Starting From Scratch (Starting From Series Book 2)

by Lane Hayes

  “Need help?” I asked.

  “They’re stuck. I’m so pissed at you. Do you have any idea how much these were?” he huffed as I kneeled at his feet.

  “Can it, Char. If you spent more than twenty bucks on these, I won’t be impressed. Lift your foot.”

  When he didn’t obey, I glanced up at him…and froze. I bit the inside of my cheek, willing myself not to pop another boner at the glimpse of Charlie in all his glory. His cock was beautiful. Weird adjective for a dick, but it was true. It was long and pale like him…and half-hard. I absently rubbed my palm over my crotch as I noted the expertly trimmed hair nestled around the base and his perfect balls. I wanted to lick him. Every inch of him. But especially that dick.

  “What are you doing, Ky?”

  “Um…”

  He gave me a look I couldn’t read to save my life. “If you help me, I’ll help you. I mean, with my shoes. And I’ll help find you some dry clothes. We better hurry, though. If we’re gone too long, the guys might come searching for us.”

  I nodded again, then picked up his foot and wrestled to get one shoe off before moving on to the next. I tugged it off, looked up and…lost my breath. I didn’t think. I just leaned in and brushed my nose against the head of his cock before opening my mouth.

  “Oh! Wow…” Charlie pushed his fingers through my hair and watched carefully as I flicked my tongue around his slit before sucking the tip.

  Truth time. I hadn’t sucked cock in over five years. Maybe more. And every time I’d done it, guilt weighed on me and spoiled the fun. But I didn’t feel guilty now. I wasn’t even nervous, which was crazy ’cause any of my bandmates could have walked outside and found me in a compromising situation. I didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was Charlie.

  I swallowed his length until I gagged. I eased off and tried again. And again. I found my rhythm surprisingly fast. I sucked, then licked him up one side and down the other. Like I said, it had been years, but I figured I must be doing okay. I heard him call my name and groan as he swayed his hips. When I grabbed his ass and held him still before twirling my tongue around his girth, he moaned loudly and shoved me away. I stumbled back on my heels and stood, automatically stroking myself through my wet board shorts.

  “Now what? I can’t leave you like that,” I growled in a low voice, gesturing toward the flagpole between his legs.

  Charlie stepped out of his khakis and boxers and tucked them under his arm before motioning for me to follow him. “This way.”

  We hurried through the empty great room into the main entry. Charlie took a quick right toward the modern glass and wood stairway and almost tripped over a squeaky dog toy, sending Chester into a barking frenzy. He wasn’t in his crate in the kitchen, which meant he was probably with Gray somewhere in the house. We froze for a second and stared at each other. I was hard as a fucking rock and Charlie was half-naked. We couldn’t bluff our way through this one easily. I made an executive decision and picked him up in a fireman’s hold before heading up the stairs.

  He chuckled softly when I stopped at the top of the landing and gently released him, sliding his chest against mine, then captured his hips and nudged my erection alongside his. “Now where?”

  “My room. Second one on the right,” he panted.

  I speed walked down the hallway and entered a darkened room anchored by a four-poster bed. The walls were covered in black-and-white photographs that looked like they’d been cut from fashion magazines. I did a double take at the badass pic of Linda Evangelista circa 1990 as I closed the door behind Charlie.

  He immediately slid to his knees. He mouthed my cock through my shorts before ripping open the Velcro and releasing me. I put my hand on the wall to brace myself when he gripped my shaft and swallowed me whole.

  “Holy fuck,” I moaned.

  I’d been around the block a few times and had my dick sucked more than I should probably admit. But never like this. Charlie was an expert. A cock-sucking genius. He measured his tempo with the perfect amount of pressure. I felt the telltale tingle of an impending orgasm well before I wanted this to end. In fact, I never wanted it to end. I wanted to be permanently attached to him. He was madness, but the sweetest kind. I wanted to lose myself inside him. Just the thought of fucking him brought me closer to the edge. I pushed his forehead until he released me with a pop.

