"What kind of questions?"
"Basic stuff really. She credits you for getting her interested in the RFC project. I wanted to hear more about that. Get a better understanding of what she wants from me. That kind of thing."
"Oh yeah, sure. She's actually been in meetings all day related to Rock Fuck Club."
Interesting, I thought. No doubt she had read my emailed proposal. Already, I was getting useful information from Barbara. My dad's advice had been sound. Smith might not be a mythological monster, but she definitely wasn’t my buddy. Best to get all the information I could about her.
MARSHA AND I were sitting across a picnic table from each other with cups of beer and burgers in plastic baskets when Barbara arrived. I froze with a French fry slathered in ketchup halfway to my mouth. Not because Barbara looked out of place in the casual burger joint in her high end business suit and classy heels but because of who was with her.
"What’s wrong?" Marsha swiveled around in her seat to follow the direction of my gaze.
"Holy shit!" she exclaimed amid the murmurs of recognition that rose as Barbara and her escort both moved toward our table. The ketchup drip, drip, dripped onto the wax paper before I finally unthawed myself from my shock and dropped the forgotten fry. I was just wiping off my hands with a napkin when they reached us.
"Hi." I rose and stepped over the bench to greet them.
"Hey, baby." Rayne Michaels, the handsome lead singer of Sundown and coincidently Rock Fuck Club fuck number one leaned closer and pressed a kiss that lingered too long on my cheek.
"Dad's in town for a concert." Barbara wasn’t frowning, but I noted definite brackets of tight lipped displeasure around her mouth. "He insisted on coming with me when he found out I was meeting you."
"You look beautiful, Raven." Rayne flashed his megawatt rock star grin. If he had been on stage the bras and panties would have been flying through the air and landing at his feet. "Mind if I sit with you while you and my daughter talk business?"
His daughter. Barbara Michaels. I saw the resemblance now. The same sandy blonde hair. The same green eyes. A very uncommon shade, like weathered sea-glass.
"I do mind, actually." I hitched my chin up.
"Raven." Marsha hissed giving me a sharp look. But I didn’t want to play nice with Rayne. Besides, the fact that his appearance had shaken me, all around us people were snapping pictures with their cells. Who knew where those photos would end up being posted, and who might potentially see and be hurt by them. I certainly didn’t need any more drama in my life.
"No. It’s alright." The lead singer spread a cocky grin almost as lethal as Lucky's. "I caught you off guard. I should have called first. I'll go sit at the bar. Get a drink. Maybe when you're through talking with Barb, we can catch up. Sound good?"
"Maybe," I replied noncommittally. I would have said no outright except that Marsha was staring me down giving me the nonverbal cue to be diplomatic. As he sauntered off, she tipped back on her bench to watch. "That man has a fine ass," she decided before she returned her attention to the table. "Oh, sorry, Barbara." She grimaced.
"It's ok. I'm used to it." Used to it she might be, but it certainly didn’t make her happy. I frowned. This might be harder than I anticipated, getting her to open up to me.
"Would you like something to eat?" I asked her, noticing her longing look at my burger.
"Yeah. Only I'm on a diet. Again." She sighed.
"Their veggie burgers look pretty good."
"That sounds great. I didn’t get a chance to eat all day. Sergeant, I mean Suzanne wouldn’t let me leave my desk.”
"I’ll put the order in." Marsha patted the PA’s delicate hand where it rested on the table. "How about a light beer to go with it? If you didn’t eat all day, I bet you can afford the extra calories."
"I can. Thank you."
"No problem. I’ll be right back."
"Wait," Barbara said as Marsha stood. "Let me give you my credit card." She started digging around inside the purse she had on her lap. A large leather purse, it was almost as big as my traveling duffle. Old and worn, incongruent with her elegant attire.
"Our treat," I insisted. "We invited you to dinner."
"Alright." She nodded and Marsha headed to the bar, taking a long circuitous route that had her passing by Rayne and the crowd that had already gravitated around the superstar. I turned back to Barbara wondering how to begin. She was still combing through the items in her monstrous bag. She withdrew a pair of reading glasses, slid them on and pulled out her cell which she set on the table.
