by Amity Cross
“It’s cool.”
I left him to talk shop and walked through the club, listening to the music and studying the guests. When I was done with my drink, I slipped it onto a dominatrix’s tray and wondered how much alcohol I’d just finished ingesting. My head was already buzzing.
The whole venue had been decorated with installations that fit the theme and colour of Beneath’s album art, and they were stunning to look at. Shards of metal and glass were twisted into sculptures of breaking hearts. They were descending from the ceiling and rising up from the floor, masculine and terrible in their beauty. It was quite impressive knowing how little time they had to pull this party off. That was all thanks to Sebastian and our fateful meeting in Point Mambie.
My gaze scanned the crowd on the dance floor, and I was surprised to see a lot of familiar faces. Other musicians, famous singers, that guy that was on a popular TV show, so was that woman, and that one too. There were a few reality TV personalities bumping and grinding in their tiny little dresses, doing their best wild girl impersonations for the night.
“Juniper Rowe.”
I turned as Josh leaned on the railing beside me. He raked his gaze over me, lingering on my breasts a little too long. He looked his usual smooth self, with his man bun and suit jacket. The deep V-neck T-shirt he had on underneath showed off his ripped chest and his trousers were tight in all the right places. What was it with men and accentuating their cocks? I guess it was the same with women and their boobs when they wanted to attract a guy. Sex, sex, and sex.
“So you’re doing the monogamous thing?” he asked with a smirk.
I scowled. “What kind of question is that? Of course we are.”
“I’m just trying to figure out what Seb sees in you.”
Looking at the kind of people who populated the club, I wondered the same thing. I didn’t fit in here. I didn’t even know the difference between tequila and gin and why there was a worm, let alone how to revel in my sexuality and use it as a bazooka on the male species.
“Before he split he was the kind of guy who never wanted to be tied down,” Josh went on. “He loved the company of many women, could drink most of us under the table, and lived his reputation to the fullest. That guy,” he nodded towards Sebastian, who was still talking the same group of people by the bar, “is a fucking alien.”
“What do you mean?”
Josh snorted and lifted his glass to his lips. Downing the whole thing in one go, he gestured to a waitress who slunk over with her tray and giant boobs.
“Well aren’t you a pretty thing,” he drawled, handing her his empty glass.
“Can I get you another?” she purred. Glancing at me, she pouted, but didn’t extend the offer.
“Don’t mind her,” Josh said. “She’s not part of the deal. Say…what are you doing in five to ten minutes?”
The waitress smiled and licked her red-coated lips. “You.”
I watched her sashay away with raised eyebrows. I just couldn’t believe how blatant it all was.
“That’s Beneath,” he said, flashing me a wink. “We sing songs about sex, we fuck our way through every concert venue, we piss off as many people as we can, then we do it all over again tomorrow.”
“I know what you’re like,” I said, knowing Josh was completely off his face. “I know who Sebastian is.”
“I don’t think you realise how much of a shitstorm you’ve created,” he said. “It’s not just Vix who’s got her nose all outta joint.”
“Let me guess, you think I’m going to end up breaking his heart and destroy the band in the process?”
“It’s better if you’re not here.” He waved me off and slurred, “Yeah, yeah, I know I helped you get past that shit stain back in Melbourne, but that was a one-time hall-pass, Juniper. We’ve got a business to run and you’re a drain, darling. How can we fuck our way through all these lovely waitresses if you’re hanging on with your disapproving pouts?”
I looked him over and wasn’t sure whether to feel sorry for him or offended that he thought I was a wet blanket for his womanising. “You genuinely don’t want to see him happy, do you?”
“I’ve known him for ten years, love. You’ve been here for ten minutes.”
A ball of rage was working its way through my body and I looked over the one and only Josh Carroway with a sneer. If I didn’t bite back now, I was giving him a free pass to abuse me however he wanted.
So, I bit. Hard.
“Let’s get one thing straight, Josh Carroway,” I said, standing up straight. “I’m in a relationship with Sebastian. Not you. What happens between us is our business. You can fuck around with whoever you want and shove whatever drug up your nose that you desire, but if you fuck with me or him, you’re the one who should be watching your back.”
Josh looked me over and snorted. “Whatever. I’ve got a rendezvous to attend.”
He gave me one more stare, then disappeared into the darkness.
It was yet another cheap dismissal from the male contingent of the music industry and I tried to shrug it off, but it was hard not to let it stab me where it hurt. Still, this wasn’t over. I had time enough to show up all the big dick power in this room.
My story was still unfolding and when it climaxed…look out.
10
Sebastian
Juniper had disappeared into the darkness where I couldn’t see her.
The party was in full swing. People were drunk and dancing, Josh had already had sex with one of the waitresses under the executives’ noses, and someone had been ejected for trying to start a brawl with Damon over something to do with him screwing someone else’s woman. All in all, it was a quiet night for Beneath.
A straight-laced record label executive had cornered me the moment the last guy had finished talking to me. It was like that at these things—you get one second to breathe and then another douche with cash signs in their eyes come along and sink their hooks into you.
