Chapter Thirty-Five – Against all Odds
Jamie woke up with a throbbing head. The world had come crashing down on him the night before. How could he have let himself be used so shamelessly? Even that stupid gossip rag Xpress was having a field day on his account. His calls to Angus had gone unanswered. Calling Arthur to tell on Angus about making him into a clown and insinuating that he didn't even play the drums, as the LiveFeed platform cheerfully showed, wasn't a solution. Both Arthur and Angus seemed to be full of good intentions but, at the same time, they acted like not-so-great people.
No, complaining left and right wouldn't do him any good. As the initial rage at those blatant lies died down, he began thinking. After writing a few angry replies to people who were making fun of him in the comments, he realized that his words meant nothing and putting his energy into that sort of thing would get him nowhere.
To those people, he was no one. Nobody. He could very well be a poser, who only knew how to roll the drumsticks on his fingers like a pro and not much else. Melinda, out of the goodness in her heart, had rushed to the rescue, proving that while she didn't entirely approve of Jamie's approach to rising to fame, she was a real friend and one who followed his LiveFeed account and the drama that had just incurred. Since her account was verified, and people understood that she was a real musician, the frequency of the nasty comments began to slow. What if he hadn't had Melinda to back him up? He would be exposed indeed, as Xpress blatantly put it, but exposed in a different way, in the sense that it went to show just how vulnerable he was in the face of such attacks.
What made things real? What they actually were was supposed to be the correct answer. But with enough people repeating the same thing on the internet and social media, making it bounce between them until the numbers were high enough to give them credibility, the truth was no longer the truth.
It hurt to give Cottontail credit for calling him naïve – maybe not exactly in those words – regarding the way such things worked. Because of the persona he had cultivated throughout the years, Jamie had assumed – wrongly, apparently – that he was impervious to such attacks.
First things first, he could just shrug it off. Just because some bad edits made it look as if he wasn't hitting the drums, that he wasn't making music but pretending – the thought still filled him with incredible rage – it didn't mean that he wasn't a musician. Melinda recognized him as one.
What other thing Jamie was, besides a musician, was a schmuck. Yep, he had left himself be led by the nose, and now he was the mockery of every naysayer that happened to stumble upon the LiveFeed main thread.
And the numbers were big! Higher than they'd ever been. Angus was probably wiping away his tears of joy with one-hundred-dollar bills, and Jamie allowed himself a few minutes of fantasizing how he'd make the guy eat a fist. That would give him a momentary satisfaction, but it was not the right way to move forward. Most likely Jamie's rage would end up reaching number one on trending, earning Angus's show even more popularity.
Jamie didn't understand the purpose of that popularity anyway. So people were watching some imaginary drama unfolding, but what was in it for the producers of the show? It was unclear how the financial part worked, and until now Jamie hadn't thought about it at all, since it was something that didn't interest him and out of his control anyway. Angus's expensive sports car told him that the guy knew how to make the money roll in.
What was he supposed to do now? Go back to posting shorts? As much as he itched to deny all the accusations by filming himself while speaking his mind, he wanted to take his time and think of how to proceed further.
There was one person in the world who he trusted when seeking advice. Melinda was great, but Jamie was aware of her position on things like this, and he was pretty sure she'd just tell him to give LiveFeed the boot. After all, she wasn't interested in being famous, while Jamie was of a different mind. He wanted that fame, dammit. It all boiled down to his ability to manipulate others to get where he wanted to go, the same way they were manipulating him for their own goals.
Which meant that he needed to make that phone call. Arthur and Angus would have to answer, eventually, and by then Jamie would be more prepared to face them.
"Have you seen the latest on my being a phony?" he asked directly, without as little as a 'hello'. If it were up to him, he'd keep the bunny boy around all the time so there would be no need for them to say 'hi' and 'goodbye' to each other.
"Yes, I did. They're crossing the line. What did they tell you? I hope you didn't consent to this," Cottontail said from the other end, clearly unsettled by that possibility.
"No, of course not," Jamie said forcefully, and then sighed. "They really pulled a fast one on me, what can I say? And I'm not the sort to threaten to sue them and all that. Not only do I have no idea how much it would cost to get a lawyer, but I don't want that sort of drama in my life."
"Okay, so what's your position? Do you want to leave the show or continue?"
Who needed a lawyer when they had a friend like the bunny boy? By now, Melinda would have told him to flip the bird at the guys running the reality show, but Cottontail cared about what Jamie wanted. He felt relief washing over him as soon as he heard the question.
"I want to continue. But I don't want to be popular for the wrong reasons," he explained. "In case you didn't realize it by now, I called you because I need your help."
