Chapter 1
The screams of the crowd seeped under the door as Fynn lit another cigarette.
She had chosen to remain in the comfort of the backstage rather than struggle with
all the stagehands and roadies in order to get a closer look at the stage. It wasn't
as if she hadn't seen it before - to her, the Hansons were like family.
She had grown up in the same neighborhood as the famous brood and had
witnessed firsthand the growing pains and joys of the Hanson siblings. Along
with Ike, Taylor and Zac, Fynn had somehow survived the throes of childhood and
adolescence. She and Zac had always been friends and partners in crime, while Ike stood his ground (along with her four brothers, Skye, Stone, Scout and Lake) as the wise and
all-knowing older sibling. For Fynn, however, Taylor was the special one - the one to
whom she felt the closest. They shared a special bond that, although tested time and again, had never been severed.
It had been six years since the meteoric rise of Hanson and the resulting
phenomenon known as "Hansonmania". After releasing several CDs and sweating
through two international tours, the brothers had chosen to take time off.
Their wish was to subtly make the transition from "pop" stars to mature musicians. Time out
of the limelight seemed the only way to make it happen. The intervening years were
spent writing and recording new material - songs that implied a new phase in their lives and a more "adult" sound.
The release of the new CD, "Stay", had been lauded by both critics and fans.
The reviews stated that the new sound was well worth the wait; and as they had
hoped, Hanson's fans had grown up with them, accepted the fresh songs with open minds
and embraced the direction the brothers had taken. According to plan, Ike, Tay
and Zac - at the ages of 24, 22 and 19 - had recently undertaken a tour to promote their
newest efforts. Fynn settled back on the sofa and slowly inhaled the Camel she held lightly
between her fingers. She often wondered what it was, exactly, she was doing
here. Somehow Tay had convinced her to join them on the road for the summer. She
was to begin her senior year in college the following autumn and he thought she
deserved a "time-out".
"You take this school thing way too seriously," he had told her. "Not that
education isn't important but, Fynn, when you're in school, you exclude every
other part of your life. That can't be healthy."
"I can't believe you'd say that, Taylor," she'd replied. "You know how hard
I worked to get into school and I don't want to screw it up."
"Fine. I understand. Just take some time off this summer. Come with us on
tour." With this, his eyebrows had lifted slightly, his lips had formed the tiniest pout and his infamous puppy-dog look appeared. He knew she would have trouble resisting "the look". It had gotten her into trouble many times before. As a matter of fact, she'd been grounded several times during her teen years because of her inability to combat those blue eyes. "It'll be fun," he continued. "You'll spend some time with us and you'll get your mind off school for a while."
She closed her eyes for a moment. It did sound appealing. No responsibilities, no mind-bending texts to read, no draining papers to write and no professors to please...for three whole months! But she didn't agree right away. She couldn't let Taylor know he'd won that easily. Stringing him along for a couple of weeks wouldn't hurt him.
"Maybe," she said. "I'll have to think about it. You know, I really should
get a summer job and earn some money."
"You have your whole life to work. Live it up while you can." He gently placed a
hand on her shoulder and looked directly into her eyes. "You're way too responsible for
your own good," he stated emphatically.
She realized now that perhaps he was right. As she looked around the dressing room at the other guests, she saw them laughing, partying and having fun. When was the last time she really had fun? She couldn't remember. All her life, she'd been the one to stand back and observe, rather than participate. Only Taylor and Zac had been able to bring her out of her shell and on those occasions, she usually ended up on restriction. Looking back, however, she didn't regret their escapades. The practical jokes and dares had never gotten them into any serious trouble, but merely exasperated both sets of parents. She smiled when she remembered her mother and Diana having their "what are we going to do with those kids?" conversations.
"God, I've got to lighten up and stop being so goddamn serious all the time," she thought.
She put out her cigarette and rose from the sofa. Making her way through the
maze of people in the room, she found her way to the table of catered food. Nothing
looked appealing. She wasn't particularly hungry. Her eyes roamed the perimeter of the
room and landed on the open bar that had been set up. Ahhhh...a drink would help relax
her.
