Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Renegade
Copyright © 2016 Heather Dahlgren
Cover Design: MGbookcovers
Editor: Turtle Tree Editing
Formatting: Silla Webb
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information and retrieval system without express written permission from the Author/Publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
For anyone looking for their dream, keep searching.
Never stop until you have found true happiness.
“Good night,” Hank whispers, rolling onto his side. Before I can even reply I hear the sounds of his soft snoring. I turn, snuggling under the warm blue comforter and look at the clock. Ten o’clock, plenty of time to get my eight hours. My eyes flutter closed and I know sleep will pull me under in a matter of minutes.
Morning comes and I am up, dressed and ready to go by seven o’clock. Hank doesn’t leave for a half hour, so I tell him good-bye while he watches the morning news. Making my short drive to work, I stop at the coffee house and grab my regular.
“Morning Brooke, the usual?” Debbie, the barista asks, as she froths a cappuccino and hands it to the dark-haired man in front of me.
“Yes, please,” I say and step aside.
When she’s done, she hands me the plain bagel with cream cheese and a French vanilla coffee light and sweet. Once I get to work, I head into my office, placing my breakfast on my desk. I sit down and fire up my computer while I sip my coffee. A knock on my door, pulls my thoughts away from the emails in front of me.
“Good Morning, Sam,” I say with a smile, staring at the green eyes of my head teller.
“Morning. Hey, what are your plans tonight? A few of us girls were thinking about going to that club opening downtown. You should come with us,” she says with an excited grin on her face, her green eyes lighting up with hope I might finally agree for once.
“Thanks for the invite, but Hank and I are going to watch a movie.” That’s our routine, I don’t even need to call him to know it’s the plan.
“Come on. You are always watching a movie with Hank. Don’t you ever want to get out and have a little fun? Get your drink on and dance with some friends?” I know she means well, but it’s just not me. I’m perfectly happy sitting at home, watching a movie and going to bed early.
“Maybe another time,” I say, not wanting to hurt her feelings, but knowing I already have when her lips turn downward.
“One of these days I’m going to hold you to that Brooke.” She doesn’t wait for me to reply, she simply turns on her heels and steps out of the office.
I’m sure they think I’m boring and that’s fine. My life isn’t for everyone, but it’s perfect for me. I’d much rather know what is going to happen from minute to minute, than not be able to predict what is next. It’s just the way I am. I’m not exactly sure why, maybe it’s because my parents never set any rules for me or maybe it’s because I have always been a shy person. I don’t really know, but I know I like my routine and I’d rather not disturb it.
The day flew by before I knew it. It is no surprise, it is Friday, one of the busiest days at the bank. As the manager, I spend most of the day dealing with problems that customers have or that the tellers are dealing with. I’m a problem solver by nature, so when the opportunity to be the manager came along, I knew I’d excel. Even though I’m about the same age as most of the tellers, they all have respect for me as their boss. At, twenty-five, I’m extremely young to be a bank manager, but I proved myself for years in the banking industry.
With only a few minutes’ left until the bank closes I walk around to see if anyone needs help with closing their drawers down. The tellers need to prove, making sure the money they have in the draw matches the receipts. Customer service is good with staying to help with any problems, but I too, like to stay to make sure everything is in order for the next day. I don’t work weekends, so making sure everything proves out at the end of the night always makes the weekend more enjoyable.
Once the bank is closed, and all of the tellers are done we leave, shutting the doors to the bank. “See you later, Brooke,” Sam says as she waves goodbye her long blonde hair shining in the setting sun.
“Ok, have fun and hey if any of you are working tomorrow make sure you are on time. Don’t drink too much,” I say, smiling at all the employees as they shake their heads at me. I laugh as Sam waves one more time.
I pick up a pizza on the way home, our usual Friday night dinner. I’m usually home a half hour before Hank, so before he gets home, I put my sweats on and sit on the couch to wait for him to eat. My cell phone rings and I pull it off the coffee table to see who it is. A small smile hits my face when I see it’s my friend Poppy.
Poppy and I went to high school together and even though we were as different as night and day, we became the best of friends. She was everything I wasn’t, outgoing, funny and popular. She always tried to get me to go to a party and every once in a while I would end up going, just to keep her happy. I can’t lie, every time she did convince me to go, I had a great time. It was fun to be part of something I usually wasn’t. Through the years, we kept in touch. She, of course, is doing the complete opposite of me. She is a manager too, but of a rock band. She tours the country, meeting new people and going to endless parties. It’s just the kind of life I always thought she’d have.
“Hey Poppy, how are you?” I ask when I answer.
“Brooklyn! Holy shit, I’m great. We just finished a tour and we are taking a few weeks off. How are you?” she yells so I can hear her over the loud music in the background.
“I’m great. Where are you? It’s so loud,” I ask with a smile.
“I’m on the tour bus heading back to New York.”
