by K. A Knight
“And you said yes.” It’s not a question.
“Well, what do you expect? She’s my mum.” I shrug, examining his expression. His eyes are heated as they fix on my face.
“She deserted you, and doesn’t deserve your forgiveness.” His voice is deeper as he speaks, like he’s trying to hold back his anger. I suspect Blake finds it hard to forgive people, he doesn’t strike me as a forgiving person.
“I have to try Blake,” I murmur softly, putting my hand on his chest, willing him to understand, or if he can’t understand, then trust me that I need to do it.
After everything that happened this morning, and then the fallout afterwards, the guys have been more protective of me than ever, barely letting me be in a room without having one of them with me. I had known that I was in over my head once we realised that someone had broken into our hotel room, not only once, but twice, so I had called the police. Since I seem to be the target, their first suspicion was the guy from the bar who got locked up after he attacked me. Other than that, I have no enemies and I don’t know of anyone who would want to hurt me. The police took away my work phone and my laptop, saying they needed it for evidence. This has caused its own problems, as it means I can’t access any of our bookings for the shows, or my emails. I had to contact the board and explain what had happened, obviously omitting the part where I had been filmed having sex with one of their employees, just filling them in on the messages and then the picture on the bed. The board is going to replace my laptop tomorrow, but until then I have to use my paper records—thank god I keep extensive records.
Blake is still staring at me and I think he’s finally going to answer me when my phone starts to ring again. My hand is still against his chest, so I gently push against him. For a moment, he stays where he is, hard and unyielding.
“Blake. I need to take this call.” My voice is quiet. I’ve learnt with Blake that he won’t do anything if you demand it, you have to reason with him. We both know that this could be my mum calling again, and he has made himself clear on his feelings about my family. His eyes narrow on me, and I think he’s going to put up a fight, but he simply pulls away and walks off towards the dressing rooms.
“Don’t be long,” he calls over his shoulder before disappearing from sight.
Fishing my phone from my pocket once more, I sigh at the name that shows on the display.
“Hello Mr. Jones. How can I help you?” I say, making sure my voice sounds professional and doesn’t portray how much I wish I was not on the phone with him right now.
“Gabriella, how are you doing after all that nasty business this morning?” His nasally voice greets me from the other end of the phone. “I wanted to make sure this isn’t going to affect your ability to run the show. It’s doing so well that we wouldn’t want something like this to upset it now, would we?”
I’m so dumbstruck by his comments, that it takes me a few seconds before I respond. Only Mr. Jones would call being stalked and threatened ‘nasty business.’ The fact that he’s obviously only worried about the show doesn’t surprise me, but it pisses me off, so much so that I want to throw my phone across the room. Taking a few deep breaths I plaster a fake smile across my face, as if it would make a difference.
“Of course not. The shows will go ahead as planned, unless the police advise otherwise. They know all the details and will carry on with their investigations,” I inform him, my tone coming out frostier than I had intended.
“Yes, yes. Nasty business.”
“The show starts soon Mr. Jones, I need to go.” My voice is hard and I don’t give him chance to respond before I hang up. Growling with frustration, I place my face against the wall, enjoying the cooling sensation against my skin.
“Cock sucking, muff munching, twatting men!” I shout, until an awkward cough sounds from behind me, causing me to spin around and see a wide-eyed stagehand.
“Um. Five minutes until curtains up Gabby,” he says before hurrying off.
Crap. Way to go Gabby, just make everyone think you’re crazy. Well, you are, but they don’t need to know that just yet. I sigh once again as I run my hand through my hair. Glancing down at my watch, I can’t stop the little thrill that runs through me. Showtime.
The lights have dimmed and I can hear the crowds excited chatter as they wait for the show to begin. I feel the usual mix of nerves and excitement run through me, as I get ready to take to the stage and introduce the boys. This has been an unexpected bonus for me, I’ve found that I love getting up onto the stage and being part of the show, even if it’s just for introductions. My phone buzzes again, this time with a message, but I can’t stop the groan. I can’t get any peace tonight!