"It’s my nana’s purse," she explained, noting my interest. "We were close. She's gone now, but she used to always fill it with candy. I called her the Candy Nana. It still smells like her peppermints. Suzanne hates that I still carry the thing." She covered her mouth like she hadn’t meant to let that last part slip.
"Suzanne is pretty hard-ass."
Paling, Barbara nodded.
"She’s making my life pretty damn miserable," I admitted finding myself warming to the girl who seemed less reserved outside the walls of WMO.
"Veggie burger. All the condiments," Marsha returned. "Cheese on the side." She set a plastic cup full of beer beside the basket of food.
"Thanks." Barbara took a napkin from the dispenser on the table, placed it in her lap and dug in. Marsha and I finished our fries while the PA ate her burger and its toppings like a salad. She cut each bite into equal sized pieces. She and Alec would be instant soul mates and drive Cody crazy. I felt a sharp pang of longing for the family I had been forced to leave behind.
"Was my...fling with your dad how you found out about RFC?" I asked Barbara when her food was finished. Refocusing on the task at hand, I needed to find a way to turn the situation at WMO to my advantage.
She nodded, putting down her fork and taking another sip of her beer. "He fell for you, you know." She glanced over at her dad in case it didn’t register who she was referring to. Rayne was watching us. He lifted his chin.
"He falls for all the women he sleeps with. He justifies it in his mind that way. It's what he used to tell my mother when they were married."
"Oh. I'm sorry. That must have been..."
"Weird. Humiliating. Pointless. My mother enabled him too long. All they did was argue and cut at each other by the end. She’s still in counseling."
"Love isn’t always easy, and it doesn’t always have happy endings." I met Barbara’s gaze, speaking to myself as much as to her. But I could also see in the PA’s darkened eyes how much her parents’ situation had affected her. I touched her hand. Empathy rose within me. “My mother’s gone. My dad and I took it real hard. But even though it still hurts, we cherish the time we had with her.” Eyes bright, I glanced at Marsha. She glanced away. She didn’t want to talk about my brother or about the fact that she settled for meaningless hookups when she deserved so much more. “Love is hard,” I continued my voice thick. “Love has risks. Sometimes it gets taken away too soon, and sometimes you get hurt many times before you find the person who’s right for you.” Like with Ivan and me. “But when you find the right one, you sacrifice, you hold on, you fight for what you have and you do everything you can to keep it.”
“You and Lucky seem like a good match. I can see doing everything you can for a guy like him. But in my experience those types of guys are few and far between.” She looked down at my hand on hers and then glanced up speculatively. “I’m sorry for sounding so pessimistic.” She put her hand over mine, sandwiching our fingers together and studying me for a long beat. “So Lucky Spencer? Worth holding onto? Worth fighting for? Worth keeping?"
"Yes. Absolutely,” I answered firmly.
"I figured so. I’ve seen all the episodes several times. For my job of course. Even the footage with the two of you that we didn’t use seems to point to you guys being solid."
"We’re a couple now. I’m trying to keep what we have…" I trailed off, swallowed hard. “I can’t let the things your boss want
s me to do tear us apart. What happened with Ivan...if it had been Lucky who had cheated on me…I wouldn’t have ranted and raved and started Rock Fuck Club. It would have ruined me."
"I guess there are differing degrees of attachment." She cocked her head to the side, a tendril of her blonde hair sliding free from her chignon. “It sounds like you and Lucky have a seriously special bond."
"I believe we do.” It was time to put all my cards on the table. "I like you Barbara Michaels."
"I like you, too, Raven Winters."
I smiled. "I don’t want to get you into get any trouble, but if you know anything that might help me, I would appreciate your telling me. I sent a proposal to your boss..."
"Yeah, I read it. Suzanne went ballistic. Not because it’s a bad plan. Mostly because she’s used to people bowing down before her."
“Truly?” I cringed.
"Stick to your guns. Your plan will work. It’s the truth. Your truth. The cameras will pick up on that. And I think when she cools down she’ll realize how sexy your truth is."
"Even the parts with Alec and Cody?"
