by Erin Noelle
Mina leaned over close to my ear and said, “He’s pretty amazing, huh.” It was more a statement of fact than a question, and I nodded without breaking my focus.
“I think I’m in love,” I murmured only loud enough for her to hear.
“You, me, and every other girl in here.” She chuckled.
And at that moment, as if he heard our conversation over the loud music and across the crowded room, he turned in our direction, locked his eyes with mine, and flashed me a wicked grin. Instantly, I looked away, mortified he had caught me staring at him.
A few moments later, Mina said, “He’s still looking at you, ya know?”
I shook my head and kept my gaze on my drink that sat on the table in front of me. “I’m sure he’s looking at someone else,” I replied.
She just shook her head at me and laughed. “Okaaay, well in case it was you that he was eyeing, and you end up talking to him later, I’ll tell you what I know about him. His name is Mason, but everyone calls him Rat.” She made an ugly face when she said the nickname, which mirrored my thoughts exactly. “His brother owns this place, and he’s basically treated like a rock god around here. When their band, Jobu’s Rum, isn’t playing, he and his boys sit at those reserved tables over there, and there’s always a herd of groupies surrounding them.” Mina motioned her head toward a collection of tables that were positioned perfectly in between the bar and the pool tables and also had an unobstructed view of the stage.
“I came here a handful of times with my brother before Noah and the guys got this gig, so I’ve been here maybe ten times or so, and he’s always here, always with a different girl, sometimes more than one in the same night,” she continued. “Not that I can blame him though. If I looked and sounded like he did, I would probably be a male whore as well.”
Learning that the Mason guy was one who got around was not a surprise in the least. Like Mina said, with his looks and voice, I’m sure naked women were lined up for his disposal around the clock. I turned to say something to Evie, but she’d moved around the table and was engaged in a cozy conversation with one of the other members of 32 Leaves—Max was it?
The room got a bit quieter, and I noticed Mason—I refused to refer to anyone as Rat—and Jobu’s Rum had finished playing and there were some workers taking down the instruments. I then glanced over to the tables Mina had pointed out, and I was disappointed to find they were still empty. Feeling silly for actually looking around for a guy, I decided to do an inventory of the people in the pool area, maybe finding some other possibilities for the BB challenge. And it was then I saw him.
Ash and a group of five others, what appeared to be three couples, were stationed at a pool table up against the far wall. The other two couples appeared to be shooting a game of doubles, while Ash sat on a barstool next to a cocktail table. A blonde girl—big surprise there—stood between his legs, so I could only see her back. Not long after I noticed them, they started making out. I had a straight-shot view of his one hand buried in her long, straight hair while the other caressed her back and ass.
It was like a car wreck for me, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away. My stomach felt as if a brick had just been dropped inside it and my mouth was free of moisture. Even after they broke the kiss and she turned around to lean her back up against his chest, seeing him tenderly stroke her arm and bury his nose in her hair made me sick.
I didn’t quite understand why I was freaking out so bad, seeing Ash with another girl. First of all, it wasn’t like I had any claim on him. I knew he dated and slept with lots of girls all the time. Second, I saw him every Saturday evening with a different chick, and not only was I obviously okay with it, but I would then crawl in bed with him hours later. Maybe that was it. Maybe because on Saturday nights I knew I was ultimately the one who was going to be sleeping in his bed, it didn’t bother me so much. Or maybe on Saturday nights, because I knew what to expect, I had a chance to prepare for it.
No matter what the reason was, the fact remained that I was overwhelmingly jealous when I had no right to be, and I was quite irritated he was ruining my night. A night that was supposed to be free of Ash and Dylan. The longer I watched Ash and his date together, the more I thought I was going to vomit. I needed a change of scenery and a drink pronto.
“Do you want to go to the bar with me to get another drink? I don’t feel like waiting for the server to come back around,” I asked Mina suddenly as I jumped off my stool.
Instead of looking directly at me, she looked over my shoulder and said, “I think you may have company.” A sly smile spread across her face. Afraid of who or what I was going to find, I spun around and saw the guy from the band headed my way.
