HERO (The Complete Series)

by Bella Love-Wins

  “Johnny, calm down,” I whispered.

  I got a glimpse of the blazing look in his eyes and placed a hand on his forearm. Finally, he gave a nod. The fire in his eyes subsided and his breathing seemed to release.

  “Was she the stalker?” Johnny asked.

  “It doesn’t look that way. She’s a minor. We questioned her, and had the field office run her ID through the available young offender databases. She’s clean. It seems she’s just an overzealous fan. Other than her wallet, the pair of scissors and a sandwich bag, she had nothing on her. Just to be safe, we contacted her parents. We will also follow up tomorrow about her whereabouts and computer activity over the last few weeks.”

  I had expected as much. The cyber-stalker Fred’s men were after would not show up with scissors and a Ziploc bag for Johnny’s lock of hair.

  Johnny however, seemed disappointed. “Well that sucks. If it had been the stalker, this nightmare would be over for all of us.”

  “True, but until she surfaces, we have to expect incidents like this.”

  “I still think it could have been avoided, Fred. What the hell were the guards in the audience doing? None of them even made an effort to stop her from climbing up on stage like that.”

  Fred nodded, but did not respond. He was not to blame, in my view. The security in the audience was provided by the location, with a spattering of guards from the private security team Kevin had hired.

  “Do you need anything from us?” Johnny asked.

  He shook his head. “No. Wait here with Amanda. I’ll find Kevin and brief him. We’ll be ready to leave whenever you are.”

  “Thank you,” I said to Fred.

  Johnny immediately crossed the room and sank into a chair after Fred left. “What a nightmare,” he said, leaning forward to brace his elbows on his knees.

  I locked the dressing room door and leaned back against it. “Come on, now. You can’t be suggesting this is the worst thing that’s happened on stage since you’ve been in the music business. Is it?”

  “No. Not at all,” he said, staring down at the floor in front of him. “I…I didn’t think anything would happen to you.”

  “Tackling that girl was not half as bad as when you flashed my butt to the crowd,” I teased, trying to cheer him up.

  Johnny smiled. “They enjoyed it. They know a fine piece of ass when they see it.”

  I smiled. His tension was starting to break. I crossed the room and sat in the chair across from him, my ankles protesting against standing any longer in these stiletto heels. I slipped off the shoes and reached down to massage my foot, twisting and stretching it back and forth along the arches.

  “Here,” Johnny said, gesturing for my foot.

  I looked up and met his eyes. “It’s okay. I’m good.”

  “I’m not taking no for an answer, Amanda. I insist.”

  Slowly, I extended my leg, and he grasped my foot. He slid his hands over the smoothness of the nude-colored stockings, and ran his thumbs along the arch of my foot. I let my head drop to the headrest, moaning as he massaged my aching sole. I relaxed in the chair and closed my eyes for a few minutes as he worked out the sore muscles. He placed my foot back on the floor and took the other, continuing to knead. It was heavenly. He paused, and I opened my eyes to see if he was finished. His eyes were studying me, dark with a familiar expression—pure, unapologetic lust.

  In one move, he leaned forward and gripped my chair, almost lifting it to pull me in closer. A hand lifted to my neck and weaved through my hair, pulling my lips to his. His lips were firm and insistent as they pressed over mine, and his tongue effortlessly parted my lips to explore my mouth, tangling with my tongue, sending waves of heat down my back and into my belly. A burst of carnal need crashed over me, and all that was left in its wake was an urgency to get much, much closer.

  He tugged at my waist and I followed his silent command, rising from my chair to straddle his lap. My dress slid up around my hips as I sank down onto him. He held my hips, rocking me back and forth against the bulge forming under his jeans, matching the movements with the frantic pace of our kisses. My neck and back tingled from the way his fingers were lost in my hair. He gently cradled the back of my head, pulling down as he moved from my lips to kiss and nip at my neck.

