Kinsey could honestly not remember the last time she had been so horny. The guys had asked her to come down into the studio to listen to a few things they’d been working on during the last two weeks. The songs were good, but Kinsey could not have stated what the lyrics were or what the tunes sounded like if she had been held at gunpoint. All she had been able to focus on the entire time was Taylor; the way his mouth moved when he sang, the way his fingers moved easily up and down the keys, and the way he would occasionally throw his head back to remove his hair from his face. She had watched them perform a thousand times, but had not had the pleasure since she and Taylor had started sleeping together. Now, it was another situation entirely.
Watching him was so arousing, in fact, that she literally had to excuse herself to go upstairs so she could get a hold of herself. It had taken every ounce of effort to make herself look at Isaac and Zac while she was down there and to pretend to be listening to the music. She’d even made up a few comments to throw their way in between songs, comments that must have been believable enough because they had all nodded and Isaac had scribbled them down on a legal pad next to his chair. But when she went upstairs, she’d realized that she didn’t remember a single note.
She went into the kitchen, snagged a beer off the bottom shelf of the fridge and leaned against the counter while she chugged half of it as fast as she could. It was refreshing and she knew she needed it if she was going to calm down in a hurry. The bottle clutched tightly in her fist was almost gone when the guys barged into the kitchen, laughing together for the first time Kinsey had seen in weeks.
“Are you okay over there, Kins?” Zac asked, raising an eyebrow at her as he went to throw his pop can in the recycling bin.
“Oh, I’m fine. Just wanted a beer,” she lied, avoiding Taylor’s eyes at all costs. Something told her that he knew exactly what her real problem was. Something else told her that he was almost assuredly loving every second of it.
“So, tomorrow we’ll lay that one down and then it’s off to the ball!” Zac said dramatically, sliding across the hardwood floors until he collided with Kinsey.
“The ball?” she asked incredulously.
“We got invited to go to this charity fundraiser, so Zac and I are going,” Isaac explained.
“And what amount of prima donna bitching got you out of it?” Kinsey asked Taylor.
“None, I already had plans to meet with the manager of a recording studio in Manhattan where we can actually record the album.”
“I thought we moved into this place so you could record it here,” Kinsey said questioningly.
“The equipment is great, but not quite professional level. So, we can get everything figured out in terms of mixing and arrangements and then just go do the final recording there. It’ll save us a lot of money,” Isaac chimed in.
“Okay,” Kinsey shrugged, “So I’m all alone tomorrow night, eh?”
“I guess so,” Zac said, “We would take you along but, the invitation was just to us. I’m sorry!” Kinsey laughed and swallowed the last of her beer.
“No worries! I’m sure I can find some way to entertain myself for an entire evening,” she reassured him, patting him on the arm before going to rinse out her bottle in the sink.
“Well, let’s get the movie started if we want to finish it before we all pass out,” Isaac said, looking at the clock on the stove.
“What are we watching?” Kinsey asked.
“’The Matrix’!” Zac exclaimed, slinging an arm around her shoulders and attempting to pull her in the direction of the living room.
“I am not watching that piece of shit again,” Kinsey stated, pulling herself from his grasp, “I’ll be upstairs.” Isaac and Zac laughed before heading for the living room. They were almost gone from sight when they realized Taylor wasn’t following and turned to look at him questioningly.
“I’m going to go change. I’ll be right down,” Taylor told them. Kinsey was halfway up the stairs when she heard that exchange between the guys and she hurried upstairs where she waited around the corner just out of sight. She stood there and waited for two things: the sound of the movie starting down in the living room and Taylor’s footsteps on the stairs.
“MATRIX!!” she heard Zac yell from the living room and knew that that part was taken care of, and a few seconds later, she heard Taylor’s reluctant footsteps making their way up. As soon as his feet hit the landing, she knew exactly what she was going to do. He spotted her standing there in the dark against the wall and smiled amusedly at her, like he was about to make fun of her for being so creepy, but she couldn’t allow that. So instead, she stepped forward and pressed her hand against his mouth, using her free hand to push him towards the wall by the chest. When his back collided lightly with the taupe-painted wall, she took a moment to look him up and down. Every single thing from his slightly rumpled hair to his tight jeans was perfect, especially the last part.