He was saying something about the tour, but I wasn’t listening. I nodded at all the important moments, but my gaze was searching for Juniper. Why did it feel like I’d let her loose in a den of wolves?
“Hey, mate.” I jerked as Damon slapped his hand on my shoulder. Staring at the executive, he gave the guy the evil eye. “I need to take Seb off your hands. Band business, you know.”
He didn’t wait for a reply. He steered me away through the crowd and into the VIP area. The first thing I noticed was that Juniper wasn’t there, but the entire band was.
Josh, Nate and Damon were in the same place at the same time at a party and it couldn’t be good.
I scowled at them and crossed my arms over my chest. “This better not be an intervention.”
“We wanna talk to you about Juniper,” Nate said.
“She’s got bite,” Josh declared. “And big fucking brass balls. Did you know she had a go at me?”
I turned towards him, my annoyance levels rising. “What did you say to her?”
“Only what everyone’s thinking,” he replied with a shrug. “I’ve got two arseholes now.”
“Stop messing with her,” I snapped. “She doesn’t deserve it.”
He threw his hands into the air. “Did you hear the part where I’ve got two orifices?”
“At least we got what we wanted,” Damon said. “The band’s stronger than ever, the album’s out, and we’ve got a tour booked.”
I wasn’t sure about the band being as strong as it used to be, not now that I knew the level of meddling that went on behind the scenes—all thanks to Vix’s strong arming—but he was happy and that’s what it was all about, right? Taking one for the team so they could live the life they wanted and deal with the bullshit so my brothers didn’t have to.
I just wished Juniper didn’t have to be part of it. Vix would try something sooner or later, and we had to be ready.
“Where is she?” Nate asked, glancing around the VIP area.
“Schmoozing,” Josh drawled.
“At least s
he’s trying.” I scowled at him, disliking his tone the most.
“Are you sure she’s not using you?” Damon asked. “It wouldn’t be the first time a chick has tried to ride her way to the top by association. She just lost everything, right?”
“No, she wouldn’t do that,” I replied, shaking my head. “When I met her, she didn’t even know who I was and when she found out, she wasn’t impressed.” I distinctly remembered her shrugging, then changing the subject. “She helped me see—”
“See what?” Nate prodded.
“That I shouldn’t throw away what I loved.”
That seemed to give them pause. They didn’t expect her to be a part of why I was back with Beneath and making music, rather than walking away like I’d intended.
“What’s she like then?” Damon asked, leaning against the wall. “I mean, I heard her pussy was full of honey, but to bring her on tour…” He whistled.
“She’s…she’s everything,” I said.
For the guy who wrote all the songs, I was doing a horrible job picking out the right words to describe her. Maybe I couldn’t because this thing we shared was still growing. Her body, the way her skin felt under my hands, her taste. The way she spoke with an uncertain fierceness, her thoughtful expressions, the way she sometimes blurted her innermost thoughts. The way she saw me. All those things made up the enigma that lay in my heart. Try describing that in a single word.
“We’ve got four months riding on each other’s dicks to get to know her,” Josh declared.
“I don’t like you using the word dick in the same sentence as her,” I warned.
“Dude, we’re family,” Nate said. “We look out for one another, but we’re not going to touch her.”
“Juniper is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.” I glanced out into the club, but it was impossible to see anything in the dim light.
“Yeah, but you’re acting weird,” Damon said.
“Different,” I retorted. “She means a lot to me. I never thought…” I sighed and picked up an unopened bottle of champagne from the ice bucket on the table. I wasn’t sure I knew how to finish that sentence yet.
“Look out, he’s talking about his feelings,” Josh teased.
“If she means that much to you, then let’s get to know her,” Nate said, taking the bottle out of my hands. “You could’ve split, and she could’ve given you an ultimatum to quit on us. Or when those paps hounded her at her house, she could’ve left and made you a miserable bastard…yet here you are and there she is.”
“She’s not part of this merry-fucking-go-round,” Damon said as Nate worked on the cork in the champagne. “People said some nasty shit about her, but she still got on.”
“Big brass balls,” Josh echoed, snatching the bottle from Nate and popping the cork in one go. Foam burst from the top like an ejaculation metaphor and he took a swig.
I snatched the bottle back and drank, wiping the back of my hand across my mouth. “Vix hates her fucking guts,” I began. “Everyone else doesn’t care as long as we keep making them their millions, but she thinks Juniper’s a threat to her cash cow.”
“Vix is a piece of work, but she knows her job,” Nate said, taking the champagne. “Do you really think she’s out for Juniper?”
“The part where she told me to my face was pretty convincing,” I drawled. “Look, I know what I need to do. I won’t fuck off again. I was wrong to do that without saying anything, but Juniper… She’s given up a lot to be here. This isn’t her idea of a beautiful life, but I want her, and she wants me for who I am underneath all the bullshit rumours. If I didn’t have all this, it wouldn’t matter to her—she’d want me all the same. When my mum died, you guys became my only family and now I want Juniper to be a part of it too.”
Josh snorted and snatched the champagne bottle from Nate. “We’ll see.”
“He’s right,” Damon said.
“I’ll look out for her, but she’s gotta gel, you know,” Nate said in agreement. “But everyone needs a little padding around Vix.”
