The Last Blues We're Ever Gonna Have

Chapter 13

"I still think you look ridiculous with that fucking thing," Beck told her with a sneer as he propped his hip against the railing. He watched as Luxe stuck her tongue out at him before bringing her new Vape to her mouth. She pressed the button and inhaled. Beck stared unabashedly at her lips pursed around the mouth piece. He wanted to take that thing and replace it with his mouth. And maybe he would have, before... His guts twisted when he thought back to overhearing her talking with Jem last week. He'd had...suspicions for a while now, but her words, her confession still left a sick taste in his mouth...dredged up memories that he'd rather stay buried.
Something had changed after that. Oh, Beck still wanted to bed Luxe, wanted it with every fiber of his being. He still wanted it-wanted her-but it had changed somehow and he wasn't quite sure he could even put words to it. But it felt uncomfortably like...attachment. Which couldn't be right, because Beck Barnes did not get attached to anyone. Part of him insisted that he just needed to fuck her and get her out of his system. But there was a voice whispering in the back of his mind...a voice that told him that maybe he was drawn to her because she was damaged...like he was...
"I don't give a shit what you think, Beck," she replied, interrupting his thoughts. "I still get my nicotine fix and it tastes like peaches and cream." Beck tore his gaze from her lips back to her eyes, smirking at her. He heard the soundstage door open behind them as Jem finally joined them. He tossed a quick nod at his best friend before turning his attention back to Luxe as she leaned with her elbows propped on the railing. He let his eyes trace her profile, lingering on her full lips, before following the graceful line of her back down to her ass. God he loved when she wore skinny jeans to work.
She was much more relaxed this week, after what had been said on this very rooftop. When they had gone back down to continue with their table read, he and Jem had pulled Mark and Vaughn aside to discuss the choke scene. Beck had simply wanted to yell and throw a fit that the scene be cut, using what pull he had as one of the main characters and a highly sought after actor. But Jem, always three steps ahead of everything, argued that using Luxe's character was a cheap plot foil and perhaps it would be worth it to buck the norm and have Beck's character be the one who gets choked. After all, Clandestine should be above using the Damsel in Distress foil. The fans would love it, Jem had pointed out and Mark finally conceded.
"You wanna know what else tastes like peaches and cream?" Beck leered at her. Luxe rolled her eyes, despite the blush on her face. She exhaled, blowing a plume of scented vapor in his face. "That actually does smell good," he chuckled. Luxe inhaled again, before making an O with her mouth and blowing smoke rings.
"Reminds me a lot of smoking a Hookah," she giggled. She inhaled again to blow more smoke rings.
"You used to smoke a Hookah?" Jem asked, quirking an eyebrow at her as he moved to stand on the other side of her and lit his cigarette. She smiled widely at him.
"I actually used to work at a Hookah lounge for a few years, right up until I got this part. It's probably my favorite job I've had."
"Jesus, is there any job you haven't had?" Beck teased.
"Hey, money is money, and when you're dead broke you'll do any job you can get."
"Any job?" Luxe rolled her eyes at Beck dramatically. She turned her back to the railing, crossing her ankles and leaning back against the wrought iron. She shoved her vape into the pocket of her jacket and crossed her arms over her middle.
"God, you're worse than usual, Beck," she noted, one of her eyebrows raising as she looked at him. Jem snorted.
"That's 'cause he's excited about our sex scene today." Luxe's cheeks pinked again and Beck felt his lips curl into a smirk.
"Y'know, we probably still have at least ten minutes left of our break," he spoke slowly. "You two could probably get some rehearsing in." He grinned wider when Luxe's blush spread down her neck.
"Stop teasing her, Beck," Jem muttered around his cigarette. Beck glanced over at him. Jem's interactions with Luxe had changed too. He'd softened a bit around her, teased her less...pushed her buttons less, spoke more gently to her. It was disgustingly close to walking on eggshells around her and Beck had told him a few days prior to knock that shit off. She wouldn't want to be treated like some glass doll. Beck would know. Jem had looked appropriately embarrassed, but Beck was starting to wonder if maybe he'd changed his mind about their plan.
