DOUBLE TREBLE (A TWIN ROCKSTAR ROMANCE)

by Nikki Wild

  “This next song is brand new… I wrote it for a woman I know.”

  My footsteps paused.

  A new song?

  That’s when my legs stopped pushing me forward. I felt myself turning, walking back up the corridor before I knew what was going on.

  Without thinking, I slipped my phone into my purse as I ascended the steps back to the covered backstage area.

  The low, sorrowful plucks of the guitar painstakingly crafted a rustic soundscape over the speakers and tugged at my heartstrings. Dylan’s voice came out low and sweet over the crowd, crooning the verse to a heart-aching rock ballad.

  When the chorus hit, his guitar flared into action with lively licks of his pick, and he poured out his entire soul into powerful vocals.

  There was no doubt in my mind.

  This wasn’t a song about love lost… This was a song about love you might have found.

  He was singing about me.

  I felt a hand on my shoulder, and turned to see Jeremy grinning like an idiot. He’d known that I might have a playful little crush on Dylan, but he was good about keeping that sort of thing to himself..

  Phoenix was my best friend and I wasn’t about to step on her toes. I was okay with sitting back and letting her little love triangle figure itself out. Although, the longer that it went on, the more I saw that it was hurting him…

  Apparently, he’d finally gotten the picture.

  She could keep the dangerous one. I wasn’t all about that kind of dark, sinister arrogance. But Dylan was a whole different story. He was as kind as he was sexy, and with the right kind of push I knew he could do anything.

  We could do anything…

  When the chorus ended, he slowed the guitar back down to its low, steady rhythm of drowning notes. After a measure or two of this, the drums kicked in.

  He’d written a piece for Carter to play, and just the simple addition of percussion beneath his finger-licking of the electric guitar took a beautiful song and put it at the next level.

  The professional in me was already spinning my wheels on how best I could sell this thing, because it was an incredible new move for the band’s sound.

  But the romantic in me was too busy swooning to listen to any of that. These words poured straight out of his heart and brushed away the strength in my knees.

  It was only then that I noticed Carter wasn’t drumming like a madman. I peeked out around the wall to see him casually, even politely adding a steady rhythm of snares and percussion underneath the sound of Dylan’s guitar. His calm, reserved drumming stuck through the entire song from the moment it was introduced, while the other members of Decadent Desires merely stood and listened to it over the speakers.

  Dylan glanced over at me and saw me standing on the sidelines, and he swiveled himself to play across the stage at me. The floor seemed to drop from beneath my feet as he serenaded me in front of thousands of people.

  After one final chorus, the guitarist plucked the ending notes as Carter faded away his drumming. With his eyes locked onto mine, Dylan sang his last few words…

  The last note faded into silence, and the crowd went absolutely wild. I was barely aware of Jeremy pushing me forward until I found myself on the stage, being coerced forward by Phoenix Flynn into Dylan’s arms.

  To hell with it. Phoenix wasn’t the only one who deserved a happy ever after. I was going to get mine too. Under those spotlights against the roar of ten thousand screaming fans, my lips met Dylan’s and the whole world slipped away.

  Phoenix

  I was just as surprised as everyone else when Dylan sang to Nicole, and just as thrilled to see them kiss at the front of the stage. Once she’d collected herself and slipped back offstage with a wave into the crowd, the show was struck with a new, powerful energy.

  From that point on, Aiden and Dylan traded spots all throughout the set as we all played long and hard into the night. To say that the fans were eating this up is a laughable understatement.

  They were going insane.

  There was a whole ocean of people out there in front of us. With the lights burning down overhead and the smoke machines doing their thing, it was hard to keep track of it all. Between songs, I kept thinking to the rock legends that all came before, wondering how they coped with an arena of people they could barely see.

  When the show came to an end, we heard the same chants as we did the first night we all played together, and many times since:

  Encore!

  With a knowing grin, all of us waltzed back under the lights to sing Unbroken and crush it for the crowd.

  While Carter ended our night onstage with a heart-pounding, intense drum solo, the rest of us disengaged from our instruments and waved out into the crowds. Aiden and Dylan threw an arm around each other’s shoulder and took the mic.

  “You guys have been fucking incredible!”

  “Thanks for coming out to support us!”

  “We are Decadent Desires, and we’ll see you on the next stage!”

  The crowd was still roaring as we stepped away and wandered backstage. I was keeping my eye open for Nicole, but I didn’t see her anywhere.

  Aiden threw his arm back around Dylan and did some kind complex handshake. They pulled free with the biggest laughs on their faces that I’d ever seen.

  “You realize what just happened out there, right?” Trevor was roaring with pride. “Do you guys have any fucking idea what we just accomplished?”

  Aiden fist-bumped Dylan, turning to their jovial backup guitarist. “I am many things, dude, but blind and deaf don’t make the list. We just blew the fucking roof off Madison. Goddamn. Square. Garden.”

  Even Carter couldn’t contain himself. He was struggling to maintain his cool, but with the unstoppable energy crackling between us, he was fist-pumping the air and laughing like a diabolical maniac.

