18. Adam

For the rest of the dinner my mind was fixated on my video with Chase. After we'd finished the meal, Emmett bought the whole table a round of expensive Grappa brandy that looked like liquid gold in tiny glasses. We sipped as he talked to me about stocks and bonds and old collectors items.

But as the conversation flowed, my mind was in a different place entirely. Images flashed through my mind from when Chase and I filmed the video. The way the sunlight looked in the video. The way I'd moaned for Chase, lying there on the floor.

I was sitting here schmoozing with a multimillionaire while thousands of people were getting off to something Chase and I had made together. One of the comments I'd briefly scrolled past had said that I seemed particularly turned on in the new video, even more than I did in most of them.

The commenter had no clue how fucking true that was.

Hell, I was turned on now, at a time when it was about the least appropriate it could possibly be. Every time I looked over at Chase I ached for him. I wanted to pull him back down the hallway and touch every inch of his body.

I felt like I was a little bit out of my mind.

"This dinner has been a dream," Emmett was telling everyone at the table now. "One of the things I like most about you guys is that the crew, the talent, and the stars all seem to synergize like a well-oiled machine."

"It helps that we all like each other," Shawn said, finishing his glass of Grappa.

"I've never seen a TV show or a construction company where everyone seems so truly happy to be there," Emmett said. "A camera crew member like Chase getting along so beautifully with one of the featured stars like Adam. Like a little match made in TV heaven."

Chase coughed and sputtered as he took a sip of his liquor across the table. I glanced up and saw that he was blushing deeply.

And God damn, that only made me want him more.

Chase never blushed. Nothing got to him.

"It's the truth," I said as the whole table listened. "When the guys got to my house for the first day of filming, I was completely overwhelmed. I hadn't had anyone at my place in a long time, let alone that many professional people. But I knew I was in good hands from the moment it began. Chase specifically made me feel like I could be a star."

I looked back at him and saw a wistful smile appear on his face.

"You've wanted to be a camera operator for your whole life, Chase?" Emmett asked.

He nodded. "As long as I can remember," he said. "I love finding the light, both in a shot and inside people, too. And Adam has a lot of light in him."

"He certainly looks good on film," Emmett said, smiling politely at me.

Normally I'd be blushing, but tonight, I just gave him a smile. "Chase knows how to make me look good. And feel good."

Chase's eyes went wide so briefly that no one would have noticed it other than me, and heat bloomed deep in my chest. It gave me a sweet, sick sense of satisfaction knowing that nobody else at the table understood just how good Chase had made me feel.

"He makes my job easy," Chase said as he sat up a bit straighter. "He could do anything on camera."

Including fucking you senseless.

I bit down hard on my tongue.

I wanted to launch myself right across the table at Chase and cover his mouth with mine. I'd never been so turned on by someone before. On a night like tonight filled with opulence and food and drinks and candlelight, I was nothing but pure feeling.

And all of that was directed right at him.

"We've had an amazing dinner, Emmett," Shawn said, leaning back in his chair. "We truly can't thank you enough."

"I'm the one who should thank you," Emmett said. "All of you, for coming out tonight. I need to speak with my colleagues, but I think we may have a very promising future ahead for both of us."

"With even more synergy," Nathan said.

Emmett laughed. "Exactly."

When dinner was over, Emmet's black car service was already waiting outside near the valet area. Charlie, Chase, and I were sharing a car back home again, and when we got in I squeezed up close to the side of Chase's body.

The ride back was almost entirely a blur. Charlie took control of the music this time, and I used every ounce of willpower still left inside me to keep my hands off of Chase.

I could feel the press of his thigh against mine. The occasional touch of the side of his arm. The three of us talked casually about how good the food was, especially the filet mignon steaks and the tiramisu dessert, but I was so focused on every part of Chase that I felt like I was in some surreal, lust-filled daze.

Even the back of his hand looked so fucking kissable.

I'd never wanted anyone this much. I wouldn't have even thought it was possible to want someone like this, craving him like he was a drug.

"Good night, guys. We rocked it," Charlie said as we pulled up outside his house. He fist-bumped both of us, and then opened the door to step out.

The moment Charlie shut the door and walked off to his house, I was hyper aware of being alone with Chase in the back seat.

And I was on autopilot.

My hand gravitated to his thigh like it was a magnet. I squeezed his leg and he put his hand over mine, squeezing me back. I felt like I could melt right into the seat as the car took off again and the lights of the night flew by.

Was this how good life could be?

Was this why I needed to let loose more often?

If I put my guard down and just talked to people—or flirted, even—would moments like this be available to me?

And were all of Chase's hookups this fucking hot?

I didn't know how it could be better than this. I felt a connection to him like I'd never felt before, and I liked to think he must feel some part of that, too. That something about what we had was special, or different, than his usual hookups.

My heart swelled as he squeezed my hand in his. It was a dangerous mental place to go to, wondering if he felt even slightly the same as I did. I knew I shouldn't give in completely. He wasn't available, emotionally or otherwise, and he'd made that abundantly clear.

But my cock didn't have to care about that. That was how these things worked, right? No strings attached.

No link needed between my dick and my emotions.

And if I was going to fuck him, I was hopefully make him feel exactly as good as he deserved to feel.

When the car pulled up outside of Chase's apartment, the driver came around to open the door.

"Second to last stop," the driver said in a friendly tone.

"Actually, I'm going to get out here, too," I told him, sliding out of the back seat after Chase.

"Are you sure, sir?" the driver asked. "I am hired to take you all the way home. It's no problem."

"I want to go home with him," I said without thinking, my heart rate rapidly increasing.

But I was beyond caring.

I would tell any stranger what I wanted right now, to be honest, and I wanted Chase.

