by Eileen Green
Song after song played. The crowd remained on their feet during the hour and a half concert. When the last song finished, the crowd roared, requesting an encore.
JC wiped his sweaty face on the red scarf that had been tied at the top of the mic stand, as he looked straight at Skye. They hadn’t made their exit so Skye knew he was going to give the crowd what they wanted.
Cheers went up as the band began another song, classic JC. Three more songs were performed before JC spoke for the first time since taking the stage. A hush settled upon the club.
“I’d like to thank all of you for coming and welcoming us back into your world. The support you have shown has been wonderful! Next Tuesday our new album will drop and by then we’ll have our concert tour dates available. Check our website for all the details.” A cheer rose and fell again. “Thank you all, and goodnight!”
All the band members stood and waved at the crowd as they walked backstage. Women and men tried to get their attention and showed their sadness when they were ignored.
Skye had to chuckle at the expressions of the shunned.
Jason stood and panned the camera around the crowd before he grabbed his bag and headed toward Skye’s table. They would be going backstage in a few minutes and he knew she would want him ready to go as soon as they were given the go ahead.
Making the introductions for both Jason and Brock, she noticed a flicker of recognition in Jason’s eyes as he shook hands with the mysterious Brock. She’d have to ask him about that tomorrow in the office.
The three of them waited at the table as canned music blared from the speakers and the lights came up on the dance floor, but still moving and dancing around to enhance the ambiance of the cavernous room.
It was nearly ten minutes before one of the security guards came out and motioned for them to go back. Expecting Brock to stay at the table, Skye was surprised when he headed back with her and Jason, the bottle of champagne in his hand, which he had already recorked.
Stepping backstage, they were led to the band room where some of the men were pulling on leather coats and getting ready to leave. She had hoped to interview all of them, but perhaps she could do that in the next few days. Filing that little bit of information away in her brain, she’d make sure to arrange them before leaving for the evening.
Jason grabbed a rolling stool and parked himself on it, setting up his camera equipment again. Skye stood before JC, his presence demanding attention for that was his type of personality.
His smile reached his eyes as he looked down at her. He was at least a half-foot taller than she was. Before she could say anything, Brock stepped around her and grabbed JC into a bear hug.
“It’s great to see you, man,” JC said as he pulled away. “I’m so glad you were able to come.”
Skye was surprised that the two men were friends, for Brock hadn’t indicated how well he knew JC. He placed his hand in the small of her back, a bit of possessiveness in his touch and began the introductions. “John Campbell, this is Skye. She’s here to conduct your exclusive interview. Skye, this is my good friend, John, better known as JC.”
JC’s hand engulfed hers, electricity shooting between them. She tried to remain calm, but the effect made her shiver a bit.
It wasn’t a fan girl moment, for she didn’t have those anymore. Occasionally, she would have a respect or admiration moment, but nothing like this had happened before.
Brock and JC both had sent fire shooting from their hands into hers. This confused her.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Skye finally said, her voice finally surfacing. “Whenever you’re ready.”
JC still held her hand in his. He didn’t seem to want to let her go, exactly as Brock had done earlier. Still gazing down at her, his smile still on his lips, he asked, “I’d like to do the interview with me alone, please? We can set up another time with the guys. Will that be all right?”
“Sure.” She glanced around as the band members waited patiently for her answer. “I can catch up with them later.”
Each of the five men patted her on the shoulder as they stepped past her making for the door. “Thanks, sweetheart,” they each said in passing before disappearing.
When it was just the four of them, Brock, Jason, JC, and Skye, Brock closed the door and she heard the snicker of the lock slide into place so they wouldn’t be interrupted.
JC led Skye over to one of the couches and helped her sit. She had to wonder what Jason thought of all the attention she garnered, and she had to hope he wouldn’t repeat anything that was going on here. She wouldn’t be able to show her face ever again at the office if he did.
JC sat on the other couch directly across from her while Brock sat next to her on her left. Skye knew Jason would be able to angle the camera without getting Brock in the shot. This would all work out.
Sliding her questionnaire from her notebook, she tried to calm her nerves so no one would see how badly this affected her. Taking a deep breath, she looked at Jason for his go ahead. Once the man nodded, she fired questions at the most reclusive man from the last decade.
Chapter Five
Jason stayed for about thirty minutes for the major questions Skye had for JC. That’s all she had needed him for, besides he had a family to go home to. The other questions she had for the rock star, which according to the crowd outside, he still was one, but they could be answered without camera presence.
Awkwardness presented itself once Jason left. He had leaned down to give her a hug on her right shoulder, whispering in her ear, “If you need me, call.”
There had been situations where Skye had needed help and Jason always had her back. Wild fans who got violent trying to get to their favorite stars, or drunk or high stars that felt they could fawn all over any female within reach were ones she would need saving from.
A few years ago, a star was so far gone that he had tried to rape her as soon as Jason had left. The incoherent man had ripped Skye’s shirt off her as he had her pinned up against wall. With a death grip on one of her breasts, he tried to get her pants off, all the while, she beat against him. Jason had returned just in time as he had accidently left one of his bags behind.