Cottontail appeared to perk up at the other end. "I will assist you in any way I can. You can trust me, Jamie."
He did, but, at the same time, he still wanted to get to know the guy behind the costume. "But you don't trust me enough to tell me your name," he pointed out in a playful tone.
"One day," Cottontail promised. "Do you want me to come over? We need to mitigate the disaster these fuckers have unleashed on you."
"I'd love for you to come over," Jamie drawled. The moment he heard his partner's voice, his mood had improved tenfold. It looked like a bunny boy was all it took for him to forget about his woes, at least temporarily. "But do it after you're finished with your classes."
"I can skip them," Cottontail said brightly.
"No, don't. Not only because I care that you continue your education, but I have a shift at the coffee shop until later."
"Okay," Cottontail agreed, although it was easy to hear that he wasn't thrilled about it. "See you later then."
"I can barely wait," Jamie said in the same playful voice. "Don't think I'm only having you over because I need you to tend to my career as a reality TV idiot. I want to see you." Without realizing it, his voice dropped lower as he said that.
"I want to see you too," Cottontail replied in kind. And then, he added quickly, "Bye."
Jamie held the phone in his hand for some time, while pondering over their awkward interaction at the end. He shook his head. It was probably nothing, and because of the attack he was under, he was seeing trouble everywhere.
***
Janet watched him as he went through the usual routine.
"If you keep looking at me like that, I'll start worrying that you might be dying and don't know how to break it to me. Are you going to leave me your manager position in your will?" Jamie joked while he worked the espresso machine with the same ease that he exhibited in everything he did.
"I'm looking at you," Janet said, with one hand resting on her hip, "because I've heard some really nasty things about you, and I'm mad."
"Are you mad at me?" Jamie asked.
"No, not at you, but I'm starting to get there. Are you going to let those people talk crap about you?"
Jamie laughed and turned to face his boss. "Don't worry, my dear boss lady. I'm this calm because I'm coming up with a strategy on how to avenge myself. Also, I have the chief strategist coming over later."
Janet quirked an eyebrow. "The chief strategist? Who's that? If it's that babe Melinda, tell her I'm crazy about her. Damn, she rocks. I'd love to listen to her live."
"That can be arranged," Jamie assured her. "And I'll also introduce you to her. She's one hell of person. She's my favorite person, even. But she's not my chief strategist. Actually, she comes a close second on the list of favorite people to this guy."
Janet's smile turned sly. "A guy, huh? Is it a guy you're bonking? Because that wouldn't be wise of you, Jamie. Don't mix business with pleasure and all that."
Jamie returned the grin directed at him. "I am bonking him. But it doesn't complicate things, though. We're… I don't know, I think we're going steady."
The expression on Janet's face was a rival to his own, as soon as he realized what he had just said.
"Steady?" Janet yelled, loud enough for the few customers in the coffee shop at that hour to turn their heads in their direction. "Are you ready to settle down, Jamie? You're a heartbreaker, that's simply not possible."
He had to roll his eyes at that last jab from his boss. "No one is saying anything about that. And I'm not a heartbreaker. That's a plain lie. And it makes me think that you are reading way too much Xpress. It's a shitty publication, in case you hadn't noticed."
"It's a bit entertaining when no one you know is involved," Janet argued. "But I get your point. Let me know how your strategy works. I still think you shouldn't be in bed with your chief strategist, but you do you. Also, make sure that the world knows that you can play the drums like a demon." She wagged the finger at him to make sure that she had his attention.
"I will. There's no way I'll let them trample on my career as a musician. It's one thing to portray me as the villain when it comes to guys, and another to claim that I can't play the drums. That's something that they'll learn very soon. And when I talk about 'they', I mean everybody."
"Okay, I trust you," Janet said with a smile.
Jamie needed more friends like that, for real. The way he had been living for years, traveling from place to place and never remaining in the same spot for long, no longer seemed as appealing as it had been.
***
Hearst's head was full of ideas – and one part stale anger at the injustice done to Jamie – when he reached the door. He was surprised that the door opened so fast before him; there had not even been time for him to knock.
Jamie grinned widely the moment he saw him and pulled him inside.
"Okay, it's the entire team at LiveFeed you're going against," he started as Jamie plastered him against the closed door and brought their faces close together. "What?" he asked, alarmed by the sudden attack.
Not that he minded it. Having Jamie's strong body draped all over him like this was it. He could feel everything, including the twitch in his pants that seemed to be matched by similar action happening in Jamie's.
"You just came in the door. Shouldn't we kiss?" Jamie asked directly.
