I knew I shouldn’t do it. It was one thing to sleep with Garrett, but to willingly create evidence that I had done it? This was the kind of thing that when it went public, people always said ‘Why would she ever do that?!”
Well, I wanted to do it because Garrett had woken something up inside me that I hadn’t known existed. Because the thought of sending that picture sent a thrill through my whole body.
Because at the end of the day, I wanted to.
My heart thumped as Cassie looked at me expectantly. I looked at my phone, finding the picture that Garrett had sent me and I started laughing.
“Ah, fuck it!” I said and Cassie jumped up, clapping her hands.
“You’re a smoking hot Personal Relations Manager, and Garrett Wood is about to jizz all over himself when he sees it.”
I blushed and laughed. “Cassie, you are so raunchy.”
She winked. “In the best way. Now send it!”
“What if he shows it to someone else?” What if someone at work sees it? What if the press sees it?
Cassie shrugged. “I guess that’s something you have to consider. But here’s the way I see it. This guy is clearly into you. Even on the other side of the country, he’s calling you. He’s missing you. You obviously think he’s a decent guy, or else you wouldn’t be involved with him.”
She was right. She grinned at me.
“Plus, you look fucking hot in those pictures, so if someone else sees them, at least they’ll know what a babe you are.”
My phone buzzed. It was Garrett.
Didn’t like my picture?
I showed Cassie and she looked at me expectantly. “See? He is so into you. He’s probably freaking out right now, thinking he’s made a mistake by sending you a photo. Give the man a break, send one back!”
The thought of Garrett having a photo of me in some lingerie was terrifying and exciting at the same time. I knew that Garrett wouldn’t show it to anyone else. I knew that when he said I was his, he meant I was his. He wanted me, and I could feel it deep in my chest. I looked at my phone, and then back at Cassie.
I couldn’t deny it. I wanted to send him a sexy photo. I wanted him to look at it for the next three days and think of me. I wanted him to want me.
So I did it. I picked my favorite photo—the one of my back and butt looking amazing, with my face looking over my shoulder. The shadows made my curves even more dramatic, and I quickly altered the photo with my phone’s app to make it black and white. I turned it around to show Cassie, who gave me an approving nod.
“Classy,” she said wisely.
Then, with a deep breath, I pressed send. And then I squealed as Cassie laughed.
The fire in the pit of my stomach raged, and my cheeks burned as I clutched my phone to my chest. Even just thinking about Garrett looking at it made the desire ignite inside me.
Within seconds, my phone buzzed and Garrett’s name flashed on the screen.
Holy FUCK.
Chapter 15 - Garrett
That picture kept me going for three days. I called Morgan every evening, rushing back to the hotel as soon as I could to see her face on my phone’s screen. We masturbated in front of each other, and then we laid in bed with our phones, staring at each other through a screen.
It was oddly intimate. It felt like she was right beside me, but as the days went on I needed to feel the warmth of her body.
“I land in the morning tomorrow,” I said to her sleepy face. She opened her eyes and shifted in bed, and I caught a glimpse of her room.
“I know,” she said, yawning. “You guys are going straight to the studio to do some more promos for the Grammys. They need you to do a sound check at ten AM.”
“You told me that already,” I growled. “What I meant was, I’ll see you tomorrow. In person.”
Morgan smiled. “Maybe we can find a few minutes together in the evening,” she grinned. Her eyes drooped and she moved onto her back. She held the phone by her side and I watched as she started to fall asleep.
Every bone in my body was screaming to be beside her. I wanted to wrap my arms around her and hold her close. I wanted to fuck her, obviously. But something had shifted during these three days. We’d talked on the phone. We’d laughed and joked and fucked, even though we were thousands of miles apart.
And I felt more calm that I had in months.
All the shit with Brenda, my ex, felt like it was behind me. I didn’t need to go out and party. I didn’t need to put my fist through walls to get rid of the pent-up rage inside me. It didn’t feel like there was a ball of white-hot anger inside me, clawing to get out.
“Alright, go to bed, Morgan. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She mumbled something, already asleep. I ended the call and rolled over onto my back. I stared at the ceiling and rubbed my forehead, wondering how this had happened.
How had I gotten so attached to this woman in such a short amount of time? How had she managed to tame the beast inside me and make me want her in a way that ran much deeper than just sex?
I’d see her tomorrow, and I knew the passion between us would explode. Watching her touch herself on our video calls had been the sweetest torture, and I didn’t know if I’d make it a whole day without fucking her like I knew we both wanted.
I’d made her mine, but it was time to make it true. After the Grammys, I’d claim her. I’d go on stage with the band and we’d show the world that we were still the greatest rock stars of our era, and then I’d make her mine.
Until then, this torture had to continue.
And it continued. When I landed in Los Angeles on Friday, I expected to see Morgan.
“Marcus sent me to Vegas,” she sighed. “I’m not back until tomorrow morning.”
“Is he trying to keep us apart?”
“He’s trying to make my life as hard as possible when it comes to making sure tomorrow goes smoothly.”
“What a fucking asshole.”
Morgan laughed. “Looks like it’ll be video sex tonight again, I’m afraid.”
