As soon as she slipped her tongue into his mouth, his needs must have taken over his senses. Laz held her waist and guided her up so that he could position her on his lap facing him while she straddled him. He broke from the kiss long enough to douse the light in that area, although the living room light remained lit.
The backlight gave her enough illumination to see him, all of him. She trailed her fingers down his strong neck to his chest where she circled his nipple, making it harder with each of her passes. Then she eased her hand down his body to his growing erection through his shorts. She rubbed it as she stared into his eyes.
That must have been enough for Laz. She felt him reaching under her dress and grabbing the side of her panties. As she started to stand so that she could shimmy out of them, she heard a distinct rip and felt the fabric cut into her hip.
Ordinarily, she would have been pissed. Considering she wanted this man just as desperately as he wanted her, she worked on getting his hard penis freed from his shorts. She undid the fly and unzipped him at the same time Laz pushed what remained of her undergarments to the side.
As soon as she touched his shaft, Laz stopped her by slipping one finger inside her.
Avery gripped his shoulders as she rode him, slowly at first. The intense connection between them added to the fervor.
Laz wrapped one arm around her waist before slipping a second finger inside her. “That’s it.” He nodded. “So good.”
Avery held on to his shoulders while she leaned her head back. “My God.” She rode him faster and faster.
Sweat trickled down between her shoulder blades and between her breasts. She wrapped her legs around him tighter to bring him in deeper into her channel. Her body trembled.
Laz must have known what that meant. “Come on, baby. Do it. Do it.”
Avery nodded before sitting up straight and moaning while she came. Every muscle in her body tightened to an almost painful degree until the climax subsided.
Laz unfastened a few buttons on her dress before pulling it over her head. Then, like before, he undid her bra from behind her with only one hand and without looking. He pulled it down her arms and tossed it to the side.
“You. I want you inside me.” She kissed him lightly. “Please.”
She felt him doing something with his feet under her before he stood with her still on him. He carried her to the couch and placed her on her back. Then he dove into his carryon bag for the condoms he had with him at the hotel.
Laz opened a package and rolled the protection on himself. He kissed her all over her face before finally connecting with her lips. In one stroke, he plunged himself in her.
He cupped her breast and squeezed it, massaging it while making slow, easy thrusts in her. Then he twirled her nipple with his long thumb.
This time, when she felt his muscled thighs shaking, she held him down. Avery gripped his shoulders while moving her hips to meet his thrusts.
“Perfect. Perfect.” Laz gritted his teeth like he didn’t want to come. He even shook his head.
Avery needed this man. She pinched his nipple at the same time she squeezed his ass cheek with her free hand.
Laz nodded. “Yes!”
Avery felt his hot seed bathing her insides as he held himself in her.
He looked down at her, panting and sweaty. “The next time you see Marissa, you cannot tell her what we did on this couch.”
Avery laughed. “Just tell me that your bed wasn’t a gift from anyone.”
“Only to you.” He winked before laughing.
“You almost said that with a straight face.” She kissed him. “Let’s go to bed before our lives change tomorrow.”
“Everything will change.” He nodded. “Are you ready for it?”
Avery didn’t know about that. For now, she would smile and hope for the best.
Chapter 17
Laz gripped the woman’s hand who had changed his life since the first moment he listened to her over a year ago. Each time he stole glances at Avery on their trek to Section Eight he found her beaming as though she knew a secret that she desperately wanted to share but didn’t, or maybe couldn’t.
He had been holding in a secret, too. No matter what happened today, he had fallen in love with this woman. Everything about her, from her drive to her creativity to her passion, both in the bedroom and out, had him in every way, shape, and form. The fact that they both enjoyed music cemented his love for her. After this meeting, he would share his secret.
“Are you ready?” Laz squeezed Avery’s hand.
“I think so.” Avery took a deep breath. “Yes, I’m ready. I’ve wanted this forever.”
Laz stopped, which made Avery stop in her tracks. He stood in front of her. “Now remember, even if you get signed, it may take a while to get your album out, if you even get to record an album.”
Avery rolled her eyes. “I know. I get it. It’s a hurry-up-and-wait kind of business.”
He held her hands and looked at her to make sure she understood every word he said. “It can also be a ruthless business if you let it. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
She put her hand on his cheek. “I would only get hurt if you didn’t believe in me or my talent. But you do, right?”
He took her hand off his cheek and kissed the back of it. “Of course I do. I wouldn’t have gone through everything I have if I didn’t think you were worth it.”
“Then everything will be fine. I feel the same way about you.” She opened her mouth like she wanted to say something else.
Laz’s heart started pounding. He squeezed her hands, trying to call some strength to reveal his true heart.
Avery laughed a little. “If it doesn’t work out, I will have lost two jobs because of you. I could write a song about that.”
Laz smiled. “I’ll look out for you. I promise. I won’t let you go through all this for nothing.”
“Great. Now will you finally tell me where we’re going?” She peered around the big buildings in Manhattan. “This is your city. Not mine. I don’t know where we’re at.”
