Riff

by Skye Turner

  Stretching my arm out, I lay it across the back of the swing. My fingers stop just behind her shoulder. She moves a tiny bit and my stomach jerks in response to her reaction to me.

  Ouch.

  I smile at her in the night’s darkness. I can make out the shape of her face and see the whites of her eyes, but the rest of her is covered in shadows. Her hair almost has a glow coming from behind it with the moon’s position.

  I can’t tell what her actual expression is from this position, so I have no idea if she’s about to leave or if she plans on staying and listening to what I want to say.

  She doesn’t leave.

  I sigh in relief and start. “I’m sorry about being a jerk to you last week. I honestly am. I tend to attack when I’m uncomfortable and the truth is that after that kiss and what you said, I was really pissed…” She gasps and leans back, but I reach out to stop her from getting up. “No, wait. I was pissed, but not at you. What you said… you were right. Not about everything, but about enough.

  “I kissed you and it stirred me up… I thought you were feeling the same and I’m not used to women… well, I’m not used to them telling me to stop or that they won’t sleep with me.

  “Daisy, I have a lot of sex. A whole lot… you weren’t wrong about that. I don’t know the names of most of the women I screw and to be honest, I don’t remember their faces. They’re just willing and available women who satisfy my needs. It’s been that way for a long time.

  “But to have someone lay it all out for you… to have a woman that you want tell you that you’re disgusting and she’ll never sleep with you… well, it’s not a good feeling.

  “It really makes a person aware of exactly what kind of person they’ve become.”

  I stop and lean my head back as I stare at the sky. I can hear Daisy breathing raggedly beside me as I just get it all out. The darkness is helping… it’s a great veil. It’s easy to say the things that you don’t want to say when you can’t see the person in front of you.

  Without looking back at her, I say the rest while I stare up at the jasmine and the sky. “I lashed out at you last week because I was all mixed up about what you said. And I was so angry… but I shouldn’t have done that and I’m sorry.

  “I’m sorry I said harsh things to you when the one I was pissed at was me.

  “I’ve been kicking myself for a week and I even tried to call you a few times, but I figured you’d just ignore the call, so I never actually made it.”

  She gasps and then it’s quiet.

  Is she going to accept my apology or is she going to tell me to fuck off?

  She sighs and I still can’t see her, but her body turns toward me. “Rafe, I get it. I’m not like what you’re used to being around, but I’m not like the women you sleep with. I’m not a groupie and I’m not a fan.

  “That came out wrong… I mean, I’m around you because I was told to be. I didn’t choose to be. I didn’t search you out.

  “Shit… this isn’t coming out right. What I’m trying to say is that, if the label hadn’t set this up, you and I wouldn’t be anywhere near each other. We are not the same.

  “Dammit… why am I having so much trouble here… we fight… a lot. I piss you off… you piss me off. But, if we can agree to disagree about stuff… well, maybe we can be friends…”

  Friends… We can be friends.

  I don’t think I want to be friends with Daisy.

  Scooting closer to her on the swing, I hear her indrawn breath. As I get closer, I can see her features in the glow from the moon. Her eyes are wide and luminous and her lips are pink, swollen, and glistening. She must have been biting on them.

  My hand picks up a curl from her shoulder and I twirl it around my finger. She gasps. “What are you doing, Rafe?”

  Leaning in, I stop just in front of her so I can look into her eyes. Hers widen and I smile. “Trying to be friends…” My lips lightly brush hers.

  Her hands clutch at my knees and her fingers bite into my skin. Her mouth parts on another gasp and my tongue delicately traces the moist seam of her lips before lightly slipping inside and teasing her tongue.

  Her body is ramrod straight and she’s tense but then a sigh escapes her and I swallow it. With a groan, I pull her over to me on the swing and she slides effortlessly. Her hands are tracing my shoulders as her lips nibble at mine. The kiss is sweet and not rushed.

