by Dawn Ryder
Percy laughed. “I’m terribly jealous. That Korean drummer looks positively decadent. Steve drooled over the pictures of you two.”
“Huh?”
Percy scoffed. “You’re all over the tabloids, my dear, and all over him, I might add. Being carried off in style.” His voice became a purr. “Caveman style.”
“What?” Horror cut through the fog sleep deprivation had left her in. “What pictures?”
Percy laughed at her.
“Percy.”
“Just google Toxsin, sweetie.”
She sat down at the desk and turned on the computer.
“I hear you tapping away, so I’ll go. You’ve got a package waiting for you in Seattle. Steve helped me pick out some luscious skins for those man animals.”
“Yeah…thanks.”
She ended the call as the mobile hotspot engaged on the computer. She clicked on one of the links, and a picture of her slung over Taz’s shoulder filled the screen.
“Oh, shit.”
Cussing didn’t change the full-color image of her, butt up, on the guy’s shoulder. But there wasn’t any mention of the fight. She trolled through the other links, but came up dry when it came to the fight Syon had had with Conan.
Shit.
And double shit.
She was in over her head. Cid had done his job alright. Bought off the right people and left the juicy bits out to fan the flames of Toxsin’s reputation. She felt nauseated but not because of the motion of the bus. It was the sheer size of the road manager’s reach. His cronies suddenly seemed a lot more threatening than they’d been before. Not a single one of them was a fool; that was for sure.
She’d better watch her back, because her reputation wouldn’t survive if they turned on her.
* * *
“This is frustrating,” Kate groused.
Syon kept her head where he wanted it with one large hand threaded into her hair.
“Yeah. Glad we fucked first.”
Perched on his bike, with the Space Needle behind them and the light from a half-moon, he was kissing her senseless. Long, deep, hungry kisses that were melting her insides.
“Smooching is fun…until I realize how much I want to get inside you.”
He angled his head and kissed her throat. A wet, full-contact kiss that ended with a soft bite. She shivered, her toes curling as her clit throbbed. Cars buzzed past them on the road, and a soft giggle came from another couple who were a dozen yards away in the roadside pull out.
“But you wore the skirt,” Syon cooed appreciatively as he slid his hand along her thigh.
“Kinda stupid on a bike.”
He raised his head. “I’ll keep you off the pavement.”
The picture of her over Taz’s shoulder came to mind and she froze. Syon’s hand stilled against her.
“What’s on your mind?” he asked.
She shook her head, not wanting to kill the moment. She tried to kiss him, but he held her back.
“Spill it, Kate. Something’s bugging you.”
She shrugged and rolled her neck, but he didn’t release her. “Cid managed to keep all the pictures of your fight with Conan out of the media; couldn’t he have stopped that shot of me on Taz too?”
The road manager could have. She knew it. The real issue was why he hadn’t and what Syon thought about it.
“Cid is an asshole,” Syon said, pulling back a few inches.
It felt like ten feet.
“But a useful one. He knows how to pack the seats.”
“You know how to pack the seats,” she said. “I get the whole argument, but honestly, it’s starting to piss me off a little bit to hear your music sold short. Those fans don’t scream because of some pictures in the tabloids. It’s something your music touches inside them. Sets loose, really.”
His expression became very sensual. “I like setting loose your inner desires.”
She pointed a finger at him. “That’s a two-way street.”
His expression tightened, becoming guarded again.
“Not even.” She reached out and stabbed him in the chest with her finger. “Don’t think for one second I am going to surf this insanity current alone. Your ass is coming along.”
Syon’s lips twitched. But his expression stayed hard. “Being around me means you’re going to end up in the tabloids.”
“I’m not griping about that.”
“Yes, you are.” He started to pull his gloves on. “You’re used to having control. You won’t have it completely with me.”
“No shit.”
She hadn’t meant to let that slip out. Something flashed in his eyes that set off a tingle of warning in her.
“I don’t like part of it either,” he said, “but not enough to live in a cage. I pay Cid and a couple of good lawyers a lot to deal with the worst of it.”
“Cid must be good, or you would have been in jail over that fight. Even with Conan vouching for you. The cops could have slapped you both with disturbing the peace violations.”
“I’m not sorry. He was asking for it.” Syon offered her a looked that said “bring it.”
She ended up laughing at him. “That’s part of Conan’s charm.”
“Mine too.”
He was dead serious. She eyed him for a long moment. “Maybe.”
Something flickered in his eyes. It set her on edge, because she got the feeling he was planning something. He leaned in, flattening his hands on the seat of the bike on either side of her hips. Her heart reacted instantly, beating faster.
“I want to take you somewhere I can fuck you.”
Her lips went dry.
His eyes narrowed. “Do you want me to do that, Kate?”
She rolled her lips in, a surge of lust igniting her insides. “How do you do that?”
One of his eyebrows rose. “Turn you on?”
She nodded, fixated on him, on his mouth, and the fact that she desperately wanted to kiss him again.
