by Erin Noelle
“Okay, that was enough seriousness for the night. We both need to forget about whatever shitty kind of day we had and relax. Let’s go have some drinks and listen to what I hope is some halfway decent music.” He tilted his head at me as if he was asking my approval for this plan.
“Are you not singing tonight?” I asked, a little confused.
“Nope. Marcus changed up the schedule this week so that Friday nights are now open mic and Thursday and Saturday nights are scheduled sets,” he explained with a mischievous gleam in his eye.
“What?” I asked. “What are you not telling me?”
He leaned down to me and put his forehead on mine. “I may have had some pull on the schedule change, so I could actually spend some time with you tonight instead of having to worry about performing,” he admitted sheepishly.
I couldn’t help but grin goofily and feel all gooey inside that he would go through the trouble of changing the entire bar’s schedule so he could spend time with me, but I was also sad I wouldn’t get to hear him sing.
“So when will I get to hear you sing again?” I pretend-pouted.
“I’ll play a song or two tonight acoustic if you want, but you’ll have to either come on a school night or bring your Saturday boy with you to the bar.” He moved his lips closer to mine so we were only centimeters apart.
“Well, that won’t be a problem any longer,” I whispered, bringing my lips so close to his they were practically touching. “No more Saturday night guy.” He didn’t wait any longer to capture my mouth with his, and I sighed in relief at the sensation of his kiss. It was long and hungry, and I hoped a preview of what was in store for the rest of the night.
“Come on, angel. Let’s get going before I give you another lesson right here in this parking lot,” Mason growled into my mouth. His words mixed with the pure wanton lust in his voice inspired a small growl of my own, which made him kiss me again. Finally, we separated and got on the motorcycle, both of us more than a little worked up.
When we got to the bar, Mason pulled his motorcycle around to the back, where he parked close to a back door. He helped me off the bike and picked right up where we left off in my parking lot. He held me close against his body; I could feel that he was still hard as he pressed against my abdomen.
“Do you feel what you do to me? Do you have any idea how crazy you’re making me right now?” he asked in a low voice as he kissed the top of my head. He began moving his mouth down to my neck and ear and continued to talk and kiss. “Tasting your mouth again?” Kiss. “Those fucking sexy-ass pigtails?” Kiss. “Seeing you in that damn see-through shirt?” Kiss. “Feeling your heat through those damp silky panties while you were pressed up against my back?” Kiss.
I stepped back before I had a damn orgasm just from him talking to me and kissing my neck. “We should go inside before you try to start another lesson, Teach.” I smiled up at his handsome face, and he nodded in agreement, grabbing my hand to pull me through the back door.
Mason stopped by the office to let Marcus know he was there, even though he was technically off. Marcus was a little friendlier to me during our second meeting, and I was surprised he remembered my name when he greeted me. We said goodbye and ventured into the main area. The room was fairly crowded, and there was a girl on stage who was pretty good. Mason placed his hand possessively at the small of my back and guided me through the crowd to his regular table. I recognized several of the people there from last Friday but didn’t remember everyone’s names.
Mason seemed to sense my unease as we approached the table, because he whispered in my ear, “The only people you need to know here are Cruz and Sebastian. Aaron isn’t here, and he’s the only one who has a girlfriend worth remembering. Cruz is my childhood best friend, and Sebastian is his cousin.” He kissed the top of my head and I nodded. I remembered which ones were Cruz and Sebastian as soon as he said their names. Despite the fact that I did not find him attractive, Sebastian appeared to have no problems getting female attention, as he had two brunettes snuggled up to him. However, it could easily be argued that Cruz, while not as physically impressive as Mason was, had just as much sex appeal as his best friend. He was average size in both height and build, but his bright green eyes combined with his darker complexion and long black hair was fascinating.
Everyone called out their greetings to Mason, or Rat rather, whenever we got settled onto his bar stool. He insisted I sit on his lap again, so I positioned myself on one of his legs, with my legs dangling in between the two of his, so I could still see his face and be able to kiss him whenever I felt like it. Mason gave a universal hello to everyone around the table but then turned to address Cruz and Sebastian. “Cruz, Sebastian, you remember Scarlett from last Friday.” I knew there was no way they were going to remember me from any other bimbo Mason usually had curled up in his lap.
“The girl from last Friday? Angel?” Cruz’s question was directed more at Mason than at me, but they were both looking at me curiously. Of course, they would remember because of Mason’s ridiculous little concert he dedicated to me.
“Yeah, my angel,” Mason answered him. He lightly pulled on one of my braids with one hand, kissed my cheek, and placed his other hand high up on my thigh. I blushed furiously knowing everyone was watching us.
“Fucking brilliant, Rat,” Cruz said. I turned to look at him, unsure if he was being sarcastic or not, but when his emerald eyes locked onto mine, I was startled to see the pools of desire that stared back at me. Unable to control my reaction to him, I clenched my upper thighs tightly together and lightly dug my fingernails into Mason’s shoulder. It only took a matter of seconds for me to realize I needed to break the stare, which I quickly did, but not without Mason observing the entire exchange.