Fynn wasn't much of a drinker. She occasionally had a beer or two and at parties
would drink her favorite - vodka - but only one. Maybe two. She couldn't remember the
last time she'd been drunk. It was probably the night she'd dragged Taylor to her senior
prom because she and her boyfriend had fought the night before. They had both ended up drinking way too much and had crashed at Sharon's after-prom party. The hangover had been bitter.
"Excuse me," she mumbled, as she elbowed her way up to the table and reached
for the familiar cobalt blue bottle of Skyy vodka. She poured the clear liquid into a glass
of ice and added what she thought was a sufficient amount of tonic. The first couple of sips burned a bit going down, but then she felt the familiar warmth spread through her body.
"Can I get you another one?" Fynn turned around and found herself face-to-
face with Ben, one of the tour managers. She looked down at her glass and realized that it was, indeed, empty.
"Sure," she replied, hesitantly.
"What're you drinking?" he inquired.
"Skyy and tonic. Light on the Skyy, okay?"
"Sure thing." Ben lifted the blue bottle and poured an over-generous amount of
alcohol into the glass. There was room for only a splash of tonic. "Here you go," he said, handing her the drink.
"Whoa! I said light on the Skyy, not the tonic," she remarked after tasting the mixture he'd poured.
"Oh, sorry," he smiled. "I can make you another if you'd like."
"No, that's okay. It actually tastes pretty good." She smiled back. Fynn
had always found Ben to be extremely attractive, but aloof in an "I'm in charge"
kind of way. She guessed that he was several years older than her, perhaps 30 or 31, but
something about him was very intriguing.
"I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Ben Peterson," he said, extending a hand to her.
"Fynn Childs," she replied, as she accepted his handshake. It seemed he kept
contact just a bit too long, but maybe it was her imagination.
"Ahhh, yes...Fynn. Taylor's friend. I take it you two are...well...an item?" he asked.
"Oh, God, no," she stated, startled that anyone would think so. "We've been
friends way too long for that." Ben looked skeptical, but then his lips turned up in a slight smile.
"I'm surprised. Pleasantly surprised, that is. I just assumed you two were a couple."
"Ugh, just the thought..." Fynn shuddered slightly at the idea of she and Taylor...together. "It would be like dating my brother," she laughed.
She noticed him glance at the drink in her hand. She placed the glass to her
Lips and sipped the last of the vodka. He was already a step ahead of her, turning
back to the bar and pouring another for her. She accepted it without much thought.
"Well, here's to new friendships," he said and raised his glass to hers.
She followed suit and tapped his drink lightly with hers. The vodka no longer
tasted of alcohol, but had taken on the refreshing, light feel of ice cold water. Fynn
knew this was the danger point; the point when she wouldn't realize how much she'd had to drink. She made a mental note to make this her last glass of the evening.
"So, you're unattached?" Ben brought her thoughts back to him.
"Yes. And you?"
"Unattached. And looking, I might add," he responded with a smirk. He was definitely interested in her. She smiled coyly and lowered her eyes.
"Whoa! You okay?" Ben had grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him.
"What? Oh, yes, I'm fine," she said, embarrassed. Looking at the ground
had caused her to momentarily lose her balance. Jesus, she thought. How much had
she had to drink?
"Maybe you should sit down."
"No, really, I'm okay." Instinctively, however, she felt that she wasn't okay. The third drink had gone down a little too quickly and, before she could decline, Ben had placed another in her hand. Was it half gone already? She couldn't remember drinking any of it, but evidently she had.
She felt him place his arm around her shoulders, as if to steady her. She welcomed his touch and thought it was kind of him to be concerned.
"Fynn!"
She turned toward the voice across the room and saw Isaac motioning for her to join him. Shit, she hadn't even noticed that the concert had ended and the guys had joined the group backstage.
"Fynn, come here!" Isaac called again with more emphasis.
"Ben, excuse me. I'll be right back," she said as she slowly and carefully
made her way across the crowded room. "What is it, Ike?" Her tone conveyed that she was annoyed at the interruption.
