Beats of Life (Perception Book 5)

by Shandi Boyes

The instant I hit the edge of the curtain, Kylie pulls away from my embrace. Anyone would swear it was me pulling away from her for the way she whimpers. I don’t have to say anything. I can already see the turmoil in her eyes. Any time I try to get her to go a little further backstage she always backs down. She had shown me the new items Melanie had added to her list last week. I may have sent Melanie a few message of thanks after we crossed off number one hundred and fifty-five as that was the best limo ride I have ever had in my life. But anytime I try to cross off number one hundred and fifty-three, Kylie denies all of my advances.

  “Not here,” she whispers softly, her eyes nervously darting around the stage.

  “I would never let anyone see you,” I reply staring directly into her eyes. There is no fucking chance in hell of that ever happening. I would never let another man see skin that belongs solely to me.

  “I know that,” she replies softly. “I just don’t want to do it here.” She emphasizes the here part of her statement with a hint of bitterness, and that jealously that was filling her eyes earlier returns to the forefront.

  “Why?” I question. Her eyes dart down to my chest, triggering me to roll my hips. The seam of my jeans is pressed firmly against the crutch of her panties, causing her eyes to instantly dart back to mine.

  “Why?” I ask again, but more firmly this time.

  She wiggles and tries to lower her legs. I stay holding on firmly, denying her request. She angrily huffs and attempts to cross her arms, but we are standing to close to each other that even her arms can’t fit between us. Her eyes dart back down to my chest. I lift her chin, forcing her to face me, before cocking my eyebrow, silently requesting for her to explain. She rolls her eyes, completely ignoring my request. I push my hardened cock against her crutch, triggering her to release a soft moan and her eyes to dart back quickly to mine. I cock my eyebrow again, clearly indicating that I will continue to tease her until she tells me what I want to know.

  “Fine!” she huffs. “I saw the whole stage curtain incident,” she says harshly, her eyes narrowing and her face morphing into anger.

  “What stage curtain incident?” I instantly question, seeking her gaze. Her eyes slowly lift to look into mine and they rapidly fill with tears. She takes in several deep breaths, causing her breasts to push against my chest.

  “In San Diego,” she whispers softly. I give her a look, clearly indicating that I don’t have a fucking clue what she is talking about.

  “I saw you with a groupie in San Diego,” she says quietly. Even though she is quiet, I can easily hear the anger in her voice.

  “What groupie?” I question. I have no fucking clue what she is talking about.

  She breaths harshly out of her nose and wiggles her hips requesting to be placed down again. I reluctantly place her back down on her feet, before leaning my hands against the wall behind her head, effectively trapping her in front of me.

  “What groupie?” I question again.

  “I didn’t think to get her name,” she says sarcastically, darting under my arm and moving towards my dressing room. “You probably didn’t either,” she mumbles under her breath.

  I grab her wrist gently and pull her back towards me. She huffs again and crosses her arms in front of her chest. My eyes instantly dart down to look at her cleavage. I can’t fucking help it, I am a guy and she has fantastic tits. She tries to hold in her smile, but fails miserably. She loves the effect her body has on mine.

  “I haven’t fucked a groupie in weeks,” I inform, staring directly into her eyes.

  “You weren’t fucking,” she murmurs under her breath. She is so quiet I have to strain to hear her.

  “I haven’t touched a groupie in weeks,” I clarify. She murmurs something under her breath again, except this time it isn’t loud enough for me to hear.

  “What?” I query, my eyes seeking her gaze that keeps darting away. If she keeps not maintaining my eye contact, I am going to push her back up against the wall and use my cock against her like I always do. When she notices the expression on my face, her eyes dart back to mine.

  “I saw a groupie attached to….that,” she says, motioning her hand towards my crutch. My eyes open wide in shock, and my dick stiffens slightly since she motioned her hand towards it.

  “When?” I question. No one since the waitress in the San Diego nightclub has sucked my dick, bar Kylie.

  “Opening night,” she eventually whispers, instantly triggering me to shake my head in denial. Kylie’s eyes narrow and her nostrils flare in anger.

  “I saw you Slater,” she informs angrily.

  “It wasn’t fucking me,” I reply. She crosses her arms again except this time she doesn’t smile when my eyes dart down to her cleavage.

  “It wasn’t me. I haven’t touched or fucked a groupie since I saw your eyes filling with tears when I walked out of the bathroom in the nightclub in San Diego,” I inform. It killed me seeing her eyes fill with tears. I never felt dirty before, but I did that night.

  “I have never lied to you Kylie. There hasn’t been anyone since then,” I continue firmly.

  “What about the lipstick on your shirt?” she questions quietly.

  “That’s part of my job. The groupies and fans get a little excited. Take the elbow to your nose last week as a prime example,” I reply, staring directly into her eyes.

  Her eyes slowly flick between mine, showing her confusion, before the realisation suddenly dawns on her face.

  “Sonny,” she says through gritted teeth. She clenches her little fists together tightly before she storms through the curtains. I quickly follow behind her.

