Sex God

by Katie McCoy

  “Also because you’re nosy,” Austin added.

  I laughed, and Luke frowned. “I am not,” he argued.

  Austin took a sip of his drink. “Extremely nosy.”

  The two of them exchanged a look and both started chuckling. I got a sweet twinge in my heart watching the two of them have a good time together. It was clear that their friendship was important to both of them, and I began to see exactly why Austin had been so nervous about Luke finding out about us.

  But I also didn’t want to lie anymore.

  I made it through lunch without any drama, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it all day, and after work, I texted Austin seeing if I could come over—checking to make sure Luke wasn’t staying with him. He responded that it was all clear, and I headed over to his place.

  He greeted me at the door, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans and smile. I kissed him hello—loving how normal it felt—and followed him into the apartment. He reached for me, but I stepped back, putting my hand against his chest.

  “We need to talk,” I told him reluctantly. “And I need you to put on a shirt before we do that.”

  He grinned. “Does my nudity distract you?”

  “Yes,” I grinned.

  His smile only grew as he pulled on a shirt. We settled down on the couch together, and Austin faced me, giving me his full attention.

  “I don’t want to lie anymore,” I blurted out, unable to think of any other way to say it. “I don’t like keeping this secret from people—especially Luke.” I picked at a rip in my jeans. “We need to figure out what this is,” I said, feeling a tremor of nerves. “Because if this is just a fling to you . . .”

  I didn’t really know how to finish that sentence, but Austin did.

  “. . . It’s not,” he said, looking me in the eye. “I know we haven’t talked about it yet, but whatever this is, it’s real.”

  I felt a flood of happy relief.

  “I’m crazy about you,” Austin continued, and my smile grew wider. “And I want to see where this leads us. Even if it means telling Luke.” He grimaced.

  “What if he’s upset?” I asked.

  Austin gave a shrug. “Then he’ll just have to deal with it. You were right, you’re a grown woman, and it’s not fair of me to make you sneak around, just because I won’t man up and face him. You deserve more than that.”

  There was a lump in my throat as I took in his words.

  “OK,” I agreed. “We tell him. But not until after my article is published. I can’t risk it, not with my job on the line. I know I shouldn’t care, but . . .”

  He smiled. “I get it,” he said. “You’ve worked really hard to get to where you are. I wouldn’t jeopardize that, I promise.”

  “OK.” I exhaled, touched that he understood. “So, we’re really doing this?” I asked, a tremor in my voice. “You’re not going to just turn around and leave on tour, or go back to the woods and act like it never happened—”

  “We’re doing this.” Austin scooped me into his arms and kissed my neck. “I’m not going anywhere. Except to take you to bed,” he added with a devilish grin.

  “Hmm.” I pretended to think about it. “I don’t know, I have a pretty busy schedule.”

  Suddenly, Austin stood and threw me over his shoulder. I shrieked, and he slapped my ass. “Make time,” he said, already striding towards the bedroom. “Because this is going to take a while.”

  I couldn’t wait.

  20

  Mia

  For the next few days, I was floating on air. I spent every night at Austin’s place, getting sweet texts from him during the day and waking up in his arms every morning. It was a little bit of heaven. And it was only going to get better.

  Because tonight was the big preview of his solo record. And next week, it released—and my article would be published. It wouldn’t be long until we’d be able to share the truth of our relationship. I couldn’t wait.

  But Austin was in a different headspace. He was nervous and distracted at breakfast, ignoring his food and coffee, his leg bouncing erratically underneath the table.

  “Come on.” I held out my hand. “You’ll go crazy if you sit around here all day. Let’s go out.”

  He was so distracted that he didn’t even ask where we were going, just took my hand and followed me out of the apartment. I got us a cab and took us to the one place where I knew Austin wouldn’t be able to think about music or the launch or his career.

  I took him back to the arcade.

  “This is your chance to finally declare victory,” I told him, handing him some quarters.

  “What are you talking about?” he asked, finally breaking a smile. “Didn’t we agree that I had won the last match?”

  “I just let you think that because I wanted to sleep with you,” I teased him.

  He pretended to be offended. “Is that all I am to you? A sex toy?”

  I patted his arm. “Yes.”

  Austin laughed and swept me into his arms, almost knocking his baseball cap off.

  “Oh my god,” I heard someone say behind us, from a small distance away. “I think that’s Austin James!”

  “No way,” his friend said. “What would Austin James be doing in a dive like this? He’s famous.”

  Austin pulled his baseball cap low and gave me a sideways look. I pretended to be focused on the pinball game in front of him while obviously still listening to what was happening at the other side of the arcade.

  “Did you pre-order it?” the first guy asked.

  “Obviously,” the second guy responded.

  “I heard it’s gonna be better than anything Method of Madness did,” a girl who was standing with them added.

  I saw Austin’s lips quirk upward in a slight smile at that comment.

  “He always was my favorite member of the band,” the girl continued, letting out a dreamy sigh.

  “The band was so fucking great,” the first guy said. “I used to listen to ‘Sara, Sara’ over and over again.”

  “I love that song,” the girl said. “Their lyrics were always so amazing.”

