Broken Beast

He didn't see the way people react.

Of course, Bash would laugh it off. Find a silver lining.

Haven't you seen Beauty and the Beast, Adam? Every girl who grew up with that movie has a thing for brooding dudes with castles. Play up the temper and you're gold. We both know you want to throw her against the wall. Punish her for letting other guys see her naked.

Fuck, those pictures of her…

If you broke and fucked yourself to them, imagine what guys with less restraint are doing?

Fuck, why am I imagining dudes jacking it?

Let's get back to picturing Danielle naked.

Much better.

My head spins.

My clarity disappears.

I suck a breath through my teeth. Push an exhale through my nose. This is for Bash, but I need his voice to quiet.

I need to hear myself think.

My manners kick in.

I take Danielle's coat, hang it on the rack next to mine, pull out her chair.

"Thank you." She sits. Crosses her legs, pulling the soft black fabric of her dress up her thighs.

I need my hands on her bare skin.

I need to push the dress to her waist, bend her over the table, fuck her until she's groaning my name.

"What are you drinking?" A waitress steps out from behind the counter in the back of the restaurant. "We have four kinds of mimosas. Classic, pomegranate, grapefruit, and passion fruit."

"Really? Passion fruit?" Remy asks.

"Really." She looks at the white pad in her hands, not at all interested in selling him on the drink.

He makes a how disturbing face and turns to Danielle. "What do you think?"

"Almond milk latte for me," she says. "And honey, if you have it."

The waitress jots it down.

"Make it two," Remy says. "Two extra shots in mine."

The waitress barely stops herself from rolling her eyes.

"Black coffee," I say.

The waitress's eyes flit to me for a second. She notices my suit, tie, scars. Shrugs weird rich guy. Disappears.

It's the most normal interaction I've had in the city since the accident.

A typical brusque server.

The familiarity is strange. Like the lobby in the apartment. A memory of a dream.

"You still haven't introduced me," Remy says.

"Right." Danielle stands. Motions to me. "Adam, this is my brother, Remy. Remy, this is Adam. My boyfriend."

"Glad to see she's finally getting some." He offers his hand.

I shake.

"I told her you have a generous vibe," he says.

"Remy!" Her cheeks flush.

"Based on your old pictures," he says. "Since she wouldn't show me a new one."

"How can you tell?" I ask.

"It's a skill," he says. "I can get a lot from a picture. Not just generosity."

"Do you have to start with dick size?" She sits and hides behind her hands. "Couldn't you at least work up to that?"

"No can do, sis. I'm not a tease. I start with the good stuff," he says.

She makes an ew noise.

"If you told me the first time I asked, I wouldn't have to ask again." He looks to me and raises a brow. "Or should I ask you directly?"

"What is it you want to know?" I sit.

"Oh god, make it stop." She groans in exaggerated agony.

"Hmm, interesting." Remy taps his chin. "Do you say that because it's a familiar phrase? Someone torturing you with too much—"

"Too much information, yes." She drops her hands and sits up straight.

He smiles. "Aw, you don't mean me. All information I offer is beautiful and intoxicating. And the only response you could ever have is please, more."

"Gross." She shakes her head. "Please stop."

"Sharing is important," he says. "Don't you think, Adam? Relationships require honesty."

"And boundaries," I say.

"Ow. That hurt," he says. "Good thing you don't throw down like that, Danny."

"Would it work?" she asks.

"Would I ever stop making sure you have the best?" he asks.

"There's more to life than dick size," she says.

The waitress emerges with our drinks. She drops them off, shrugs weird rich people, pulls out her pad of paper. "You still want three orders of French toast?"

Danielle shoots me a look. You organized this?

I nod.

"All three for me, right?" Remy teases. "That's perfect."

The waitress nods uh-huh and disappears again.

"She didn't think you're funny," Danielle says.

"She did agree about the dick size though," Remy says.

"How do you figure?" she asks.

"I can tell," he says.

"How could you possibly tell what a woman thinks about… oh my god, why are we still talking about this?" she asks.

"He is like Liam," I say.

Remy perks up. "Who?"

"Adam's brother," Danielle says. "He's also a troublemaker. Though significantly less concerned with penis."

"Is he hot?" Remy asks.

"Very. But straight. I think," she says.

"He is," I say.

"Then why are we talking about him? Boring. Unless you have pics. Hot pics." he asks.

"Well, actually…" She brings her mug to her lips. "He offered to pose for me." Her berry lipstick marks the clean white ceramic. Her eyes close as she sips. Her face fills with pleasure. Her lips part with a groan.