Always Belle Ch. 06

"Maybe." I appreciated my uncle's attempt to cheer me up.

"Hey, I've got an idea. Why don't you come along on my Vegas trip? My brother and Ox are also going. I'll get Colin to come too and book you boys your own room. You two don't even have to hang out with us geezers if you don't want to."

I stood silent. In truth, the last thing I wanted to do was share a room with Colin after knowing what he had done with Eva.

My uncle continued, "Come on, it'll be fun. I can't think of a better way to celebrate my one-year divorce anniversary than with my family and friends."

"It sounds like a guys only trip."

"You're a guy too! And not just any guy—you're my college grad of a nephew, ready to conquer the working world. After a good time in Vegas of course."

"This is really generous Uncle Frank. But I don't think I'm interested."

"You can sleep on it. Colin and I are coming over tomorrow to watch Madrid-Barça. We can chat more then."

***

When I entered the house, I plodded up the stairs and locked myself in my room, wanting nothing more than to mope in solitude.

It was only early afternoon but I felt thoroughly drained, so much information forcibly dumped into my brain. I didn't know how to make sense of it all. Eva and Colin. Colin and Nina. Even Eva and Greg the Smoothie Shack guy. My polarizing interview with Jim still lingered on the mind as well.

And then there was Belle, somehow the glue to it all. To think that if I hadn't pursue spying on her and Ox at the barbecue, Eva wouldn't have ever questioned my attraction to her. And if I didn't pursue Belle and Enzo after his concert, I wouldn't have cemented this "serial ditcher" label. Fuck!

There was a sudden knock on my door.

I opened it to see Belle standing in a light blue bikini, looking great as always. But even the sexy image of her couldn't lift my mood at the moment.

"Thought I heard you come up," she remarked. "How was your interview?"

"I don't want to talk about it now, if that's cool."

"Oh. Okay," she responded, probably noting my despondent body language. "Sorry I couldn't pick you up. I had an emergency meeting with my agent."

"It's alright," I said tersely, her abandonment the least of my worries.

"Well, I'm gonna take a dip in the pool with Vi if you wanna join. It's her last day here. She flies home to Paris tomorrow morning."

"K. Maybe later."

"Sure, no problem..." Belle stood frozen, just looking at me. "Hey Ken, do you like to smoke marijuana?"

"Um, what?"

"It's okay if you do, I don't judge. I was going to say that if you're feeling stressed or anxious, Adam has all kinds of weed. He's down in the pool house right now. I'm sure he'd be happy to smoke with a friend, if that's something you're into."

I politely gave a nod of my head, as if I didn't already know Adam's green duffel was basically a dispensary.

Without words, Belle then reached out and hugged me, probably sensing that I needed one. It was so unexpected though that I found myself almost getting emotional. Deep down, I guess I really appreciated the comfort.

After our embrace, I felt a bit better. While I had her, I figured I might as well ask, "Hey Belle, do you by any chance know a James Wilcox?"

"Who's that?"

Belle's phone suddenly rang. "Hold on, Vi's calling, I should answer this before she fiddles with the pool settings. I'll catch you later."

***

"Ken my guy, welcome back! Was wondering when we'd get to smoke again!"

Inside the pool house, I relaxed on a couch while Adam scrounged inside his green duffel. With the Eva-Colin revelation still weighing heavy on my mind, a soothing high—as Belle had suggested—did sound like the ideal relief.

"Hey Adam, mind if I draw the curtains? The sun's a little much."

"Of course, be my guest."

As I pulled the shades down, I observed Belle and Vi splashing about in the pool, just on the other side of the glass-paned doors. Then something next to my foot caught my attention—a power block plugged into a wall outlet, with a charging cable connected to... Belle's phone.

"Here you go Ken, OG Kush, locked and loaded!" Adam sat back down on the couch, extending his pipe and lighter to me. "Do the honors?"

One burnt bowl later, I was slouching on the sofa with my head tilted back, staring at the ceiling, letting the weed work its wonders on my brain.

"How are you feeling?" Adam asked.

"Relaxed. Thanks dude, I needed this!"

"Nice." Adam stood up. "I'm gonna jump in the pool. You joining?"

"I think I'm good for now. Okay if I chill here?"

"Stay comfy!"

After Adam exited the pool house, I stared at Belle's phone lying on the floor. Maybe it was the weed, but I started getting some crazy ideas...

