Chapter 6: Just Go With It
The Lantern Killer
Just go with it
Brooke Taylor is getting ready in the bathroom for a night out with her husband, Marco Benzo. Her recent balayage hair color is her favorite color yet, and the pain from her temple injections has finally vanished. She can hear her three-year-old son, Travis, playing with his grandmother Dorothy and her husband, Marco, playing a gun battle video game.
Brooke puts down the curling iron and glosses her lips with a nude lipstick. She then walks out into the living room with a strut and looks over at her husband from across the room.
“Wow, darling!” Marco shouts as he sets down his game console.
“Thanks, boo,” says Brooke as she spins around in her green midi bodycon dress.
Travis is sitting on his grandmother’s knee, and she strokes his sandy curly hair while remarking, “Doesn’t your mommy look wonderful tonight?”
While beaming with delight, Travis exclaims, “Mommy is da best.”
“Don’t you forget to get a good night’s sleep, honey, and be sure to pack a bag for Travis tomorrow,” Dorothy added with a soft firmness, the kind that came from years of looking after everyone else.
The next day, Brooke and Marco will start getting ready and packing for their upcoming trip to Cancun. They love vacationing and soaking up the sun so much that this will be their fifth getaway in just four months.
While heading to one of their favorite nightclubs in Baltimore City, the Neon Carousel, Brooke and Marco leave Travis in the care of his grandma for the night.
10:00 P.M.
Over an hour has passed, and Brooke and Marco are deep into the rhythm of the night—drinking, dancing, and enjoying themselves. They’ve even scored a cozy VIP area, complete with a plush red velvet sofa where they lounge between songs.
As they laugh and talk, the DJ makes his way over to them. He leans in and asks Brooke if she’d be willing to jump on the decks for a quick set. Though she doesn’t DJ full-time, Brooke lights up. Mixing tracks has always been a passion of hers, and she never turns down a chance to share her beats with a crowd.
“Hellooo from your favorite DJ, Breezy Brooke! I call this next vibe dream core. so, grab a shot, shake something cute, and let the beat take over. You’re welcome!”
When Brooke hits the button, one of her favorite mixes starts playing. She dances sensually to the rhythm, holding the headphones close to her ear and puckering her lips in a playful kissy-face pose, nodding her head to the beat she created from ‘90s pop songs.
From her spot in the DJ booth, Brooke’s eyes scanned the crowd until they landed on Marco. He was lounging a little too comfortably beside another woman. She was hard to miss, with bronzed skin, jet-black hair that cascaded down her back, and an outrageously tight top barely containing her oversized fake breast.
Brooke kept steady, but her smile wavered just enough for the familiar burn of jealousy to flare behind her eyes. This was nothing new to her.
Meanwhile:
“You have the most gorgeous brown eyes,” Kayla murmured, her gaze locking onto Marco as her hands traced lightly over his chest.
Marco’s breath hitched. “Fuck, you’re so damn sexy,” he said, sliding his hand slowly up her thigh, savoring the sleek, shiny texture of her black faux leather skirt.
Kayla leaned in closer, her voice dripping with seduction. “I’m even hotter without these clothes.”
“What’s your name?” Marco asked, his voice low as he moved even nearer.
“Kayla. And you?” she purred.
Marco’s hand crept higher, “I’m Marco. My wife and I come here all the time.”
A flicker of confusion crossed Kayla’s face as she gently pulled his hand away. “Your wife?”
“Yeah,” Marco smirked, nodding toward the DJ booth. “That’s my gorgeous wife up there.”
Kayla’s eyes widened in surprise. “Shit, I love her sensual mixes. She’s incredible. But... why are you all over me? She has to be pissed. I mean, she’s got to be watching us, right?”
Marco’s grin deepened. “Oh, she definitely sees us.”
Kayla’s brow raised, uncertainty flickering in her eyes. “And she won’t be furious?”
Marco closed the space between them, his voice teasing as he whispered, “I think she can handle it.”
Then, without warning, he pressed his lips to hers, gentle yet hungry for sex, pulling Kayla into a kiss filled with desire.
Kayla bites the bottom of Marco’s lip and then says, “Are you sure this is okay?”
“Yes, now kiss me already!” Marco exclaims with enthusiasm.
Marco was completely aware of what he was doing because he frequently meets new women when out clubbing and traveling with Brooke. No matter how jealous or upset Brooke becomes, he is confident that she will accept everything and go along with it.
With his tousled black hair, warm, creamy complexion, and large, puppy-like brown eyes, Marco has a casually handsome charm that draws plenty of attention from women.
After finishing, Brooke leaves the DJ booth and moves in the direction of her husband and the woman who is sitting close to him.
Brooke makes her way through the crowded club..
-
Brooke observes Marco kissing the girl as she is standing right in front of them as she announces, “Umm, hello!”
“Hey! I’m just guessing you guys are swingers,” Kayla adds as she breaks away from kissing Marco.
Brooke has a angry look on her face as she takes a seat next to Marco, and she doesn’t speak to the girl; instead, she just throws her husband a furious glare.
“Are you okay, buttercup?” Marco asks as he wraps his arm around Brooke.
“I’m alright.” Brooke replies firmly.
“If this is all not OK, I can leave.” Kayla says politely.
“She’s just a bit exhausted, that’s all,” Marco continues.
Brooke explains, “I’m a little tired, but some lemon drops would be nice.”
“Now that’s what I’m talking about! I’ll go get the drinks, and you girls get to know each other better.” Marco says this while standing up.
-
“Move closer to me.” Brooke tells Kayla, as Marco departs to grab drinks.
“Okay...by the way, your husband is really fortunate to have a wife as lovely as you. Kayla said with tension.
Brooke reaches into her clutch and pulls out a tiny compact mirror and fixes her lipstick as she says, “When Marco walks back, I want you to kiss me. I want you to not only kiss me; I want you to touch me.”
Kayla responds, “I can do that.”
Brooke and Kayla’s lips met in a slow, teasing dance, their bodies pressing closer with every breath. Kayla’s hands glided under the plunging neckline of Brooke’s emerald dress, sending shivers through her skin but also, she felt irritated at the same time. She was simply putting on a show while sucking up her feelings. As their kiss deepened, Kayla straddled Brooke’s lap, their bodies entwined in a delicious, electric heat.
From across the room, Marco watched, a slow, satisfied smile curling his lips as he cradled two drinks in his hands. “One lucky man,” he whispered to himself, eyes dark with desire.
With that, he stepped forward, eager to join the intoxicating dance unfolding before him, ready to lose himself in their fiery embrace.
“Hey girls, may I join?” Marco asks.
“Kayla says, “of course,” and moves aside to let Marco have his space, with Brooke practically hugging him.
Brooke gives Marco a seductive look as she asks, “You like it when I kiss her, don’t you?”
Marco answers, “Yes, babe.” “I do!” “Do it again.”
Intensely gazing into Marco’s brown eyes, Kayla had “a look of eager intimacy” on her face. She approaches Brooke to kiss her out of a desire to please him.
The club’s host, Jack, observes from a distance...