Because of You

by E. L. Todd

  I rolled him to his back then moved over him. If he went down on me, then I was going to do the same to him. A sexy and generous man like him deserved it. I grabbed his base then sucked the tip.

  Ward immediately moaned, making a deep and sexy sound.

  I pushed him to the back of my throat and took him in as much as I could. I did it over and over again, making him tense up and relax over and over. His hand gripped my neck while he held on. His moans became louder and more frequent. Then he pulled my head away and flipped me on my back.

  Ward moved over me and I grabbed the packet and ripped it open. I rolled the latex onto his large size, taking my time to make sure it was on right. He looked down at me, desire burning in his eyes.

  When he was ready, he pinned my legs back and leaned over me, eagerness in his entire body. He pressed his face close to mine then gave me a long kiss before he inserted himself deep inside me.

  “Oh my god…” I gripped his forearms and dug my nails in his skin.

  He pumped into me at a steady pace, not fucking me as hard as he could. He made it sensual, appreciating every touch we shared. He breathed hard while he moved into me, letting a moan escape every once in a while.

  I knew he would be good, but just how good I didn’t know. When my body clenched up on its own and I started to spiral, I realized he pushed me to the edge in the matter of seconds. “Ward…you’re amazing.”

  He kissed me gently while he moved into me, making me feel tender as he kept going. He breathed hard and sweat started to form on his chest.

  I gripped his back and lifted myself into him harder, wanting more of him.

  A loud moan escaped his lips. “Fuck, Clementine.”

  I liked the way he said my name, his deep voice making my skin prickle.

  He did such a marvelous job making me feel good, and I wanted to make him feel good. He deserved it.

  I flipped him to his back then scooted him against my headboard, making him sit up. Then I straddled him and gripped his shoulders and took him in over and over. He put his hands under my thighs then pushed up from underneath. We were both moving hard and fast, breaking a sweat, but it felt so good.

  “You’re beautiful,” he said through his heavy breathing.

  My nails dug into his muscled shoulders. “You’re going to make me come again…” That’d never happened before.

  He moved one hand between my legs and rubbed my clitoris in a circular motion.

  “God, yes.”

  My head rolled back as I rode him as hard as I could. Within seconds, I clenched up again and felt my body spinning out of control. My whole body flushed with heat, and I was in heaven for the next thirty seconds. Even though it was my second one, he made it last just as long as the first. Once it passed, I slowed down slightly and caught my breath.

  He still moved underneath me. “I could do this all night.”

  “Then let’s,” I said as I started to move again.

  He kissed my chest while he fucked me from below, moaning and groaning as he did it.

  “Ward, come for me.” I pulled his hands from under my thighs and did all the work, bouncing up and down as quickly as possible.

  His chest expanded wider with every deep breath he took. He started to tense and his face began to change. His hands groped my breasts and then he tensed one final time beneath me. “Fuck.” He breathed hard as he released, the sweat covering his body. “Fuck, that felt good.” He finished then leaned his head against the headboard.

  I was exhausted too. Sad to feel him leave my body, I pulled him out then lay on the bed beside him. We were both exhausted and sweaty. I closed my eyes and tried to catch my breath.

  “You’re the best lay I’ve ever had, Clementine.”

  “Me too.” I reached for his hand and patted it. “What time do you leave tomorrow?”

  “Nine in the morning.”

  “Want to stay here tonight?”

  He pulled the condom off then wiped off. “I do, as long as I’m welcome.”

  “You got more condoms, right?”

  He smirked then lay in bed beside me. “I got a few.”

  “We might need more.”

  He chuckled. “If so, I’ll go out and buy some.”

  “Good.” I snuggled into his side then closed my eyes.

  Chapter Six

  Slade

  After we gathered the money, we booked a recording studio to record our first album. Just for the technician to sit there and push a few buttons was two hundred bucks an hour. I told the guys they couldn’t fuck around. Trinity came in and sat behind the glass, and I couldn’t even chitchat with her because I didn’t have the time.

  We recorded ten songs in a row and didn’t take any breaks. We managed to get everything on in little over an hour. The guy told us he would have our CDs in just a few days.

  Once I stepped out of the recording room, Trinity held out a bottle of water for me.

  “Oh, thank god.” I took it and downed it.

  Trinity passed some to the others, and they gratefully accepted it. Then she rubbed my back while I sipped the entire water, trying to replenish all the fluids I lost. “You were great.” She wrapped her arms around my waist then rested her face between my shoulder blades.

  “Thanks, baby. I appreciate you coming.”

  “I’m your groupie, right?”

  I pulled her around my waist then kissed her. “Yep. My only groupie.”

  She smiled then stepped away. “I’ll wait for you outside.”

  “Okay.” I slapped her ass as she walked out.

  Zigi watched her walk out. “Damn, your girl is fine.”

  My neck snapped in his direction, and I felt the vein in my forehead throb. “What the fuck did you say?” I dropped the bottle and marched to him, about to rip his vocal chords out.

  Razor gripped my shoulder and held me back. “Cool it, man.”

