Still Her (Turn it Up Book 2)

by Natalie Parker

  “Feeling like I want to go into full cliché rock star mode and destroy this hotel room,” I retort.

  “I get it; I get it, but easy, guy.”

  I give a sarcastic shrug. “Either that or I fly out to L.A. and plow my fist through his face. You choose.” I’m getting cynical as I open my steam valve, letting my rage come out in small increments.

  “Alright, alright. Just get a hold of yourself Jack,” he tries to placate me, waving his hands in the universal calm down gesture. “You’re no good to us, or your wife, from inside a jail cell.”

  I take a moment to stare at the floor and let that thought sink in. While nothing sounds better right now than walking into Eli’s office, hauling him up by his obscenely priced suit, throwing him down on his desk and punching him repeatedly in his face… it will only end in me being led away in cuffs, devastating my wife. I remind myself she needs me with her right now, and I sure as hell need her. I do my best to reign in my anger and refocus on the conversation.

  “Jack, what the hell happened anyway?” Matt asks, his eyebrows drawn together in frustrated confusion.

  I run a hand through my hair while I recap last night’s events for them, being sure to include Eli’s cryptic comment about the Superbowl show, and our visit to the police station.

  “You’ve got to be fucking shitting me with all this,” Chris exclaims, leaning forward now.

  “He’s not. I was there. The asshole shook her up pretty good,” Josh explains, turning to face him.

  Storm clouds start forming and churning in my mind when I think about how traumatized Mayzie was when I got to her last night. He didn’t only isolate her with him in a room, but there was likely no one even on that floor at the time… which leads me to wonder how he knew that would be such an opportune time to get her alone. I knew Mayzie went to a different floor because I just plain know her. He had no way of knowing she was there… unless he followed her.

  “He fucking stalked her. He went out of his way to intimidate her,” I voice out loud to no one in particular. I don’t recognize my own voice as it comes out low and growly from between my clenched teeth. I can’t believe my coffee cup isn’t shattering in my hand; I’m gripping it so hard right now.

  “And we’re going to put a stop to it Jack,” Ron’s voice is firm but calming as his hand falls on my shoulder. “Stay in control.”

  “So what’s the plan now?” Matt goes all business.

  “Jack, did you talk to your brother-in-law?” Ron’s voice snaps me out of my quiet fury.

  “Yeah. He’s going to meet us in Atlanta to help us figure this out.”

  “What can he do?” asks Josh.

  “He’s got a strong background in law. And as much as I hate this, I think we should lay low until we talk to him. Not make any moves. So far, on paper, we don’t have any proof of what Eli’s doing. He’s being such a slick, sneaky bastard. If we make a move, he could nail us with it.” It makes me feel defeated, like he gets to win for now. I have to work hard to remind myself that if I react too soon, then we’ll lose in the long run.

  “Alright,” Ron straightens up. “I’ll run interference with Eli in the meantime. I get the feeling he’s not going to call with any pending plans after we had the event last night, but if he does, I’ll put him off until we talk to Mike.”

  With that, we adjourn back to our rooms so that we can pack and get ready to meet the SUV’s that’ll take us back to the buses.

  When I let myself back into our room, I find Maze still in bed, still undressed. That’s my girl. She’s turning her phone over and over in her lap as she looks up at me and bites down on the corner of her lower lip. She has news.

  “Baby?” I prompt her, “what’s going on?”

  She blows out a breath. “Your friend knocked up my friend.”

  11

  Mayzie

  “You want to run that by me again?” Jack asks, as he stands in front of me in all his just-rolled-out-of-bed glory, with his hands on his hips, looking down at me, a look of total bewilderment on his handsome face.

  “Annie’s pregnant,” I reply, the words tasting so strange on my tongue. Her call was one of very unexpected news to say the least. She and Jack’s friend Tyler met each other when Jack and I were first getting together. There was an attraction, but Annie didn’t let it go too far because while Tyler’s a great guy, he’s kind of slutty. So other than some harmless flirting, it never went anywhere. But as she had told me before, things were a little different when they ran into each other a few weeks ago. The attraction was apparently still there, Annie felt like she could let lose for a night and… surprise!