  “This is the best night of my goddamn life! And I wouldn’t fucking be here if it weren’t for you glorious bastards!”

  The dreadlocked drummer threw a hug around me, both arms tightly squeezing me. An affectionate kiss was planted against the side of my head.

  “I was wrong about you,” he told me. “So completely fucking wrong. With you here, we’re going straight to the fucking top. You aren’t the Yoko Ono to our band, you’re the best fucking thing to happen to it in goddamn ages.”

  The raw emotions overwhelmed me.

  I tried to keep my shit together, but I burst into borderline ugly sobbing.

  “Whoa, whoa!” Carter gasped, pulling back. “I’m sorry! What is it?”

  The others quickly surrounded me, eager to find a way to help. Concerned looks were instantly tossed around, and a few ugly stares went Carter’s way.

  “I just… I’m just…” I gasped.

  “Yeah, baby?” Aiden whispered, his hands finding my shoulders. “What is it?”

  “I’m just… so fucking happy…”

  Supportive aww’s and cheering erupted around me as Aiden swept me into his loving, hard arms. I tried to wipe my tears away, but he did it for me. His fingers dried my eyes as he looked down upon me with brightly shining love.

  “I’m so glad to hear you say that,” he whispered intently.

  “I mean it,” I nodded with watery eyes. “Carter’s right. This is the best goddamn night of my life – maybe of our lives.”

  “Heh,” Aiden chuckled. “I’m hoping you maintain that attitude after what I’m about to tell you…”

  “Wait… what?” I sniffed.

  The others took a step back and entered a collective cheer as Aiden slowly lowered down to a knee, reaching into his pocket. As my eyes shot open in half-excitement, half-panic, he whipped out a small black box and casually popped it open in front.

  “Phoenix Flynn… You’re the best thing to happen to me – to us – for as far back as I can remember. I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you, but it took me a while to figure it out… Now, I never want to let you go. Will you marry me?”

  �
��Holy shit,” I gasped. Just like everything else, maybe this was moving too fast – but I felt this music pumping in my veins from the beginning. His predator smile crossed his lips as I saw that aching fire burn in his eyes, and I knew I could only answer one way.

  “Yes! Yes! Of course I will, you idiot!”

  He slipped the ring onto my finger, and I threw my arms around him as he rose up in front. “Oh my God, I can’t believe you fucking proposed! What the hell did I do to deserve you?!”

  “I should be asking that myself,” Aiden smiled devilishly. “And in all honesty, I have been. For a long time. Maybe we can figure it all out… together.”

  Regret tore at my heartstrings, and I quickly glanced over at Dylan. I knew he had a flame for Nicole now, but I couldn’t overlook the madness we three had been swept into. I needed to know he was okay. My fears were all swept away as he smiled lovingly, giving me an affectionate nod.

  “I appreciate the concern,” he spoke, “but Aiden talked to me before he picked the ring.”

  “I don’t fucking believe it,” Carter shook his head in awe. “How the fuck does this kind of thing work out in real life? Shit like this is supposed to tear the band apart, not make everything stronger…”

  “Love is funny like that,” Trevor punched him in the shoulder. “But hell, I’m all about this. I’m so glad you fuckers figured this out the right way…”

  Aiden put an arm around me and turned to face the others. “Well, I believe we have a whole lot of celebrating to do tonight…”

  Carter smirked. “And the award for Understatement of the Year, World Champion goes to…”

  “Hah hah. Very funny.”

  “Dude, I’m goddamn hilarious,” Carter laughed. “I’m sorry if you’re a little slow on the up-take there…”

  I beamed happily at my bandmates.

  I was on top of the fucking world.

  It was so hard to remember back to when I was so ready to turn and bolt away from all this. How I felt I didn’t deserve to be here, to share their triumphs and their celebrations with them.

  But now, there was no better place for me to be… nowhere else I’d rather stand. “So, about those celebrations…”

  “Yeah,” Aiden nodded, giving me a knowing look. “The two of us are gonna take a brief rain check on that. Feel free to get the party started. Catch you in a little while?”

  “A little while?” Trevor laughed. “You two are going to be tied up for hours.”

  “Nah, we’ve got a lot to celebrate tonight, and I don’t intend on keeping locked away the whole time. We all deserve this celebration together. But for right now…”

  “Go on, you two,” Dylan chuckled as he watched us stroke each other’s faces lovingly and seductively. “Get a goddamn room.”

  “Aye aye, boss,” Aiden winked at him.

  I was so swept up that I barely noticed I still hadn’t seen Nicole. Aiden scooped me up in his arms and carried me away, and he brought me to a nearby room and locked the door behind us…

  Dylan

  After the excitement of the goddamn night, I needed a beer and I needed it bad.

  I wandered towards the nearest catering table and found a cool, crisp one. Propping it against the underside of the table, I was getting ready to pop the top with my fist when I heard footsteps.

  The beer became an afterthought as I put it back down and whirled around. Nicole walked into view in her tight, sexy dress that put her delicious curves right on display.

  Which is where they belonged.

  “Where have you been?” I asked.

  “Tiger, what just happened on that stage is like nothing I’ve ever seen,” she shook her head with wide eyes.

