Diving In Read online

  We crawl under the covers together and I rest my arm over her waist as she lies on her back. She turns her head to look at me and gives me a sweet, kind of shy smile.

  “James,” she says, “thanks for sticking by me at the party … you know, especially with those girls and stuff. I think I would have been a lot more nervous if you weren’t right by my side the whole time like that.”

  “I’ll always stick by you, Lo. I got your back,” I smile.

  She doesn’t reply, she just brushes her fingers down my shoulder and then leans up to kiss my cheek. It’s gentle and loving, that kind of sweet kiss that makes your heart flutter like some shit out of a cartoon. I close my eyes and absorb the feeling as she plants little, soft kisses across my cheeks, up the bridge of my nose, across my forehead and along my jaw. The tenderness of it is what gets me and I feel all warm and cozy with her.

  “Goodnight, James,” she whispers, kissing my cheek one more time and then curling into me.

  “Goodnight, babe,” I softly reply.

  What an awesome way to fall asleep.

  Chapter 3 - Lola

  James holds my hand as we shuffle towards the marina. He’s arranged something today and the only thing he would tell me was that it involved a boat—or yacht, I guess. I know absolutely nothing about boats but most of these look pretty expensive. We head down a dock to a large motor yacht with dark wood paneling and gold railings. The writing sprawled across the back in gold cursive says “Dirty Oar”.

  “Seriously?” I smirk at James.

  “It’s a dumb name, but come on,” he smiles broadly as he leads me up some stairs and onto the deck.

  A handsome older gentleman who looks a little like Sean Connery steps out and introduces himself as Captain Scott. “The others are already here,” he says, motioning for us to go inside.

  We step into the cabin and it’s tacky opulence everywhere. It looks like Louis XIV threw up in here, gold everything, white leather sofas, marbled wood paneling on the walls. I instantly know who the yacht belongs to and I give James a look.

  “Rick said I could use it,” he grins mischievously, nearly laughing at the way I’m holding back from commenting on the decor.

  “Chad, honey, they’re here!” Alejandro says, emerging from an outside door.

  “They are?” I hear Chad’s voice call from the main deck.

  Alejandro gives James a hug before moving on to hug me. He’s so firm, like a wall of muscle. He looks totally studly in shorts and a black wifebeater that shows off his sleeve of beautiful sugar skulls and other Day of the Dead emblems. Chad comes in soon after in shorter shorts and no shirt, showing off his golden tan and making his blue eyes really pop. He walks his tall, lean frame over to me and gives me a big hug, kissing my cheek and telling me that the orange, cotton sundress I have on over my bikini looks gorgeous. With compliments flying like this, I could really get used to hanging out with these guys.

  It seems that James and the boys called in a favor from Rick to take me out on his yacht today for some fun in the sun. I feel sappy for admitting it, but I find it so touching that the three of them put this together. James does nice stuff for me all the time but it’s so sweet of Chad and Alejandro to come along too. I had so much fun with them at the barbecue.

  I want to put my purse down and change, so I start off to find the bedrooms—turns out there are three, including a master suite with a king bed. James follows on my heels and closes the door a little bit behind him when we arrive in a large room with a mirrored wall and black wood everything. It looks like every 1980s shopping mall crammed into one room. I’m guessing Rick bought this boat quite some time ago, probably late 1980s early 1990s, which would coincide with when Sin Cinema first took off, according to what James told me.

  I turn to him and snicker when I hit a switch that reveals recessed lighting around a big octagonal mirror on the ceiling.

  “If the boat’s a rockin’…” he jokes.

  “Yuck!” I laugh.

  “I hope this is cool,” he whispers as he pulls his t-shirt shirt off and starts unbuttoning his jeans. “Chad sent me a text that said how much they loved meeting you and I wanted to take you out here with me anyway, so I thought they could come too.”

  “I’m psyched,” I smile. “I think this was a great idea.”

  “Really?” he grins with pride.

  “Really,” I nod and put my hands on his shoulders as I lean up to kiss his cheek. It makes him look adorably bashful and I love it. Modest James is such a sweetheart.

