Indulgence

by Liz Crowe

  “Time for a shower, Wildflower,” he mutters against my lips. “I have a few plans of my own to put into motion.” His hips grind against mine making me moan. “Shaft bolts into action,” he says with a laugh then drags me into the bathroom where his plans are carried out again and again in delicious detail.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Double O Dumbass

  “Are you sure this is going to work, Double O Dumbass?” Cam asks, teasing my hair up another three damn feet.

  She wasn’t very happy about getting a call from us this morning, until I informed her that it is going to be a spy mission. Even then, she was barely agreeable. Being around Aiden, so soon, was something she shouldn’t be doing she said, but can’t refuse helping us to get the proof we need. Above everything else we have to protect the Shaft. We love our boys; yes, even Cunter. It’s our job to back them up no matter what. Tad and Landon are hiding a lot more than their sexual preferences, we all know it. So Cam, giving up her sulk to help, surprises me; but then again it doesn’t. She loves Aiden. I have to remember this little piece of Camaron intel. When Aiden needs her she comes running…interesting.

  “Yes. Aiden says it will. We need to get the invoices, maybe even files from their laptops.” I hold up a little black stick. “Aiden got flash drives for me to do just that. Then we get the hell outta there, bring it all to him and it’s a done deal.”

  “Okay. Whatever our guys need us to do,” Cam whispers, turning from me toward the mirror. She fumbles through her bag then fixes her makeup for the fifth time.

  “Cam…” I start but she stops me.

  “Don’t. I’m here aren’t I? I just can’t talk about it so don’t. We are protecting our guys. Backing them up is what we do. So just leave it,” I nod.

  “Come on, let’s go; Henry should be about ready for us.”

  Taking one last look in the mirror, I grin at us. Cam and I are both in black miniskirts with our ‘Shaft Approved’ tops. Red fuck me heels along with more make up than I probably wear in a month; but, we gotta look the part just in case someone sees us.

  Walking out of the bedroom we pass the guys all sitting at the table deep in conversation. Aiden looks up at Cam as we enter the room. I swear all the air gets sucked out of the room the second their eyes meet. I watch, my eyes going back and forth between their heated gazes; there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that they are totally crazy, because even from fifteen feet apart, without words, they are sizzling. I swear I can hear her panties crackling off her right now just by Aiden’s heated gaze running along her body.

  “Come here, Cam,” Aiden finally speaks and it’s firm, commanding and full of authority.

  I half expect her to tell him to go to hell then walk out. She doesn’t though. Cam bows her head walking over then settles on her knees in front of him. I watch in complete confusion as she lays her head on his knee. Aiden sighs contently. His still, partially bandaged fingers running along her hair. “Good girl,” he whispers so low that I barely catch it. I definitely do not miss the shiver that runs down her body at his praise. “You should be punished for leaving me yesterday,” he says scolding her. Though Aiden’s voice isn’t angry at all, it is completely calm as he speaks softly to her. They are in their own little bubble, oblivious to us.

  “Fuck, that’s hot,” Hunter groans as he watches them.

  I watch while Gray wraps his arms around me from behind. “Are you sure you are ready for this, baby? If they catch you…”

  “They won’t,” I reassure him then kiss his jaw. “We have this all planned out. They won’t even know we’ve been in there, Gray.”

  Nuzzling my neck, he trails kisses behind my ear. “You can stay here. Forget the whole thing, we can have a quickie before the show.”

  “You and I both know there is nothing ‘quickie’ about what you do to me,” I whisper rolling my hips into his. “Later, Sex and Sin. Lots and lots of it later.”

  I watch Cam lean into Aiden’s hand as he strokes her face. He is completely in control. Knowing that he can’t just let it be this way yet, he stops. He pulls her chin up so that her eyes are forced to meet his. “I’m proud of you for helping us, baby. I’ll see you later,” he says softly then looks to me. “You remember everything I taught you about transferring files?” he asks.

  “Yes Aiden. Don’t worry we got this,” I say confidently. Nodding at me, he stands, walks down the hall slamming the door behind him. Cam shakes her head as she stands. I take her hand and we follow Henry out into the hall toward Landon and Tad’s suite.

