Naughty

by Arabella Quinn

  I forced myself to look at her, avoiding Nick's eyes altogether. And I hated her on sight. Of course, she was beautiful, with long wavy hair and a terrific body. All of Nick's girls were. She was wearing a short strapless dress with cowboy boots, and it looked stunning on her. I looked downright dumpy standing next to her.

  I watched her measure me up in less than a second and once again, I was judged to be lacking. I wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. Fuck this. Why would Nick tell me to come out tonight and make me face his girlfriend? Even though it felt like my heart was being shredded, I felt a pang of anger towards Nick.

  "Marissa, this is my sister, Allison." His voice was strained as he was trying to subtly disengage from Marissa's tight grasp, but she remained draped all over him.

  Marissa's eyes lit up with a fake smile. "Oh! This is Allie. It's so nice to finally meet you."

  I gave her a sickly smile in return and downed the rest of my drink in one large gulp.

  Marissa took the glass from my hand and turned to Nick. "Allie needs a new drink. Go get us some drinks so that we can chat and get to know each other."

  Nick was clearly getting agitated, but I didn't feel sorry for him. A hand ran through his hair. "No, I'm not leaving. Allie should pace herself anyway."

  Gee, I wonder why Nick didn't want to leave Marissa alone with me. I finally looked at Nick again. "I just got here - I'm fine. And I really would appreciate another drink. I'd love to get to know your girlfriend better."

  Nick had the nerve to look annoyed at me before he stormed off.

  Marissa watched him stalk away. "What's wrong with him? He's in a shitty mood. Oh, no worries, I'll take care of that tonight."

  Holy hell. I wanted to scratch her eyes out.

  She shrugged and turned to me. "So, Allie. How was your Thanksgiving? Nick was supposed to come to my parent's house and meet my family, but I guess he felt obligated to visit his mother last minute. She's really sick or something?"

  I tried not to shoot daggers at her with my eyes. "Nick's mother broke her hip. That's why I'm in town; I'm helping her out."

  She flashed me that fake smile again. "That's so nice of you! So who was at your Thanksgiving dinner?"

  I answered, "Well, our parents and Nick's brother, John, was there too."

  "And was anyone else there? Besides your family, I mean?" She seemed pretty interested.

  "No. That was it." This is what she wanted to find out about? Thanksgiving dinner?

  "Well, it was nice chatting with you Allie. I'm sure we're going to be great friends. Tell Nick I had to talk to Paige and I'll be back soon." She had already focused on something else across the room before she had even finished her sentence. She gave a little wave and flounced away.

  My mouth dropped open. I heard Alex laugh. "What's wrong, Allie?"

  "I can't believe Nick is dating that girl. She's… she's… ridiculous."

  ***

  Marissa was worried. She had worked for two fucking years to get to this place and it all seemed to be crumbling away before her eyes. She didn't want to panic yet, but she could feel deep in her bones that something was wrong. She needed to figure out what it was damn quick before her gig was up.

  Nick hadn't returned her phone calls - she had to subtly figure out where he'd be tonight through his friends - and then he had definitely not been happy when she showed up. That was a real problem. She wasn't stupid, she knew that he wasn't head over heels in love with her, but she had at least thought he was comfortable with the idea of her as a girlfriend. And she had made damn sure that she kept him plenty satisfied.

  If she couldn't hang onto him now, she would never last when he began touring with Cold Fusion again. It was time to step up her game. Sex alone didn't seem to be working. She needed to dig her hooks deeper.

  She stood across the bar chatting with her girlfriend, but her mind was only half engaged in the conversation. She was busy keeping an eye on Nick from afar, searching for signs of another woman in the picture. So far, she had only seen him hanging out with his sister. Several women, some who even looked like they could have been tough competition, had made their moves on him, but he had ignored them or blown them off.

