“You made me a key to your apartment, too?” She laughed. “We’re so alike!”
“Um, no, but I will.” Now his gift for her fell short. The key to his apartment would have meant more.
She playfully shoved him away. “I want my key back.”
He guarded his pocket with his hand. “Not a chance.”
“Well, what do you have for me? I might be persuaded to let you keep it.”
“It’s downstairs. Come with me, and I’ll show you.”
On the ride down to the first floor, Jimmy watched Audra’s reflection in the highly-polished elevator doors. She had a teasing glint in her eye and wore a good-humored smile. He loved everything about her, but most of all, he loved that she was exactly what he needed.
The doors opened with a ding, and Jimmy allowed Audra to step off first.
“Where are we going?” She wrinkled her brow with question. “Are you driving me to the store to pick up my present? Because that’s not very romantic.”
She was a sassy little thing. He escorted her to the parking garage and stopped at the rear bumper to his car.
Audra eyed the flashy yellow Lamborghini parked next to his. “Who else owns a Lamborghini in this building?” She leaned over to read the license plate, as if it would disclose the owner’s name and address. He loved her innocence sometimes.
He dug into his pocket and produced a lone key on a Tiffany ring. “You own it.”
Audra’s face was blank for a few brief seconds before it clicked. Her mouth fell open and she gasped. “Jimmy! Are you serious? You bought me a Lamborghini?”
He slid his hands around her waist and all humor subsided. His serious, pensive gaze echoed his sincerity. “You’ve been wonderful. I don’t know how many women would put up with me . . . a kid . . . Kendall . . . the groupies. You deserve the world. I know you don’t need me to buy you things, but I wanted to give you something that makes you happy, and I love the way your face lights up when you’re behind the wheel. I love seeing the fire inside you.”
She clasped her fingers around his neck. “You’re unbelievable, Jimmy. You continually surprise the hell out of me. It’s beautiful. Thank you.” She placed a long kiss on his lips.
“You’re welcome.” He nodded toward the car. “Come on. Aunt Mary’s watching Mason. Let’s take her for a nice long ride.”
The wind blew Audra’s hair across her face like a whip. She stepped on the clutch and popped the stick into sixth gear. Her new toy flew down I-87 at lightning speed. It was an exhilarating rush of unrestrained power.
“There’s a rest stop ahead,” Jimmy pointed out. “Maybe you should pull over so we can get some coffee.”
She laughed. “Yes, because I need a jolt of caffeine.” She downshifted and veered off the interstate and into the rest stop in Sloatsburg. She had no idea she had driven so far outside of the city limits.
Jimmy jumped out of the car, seemingly happy to have his feet back on solid ground.
She knew she drove too fast, but she loved the freedom of sailing down the open road. They strolled into the bustling rest stop and headed for the Starbucks counter. Audra was still high from the exhilarating ride. She loved the wind in her face but it left her hair a mass of knots. She asked Jimmy to order her a soy latte and headed for the restroom. She needed to remember to either tie her hair up on the way home or keep the windows closed.
She was in the middle of untangling her hair when a loud outburst from outside the restroom caught her attention. The high-pitched squeals indicated that Jimmy’s arrival at the rest stop didn’t go unnoticed. Audra found him surrounded by a group of female fans. She didn’t think she’d ever get used to the hordes of girls that lusted after him. Her gut still twisted into a knot whenever he was surrounded by women, not because she was jealous, but because they acted like they owned him and she was the other woman.
Audra took a deep breath to shake off the frustration that was brewing inside her. She moved forward and joined Jimmy, but was forced to wait outside the circle of fans that were pawing at him.
She wore an undisturbed smile and stood with relaxed confidence, while she quietly waited for him to finish signing autographs and taking photos. He saw her, and a flash of happiness lit up his eyes. A half dozen women were practically mauling him, but his heart belonged to her. They silently smiled at one another. They were in the middle of a crowded rest stop, filled with a hundred or more people, and all they saw was each other.