  I moaned with pleasure at each kiss, and pressed harder against him. I rolled my hips and ground into his lap, wishing he wasn’t still fully clothed. My thin scrap of panties and his jeans were the only barrier to piquing my arousal. His hands ran up my ass, pressing my cheeks apart as he tilted his hips up for more contact. I gasped when he moved his hands up my back and toyed with the zipper on the dress. I wanted his hands on my skin, but became thoroughly aware of where we still were.

  “I think we should stop now,” I told him, pulling slightly away.

  “I want you now,” he growled into my ear, before nibbling at it with his lips.

  “Not a good idea,” I finally got out.

  I was barely able to stop myself. Holding on to his shoulders, I forced my aching body to stand, putting some much needed distance between my burning hot pussy and his raging erection.

  He ran his hands up my legs, tracing along the back seam of my stockings. He rounded the curve behind my knee, and pressed into the back of my thighs. My stomach clenched at his touch and my body tensed up. It seemed to only excite him further.

  “Amanda,” he said, looking up at me. “You looked so hot out on that stage.”

  “You just liked watching me shake my ass.”

  He flashed me a playful smile. “You were very distracting. Did I distract you too?”

  “You mean from my pretend singing?” I asked, laughing. “I was terrible. I messed up the words pretty badly.”

  He smiled and kept inching his fingers higher up my thighs. His eyes were still dark, flooded with predatory desire, even with his smile. He straightened up enough to place his lips above my collarbone, keeping them still against my racing pulse.

  “Thank you,” he hummed against my skin, eyes closed, his tone more serious.

  “For what?” I asked.

  “For going all out to protect me out there.”

  “That’s still my job, Johnny. No need to thank me.”

  He looked me in the eye. “Promise me something.”

  “What?”

  “Don’t do it again. Let Fred’s team and Kevin’s goons get physical with the audience if they need to.”

  I didn’t know what to say at first. His words were unexpected, and I struggled to find the right response. After I thought about it for a moment, I told him the truth. “I’m not going to hesitate in doing my job.”

  “I understand, but there’s enough of them around. And I’m going to hold them accountable.”

  “Look. You and Kevin hired me. Not to be a pretend girlfriend or a lip-syncing back-up singer, but to protect you. I can’t keep a promise like that and still live up to the demands of this job, Johnny.”

  He seemed anxious again, so in the end, I nodded an acknowledgment and hoped he would change the subject. The silence that settled between us felt too intimate, with his lips on my neck, my hands resting on his shoulders, and our upper bodies pressed together. I opened my mouth to speak, not knowing what to say, desperate to break the spell between us.

  He waited for a beat before pulling his head away slightly. “I mean, obviously, I could have taken her down too. But…you know…I probably would have hurt her.”

  I smiled, grateful he had backed us out of that intense moment. “Naturally,” I said. I squeezed his firm biceps. “That’s what these guns are for, right?”

  “Exactly. They’re the fourth and fifth lines of defense,” he joked.

  He laughed, and I joined in, finding our natural friendship the easy place to land.

  “I’m starving,” he announced after a moment. He stood up and pressed me close to him again. “Go to dinner with me.”

  “It’s almost midnight, you know.”

  �
��Come on. I know all the obscure little spots where no one cares who I am.”

  My hesitation dragged out. His voice was still playful, but his eyes were not asking—they silently appealed for me to say yes.

  I almost did, but knew better. “Not tonight, Johnny. We need to get you back home. It’s been a long evening.”

  I backed away to gather my shoes, and slipped back into them, not wanting to acknowledge his disappointment.

  “Ready?” he asked as I turned back to face him. He seemed to have packed his feelings back up more quickly this time. He held out a hand and I let him lead me from the room.

  Chapter 3 - Johnny

  I barely got any sleep overnight. I ordered takeout on the way home, and when we got in, the two of us ate quietly in the kitchen. We were both worn out from the action-packed concert. Amanda insisted on not crossing the line, so we went our separate ways and called it a night. I went to bed, still electrified from the feel of her firm body under my hands. I had gotten so close to taking her in my dressing room. My body was on fire; my cock throbbed with need for her.