  He slides his jeans down and I blush a little bit, assuming I shouldn’t stand there and stare while he changes into his trunks. I turn away from him and pull my dress over my head, leaving me in a bikini and flip-flops. I take the hair tie from my wrist and start gathering my hair into a ponytail when I catch a quick glimpse of James in the reflection from one of the many mirrored surfaces. He’s totally naked, chiseled to absolute perfection, and he’s looking up and down my body as I attempt to tame my hair. He’s just so … sexy. It gives me a little shiver to think that such a beautiful guy is checking me out, but I shrug inwardly when I remember that the beautiful guy in question is my best friend, not some hottie boyfriend.

  James and I emerge from the bedroom to find Chad and Alejandro on the back deck, Chad soaking up the sun at the patio table and Alejandro preparing the grill.

  “Damn, girl!” Alejandro grins when he sees me. “You’ve got a body by Gucci!”

  I laugh loudly and curve forward a little in an attempt to hide my huge boobs, which must be what he’s referring to. They’re way too big for my body and I’ve been self-conscious about them for years, but Alejandro’s being playful and it’s cute.

  “Come over here, Hottie Boombalottie,” Chad says, patting the chair beside him. “Come sit next to me.”

  I happily oblige, squeezing out a dab of sunscreen from the bottle on the floor and lathering it on.

  Captain Scott fires up the motor and we start heading out into the water. Once we’re sufficiently far from the shore we park—probably not a boat term, but still. Alejandro tells us to leave the grilling to him and go enjoy the sun on the main deck, so the three of us head up to the big deck on the front, which Chad says is actually called a foredeck. I’m so not a boat girl and James laughs whenever I joke about starboard sides and going aft.

  “Here, I have towels if you want to lay out and tan,” Chad says, handing me a towel.

  I unroll it on the deck and recline back, letting the sun soak into me. James grabs one and lies next to me so I’m between him and Chad like the focal point for our conversation.

  “So,” Chad asks, “how did you like the party? Did you meet any sex-crazed porn stars?”

  I laugh and shake my head. “Only some regular, boring ones. I was half expecting orgies and a giant fuck fest to break out, but everybody was so sweet and nice.”

  “Well, orgy night was last week,” James smirks.

  “Yeah, that’s right,” Chad laughs. “I took a raincheck on that one, but I’ll have to remember next month’s Orgy Friday.”

  I giggle and I notice James giving me a big, pearly white smile. He doesn’t think he’s being obvious, but his eyes are making quick little darting movements over my body like he’s trying to be as discrete as possible, but not exactly pulling it off. He’s checking me out. James is checking me out. It’s so funny and flattering. He’s seen me in underwear and stuff—hell, he’s seen my boobs before—but he seems so captivated today.

  “Everybody there was nice, except for those two girls,” I add.

  “Who?!” Chad excitedly asks. “I have to know!”

  I laugh loudly and bite my bottom lip before revealing, “Lexi and Tara. They were sort of catty, just that girl tone where they talk down to you. It was weird because I don’t know them, I’ve never met them, and they were acting a bit bitchy to me. It felt like high school bullshit.”

  “They’re jealous,” Chad says without even pausing to think a
bout it. “Porn’s most eligible bachelor walks into a party with a really pretty girl on his arm and they go apeshit. They have a crush on him, you know,” he points to James.

  “They do not,” James chuckles and shakes his head.

  “They do and you know it!” Chad teases.

  “Very interesting,” I smirk at James. “So not one but two porn stars are into you, eh?”

  “Shut up, the both of you,” he laughs, his smile sweet and embarrassed.

  “Lexi’s been in love with him ever since their first scene together,” Chad mercilessly continues, much to my delight. “Word on the street is that she said he’s the best fucker in the biz. And Tara, I heard she yelled at a girl she was doing a scene with and told her to get pussy licking lessons from James.”

  “No way!” I gasp with loud laughter.

  “That is so not true!” James protests.

  “It so is true,” Chad retorts. “It’s him, he’s a heartbreaker. Every girl who’s done a scene with him falls in love with him.”

