“Wow. What a nice pair.” Julian whistled. “Let me pierce those nipples. Please?”
Chad moved in front of me. “Uh-uh. No piercings on my baby.” Then he turned around and held me against his body.
I hugged him and pressed my breasts to his skin.
“Do it like this.” Chad pulled my hair aside. “I don’t want you staring at her.”
Soon paper touched my skin, and I clung to Chad.
“I’m sorry, baby. I’m right here.” He kissed my forehead. By the time Julian was done, Chad’s hands were on my ass, and his cock was half-hard.
Julian moved away then said, “Here’s your shirt.”
Chad helped me put it on before he looked into my eyes. “We have to get home before Giovanni does. If he sees you got no bra on he’s gonna go ballistic.”
“He’ll understand,” I assured him. As Chad got into the main chair backward, I sat across the room. Needles were not my thing. Before they started, I planned to turn away.
“Put your hair up higher,” Julian told Chad.
Chad redid his ponytail and smiled at me. I watched Julian transfer the drawing to Chad’s skin. After a few minutes, his eyes closed, and he winced slightly. Then he relaxed.
* * *
“Just gotta color it in,” Julian uttered after I had put my head down on the desk next to me. “Not too much longer.”
“Baby, relax and take deep breaths.”
He knew I was nauseous. I had looked up at the wrong time to see the huge needle Julian used. Well, it looked huge to me. I was only able to get tattoos with my eyes closed.
“I am,” I assured Chad, as I controlled my breathing. I thought of anything else but what was in front of me. After a while longer, I heard movement.
“How’s it look?” Chad asked.
I opened my eyes and smiled. He was in front of me. The tattoo looked great. “Wow. Looks better on you than me.” The black border outlined the dark red “Triple Threat” logo perfectly.
He laughed. “Nothing could look better on me than you.”
Then my phone rang. I answered Giovanni’s call quickly. “How’s it going with your mom?”
“Almost done,” Giovanni told me. “I’m sorry I waited so long to take care of this. I shoulda did it last month.” He did his mother’s finances and paid some of her bills out of a joint account he and his brother Rosario had. While we were away, he wanted a backup plan in place.
I looked at Chad, who put his shirt on. “Don’t worry about it. At least it’s done. You sure she’ll be OK without you working anymore?”
“I got money saved up,” he explained. “Don’t worry. And Rosario still got access to my account and stuff.”
Chad handed me my coat.
“We’re done. So, I’ll meet you at home.”
“OK. I miss you.”
With a wide smile, I replied, “I miss you too.” As soon as I put the phone away, I grabbed Chad’s arm. “We gotta hurry. He’s just about done.”
“Relax, baby. You said he’d understand. It was just an accident.”
The whole ride home, I wished I had kept my broken bra, not just because it was part of a set but to prove what happened. My initial thoughts of Giovanni’s reaction had turned into reality. It looked really bad.
I threw my coat on the couch when we got to the apartment. “Giovanni, you home yet?” I got no answer but looked around anyway.
“Baby, you’re gonna hyperventilate. Calm down.” He walked into the bedroom as I searched my drawers.
My breath came quickly as I rushed around. “I just feel so guilty.”
“Why? It’s not like we did anything.”
I stripped my top off. “I know. I know. I guess I feel guilty a lot.”
“Ooh, put on the blue one for me. Please?”
I rolled my eyes and opened my jeans. “He knows I was wearing black underwear when I left. If I have the blue set on, I’ll get a million questions.”
“I had to try.”
After I put my pants on the dresser, I tossed my panties in the hamper.
“What the fuck?”
I looked up at Giovanni’s voice. He stood in the doorway, while I stood there naked. In a panic, I grabbed my jeans and covered my body. “N—nothing happened.” There was a hitch in my voice from fear.
“So you didn’t get to fuck yet?” Giovanni moved into the room slowly, fury in his eyes.
Chad turned around. “I swear she was just changing. I broke her bra—”
“You what?” Giovanni’s face reddened. “What the hell’s going on here?”