  “Pregnant?!” Jack leans forward slightly, as if he didn’t hear me right.

  “Yeah. It’s Tyler’s.”

  “You’re serious,” he says it like a statement.

  “As a heart attack. They ran into each other just after I left to come out on tour, and… apparently things went well?” I hold my hands up in a questioning gesture, and give him a goofy grin. While it kind of hit me like a two-by-four, especially coming on the heels of last night, it’s kind of an amusing distraction.

  “Holy shit! I can’t fucking believe this,” Jack muses, as he starts pacing and chuckling. “Tyler’s going to be a dad!” He stops and looks up in question, “I mean, he is, right? Tell me he’s stepping up. If he isn’t, I’m flying back home to take all this Eli rage out on him instead.”

  I try not to let the mention of the asshole’s name make me flinch. “He’s stepping up,” I nod. “They talked last night and he’s all in, I guess. It’s good,” I shrug contentedly at the concept. Annie’s not dealing with this alone.

  “Good,” Jack gives a heavy nod before he starts chuckling again. “I’m sorry; I’m not laughing that they’re having a baby,” he says, trying to save face when he catches me looking at him weird. “It’s just…Tyler. I’m laughing at the idea…” He’s laughing harder and shaking his head and I’m starting to giggle too as I see where he’s going. And I let it happen. We need to laugh. “I mean, the tail-chasing horn-dog is going to settle down and be a dad now,” Jack continues, thoroughly amused. Before I know it, we’re cracking up. It’s not at my bestie or what she’s going through; we’re just letting the situation amuse us on a superficial level so that we can get our game faces back on to deal with these next few days. And it helps to picture Tyler trying to pick up ladies in the grocery store, with a baby strapped to his chest.

  After a moment, the laughs subside, and we both let a comfortable silence take over the room, continuing to look at each other, watching each other’s smile transform from animated to sensual. Without a word, Jack unzips his jacket and shrugs it off his shoulders. And then, eyes still on me, he pushes his running pants down, taking his boxers with them, before crawling back into bed with me. Gawd, the sight of him naked still excites me and makes every part of my body hum, and so does the look in his eyes as he prowls toward me like a panther.

  “Come here,” he murmurs reaching for me and pulling me on top of him. I close my eyes and get swept away by his callused hands gliding all over my body. His eyes are hooded, and he gives me a lazy smile that lets me know what’s on his mind. And I will happily accept one distraction after another. He leans in and starts kissing my neck, and I tilt my chin up to give him better access. His thick cock is so hard as it brushes against my stomach, making my clit grow warm and sensitive. He pulls me into him and plunges his tongue into my mouth while he reclines against the pillows. His hands glide up and down my back before coming around my front to squeeze my breasts, letting out a groan into my mouth as he massages them. I start moving against him, my want for him burning hot as I feel his hard length caressing and teasing between my thighs.

  “I want to feel you, baby,” he rasps against my mouth.

  I reach down and stroke him a few times before moving him to my entrance. I close my eyes as I ease myself down on top of him, squeezing him as I move up and down his length. He drop
s his head back and exhales heavily as his hands caress my ass before moving around to grip my hips. He thrusts up hard a few times, giving my drive a boost with the friction, before letting me take over the pace again. I sink down low, taking him deep as I use his abs and his chest for leverage as I squeeze and release up and down.

  “So beautiful,” he whispers, as he sits up and his arms encircle my waist, holding me close as he thrusts up each time I drop down. He’s filling me up so good and so deep; my body and mind are immersed in a haze of pleasure and passion as we enter that place where nothing exists but us.

  His mouth ventures down to my chest, and I fall a few leagues deeper when I feel his soft lips and his warm breath travel across my sensitive skin. My lips part on a moan that comes from deep in my throat as I surrender control to Jack, who’s begun rolling his hips harder and picking up our pace. I feel him throb and pulse inside of me and my walls respond in kind. Our breathing is labored as we move together, our bodies flush with each other. I feel my blood go from flowing to rushing through my body as Jack turns us over. My breath blows out of me when my back hits the mattress and he starts pounding into me, bringing my leg up around his hip so he can reach my farthest depths.

