I was on fire.
My body was his, for now.
I would have done anything to let the moment last. Our bare chests were pressed together. I gasped and moaned as he pulled away and let my hardened nipples brush against his smooth torso. His gaze looked down between us, roaming around my body. I pulled him back to me, my lips missing him already.
“Johnny, please don’t stop,” I whispered. It was a plea for him to continue our pleasure, to distract me from how impractical this compromise really was.
He gave me one last look before engulfing me in another scorching kiss. He took my mouth, owned it as he explored and tasted and dueled his tongue with mine. He pulled away again, dipping his head down, leaning in to lavish my nipples, taking each into his mouth in turn, kissing them, flicking them with his tongue, sucking on each. My arms locked around his neck, pulling him in, helping him give his undivided attention to one, then the other again. I clenched my fingers against his firm upper back muscles as he pleasured me. His hands roamed my body while he continued to tease my breasts. I hissed when he dropped to his knees and kissed my throbbing mound through my sweat pants, moving toward my throbbing center.
“Oh God, Johnny,” I whimpered. “Please fuck me. Don’t make me wait.”
His eyes found mine. He needed me too. He didn’t need to say it. He walked me backwards until I reached his bed, and removed my pants with one swift pull down my sides. His boxers were off just as quickly.
I climbed into the bed still wearing my panties, relaxing on my back.
He growled. “You’re taking a big chance getting into bed with those.”
I parted my knees to give him a better view. He buried his head between my legs, sending hot kisses through the thin material, making his way lower, over my clit, down to my folds. I was tingling everywhere. My clit was dying to be touched. I moved my hips, trying to speed his trail of kisses farther south. He laughed softly against me, the vibrations teasing my clit that much more.
“Lorne,” I said, trying to get his attention.
As the word left my lips, he groaned softly. His fingers slipped beneath my panties, pushing the soft fabric to one side. He gently stroked against my folds. I surged toward a new level as he teased me. My own fingers went to the waist of my panties. I tried to push them down to give him better access, but he used his free hand to stop me.
“We have all night,” he reminded me softly. He looked up from between my legs and met my eyes once again. Seeing his head between my thighs made me gasp with anticipation. He smiled, groaning as he returned to kiss and nibble and suck as he slid two thick fingers deep inside me. My eyes rolled back and my body tightened. He began to pump in and out of my hot pussy, each stroke sending me higher before he finally pushed through my panties and found my clit again with his tongue.
I moaned, forgetting about anyone else in the house.
I didn’t care.
I gave myself over to the pleasure he delivered. His lips sucked at my clit at the same pace as the thrusts of his finger. I was so close to the edge I could scream. I rolled my hips, grinding down on his face and fingers. My fingertips dug into his back, and slid down his shoulders, pressing him into me harder.
“I’m…oh God…I’m coming Lorne…”
My words trailed off.
He kicked up the pressure another level, leaving me breathless as my body responded to his new rhythm. He held me down firmly to the bed, taking me closer to my climax. He worked faster and his thrusts became fierce. I couldn’t hang on anymore. I called out his name when the rush of sensory overload ripped through me. I bucked and seized under his grip, and still he held me down, sucking and teasing me until I collapsed. He waited a minute, letting me catch my breath, and slowly pulled off me.
As soon as he lifted up, I tugged on his shoulders, pulling him up my body.
“Fill me, Lorne.”
He moved up to me, and my hand slid down his body, finding his cock, wrapping around his thick shaft.
“I need you. Please,” I panted.
“I need you too, Amanda.”
He was above me, looking down into my eyes as he said it. My heart thrummed within my chest.
He kept his eyes locked on mine, lowering himself down, slowly, until he was aligned and ready to enter me. His hips pressed against mine. I could not wait. I gripped his waist and pulled him in. I was so wet, so ready.
“Fuck,” he groaned, sliding the rest of the way in. “You’re so fucking tight, baby.”
I sighed with pleasure as he rocked into me, pulling back slowly, plunging in deeper. His lips met mine for a searing kiss. He slid his tongue into my mouth while his manhood sank into my channel. I moved up to meet him, matching his rhythm, taking him deeper inside me, giving him what was already his to take.
Only his.
“Fuck me harder, Lorne.”
He did. He buried his cock inside me hard and fast, pelting me over the edge before I could prepare myself, leaving me in a shaking, weak, disoriented, sated state. He continued, pounding wildly into me, and as I came down from the heights, he tensed and released from his own orgasm. After a while, he pulled off and stretched out beside me, holding me so close I could hear and feel his heartbeat.
Chapter 13 - Amanda
Johnny and I spent three perfect days together. He did not let one minute go to waste. I dropped the issue of his stonefaceviper79 error in judgment. He did not raise the question of what would happen to us after the last two tour stops were over in four days. He put his foot down with Kevin and cancelled all recordings, practices and meetings. The only company we had in the house were the housekeeper, Larry and two security guards, and they left us to ourselves. Even the stalker seemed to have gone quiet.
All we did for three days was eat, sleep, go for daily runs, play in the basement, and make love. It was like a dream.
Four days left.