Tempted, I walked over and peeked beyond the nearest curtain, confirming that Belle was still outside. As a matter of fact, I watched her, Adam, and Vi settling into the spa pool on the far end, their backs facing me. Perfect.

Grabbing Belle's device, I entered the same passcode she'd given me earlier, gaining access, feeling like I now had a library of classified files at my disposal.

-Fuck Ken, does your high ass know what you're doing?!

-Not really! I'm wingin' this shit!

I excitedly opened her photos app, scrolling frantically, seeing if I could find anything NSFW. It was just full of selfies and innocent photos, random shots of places and foods. Fail.

Then I opened her Messages app. I searched for the thread with Enzo, but it didn't exist. I was confused. Had she already deleted it? I looked for the thread with Ox. It was there but had nothing of note. Just a reminder text about his barbecue from weeks ago. Dammit!

I clicked on the thread with Uncle Frank, curious if Belle had even texted him this morning about picking me up. She actually did, restating the same reason she'd told me—that I needed a ride because she had a meeting with her agent.

This weed had me paranoid! What if Belle had deliberately given me her passcode, knowing I'd peep through her phone. Maybe she had some notification system set up, letting her know that someone was using her device! Shit, she was onto me and my voyeurism! Fucking entrapment!

I irrationally brought her phone to my t-shirt, wiping off my fingerprints, as if Belle had access to some forensics lab. When I looked back at the screen, I had accidentally swiped to another page of phone apps...

There, a purple-colored app called Vanishhh had caught my eye. It had an icon of a finger over lips that was fading away. Clever. I suspected that I may have just struck gold; my heart started to beat faster.

I quickly opened the app, which asked for a six digit passcode; So I typed in the sequence I'd forever committed to memory. Success! Good god Belle, I prayed you never seriously got hacked.

The Vanishhh interface looked like any other messenger app. On it, I saw two names, Enzo and Ox, an hourglass icon next to each of them. I reckoned messages, and probably names too, literally vanished after a certain amount of time.

I needed to act fast, in case anything disappeared on me. Tapping on the Enzo thread, I hurriedly read their exchange. It was from Wednesday, two days ago:

Belle: "I'm downstairs in the lobby. Are you coming down to get me?"

Enzo: "Ring the intercom."

I tracked the time stamps; their conversation had resumed later that night:

E: "Wait in the lobby. Don't leave yet."

B: "Why?"

Some minutes later, Enzo had messaged again:

E: "Ok come up now."

B: "???"

E: "Just come up."

B: "Fine, but I'm bringing Vi with me."

I exited the thread, corroborating their messages with my memory of that night. It checked out and made sense, their exchange explaining how Belle ended up back at Enzo's penthouse after Lana was asleep.

Then I clicked on Ox's thread, it had messages as recently as this morning:

Ox: "Any chance you're free for breakfast? ;)"

Belle: "Nope. I have to pick up Ken soon. He's in a job interview."

O: "Good for him. I'm hungry though =("

B: "Ask Sherrie to feed you. Remember her? She's your wife =)"

O: "I'll be quick. Meet at our spot? I'll owe you a favor."

B: "So you want me to ditch Ken again. Like your little ploy with your tailor."

O: "I remember that working out just fine. Did you eat breakfast?"

B: "Just coffee and a banana."

Ox had then sent a close-up image of his fully erect cock, taken at an angle to allow his impressive size to fit within the frame.

O: "Was your banana bigger and tastier than this?"

B: "Probably not lol. I guess I could eat again. Artie's working but let me text Frank to see if he can pick Ken up. See you in 10 minutes."

Ox sent a banana emoji, followed by one of two cherries attached to the same stem.

Some time later, Ox had messaged Belle again:

O: "That was fun! You know I love your mouth, but you didn't warn me your pussy was off-limits today."

B: "Sorry. I'm saving it for someone."

O: "For who?"

B: "Wouldn't you like to know..."

O: "You're really not gonna tell me?"

B: "Just remember you owe me a favor now ;)"

Jesus, so that was why Belle couldn't pick me up after my interview. Part of me was angry that she had prioritized Ox over me. A larger part of me was highly turned on that she did.

I crept up to the curtain and checked on the trio outside once more. They were still relaxing in the spa pool.

Just then, I felt a single vibrate from Belle's phone. A new Vanishhh message had arrived: "Hey it's Seb. Finally downloaded this app you keep recommending. Some quick logistics for tonight. When you arrive, you'll see photographers and a photo area. You can work your model magic before you enter the restaurant."