The driver gave a knowing nod. Chase was giving me a look that was a mix of surprise and pride, and he reached out for my hand.

"Thank you so much," Chase told the driver before we headed across the brick walkway over to the apartment.

I was on top of Chase within a moment after the door had closed behind us inside. I pushed him up against the wall in the hallway of his building, leaning in and pressing my lips to his.

"God, I like you like this," Chase breathed against my lips.

"I was really going to try to wait," I said. "I don't think I can. Why do you taste so good?"

He hummed as I leaned in again, letting my tongue slide out against his. I was lost in him, taking him like he somehow belonged to me even though I knew damn well he didn't. My fingers slid along the waistband of his pants, feeling for the warmth just above it, below the soft, tight collared shirt under his jacket.

The sound of the building's front door unlatching shot through the air. I pulled away from Chase, looking back to see another person entering the building.

"Oh," Chase said, his eyes brightening as he looked over at the old woman who had just walked in. "Hi, Mrs. Schafer. Sorry, we should get upstairs."

She flashed us a warm look, her wrinkled face curving up in a smile.

My arms were still around his waist. I'd usually have pulled them away instantly, embarrassed by any public display of affection.

But not with Chase. I felt like I'd rather die than take my hands off of him right now.

"Evening, boys," she said, looking at both of us. "Don't stop for my sake. I remember being young."

Chase puffed out a laugh, shifting under my hands. "You had some wild nights, I take it?"

"Oh, plenty," she said, waving a hand as she slowly shuffled past us. "I still do, if you want the truth."

"Mrs. Schafer," Chase protested, both of them smiling. "My goodness."

"Have fun, you two," she said, waving behind her before entering her first-floor apartment unit.

Chase looked back at me with a half-grimace, half-smile. "I am so sorry."

I squeezed his hips. "I'd honestly forgotten we were still out here."

"Me too. Let's get upstairs."

"I want to kiss you again first," I said, nuzzling close to his face and claiming his lips with mine. "Just two seconds. Really."

Big mistake. The moment I was on him, it was like someone had turned the magnet inside me into overdrive. My fingers gripped tighter around his waist and I pushed him up against the wall further, kissing him like we were the only two people in the world, let alone this apartment building.

It was becoming clear that I couldn't do just two seconds of anything when it came to Chase. It was another few minutes before the click of another door came from somewhere upstairs and we pulled apart, looking in each other's eyes.

"Okay. Let's go inside," I said.

We made our way up to his apartment and passed by another one of his neighbors, which Chase greeted in the same friendly way.

It didn't matter if it was friends, acquaintances, or friendly neighbors—everyone liked Chase. Because of course they did.

Everywhere I went with him, it seemed like he had that same charm and magnetism.

I watched as he put the key in his front door and led us inside. I watched the back of him, my eyes feasting on every single aspect of him. His perfect ass, his cool hair. And even the way he walked was hot, walking down his entry hallway and into the living room area, kicking off his shoes at the same time I did.

"I'm going to set up one camera at the edge of the bed," he said, turning back to me as he slipped off his jacket. "I'll put another on a tripod, looking three-quarters above us. We can edit the two together and look for the best angles that don't include our faces."

My eyes danced between each of his, and I nodded automatically. I'd forgotten all about the concept of filming, and it all rushed back to me in an instant.

People didn't just like our video together, they loved it. And they were already asking for more.

"A video of me fucking another guy for the first time," I said, trying to come back down to Earth in some way. "You think the followers will like that?"

"They will eat it up in a crazed frenzy, Adam," he said.

I knew he was right. "It's going to be my most popular video ever," I said.

His eyes flashed across mine. "Damn right. I'll go set it all up. You want to rinse off in the shower?"

I nodded. "Please."

He waved me down the hall and pulled out a clean towel and a pair of grey sweatpants for when I got out. He ran the shower and then ducked out of the bathroom, heading over to the bedroom to set up.

Under the hot spray of the shower, my heart rate ticked up, going from pure lust into a looping spiral of overthinking.

I wanted this to be good. Not just for the video, but for Chase.

But I also had no idea what I was doing. I wasn't some stud who had fucked a hundred guys on camera. I was no professional. I knew my own hand and cock very well, but was I any good at fucking someone else? Was I going to blow my load too quickly, the moment I saw myself disappear inside him?

I dried off after the shower and headed into the bedroom to see the camera rigs all set up. Chase was in full camera operator mode, going between the two of the tripods and fiddling with knobs, getting everything perfect.

"Get comfortable," he told me with a nod. "I'm going to go rinse off now and I'll be right back in."

I sank down on the bed as he headed off to the shower. I shifted around, looking up at the big camera lenses, trying to get used to their presence. It sure as hell felt different than when I filmed myself jerking off to my cell phone camera.

But… I could do this.

I wanted this. The idea of a video of us fucking turned me the hell on just as much as it usually did. Even if I felt more pressure to perform than I ever had before.

When Chase walked back in the room with water droplets still dotting his shoulders, all thoughts of the cameras went right out of my mind. He had a towel slung around his waist right below his hips, and all I wanted to do was lick him right there.

"Come here," I said, waving him over to the bed.

He lifted an eyebrow, looking me up and down. "I think I like you in those sweatpants."

I glanced down to see my obvious erection forming a line at the front of the pants. "I like you in that towel, too, but I'd rather see you with it off."

He dropped the towel and let it fall to the floor, his cock quickly hardening as it came out.

"You ready to film a video?" he asked. "I'm ready when you are."

"You're mine tonight," I said, dropping my voice a little low. His eyes flared wider as I said it, which only spurred me on further. "Turn the cameras on and get over here."