by Levine, Nina
It’s been just over twenty-four hours since Presley arrived, and after a day off with her yesterday and a night out with everyone last night, I’m ready to face this interview today. Tom’s assured us it will be a friendly interview but I’m not holding my breath. We were all over the news again yesterday due to the woman who cried rape, crying again to the media. Everyone wants a piece of you in this industry, so I’m sure the interview will hold many opportunities for us to get screwed over.
“You good?” Presley asks as we walk into the hotel room for the interview.
My arm is around her shoulders and I stop her and put both arms around her. Kissing her and winking, I say, “Yeah, I’m good. I promise I’ll behave.”
“I’m always worried when you say you’ll behave; it kind of implies there was a possibility you weren’t going to.”
God, she makes me feel good. Laughing, I tease her, “Well, with you in the room, anything’s a possibility.”
“Wait, you want me in here while you do the interview? I thought I’d wait outside.”
“Hell no, I want you in here where I can see you. You calm me and I need to be calmed at the moment.”
She places her palm against my cheek and gives me one of her soft looks that tells me how much she cares for me; it’s the kind of look I would pay good money to get from her. “I’m not going anywhere then,” she says softly.
“Jett!”
I turn to see Tom motioning for me to join him. “Go, I’ll be over in the corner watching,” Presley says, and I watch her go before heading over to where Tom is.
He’s not happy. “The photographer bailed on us,” he informs me in a pissed off tone. “Apparently, she decided she isn’t a huge fan of yours and didn’t want anything to do with this interview.”
Fuck, no wonder he’s so pissed off. I rub the back of my neck as I feel the beginning of a headache coming on. “So, no one else can do it?”
“I’m trying to find someone but it’s such late notice I don’t think we’re going to have any luck.”
West and Van join us, and when they hear the news, Van yells out a rather loud, “Fuck!” and grabs the attention of pretty much everyone in the room, including Presley who gives me a questioning look.
I jog over to her and give her the news. “The photographer bailed on us because she doesn’t like me.”
“That’s so unprofessional! Is Tom finding someone else?”
“I don’t think so. It’s such late notice.”
She stands up and looks around the room for a moment before looking back at me. “I’ll do it.”
I frown. “Huh?”
Her voice is more forceful and I detect a tone of annoyance in it. “I said, I’ll do it. I’ll photograph you guys. I can’t actually believe the photographer cancelled on you.”
“Have you got your equipment with you?”
“I’ve got a camera on me. It might not be what I’d prefer to use, but it will do the job,” she says as she begins to walk towards Tom.
It hadn’t occurred to me to ask her to do it, but I’m on board with the idea.
“I’ll photograph the band,” Presley says to Tom who stares at her in surprise but quickly catches on and grins.
“Perfect, not sure why I didn’t fucking think of it,” he says, the grin growing larger on his face.
She turns to me and lets me know she’ll be back once she has her camera. Once she’s gone, I look at the guys and they all grin at me. “Fuck the people who try to keep us down,” West declares while raising his middle finger.
I laugh. This whole fucking situation sucks, but we’ll ride out the storm together.
Presley does a kick-ass job of photographing us. I’m so fucking turned on watching her work and take charge of us that I’m hoping like hell she eventually decides to take us on as a client and come on tour with us.
“That was brilliant,” Tom praises her when she’s finished. “I think you possibly just got some of the best shots of these guys that have ever been taken. And that last shot of you and Jett together – babe, that’s the winner of the day.”
I’m hesitant to let them use that shot but she doesn’t seem to mind. The interviewer picked up on our relationship and focused on that a little during the interview. I was a little cagey but when it was suggested a photo of the two of us would be good, Presley ran with it and took one. I turn to her now and ask, “Are you sure you want them to use that shot?”
“If you’re okay with them knowing about us, I’m okay with it.” She comes over to me and says softly, “Besides, I think it’d be good to give your fans something else to think about besides everything else they’ve been focusing on. Don’t you?”
Tom slaps me on the back. “She’s right, Jett, this could really help take the heat off the band. I vote you run with it.”
“Well, if you’re okay with it, I want to shout it from the fucking rooftops that you’re mine, so let’s do this,” I say to Presley, and fucking love the way she looks at me when I say it.
“Speaking of shouting it from the rooftops, how do you two feel about attending the music awards together tonight?” Tom asks, a hopeful glint in his eyes. The band is performing at the awards tonight and I can see Tom calculating the possible positive effect having Presley there might have.
My main goal here is to make sure Presley is happy with whatever we decide so I say to her, “It’s up to you, sweetheart. If you’re not comfortable coming, then I’ll go on my own.”
Tom pushes the point. “This could be really good for the band. I think everyone is going to love Presley and you together.”
I groan because I hate it when Tom gets pushy like this, but Presley places her hand on my arm and nods her head. “I agree with Tom, it’ll be good for the band. I’m in.”
“Fuck yeah!” West shouts, obviously ecstatic with this news.
I look at Presley. “You sure you know what you’re getting yourself into?”
“Yes.”
She’s saying yes, but I’m not sure she has any idea what this is going to mean.