“If you make a sound, I’ll stop. Got it?” she whispered, her voice coming out raspy and excited. He looked carefully at her before nodding, his lips still pressed against the hand covering his mouth. Without thinking, and therefore without worrying about the potential consequences, Kinsey let her hand drop from his mouth and reached for the fly of his jeans instead. Her hand reached in the front of his boxer briefs and she dropped to her knees in front of him before giving him a stern look. “Not a sound.” But, he was too busy gaping at her to respond even if he had wanted to.
Five minutes later, Taylor was rushing down the stairs having rapidly changed to keep with his story and Kinsey was very, very pleased with herself. Yes, she knew that they could have easily been caught, but honestly, she didn’t think she could have stopped herself from acting on that fantasy for anything. The timing had been too perfect and she had been far too turned on to have the coherent thoughts necessary to stop herself.
Kinsey went to bed shortly thereafter, and was awakened when Taylor snuck into her bedroom several hours later, snapping on her bedside lamp and giving her a pointed look.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the hallway rapist,” he said to her. She grinned sleepily and stretched.
“Yeah, like you really cared,” she rolled her eyes playfully.
“That was pretty epically stupid. We could have gotten caught!”
“Yeah, and we also could have gotten caught sneaking into each other’s rooms and having noisy sex every night but we haven’t. And besides, it’s your fault.”
“My fault?”
“For looking so sexy when you were down there in the studio. My god, it took everything in me not to mount you right there on the piano bench in front of your brothers,” she replied honestly with a shrug.
“Wow,” he chuckled, obviously slightly thrown off by her blunt honesty, “Well then I guess I have no reason to complain, eh?”
“Damn straight,” she laughed, poking him lightly in the chest.
“So, what are we doing tomorrow night?” he asked, pulling the covers back and crawling in beside her.
“Um, you have a meeting, don’t you?”
“Nope, I did that yesterday. I just, you know, failed to mention it to Zac and Isaac so they would still go and we could have the night together,” he explained. Kinsey smiled at him before kissing him hard on the mouth.
“Who knew you were so smart?” she teased.
“Everyone but you,” he sassed right back before gently pushing her hair back from her face.
“How about I cook you dinner. You have to leave so your brothers will think you’re actually at the meeting, I’m assuming.”
“Assume away. I was planning on leaving when they do.”
“Okay, so you’re going to leave and come back a half hour later and then dinner will be ready and we can have a nice evening alone together,” she grinned, accepting a kiss from him.
“Sounds about right,” he teased, but he grabbed Kinsey’s arm and pulled her on top of him before she could respond to the smart ass comment.
The next night, Kinsey saw the guys off to their respective evening activities, or supposed activities, at 8 o’clock and then immediately threw a pot of pasta on the stove and turned on the oven to get it ready for the breadsticks. She didn’t have enough time to make a lavish meal, but Taylor didn’t have a particularly picky palate anyway, so she knew no matter what she made, he’d love. Once those preliminary things were taken care of, she sped up the stairs to change into the outfit she’d purchased specifically for the occasion. Taylor had been so very fond of the corset she’d worn for him, she knew he would appreciate this new outfit as well.
After about five minutes of speed primping, she trotted down the stairs in a pair of black stilettos to finish up dinner so it could be on the table when Taylor came back. They didn’t know how long Isaac and Zac would be at the fundraiser, so they really couldn’t dawdle. Kinsey wanted to grumble about their continued hiding, but knew it has been a mutual decision. Without a doubt, Kinsey knew that the right time would present itself and that was when they would tell. Until then, they would keep doing just what they were doing because even though it was stressful and rushed, it worked, and that was good enough for the time being.
She had just finished plating their simple dinner when she heard the front door bang open. Kinsey opened her mouth to yell out at Taylor for letting the door bang into the wall again, but found herself frozen in place when she heard Zac’s very distinct laugh from the hallway.
“Kinsey!” she heard Taylor yell out, “Zac’s dumb ass forgot the tickets!” She could hear the tinge of annoyance and panic in his voice. He didn’t know what she had planned, but knew enough to know that if Kinsey was making a dinner for two, there would be some questioning as to who her dinner partner was supposed to be and why she hadn’t mentioned it to them.