  I don’t know if she got any sleep, but for me, last night was when some realities hit me hard. The fan on stage incident took on a life of its own. It consumed my guilt-ridden thoughts. This was all my fault. I had been selfish and naïve. I did not get this far ahead. My move to bring Amanda on this security assignment had been to get close to her. I did not stop to think it could actually hurt her. It did hurt her. Twice. First, I caused her to be subjected to Kevin’s insensitivity and mistreatment. And now, here we were, only on the second leg of the tour, and she had already been stabbed with a pair of scissors—stabbed while protecting me from a crazed fan.

  She may not have been badly hurt, but she could have been. It was the overriding thought that had me tossing and turning in my bed. Putting her in harm’s way to get close to her? That ill-conceived brainchild of mine was no longer a smart idea. On the contrary, it was foolish, irresponsible and reckless, not to mention dangerous to Amanda. There were one or two times overnight where I was tempted to go across the hall to her room, tell her everything, and ask her to stay with me—for us, not the gig or to protect me. I did not. That move would probably be dumber than hiring her in the first place, and I was pretty sure it would drive her away.

  This morning, with the lack of sleep, I needed coffee. I threw on some clothes and headed down to the kitchen. Kevin was perched on a bar stool. When he saw me taking my dazed, pre-caffeine shuffle across the room, he went from zero to full meltdown mode in less than a second.

  “Johnny!”

  I groaned, not wanting to engage him. I went for the coffeepot, barely acknowledging his anxiety-filled greeting.

  “The press is having a field day with all the shit from last night. I’ve had over a hundred phone calls overnight, Johnny! And publicist is swimming in inquiries. They’re all asking what the hell happened up on that stage. They’re demanding to know who Rachel Preston really is, and don’t expect them to relent either. ‘No comment’ isn’t going to work. We need to come up with a story, and fast.”

  “That’s why we pay the publicist the big bucks,” I said flatly. “Get Marty to take care of it.”

  “I have. He’s on it.”

  “Problem solved, then.”

  “And did you realize at least a dozen TV, radio and online media crews have set up camp outside your front gate overnight?” he asked, pointing at my front door.

  “That’s a pretty standard turnout when they know I’m in town. Why is it all such a big deal now, Kevin? This is the kind of media attention performing artists crave, especially during a tour. Now relax, and let them work their magic.”

  “Shit. Well don’t leave the house until Marty and I figure out how to spin this.”

  I nodded in agreement, “I wasn’t planning on going anywhere. I’m used to being cooped up in here, remember?”

  “I don’t want any reporters or paps heckling you or trying to dig up any dirt on our cover story about Amanda. Not yet.”

  Fred walked into the kitchen. “Good morning, gentlemen,” he greeted us. “As you’re already discussing next steps from last night’s incident, we might as well speak now.”

  I nodded and continued filling my coffee cup. When I turned to get a seat for our meeting. Amanda walked into the room.

  “Good morning,” I said to her. Fred and Kevin turned when they heard me.

  “Amanda,” Kevin said. “First of all, I wanted to say good work last night.”

  A facsimile of my own shock from his compliment was displayed on her face.

  “Thank you,” she said, darting a confused glance back to me.

  “Yes. Excellent work,” Fred agreed. “And good timing. We’re about to come up with some messaging to explain the incident to the media, keeping in mind that it’s not just for public consumption, but to indirectly communicate with the stalker as well.”

  “And we have to move fast,” Kevin added.

  Fred continued. “It’s crucial that we stick to our original story. We can’t let any details of this investigation get out. Amanda…aka Rachel…is Johnny’s girlfriend. Her reasons for being on stage, and for taking the girl down need to be simple.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Amanda agreed.

  “On the question of why she performed, we can explain that Johnny was instrumental in giving her a shot at singing backup, and she will continue to do so for the rest of the tour.”