  If Nick was interested in another woman, he wouldn't go through too much trouble hiding it from her. Nick wasn't sneaky like that and unfortunately, he just didn't care about her feelings all that much. Yet. That was her fault. She had been too complacent with her victory. Not anymore. She would do just about anything to hold onto her prize.

  Marissa held her breath as Tyler approached Nick. She studied their interaction, but all seemed normal. It was over a year ago that she had slept with Tyler. She had since decided that either Tyler didn't remember or hadn't ever put together that she was the same girl. Or, if he did, he had decided to keep it from Nick. And that was just fine with her.

  She wasn't sure how Nick would react to that news. He wouldn't be heartbroken, of course, but her position as girlfriend would probably be over. Even before she had set her sights firmly on Nick, she had realized that although he readily had sex with the willing girls always surrounding him; he didn't really respect them. Marissa was very good at reading people, and right away she could detect this peculiarity in Nick's character. She knew she could use it to exploit him. It had been her way in.

  It was more than two years ago when her plan was hatched. She and some friends had been partying at a club when she first met the members of Cold Fusion. They were a local band that was just beginning to hit their stride, but more importantly, they were four unbelievable smoking hot guys. She had been star struck from the beginning.

  Admittedly, her initial fixation had been to hook up with them. Each and every one of them. It had proven much more difficult than she ever would have expected. It had taken a lot of work to worm her way into their social circles.

  She had to attend as many local or nearly local concerts as she could. Then it started getting easier to figure out where the band was hanging out after shows and when they were not touring. Once she became more connected with their friends via social media, it became much easier. She would show up and already know lots of people hanging out. Before long, she became accepted as one of the inner crowd.

  First, she had set her sights on Tyler. He was the front man of the band, the most popular. And he was fucking hot. It didn't take long to get her turn with him. It had been the night of her life - she had been so excited. And then she was pushed aside and forgotten like yesterday's newspaper, and it had hurt.

  Her initial plan had been to just have them all. But as she got to hanging out with them and being on the edge of the lifestyle, she realized that her plan was too superficial. One fuck would not satisfy her. What was the point? Just to say that she fucked all the members of Cold Fusion? It was almost even too slutty for her.

  No, she wanted it all. As Cold Fusion got even bigger, growing into a wildly popular band, she started dreaming bigger. She wanted to land one of these guys, permanently.

  She would be the perfect rock star wife. The glamour, the attention, the partying, it was all good. And she had no problem looking the other way while the band was touring. Who cared if he chased a little pussy? Hell, she probably wouldn't be able to remain faithful herself. Who wanted to tie themselves down to one man, no matter how hot? She figured after a few years, when he was eager to unload her, she could walk away with a little notoriety and a lot of cash in hand. No hard feelings.

  The more she had thought about it, the more it appealed to her. It became her new obsession. It wasn't long before she had her sights set on Nick. Tyler was too challenging. Tommy was too much goddamn work - too exhausting. Alex had seemed promising, but then Lena had entered the picture during the last tour.

  Nick was no last prize though. He had proven to be a challenge, but once she finally had sex with him she was blown away. No, it was no chore being with Nick. And he seemed to be content allowing her to walk him down the exact path she was leading him along. Until no
w.

  What had changed? Before he had backed out of Thanksgiving dinner with her family, things had been going great. She had been careful not to move too fast even though she was damn impatient.

  She took a sip of her drink as she ignored the whining chatter of her girlfriend. Her eyes narrowed as she spied a bottled blonde approach Nick. They spoke for a few minutes before she moved on. The girl headed her way for a few seconds before turning toward the back of the bar. It was Cassie. She had heard some shit had gone down with Cassie, who was just a useless chick that got in the way. She was too dumb to even know to stay clear of Alex. She was certainly too dumb to be any serious competition.

  Marissa had to keep her eyes and ears open. She had given Nick enough space for the moment. She needed to get back over there and assert her position, but also to remember to be careful not to smother him. If worse came to worse, there were certain ways to hold onto a guy. Drastic measures that she would rather not employ, because they would seriously crimp her lifestyle. But, she had worked way too hard to let Nick get away.

