“No. Not exactly,” a young male voice responded.
“Not exactly?” Chase asked incredulously. “Then what were you doing?”
“Just seeing if you were going to play something exclusive or something.”
“You think I came out here in the middle of nowhere with my girlfriend to play exclusive music?”
I saw the illumination of a screen. “You recorded all of that? You fucking videotaped me with my girlfriend?”
“I couldn’t see anything. It was just sound.” The young voice quaked.
“And that makes it okay?”
Chase was screaming by this point. He was loud enough to bring everyone else out of their tents. I searched around until I found my jeans and shoes and left the tent.
I walked around the circle of people. Chase was still out there in his underwear. Poor guy.
Len turned his phone flashlight toward me. “Hey, Cara. I think you’re wearing the wrong shirt.”
I ignored him and turned to the guy I’d never met. The one who had evidently taped us. “You’re an asshole.”
Everyone laughed.
“No laughing. I’m being serious. Taping something like that is so far from cool it isn’t funny.” I grabbed the phone from Chase and stared down the kid who couldn’t have been more than sixteen or so. “You are not getting this back. You look younger than me. Hopefully, your mommy and daddy will buy you a new one. I’m sure they’d love to know what you were doing with yours to lose it in the first place.”
“You can’t take my phone.” He glared at me.
“Yes, I can. You violated my privacy.”
“You can just wipe the video.”
Chase put an arm around me. “Oh, I will, after you prove it’s not on the cloud. And then I need this to make sure I can find you if you’ve already backed it up and this shows up somewhere else.”
“You can’t even see anything!” His nerves had become anger, but his anger was nothing compared to mine.
“Not only did you film us having sex, but you filmed us admitting our feelings to each other. Those things are private.” I was fuming, and I appreciated having Chase’s arm for support.
I left the phone with Chase. I’d let him make sure the file wasn’t backed up somewhere.
I said good night to my friends again and waited for Chase back in the tent.
He came back, zipping the tent behind him. “I’m so sorry about that, babe.”
“Yeah, well. I think that’s an example of how things are going to change.”
He laughed.
“What?”
“Cara? You think that kid was paparazzi? It was just some stoned teenager who obviously followed us here.”
“Yeah, but.”
“No buts. This is our night, and we’re going to enjoy it.”
“You expect me to have sex with you again after what just happened?” I sat down, pulling my knees up to my chest.
“Yes. Yes, I do.” He gently pulled my knees down and eased me down on the sleeping bags.
“And you’re sure you’re feeling okay?”
He laughed. “Come on, babe. We almost had our first sex tape. We’re on our way.”
I swatted at him, only grazing his arm. “Not funny.”
He nuzzled into my neck. “At least I know any tapes will be with you. There will be some consistency for my fans.”
“You’re treading on thin ice.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Nope.” He unbuttoned my jeans. I let him since I didn’t want to sleep in them anyway.
Once my jeans were off, I slid into the sleeping bag. He followed behind. Still in just underwear, he didn’t have much to take off.
He slipped a hand under the oversized t-shirt I was wearing. I took in a breath.
“If I’m treading on thin ice, then why is my touch getting such a reaction?” He made a gentle line with his other hand down my stomach.
“Because I can’t help it.”
“Because you love me and the way my hands feel on you.”
“That too.”
He paused in his exploration to pull off my t-shirt. “I almost have you naked again. Still think I’m treading on thin ice?”
“Maybe. Almost naked doesn’t mean you’re getting any.”