"I see you've been cozying up to Ben in the corner," he said, nodding in Ben's direction.
"So? Is there a problem?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Don't let him fool you, Fynn. He's a jerk. Always on the make." Isaac's protectiveness usually pleased her, made her feel safe. Tonight, however, just as she was
beginning to have some fun, it seemed nothing more than intrusion.
"Since when is it against the rules to talk to someone? He seems nice enough.
Besides, I don't need your approval, Ike," she spat out. She wasn't sure all the words had
come out right. Her tongue was slurring her speech and it felt as though her mouth was
moving in slow motion.
"Fine, do what you want." Ike looked at her disapprovingly. "He's married, you know."
"Wrong. He told me he's...unattached," she struggled to make her lips move.
"Yeah, right." Another voice had joined the conversation. She turned to see Tay
come up behind her. "He's married to some bitch named Julia who checks up on him
constantly to make sure he's not screwing around on her. Of course he is. I don't know how he gets away with it," he told her.
"I don't believe you two," she said quietly. "You'd think I was going to jump into
bed with him. We were just talking." She was disappointed to hear that Ben had lied to
her, but she wouldn't let Ike and Tay know that.
"You're too drunk to notice that he's just trying to charm your pants off,"
Ike said angrily. "Don't say I didn't warn you." He turned his back to her and walked away.
Taylor, too, had disappeared.
"Fuck you," she said to herself. "I'm a big girl..." Her eyes roamed the room until
she found Ben leaning against the wall, watching her. He smiled when he saw her look at
him and began a steady walk towards her.
"Problem?" he asked, nodding towards Isaac.
"No. No problem," she whispered. "Would you mind getting me another drink?"
She handed him her glass. Just one more, she thought.
.
Chapter 2
How many drinks had she had? she wondered. Four? Five? Each one stronger than the last. Fynn was severely impaired by the time she realized Ben had his hand on her
ass. How long had it been there?
"Why don't we get out of here?" he whispered into her ear. "We could go someplace quiet and get to know each other." The look in his eyes told her exactly what
he had in mind. Suddenly she didn't feel very well.
"You know what? I'll be right back. I'm going to run to the ladies' room," she said.
"Don't be too long," Ben replied as he leaned in to kiss her. She successfully dodged his attempt and hurried out of the room.
"God, I've got to get a grip on myself," she mumbled to herself in the mirror of the
small bathroom. "This guy isn't going to leave me alone." She splashed some cold water on her face, hoping the shock would return her senses.
She slowly opened the door and peered out into the hallway. She saw Ben waiting
for her at the entrance to the dressing room on her right. To her left, she saw her escape.
Taylor was standing against the wall, deep in conversation with a woman who clearly had the intention of going back to the hotel with him.
"Yuk...what do these women see in him?" she wondered. She ducked out of the bathroom to avoid Ben's gaze and, holding onto the wall for support, walked in Tay's direction. He was too immersed in the bimbo in front of him to notice her approach.
"Taylor," she said, grabbing his arm. "I need to talk to you."
"Fynn, I'm busy right now." He nodded towards the blonde with the big tits.
"Could we talk later?"
"No. Now." She pulled at his arm. He was clearly not happy about being interrupted. He looked from Fynn to the blonde.
"Just a minute," he said to her. "Don't move." The woman smiled and indicated that she would stand there forever, waiting for him.
"What the hell is your problem?" he demanded after she pulled him away from his
prey. She could tell by his unsteady walk that, although she'd gotten a head start, Tay had had enough drinks to catch up with her.
"I'm so sorry to interrupt the infamous "Taylor Hanson Mating Dance," but she's trash. Don't waste your time."
"Is that it? Is that what you needed to talk to me about?" he asked. He kept looking back towards the blonde, as if to ensure she was still there. She was.
"You win," Fynn said. "Ben's been trying to feel me up all night. I need your help. He thought we were a couple..."
Tay laughed. "In what universe?" he asked
"I know. That's what I told him. Anyway, if he thinks we're, you know, together, then he'll leave me alone," she continued. "Please?"