Tears burned my cheeks. “Nothing’s going on. We were joking around earlier. He grabbed my bra, and it snapped. It was an accident. I swear.”
“Then where is it? Show me.”
My bottom lip quivered. “I threw it out.”
“Out the window while you were fucking in his van?”
Chad stepped in front of me. “Look. You’re jumping to conclusions—”
“My fiancé is standing here naked with you! It’s not like you’re Dominic. You’re Chad! The one who fucked her a hundred times!” He took a deep breath and walked out of the room.
“Dude, you’re seriously overreacting.” Chad followed him.
I dressed with shaky hands, which made it take a lot longer than usual. I could hear their voices, but they had gotten quiet. The words were lost on me. After I put my jeans back on, I slowly walked to the doorway. They stood in the living room.
“She asked me not to go. Says she has a bad feeling about it,” Giovanni told Chad. “Then she used my Dad to try and convince me. How could she do that? She knows this is my dream.”
Chad put a hand on his shoulder. “’Cause Rosario’s leaving too. She’s just worried.”
Quietly, I made my way over to them. I wondered what Rosario had to do with it.
Giovanni turned and hugged me. “I’m so sorry I took it out on you.” He smoothed my hair over my back. “I was upset and you were standing there naked. In that fucking room.” He took a few ragged breaths then continued, “When we get back, we’re converting it into a nursery and putting your clothes in our bedroom.”
“Anything you want.” I closed my eyes, to will my tears back as I wrapped my arms around him tighter. The guilt was back. If he knew Chad and I slept together the month before… I couldn’t even imagine the consequences. “I love you.” I pulled my bottom lip in that quivered again.
He pulled me closer. “I love you too. I’m sorry.”
A few minutes later, Chad cleared his throat. “She knows? Right?”
“About?” Giovanni’s eyebrows rose.
Chad sighed. “Your brother.” He stared at him until Giovanni’s mouth opened slightly.
“I wasn’t gonna say anything.”
“You’re kidding me.” Chad threw his hands up. “Typical you. Just ignore a problem. It’ll go away.”
Giovanni let me go and backed up a few steps.
I watched them stare at each other again. They dared the other to say something. “What the hell’s such a big deal? Is he getting married? That’d be cool.”
“He’s not.” Chad put his hands on his hips. “You’re really gonna make me do this for you? Seriously? Grow a pair, man.”
The look on Giovanni’s face was almost hatred, but his scowl didn’t last. “I need to tell you something before he tells you… again.” He took my hands in his and bit his lip that had started to quiver. “Um… Rosario got new orders a few months ago. I didn’t wanna tell you in case they changed.” He squeezed my fingers. “He’s being deployed next week.”
I met his eyes. They were glassy and filled with fear. “Where?” Tears streamed down my cheeks when he hesitated. I knew the answer, and I was terrified.
“He’s going to Iraq for six months.” Giovanni clung to me and shook. “I couldn’t tell you. I’m sorry.”
Racked with sobs, my entire body trembled. Chad and I had lost four high school friends in Iraq and one
in Afghanistan. It was something neither of us talked about, because we knew that sometimes soldiers were lost. We supported all of our friends who joined the military and were proud of them. However, I couldn’t lose someone that close. Please, no! I silently begged.
“Can’t he refuse?” I wanted to be told he could but knew he couldn’t.
Giovanni didn’t answer. He held my head to his chest and tried not to break down.
Chad embraced us both. He sniffled, quietly. Then he patted Giovanni’s back. “You gotta let it out. We’ll cry with you. I won’t tell anyone.”
As if on cue, Giovanni let out a heaving sob. Chad and I held him up as he allowed himself to feel the dread he had held in since he found out. His cries went right through me. The few times he cried in my presence, had not prepared me for the power of his emotions. When he fell to his knees, I looked to Chad, worried.
Chad shook his head and mouthed, “Just hold him.” He knew better than I would. He helped Giovanni through his father’s death.
“I love you,” I whispered as I held Giovanni tight again. “I’m right here for you.”
Chapter 9
Thursday night, we were booked at a huge club in Asbury Park. While sound checks were done, I fixed my makeup in the back room. Suddenly, someone lifted me off the floor. I screamed, startled.
