Title: Affection Multiplier App: The Boyfriend
By: BreaktheBar
Chapter 17
Cassidy stood up, gesturing for me to take her seat, and she darted back down into the boat to our room to grab us drinks. While she was gone the conversation had lulled, and I noticed Cattie kept typing for a bit, then set her phone down and glanced over at me.
I only really looked over at her when I saw her glance my way, and she looked at me with a quirked eyebrow and tapped her phone. I shrugged and pointed at the deck, down to the rooms. She made a little face.
“Cattie, it’s fine,” I said quietly. “And you look really nice. I particularly like the ball cap look.”
“Thanks,” she smiled, looking relieved that I wasn’t holding Heather’s actions against her.
Cassidy came up from below with a couple of cold beers for us from our cooler, and her phone in her hand. She slid into my lap easily, snuggling back against me as she handed me one of the beers. “Cheers, Tiger,” she said and clinked bottle necks with me. Then she opened her phone and showed me the group text that Cattie must have started between the three of us. The message was long—longer than I wanted to read at the moment. I put my hand on the phone to ask Cassidy to lower it, and I kissed my fiance on the cheek.
“Did you have fun?” Cassidy asked me quietly.
“It was nice,” I said. “Different. And I could tell the Midas thing worked better on some than others.”
“Makes sense,” she mumbled, taking a quick drink and snuggling down onto my chest as she whispered. “Some girls are more into touch than others. Love languages are weird.”
I smiled and hugged my arms around her. “Yes, they are,” I said.
The buzzing of the blender in the pilot’s cabin died down, and soon HEather was strutting back out with a red-filled blender, her chest still bare. She went around the circle offering drinks, though I could tell she was a little miffed that Cassidy and I were nursing beers instead of her drinks. Or maybe it was that Cassidy was back sitting in my arms. I’d always had a neutral relationship with Heather when we’d met at Cons, neither good nor bad, and I hadn’t ever gotten a weird vibe from her before. This trip felt different for some reason.
“I think I should go take over for JC again,” I eventually murmured to Cassidy. Wanda and Heels were into their own conversation, and Terra seemed to be talking with Cattie and Heather politely.
Cassidy stirred from her spot and stood, stretching her body right in front of me. “Want some company in there?” she asked.
“Sure,” I smiled, and we headed for the pilot’s cabin.
“Time for the First Mate’s break,” I said as I stepped in. “And I think you’ll enjoy the scenery out there.”
JC laughed. “Fuck, the scenery came in here for a few minutes. Anyone else topless out there?”
“Cattie,” Cassidy said. “At Heather’s suggestion. Terra teased Robbie a bit too, but put hers back on after her massage got interrupted.”
JC tutted and rolled his eyes comically as she stepped aside, letting me take the wheel of the houseboat. “That sounds like my girl alright. A big ol’ tease.”
“Were you really alright with me massaging her topless?” I asked.
“Yeah, that’s whatever if she trusts you enough to let you do it,” JC said. “Now, you ever make her uncomfortable and I’ll strap a brick to your and throw you overboard, but as long as she’s cool with it, so am I. She taught me the hard way that she gets to say what her lines are in terms of nudity—I decked a photographer she was doing a swimsuit shoot with who got handsy with her. Turned out she’d worked with him a ton and she was completely comfortable with him touching and posing her around the way he was. I had to do a lot of apologizing to both of them.”
“Aw, that’s actually cute at least,” Cassidy said. “You stood up for her when you thought she needed it.”
“Well, I’m not saying I didn’t get rewarded for it later, but in the moment Mama chewed me the fuck out,” he laughed.
“Alright, buddy,” I said, patting him on the shoulder. “Go kick back and see if you can get the party started back there again. I’m sure Becca’s probably trying to find a place for us to stop for a late lunch.”
He patted me back and left, and Cassidy quickly kicked herself up and sat on the counter of the bar, reaching out with one foot and tugging on my trunks with her toes. “What are you feeling?” she asked.
“A lot,” I said. “Proud of you. Happy with most of the people we’re on this trip with. Annoyed. Still hurt and sad. And guilty, even though I know I shouldn’t. And just a little horny.”
“Oh, Tiger,” Cassidy said, and slipped back off of her perch and hugged me. “I’m sorry.”
“I know,” I said quietly.
“OK,” she said. “Do you want to know what Cattie said now? Because I think we should respond.”
“Sure,” I nodded.
Cassidy sat back up on the counter and opened her phone.
“Guys,” she read out softly so we wouldn’t be heard outside our little bubble. “I’m so sorry about Heather. Cassidy, thank you for not calling her out like she deserved. Robbie, thank you for not getting pissed. She had no right to say those things, and I’m sure when I talk to her she’s going to give all sorts of excuses about how she thinks you’re controlling or whatever. I know you’re not.”
“Has she mentioned having problems with Heather to you?” I asked Cassidy.
“No, but we also haven’t talked as often in the last month. I thought it was because we were going to see each other for a whole week,” Cassidy said. “Hold on, she keeps going.”
“Cass, Robbie gave me a hint at what’s going on with you two. I’m mad at you for him, but mad like a sister who knows you know I’ll love you no matter what. When you’re ready to talk, I want to listen, because I know you need it. And that goes for you too, Robbie. No matter what happens this week I adore you both. I’m so sorry, and I’m sorry again about Heather. I’d say I thought she was horny and drunk, but I don’t know what she was thinking. I’ll talk to her. Love, Cattie.”
There was a moment of silence between us, and I glanced over at Cassidy. “So, what are you thinking?”
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