"Okay," Hearst admitted, feeling an itch to adjust the position of his mask. A random thought cut through the fog of arousal that threatened to overtake him soon. Why was Jamie being so affectionate? Not that he wasn't always a great lover, but kissing like this, out of the blue—what did it mean? It was better to ask than live in doubt. "Why, though?"
Jamie grinned, very close to his lips. Their mouths were touching slightly, and Hearst could tell the tingle he felt in his upper lip wasn't an illusion. He was definitely eager for that kiss.
"Well, my furry friend," Jamie teased while brushing his lips over Hearst's mouth ever so slightly, "it's because that's what couples do."
"Couples?" Hearst squealed, hating the way his voice had reached an unnaturally high pitch that very moment. "We're not a couple… I think?"
"We could try to be," Jamie whispered against his cheek and then covered his mouth with his own.
What were all those things he'd been overthinking on the way here? He hadn't even paid much attention in class throughout the entire day, because he'd been consumed by what he needed to do to help Jamie counterattack the unjust assault he'd been subjected to.
Yet, his mind was empty of all thoughts right now. He could only abandon himself to the way Jamie kissed him, tentatively at first, and then bolder, pushing his tongue in and feeding it to Hearst, as if it was the next course of the menu.
He didn't mind tasting it. He sucked Jamie's tongue into his mouth, licking it thoroughly with his own. Even though his experience was limited to whatever Jamie had taught him, it looked like he was well able to improvise on his own.
Drunk. That was one way to describe what he felt when Jamie did that sort of thing to him. They were only kissing, but he was already weak in the knees and, if possible and if he wasn't asking for too much, could he have more?
Jamie indulged him although Hearst could only open his mouth to kiss back and not to speak. It was as if Jamie was reading his mind, which wasn't possible. But it worked somehow, and it was easy to chalk it up to the vast experience the resident heartbreaker had in dealing with boys mad about kisses.
It took them a while to break apart, but, when they did, they didn't pull away from each other. They stood there, staring at each other, drinking in the sight. Hearst knew very well what he was seeing, but what about Jamie? An overwhelming need to ask pushed him to open his mouth.
"Are you thinking that… we're a couple?"
Jamie grinned. "Partners. We definitely are. You're the longest relationship I've ever been in. Take it any way you want, I won't object."
So, it sounded like another game they were going to play. Hearst allowed himself a sigh in relief, because, for a moment there, he had been afraid that Jamie was taking things too fast and to a level he wasn't ready for yet. Things like becoming a couple took time, and if one of them moved too fast, balance was threatened and the long-term goal was at risk.
Then, in the unlikely event things worked out well between them and evolved beyond whatever it was they had right now, they would have a more solid foundation. A mental snort had to follow. He was dreaming big, and dreaming this big was for wide-eyed dreamers. He was not one of those guys. If he managed to make Jamie settle down to a single guy for a change, it would be against all odds.
"You know, this kiss," Jamie said, caressing Hearst's lips slowly, "got me all hot and bothered. What do you say about a blowjob as 'welcome home, honey'?"
"I wouldn't mind it at all," Hearst whispered. It was all physical action with Jamie, and he didn't mind. Also, he'd been gone for a little too long without having Jamie's cock in his mouth—
His thoughts were brought to a halt as Jamie dropped to his knees in front of him. This wasn't the first time such a thing had happened. Was Jamie so bent on making sure he didn't end up indebted for the help he got from his very own furry friend?
"I should--" he began.
"Hush," Jamie warned him while fiddling with his fly. "I love giving you blowjobs. Your cock is perfect."
"Don't you think it's small?" Cottontail asked.
"Not at all. Stop being insecure. You basically have me at your feet. How can you still think that I'm not into you?"
"Okay," Hearst agreed, sucking in a breath. "Will you let me return the favor?"
"Maybe later. I want you with a clear head when you advise me on how to take down the assholes that are dragging me through the dirt."
"What if I want a mouth full of your cum when I do that?"
Jamie chuckled and blew hot air over Hearst's erection. "You're really getting good at talking dirty. And I don't mind at all. Actually, I want you to go as wild as you want while I'm blowing you. Remember, the dirtier, the better."
"What if I insult you by accident? I don't want to do that."
"Hmm, then do your worst. I'm curious if you can really get me hot and bothered only with your words."
"And with my cock in your mouth," Hearst reminded his partner, who now seemed too enthralled with the opportunity he was being given to continue talking himself.
Jamie took him all in one fell swoop. From his position, kneeling before Hearst, he looked up. His magnetic eyes made Hearst's heart flutter; it was like they said it in books, although those poetic overtures didn't usually involve the act of oral sex.
They should have. Because there was plenty to say about having a guy like that performing that sort of sexual act on someone who was far from deserving of the honor.
TBC