Finding the Rhythm

by Leigh Louden

  None of that gave Ally any real comfort. She was heartbroken, and the nature of the heartbreak just made it harder for her to pick herself up again. She had the occasional moments of peace helped along by gestures from Vinny, Ethan and I, but for the most part, she was just a little girl lost.

  The last few weeks of the tour flew by, and while Ally played her heart out and smiled, and did everything else that made her a great bandmate, her spark was gone. Her passion for life. Hell, even her cheek was gone, as was the sarcasm. I couldn't stand seeing her like that. I understood why. I knew she was down; I knew she blamed herself on so many levels, but she was just as much Devon's victim as the other girls. Something had to change.

  Our last gig was coming up that night, and I decided we needed to make it special for her. I called the guys and discussed it with both of them. We all agreed. Everything was set.

  The end of the final gig arrived, and I held my hands up to silence the crowd.

  “Guys, we have a big announcement for you all.”

  A huge cheer echoed around the venue.

  Ethan went over to Ally and pulled her out from behind the drum set. Vinny went off stage to grab a present for her. She was escorted over beside me, front and centre stage.

  “You all know the amazing Allison Watts, right, guys?”

  Another huge cheer erupted.

  “She’s done an amazing job this tour, right?”

  The crowd cheered and shouted ‘yes’.

  “Well, I just wanted to let you know that Ally will be staying with us, with Dragon Zion, permanently, as our new drummer.”

  She blinked at me in complete shock. Vinny appeared beside her with a big bunch of flowers and gave her a huge kiss on the cheek. The crowd cheered more. They clearly agreed with Allison being finally announced as the official replacement for Jason.

  “You’re part of Dragon Zion,” Ethan told her, and grinned.

  “Ally! Ally! Ally!” the crowd chanted.

  I could see the tears filling her eyes as she took everything in.

  “We love you. Right, guys?” I asked the crowd. The largest cheer I think we have ever had at one of our concerts echoed around the stadium.

  She smiled a warm and genuine smile, and a tear escaped and rolled over her cheek. She took the mic from my hand and looked out to the audience.

  “Thank you all so much. The last few weeks have been hard for me, and you guys have seen me through it all,” she said, looking at us as she said it.

  I smiled back at her and nodded. Vinny blew her a kiss, and Ethan smiled back at her too. Something on her face had changed; something had lifted from her. She was coming back to us.

  As the crowd cheered, we all linked arms and walked off the stage as a foursome.

  Something definitely changed in Ally when Smith announced her as the permanent replacement for Jason. She looked like a person whose life was suddenly that little bit lighter. She wasn’t back to the Allycat who’d walked into the audition that day, but she was back to being close to that. I knew time would have her feeling better; distance from the event would help endlessly.

  Since getting back from the tour, the guys and I had been talking about getting some properties where we could all live. We had been talking about it for some time and nothing ever came about it, but now we wanted to make Ally feel good, so it had to be a place she would be interested in too. We just hadn’t told her that part yet. We had been looking in and around the Surrey area, trying to find the perfect place.

  Ethan came bouncing into the studio with his tablet in his hand. “This is it!” He handed it to me, and I looked at the screen.

  “Four luxury apartments in a converted country estate. We could all have our own space, but there’s communal areas for things like a gym, a home studio, a pool, stables, and a massive garage.” I flicked through the photos. “Damn, that’s a fucking nice piece of land.”

  Smith took the tablet from me and had a look too. “I agree. Want to arrange a viewing?”

  Ethan nodded, took the tablet back, and started looking up the details for the estate agent. Ally came in just as he was finishing up his call. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. I knew what it meant. Do you think we should take Ally? I nodded slightly back at him.

  Smith got there before us. “Ally, Ethan’s just sorted a viewing on an amazing house in the Surrey Hills. Want to come and look at it with us?”

  She was surprised but agreed.