Slipping it out of my smart jeans back pocket, I smile as I see it’s from Kelsey. I still have conflicting feelings around her and Leo. I desperately want them to be happy together and I will do everything I can to help them, but I also can’t deny that my feeling towards Leo aren’t purely platonic. I had hoped once I started sleeping with the other guys that my feelings towards Leo would go, but my traitorous heart only wants him more. Is that what it is? That I only want him because I can’t have him? Thinking over the time we have spent together the last few days, a smile flits across my face, and I shake my head at myself. No, I want him because of all the sweet things he’s done for me, and all the times he’s made me laugh.
Opening the message I smile at what I see.
Kelsey: Hey Gabby! I took your advice! :D I’m at tonight's show, thank you for the ticket, please don’t tell Leo, I want it to be a surprise! I really want to try and make this work!
I’m glad she took my advice, now she will know if she can handle dating Leo, accepting that this is part of his life. Feeling a hand on my shoulder I glance up quickly, looking into Mark’s smiling face as he nods towards the stage. I missed my cue as I was too caught up in Kelsey’s message. Mouthing sorry at him, I pocket my phone and take a deep breath before walking confidently out onto the stage.
“Good evening Ladies and Gents! You have probably heard that we here at The Wild Boys like to do things a bit differently. Here, you are in control,” I purr with a sultry smile. I go through the rest of the intro, making sure they know the safe word. When the guys join me on stage in their cliché stripper costumes, the crowd starts to cheer, warming up for the show ahead. I keep my eyes on the audience as I introduce each of the guys, each one doing a signature move. I try to spot Kelsey, but the stage lights are too bright, so I just have to trust that she got in okay.
The guys head off stage after my introduction to get into their next costumes while I work the crowd.
“Are you guys ready to see the Boys?” I shout, smiling at their cries. “Come on, you can do better than that!” I grin as their shouts get louder. With a little bow and a cheeky smile, I raise the mic to my lips once more. “Then welcome to, The Wild Boys.”
As I walk off stage the music blares behind me and the crowd goes wild, so I know the guys have started their dance, and I busy myself backstage, making sure everything goes to plan. I try to watch from the wings when I can, but before I know it, the guys are bowing and running off towards me, each of them only has eyes for me. Well, except Emmett who just slaps me on the shoulder and hurries off to the dressing room. My guys surround me and I smile up at them, meeting their happy gazes, until I realise that they are about cover me in baby oil and sweat.
“Hey! This is a silk blouse, don’t get me all wet, you’ll ruin it!” I cry out, placing a hand against Damon’s chest, trying to push him away, and seeing as he’s the closest to me. Kingston comes up behind me, almost close enough to press his chest to my back, and I feel his breath against my ear as he leans forward.
“Getting you wet is all part of the plan,” he whispers, and I can’t hide the shiver that runs through me at that thought. A cough brings my attention to Leo, who is shifting uncomfortably and I realise what a bitch I’m being.
“You guys should go shower. I have some stuff to
check on, I’ll come find you in a bit.” I smile at them all, guilt gnawing in my chest as I walk away. Glancing over my shoulder, I see Liam and Damon talking to Leo, they look frustrated and Leo is shaking his head.
The next hour passes in a blur of packing and getting ready to go back out on the road. We don’t have an official signing at this show, but I know the guys were talking about popping outside to meet a couple of the fans. I’ll just have to trust that the guys can behave themselves, as I don’t have the time to be out there with them, not with back-to-back shows in different cities.
With everything packed up and sorted, I wave at Mark and walk towards the dressing rooms. The guys should be showered and ready to go by now. As I get closer to the dressing room, my steps slow as I hear raised voices coming from behind the closed door.
“Don’t make me choose Kelsey, because you know what my choice will be! This is my job, and I love doing it!” Leo’s agonized voice makes me come to a stop outside the room.
“I thought I could do it, that I could handle this, but I can’t! How can you enjoy doing that? Parading yourself in front of other women! Am I not enough for you?” Kelsey ends on a sob.