"Are you out of your mind? I have the opportunity of a lifetime standing ten steps away and you want me to act like your boyfriend?" He was incredulous.
"You owe me."
"What're you talking about? I don't owe you shit," he said.
"Who took the blame when you dented your parents car because you'd had too much to drink? Who set you up with Jen Williams so you could lose your virginity? Who was honest enough to tell you those leather pants looked ridiculous?" She was grasping at straws.
"I liked those leather pants," he replied, with a hurt look.
"Well?" she persisted.
"Fine. But this better not take long." He rolled his eyes at her and grabbed her
waist. "Let�s get this over with."
Fynn glanced down the hall and saw Ben still standing guard at the door.
"Kiss me," she said, turning to Tay.
"What!?!?!"
"Kiss me. He's standing right there." She lifted her face to him. "C'mon
already!" she hissed.
Taylor looked in Ben's direction to make sure he was watching. He didn't want to waste this kiss on nothing. Sure enough, Ben's eyes were narrowed, looking straight at
them.
Taylor pulled Fynn closer to him and took a deep breath. "Here goes," he
muttered.
Fynn, expecting nothing more than a peck, was startled when Tay's kiss lasted more than a second. My God, was that his tongue trying to make its way into her mouth?
"What are you doing?" she asked as she pushed him away.
"I figured I'd make it a good one, then we�d only have to do it once. Did he see?"
"I think so. Do you think that'll do it?"
"It's gonna have to 'cause I'm outta here." He turned back to where he'd left the
blonde. She was gone. "Shit, shit, shit! I can't believe you did that to me!"
"Yeah, well, you probably couldn't have gotten it up anyway. You're too drunk."
She laughed and turned away.
"Hey! That's never been a problem." She rolled her eyes.
"I know, I know. You're such a stud," she called back over her shoulder. She
continued down the hall, glancing in all directions to make sure Ben had disappeared. Tay walked quickly, if not unsteadily, to catch up with her.
"I'm going to ignore that last remark," he told her. "You want something to drink?"
"You're insane, right? I can barely put one foot in front of the other as it is. See?"
She demonstrated by weaving a few steps ahead.
"I guess there's no reason to hang around here, then, seeing as how you drove
away my only hope of sex for the evening. You wanna a ride back to the hotel?" Suddenly nothing seemed better than to crawl into bed and sleep off the effects of the liquor.
"Let's go," she replied and grabbed his hand.
.
Chapter 3
Fynn tilted back her head on the seat of the limo. "Tay? Is everything spinning, or
is that just me?" she asked, closing her eyes.
"Everything's spinning. Don't close your eyes. It makes it worse."
"Oh." She could sense Taylor moving closer to her and slipping his arm around
her shoulders.
"You okay?" he asked. "You had an awful lot to drink." He lifted his other hand
and lightly stroked her cheek.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She didn't immediately realize that he was leaning towards her
until his lips connected with hers. She was startled when his kiss turned passionate.
"You look incredibly sexy through an alcohol-induced haze," he said, as his lips
moved to her neck.
"Is that a compliment?" she wondered.
"Yeah, I guess it is." He swept his lips across her neck and then lightly nipped her
sensitive earlobe with his teeth.
"Taylor, what're you doing?" She pushed him away and looked in his eyes. She
felt confused. What was going on?
"I don't know." He shifted back on the seat and turned his head to look out the
window. "It seemed like a good idea," he said.
Fynn also turned away. The unfamiliar streets and buildings of San Francisco passed by in a blur. Soon the lights of the hotel could be seen in the near distance.
Neither of them spoke during the remainder of the ride.
* * * * *
Fynn felt awkward in the elevator. She concentrated on the ascending numbers over the door. 3, 4, 5... Their rooms were located on the 31st floor, a long ride in an uncomfortable situation. She felt Taylor's eyes roaming her body from the other side of
the small cubicle. What the hell was his problem? He'd never acted this way around her
before.