“It’s only fair, since you make me crazy.” He pressed forward, connecting with her mouth. He teased her lower lip with two slow licks before pulling away.
“You’ve only known me a week.”
He pressed another kiss against her mouth, this one harder, more demanding.
“And you took your clothes off first.”
She stiffened, but he kissed her again and kept kissing her until she stopped trying to wiggle away.
“It keeps me sane”—he was kissing his way across her cheek and onto her throat—“knowing I’m not alone. I’d be on my knees if you refused me.”
She scoffed at him. “You wouldn’t have to go far for solace.”
He lifted his head and locked gazes with her. “Don’t sell me short. I’m more than the tabloid persona. I want to be liked for more than Toxsin.”
“I know. Sorry, that was hitting below the belt.”
His eyes were lit with need. “I like that game too, but we need the right venue for it.”
He offered her a hand and pulled her off the bike when she took it. He swung his leg over the Harley and waited for her to mount behind him. He was more complex than she’d ever expected, more real. Guilt chewed on her because she’d judged him before getting to know him.
But she was glad to have been proven wrong.
When they were riding, he was in control completely. Maybe it was one of those things she shouldn’t dwell on too much, but at the same time, she got the feeling that he enjoyed being in command of her. They wove through the streets, making their way to the hotel near the center of town.
The horde of fans was there, wearing Toxsin T-shirts and plenty of leather. A few hopefuls were playing guitar on the sidewalk, trying their best to be noticed. Not to be outdone, the paparazzi were there too, their cameras ready.
Syon drove up the main driveway, ignoring the entrance to the parking garage. The crowd roared with approval. He lifted his helmet off. A group of Cid’s polo-shirt crew started pushing the fans back from the walkway to t
he entrance doors. Fans screamed louder as they good a good look at Syon.
Cell phones were lifted up, a hundred little flashes going off like fireflies. Syon offered Kate a hand as one of the crew members took their helmets. She put her hand in his, conscious of the people watching. He pulled her along toward the doors but stopped halfway from the curb to the revolving entrance.
Syon pulled her against him and kissed her.
It was a hard kiss of ownership. A declaration of intent. He pressed her lips apart, capturing her squeal as he turned her in a small backward circle to hide the fact that she was recoiling.
The crowd went crazy.
“Great ass!”
“Sexy redhead!”
“Give her some tongue!”
Syon didn’t disappoint his fans. He kissed her thoroughly. She wanted to resist, wanted to hold on to some small part of her dignity, but all that went through her mind was the fact that she hadn’t found another picture of him kissing anyone.
It was an admission. A very public one, but a very personal one too.
“Lucky!”
“Bitch!”
Syon finally lifted his head from hers, sending her a very satisfied smirk before he turned her around and pushed through the huge rotating door that led to the hotel lobby. One of Cid’s guys was there with a key card, but when Kate extended her hand for one, Syon shook his head.
“You’re bunking with me,” Syon said as he turned and headed toward the elevators.
Two girls standing there moaned with disappointment. One spoke up anyway. “Can we join the party?”
“Sorry.” Syon pulled Kate into an elevator. “It’s private.”
The girl pulled her top down, giving him a view of her tits before the door slid shut.
“It’s very private,” Syon informed her.
The penthouse suite was set up for him. Syon pulled her through the outer sitting room to the master bedroom, which was massive. His guitar was sitting in the corner, the spot had a bird’s-eye view of the city. It was a full three-room suite, candles lit to welcome them. Her suitcase was in the corner, her clothing hung up in the closet.
“Why did you kiss me like that?”
Syon was stripping off his gloves, pulling each fingertip free before removing the protective gear.
“To prove a point.”
She recognized this side of his persona. But she’d only seen it before when he was conducting business.
Cold, hard, completely dominating business.
Her belly did a little flip, and she shifted, feeling very much on edge.
Syon tossed the second glove aside.
“That you’re mine. I don’t want there to be any question.”
Satisfaction glittered in his eyes, but it was the hunger drawing his lips tight that made her nipples bead.
“Says who?”
It just slipped out, but she wasn’t sorry. She propped one hand on her hip and faced off with him. “I’m not yours because you stage some stunt for the paparazzi.”
His lips curved. “You’re mine because I make you wet.”
She shifted, far too aware of how correct he was. “B.O.B. could help me with that.”
His grin broadened. “I like your ginger mode.”
She rolled her eyes, but it was a mistake to look away from him. Syon scooped her up and carried her to the bed. It rocked as he followed her down, kissing her breathless once again. He thrust his tongue deep into her mouth, sparking a firestorm of need in her pussy. She’d never been so bluntly aware of how much she wanted to have intercourse. With Syon, she was in heat. He held her down, smoothing his hands along her arms and pulling them up above her head.
She grasped the rails of the headboard, the iron cold from the air-conditioning.
The candlelight was perfect, granting them some sort of permission to just dive into the waves of sensory overload.
“I want to unwrap you.”
He worked on her top, popping the lace and pulling it free of the grommets. When he had it open, he spread it wide, exposing her chest. She started to move, intending to help him strip her.
