The Last Love Song (A BWWM BDSM Romance)

by Lyn Rosella

Afraid isn't the right word, that man is afraid of nothing. He just couldn't face the questions - he couldn't face the guilt. And those paparazzi assholes would go for the jugular.

  I sat back down and finished my drink alone. Then, I finished his. Then I blotted away some errant tears in the bathroom. I'm not actually crying over this. We can still fix it. I can fix it. I can do anything.

  But, staring at my mascara-smeared reflection, I wasn't so sure. I couldn't change my life for him, I wouldn't even consider it. And I couldn't change him. I'd gotten him to open up a little, but he'd shut right back down faster than a rat trap. And he'd fled.

  Maybe it just wasn't meant to be. Maybe I'd go home and write another heartbreak song.

  San Francisco. It was with a heavy heart that I watched out the window as we landed on the tarmac. Vaughn hadn't contacted me since he left me in the bar, and I hadn't reached out to him either. I wasn't sure if I was giving him space or giving up.

  Lexi had certainly made her opinion known. "You don't want any bad press right now, and he's bad press," she said.

  "Oh, give it a rest," I said with a dismissive wave, "The tour sold out in less than two minutes. What are you so worried about?"

  She didn't answer. I was beginning to wonder if she was just sick of her job.

  "Is everything ready for the party tonight?" I asked. I knew the crew was itching for a little celebration. We'd be too tired for much as the tour wore on.

  "Yes," she said, "I'm going to go ahead but the limo will pick you up either in front of the hotel or the back. They'll let you know."

  I nodded my approval. "And security? I won't tolerate another Camden slip-up."

  Lexi rolled her eyes. She rolled her damn eyes! "They'll be on the lookout for anyone not on the list and anyone with the blasphemous yellow flowers."

  "If you have a problem with any of this, Lexi-"

  "It's fine," she said, "It's just frustrating. He's still trying to push artists at us for collaborations." She waved a dismissive hand at me. "Pauline even thinks some of them might be a good idea but we know you won't go for it."

  "She thinks they're a good idea?"

  "Yes." She gave me a level look. "Your Camden ban is cutting off a pretty decent pool of new musicians."

  "Look around you, Lexi. We don't need them. We're doing perfectly well without them."

  "We're just considering the future. That's all. His brand is growing, and one of these days-"

  "One of these days he’s going to snap and you’ll all see what I saw. I just hope no one else gets hurt while you all work with him and pretend that he isn’t a lit stick of dynamite." I squeezed my eyes shut.

  I knew why she was saying what she was saying. It was one of my biggest fears - eventually Camden could hold more influence over the music industry than I did. And when that day came, it could very well be the end for me. They don't know how unstable he is. He's big fucking trouble. I kept waiting, waiting for the day that his true colors showed and it all blew up in his face. It would happen, dammit. I would keep my throne, and he and his "brand" would fade into obscurity. He wouldn't be a threat anymore.

  "I know what you're saying," I said, "But I have been nothing but clear about this."

  Lexi looked away. "You're the boss."

  Damn right.

  ◦◦◦

  Gavin was the only one riding over to the party with me. Lexi would already be there, and Pauline was running late. He was very excited about it. "Will you and Pauline play matchmaker tonight?" he asked, practically bouncing in the seat facing me. "If you do, I'd like to volunteer myself."

  I gave him an indulgent smile but I made no promises. I wasn't in much of a partying mood. The limo pulled away from the hotel and onto the highway, and I stared out the window and watched yet another city roll by. Back to recording after this tour, I promised myself. Writing, recording, and not traveling at all. I needed a much longer break from the road than the one we'd just had.

  We were stopped at a stoplight only five minutes from the venue when a car pulled up next to us and four figures filed out. Gavin sat up with alarm as they circled our car. "What the fuck-"

  Glass shattered. The driver spat curses as someone reached inside and cut his seatbelt with a big pair of scissors, then pulled him out through the window by his collar. The same happened on the passenger side - my bodyguard was bodily yanked from the car.

  "What the fuck?! Who the fuck are you?!" I shrieked, reaching for my door. I swung it open - and Camden caught it.

  "Hey there, Z," he said.

  My stomach churned and I tasted bile. He's finally gone off the deep end - and he's going to take me with him.

  The opposite door opened and one of Camden's suits yanked Gavin from the car and sent him rolling on the pavement. Then the guy got in.

  All the doors closed. The engine revved, and the limo flew forward, stealing me away.

  Camden stroked my hair. "Did you miss me?"

  I jerked away. "You sick fuck, what the fuck are you doing? Are you insane?" I already knew the answer to that myself.

  He shook his head. "I know that song was about me, Z, no matter how much you deny it."

  My phone was in my purse. But my little eye-flicker in its direction was all the hint that Camden's goon needed - he grabbed it and he sat on it. "Dumb fuck," I snarled at him. "This is kidnapping. How much is he paying you for kidnapping?"

  The guy only glanced at Camden before studiously staring straight ahead and not replying, like a good goon should. He must be getting a pretty nice bonus check.