“I can manage that, I think.”
But I was frustrated. What was the deal with this guy? Why was he so intent on keeping Morgan away from us? She was our freaking PR Manager! She should have been there with us!
I tried my best to put my frustration aside. What I needed to do was make sure that the band and I were ready for tomorrow’s performance. As far as I could tell, Carter and Maddox had behaved themselves in New York. All our promos had gone well, and we’d even squeezed in a rehearsal.
We were as ready as we could be.
I just had to endure one more night away from Morgan, as much as I hated the idea. The only consolation was that I knew as soon as we walked off that stage at the Grammys, she’d be in my arms.
The next morning, Carter, Maddox, Lacie, Veronica and I met at the Staples Center. The guys and I did our sound check and a quick rehearsal. Veronica snapped photos of us, and Lacie waited in the wings until it was time to make us look like rock stars again.
We would head to a hotel just down the street to get ready, and then later a limo would bring us onto the red carpet for the whole world to see. Even though we’d played a thousand shows together, my stomach buzzed with excitement for this one.
It felt like a new beginning. It felt like all three of us were ready to play some fucking music again.
“New York was fun,” Carter said as we put our instruments down. There was a gleam in his eye, and he looked over at Veronica, who was still snapping candid photos of us. She’d be posting them later to our social media accounts, and I knew that the fans would love them.
“Looks like you guys had fun, anyway,” I grinned. Carter’s eyebrows shot up and he shrugged.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” he laughed, putting his bass guitar away and grinning at me. He and Maddox shuffled off stage, and I was left on my own in the huge, empty auditorium. I checked over my gear once again, making sure everything was right for the show.
<
br /> I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this thorough before a show. It felt like the old days, when the music was what drove us to do this. Not the fame, or the money, or the girls.
It felt good to get back to what really mattered. And in the depths of my heart, I knew it had been Morgan that had shaken me out of my binge-fueled, angry daze and prepared me for this show and the world tour that would follow. I knew that this album launch would be our biggest yet. I could feel it.
I scanned the room for any sign of Morgan, but she wasn’t there. Then, my heart stopped when I saw movement near the door.
My blood turned to ice. I’d recognize that long blonde hair anywhere. The woman who had sent me on a self-destructive tailspin six months earlier was cat-walking towards me, and my suddenly grew roots. I stood on the stage, completely still, as she came down the auditorium’s aisle. She stopped, tilting her chin up to look at me above her.
“Garrett,” she said with a sly smile as she got near the stage where we were setting up.
“Brenda,” I spat. “How did you get past security?” I waited as she looked me up and down, knowing that nothing good would come from her artificially plumped-up lips.
“Aren’t you going to ask me how I’ve been?”
“Wasn’t planning on it,” I growled, starting to turn away.
“Why? Are you all caught up with your new girlfriend now?”
I froze. New girlfriend? Did she know about Morgan? How would she?! We’d been careful. No one had seen us, I was sure of it. I turned on my heels and saw the triumphant smirk in her eyes. Her lips pulled ever so slightly upwards, as if the plastic in her face was preventing her from moving her mouth into a real smile.
Or maybe she was just incapable of genuine emotion.
“I don’t have a new girlfriend,” I said slowly. It pained me to say the words. It was true, in a way. Morgan and I had only met a week ago! But it felt like so much time had passed, and we’d gotten to know each other on such a deep level since then. Just as I denied it, I knew that I wanted to call Morgan my girlfriend.
Brenda scoffed, and then tossed a large brown envelope at me. It slid on the stage and came to a stop against my left foot. I looked at it for a second, unmoving.
“What’s this?”
“My insurance policy. I told you I’d ruin your life if you broke up with me.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to quell the anger that threatened to tear through my chest.
“Brenda, you broke up with me. You left me for that prissy little lead singer that looked like he was going to be more famous than me, remember? You’re fucking delusional. Why are you doing this?”
Her face twisted into an ugly snarl. “I’m doing this because you’re an awful, awful person, and a weak little man. For all your muscles and tattoos and bad-ass attitude, you’re nothing but a coward.”
She spun on her heels and almost ran out the door, leaving me to stare after her in shock. I was more confused than anything. A coward? What the fuck was she talking about?
I leaned down and picked up the envelope, peering inside.
My heart dropped when I saw the photos. I closed my eyes, leaning my head back and blowing the air out of my nostrils.
Slowly, I opened them back up and looked inside the envelope again. Printed on full sheets of paper were photos of me with no clothes on. I remember taking them in my hotel room in New York, right before I sent them to Morgan. I didn’t give a fuck about those photos. If they went public, they’d probably have make me more popular than I already was. But the next photo made my stomach sink like a rock.
Morgan.
That photo. The one that made my heart leap and my cock go rock hard. The one with her ass looking incredible in black and white, with the sexiest little lingerie that I just wanted to rip off her gorgeous body.
Yeah… that photo.
Somehow, my vindictive ex-girlfriend got her hands on it and was using it to blackmail me. I stared after her, not knowing what she wanted, or what I could do about it.
I jumped when a hand touched my arm. It was Morgan, looking at me curiously. Her eyes flicked to the envelope, and I folded it and stuffed it in my pocket.