  Chapter 12

  Allie was pretty studiously avoiding him since he had come back with new drinks and he really couldn't blame her. What a disaster that Marissa had showed up. How the hell did she find out his plans, when he hadn't even known himself until a few hours before? Dammit. He should have unloaded Marissa long ago. He had let their relationship go on because the sex had been convenient and good, but there had been no real emotional connection between them. In fact, he always felt that she was using him as much as he used her.

  Now he was in a real jam. Marissa would be expecting to go home with him when he had planned to spend the night with Allie. And, selfishly, he didn't want to give that up. It would mean ditching Marissa somehow. Breaking it off with her while they were out tonight would be a dick move, so he realized that getting the ball rolling would be the only thing to do. He'd blow her off with some excuse, and then make it official as soon as he could.

  Unfortunately, contemplating his nonexistent long-term relationship with Marissa only caused him to think about his relationship with Allie. What the hell was he doing with her anyway? He had allowed his dick to rule his brain while blatantly ignoring all the glaring danger signs. No matter what he felt for Allie there was no potential for furthering their relationship beyond sex. They couldn't date. They couldn't even hold hands in public. What a fucking mess. He had a feeling when this all came crashing down around him, he was going to regret it.

  Nick took a large gulp of his beer. Somehow he had to talk to Allie in private. At least Marissa had backed off for now and given him some space. If he could reassure Allie and ditch Marissa without too much drama, he just might salvage this night.

  Alex's angry voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "Fuck, Tyler. Don't bring all the fans over here to bother us. Why do u have to pull that shit?"

  Nick saw Tyler approaching. Tyler's grin turned to a scowl. "That's easy for you guys to say. You already have girls to fuck for the night. You've got Lena, and Nick- you have Marissa. I have to work harder. That's the easiest way to get the hottest chicks flocking to me."

  Nick watched Allie squirm at Tyler's crude words. Could this night get any more uncomfortable for her? He needed to explain about Marissa somehow, before it got rubbed in her face any more.

  "That's bullshit. You just like all the attention…" Alex and Tyler were bickering, but Nick wasn't paying any attention to them.

  Allie looked miserable. Who could blame her? Nick moved by her side so that no one could hear him, "Allie…"

  Just then the band returned to the stage and warmed up with a few chords. The house lights turned down and the crowd started streaming towards the stage from all corners of the club. This time Nick grabbed Allie's hand as he pulled her against the tide of the crowd and away from the band.

  The band started playing the first song of their set. Nick had to practically shout to be heard. "Let's go upstairs. It should be less crowded and quieter up there."

  Allie reluctantly followed him up the wide staircase to the balcony lounge area. Through the rails, they could see the crowd below them dancing in front of the band on stage across the large main hall.

  Nick surveyed the area. Hardly any one was listening to the band up here; it seemed mostly reserved for couples who were getting intimate. And it wasn't deafeningly loud so they could hear each other without screaming. It was an anonymous place where no one knew them, so if he needed to use some persuasion to keep Allie at his side for the night, this was the safest spot.

  Allie stepped back from him. "Nick, it was a mistake coming out tonight. I'm going to leave while I can still drive home safely."

  Not if he could help it. "I thought we had plans tonight?"

  Her eyes grew wide with surprise, before she looked aside and mumbled, "Well, they don't seem to be working out."

  Nick took a step towards her. "I really didn't know she'd be here."

  She finally looked squarely at him. "Well, she is here and I think that's my cue to leave. I'm just way too confused about all of this."

  She was having doubts and he really couldn't blame her. Hell, he was having doubts too. The two of them just seemed to be headed straight for trouble. But, he just couldn't make himself stop. Since the minute she’d shown up tonight, he'd had a raging boner just imagining being with her later.

  He reached out to her. When she didn't resist, he pulled her against his body. "This is going to sound like I'm just bullshitting you, but Marissa is not a serious girlfriend. In fact, I've been thinking about ending things with her for a while now. Probably ever since I started seeing her."