“Sorry. I’m just excited,” Tommy whispered in my ear as he put me down. “I can fuck you every day starting tomorrow. Well, maybe not every day but a lot more than usual.”
I sighed as he loosened his grip on me. Then I turned around.
“My cock wants you right now.” He ground his hard shaft against me.
I let out a soft gasp. “So sometimes I can bunk with you instead of sleeping in the van, huh?” I was almost kidding.
He winked. “Maybe I’ll tell him I’m giving you my bunk and fuck you when everybody goes to sleep. You have such a sweet pussy.” He grabbed my ass and pulled me to him until my legs opened a bit. “I love when you wear heels babe.” He ran his stiff dick up and down my pelvis.
I moaned softly. “Stop, Tommy. Please.” I couldn’t resist him for long if he continued. “I won’t do it without Giovanni’s permission. I’m sorry.”
“I’m gonna lay you on your belly and spread your legs wide.” His breath came quickly over my ear. “Then I’ll hold your mouth shut and fuck you hard. Want you to squeeze my dick and try to cry out my name. After I cum the first time, I’ll pound your ass—”
“Get off her!” Dominic shouted. Then he came into view behind Tommy. “Let her go.” He shook his head. “Doubt he wants you groping her in a place like this.”
Tommy let me go, but whispered, “Saturday night. I’m getting you in my bunk, got it?” Then Dominic pulled him away.
“Come on, baby,” Chad said out of nowhere. “Baby, you OK?” He picked up my hand.
I blinked my eyes, to try to clear my head of us in Tommy’s bunk. “Sorry, I was just thinking about the tour.”
He pulled me out of the room. “It’s gonna be a blast.” The hallway was cluttered with extra equipment. “Tommy was talking about there being free couches or bunks sometimes.” He squeezed my fingers. “Maybe we won’t have to worry about sleeping arrangements after all.”
Chris nodded as we approached him. “I was just talking to Jon. He said he'd find a bed or something for us every night. So we can leave the vans here if we want.”
“That’d save us money.” Chad headed to the stage.
Before I stepped up, I paused. “I’ll be right there.” I looked at the bar again and realized I hadn’t imagined it. Giovanni talked with a beautiful young lady. She ran her hand through his hair, and his eyes closed for a few seconds. Then she reached up and kissed his lips. He quickly stopped her but didn’t take his eyes off her. Next, he smiled and slid his hand down her back before he grabbed her ass.
He looked up and our eyes met. At first, he froze but then waved me over to them. I hesitated because I didn’t want to see any more. He waved again, and I relented.
“Crystal, this is Amber.” He put an arm around my shoulders. “Amber, this is my fiancé I told you about.”
I nodded at her but wasn’t sure what to say. They talked about me?
“Amber’s been coming to see us for a long time.” Giovanni put his other arm around her. “Don’t you remember her? I’m sure you’ve met before.”
I had seen so many faces. They only stood out if they reminded me of something. I was sure I wouldn’t forget hers at that point. “No. I’m sorry.” I watched her hug him, shocked.
He smiled and pulled her closer. “We wanted to know if you’d be cool if she came home with us. She has a thing for you too.” He winked at me.
My eyes opened wide in shock. Who is this guy? My Giovanni would never pick up a groupie, even one he had met several times.
“It’ll be more like us pleasing you this time.” His lips brushed my ear. “Not like you and Mackenzie all over me.” He let out a short laugh, which reminded me how much he enjoyed that. “She really wants to suck my dick too. How about it?”
A soft moan made me look down. Amber had opened his zipper, and her hand was inside his pants. That did it. He let her go too far, and he barely knew her. “He’s my man.” I yanked on her hand, and Giovanni cried out. Good! He deserves a bit of pain. Then I pulled away and started for the back door so I could scream in frustration. Just as I opened it, someone grabbed me. “No! Don’t!” I tried to yank my body away, terrified, but I was pulled backward.
