The ride to the damn record label party is too short. Before I know it, we’re here. First Bianca climbs out of the car, and then the guys and Pansy. People spill out of the large white double doors at the front of the house, onto the lawn. The music is loud. As we make our way inside, it is just as busy as outside, with every room almost shoulder-to-shoulder with people laughing, dancing, and talking.
And there’s a shit-ton of booze, among other recreational drugs. None of it is good for Jared. He’s gotten himself into trouble one too many times at shindigs like this, and we made him promise to go easy on the liquor, but who knows if he will.
Since we’ve been writing and recording the album, he’s been trying to cut back on the shit and clean up his act. And while he has the best of intentions, we need to keep an eye on him. The man has no willpower. Tonight, Gray drew the short straw, and he’s Jared’s shadow.
With Jared covered, I tried to talk Pansy into not going. I promised to make it worth her while, we’d make out all night long, but she wouldn’t budge.
She wanted to show off her smoking hot dress, and hot damn, smoking it is. My cock has been rock hard since my first glimpse of her in the elegant magenta shift dress.
The dress falls to mid-thigh with a low V neck and long bell sleeves. She’s stunning with her silky hair, glowing skin, and the blinding brilliance of her hazel eyes.
And her four-inch black heels make her legs run on forever. Sexy legs I can’t wait to have wrapped around my face. With that, I try again to persuade her to leave.
“How long do we have to stay?” I whisper, taking the opportunity to lick the shell of her ear.
With a shudder, her fingers dig into the arm of my suit as she releases my name like a breathy moan.
“Don’t do that again.”
“Why not? Don’t tell me you don’t like it.”
“That’s the problem. I like it too much. I think I just came.”
My eyes smolder, my grip tightening on her hip as my fingers dance along the swell of her ass.
“Fuck, you can’t say things like that and expect me not to want to fuck you right here in front of all these people.”
“Silas!” Her eyes widen, pupils dilating, lips turned up, and cheeks pink. “Stop it, or else I might just let you.”
I groan, ready to haul her into the nearest closet and fuck her senseless when we’re interrupted.
“Silas, good to see you!” Gerald Pilsen, an executive with the record company, slaps my shoulder. “And who is this vision of loveliness?”
“Gerald, this is Pansy Dobson, and Pansy, this is Gerald Pilsen.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Dobson,” Gerald says, and then proceeds to show how much of a blowhard he is by rattling off his title and career history like it’s proof that he has a gigantic cock.
“And you,” Pansy says, shaking his hand.
“What are you doing with this bum? You like rock stars, do you?” Not waiting for her response, obviously on a roll and oblivious to how uncomfortable he’s making her, he continues, “If you tire of him, come find me. I’ll rock your world.”
Stepping partially in front of Pansy, I glare at Gerald. “That’s enough, buddy. Go find your own date; she’s with me.”
“Ah, relax, we’re just having fun. Is she going on tour with you or is she just pussy of the day?”
“Excuse me?” I scowl, clenching my fists to stop myself from hitting him.
Pansy steps closer to me and narrows her eyes at him. I’ve never liked this guy, and I’m especially grateful that my days of having to deal with him are numbered.
“I want to know if I can look her up when you’re on the road. How serious is it?”
I raise my arm, and Pansy’s fingers dig into my shoulders, prepared to hold me back should I want to kill this guy. Her touch pulls me from crossing that line into the darkness of my anger.
Rather than take him out, as tempting as it is, I focus on his puzzling comment.
“Tour? What are you talking about?”
“Trojan’s farewell tour.”
“Gerald, I told you not to say anything,” Bianca says as she joins the conversation.
“There’s not going to be a tour,” I grit out. “It’s not part of the deal.”
Bianca lays a hand on my forearm and wedges herself between Gerald and me. “Would you please give us a moment?” She directs the question at him.
“Fine, but this isn’t over. Not by a long shot.” His cocksure attitude is hard to miss. Glancing at me, he adds, “There will be a tour.”
“No fucking way.”
The asshole chuckles while walking away.
“Bianca, what the fuck?”
“Silas.” Pansy’s hold tightens.
“I’m sorry. He called this morning about doing a world tour. I’d told him it was likely a no-go, but you know how the label is.”
“There is no likely, Bianca. It’s a no,” I reiterate. “Don’t even try to talk us into that shit. Vegas was my last stop. Never again.”
Holding her hands up in surrender, she sheepishly stares at us. “Fine. I’ll shut it down. You two have a good night.”
“Yeah, I plan to. We’re blowing this fucking pop stand,” I say to Pansy as I grab her hand and lead us through the party. I don’t stop for Bianca or anyone else who calls my name along the way.
The second we leave the party the night improves tenfold. I get Pansy back to my place, alone and naked, and we spend the night devouring each other. I savor every moment, knowing our time together has an expiration.
While our time apart will be brief in the grand scheme of things, it’s going to be difficult. I’ll miss her like some crazy lovesick fuck, and I’m in no hurry for that.