"Are we not playing our game with Luxe anymore?" He'd asked the night before while they stared at the TV. Well, Jem had been staring at his tumbler of whiskey for the past thirty minutes. "Did you lose interest?" Jem had sighed deeply before replying.
"I didn't lose interest," he'd explained. "I'm just...I don't know if it's wise to sleep with her."
"Why?"
"I just...," Jem trailed off. Beck had stared at him, studying the slump of his shoulders, the pull of his brows, the way he was avoiding Beck's gaze.
"Do you not want to sleep with her?"
"No, I...definitely want to," Jem answered, leaning back against the couch and finally taking a sip of his whiskey.
"Do you...do you not want to share her?" Jem finally looked up at Beck.
"I just feel like...I dunno...I think sleeping with her is gonna cause trouble."
"Trouble?" Jem sighed. He drained his whiskey in one final gulp.
"She's...she's kind of started...I dunno, man. I feel like we've crossed into being friends with her. I kind of like being...friends with her," he finished lamely, shrugging.
"A friend that you want to fuck?" Beck pressed and Jem exhaled.
The pro of knowing Jem for nearly twenty years was being able to hear what he was saying between the words coming out of his mouth. The con of knowing Jem for nearly twenty years was being able to hear what he was saying between the words coming out of his mouth. Jem liked Luxe. Liked her enough that he didn't want to just fuck her once and then move on to the next game. Possibly liked her enough that he wanted to keep her for himself. And, honestly, Jem deserved to let himself want that...to have that. Beck might not have had any hard feeling about it, if he didn't have the sneaking suspicion that Jem was lying solely for his benefit...if he didn't suspect that maybe...just maybe...Beck himself felt the same way.
"Let's compromise," Beck had suggested, clearing his throat. "We'll lay it out for Luxe. Tell her what we want. Tell her that it's just a one time deal. And we'll let her decide if she wants to or not." Jem's eyes had bored into his, and Beck knew that he was listening to the words he hadn't said as well as what he spoke out loud. Those damn pros and cons.
"Okay," Jem had agreed, and for the first time in nearly twenty years...Beck had felt something shift in their friendship.
"Do you ever get to the point where you're not, uh, nervous about doing these kinds of scenes?" Luxe asked carefully, bringing Beck out of his head. He looked down at her, but she kept her gaze on her feet. Her hair blew into her face and she shivered at the chill.
December wasn't the most pleasant month to be outside for a smoke break. Technically, Luxe didn't even need to be up on the roof with him and Jem, she could have just gone to her dressing room to use her vape. But she never seemed to give it any thought, just running to grab the damn thing and then to meet Jem and Beck on the roof.
"I mean, not really," Beck answered, clearing his throat. "It's nerve wracking no matter how long you've been acting." Luxe finally raised her face to look at him, eyes wide and lips slightly parted, and goddamn if Beck didn't desperately want to taste her mouth right then.
"All your coworkers watching while you mime an intimate moment with someone you work with? Being nearly naked and pretending you're coming? Yes, it's weird, every time." Luxe looked over her shoulder at Jem as he spoke.
"That's just great. I feel much better, thanks," she huffed at him. Beck watched Jem turn himself towards her, winking at her cheekily.
"So, you're nervous about our next scene?" Jem asked, his voice low.
"If I say yes, are you gonna pull another stunt like you did last time?" she hedged, eyeing him warily. Jem snickered, eyes flicking up to meet Beck's momentarily. Beck felt his lips pull into a devious smirk.
"I promise not to ravish you on the this rooftop, Luxe," Jem chuckled. Beck watched as she regarded him suspiciously. Then she shrugged her shoulders.
"Yes. I'm nervous about everyone I work with watching me pretend to have sex, while I'm almost naked," she admitted with a whoosh of breath. Jem laughed and she shot him an annoyed glare. "Unlike some people, I'm not used to having someone watch me being intimate with someone. Even if it's not real."
"Maybe you just need some practice," Jem suggested, a wicked smirk on his face.