  “Don’t you want to come?”

  “Yeah, but I’m way too close. I just…” I pulled him to his feet and gestured toward the bed. “Let me see you.”

  Charlie slipped his shirt over his shoulders and dropped it on the floor. Then he set his hands on his hips and cocked his head. “Here I am. What else do you want to see?”

  “Your ass. Get on your hands and knees. Show me everything.”

  He smiled as he moved to the bed, pulling back the duvet before climbing to the middle of the mattress. I stroked myself with my right hand as I explored him. I squeezed his cheeks, tugged at his dick and his balls. Then I spit on my fingers and traced his crack as he jacked his cock wildly. I knew what he wanted. It was like I could read his body without him saying a word. I had a fleeting thought that this was what I’d been waiting for as I licked his hole then pushed my middle finger inside him.

  “Oh…oh, fuck,” he moaned.

  I stroked myself faster, darting my tongue at his opening as he rode my digit. My technique probably needed work, but Charlie didn’t seem to mind. He swayed his hips seductively and hummed my name over and over. When he reached between his thighs and pushed one of his fingers in alongside mine, I knew that was the end of me.

  “Ungh…I’m gonna come, Char.”

  I clutched his hip as my body convulsed. I shot ribbons of cum over his ass before loosening my hold. Charlie looked over his shoulder and growled. “Don’t go. Fuck me.”

  “Uh…”

  “With your finger. Add another one. Please,” he begged.

  I did as he said, pulling him against my chest so that my still-erect dick rode his crack while I tweaked his nipples one at a time and finger-fucked him. He laid his head on my shoulder and closed his eyes just as his orgasm hit.

  We didn’t move for a long moment. I wasn’t sure how to get my fingers from his ass and make a seamless transition to real time on my own. I needed Charlie to meet me halfway. When he stayed quiet, I slowly backed up and looked around for a tissue to clean the mess we’d made.

  “Hey, um…you okay?”

  “Of course. The Kleenex is on the other side of the bed,” he said.

  I shuffled to the middle, then leaned over to grab a few tissues from the box and cleaned him off before smacking his ass.

  “Ow.” Charlie rolled over and sat up. “You’ve got a thing for my ass, don’t you? Wait. I didn’t mean for mine in particular. I meant—”

  “No, just yours.” I smiled awkwardly as I motioned between us. “So…I don’t know where to go with this, but God, I want to go somewhere. We can’t pretend this isn’t happening.”

  “What do you propose?”

  “I don’t know,” I sighed, raking my hand through my hair. “You’re doing something to me. It’s messin’ with my head and making me want things and—”

  “Me?” he asked, furrowing his brow.

  “Yeah, you.” I caressed his jaw unthinking. “Hey, I don’t have answers, but I want us to be normal around each other. Talk to me, Char. If you want to bite my head off, do it. I want your sassy, in-your-face, bossy lists and schedules telling me where to go and what you need from me. I get that it’s not personal. It’s your job and maybe it’s just you, but…I like it. I like the way you are, and I need you to keep talking to me. Don’t shut me out. Okay?”

  “Okay,” he whispered.

  I kissed him hard, then hopped off the bed and grabbed my damp trunks. “I’m gonna put these on and get to practice. I’ll tell them I got stuck on a phone call after you pushed me in the pool.”

  “You pushed me in the pool.”

  “Maybe so, but
who are they gonna believe?” I opened the door with a chuckle when he scowled. “Nice room, by the way.”

  “Thanks,” he replied sheepishly. “I haven’t slept here in years. I can’t believe Gray hasn’t taken these photos off the walls.”

  “Maybe he keeps them up for himself. To remind him of a time you were cute and sweet,” I teased.

  “Hey. I’m adorable.”

  “Yeah, like a porcupine.”

  Charlie scrambled off the bed and stood on the opposite side of the door. “We’re not telling them, right?”

  I cocked my head. “I wouldn’t know what to say.”

  “Me either.”