I just hope to God this doesn’t backfire and take our relationship a step backwards.
24
Presley
“This red dress was made for your curves,” Jett says as his gaze skims my body before coming back to my face. “And I want your hair up like this more often, so I can have access to your neck,” he adds as he presses kisses along my collarbone and then up my neck.
I picked the dress up this afternoon and he’s right; it hugs my curves in all the right places. He was also ecstatic when he realised I’d chosen a floor length dress, and muttered something about keeping my legs hidden from assholes who can’t keep their eyes to themselves. The only part of the dress he wasn’t sold on was the plunging neckline but I told him to suck it up.
Eying his jeans, black t-shirt and black leather jacket, I say, “You scrub up pretty good yourself, baby, even if you didn’t wear the suit I picked out for you.”
He grins. “I promise I’ll wear it to the next event we attend together.”
I return his grin. “You’re on, Mr. Rockstar. I’m holding you to that promise.”
“Are you sure about this?” he asks as the limo pulls up at the red carpet. He’s holding my hand and his grip is so strong my hand is going numb.
Shaking free of his hold, I say quite firmly, “Yes, I’m sure about this.”
He blows out a breath and moves to get out of the limo. I know he has misgivings about this but I don’t. Once he’s out, he turns and offers me his hand and helps me out. I can hear the noise of the crowd and it’s a little overwhelming but I push on. I’m doing this for Jett; I’d do anything to help him and the band.
He pulls me into his arms once I’m out of the limo, and says, “Okay, hold on and don’t let go of me, yeah?”
I nod and he leads us toward the carpet where his fans are going wild, and the photographers are snapping away. Flashes of light almost blind me and I nearly stumble.
Good God, the noise is like nothing I’ve ever heard before.
“Jett! Who’s your date?”
“Is the rest of the band coming?”
“Over here! I need a photo of this gorgeous lady you’re with.”
The photographers keep yelling out to Jett and I’m blown away by the ease with which he handles them. He leads me down the carpet, stopping for each reporter who wants a chat, and posing for as many photos as he can, all the while keeping hold of me and whispering funny things in my ear every now and then that keep me calm. I would never be able to handle something like this and I have a newfound respect for celebrities who do this and make it look so easy.
Tom and I were right; bringing me tonight has ensured most of the reporters only ask about us. A handful briefly try to bring up everything else that’s going on with the band, but Jett manages to steer them off that topic fairly quickly.
The final reporter gets the best scoop of the night. She shoves her microphone in his face and says, “I’ve never known you to date; is this a real relationship or one staged to take the spotlight off your antics over the past couple of days?”
I want to tell her off, but Jett flashes her one of his grins that’s bound to charm and pulls out his phone. He opens up his photo album and placing it in front of the reporter, he begins scrolling through the hundreds of photos he’s taken of us. While he’s scrolling, he says, “Does Presley look like the kind of woman any man would not want to date? I was the lucky fucker who ran into her at a bar when she’d had a shitty day and just needed someone to take her mind off it. And then I was the lucky fucker who convinced her to give me a shot.” He turns to look at me for a moment, his expression full of hope. “And I pray to God I’ll be the lucky fucker who can convince her to spend the rest of her life with me.”
Butterflies flutter through my tummy. It’s way too early in our relationship to be talking forever and yet, I can picture it.
The reporter’s face lights up. “So, Presley’s the one for you?”
He grins at me before turning back to her. “I hope she’ll be the one. That’s up to her. At this point, I’m just holding on tight and enjoying the ride.”
The reporter clicks her fingers at the photographer with her. “We need a photo of the two of you. Something special.”
Jett nods and pulls me to him for a kiss. We’ve been kissing all the way down the red carpet but this time he gives them something special. He kisses me slow and deep and lets his hands roam down to my ass. The crowd goes wild and cheers him on, and I think that’s why he keeps going, but when he finally ends the kiss, he whispers to me, “I meant every word I just said, sweetheart, I want you to be the one.” He’s not even paying attention to the crowd; that was all for me, not them.
I smile but don’t get a chance to reply because Tom makes his way to us and takes over. “Let’s move this along, Jett. We need to get you guys set up for your performance. The boys are already backstage waiting for you.”
Jett waves to the fans and then we’re whisked inside.
“You go and do your thing, I’ll take care of Presley,” Tom says.
“No, I want to get her settled in our seats first - ” he starts to argue but I cut in.
“I’m okay, so you just go and do what you have to and don’t even think about me.”
Jett looks torn and I feel for him. He’s never had to concern himself with this conflict of interests before and I love him for worrying, but I just want him to focus on the band.
Before he can argue again, I gently push him. “Go. Tom will look after me,” I almost beg him.
He gives me one last pained look and then kisses me quickly before turning and leaving.
We watch him go and Tom mutters, “Thank fuck for that. I was beginning to think we were going to have to go with him. Your boy there has it bad for you.”
I narrow my gaze on him. “You don’t really like me, do you?”
