by Bella Jewel
“Text me if you need.”
“Will you be at my show tonight?”
His eyes scour over me. And then soften.
“Always, babe.”
Always.
I hope so.
~*~*~*~
SCARLETT
I wake in the morning, feeling incredible. My body is tangled up in the sheets, my heart is light, and the fire between my legs, while it has eased, reminds me that I experienced some of the greatest pleasure of my life last night. I roll over, glancing at the clock beside the bed. It’s ten in the morning. I got a decent sleep, which is great. I needed it. I wonder how Maverick got out of the building unnoticed.
Hell, I wonder how he got into the building unnoticed?
A knock sounds at my door, somewhat furious, and I blink. It wouldn’t be Amalie, because there is no way she’d knock like that, so it must be Susan. My heart jumps into my throat and I stand up, throwing my legs over the side of the bed. Did she find out I have been sneaking out? I swallow and walk over to the door after pulling on some clothes and trying to make my bed look like I didn’t rip the sheets up in pleasure last night.
I open the door, and I’m right. Susan is standing on the other side, looking furious.
Shit.
“Let me in.”
It isn’t an order, it’s a demand.
I push the door open and she comes inside, walking in, stopping, and then spinning around. She’s angry. I just don’t know yet what she’s angry over. I would bet anything that the security guards told on me. Which, they do have every right to do considering they get paid to look out for me. I can’t blame them. I feel instant guilt thinking that I tried to blackmail them to keep them quiet.
That was sucky of me. So, I will cop it, if that’s what Susan is here about.
I brace myself for it.
“Who is the biker?”
I blink.
Maverick?
She’s talking about Maverick?
How in the hell would she know about Maverick? Not even the security guards know about Maverick. They know I snuck out, they know I got past them, but they don’t know what for. Amalie wouldn’t tell, and the only other person who knows about him is Isaac, but Isaac hates Susan, so I don’t know why he’d rat me out.
“Wha—” I start to say, but she throws a hand up.
“The one that’s been following you, the one you’ve been sneaking out to see, the one you’re risking your entire career for. Who. Is. He?”
How. The. Hell?
There is no way she should know this much.
My heart leaps into my chest.
“How do you know about Ma … him.”
I’m not telling her his name. No way in hell.
“How I found out is really none of your concern, what is my concern is what in the hell you’re thinking.”
I stare at her. “I’m allowed a life, Susan. Hell, I’m allowed friends. I don’t actually have to explain every action to you. Last time I checked, I was a human being and dammit if I’m going to live my life in a hotel room and a stage. I should be allowed to go out. I should be allowed to have friends.”
“You’re on tour, Scarlett. Not to mention you could possibly be in danger. You don’t get to choose what you do and do not do.”
“That’s the damned problem,” I snap. “I should be able to choose. If I put my life in danger by going out there, that’s on me. I’m so sick of hiding.”
“I can’t believe you just said that,” Susan says, disgusted. “You’re the face of country music, if something happens to you …”
“Yeah, the world will be disappointed and you’ll have no job.”
Her mouth drops open.
I know I’m being a bitch, I know it, but I’m tired. I’m tired of not having a life. I just want to do the simple things again. Like the day at the lake with Maverick where for a while I was just a normal person again. I was just Scarlett, there with a man she liked, having fun without a care in the world.
“You don’t appreciate your career at all, do you?”
“I do,” I yell, losing it, frustration and sadness taking over. “I’ve given the last, what, nearly five years of my life to this career? I haven’t stopped, Susan. I haven’t had a break. I have forgotten how it feels to breathe, and he lets me have that. I shouldn’t have to spend my life behind closed doors or on a stage. I should be able to enjoy it. He can keep me safe when I’m out there.”
“He is a biker!” she screams, and I flinch.
Susan never loses it, but right now, she’s losing it.
“So, what?” I bellow back. “So, what?”
“How naïve are you, Scarlett? He’s a biker. Bikers aren’t safe. They’re criminals. He’s likely only in it for a bit of action with someone famous. You’re risking everything, for the scum of the Earth.”