  “Let’s just act normal and—”

  “I don’t do normal very well,” he intercepted.

  “True. Be yourself, I’ll do the same and we’ll see where we end up. Deal?”

  Charlie pursed his lips and nodded slowly. “It’s a terrible plan, but I can’t think of anything better, so…okay.”

  I stared at his mouth for a long moment, then gave in to temptation and kissed him again. But I made myself walk away before I made promises I couldn’t keep. I was an expert at running when things got complicated, and Charlie was the definition of complicated. He was hot and cold, out of my league, and he had way more horsepower than I could handle on my best days. And he was unapologetically out and proud. I should have been itching to get the hell out of town and put as much space as possible between us, but that sounded awful. My best bet was to take my own advice and go with the flow.

  4

  Charlie

  Ky wanted me. Or he wanted something from me, I mused as I placed the Post-it notes from my car onto Ky’s dirty truck, carefully forming them into a giant penis. I probably should have done something neighborhood-friendly, like a happy face. But he said we should act normal, and my version of normal entailed doing the first thing that came to mind. And I definitely had dick on the brain.

  And Ky.

  The urge to put together a soundtrack to sort out my feelings about whatever was going on between us was strong. But I didn’t know where to start. Okay, I’d start with Mariah Carey, but after that...I had no clue. I was confused and a little scared, but I could tell Ky felt the same way. That was enough for now.

  It had to be. We had a band to launch. It would help if I knew what the hell I was doing, but I was winging it big-time and if I wasn’t careful, I’d fuck this up and let everyone down.

  I hated that I had to reschedule my appointment with the Sony rep, but I certainly couldn’t show up in the worn workout clothes I found in the drawer in my old bedroom at Gray’s. Herb Jenkins had been very understanding. Which was a bit strange. And he spoke with me directly…also odd. I fully admitted I had a lot to learn about the music business, but the behind-the-scenes wheeling and dealing had to be similar to the film industry. And having a well-known movie producer in the family was its own kind of education. My father never spoke to an agent or manager unless he wanted something from their client.

  It seemed a little too good to be true that a huge player was even remotely interested in an unknown indie band. My dad must have had something to do with this. It would be just like him to insert himself and call it “help.” I transferred the last couple of Post-its onto Ky’s windshield before heading for my car to call my father.

  “Good afternoon, Rourke Studios,” a chipper male voice answered.

  I fastened my seat belt, then squinted at the computer dashboard on my BMW. The number was correct, but the greeting wasn’t quite right. “Is this Giorgio?”

  “Yes. Who may I—”

  “Where’s Trish?”

  “Who may I ask is inquiring?”

  “This is Charlie, Sebastian’s son,” I replied tersely. “Is he there?”

  “One moment, please.” What the hell? Before I could put my car in reverse, he was back. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting. Mr. Rourke is on an important conference call and—”

  I hung up on him and had Siri take over. “Call Dad’s cell.”

  “Hey, Char. What’s up?”

  “Are you in your office?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “Your boyfriend told me you were unavailable. What happened to Trish? Why is he answering your phone anyway? Why is—”

  “Trish is at lunch and Giorgi took over. He must have misunderstood. I have a meeting in an hour with my money guys. We got the green light on the new Baxter movie,” he said excitedly.

  “Congratulations.” I pulled away from the curb and headed down the hill. “That’s great.”

  “Thanks, Char. I need a big budget for this one. I want to hire…”

  I let him ramble on about his new project—the actors he wanted to hire, and his plans to travel to nail down a site location—until I hit Sunset. Which roughly coincided with the end of my patience. I was extremely proud of my father’s professional accomplishments, but I became an anxious mess every time he announced a new project. It dated back to feelings of abandonment in my childhood for sure. And yes, at twenty-five, I was mostly in a good place with him. I understood that it was unreasonable to expect him to show affection according to my specifications. However, he had another kid who was nine years old and didn’t quite know what to think when Dad announced he was leaving for Toronto for a month…with his sexy young assistant.

