by Claire Adams
He climbed up the bed and kissed my lips as he reached for his nightstand, pulling out a condom. He kissed me hard as he rolled it on. When it was ready, tight over his throbbing and sizable length, he positioned himself between my legs. I tried to prepare myself, fully aware of his size, but when he thrust into me, I wailed as he stretched me.
He moaned, kissing my cheek as he slowly moved inside me, letting me accommodate his size. I wrapped my legs around him, moving with him, kissing his lips as we fell into a gentle rhythm. He felt unbelievable inside me. Each thrust seemed to bring more pleasure than the previous one as his thick member continued to push me to the limits of what I could accommodate.
Owen deepened the kiss, wrapping his arms around me as he thrusted harder and more vigorously. His breathing grew heavy, and his tanned skin glistened with sweat from the effort. I dug my nails into his back, moaning and arching my back as I grasped at him. I felt myself getting close to release as I pressed my cheek against his, panting and moaning in his ear.
He seemed to be able to read me and know precisely what to do to heighten my pleasure. He lifted me up so that I was in his lap, then began to thrust even harder and with even more fervor. My moans were uncontrollable as his powerful thrusts slammed into me. I couldn't remember even having felt so full before, having felt so turned on as I was at this moment.
He kissed me hard, tugging at my bottom lip as he maintained the intense rhythm. I could no longer hold back, and I came hard, my muscles tightening around him as my thighs trembled. I felt the pulsing of his cock as he released inside me, groaning into my hair, mumbling my name as he came.
We both rode the waves of pleasure together, holding on tight until they passed. Afterward, he lay on top of me for a few moments, breathing heavily. The feel of his hard, damp, muscular body against mine was amazing. Gently, he laid me down on the bed and slid his condom off, discarding it in the wastebasket before cuddling up behind me. He kissed my cheek and wrapped his arms around me. I turned so I could look up to him.
“This isn’t part of the job, right?” I asked with a mischievous grin.
He smiled and kissed my lips again. “Not unless you want it to be.”
I smiled up at him, not sure what to say. I did enjoy it, but was this really going to be a good idea with us going on tour for three to four months? He seemed to read my unease and smiled.
“You don’t have to say anything. We can see how things go. We have a lot going on with the tour; I know that more than anyone. Still, I won’t lie. It’s going to be difficult not to want to drag you into a room alone. You’re pretty amazing. This was pretty amazing,” he said, gently brushing a strand of hair behind my ear.
“It really was,” I agreed. “But we also have to keep in mind that we both have a job to do. I don’t want anything to get in the way of that. Even intense, mind-blowing connections like this was. You were...wow. So much more intense than I expected.”
“And, you are the most beautiful creature I've ever laid my eyes on,” he responded. “But you're right; we have to put the job ahead of everything else. But whatever else happens, I'm just happy that I'm here with you now, that we experienced this amazing moment together.”
I couldn’t argue with him.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Owen
It had been two weeks since I’d hired Nalia and, lo and behold, things were running smoothly.
She straightened out everything with the tour bus company, got radio interviews, YouTube interviews, chats with bloggers and vloggers, and she managed to get all sorts of other appearances lined up, as well as accommodations set and reserved. She’d even done stuff I hadn’t even thought of, liking putting packing lists together for everyone. She’d gone to each of the guys’ places and helped them think about what outfits and such they wanted to wear for the tour and created lists of things each of them would need.
She kept everything organized and, as a result, everything was falling into place. She was incredible, beautiful, and sexy as hell to boot.
When I hired her, I expected help, but this had all made my life so much easier than I could have imagined. For the first time in, well, I didn't even know how long, I wasn't stressed out and worried about this tour. And, that is pretty much the only thing I could remember feeling in regards to the business side of the tour since we’d begun preparations for it — a sense of immense worry that things were gonna go wrong, that the guys would fall off the wagon and go off the rails, that we'd let our fans down, that the whole thing would turn into this gigantic, embarrassing fiasco.
But now, with Nalia's help, all of those worries had been put to rest. I finally knew that everything was going to work out like it should. This tour wasn’t just going to work out okay – it was going to be awesome. It was going to be the best tour we ever did. I just knew that the shows were going to rock — and when I say rock, I mean totally rock, tear the roof off the place kinda shit. With Nalia handling everything I'd worried about before – and handling it with such precision and efficiency – I could do what I did best, without any stress in the back of my mind. I would be able to focus purely on the music and the performance.
And it was all thanks to Nalia.
The more I thought about her, the more I felt myself being pulled to her. In fact, it was becoming more and more difficult for there to be a moment in which she wasn't running through my thoughts.
We hadn’t slept together since the first time, but I thought it would be better to not let it turn into something else or put any pressure on her. We were about to go on tour in two weeks, and I didn’t want her feeling like she was obligated to me, or that she had to be a certain way with me. And, I certainly didn’t want her to feel she had some sort of ownership over me.
At least, that’s what I was telling myself. Truthfully, I was probably protecting myself more than anything. I already felt something for her and I didn’t want it to take hold.