Kinsey heard footsteps coming towards the kitchen and she froze. There she stood in the kitchen wearing nothing but a pale pink bra and panties, a garter, stockings, and some fuck-me-pumps. There was nowhere she could hide. There was nothing she could do but stand there like a slutty idiot with a plate of linguine in her hands. The look of complete dumbstruck horror that was surely donning her face was mirrored by each of the guys as they walked in, especially Taylor.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Zac asked instinctually, the words coming out before he could stop them.
“Um, making dinner,” she croaked, so thankful she’d opted for non-see through lingerie she could have cried.
“Why didn’t you say something when we came in? We wouldn’t have come in here!” Isaac said hurriedly.
“I think the better question is why the hell are we all still standing in here looking at her. My god you two,” Taylor scolded, “And if I’m saying that, you know we need to get the hell out.”
“Shit, sorry,” Isaac muttered, grabbing Zac by the elbow and pulling him out the door behind himself and Taylor when he made no moves to exit on his own. Kinsey set down the plate noisily on the counter and started to cry, shame, embarrassment, and sheer unadulterated terror pumping through her veins. The guys were talking in hushed tones out in the hallway and even though they were obviously trying to be quiet, Kinsey could hear every word.
“Damn it, she’s crying,” Zac said, “I should go talk to her.”
“Not until we get her something to put on, Zac,” Isaac said, “What do you think she was doing?”
“Cooking dinner,” Taylor replied without emotion, repeating her excuse.
“Yeah, I caught that,” Isaac whispered and Kinsey could practically hear him roll his eyes, “I more meant, who was she cooking it for? There were two plates in there.”
“You noticed how many plates there were? That’s what you noticed?” Zac asked incredulously.
“Just go get her a robe or something,” Taylor ordered and Kinsey heard Zac take off upstairs and the hushed voices continue, though they had now dropped to a level where she could no longer make out the words they were saying. About her.
A few moments later, she heard footsteps approach the kitchen doorway and stop just on the threshold.
“I, uh, brought you a robe. I’m not looking, though, I swear,” Zac told her and when she turned, she found his hand pressed firmly against his eyes and from the way his face was scrunched up, his eyes were pressed closed as well. She walked over hesitantly, her heels clicking against the hard surface before snatching the robe out of his hands and pulling it tight around her body. Trying to maintain the very last shreds of her dignity, she stepped out of her shoes and moved to leave the kitchen.
“Kinsey, we’re sorry!” Isaac said, stepping in her way.
“I just want to go upstairs,” she told him, sounding exhausted and feeling on the verge of tears again.
“Well can we talk about it in a little while?”
“What the hell do you want to talk about, Ike?” she asked exasperatedly, “I’m a grown woman who thought she had the place to herself tonight and I’m not going to say anything else about it.”
And with that, she brushed past him, passing Taylor and refusing to meet his eyes as she made her way upstairs. She wasn’t angry with Taylor, but she did want to know why he hadn’t at least attempted to warn her that Zac and Isaac were coming back to the condo. He had obviously known when he walked through the door because the first thing he did was shout out to warn her, undoubtedly so she didn’t call something out that would have signified that she was expecting him.
As she entered the door, she heard a shrill beep sound from across the room. Once she had shut her door, she went to locate the source of the noise and found her cell phone sitting on top of her dresser, right where she had set it down when she had changed.
“God damn it,” she sighed as she picked up the phone and saw that she had three text messages, all from Taylor and all obviously sent in secret while he had been walking with Ike and Zac. They were mostly a garble of letters, but they were mostly distinguishable in that they told her that Zac had forgotten the tickets and that they were on their way back up to the condo. He had tried to warn her.
She ripped the robe from her body and tossed it across the room, watching as it landed on the carpeting beside the door in a rumpled heap before pulling off the lingerie as quickly as she could. Even though she hadn’t gotten to reap its benefits, she knew that it definitely no longer felt sexy and couldn’t imagine a time when she would voluntarily wear it ever again. After all of the items were crammed deep at the bottom of her hamper, she turned off the lights and crawled under the covers. She knew better than to think that she would just get to go to bed and not hear anything else from the guys. The looks on their faces, well, Isaac’s and Zac’s in particular, had told her that they would be begging for an opportunity to apologize. Taylor had looked… well, Taylor had looked guilty, like he was sure Zac and Isaac would piece it all together at any second. But of course, they hadn’t. How could they have?