That was how much the time I had left in LA, but as we both promised not to worry about after the tour, I parked the anxiety.
Today, we woke up early and packed for the concert in San Diego later this evening. The arena was a location where Johnny had performed several times, and the road crew had been there for a day setting up. The rest of us would fly out early this afternoon, with five hours to spare before the concert was scheduled to start.
Everything went smoothly, right up to the end of Johnny’s first half of the performance to a crowd of over ten thousand people. Security was tight, Johnny performed beautifully, and I kept up with the backup singers. During the intermission, I popped into Johnny’s dressing room to make sure he was fine. He was thrilled with how well the first half had gone, and as we both only had twenty minutes to do a wardrobe change, I left him with Fred and Jenny to go to the ladies’ dressing room.
On my way there, someone in an event staff uniform caught my eye as she approached me in the backstage corridor. She had a familiar face, and her hand was extended out for a handshake. I stopped and raised my hand to take hers, but stopped short. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. I was almost positive this was the woman who had attacked Kevin. Shit. I didn’t have my phone to check. The recognition in my eyes set her off. She grasped my wrist with one hand and turned into me, reaching the other arm around the back of my leg.
I’ve been fighting for years. I didn’t even have to think. My free arm went around her neck and clamped down hard enough to make her pass out. She loosened her grip on my wrist, raising both hands in the air to give up. One hand was opened. In the other, I made out three fingers extended up. Her thumb and index fingers were pressed together, and between them was a razor blade from an old-fashioned manual shaver.
I snuck a glance toward the side where she touched my leg.
Blood.
A lot of blood.
Coming from my leg.
I froze, and the woman took her opportunity to wrench herself from my grasp. She bolted off and disappeared through a side door. I screamed out and two of the locati
on security staff ran to me from the other direction. There was a pool of blood around my left leg. She must have hit a major blood vessel. By the time one of the guards ran off to get help, the room was spinning. The last thing I remembered hearing was the security guard calling my name—Rachel, not even my real name. The last thought I had was a silent prayer that I would not bleed out before seeing Johnny one last time.
Chapter 14 - Johnny
Kevin waited until after the end of my performance to tell me Amanda had been attacked. I knew something was wrong when she didn’t return to the stage for the second half. I did not figure on a stab wound and a hospital visit as the cause. Fred had his men take Kevin and me directly to the limo to get to the hospital.
“What happened?” I asked Kevin and Fred. It felt like déjà vu, except Kevin and Amanda had switched places. “And do not tell me you don’t know. I want answers.”
Fred spoke up. “The same woman who held Kevin at knifepoint stabbed Amanda…”
“But how—”
Fred held up a hand and cut me off. “Let me finish. I’ll give you all the information we have. This will answer most of your questions.”
I nodded to let him continue.
“On her condition so far, it’s serious. She has lost a lot of blood, and was unconscious when paramedics arrived. We’ll know more when we get to the hospital. About the incident itself, the unsub caused one laceration on Amanda’s leg with a sharp object. We are certain this woman is the stalker, from security video footage of the corridor. We also traced her movements back to when she arrived here at the arena.
“We now have a positive identification. The woman stole the card access badge of another employee for the event location. This time, she slipped up. She drove to the arena in a rental from San Diego International airport. Jenny did a search of the plates, contacted the rental company, and the driver’s license picture on file is a match to today’s footage and the one from the night Kevin was attacked… We’re going to find the woman who did this, Johnny. Larry stayed back at the arena to work with local police while they interview some of the staff and any witnesses. It’s only a matter of time now.”
“Who is with Amanda now?”
“Two of the private security guards. I would have sent one of my agents, but we’re spread so thin already.” He turned to Kevin. “You and I can talk about how to handle the media piece after.”
“What media piece?”
He looked over at me briefly. “You have enough on your plate to worry about, Johnny.”
“No. I want to hear it. Did it get out to the media already?”
“Unfortunately, yes. During the show. Someone with a backstage press pass took footage of Amanda laid out on the ground, unconscious. It was leaked, and hit several online celebrity blogs within minutes of the event. Also…” He paused, possibly to prepare me. I couldn’t think of anything worse than what he had already shared.
“What?”
“She was made. As Roxy Punisher. Amanda’s cover has been blown.”
“I had already planned for this when the stalker tried to out her on the blog,” Kevin shared.
“That doesn’t really matter anymore.”
“Johnny, it’s best you focus on Amanda right now,” Kevin said. “I’ll take care of it.”
Fred was finished his update, and Kevin did not say much more. I looked out the window. We could not get to the hospital fast enough.
Chapter 15 - Amanda
My eyelids felt heavy when I tried to open them. I was light-headed when I finally woke up, and confused about where I was and how I had gotten here. I was placed on my right side, so could only see in one direction. I slowly realized I was in hospital bed, surrounded by drawn curtains. I was in a hospital gown, with only my bra and panties underneath, and there was an IV in my arm, connected to a clear bag of saline solution. Sounds came from behind the curtains—people walking around, a couple of moans, and some hushed conversations.