“It’s me. It’s just me.” Giovanni hugged me tightly and slowly walked outside, as he still held me. “I’m sorry I startled you.” He turned me around and looked into my eyes. “You said if…” My tears stopped him. “I made you cry?” He wiped at my cheek with his thumb. “What’d I do?”
I opened my mouth, but my lip quivered. I bit it and waited a few seconds. “You told me…” I swallowed hard. “You promised no groupies.”
“Oh, right.” He clenched his teeth. “That may have been a stupid thing to do. You’re gonna have groupies too you know. Can we modify that one a bit? Maybe not ones we never met before? I’ve talked to Amber like ten times I’m sure. She’s a nice girl.”
Without a thought, I blurted out, “Nice girls don’t grope someone else’s man in front of them. She was playing with your dick, and I didn’t say she could.”
“I’m sorry.” He hugged me. “Ever since Mackenzie, I been looking at sex differently, at least when you’re not involved.
My whole body tensed. “You cheated?”
“Shit, no. I swear I haven’t.” He growled, obviously angry at himself. “I meant in my head. With you, there’s love and emotion. I want you so much more than anyone else.” He paused. “But, when I look at someone like Amber, I just want to feel something different. Is that so wrong?”
I closed my eyes. That was how I felt sometimes. “I get it, but—”
“I went overboard. You’re right. I was excited. There aren’t many girls other than you I’d sleep with. She just caught my eye. If you don’t want to, it’s OK. Maybe another time. Can I take her phone number?”
As I looked up at him again, I searched for the reason why. “You wanna call her?”
“Only when you’re ready to let her in our bed.”
I nodded. That made me feel better. He was just new at the open relationship thing on his side. “Maybe when we come home. This week’s too complicated. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. I shouldn’t have rushed it.” He pulled my head to him again. “On the road, only with people we’ve spent some time with… together. So we both know them. Like with Brandon and Mackenzie. OK?”
I nodded and relaxed. The last thing I needed was to fear I would walk in on him with someone else. That would destroy the trust we had so recently gotten back.
“There you are.” Chad stood behind us with his hands folded over his chest. “We’ve been looking all over.
Giovanni let me go. “We were ta
lking.” He looked down at me and wiped away the rest of my tears. “You OK now?”
“What happened?” Chad came closer.
I glanced up at him. “Just a disagreement, Chad. Don’t worry.”
“I promised I wouldn’t meddle, and I’m not. You know I get upset when you cry.” Chad reminded me.
Giovanni turned to him. “I swear. One more minute.”
Chad left us.
I grabbed Giovanni. “No more broken promises, right?”
“No, never again.” He breathed deeply. “You neither, right?”
“Nope.”
The first thing I noticed after I put my bass on was that Dean wasn’t with his bandmates. The three of them sat in a section off to the side that was raised up, so I had a clear view of them. Noelle and Emma were there but not Hailey. They had many fans around them. The bouncers had their work cut out for him that night.
We started off the night with “Sex Addict”. Tommy watched me with his hand over his crotch. I smiled at him but tried to ignore him, which of course was impossible. The girls around him tried to get his attention, but he seemed to only see me. It felt good and awkward at the same time.
Next to me, Chad was happier than he had been in months. It was great to see him more like himself again. At the point in his solo that I played with him, he stood in front of me and looked down, into my eyes. I saw love, excitement and just a bit of pain.
As soon as that song was over, Chad kissed my forehead. “It’s all good, baby.”
“Good to hear,” I whispered then turned around.
Chris looked out at the crowd. “This is our last show before going on tour with Gasoline.” Cheers were the response.
Tommy shouted. “Can’t wait!”
“So…” Chris laughed a bit. “We thought we’d just take requests.”
Song names came from all over. Then Tommy stood up and yelled, “Leatherneck!”
Chris looked back at us and smiled before he said into the microphone, “I guess that means you gotta get your ass up here then.”
I glanced up. Tommy tried to pull Dominic with him, but he just shook his head. Noelle, who was next to him, put her arm through his and smiled. Then Jon stood up. He and Tommy made their way to the stage. Jon picked up a guitar, and Tommy grabbed my extra bass.
Dual Desires (Triple Threat Book 3) Page 7