About an hour later, a light knock sounded on her door. She was deep in the midst of an episode of “Lost” and didn’t feel the need to answer. No matter which of the three guys was knocking, they would all just let themselves in eventually, and Zac did a few seconds later. He had one of her plates of pasta in hand, and Kinsey just kept staring at the brightly lit screen through the darkness.
“I thought you might be hungry,” he offered, setting the reheated plate down on her bedside table. She felt his weight sink down on the edge of her mattress and knew that he wouldn’t be leaving without discussing the night’s events, but that didn’t mean he was going to get the information without a fight. Part of her just wanted to tell him that she had been cooking dinner for Taylor, that they were in a sexual relationship and that she was- “Who were you cooking dinner for, Kinsey?”
“How is that any of your business?” she asked, her line of sight not leaving Sawyer’s unnecessarily unclothed body on the screen. Zac sighed and pulled the remote out of her hand so he could pause the show.
“I’m your best friend. How the hell do I not know that there’s a guy in your life who you’re close enough to for you to be making him dinner wearing lingerie?” he asked.
“I just can’t talk to you about everything, Zac,” she said, her eyes still not leaving the screen. Zac put a hand on her shoulder and pushed down gently until she was forced onto her back and therefore forced to look at him.
“Since when?”
“Since we’ve never talked openly about our sex lives. Since I’m a girl and you’re a guy. Since always, Zac. I’m sorry, but we’ve just never really talked much about our dating lives, so why would I start now?”
“I… we, just really wish you would have said something. We would have called first if we’d known; if we’d had any freaking idea that you might be having someone over.”
“Well, now you know,” she said, before trying to turn over, but was stopped when his hand planted itself back on her shoulder.
“Just tell me who it was and I’ll leave you alone,” he told her.
“Why do you care so much? What the hell does it matter? The dinner didn’t get to happen, end of story.”
“And why are you being such a stubborn ass about this?”
“Oh gee, Zac! I have no idea! Maybe because I got heinously embarrassed earlier because I got walked in on in lingerie by three of my best friends who happen to be guys! I have never felt more mortified in my entire life, so yeah, I’m being stubborn. And I’m going to keep being stubborn so just back off!” she spat before yanking the remote back out of his hands and turning her back to him once more. Zac didn’t say a word, startled to the point of muteness by Kinsey’s aggressive and honest outburst, and he decided to just leave her alone. He trudged down the stairs moping, having never been talked to by Kinsey like that before.
“How’d it go?” Isaac asked.
“She chewed me out,” Zac pouted, plopping down at the table next to Taylor who was currently digging his way through the second plate of pasta Kinsey had abandoned.
“Well, it serves you right. You think she really wants to chat after she just saw you eye-fucking the shit out of her in some lingerie? Jesus,” Taylor grumbled, mouth full of linguine.
“I was not!” Zac blanched.
“Oh come on, Zac, I literally had to pull you out of the room,” Isaac rolled his eyes.
“Well, she looked hot. I’ve never seen Kinsey in anything like that before, obviously.” Taylor snorted and shoveled another bite into his mouth, doing anything possible to stave off the waves of lust radiating through him as the memories of Kinsey’s barely clad body kept passing through his mind.
“We are not talking about how hot she looked,” Isaac stated.
“Why, because Tif would be pissed if she found out you were thinking about it?” Zac laughed.
“No, because she’s our friend and she’s upstairs upset and sitting down here acting like perverted horndogs isn’t going to solve anything.”
“Was there more pasta in the pot?” Taylor asked, shoving his chair back and heading for the stove.
“What is with your eating habits lately? You’re going to get fat, I swear to god,” Zac told him.
“Says the Pillsbury Doughboy,” Taylor jabbed before dumping the rest of the pot’s contents onto his now empty plate.
“Fuck you, Taylor,” Zac spat before getting up and storming out of the room.
“Was that necessary?” Isaac asked. Taylor shrugged before leaving the room with another full mouth.
“I think I’m the only sane one living here,” Isaac said to himself before taking a sip of his beer.