"Yes. Don’t let her tell you how to write your story. Love is love, right? It’s as different and unique as we all are as individuals. Sergeant Smith would remake you into her own image if you let her. Like she’s been trying to do to me since I’ve been working for her.” Barbara sat up straighter in her chair. "Produce the ending you proposed. I want to see that. Lots of people will." She leaned forward and curled her finger beckoning Marsha to lean in, too. "I’ll let you in on a secret. The viewing of the series by our target demographic all the way up until the encounter with Rocky are fantastic. That’s why Smith wants to redo the rest. And she senses how big this could be. She wants additional material, too. Behind the scenes footage. Background interviews with you and your hookups. She even has me scouting right now for a second season star.” She shifted her gaze to Marsha for a tellingly long moment before returning her attention fully to me “Bargain with her, Raven. You just might get everything you want, or at least what you need to hold onto Lucky."
"RAVEN!"
I bolted out of deep sleep, blinking to gain my bearings as I registered that the pounding I had heard in my dream was really on the door to my hotel room.
"Open the door, Angel or I'm busting the bloody thing off its hinges!"
“Lucky!” I gasped. Throwing the covers back, I leapt from my bed at the same time the lamp next to it switched on.
"It’s four in the morning,” Marsha grumbled. “I thought he was getting here this evening, and that we were meeting him at the club in Jersey.” Sitting up in her bed, her blonde hair snarled around her face, my bestie seemed less discombobulated than I was. I wondered if she was still having trouble sleeping. “Does this ever stop? The circus that is your life?"
"Apparently not," I answered on the way to the door thinking that she would have to get used to the rodeo if she got roped into being the season two star of Rock Fuck Club. Flicking the safety latch aside, I unbolted the lock and threw open the door.
“About fucking time.” Lucky swept a quick narrow eyed glance over me before he stormed inside the room. His helmet clamped in the crook of his arm, his expression was thundercloud dark. He went directly to the bathroom searching the interior of it, even throwing back the shower curtain before he exited then scanned the rest of the room as if expecting to find someone else besides Marsha and me within it.
“It’s just us,” I stated the obvious carefully as he spun back around to face me.
"Of course it is.” He raked a hand through his inky hair. His expression softened as he trailed his gaze over me. “So that’s where my favorite shirt went." I had worn the Killers tee to bed. I had packed it and taken it with me, though I hadn’t exactly gotten his permission.
"Hey, Lucky." Marsha waved at him drawing his attention to her. "Don’t mind me." Grinning, my bestie tossed her rumpled covers aside. "I'll just go into the bathroom for a while. Turn on the water. Have a nice long shower. The water pipes are really loud. I won’t hear a thing while y'all work this out." She started to step around Lucky.
"Wait. Actually, you can have this." He set his helmet on the dresser and then reached into the front pocket of his jeans to pull out a paper sleeve with the Hilton logo on it. "Here. It’s for the room across the hall." Looking perplexed, Marsha took the key from his outstretched hand. "I wasn’t exactly sure of my reception,” he explained. “I got an extra room just in case.”
"Alright.” Marsha turned to me. “But it’s up to my bestie to decide if she wants me to stay or go.”
"It's ok, Mars." I held her gaze, but I could feel Lucky’s on me.
"Then I’ll go.” She nodded once at me, but shook the card at Lucky. “You owe me big for pulling a stunt like this in the middle of the night, mister." She moved toward the door, lifting the key up in the air over her head. "I’ll be across the hall if you need me, Raven.”
"Angel." Lucky said, his voice a low tremble inducing rumble. He stepped closer to me before the door even closed behind Marsha. “It feels like forever since I last touched you.” He reached for me, his hands closing firmly around my upper arms as he hauled me into him. I sagged into his strength, his solid foundation. His metal rings were hard, cold against my skin, but his fiercely possessive expression as he stared down at me softened and warmed me.
“Lucky, I missed you.” A needful shudder rolling through me, I lifted my arms and draped them around his neck, tangling my fingers in his silky hair.
“Everything’s wrong without you by my side.” His grip flexed deeper into my flesh. “You understand that, don’t you, Angel?” His stared down at me, his eyes intense pools of aquatic blue I immersed myself in.
