It's Tradition, Right?

Jake was nervous. It had been just the two of them since he’d arrived almost a month ago. They spent nearly every waking moment together; and sleeping moments too. He didn’t know anyone else in town and Roxy had been his rock. He had wondered often over the last few weeks what he would have done if he’d had to move out here without her being there for him. He could see L.A. being an extremely lonely place, especially for a guy not used to big cities.

He didn’t start his new job until next week, so she’d shown him the sights and helped him start to learn his way around town and she’d helped him set up his apartment which was now fully furnished and looked amazing… once again due to Roxy’s assistance. He smiled as he thought about the few occasions where they’d pulled the mattress off his bed and moved it into the living area so they could re-capture the magic of the first night they’d spent together when he arrived in LA.

Owning her own shop meant that Roxy had been able to roster her other staff on for more hours and work only one or two days a week so she could spend time with him, and even on those days, he would bring her lunch and often stay to chat with her when she wasn’t too busy. He’d never wanted to spend so much time with a woman before and he couldn’t see his need to be around her waning any time soon.

Everything had been going so well and he just dreaded the thought that tonight the outside world would change that; would change the perfect harmony they seemed to have created together. Essentially, they were two very different people. When it was just the two of them, nothing else mattered, but he knew that meeting her friends and seeing what her world is like, would be challenging. He’d never dreamed he’d be close to anyone who was part of that world, let alone be part of it himself and there was a small voice inside his head that kept whispering that he didn’t belong… and that it would be long until she realized that.

“So… what do you think?”

They had just arrived at Blush, the club Roxy frequented with her group of friends and she had led him over to a lounge section that was always reserved for them. The area was empty and he was relieved that he could get accustomed to his surroundings before meeting everyone.

He knew it was wrong, but couldn’t help feeling that he wasn’t going to mesh well with her friends, not after all the stories she’d told him about their wild and crazy antics. He knew she wasn’t really a part of that scene anymore, not since she started dating him a couple of months ago, but if these were her friends, how long would it be until she wanted to join in with them all again? He hadn’t even met any of them yet and he already felt like a boring country hick. Maybe he was being paranoid but he just wasn’t sure if he’d ever fit in.

Jake could see by the excited sparkle in her eyes that she really wanted him to love this place and her friends, so he smiled with as much sincerity as he could muster.

“It’s great, babe. Very… cool.”

He continued to look around the club. It was actually a pretty decent place from what he’d seen. Most of the club was fairly dark except for the dance floor which was lit up so that you could watch everyone enjoying themselves and letting loose. There was a stage in front of the dance floor, with instruments set up, but he couldn’t see much without any lights. Rather than one long bar, there were two smaller bars on each side of the club separated by the dance floor.

“I know it’s not really what you’re used to but I promise we’ll have a lot of fun. Just give it a chance.” She leaned in to kiss him briefly, but he speared his hands through her silky hair and held her close to him while he deepened the kiss. He smiled when she sighed against his lips and allowed his tongue to slip through her lips and massage her own.

Someone clearing their throat loudly caught the couple’s attention and they reluctantly pulled apart, Jake subconsciously wrapping his arm around her in a possessive manner. Roxy squealed girlishly before racing over to the blonde girl who’d joined them. He watched them hug briefly and couldn’t help but smile at the obvious affection the girls had for one another.

“Heidi, this is Jake. Jake, this is my best friend, Heidi.”

Jake studied the woman as they shook hands, and noticed that both her smile and her eyes were filled with warmth. He was quite pleasantly surprised, having expected someone a little more superficial and snobby.

“I was wondering when you’d show up. I thought everyone would be here by now.” Roxy smiled at her best friend, secretly glad that she would be the first one of her friends to be introduced to Jake. When she’d first moved to L.A., she’d been lonely and missing Sarah and Alex like crazy. But then she’d met Heidi and the two had become fast friends; the blonde taking the brunette under her wing and making her feel like she had a family.

“Bax and the rest of the band are out back. I saw Shan earlier, but I have no idea where she is now.”

“Yeah, and what may I ask, were you doing?” Roxy wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

“I was just talking to Jordan.”

Roxy noticed her friend blush as they all sat down on the comfortable black leather couches and smirked teasingly. She knew Heidi had a bit of a crush on Jordan, the owner of the club and it was something she always teased her about good naturedly.