  “You think so, huh?” I chuckled. “Glad to see that you liked it.”

  Her purse seemed to agree. I could barely hear a softened vibration coming from deep inside it somewhere.

  “My phone’s never blown up like this,” she told me. “Snow Leopard has been buzzing me nonstop. They’re going mental over there. Steven Stone is asking a whole lot of questions about that new song of yours…”

  “They’re upset?” I asked quietly. “I know he doesn’t like anything to veer too far off–”

  “Upset? Fuck you! They’re trying to dig up every spare penny they can find! The label wants Decadent Desires to go international!”

  That news hit me like a train.

  “Wait… what?”

  “If you thought he was excited before, you haven’t seen anything yet,” Nicole shook her head with a gigantic smile on her face. “Social media is going crazy over this. Your Facebook page is doubling in fan count as we speak… I haven’t seen anything like it.”

  “This sounds pretty intense. How did this happen?”

  “I’m your goddamn fairy godmother, that’s how,” Nicole winked. “And here’s my latest bit of “Bippity, Boppity, Boo” – Steven Stone wants you guys in his office ASAP. It’s time that all of you met. Everything is on the table. New contracts, new royalties.”

  My head was reeling from this.

  “Dates and places are unconfirmed, but based upon fan reaction to what just happened, they’re spitting out some pretty crazy ideas. We’re talking the UK… Paris… Moscow… Berlin… Decadent Desires is about to go goddamn global.”

  “I’ve gotta tell them,” I started to pull away. “They’re not gonna mind if I interrupt with something like this…”

  Nicole grabbed my arm as I got close to their door. We could hear the sounds of hard, enthusiastic fucking from the other side of the door.

  “They can wait,” she smirked. “Besides, do you really want to stop them in the middle of all that?”

  I chuckled.

  “Heh. I guess not.”

  Nicole let go of me and planted her head on my shoulder. Wrapping an arm around her, I led her away from the festivities with a knowing chuckle over my shoulder.

  “Guess things worked out for them, huh?” Nicole grinned up at me, her face beaming with adoration and joy.

  “Yeah… suppose you could say that.”

  “And what about you, Dylan?” She asked. “Have you figured out what you want yet?”

  I pulled her close and hard against my body. She let out a surprised little moan, her eyes twinkling as she glanced up at me.

  “Yeah,” I whispered. “I think I have.”

  And that’s when I pulled Nicole Fisher into the hardest kiss of my entire goddamn life.

  Did you love Double Treble as much as I loved writing it? I think I’ll be returning to this world with a book or two for other members of the band in early 2017, so keep your eyes peeled! In the meantime, DON’T STOP NOW! As always, I’ve included a few awesome special bonus novels for all my loyal readers. Turn the page to read my bestselling rockstar romance, ROCK HARD. Keep turning pages for Illicit Behavior, and a special surprise, the entire Saved by the Bad Boy series including Taming Grizz!

  And there is another little surprise too! I’ve actually included a NEVER BEFORE RELEASED Nikki Wild novel, but I’ll let you find it! ;)

  Thank you all for making this the best year of my life! I can’t wait to share everything I’ve been working on.

  -Nikki

  Rock Hard

  Thank you for supporting an independent author! Just for my naughty readers, my entire catalog is now FREE TO READ to anyone with a Kindle Unlimited subscription!

  Be sure to check out my entire naughty Nikki Wild catalog by clicking RIGHT HERE!

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  “The truth of course is that there is no journey. We are arriving and departing all at the same time.”

  -David Bowie
>
  Chapter 1

  Catherine

  “Come on, sweet tits, join the party!”

  “What a prick!” That was my first thought.

  “Holy fucking hell, he’s so much hotter in person.” That was my second.

  “How am I ever supposed to remain professional with a man like him? A man that would have made Mother Theresa spread her legs and beg for forgiveness for all the forbidden sins she was about to commit.” That was the third.

  Ten years. Ten years that I’d worked my ass off, hustled and bargained, slaved over a keyboard until dawn, cracked out on caffeine trying to chase a lead. I’d interviewed world leaders, gone undercover to expose sex-trafficking rings, hell once I’d even scored an interview with the Queen.

  And now, here I was, on the most asinine assignment ever, in the back of a rockstar’s tour bus, forced to endure the scene in front of me. Not only that, but the most arrogant prick I’d ever met was the subject of my interview.

  It didn’t matter that he was so fucking drop-dead sexy it almost hurt to look at him. The problem was, he knew it.

  Liam Mercury - the biggest rock star this side of the pond. The lead singer for the Electric Horses, the biggest Brit-pop band since Oasis.

  Deep in the back of his tour bus parked outside of Madison Square Garden in New York City, Liam’s lanky limbs spilled out on a black leather couch, the table in front of him littered with empty bottles of champagne and whiskey. Sitting at his side were two of the most gorgeous women I’d ever seen. If you could call them that. They didn’t look to be any older than nineteen.

  His crude greeting was hurled at me in between removing his tongue from the blonde’s mouth and shoving it into the brunette’s. I waited till he came up for air to respond.