The Fall Up

by Aly Martinez

  He removed the cigarette from between his lips and was bending over to touch his mouth to mine when a sudden pounding on the door stopped him. Sampson went nuts barking, and Sam’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.

  “What the fuck?”

  Devon’s angry snarl permeated through the wood. “Open the fucking door.”

  Henry’s voice quickly followed. “Would you calm down? She’s probably getting the dick right now.”

  “Oh God,” I groaned.

  This is not happening.

  Devon replied, “Or she’s dead on that dick’s floor.”

  “She’s fine.”

  “You don’t fucking know that. You should have heard her on the phone.”

  The loud pounding returned, and Sam stared at the door as he said, “I think that’s for you.”

  “She is going to kick your ass,” Henry scoffed.

  “I’ll survive. Besides, you were the one who gave me the address. She’ll probably kill you first,” Devon continued to argue as I stomped to the door and snatched it open.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” I seethed at them.

  Their eyes raked over my outfit—or lack thereof—and Henry’s smile spread as he elbowed Devon in the side.

  “See? Told you. She was getting the dick.”

  “Let’s go,” Devon barked at me.

  “Yes, please go,” I snarked, slamming the door in their faces, but Devon snuck a foot inside preventing it from closing completely.

  “You called for a ride home. I’m here. Get in the car,” he replied, pushing the door wide and stepping inside.

  Sam’s arms suddenly folded around my hips from behind. “Go get dressed. We can have this conversation when you aren’t half naked with my front door wide-ass open.”

  I knew the moment Henry saw Sam. His jaw slacked open and cartoon hearts might as well have floated from his eyes. Sam and Devon recognized the moment too, because Devon’s eyes flared wide and Sam instinctively took a step away with me securely tucked into his side.

  Henry prowled forward as Sam’s gaze bounced down to me in bewilderment.

  “You probably should have been the one to get dressed first,” I told Sam as Henry continued his nonconsensual eye-fucking of my boyfriend.

  Boyfriend?

  Maybe that’s a bit much.

  Is it?

  Sam’s hand flexed at my hips, and I couldn’t help but smile at the idea. I hadn’t been so excited about the idea of calling someone my boyfriend since fifth grade, when Jay Rogers passed me a note asking me to check yes or no.

  I was still lost in schoolgirl musings when Sam interrupted my thoughts.

  “Hey, so, I’m Sam. You must be Henry.” He extended a hand forward.

  I laughed when Henry looked down at his hand then bent to the side, licking his lips as he openly checked out Sam’s package. Then I laughed even louder as Sam shifted me in front of him to block Henry’s assessment.

  I should have said something to defuse the insanely awkward situation, but where was the fun in that? I looked up at Sam and very matter-of-factly said, “I told you he was going to try to woo you.”

  “This is wooing?”

  “You would be surprised how many men have fallen victim to him with far less.”

  Devon shook his head as Henry continued to stare in awe, pacing a tight circle around us.

  “Is he going to say something?” Sam whispered.

  “Unfortunately, yes. And when he does, you’ll wish for the weird silence again.”

  Suddenly, Henry stilled and peeled his shirt over his head, announcing, “Threesome.”

  “Excuse me?” Sam questioned as Henry advanced.

  “Fine, twosome, but Levee gets to watch. She is my best friend, after all.”

  I giggled as I pressed a hand into Henry’s bare chest. “Put your damn shirt back on and leave him alone.”

  He groaned, finally dragging his eyes off Sam. “This is so not fair. Why would you flaunt this fine specimen of a straight man in front of me and not even let me nibble. Do you not love me at all?” He pouted.

  “No one is nibbling anything,” Sam quickly added.

  Henry winked. “Yet.”

  Sam stepped away and dug into his pocket. “Jesus, I need a cigarette.”

  “Oh, me too. Let’s go outside,” Henry agreed, starting to follow after him.

  I caught his arm. “Don’t you dare! First of all, you don’t smoke. Second of all, Sam is completely off-limits to you. Let it go.”

  His shoulders sagged in defeat. “You’re so selfish,” he whined, pulling his shirt back on.