She really does live the life of a rock star. I mean she’s on a tour bus with the band I’m sure. I don’t know much about the band she manages, other than what she’s told me. They are a very popular rock band and tour all over. She’s told me what it’s like being on tour, how much fun they always have and of course that she is dating one of the band members, Nate. She doesn’t much talk about the other guys, besides saying they are all amazing. I don’t really listen to rock music, I’m more of a country girl myself. I have heard a song or two though on the radio and I have to say they have a great sound.
“You live one hell of a life, Poppy.”
“And I love every fucking minute of it,” she says and I can hear the music get even louder, if that’s possible. I hear voices and laughing and people calling her name. She laughs and says, “Fitz, I’ll be right there. Give me five more minutes.” I can’t hear what is said to her, but the music once again returns to the way it was. “I don’t have much time, these guys are l
ooking to celebrate, but I want you to come out to New York for a week, what do you say?”
Yikes, go out to New York? By myself? No way. “Thanks for the invite Poppy, I really appreciate it, but I’ve just got too much going on here.”
“Bullshit. You have nothing going on. You work and hang out with Hank. Come on, it’s been too long since we’ve seen each other. You deserve to have some fun and I will definitely show you some fun,” she says, pleadingly.
“Even if I could get away, there’s no way I’d be able to afford a ticket or hotel room.” I hate disappointing her, but this is just much too much out of my comfort zone. Not to mention expensive. I don’t make much as a bank manager and what I do makes goes toward all my bills. I have some savings, but that is for emergencies only, which this is definitely not.
“Brooklyn, it’s my treat. I’m paying for your ticket and you don’t need a hotel room, you’ll be staying with me. I’m not taking no for an answer. You need some fun in your life and I need to see my friend. So, I’ll check flights for next Saturday and call you with all the deets when I have them,” she says, talking a mile a minute with excitement.
“Poppy, times up. Get your sexy ass out here.” I hear someone say and she laughs once again.
“I’ll call you tomorrow Brooklyn. Tell Hank you are coming because it’s happening. Love you girl.” That’s it, that’s all she says before hanging up.
I stare at my phone for a second before I toss it onto the table. Going to New York and hanging out with Poppy sounds fun in theory, but I’m not sure it’s something I am comfortable with. I’d need to take time off work, leave Hank behind and fly by myself. I don’t know, it’s all so spontaneous and that’s not me.
The front door opens and Hank walks in looking worse for wear. His dull brown hair hangs in his sullen brown eyes as he tosses his keys into the bowl by the front door. I get up to meet him, giving him a peck on his parted, soft lips. Lips that at one time meant everything to me, now just feel more of a chore to kiss. “Hi, rough day at work? Pizza is in the kitchen and you can even choose the movie.”
“Alright,” he says and goes into the kitchen to get some pizza. I follow behind, watching the way his lanky figure moves in tempo to his somber mood. As is our routine we bring our plates to the couch to watch the movie. “How about a comedy?”
“Sure.” Suddenly, my mind is racing with thoughts of what I would bring with me to New York and it is making me uneasy. “So, Poppy called me. She invited me to New York.” I look at him, gauging his reaction.
As usual, he just nods his head to everything I say. Hank is a good guy, but he may actually be worse than me with routine. He doesn’t like his life interrupted in any way, which initially is what attracted me to him. We’ve been together for almost a year and he has pretty much moved in with me, but lately I feel like there is something missing. I don’t know what it is, but it’s been a nagging feeling the last few weeks. Maybe, that’s why the invite to New York has caught my interest.
“When would you be going?” he asks as he finishes off his pizza. The crumbs of which linger on his lightly stubbled chin.
“Oh, I don’t know if I’m going, but she wants me to go next Saturday,” I say.
“How long?” He crosses his arms over his scrawny chest. His eyes bounce back and forth waiting for my response.
“A week or so. Again, I’m not sure. What do you think?” I ask, hoping he will give me some solid advice.
“I think you should do what you want to do,” he says, getting up to grab more pizza.
I should do what I want to do. If only I knew what it was I wanted to do? If I don’t go, I’ll always wonder, what if. However, the thought of going, honestly scares me. I’ll need to figure it out before morning, because Poppy will be calling and expecting me to tell her I’ll be there. I guess the question is what risk will I regret more, going or staying?
“Fitz, toss me another Heineken.” Nate yells over the music pumping through the bus. I reach into the small fridge and toss him one. “Everyone shut the fuck up for a minute.”
I grin, taking a sip of my beer watching Nate try to get everyone under control. None of his yelling works, until he turns off the music.
“What the fuck?” Ethen yells, jumping up from his seat next to the blonde scantily dressed groupie he snuck on the bus.
“Shut up Ethen, you can get back to whatever the hell you are planning on doing in a second.” We all laugh when Ethen flips off Nate, but he just rubs his close buzzed brown hair with his hand and rolls his green eyes. “I just want to say that we rocked this east coast tour.” Everyone, including myself, cheers to the fact that it was a fucking amazing tour. We sold out every venue and the fans went nuts for our music. The parties were great, but the best part was the women, loads of women, who didn’t care about spending only a few hours with us and rocking our world. We’d made a huge splash in the industry and I couldn’t be more proud of us. Nate lifts his beer and we all follow suit. “To the best damn group of guys in the world. I’m honored to be a part of Renegade and to call you all my friends. And to our fearless leader, Fitz, thank you man. Now let’s get fucked up!”