The vibrating of my phone wakes us at a little past eight in the morning. Pansy’s head rests on my chest; her hair fanned out. She lightly kisses my pec and mumbles good morning.
“Morning.” I kiss the top of her head before reaching for my phone.
We both sit up, my back against the headboard and her head on my shoulder, fingers splayed on my abdomen, staring at my phone screen. It is an email from Gerald Pilsen.
What does that fucker want now? If he’s pushing for the tour, I’m going to walk away now. Fuck the album and the agreement. As my body coils and tenses at the possibilities, her lips brush my chest, causing my balls to tighten and cock to salute her.
I open the email, and there’s a video file, nothing else. I tap it, and it opens and starts to play. It takes a few seconds for me to compute what we’re watching or, more importantly, who we are watching.
“What the fuck?” I yell and toss the phone like it’s on fire.
We both sit upright in the bed, alert, with Pansy staring at me like I’m a madman. The familiar pleasurable moans and slapping sounds of sex come from the device lying at the bottom of the bed. Fuck, I was in such a hurry to get rid of it, to prevent Pansy from seeing anymore, that I didn’t stop the video.
“What’s that, Silas?” Confusion swims in her eyes, but the thick, sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach indicates there’s also understanding in her gaze.
I’m mute. I don’t know what to say, how to make it all stop. Her gaze flicks from me to the end of the bed and back again. With another gaze to the foot of the bed, her intentions flit through her eyes before she lunges for the phone. I don’t stop her.
My gut twists and clenches as a prickle of sweat forms on my brow at the thought that she won’t understand.
On her knees, completely naked, she flips the screen to face her, and she’s transfixed by the scene unfolding in the palm of her hand. She’s watching me have sex. A threesome.
“Jared and Bianca?” She gasps, one hand grabbing her stomach and the other covers her mouth. Like me, she throws the device; it bounces on the mattress before falling to the carpet.
“Once. Ten years ago. It was a mistake. We were drunk, high; you name it. It never should’ve happened, and I never fucking knew there was a recording of it.”
I reach for her hand, but she scrambles back, pulling the sheet to cover her. My outstretched hand hangs there, in the cold, open space between the both of us, rejected.
Staring at her, I wait patiently, intent on catching her gaze. Eventually, her glossy eyes lock with mine. Her skin is pale, and she doesn’t look good.
“I don’t have feelings for Bianca, not like that. Only as a friend.” The gravity of each word hangs between us.
“I know,” she whispers, her arms hugging her middle as she sits back on her heels. She cradles herself like a life-raft, the only thing keeping her afloat. Her knuckles are curled tightly, so tight they’re white.
“Are you upset?” What a fucking stupid question to ask.
I sit on the bed too and gingerly move closer. With my heart lodged in my throat, I’m uncertain how to handle this. I’d go fucking ballistic if I’d just seen a sex recording of Pansy with two other people, no matter if it was yesterday or ten years ago.
“No. I’m…” Loosening her grip around her body, she shrugs. “I’m not sure what I am right now. It was a long time ago, and you haven’t kept your past a secret. I knew you were a man-whore.”
I flinch, but can’t deny it. She’s only calling it like it is. Panic glides through me like a shiver -- what if my past fucks up my future with her? Shit, I can’t think like that.
“I suppose I just never wanted to see it. I don’t like it. And shit, I can’t unsee that.” Her voice cracks on a nervous laugh.
“Fuck.” This time when I reach for her, she doesn’t pull away. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. Why would he send you that?” Her fingers are fidgeting within my grasp, and she’s nibbling on her lip.
“I have a hunch. I’m sure we’ll hear from him.”
“So, I guess Bianca really likes cock,” Pansy says, again with a jittery laugh, and then she covers her mouth.
My surprise colors the bark of my laugh. “What?”
“Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that! I say silly and inappropriate things like that when I’m nervous.”
She is flustered, squirming beside me as her chest reddens, the color slowly climbing to her neck and cheeks.
“It’s okay. Why are you nervous?” I tug on her hand, and her eyes flick to mine.
“I don’t know if I can ever look at Bianca and Jared the same again.”
As she says their names, I realize that I have to call them. I’m pretty sure they don’t know about the recording. At least I fucking hope not, or else there’ll be hell to pay.
“I thought picturing people naked was supposed to calm nerves?” I say, trying to calm hers.
She giggles and bats at my shoulder. “Not helping.”
Sliding my hand around the back of her neck, I bring her closer to me and lightly kiss her forehead.
“I really am sorry. If I could have prevented you from seeing that, I would have,” I say. She nods a small smile appears on her lips. “Go get dressed. I’ve gotta call Bianca and Jared.”
I slip on some boxers and grab the phone from the floor when it vibrates with an incoming email. Gerald Pilsen. I growl, and Pansy stops just before closing the bathroom door.
“What is it?”
“It’s fucking Pilsen. We now know what he wants,” I grind out.