Surprisingly, he chuckled and looked over at Cruz. “Not with this one, man.” Mason shook his head. “Not a fucking chance. You have no idea.” He brought me closer to him, wrapped one of his arms tightly across my waist, and kissed the side of my mouth. I wasn’t exactly sure if I understood the entire conversation that just took place, but I was pretty sure Cruz was asking Mason to share me with him.
“Don’t worry, angel. No one else is going to touch you,” Mason assured me. I didn’t bother to tell him that I wasn’t worried in the least about Cruz, because it was then I noticed they were introducing the next local musician ready to take a shot at impressing the crowd. When Ash walked onto the stage with his acoustic hanging around his neck, I inhaled deeply and my body stiffened.
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
Ash pulled one of the available stools up onto the stage and adjusted the microphone. He looked out into the crowd and showed his irresistible dimple.
“Ah shit,” I heard Mason mumble against my back.
“Thank you. I had actually planned to do a different song I’ve been working on, but instead, I just noticed a friend of mine who’s here, so I’m going to invite her up to play with me, if that’s okay with all of you. I think you’ll really enjoy this.” Everyone cheered. He turned and looked at me sitting in Mason’s lap, and every eye in the bar followed his. “Scarlett?” he asked in the microphone. “Care to join me?”
I was going to fucking kill him when I got my hands on him. I could not believe he put me in this position, and even though he acted like it was all innocent, just two friends who like to play guitar together, I couldn’t help but think he was sending a message to Mason. I turned to Mason and asked if there was an extra acoustic I could use.
He stood up with me and walked with his hand in mine over to the back of the stage, where he grabbed a guitar out of a case. He leaned down and kissed me solidly on the mouth. “I will beat his ass later if you want me to.”
I just nodded, completely aware of the silence and stares still focused in on me. I walked up on stage where Ash had already pulled another stool next to his and set up a microphone. I glared at him, letting him know I was none too happy with his antics, but he just smiled and patted t
he stool.
“Sit down, butterfly,” he purred. Still contemplating bashing him over the head with the guitar, I lowered myself onto the stool.
“‘Lover’s Eyes’?” he asked. I nodded and tried to focus less on the ass sitting in front of me and more on not making an idiot of myself. I looked over at Mason and gave him a tight smile. He nodded at me and smiled back. I was sure he was just as curious as everyone else what this was going to sound like.
I closed my eyes, took myself back to Ash’s room, pictured us sitting on his bed, and tried to relax. I allowed him to lead us in as I always did, and then I joined him in both guitar and voice. I looked into his beautiful face and forgot being mad at him while we lost ourselves in each other and the song. By the first chorus, I had forgotten about the other people there and just let go. We sang to each other, lost in the magical melodic connection we always seemed to produce.
We cut the song short, since its original version was well over five minutes long. As we stopped playing, a hush fell over the crowd before a burst of applause shattered the silence, and we even received a standing ovation from many of the people. I couldn’t believe it. My heart filled with joy at everyone’s positive reaction.
I slipped off the stool, gave a small curtsey, and put the guitar back in its case. I didn’t dare look at Ash during my exit. I turned off any emotion I felt for him. I would not allow him to ruin my night with Mason any more. People congratulated and complimented me as I walked back over to Mason’s table, and I smiled and nodded my appreciation. I could hear Ash’s voice singing in the background, but my sole focus was on one rather large, pierced, tattooed, really fucking sexy rocker who was just a few feet in front of me.
Mason was standing with his feet slightly apart, his arms crossed in front of his chest, and his lips pressed together in a firm line. He sort of looked like a bouncer guarding entrance to the bar stool behind him. I walked straight up to him and looked into his charcoal eyes, everyone at the table silent and focused in on the two of us. I had thought he wasn’t upset, since he had been smiling and clapping, but all of a sudden, I was nervous he was mad at me. We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. Finally, he said something.
“That was the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever seen,” Mason growled. He grabbed both sides of my face in his hands and attacked my mouth and neck right there in front of everyone. Everyone started hooting and hollering and yelling lewd comments, and I couldn’t have cared in the least bit. When Mason’s lips were anywhere on my body, it was as if all brain functions except those centered around physical pleasure were temporarily paralyzed.
“I’m ready to go,” I whispered up into Mason’s ear between my panting breaths.
He chuckled and pressed his lips against my forehead. “We just got here, angel. You know what everyone would think?”
I looked around at the people near us. Everyone had resumed their conversations or making out or listening to the next guy up on stage. “I don’t care what they think. I don’t want to be here if he’s going to be. I’m really angry right now, and I need you to help bring me back down and… relieve some tension.” I looked up at him wantonly. “Please.”
“I could never deny you anything, angel,” he said, shaking his head at himself. “Especially if it involves me and you and relieving tension.”
I kissed him. “Thank you, Rat.”
He threw his head back in a hearty laugh. “What am I going to do with you, you little musical, virtuous angel?”
I scrunched my nose at his description of me. “I sound like I should be on top of a Christmas tree. Do I light up too?”
He grabbed my hips and spun me around so I was facing the exit and my back was against his chest. “I made you light up on Tuesday, and I plan on doing it again as soon as we get back to my place.” He kissed the center of the back of my neck, and shivers ran down my body. I couldn’t wait.