“Stay,” he barked. “Don’t move. Wait on my whim.”
He sat back on his haunches, his gaze sweeping her from head to toe. She shivered, so aware of him looking at her. Her confidence wavered, but at the same time swelled because he was in no hurry to stop.
“Do you like being on display for me?”
She nodded, not sure she could form words.
He cupped her knees and raised them up to her belly before straightening them, her feet pointing at the ceiling.
“Stay.”
He slid his hands down the outside of her legs, over her calves, past her knees, to the bottom of her skirt. He kept going to where the zipper was hidden along her left hip. She was so aware of him and of the sound of the zipper separating. He pulled the tab all the way down before hooking his hands into the waistband and pulling it up her legs. He had to stand up to remove it, because her legs were still pointed at the ceiling.
She gasped, the sight of him yanking her skirt away twisting her insides.
“Open your legs for me.”
She’d crossed her ankles, but unlocked them and watched his face as she spread herself for him, the yellow flicker from the candles turning him golden. He stood there, above her, making her breath catch, and opened his fly. His cock was swollen, jutting out the moment he allowed it freedom.
“Oh yeah…” She curled up and rose onto her knees, reaching for his cock, cupping his balls before licking her way up the shaft.
Her leaned forward, bracing his hands on the wall above the headboard as she circled the head of his cock with her tongue.
“Shit…” he growled. “Suck it…”
“Not yet.” She licked him again, making a slow pass along the ridge of flesh that crowned his cock. “You’re going to wait for it.”
She toyed with his balls, recalling just how he’d driven her crazy with foreplay.
It was time for payback.
“I’m going to make you lose it this time.”
She cut him a look and purred when she got a glimpse of his face. It was savage, hard with primal enjoyment, and she’d put that look there.
She stroked his cock, closing her fingers around his girth and working her hand along its impressive length. She ached for another round with it, but she was going to make him groan first.
“Oh shit!” he hissed when she took him inside her mouth. “Yeah, baby…suck it down…”
She’d never wanted to give a blow job as much as she did at that moment. This wasn’t a payback, tit-for-tat thing. She wanted to drive him wild.
He was jerking toward her, fucking her mouth as she played with his balls and worked her fingers along the portion of his cock that she couldn’t take inside her mouth. She lifted up and came down, rubbing her tongue along the underside of his cockhead to tease the cluster of nerve endings there.
“Yeah…suck me…suck me hard…”
His voice was guttural, the moment hard and blunt. She tightened her lips and hand, working her mouth up and down as she listened to the sound of his breathing.
He gasped, groaning as he sucked his next breath through his clenched teeth. He was driving toward her, holding her head as his cock hardened to the breaking point.
“Argh…”
He started to spurt, giving up his come in a thick eruption that she sucked him through. It was more erotic than anything she’d ever done, the shift of power intoxicating in a whole new way. She sat back, pleased beyond measure by her victory.
And it was a victory. When Syon opened his eyes, there was the promise of payback.
He dropped to his knees and stripped her chemise top from her, but he didn’t remove it completely. He twisted it around her wrist and knotted it.
“Does that hurt?”
She was still stunned to discover herself bound. He lifted her chin so he could see her expression.
“N
o. It doesn’t hurt.”
Pleasure lit his face, and a moment later he pushed her onto her back, using his chest to flatten her on the bed. He pulled her arms above her head, and she felt him tying the ends of the top to the headboard.
“It’s my turn, baby.”
She trembled, both from the timbre of his voice and the look in his eyes. He pulled up and off her, sliding his hands down her body to her breasts.
“Perfect tits.”
He teased them with just his fingertips, sending a thousand ripples of pleasure across her skin. She twisted, unable to stay still. Her nipples had contracted into tight beads that he leaned over and licked.
“Oh, Christ.” She jerked as his tongue rasped over one nipple, lapping, licking, before he moved over to the other one.
“I like them wet like this…” He came back to the first nipple and treated it to another round. “From my tongue.”
The air-conditioning was cool against her nipples when he left them and ventured lower. He grasped her panties and pulled them free.
“And I like seeing this part of you glistening too.”
He pushed her knees open, but honestly, she was shameless at that point. She was ready to have him, in any position he demanded.
“So wet.”
He trailed his index finger through her folds, stopping at the opening to her passage.
“So inviting.”
He rimmed her, circling her opening with that fingertip, the look on his face making her breath catch.
He thrust inside, drawing a moan from her as she lifted up to take him.
“So tight.”
He added a second finger on the next thrust and worked them in and out of her.
“Were you sore?” He pushed deep and scissored his fingers inside her, setting off a whole new round of hunger. “From my cock?”
“Yeah…” Her voice was thready and desperate.
He moved his thumb up until it was resting on top of her clit.
“I love the sounds you make when you come.”
She jerked, the need simmering inside her reaching a critical heat level. She’d never been one for talk during sex. But once again, Syon was taking her to places she’d never realized she wanted to go.
“Suck me.” It should have sounded cheesy, but instead she discovered it so erotic, she writhed.