Just as I was trying to wrap my head around why Seb would be using Vanishhh to text her boring instructions, a second message from him arrived: "After closing, I'll give you a private tour of Eden ;)"

Seb and Belle... The thought of him giving her a "tour" after-hours hit me like a shot of adrenaline. And based on her Vanishhh exchange with Ox, I was connecting the dots; It wasn't rocket science to figure out whom she was saving her pussy for tonight. I suddenly wanted to spy on them, feeling like I was entitled to after all of the Eva bullshit I had to deal with today!

I just needed to find a way to attend Eden tonight, so I could monitor their interactions, assess how their affair might unfold. After all, Seb did say I could tag along to his restaurant opening, despite Belle having belittled my invite...

***

Still in the pool house, I devoted a solid chunk of time to forming some semblance of a plan. Obviously, I had also returned Belle's phone exactly where she'd left it, charging on the floor, making sure to mark Seb's messages as unread.

As my high slowly wore off, I also realized it was extremely unlikely Belle would be tracking anyone using her device. She wasn't that tech savvy! For god's sake, she used the same six digit passcode across her apps!

When Adam re-entered the pool house, he welcomed Belle and Vi with him, towels around their bodies.

"Hey Ken, how's the galaxy?" Vi joked, likely noting the dank stench.

"Outta this world!" I responded in kind, leaning into my stoner's slouch on the sofa. "Vi, is it really your last night here? Feels like you just flew in yesterday."

"I know right! Back to Paris tomorrow..." She flashed Adam a look of longing, which caught my attention.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Belle checking her phone, likely reading Seb's Vanishhh messages, the faintest of smiles scrolling across her lips.

Vi asked, "Belly, you think the restaurant portions tonight will be tiny?"

"Doubt it. The sushi rolls are pretty thick and long," the model replied, staring at her phone. "Come here, see for yourself."

Vi walked over to her best friend, giving me an opportunity to nudge Adam toward the pool house's kitchen, outside of hearing range from the women.

Let's do this Ken, time to execute the first part of the plan...

I casually opened the fridge, grabbing two bottles of water, handing one to Adam. "So since it's Vi's last night, are you and her doing anything special?"

"Just a small, early dinner here in the pool house. Then she's accompanying Belle to that restaurant opening afterward."

Interesting. As Vi had alluded to, she was joining Belle at Eden tonight. I took into account the experiences of the past week: Belle and Vi's frisbee scheme, Vi playing Belle's watchdog at Enzo's place. If Belle had plans with Seb after hours, then I needed to eliminate her accomplice from the equation.

"Dude Adam, a pool house dinner?" I exclaimed. "That's pretty anti-climactic for it being her last day here."

"You think so?" He sounded bewildered.

"Yeah man! For what it's worth, I think you two have something really good going on. You deserve to take Vi someplace special tonight."

"She's already got plans with Belle."

"I'm sure Belle will understand. You're the one in a relationship with Vi."

"Shit, you're right Ken," Adam acknowledged. "Damn..."

"When's the next time you'll see Vi after tomorrow?"

"Hmm, I dunno. I'm so used to living day-by-day, I haven't really thought that far ahead. I guess we'd pick up where we left off with the whole long-distance thing."

"In that case dude, you and her definitely deserve a nice evening tonight! Just my two cents." I nonchalantly took a sip of water, masking my ulterior motive.

Adam then opened his bottle, gulping down a generous helping. "Wise beyond your years Ken! Thanks buddy."

We walked back into the pool house's living area, finding the girls still hovered around Belle's phone. I would've bet good money that Belle was soliciting Vi's advice on how to respond to Seb's messages.

When Vi looked up, she was surprised to see Adam striding her way. Her boyfriend engaged her in a passionate kiss, even getting Belle to momentarily detach from her phone to witness.

Vi looked taken aback. "Wow baby! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I want to take you out tonight. A fancy French restaurant. Then after, we'll go dancing. You've asked me this whole week so let's do it! What do you say?"

Vi's eyes looked mesmerized, definitely wanting to say yes. But the brunette turned to her best friend, seemingly for permission.

It took Belle a few seconds to process, but even she knew she couldn't be selfish tonight. "Vi, you and Adam should spend as much time together as you can. Take Artie's red Benz. Have fun."

Time for part two Ken, insert yourself!

I cleared my throat. "Hey Belle, looks like Uncle Artie gets to enjoy a sushi date with you now."