“A little?” Josh declared. “Try a fucking sumo suit.”
Turning, I searched the crowd on the other side of the red velvet rope, anxious to find Juniper. She’d been nervous about coming here, and I got it. It was a big thing coming from a small town where she was normal to all this douche-waddery.
“Oh, go and find her already,” Damon exclaimed. “I’m sick of looking at you searching for her.”
I clapped him on the shoulder and strode out of the VIP area, ignoring the catcalls behind me. As soon as I was free from the red rope, several people attempted to get my attention, but I kept walking, my focus on one woman in particular.
I found her by the dance floor, her copper hair a beacon in the darkness. She was talking to a man, smiling and laughing at whatever he was saying, and a familiar spike of anger burned in my chest.
The moment she spotted me, she placed her hands on the guy’s arm and gave him one last smile before walking towards me. I narrowed my eyes as he glanced over his shoulder and watched her. It was a casual glance, but I didn’t trust casual when Juniper looked like sex personified.
“Hey,” she said, climbing the stairs and stopped in front of me. “Where’ve you been all night?”
“Who was that you were talking to?”
She glanced over her shoulder. “That guy? He’s an actor in some HBO show that’s all the rage.”
“You ditched me for a pretty boy actor?”
“He was nice and a pure gentleman.”
“Nice?”
“Jealous?” She laughed, her eyes sparkling in the pinkish light, and she slipped her arms around my waist. In her heels, she was almost as tall as I was, so when she leaned forward, her lips easily brushed my ear. “It was you I rode in that limousine, no one else.”
“How could I forget?” I closed my eyes and leaned into her, my cock twitching.
“I’ve met some interesting people,” she went on. “I’ve never been a fan of nightclubs, or people really, but everyone’s here to talk. It’s weird.”
“Everyone’s here to network,” I said, rolling my eyes. “That’s code for manipulative arse fuckery. Be careful who you tell your secrets too, Juni.”
It was her turn to roll her eyes. “Duh. I know I’ve got little to offer, other than a direct line to some bad boy rock star arsehole. Whatever that’s about.”
“Juni…”
Her lips quirked and I relaxed, cupping her arse and tugging her body against mine. She was taking the piss outta me and I admired how comfortable she was becoming—with me and the chaos around us. It was the ultimate debut.
“Speaking of morons, I had an interesting conversation with a man-bun earlier.” She pouted, looking displeased and I had to laugh at her description of Josh. He did have a way about him that was all arrogant bull in a china shop.
“Josh was testing you,” I said. “I don’t agree with his methods, but apparently, you passed with flying colours.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Juniper demanded. “This isn’t a locker room and I won’t stand for sexist hazing rituals.”
“What we’re doing is weird,” I replied. “Give them some time.”
Her scowl deepened. “Is it such an insult that we want to have a relationship?”
“No, but it is out of character for me.”
If only she’d heard the conversation I just had with them. A few months ago, I would’ve been worried my balls were shrivelling up, but now, I’d seen how things could be with the right woman, and it wasn’t even an issue. Besides, I could see why the guys were so wary of this new arrangement. Things had been building inside me for a long time, but I’d hidden it from everyone until the moment I’d snapped and disappeared. No wonder they were so resistant, but at least they were open to getting to know Juniper.
“So you’re actually enjoying this pretentious dick measuring contest?” I asked, gesturing to the party around us.
�
�Yeah. I get all that peacocking stuff, but it’s actually kind of okay. I haven’t seen Vix, I only got glared at by one in three people, and only one guy has tried to crack onto me.”
“Who?” I demanded, a surge of jealousy rushing through me so hot and fast it even scared me.
“You, you idiot.” She laughed, rubbing her fingers along my jaw.
I loved how she didn’t giggle or try to hide her smile. Juniper did everything with the grace of full intent. When she let her guard down and just was, there was no half-arseing around—it was all or nothing.
“You’re going to give me a heart attack,” I grumbled.
“I never took you for the jealous type.”
I frowned, holding her close. She was precious and perfect and mine. “Neither did I.”
11
Juniper
I was barely aware of the busy airport as I debated whether or not to follow the link to the video Vanessa sent me. My finger itched to tap the play icon. Ugh, I was tempting fate.
I angled the tablet screen, hiding it from Sebastian’s view, and made sure my earphones were connected. Then, because I had zero willpower, I pressed play.
“In other news, troubled rocker, Sebastian Hale, turned up to Beneath’s album launch party in Sydney over the weekend with his new girlfriend on his arm. Juniper Rowe is a small-town Australian girl he met while… Well, we’re not quite sure what he was doing, but he’s back with a new love on his arm, a new album topping the charts, and a surprise US tour kicking off this month. The man who no one thought could be tied down has found a woman who might just stick this time around. Is it true love? Well, we’ll just have to wait and see.”
The story cut back to the two hosts in the studio while the red-carpet photos flashed up on a screen behind them.
“That’s crazy news,” the man said. “The ultimate bachelor has found his one true love.”
“Isn’t it romantic?” the woman swooned. “For a small-town girl, she sure slammed it on that red carpet. Did you see that dress?”