She tried her best not to look in his direction, but curiosity won out and she glanced toward him. As soon as their eyes met, he took two steps forward and backed her into the corner. Once again, his lips were on hers and she felt his tongue sliding over her teeth. A tingling feeling of excitement began to wash over her. She was shocked at her
reaction.
Just as Taylor's hand began to move down her back, the elevator stopped and the
doors opened. They stepped out and began to walk down the hall. Suddenly he grabbed
her arm and pushed her back into the door of his room. This time, he pressed his body
against hers a little more forcefully; enough that she could feel his erection. He took her
hand and placed it between his legs.
"Look what you've done to me," he mumbled.
"Whoa! You've grown since we used to play doctor in the treehouse when we were six." She giggled as she usually did when she was drunk.
"I'm all grown up," he whispered in her ear. "So are you. We can play more interesting games now." He moved her hand so that she was gently stroking his hard
penis.
"You mean Monopoly?" She pulled her hand from his and pushed him away.
"God, Fynn. Don't you ever get horny?" His voice took on an irritated tone.
"Of course I get horny. I just never think of you in that way," she replied.
"Think of me that way. Just for tonight." Again he moved his body around hers.
"Come into my room with me. It'll only take a few minutes."
"What'll only take a few minutes?" she asked.
"You know, for you to.....well.....help me out with this." He began to slowly grind
his hips against hers. The contact gave her chills, but she still resisted.
"You want me to jerk you off?!?!?"
"The thought crossed my mind," he smiled. "Unless you can think of something more interesting." His hands had moved from her back to the front of her shirt. He was beginning to tug at the bottom to release it from her skirt.
"Taylor, I'm not giving you a hand job. No way." She closed her eyes as she felt
his cool hands against the bare skin of her stomach.
"All right. Then fuck me." The intensity of his words excited her. She couldn't
fight the physical reaction of her body.
"I don't think that's such a good idea," she mumbled unconvincingly. His hands
stroked the fabric of her bra and slipped inside to casually pinch her nipple. The delicate
moan that escaped her lips convinced Taylor that her words were meaningless.
"Admit it, Fynn," he whispered, "you're turned on. Your nipples are hard and..."
His hand slipped under her skirt and his fingers touched the outside of her panties.
"Mmmmm," he murmured. "You're very wet."
She took in a sharp breath as he effortlessly rubbed her clitoris through the
Sheer fabric. She was quickly losing control of the situation.
"Just think.....you can lay back on the bed while I kiss you everywhere."
His tongue was teasing her, darting quickly in and out of her mouth. "Then, I want to lick you until you come." A deep moan escaped her lips. He had won.
"Hurry," she gasped desperately. "Open the door."
.
Chapter 4
The sound of the telephone jerked Fynn awake. She slowly opened one eye and
pulled her hand from under the covers to pick up the receiver.
"Huh?" she mumbled into the mouthpiece, unable to make her lips form real
words.
"This is your wake-up call. It's 8:00 o'clock," an anonymous voice cheerily
answered her.
"Mmm hmm." She replaced the phone in its cradle and looked around the room.
She could see the sun peering through a part in the drapes. "I don't remember requesting
a wake-up call," she thought to herself. She turned over onto her back. Her head was
pounding; the beginning of the hangover from hell. She tried to relieve some of the
pressure by closing her eyes and slowly stretching her neck muscles. As she turned to her left, her eyes fell upon the sleeping form of.....Taylor?
"Aaaargh!!!!" she screamed. She quickly sat up and pulled the bedspread up under
her chin to cover her naked body. "What the hell are you doing here?!?!?!" There was no
response other than steady breathing from the other side of the bed. She kicked his legs in an attempt to wake him or perhaps push him out of her sight.
"Owwww!!" He didn't appreciate being awakened by the force of a physical
attack. "Stop kicking me!"
"Why are you here?" she demanded, continuing to shove him with her feet.
"It's my room, Fynn." He decided to kick her back.
Fynn stopped for a moment and looked around her. All these rooms looked the
same. "How do you know?"
"�Cause that�s my shit over there in the corner, duh."
She turned towards the window and saw Taylor�s luggage and clothes strewn
about the floor. She began to feel sick.
