“It’s cold tonight,” Bowen argues.
“Not in the hot tub,” Becky explains and starts pulling her hair up with an elastic that was around her wrist.
Grant is already climbing the stairs, Becky right behind him. Bowen lets go of his jacket but still doesn’t look certain. “I don’t have a suit.”
“Lucky for you house policy says underwear is allowed in the hot tub,” I reply and then I grin. “And so are birthday suits. Your call.”
I wink, head for the stairs, and am more than a little thrilled when he’s right behind me and not running out the door.
3
BOWEN
Maybe I shouldn’t smoke tonight because this guy is already a trip. To say I’m fascinated by Chase Ashton would be an understatement. I barely know him but every little piece of information that gets revealed tonight just makes him more interesting. And appealing. I am no longer betting on the fact he’s straight. At least not unequivocally. No straight dude has ever winked at me the way Chase has tonight.
I follow along behind him, up the metal and glass staircase, to the second floor of this beyond impressive loft. The entire floor seems to be his bedroom. There’s a king-sized bed against the far wall with a thick wood frame. The wall across from it, above a simple desk, displays a variety of guitars from electric to acoustic. I stop to admire them. There’s what looks like a huge bathroom and a walk-in closet, and at the end of the room, a spiral staircase with a glass hatch door at the top. Grant leads the way and opens it. I’m the last up behind Chase and I take a minute to enjoy the view of his ass as he climbs in front of me.
The roof is flat and square, a corner of it covered in fake grass with two outdoor couches and a chair around a coffee table. The other corner holds the hot tub. There’s a metal railing that resembles the one that leads to his second floor, skirting the perimeter of the entire area. Chase pulls off the hot tub cover and Grant pulls his shirt over his head and Becky quickly does the same with her sweater, leaving her in a dark purple bra.
“Light it up, Bowen,” Grant says.
I stick a joint in my mouth and do what I’m told while the two of them strip to their underwear. As I pull the lighter from my pocket Chase also starts undressing. Becky, with her dark purple bra and black panties, thankfully, is the first in the hot tub. Grant gets in after her, wearing dark blue cotton boxers with French Bulldogs all over them. I hand Chase the lit joint and he steps out of his pants. He’s wearing white boxer briefs. White, bound to be see through when drenched, boxer briefs. He hasn’t even gotten in the water yet and I’m already fantasizing about him getting out of it.
“Forgot the lights,” Chase says as he gets in the tub. “Bowen, can you flip the switch by the stairs?”
I nod and when I do it, fairy lights along the railing illuminate the area. I yank my shirt off over my head while toeing out of my sneakers and then reach for my belt. Grant and Becky are sitting next to each other talking animatedly about something, Chase is next to Grant, staring straight at me, the joint in between his lips.
I climb into the massive hot tub at the same time Chase exhales and hands me the joint. Grant starts talking about their set lists, and we figure out what songs I would have to learn and which ones I might want to add to the list while Becky tries to convince us to cover “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper. I mention some Nirvana songs and Chase grins. “Is that what the hair is about?”
He reaches over and actually touches my hair, his fingertips skimming it and kind of brushing it back from my cheek a little. “An homage to Kurt Cobain?”
I let out a soundless laugh and try not to let the spark I felt at his touch make it all the way to my balls. I do not need to get turned on right now, not more than I already am. “It’s more about being too lazy to get a haircut.”
“Lazy works for you,” Chase murmurs.
Grant yawns after one last toke, and hands the joint back to Chase. It’s such perfect timing I would have thought it was staged if I didn’t know better. Wait… do I know better? He gets out of the Jacuzzi. “I’m outta here. That joint made me sleepy and I’m going to take advantage.”
Becky follows him. “Can I still sleep at yours tonight, Grant?”
“Of course. I have a very comfy couch.” Grant grins at us and then turns back to Becky who is gathering her clothes. “Or an even comfier king-sized bed we could share.”
Becky smiles back at him like that’s the offer she was hoping for but doesn’t say anything. Grant walks over to the coffee table and flips up the top. Turns out it’s storage for towels. He hands one to Becky, wraps one around his waist, takes out two more and puts them down on the edge of the hot tub. “See you tomorrow, Chase. Hope to see you at practice, Bowen. But if not, thanks anyway for filling in tonight.”
“You okay to drive?” I can’t help but ask.
“I live stumbling distance from here,” Grant replies.
“And stumble he does. On multiple occasions,” Chase notes and chuckles.
With a wave, Grant and Becky disappear down the stairwell. Now, with just Chase and me, the hot tub somehow feels like it’s gotten warmer. He’s watching me intently as he takes one more inhale of the joint. It’s basically done now, so when he passes it back to me, I shake my head. He stubs it out on the side of the tub and pulls himself up, out of the water, to lean over the side and drop it into a half empty beer bottle Grant left behind. There’s enough light out here to see the full, round curve of his ass through his soaking, now translucent boxer briefs. Then, he turns around before sinking below the water so I get an up-close and personal view of the outline of his not totally soft dick. But it’s just a fleeting glance before he sits back down.
“I’m a bit of an exhibitionist,” he says, and our eyes meet. He knows I checked him out. He doesn’t mind, though. “I actually prefer to be in here naked, but I didn’t want to scare off our potential new bandmate.”
“I don’t scare easily,” I say, and he smiles. It’s areallygood smile.
“I should tell you, we’ve met before,” Chase says and it’s the last thing I expect to hear.
Say what, now?