“We’re here.” He stopped her in front of the doors to the Section Eight office.
Avery looked up at the steel-and-glass structure. Her smile melted the higher her gaze got. “I see the symbol at the top, but I don’t think I know this company.”
“They’re called Section Eight, and it’s run by Sanaa Farook. They mainly do rap acts.” Laz had his hand at the small of Avery’s back when he felt her take a large step back.
“I don’t rap.” She shook her head.
“I know. They’re looking to expand, and they’re wanting a flagship, unknown artist to kick off their new brand. That could be you.” He stood in front of her and stared into her eyes. “This could be your big break.”
She stared back at him for a moment before gazing up at the building again. “What about Charisma? I mean they’re local, well, for me. And they seem to do the kind of music that I—”
“Maybe as a Plan B. But this Plan A one is damn near a surefire bet.” He wrapped his arm around her waist. “Come on. Let’s go in and wow these people. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll Plan B it.”
Avery took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay. I’m ready.”
Laz opened the front door for her and walked in behind her. Avery stopped in her tracks at the security desk.
“Oh, wow.” She said the utterance in a low tone but still audible enough for Laz to catch it.
“Standard. There are a lot of wackos out there.” He stood behind Avery and rubbed her shoulders.
“I don’t remember seeing anything like this at Charisma.” She slowly stepped forward toward the security checkpoint area.
“It’s okay. You’re here to sing. Let’s get through this and start your destiny.” Laz helped her load her metal items into a dish.
&nbs
p; Once she got through the detector unscathed, her shoulders dropped down. Laz joined her on the other side and walked with her to the receptionist desk. Stone Face kept her demeanor stoic until Laz got close to her desk. Then she had a slight hitch at the corner of her mouth.
“Hi, Laz Kyson and Avery to see Ms. Farook.” He smiled to keep up the professional demeanor.
The receptionist cut her gaze away from Avery. “You two can have a seat. I’ll let Ms. Farook know that you’re here.”
“Thank you.” Laz started to turn when he felt a hand on top of his at the counter.
The young woman with the stick-straight hair had his hand pinned down and had herself positioned halfway out of her seat. “Are you still thirsty? I could quench it for you.”
Laz glanced at Avery, who looked stunned, confused, and a bit pissed, before he brought his attention back to Stone Face. He slipped his hand from under hers. “No. We’re fine.” He made sure to point to the two of them. “We’ll wait for Ms. Farook.”
Laz followed Avery to the waiting area. He sat next to her and draped his arm across the back of the chair behind her, to which she responded by sitting up straight and away from him.
“She seemed very eager to please you.” Avery crossed her legs.
“She’s a receptionist. She’s supposed to make guests feel comfortable.” That reasoning sounded plausible.
Guilt plagued him that he had flirted his way to change that woman’s demeanor.
“I don’t know her. I’ve been here a couple of times.” He braced his elbows on his knees and lowered his head.
“Okay.” Avery picked up a magazine on the coffee table in front of her and absentmindedly flipped through pages.
He shook his head. “I think she must have mistook a couple of compliments as something more.”
Avery nodded and remained quiet, but her crossed leg and swinging foot spoke volumes. After a beat she slammed the magazine closed. “So you didn’t like it when your dad was a little flirtatious during breakfast, but it’s okay for you?”
Laz definitely didn’t see the comparison. “Hold on. There’s a huge difference between me and my father.”
“What’s that?” She stiffened up her back.
“He was married when he stepped out of line. We’re…” He stopped himself from going any further.
“We’re what?” Avery glared at him. “Look. I understand. I get that we’re going to have a working relationship. You said from the beginning that we shouldn’t cross the line.” She glanced at the young, Asian woman behind the receptionist desk. “What we did, we did out of fun. If you want to date other people—”
“I don’t.” Damn it. If he had any chance of swaying her, he had to do it now. “And I want us to be more than exclusive besides you signing that contract and being my client.”
“Laz, I—”
“Mr. Kyson!”
Laz turned when he heard his name coming from someone with a booming voice. The guard that had taken him up each time he had been to the label called to him from in front of the private elevator.
“Ms. Farook will see you now.” He clasped his hands in front of his body as he waited for Laz and Avery to approach him.
Laz stood first and held out his hand to her. Avery got up on her own accord and walked ahead of him.
Shit. He really fucked this up big time. Laz had to make this right.
Like before, the guard got them up to the top floor, entered his security credentials, and ushered them in the room. Inside, Sanaa sat behind her massive desk. She didn’t bother standing when Laz and Avery entered the room. Why should she? She owned this castle.
The same three stooges that had stood off to the side of her during Laz’s last visit assumed their same position this time. When Laz noticed Avery walking slower and slower next to him until she now walked behind him, he stopped until she could catch up. Trying to give her a bit of his strength, he held her hand.
Avery felt like she wanted to jerk out of his grasp, but he held her tighter.
“You got this.” He nodded to her.