  “You two hang around this corner while I go grab them. When they answer, I’ll use this so the door doesn’t click when it shuts,” Henry says, holding up a small piece of duct tape. “Then get in, get what we need then get the fuck out of there.” I nod then watch as the enormous teddy bear walks around the corner and knocks on their door.

  Landon answers, quickly looking from side to side in the hall. “We’re ready,” he says, turning back in the room giving Henry the chance to place the tape over the strike plate so that we can push it right open. Henry steps back allowing Tad and Landon to walk from the room then follows them to the elevator. Once the doors close, we watch the arrow descend stopping on the ground floor.

  “Come on, that’s our cue.” I nudge her with my elbow.

  Their room is nothing like ours, it’s enormous. Clearly, they made sure to book only the best for themselves. I didn’t get a great look at it the other night, but now I take it in. It’s clearly the damned penthouse and big enough for all of us to stay in together.

  Cam pulls the tape off the doorjamb letting it click closed just in case someone does come back. I walk over to the table they have turned into Shaft Command Central. Tad’s laptop sits there begging me to throw it against the wall but that wouldn’t help us, so I don’t. Opening it, I hack around his password just like Aiden showed me. “Here Cam, you upload all the files onto this and I’ll go do the same with Landon’s.” I slide the computer across the table handing her one of the flash drives.

  She starts accessing files, saving them all to the drive as I dive into Landon’s. Landon’s is relatively empty, really, but I save everything anyway. I pull up pictures of us together then of Tad with him from before we were even together according to the dates. Once again, this makes me question Landon and I as a couple. I also begin to question Landon’s control over his life. The man that I thought was so strong seems weaker to me with every passing day. Little things pop into my head. Things that should have been red flags warning me of this all blowing up in my face but I didn’t see it. Hind sight…fucking bitch.

  “Daisy,” Cam gasps. “Babe, you need to see this shit,” she growls, waving me over.

  I quickly yank the flash from Landon’s computer then shut it down like I found it. “Did you find something we need, Cam? Just copy it we’ll look at it later. I don’t want to be here too long in case someone comes back.”

  Her eyes look up at me over the screen. Her face is shock white. I jump up walking around the table toward her. What could she have found that is so bad? I mean, if they are skimping off the top like we suspect it shouldn’t have Cam freaking out. “Daisy, you really need to…” she starts; my world, along with my legs, crumple out from under me as I look at the screen of Tad’s laptop where a video plays. It’s grainy and not very clear but I know exactly what, or should I say who, it is. Tad has the security tape from the bar the night I fucked Landon in the back room.

  “Oh my God!” I scream, covering my eyes but it’s too late. The images are burned into my brain now swirling with those of Tad and Landon together. My stomach churns as I relive every second as it plays. Oh my God it even has sound! I listen to myself cry out Landon’s name only matched with his grunts.

  “I’m so sorry, Daisy,” Cam whispers sadly, her eyes scanning the screen. “There’s an entire file here of you two.” She clicks on another file making another video load. This video is clearer and of Landon’s bedroom. I watch a
s I lie back on the bed crooking a finger at Landon. He slides between my thighs before I pull him to me, capturing his mouth with mine. Oh my God, I’m going to be sick. “This was the night he proposed,” I say, then quickly clap a hand over my mouth running for the bathroom where I lose my dinner into the toilet along with all my sympathy for Landon.

  Leaning up, I wipe my face on a towel while I try to gather my thoughts on this. How could he do this to me? This is an even bigger betrayal than anything he has done. That’s saying something isn’t it? I want to beat the hell out of them both. What if my ass went viral? Oh my God, all the thoughts in my head are making me nauseous all over again. Cam flying into the bathroom and shutting off the light stops all of my thoughts. “Landon’s back,” she whispers.