  “No.” I twisted from his grasp then grabbed Zigi by the throat. “Say that again and I’ll fucking kill you.”

  “No fighting in the studio,” the technician barked.

  I slammed Zigi into the ground so I wouldn’t break any equipment in the room. “Talk about her like that again and half your face will be gone.”

  “Sorry, shit.” Zigi covered his head with hands.

  “Look, he apologized.” Razor pulled me away. “Cool your jets, bro.”

  Zigi slowly got to his feet then rubbed the back of his neck.

  I gave him a look of menace. “You’re out of the band.”

  “What?” all three guys said at once.

  “He’s out.” I grabbed my guitar and put it over my shoulder.

  “Whoa…” Razor came to me. “Let’s not get out of hand here.”

  “We’ll find another bassist,” I said. “I don’t want him here.”

  “I said I was sorry,” Zigi said. “I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean it in an offensive way.”

  “Then how the fuck did you mean it?” I snapped. “That’s my girl, not yours. You better not even look at her again.”

  “I won’t,” Zigi said quickly. “I take it back.”

  “Just let it go,” Razor said. “It’ll be such a pain in the ass to find someone else and learn all the songs. We’re supposed to be getting gigs soon. This will just set us back.”

  He had a point but I was still mad.

  “Let it go,” Razor repeated.

  I marched to Zigi and stared him down again. “Even look at her and you’re out.”

  “Got it,” Zigi said.

  Without thinking, I punched him hard in the face, hitting him right in the eye. “Now we’re square.”

  Zigi fell to the floor and rubbed his face.

  None of the other guys made a move to help him.

  “Now let’s go,” I said.

  When we got outside, Trinity had the van at the curb.

  “Hurry up,” she said. “Otherwise we’re going to get a ticket.” She opened the backdoor so we could put st
uff inside.

  “Thanks, baby.” When I reached her, I turned to Zigi, making sure he wasn’t looking at her.

  He did as I asked.

  Trinity caught the tension. “Everything alright…?”

  “Yeah.” I placed my guitar on the floor. “You did great. Thank you.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and watched us pack everything.

  “I’ll meet you at your place in an hour, okay?” I told her.

  She knew something was up. “Okay.”

  I hugged her waist and gave her a quick kiss. “Love you.” I never said that in passing. I hardly said it at all. Most of the time I didn’t think it was necessary. But I felt like saying it now.

  “Love you too.”

  “Get in your car.” I wouldn’t shut the door until I knew she was inside safely.

  She walked off then got inside her car.

  Then I shut the doors. “Let’s head out.”

  ***

  I gave our demo to a few bars in the hope someone would hire us. We could play for free, but we were too good to do it for free. Having a demo with high quality musicality should make us desirable.

  In a few short days, people were calling us. We booked a few bars. The pay wasn’t amazing but we each walked out of there with extra money in our pockets.

  “This is so exciting.” Trinity sat beside me on the couch. Her legs were draped over mine and she was running her fingers through my hair in an affectionate way. “You’re really a rock star.”

  “But I’ve always been a rock star to you.”

  “I guess,” she said with a smile. “So, what was your problem the other day?”

  “My problem?”

  “After you left the studio it was so tense. Did you guys have a fight?”

  When I thought about it, it pissed me off all over again. “One of the guys said you were hot. I made him regret it.” I brooded in silence, wishing I’d broken his arm for good measure. “I kicked him out of the band but the guys begged me to let him stay.”

  She stared at me incredulously. “Just because he said I was hot?”

  “That shit isn’t okay,” I snapped. “You’re mine. No one looks at you but me.”

  “You know how unrealistic that is, right?” she said gently.

  “Well, they shouldn’t make a comment like that, not if they want to keep all their fingers.”

  “In his defense, you don’t come off as a very…sensitive guy.”

  “Well, I am,” I barked. “No one talks about my girl and gets away with it.”

  She continued to run her fingers through my hair. “Well, that was sweet, Slade.”

  “You’re my other half. I don’t want to share you with anyone.”

  “Your other half?” she asked.

  “Yeah, you know, like the other half of my soul.” What did she think I meant?

  Her eyes softened and her hand stopped moving through my hair. “You think I’m your soul mate?”

  “You don’t?” I asked sadly.

  “It’s just…a year ago you said you didn’t believe in any of that stuff.”

  “Well, now I do.” I looked away and stared at the TV.

  She gave me a bright smile then pressed her lips against my cheek. “I’m flattered the other half of my soul is so beautiful.”

  “Beautiful?” I said with a snort. I turned back to her. “Me?”

  “Yes, you.” She rubbed her nose against mine. “You’re the sweetest man I’ve ever known.”

  “Then you need to get out more.”

  “Slade.” She gave me a serious look, telling me not to joke around.

  “We both know you made me this way…”

  “No.” She rubbed my chest. “You had it in you the entire time.” Then she moved to the floor and the area between my legs. She pulled her top off and undid her bra.

  My eyes were wide while I stared at her. “What are you doing…?”

  “I’m your groupie, aren’t I? Don’t I have duties to fulfill?” She unzipped my jeans and pulled them down just enough to reveal my cock.