Tom’s about five years older than me, but in this moment he looks about ten. I watch the lines on his face crinkle as he sighs. His shoulders slump a little, too, and I realise this scandal is taking its toll on him just as much as the band. “I do like you, Presley, and on one hand, I think you’re just what Jett needs, but at the moment, with all the other shit going on, you’re exactly what he doesn’t need. I’m sorry if that sounds harsh, but my job is to look out for the band and my guys, and I’ll do anything in my power to make sure they get through this with as little damage to their careers as possible. At the moment, having you around is helping, but the minute that isn’t working anymore, I’ll advise Jett to do differently.”
I stare at him and listen carefully to every word he says. Nodding, I agree, “That works for me.”
Frowning, he says, “You’re not like any other woman I’ve had to deal with where the band is concerned.”
“What do you mean?”
“I expected to cop an earful off you just then, and all you say is that works for you. Fuck, the bitch Van was engaged to used to bust my balls every chance she got, always demanding to be involved in everything.” He pauses for a minute and then adds, almost as an afterthought, “I’m not really sure what to make of you.”
“I’ll make this easy for you, Tom. I’m here for Jett, and Jett only. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure he’s okay. If I think you’re making a bad move, I’ll tell him, but not because I want to be demanding and controlling; it’ll be because I’m falling for him and want to see him happy. So you could say we’ve got the same vision here, but the minute I don’t think you’re right, I’ll advise Jett to do differently.”
His expression changes and his shoulders loosen a little. Chuckling, he says, “Well fuck, I can’t argue with that, pretty lady.” He puts his arm out for me to link my arm with. “Let’s get you to your seat so you can watch your boy charm his way back into the hearts of women all over the world.”
I laugh and join him.
It seems Tom and I just came to an agreement, and it feels damn good to get that out of the way.
25
Jett
“You sure did charm the panties off those women tonight,” Presley says, grinning at me. I’ve got her naked, straddling me and I’m so fucking ready to get inside her.
I grimace. “Babe, the last fucking thing I want to be talking about right now is other women. The only thing I wanna be talking about right now is how soon I can get my dick inside your pussy, so can we just focus on the task at hand?”
Her tits wobble as she laughs, and my attention is diverted completely to them as she says something I don’t even hear. Well, I hear it, but I don’t comprehend it because, fuck, her tits are demanding. They need my hands and my tongue and my lips, and I’m more than fucking happy to give them what they need.
“Jett, you’re not listening to me, are you?”
I lift my head off the pillow so I can take one of her nipples into my mouth.
Fuck me, her tits are amazing.
“Jett!”
I let her go and my head falls back on the pillow. Reluctantly shifting my gaze from her chest, I give her my eyes. As I run my hand over her breast, I grumble, “Baby, it’s too hard to take care of your tits and listen to you, so you have to make the decision for me. Do you want me to listen or to take care?”
She looks at me with wonder. “Only you could manage to do that.”
I tweak her nipple and ask, “Do what?”
“I’m trying to talk to you, and you’re ignoring me, but the way you word it, you make it sound like you’re doing me a favour by ignoring me.”
“I am doing you a favour,” I say with a grin.
She smacks my hand away from her breast. “Well, I’m making that decision for you, and you are going to listen, okay?”
I groan and try to move my hand back to where it was, but she pushes me away again. She’s playing mean but I can play meaner. I push my cock against her, teasing, and hoping like hell to distract her into playing my way tonight.
She’s quick, though, and in two seconds flat she’s got my arms pinned to the bed above me, and is on her knees so her pussy is miles away from my dick. Well, not miles, but it may as well be.
“If you want to fuck me tonight, you have to listen to me first. You got that, Mr. Rockstar?”
Well, shit, if she wants to boss me around like that, I’m up for it. I grin at her again. “Sweetheart, you never said there’d be bossing. Feel free to continue; I’m all yours.”
She rolls her eyes and I laugh. Playing with Presley has grown into my favourite sport. Just when I think she’s going to boss me again, she surprises me and dips her face to mine and kisses me softly. Her lips are magic and grab my attention more than her breasts ever could, and I’m a fucking tit man. I struggle with her to let my hands go; I need to hold her while she’s kissing me like this.
When she’s finished, she pulls away and murmurs, “That’s better, I’ve got your attention now.”
I take hold of her face. “You haven’t clued on yet, but you’ve always got my attention.”
Her face softens and she gives me a smile. Settling her body on top of mine, she says, “I think you’re amazing, Jett Vaughn. The way you had that crowd in the palm of your hands tonight was amazing. And that red carpet . . . hell, I don’t know how you do it, but I was impressed. I think you managed to change the conversation tonight.”
She doesn’t know what her words mean to me. Sure, the guys and I have people all over the world who think they love us, but when all is said and done, the only opinions that count are those of the people you love. And Presley’s opinion counts. I shift us so she’s under me. Looking down at her, I sweep the hair out of her eyes, and attempt to express what I’m feeling. “The last week has been hell but it’s brought me something I never thought I’d have – you. Knowing you’re in my corner is everything to me, and I never imagined I’d ever feel this way about someone.” I brush my lips over hers, and then whisper, “Thank you.”