“Kelsey. You know that you’re enough. But this isn’t working. We’ve been growing apart from some time, and you clearly don’t respect my job.” His response is met with quiet sobs and I can hear them moving around in the room.
“I’m sorry,” comes Kelsey's muffled voice before the door opens and she runs down the corridor towards me. She doesn’t stop when she sees me, just lets out a sob and hurries past me.
“Kelsey!” I call, going to take a step towards her, but a noise in the doorway stops me. Turning, I see Leo watching me, his eyes dark with sorrow. My heart aches for him, but I need to see Kelsey first. “I’ll be back,” I tell him before hurrying off after Kelsey. I don’t want him to feel like I’ve abandoned him, but Kelsey has become my friend too, and I know Leo will still be there when I come back.
I find Kelsey sitting on a step outside one of the backstage emergency exits, her head is in her hands, and when I approach she lifts her face up to meet my gaze with tearstained eyes. I take a seat on the step next to her, and wrap my arm around her as she rests her head against my shoulder.
“How much did you hear?” she asks me, her eyes knowing so there’s no point in pretending otherwise.
“Just the end,” I answer her honestly, rubbing small circles on her back as she sighs.
“I can’t do this anymore,” she whispers, pulling away from my embrace to look at me. “How do you cope with it? It’s not right that he would want to do this when he could do any other job!” I raise my eyebrow at that comment. We may be friendly, but I won’t have her talking about my guys like that.
“Kelsey, they aren't hurting anyone, they are dancing and they enjoy it. Hell, they are bloody good at it! You want him to stop doing what he loves because you can’t handle the jealousy.” I try to soften my voice so she knows I’m not trying to have a go at her. “You are just different people. You have both tried so hard to make this work. What are you going to do now?”
“He ended things between us.” Her voice breaks a bit but she doesn’t shed any more tears, her expression firm. “I think it’s for the best, things were getting toxic. I may not like his job, but I love him and I want him to be happy. Being with me isn’t making him happy anymore.” Taking a deep breath, she stands before looking down at me with a tentative smile. “We can still be friends though, you and me, right?”
I stand up and pull her into a tight hug. “Of course we can, you’re not getting away from me that easily.”
“Bye Gabby.” She returns the hug, smiling sadly at me before starting to walk away. “Take care of him for me,” she calls over her shoulder before leaving me alone to my thoughts.
Sighing, I run my hand through my hair again, something I seem to be doing a lot of tonight. I need to go see Leo, see how he’s holding up. The walk to the dressing room is quiet, pretty much everyone is gone now, but when I poke my head around the door I see Leo slumped in one of the sofas, his head in his hands.
“You okay?” I ask, knowing full well the answer is going to be no. When he looks up at me, his expression isn’t what I was expecting. He looks calm and resigned, only a hint of guilt is in his eyes, and I can only see it because I know him well.
Walking further into the room, I shut the door behind me to give us privacy, watching with weary eyes as he stands up and starts walking towards me.
“Was she okay?”
I meet his eyes, I won’t lie to him, and I promised I would always be honest with these guys.
“No, but she will be. It will take time,” I reply, watching as he nods and walks closer to me, close enough our chests are almost touching. The atmosphere in the room changes, the tension between us is high, and his expression turns to longing.
“I’ve just broken up with my girlfriend, but all I can think about is kissing you. Does that make me a horrible person?” His eyes are locked on my lips, and I know all I need to do is lean forward and he would take the lead. But I shouldn’t. His emotions are high, I shouldn’t take advantage of him when he’s like this. I shake my head, putting a hand to his chest to gently push him away.
“No Leo, it doesn’t. But you just—”
“You don’t want me,” he interrupts, pulling away from me, and I watch as his eyes shutter. I stand there, dumbstruck, this conversation has taken an unexpected turn. “You want my brothers, but not me.” This breaks me from my stupor and I raise my eyebrows at his comment.
“Leo—”
“No, it’s fine. I must have been reading into things, it’s fine, ” he cuts me off again, and starts shoving his belongings into his duffle bag.
