by Sand, A. J.
Kai pulled back and moved his hands to her upper thighs, rubbing the tops of them with his palms. Dylan guided one of his hands down to her inner thigh, and he caressed the delicate skin before his fingers wormed up her shorts. The minute she felt the light pressure from the pads of his fingers through her underwear, a shiver of pleasure slithered inside her. She curled her finger at him, and he leaned down to her mouth, kissing her before he pulled both her shorts and underwear to the side. Dylan arched her back, grabbing his shoulder after his finger eased inside her.
With his free hand, Kai tugged on her leg, just above the knee, pulling her closer. He licked the side of her neck as his movement picked up speed, his thumb pressing invisible circles on the outside. She gripped the back of his head and pushed his face against her shoulder. Dylan moaned into his neck and tried not to let go too soon. She doubted that they would get this kind of opportunity again, which was disappointing because there were a few things she wanted to do to him, and she wanted to savor the moment. Dylan’s body writhed uncontrollably as fiery pressure built within her. She mashed her moans into his skin again before finally biting down on his shoulder as the explosion of ecstasy shook her body with rapid jerks until she shut her eyes tight. She heard Kai suck in a sharp breath right before she opened her eyes again.
“Wow.” Kai took fleeting interest in his shoulder. It was kind of red, but she hadn’t broken the skin. Dylan was a little embarrassed, but he didn’t look like he was in pain, only more turned on. His eyes pulsed with anticipation. “For the encore, you should see what I can do with my tongue,” he whispered.
Dylan giggled, certain she would enjoy that, but then her eyes widened. Through the sliver of space between the curtain edge and the wall, she saw a figure walking toward them. “Shit, Kai, the bus isn’t moving anymore!” She pulled open the small curtain behind her and got a partial view of a building. Their hotel. They had arrived and people were exiting the tour bus behind them. “Someone’s coming. Shit…you have to put on a shirt, Kai.” Dylan straightened herself out as best she could and grabbed the camcorder. “We have to make this look like we got carried away filming.” She didn’t know how convincing it would be with both of them so flushed though, but it was worth a try. She bet Ashley would know. She probably had some “inappropriate acts” detector.
“And that’s a first for me,” he said, referring to her mention of his lack of a shirt. He was trying to ease the tension with a joke, but he looked nervous, too. “I don’t think I have one up here.” Kai clutched her shoulders to stop her from pacing. “Look, you were recording me shirtless before, right? We have that on camera already. Don’t worry. And I’m sorry I let it go so far,” he said, genuinely concerned.
“I was back here, too, Kai. Nothing to be sorry about. Nothing happened that I didn’t want to happen.” She wasn’t even sure she was sorry. What was it about him that made her turn her back on caution? He dropped his lips on hers, kissing her deeply, one last time. They managed to settle themselves as the curtain skated open. Kai hid his very noticeable hard-on behind her.
Heath recoiled with unease when he spotted them, but then his lips spread out in a smile. “Ash wants to go over some stuff with us. Hey, Dylan.”
“Hi, Heath. We were just filming…” Dylan said with a twitching smile. Like Heath didn’t know exactly what went on in tour buses.
“Sure…” He raised a dubious eyebrow, twisting his mouth because he wanted to smile wider. “Ash is talking to the driver right now,” he warned, pulling the curtain closed.
“She’s on the bus already?” Kai asked, getting frantic, which made Dylan start to freak out again. “Dude, give me your shirt.”
“What?” Heath said. Dylan looked down at his shirt and laughed. It had a graphic of Evernight on it.
“Just give me your shirt. You’re wearing two!” Kai demanded. They heard the distinct tap of shoes on the steps. Heath ripped off his shirt and tossed it at Kai as the sound of the footsteps dulled against the carpet outside the lounge. Kai pulled the shirt on just as Ashley tore the curtain open.
“Why aren’t you off the bus yet?” Ashley said when she stepped in, only giving Dylan a glance, thankfully. “There’s a lot to do, guys.”
