Mr. Twang_A Fake Relationship Romance

by Kelli Callahan

  “This brings back memories.” Gavin grabbed the cymbal to silence it after slamming it with his drumstick.

  “You’re picking up the country music pace pretty fast.” I nodded. “Ready to try an actual song?”

  “Why not.” He shrugged. “But let’s have a drink first.”

  “I didn’t bring anything with me.” I shrugged.

  “Oh, I got some whiskey in my bag.” Gavin stood up and walked over to the corner where he had left the stuff he brought in with him.

  “Now it really is like the old days.” I extended my hand when he walked back over, took the bottle from him, and twisted off the top.

  We went through a few of the songs from top to bottom while we drank. Gavin learned his part easily and we were both fairly hammered after a few hours. I looked at my watch and realized we had spent nearly five hours in the studio. I hadn’t been that happy to just sit down and practice since I left Chicago. We would need a bass player and another guitarist to complete the ensemble. It would help if one of them could sing backup vocals as well since there were a few of my songs that needed it. I had recorded both sets of vocals for the studio album and the audio engineer put them together, but once we were on the road, we would need to be able to perform them live.

  “Okay, I’m going to turn on the recorder.” I stood and swayed slightly on my feet. “I want Sawyer to hear how good you are.”

  “Sure, man.” Gavin nodded.

  I laid down a background track with my vocals and guitar while Gavin played drums. I was too hammered to sing by that point, but he was still slamming his drumsticks with perfect precision. I let him do a couple of songs and then fumbled with the controls until I had the songs saved. I quickly emailed them to Sawyer and walked back into the studio. Gavin’s eyes were bloodshot and he looked drunk. If he felt anything like I did, he was well past comfortable. I tried to pick up my guitar and swayed too much, so I just walked over to my stool and sat down. My head was spinning so much that I could hardly see straight and it only seemed to get worse as the minutes passed.

  “Fucking hell, man.” I felt my words slurring as they passed across my lips. “I haven’t been this drunk since I left Chicago.”

  “I thought this town invented getting fucked up. All the country legends sing about drinking and fucking.” He chuckled and leaned against his drums.

  “Yeah, I guess they just built up a tolerance at the expense of their liver.” I laughed and smiled.

  “We’ve got the drinking down, so what about the fucking?

  I read something about a girl you’re seeing? Is it serious?” Gavin tilted his head to the side.

  “Lauren.” I nodded quickly. “Yeah, we’re dating.”

  “Is that wise? I mean—that’s what broke up the band in Chicago. I thought you were coming down here to start over on your own without any of that shit.” He pushed back from the drum set and swayed on his stool.

  “Yeah, I guess.” I nodded. “Look, you can’t tell anyone this, but I’m just using her to help hype up my album.”

  “Oh, fuck. Really?” He blinked in surprise.

  “Yeah, man. You know what went down before. You think I’d get serious with someone again?” I chuckled and shrugged. “My relationship with Lauren is as fake as this accent.”

  It was a lie—well, the part about Lauren was. I knew the reality, even in my drunken state, but Gavin was there for what happened in Chicago. He saw everything explode when things went south. If he was going to be my drummer, the instant my relationship with Lauren ended it would give him flashbacks. It wasn’t the best judgment call, but my drunken brain convinced me that telling him Sawyer’s plan would help when that time came.

  I had no idea how I was going to handle things when Sawyer gave the word for us to publicly break up, but I felt like I needed to inspire some degree of confidence in Gavin. He had been through it before, and he had suffered as well. He was a victim of the resonating ruination the end of the relationship caused. The fact he turned down my former bass player’s offer to join up with his band meant he was loyal to me. That meant a lot to me. The fact he came to Nashville meant even more.

  “All right, I think this is over. We need to get a cab. Do you want to crash at my place?” I looked over at Gavin and saw that his eyes were halfway closed.

  “Yeah, that sounds good.” He nodded.

  11

  Lauren

  Accompanying Song:

  “Cowboy Take Me Away” by Dixie Chicks

  My ass was stinging when I went to bed after saying goodbye to Brendan. I never really pictured a spanking being something that would get me excited. The pain didn’t necessarily turn me on, but having his hands on my body was enough to light a fire that burned fiercer than the glow he left on the surface of my ass with his well-placed snacks. I couldn’t believe I had actually asked him to come back to my apartment and spank me. Even more surprising was the fact that I didn’t freak out when he suggested that my panties should come down. I was in the midst of a sexual awakening that I didn’t quite understand, but everything inside me was screaming to let go and just give in to what I wanted more than anything else in the world.

  How can a man that infuriated me so much suddenly become the only thing I can think about?

  After he was gone, I stripped naked and walked into my bedroom. I had to quell the desire inside me and the only way to do that was with self-pleasure since I had managed to resist giving into Brendan. I didn’t masturbate very often. My parents didn’t believe in closed doors and I always had a roommate at college. I had been so busy since I came to Nashville that it wasn’t something that took center stage, even after writing His Stetson Hat. There was no resisting it after Brendan was gone. I climbed into bed with my legs spread wide and bent at the knees. My hand moved down my abdomen until my finger was pressed against my clit. It quickly turned into a hard knot and a touch sent currents of pleasure surging through my veins.

