Rock Me (New Adult Romance)

by Olivia Marks

  * * *

  Aimee and I wandered through Soho, the trendy shopping district in NYC. She was totally focused, looking from one store to another, but I was oblivious to it all, a stupid grin still stuck on my face. I kept thinking back to Liam’s intense eyes on mine, the sound of his voice singing while we roared along the Brooklyn Bridge, the feel of his sexy kisses between bites of pancake and sips of coffee.

  I was almost totally oblivious to the picturesque scene around me. The tall row buildings of Soho were painted bright colors and had elaborate stonework and iron fire escapes. Fancy modern furniture in neon hues competed for window space with slinky clothes in expensive fabrics. Well-dressed New Yorkers cradling take out cups of coffee rushed by. I noted this all with the minimum of attention.

  “Earth to Shayla,” Aimee said, giving me a friendly push. I shook myself to find two amused blue eyes looking at me.

  “Sorry A, I’m a little sleepy.”

  “No doubt. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw you crawl in at 7 a.m. I’ve never seen somebody fall asleep so fast. I got through, like, three episodes of Pretty Little Liars while you were out.”

  A stab of guilt hit me. While boys were definitely distracting, my friendship with Aimee came first. “I am so sorry, A. This is our trip to NYC. I shouldn’t have wasted the morning sleeping off my crazy adventure.”

  Aimee gave me a quizzical look. “No Shay. Even though I am a little worried about this Liam character, I’m actually proud of you.” I shot her a I don’t believe you look. “No really,” she protested. We’re here to take chances and that’s exactly what you’re doing. There’s no way I’m gonna come down on you for that.” We grinned at each other suddenly and then went in for an impromptu hug.

  “Have I told you lately that you’re the best?” I said, shaking free.

  “I don’t mind hearing it again,” she teased. “That said, you are mine this afternoon! We’re going to shop, eat, and walk until we drop. You up for it?”

  I nodded vigorously. I was definitely ready for some old-fashioned girl time after my intense night. We proceeded to do a thorough review of Uniqlo, a Japanese chain with cheap and trendy clothes. I bought a cute pink short sundress with white polka dots and Aimee picked up a long maxi dress with tie straps and a wild pink flower print.

  We ducked into a coffee shop for way-too-expensive fancy coffee drinks and dark chocolate cherry cookies before continuing to explore the pretty streets and try on clothes we could never afford to buy.

  After a couple more hours of shopping we were famished so we veered into Chinatown to meet Felicia at her favorite Vietnamese restaurant, a first for us.

  Over steaming bowls of pho (broth with beef, rice noodles, and veg) Aimee and I laughed as we attempted to use the awkward plastic chopsticks. Felicia recounted her day. She’d spent it trying to talk down Black Dawn from publicly replying to a bad review.

  Then Liam called. I felt familiar butterflies in my stomach but they were friendly butterflies this time. He told me he had a surprise for me. I was loath to leave Felicia and Aimee, though, so I asked him if he wanted to join us at dinner first.

  Within 10 minutes he was at the table, ordering his own bowl of pho. Felicia and Aimee could not keep their eyes off him, a fact that was almost embarrassingly obvious. He was casual in a leather jacket and a white shirt, his long brown hair swept to the side, looking his usual nonchalant and very attractive self.

  He sat next to me, his arm draped over the back of my chair while he chatted with Felicia about Black Dawn and the now infamous review. He calmly advised her that it would blow over within a day and that the band just needed to assert their ego. I felt proud of his level head.

  I couldn’t contain my curiosity. “You mentioned you wanted to go somewhere tonight?”

  Liam cleared his throat and looked at Felicia and Aimee with mild embarrassment.

  “Yeah, I wanted to take you to the Slipper Room.”

  Felicia’s eyes widened. “Ooh. I’ve always wanted to go there. Everyone’s talking about it. Didn’t The New Yorker just write them up?”

  “Uh, what’s the Slipper Room?” I asked.

  “Kinda a weird place to take a girl on a date, though,” Felicia commented, one of her perfect eyebrows arched.