  Breakdown locked and loaded. I made a mental note to contact my therapist later before clearing my throat noisily.

  “Dad, I have a question,” I interrupted.

  “What’s up?”

  “Do you know Herb Jenkins? He’s a record exec at Sony.”

  “Yeah, Herb’s a good guy. Did he call you?”

  “No, I just called him. And funny enough, I got through to him faster than when I called you.”

  “Give it a rest, Char. I’ll talk to Giorgi. He was just being diligent,” he said.

  “No, he was just being an asshole. Word of warning…if he tries that with Oliver, I’m going to go Kanye-style crazy on him.”

  “Noted. What’s going on with Herb?”

  “Nothing yet. I’m meeting with him next week.”

  “Oh. I thought it was today.”

  I smacked the steering wheel. “So you admit that you set this up after I asked you not to interfere?”

  “Uh…no. I-I mentioned it in passing and he was interested. That’s not a bad thing, Char.”

  I turned right onto my street and pushed the button to my garage door. “I don’t want your help on this, Dad. Don’t be offended.…I don’t want Gray’s help either. Sony is huge and—”

  “And that’s what you need! They’ll put you guys on the map by Christmas!”

  “I’m going to decide what we need, Dad. Me. It’s my job,” I sighed.

  He waited a beat, then asked, “O-kay…how else can I help?”

  He sounded so damn sincere that I found myself wracking my brain for real ideas rather than my personal wish list of “Break up with your boy toy” and “Spend more time with Ollie.” The first one wasn’t my business and the second was up to him.

  “You don’t have to help at all. I can handle it.”

  “Hmm. You sound stressed. What’s going on?”

  This was why it was hard to stay angry at him. My father could be selfish, distracted, and unintentionally careless, but I knew he loved me. He just needed space to show it in his own way.

  I drove into the garage and cut the engine. “Okay, since you asked…I’m worried about finding a label that fits in a timely fashion.”

  “A meeting with Herb could solve that problem,” he singsonged.

  “I’ll talk to him, but I think Zero would get lost at a big label. The guys agree. We’re having dinner with Sandstone on Saturday. I still need to do some homework, but I think they’re the best fit. It would be nice to have a mutual admiration society dining experience. Even better if they slapped a lucrative contract next to a gigantic bowl of spaghetti. Zero is more than ready for the next step, and I swear t
hey sound better than ever,” I said before rushing into a story about Zero’s last show as I gathered my belongings and headed inside. I dumped my wet clothes on a barstool and set my bag on the kitchen island.

  “Text me the info on their next show. I’d love to see them again. How’s the press so far?”

  “If you’re referring to my promotional savvy, it’s fabulous. Anything I can control is going well. Zero’s social media presence is booming, their fan base is growing, and the shows are sell-out.”

  “What about reviews?”

  “They’ve been great. Of course, the only one I can remember is the one that called Zero a mediocre facsimile of an ’80s hair band.”

  “Ouch.”

  “I know. Being compared to relic music hurt,” I teased.

  “Ha. Ha. Eighties music was the best. Forget about it. You’re never going to please everyone. Hey, you’re coming for dinner next weekend, right? I had the new barbeque installed and I’m grillin’ steaks and hot dogs…and healthy stuff too. Justin and Gray will be there. Maybe you should ask the skater kid too.”

  “Ky?” I choked, widening my eyes as I glanced around my kitchen, silently reminding myself there was no way he knew what we’d just done.

  “Yeah. Oliver loves him. He talks about him nonstop.”

  “Hmm. Yeah, I don’t know about that.”

  “Think about it. And let me know how your meeting with Herb goes. I love you. See you later, buddy.”

  See? It was impossible to stay mad at him. He was like a goofy retriever who kept traipsing through the mud and waltzing into a newly cleaned kitchen. Even when he made ridiculous suggestions like inviting Ky over for a family dinner ’cause he was nice to his son. If he knew what he did to his other son, he might not be so quick to offer him a hot dog.