It just wasn't the right time for this — we had to put the tour above everything else. That was simply the bottom line, and we had to stick to it. Women could be weird when it came to sex and relationships. I just didn’t want any drama with her being upset if fans threw their panties on stage and acted ridiculous, as we’d seen plenty of fans do in the past.
I mean, surely she must know that there would be groupies and that women were going to go wild when they saw us. It's not as if I asked for it or anything; being the lead singer of Bleeding Heart, that kind of thing just happened. I couldn't help it or prevent it, and Nalia was going to have to learn to live with it all the way around. It was going to happen to all of us, and I could only hope she was prepared to handle it.
We were finishing up a band meeting when Nalia came in to go over some last minute items. I wasn’t completely paying attention, as my thoughts kept running back to her naked in my bed. Wow...what a night that had been. I wondered if she thought about it as often as I did. I wondered if she fantasized about me the same way I fantasized about.
“Finally, guys...don’t forget condoms,” she instructed. I hadn't really paid much attention to anything else she'd been talking about up to that point, but that did grab my attention.
“Seriously. Protect yourselves. But, I’ll have extra just in case you aren’t prepared, okay? I'm sure you guys already know this, but I'm going to repeat it anyway: nobody goes bareback. I am not joking. Not even a little bit.
“In fact, it's a great way to either end up with a paternity suit in a year or to catch something nasty on the road, and I don’t need to be rushing anyone to go get treated for Chlamydia. And, I don’t think I even need to mention potentially way more serious things. If you all have a shred of decency among you, you won't be wanting to pass that kind of thing on to your groupies, either. That's just not right.”
All the guys guffawed at her statement but, for some reason, I found her frankness with them — with us — a huge turn on. I guess she already knew exactly what happened on tour. I liked it.
&nb
sp; “All right, that’s all I have for now, but will definitely have more when we’re closer to our kick off of the tour,” she assured us before dismissing us all. The guys got up, but I hung back, grabbing her by the waist before she could leave the room.
Before she could object, I pressed her back against the wall and covered her mouth with mine passionately. She kissed me back for a moment before pulling away a little.
“Let’s get together tonight,” I whispered in her ear, crushing my hips against hers. “I know it might not be right, but watching you, I don’t care. I get lonely in that big house.” I kissed her cheek.
Nalia let out a sigh and patted my chest, pushing away from my hold. “I think you’ll be just fine without me. I’m not a sleep-around kind of gal, Owen, no matter how good the sex is.
“Now, if you'll excuse me, I still have a lot of work to do and a lot of things to organize. You, of all people, know how much work is involved in putting this tour together, so I’d appreciate it if you could try not to distract me, all right? I'm here to do my job, not to play around.”
And with that, she left me alone in the room, feeling a bit like an ass and completely disappointed.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Nalia
I was frustrated and irritated as I left the studio. I wanted to go home with Owen more than anything. Hell, I’d been thinking about him for the last two weeks, ever since the passionate night we had spent together.
But with the two of us about to be stuck for nearly four months on a tour bus working together, trying to make everything come together on this insane schedule and doing my best to keep all of the other guys in line, and insuring that everything ran as perfectly as clockwork, it was simply a disaster waiting to happen. Surely he had to understand that? There was no way we could be professional about this and carry on any kind of illicit physical affair at the same time. It just wouldn't work.
Sure, he was interested at the moment, but I was totally convinced that it wasn’t going to last, especially once we were on tour. Owen Young was one of L.A.’s most eligible billionaire bachelors — a strikingly handsome man who oozed sex appeal. He could very likely have any woman he wanted, and I was just a poor girl from the less-than-middle-class Midwest.
I mean, let’s face it, the man was a rock star. He was accustomed to women like lingerie models, glamorous film celebrities, or sexy pop stars. Those were the types of women a man like him wanted, not just an ordinary girl like me. It was silly of me to get my hopes up and imagine anything else. Real life just wasn't like that.
He’d remember that just as soon as he went on tour and groupies were throwing themselves at him. Then where would that put me? I couldn’t afford to get attached. Not even a little.
And, I sure as hell didn’t want to just be used by him, either. Maybe he really was lonely, but using me to fill a gap wasn’t something I wanted. That was something I definitely was not prepared to do.
But, damn, I had to admit that the sex really had been amazing. A little shiver shook through me just at the thought of it, and I had to snap myself out of it, remembering to put the keys in my car door. I looked back at the building, hesitating, but forced myself to get into the car. I was leaving. I was not going back inside. I headed toward my apartment, calling Grace on the way to see if she was home yet.
“Hey, I need a drink. Want to go to the bar with me?” I asked when she picked up.
“What kind of question is that? Absolutely! Everything okay?”
“Yeah, just a long day at work, is all,” I told her. I didn’t feel like getting into it. At least, not before I had a couple of drinks in me.
“All right. How far away are you? I’ll meet you outside.”
“Twenty minutes. See you then,” I chimed then hung up, blasting the radio and trying to clear my head of all things Owen Young.