  With her quick and angry strides, it doesn’t take her long to reach the roadies all sitting around their normal makeshift table, like they are at the end of every concert. Sonny lifts his head the instant Kylie walks into the room.

  “Are you okay?” he questions concerned when he notices the look on her face. He stands from his seat and make his way towards her. His concern for Kylie is clearly shown on his face, which pisses me the fuck off.

  When he stands in front of her, she rears back her hand and slaps it firmly across his cheek, causing a loud slapping noise to echo around the room. The road crew all cheer in sync, I chuckle loudly and Sonny looks shocked.

  “It wasn’t Slater behind the curtain, was it?” she questions angrily, her eyes staring firmly into his. He shrugs his shoulders, indicating that he doesn’t know what she is talking about.

  “The groupie in the curtain at San Diego,” she continues sternly. Sonny’s eyes open wide in shock and he swallows harshly several times in a row. Just as he is about to respond, Mark pipes up behind him.

  “That was me,” he says loudly, his voice slurring badly in his drunken state.

  “Shut up,” Sonny requests, his angry eyes turning to glare at Mark.

  “What?” Mark questions, his face appearing confused. “You told me to get Slater’s boots out of his dressing room, then you organise that hot groupie, remember?” he says, his eyes glossing over like he is recalling a fond memory.

  My jaw ticks and I clench my fists tight. That fucker had set me up. Obviously in an attempt to get Kylie into his bed.

  Kylie slaps Sonny again, leaving a large red mark on his cheek and I storm towards him, ready to unleash my own punishment. Just as I am about to reach him, Kylie steps in front of me, halting my hasty strides.

  “I’ve handled it,” she informs softly. Her gleeful eyes stare firmly into mine. I can’t tell if she is happy about teaching Sonny a lesson, or happy because she has just realized I haven’t slept with any groupies since she arrived back in the picture. Either way, I love seeing the happiness in her eyes.

  “I think it is finally time to cross number one hundred and fifty-three off my list,” she whispers seductively, triggering my dick to instantly stiffen.

  My eyes dart up to Sonny, who looks prepared to run at any moment, before turning back to Kylie’s. She is panting hard that her breasts are moving
up and down. Her eyes are overflowing with lust and her cheeks are flushed. She looks the hottest I have ever fucking seen her.

  I quickly turn my eyes back to Sonny. “You are lucky I have more important things to handle right now,” I say, shooting daggers at him.

  “Pack your shit, you are fucking done,” I continue firmly, before throwing Kylie over my shoulder and storming towards my dressing room.

  I might have to send Melanie a bunch of flowers after crossing this one off.

  Chapter 28

  Kylie

  One week later….

  “Stop it,” I chastise, slapping Slater playfully on his arm. He is chuckling loudly because Jacob just got busted teaching Maddie how to flip the bird by Noah.

  We are all gathered in Noah and Emily’s cabin for Maddison’s 1st Birthday Party. The rest of the band had travelled back to their home town two days ago, but Slater and I stayed in Los Angeles for an additional two days because we wanted to cross a few more items off my list. We flew in this morning and headed straight to the cabin. My trip back to this side of the country was certainly a different experience compared to two years ago. When I travelled to Melanie’s house, I had caught the bus. It was an exhausting forty-eight-hour trip, but it was the only way I could afford to get all the way over the other side of the country. I had used a majority of my savings paying to have Jenni’s windows replaced on her car. I felt incredibly guilty for the way I had behaved the night before and it was the only way I could offer her my apologizes, without having to confront her in person.

  I arrived at the bus station preparing to buy a ticket to travel back to the ranch. I had nowhere else to go and I figured my dad would let me come back home if I turned up with my tail firmly planted between my legs. Just as I walked up to the ticket counter, Melanie called my cell phone. For the past year she had always forgotten about the time difference between our states. When I answered, she squealed so loud I had to pull the phone away from ear. She was drunk dialling me for the hundredth time since our friendship had started. When I burst into tears, her happy slurs soon lessened. I told her everything that had happened, minus the detail that it was an up and coming star that I was leaving. She invited me to her house without a single twinkling of hesitation. I originally declined her invitation. I couldn’t travel across the country on a whim.

  “Why not?” she said. I went silent on the phone for a few minutes, trying to think of an excuse.

  “What have you got to lose?” she continued.

  “Nothing,” I immediately replied.

  “Exactly,” she replied. And just like that, the decision was made. I turned up on her door two days later wearing the same clothes I had left the cabin in.

  Melanie and I had met on an online forum for people diagnosed with ALL. She was diagnosed just shy of her twenty first birthday and went into remission two years later. We were at Seattle celebrating her remission and it was our final hurrah before I went back to the ranch. We had an instant connection, just like I did with Slater. When I met her for the first time, I realized why we clicked so well. She is a female version of Slater down to the smallest details. Slater laughed loudly when I told him that last week. When his chuckles eventually died down, he nodded his head gently, agreeing with my statement.