  “That’s pretty straightforward,” I said. “I like it.”

  “Good. And on the issue of why she blocked the fan, I would suggest simply telling the media she ‘got jealous of the girl trying to grab at her man’.”

  I snorted into my coffee. Fred’s use of the term ‘her man’ was entirely out of character. Also, in this line of business we were used to spinning stories for the media, but this piece of fiction was outlandish. I doubted the public would believe it. Even I didn’t—but then again, I knew Amanda.

  “Is there something about it that concerns you?” Fred asked.

  “I don’t know. To me, it just seems ridiculous. Wouldn’t it be easier on all of us if we came clean?” All three of them stared at me, and I had to fight back another weak laugh at the looks on their faces. “What? This whole thing doesn’t seem crazy to either of you?”

  Kevin was clearly displeased with my suggestion. “Johnny, we are all trying to find the best way to protect you. I know you don’t take any of this seriously, but the least you could do would be to have some respect for those of us working on your behalf.”

  Amanda said nothing, but Fred piped in. “You have to remember, Johnny. Much of this messaging is intended for the stalker. If we came clean, as you suggest, it could enrage the unsub, or deter her from her current plans. The problem with that scenario is she could become erratic, or feel forced to lash out in a more extreme way. Or worse, wait it out until the FBI can no longer offer resources to investigate. None of us want that.”

  “I didn’t think about that, and this is why you are here, Fred. I’m out of my element when it comes to stalker baiting strategies. I’ll leave you three to handle it.”

  I got up and took my coffee through the living room and out the glass doors that opened to the back deck. It was warm and sunny, typical California weather. I sat in my favorite lounge chair to soak it in. I set my coffee down and stripped off my shirt to get some rays. Reclining back, I kicked my feet up, tipped my face skyward, and closed my eyes. I had said my piece, and Fred had a point. It was time to let them figure it out.

  Chapter 4 - Johnny

  “Johnny?” It was Amanda. “Can I sit with you?”

  “Sure. Grab a chair.”

  “Thanks.”

  “How’s the arm?” I had to ask. I pulled my arms up under my neck and turned to look at her.

  “It’s fine.”

  “Good to hear,” I said, still debating whether I should follow my own righteous advice and come clean to her. My mental deliberatio
n continued to be met with a resounding ‘don’t do it, Johnny’ from my inner voice, so I let the moment pass. “Did they get all that media messaging figured out?”

  “Yes. Kevin said the publicist will do a press release sometime today.”

  “Good. He’s smart. It’s better to let the media stew for a while.”

  “Probably. So I’m the jealous girlfriend. I got carried away in a fit of rage, and attacked an overexcited fan.” She said it so deadpan, it was almost comical.

  “And do you have to go to anger management now?” I asked, retreating back to humor, where things felt safer between us.

  “No, but only because she cut me,” she said with a laugh. “She drew blood, so I’ve suffered enough.”

  “Don’t remind me,” I told her, more serious from the recollection.

  After a pause, she said, “I was a bit worried about you when we got in last night.”

  “Why is that?”

  “I just didn’t want you to be upset, you know…about making the effort to keep things professional between us. What happened after the show…I should not have let that happen.”

  I looked over at her. “I don’t hold it against you. You may have indulged me, but I was the one who came on to you. It’s fine.”

  She didn’t seem convinced, but she nodded anyway. She was silent, still watching me. She licked her lips thoughtfully, and my cock started to twitch inside my loose shorts as I watched the tip of her tongue moisten her full, luscious, soft lips.

  “I’m sorry, Johnny. I don’t mean to keep leading you on.” Her voice was nearly a whisper.

  I shrugged it off. “Forget it. I can’t change how you feel.”

  I turned my face into the sun and closed my eyes again. I was not about to give up so easily. I would give her space, some time to come around. I was silent for a while, and heard her get up and return inside. I sucked in a long, slow breath. I waited three long years for this chance. Waiting was not a problem.