The Connection (The Exception #1.5)

A grin touches her lips. “It’s just . . . I don’t know what to do about Max.”


I turn to the side and watch her fidget in her seat. I’ve never been able to figure out their relationship. They seem completely together at one moment and then like they tiptoe around each other the next. It’s confusing to me, so I’m sure it has to be confusing to her.

“Because . . .”

“I just . . .” She sighs and smiles sadly at me. “I really like him.”

“I know you do. What’s wrong with that?”

“Everything.”

“Um . . . Care to develop that sentence a bit more?”

She laughs half-heartedly. “He wants everything. He wants what you and Cane have.”

“Yeah, don’t you?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. If I did, it would be with him, no doubt. He’s pretty perfect, you know.”

“I do,” I laugh. “I get Max. But I still don’t get you.”

“I don’t get me either.”

We pull into the parking garage of the hotel and she finds a spot. We grab the bags and head to the elevator. We’re silent as we enter the elevator to our rooms. I know she’s thinking about our conversation. I want to press the issue, but I don’t. I know some things you have to figure out yourself and relationships are one of them. As much as I want her with Max, if she doesn’t want to be, then she shouldn’t be. That’s for her to decide.

The elevator dings and we step out.

“What are your plans for this evening?” I ask, sticking my room card in and pushing the door part way open. I look at her doing the same thing to the room next door.

“I’ll call you. I believe besides spending his money, Cane also told Max and me to fuck like rabbits later. I told you I’m not one to disappoint.”

I shake my head and sit my bags on the floor inside. “Have fun.”

“Always,” she says with a sparkle in her eye. “If there’s one thing I have figured out in life, it’s how to have fun.” She winks before disappearing inside.





CANE


The restaurant inside the hotel is busy, people darting in and out, the staff trying to keep up. The food was good, not great, but the service has been attentive.

The waitress makes her way to us. Tall, blonde, wicked green eyes, huge tits that are on display in a low-cut, tight top . . . our waitress is definitely an 8.5 on a 10-scale. A year ago, I would’ve been all over that. Or she would’ve been all over me, more likely, and I would’ve taken her up on her offer. These are the easy pieces, the ones you don’t even have to work for. Today, however, I have zero interest.

I take a swig of my beer and watch her approach. I try to gauge my response, try to see if there’s still something inside me that wants to fuck her sideways.

I wait for my dick to twitch. With each bounce of her round breasts, I wait for the indication from my body that it wants to release. In hers.

It doesn’t.

Not one fucking part of me reacts. And while this normally would’ve been a concerning reaction, I couldn’t be fucking happier about it.

She catches my eye and smiles, fluttering her lashes. I’ve seen this look a million times. It says, ‘if you wanna fuck, I’ll fuck.’ Instead of smirking like usual, patting myself on the back for not even having to try to get her attention, I look away. She huffs, but not before trying the same thing on Max.

I actually laugh out loud. There’s zero chance of me banging this chick, but with that being said, there’s less of a chance than that of Max doing it. I have loyalty. He has loyalty and morals.

“Can I get you guys anything else?” She holds our plates so her tits squeeze together, the tops rounding above the neckline of her shirt.

“I don’t need anything,” I smile, nodding to Max. “What about you?”

“Nah, I’m good. Thank ya though.”

I’ve always considered predictability a bad trait—boring, monotonous. But the longer I live, the more I’m starting to appreciate it. Sure, I still like being spontaneous. We are in fucking Vegas. But there’s a level of comfort, a feeling of being able to let your defenses down when you know how someone’s going to react to a situation. I always know how Max will react to things.

I just wish I knew how other people would react to certain things . . .

“Wanna bring us the check?” I ask the waitress. She nods and flaunts off, swinging her hips for my benefit. “You about ready?”

“I wanna finish this beer first,” Max says, taking a sip from the bottle in his hand. “So, you ready for everything?”

“Yeah. We’ve got everything nailed down, I think. Can you think of anything we overlooked? You made a schedule and a bid list and everything for this, right?”

“Yeah, I’ve approached this like any other project we’ve been on. We have a schedule, contracts, the whole shebang,” he laughs. “I think everything is covered, but it’s not like I’ve done this before.”

“Yeah, well, this may be your practice round, but that doesn’t mean you can fuck it up.”