  We had worked well into the evening on the start of some new material for a new album now Ally was ‘official’, even though we had all known she would be staying with us regardless. I was tired as fuck when the guys arrived at my place to take us to the viewing.

  “Alright, you lovely bastards.” I laughed. “Let’s get to Surrey!” I sat beside Ally and we set off for the hour and a half trip into the Surrey countryside.

  A while into the journey, my curiosity was getting the better of me. "So, Allycat. What do you look for in a house?”

  Smith looked at me in the rear view mirror and smirked.

  She thought about it before she replied. “Storage, a great garden, room to move around, and I guess the right company in it from time to time.”

  I grinned. Ethan’s choice ticked all her boxes without even trying. This was going to be great. We chatted about houses, about how the album was going, and our general plans for the future.

  When we arrived at the house, we realised that the photographs online really hadn't done it justice. It was beyond amazing.

  "Oh, wow!" Ally gasped, summing up pretty much perfectly what the rest of us were thinking. As we made our way up the gravel driveway, we spotted the estate agent waiting for us right outside.

  "Nice find, Ethan. This is fucking amazing," I congratulated him as I admired the outside of this incredible house.

  "Can't lie, mate, I'm impressed myself now I'm here." Ethan laughed.

  "Come on," Smith added. "Let's go look inside."

  We got out of our car and went to shake hands with the estate agent and see just what the estate had to offer.

  We viewed all four apartments, every one of them with four bedrooms including a massive master bedroom with an ensuite that included a tub and a lot of space. We walked around the massive expanse of the property and the grounds and countless 'wows' and gasps were uttered. And then the guy showing us around left us to our own devices.

  "So, if you could have any apartment, which one would you pick?"

  Ally grabbed me by the hand and led me to the one she would choose. "This one!" she said as we stood in the doorway. She walked into the room and started to explain all the things she would have set up and where. She showed me where she would put her bed and explained why. She stood by the window, gazing out at the massive garden and I moved in behind her.

  "I like where you would put the bed, but I'm a little worried the neighbours might see me naked when I'm in here with you." I grinned and kissed her neck. She was about to protest something, but my lips nipping at her skin halted her. She melted back against me, and my hands instinctively went to her waist, pulling her back against me. Her body moulded to mine and my hand roamed up towards her breasts.

  "Damn, you really can’t keep your hands to yourself," Ethan said, announcing his presence.

  I held Ally pressed against me and lifted my head from her neck. "Nope." I grinned.

  I put my lips back on her neck and shoulder and rubbed my hard cock against her, letting her know just how I felt about Ethan knowing we were together. She squirmed in my grasp, the heat radiating from her cheeks as she tried to get free.

  I heard Smith's voice behind me. "Guys, are you.... what the fuck?"

  Ally pushed me away and I laughed.

  Smith grinned. "Could we at least sign a contract on this place before you're shagging in the bedrooms?" He laughed, and Ally went the brightest shade of crimson I'd seen on her yet.

  "Oh my God." She was embarrassed as hell and broke past Smith in a power walk.
I looked at Ethan and we both just grinned and shrugged.

  "You are a pair of horndogs," Smith scolded.

  Ethan looked at me and shook his head. “I guess this means you’re official now, does it?”

  “Maybe.” I burst out laughing and walked past him, looking for Ally.

  "The agent's in the foyer," Smith called after me.

  I could feel the fire of lust and humiliation scalding my face as I moved through the house to get as far from the apartment and the boys as I could. It was almost as though Smith coming into the room snapped me back to my senses and made me realise just what I was doing.

  I wanted Vinny, I wasn’t ashamed of what we were doing, but it just felt in that moment like I had been caught out doing something naughty, like a child, and that I needed to get away from it and how much I wanted him. I knew I wouldn't be able to run away from it forever, but just for now, for a few minutes, I needed to.

  I walked into the foyer and found the estate agent. "What do you think of the property?" he asked, and I welcomed the distraction from my previous antics.

