His tongue brushed against my bottom lip and I pulled away.
The table started to tilt and Dex swept me up into his arms and jumped off the table as it tipped over for good.
I let out a cry as his feet hit the ground.
I threw my arms around his neck.
My eyes met with his again.
“I’ll always catch you if you fall, sweetie,” he whispered. “You’re my fiancée now. It’s my job.”
My lips quivered…
And a night that was supposed to end with me hugging Clark and going home disgusted with myself ended up a little bit differently.
I was still disgusted with myself.
But I was carried out of the restaurant in the arms of a fucking rock star.
9
Dex
Her lips had my mind spinning as I carried her to the black SUV waiting outside the overpriced hotel.
The band actually wasn’t allowed in that hotel anymore after a certain incident two years ago that involved a flat screen TV and a bucket of chicken wing bones.
Don’t ask.
I put Candice on her feet and touched her face with both of my hands.
Around us, people were gathering. Talking, calling my name, cheering for the band as the rest of Filthy Line left the hotel restaurant too. There was no flash of a camera or a shutter sound, but you could bet your last fucking dollar cameras were taking pictures and videos.
“No turning back, sweetie,” I whispered to Candice.
“Then make it worth my while,” she said.
She gasped after she said that as though she regretted it.
Knowing her flirting and bad attitude with me was only going to get her fine ass into even more trouble.
I pulled her toward me and brushed my lips to hers.
Then I nibbled at her bottom lip and curled my lip as I did so.
Fuck, this would make a hell of an album cover, huh?
Candice grabbed my wrist with her left hand and pulled.
I then took her left hand and nodded to the ring.
“Ready to smile for the cameras yet?” I asked her.
She shook her head. “I drove here.”
“And we need to talk.”
“I’m driving myself home, Dex.”
“Not until you tell me why you were with another man.”
Candice turned her head.
The crowd was getting bigger by the second.
Nash held out someone’s phone and took a selfie with that person. Reed and Jay were signing autographs. And Sab… crazy fucker… he was on one knee in front of a woman as she pulled her pants down, showing off her left hip. He signed her hip and then kissed above it.
The woman put her head back and laughed.
This fancy ass hotel was now the subject of our filth.
Our horrible, disgusting, badass rock star filth…
I loved every second of it.
But not as much as I loved every second with Candice.
I grabbed her waist and pulled her against me.
“I want the story behind tonight, sweetie,” I said. “And I want to know what’s hidden behind those eyes.”
“Is that so?” Candice asked.
“Dex! Dex! Can I come for a ride tonight too?”
I looked to the crowd and interlocked my fingers with Candice’s hand. I held our hands up and waved.
“Sorry,” I called out. “Lawyers keep telling me to stay out of trouble. I have to go soft here.”
There was a chorus of boos that made me laugh.
“Pussy!” Jay yelled.
I looked at Candice. “Give me a second, sweetie.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Nothing.
Candice pulled at me. “You have to stay out of trouble. Remember?”
I leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Look at how much you care already. This is going to work out. Remember something though… all the other women… they don’t mean anything compared to you. And it’s all for show.”
The look of disgust on her face was priceless.
I walked into the crowd of line whores and asked someone for lipstick.
I put my hand out and had fifty tubes of lipstick in my hand.
When I noticed the green color, that was my choice.
I walked to the glass doors of the fancy hotel restaurant and popped the top on the lipstick.
Then I went to work.
I wasn’t an artist… but…
SPREAD THE FILTH
I dropped the lipstick, turned and walked away.
Everyone cheered me on. Everyone grabbed for me.
Pulling at my hands, arms, my shirt. The loopholes in my jeans. A few not to shy hands reaching between my legs.
But my eyes were locked on Candice.
She could have walked away to her car and took off.
But she didn’t.
Which meant she wanted all of the craziness that was about to be her life.
* * *
“Where’s the rest of the band?” Candice asked.
“This is just us,” I said. “They have another ride. Nothing to worry about, sweetie.”
“I hate that name.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. I’m not going to respond to it.”
“We can talk about that. I mean your apron at work says Candy. Want me to call you that?”
“No,” she said. “I hate that too.”
“Okay… candy… is sweet. You don’t like sweetie though.” I rubbed my jaw with a sly grin. So we can go with sweet.”
“Sweet?”
“Well… how about sweetheart?”
“Pass,” she said.
“Sweet thing…”
“Try again, Dex.”
I laughed. “Sweet ass.”
“Seriously?”
I leaned forward, sitting across from her in the back of the SUV. The vehicle was all custom done for the band. The soft, neon green lights lit the floor while a set of dim, white lights were above us. There was plenty to drink… and more… if requested…
Behind me was an all-black window that was soundproof too.
“Sweet…” I lifted my eyebrow.
“What? What else can you possibly say, Dex?”
“Sweet Lips…”
“That’s not all that bad,” Candice said.