"Then what am I doing here?" she asked quietly, not really wanting to know the
answer. Taylor lifted the covers on his side and peered underneath.
"Well, I'm naked. And....." He started to investigate Fynn's state of undress, but
she smacked his hand forcefully. "Okay. I assume you're naked, as well. My guess is
that we had sex," he said sarcastically.
"No no no no no no....." It was inconceivable. "There must be another
explanation."
"Fynn, we're naked and sharing a bed. All the evidence points toward S-E-X.
What do you think happened?"
"Roll over," she said.
"What?"
"Roll over. I'm getting out." She waited for him to turn his back to her.
"I've seen you naked before, Fynn."
"Yeah, well, we were six then. Now roll over."
"I meant last night," he said as he obediently turned and faced the wall.
Fynn gingerly stepped out of bed and wrapped the bedspread around her
shoulders, careful to make sure no bare skin was showing. "Did we really.....you
know.....do it?" Her stomach was twisted in knots and her knees felt weak.
"I think so," he replied.
"You mean you don't remember?!?!"
"Do you?"
Their conversation was stopped short by a sharp knock on the door. Fynn walked
over and looked through the peep hole. "Oh my God. Taylor, it's Zac."
"Well, let him in," he called out.
"Are you insane? If your brothers get wind of this, they'll never let us live it down."
"You're right," he said, thinking of how cruel and relentless his brothers' teasing
could be. Taylor got out of the bed and pulled on some boxers. "Grab your clothes and
hide in the bathroom. I'll get rid of him."
She hastily retrieved her clothing and stepped into the cold bathroom. Taylor
waited until she was safely inside and then opened the door to greet his brother.
"What took you so long?" Zac asked impatiently as he stepped into Tay's room.
"You woke me up."
"Didn�t you get a wake-up call? You were supposed to get a wake-up call."
"Uh, well, I guess I fell back to sleep," Taylor answered, looking at the
floor.
"Well, you were supposed to meet us for breakfast. You forgot, didn't you?" Zac
was obviously irritated.
"Sorry. I guess I had too much to drink last night. I've got a hangover the
size of
Montana." Taylor put his head in his hands to demonstrate the severity of his
headache.
"Big fuckin' deal," Zac said. "Tell me something new....." Zac was getting
tired of Taylor's constant complaints of hangovers. It seemed as though his brother
was hitting the bottle with a little too much gusto since the tour began; drinking every
night and picking up women the way little kids pick up candy. "Get dressed and let's
go."
"Why don't you go and join Ike. I'll be down in a few minutes." Taylor was
desperate for Zac to leave so Fynn could make her exit undetected.
"All right. But hurry up." Zac gave Tay a look of disgust. "And Tay? Don't
bother primping in front of the mirror 'cause it won't help. You look like shit." With a
satisfied smile on his face, Zac closed the door behind him.
"Funny," Tay mumbled and started searching for something to wear.
* * * * *
Fynn had dressed and was now staring at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.
Her eyes were bloodshot and her face was frighteningly pale. "What have I done?" she
asked herself. She tried desperately to remember the events of the evening before, but her mind was blank.
"You can come out now." Taylor tapped on the door to let her know the coast
was clear. She felt she couldn't face him yet and sat on the edge of the bathtub, looking at the blue tiles on the floor.
"Fynn? You okay?" Tay opened the door and peered in. "Zac's gone. You can
come out."
Fynn slowly looked up at him and suddenly felt sick. "Tay, did you use a
condom?"
"Not unless you brought one with you. I didn't have any," he said, rather
nonchalantly.
"What!?!? How could you not use a condom? Whatthe hell were you thinking?"
She was furious. She wasn't using birth control pills because they gave her migraines.
And when she thought of all the women Taylor had slept with lately, she wanted
to vomit.
"This is not all my fault!" Taylor was yelling now, upset that she seemed to be
blaming him for whatever happened. "Look, we were both lonely and needed to be with
someone last night."
"Don't try to make this sound romantic, because it isn't."