  That left Camden. Or the driver and the guy in the front, but somehow I didn't think yelling at them would get me very far. "You can't really hope to get away with whatever it is you're trying to get away with, here."

  "Sure, go ahead and press charges," Camden said. He pressed a tablet into my hands. "Just be prepared for me to release this."

  It was me on the screen. Eight years younger, naked, posing for the camera, giggling about it. "You told me you deleted this," I hissed in disbelief.

  "I lied."

  "You've had this all this time?" I stared at myself, fascinated. The years had been mostly kind to me, but that fresh and youthful smile, that carefree attitude, that was all long gone. "Why now?" I whispered.

  "Because of that guy," he sneered. "Your bodyguard. I can deal with you being alone. But not with someone else." His face twisted as he spoke. Like a madman. "You're mine, Z, even when you're not."

  I slammed the tablet to the floor. "You bastard. What the hell do you want? I'm not getting with you, Camden, not ever. Not even this video will make me do it."

  The limo pulled to a stop. "Where are we?" I asked, peering out the window. The sun hadn't fully set yet, and though our windows were tinted I could see that we were in a deserted parking lot. "Camden-"

  Someone knocked on his door. He opened it with a smug grin.

  My jaw dropped. "Lexi?"

  "Zenaida." She had her clipboard with her. As soon as she was seated next to Camden's goon, she passed it to me. "What the fuck is this? Are you in on this? Do you have any idea how much time you'll serve for being involved in a kidnapping, you dumb bitch?!" I was working myself up into my famous fever pitch, but Lexi remained calm.

  "This isn't a kidnapping, this is a negotiation. Sign these contracts and the video never sees the light of the internet."

  I slapped the clipboard to the floor. "And what are you getting out of this?"

  "A promotion."

  Figures. Camden retrieved the contracts from the floor. "It's nothing so onerous," he said, "Just a few endorsements, a few collaborations. Appearances. All fairly ordinary."

  "And you think our labels will just play along?"

  "Have you been under a rock? I've transferred. Your label signed me this week."

  My world was falling apart around my ears. My own label - traitors. I almost started reading the contracts, just to check them out, to see what exactly he was after. But then Camden upped t
he crazy - just as I knew he would. Just as Lexi and apparently else didn't seem to believe he could.

  He grabbed my hair and dragged me to him, making me lean awkwardly across the seat. He buried his nose in the straightened black locks and inhaled deeply. "God, I've missed you," he said. "Do you know how often I watch that video?"

  I bit my tongue. Don't scream. Calm him down. "Nobody wants to know about that, Camden."

  "I will have you back," he hissed down at me. "Your girl here tried to keep you and that white dickhead apart but obviously she did a shit job!" He shouted the last two words and twisted my hair even harder. I swallowed a yelp.

  "Camden, come on, this is just business. Let her go." Lexi sounded nervous. Obviously she'd underestimated this man's level of crazy.

  But I hadn't, and I wasn't now. I had to swallow my own terror and diffuse him somehow or else all of us were in serious trouble.

  "Just let me go and I'll sign," I said.

  He smashed my face into his lap and screamed, "Not good enough, Z!" I struggled to escape but he was too much stronger. Shit, shit, not again, I'm not doing this again! Then suddenly his grip loosened and he was smoothing my hair back. I turned my head away from his crotch but I didn't dare get up. Resting against his thigh, I tried to catch my breath and tamp down the panic that was threatening to grip my mind.

  "Baby," I said, "Do you want me to write a new song? About you? You can add that to the list."

  "Not one of your bitch anthems," he snarled, his hand gripping tight and threatening to tear my hair out.

  "A love song!" I yelped, "One just for you!"

  "Lexi," he said, "Add it to the deal."

  The girl had remained silent and still and she made no move to change her frozen state. "Lexi!" he barked again. I could only see her knees; her body jerked as if she’d been shocked back to life.

  "Okay," she said shakily. She retrieved the clipboard from the floor.

  I waited quietly while she wrote. All I have to do is get out of here in one piece. He can take that contract and fuck himself. He can show that video to the world. I just need to escape.

  He twisted me around and forced me to face him from my position at his lap. "See, Z? You will love me again. I told you I would make you."

  "You also told me you wouldn't hurt me anymore."

  "Just stop pissing me off and I will. I can be nice." He leaned down and kissed me. The contact was all at once familiar and vile. I screwed up my face and held my breath and waited for it to be over.

  The he licked my lips, and my nose, and my chin. I reached the end of my rope. That was all the indignity I could make myself tolerate. Twisting, thrashing, I screamed, "Get the fuck off me!" I grabbed the hands that held my scalp and tried to pry them away.

  My side window broke in an explosion of glass. "Let her go, you piece of shit."

  Vaughn! How in the hell-?

  Camden's goons rushed from the limo and dragged Vaughn out of my sight. A scream tore from my throat.

  They were going to beat him. They might even kill him - I didn't know what these guys were capable of. I knew Camden wouldn't hold back, not when he was this far gone. I kicked and tried to get away but he held me tight.