  He’s abandoned all restraint and is driving into me with full force as I grip his back with my fingertips and begin to cry out. The pressure in my core is building and coiling, seconds away from exploding.

  “Oh God, oh God, Jack! Shit!” I call out into the room right before I detonate. I arch my chest up into his and I see his jaw strain against his own climax. His body jerks and spasms against mine as he goes off inside me. He curses and pants into my neck as we ride out each wave.

  “Ah, baby… that’s it…” he soothes, as the shuddering of my body settles down to a gentle quake. “Damn,” he mumbles into the side of my face after letting his whole body collapse onto mine. We lay there blissed out for a while as one of his hands lazily plays with my hair and I trace my nails gently up the sides of his back, just to feel the bumps rise on his skin in response.

  I crane my neck to look at the bedside clock. “Baby, we have to hurry. We’ve got half an hour to get downstairs,” I say, my voice exhausted.

  “I can’t. Fucking. Move,” he responds, his voice muffled by my neck, and a giggle erupts from my chest, gently shaking us both.

  I try to roll him, and crack up when I fail because he’s laying on the theatrics and acting like he seriously has no strength. “Jack, come on,” I laugh, trying to shove at him again.

  “Do you really think that bus would go anywhere without us?” he asks, cynically.

  “Probably not, but we’ll get a lecture from Ron if we make everything fall behind schedule. I don’t know about you, but I’m not in the mood.”

  “Fine, you got me there,” he grumbles, doing a push-up and hefting himself off of me, before taking my hand to help me up and leading me to the shower.

  We’re only ten minutes late when we step off the elevator with our luggage and dogs in tow. I went with black leggings and a sweatshirt since we have a while on the road before Charleston, while Jack is wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a bomber jacket open over a t-shirt. We both put on sunglasses as we exit the hotel, because though the SUV’s are right there at the curb, there are a good handful of fans and photographers being held back by Shane and a few other guards on the security team. My face is blank at first, until I realize something: if any photos show up online, Eli could see them. If Jack and I look like there’s anything wrong it could tip him off that I didn’t stay quiet. I give just enough of a smile to not look like I’m overplaying it, and give a couple of polite waves as we herd the dogs into the back seat before climbing in ourselves. Leaving the waves and the camera flashes behind, we head to the tour buses that will take us to the next show.

  When I step onto our bus, I haul my bag back to the bedroom and retrieve my laptop, setting it on the table in the lounge so it can boot up. That’s when Matt walks into the lounge with a to-go cup of coffee in each hand, Jack snickering behind him.

  “How are you doing, Maze? Are you okay?” I’ve been dreading this part of seeing all the guys, but it’s not like I can expect them to not check in. They give a shit and I can’t expect them to act like they don’t. I just don’t want to talk about it.

  “I’m doing okay, thanks,” I say timidly.

  “Good. Here’s a pumpkin latte and a hug,” he smirks, handing me one of the cups and putting his arm around me.

  “Aww, thank you,” I tell him, accepting the cup and squeezing him back. And with that, he goes to sit down in one of the lounge chairs and pulls a nearby magazine in his lap. This is why we’re friends. Fuck that, he’s family.

  “That other one for me?” Jack teases, eyeing the other cup.

  “Hell no! Get your own fuckin’ pumpkin latte,” Matt playfully snaps, drawing his cup protectively to his chest.

  Jack laughs, shaking his head on his way back to the bedroom to dump his bag.

  I sit down with my latte and laptop at the table, and try to think of what to write for the next blog entry. Readers especially eat up the anecdotes I write about while being on the road with the guys. A lot of them are fans of the band, and I think they enjoy getting little inside peeks. I don’t know how the hell to write about last night’s fundraiser though. I can’t tell the truth; that it was one of the worst nights of my life because the biggest entertainment PR agent in the country made me feel violated by ambushing me in a bathroom. It would cause chaos, and Eli could sue me for defamation or something of the like.