He was even more gorgeous up close and personal than he appeared up on stage, if that was even possible. Unable to see his eyes from afar when he was performing, I was now able to see the unusual steel-gray color and his eyelashes that were so thick and long it almost appeared as if he wore eyeliner and mascara. His facial features were strong and masculine, a chiseled jawline and defined high cheekbones. He had a small lip ring on the right of his lower lip that I instantly wanted to reach out and touch. He had changed shirts to a solid red T-shirt so that he was no longer wearing wet, sweaty clothes, and he smelled like he was fresh from the shower. Throw in the vibrant, colorful tattoos that covered a good part of his upper body, and voila—my dream bad-boy rocker had come to life before my eyes.
“Hey, I’m Mason, but most people call me Rat.” He smiled and stuck his hand out to greet me. He carried himself with an aura that exuded confidence and sex. He was used to being the center of attention and had probably never been denied by a female in his life. I knew his arrogance should have turned me off and made me run the other way, but there was something about his cockiness I found irresistible, and his drop-dead good looks didn’t hurt either.
“Hi, I’m Scarlett,” I introduced myself and shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mason.”
“I overheard you saying you were headed to get a drink as I walked up. Would you be interested in joining me for one at my table?” he asked, pointing to the area where his friends sat.
I looked around for Evie, who was watching my exchange with Mason from the lap of her newly chosen BB. I lifted my eyebrows at her and tilted my head toward the area where Mason’s tables were. She nodded, understanding the message I was trying to relay. I turned back toward Mason and grabbed my purse off the table.
“I’d love to.” I tried to keep my facial expressions and body movements in check, as if I did this kind of thing all the time, but inside it was like fireworks were going off. I was overflowing with excitement and anticipation, and I couldn’t wait to see Ash’s reaction to me sitting with Mason at his table.
Fifteen
The daggered looks that were shot my way from nearly every other female in the warehouse as I walked across the room hand in hand with Mason didn’t end when we reached his bandmates and friends. We walked around the tables, and I was introduced to the other members of Jobu’s Rum—Cruz, Aaron, and Sebastian. Mason dismissed several girls who were hanging around his stool. He slid up onto it and instead of pulling an additional one up for me, he positioned us as many couples throughout the warehouse were, with me on his lap.
It felt a little weird, to be honest. I had just met this guy, and I was perched on his lap like we had known each other for a while. Well, at least more than five minutes. We hadn’t said much to each other except our names and to determine I wanted something to drink, but something about being with Mason felt so natural. He had no reservations about touching me in front of everyone; it was never in a disrespectful way, but he had his hands on some part of my body at all times, unless they were occupied with his beer. Being with him also made me feel so bad, and I found I loved the adrenaline rush.
Once we were comfortably settled with our drinks and before saying another word, Mason grabbed both sides of my face in his hands, looked into my eyes, and pulled my mouth to his.
The kiss was much softer and gentler than I had expected. His lips felt like silk up against mine, and his tongue teased ever so lightly as he traced my lips, requesting entrance to my mouth. I involuntarily groaned and my lips parted, allowing him easy access to my complete seduction. I could feel the metal ring on his bottom lip pressed against mine, and I couldn’t help but run my tongue over it. The guy oozed with pure, unadulterated sex. I was so out of my league.
He moved his hands down to my neck and broke the kiss but kept his face close enough that his nose was nearly touching mine. “Why did you look away from me earlier?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I guess I was embarrassed that you caught me watching you,” I admitted shyly.
“Embarrassed, huh?” He kissed me again and laughed softly against my mouth. “That’s a new one.”