Dylan displayed the camera without saying anything, but Ashley shooed her out. “You don’t have time to film right now. We need to check-in and eat and rest before soundcheck. Kai, I need to have a quick meeting with the band…come on!”
Once Dylan was off the bus, she had breakfast and disappeared inside her hotel room to shower, but she was almost hesitant to wash Kai off her. She turned on a miniscule amount of hot water because she needed to cool down. Things had gotten way more intense than she had anticipated, but she didn’t regret it. However, she was still apprehensive about the status of his relationship with Erica, and there was that whole issue of whether she even wanted to participate in the deception of digging into something he had specifically asked her not to.
Once she was dressed, Dylan spent several hours putting the first episode of the web series together using the editing software. She had been interacting with Nina, Lava’s media team, Norm, and even Professor Jordan, for several days, so it should’ve been ready for Nina’s approval without any problems. Dylan uploaded it to the company cloud account to allow Norm access at his leisure. She was already getting nervous about its release but she would learn to deal with it. If she ever allowed a critic to chase her away from what she loved, then maybe she didn’t love it as much as she thought. After a nap, Dylan dressed for the evening’s events, which included Kai’s interview at a popular local radio station before the show.
“Dylan!” Ashley pounded on the door to her room, and before Dylan could even respond, she was knocking again. “Dylan! Let’s go!”
“I’m coming, Ashley,” Dylan said, burying her irritation beneath a bright smile when she pulled the door open. The road crew had already gone ahead to the venue, a club called Acoustic Charlie’s. Kai was chatting with some fans outside the hotel, and he paused briefly to wave at her. She returned a coy one but let her stare linger on him. He looked nice tonight. He was wearing a long-sleeved, button down black shirt, dark jeans and dark sneakers, and clutching a Lava baseball cap in one hand.
“He’s in a good mood because the music blogs are in love with him today. First show got amazing reviews,” Ashley explained. “Amazing!” She smiled triumphantly.
“Oh, yeah, I’m sure that’s what it is,” Dylan said, trying not to laugh as she took a seat next to her on the bus.
“I’ve been sending emails and getting them all morning from blogs and sites and magazines looking for quotes. This is normally Nina’s territory, but she’s cleaning up another client’s mess today.” Ashley leaned in to her ear and whispered, “Sex tape.”
Kai and the band members walked onto the tour bus, and he sat right across from her. Ashley prattled about “housekeeping” tour issues all the way to the radio station, but Dylan hardly heard any of it because she and Kai kept their eyes pinned to each other nearly the entire ride, both with slight smiles on their lips.
She filmed most of Kai’s radio interview; he was so funny and charming with the deejay and the callers. The only time she saw him stammer was when he was asked about his fight with Jeremy, and he declined to answer beyond saying that it was a situation that shouldn’t have happened the way it did. That had always been his answer, even in court when he was sentenced to probation and community service. His good mood continued through soundcheck, and when the lights went up to an almost packed house, he enchanted the crowd like he had the previous night. Charlie’s didn’t have a policy about recording so she filmed the show freely.
He alternated between playing Sage and Sable, and sang the never-before-heard song he had recorded while they were on Maui. Under the heat of the lights, he stripped off his shirt, revealing a black tank top beneath. Squeals erupted through the crowd, and she smiled to herself as she watched the women in the front gape, prob
ably fantasizing about going home with him. Dylan sighed, thinking back to their moment on the tour bus. The audience went crazy when he sang his hit “Beautiful.” When they locked eyes, Kai winked right at her, but she saw a woman tap her friend and go into a ridiculous screaming frenzy.
When he took a break to let Heath and Xavier have solo sessions to show off their talents, Dylan went outside to call Winslow, whose call she had missed during the soundcheck.
“Hey, doll! How are you?” Winslow yelled over the background noise on her end, but it quickly faded. “Sorry. You remember Jason, Steve’s younger brother? He’s in love with Katie and asked if I was talking to my ‘hot friend.’” She sounded so happy, and Dylan was glad to hear it. Steve’s family had welcomed her in when her family cut her off. Winslow had assimilated well into the Hackett clan and she seemed to be doing a lot better than before. When she had reached out to her parents last year and they had never gotten back to her, she had sunken into a static depression that had warranted Kate and Dylan, literally, carrying her off to the CSFC counseling center.
