“What video?” Jessica said, still mulling over what that fan had said outside.
“I hope Trey’s in a better mood,” Sed said.
Jace stared at the floor. “I haven’t seen him since he woke up.”
“What video?” Jessica grabbed Sed’s arm and gave him a shake.
“I’m sure it’s nothing. Calm down.” Sed placed a hand on the small of her back to help her into the elevator car.
“I’m not going to calm down. That guy said, ‘it was so f**king hot, dude.’ What did he mean by that?”
“Maybe he was talking about the music video we released last week,” Jace said. “Those scenes with Sed and that chick were pretty hot.”
Jessica’s nostrils flared. “What chick?”
“Yeah, someone probably thought the actress in the video was you. That’s all.”
Jace’s brow twisted with confusion. “That woman didn’t look anything like Jessica. Wasn’t she Japanese?”
Work with me, Jace. “Yeah, so some of our fans are stupid and blind. Whatever.”
“A music video?” Jessica wrung her hands together and took a deep, steadying breath. “I hope you’re right.”
Well, what else could it be?
When they entered Trey’s flower-and-balloon–infested room, Trey, Eric, and Dave were squashed together in Trey’s hospital bed watching the computer screen with their mouths hanging open. Some woman was vocalizing her sexual excitement on whatever p**n video currently held their attention.
“What are you guys watching?” Sed asked.
Trey glanced up from the screen. His eyes moved to Jessica and widened. He slammed the laptop closed on Eric’s hand.
“Ow. Fuck!” Eric jerked his hand back and then moved it to his mouth to suck on his fingertips. He reached over to slap Trey alongside the head, hesitated when confronted with a row of staples, and dropped his hand on the computer on his lap instead.
“N-nothing,” Trey said.
“Well, it must’ve been something good. All three of you have drool on your chins.” Sed was ribbing them, but the three on the bed wiped their chins on their shoulders in unison.
Dave struggled to stand. Eric gave him a push and he found his feet. “I’ve gotta go.” And Dave darted out of the room as if Trey’d been eating too many bean burritos while they were trapped on the tour bus again.
Eric cradled the laptop against his belly and climbed from the bed as well. “Yeah, I’d say it’s time to go.”
“Yep,” Trey said, struggling to rise from his bed. He grabbed his IV pole for leverage.
Jace grabbed his arm. “Don’t hurt yourself. Get back in bed.”
“All right,” Sed bellowed. He glanced from Trey to Eric. “What the f**k is going on here? It’s not like Jessica doesn’t know you guys watch p**n videos. She doesn’t care and you know it. Explain.”
Eric and Trey both looked at Jessica. Eric shifted the laptop down to cover the bulge in his pants.
“She’ll care about this video,” Trey said.
“Video?” Jessica strode over to Eric and tried to wrestle the laptop out of his hands. “Show me.”
Eric shook his head vigorously. “You don’t want to see it.”
“Show me, Eric. Now!”
“He doesn’t have to show you,” Trey said, allowing Jace to stuff him back in bed. “You were there.”
“Oh God, don’t tell me…”
“Okay, we won’t,” Eric said.
Jessica yanked the laptop away from Eric and popped it open. Sed moved to look over her shoulder. He had no idea what had her so upset.
“What’s the password?” she demanded.
“Uh, the password is password. Duh,” Trey said.
“Jessica, don’t do this to yourself.” Eric squeezed her shoulder, his expression empathetic.
Jessica got the video going and the chick on screen started vocalizing again. Wait a minute. That wasn’t a chick. That was Jessica. A bubble of intense rage erupted from Sed’s insides. Not only was she a stripper, now she was a f**kin’ p**n star, too. What else was she hiding from him? And he didn’t care if it was work. He’d kill the jackass she was f**king so well while clinging to some chain-link fence over the Las Vegas strip. That prick who was drilling her… Wait. Why did that jerk look so much like him?
Ohhhhh.
Sed bit his lip. That was him. And her. Going all out at the top of the Eiffel tower. Oh shit. She’d never forgive him for this. Not in a million years.
“Five hundred and twelve thousand views!” she bellowed. “This happened last night. How in the—I can’t believe—Who posted this? And how did they get it?”
“There’s some girl at the beginning of the video…” Eric attempted to take the laptop from her. “You shouldn’t watch this, honey.”
She slugged him in the gut. “Why not? You were.”
“Yeah, but—”
“And more than five hundred thousand other people have.”
“I think some of those are repeat viewers,” Trey said. “I mean we watched it, what, five times?”
“Six, I think.”
Typically, Sed found Jessica irresistibly sexy when she was pissed, but this pissed-off-Jessica wasn’t sexy. This pissed-off-Jessica was terrifying. He took a step back and let Eric take the brunt of her fury.
“You watched it six times?” she screamed. “Six times?”
“I’m sure it was only five and a half,” Trey said. “You confiscated the computer before we finished watching it that last time.”
“Oh jeez, Trey, that makes me feel a lot better. Thanks.” She slammed the computer on the mattress at his feet and moved the slider to the beginning of the video. “I have a pretty good idea of who filmed this and posted it online.” She turned her head and pinned Sed to the floor with a glare. “One of your stupid fangirls, no doubt. The one who gave us privacy in exchange for your shirt. What do you bet?”
He lowered his gaze. “Probably.” He wanted to comfort her. Knew that her anger was a front for deeper feelings, but he didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t take this back. Couldn’t hide it. Couldn’t make it go away. How could they deal with something like this?
Jessica started the video from the beginning. The attendant from the Eiffel Tower came on screen. She wore the white T-shirt Sed had given her, his signature evident across her left breast.
