling that they were a lot more alike than he realized? Was she trustworthy? The thought of what she was going to say in her article and if this was just a role she was playing made him doubt a possible future with her.

Time would tell.

Bryson didn't know how to greet her in front of the group. By now they knew, but it was still fresh. And of course, there was his ex - always lurking near, which made him think twice about his approach.
__________________________________

Rocco watched Bryson walk towards Sonny and wondered if he knew. He had to have found out from someone by now. But it didn't matter. Camryn didn't matter. Rocco had the one he wanted. Brooke was practically his. Camryn was irrelevant. Camryn was already claimed by his friend.

So why couldn't he take his eyes off her?

"Have a sip. It's good."

Brooke, who sat on Rocco's lap with an ice cold seltzer offered him to try one of her favorite flavors.

Sitting on him felt forced - like she had to do it in order to mark her territory. Rocco wasn't himself since Midnight Sky. They were all over each other. And then, suddenly, he left without her; without a kiss; without an explanation.

"No. I don't feel like drinking tonight." He retorted.

His drinking was beginning to be habitual again.

Rocco was always reminded of the singing career he wanted. It wouldn't be a good look to join in on Jay's AA meetings if he didn't reel it in some. He was only twenty-two, but most didn't realized he'd been getting wasted at parties and clubs way before he was legal to do so.

"That's a first."

Brooke got up and skimmed her toe across the water's surface to feel its temperature and when she looked over her shoulder, she caught Bryson's eye, which made her freeze.

Was it possible to get the chills in ninety-one degree heat?

Then she appeared, just in time, as if her radar had gone mad.

"Hey. How come you've been distant?" Paige questioned with her nipples practically showing through her suit. And although her body was beautifully sculpted, Brooke thought her desperate call for attention was distasteful.

"I talked to Camryn this morning." Brooke crossed her arms.

"Funny. So did I."

Paige acted stupid, believing that Camryn would never have the balls to confess her speedy and sweaty hookup with Rocco before she could.

"Why didn't you tell me about Rocco and Camryn if you were the one who saw them go off together? You know I like him."

Shit.

Fuck.

Shit-fuck.

She said the words on camera without even thinking.

There would come a point where Rocco would watch this exact moment of Brooke admitting her feelings for him.

Would he think it was cute, or pathetic?

Paige's plan backfired.

__________________________________

"Hi beautiful." Bryson said as he finally made his way to Camryn and sat down beside her, easing his legs into the water next to hers.

She beamed and wasn't expecting him to greet her with such alluring words so soon.

Before Camryn could say anything just as sweet, he grabbed her hand and kissed it.

She breathed him in, which was becoming one of her favorite things to do, and without another thought, she leaned over and gave him a peck.

"There goes your second shot at love." Brooke said to Paige, who gawked at the pair.

Thankfully, her phone went off.

Glancing at the screen, Paige began to walk towards the gate that led to the front of the house. This call had to be taken far away from cameras and far away from eavesdroppers.

It was Tucker.
__________________________________

It was nearly 11 p.m.

Rosie repeatedly checked her phone throughout that day. She couldn't wait until it struck twelve, so they could leave. She'd make an awful Cinderella.

Camryn thought it odd that neither Rosie or Sonny ever cared to sit down and get to know her better. They were colleagues, essentially.

What was it about Camryn that made them keep their distance?

It was a two-way street. Camryn could've also went up to them on any given occasion and started a causal conversation, but didn't.

Did they know what Beau had done when she was fifteen and were they so loyal to him that they made the decision to take his side without knowing the full story?

Camryn sat next to Bryson on the wicker couch that wasn't as comfortable as it looked. They had casually slipped into mutual - and public - affection by that hour of the night. His arm hung around her neck while their hands intertwined.

It was perfect. She'd been waiting for this moment since the night he took her clothes off.

Paige hadn't been spotted in hours. Where was she? Did anyone know? Did anyone care? Freddie specifically made a point to say everyone was to stay until at least midnight. Was she with him?

Callie walked over and sat on the cement that lined the pool, in front of Camryn. She leaned back against her legs as she observed her best friend getting too flirtatious in the deep end with the only guy there who consistently remained impressively sober.

"What do you think's going on there?"

Camryn chuckled. "I honestly don't know. But I like them together."

Tatum then swam over to the two girls once Jay had gotten out to get something to eat.

"Excuse me." Callie said.

"What?" Tatum replied with a smile. It was a giddy, schoolgirl smile.

Someone had a crush.

"You know what."

Callie made it sound like she was already confident Tatum and Jay were sleeping together behind her back.

