The Essential Jagged Ivory (Jagged Ivory Boxed Set)

by Lashell Collins

  “Chuck,” he spoke up, calling out to the large man preventing the girl from moving forward. He was just doing his job, Noah knew, attempting to keep the other patrons at bay so his charges could enjoy a peaceful dinner without it turning into an autograph signing party for the band. But this one girl was no threat, and Noah could see that she was a little frightened by the table full of large men. When he got Chuck's attention, Noah motioned to let her through.

  She smiled timidly at him as she walked toward them, and he returned her smile. “I'm so sorry to bother you all,” she said awkwardly, “I didn't mean to upset them.” She glanced back at their security detail with wide, scared eyes and Noah laughed slightly.

  “It's alright, they needed a little excitement,” he smiled at her. “Can we sign that for you?” he asked, glancing to her journal.

  “Would you?” she exclaimed loudly.

  “We'd be happy to.” He took the small book and pen from her trembling hands and opened it to a blank page. “What's your name?” he asked.

  “Mindy Peters.”

  He signed her book then, thanking her for being such a great fan. And then he passed it off to his right, handing it and the pen to Cory. He looked back up at the girl asking, “Mindy, you're American?”

  “Yeah. We're from Colorado but, my dad's here on business for a month, so mom and I came too.”

  “You coming to the show tomorrow night, Mindy?” Cory asked her as he passed her book on to Benji.

  “No, we couldn't get tickets,” she said sadly. “It was already sold out.”

  “Oh, I think we can do something about that, can't we, Mike?” Noah asked, smiling at the girl as he addressed their manager.

  “Uh … sure we can,” Mike answered.

  “Mindy, honey,” a woman's voice said from behind them, “I think you've bothered these gentlemen long enough. I'm really sorry,” she said looking around the table at them.

  “It's not a problem, Mrs. Peters,” Mike spoke up. “The guys would like Mindy to be their guest at tomorrow night's show. She told us you and your husband couldn't get tickets, so we'll have those and backstage passes for the three of you, waiting at the door.”

  “Oh! Please, mom! Can we go?” the girl asked, jumping up and down, nearly frantic by this point.

  “Mindy …”

  “Please!”

  She looked as if she were near tears as she pleaded with her mother, and the woman sighed, looking at her child in defeat. Then she glanced around the table at them. “That's very generous of you. Thank you so much.”

  “Oh, thank you, Mom. Thank you, all of you! I love you guys so much!”

  Noah laughed at her as he gathered her journal and handed it back to her, fully signed by every member of Jagged Ivory.

  “And I love your shades, Noah. They're so cool,” she gushed as her mother tried to lead her away.

  He smiled at her again, motioning for her to come back. Then, taking his sunglasses off, he turned them around and gently placed them in her hair. He thought she was going to have a seizure or something.

  “Oh, my God!” she yelled, drawing some very annoyed looks from the other diners in the restaurant, and a very embarrassed expression from her mother. “Thank you so much! Oh, my God!”

  “We'll see you tomorrow night, Mindy,” Noah smiled as her mother finally succeeded in leading her away.

  “Cute kid,” Buzzy said, patting him on the shoulder. “I think you just made her year, Noah.”

  Noah turned back toward the table, still smiling to himself and feeling better than he had all evening. He took up his fork and knife, cutting off a piece of his steak and popping it into his mouth, chewing hungrily. And when he looked up and caught Mercy staring at him, he wondered what she was thinking. She had the strangest expression on her face, as if she wasn't quite sure what exactly to make of him. He tried to ignore her as he sliced into his steak once more.