  “So, you got that going for you,” I poke at James and Chad laughs.

  “Don’t believe a word of it,” James smiles at me. “He’s a smart-ass and he’s bullshitting.”

  “Or am I?” Chad grins at me with an exaggeratedly raised eyebrow.

  I laugh loudly and roll onto my stomach so I can prop myself up on my elbows and look at both of them.

  “Who to believe …” I smirk. “Such a tough call.”

  “Is it?” James grins in his classic, beautiful, enticing, troublemaker style.

  In a flash, he’s up and sitting on me, immobilizing me with his weight as he tickles at my ribs. I’m flat on my stomach and there’s nothing I can do but laugh hysterically.

  “Ok!” I gasp between bouts of laughter. “Ok! You win!”

  “Good,” he says.

  Chad’s laughing when I turn my head to look at him and give him a “this kind of thing happens all the time” shrug.

  “Did you put sunscreen on your back, young lady?” James says.

  “I was lying on my back, your highness,” I reply.

  “Chad, will you hand me that bottle?” James says.

  Chad does it and, with no preamble, James starts rubbing sunscreen onto the hot skin of my back. His touch is soft, but there’s a slight aggression to it, like he wants to assert his possession of me, pinning me to the deck beneath him.

  I lower down until I’m flat on the towel and absorb the strong, soothing feel of his hands. This is no mere sunscreen application, this is becoming a full-on massage. I love it.

  “Can I untie this?” James asks, tugging on the string of my bikini top where it joins across my back.

  “Ok,” I say before I realize what I’ve agreed to. That kind of question really should make me a lot more nervous than it does.

  His long fingers deftly unfasten my top and he smoothly brushes the strings off my back, affectionately rubbing sunscreen across my bra line. His touch is reverent and soft, like I can feel his appreciation coming through his hands.

  Once he’s done, he moves off of me and back onto his towel, leaning over to kiss my shoulder sweetly before he lies down.

  I look at him with a big smile and he gives me a wink as he crosses his fingers behind his head and stretches back, allowing me the chance to watch those amazing abs flex as he breathes. I almost hate myself for how attractive I find him right now. He’s my friend and I shouldn’t feel this way about him at all, but I have eyes and I can’t deny what I see.

  The three of us chat for a little while longer when James volunteers to see how Alejandro is doing with the food. He gives me a little smack on the butt as he gets up and then disappears off to the rear deck where Alejandro is grilling.

  “He’s such a sweetheart, isn’t he?” Chad smiles at me.

  “Definitely,” I grin. “He looks big and tough, but he’s so adorable sometimes—of course, he can be a smart-ass too, but I like that.”

  “You two get along so great,” he says. “I’m surprised you haven’t dated. When James used to tell us about you, I always kinda thought you were his girlfriend. He just went on and on about how you were beautiful and how he used to stop other guys from hitting on you.”

  “He told you that?” I laugh loudly. “I’m glad he’s taking ownership of it now. He’s been building a brick wall around me for ages and he always used to act like I was crazy when I’d call him on it.”

  Chad laughs and smiles warmly. “He cares about you. He wants to protect you. It’s so sweet, really.”

  “It is pretty sweet,” I shrug. “Even when it annoys me, I know his intentions are good. His heart’s in the right place, even if he’s making sure I don’t ever go on a date with anybody.”

  “Maybe you should go on a date with him,” Chad grins.

  “Are you trying to orchestrate a little maneuver here?” I giggle with a sly smile.

  “I’m just saying I think you’d be cute together. Christ, you already adore each other and it’s obvious that he’s into you.”

  “Is it now?” I say through a big laugh.

  “You didn’t see him when he first moved here,” he smirks. “Every five minutes we had to hear about how he missed you and how he hoped you weren’t hooking up with some guys back at your school.”

  “Bullshit!” I reply.

  “It’s so true,” Chad says. “How do you think me and Alejandro know that you almost got felt up at a school dance but James intervened? How would we know that he once punched a guy in middle school for making a remark about your boobs? How would we know that he says the happiest moments of his life are when he sleeps in bed with you?”