"It's not what you think." Tatum explained. "We're just friends."

"Hmm. If I had a nickel for every time I heard that." Callie teased.

"We are. And no - we're not fucking." Tatum answered the question they all were wanting to ask. Even Bryson.

"We enjoy each other's company. I don't know." Tatum shrugged her shoulders with the same smile that hadn't left her face. "I like him. We have fun."

Camryn decided to get into the pool.

Rocco watched her every move, as did Beau.

Why wasn't she talking? When was she going to tell?

It was only a matter of time. If he could take it back, he would. But, it was a little too late for that.

When V joined their circle, she brought with her a bag of chips and French Onion Dip. And although she was convinced Callie had a secret motive to steal her husband, she hesitantly went up to her first.

"I know we don't talk much, but I just wanted to say thank you for the other night. You didn't have to do what you did." V said and looked down. "I never wanted to be that girl Friday."

"It happens. I've been there, too." Callie returned. "And it wasn't a big deal. I was happy to help."

Despite Callie handling the chat maturely, V still had her reservations. There was just something about this platinum blonde, tiny-famed girl that V couldn't understand.

As soon as Beau saw his wife mingling with Callie, he instantly went over to end it.

When Beau looked down at Callie, it made her nervous. The energy quickly became unpleasant and problematic. They both avoided one another up until then. Was he drunk? And was there about to be another situation?

It's wasn't like the group didn't know what went down. It was all over TMZ within an hour of it happening.

Rosie, who was bored and noticed her sister needed saving, strolled over to where everyone else had seemed to flock.

"Hey Cal..." She said. "Can I talk to you real quick?"

She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her small body, and wondered why Sonny followed behind them into the house also. A talk between the three of them never ended well.

Rocco finally got up from the same spot he'd been in practically the entire time there and walked over to Brooke who was drinking a class of wine on a barstool in the kitchen, alone.

"Do you mind if join you?" His smirk was sweet, but bewildered her. One minute he was standoffish, the next he wanted to be by her side. Which was it, she thought.

"Sure. Why not."

When he sat beside her, she slid the Moscato over to him. If his hand hadn't stopped it, it would've flown off the counter and shattered on the floor.

"Are you okay?" He asked, but already knew the answer and exactly where the discussion was headed. This wasn't his first rodeo.

"What do you want?"

There it was.

"I want what you want."

Rocco opened the bottle and swigged.

"And what do you think I want?"

It was a fair question, but one Rocco had the answer to based on what she'd told him; based on her actions.

"To be friends who fuck."

His brutal honesty turned Brooke off. She was expecting him to take a hint and guess she was referring to having a relationship. When was he going to be smart enough to see that she actually wanted more than sex? She wanted exclusivity.

"Well I'm ready to take it to the next level if you are." Brooke sounded hopeful.

"I'm not." Rocco returned. His eyes were apologetic, but the rest of his facial expression said he didn't care.

"I'm not saying 'let's date', but I mean, I don't want to see anyone else." Brooke crossed her legs, hoping her sex appeal would change his mind.

"I thought you said you were done with monogamy."

He tried making light of the talk by reminding her what she had told him weeks ago, but it didn't work.

Trying to not go back on her word - and her promise to herself to stop giving in to douche bags - she backtracked and tried saving her dignity.

"You're right - I did say that. But I like you. And if you haven't figured that out by now, then maybe you're too dumb for me to be seeing."

Wow. That came out wrong.

Kind of.

"Oh is that right?" Rocco raised an eyebrow to her statement that she overshot in an attempt to get him to give in. He thought her righteousness was comical.

He continued. "So was that why you were basically asking that guy at Sky to bend you over the bar right in front of me? Because you don't want to see anyone else."

Huh?

Oh no.

She remembered.

She immediately recalled exactly what - and who - he was talking about.

"I did that to make you jealous."

"Yeah." He took another drink. "Okay."

"It's not like I was the only one you had eyes for that night. How could you expect the same from me?"

"Ah. I was waiting for you to bring it up. Just come right out and ask me, Brooke."

"What really happened between you and Camryn? You know she's my friend."

"I kissed her. I was hammered. So what? It didn't..."

"...mean anything." Brooke was apparently on-point at finishing sentences that day. "She said the same thing."

"There's your answer. I have nothing to hide from you. You're not my girlfriend."

Hearing those words stung.

Rocco wanted to tell her that he did have feelings for her, too, but she had grown to be an unreliable and petty lover. Why would he put a label on their arrangement only for it to end badly the moment he didn't give her the amount of attention she demanded on a daily basis?