  I felt how hard he was. He would be between my legs right now if I had a little more courage.

  I moved my finger in a circle, sliding the hood away from my clit so I could stimulate the tight bundle of nerves. The fingers on my other hand explored my wetness, plunging into my pussy until I could feel my hymen against my fingertip. I was almost certain Brendan would be the one to shatter it, but I just wasn’t ready. He turned me on and I was falling for him, but there was still some lingering concern over the way he treated me when we first started our charade. I was at the point of forgiveness, but I needed to know it was real before I gave myself to him completely. Regardless of what happened, once I did that, he would always be my first. It would bind us together and form a connection that lasted a lifetime.

  It has to be more than just desire. I can’t let my body drive me into his arms before I’m ready.

  One finger swirled around my clit while I penetrated myself with another. I felt pressure building up inside me quickly. The feeling of his embrace, the heat of his kiss, and the sound of my ass being spanked all collided together in my memories as the pressure intensified. My legs started to shake and then the pressure released like a balloon being popped inside me. The pleasure rushed through my veins. It made every muscle tense up for a moment before they relaxed, and I shuddered. I could feel my pussy spasming on the finger that was inside it, and my hips pushed against the penetration as I climaxed. When the pleasure finally faded, my head was spinning, and I felt warm inside. My head sank back into the pillow and I closed my eyes, quickly falling to sleep with Brendan still on my mind.

  One week later

  Things got busy as the release date for our albums approached. Sawyer had moved things around so that they were scheduled to launch on the same day. Initially, Brendan’s album was supposed to come out first, but Sawyer believed the impact would be stronger if they came out together. It was a lot easier to do it in the digital age when most of the purchases would be online instead of in a store. The finishing touches for both albums were in place,
and Sawyer was working on assembling bands for both of us. We would have several months before we actually went on tour, which gave us time to work on the duet, get some tracks down for our second albums, and practice with our bands for the live shows. The tours would pull us apart, whether we were officially split or not. We were both scheduled to open for more established country music acts, although Sawyer was hopeful that we would each have our own tour within a couple of years.

  This is really happening. There’s no turning back now. I’m going to be playing in front of a huge crowd very soon.

  The only thing that really distracted me from my career was Brendan. Our dates were no longer part of the charade. We didn’t care if we went somewhere the paparazzi could see us. We were having fun and every night ended with our lips sealed together before we parted ways. I still wasn’t ready for sex, but my barrier was quickly being chipped away by my desire for Brendan. It got harder to let him leave every single night. We got some work done in the process, and our duet was shaping up, but it was far from finished. We settled on the name Blur after tossing around a few ideas.

  “I’m so tired of these photo shoots!” I groaned when Sawyer told me that he had another one arranged for the following day. “Don’t they have enough photos of me by now?”

  “This one is going to be a little different than the rest of them.” He picked up his tablet and slid a finger across the screen. “I’ve had the art team working on this since you told me the name of the duet.”

  “Oh, wow.” I stared at a graphic that had the word Blur in blue and our names at the bottom.

  “We need to get some shots of you two together so we can start circulating the promotional material. I’d prefer to have some professional shots of you two rather than relying on the art team to splice something together or buying pictures from the paparazzi.” He put his tablet down and smiled.

  “Yeah, that’ll be fine.” I nodded quickly. “I guess it makes sense.”

  “Do you think you can stand next to him without stabbing him with a fork?” Sawyer chuckled and narrowed his eyes at me.

  “I think so.” I smiled and nodded my head again. “Things have been better lately.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. You two look good together. Your fans are going to be heartbroken when you break up.” He shrugged. “But that’s the price of fame. Drama sells albums better than bliss.”

  “Sales don’t seem to be that bad.” I blinked a couple of times. “I’ve never had this much money in my bank account before and I’m only getting paid radio royalties at this point.”

  “That’s just the tip of the iceberg.” Sawyer smiled and chuckled. “Plus, we can’t milk happiness forever. Angst is necessary. People want the girl that sang Shattered Heart. They’ll buy your album because we’ve created some good buzz around it, but your next album might even hit number one.”

  “You really think so?” I exhaled sharply with surprise.

  “I do. Trust me, everyone loves a good breakup story, especially when the only way to find out what really happened is to listen to the album from the first track to the last. Your next album will be your story and Brendan’s next album will be his version.” Sawyer nodded with a smile.

  “This makes me question every celebrity relationship I followed like some sort of obsessed fan.” I shook my head back and forth. “I also don’t like all of these lies. It just feels dirty.”

  “You’re too far into it to have second thoughts.” Sawyer shrugged. “This is Nashville, honey. You have to play the part if you want to live the dream.”

  There’s only one dream I really want right now, and everything I’m doing is working to tear it apart before it is fully realized.

  “So that’s it?” I stared at him and blinked away the emotions that were trying to register on my face. “Once we get finished with the duet, we’re done?”

  “Pretty much.” Sawyer nodded in confirmation. “Getting the duet out will drum up some additional support and then we bring the hammer down.”