“Tell him it’s your other gorgeous friend,” Dylan teased. She leaned against the brick wall of Charlie’s in an alleyway.
“So tell me everything! Everything! And you know what I like!” Winslow said in a sultry voice. “Any interesting groupie stories?”
“Only mine… this morning with Kai,” she admitted with a long string of giggles. “On the tour bus.” Winslow didn’t mask her pleasure as she let out a screeching laugh.
“I knew it! I knew it would happen no matter what Kate and I said. I was actually secretly hoping you would still go for it. I hope you don’t get in trouble, but I’m so proud of you. You deserve to have a little fun,” she said. “So was it good? Was he singing to you?”
Dylan unintentionally splashed through a puddle when she walked toward the other end of the alley. “It didn’t go too far.” Her skin flared and she rolled her eyes. “Yes, he totally sang to me, Low.”
Winslow’s laughter cut to silence. “Really? ‘Cause that’s kind of weird.” Her voice got serious and dropped an octave. “That’s that famous people type of crazy.”
“I’m kidding! It’s totally over though.”
“Over…or over for now? Over until January?” Someone yelled Winslow’s name in the background. “Shut up. I’m on the phone.”
“Low…you know I came to work, and you know beyond that, it’s not even possible because of…stuff. So it’s over over,” Dylan said. She scraped some grime that was latched to her boot back onto the pavement.
“Do you like him?” Winslow asked. “Do you like spending time with him?”
“Yeah…I think I do, to both,” Dylan said with a sigh. “But—”
“I haven’t heard you get the giggles over a guy in a long time. And you’re still just letting it go like that? I’m not saying marry him. I’m not saying get in some long-term relationship, if that’s not what you want to do, but you sound like you want more, and you’re not even considering anything. Not even considering what will happen when you’re done?” Winslow groaned. “How long are you going to do this to yourself?” she asked with frustration, her voice rising. She was swinging the sledgehammer again, trying to force her old friend out of this version of Dylan. “So, you’re actually pushing happiness away now? Punishing yourself for something—”
“Dammit, Low,” Dylan growled before she ended the call abruptly as anger ripped through her. Winslow always had to fucking push all the time. Sometimes it didn’t seem right to feel very happy when… when he couldn’t feel anything anymore.
The cell rang right after the screen went black, lighting up with Winslow’s name. “I didn’t mean to upset you,” she said in a low regretful tone when Dylan answered. “I just…I didn’t mean…I’m sorry. I love you, Dee, you know that…” Her voice trailed off. “So, you looked really hot at that party you were at. They had pics up of you on a red carpet. I have your name and Kai’s set up on Google Alerts. And who are those new bitches you’re hanging out with? I hate them.”
“Be nice. That’s Odette and Jamie, and you’d actually love them. Hey, did you happen to see my butt walking into a recording studio in another picture?” Dylan asked.
“Yes! My Google Alerts for Kai picked up that one. I told you our insane treadmill and yoga sessions would pay off. Your legs looked awesome!” They both burst into laughter. “Kai’s butt looked great too. I wish you knew what it looked like under those jeans. I think I’m encouraging you with him because I’m jealous I already got myself stuck with one penis, no pun intended, for the rest of my life. Someone should totally be enjoying Kai White. I nominate you, but I’m sorry if I’m being a bitch.”
“It’s okay, babe.” Like she could ever stay mad at Low. Steve always told them they reminded him of “dudes.” They always argued for a few minutes and one of them would say something funny or ask if the other wanted to go get fro-yo and everything would go back to normal.
“How is he? How’s Steve?”
“He’s okay. I cried like a baby a few days ago when I talked to him on Skype. I miss him so much sometimes I feel like I’m choking. I just worry.” Low took a staggered breath. “Dee, if anything happens to him…” For someone as brash as Low could be, she’d cry if a newborn puppy tipped over after taking a few steps. And when it came to Steve, her tears were always at the ready. He was a great guy, so Dylan understood completely why Winslow loved him so much.