  She relaxed against him. "That does sound awfully convenient right now."

  His cock tightened in his pants as her soft body molded against his. "I know, but it's the truth. It was just easier to keep her around after awhile. But I knew we weren't ever going to be a serious couple. I would feel more guilty about it if I didn't think Marissa felt the exact same way about me."

  She looked up at him, skeptical. "I don't know. She seems pretty into you. This is just so awkward. I don't know…"

  She was hesitating, but Nick knew he could convince her to stay with him. But, then what? What did he really want from her - just a few fucks until he worked her out of his system? He knew that wasn't fair to her. Besides, he wasn't sure that was all he needed from her. Maybe this connection he felt meant a lot more.

  Damn. He certainly couldn't figure it all out now, while she was invading his every sense. His hand slid down to her ass and pulled her tight against his hardness. She looked up at him questioningly, but he didn't give her any time to think. He captured her lips with his mouth, planning to kiss her senseless.

  Instead, the kiss meant to persuade her ended up nearly bringing him to his knees. His cock was throbbing with need as she passionately followed his lead. He didn't even realize that his hand had slipped inside the bottom of her shirt and was skimming the soft skin of her back. He pressed into her, wanting more, before realizing that she was pushing back.

  She was panting. "Nick, stop. What if someone sees us?"

  Feeling guilty, he removed his hand from inside her shirt. He spoke into her ear, not letting her move away from him. "They're all downstairs. Allie, please stay with me tonight. I need you. Just give me a few minutes to get rid of Marissa and we can go."

  He felt her soft sigh. "Yes."

  Thank God. He started leading her away. "C'mon, let's get out of here. Wait for me by the front bar. I'll be really quick."

  Nick left her waiting while he went back to the main hall in search of Marissa. What the hell excuse was he going to give her? He'd have to be careful what he said, he didn't want a long drawn out scene.

  It took him way too long to find her, but finally he did. He approached her while she was standing with her friend. "Allison isn't feeling great, so I'm going to take her home."

  Marissa's smile wasn't genuine. Not that she ever seemed really happy a
round him anyway. "Really? That's too bad. I want to stay longer, so I'll just come over later. Make sure you wait up for me."

  Nick shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea tonight. Not with Allie being there."

  Marissa's eyes narrowed slightly. "You're bringing Allie to your place? Why don't you just bring her home? Besides, she's an adult…"

  Nick interrupted, "It's too far and she's not feeling well. Look, I'd like to talk to you about some things. Maybe we can meet up tomorrow?”

  Marissa slowly sipped at her drink, watching him. "Okay. Nick, are you angry with me? Did I do anything wrong?"

  He tried to keep the impatience out of his voice. "No. I really gotta go. I'll talk to you later."

  He turned and left before she could say any more. He'd deal with her tomorrow. He couldn't imagine her being too upset. They barely shared anything with each other besides sex.

  ***

  I had been diligently avoiding the clanging warning bells going off in my head for some time. My head was buried firmly in the sand, but every once in a while, I was forced to face reality. I had always known that I had harbored some kind of secret fantasy for Nick. But I thought that I could keep that all separate from what we were doing. That I could keep my emotions walled off from our physical connection. And I realized with dismay that I couldn’t.

  I stood awkwardly in Nick's apartment. "So, you live here alone?"

  Nick tossed his keys on a table and sat on a couch in front of the TV. "Come over here. Yeah, I should get a roommate to split the cost, especially since I'm not here that much, but after being stuck on that goddamn bus for so long, I like to get some time here to myself."

  Looking around his apartment, looking at him amongst all his stuff was really jarring. Somehow he was suddenly my brother again. It wasn't like I was in my pink frilly childhood bedroom, losing my head in a moment of uncontrolled passion. I had come to Nick's apartment for the express purpose of having sex with him. He had left his girlfriend at the club to be with me. It was insane.