Revelations (Tattoos & Tears Book 2)

by Amiee Louise

  “Come on, mi Amor, there are no appointments for an hour or so. I’ll make us some coffee. I think there’s some chocolate biscuits tucked away somewhere.”

  He smiles and takes me into the back of the shop. He switches the kettle on, and I put my hand to my head.

  “That was … how you say? Intense?”

  I nod, and Harley smiles.

  “The two men in your life fighting for your honour.”

  I shake my head, and he hands me a chocolate biscuit. I bite into it; there is nothing like a hit of chocolate to calm the nerves.

  “It’s not like that at all. Since my accident, Sam has been acting strange. I can’t help but think he is keeping something from me. Seb’s just trying to protect me; he is like a brother to me. Sam can be intense and extremely pig-headed when it comes to protecting what’s his.”

  I find myself strangely comfortable with telling Harley my troubles. It should be awkward that we had sex, but it isn’t. He makes us both a cup of coffee and hands me the cup, regarding me intently.

  “So you’re his then? You’re his property to do as he pleases and speak to how he pleases?”

  Harley’s brow furrows, and I shake my head, feeling the need to defend Sam.

  “It’s not like that at all, Harley.”

  I am leaning against the worktop biting my nails nervously when he brushes my arm.

  “It will be OK, miquerido.”

  I hear raised voices from the shop; I put my cup down and rush out. Harley is following close behind me, and I find Sam pinned to the wall with Seb’s large hand closed around his throat. Seb is a few inches taller than Sam is, and he looks positively menacing. Seb draws his fist back, and Harley stops him, pushing him a few inches away from Sam.

  “Seb, stop,” I call out.

  Seb drops his fist and lets go of Sam’s throat. Sam goes to grab Seb, but I step in front of him, and Seb jabs his finger at Sam, his jaw clenched tight.

  “You ever fucking speak to her like that ever again, and I swear your pathetic rock star life won’t be worth living.” Seb’s voice is cold and harsh. Sam’s eyes harden.

  “I can’t fucking compete with you!” Sam runs his hands through his hair, and his jaw is tense. I move closer to him until I am inches away from him.

  Whoa! Where did that come from?

  “Baby, I’m yours, you don’t have to compete for my affections, but if you carry on behaving the way you are, you’ll push me further away.”

  Sam takes a deep breath, and his eyes start to soften.

  “I’m so sorry, angel.” His voice is hoarse and broken; I cup his face in my hands.

  “I’m sorry I ran from Cole, I felt so … trapped, but I understand that you were trying to protect me.”

  He envelopes me in his strong arms.

  “Please don’t run from me, angel, I can’t bear it. Something happened way beyond my control, and it ripped me open completely. I felt raw, like you could be taken away from me with a blink of an eye. I would die for you, Peyton, and I’m doing everything in my power to keep you safe. Everything I do is for you. Everything I own is yours. Everything I am is down to you, and I’m the man I am now because of you. If we hadn’t met, I would still be that empty shell that used sex to forget how bad my life had become.”

  I squeeze him tightly, and it is as if our argument is forgotten. Seb clears his throat. I let go of Sam and we both smirk.

  “PDA in my shop is a hard limit for me, honey.”

  I raise my eyebrows. “Someone’s been reading too many erotic novels about kinky billionaires.”

  “Touché!”

  Sam kisses me gently on the lips. “I need to go, baby, I skipped out on a TV interview this morning, and the guys are pretty pissed with me. We’ve got a bunch of interviews, photo shoots, appearances, and signings today, but I’ll call you as soon as I’m free.”

  I nod. He smiles that dazzling smile and leaves the shop, saluting to Seb and Harley as he leaves.

  “Well, that was … eventful!”

  “I’m so sorry, Seb, I shouldn’t bring my domestic shit to work with me, it’s unprofessional.”

  “Don’t worry, honey, it’s fine, honestly.”

  He kisses the top of my head and with that, the dramatic events of the morning are soon forgotten as we lose ourselves in our work. The day is busy even just sitting behind a desk, and I am glad when the closed sign goes up.

  “Do you fancy coming for a drink to start the weekend?” Seb says as I’m getting my coat on and I nod.

  “Yeah, OK, babe, why not. Just one, though.”

  “Of course.” He winks.

  “I’ll call Ruby to see if she fancies joining us.”

  Seb nods. “The more the merrier, honey.”

  I call Ruby, and she agrees to meet us there. I re-apply my makeup, and we lock up the shop. I link Seb’s arm and walk to a bar near to the shop called Oscillo. It is a large bar with an urban bordello and a unique burlesque style with its ruby-red ceiling, tassel lampshades, and candelabras, with a solid Wild West saloon-style bar. It is one of my favourite bars, and the food is to die for. It’s just what I need to unwind after today. We walk in, and Seb goes to the bar.

  “What are you having to drink?”

  I don’t hesitate, this place boasts the best cocktails. My favourite is called a Pont berry: vodka, cranberry, and cassis liqueur.