  My fists ball up at my sides. I want nothing more than to beat the shit out of him then call the police for what is on the laptop, but I can’t. If I do it ruins the guys’ shot at firing Tad. No, Landon and I will have our moment, just not now. Instead, I hide behind the door watching through the crack with Cam as Landon walks into the bedroom making my heart stop. He is pale and disheveled in dirty jeans and an old sweatshirt, looking nothing like the man I was engaged to just over a week ago.

  I watch helplessly as he grabs a black duffel bag then walks back out of the room. I don’t think either of us breathes the entire time. We listen to him curse in frustration while he rummages through the other rooms. After waiting for what feels like hours, petrified that he will catch us and ruin everything until we hear the door to the suite slam. I sag against the wall blowing out a breath. “Okay. Let’s get the hell out of here before he comes back. We need to get you to the concert before it starts,” Cam says, shocking me into action.

  Carefully, Cam and I make our way out of the bathroom toward the door making sure that nothing is out of place. “What was he looking for?” she asks me, glancing around the room.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never seen him as unhinged as he’s been in the last week or so.” The differences between the structured, well thought out man I had agreed to marry that night a few months ago compared to the train wreck Landon is turning into blows my mind. “It’s like I never knew him at all, Cam. It really pisses me off to think I was so fuckin’ clueless.”

  “Well, it is what it is, Sweets. I’ll tell you this much though, they’re done here once Aiden and the guys get a hold of this shit.” She says waving the flash drives before shoving them into her bra.

  Opening the door, Cam glances down the hall, “We’re clear, let’s get the hell out of here before he comes back.”

  Just as we walk around the corner a hand clamps around my mouth. My eyes jerk to Cam as we are shoved into the elevator. I start to fight but then am quickly turned meeting Henry’s worried face. “Landon is down the hall banging on your door. I didn’t want him to see you,” he explains then hits the parking garage level button. “Did you get everything they need?”

  “And then some…” I mutter leaning against the wall. The last thing I want is for the guys to see any of those videos, especially Grayson. He will go thermo-nuclear on Tad then kill him along with Landon.

  Once we are driving to meet the guys, I look at Camaron. “Listen, some things on that flash drive don’t need to be seen by the guys,” I whisper.

  Henry’s eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror, watching me suspiciously. Cam pats my shaking hands. “Listen, we’ll explain the folder to Aiden so that he doesn’t dive into it. That way he knows what happened but doesn’t watch it. I know I wouldn’t want that shit floatin’ around about me. I also know how Aiden feels about goin’ viral. He’ll understand, Daisy, but we can’t delete it. That’s fuckin’ proof of how shady those bastards really are.”

  I nod then glance at Henry whose jaw is ticking angrily. “Y’all plannin’ to share that shit?” he asks.

  “Yeah, Big Man, just not right now alright? I’ll need to talk to Gray about it all first.”

  “Could it be why he was banging the damn door down to your suite?” He asks making me shrug.

  “I don’t know Landon anymore Henry. I don’t know if I ever really did.” I mutter sadly.

  By the time we walk into the staging area I’m ready to dump the heaviness of all this shit and have fun. Without a word, I walk over curling into Gray’s lap. His arms instantly surround me while I run my fingers along the shield, tracing the outline. My palm then flattens against it, feeling his heart beat thump against my hand, soothing me immediately. “You okay?” he asks sweetly, his fingers tracing circles on my back.

  “I’m fine now,” I whisper meeting his eyes. The steel gray of his eyes are as panty melting as always, drawing me in, making me need to feel his lips on mine, his body against mine and everything in between.

  “I was worried when Tad had Landon leave in a cab for an errand,” he whispers against my skin as he kisses down my jaw. I can’t let him know how close things were. Gray needs to focus on the show right now then we can talk about the files and nearly being caught; but right now, it needs to be all about Shaft.

  “He came back for something but didn’t see us. Everything is fine Gray; now, go sing me something. We can talk about this later,” I reply, hoping he will drop the subject. Cam is sitting curled in Aiden’s arms where he whispers something to her making her eyes close and her breathing accelerate. Then, just as quickly, he stands and leaves the room.

  “See you, Wildflower, stage left.” He kisses me, then follows Hunter toward the stage.