“I hope Trey’s in a better mood,” Sed said.
Jace stared at the floor. “I haven’t seen him since he woke up.”
“What video?” Jessica grabbed Sed’s arm and gave him a shake.
“I’m sure it’s nothing. Calm down.” Sed placed a hand on the small of her back to help her into the elevator car.
“I’m not going to calm down. That guy said, ‘it was so f**king hot, dude.’ What did he mean by that?”
“Maybe he was talking about the music video we released last week,” Jace said. “Those scenes with Sed and that chick were pretty hot.”
Jessica’s nostrils flared. “What chick?”
“Yeah, someone probably thought the actress in the video was you. That’s all.”
Jace’s brow twisted with confusion. “That woman didn’t look anything like Jessica. Wasn’t she Japanese?”
Work with me, Jace. “Yeah, so some of our fans are stupid and blind. Whatever.”
“A music video?” Jessica wrung her hands together and took a deep, steadying breath. “I hope you’re right.”
Well, what else could it be?
When they entered Trey’s flower-and-balloon–infested room, Trey, Eric, and Dave were squashed together in Trey’s hospital bed watching the computer screen with their mouths hanging open. Some woman was vocalizing her sexual excitement on whatever p**n video currently held their attention.
“What are you guys watching?” Sed asked.
Trey glanced up from the screen. His eyes moved to Jessica and widened. He slammed the laptop closed on Eric’s hand.
“Ow. Fuck!” Eric jerked his hand back and then moved it to his mouth to suck on his fingertips. He reached over to slap Trey alongside the head, hesitated when confronted with a row of staples, and dropped his hand on the computer on his lap instead.
“N-nothing,” Trey said.
“Well, it must’ve been something good. All three of you have drool on your chins.” Sed was ribbing them, but the three on the bed wiped their chins on their shoulders in unison.
Dave struggled to stand. Eric gave him a push and he found his feet. “I’ve gotta go.” And Dave darted out of the room as if Trey’d been eating too many bean burritos while they were trapped on the tour bus again.
Eric cradled the laptop against his belly and climbed from the bed as well. “Yeah, I’d say it’s time to go.”
“Yep,” Trey said, struggling to rise from his bed. He grabbed his IV pole for leverage.
Jace grabbed his arm. “Don’t hurt yourself. Get back in bed.”
“All right,” Sed bellowed. He glanced from Trey to Eric. “What the f**k is going on here? It’s not like Jessica doesn’t know you guys watch p**n videos. She doesn’t care and you know it. Explain.”
Eric and Trey both looked at Jessica. Eric shifted the laptop down to cover the bulge in his pants.
“She’ll care about this video,” Trey said.
“Video?” Jessica strode over to Eric and tried to wrestle the laptop out of his hands. “Show me.”
Eric shook his head vigorously. “You don’t want to see it.”
“Show me, Eric. Now!”
“He doesn’t have to show you,” Trey said, allowing Jace to stuff him back in bed. “You were there.”
“Oh God, don’t tell me…”
“Okay, we won’t,” Eric said.
Jessica yanked the laptop away from Eric and popped it open. Sed moved to look over her shoulder. He had no idea what had her so upset.
“What’s the password?” she demanded.
“Uh, the password is password. Duh,” Trey said.
“Jessica, don’t do this to yourself.” Eric squeezed her shoulder, his expression empathetic.
Jessica got the video going and the chick on screen started vocalizing again. Wait a minute. That wasn’t a chick. That was Jessica. A bubble of intense rage erupted from Sed’s insides. Not only was she a stripper, now she was a f**kin’ p**n star, too. What else was she hiding from him? And he didn’t care if it was work. He’d kill the jackass she was f**king so well while clinging to some chain-link fence over the Las Vegas strip. That prick who was drilling her… Wait. Why did that jerk look so much like him?
Ohhhhh.
Sed bit his lip. That was him. And her. Going all out at the top of the Eiffel tower. Oh shit. She’d never forgive him for this. Not in a million years.
“Five hundred and twelve thousand views!” she bellowed. “This happened last night. How in the—I can’t believe—Who posted this? And how did they get it?”
“There’s some girl at the beginning of the video…” Eric attempted to take the laptop from her. “You shouldn’t watch this, honey.”
She slugged him in the gut. “Why not? You were.”
“Yeah, but—”
“And more than five hundred thousand other people have.”
“I think some of those are repeat viewers,” Trey said. “I mean we watched it, what, five times?”
“Six, I think.”
Typically, Sed found Jessica irresistibly sexy when she was pissed, but this pissed-off-Jessica wasn’t sexy. This pissed-off-Jessica was terrifying. He took a step back and let Eric take the brunt of her fury.
“You watched it six times?” she screamed. “Six times?”
“I’m sure it was only five and a half,” Trey said. “You confiscated the computer before we finished watching it that last time.”
“Oh jeez, Trey, that makes me feel a lot better. Thanks.” She slammed the computer on the mattress at his feet and moved the slider to the beginning of the video. “I have a pretty good idea of who filmed this and posted it online.” She turned her head and pinned Sed to the floor with a glare. “One of your stupid fangirls, no doubt. The one who gave us privacy in exchange for your shirt. What do you bet?”
He lowered his gaze. “Probably.” He wanted to comfort her. Knew that her anger was a front for deeper feelings, but he didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t take this back. Couldn’t hide it. Couldn’t make it go away. How could they deal with something like this?
Jessica started the video from the beginning. The attendant from the Eiffel Tower came on screen. She wore the white T-shirt Sed had given her, his signature evident across her left breast.