Her words light a fire—a god damned fire—inside me. Maverick is anything but the scum of the earth. He might be a biker, but that does not mean he is some dirty, drug dealing thug. I won’t have it. My breaking point has been reached, and dammit, do I unleash.
“How. Dare. You,” I hiss, glaring at her. “That man has protected me, because nobody else fucking believed me. Not you. Not anyone.”
“I put security on extra watch, what more do you want?”
“What I want is to stop living in this fucking prison. He’s been at every show, doing a far better job than those pathetic men outside you call security. I’ve snuck past them more than once, and you know what? They haven’t noticed. It was that easy. And you’re trying to tell me they are on extra protection? That they care what happens to me? That you’re taking me seriously? No. If you were, they would have been at my door every single time I’m in this room, not in a lobby, distracted by the hot ass that’s walking in, instead of watching out for trouble.”
Her face goes slack.
I’m panting with rage.
“You will not see that man again. He will be banned from every show. And security will be glued to your damned side 24/7.”
I blink.
No.
Hell no.
“You don’t get to run my life like that, Susan. You do not get to. I am a grown woman, if I want to go out, date someone, and enjoy my life, I can. There is absolutely nothing in the world that can hold me back from that any longer, not even you.”
“You have a reputation,” she screams. “How will the media take it when they see you on the back of a bike? Imagine the stories that will be unleashed if they find out you’re slumming it with criminals.”
Jesus.
She has no idea.
None.
“You mean like Trey?” I snap, and her face goes white. “He was a criminal, biggest of them all, but you didn’t seem to care what the media thought of him.”
“We didn’t know.”
“Every story under the sun was spun about him, every story. The media will make up whatever they want. You know that. It won’t matter what man I’m with. Hell, Trey was a member of the mafia, he was an undercover cop, he was my bodyguard and we were having a saucy affair, the media came up with a million different stories, and they will again. It’s not enough to put my entire life on hold.”
“This could ruin you, Scarlett. Because he is a biker, he isn’t just ‘assumed’ to be, which means the stories will be worse, they will have a much larger affect.”
“I don’t care.”
She stares at me. “What is wrong with you?”
“I want to live my life, and I won’t hold back a single second more.”
She starts shaking her head. “You won’t. You’re going to stay in this room until tonight, and then you’re going to be escorted home after the show.”
“You don’t get to do that,” I growl.
“Watch me,” she says, her voice icy. “I dare you to cross me, Scarlett. I have the ways and means to get you to do what I want, so I suggest you do it without argument, because I really don’t want to have to use th
em. Do not leave this hotel before your show tonight.”
Then she turns and storms out, leaving me standing, staring, mouth agape.
I don’t know if what she’s saying is true or if she’s just throwing threats around. I don’t know if there is something in one of the many contracts I’m under that says I have to abide by such rules when I’m on tour. I’ve signed so many in the last five years, they’ve all blurred together and I don’t recall any specific parts.
Either way, right now I’m too angry to do anything but sit here and brood.
So, that’s what I do.
Damn her.
Damn all of this.
-15-
MAVERICK
I can still smell her sweet pussy, the scent burned into my skin. God. The way it fucking tasted, the way she moaned and squirmed and screamed my name. My dick is so fucking hard it hurts. I slept all night with the taste of her still lingering in my mouth and the smell of her filling my senses every now and then. She’s doing my fucking head in, and I can’t get her out. I can’t get enough of her.
I reach down, sliding my hands into my boxers and curling a fist around my cock. I’m horny. Fuck. Last night only made it that much worse. I stroke my dick, and my balls tuck up tight. I need to ease this pressure, though I know it won’t fucking last long. The second I see her again, and think about that sweet cunt, I’m going to be right back to raging hard. Still.