“Have a seat.” Sanaa pointed to two chairs in front of her. Then she looked at Avery. “Allow me to introduce myself.” She stood from her desk finally and made her way around it to stand in front of Avery. “I’m Sanaa Farook. I own Section Eight.” She glanced over at her team. “These are my employees who help me with business deals.”
Sanaa’s monochromatic theme continued. Today she wore all black from head to toe. Damn. Did the woman have to look like she was headed to a funeral? The look couldn’t have given Avery a positive outlook on her chances there.
Sanaa extended her hand to Avery, who shook it tentatively.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Avery Shields.” Avery drew her hand back.
“Mr. Kyson is one of your biggest cheerleaders.” Sanaa walked back to her seat. “I didn’t believe him when he said he had someone special in mind for my burgeoning R&B and pop line.” She shook her head. “I saw the video of you.” She clicked a button on a remote, populating a video on a large screen in the room.
The video showed Avery singing “Make You Feel My Love” during her first night at Honey’s. Laz couldn’t tear his attention away from the beauty on the screen. If only she had opened her eyes, he could have experienced her full soul then. Since that moment, he had bonded with her in a real way. He wanted more. This misunderstanding couldn’t tear them apart.
Sanaa’s loud clapping startled Avery enough that she gasped and put her hand to her chest.
“Amazing. Beautiful.” Sanaa smiled and pointed to the screen. “That’s the type of artist I need here at Section Eight.”
“Thank you.” Avery tucked her hair behind her ear. “I have a question for you.”
A couple of people in Sanaa’s team shuffled as though asking Sanaa a question went beyond what a mere mortal could do.
“Go ahead. Is it about the contract?” Sanaa glanced at Laz. “He showed it to you, right?”
Avery didn’t look at him. “No. He said he would review it for me.”
Sanaa shook her head and tsked. “Not good. Sounds like he’s trying to control you and stifle your voice.”
“Not true and not fair. I had questions about a lot of the terms that I wanted to discuss with your attorneys first. Nothing’s getting signed today.” Laz waved his hands in the air.
“Don’t be so sure about that.” Avery didn’t look at him when she responded. She kept her full attention on Sanaa. “Why do you call this place Section Eight?”
Sanaa leaned back. “I feel like I’ve answered this in interviews time and time again.”
“Unfortunately, I didn’t know which label I would be seeing today until I stood outside of your doors this morning.” Avery crossed her arms over her chest and crossed her legs.
“Wow. More controlling tactics.” Sanaa winced. “As a businessperson, I can respect your need to have a handle on everything. But you have to listen to your artist and let them be.”
This meeting started to feel like his last meeting at Universe. Laz couldn’t take another character assassination. “I wanted to surprise Avery, not withhold anything from her.”
“Sure.” Sanaa shook her head at Laz. “Anyway, I wanted a name that was tough but showed some resilience. To be in section-eight housing means you are down on your luck, but you haven’t given up. You’re asking for help to make your life and your family’s life better.”
Avery nodded.
“Plus Death Row and Murder were already taken.” Sanaa shrugged and chuckled, which made her team laugh as well.
“Oh. For a short time, my family was on public assistance.” Avery kept her stare directly on Sanaa.
Laz blinked at her admission. He wanted so much to hold her, but the strength in her words almost put an invisible barrier around her. Avery didn’t ne
ed protection. She needed to be understood.
“You’re right. Hitting rock bottom like that did make my family fight for a better life.” She glanced down at her watch. “I work with my father in his janitorial business. If I’m not there tonight to help him, he’s going to fire me, and I’ll be out of work.”
Sanaa shook her head. “No, you won’t dear.” She snapped her fingers. “I’m prepared to offer you a contract, a recording contract. Not an artist grooming one. I want you to hit the ground running.”
The big man in the track suit stepped forward with another leather-bound journal that Laz suspected had another boilerplate contract inside. He couldn’t let Avery sign it. The terms asked for everything short of her first-born child.
Avery’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”
Laz furrowed his brows. “Wait. Hold on. Let’s talk about this.” He had never known a label lately to be this aggressive on a new artist. Usually, they had to prove themselves with writing hits and singing background before making their own mark.
Sanaa ignored Laz. “I’m serious. I liked what I heard.” She scanned Avery up and down. “And I like what I see. You’re pretty and sexy but talented. Lately, it’s been a crapshoot.”
Avery reached for the contract until Sanaa raised her hand in the air.
“But there is one thing I need. Actually, two things.” She held up her index finger. “The first thing is I need to see and hear for myself that you’re the real deal.” She sat back in her chair.
“What does that mean?” Avery’s attention went from Sanaa to Laz and back to Sanaa.
“Sing. I want you to stand right here and belt out a tune for me right now.” She pointed down. Then she tapped on her watch full of diamonds. “And my time is precious so don’t keep me waiting.”
“Um, okay.” Avery stood, which, again, startled the group next to Sanaa until the woman held up her hand.
“Wait. She hasn’t prepared a song. She hasn’t warmed up.” Laz did everything he could to save his client, his woman. “This isn’t really fair to—”
Love Like Crazy Page 23