  “A Pont berry, please, babe.”

  Seb raises his eyebrows. “Got it.”

  Harley gives Seb his drink order, and we go to find a table. We grab a free booth, and I scoot along the bench seat.

  “So, you and the rock star. Is it serious?” Harley sits so close to me I can feel his warm spicy breath on my cheek.

  “Do you mean are you still in with a chance?”

  He laughs. I have your card marked, Hernandez.

  “OK, you caught me, you can’t blame a guy for trying, and you are more stunning every time I see you.”

  I am about to respond when Seb comes over with the drinks followed by Ruby. He climbs in the opposite side of the booth.

  “Hey, babe,” she says.

  “Hey, Rubes.”

  Harley moves out of the booth and leaves the table; Ruby scoots in next to me.

  “What the fuck is his problem?”

  I roll my eyes. “Long story.”

  She raises her eyebrows. “Oooh, do tell.”

  Ruby takes a long pull on her glass of wine. I suddenly feel myself blushing, and she eyes me carefully.

  “Fuck me, you shagged him, didn’t you?”

  I take a sip of my drink and nod shamefully.

  “It wasn’t my finest hour, babe, believe me.”

  She narrows her eyes and asks, “Was he good?”

  Seb almost chokes on his beer across the table.

  “TMI, Ruby, I have to work with the guy. I don’t want to be picturing him butt naked, thanks!”

  Ruby smiles sweetly and blows him a kiss.

  “So, details, was he good? Marks out of ten!”

  “A lady never kisses and tells, babe,” I say coyly, and she pouts.

  More than a few drinks later, I get up to go to the toilet, and I am more than a little bit drunk. I go to the ladies and am surprised that I don’t have a thousand missed calls from Sam. I wash my hands and check my reflection in the mirror. I leave the toilet and see Harley in the corridor talking to another man. He has long blonde hair and looks almost European with pale-blue eyes. I listen to their conversation in the shadows.

  “She was a tiger in the bedroom, she loved to be tied up and blindfolded. She was a … how you say … kinky bitch!” The other man starts laughing, and Harley continues,

  “I swear that rock star she is dating, he is one lucky son-of-a-bitch. He has no clue what he is letting himself in for.”

  My heart drops when I realise he is talking about me.

  “She loved it when I pulled her hair, she liked it rough, and it was the biggest turn on ever. I have never met anyo
ne like her, she is a sexual goddess. It’s always the quiet ones, man, I’m telling you, and we Spanish know how to give a woman an orgasm.”

  They both laugh, and I can’t believe what I am hearing. What a fucking prick! I knew he was a slimy bastard but not to this extent. It’s not even as if it’s true; men fucking embellishing their sexual encounters to make themselves look good. I am so fucking angry right now. I take a deep breath and walk confidently down the corridor, smiling sweetly at Harley, halting his conversation, and walk straight past him. I sit down with Ruby; Seb is nowhere to be seen. Her brow furrows when she sees the look on my face.

  “What’s happened, babe? You were gone for ages. I was about to send out a search party.” I shake my head, and she strokes my hand. “Tell me, someone’s upset you.”

  “Fucking Harley Hernandez, that’s who. I came out of the toilet, and he was bragging to some guy in the corridor about having sex with me. It might be my paranoid brain playing tricks, but I’m certain the guy he was chatting to was a reporter.”

  She raises her eyebrow. “What a little prick. He is not going to get away with this, babe.”

  She gets up, and before I can stop her, she is striding off. Seb comes back over with more drinks.

  “Where’s Ruby going?”

  I shake my head, exasperated. “Are you sure you’re OK?”

  I nod. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  I plaster a fake smile on my face, and Seb narrows his eyes at me.

  “I’ve known you long enough to tell when you’re lying to me, honey.”

  I am about to speak when I see Sam stride into the bar. The bar goes silent for a few seconds with people recognising him, and then they resume their conversations. He looks positively pissed for the second time today. His green eyes lock with mine, and he walks over to me. He crouches down in front of me, cupping my face in his hands, his face marred with worry.

  “Are you OK, angel?”

  I nod and automatically know that this has something to do with Ruby. My suspicions are soon confirmed.

  “I came as soon as Ruby called; I was literally right around the corner at a photo shoot. I’m going to fucking kill him.”

  I look into his eyes and plead, “Please don’t do anything stupid, babe, I can’t bear to see you angry.”

  He smirks. “I’m not just angry, angel, I’m fucking murderous,” he seethes, his voice laced with disdain. He stands up, and I grab his hand.

  “Baby,” I beg.

  He kisses my forehead. “Trust me; I’ll be right back, angel. I promise.”

  He strides off across the bar, passing Ruby on the way, and they exchange a few words. Ruby comes back over and sits down.

  “Why the fuck did you have to call Sam for?” I spit angrily.

  “Babe, you need to chill your beans and be grateful that he didn’t come sooner. When you asked me to meet you earlier, I called Sam straight away. There was no way he would let you out without security. So when he found out I was meeting you, he relaxed a little bit. He is a pussy cat, really.”