  "Lexi, don't fucking do this," I said, "This is just business, this isn't supposed to be life or death!"

  "Camden," she said hesitantly. Heavy thuds and grunts reached our ears from outside, but it was impossible to tell what was happening. "Camden, maybe this is going a little too far."

  He squeezed my hair again. "I told you I would go as far as it takes!" I clawed at him, but he was too much stronger than me. He had my wrists trapped in one hand in an instant, like it was nothing.

  Then, I heard something in the distance. Sirens. My heart leapt. Help was on the way!

  "Drive!" Camden shouted. The engine started. He shouted again, "Go! Now!"

  The limo lurched forward as the driver pulled around, making the turn out of the parking lot. The sirens were still off in the distance. Oh, God, they're not going to get here in time, Camden's going to take me God-knows-where, and Vaughn...

  I kicked against the far door with all my might, heaving my weight against Camden and throwing him off balance. He grunted as I threw my head back into his gut. The grip on my wrists loosened and I wrenched them away.

  Fueled by terror and adrenaline, I raised an elbow and slammed it down hard, right in his crotch.

  He barely made a sound. All the air escaped him in one harsh whoosh and he recoiled, curling in on himself. I rolled to the floor.

  "Stupid bitch," I snarled at Lexi. I pushed myself onto my knees and I slapped her, hard. She held her cheek in shock but made no move to fight back. "I warned you about him."

  "What the fuck?" the driver shouted at us, glaring through the rearview mirror. We're still in the parking lot. It had all happened so fast. He hadn't even completed his turn. Time to bail. Unthinkingly, I pulled myself up to the broken window and climbed through. He swerved wildly but I held on. Sharp shards of glass dug into my side as I pulled myself out, tearing my dress and my skin, but I didn't care. I just had to escape.

  I nearly screamed again when Vaughn himself ran at the car and pulled his way through the broken front seat window. Had he even seen me? He was throwing himself inside just as I was getting the hell out!

  Well, I wasn't waiting. If he'd taken on those two henchmen and survived, he could certainly handle Camden.

  I kicked at the hand that held my ankle, but I suspected he let go more because of Vaughn than my stiletto. Bracing myself for impact, I hauled myself out the rest of the way and flung myself to the ground.

  Time slowed. Or at least it seemed to. I just knew that I had enough time to think, "Why didn't I just open the door," before I hit the asphalt.

  My shoulder hit first. Then the rest of me, one impact after another, rattling my teeth, jarring my bones. I rolled over and over for so long that I feared I would never stop. I left bits of skin and dress behind.

  I didn't realize I was still until I'd stared at the sky for a good long moment. It was nearly dark out, now. How long had I been away? Would people at the party realize? What the hell was all that noise?

  The sirens! The police had arrived, finally. I sat up with a groan, every piece of me aching. Be thankful that you can sit up.

  I spotted the limo. The police had blocked it in, but it was stuck, anyway - driven head-on into a tree.

  A man was striding toward me. Tall, muscular, familiar. The red and blue police lights reflected off his head. “Vaughn!” I laughed out loud.

  "Are you out of your mind?" he asked, dropping to a crouch in front of me. "Crazy woman, why did you go out the window?" He cupped my face and gave my eyes an examining look. "Are you hurt? Did you hit your head?"

  I pushed his hands down. "I'm fine. Mostly." I had some serious road rash on my arms and legs that was already beginning to sting.

  Heaving a sigh of relief, he wrapped his arms around me and clutched me to his chest. "You found me," I said, my voice muffled by his shirt. "What made you come back?" I still couldn't believe he was there. I was touching him, breathing him in, but it felt like a dream.

  "I heard your song in the car this morning," he said, "On the radio. I heard that line. 'Love will let you let go.'" He shivered. "I felt so bad for leaving and it just kind of hit me. I want that. And I want you. I'm sorry that I walked out."

  My heart swelled with his admission. I didn't trust my voice so I just clung to him tighter.

  The police swarmed around us, barking questions, but I barely heard them. Somewhere beyond, back toward the limo, Camden was cursing to the skies and shouting my name.

  "They're arresting him," Vaughn said, "You're safe, now, honey."

  Safe enough. Safe with you. I pressed my face against his neck. We’d have to move soon, the police were swarming the lot, but all I wanted to do was savor his presence. He came back. He saved me. I was more determined than ever - I was never letting this man go.
<
br />   Questions. So many questions. Giving a statement to the police was nothing like giving an interview.

  It was nearly sunup by the time Vaughn and I were on our way back to the hotel. Gavin, our driver, and the other bodyguard were all okay - they and Pauline met us at the police station. They were the ones who had alerted the police that I'd been kidnapped. But it was thanks to Vaughn's intuition that I'd been found.

  "The assistant, Lexi, she was pretty nasty when she turned me away from the party," he said. "Then when I spotted her leaving... well, it set off some alarm bells in my head. Right at the same time, I overheard the security team freaking out about Zenaida disappearing. My gut told me to follow Lexi. I wasn't parked anywhere near her, I almost lost her before I even started the chase." He shrugged like it was no big deal. "But I got lucky."