Seeing what was going on, he apparently grabbed the star by the back of his shirt and jeans and threw the man aside as he yelled for security. The star hit a table with his back and crumpled to the floor. Skye slid down the wall, covering her half-naked body from Jason’s view as she cried.
He used his body to hide Skye from the guard’s view as he whipped his own shirt off and helped her into it. A trip to the hospital had been needed, as her breast was a mass of bruises and bleeding scratches from the star’s nails. The man had slugged her a few times, prompting bruises on her face as well.
When it began, everything moved so quickly. It was a tangle of arms, hands grabbing, hitting, pushing, pulling, and Skye got the worst of it.
The star had been arrested while Skye had been grilled by a female police officer at the hospital. By the end of the emergency room visit, Skye had felt as if she had been the assailant and not the victim. Inquiries of what she did to entice the star to become violent and if she liked her sex rough had her seeing red.
Her body ached along with her head and all she wanted to do was go home but the questions continued. Dwayne, her boss, had barged in and demanded that she be left alone. He had the club pull the security feed from the band room, which showed the entire incident.
Once she was released from the hospital, and let Jason take her home, she closed herself off from the world for a week. Dwayne feared he had lost her as a journalist the longer she stayed away from the office, but she did finally return. Jason had taken it upon himself to be her protector while they were on a job, never leaving her alone while she conducted an interview.
She didn’t know why he was leaving now, but she did feel safe with Brock and JC for some reason. Besides, Jason’s pregnant wife needed him. She had taken some self-defense classes since “the incident”, and fe
lt she could protect herself.
JC and Brock watched her intently while Jason released her. Concern blanketed their faces, as did…jealousy?
Jason departed, leaving Skye alone with two gorgeous men. She didn’t know why but a thrill ran through her body straight to her nipples and pussy. A shudder shook her body and Brock slipped his arm around her shoulders.
“Are you, all right?” he asked softly.
Nodding, she folded her hands in her lap. “Yes. Thank you. He’s very protective since I was attacked during an interview.”
“Oh, my gawd!” Both men exclaimed in unison.
JC moved from his seat and kneeled before her. His hand came up and brushed against her cheek. “I can’t believe someone would treat you with such disrespect. You are a beautiful woman who should never fear a man.”
Bowing her head, she shrugged. She didn’t want to remember, but most of all, she didn’t want the attention either. She had already had too much from Brock.
“Can we just continue the interview now?” she asked demurely as she stared at a small spot on her knee.
She wasn’t sure what happened during the long pause and she was afraid to know. Waiting for JC’s response was nerve wracking.
“Of course, darlin’,” JC said as he brought one of his fingers to her chin. Lifting it slowly, she found herself looking at his handsome rugged features.
His creamy complexion that he had twenty years ago was still there, but lines, whether from age or substance abuse, lived at the corners of his eyes and his mouth. A two-inch scar ran along his right cheek that hadn’t been there before. His nose was straight and thin, and his luscious lips looked good enough to kiss. A five o’clock shadow was so sexy on him and she wanted to run her fingers over and feel its prickle.
The tell-tale shoulder length hair that he had when he was younger, wavy and a near golden blond, was now about an inch or so below the nape in the back and a bit shorter in the front and sides. Oh, the dreams of things she wanted to do to his hair when she was younger.
Brock stood and Skye felt a sense of loss. He had been by her side for so long now, she missed him.
He made his way over to the table set out for the band. It was piled with food brought in to keep them happy. Brock grabbed three bottles of water and some cookies before returning to his spot on the couch. He handed a bottle to JC and then twisted the lid off one before he handed it to Skye.
“Drink up. You’re going to get dehydrated.” His words were kind but sounded like a command. Her body responded to him as her arm lifted and she drank. “Good girl.”
“Why?” she asked when she lowered the bottle. “Why do you keep talking to me like I’m a child?”
She hadn’t realized the question was going to come out of her mouth until it did. Shame filled her, but she was interested in the response.
An exchange of glances between the two men had her curiosity rising.
Brock moved closer to her, his thigh flush against hers. His arm slid around her waist. “I’m not treating you like a child, little one. You are a precious woman whose passion shows through your work. I treat my women with the care and protectiveness they need, and that’s what you deserve.”
The words she understood. She just didn’t understand why he was saying them about her.
“All women deserve to be treated with respect,” JC added. “We want you comfortable around us.”
“Why?” Damn her mouth was going to be trouble tonight!
As the silence built, she let her gaze slide down again. Again, JC’s finger raised her chin. The intensity within the depths of his blue pools was shocking.
Need, want, desire, and lust.
Glancing at Brock, she saw the same things. Nerves abounded within her but for some strange reason; fear wasn’t dominant in her body. Excitement was all she felt.
“We like you,” JC responded, his other hand rubbing the calf of her leg.
Swallowing hard, she contemplated his words. “We?”
“Yes, we.” Brock kissed the edge of her shoulder before laying kisses towards her neck. Once there, his kisses became open mouthed kisses, like the one he gave her hand when he first introduced himself.