Twenty-Four
Saturday morning brought with it stormy weather, which I thought was ominous for the “talk” Dylan and I were going to have later in the day. The night before with Mason had been just about perfect, minus the Ash hiccup. Back at his apartment, we spent hours exploring each other’s body, and after my third orgasm, I passed out in his bed. I had no idea someone touching the back of my knee or the palm of my hand could be such a turn-on. Waking up with him had been a little strange, since the only guy I had shared a bed with was Ash… and Ash and I didn’t sleep together naked. So when I woke up in a foreign room, draped in heavy limbs, and looked down to see myself and a male body completely in the buff, I had more than a minor freak-out until I recalled the events of the prior evening.
I wiggled out from under Mason’s body and went to the bathroom to get cleaned up and dressed. When I returned to his room, he was still dead asleep. I didn’t want to wake him; he looked so peaceful and innocent. Against my better judgment, I stripped out of the clothes I had just put on and rejoined him in bed. The next time I woke up, it was to Mason’s tongue teasing the most sensitive parts of my body while his hand lightly traced patterns on the inside of my upper thighs.
After finally pulling ourselves from his bed, Mason took me back to my apartment with a promise to see each other again soon. I knew that at any time Mason could decide he didn’t want to continue to play along with this game I was making the rules for. I told myself to just enjoy any time I did get with him, and after just our first three lessons, I had gained quite a bit of confidence while in bed with him. Mason had not once eluded or attempted to go all the way with me. He was respecting my wish to not go there, even though I could’ve easily been persuaded in the heat of the moment.
Saturday afternoon passed quickly, and before I knew it, it was time to take a shower and get ready for Dylan’s arrival. Part of me thought I should get all dolled up so Dylan could see what he would be missing, but in the end, I threw on a gray camisole and some yoga pants. I was too tired to care. I did at least blow dry my hair and put a little mascara and lip gloss on so I didn’t look completely awful. I wished Evie would have been there to help calm my nerves with her always insightful advice, but she was spending the entire weekend at Max’s, because he was going to be out of town the following week.
At five ‘til five, a knock on the door alerted me of Dylan’s arrival. I wiped my clammy palms on my cotton pants and went to let him in. Dylan looked as handsomely GQ as ever in his khakis and forest-green golf shirt, even with the uncommon dark circles under his gloomy eyes. Despite what happened or what was going to happen between the two of us, I hated seeing him so obviously stressed and strained. I immediately stepped toward him, and we wrapped our arms around one another, neither of us saying a word. He squeezed me so tight I thought he may bruise a rib, but I didn’t dare complain.
After several minutes, we finally pulled apart and I led him to the sofa in the living area. I grabbed us both a bottle of water and then sat down on the couch, facing him with my legs tucked up underneath me.
“I’ve missed you, Dylan,” I said with a small smile.
“I’ve missed you too, Scarlett,” he returned the sentiment. “I’ve wanted to call so bad, but I just wasn’t sure what to say.”
“Well, let’s start with the truth. What happened last Saturday? Everything was going so good, and then you just started acting weird, and then you just left? No explanation… nothing.”
He looked around the room, obviously uncomfortable with my direct, to-the-point questions.
“Dylan, look at me,” I demanded. “I’m a big girl. I can handle it. Just tell me the truth.”
“Okay,” he exhaled loudly as he began. “I have been best friends with a girl named Jillian for the last few years. We met at freshman orientation, both non-native Texans, and we hit it off instantly. When we first met, we were both in a serious relationship with someone from our respective hometowns. The situation was perfect for us to be friends, because we could hang out and have fun, and even though we were both attracted to one an
other, we respected and understood the difficulties of having a long-distance relationship, so neither of us ever crossed the line. Well, of course, neither of those relationships lasted, and then we each dated other people, and somehow, we just never were both single at the same time.” He paused to take a drink. “I realized a long time ago that I was in love with her, but I was always too scared to act on it, because I didn’t want to lose her as a friend. So, I went on with life as did she.” Dylan ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.
“When I met you back in August,” he continued, “I was instantly charmed by your natural beauty and your honest and sincere personality. Then, the more time I spent hanging out with you and talking to you on the phone, the more I realized how much I really liked you. I honestly thought you might be the one to make my heart forget about Jillian. But a little over a month ago, she and I were out at a bar and we started drunk talking about love and life and all that… and then before I knew it, we were kissing. Afterward, I was a wreck. I didn’t know what to think about if or how things changed between her and me. And I felt guilty about what I had done to you and about whether or not I should tell you.” He looked into my face, trying to gauge my reaction.
“You didn’t have to tell me Dylan. We weren’t exclusive or anything. You just needed to tell me if y’all were going to get together, so I wasn’t cheating with some other girl’s man. I don’t do that,” I assured him.
He nodded. “Well, Jillian and I didn’t decide to get together after that kiss. We really didn’t even talk about it. But it did change things between us. The way we looked at each other became different… more sensual, more intense, more possessive. I’m not sure exactly how to describe it, but I know you understand the emotions behind it. It’s the same way you and Ash look at each other.”