1
BRANDON
I parkedmy new BMW coupe in the parking lot of Club Oxygen and checked the rear-view camera to make sure I was within the lines. I’d always been careful and cautious with my car, even before everything happened with Sebastian. But now that I had a car again, I found that I cared greatly about taking good care of it.
I narrowed my eyes at the screen… I was closer to the right side than the left. I sat motionless as I tried to decide if I should straighten the car out or if it was okay as it was.
Why are decisions so fucking hard for me?
Did it even matter? I glanced around the parking lot, and it was almost empty except for Josh’s and Andrew’s SUVs and Ali’s car. It was a Tuesday morning, and the club wasn’t even open.
Chances were that it would be okay as it was.
But was it wise to take unnecessary chances?
“No, it isn’t,” I mumbled out loud.
I put the car in reverse, looked around, and then looked at the screen on the dash as I slowly backed up. I turned the steering wheel to the left just a tad and then pulled forward at a snail’s pace. When I put the car in park and looked at the screen, I was satisfied that the car was centered within the space.
This had been my first journey driving this far alone. I used to drive all the time before everything happened. James bought me the car so I could start feeling comfortable with driving and feeling like a normal human being again. As if that was possible. I grabbed my cell phone from the charging tray and opened my text string with James.
I made it!
Well done, pup. Have fun helping Andrew. I love you.
I love you too!
I opened the door,got out, slipped the phone in the front pocket of my jeans, and shut the door. I stared at the BMW and then smiled.
“I’ll catch you later,” I said and then walked toward the entrance of Oxygen. Before my feet hit the sidewalk, I could hear the car locking itself.So smart.
I pulled open the door and walked through the quiet lobby to the large set of wooden double doors that led into the club. Ali and Josh were sitting at one of the high-top tables, talking to Andrew, who stood beside them. They all turned to look at me and waved me over.
“What’s up?” I asked as I reached the table.
“Hey, Bran. Help yourself to some coffee and something to eat, then we’ll get started,” Andrew offered.
I picked up one of the paper coffee cups with the Three Brothers Coffee logo on it and put it under the spigot of the travel coffee box. I’d put these together tons of times at the coffee shop. Lots of people picked these up with catering orders and took them to office parties.
“Bran, I saved you the double chocolate muffin,” Josh said. He pushed the plate with the muffin across the table toward me. “I had to keep it away from Ali. You know how she is around chocolate,” he said.
“God, whatever, Josh. You act younger than Brandon half the time,” Ali said as I pulled pieces of the muffin off and popped them into my mouth.
“That would make you a cougar half the time,” Josh said. Ali playfully slapped his arm and sighed in exasperation. “Going after the young guys and all.” Josh continued to tease as he winked at me. “I’m telling Sam that you’re chasing younger dick.”
Ali took a deep breath and turned quickly, pretending to punch Josh in the arm. “You’re beyond immature, Josh,” she said. Ali rolled her eyes and picked up her coffee cup.
“Okay, so as soon as you’re all done eating and caffeinating, we can start. The framed pictures already have the hardware on the back to hang them. I put bright blue painter’s tape on the wall throughout the club where I want a picture hung,” Andrew explained.
“Sounds simple enough,” Josh said with a mouthful of some coffee cake.
“Yet you’ll somehow find a way to mess it up,” Ali said quietly and then took another sip of her coffee.
“Sam is so patient,” Andrew commented. “Ali, you and Josh will work together. Ali will pick out pictures and Josh, you can get on the ladder to hang them. Brandon, I’ll bring you pictures, and you can hang them.”
I nodded and quickly chewed the last little bit of the chocolate muffin and then brushed my hands off on my jeans. Ali and Josh would get their tasks done and would provide entertainment as they worked. Ali grabbed a picture and followed Josh to the hallway where the private rooms were.
I walked over to the area where Andrew had all the pictures lined up. I was shocked at how amazing the photos were. Most of the photos were black and white, but each image had something of color in it. In some, just the eyes were in color. Another picture had a woman’s fingernails in color and the toenails were in color on another. But it wasn’t just the color aspect that caught my eye; the nature of the images were captivating. They all had some sort of kink or erotic element or pose. While some models were nude, the images were still tasteful.