“What do you mean?” I pulled back from him just a little bit more so I could get a better read on his eyes. My heart was pounding erratically in my chest, and I felt a warm tingle throughout my body. My brain had turned to mush some time ago, and I was having trouble processing and understanding the events of the last hour. I wasn’t sure of much, but there were a few things that I knew. One, Ash was somewhere in the warehouse on a date with another girl. Two, Dylan wasn’t anywhere near this place, but for all I knew, he could be making out with some bimbo himself, because somehow, I had become his Saturday-only girl. And three, I was sitting in the lap of a sexy-ass local rock star who wanted to spend time with me and make me feel good, which in turn should’ve helped me to forget about numbers one and two.
Mason leaned back in toward me, resting his forehead on mine. My hair fanned around us, forming a shield of sorts, blocking us from those around us. “Most girls, Scarlett, are dying for me to pay attention to them. They want me to catch them staring at me. And once I do glance their way, they usually do any stupid thing they can think of that they believe will attract or seduce me. They don’t look away and try to pretend I don’t exist.”
“Well, I’m not most girls,” I whispered. It wasn’t meant to sound seductive, but in the low, throaty voice it came out in, it did just that.
“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of,” Mason replied and then claimed my mouth with his once again, with much more force than before. It surprised me how much I liked his roughness as he pressed his lips firmly against mine and his tongue explored my mouth thoroughly. We heard hoots and hollers from others around the table along with several “Get a room, Rat boy!” shouts. Mason and I both started laughing and broke apart to turn and face the others around the table. He gave his friends shit and teased them right back, while I sat in his lap, enjoying myself immensely. The only thing I didn’t like was everyone calling him “Rat.” I just couldn’t get used to that. It was one of the worst nicknames. Ever.
My eyes wandered over to where Ash and his friends had been, and I saw he had noticed my presence. He looked pissed as he stood next to the pool table, arms crossed over his chest, glaring at me and Mason. I had no idea how long he had been watching me, but by the look on his face, long enough to see our last kiss. I flashed him a huge smile and gave a quick nod to say hi. He frowned and turned his back toward me. His reaction delighted me on so many immature levels.
Thinking of how I could make Ash even more jealous and bitter, I asked Mason how long of a break he had before he had to get ready for his next set. When he answered nearly two hours, I mustered up all of my inner-courage and asked him if there was somewhere we could go that was more private.
He nodded. “Yeah, are you sure?”
“Do you typically ask girls if they’re sure when they ask to go somewhere more private with you?” I teased him, running my fingers along his buzzed hair. “Should I rethink this?”
He worked his way down my face with kisses, first my forehead and then my nose and then my mouth. “Well, no, but we’ve already established you aren’t the norm, remember?” He lightly kissed my mouth again. “I don’t know what it is about you, but there’s something different for sure, and I’m going to have to keep you around until I figure it out.” He lifted me by the waist and set my feet on the ground so I was standing in front of him. He then turned me so we were facing one another and pulled my body up taut against his, his arms wrapped around my waist.
I kissed his shoulder and then made my way up his neck until I stopped right below his ear and whispered, “Let’s go.” And with that, he stood up, grabbed my hand, and pulled me across the room to the door next to the stage. I couldn’t help but look back at Ash just as I disappeared with Mason, and just as I hoped, his eyes were still on us.
The door opened into a well-lit hallway that led to four separate rooms. Inside the first door was an office where a dark-haired guy, who I assumed was Mason’s older brother based on their striking resemblance and what Mina had told me earlier, sat behind the desk working on his laptop. Still holding my hand, Mason stopped in the doorway and waited for his brother to look up from the screen and acknowledge our presence.
“Hey, Rat boy, what’s up? Everything okay out there?”
I cringed at the nickname.
“Yeah, yeah. Everything is fine. It’s pretty crowded, but things appear to be running smoothly,” Mason answered and then looked down at me. “Marcus, this is Scarlett. Scarlett, this is my brother, Marcus,” he said and then paused for a moment so we could both say hello to one another. “We’re going to chill in the suite for a bit until I have to go back on, in case anyone is looking for me.” Marcus lifted his eyebrow in question at Mason, and then he looked over at me and shrugged.
“I’ll text you when you’re thirty minutes out,” Marcus answered and returned his attention to the computer.
