Page 68 of Quiet
“If he were going after one of us, it would be you. You’re more his type than I am. And he wouldn’t do that to me. He likes to talk, but he’s loyal to fault when it comes to his friends. Honestly, I think he’s just really lonely and talks big to cover it up.”
Briar grunted noncommittally, but the irritation pouring off him in waves dialed back considerably. “So . . . shower?”
Chapter26
Isa
He wasn’t exactly sure how he ended up in the control booth with Briar’s hand up his skirt, but one minute, Anna had called a break and the next he was over Briar’s shoulder staring wide-eyed at a vexed-looking Will, who receded into the distance while shouting, “Don’t you dare fuck up his face, you brute!”
Briar had hopped off the stage and absconded with Isa like he was a prize he’d been waiting to redeem for years.
“No, wait, we can’t . . . haaaa yes, right there . . . holy fuck, Briar.” When Briar’s talented hands finally made it through the layers of his petticoat, Isa was no longer worried about getting caught. Instead, he was grateful Briar had had the foresight to help him ditch the hoop skirt before stuffing them both into the tiny control room. Otherwise, they never would have fit in here.
Briar’s tongue was busy making a hot, wet path up Isa’s inner thigh when he heard someone on the other side of the door say, “Who left this skirt here?”
“Urk!” Isa said, instead ofOMG, stop!But considering what Briar was doing with his left hand, Isa was lucky he’d managed to say anything at all, so he should really be congratulated for his efforts.
The door creaked open an inch, and Briar grunted when it was stopped by his back. He gave Isa’s thigh a quick nip before he pulled the boy’s skirt back down and stood up with a long-suffering sigh.
Isa ran his hands over his wig, checking to make sure it hadn’t gotten knocked askew. “Sorry, we were just, um, talking. Privately.” Before he could hop off the table, Briar already had him by the waist and lowered him to the floor so Isa could do damage control. “Let me just get past . . . good lord, you’re big. Oh! sorry about your foot!” It took a lot of wiggling, but Isa finally made it to the door and looked out of the crack. “Can we help you?” Isa was eye to eye with the bewildered gaze of their head techie, Seth.
“Isa? What are you doing in here? Never mind, I need to get in the booth, the lights suddenly went crazy down there.” Seth pushed the door open and tried to fit in the booth with them before realizing that was never going to happen. “Now I understand why you left the skirt on the floor—all three of us aren’t going to fit in here.”
“Why don’t you just let us out and then you can do your thing.” Isa was already edging around Seth in a bid for freedom. He’d finally remembered why he’d tried to get Briar to stop in the first place. He grabbed Briar’s hand and towed him along behind him. He’d almost escaped before remembering his hoop skirt and had to double back.
“The switches are all pushed into the weirdest shape, almost like a heart or a butt . . . Oh, come on!”
“It’s not what you think, Seth!” Isa held the bulky hoopskirt between them like a shield.
“It looks like you rubbed your ass all over my board!”
“Well . . .” Maybe it wasn’t the best idea right now to quibble and say it was technically Briar who had rubbed Isa’s ass all over the board.
Seth squinted at Isa. That was when Isa realized they hadn’t managed to keep from smearing Will’s hard work all over both their faces.
“The control booth? Really? You know how busy it is in here during dress rehearsal. Honestly, I’m shocked no one was in here to get in your way in the first place.” Seth backed away from the control board like it had plans to yank his pants down.
“We didn’t get very far?” From the look on Seth’s face, Isa was starting to think it might be better if he let Briar talk their way out of this one.
“I mean, kudos, Briar, for winning over our fair prince, but there’s a time and a place, man!” Seth snatched a bottle of hand sanitizer and poured a liberal amount on his hands.
Briar shrugged unrepentantly, scooped Isa off the floor, hoopskirt and all, and for the second time that day, Isa found himself waving apologetically to a theater friend as he was carried off.
* * *
Will had hadfeelingsabout what they’d done to Isa’s makeup and wasn’t shy about sharing them.
“I know you worked your beautiful self to a nub in order to make me look perfect, Will, but Briar’s ass cast a spell on my pure little heart, and I couldn’t resist!” Will said in an annoying falsetto, angrily yanking brushes out of their case.
Isa couldn’t even argue. Briar’s ass had definitely been part of the reason Isa hadn’t managed to keep his hands—or lips—to himself in the control booth.
“And you!” Will stalked up to Briar and, with a strength belying his narrow frame, dragged him off the floor where he’d planted himself next to Isa. He frog-marched Briar to a chair at least ten feet away. “You stay here. Don’t let me catch you near him until the play is over.” Will pointed two fingers at his eyes and then at Briar. “I’m watching you.”
Will must have been serious, because he followed Isa all throughout the dress rehearsal and during the two-hour break they had until the curtain rose on the main event. He’d even gone so far as to plant himself squarely between them while they ate.
“Where was this energy last week when you were set on giving me away to him?” Isa asked grumpily. He was busy straightening his corset—by himself because Will had shoved Briar away when he’d tried to help.
“It was for your own good, love—No, Briar, I’ll help him. I can keep my face to myself far better than you seem to be able to—and from what I saw this morning, I don’t think you’re really mad at me about that anymore, hm?” Will readjusted Isa’s fake boobs so they weren’t lopsided anymore, digging his hands deep into Isa’s corset.