  She smiles innocently. Typical Ruby, she has Sam wrapped around her little finger. I down my drink, and Seb watches us silently. I hear a commotion across the bar, so I go to stand up, and Seb gets up right after.

  “Stay here,” Seb says to me. “I’ve got this, honey.”

  He walks across the bar, and I put my hand to my head. I hear smashing glass, and I quickly get to my feet. I walk quickly across the floor closely followed by Ruby. Sam has Harley pinned to the floor, and he is bleeding. He is about to punch him again, and Seb holds him back.

  “Mate, stop, not in front of Peyton, please. It’s not worth it, he is not worth it.”

  Seb’s calming voice seems to work, and Sam goes lax in Seb’s grip. I stand over Harley.

  “Mi Chica, it was just a stupid joke. What is it you English say? Banter between the boys? I’m sorry, I meant no harm.”

  A look of disgust passes between us, and I kick him between his legs. Ruby whoops and claps her hands.

  “That’s for fucking bragging and bullshitting about having sex with me. For the record, you weren’t that good anyway, dick,” I spit angrily and Ruby bursts out laughing. Seb lets go of Sam, and he wraps his arms around me. Harley gingerly gets up and rushes out of the bar at breakneck speed.

  “Are you OK, angel?”

  I nod and look up at him. His lip is cut, and his nose is bloody.

  “You’re bleeding.”

  He touches his nose.

  “It’s nothing, babe, don’t worry about me. Look, I need to clean this mess up before the manager either calls the police or alerts the press.”

  He kisses me gently on the lips and pulls away from our embrace. I see him whispering to Seb, and a look passes between them. They shake hands, and Sam winks at me.

  “I’ll be as quick as I can, baby, then I’m taking you home with me.”

  I smile, and Sam strides off with his phone to his ear. Ruby links my arm, and we go to the bar. We get another round of drinks and do copious amounts of Cherry Sourz while we wait for the boys. We are perched on two bar stools, and I’m feeling very drunk now, struggling to focus on my surroundings. Ruby giggles.

  “Peyton is w-a-s-t-e-d!” she sings in my ear, and I laugh hard. Her gaze shifts across the bar, and she puts her finger to her lips.

  “Shhh, Mr. Wonderful is coming,” she slurs and closes one eye to focus. I follow her gaze and see Sam striding over to us. I grin widely, and in that moment, I am even more in love with him than I have ever been. He stops in front of me.

  “Sammy, baby,” I sing to him, and he laughs.

  “Has someone had a little too much to drink, angel?”

  I nod.

  “I’m going to take her home, Ruby. Cole’s outside. He is taking you back to the flat.”

  Ruby narrows her eyes over the rim of her glass at him, and I shake my head.

  “Possessive rockers always get what they want, Rubes, don’t argue with him or he’ll go Christian Grey on your arse and spank the living shit out of you!”

  Ruby laughs hysterically while I pull a face and salute. Sam throws his head back and laughs.

  “Come on, gorgeous, I’m taking you home.”

  He lifts me into his arms easily as if he is carrying a feather and carries me out of the bar and Ruby follows us. We get outside, and I suddenly feel dizzy.

  “Sammy, I feel sick.”

  He sets me down on my feet, and I lean against the wall. I throw up on the pavement with Sam holding my hair out of my face and rubbing my back soothingly.

  “Should I take the lady home, Sam?” I hear Cole’s deep voice.

  “Yeah, I’ve got her, mate, it’s fine. I’ll drive to my place, and Ruby’s address is programmed in the sat nav.”

  “OK, give me a call if you need anything, mate.”

  I stumble as I try to regain my balance, and like lightning, Sam steadies me. He grips me around my waist.

  “Jesus Christ, are you OK, baby?”

  I giggle. “I’m Yankee doodle dandy!”

  He laughs. I see two Sams in front of me and close one eye to try to focus. He carries me to his Porsche Cayenne 4x4 and sits me in the passenger seat. He buckles my seatbelt, goes around to the driver’s side, and gets into the car.

  “If you need to throw up, let me know, and I’ll pull over.”

  I lean my head back in the seat to try and stop my world from spinning. I watch as Sam pulls smoothly away from the kerb. Even in the moonlight, his profile is striking. I sigh, and he looks at me from the corner of his eye, chuckling softly.

  “You’re adorable when you’re drunk, angel.”

  I look at him and sigh. “You’re beautiful all the time. I love you, Sammy.”

  He moves his hand from the gear stick and strokes my leg.

  “I love you more than life itself, baby.”

  I lean my head back in the seat and the next thing I know, I am being lifted and carried from Sam’s car. He walks i
nto his building and into the lift. I snuggle closer to his chest and grip the neck of his t-shirt. He plants a kiss on my forehead. I feel the lift stop, and he steps out with me in his strong arms. He lays me down on the bed, and before I know it, I am drifting off into a drink-induced sleep.