I put my hand to her legs and smiled bigger. “I’m not talking about the lips I’ve kissed, Candice. I’m talking about the ones I haven’t kissed. Yet.”
Candice pushed my hand away. “You’re gross.”
“Oh, there’s nothing gross about that. You know that.”
“Do you have to ruin everything?”
“Do you?”
“I didn’t ruin anything,” she said.
“You were on a date with someone… sweetie…”
Candice crunched up her nose with anger. “Fine. That’s the nickname then.”
“Look at that,” I said. “We just had our first fight and came to an agreement. You know what that means, right?”
“What?” she asked.
“Sex.”
Candice gasped. Her face brightened to red. “What?”
“Makeup sex. It’s the whole point of fighting.”
“What do you think this is?”
“Hey, I’ve got needs, sweetie.”
“And you’ve got two hands.”
“And I’ve got about a million women who would drop to their knees in a second.”
“Not in jail,” Candice said.
Like she was going to fuck with me about my legal troubles.
I nodded.
She wanted to make this into… what?
I leaned toward her again and put my hands to the seat. “Come kiss me at least.”
“Why?”
“We need to make sure it looks real. I’m very affectionate.”
“If this is all pretend, then pretend you’re not affectionate.”
“Not going to happen,” I said.
“We’re going to sell this so hard… so… hard…”
“Dex…”
“I’ll just keep saying filthy things until you come kiss me.”
“Whatever.”
“Filthy things about your curvy ass. The way it hugs those jeans when you’re at work. Or how I fantasize about you wearing nothing but that apron. My Candy… so sweet and filthy… or how I picture grabbing you by those meant to grab hips. Sit you on a table right in the middle of the cafe. Drop to my knees before you. Flip that apron up and watch as you part your legs, peeling that sweet slit open for me with two of your fingers… gently using your middle finger to rub your-”
Candice attacked me with a kiss.
Her hands grabbed my shoulders and her lips pressed tight to mine.
I growled in my throat.
She pulled away.
“Happy?”
“What the fuck was that?” I asked. “That’s not a kiss, sweetie. Not an I can’t wait to marry you kiss… this is…”
I gently parted Candice’s lips with my tongue, taking my time, letting her take a second to realize what was happening. Our tongues touched and I felt hers shiver. I closed my mouth and pulled away, giving her a chance to look at me. Not even for a second though. This wasn’t some romantic bullshit moment. I slipped my hand to the back of her head and kissed her again.
Faster. Hotter. Turning my head. Her head turning too.
She kissed me back with the same wildness that I kissed her with. Meaning I was already starting to crack the code that made Candice who she was. So much held back and so much forced to be seen. To create a narrative that I wasn’t sure who actually cared about it or who bought into it.
Shit, even for me… this was about the skull and lizard ring on her finger.
About getting some good vibes and press for once in my life.
But until then…
My left hand touched her leg.
Her muscles jumped and tightened.
I flickered my tongue to hers one last time and inched away. I kissed her bottom lip and then down to her chin. Candice put her head back and sighed.
Regret? Relief?
It was all the same to me.
My lips took their time placing each well designed kiss down her neck to the top of her shirt. For a woman on a date, she definitely didn’t show off her goods. Which told me the date was probably bullshit anyway. That locked into my mind a little. Why would someone like Candice go out on a date she didn’t want to? After all, she had no problem standing up to me. Or the lawyers from SLECK. She had no problem deciding on her terms to be engaged to me.
But a date…
I kissed her neck like I was a vampire in a cheesy movie. My lips as wide as they could go, latched to her, sucking hard enough to get her attention but not enough to leave a mark.
It was enough to make her groan and push me away.
I slid my right hand away from her neck and left that hand up in the air.
My left hand though eased along her leg.
And just as I cut my path down to her inner thigh, Candice grabbed my wrist.
“Say it,” I whispered.
“Say what?” she asked.
“Tell me no. Tell me to stop. Tell me you don’t want this.”
Candice licked her bottom lip.
Then she gently bit it.
Come on… say it… I know you won’t…
She opened her mouth.
Her grip tightened on my wrist and then let go.
I slowly start to lower my right hand from the air back toward her.
I touched her side and leaned closer again.
The SUV door opened.
* * *
“Did I interrupt?” Toby asked as he slammed the door.
“Thanks for showing up,” I said through gritted teeth.
Candice hurried to swat my hands away and slid across the seat. She turned and put her feet up. Hiding in a corner. Protecting herself.
Funny part was… she wasn’t protecting herself from me.
She was protecting herself from herself.
I side eyed her and grinned.
This was going to be fucking fun.
“Please tell me it’s not true,” Toby said.
“What now?” I asked.
“That you showed up to the hotel bar and punched someone? And then went outside and wrote spread the filth in green lipstick on the door?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I was hurt. Jealous.”