  Mercy felt such bewilderment. All through dinner he seemed totally disinterested in anything but his drinking glass, being slightly rude as he ignored the rest of them. But bring on one starry-eyed teenager and Noah Ivory is suddenly engaged and charming, even downright gracious. In fact, he was actually pretty sweet to the kid, and Mercy found herself watching him with great interest, curiosity coursing through her. Maybe he was just one of those stars who got off on the attention, always eager to have their fans fawning all over them. It would certainly make sense if that were the case, and it would fit with Mercy's memories of him being an arrogant jerk. But unfortunately, she didn't think that was it. There was a genuine light in his eyes when he gave that girl his shades and watched her beam at him. It wasn't the attention that lit him up like that, Mercy suspected. It was the thrill of making that girl smile. Of seeing the look on her face when her mother agreed to accept their invitation and allow her to attend the concert tomorrow night. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, that wasn't the act of the same arrogant jerk she had encountered four years ago.

  Mercy frowned at the realization. Maybe he wasn't as big a jerk as she remembered? Or perhaps he was never really a jerk at all, and Mercy only remembered him that way because she had been so hurt. She felt her face flushing once again and she tried to push those thoughts from her mind. He obviously didn't remember her anyway, so maybe it was time she just let it go.

  Yes. That's what she would do. She would let it go and just pretend that she had met him for the first time this morning. Start fresh, with a whole new perspective of Noah Ivory.

  Chapter Four

  Still panting softly, Mercy looked up into his beautiful, soft, blue-green eyes. His gaze was so sexy as he smiled down at her.

  “I hope your stamina's good, 'cause that only took the edge off,” he growled at her. Then he moved suddenly, taking her by the arm as he climbed up off of the floor. He helped her to her feet, kissing her deeply for a brief moment. Then, in one swift motion, he turned her abruptly away from him, placed his hand in the middle of her back, and pushed her gruffly forward until she was leaned over the back of the couch.

  His hand found its way into her hair as the other ran softly over her skin, caressing her back as it traveled slowly down and over her rump. And Mercy couldn't help but moan softly at his touch. She felt his fingers play in the moistness gathered at the apex of her thighs, the evidence of their passionate encounter pooled at her opening. And she jumped slightly when his fingers brought their juices up and smeared it over the small rosette of her ass.

  “What are you doing?” she asked with a trembling voice as she glanced back over her shoulder at him.

  He smiled at her. “We're going to have a little fun.”

  His fingers repeated the motion, using their combined juices to lubricate her, and Mercy's stomach twisted as she felt the fear wash over her. She clinched up when she felt the head of his penis enter her.

  “No!” The word was out of her mouth before she could stop it. And to her relieved surprise, he stopped immediately. His hand rested on her hip as the other still sat tangled in her hair. And Mercy could hear the sound of his soft pants over her own.

  “What's wrong?”

  “I … I've never done … this. I've heard it hurts,” she whispered, feeling extremely foolish.

  He stared at her for a beat, and then he smiled slightly. Slowly, he rubbed his hand over her hip in a rhythmic fashion. “Did your first time hurt?” he asked lightly.

  Mercy frowned at his question. “What?”

  “The first time you had sex,” he replied. “Did it hurt?”

  “Um … yes,” she nodded.

  “Did it get better?”

  She thought about his question for a moment, following his thought process as she relished the feel of his hand still moving gently over her hip. Then his hand slipped slowly around her and his fingers found her clit, circling it slowly. Her back arched involuntarily and her muscles began to relax slightly, allowing the head of his cock a little forward movement as he stretched her. Slowly, she nod
ded once more, answering his question. “Yes,” she panted softly.

  He bent over, lowering his body down to meet hers, and Mercy could feel his chest against her back as he whispered into her ear. “It's only going to hurt for a minute or two, baby. Then I promise you, it will get much, much better.”

  His warm breath on her ear, coupled with the movement of his magical fingers, made Mercy shiver, and she tried to stop the moan that escaped her lips, but to no avail. She felt him smile against her skin.

  “Can I take that as consent or do you still want me to stop?” he asked, lightly kissing her neck.

  Unable to speak, Mercy nodded her consent as she gently pressed back against him, feeling his cock move minutely further in. He trailed soft kisses from the back of her neck, down her spine. Then with both hands, he grasped her hips, as he eased quickly all the way in, and Mercy cried out from the burning pain, shutting her eyes tightly.