  “Maybe, but if you quit your bitching, we could watch him walk away together. His ass is insane.”

  “Seriously?” Sam asked cynically.

  “Well, now, you’re just being mean. But I accept.” Henry tossed his arm around my shoulders.

  We both turned to Sam, who was squinting his eyes in disbelief at our objectifying exchange.

  Henry made the shooing motion toward him. “Go ahead, hot man. Smoke your cigarette. And, before you ask, yes, I’m perfectly okay with you envisioning it’s me you’re putting in your mouth.”

  “Henry!” I scolded then burst into laughter.

  “What?” He feigned innocence.

  Sam curled his lip in disgust then barked a laugh while scratching the back of his head in what could only be described as astonishment. “Yeah. I…uh… Come on, Sampson.”

  The dog trotted after him.

  I slapped Henry on the chest. “You dumbass. Don’t screw this up for me. You know I like him.”

  “Yes, I do. And I completely know why now. Fuck, that man is sexy.”

  “He really is. And he’s such a nice guy.” I sighed. “He deserves so much better than me.”

  Henry rubbed my arm. “Nonsense. If he’s smart, he’s probably on his knees out there, thanking God that he gets to be with you.” He swayed his head from side to side. “And, since he’s already on his knees, maybe I should go check on him.”

  I slapped his chest again. “Shut up! Leave him alone.”

  Henry chuckled, throwing his hands up in defense. “Okay, okay.”

  Devon spoke up, interrupting our conversation. “Show’s over. I’m bored. Levee, get your clothes and let’s go.”

  “I’m not going anywhere. Come get us in the morning.”

  Devon’s eyes flared wide. “Us?”

  “Sam’s going with me to LA. He can ride back with you after the show.”

  “Awesome,” Devon mumbled.

  I wasn’t sure what Devon’s problem with Sam was, but he’d made it blatantly obvious he had one. He’d always been protective of me. It was his job, after all. Literally. But our relationship was more than just employee-employer. Over the last few years together, Devon and I had forged a friendship that had eventually evolved into more of a brother-sister bond. I loved and hated it all at the same time.

  It would have been nice to have an employee who just did what I said. But I loved knowing that Devon was always there for me, no matter what the task.

  “So, who wants a beer?” Sam asked as he came back inside wearing a wrinkled hoodie and holding a six-pack of brews.

  “Where do you keep magically producing beer from?” I inquired.

  “I have a stocked fridge in my shop out back.”

  “And the hoodie?”

  His eyes flashed to Henry. “My Jeep. I didn’t think it was safe to come back in without a shirt.”

  “Smart move,” Henry said, walking over and pulling a beer from his hand. He winked as he twisted the top off and tipped it to his lips.

  “Okay. As very entertaining as this has been, can you two please leave? It’s late, and Sam and I were just about to take a shower.”

  Henry’s mouth was full, and he lifted a finger as he swallowed.

  “No, you can’t join us!”

  “Why are you so hateful?” Henry grumbled.

  “Take him home. Please,” I begged D
evon, who was glowering at the whole situation—and especially at Sam.

  “Levee, we need to talk. Stewart isn’t going to be happy about you being here. We don’t know this guy, and a lot of things are going down for you right now. We need to keep this among the family for a while.”

  I walked over and stopped in front of him, craning my head back to meet his eyes. “A lot of things are going down for me right now, but Sam has had a front-row seat to everything for a while. There’s nothing he doesn’t already know.”

  “Levee—”

  “Devon, I’m good. I swear. I know you’re worried, but there’s no talking me out of this. Now, please, just take Henry and go. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  He stared down at me blankly for several beats before rolling his eyes and calling out, “Henry, we’re pulling out.”

  Henry set the beer down and headed toward the door, pausing to give me a hug. “I’ll see you in the morning.” Then he shouted over his shoulder, “Night, Sam! Call me if you change your mind.”

  I groaned.

  Sam walked over, draping his arm around my waist, and called back, “Will do! Goodnight.”

  As soon as the door clicked behind them, my whole body sagged. “God, I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. That was…interesting.”