"Fine. We were both wasted and we fucked each other's brains out! Is that what
you want to hear?" Taylor turned and exited the bathroom. She could hear him stomping
around the room, throwing things in anger.
Fynn lightly stepped into the room, located her purse and slung it over her shoulder. "I think I should go," she said softly.
"Good. Don't talk to me until you're rational." Taylor kept his back to her, not
wanting to see the accusation in her eyes. He was hurt and angry that she didn't seem to
take any responsibility. When he heard the door click shut, he laid down on the bed and
stared at the ceiling. He couldn't lose her. She was his touchstone and if she severed their relationship over this, he didn't think he could survive.
.
Chapter 5
Isaac and Zac were already seated in the restaurant, drinking coffee and waiting for
their food. Taylor slid into the booth next to Ike and grabbed a menu.
"Where have you been?" Zac had told Ike about Taylor's hangover. "You look
like shit."
"Thanks, but someone already told me that," Tay responded, not looking up
from the menu.
"You know we have an interview today, don't you?"
"Yes."
"Do you think you can handle it?" Ike's sarcastic tone didn't sit well with
Taylor.
"I'm fine. It's nothing a few gallons of java won't fix."
The waitress appeared with more coffee. Taylor ordered some breakfast and
picked up his cup. He closed his eyes as the hot liquid ran down his throat.
He hoped the
caffeine would help wake him up and relieve the pounding in his head.
"Where's Fynn?" Zan asked. "I thought she was gonna join us."
"I don't know. She had an awful lot to drink last night. Maybe she's
sleeping it off." Taylor hoped his brothers didn't pick up on the uncomfortable tone in
his voice.
"Hey, I heard Ben was tryin' to pick up on her last night." Zac seemed
pleased to convey this bit of gossip he was sure no one else knew. "I wonder how far he
got."
"Not very. Sam told me Ben beat feet when he saw Fynn and our dear brother
making out." Isaac looked at Taylor, as if waiting for a confirmation.
"You made out with Fynn?!?! Damn, does anything bad ever happen to you?"
Zac asked, wide-eyed.
"We didn't make out. It was just one kiss." Taylor didn't meet his
brother's glance for fear his expression would give away his secret.
"With tongues?"
"Shut up, Zac! It was merely a ploy to make Ben think we were a couple.
Fynn figured he'd leave her alone. Excuse me? Can I have some more coffee?"
Taylor reached out to the passing waitress. When she had refilled everyone's cups, Zac sat back and lit a cigarette.
"I always thought Fynn would be a good lay," he bluntly stated. Isaac and
Taylor both choked and spit coffee on table.
"What?" Isaac was startled at his younger brother's admission.
"C'mon, don't tell me you guys haven't thought about it. She's hot."
"I can't believe you!" Fynn was too much like a younger sister for Ike to
even imagine having sex with her. "That's sick."
"Ike, she's not related to us. I mean, we've known her forever, but
still....."
Taylor wanted desperately to change the subject before Zac asked his opinion of their best friend. "Are you gonna eat that?" he asked Ike, reaching for an unfinished
bagel.
"Tay, don't you think Fynn's sexy? Those legs that go on forever. Her flat stomach and firm ass. She doesn't have huge tits, but they're perfectly round and you can see her nipples when she wears a white shirt. And those lips.....oh, God I'd love to have those lips wrapped around.....well, you know."
Taylor's jaw dropped listening to Zac's quite accurate description. "God, Zac, don't give yourself a hard-on."
"Too late." Zac smiled and shifted nervously in his seat.
"You've obviously given it a lot of thought." Now that Zac had mentioned it, Isaac could see the attraction. "Just how many times have you fantasized about her?"
"Once or twice," Zac admitted. "Okay, about 87 times....." Zac laughed when he
saw his brothers' faces.
"I didn't think you could even get it up that often," Taylor teased.
"Well, she's good inspiration."
"Can I get you guys anything else?" The waitress had appeared to clear their
dishes. "More coffee?"
"No, thanks. Just the check." She handed the slip of paper to Taylor. He took one look at it and passed it on to Ike. "This one's on you," he said as he took one last sip of coffee and stood up.