“Someone just shoot me and put me out of my misery!” I groaned.
“It’s not a big deal. Besides, you have a smoking hot body. I couldn’t look away,” Adam said.
“Dude, shut up,” Eric growled. “You’re not helping.”
“I didn’t mean it as a bad thing. I would never look at you naked on purpose unless you wanted me to. If you ever do want me to, just let me know.”
“I’m about two seconds away from kicking your ass. You’ll never see Chloe naked again,” Drake growled.
“I just meant that if you two ever wanted to take a walk on the wild side and have a threesome or something, I’m your guy.”
“Shut up, Adam!” we all said in unison.
He opened his mouth to speak, but Jade put her hand over it to stop him. He rolled his eyes as he held up his hands in surrender.
Drake put his hand on my leg and started rubbing. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you. I just didn’t want you to freak out,” he whispered in my ear.
Despite my embarrassment from both our dancing and Adam’s confession, I shivered as Drake’s breath tickled my ear. I was still turned on from our dancing, and Drake’s hand on my bare leg wasn’t helping the situation. Each time his hand brushed the bottom of my short dress, I swore I forgot how to breathe. He didn’t notice at first as he talked with the band, but he caught on to my predicament quickly when I grabbed his hand and pushed it away.
He gave me a small smile as he put his hand back on my leg and continued to rub. Each time, he would go just a bit farther under my dress. His fingers ran along my underwear as I tried to keep my breathing even. No one else at the table seemed to notice my predicament as they continued to talk. Drake continued to be a part of the discussion as if nothing was happening.
He pushed my underwear to the side and slowly started rubbing back and forth along my clit. I tried to clamp my legs shut, but he pushed them apart with his hand and continued to stroke me softly. When he flicked my clit, I had to bite my lip to keep from moaning. I was going to kill him when we were alone.
Drake had to turn his head away to hide his smile when Jade had to ask me a question twice before I answered. I finally managed to drag my attention away long enough to answer. I almost sighed in relief when he stopped stroking me and rested his hand on the inside of my thigh. Just as my body was starting to relax, he moved his hand back and thrust two fingers inside me.
I gasped and grabbed the table. The band stopped talking and looked at me.
“You okay?” Jade asked.
“Yeah, I just had a cramp in my leg,” I managed to gasp.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Drake grinning, but I refused to look at him. He pulled his fingers out and thrust them back in. My knuckles turned white as I gripped the table harder. The band went back to talking as Drake continued to thrust his fingers in and out of me. My breathing grew shallow as I tried to act like he wasn’t about to give me an orgasm. I tried to push his hand away, but he wasn’t having it. Instead, he pushed my hand away with one of his hands and started thrusting in and out faster with the other. A thin sheen of sweat broke out across my forehead as I felt myself edging closer and closer to my release. When he pulled his fingers out and flicked my clit, I came undone. I grabbed his leg and dug my nails in as I tried not to cry out. My body shook, and I rested my head against Drake’s shoulder as I tried to hide what he’d done to me.
“Chloe, are you sure you’re okay? You look flushed,” Jade asked.
“You do. Are you not feeling well?” Drake asked, his voice full of fake concern.
“I’m not feeling that well to be honest. Maybe we should head home,” I answered.
“Come on, let’s get you home and into bed,” Drake said.
I didn’t miss his true intentions even though everyone else did.
“I’ll see you guys later,” I said as we stood up.
We didn’t stick around to hear their response. My legs felt like jelly as I walked down the stairs and to the door. Drake kept his arm around me as we waited for his car to be pulled around. When he kissed me softly behind my ear, I shivered. I was going to kill him when we got in the car.
“That was dirty.” I said the moment we got into the car.
“What?” he asked innocently.
“Don’t what me. You shouldn’t have done that in front of everyone.”
“You can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy it.” He glanced over at me. He had that shit-eating grin on his face that always melted my anger away.
“Of course I enjoyed it. That doesn’t mean it was right.”
“But it was fun to watch you squirm. We should do it more often.”
I shook my head in annoyance, but I laughed. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“Now,” his voice turned serious, “let’s get you home and into bed.”
The next few weeks passed in a blur. Drake and I had settled into a routine—one that I didn’t like very much. Drake and the band were constantly at the label’s office, trying to get things finalized for the album’s release. Drake would leave early in the morning, and he wouldn’t return until dinner time. He’d mentioned bringing me with him, but so far, he hadn’t been able to. He promised that once things slowed down, he would.
With no school or job to keep me busy, I was bored. I hadn’t found the nerve to go explore L.A. on my own. I was afraid I’d get lost or mugged. I spent most of my days reading on my Kindle or listening to music. I’d unpacked all of my things the day after I’d arrived in L.A., and I’d cleaned Drake’s house the following day. Our house. I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact we had a house together. If something didn’t change, I was going to get a ladder and start cleaning the windows or something equally ridiculous.