I start jerking my dick, fingers curled tight, moving up to curl over the head a few times before sliding all the way down to the base. I do this a few times, making my balls ache and my cock swell in my hand. I jerk harder, closing my eyes, thinking of how amazing it felt to suck her sweet little clit into my mouth. God damn. I fuck my own hand frantically, back arched, jaw tight, and I know this isn’t going to take long.
I come hard, jets of semen spurting up and landing on my belly. A ragged moan escapes my mouth and I pump it harder, until there is nothing left.
I let my cock go and reach over, grabbing my shirt from last night and wiping myself clean. I toss the shirt and stand, walking naked into the shower. I make it long and hot, but a pounding at the door interrupts me mid-way through. I get out with a grumble, dry off, and walk into the main area and over to the front door, towel wrapped around my waist. I open it to see Koda and Mal standing, both looking … wound up.
“Get dressed, we gotta talk, some shit is goin’ down and we need to figure out what the fuck it is,” Mal orders, storming into my motel room followed by Koda.
They look serious, so I move quickly, getting dressed and then joining them at the small round table they sit at.
“What’s the deal?” I ask, looking between them.
“Finally got some information on the leader of this big fuckin’ show, and we were right, it’s Treyton.”
I flinch and growl out, “So, he’s runnin’ it?”
“Yeah, but that’s as much as we could get out of the fucker we pulled in. Took a lot of fuckin’ torturin’ to get that much, and even then, we had to trick the fucker by actin’ like we knew and droppin’ Treyton’s name. Sure enough, we were right. He wasn’t openin’ his mouth after that. Dead now. Either way he was gonna end up dead. Might as well be at our hands.”
“So, the only thing you know is that Treyton is top dog. And that for whatever reason, his men are followin’ Scarlett.”
“That’s what we don’t get,” Koda mutters, lighting a cigarette.
“Can’t smoke in here, bro,” I say, giving him a nod.
“Don’t give a fuck,” he continues, inhaling, and then continuing. “What would they want Scarlett for?”
“Can’t seem to figure that out, either,” I say. “Which is why I wondered if she had somethin’ to do with it.”
“Nah,” Mal says, rubbing his face in exhaustion. “She doesn’t. But they are usin’ her, or want to use her, for somethin’. Could be her money. Could be something she knows. Could be that she’s got us tailin’ her and they want to keep an eye on our location. They know by now we’re lookin’, and we’re gettin’ closer, which means they’re goin’ to start getting very fuckin’ careful.”
“Anyone know where Trey is?” I ask, clenching and unclenching my fists, wondering what the hell that fucker has up his sleeve for Scarlett.
“No,” Mal grunts. “Nobody wants to speak, and we can’t get any information. Anyone we speak to refuses to say. Know that some of our leads we found are movin’ around city to city where Scarlett goes. Makes me wonder what he’s plannin’ for her.”
“Was just thinkin’ that myself,” I murmur. “So, basically, we’re not really any fuckin’ closer to findin’ this prick and killin’ his operation. Alls we know is that Scarlett is somehow involved and it’s all linked.”
“Listen, bro, we only have involvement because they’re runnin’ drugs through our turf and sellin’ around town. They’re causin’ uproar and puttin’ heat on us. The business with Scarlett we either choose to worry about or not. But it has little to do with the club. We just want to get our hands on him and make it known that he does not fuck around in our town.”
“So, you’re sayin’ you’re not willin’ to look into whatever the fuck it is they’re tryin’ to do with Scarlett?” I growl, anger bubbling in my chest.
“What I’m sayin’,” Mal says, voice calm. “Is that we’re willing to dig deeper, give her protection, and blow this shit out of the water once and for all, but it’ll be your call, she’s your girl.”
“She ain’t my girl, but I don’t want her gettin’ hurt, either. That fucker needs to be stopped. Either way, we gotta stop him.”
“I can find him, stop him,” Mal goes on. “Don’t have to involve your girlfriend for that. What I’m askin’ you, Maverick, is do you want the clubs help in her protection and are we finding out why the hell he’s following her from city to city?”