  I laughed. Interesting didn’t even come close to it. But as I nervously peeked up through my lashes to get a read on Sam, he was sporting a huge smile.

  “It was fun, Levee. Don’t look so worried. It’s going to take more than Henry Alexander trying to get in my pants to run me off.”

  “I’ll make him quit. I swear. I’m not sure I can promise the same about Devon though.”

  “Stop.” He folded me into his chest and kissed the top of my head. “You’re stuck with me.”

  I breathed in deeply, praying that that was true.

  “Let’s shower. You stink.” I tugged at his hoodie.

  “Yeah, this thing is filthy.” He pushed me back a step and dragged it over his head. “Sorry, but there was no way I was coming back in half naked.”

  “I can’t blame you there.” I giggled into his chest.

  He glided a hand over my ass. “Hey, next time people show up at my door, clothing is not optional for you.”

  “Oh, please. It’s just Henry and Devon.”

  His other hand snaked into the front of my panties and through my wet folds. “Maybe. But this is mine now. No more peep shows.”

  A moan escaped my throat, and it was only partially because the tip of his finger had dipped inside me.

  “This is mine now.”

  “Yes,” I breathed before his mouth landed over mine.

  LEVEE AND I ended up taking a shower. Then she rode me until p.m. slipped to a.m. Neither of us was in any hurry to go to sleep, especially knowing that the next day was going to be our last for a while. But I reminded her as many times as possible that it was only temporary. She tried to argue that this kind of separation would be frequent in her line of work. I kissed her indecently every time she so much as started trying to talk me out of being with her.

  There was nothing she could have said to change my mind.

  Eventually, she gave up, and as the sun started to peek in my bedroom window, she nodded off in my arms.

  Sleep never found me. Like a true stalker, I stayed awake watching her sleeping safely tucked into my side. Her legs were tangled with mine, and her arm was slung over my hips.

  I hadn’t felt that kind of peace in as long as I could remember.

  And it was going to fucking suck to lose it.

  But, when the alarm on her phone started going off, I released her, knowing she’d be back. I’d make sure of that.

  With only a combined three hours of sleep between us, Levee and I slept wrapped in each other’s arms the entire five-hour drive to LA. When we arrived at the arena, Levee had Devon drop me off first. She was adamant that we not be photographed together, and while it stung, I understood. With an all-too-quick kiss, I was dropped off by the tour buses parked out back, where I met Levee’s band and backup dancers.

  Simon, her guitarist, greeted me with open arms and stuck by my side. Apparently, Levee had called and put him in charge of babysitting me. He was a nice guy—they all were, actually. It wasn’t at all the rock-star feel I’d expected. For hours, I chilled on a bus, bullshitting with the members of her band and a few of their wives, and I was surprised to discover that one even had his three-year-old daughter with them. They were curious as hell about me, and I couldn’t even begin to count how many times I dodged the question of how Levee and I had met.

  I’d checked my phone incessantly, waiting for a message from her, but nothing ever came. I assumed she was busy, but the fact that she was in the proximity made me edgy to be with her. I wasn’t going to be that guy though. She’d left me out back for a reason. I’d give her whatever space she needed to prepare for her show.

  Finally, four hours later, the door to the bus opened and Devon informed me that Levee was asking for me. He handed me a small amp to carry, dropped a staff lanyard around my neck, and then led me to a roped-off side door. Fans huddled around the area, only glancing up long enough to deem me as unimportant.

  We made our way through a maze of backstage hallways before finally stopping at an unmarked door.

  Devon knocked and then took the amp from my hands.

  “Come in,” Levee singsonged.

  Disgruntled, he shoved the door open and silently motioned for me to enter.

  My breath was stolen from my chest the moment our gazes locked. With her hair teased in the process of being done and heavy makeup covering her smooth skin, it was the first time I’d ever laid eyes on Levee Williams, the superstar. I recognized the brown eyes that stared back at me, but everything else was that of the woman who graced the pages of magazines.

  This woman was undeniably beautiful, but I definitely preferred the one who’d spent the night naked in my bed.