  “Well, now it’s more of a group outing,” Liam shot back, with a smirk.

  “OK seriously guys, where are we going?” Aimee cut in.

  “Don’t get your panties in a twist,” Felicia said. “You girls want to see something you’d never see in Minnesota? Well, get ready.”

  * * *

  The music was thumping as we walked into a huge airy space. The room was stuffed with tattooed men and women with fashionable haircuts plus groups of very pretty and very loud gay men.

  What really caught my attention though was the nearly naked woman on stage. Yes, naked. Aimee and I stared, bug-eyed.

  “Uh, where are we?”

  “Welcome to the Slipper Room, ladies,” Liam replied, grinning. “And welcome to the re-birth of burlesque.”

  We were definitely not in Minnesota. I’d never been to anything like this. Heck, the only place I’d seen a woman naked in public before was my gym’s locker room. I suddenly realized why Felicia had thought this was a weird place for a date. Despite this, there were still plenty of guys and girls sitting together and holding hands. It was blowing my mind.

  We found a place to sit near the back. Liam brought me a drink, which turned out to a delicious combo of gin and elderflower liqueur. I sipped it, eyes widening.

  “If you’d left it to me, I would have ordered a Sex on the Beach,” I joked.

  “Hey, I’m never going to knock sex on the beach,” he returned, eyes dancing. I could feel myself turning scarlet and turned my eyes to my drink.

  The performances were completely scandalous. Women in sparkly outfits, heels, and long gloves paraded around the stage. But the acts were hardly sexy—the women struggled to get out of their sequined dresses and some could hardly dance.

  But boy were they funny. They performed tricks and wore themed costumes based on old surfer songs, indie, and classic rock. There wasn’t a lick of AC/DC. One woman even performed as if she was a marionette.

  But what most caught my attention was that most of these ladies were chubby or even overweight. Their cellulite, wobbly bums, healthy tummies, and full thighs were all on display. At first I was too embarrassed to really look at them but soon I couldn’t stop staring at these women who looked pretty much like me but with better make-up, higher heels, and, uh, less clothing.

  “I can’t believe this,” I finally said to Liam. “People pay to see these shows?”

  He shrugged. “It’s crazy popular. My buds always want to come here. Plus, I’m told the cocktails are pretty great.”

  My mind struggled to compute this. “Do men find this, uh, arousing?” I said this last part in a whisper. Liam smiled broadly.

  “I dunno. I think it’s more about the ladies doing their thing, you know? But the guys here definitely appreciate their killer curves and attitude. Personally, I love seeing these ladies let loose.”

  I gave Liam a cock-eyed look. “Liam, did you bring me here so I’d feel more comfortable with myself?”

  “Of course not,” he said, looking a little too casual. I held his gaze. He sighed. “Well, it was a long-shot, but yeah. I was afraid you’d think I was some perv or something. I was hoping all the other chicks here would put you at ease.”

  I smiled. “I’m a bit sheltered but I’m not a total prude,” I countered. “I actually feel comfortable here.” A wash of gratitude came over me. “I really like that you were thinking of me.” I paused for a moment. “Do you find these women attractive?”

  He leaned closer. I could see the gold flecks in his eyes and smell the sweetness of his breath. “I love this type of woman. But the only woman I’m specifically interested in is right in front of me.”

  He held my eyes for a moment and then kisse
d me. I felt like his lips were scorching my own, there was so much heat behind it. Without thinking I pressed in for more. He gently caressed my tongue with his, taking his time. I could feel my body melting as he started gently caressing me while kissing me more and more intensely. His hands moved to my waist and pulled me closer. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest.

  “Do you want to get out of here?” he finally whispered in my ear. His breath tickled me, sending shivers down my spine. All I could do was nod before he picked me up and practically carried me out of the theatre.

  * * *

  He quickly ushered me through the lobby of his hotel and into the elevator where he proceeded to kiss me again—this time on my neck and ears, all while discreetly running his hands over my body. I was already on fire. I leaned into his kisses, my hands on his very nice butt. As much as I didn’t want the elevator to stop, I couldn’t wait to get a little more privacy.