  But I can’t fake that it was a fabulous evening either. If he reads it, he could think he’s snagged me, that I’m on board with what he’s doing.

  In the end, I decide that the new music program deserves some recognition and exposure. It won’t make for my juiciest entry, but I write about the event in general and keep the key players out of it, myself included. I make it seem deliberate in my monologue that I’m choosing to focus on the cause, hoping that will be satisfactory to my readers. In the end, I do make mention of how good all the guys looked and throw in a picture of them posing together.

  I close my laptop with a sigh. That was not one of my more gratifying posts. I look over to see Jack and Matt sitting across from each other in lounge chairs and hovering over a notebook. They must be working on a new song, probably the one for the action movie that their illustrious agent got them the deal for. I hate the idea of them losing that opportunity.

  No, I’m not going to play along with Dipshit McDoucheNozzle, but I hate that this could very well end with the band losing out on some great opportunities because their agent is a conniving asshat who dangles carrots with every intention of yanking them away if he doesn’t get what he wants.

  I gaze out the window, trying to figure out what to do about all this. I even contemplate for a moment that I was imagining things. What if Eli was really just trying to have a conversation, and that he really wants me to feel comfortable and at ease around him and just did a really shitty job of choosing his words and actions?

  No. The guy does PR for crying out loud. He knew exactly how he wanted his message to be received.

  Ugh. I’ve had enough stewing on this for now. I get up and grab my laptop. While I really just want to take out my aggressions on a dance floor right now, we still have a while left on the road. Distracting myself with a movie or book on my Kindle is the next best thing, so I head in the direction of the bedroom to switch devices, Jack reaching for my hand and giving my fingers a quick kiss as I walk by.

  12

  Jack

  A black SUV pulls up alongside our tour bus. The back door opens and out steps Mike wearing… ripped blue jeans with motorcycle boots and a faded Led Zepplin t-shirt underneath a beat-to-death leather jacket. I hesitantly clasp hands with him and slap his back in greeting before stepping back and gesturing at his wardrobe.

  “What’s with the, eh…?” I trail off, knowing he gets what I’m wondering.r />
  “What?” he asks, indignantly. “I wear a suit day in and day out to the office and in court. Do me a favor and let me fully experience being on tour with a rock band, even if it’s just for a couple of days.”

  I laugh and nod, letting him have that sentiment as he turns to introduce the man that stepped out of the vehicle after him. He’s lean and about my height, also dressed down but not slumming it quite like Mike. He’s opted for black slacks and a button-down blue shirt.

  “This is Eddie Morris,” he says as I reach out to shake the guy’s hand. “College buddy of mine turned one of the lead detectives at his precinct in New York.”

  “Good to meet you. Jack Krasinski,” I greet him, while a few roadies haul their bags onto our bus. They’re going to join us for a couple of nights since the band and I have a crazy schedule and there’s a lot to discuss.

  “I know who you are,” he returns. “Big fan of your music, I’m excited to be here.”

  “Well, thanks for coming.”

  “Talk inside?” he nods his head towards the bus, signifying that we should probably get down to business, and do it in a more private setting.

  When we step on the bus, I give Mike a chance to get all of his excitement out. He’s rich enough to afford one like this himself, but he’s totally awestruck to be on a band’s tour bus. Morris takes it in too, but is a lot more reserved with his enthusiasm which is fine. I like that he’s keeping his game face on; it shows me he’s taking his reason for being here seriously.

  I call for Mayzie who’s back in the bedroom, and a few seconds later, she ambles out in her sweater and jeans. She gives Mike a hug and shakes hands with Morris before we all sit down in the booth across the table from each other. We wait for Ron, who joins us moments later, pulling up a chair to the head of the table.

  In true Mayzie fashion, she’s put on a brave face for all of us the last two days, but I can tell she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. She hasn’t been sleeping well either, getting up in the night to wander the bus a couple of times. I’ve stayed up with her, just holding her in the window seat and watching the world go by in a blur of darkened landscapes alternating with city lights.