Drake and I grew closer and closer as the time passed, despite the fact that we didn’t get to spend a lot of time together. Even though he wasn’t around during the day, we would spend almost every evening together. Once he walked through the door, we would be glued to each other. I smiled as I remembered how he’d wanted to christen every room in the house that first week. We had done exactly that, some rooms more than once.
There was no doubt in my mind that Drake loved me and that he was doing everything in his power to stay clean. Once a week, he would go to the rehab clinic to just talk with the doctor. I was so proud of him. Despite being bored and hating his schedule, I felt like my life was finally falling into place.
After a month of solitude, Drake finally announced that I could go with him to work one day. The tour would be starting in less than a month, and they had covered all their loose ends, so things were slow for them. Dressing up a bit for the visit, I wore a short-sleeved white button-up shirt and gray dress pants with a pair of flats. I styled my hair until it was stick straight, and I put a little extra effort into my makeup. I didn’t want any of Drake’s coworkers to think that he could do better than me. When I told him so, Drake rolled his eyes and tried to kiss the lipstick off of my lips, but I stood my ground as I pushed him away. I didn’t want to embarrass him.
I tapped my foot nervously as we drove across town to the label’s building.
“Hey, calm down. They’re going to love you. Even if they don’t, who cares? My opinion is all that matters.” Drake reached over and took my hand.
I snorted. “You always know just what to say.”
“It’s my gift.”
When Drake parked his car in the garage underneath the label’s building, I took a deep breath to prepare myself. Despite what Drake had said, I wanted these people to like me. He held my hand from the time we left his car until we walked into his manager’s office. The rest of the band was already in there. Jade was relaxing on a couch next to the window while Adam and Eric were sitting on a couch on the opposite side of the room. A man was sitting behind a desk directly across from the door.
Drake practically had to drag me as he walked up to the desk. “Brad, this is my fiancé
e, Chloe.”
Brad stood and held out his hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
I wiped my sweaty hand on my pants before shaking his hand. “Likewise.”
“Drake has told me so much about you, but he left out the part about how beautiful you are.”
I blushed. “Thank you.”
“So, what brings you to our office, Chloe?” Brad asked.
“I wanted to show her where I worked and introduce her to some of the people I work with. I also wanted her to meet the crew who will be on the road with us for the tour. That way, she’ll know them before she’s stuck on the road with them.”
Brad raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t realize that Chloe would be going on tour with you.”
“Where I go, she goes.”
Brad’s phone rang, and he held up a finger as he answered. “Yes?” He was quiet as he listened to whoever was on the other end of the line. “I’ll send them down now.” He placed the phone back in its cradle and looked around the room at the band. “They need you guys in the studio for just a few minutes. They found a glitch on track three, and they need you to rerecord about ten seconds of the song.”
“Sure. Come on, Chloe, I’ll introduce you to everyone in the studio,” Drake said.
“You know the rules—no one in the studio when someone is recording. She can stay in here with me, and you can come back and get her when you’re done.”
I felt uneasy about sitting in a room with Drake’s boss by myself, but I didn’t really have any other options. I smiled weakly at Drake as he nodded, and then he followed the rest of the band out the door. Trying to put some space between Brad and me, I walked over and sat down on the couch where Jade had been sitting moments before.
“So, tell me, Chloe, how long have you and Drake been together?” Brad asked.
“Um, for about a year and a half.”
“That’s very sweet. When do you two plan to get married?”
His questions were making me uncomfortable, but I couldn’t exactly ignore him.
“We’re not sure yet.”
“I thought you were engaged?”
“We are.”
“I’m surprised you haven’t started planning a wedding already. Most women would be climbing the walls in excitement.”
“We’re taking our time,” I answered shortly.
“I can see that. Why?”
“Sir, with all due respect, that’s between Drake and me.”
“Of course it is. Forgive me. I was simply trying to understand your relationship with Drake.”
“I love him if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“Of course you do. Drake is a very attractive young man with an incredible future ahead of him. I just don’t want to see anything bring him down.”
“What are you saying?” My body was humming with anger. Despite his warm welcome when Drake had been in the room, it was pretty obvious that this man did not like me.
“I’m just saying that Drake is at the beginning of his career. A lot of his fan base will be young women who find him attractive. I’d hate to see that disappear because he’s engaged to a woman who doesn’t want to marry him.”
“I do want to marry him.”
“And I’m glad to hear it. While I want Drake to be happy, I don’t see how you coming on tour with him would be beneficial. The less that you’re seen with him, the better. Your presence will be nothing more than a hindrance to the entire tour. The fans won’t like you, and you’ll take up space on the bus.”
“So, you think me breaking up with him would help the overall moral of the tour?” I asked sarcastically.
“Of course not. I want Drake to be happy. In this case, I think it would be better if you kept yourself hidden. You want him to succeed, don’t you?”
“That’s a stupid question. You know I do.”
“Then, consider staying far away from the tour. You’ll do nothing but jeopardize it, and a new band doesn’t need a clingy girlfriend,” he glanced at me and grinned, “I mean, a clingy fiancé in their way.”