“Don’t start with me Cookie. He’s married.” Heidi turned away from the couple and raised her hand signaling towards the bar that she was ready to order a drink.

“Humpf” Roxy sat back with her arms crossed and an adorable pout on her face. “I’ll never understand why a nice guy like Jordan would marry such a bitch.”

Heidi rolled her eyes playfully. “Look, she’s not that bad. And he loves her so who are we to judge?”

Jake watched the exchange with interest. Heidi wasn’t at all what he was expecting in Roxy’s best friend, she seemed a lot more down to earth than the party girl he envisioned. She surprised him further when their waitress arrived and she ordered a mineral water with lemon. He realized his surprise must have been visible as she smiled and chuckled lifting her drink in the air.

“Seven months sober. If you ever see me with alcohol, I give you permission to take me over your knee and spank me.”

He wasn’t quite sure how to respond to the comment. He didn’t feel like it was a come on, but being with Roxy was relatively new and the last thing he wanted to do was seem like he was flirting with her friends.

“Hands off Heidi-HO! The boy’s mine.” Roxy laughed loudly before smiling at him and lacing their fingers together. He could never get enough of staring at her gorgeous dimples every time she smiled. It was like she stole another little piece of his heart each time.

“I can see that. The boy’s only got eyes for you cookie. Besides, you know I like my men to have a little more jerk in them. Jake is entirely too much of a sweetheart for me. I can already see that”

“Yeah he is.” Roxy sighed wistfully before brushing her lips against his.

They were soon interrupted again however as Heidi playfully kicked Roxy’s foot. “And enough with the Heidi-HO! You know I hate that nickname!”

“Oh, I call bullshit on that one. You love it, just like I love Cookie… no matter how many times I tell you otherwise.”

The women smiled at each other before giggling like little girls. The sight made Jake smile, knowing that Roxy had someone she could count on; someone she could trust. It didn’t seem like she’d had a lot of that in her life.

“Ooh. Roxy brought her new boy toy out to play. When do I get my turn?”

Jake’s head snapped up at the sound of the husky voice, startled by the pure seduction it oozed with every syllable. He turned to his girlfriend expecting to see her laughing at another friend’s joke, but instead he found her glaring at the beautiful girl who had joined them and felt her tense up beside him.

“Seeing as though Rox is too rude introduce us, I guess I’ll have to do it.” Taking a seat on the other side of him, she turned so that their legs were flush against each other and smiled suggestively at him. “Hi Jake, it’s nice to finally meet you. Roxy talks about you all the time. She’s like a teenager with a crush.”

He could feel Roxy tense up even more beside him and a quick glance showed that she was now looking away from them pretending not to be bothered by the exchange. Shifting slightly to create more space between them, he spoke politely yet coolly to the woman who seemed so intent on upsetting his girlfriend.

“And you are?”

She laughed flirtatiously before looking back at him and her face registered surprise as she realized he really had no idea who she was.

“Shannon. Shannon Price.”

“Oh, well nice to meet you Shannon.” Abruptly, he turned back to his girlfriend, tenderly stroking her cheek to get her attention. “I’m going to the bar, would you like something to drink, baby?”

Roxy smiled at him gratefully, her smile soon turning into a smirk of satisfaction when she found Shannon glaring at her from over Jake’s shoulder. Obviously she hadn’t gotten the desired result from her flirting. She didn’t think Jake would honestly be interested in Shannon, but it was rare for any guy not to give her their undivided attention. The leggy model was used to being the centre of attention with every male she encountered… what guy wouldn’t want to talk with the famous ‘Rapture’ lingerie model? Her face was practically plastered on every billboard and bus stop over LA, not to mention in every magazine and even on every television station. The girl was hot property - and she knew it.

Returning from the bar, Jake noticed a few more people had joined Roxy and she seemed to be in her element. He felt a pang of jealousy as she hugged another guy who had taken the seat next to her where he’d previously been. It was obvious the two new each other well, and from how at ease they were, he assumed they’d been lovers at some stage. The urge to hit the dark haired, tattooed guy was growing stronger by the second.

“Jake! Come and meet everyone.” Heidi stood and pulled him closer to the group as he noticed Roxy telling ‘tattoo guy’ to move out of Jake’s seat, patting it in indication for him to sit down. He passed her her drink and sent a small smile in the direction of the people he had yet to meet.

“Guys, this is Jake.”