  "It is just amazing. It's a gorgeous house, it really is. And the way that the apartments have been worked into it, it’s just incredible."

  "Do you think you would like to take the estate?" he asked.

  I was about to explain that I was just there to look, and that I wouldn't be signing on the dotted line, when Vinny came into the room behind me.

  "What do you say, Ally? Do we get the house?"

  I blushed and nodded. "I can see you guys here."

  "But can you see you here?" Ethan asked as he walked into the foyer.

  Smith wasn't far behind him. "You can see yourself in that apartment, can't you?"

  Vinny looked at my face and read my emotions instantly. "We're asking you to move in with us, Ally. We want to have you here too."

  I nodded.

  "Is that a yes you'll move in with us?" Ethan asked.

  "Yes," I agreed. "But only if I get that apartment."

  Smith was on me in a second. He lifted me in his arms with a cheer and spun me around.

  Ethan smiled at the estate agent. "How soon can we get the keys?"

  Vinny watched what Smith was doing. "And can we get the option to buy the place after a year?" he added, and Smith set me back on the floor.

  The agent handed over all the paperwork, a rental agreement for a year, alarm details, and all the relevant information. Vinny, Smith, Ethan, and I took it in turns to sign the contract. Smith made a call to Patrick and made sure a year's worth of rent was paid in full to the rental company.

  The house was ours. The agent handed over the keys, made arrangements to drop us the spares, and left us to enjoy the house.

  Vinny pulled me back against him as Smith and Ethan walked to the door with the estate agent, thanking him for his time. He crushed his lips against mine and kissed me hard.

  "I'm so glad you’ve agreed to stay with us," he breathed against my lips.

  My body melted against his as usual, and Smith and Ethan returned.

  "Dammit, Vinny. We turn our backs for two minutes." Smith laughed to announce that they were back in the room with us. Vinny's smile made him part his lips from mine. He looked at Smith and shrugged, stepping back and raising his hand as though he was surrendering.

  Smith laughed and looked at me intensely. "So, you're really going to live with us, with him here?" he asked. I nodded and he laughed. “Christ, Ally. I hope you know what you’re getting into with the walking testicle.”

  I glanced over my shoulder at the man who had stolen my heart. “Oh, I think I’ll cope.”

  Damn, things were definitely going to get interesting.

  "Well, fuck," I heard Vinny say as I let out a laugh. “I can’t believe I’m moving in with a woman. What’s the world coming to?”

  Smith smirked. “Oh, she’ll be fine. She’s getting an apartment of her own that she doesn’t actually have to share with you.”

  Vinny looked fake injured by Smith’s comment and we all walked out of the front main door of what was, apparently, now all ours.

  The air in the car all the way back to my house had been electric. They tried to divert the conversation to other things, but there was a raw excitement about us all living together.

  "What will you do with your house?" Ethan asked as we arrived outside it.

  "I'll probably rent it out. I mean, I own it." I didn't want it to seem like I was keeping it as a back-up plan, a 'just in case'. I just didn't think it was smart to sell a property I owned outright. Besides, I had inherited it, and I would never want to be parted from it. "It was my gran's," I explained. I looked at the floor, feeling like I was disappointing them somehow.

  Ethan squeezed my hand. "So, you'll be like me with the gyms. A little side line. An investment in the future." Relief washed over me. He understood.

  Vinny squeezed my other hand. "I'm still looking for my side line."

  "I'm not sure professional sperm donor is really a thing." Smith laughed. I snorted. Ethan coughed.

  "Fuck you," Vinny retorted. "I know plenty of women who would pay good money to get their hands on my baby batter."

  I felt jealousy wash over me; I couldn't help it. We hadn't talked longevity. We hadn't talked children, but the thought of Vinny having a baby with anyone else made me suddenly feel possessive and angry.

  Smith was looking at me in the rear-view mirror. "Vin, I don't think your baby batter is going anywhere." He nodded in my direction.