I get up and pull Nate into a hug. “No need to thank me,” I say before pulling away. There is no need to thank me for doing something I fucking love. This band and these guys are my life.
“Holy shit, guess what?” Poppy says, tossing her thin girly figure into Nate’s strong tattooed arms. “You know my friend Brooklyn that I went to high school with? The only friend I have from back home, well she’s coming out next week. I’m so fucking excited. I can’t wait for you to meet her.” She turns her head, her copper eyes meeting mine for a moment as she delivers her next line. “I can’t wait for you all to meet her.”
“That’s great beautiful, when’s she coming?” He asks and I know I should leave, but I’m intrigued with the fact that Poppy has a life away from the band. She never talks about it and I think it will be cool to meet someone from her past. Nate, Ethen, Ralph and I all grew up together, in the streets of New York. There’s nothing we don’t know. We know every intimate detail about each other, and some not by choice. Like the time Ethen felt up Ralph’s younger sister in the back of a theater during the late night showing of Armageddon and Ralph tried to kill him every day for the next two weeks. We’ve all been there for every tattoo and piercing, when we got drunk for the first time, hell even when we lost our virginity. Poppy is a mystery, an intriguing one with a past we know nothing about, so this should be fun.
“Well, I told her I’d call about flights and book her one for next Saturday. After I have a beer I’ll get online and figure it all out. Oh my God, I can’t wait. I haven’t seen her in years,” she exclaims with excitement.
I feel a hand snake around my waist and turn my head. Another groupie, but I’ll sure as hell take advantage of the situation. Turning around, I pull her against me, resting my hand on her ass. She’s definitely sexy. Brown hair, brown eyes and tight body. Her black Renegade shirt is tight and her tits are spilling over the top of it. I take a sip of my beer and give her a wink. “What’s up?”
She runs her hands down my chest and hooks her fingers into the belt loops of my jeans, giving me a wicked smile. “Why don’t you show me?”
Squeezing her ass, I grind my thickening cock against her, showing her exactly what’s up. “I’ll show you a hell of a lot more than that baby,” I say and pull away, grabbing her tiny hand, leading her to the bedroom. My bus, my bedroom, at least for right now. I’m not an asshole, I’ll share and I don’t just mean the bed. I’ve had more than one girl in my bed, hell Ethen and I have shared girls in this bed.
We walk into the bedroom and I close the door, letting go of her hand. She spins around and smiles at me. “This is surreal, I’m in Fitz’s bedroom,” she whispers and I simply nod. She pulls her shirt off, revealing her heavy, round tits, spilling out of her bra. I yank my shirt off and drop it to the floor as I pull her against me. “Wow, I
never thought I’d be this up close and personal to Fitz’s rock solid abs. They look even hotter in person. Do you want to know my name?”
I crack a smile and press my lips against hers, stopping her from any more questions and from telling me her name. Fuck no, I don’t want to know it, it’s easier this way. The less I know about them, the better. I know I sound like an asshole, but I’ve learned along the way. She moans when our tongues connect. I wrap my fingers in her long, silky hair and kiss her hard and rough, giving her an idea of exactly how I’m going to fuck her.
Not breaking the kiss, I unbuckle her black, lacy bra and push her short skirt and panties off. Feeling her soft skin on my bare chest makes me need to hurry this up, my cock is painfully hard at this point. I pull away from her, taking in her sexy body and fake ass tits. I don’t think I’ve slept with a woman in years who didn’t have fake tits. Makes me forget what the real ones look like. I’m not complaining, I mean she looks hot and my cock totally agrees. “Get that sexy ass on the bed,” I demand, stepping out of my jeans and grabbing a condom. Glancing back to her, she lays on her back and I shake my head. “On your hands and knees, sexy.” I never look them in the eyes when we fuck, it’s my routine and I’m not about to change it up for anyone, ever.
She does as I ask and I climb on the bed behind her and smack her ass. “Oh God,” she moans and I smile at the response I get every time I smack a gorgeous chick on the ass. I lean my chest on her smooth back and reach my hand, sliding along her pussy to see if she is wet enough for me to slam into her. The second my hand makes contact, she bucks against it. She’s so ready for me, my fingers are covered in her excitement. Without thought, I cup both her tits in my hands and pinch her nipples, hard, evoking a scream from her. I lean back, letting my hands slowly drag along her body and she turns her head to gaze at me. She bites her full bottom lip, knowing what is coming and I grin. Fisting my hand into her hair, pulling hard enough to turn her head away from me, I smack her even harder on her ass with my other. “Fuck,” she yells, and I grip her waist as I slam into her.
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