The girls who engulfed Jimmy slowly turned toward her with an unpleasant curl to their lips and narrowed eyes. She didn’t care that they were sneering at her. She had Jimmy’s attention and his magnetic smile.
“I gotta go ladies. It was nice meeting you.” Jimmy squeezed out of their tight circle. He took Audra’s hand and kissed it. “Sorry about that, gorgeous. I’m all yours.”
She exhaled a happy sigh. “Let’s go home.” They picked up their coffee at the counter and walked back to the car, hand in hand. Audra reflected on the love and happiness that Jimmy brought into her life. She loved him, and she loved his son. Both were unexpected rewards she had never counted on. They stopped in front of her beautiful new Lamborghini. It was hard to comprehend that he had just bought her an expensive Italian sports car. She ran her hand across the glowing yellow paint. It was exquisite. “I think you’d better drive home. It’s getting dark, and I only have my learner’s permit. I don’t want to get in any trouble.”
“Trouble? You?” Jimmy smiled at her and took the key. “What kind of trouble could an unlicensed speed demon get into on the interstate?”
The car traveled southbound on I-87, back toward New York City, with Jimmy at the wheel. Audra waited until he was coasting at a steady speed, before she leaned on the console and slid her hand across Jimmy’s thigh and over his crotch. His cock immediately hardened, and his foot pressed down on the accelerator a little bit harder. He glanced at her with a wide smile and his brows raised high. She knew exactly what he wanted, and she planned on giving it to him. She lowered her lids to a seductive gaze and rubbed his growing erection until it strained against the tight denim.
Jimmy opened his belt buckle and the top button of his jeans. Audra pulled down his zipper and his cock popped out and almost hit the steering wheel. Underwear appeared to be unnecessary today. With the touch of a button, the seat glided back several inches, which allowed Audra access to the beautiful hunk of flesh between Jimmy’s legs. She leaned over and bore down on his cock with her mouth. She sucked the head and nibbled the tip. It was her favorite part – soft and fleshy, with that adorable little slit that offered her droplets of tangy dew.
One hand followed her lips up and down his shaft, while the other hand slid between his legs and massaged his balls. She tickled the tip of his cock with her tongue every time her mouth moved to the head. He spread his legs wider and started breathing heavily.
Jimmy had one hand braced on the steering wheel, and the other hand on the back of her bobbing head. She continued to milk his cock with her mouth. She sucked him deep into the back of her throat, almost gagging on the bulbous head that she loved so much. The faster the car traveled, the harder she sucked him. The faster she sucked him, the harder his foot pressed down on the accelerator. Up and down, a swirl of the tongue and the constant tug of her hand, made Jimmy explode in her mouth with a long moan in record speed. After she drained him of his precious liquid, she sat back in her seat and licked her lips. “I guess I’m not the only one who’s a speed demon.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Audra’s father spent five days in the hospital under doctor’s orders, or more likely, her stepmother’s directions. It was the first time Audra could remember her father taking time off from work. She closed the bedroom door, sat on the edge of his bed, and wondered how Claudia convinced him not to go back to work the minute he came home. Audra was relieved that he was out of the hospital, although she still wouldn’t completely accept that he was out of danger. His life was too
“The only other person I trust with those lunatics is Angus Jackson, and I don’t think I could pay him enough to leave the UK to go on tour with Immortal Angel again.” Her father let out a booming laugh. It was stronger than she expected. “But I would love to see their faces if Angus showed up in Australia instead of you.”
She laughed with her father, and the tension that had been brewing between them suddenly disappeared.
“I want you to go to Australia and represent Falcon Records.” He tipped his head. “Make me proud.”
Her smile waned. “I always try to make you proud, Daddy.”
“None of that. Put your happy face back on. I’m very proud of you. You possess more courage than half the executives who work alongside me. Men who are in charge of multimillion dollar companies don’t stand up to me the way you do. You don’t back down. No one persuades you to do anything you don’t want to.” He smiled at her. “You’re my daughter, all right.”