  His room was an intense mix of lemon yellow leather, zebra print textiles, and dark wood. He hesitated for a moment at the door as I stood in the middle of that impressive room. It was dark, as he hadn’t yet turned on the light.

  I turned to face him. “Shay I need to be honest with you,” he said, concealed in the shadows. He looked imposing, a bit dangerous, sexy. “I really want to make love to you.

  That said I don’t want to do anything you don’t want to. So you gotta tell me because right now I just want to make you so exhausted you may never stand again.”

  I could barely hear the rest of it because all I could think about were the words ‘make love to you’ and ‘never stand again’.”

  “I think we’re on the same page,” I gulped. “Come here. Please.”

  He smiled and stepped out of the shadows while taking off his leather jacket. He was so tall that my head only came up to his chin. He gently stroked my hair, his eyes on mine, and then ran the back of his hand down my cheek. After a moment, he suddenly pulled me to him, crushing his lips against mine.

  I was aware of nothing but his need and mine. He ran his hands down my body, gently cupping my behind and pushing me even closer against him.

  His hands began to roam all over my body, caressing my breasts, then running a hand up my leg and under skirt, causing me to gasp.

  “You are so beautiful,” he whispered in my ear, before pressing me against what was a very substantial hard on. My breath caught. There was definitely a lot of him in there.

  He continued to run teasing fingers under my dress, stroking my thighs and cupping my bottom. He took off his shirt and my eyes widened to see his well-formed pecs, flat abs, and well-defined arms covered in tattoos. I ran my hands his muscular torso. He was warm and soft and hard at the same time. My mouth went dry with desire. Other parts of me, well, they weren’t dry at all.

  I fiddled with his belt, clumsily opening his pants. His eyes were liquid with desire as he watched my every move. His pants dropped down to reveal a spectacular bulge in his very tight and small black underwear. My eyes went from the bulge to his face. I could see in his eyes the force of his desire and an equal amount of restraint. I wanted a bit more of that desire.

  I tentatively reached out and stroked him through his shorts. He was incredibly hard and large. I felt the need to really get things started. I pulled him out of his shorts, knelt, and put him in my mouth. I gently licked and sucked. His breathing deepened considerably.

  “Oh Shay,” he groaned, gently caressing my head as I stimulated him. He tasted salty and the skin of his shaft was like velvet. I worked at him as he moaned, his legs bucking. He gently helped me up after a few minutes.

  “Not fair,” he whispered. “I’m completely naked and you haven’t taken off a thing.”

  “We can fix that,” I said slyly. “But lay down on top of me first.”

  “Shy?”

  I shrugged slightly, looking down. “I’m not perfect.”

  He nodded and gently led me to the bed. I reclined back and he lay on top of me, careful to rest his weight on his forearms. We kissed passionately and moved together, enjoying feeling each other so close. He then untied my dress in the back and pulled it down and off me. He kissed the tops of my breasts passionately.

  At first I squirmed a bit, aware of the softness of my thighs, the roundness of my belly, my big bum. But he didn’t seem to notice, as he was so busy kissing first my breasts and then my tummy, my legs. He kissed everywhere, passionately covering every squishy bit with his eager wet mouth.

  He moved down to between my legs, kissing me there through my underwear. I could feel a wash of heat and I squirmed impatiently. But he kept torturing me, first planting soft kisses and then more insistent ones. He moved aside my panties and inserted a very wet tongue into my most sensitive place. I gasped audibly, holding his head with my hands.

  He began working at me, kissing, sucking, and tasting my most tender folds and spots before working tenderly on my clit, building me towards ecstasy. Breathless, I eventually pleaded, “I can’t take any more Liam. Please, I want you inside of me.”

  He climbed up, removing my bra and planting a couple more tortuous kisses on my swollen nipples. He moved off for a sudden and then I heard a foil packet ripping and then felt the welcome hardness of him against the very softest part of myself.

  I breathed in deeply. He entered slowly, letting me feel every inch. I felt excruciatingly full and aroused. He paused mid-way in, letting me breathe and adjust. I looked up into his eyes. They were full of wonder, urgent desire, and, yes, something like happiness. He pushed further in, then, leaving me with an exploding feeling of fullness and satisfaction.