  Aiden struggles some with his solos since his hands are still partially bandaged but the audience doesn’t notice. His face contorts in agony with nearly every hit to his kit. Hunter is in full on Cunter mode, even pulling a chick up on stage burying his face in her chest during Gray’s intro. Looking over, Hunter waggles his tongue at me while thrusting his hips wildly. Gray’s eyes widen just in time to see me slide my middle finger up, blowing a kiss to Cunter with it.

  Hunter Chesterfield may be a perverted, obnoxious bastard; you also may be able to count his age by the lipstick rings around his dick on any given day, but he is a good guy underneath his inflated ego. I’m sure of that. Just from what little he told me about their childhood, I can piece together enough to know that it’s just how he handles the shit hand he was dealt.

  I watch as the three of them rock the shit out of Vegas. Tomorrow we start making the trip up to northern Minnesota, just outside the Canadian border. A couple little stops in-between but nothing hotel worthy so it’s goodbye hotel and back to the big bitch. Back on the bus, in cramped quarters; but this time when we leave, we do it without Cam. This was her original end point so I seriously doubt she will change her mind on that. As much as I will miss her I know it will make it that much sweeter when they are back together. The next time Aiden sees Cam, she will be ready to stake her claim on his heart, even if it already belongs to her.

  “Alright you fuckin’ amazin’ ass people of Sin City! One more thing from us tonight! Are you ready to soak your panties for this motherfucker right here?” Hunter screams into the mic as he points to Gray. “Too bad, because the fucker went through some ball ‘n’ chain drive thru the other night. Clamped a wife to his balls then got two burgers to go.” Roaring with laughter they flip each other off making the crowd start screaming. “Well, he’s gonna sing some shit for you anyway,” Hunter says as Gray walks up to the mic.

  “Alright Vegas, how about some Tonic for you tonight?” he shouts into the mic, starting the intro to ‘If You Could Only See.’

  Gray’s eyes meet mine as he pours out every word. He calls out all the lies, all the deceit as he defends everything about the love he feels. Making it clear how determined he is to fight just to hear those three words from my lips. Gray’s voice is commanding the song as one big fuck off to Landon, Tad and anyone else who doubts the way he feels for me. It isn’t going to be easy, or always pretty, but I love him.

  The moment he finishes I do something I never thought possible. As he swings
the guitar around to his back, I jump from my stool running onto the stage and leap into his arms. Wrapping my legs around his waist I kiss him hard. The crowd going crazy as my tongue dives into his mouth. Gray’s hands wrap around me, holding me firmly against him. Our chests pressed tightly together as everyone claps and screams.

  “Alright, break it up before we get the hose!” I hear Hunter scream into the mic.

  Pulling back I meet the sexiest smile while Gray runs his thumb along my bottom lip. “I love the fuck out of watchin’ you bloom, Wildflower.” Then, with my legs still wrapped around him, he walks off the stage passing everyone without a word heading back down to the staging area.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Twat Caverns, Twinkies and Groupie Sleaze

  The next morning, I walk up the bus steps with a bag of groceries that Cam, Chase and I bought, to find Hunter bouncing past Henry and Aiden to take the bag from me. “Is there bacon? Is there? Huh?” Diving into the bag he starts piling stuff onto the counter. “Bacon! Bacon!” he exclaims, clutching the boxes of microwave bacon to his chest. I am realizing, all too quickly, what I’m in for since Cam is officially gone now. I’m alone on the bus with all the guys again.

  After leaving a very unhappy Gray in bed early this morning, I had breakfast with Cam and Chase at yet another diner. From there, we went to get stuff to stock the bus before Chase dropped me off at the bus where the guys were all waiting. Camaron refused to get within five hundred feet of the Big Bitch, or Aiden, and she grabbed a cab back to her parent’s house when we left the store.

  “Yes, bacon,” I say patting his back. “Who’s a good boy?” I coo to him, making Henry laugh.

  “He sounds like that damn dog on the treat commercial,” Aiden says not taking his eyes from the computer screen. “How was Cam this morning?”