“Hey,” she said, a shy smile playing over her lips. “I’m back.”
The anger that had flared inside me when Brenda had appeared dissipated, and I smiled. I leaned down and gave Morgan a gentle kiss before she stepped back, glancing around.
“Anyone could see us.”
My heart thumped, and in that moment everything inside me shifted. I wrapped my arms around Morgan’s waist and pulled her to me, growling as I ran my fingers up her spine.
“I don’t care,” I said in a low voice. “Let them watch.”
Chapter 16 - Morgan
Garrett kissed me harder than ever before. I melted into him, tangling my fingers into his hair as he pulled me to him. The bright stage lights warmed my skin, but it paled in comparison to the heat that Garrett ignited inside me. When we fell apart, his eyes were blazing with desire and my chest heaved up and down as I panted.
We stared at each other, wordless, as if we were frozen in place.
“I missed you,” he finally said, and my heart leapt in my chest.
“Yeah?”
Garrett’s eyes softened and he grunted. “Yeah.”
My lips quirked up. “You’re just a big teddy bear,” I grinned. “All those tattoos are just for show, aren’t they?” I put my hand on his chest and felt the thumping of his heart. “You’re a big softie.”
He took my hand from his chest and slid it down to his crotch. My eyes widened when I felt the heat and hardness of his cock.
“Nothing soft about me,” he growled. “You see what you do to me? This week has been torture.”
I squeezed my thighs together as the heat bloomed between them. I closed my eyes for a second, and then said the hardest words I’d had to say in a long time.
“We can’t, Garrett. Not now. You need to get ready for the show.”
“I’ve got plenty of time.”
I shook my head, pulling away. “You can punish me for this later,” I said with a grin. “But right now we need to get you ready for the red carpet.”
A growl rumbled in his chest and I saw his eyes flash with desire. He grinned. “You want me to punish you later?”
The heat between my legs burned hotter as his hand trailed across my collarbone. I shivered.
“Yes.”
“Be careful what you wish for, Morgan,” he said, and another thrill shot through me. Then, he dropped his hand and walked towards the exit. I noticed that brown envelope sticking out of his back pocket, the one he’d been looking at when I walked over to him.
“What’s in the envelope?”
Garrett stiffened beside me, and his face darkened. He shook his head. “Just something I need to deal with.”
“Is everything okay?”
“It will be,” he said, in a tone of voice that said I don’t want to talk about it. I nodded, leading him backstage where we met the rest of the band. I brought them to the waiting car, which would take them to a hotel room where Lacie and the rest of the style team would get them ready, and then they could have their big entrance on the red carpet in a couple hours.
I stayed behind, with a thousand things to prepare before the show. It killed me to watch Garrett get in that car and drive away, but I just swallowed back the flush in my cheeks and told myself we’d have time for each other that night.
I’d been dreaming of his cock for three days, and the desire was consuming my mind as well as my body. I could hardly focus on anything else. If my career weren’t on the line, I wouldn’t have gotten anything done.
But this show needed to go well. The band members were behaving themselves, with no trashed hotel rooms and no big drug- and alcohol-fueled benders since we’d started working with them.
I would have called it a miracle, but that didn’t really accurately describe the
depth of my feelings.
I just needed to keep my eye on the prize. Sometimes it was just hard to remember what exactly the prize was. Was it the awards ceremony and the successful launch of their new album? Or was it Garrett, in my arms, with his cock buried deep inside me?
Shaking the thought away, I headed back to the dressing room where I’d left my bag. As I walked through the door, I yelped when I saw a woman standing by the mirrors. She was touching up her impeccable makeup, and didn’t seem the least bit surprised to see me.
“Oh! Sorry!” I exclaimed, not knowing why I was apologizing. “I’m just grabbing my bag.”
She turned towards me with a curious expression on her face. I frowned, and then all of a sudden I recognized her. The woman from the office, with the long blonde hair and the too-perfect face. Her eyes were like lasers, boring into me until I squirmed. I still couldn’t quite place her. I’d seen her before, but where?
“Morgan Matthews,” she said. It wasn’t a question. How did she know my name?
“Can I help you with something?”
She laughed, then, a loud bark that made me jump. She looked at me again and took a step towards me in her sky-high heels. One hand drifted to her hip while she brushed her hair over her shoulder with her other.
“Yes,” she replied. “You can help me.”
I waited, not trusting my voice. She was scary. She lifted an eyebrow and glanced down at her manicured nails.
“You’ve been seeing Garrett Wood.” Again, it wasn’t a question.
“I’ve been working with him.”
“Liar,” she spat. “I know you’ve been fucking him, you little slut!”
I stiffened as the anger flamed to life inside me. “Excuse me?” I said, growing impatient with this woman. Who the hell was she, and why did she think she could just waltz in here and insult me? “I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“Listen to me, Morgan. Garrett Wood is a scumbag. He will crush your little heart to pieces and then leave you with nothing. Trust me,” she said, the bitterness crumpling her face. “I would know.”
Garrett: A Bad Boy Rock Star Romance (Rock Hard Book 1) Page 7