  We moved together, reveling in the pleasure of sensation and closeness. He gently teased me, moving in and out, giving me time to enjoy each sensation. We eventually gave into an overwhelming feeling of desire and need, rocking back and forth wildly and insistently, abandoning ourselves to our connection and our desire for release.

  His face was flushed with desire and concentrated passion. His sweaty, muscular body rubbed against my curves sending me into new heights of ecstasy. He kept bringing his eyes back to mine as we yelled, gasped, moaned, and gasped out words to each other.

  Eventually he threw his head back and let loose his release, groaning passionately.

  Meanwhile, I was experiencing a crazy mixture of sensations in my lower belly—constriction, release, a flooding of warmth, a powerful spasm deep inside. Confused, I couldn’t do anything but let it loose and overpower me, which threw me into wild, confused, and utterly blissful release. Utterly drained, I let darkness enfold me while Liam’s sticky, warm body curled up close to mine.

  * * *

  Liam played with my bare toes as I sat in a comfortable lemon yellow leather chaise lounge in his hotel room. If he looked cute during the day, he sure looked even better half-naked and disheveled from a night of sleep (and, uh, things that didn’t have anything to do with sleep).

  But there were also other important things to consider like the room service menu. I’d worked up a crazy appetite and it needed to be addressed pronto. Should I order the French toast or the Brie and mushroom omelet? Boy, were things getting tough for me in New York.

  “Get both, baby,” Liam interjected. “It’s my treat. After all, you earned it.” He winked at me, his green eyes clear and shiny. His hair was adorably messy and I reached over to run my fingers through it. “But don’t wait too long, after all I’m looking forward to hitting the shower with you.”

  Blushing furiously, I quickly went back to surveying the menu. How was it that I could be so embarrassed after we’d spent a night horizontal and naked? That question would have to wait though until after I’d eaten my French toast and drunk a very strong cup of coffee. I lazily picked up the phone and dialed in my choice, plus bacon and eggs for Liam.

  Our order arrived with The New York Times and we settled in comfortably at the little table for two by the window. Liam dove into the sports section while I idly looked out at the city and
its endless number of towering skyscrapers.

  In between sips of dark, strong coffee and fluffy raspberry French toast, I stole glances at Liam. He was wearing only a pair of gray boxer briefs, his rippling muscles and strong arms fully on display. His learn fingers, calloused from years of playing the guitar, flipped idly through the paper. He glanced up and an amused look crossed his face.

  “Like what you see?”

  I blushed. “Not bad.”

  “Same to you,” he said with a devilish half-smile. “Though I’d rather you nix the robe.”

  “I’d rather you nix the shorts, but we have to at least try to be decent,” I shot back, pulling his white terry bathrobe closer.

  He grinned. “Wow, you’re saucy. Guess I should have let you sleep more.”

  I raised an eyebrow at him. There were no words to describe what had gone on last night. The way he aroused such incredible longing in me had blown my mind. I wasn’t a virgin but I was sure lacking in both experience and satisfaction. Liam had let me know that life between the sheets could be one heck of an adventure that could bring satisfaction to both of us. Any alarm bells previously ringing in my head had been silenced by the roar of my orgasm(s). The man had me.

  He must have read at least part of my thoughts because a look of pure satisfaction crossed his face. He went back to his paper and eggs looking nothing less like the cat who got the cream. We sat in contented silence for a while longer until Liam’s cell began to buzz insistently.

  He looked annoyed but picked up the phone anyway. Within a minute his look of casual indifference had changed to excitement.

  “What, no way!” he blurted out. “You gotta be kidding me? Yeah of course, email me all the details. It’s on!”

  He hung up, a look of pure exhilaration on his face. “That was our manager, Dan. He said we’ve got the Bowery Ballroom this Friday night.”

  “No way!”

  “Even better, we’re gonna headline!”

  I was so shocked I immediately got up and hugged him. “That’s an amazing venue! I’m so proud of you.”