“Yes I do.” I untangled my fingers from his hair. “Because I feel the same way.” I smoothed my hands along the line of his wide shoulders. “I need you, Lucky.” I clawed at his shirt, desperate to get it out of the way in order to touch the warm skin beneath it. “I need you right now inside me. I need you to make everything right.”
"There's my girl." His lips curling into a dark grin, he lowered his head. My thoughts scattered as he pressed his mouth to mine. His hands moved to my back. He slid them along the length of my spine. Aligning our bodies, he deepened the kiss. He slipped his wet tongue between my lips. Reaching my ass, he lifted each rounded globe in his firm grip. He centered me on his rock hard cock. He thrust his tongue deep into my mouth. I moaned and sucked on it while my hands dipped under the hem of his shirt and glided all over his smooth skin. Gripping my ass tighter, he rocked me on his thick length and showed me with relentless strokes of his tongue and the bruising pressure of his lips how much he missed me.
“Lucky.” I ripped my mouth from his and sucked in a breath of needed air as my knees went wobbly beneath me.
“I’ve got you, Angel.” He lifted me completely off the ground. “Wrap your legs around me.” As I complied, he quickly walked us backward to the bed. “This needs to go.” Holding me with only one arm, he grabbed the hem of my borrowed shirt and whipped it over my head with the other. Nothing but me and my thong now remained. His gaze glowed as he took me in. My tits tightened beneath his regard. He growled and gripped my ass again with both his hands. Grabbing each cheek, he squeezed hard. His ringed fingers bit into my flesh. It stung. But wet heat erupted between my legs. It turned me on to know I made him so aroused. I grabbed fistfuls of his silky hair. He lowered his head and he kissed me again making me even hotter for him before he tore his lips from mine.
“Why…”
“Thong off, Raven.” He lowered me. Feeling boneless, I slid my melted body along the turgid length of his. “Get in that bed right now,” he ordered as my feet touched the carpet. “Get ready for me, babe. I’ve had a hard-on for you since I got on the Ducati and started imagining you just like this." His eyes a blue blaze, he reached over his shoulders, drew his shirt off and threw it aside. I stared at him and his chiseled chest. My lips parted. His
curved upward. "Now, Angel.” His sexy accent gave me another warm flesh tingling shiver. “Hurry."
“Ok.” I quickly wiggled out of the lacy thong while he leaned against the dresser to remove his boots and socks. He didn’t take his eyes off of me. My gaze certainly didn’t stray as he unbuckled his belt and removed his jeans. My heart raced when he slid his boxers off and his engorged member sprang free. Mouth dry, I scrambled for the bed.
"Fuck, you're gorgeous." His gaze traveled the length of me as I lay on my back in the bed propped up on my elbows assuming a centerfold position with my knees bent and only slightly parted to give him a tantalizing peek.
"You are,” I returned. Unashamed to be naked in front of him, my pussy throbbed in anticipation.
"You ready for me?" The mattress dipped as he came forward, put his weight on it and parted my legs.
“You know I am.” I shuddered as he glided one of his warm hands along my thigh.
Straight like an arrow for my pussy he went, firmly swiping the pad of his thumb over my pulsing clit.
“So wet.” Staring at me, he brought his glistening thumb to his mouth and sucked on it. “You taste ready.”
"Hurry." I licked my dry lips.
“That’s the plan.” He plowed his hands under my ass, lifted me and positioned himself between my legs. Aligning his cock, he sank it inside me inch by steely hot inch until he was buried to the hilt. Then he circled his hips grinding all that delicious thick hardness into me.
"Oh, Lucky." I grabbed his tight ass, nearing orgasm just from the perfection of being filled with him. He pulled nearly all the way out and slowly sank inside me again. My scalp started to tingle. My bones turned molten. My muscles grew warm and languid and all that warm pleasure intensified as he swirled his hips.
"Wrap your legs tighter around me,” he ordered gruffly, and I did, tightening every muscle in my body. I could feel the heavy pulse of him. He reached behind his back, grabbed my ankles and pressed them deeper into his ass. Balancing with his one hand on the mattress, he used it for leverage so he could plunge his hard cock deeper inside me.
A Postseason One Novella: Rock F*ck Club, #2 Page 9