  When Slater first pulled into the cabin, I tried to hide my smile. Although that night holds a lot of bad memories, it also holds a lot of fond ones as well. It was the first time I met Emily, Jenni and Nicole. They instantly befriended me and treated me like they had known me their whole lives. I never really had female friends growing up and although it was a new experience, I loved every minute of it.

  “Do you wanna go for a swim?” Slater whispers into my ear seductively, forcing my eyes to quickly dart to his.

  “Isn’t that the pool they got married on?” I reply quietly, hoping that Emily and Noah won’t overhear our conversation. How was I to know when we were christening the pool two years ago that they would end up buying the cabin and get married on that very pool.

  “It’s a bit too late to be worried about that now,” he replies quietly in my ear, pulling me back towards him so I can feel his large erection straining against his jeans zipper.

  My eyes dart around the room as my pulse quickens. Noah is talking to Jacob on the sofa, Emily and Lola are replenishing the snack tables and Jenni and Nick are playing with Jasper on the ground. There are a few other people hanging around the large living area, but no one I recognize, bar Maggie, but she is too busy taking photos of everyone to notice our private conversation.

  “Five minutes,” I whisper quietly, planting a quick kiss on his smiling lips. “And I mean five minutes this time,” I continue, triggering him to chuckle softly.

  I quietly slip out of the room unnoticed and within a matter of seconds Slater is on my tail.

  He is forever impatient.

  ****

  “I don’t know what I find sexier,” I say, my eyes turning to look at Slater. “You on your bike or in this car,” I continue.

  Slater smiles largely, before he revs the engine, sending a nice purr right through my seat. The tingling sensation mimics the feeling my pussy is doing from looking at him sitting behind the steering wheel of his sexy dark grey car. I don’t know much about cars, but this one is nearly as gorgeous as its driver.

  I keep my eyes on his profile the whole time he makes the thirty-minute trip from Noah’s cabin to his condo. His eyes continue to flash over to mine and he would offer me a quick smirk before returning them back to the road. I am glad he hasn’t been treating me any different since he found out my secret. Most people normally treat me different. Dominic did. My friends did. Even my parents did. The only people that didn’t were Melanie and Slater. They still treat me like I am me. Not someone that was dying. Not someone that was sick. Just me.

  We pull into a large apartment building that is located near the docks. The whole building looks like an old warehouse conversion. It is very masculine with its exposed brick work and black steel features. It suits Slater to a tee. Tough, rugged and gorgeous. He leans over and pulls down the glove compartment, his hand slightly brushes past my jean covered thigh to hit a button inside. The large black roller door slowly opens to expose an underground garage. Upon entering, my eyes dart around at handful of expensive looking cars and bikes in the garage. Obviously only extremely wealthy people live in this apartment building. Slater pulls into a spare carpark and runs around the car to assist me out. He grasps my hand tightly within his as he swiftly makes his way to the elevator. The elevator is only small in size, which means the sexual energy bouncing between us is even more prominent than normal.

  The vision of him driving his sexy car and the purr of the engine is still in the forefront of my mind when I quietly whisper. “There is no elevator attendant this time.”

  His eyes dart over to mine and in a matter of mere seconds, he has me pushed up against the elevator wall. His delicious and firm lips explore and taste my mouth like it is the first time they have ever sampled it. He pulls away from our embrace and murmurs a curse word under his breath. I pant, unable to move or speak since his kiss has rendered me speechless. His eyes look up at the security camera mounted in the corner of the elevator, before returning to my face. My tongue darts out to moisten my lips. I’m not trying to tease him it is just my body’s natural reflex when he stares at me with so much lust in his eyes. He smirks seductively, before he quickly pulls his black shirt over his head and throws it up at the camera. He grins largely when his first attempt successfully covers the camera. My soft giggles turn into shallow moans the instant his lips brush against my neck.

  “What about the other occupants?” I ask between moans. Slater does live here and I don’t want to make it awkward for him with the other tenants if they walk in on us.

  “There is no other occupants. I own the whole place,” he replies, his hand slipping up the back of my shirt to undo my bra with one quick flick. My mouth pops open wide in shock
. Not because there are no other occupants, but because he was able to undo my bra so quickly.

  “I’m all about the beat baby,” he says cheekily, when he notices the expression on my face.

  Once Slater and I have thoroughly christened his elevator, we make our way hand in hand into his large loft. The top floor is massive and the inside matches the exterior. It has lots of exposed brick and black steel. The kitchen is done in black marble and sits in the far right hand corner. The windows that peer over the bay are floor to ceiling high. All the furniture is very masculine and very male. Black leather sofas, a black dining room table with black leather chairs, a black drum kit and even a black billiard table. The whole loft screams bachelor pad. Slater stays quiet, his eyes watch me as I slowly absorb the space.

  “How many rooms do you have?” I question. The loft is massive, but it is very open and I can only see two doors located on the far left hand side of the room.