  “There you are,” she said quietly as a woman continued to work on her hair.

  “I was starting to think you forgot about me.” I took a step forward with full intentions of kissing her painted-pink lips then stopped long enough to flip my gaze to the stylist in question.

  “Oh! Sorry. Madison, this is Sam. Sam, this is Madison.”

  The woman looked up and smiled warmly. “Ohhhh, you are pretty.”

  “Thanks?” I replied, curiously flashing my eyes back to Levee.

  “Henry called Madison this morning just to rave about you.”

  “Oh, Jesus,” I groaned, making them both laugh.

  “He likes you. But don’t let Levee lie. She’s been rambling about you since she sat down,” Madison said.

  Even under what looked like a suitcase full of makeup, I saw Levee’s cheeks turn pink.

  I fucking loved that I had that effect on her.

  “Is that so?” I asked with a smirk.

  Levee shook her head and knotted her hands in her lap. “I was just worried about you. You never know when Henry might attempt to abduct you and force you into sexual slavery.”

  I fisted my hands on my hips and said seriously, “The threat is real.”

  Madison chuckled, dropping a comb on the small rolling table. “I’m gonna grab a coffee.” She arched an eyebrow at me. “We can fix the lipstick, but don’t fuck with the hair. Capisce?”

  I kept my eyes glued to Levee and nodded.

  No sooner had the door shut behind her than Levee stood up and planted a kiss on my lips. Then, using the back of her hand, she wiped it away. “I missed you. Where have you been hiding?”

  I circled my arms around her waist and pulled her flush against me. “I was chilling with the band. Same place you dropped me off.”

  She leaned away and eyed me suspiciously. “Devon said you weren’t out there anymore. He’s been looking for you for the last three hours.”

  “He must not have looked very hard, because I didn’t go anywhere. As
k Simon.” I touched my lips to her temple.

  “Hmm.” She twisted her lips in confusion. “Well, okay. You’re here now, I guess.”

  “Yep. Now, if only I could find Designer Shoes. She seems to have gone missing. I’m terrified she’s been buried alive by a makeup artist.”

  Levee giggled and squeezed me tight. “You should see the sandblaster they use to scrub it off at the end of the night.”

  “Oh, they repurpose you!” I teased as she shifted impossibly closer.

  “Basically,” she mumbled. “I hate that you have to go home after the show. I feel like we haven’t gotten to spend any time together today. You were either drooling on my shoulder or snoring on the way here. Now, I have to perform.”

  “Don’t you even try to pretend that I was the one drooling. I woke up to find myself sitting in an honest-to-God wet spot. And not the good kind.”

  “Shut up, liar.”

  “No, you shut up, Drooly.”

  We both laughed, but she once again sighed in frustration. “I don’t want you to leave tonight.”

  “Then I won’t. You aren’t leaving until the morning, right?”

  “Right, but Devon has to drive you back tonight when he picks up the rest of my stuff and Henry. They’re dropping me off tomorrow.”

  “I’m not ten, Levee. I don’t need a ride home. If you want me to stay tonight, I’ll catch a flight back in the morning.”

  Her eyes perked. “Really?”

  “Yeah, really, crazy woman.”

  “I mean, I’ll pay for it. Just tell me when you want to leave and I’ll have someone book it right now.”

  I chuckled. “I’m also not a male prostitute. You aren’t buying my ticket just so you can have your wicked way with me. But yes, I’ll stay.”

  “You sure?” she asked hopefully.

  “I’m positive. I’m not kinky enough to be a prostitute.”

  She pinched my nipple. “That’s not what I meant. And now, I’m disappointed to find out you’re not kinky.”

  I pinched her nipple back, letting my fingers linger as I grazed my teeth over her neck. “You didn’t seem disappointed last night.”

  She gasped and swayed into my touch.

  “And, before you smart off, I promise you won’t be disappointed tonight, either. I’ll buy my ticket. You entertain thousands. We sandblast you back to life. Then I’ll fuck you whatever kinky way you want until you are physically unable to forget me for the next month.”