Page 16 of The Money Shot

“Just excited about the party,” I replied, forcing a laugh. “Whatever Bradley cooked up will be a blast.”

I spent a couple of hours at the coffee shop updating my LinkedIn profile, rewriting my resume, and firing off applications. I barely even noticed the noise of the place—the whirr of the espresso machine, the chatter of people who, unlike me, still had jobs. After a while, I closed my laptop with a sigh. Going back to the apartment felt like admitting defeat, but I couldn’t keep blowing money on coffee just to hang around in Manhattan. Not with Bradley asking for two hundred dollars for his damn party, and not when I didn’t have a steady paycheck anymore. I’d just ride back into Manhattan later so I could take the train home with Jack.

When I got off the subway at my station, I spotted Bradley across the street, laughing with some woman I didn’t recognize. I froze. Right. He’d taken the day off. I didn’t need him asking questions about why I was home early, so I ducked my head and power-walked toward our building, hoping he wouldn’t see me.

Inside, I hurried past Nessa and Dimitri, who were deep in some heated debate near the mailboxes. No way was I getting roped into that. I slipped into the elevator and rode it up to our floor, feeling that same heavy weight settle on my shoulders as I let myself into the apartment.

I hurried down the hallway to my room and shut my bedroom door behind me. Tossing my bag down, I immediately shed my suit and climbed into bed in just my boxers and stared at the ceiling. The reality of it all started sinking in, flooding me with shame. This was my first proper job, and I’d messed it up before it even got off the ground. What would Bradley think? And worse—what would Jack think? I’d always admired hisconfidence, his drive. The last thing I wanted was for him to see me as some kind of screw-up.

I pulled my laptop onto my lap and started combing through more job sites, but everything just looked like a blur of requirements I didn’t meet or companies that wouldn’t pay nearly enough to survive in New York. My mind drifted back to this morning, when Jack’s leg had pressed against mine on the train. It wasn’t the first time we’d been that close, but today it had hit me harder. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wish we had something more.

But we’d both agreed a long time ago—friends were all we’d ever be. Besides, Jack was the one constant I had, and I couldn’t mess that up, not now, not when I was barely holding it together.

Sighing, I did what I always did when I was alone and frustrated. I typed in the familiar URL for FantasyFans, and as soon as the homepage loaded, I felt a strange mix of comfort and relief. Leaning back, I told myself I’d just take a few minutes, just enough to clear my head. I needed something to take the edge off, even if it was just temporary.

I stared at the screen, my pulse quickening as I took in the image of the man who resembled Jack. The guy in the preview photo was ruggedly handsome, with a square jawline and thick hair that mirrored my best friend’s. The faint buzz of distraction gave way to a more intense hum as I clicked onto his page and started the first video.

The man leaned back, and the sizeable bulge in his pants caught my eye. My mouth went dry as I watched him, and I couldn’t help but imagine it was Jack lying there, waiting for me. The woman who appeared on the screen was attractive, but I barely registered her presence. My focus was entirely on the man who looked so much like my best friend.

I leaned in closer, taking in every detail of his appearance. The way he moved, the way he held himself, even his expressionwas like Jack’s. My heart raced as I felt a twinge of guilt for watching, but the thought of my best friend was too powerful to ignore. I reached down and adjusted myself, feeling the familiar ache of arousal building in my groin.

As the video continued, the man began to touch himself, and my hand followed suit. I gripped myself tightly, stroking in time with the man on the screen. The sight of his hand moving up and down his hard length was intoxicating, and I felt my arousal growing with each passing moment.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the screen as the woman touched the man, running her fingers over his chest and down to his cock. I watched, mesmerized, as she took him in her mouth, feeling a surge of desire wash over me. My hand moved faster, my strokes becoming more urgent as I imagined it was Jack’s cock in my mouth instead.

The guilt I felt earlier was now replaced by a fierce hunger. I wanted this man who looked so much like Jack, wanted to feel him inside me, to hear him moan my name as he came. I stroked myself harder, my breath coming in ragged gasps as I felt the familiar tingling sensation building in my balls.

I couldn’t hold back any longer, and with a final, desperate thrust, I came, my release spilling out onto my hand and stomach. I sat there for a moment, catching my breath, my body still tingling with pleasure. The man on the screen was still going, the woman now straddling him as they fucked with wild abandon. But I’d satisfied my own needs, at least for now.

When it was over, I shut the laptop and pushed it aside. Pressing my palms over my face, I felt the heat radiating from my cheeks. I sat there, catching my breath, half-wondering what the hell was wrong with me. But then, as I sat in the quiet, I muttered to myself, “It’s not really Jack. How could this possibly hurt our friendship?”

Chapter Ten

Jack

The party had barely begun, and already I felt out of place. People were trickling in, most of them Bradley’s friends, plus a few we’d gone to school with. I leaned against the kitchen counter, taking a slow sip from my beer and trying to blend in.

Bradley pulled out all the stops—there was an open bar, a disco ball hanging from the ceiling, and a ton of food Liam and I had spent all morning preparing. This party was Bradley’s show, no doubt about it. I felt like an extra in my apartment, just here because I happened to live with the guy who actually wanted to throw this thing.

I glanced around, looking for Liam. He wasn’t in the living room, which probably meant he was hiding out in his bedroom, waiting for the coast to clear. He and I were never exactly the party animal types, and the thought of him alone right now bothered me more than I wanted to admit. Lately, something was off with him, and even though I’d asked him multiple times what was going on, he always brushed me off, claiming everything was fine. I knew it wasn’t, though. I could see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice. But I didn’t know how to reach him.

A loud knock at the door snapped me out of my thoughts, and Bradley called out from across the room, “Jack! Door, man!”

I sighed and made my way over, hoping it was someone I actually knew. When I opened the door, my jaw nearly dropped. There stood Nessa in a slinky red dress that left very little to the imagination, smiling in a way that was both charming and terrifying. Without a word, she wrapped me in a tight hug. As if that wasn’t enough, she gave my backside a quick pinch. I jolted back, stammering, and she winked at me.

“Where’s the bar, handsome?” she asked, already scanning the room for her next target.

I pointed her in the right direction, watching her glide through the crowd as if she owned the place. Knowing Nessa, she’d have the room captivated within minutes, probably collecting enough gossip to fuel her for a month.

Glancing at my watch, I wondered how long this party was going to drag on. I wasn’t sure how much more small talk and forced smiles I could handle. A quiet night in bed sounded a lot better than this circus. But more than that, I just wanted to make sure Liam was okay. Perhaps I should go check on him?

Liam’s bedroom door cracked open, and there he was, stepping out with this flat, unreadable expression on his face. Damn it. He wasn’t fooling anyone—especially me. The second he noticed me looking, he pulled his lips up into a smile that looked about as real as a three-dollar bill. He walked over, muttering something about needing a few drinks to get through the party, and immediately headed for the beer. I was about to follow him when a voice called my name.

“Jack!” I turned to see Laura, a girl we’d gone to school with, grinning and moving in for a hug.

“Hey! Good to see you, Laura,” I said, patting her back as we separated. She caught sight of Liam, and they hugged too.

“Liam! It’s been forever.” She exclaimed, giving him a once-over like she was trying to measure just how “grown-up” he’d become.

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