"I don't want to be tied down either, so I get what you're saying." Brooke continued to backpedal and confuse him. "But I also don't want this to be a one-sided affair."

He chuckled ignorantly. "You want to do what you want, with who you want, but you don't want me to do the same. Sounds fair."

Rocco squeezed the cork back into the bottle. He never did well with boundaries and rules. A relationship was something he never had; never wanted end he was always reminded why.

However, he liked Brooke. And maybe he didn't do a great job of expressing that to her earlier on.

But she blew it. Literally and figuratively.

"I'm done playing by your rules."

Brooke then got closer to him; close enough to put her hand on his inner thigh. Seduction was one of the only ways she knew how to get what she wanted - what she needed - from men.

Rocco removed it gently.

"That can't be the only thing we have in common anymore." He said.

In the end, it was all good: she'd find another guy to manipulate.

But she wanted him.
__________________________________

Camryn had to change out of her suit. A glob of French Onion Dip that she accidentally dropped onto herself wasn't cute and looked like someone had cum on her after she had tried to rub it out of the brown material.

It was, finally, getting close to midnight and she was tired. The sun - and the drinks - had done a number on her.

She stared at her sunburned shoulders and chest in the bathroom mirror, that was nuzzled in the corner of her bedroom, after she excused herself to change into pajama shorts and a hoodie.

Then he startled her.

Slowly, he glided in, gazing back-and-forth between her and her naked body, in the same mirror she was studying herself in.

Camryn didn't flinch or try to cover her body. She wanted him to examine every inch.

As hard as he tried searching, he couldn't find a single flaw. Everything about her was ideal. And he wanted nothing more than to show her how bad he'd missed her.

Bryson found his way behind her and pulled down his swim trunks while she stared at him in the mirror. They had yet to break eye contact.

He eased his fingers around her stomach until she felt them make their way down to her vagina.

She gasped and couldn't help but tilt her head back onto his shoulder where he then sucked on her neck.

How was he so good at this?

After awhile, he retrieved his hand and with the other, ran it delicately up her spine until he arched her back over the sink. He grabbed her hips and thrusted himself inside her at a steady motion until it built up to a loud and obnoxious skin-smacking event.

Camryn grabbed a handful of his hair once his body was hunched over hers.

He kissed her shoulders. He nibbled on her earlobe.

It was euphoric. It was hot. It was exactly what the doctored ordered.

She could definitely get use to this.

When they finished, he pulled his bottoms up and placed himself in front of her, partially sitting on the sink.

Bryson watched her dress. Even in a hoodie and shorts with no makeup on...was there ever a time she didn't look fuckable? He easily could've gone for round two.

"I hope this doesn't end up being about sex only." Camryn said.

He grabbed her ass and pulled her closer.

"Trust me, it's not." Bryson locked his lips with hers and for some alarming reason, when she closed her eyes, she pictured Rocco.

The thought of him made her shake her head slightly to get rid of the mental image.

"You okay?" Bryson noticed.

"Yeah." Camryn played it cool. "Just got the chills."

When they made their way back downstairs it was finally four past midnight and the group was off-the-hook to go home.

To no surprise, Sonny and Rosie were the first to leave without saying goodbye to their host.

Paige appeared suddenly and what she had to say couldn't wait.

"I need you to take me home. Now." She said to Bryson.

"Why can't you take yourself home? Didn't you drive here?

Bryson was still holding Camryn's hand.

"No, Ricky dropped me off." Rickey was her driver.

"Okay, so have him pick you up."

Bryson didn't understand the urgency.

"No. We need to talk." The look in Paige's eyes was nothing short of a small cry for help.

Camryn released Bryson's hand and excused herself to go into the other room. It was time to cleanup and she wasn't about get caught in the middle of an unforgiving situation. Bryson would make his way back to her after he told Paige off. She was sure of it.

"I'm not taking you home, Paige." Bryson was blunt.

"I don't know who you think you are, but you have a lot of explaining to do. And I, for once, am not going to sit pretty while you run the show." Paige was on another level. Where had she been hiding all this time and was she on drugs?

She went on. "I'll cause a fucking scene if I have to until you agree to take me home. You owe me that much."

It was a rare occasion when Bryson heard her curse. He did feel like he owed her an explanation. Maybe this was the moment he was waiting for to break her heart like she did, his.

It was going to take a lot of convincing for Camryn to understand that this needed to happen whether she was fine with it or not. The last and final straw with Paige was right now.

And he wasn't about to ask for Camryn's permission, which he knew would rock the boat.

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