  “Can’t wait for the new album,” the second guy added. “I heard that Austin gave a surprise concert in Boston a few weeks ago and it was awesome.”

  I wrapped my arms around Austin.

  “See,” I told him, leaning up to kiss his cheek. “Don’t worry about tonight. Everything is going to be fine.”

  * * *

  It’s common knowledge that, for the most part, getting ready for a fancy party with your best friends is usually better than the actual party you attend. Now, I was pretty sure Austin’s launch party was going to be pretty damn amazing, but I was still having a great time getting dolled up with Cassie and Grace, my extra dates for the showcase.

  “So, explain it to me again,” Cassie said as she touched up her lipstick. “The record still doesn’t drop until next week?”

  “No, tonight is the first time he’s playing the songs, for industry people and hand-picked fans,” I explained. “It’s a really big deal. The plan is, everyone raves about it and builds the hype right before release.”

  “Or they pan it, and it bombs,” Cassie said cheerfully.

  “Don’t!”

  “Why, have you heard it?” she asked. I paused.

  “Not exactly.” Aside from a few—naked—snippets, the record was still a mystery to me too. “But it’s going to be great, I can just tell.”

  I had left the two of them getting ready in Grace’s room to put the finishing touches on my makeup and slip into my dress. Before I stepped out into the living room, I took one last look at myself in my full-length mirror.

  I looked good.

  The black cocktail dress fit me like a glove, a long slit in the side showing off my legs when I walked, while the slim spaghetti straps had a whole Audrey Hepburn vibe. I had my hair down in vintage inspired waves and had allowed Cassie to do a dramatic cat-eye to pair with my bright red lips. I looked glamorous and sexy
, and I hoped that Austin would go nuts when he saw me.

  “Oh wow!” Grace breathed when I walked out of my bedroom. “You look gorgeous.”

  Cassie gave me a standing ovation, looking equally beautiful in a tight red body-con dress with gold stilettos and kohl-rimmed eyes.

  My phone buzzed. “The limo’s downstairs.”

  Grace squeed. “A limo!”

  “Austin promised the VIP treatment.” I beamed. I couldn’t wait to get to the show and see him. “Ladies.” I grabbed my bag. “Our ride awaits.”

  * * *

  We were whisked backstage the moment we arrived. The show was taking place in a cool club on the Lower East Side, the kind of venue with graffiti on the walls that was probably scribbled there by Blondie and Hole. I greeted Zoey, who looked as adorable and punk-rock as always in a perfectly tailored sleeveless tuxedo with her hair streaked with blue.

  “Where’s Austin?” I asked excitedly, looking around the room. It was absolutely packed, standing room only, and I could recognize all kinds of celebrities. This was a really big deal!

  Zoey bit her lip. “He’s actually having a bit of a freak-out right now,” she confessed before her expression brightened. “Maybe you can talk him out of it.” Zoey took me to Austin’s dressing room and knocked on the closed door.

  “I’ve got someone here to see you,” she said before pushing it open.

  Austin was sitting in front of the mirror, his expression drawn and worried. As we entered, he looked up, and I could tell he was ready to send Zoey away until he saw me. He stood.

  “Hey,” he breathed, coming over. “You look incredible.”

  “Thank you.” I blushed.

  “I’ll leave you two alone,” Zoey said with a wink. “You’re on in ten.”

  Austin nodded, but his eyes were focused on me.

  “I think she knows,” I told him once Zoey had closed the door behind her.

  “Zoey is very observant,” Austin agreed, and pulled me into his arms.

  He kissed me deeply, and for a moment, the entire world fell away. We weren’t backstage at his concert, while hundreds of people waited for him to come out and play for them. We weren’t hiding away from our friends and family. We weren’t lying to the press. We were just Austin and Mia, two people lost in each other.

  We broke apart and Austin rested his forehead against mine. “Talk to me,” I whispered.

  “I’m nervous,” he confessed. “What if I can’t live up to the hype?”

  “You can,” I said with confidence. “Remember what we heard this afternoon? People are excited about your music. They’re ready for you to share this next stage of your career.”

  Austin managed a small smile.

  “I wish I was just playing for you tonight,” he said wryly.

  “You will be,” I promised. “I’ll be in the front row the whole time. So just ignore everyone else, and focus on me.”

  Then, from far away, we heard a loud cheer coming from the direction of the stage. There was a knock on the door. It was Zoey.

  She poked her head in.

  “Time’s up,” she said with a grin. “Now go knock ’em dead.”

  21

  Mia

  I could not have been prouder standing in the wings, watching Austin walk on stage to thunderous applause. Royce and the rest of his session band was with him, but before they could go back to their places, Austin gestured for them to join him at the front of the stage.

  “Before we begin, I just wanted to take a chance to thank the people who have been with me through this journey.” He faced his drummer. “To Royce, who creates the sickest beats of anyone in the business, and the rest of the guys.” He turned towards the side of the stage where Zoey was standing. “To my manager, who never lost faith, even when I did.” And then Austin’s eyes found mine. “And to the people that encouraged me from the beginning. Who told me to keep going even when I wanted to give up and get a ‘real job.’ ” He turned back to the audience. “Good thing we’ve all decided that making music is definitely a real job.”