“Leo!” I shout, causing him to widen his eyes. I never shout at them and this has got his attention. “Shut the fuck up and get over here,” I demand, gesturing for him to join me. He must see the heat in my eyes, as he instantly drops his bag and strides over to me with a sound of longing. Wrapping his arms around me, he pushes me against the wall roughly as our lips meet. I groan into his mouth, finally being able to taste him, and we frantically kiss each other. I know that later I’ll feel guilty, but right now I need this, and he needs this too. Pressing against me, I can feel his rock-hard erection begging to be freed, so I slip my hand past his elastic waistband and clutch it tightly, making him moan. Biting down on my lip almost hard enough to hurt, he presses our foreheads together as our breath intermingles, his eyes boring into mine. I stroke along his length, enjoying the way his breathing shudders each time I tightly squeeze at the base of his cock.
“God Gabs. I’ve wanted you since I saw you strutting into the studio. It’s been fucking agony watching the others get close to you,” he whispers into my ear as his hands explore my body, dropping his head to my neck, he gently bites along it towards my collarbone. When one of his hands undoes my jeans and slips past my panties, he groans as he feels how wet I am for him. Circling my clit with his thumb, he watches intently for my reaction, smiling as I gasp at the zips of pleasure that are running through me.
“You are so responsive to me,” he murmurs, as he slides a finger inside me and I have to bite my lip to stop myself from crying out. Most of the crew have left, but there will still be staff from the venue around, and the last thing we need is to get caught. This only adds to the excitement though, and I can feel the pressure building within me already. Pushing down my jeans and his waistband enough to free himself, Leo lifts me against the wall, lining himself up against my entrance. With a swift thrust he enters me, both of us groaning as he fills me, both of us stilling for a moment while I adjust to the feel of him. It’s a little uncomfortable to start, but as I adjust, I start to move my hips against him, enjoying the little bursts of pleasure. Leo takes this as a sign that I’m ready to start, kissing me again fiercely as he pulls out and slams back into me. It’s rough and fast, and neither of us will last very long, but right now
, this is what we both need.
I can feel the pleasure building up and I scratch my nails down his back as he pushes me towards the edge. Moving his mouth back to my neck, he bites down hard enough that I know it will leave a mark, but the pleasure pain of it drives me to my peak, my orgasm hitting me hard. I have to bite down on my lip to stop myself from crying out. Leo comes quickly after me while my pussy is still clenching around him as he finishes, burying his face in the crook of my neck.
We stay that way for a while as our breathing settles, enjoying the feel of being in each other’s arms, and it’s not until he pulls out of me and sets me down on the ground that guilt hits me and I groan. Dammit, Gabby.
“I’m a terrible person,” I mutter, burrowing my face into his chest to hide my expression. Not only did I just have sex with my employee who literally just broke up with his girlfriend, I didn’t use a condom. Again. Really responsible, Gabby. Why now, of all times, I have that scene from Mean Girls—you know the one from sex ed—running through my head, I don’t know, but it pulls a hysterical laugh from my throat.
Pulling away from Leo, I see a flash of guilt in his eyes before I look away and walk over to the small bathroom that’s attached to the dressing room. Locking the door behind me, I clean myself up, looking in the mirror at myself. What kind of friend am I? I console Kelsey and then immediately have sex with her ex. A knock at the door startles me from my stupor, and I open it to see Leo leaning against the doorframe. He frowns at what he must see on my face.
“No. Gabs, don’t. Don’t pull away from me,” he pleads, as he steps towards me, placing a gentle hand on my arm, pulling me to face him. “Things between Kelsey and I have been bad for ages, I don’t want you to think that I broke up with her because of you. This has needed to happen for a while. We haven't had sex for months, way before you turned up,” he explains, and I know that it shouldn’t, but I feel a little better. I didn’t want to be the reason they broke up, and realistically I know the major issue was that she couldn’t deal with his job, but I can’t help feeling like I might have been a factor as to why Leo ended it now.