“I know, Low. I don’t even like for you to finish that sentence. We just have to be hopeful. When you talk to him again, please tell him I said hi. Hey, I gotta go. I love you so much. Take care.”
“Love you too,” Winslow said. Dylan ended the call and walked back toward the club’s side door. She shrieked when a shadow suddenly disconnected from the wall. Ashley was standing there with a smirk on her face. Dylan ignored her, though her heart rate skyrocketed. She continued around to the entrance because the side door didn’t open from the outside, but Ashley stepped into her path.
With her hands on her hips, she mocked Dylan’s voice. “‘This morning with Kai on the tour bus.’ Giggle giggle giggle. Feel free to enlighten me.”
Temptation – Chapter 13
“You were listening to my phone call? What the hell?” Dylan said, raising her voice. A bite of fear coupled with defensiveness tore through her. Shit. “You had no right. That was a private conversation.”
“Not when you’re fucking the guys, it’s not,” Ashley snapped in a harsh tone. The people outside the club turned to look at both of them, making Dylan more upset. Ashley could’ve approached her about this in a more appropriate setting.
“You’re way out of line right now, Ashley,” Dylan said, getting closer to her with her hands fisted at her sides. She could’ve slapped her right then for her rudeness, and a few of the guys cackled and goaded them about getting in a fight.
“If you won’t tell me, I’ll get Nina on the phone tomorrow, and she can have a chat with you then,” Ashley said smugly, crossing her arms over her chest. “I knew this morning I had walked in on something.”
“I haven’t had sex with anyone here.” And that was technically true. “Kai and I filmed this morning on the tour bus.” And I don’t laugh like that, you bitch. “I have the camcorder right here if you want to see.” Dylan raised the camera and tapped it with her other hand. The video from the morning was actually on the laptop, but she had to one-up her. “So call Nina, I’ll show her the video, and then you can have a chat with her.”
Ashley’s physical stance didn’t waver but she didn’t call Dylan’s bluff either. When Dylan made a move to step back inside the club, Ashley didn’t pursue her. She exhaled and tried to get her pulse rate back down to normal. She was glad things with Kai were actually over. She had been able to be adamant because she was telling the truth just then, no matter how slight it was, but full on lying, she would not have been able to handle. Ashley definitely planned to be on her ass, especially now t
hat she had suspicions.
Kai was back on stage and had the whole crowd singing “Earthquake” with him as he held the microphone up at them. His hair was matted down with sweat, and he looked so happy. After the show, girls congregated around him, ogling him and putting their hands way too close to areas she herself wanted to touch. She cornered a few fans that were excited to be a part of the web series, and they talked about how long they had been fans of his. Kai joined them on camera and accepted an invitation to one woman’s wedding. She said “Beautiful” was actually her first dance song.
After getting food at a late night hotspot, the group went back to the hotel. His next shows were in D.C., which was only about two and a half hours away so they stayed in Philadelphia that night. A couple hours after the show, Xavier sent her a text about an impromptu party at the hotel’s heated indoor pool. She had just completed part of an article for the website and was contemplating going to bed instead.
“It’s nice being Kai White,” she replied, noting that it was well past the pool’s hours.
“It’s nice being in Kai White’s band. Now get your ass up here!” She thought back to what Winslow had said about allowing herself to have fun. She had missed so many social activities during the summer and the school year already. A little dip in the pool was fine. Once in her swimsuit, she pulled on a shirt and shorts before heading to the floor with the pool. It turned out to be quite an oasis that could’ve been an outdoor pool in the Mediterranean. Through the water, she could see the gold-painted shapes at the bottom that complemented the gold accents of the large decorative vases around the pool. There were about thirty people present and, as expected, there were more women than men plus four security guards standing around. She recognized some of the girls from the show’s audience. Light music could be heard over the splashing and laughter. Dylan stripped down to her coral-colored bikini, and it earned indulgent stares from the guys, but deep down, it was really meant for Kai to see. The thought made her skin feel like it was on fire.