I opened my mouth to tell him to go to hell, but then I stopped. What if he was right? During his shows over the summer, I’d seen girls glare at me thousands of times because I was sitting with him. I didn’t want to destroy his career just because I didn’t want him to leave me. He would never forgive me.
Brad smiled at me. “You know I’m right.”
I was still speechless when the door opened, and Drake walked back in.
He stopped instantly when he saw me. “Everything okay?”
“It’s fine. Chloe isn’t feeling well though. Maybe you should take her home and do the studio tour another day,” Brad answered.
Drake glanced at me with a worried look. “You’re right. She doesn’t look good. Come on, babe, let’s get you home.”
I stood and followed him from the office. I never said a word when we left the building or on the drive home. I was in shock. By loving Drake, I was destroying his career. I couldn’t do that to him. I couldn’t take his dreams away from him just because I was clingy. I wouldn’t. He’d never forgive me if I took everything from him.
“Babe, what’s wrong? You haven’t said a word since we left Brad’s office,” Drake said as we walked into the house.
“Nothing. I just need to go lie down.” I climbed the stairs to head into our bedroom.
The next few days passed by slowly as I battled with myself about whether or not to tell Drake what had happened in Brad’s office and if I should go on tour with him. Drake continued to ask me what was bothering me, but I deflected every time. I didn’t want to tell him what Brad had said to me in his office. I knew it would only make Drake angry. When he was angry, he did stupid things.
Drake finally exploded a week after my visit to the studio.
“For fuck’s sake, tell me what the hell is going on!” He slammed the remote down.
We’d been sitting on the couch, watching a movie, for the past hour. I’d tried to pay attention, but it was useless. The guilt was eating me alive. I kept picturing Drake’s face when the tour fell apart because of me.
“Nothing,” I mumbled as I focused my eyes on the television.
“Bullshit. I’ve had it with this mopey Chloe. Tell me what’s going on inside of that head of yours.”
I looked at him with tears in my eyes. “I’m not going on tour with you.”
That obviously wasn’t what he’d expected me to say.
His eyebrows shot up. “Why not? Have I done something to make you angry? I swear I’m not using again.”
“No, you didn’t do anything. I just think it’s for the best.”
“There’s something that you’re not telling me. We had this all planned out. Now, you’ve suddenly changed your mind? I’m not buying it. You’ve been like this since I left you alone with Brad. Did he say something that upset you?”
I turned my head away from him. “No.”
He ran his hands through his hair. I knew he was getting seriously aggravated when he did that.
“Why do I think you’re lying? Tell me what he said.”
“I’m not lying,” I lied.
“Chloe…”
I sighed. “Fine. Yes, he did talk to me while you were gone.”
“And?”
“He made some good points.”
He growled, “Chloe, don’t make me drag this out of you. Talk to me.”
“You’re a new band, and you’re trying to build a solid fan base. A lot of those fans will be girls who like you because they want to sleep with you. It’s kind of hard to increase your following when you have your clingy girlfriend on tour with you.”
“Fiancée,” he corrected automatically.
“Whatever. You’re missing the point. You’re going to lose fans because of me. I don’t want to destroy your career because I can’t stay away from you for a few months.”
“Chloe, when it comes to music or you, I will always choose you. Always. I’d throw ev
erything away as long as I knew that I had you. You’re my everything.”
“I won’t let you throw it all away for me. It’s not right.”
He cupped my face, forcing me to look at him. “What else did Brad say?”
I lowered my eyes. “He doesn’t understand why we aren’t married yet. I’m assuming he thinks I’m using you with no intentions of marrying you. I swear that I’m not though.”
“Do you want to marry me?” he asked.
My eyes snapped up to look into his. “Of course I do. I love you so much that it hurts.”
“I want to marry you, too.” He stood. “Stay here. I’ll be back.”
“Where are you going?” I asked, already knowing and dreading the answer.
“To have a little chat with Brad.”
“Don’t! I won’t let you ruin everything for me.”
“I’m not going to ruin anything. Just stay here.”
With that, he grabbed his keys and walked out of the front door. I groaned as I settled back on the couch. I hadn’t meant to tell him anything, but it had all slipped out. I just hoped that he didn’t mess anything up because of me.
A few hours later, Drake walked back through the door. I could feel the tension rolling off of him.
“How’d it go?” I asked.
“Wonderful,” he replied shortly.
“Drake? What happened?”
“I told Brad to go fuck himself.”
“Drake! You didn’t!”
“I did. He’s a fucking asshole for even thinking what he told you, let alone saying it to your face.”
“He’s your boss! You can’t do something like that because of me! You could lose everything.” I was so mad at him for doing this to himself.
“I don’t care. No one disrespects you. Besides, he didn’t do anything except for apologize.”
“Bull. There’s no way he backed down. I saw the way he looked at me when he was telling me to stay away. He doesn’t want your girlfriend tagging along.”
He looked up at me and smiled. “I don’t want my girlfriend on tour with me either.”
My eyes widened in shock.
“I want my wife on tour with me.”
Tainted Page 15