  “Relax!” His voice was harsh as she clamped down around him. Then in a softer tone, he added,“I'm already in, baby. Just relax.”

  He stood stock still then as he reached around to finger her clitoris once more, and his other hand rubbed gently over her back. And Mercy got the feeling he was waiting for her to do as he asked, and relax. She tried to fight it, but her body responded to his touch as small waves of pleasure radiated out from that tiny little bud beneath his fingers.

  When he felt her body loosen up around him, he slowly began to move, pumping gently but steadily as he continued to work her over with his fingers. And when she finally began to move with him, he knew that her fear and initial pain was slowly giving way to pleasure. She moaned softly as their bodies moved together. And he increased his tempo as his fingers left her clit and sank, two deep, inside of her. He set a fixed rhythm, his hand pumping her box firmly as he pumped her ass. And Mercy began to relish the burning sensation as she moaned loudly.

  “Oh, yeah. You thought you didn't want it. But you love it, don't you, baby? You love that big dick in your ass, don't you?” His voice was raspy, and the words were lewd and naughty at her ear. And Mercy couldn't deny that they were true. She did love it. He felt so obscenely good this way.

  The rush of his fingers hitting that sweet spot inside of her, and the thrill of his pulsing cock in such a forbidden place made Mercy's head spin, and she called out his name as her body began to convulse around him. She screamed in ecstasy as she came, her orgasm ripping through her like lightning, and seeming to last forever, as he followed her over the abyss with a shout.

  They sank back down to the floor once more and he held her in his arms as he leaned against the back of the couch, and they struggled to catch their breath.

  “Well? Did it hurt?”

  “Yes,” she panted.

  “But did it get better?” he asked smugly.

  “Yes.”

  He smiled at her response. “Would you do it again?” She silently shook her head no. And his eyebrows shot up in surprise. “No?”

  Slowly, she looked up at him. “Only with you,” she said softly.