“Yeah, I want your fuckin’ help. Let’s bring it all down.”
Mal nods. Koda grins. He’s always up for a fight, and a little or a lot of blood. It’s been a while since I’ve felt the thrill of hunting down these scumbags and making sure the world is rid of them, so I’m more than happy to be part of it. And after what he did to Scarlett, him and his whole operation needs to be taken down. Him mostly. I’ll make him pay for ever laying his filthy hands on that girl.
“You ready for this?” Mal asks me.
“Born fuckin’ ready.”
“Then let’s find this motherfucker.”
“First,” Koda says, “we need to talk to the girl again. Gotta know what it is he might have his men followin’ her around for, and why he went to her show that night. There has to be a reason for it, we need to find out what it is.”
“I’ll talk to Scarlett,” I say. “See if she can think of, or knows, anything. You find more people to question, and next time, I’ll come in when you do.”
Koda grins, big and twisted. Mal does, too. “Good to have you back on board, brother.”
“Good to be back. Now let’s find this fucker so I can make him wish he never laid a hand, or a god damned finger, on that girl.”
“Got a lead, will go and check it out now, see what we can find out,” Koda says, standing and crushing out his cigarette in an empty beer bottle I left from yesterday. “Will see you at her show tonight, hear anythin’, let us know.”
“Same goes,” I say, standing.
Koda walks outside, and Mal turns to me. “About yesterday, brother …”
My jaw tightens and I flinch, glaring at him. “You’re my brother, above everythin’ else. Should have warned me. Should have given me the respect of knowin’. You don’t throw him on me, and then wonder why I lose my shit. I got nothin’ to say to Boston, and that ain’t somethin’ you can change.”
“Understand and respect that, brother, but if you want to come back into the club, and into the business, you gotta know you can’t throw down every time you see him. If I can’t trust that you will work properly with him close by
, then this ain’t goin’ to work.”
Now I’m pissed.
My voice comes out like a whip, and I snarl, “Don’t question my loyalty to the club, Malakai. I would lay my life down for it, and nothin’ would get in the way of me doin’ what I gotta do properly, not even Boston. He stays away from me, I will not cause any more trouble. Do not make me work with him, and do not ask me to speak with him. I will give the respect deserved for the club, there will be no more hate, but I will never, fuckin’ ever, forgive him.”
“Can respect that, but you gotta know, brother or not, I can’t have shit goin’ down like that, can’t have the clubs name comin’ under fire because you can’t keep control of your temper.”
“Got control. Won’t happen again.”
He studies me. “One day, brother, you’ll hear him out, and you might come to find that what happened to Nerissa was not on him.”
Hearing her name has me flinching and a familiar pain runs through my body and explodes in my chest. I’ve purposely avoided saying it or hearing it since she died. I swallow, meet his eyes, and say in a calm, emotionless voice. “I will never hear him out. But I will respect your rules. Now, are we done?”
He sighs. “See you later, brother.”
I watch him go, and when he’s gone, I exhale and close my eyes, fighting for calm.
One day at a time.
I need to focus on now.
I need to get Scarlett safe again.
~*~*~*~
MAVERICK
“What do you fuckin’ mean we can’t go in. We’ve got fuckin’ tickets,” I growl, glaring at the four security guards standing at the entrance to Scarlett’s show.
“We have been advised that you are not allowed entry, due to security reasons. You will be offered a full refund.”
“Can’t stop someone comin’ into a concert,” Mal snaps.
“Can, and will,” a dark haired security guard says, glaring right through us as if we’re nothing more than shit on his shoe that he’s quickly and forcefully had to scrape off.
“This is fucked,” I snarl. “Bull-fuckin’-shit.”
“You have a choice, you can either leave or make a scene,” the guard says, looking far too smug. I want to wipe that smugness clean off his fucking ridiculous face. “If you leave, no further action will be taken. If you make a scene, we will take whatever force necessary to end the scene before anyone gets hurt or affected by it. What’s it going to be?”