“I can smell her,” JC said to Brock.
What? He can smell me? I have B.O.? She began to rise but two sets of hands held her down. It wasn’t a threatening action like before, although a bit of panic surfaced.
“Breathe, little one. We’re not going to attack you.” Brock slid his hand into hers, his mouth still on her shoulder.
She turned to JC. “You said I stink.”
Shock caused his mouth to turn into a perfect O while a rosy hue settled upon his cheeks. Then his mouth thinned into a straight line as if he was choosing his words, his hand continuing to caress her calf.
“Baby girl, I didn’t mean that you smelled like that,” he said quietly. His tongue slipped out and licked his upper lip. “I mean I can smell your arousal.”
A gasp escaped before she could stop it. How could that be? She was not aroused…was she?
“Little one, you have had me going since I sat down next to you. Even when the crowd got close, all I could think of was what you were doing to my body.” Brock spoke close to her ear yet loud enough for JC to hear for he nodded his agreement.
“While you were interviewing me with your cameraman here, you had me wanting to rip off your clothes and make love to you the whole time.” JC dropped his head as if he was ashamed of his words. “But then you told us about the attack. I hope we didn’t scare you.”
That the legend JC was worried that he had hurt her even just emotionally touched her. Brock hadn’t said anything, but he did nod his agreement.
It shocked her that both men wanted her. JC was the star, so he probably still wanted to score that concert connection as if reliving the past. She wasn’t sure why Brock was coming onto her, especially since the two men were friends.
She wasn’t naïve. Her favorite books were ménages, but they were fiction.
Weren’t they?
Licking her bottom lip, she looked down at the hand tangled with Brocks. Neurons in her brain fired thoughts so rapidly Skye felt as if her brain would explode.
Men did not fawn all over her. They stayed away from her, and she knew it was because of her weight. She was fat and that two men were coming onto her was a dream. A fantasy.
“Why are you both being nice to me?” She had to find out. “I mean, look at me? I’m not the type you date.”
JC’s gaze moved up to capture hers. His eyes searched hers. “What do you mean, baby?”
She hated to say the words because sometimes she thought if she didn’t, it would be true. However, she had to be honest, just as they needed to be honest with her.
“You are a celebrity, and you,” she said turning to Brock. “I have no idea what you are, but you’re gorgeous and I’m sure you have beautiful skinny women falling all over you. I’m fat. Why are you acting like you want me…like that?”
Brock’s fingers tightened against hers while JC’s hand stilled on her leg. Both had expressions of disbelief but also anger. What could they possibly be mad about?
Surprise registered with her when Brock spoke through his teeth as if he was trying to hold his anger back. “What the hell are you talking about? Fat?”
“Even if you weighed a ton, if we’re interested in you, we are telling you the truth,” JC interjected. “We don’t play around with our women. I’ve always liked my women with a bit of meat on their bones, not some stick figure of a girl. Those girls from the past who threw themselves at me never did anything for me.
“You…you are what I want. You’re beautiful, smart, and so fucking sexy.” When he finished speaking, he leaned up and pressed his lips to hers.
Sparks lit up her lips as his moved against hers gently. A thrill rushed through her that he was kissing her even though doubt still reigned.
There was still the issue with Brock.
Did the
y do this all the time? Skye knew there were rock stars who had a signal they would give from the stage to a roadie or someone slightly off stage to “request” a girl from the audience. Was Brock his signalman?
Skye pulled out of the kiss that she had to admit she loved, but she still wasn’t sure what was going on. Sure, these guys were nice to her, and said the right things, but gathering information on the music business for so long had her leery.
With her free hand, she raised it to her lips as if she was going to be able to keep the touch of his lips there. “This isn’t right.”
“What’s not right, baby doll?” JC asked, concern lacing his voice.
“Are you afraid of us?” Brock asked, his voice shaky. His fingers were still warm and tight around hers.
Skye wrestled her hand out of his hold and stood before either one could stop her. Brock’s hand reached out for hers but she pulled away, even from JC’s hand on her leg. Stepping towards the food table, she let her hand run along the edge, as she needed something to settle her nerves. Grabbing a Mallow Mar cookie, she thought that was an odd request for someone in the band.
The feeling of two sets of eyes on her sent zings of heat through her body, yet she still wasn’t sure of her feelings. She had interviewed enough rock stars to know that they were sleaze bags. They had ulterior motives. They love em’ and leave em’.
Fuck! I just heard my grandmother’s voice in my head with those comments!
Could she trust them? Give them a chance?
What the fuck are you thinking, girl?
What their touch had done to her body was fantastic. She hated the attention, but she loved what they did to her body.
What am I going to do?
Slowly she turned. They were both where she had left them, astonished hurt expressions on their faces. Nibbling on the cookie, she looked them over.
Handsome as sin. Sex on a stick. Man candy. These two were all those.
Their bodies were built for women to drool over, to throw themselves at. Their words were kind and convincing, but she just didn’t know if she could trust them.