  I swallowed the lump in my throat.

  She gathered her hair together then guided my hand to the bundle. She gave me a dark expression before she leaned over and took me in her mouth.

  I leaned back and took a deep breath, loving my life.

  Chapter Seven

  Trinity

  Slade had his first show tonight, and I was excited for him. It was all he could talk about, and for the first time, he seemed passionate about what he was doing. He loved music, and other than inking, it was the only thing that could capture his attention and keep it. Well, besides me.

  “What do you think of these?” I held the shirt with his band name on the front. It was decorated with green and gray. There were extra t-shirts at work, and during my free time, I designed the logo and printed them.

  “Wow.” Skye touched it with her hands. “They look great. Men and women can wear them.”

  I turned to Cayson. “What do you think?”

  “I’d wear it,” he said simply.

  “Good.” I passed them shirts. “We’ll wear them to the show.”

  Cayson and Skye both changed on the spot.

  Since Cayson was there, I changed into my shirt, a special one I made, in my room. I curled my hair and wore heavy make up. My shirt showed my stomach and my belly button piercing. I wore skin-tight jeans that didn’t leave much to the imagination. I wore a studded belt to make me look more hardcore. When I came out of my room, Skye’s jaw dropped.

  “Slade isn’t going to be able to perform because he’ll be too distracted by you.”

  “Good,” I said with a smile.

  “You’re going to get hit on left and right,” Skye said.

  “Cayson will scare them off.”

  Cayson smiled like he felt important.

  “Okay, let’s go,” I said.

  We left the apartment then headed to the bar a few miles away. When we reached the entrance, it was obvious it was already a full house. We had to pay just to get inside.

  The crowd took up most of the space on the floor in front of the stage. The bartenders were pouring drinks, and people were laughing in the background. I managed to spot Conrad and Beatrice.

  Conrad took one look at me and got angry. “What the fuck are you wearing?”

  “Save it,” I hissed.

  “You look like a whore,” he snapped.

  “I look like a groupie.”

  “Same thing, idiot,” he barked.

  Beatrice hooked her arm through his. “Leave her alone, Conrad.”

  He growled but dropped the argument.

  I liked Beatrice. She could get him to shut up and get off my back.

  Theo arrived with Alex in tow. “I’m excited to hear them. The house is packed. They must be pretty decent.”

  “They’re really good,” Cayson said loyally.

  “Cool shirts,” Theo said. “Where can I get one?”

  I pulled a few out of my purse then passed them around.

  “Sick.” Theo changed right in front of everyone.

  Alex gave him the stink eye. “Do you mind?”

  “What?” he asked.

  “People can see you!”

  “Who cares?” he said. “It’s my family.”

  “Well, those girls over there liked the show,” Alex hissed.

  “Really?” he asked with a smile. “Where?” He tried to find them in the crowd.

  She smacked him hard in the arm.

  “Baby, you know I’m kidding.” He pulled her into his chest and silenced her with his kisses.

  “Anyway…” I said.

  The light dimmed and the curtains opened.

  “Show’s about to start,” Conrad said. “Let’s move closer.”

  We pushed through the crowd and reached the front of the stage. The second the curtains parted, the band started playing their first song. The crowd screamed and whistled. Since I knew every song, I playe
d along.

  Slade added the most energy to the performance, hardly able to stay still. Like I suspected, he was popular with the girls. I faintly heard different women yell. “Take off your shirt!” and “You’re hot.” I even heard another girl say, “Take my virginity.”

  It annoyed me immensely but I tried to ignore it.

  “Whores,” Skye said.

  I smiled in approval, glad my best friend had my back.

  By the third song, Slade took off his shirt and tossed it aside.

  Every girl in the building screamed hysterically. I knew he did it because he was hot and he liked to show off his tattoos. It wasn’t because the girls asked him to. But the fact he was ridiculously handsome, had a built body, was covered in tattoos, and could hammer on the guitar just made him a million times more irresistible to any woman with a vagina.

  I kept my cool and tried not to let it bother me. Just the other day, Slade told me I was his soul mate. I’m sure he liked the attention to a certain extent, but he would never even consider looking at one of the whores in the audience.

  One girl to the right of the stage took off her bra and threw it at him.

  It landed on Slade’s face and he stopped playing and looked at it quizzically. “Uh, thanks.”

  The audience laughed.

  He tossed it aside and kept playing.

  “Man, Slade is enjoying this,” Theo said. “It’s like a dream come true.”

  “No, it’s not,” Skye said to me. “He doesn’t care about all those hoochi-mamas.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed. I wanted nothing more than to march over there and beat the shit out of that skank. But I somehow stayed cool. I knew Slade wouldn’t appreciate it if I started a fight in the bar and then they had to stop playing because of it.

  I wondered if it would make a difference if Slade wore a wedding band. Would the girls leave him alone because he was married? I would hope so. Slade hadn’t mentioned marriage, but I hoped he was planning on asking soon. He had his job at the shop and we could afford to get married. Why should we wait? We were together all the time anyway.

  To my annoyance, a girl in the front row lifted up her shirt and flashed him.