  There was more cheering. I could not have been prouder if I tried.

  “Thank you again,” Austin said, raising his microphone like a drink. “Now let’s play some rock and roll!”

  The band took their places, and Austin slung his guitar around his neck. I clasped my hands together, trying to send Austin all the good luck I could.

  But it became immediately clear, the moment he started playing, that he didn’t need luck at all.

  He was good.

  Really good.

  The new material had the same catchy hooks that had made Method of Madness so popular, but there was a new maturity to the sound, a rich soulfulness that came straight from Austin’s heart. The crowd went wild for every single song, and I watched, completely mesmerized from my side of the stage, as Austin captured the audience with each chord he played and each note he sang.

  Fast songs, slow songs—I gave up trying to take notes, and just took it all in. There were half a dozen hits that had Number One all over them. Then, towards the end of the set, Austin began playing the song that I had heard him practicing back at the cabin. The performance that had ended with us in bed together for the first time. And the entire time he was playing, he kept looking over at me, his eyes steady on mine as he sang about starting over and trying something new.

  Even though I knew he hadn’t written the song about me—it was clearly something he’d been working on before I came back into his life—it still felt like something special and private between us. Like our song.

  I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. He was incredible on stage, completely feeding off the energy of the crowd and giving them exactly what they wanted. Because they wanted him, and he was more than happy to oblige. He was in his element, and I had never seen him so happy and at ease.

  Except, perhaps, when he was in bed with me.

  Austin played two encores, the audience screaming for him, unwilling to let him off the stage. But eventually, he had to end the show, and I quickly ducked backstage to meet him when he finally walked off the stage, sweaty and elated.

  I wanted to run over and kiss him, but out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that my brother had arrived. So instead of throwing myself into Austin’s arms, I went to say hi. “Wasn’t he great?” I said, figuring it was safe to sing Austin’s praises when, let’s face it, everyone present was in awe of his talent.

  “Yeah, he killed it,” Luke grinned. He looked past me, and his jaw dropped.

  I turned to see what he was staring at and found that he was looking at Grace and Cassie. Openly ogling both of them. He had never met Cassie before, but he had just seen Grace the other day. I rolled my eyes. “Stop drooling over my friends,” I said, smacking him lightly on the arm.

  “What?” Luke blinked, and I laughed.

  “Real smooth.” Then I realized if Luke was distracted, I’d be able to get some time with Austin. “You know, they’re both single,” I said casually. “You should go help them out. Play wingman and introduce them around.”

  “Great idea,” Luke said immediately, and headed over to talk to them. I smiled, knowing that Cassie would flirt outrageously with him and Grace would just be her usual sweet, shy self. It was the perfect way to keep Luke out of my way.

  Once the three of them were deep in conversation, I looked for Austin, but he’d disappeared from the backstage area. I went in search of his dressing room, already knowing he would have wanted a quiet moment after the performance to let it all sink in. Sure enough, he was gulping down a bottle of water when I entered. He looked up and smiled.

  “I was hoping you’d come find me,” Austin said, reaching for me.

  I pushed the door closed and went straight into his arms. “The show was incredible,” I murmured between toe-curling kisses.

  “Mmhmm,” Austin said, kissing me again. His hands slid down to my hips, and he pushed me back against a stack of speakers. “God, it’s suc
h a rush performing like that.”

  I knew a couple of things about the rush. He kissed me deeply, his tongue in my mouth, his fingers sneaking their way underneath my dress by way of the very long, very convenient slit along one leg.

  I parted my knees to make room for him, loving the way he pressed himself against me, his thumb teasing at my thong. I gasped as he began dropping hot kisses along my throat, his mouth moving downward, his hands moving upward. I arched against him as his fingers dipped beneath my thong and made contact with my clit.

  “Yes,” I moaned, my hands digging into his shoulders, pulling him closer.

  “You’re so hot, Mia,” Austin groaned, and I felt his hard cock pressing against my leg.

  “More,” I ordered, pulling at his shirt.

  I had just pulled it up over his head when the door swung open. “You can’t bail on your own— What the fuck?”

  We both froze as Luke stepped into the room.

  Oh shit!

  I shoved my dressed down and jumped off the speakers, and Austin reeled back, but it was too late.

  Busted.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Luke’s face was tense, his eyes narrowed as he took in the scene.

  The guilty, dirty scene.

  Austin yanked his shirt down, and took a step towards Luke. “Let me explain,” he said, but Luke turned towards me.

  “Him?” he demanded, pointing at Austin. “This is the guy you’ve been seeing?”

  Before I could answer, however, Luke had turned and stormed out

  “Fuck,” Austin muttered. “Goddamnit!” Without even looking back at me, Austin went after him. I quickly checked that I was decent, then followed both of them, heading down the dim hallway to the back exit.

  By the time I got outside, Luke was glaring at Austin, who had his hands up as if in surrender.

  “You fucking scumbag,” Luke swore at Austin. “You promised.”

  “I’m sorry, man,” Austin said. “We couldn’t help it.”