  Vinny kissed my hand. "Don't worry. All my sperm is just for you now, and you can have it for free."

  Ethan roared with laughter beside me and let go of my hand to get out of the car. Smith was snorting too. "Bellend." He chuckled as he got out of the car.

  "Unbelievable." I snickered in shock at his comment and followed Ethan out of the car. Vinny shrugged and got out, following the rest of us to my front door.

  I put the key into the lock and paused for a second. The heat of the guys behind me, reminded me that my friends were about to be in my house. The thought that the last man to be in my house like this was Devon flashed through my mind. Dismissing it, I turned the key, and let Vinny, Ethan, and Smith follow me in.

  Smith had a bottle of Champagne with him to celebrate the fact that we were all moving in together. Vinny ordered a Chinese takeaway. Ethan sorted us a film to watch on Netflix. We all sat in my living room, enjoying each other's company, enjoying the food, and enjoying the wine.

  Smith held up his glass. "To new beginnings and moving forwards."

  "Cheers." We all toasted.

  As the evening went on, I found us all gelling well. I was on the sofa with my head on Vinny’s shoulder. His fingers had begun to lazily trace circles on my knee. It was a feeling that sizzled all the way up my leg and reached my clit. I started to fidget against him. I looked up at him. His green eyes sparkled with lust and he shuffled in the seat just enough that I could see his cock hard against his jeans. Fuck.

  “Enough of this shit. Bedroom?” he asked, cocking his head towards the hallway.

  Ethan and Smith laughed. “I think that’s the end of the night for us.” Smith laughed. “Come on, mate. Let’s go get a taxi.” He pulled himself out of the chair he was in and he and Ethan left without another word.

  “You’re so rude!” I scolded Vinny. He scooped me up in his arms and stormed upstairs, ignoring me.

  “Which door?” he demanded.

  “Second on the right.”

  He pushed the door open and set me on the edge of my bed. He stood looking at me. I wanted him, but now I had him in front of me in my own bedroom in my own house, I wasn’t sure where to start.

  I needn’t have worried. Vinny made the first to move. He fell to his knees between my legs and kissed me passionately. He licked along my lips, silently demanding I let his tongue dance with mine.

  I relaxed, giving into the moment and kissing him back, wrapping my arms around his neck. He pulled me against
him, his hands grabbing my arse and forcing my wet sex to feel the outline of his erection through our clothes.

  Damn. I was wearing too much; he was wearing too much. I needed to be naked with him. I pulled at his t-shirt and he took the hint, pulling it off over his head.

  Vinny stood and stepped back, unfastening the fly on his jeans. Once they were discarded on the floor, he moved into the space between my legs and pulled my top over my head. He looked like he was about to devour me. My hands went to his waistband.

  “I want to taste you.” I reached into his boxers and freed his cock. I looked up at him as I guided the head of his dick towards my mouth, licking the pre-cum from the tip.

  He hissed as my tongue circled him. I stared at him as I slid my mouth down over his hard length.

  “Jesus, Ally.” He fisted his hand in my hair and moved me a little farther down on his cock with every thrust.

  “Allycat. I need you on the bed.”

  He moaned and pulled his cock from my mouth with a pop.

  “Stand up,” he demanded. He undid my jeans, pushed them to the floor, and I stepped out of them. He kissed me softly on the neck and undid my bra, freeing my breasts. “Get on your hands and knees facing the headboard.” Vinny patted the bed and I followed his instructions.

  I felt the bed dip behind me and moaned as Vinny ran a finger along my wet snatch. He worked his fingers into my pussy, teasing me with a slow finger fuck. I moaned again, begging him for more.

  Vinny started kneading my breasts and twisting my nipples with one hand, while he worked in and out of me with the other. I was going to come. I felt my orgasm build in my lower stomach.

  Glancing at Vinny was enough to send me over the edge. The lust on his face was just the most delicious sight I’d ever seen, and I cried out, my cunt pulsing around his fingers.