"Your uncle's working late tonight," she blurted out, getting me to cackle inside, having expected to hear her say something along those lines.

I quickly followed, "You know Belle, I've been craving sushi lately. I could accompany you to Eden tonight, if you want."

Staring at her, I could see the gears turning in her head, deciding whether or not to have me sub in as her plus-one.

I decided to turn up the guilt trip meter. "Or if I'm not VIP enough to go or something, I totally understand. I was just hoping to get out of the house and clear my head after my stupid interview today."

Adam and Vi looked at me with sympathetic eyes, then shifted their attention to Belle, all of us now awaiting the model's response. Belle herself looked conflicted, probably trying to work out how she could shake me off her tail.

Needing to force Belle's hand before she devised a counter, I started walking toward the door of the pool house. "You know what, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to invite myself. That was rude of me! I'm just gonna head back to my room now."

"Ken, wait." Belle stopped me. "Sorry. I didn't mean to hesitate. I was just thinking about logistics. I was planning on drinking tonight, and Vi was going to be my designated driver."

"Oh I can drive!" I enthusiastically offered.

"You'd be comfortable driving my Audi? I just know you've expressed some reservation before."

"It's not an issue anymore. I feel comfortable driving fancy cars now."

"And you're okay with being the designated driver?"

It was as if Belle was exhausting all her options to get me to not go.

A text suddenly came in on my phone, from Eva: "Hey cute guy! Got Friday night dinner plans?"

My testy side wanted to tell Eva to fuck off, while my vindictive one said I should ghost her. I eventually settled on something in-between, quickly texting back: "Busy. I have dinner plans."

Returning my eye contact to Belle, I excitedly let out, "I'll happily be your DD. So when do we leave?"

***

Later in the evening, Belle and I departed the house, with me driving her Audi. She looked stunning in a revealing cocktail dress, designed to tease a bra underneath, which itself deliciously framed her bust. All in all, my confidence was through the roof, sitting behind the wheel of an expensive car, a beautiful model at my side. Hopefully a positive overture for the night ahead!

Once we arrived at the restaurant, photographers hovered around a red carpet, standing across a banner backdrop with Eden's name patterned all over it.

"Hey Ken, I'm gonna walk the carpet and talk to some media for a bit. Can you hold this?"

I took Belle's purse and got out of her way, watching her step in front of the cameramen, posing like the model she was. All the photographers yelled for her attention, trying to get her to look into their lenses.

With her valuables in hand, I surreptitiously slinked inside the venue, barging inside the men's restroom so I could check Belle's phone.

On the Vanishhh app, I saw that she had responded to Seb, the time stamps confirming that it was around the time I had been chatting with Adam in the pool house kitchen:

B: "I was hoping you'd offer me a tour tonight. Sounds fun, I'm in!"

Seb then sent a full body photo of himself, decked out in his all-white chef garb.

S: "I'm stuck prepping for tonight. What are you up to?"

B: "Just got out of the pool."

Belle had sent a sexy photo of herself (probably taken by Vi). The model's skin and curves glistened in her light blue bikini, with the towel I remembered being around her body conveniently gone.

S: "Looks like you're having fun."

B: "Looks like you're having a hard time."

Belle's response had struck me as odd. I took a second look at Seb's photo and realized he was sporting a humongous erection, straining his white fabric, running down the side of his pant legs.

B: "Are you ready for tonight?"

S: "Born ready."

B: "You do know I was referring to your restaurant opening, right?"

S: "I know. What else could you have meant? ;)"

A few hours later, Belle had sent a picture of herself in her bedroom mirror wearing her cocktail dress, with one particular omission of clothing...

B: "Appropriate attire for tonight?"

S: "No bra?"

B: "I will. It just feels comfier without one at the moment."

S: "I bet."

B: "By the way, my friend Vi isn't joining me anymore. I'm bringing Artie's nephew as my +1 instead."

S: "No prob."

B: "He told me you invited him to your restaurant opening back at Artie's party."

S: "Did I? I forget. Was probably just using him to get you to commit to going."

B: "Lol."

S: "FYI I'll probably be busy in the kitchen all night. But when I've got a second, I'll text you with more info about our tour later."

That was the end of their messages, for now at least. Aside from enjoying their suggestive flirting, I made a mental note to find a way to check Belle's phone later, knowing I'd need to ascertain more details as the night went on.

When I returned to the front of the restaurant, I was unexpectedly greeted by someone grabbing my shoulder. "Ken!"