“Of what?” Toby asked.
“Candice was cheating on me.”
“Excuse me?” Toby asked. His eyes moved to her. “Cheating? What does that mean?”
“It was nothing,” Candice said. “I was on a date…”
“You said you were going to be engaged to Dex,” Toby said. He reached into his suit jacket and took out papers. “I have papers for you to sign. This isn’t some joke. This isn’t a game. Do you not understand the impact this has on all of us? Including yourself. You’re throwing yourself into the spotlight now. There is no dating. Or flirting. Or whatever the hell else you’re used to right now.”
“Toby,” I said. “Breathe.”
“I’m not going to breathe. She hasn’t even been doing this for a full day and she’s out on a goddamn date with someone.”
“Toby,” I said again.
“Don’t give me any shit right now, Dex. Franklin and I could have done this the right way. Gotten the right person for this thing. This isn’t about you personally. It’s the same thing I told Nash… it’s everyone’s time. And my time. Goddammit. My time. For once…”
“Toby,” I said as my last warning.
“Now, what if someone took pictures?” Toby asked. “She’s out on a date and you show up and knock the guy on his ass… am I living in a different fucking reality here or what?”
I balled up my left hand and had no choice but to get Toby to stop talking.
Before I could swing at Toby, he opened his mouth to keep going.
And Candice hit him.
It was a strange hit… her hand open like she was going to slap him, but then she decided to punch him. Only she never closed her hand. So she brought her palm down on his nose and mouth.
That shut Toby up.
Candice moved back to her seat but then got out of the SUV.
I looked at Toby and curled my lip.
He touched his nose and blinked away tears.
“Fucking asshole,” I said to Toby.
I got out of the SUV, expecting to find Candice running down the street, calling for a ride back to her car at the hotel.
She just stood there on the sidewalk, hugging herself, holding back her emotions.
“Hey, sweetie,” I said.
“Maybe he’s right,” she said. “What the hell am I doing here? I’m going to pretend to be engaged to you? For what? So I could sign some papers and be told what to do? I don’t want your money. I don’t want anything.”
“Then why’d you say you’d do it?”
“Because I make fast decisions in life,” she said. “Okay? That’s what my sister would tell you. And me. I make fast decisions.”
I nodded. “Don’t mind Toby. Sometimes he needs a good hit to the mouth to remember who he is.”
“Whatever, Dex. I’m leaving.”
“Not without a goodbye kiss.”
Candice pulled the skull and lizard ring off her ring finger. “This was so stupid…”
She put her hand out.
I cupped my hand over her hand and shook my head. “Of course it’s stupid. It’s fucking crazy. It’s the rock star life, sweetie. And whatever has you chained to the cafe… take a chance and enjoy something different. And whatever your sister thinks about you, who the fuck cares?”
“Dex, I live in her basement,” Candice said. “I’m not…”
She stopped talking.
“You’re not what?”
“Just… nothing,” she said. “This is dumb. Take the ring.”
“Does that go for you too?” Candice asked.
“Ah, sweetie, I’m a rock star,” I said. “If I don’t fuck other women, then they’ll know something is wrong.”
Candice ripped her hand back and curled her lip. “And then I’ll tell everyone the truth. That you’re full of shit.”
“Let’s do it,” I said. “See who cracks first.”
“And you just don’t care,” she said. “Your career… the band… you could go to jail.”
“Just shows how much I need you, sweetie.”
Her phone beeped and she quickly looked at it.
She blinked fast and looked scared. Not sad. But scared.
She put her phone away and looked at me again.
“Something wrong?” I asked.
“Just my sister,” she said.
Oh yeah?
The SUV door opened and Toby slumped his way out.
“I’m sorry about that,” he said. “I got too heated. It’s just that the situation…”
“Forget about it,” Candice said.
“Forget about what?” Toby asked.
“This,” I said. I swiped the papers from Toby’s hand. “We don’t need this.”
“What?” Toby asked. “Dex…”
“Fuck the lawyers and their goddamn paperwork all the time,” I said. “This is between me and Candice. An agreement. And I know she can fuck me anytime she wants.”
“This is a bad idea,” Toby said.
“Do you want her to hit you again?” I asked.
“Dex…”
I coughed and spit on the papers and crumpled them up.
I slammed them against Toby’s chest. “Get back into your car and go the fuck home.”
Toby peeled the papers from his chest. “You do whatever you want, Dex.”
Toby walked around the SUV and was gone.
I stepped toward Candice. “Let me drive you back to your car, sweetie.”
I turned and she lunged at me, grabbing my hand. “Dex…”
“What?”
“I won’t fuck you over,” she said. “I’ll sign the papers for this. I just… the way he was blaming me…”
“I told you. Toby is an asshole. Don’t worry about it. You did the right thing hitting him. You’re not the first person to hit him.”
A FILTHY Engagement: a filthy line novel Page 8