As Mason led me down the hall, showing me the next two rooms, which were dressing rooms but more or less just rooms for the musicians to hang out in, my panic began to set in.
What in the hell was I doing? Why was I in an empty hallway in a warehouse out in the middle of nowhere with some strange guy I had just met less than an hour beforehand? Did I really suggest we go somewhere more private? Was he going to freak out when I didn’t want to have sex with him? Did I want to have sex with him? Was Evie worried about me? Did she even realize I was gone?
“Scarlett?” His voiced pulled me from my anxious thoughts. We were standing in front of the last door at the end of the hallway. “Do you still want to come in?”
“Yeah, sorry, lost in thought,” I responded and followed him into the room.
The place was actually much nicer than I expected. There were two queen-sized beds on opposite sides of the room from one another. In the center of the room was a small kitchenette and breakfast table with two chairs nestled under a flat screen TV that hung on the wall, and there was one full-sized bathroom. The space was clean and functional. Mason explained that the suite served as a mini apartment for him and Marcus for nights they worked late or had too much to drink.
“And a place to bring all of your unassuming girls to?” I joked.
Mason stopped walking and turned toward me. His face was serious… not mad or angry, maybe even a bit concerned? “I don’t usually bring girls back here. This is more a space for me and Marcus to escape.” Well, I guess that explained the funny look Marcus gave him when he said we were coming back here. “The dressing rooms are more my style for a quick fuck, and none of the girls who go in there with me are unassuming. I can guarantee you that.”
“So why did you bring me back here?”
“I didn’t think you really wanted to come back here to fuck. I’m pretty sure you were just trying to make that asshole at the pool table jealous.” He never stopped looking in my eyes, as if he was trying to gauge my reaction to the truth he spoke. “Am I right?”
Oh shit.
“Partially,” I admitted. “I did want to make him jealous, and I’m pretty sure it worked.” I smiled at him, and he chuckled. “But I also came back here so that I could kiss you…” I reached up on my tippy toes and brushed my lip
s against his. “And touch you…” I splayed both my hands on his chest. “And tell you how hot you make me—”
I didn’t get another word out before my back crashed against the wall behind me, Mason’s body pinning mine up against it. I wasn’t sure if my courage to actually verbalize my thoughts had come from the beer or the endorphins that pumped through my body, but nonetheless, I was quite pleased with the response it invoked.
We devoured each other, kissing, licking, and nipping with wild, untamed fervor. My hands moved from his hair down his broad, muscular back until I reached his waist. I lifted up his shirt so I could feel his skin under my hands. His hands followed a similar trail on me, but when he reached my waistline, he pulled the hem of my shirt up and over my head. Without waiting another second, I did the same to him. I couldn’t wait to see his bare chest and arms.
And holy shit, I was not disappointed. His arms, chest, and stomach were like a canvas, completely covered in ink. There was so much to take in. I wanted to explore each design thoroughly, but that would have to wait for a different time. Instead, I focused on the piercing in each nipple, reaching out, touching, and lightly pulling on each one. He was almost too beautiful with his powerful frame and strong, handsome face. So fucking perfect. As he leaned down to capture my mouth again, he flicked his lip ring with his tongue, and I thought I was going to come apart on the spot. My panties were soaked. He kept one of his hands threaded through my hair, which also served as a cushion so that I wouldn’t bang my head on the wall.
When he kissed my neck, he pulled my hair, forcing my head to tilt back, and surprisingly, the stinging pain in my scalp turned me on incredibly. His other hand cupped my right breast, and he lightly ran his thumb back and forth over the nipple that was visibly hard through the black lace. He then moved his attention to the left nipple, giving it equal treatment. I leaned my head back into his hand, closed my eyes, and arched my back, whimpering in pleasure. His mouth and tongue continued their assault down my neck to my chest until they reached my exposed nipples. I hadn’t even felt him unclasp my bra, but sure enough, as I looked down, it was lying on top of the shirt pile on the floor. He alternated back and forth between the two, kissing, biting, sucking… driving me absolutely insane.