A nurse drew a section of the curtains aside to come in, and closed it back when she was inside. While it was open, I saw the two security guards through a clear glass window opposite me. Their backs were turned, but one of them looked to be the guard who found me in the corridor.
That’s when I remembered.
The stalker got to me.
There was so much blood.
I tried to sit up, panicking that she may have gotten to Johnny too, as I did not get to warn anyone.
The nurse put down her medical records tablet beside me, held my shoulder with one arm, and told me it was best if I stayed in the bed.
“I have to warn Johnny!”
“Calm down, honey. Everything is okay.” She pointed toward the glass windows. “See those men out there? They asked me to let you know everyone else is fine. How are you feeling?” She looked at my vitals on the machine beside the bed as she waited for me to reply.
I relaxed back into the bed. “A little weak…dizzy. I didn’t bleed out?”
She smiled and patted my forearm. “No, ma’am. You sure didn’t.”
“I don’t think I ever saw that much blood…”
She picked up the tablet again and scrolled through what I assumed was my patient file. “I’ll let the doctor give you the details of your condition and prognosis, all right? Just relax. He’ll be right in.”
“Thanks,” I told her. “Can I ask you what time it is?”
“A few minutes after eleven p.m. You’ve been here for about two hours.”
I didn’t expect Johnny to finish up at the concert yet, but still asked, “Is anyone else waiting for me? Out there?”
The doctor pushed back the curtain before she could reply. He looked at the machine beside me as well, and the nurse said something like ‘homeostasis attained’, and a few other medical terms I didn’t understand.
“Miss…Preston, is it?”
I cringed. The private security guards were told I was Rachel Preston. If they were the ones who accompanied me here, they wouldn’t know. My wallet and purse were back at the arena.
“No. It’s Baker. Amanda Baker. Rachel Preston is…it’s like a stage name.”
“Thanks for letting us know, Miss Baker.” He nodded toward the nurse, and she left my bedside. “We’ll have that fixed for admissions and other records. How are you feeling?”
“Fine,” I replied. “Light-headed.”
“That was quite the little gash you got on your leg. Do you remember how you got it?”
“A woman slashed me. Someone the FBI was investigating. Is there anyone named Agent Carlson outside waiting for me? He can give you more information.”
“That won’t be necessary. Local police will want to speak to you about it. Let’s talk about your injury. You suffered a laceration to the back of the leg, which resulted in moderate blood volume loss. It means you were stabbed and lost some blood. The injury was not deep, so tissue damage was minor. It did nick an artery, however. You’re a lucky lady, Miss Baker. Another two inches toward your inner thigh with a deeper wound, and you could have bled out in under three minutes.” I nodded calmly, but inside, I was doing a few Hail Mary’s. He looked at the tablet again. “We were able to stop the bleeding with sutures, and we can release you sometime tomorrow, but you’re not out of the woods completely, young lady. You’ll need to stay off your feet for a few days to let it heal. The dizziness will pass by morning. You’ll also need to follow up with your doctor or back here at the hospital so we can monitor you for any residual blood loss or internal trauma. Do you have a local doctor?”
“No. I’m only in town for one night. I’ll have to get one when I fly back to—”
“Oh no, no, Miss Baker. You’re not going to be fit to fly for at least three days. That wound of yours would open right up in mid-air…it would not be safe or pretty.”
Shit. I remembered that. After my last MMA fight, I wasn’t cleared to fly for a week.
My heart sank. “So what’s the soonest?”
“F
our to five days.”
That wasn’t soon enough. “I have a job in three days in LA, doctor.”
“Well, you should let your boss know you can’t work for the next little while.”
Shit.
“Can I drive?”
“You can’t. Someone else can drive you, but you’ll have to figure out how to get there positioned on your side. You don’t want to risk reopening it if you’re seated, do you?”
“No. I don’t, doctor.” I immediately thought of the road crew’s tour bus. “Okay. I can figure that part out. Is there anything else?”
“Yes. No standing, no exerting yourself, no moving around for the first two or three days. Just rest the way you’re positioned right now. You’ll heal faster, and most likely won’t need another hospital stay. After that, you can start moving around with crutches for a week, but you need to take it slow and easy.”
“Will there be any…any permanent damage?” My stomach turned just thinking about it.
“No, not at all. You’re young. You’ll heal right up, especially if you do what I told you. Be sure to let it heal completely so you don’t re-injure yourself, get it infected, or worse, cause internal bleeding. Understood?”
“I do.”
“Good. There are some people waiting outside to see you, and San Diego PD will need to ask you a few questions about that stab wound. I just started my shift, so I’ll check on you in the morning, when we hope to release you. Have a good rest, Miss Baker.”
I swore under my breath after he and left.
No work for five days, and Johnny’s last event was the most important.
Geez.
Johnny, Kevin and Fred walked in just after the doctor left. Johnny held a large bunch of roses in one hand…and wow…a basket that read ‘Hospital Survival Kit’, filled with boxes of chocolates and candy, and an adorable teddy bear on top.
“Hi,” I said weakly.
‘These are for you.”
“Thanks, Johnny. That was so thoughtful. You can set them down on the counter behind the machine.”
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