She smiled back through the thin film of moisture that filled her eyes. “We’re a lot alike, you and I.”
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since I had my heart attack.” He rolled his eyes. “I really don’t have anything else to do. Claudia took away my phone and my laptop. She won’t even let me read the newspaper.” He slid his hand under his pillow. “But she doesn’t know I have this.” He produced a Tablet and a sly smile.
A short, unexpected laugh bubbled from Audra’s throat at her father’s defiance. “Daddy! You’re so bad!”
“I have to check on record sales and the stock market.” He paused. “And I need to stay current on the local entertainment gossip.”
She knew he meant that he needed to find out what was going on with her and Jimmy. It wasn’t good for him to get aggravated with the paparazzi’s twisted lies. “Daddy, that’s not a good idea. I’m going to tell Claudia—”
“No. My daughters aren’t tattletales. Let me finish. I search the web every day for news on Mr. Wilder.”
“Daddy . . .”
“This is all I’ve been seeing.” He tapped on the screen and turned the Tablet around to face her.
There was a picture of her with Jimmy and Mason in Central Park. Mason was riding on Jimmy’s shoulders, and she had her arm around Jimmy’s waist. Her father flipped the screen and another photo popped up. It was Jimmy alone with Mason, handing him an ice cream cone. Her father flicked the screen again. The next picture was of Mason walking between her and Jimmy. They each had Mason by the hand, and the three of them were laughing. It brought a smile to her face to see the love the three of them shared portrayed across social media.
“That’s all very nice,” her father said, “but this is the one that got me.” He tapped on the screen for a bit and paused before he showed it to her. “This is the one that made me stop and stare, and really tugged at my heart.”
When she saw it, she covered her mouth with her hand to stifle the emotion that filled her throat and threatened to release a sob. Jimmy was pushing Mason in one of the children’s swings at the playground in the park. It had sparked a fond childhood memory for her the first time they took Mason there, but knowing that it triggered the same memory for her father made her heart swell. When she was a child, and her father had pushed her on the swing, it was all that mattered. He had put work aside and made quality time for her and Kira. No matter how many late nights he had spent at work, or how many meals he missed, he always took them to the park on Saturday mornings. It was their ritual.
“I remember taking you girls to the park like it was yesterday.” The corners of her father’s eyes crinkled as he smiled at her. “Where does the time go? You’re all grown up. You’re an integral part of Falcon Records. You’re in love and trying to help raise a child.”
She looked at the photo of Mason and felt so much love in her heart it was about to burst. “He’s not an ordinary child, Daddy. He’s a musical genius. He plays the drums like a madman. He’s going to be a star.”
“You’re the only star I care about right now. Your industry knowledge and people skills are astonishing. I thought I was a better judge of character than anyone else, but apparently your intuition outweighs mine. You swore to me that Mr. Wilder was a changed man, and I didn’t believe you. I waited for the media to rip him apart with this paternity suit, but they’re portraying him as father of the year, and I think there’s a lot of truth in that statement. I believe he’s trying to do the right thing by this boy – and by you. That’s a tremendous act of chivalry.” He paused. “And what’s this I hear about you driving a new Lamborghini?”
Her throat was closed, overwhelmed by her father’s statements, and she could barely find her voice. “Jimmy taught me . . . the car was a gift.”
“Congratulations. It’s a beautiful car.” He sat back and took her hand. “I’m not going to fight you on this any longer. I don’t want to read about my daughter’s life online. If you want to be with Mr. Wilder, you have my blessing. I just want you to be happy, and I’ve never seen you happier than in those photos.”