Three of the men nodded their hellos, smiling warmly while the one who had been sitting with Roxy smirked arrogantly. “So this is the famous Jake. Can’t say you’re at all how I imagine you’d be, man. You’re a little… normal for Rox’s tastes.”

The words were spoken with just enough politeness for Jake to wonder if he really was being insulted but by the look on Roxy’s face and those around them, he had no doubt that ‘normal’ was not good. It was childish and ridiculous for him to let the words have any effect, but they hit him exactly where it hurt. His already growing doubts over fitting into her world being confirmed by one remark from a guy with an obvious attitude problem.

Feeling her soft hand on his neck, Jake relaxed a little. “He’s exactly to my tastes Bax! Jake’s the best man I’ve ever met, so let’s skip the stupid pissing contest and move onto the part where you act like a decent human being.” She glared at him for a moment before smirking. “Or I’ll have to start calling you Baxter in front of everyone.”

Roxy felt unnerved by the way Bax was staring into her eyes. They had been an item once. Nothing serious, more of an on again – off again relationship, but they’d cared about each other. Jake was her first serious relationship since then and it was obvious Bax felt the need to mark his territory. Well, she wasn’t going to put up with it. He was still her friend, but if he wasn’t going to treat Jake, or their relationship with respect, then he’d be out of her life so fast he’d be left spinning.

To break the tension, the other guys introduced themselves to Jake, shaking his hand and asking questions about where he was from and what he was going to do in LA. He really liked Mick, Andy and Justin who he discovered were all members of the band Plunj, which would be playing later on, a regular gig they’d held for a couple of years. He looked forward to seeing them perform, but unfortunately Bax was their bass player, and he’d rather not have to lay eyes on the guy again.

“I’m going to go dance with Heidi for a while. Do you want to come?” Roxy’s eyes were lit with happiness and he was glad she was having such a good time. Besides the constant tension and glares he felt coming his way from Bax, Jake was a having a pretty good time himself. Most of her friends were a lot different to what he’d been expecting.

“No, that’s cool babe. You go and I might join you in a bit.”

Roxy nodded before leaning down to capture his lips in a tender kiss. He loved her lips; the way they moved so softly against his, never rushing, always teasing and promising more. He felt her tongue brush against his lower lip and he opened his mouth at her silent request. They lost themselves in their kiss as they so often did, only this time they had an audience. And suddenly they realized that they were receiving catcalls and whistles from the group around them. Roxy pulled away blushing slightly, and he smiled, knowing that before him you’d be hard pressed to get her to blush over anything. Before him it hadn’t mattered if she was caught kissing, because those kiss hadn’t mattered. But with him, it was special. He was special to her and he loved that feeling.

“I promise to take good care of her, lover boy.” Heidi winked at him playfully before taking Roxy’s hand and disappearing into the crowd.

He felt the seat shit beside him and turned to find Bax watching him thoughtfully. Neither man said anything and the others in the group were too enthralled in their own conversations to see the two of them in a bit of a stand off.

“I’m just gonna be blunt, man. No point in sugar coating anything.”

“Do you know how to be any other way?” Jake asked dryly.

Bax chuckled humorlessly. “Do you honestly think it’s gonna last, Jakey boy? Rox is used to a lot more than you can give her. How long do you really think she’s gonna be satisfied with you” Eyeing Jake with a smirk, he continued. “Satisfied by you?”

“Well, a hell of a lot longer than she was with you.”

Jake could tell his words were having no effect whatsoever. He had to wonder if Bax had any feelings at all… did he really care about Roxy, or did he just see her as his possession?

“You’ve been together a month. Of course she’s still happy with you, but it’s not going to last.”

“Actually, Baxter, we’ve been together for almost four months and she’s definitely got no complaints, so why don’t you just lay off.”

Bax laughed viciously. “Oh, wait. You actually think you’re the only guy she’s been with in four months? That’s priceless.” Narrowing his eyes on Jake, his lips curling into a satisfied smirk, Bax leant closer and whispered his next words. “You really are a naïve country boy if you think she waited around for you all those months.”

With a patronizing pat on the back, Baxter left the lounge area, and a fuming Jake behind. Jake’s hands were curled into fists as he wondered how he’d managed to control himself and not beat the living shit out of that arrogant prick. He noticed the others looking at him with concern but he didn’t want their concern or their pity, he wanted to get out of there and sent them a small smile before he stalked off to calm himself down.