  He gave her that sexy smile of his once more, and Mercy felt a tug in her belly. As if something deep inside her were being pulled in his direction. He reached up and laced his fingers through her hair, gently drawing her face to his as he salaciously whispered, “Nobody but me in that ass. I like that.” He kissed her deeply once more, and Mercy melted into him.

  ~~~~~

  She awoke with a start, looking around the strange room and wondering where Noah had gone. She sighed heavily, bringing a hand up to her forehead. And she wasn't at all surprised to find it covered with a thin layer of sweat. She had been dreaming about him again. Dreaming about that night. She took a deep breath, wishing that she didn't remember every little detail of their time together. But she did. She remembered everything. She tried to take another deep breath, but choked on the lump forming in her throat as she thought about the fact that he didn't remember her or that night. How could he not remember?

  She sat up when she felt the tears beginning to roll down her face. She would not allow herself to do this. As she hopped out of bed and made her way over to the window, she stretched and yawned sleepily. She reached up and peeked out through the curtains and the sight almost took her breath away. It was a simply beautiful morning in London, and the view outside her window was glorious. The bright sun shone like rays of gold, and Mercy suddenly wanted to be out in it.

  She dressed quickly, pulling on a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt. Stepping into her running shoes, she pulled her hair into a ponytail, grabbed her iPod and her room key and left. Jogging was something that she and Mike used to do together before she moved into the dorms on campus, and whenever she would come home during school breaks at holiday times. She thought briefly about waking him and inviting him to come with her but, thought better of it. She sort of wanted to be alone right now, and the last thing she needed was her dad asking if everything was alright with her.

  Since she wasn't at all familiar with the area, she decided it safest to stick with a basic run around the block, keeping the hotel to her right at all times. As she jogged, she listened to the music, letting it wash over her as it kept her on task. And she felt a shiver of excitement at the knowledge that she would be watching the band in concert tonight. She and Amber and Barb had seen the guys in concert many times since they hit it big, following them around for several dates in California, Nevada and Arizona during their first tour. But this would be different. This time, Mercy would be backstage with them. In their orbit, a part of the action, thanks to Mike and his relationship with them. Close enough to touch them at times, able to strike up a conversation.

  She rolled her eyes at herself when she realized that she was still thinking like a fan and not as a potential business colleague. When she went to work for Mike's management firm, that's what she'd be. Part of their management team. Her dad was right to be worried about her objectivity, Mercy decided. Would she ever get over being star-struck in their presence? She had done okay the night before, she thought. Talking and laughing with the guys during dinner had been great. Until Noah had bruised her ego once again. She had to stop letting him do that. Stop giving him that much power. So, he didn't remember the night they'd spent together. So what? It was only sex. The greatest sex Mercy had ever experienced in her life … but so what?

  She rounded the corner, completing her jaunt around the block for the second time, and came to a stop in front of the hotel's main entrance. Then she stopped and placed her hands on her knees for a moment, taking in deep, cleansing breaths as she waited for her heart rate to slow. She did a few stretching exercises before heading into the building and making her way back up to the two-bedroom suite that she was sharing with her dad. As she placed her key card into the lock, she smiled to herself and rolled her eyes at the thought. She knew that sharing a suite was Mike's way of keeping tabs on her. He was determined to “protect” her from his band of rock and roll riff-raff at all costs.

  She got a quick shower and then dressed in her favorite pair of jeans and an old Jagged Ivory promotional t-shirt. She knew it wasn't a very professional look but, she didn't care. She wasn't on the clock here. Her job was to have fun! She paired her outfit with a pair of black, lace up ankle boots with a three-inch heel and gave herself a last once-over in the mirror. Perfect!

  When she ventured out to the common area of the suite, she found Mike already seated at the table eating his breakfast.

  “Good morning, Daddy,” she said cheerfully.

  “Oh, I'm 'daddy' this morning, huh?” he smiled. “Well, good morning sweetheart. I've ordered some room service. I thought I was going to have to come wake sleeping beauty.”

  “I'll have you know that I've been up for hours and I even went for a run,” she smirked at him as she took a seat.

  “You went for a run alone? In a strange city?”

  Mercy rolled her eyes at his disapproving tone as she spread some jam on her croissant. “Yes, Mike,
I did. And no one accosted me or kidnapped me. I was fine.”

  “Well that didn't last long,” he sighed. “Now I'm Mike again.” Mercy smiled at him as she took a bite and chewed her mouthful, and Mike couldn't help but return her smile as he shook his head at her. “I'm sorry, sweetheart. It's not my intention to keep you on some sort of short leash or anything. I just worry about you, Mercy. I want you to be safe and smart. Always.”

  “I know, Dad. But honestly … how much trouble do you think I can get into this summer when I'm chained to your side all the time?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Mercy, you are not chained to my side!”

  “Dad. We're sharing a hotel suite, for crying out loud. I'll be twenty-three years old in four months.”

  Mike opened his mouth to protest but no words came out. He knew that she was right. His little girl was an adult, whether he wanted to acknowledge it or not. Finally, he took a deep breath and let out a tired sigh.

  “Mercy … when your mother took you away from me, you were twelve years old. I know that this sounds irrational, honey, but, there is a part of me that will always see you as that same little girl who was clinging to me in tears as Rosie pulled you away.” His voice was so full of emotion as he stared into her eyes, and Mercy didn't know what to say. She could feel her eyes welling with tears as she watched him.

  “But you're right. So … next stop, you can have your own room,” he said quietly, turning back to his breakfast.

  She still said nothing as she continued to stare at him, a slow smile spreading across her face. She could tell how difficult it was for him to agree to try and let go, and she loved him for it.

  “But can you please promise me one thing, sweetheart,” Mike asked, turning to look her in the eye once more, and Mercy nodded her head at him. “Do not take anyone from Jagged Ivory to your room. Not for any reason. Not one on one, or as a group. No one from the band in your room. Ever!”