The tears flooded her eyes, and her chin quivered. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder while silent sobs wracked her body. She had disappointed him and defied him, and it rocked their relationship, but now everything was restored. He understood and accepted her choice. She was his princess again, and he was always her king.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Jimmy left the stool behind his drum kit and took his new Fender in his hands. Playing the guitar was a transition for him, but it was a challenge he eagerly conquered. It probably wouldn’t have been as nerve-racking if someone other than the great Tommy Blade was his mentor. The man had mad skills, and he was an excellent teacher.
Damien gave him a playful nudge. “Are you gonna play that thing or jerk off behind it?”
“I’m gonna play it, man. Gimme a minute.” Jimmy adjusted the strap around his shoulder, still unfamiliar with the weight of the guitar.
“I told you to practice standing up,” Tommy said. “The guitar can get heavy on your shoulder.”
The instrument still felt foreign in Jimmy’s hands, and he hoped he didn’t fuck up on stage when he surprised the fans in Australia with his new talent.
“Whenever you’re ready, Wilder,” Damien taunted him. “It’s not like we gotta wow a country halfway around the world in a few days or anything.”
Great. More pressure. The Australian tour was less than a week away, and he was still struggling with perfecting two songs on the guitar. Maybe he should just stick to one. He had too much on his mind to put in the hours he needed in order to master the guitar. He took a deep breath and nodded at Tommy. The Les Paul came to life underneath Tommy’s fingertips, and the amplifier sent the sound through the studio like a rocket. The acoustics were incredible in the home studio. It was a state-of-the-art facility.
Damien’s deep bass boomed along with the prerecorded drum beat, Tommy’s Les Paul produced the melody, and Jimmy added the rhythm guitar, but it was Angel’s voice that rang through the room and brought the song to life. Jimmy needed to concentrate. It was a contradiction for his hands to press chords into the neck of the guitar and his fingers to strum on the strings. His foot refused to make the disconnect, and tapped along with the drums. He got through the song without missing any notes, but without the flair and confidence the audience would expect. He pulled the guitar strap over his head and rested the Fender at his feet, disappointed with his mediocre performance. “My kid probably could’ve played better than that.”
“You’re being too hard on yourself,” Angel replied. “I think you’re just letting your nerves get in the way. You played well. You just need to relax.” He turned to Tommy. “What did you think?”
“You did a great job on the song,” Tommy told Jimmy. “We sounded good together. The fans are gonna go nuts when they see you with an axe in your hands.”
His friends’ encouragement did little to boost Jimmy’s confidence. He was a drummer, and the sticks were an extension of his hands. They felt natural in his grip. The guitar was bulky, and he had to think about each note. He turned to Damien for an honest, unfiltered opinion.
Damien nodded his approval, and the tip of his mohawk pointed at Jimmy like the dorsal fin of a mako shark. “It was fuckin’ wicked cool. It added another layer to the song.” Damien slugged him in the arm. “Just don’t stand there like a fucking statue, dude.”
“You’re telling me not stand here like a statue? Sometimes I wonder if you know where you are when we’re on stage. You got your eyes closed and tune everyone out.”
“Everyone but you. Your beat is all I hear. Your drums and my bass.” He pointed his thumb in Tommy’s direction. “This dude’s constantly tryin’ to get in my face, but I just ignore him. Just listen to the music.”
“He’s right.” Tommy nodded. “You’re thinking too hard. You know the piece. Now you just have to feel it. Have fun with it. Forget all the other bullshit.”
Jimmy let out a deep breath. “I’m trying.” He appreciated the guys’ faith in him, but his head was jam packed with issues regarding his turbulent personal life. “I’m still not sure what to do about Mason. The kid’s just getting settled at my place. His mother’s gone. He woke up crying the other night asking for her.” He pressed his hand against his chest to ease the ache that still burned there. “It ripped my fucking heart out, man. I can’t pick up and leave him for a month, but is the road the right place for a kid?” He could never leave Mason for a month. Not for a week. Not for a day. But he didn’t want to be selfish. Questions ping-ponged inside his head. “I want to bring him along. I want to do the right thing, but I’m not sure what it is.”
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