  “He says all that stuff to you?” I say, my eyes wide with amazement.

  “All that and then some,” Chad nods. “See? Told you he’s into you. Can you guys just please hook up already? Me and Alejandro need to pick out what we’re gonna wear to the wedding.”

  That cracks me up and I roll onto my back and hold my stomach as I laugh.

  “You’ve never thought about it? You’ve never considered going out with him?” he asks me.

  “Well, I mean, not seriously. Obviously he’s gorgeous, that’s clear as day, but I don’t think he’s the dating type. James has always been a "casual hook-ups and fuck buddies" dude. He’s never really had a girlfriend, in the traditional sense,” I explain.

  “But people can change,” Chad shrugs. “People can do crazy things when they love someone. Who knows? Maybe everything would be different if you two went for it.”

  “I don’t know,” I reply. “He’s amazing, beautiful and sweet. He cares about me a lot and I totally adore him, but I just don’t see that being a thing. I mean, he’s a porn star—no offense—”

  “None taken.”

  “I just think we’re on such wildly different pages when it comes to our views of intimacy and sexuality. I don’t see how those two paths could meet. I mean, you and Alejandro are both in the industry, so you both know exactly what it’s like to have this unique job. I’m just some girl in college all the way across the country and James is here doing three-ways and double anal penetrations.”

  Chad throws his head back and laughs loudly. “Those can be fun, you never know,” he jokes.

  I giggle. “Yeah, I think I’m about 10,000 years away from that. If this was the scale of sexual evolution, I’m the fish that just grew legs, meanwhile James has opposable thumbs and is constructing the microchip.”

  “You mean you’ve never …?” he raises an eyebrow.

  I shake my head and my cheeks turn red.

  “Never?” he says again, his mouth agape with surprise.

  “No, never … you know … done the deed,” I reply.

  He sits up and leans back like he’s really taking me in. “I should get my camera,” he jokes. “Working in this business, I don’t even remember the last time I met a real life, bona fide virgin.”

  I roll my eyes and laugh. “If you have a Sharpie, I’ll g
ive you an autograph.”

  “It makes sense, though,” he says, nodding like he’s come up with a brilliant theory. “James is protective of you because you’re probably the only virgin he knows, and you’re really pretty, which must make him a nervous wreck. He’s afraid of guys flirting with you because he doesn’t want anybody to deflower you, so he pulls a Rapunzel and locks you away in a tower so nobody can get to you.”

  “That’s shockingly accurate,” I chuckle.

  “It’s sweet,” Chad smiles. “He’s protecting your innocence. It’s a romantic notion, really.”

  “Romantic?” I smirk.

  “Yes!” He grins broadly. “Think about it. He doesn’t want anybody to get to you because he doesn’t think anybody deserves you. Nobody’s worthy of you in his book, so he takes it upon himself to save you from horny guys who have one thing on their minds.”

  “What about if they don’t just have one thing on their minds? What if some of them actually like me and want to get to know me but he blocks them?”

  “Sweetheart, all guys have one thing on their minds,” he says, lowering his sunglasses to give me a devilish grin.

  “Fair point,” I laugh.

  “I think it’s adorable,” he smiles. “James loves you so much that he’ll do anything to protect you from all the horny men of the world who can’t wait to get into a pretty young thang’s pants.”

  I snicker and shake my head. “It’s kind of sweet,” I concede. “It’s neurotic, but sweet.”

  “I still think you guys would make a cute couple, though,” he grins, sitting up and reaching for his flip-flops. He offers me his hand and helps me up before adding, “I think you’d be an adorable, sexy pair that would make other couples jealous.”

  “Yeah right!” I snicker, following him towards the back deck for lunch.

  Everyone chats casually as we eat. James has clearly had a hand in the menu—since he’s a tremendous cook—because we’re having turkey burgers made with feta, sun-dried tomatoes and basil on these really delicious whole wheat buns that I love. He learned to make these a few years ago and I practically lived at his house that summer so I could eat them whenever he decided to light the grill.