  “Okay.” I twisted my lips into a half-smile.

  I was feeling nothing but turmoil and despair inside my soul as I walked into the room where we were supposed to have our photo shoot. Every step we took forward felt like another one that carried us towards oblivion. We were following a road map that would eventually lead both of us into the fiery torment of hell. When I saw Brendan step into the room with a new Stetson hat perched on his brow, I felt butterflies in my stomach. Our eyes met and I motioned for him to join me in one of the side rooms. He nodded in agreement and after he made his rounds for the introductions, he followed me. The instant the door closed, I leapt in his arms and we started kissing. He held me tight with his desire devouring my lips while our tongues intertwined. It was an amazing feeling and when our lips parted, I struggled to draw breath.

  “I have no idea how I’m going to survive when we have to split up. I want to call this whole thing off and stay with you.” My boots landed on the floor as his grip around my waist loosened.

  “This is tearing me up.” He pulled off his hat and tossed it on the table. “I don’t want to end things. We need a new plan.”

  “Maybe we need to be honest with Sawyer. If he knows we really like each other, maybe he can come up with something different. Maybe one duet isn’t enough. Maybe we could record an album together.” I stared into his eyes as I spoke.

  “An album?” Brendan sighed. “We can’t even get one song finished.”

  “So what?” I shook my head back and forth. “Your whole album is full of songs other people wrote. We can just let them write duets for us.”

  “I like that idea, but I feel like we have to trust Sawyer. His plan has worked beautifully so far. “Our albums are going to be huge when they come out.”

  “If we let Sawyer guide us, we’re not going to be happy. A tour is a lot of work and we’ll be separated for a long time. I looked at the dates. Most of the time we’ll be miles apart with no chance of even seeing each other.” I put my head in my palm. “That isn’t what I want.”

  “Me either.” Brendan extended his arms and pulled me close for a hug. “We’ll figure it out, but first we have to do the photo shoot.”

  “Yeah.” I nodded and hugged him. “Let’s do this.”

  We walked out and posed for the photographers. They pushed and pulled in a multitude of directions, but they were all sexy. Being so close to Brendan ignited the feelings that were raging like an inferno inside me. When we posed for several photographs with our lips nearly touching, I could feel my heart beating wildly in my chest. It was the ultimate tease, being so close to Brendan and not kissing him. I didn’t want to pose for pictures with the man that had wrapped his fingers around my heart. I wanted his lips pressed against mine. I wanted to feel the desire that met mine each time we were alone. When the shoot was almost done, I was so turned on that I could hardly control my reactions. Every time his hand grazed mine, I felt a surge of electricity cover the surface of my skin.

  “You don’t even understand what you did to me out there in front of those cameras.” I heard Brendan’s voice as I sat down in front of the mirror and started removing the layers of makeup.

  “If it was anything like what you were doing to me, then I understand completely.” I looked in the mirror at his reflection and sighed. “This is so freaking hard.”

  “I’ve got to do a few more promotional shots for my album, but can I see you later?” Brendan tilted his head to the side.

  “Yeah.” I nodded quickly. “I’d like that a lot. We can work on the duet, or…”

  “Let’s just order food and spend some time together. No pressure. We’ll just do what feels right.” Brendan nodded and a smile spread across his face.

  “That would be perfect.” I nodded in agreement.

  If I do what feels right, I won’t be a virgin tomorrow morning.

  12

  Brendan

  Accompanying Song:

  “Must Be Doin’ Some
thing Right” by Billy Currington

  One week later

  Every night I spent tangled in Lauren’s arms was becoming a testament of sheer willpower. I needed more and every time our lips touched, I thought it was going to be the moment when she was ready, but she still held back. I had touched her wetness with my finger, felt her gentle hand around my cock, but neither of those moments led to completion. She seemed nervous and there was something in the air that neither of us wanted to acknowledge. I knew it was the reason she was holding back, even if I didn’t want to admit it. The impending destruction of our relationship hadn’t been halted when we appealed to Sawyer for a reprieve. He still believed an explosive end to our relationship was the only way to push our careers in the direction we both wanted.

  “Our albums come out tomorrow.” I wrapped my arms around Lauren and held her close to my chest. “Time is ticking away from us.”

  “Yeah.” She nodded and lifted her head and looked at me. “The end is so close that I can already taste the poison on my lips.”

  “Romeo and Juliet? Damn, that’s hardcore.” I chuckled slightly as I gazed into her emerald eyes.

  “Don’t make fun of me!” She let her head drop against my chest. “I’m truly heartbroken over this.”

  “We built our wall of lies and the inevitable destruction looms. It’s what we begged for when we wanted to be famous.” I exhaled sharply and shook my head. “I don’t even remember who I was back then. It feels like a lifetime ago.”

  “So much has changed.” She stretched out her arm and locked her hand with mine. “You’re not an asshole anymore.”

  “Maybe it would be easier if I was. It would be easier to be the man that sent you spiraling into the dark despair of angry songs about a relationship shattered by my betrayal.” I swallowed a lump trying to form in my throat. “Instead of the man that has fallen for you.”