Grace was already waiting outside when I pulled up. She got in, and we headed straight for the bar. She didn’t bother trying to pry further, at least not yet, knowing me better than anyone else. We got to the bar and went in, ordering two drafts. I sighed, taking a sip of mine and relaxing some now that I was far from work.
“Hey, look, they have open mic tonight! You should sign up,” Grace pointed to a poster. I shrugged.
“Sure, why not.” Playing always cheered me up. I downed my first beer and immediately started to feel better. The buzz of the alcohol relaxed me and made me feel a bit more carefree. A drink made it easier to get my mind off of Owen and work.
Feeling a bit more on the cheery side, I headed over to sign up for the open mic. They had it set up to one open mic performance followed by one song by the DJ, and then repeat. I checked the list and noticed that there were still a few people signed up before me, so I grabbed another beer; there was still plenty of time before my turn on stage came up.
My cell phone buzzed with a text message as Grace and I sat drinking at a table. Grace’s eyebrow cocked up as I checked the message and sighed. It was Owen.
“Hey, where are you?” the text read.
“The Barfly. Why do you need to know? I'm off the clock, and I've taken care of all my responsibilities for the day,” I responded, maybe a little harsh, but at that point — two beers in — I didn’t care.
He responded back quickly. “I needed you to come back in to work on a situation with one of the hotels, but no biggie, I can handle it.”
Good, I thought, not bothering to reply. I took another long swig of my beer and then shoved my phone into my purse.
“Owen?” Grace asked.
“Yeah, just a little bit of a situation with work and some mix up with a hotel booking. No big deal, though; nothing he can't handle on his own,” I said, shrugging it off.
“So, spill it. What’s going on at work? I mean, you seem a little out of sorts. Have things gotten weird or uncomfortable or something?” she asked, leaning forward and raising an eyebrow at me. I swear I should have never told her about me and Owen sleeping together. I was starting to regret letting her in on that little secret.
“Nothing is going on with work,” I said flatly. “Absolutely nothing. It's all fine, seriously.”
“Are you sure?” she prodded. “Because that tone tells me otherwise.”
I sometimes hated that she knew me so well. “Fine, fine, you're right. Things aren't okay — they're not okay at all. He came on to me again today,” I finally admitted.
“Ohhh…then why are you here?” she giggled.
“Because I have to work with him, Grace! Jeez, doesn’t anybody understand that? I don’t need things getting complicated. And this job really is a lot of work, and it's so stressful. There are a million things to take care of, way more than I could have ever anticipated there being.
“Then you add the stress of trying to keep your boss at arm’s length. It’s just...ugh! I really don't need to be on an emotional rollercoaster with Owen Young on top of everything else.” I turned my attention to the stage to watch the next performance and let her know I wasn’t about to discuss it any further. She took the hint and we both watched the next few performances without discussing work or Owen.
By the time it was my turn, I had long finished my third beer and was feeling a decent buzz. There was a good bit of liquid courage flowing through my veins by the time they called my name. Getting a pat on the back and “good luck” from Grace, I headed straight up to the stage, feeling confident. They had an older, baby grand piano, but it was still in good condition. I’d played it a few other times at open mic night, so placing my fingers along the ivory felt comfortable.
I sat on the bench and adjusted the microphone stand before starting in on a song. It was one I’d written a while back, one of my favorites. I got lost in the music as my fingers pressed down gracefully on the keys. I’ve always felt at home up on the stage, just losing myself in the beauty and intensity of the music, just feeling every ounce of my being connecting with the notes and the lyrics and the soul of the song. I closed my eyes, the words
flowing fluidly along with the melody as I poured my heart into the song and let the music carry all of my troubles to a place beyond me. I didn’t even notice how silent the room had grown while I was singing.
When I finished, I opened my eyes and looked up at the silent room, scared for a moment, until cheers, whistles, and hoots broke out. I smiled, Owen far from my mind, absolutely content.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Owen
Being rejected by Nalia only seemed to make me want her more. It confused me, intrigued me, and drove me nuts at the same time. It wasn’t something that happened to me too often. Or really at all, for that matter. Usually, I was the one doing the rejecting. Maybe that was why the whole thing was so frustrating.
I shook my head, pressed my fingertips against my temples, and glanced back down at her text. The Barfly. I hadn’t been there before, but I was sure I could find it.
Fuck it, I thought. I’m going after her. I had wanted to play it cool, given we were about to go on tour, but I didn’t want to spend the night alone or in anyone else’s arms. I knew I would totally be breaking the pact we had made about not having a physical relationship with the assistant — again — but I couldn't care less about that at the moment. There was no other woman I could imagine being with.
I doubted any other woman could satisfy me like she had, anyway. I doubted they had a chance of coming even close to making me feel the way Nalia made me feel. Hell, the thoughts of her moans alone drove me bat-shit crazy.
I headed out to my car, typing the name of the bar into the GPS as I walked. It was a good thirty-minute drive, but that was not something that concerned me much. I’d much rather make a bit of a drive and at least see her than simply head straight home to a large, empty bed that only made me think of her on yet another lonely night. No, there had been far too many of those already, and I was getting pretty damn tired of it. I wanted her, and that was all there was to it.