"You made a promise, sir," she reminded, smirking back at him as she leaned slightly away from him.
"But I didn't," Beck murmured as he grabbed her chin, turning her head and tipping it up before claiming her mouth in a kiss. His tongue wasted no time, darting out to taste her lips. They were already parted in shock and he dipped into her mouth. Kissing her was more satisfying than he'd imagined. He nearly groaned at the taste of her, at the tentative way her tongue moved against his. Her lips were soft as they moved against his, and when he hooked his hand behind her head to pull her deeper into his kiss she let out a helpless sound that set his blood on fire. When he felt her hand curl into the fabric of his shirt, having slipped through the folds of his jacket, Beck growled hungrily into her mouth, pressing his body against Luxe's. He pushed against her, making her take a step back. And then another, until she gasped again and Beck opened his eyes to watch Jem moving her hair to the side to press a kiss to her neck.
"It's kind of fun letting someone watch, isn't it Luxe?" Jem said softly against the flesh of her neck. Beck smirked against her lips when he felt her shiver in response. He wanted to take her, right there on that rooftop; just rip those tight pants down her legs, hoist her up and plunge himself into her. Suddenly, Beck felt teeth catch his bottom lip and bite down, not painfully but hard enough for him to draw back. He pulled his mouth away, opening his eyes to look down at Luxe.
Her eyes were still closed, lips parted as she caught her breath. It set his pulse racing and he resisted the urge to kiss her again, her bite very clearly a nonverbal 'stop'. Beck watched as her eyes opened slowly, trembling fingers feathering across her lips.
"You two don't like to play fair, do you?" she asked, breathlessly. Her eyes caught Beck and held him captive as she stared him down. Jem bent his head to bring his mouth to her ear.
"We haven't heard you say No, yet," he countered, and Beck watched the blush spread from her cheeks to her pale neck.
"I haven't said Yes yet, either," she reminded him and Jem hummed in response. He stepped back, giving her some space. Beck watched as she seemed to retreat into her thoughts, chewing on her bottom lip, something he'd come to realize that she did when she was nervous. He reached a hand out, his thumb gently pulling her lip away from her teeth, watching her eyes as they drifted up to searched his face. "I have another question."
"Ask," Jem told her. Luxe shifted to lean her back against the rail.
"Do you two always...share women?" she asked hesitantly. Beck looked over at Jem, surprised, before turning his attention back to her.
"Not always," Jem finally answered. "We're not always in the same city when we bring someone back for a hookup."
"And not every girl you meet is into it," Beck added.
"No, um..." Luxe tugged at a lock of her hair, crossing one of her feet over the other. "I mean...if you...if one of you is in a...like, a committed relationship with someone...do you always share?" Beck laughed.
"We don't do committed relationships, Luxe," he told her. He flicked his gaze to Jem once more but he was staring out over the railing.
"Like...ever?"
"Why?" Jem asked and Beck watched as he turned to glance down at Luxe. As if she could feel his gaze, Luxe looked back at him over his shoulder.
"Just...just wondering, I guess," she answered softly.
"It's easier that way, Luxe," Beck explained, shrugging one of his shoulders. Luxe turned her attention back to him. "Jem and I have priorities, and relationships make things...complicated."
"Complicated?" Luxe repeated skeptically. "More complicated than explaining that you prefer to have threesomes?" Jem snorted.
"Believe it or not, that's actually not that complicated to explain," he chuckled. "You'd be amazed at how many women are okay with it."
"Well, of course," Luxe countered dismissively, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure there are plenty of women that are willing to do whatever it takes to sleep with someone famous."
"I mean, that definitely helps to sell it," Beck agreed with a smirk. "And I am definitely not gonna complain about it." Luxe pursed her lips and looked back down at her shoes.
"But...haven't you ever come across someone that you think...maybe you'd want more than just one time?" Beck stared down at her as she studied the ground. He flicked his gaze momentarily at Jem and found him staring down at the woman between them as well. He swallowed and took a measured breath.
"Yes," he murmured quietly. Hesitant blue met surprised green, and he willed himself not to look away.