  I lean back and let her take control. She slips her knee over my hip and settles against me as she straddles me. My foot continues to lightly swing us as we kiss.

  I’ve never really had a kiss like this before.

  It’s always just a means to an end which is me getting off and kicking whatever woman or women have satisfied me out.

  This is more like a conversation without words.

  Daisy’s hands are cupped behind my neck and my hands are lightly holding her waist. She slants her mouth more and the kiss deepens. My blood roars to life and my cock hardens as she sucks on my tongue and rubs against me.

  Yes…

  Then, she gasps and leans back. Her hands fly to her mouth and she says, “Oh my God… no… I didn’t mean to… shit… I have to go. I’m sorry.” And, she jumps off me and races back toward the house.

  I’m left sitting on the swing with an aching cock and a hollow feeling in my chest… completely stunned.

  Well, shit… What now?!

  Chapter Eleven

  Daisy

  Seven weeks later

  We’re leaving for the first stop of the promo tour in about an hour. This whole process has been a complete whirlwind and my head is still spinning.

  I haven’t seen Rafe or the other guys since the single launch in Nashville two weeks ago. It was a huge hit. Firefly Heartbeat is already getting extensive spin time and the buzz is it’s in the Top 10 on the Country charts this week, with it crossing over into Pop within a few weeks.

  I suppose we’ll see, but if the iTunes downloads and the plays on Spotify are any indication, they’ll be right.

  Tickets for the tour only went on sale a little more than three weeks ago and sixty of the shows are already completely sold out.

  It’s great, but also completely overwhelming. Not the tour… that’s not the issue… we can tour and perform like the pros we are… no, the issue and anxiety come in from the fact that for the majority of the next year, I’m going to be performing/ promoting with Rafe the majority of the time and I still don’t know how to handle that.

  The last time we were alone together, I was straddling his lap and sucking on his tongue after his apology and confession that he’s screwed more people than live in Louisiana… Ok, I made up that number… but I have no idea what his is, I just know it’s a lot.

  I’m throwing clothes into my suitcase when a knock comes through the door. “Yeah, come in.”

  Summer pops her head around and looks at me. “About set? I just finished and dragged all my crap downstairs. Fannie is done and drinking a cup of coffee on the porch. McKenzie is Face-Timing the douche.” She glances at the bed and sees the open suitcase. “Can I help with anything?”

  I shake my head and toss a LSU hoodie on top of the clothes before zipping it and dragging it to the floor. Then, I glance at the two bags already packed, waiting by the door. “Thank God, we have stylists, huh. Can you imagine if we had to drag all the shit we’ll wear to the shows and promotion stops with us?!”

  Summer laughs. “I know, right!?” She picks at her nails and casually says, “So, are you ready to do this? To be around Rafe all the time?”

  I glare at her. “We’re on our bus. They’re on theirs. It won’t be all the time.

  “Besides, why wouldn’t I be ready for it? We’ve toured plenty of times.”

  She looks at me and I can see the genuine sisterly concern on her face. “I know we have and you’re always super calm, cool, and collected… even when the rest of us are hot ass messes and freaking out.” Her brows raise. “But, you’ve never been in this situ
ation before. You’re my sister, Daisy. No one knows you better than me. So, don’t insult me, ok?!”

  I blink at her. “I’m not…”

  She cuts me off. “You care about Rafe… He mixes you up. I don’t know what happened the night we laid the track down, but you two disappeared and were gone for over two hours. I heard you come back in the house… you were running like you were a character on the Walking Dead and zombies were trying to eat your brains. You flew up the stairs and Rafe was back about half an hour later.

  “I didn’t want to get into your business and I figure you’d tell me when you were ready, but it’s been weeks and now we’re going on tour with them. You are going to be around him. A lot. Like a whole lot, sis.

  “So, are you ok?”

  Oh my God… She thinks I had sex with him.

  I laugh harshly. “I didn’t sleep with Rafe, Summer.”

  She shrugs. “I didn’t say you did. And if you did or didn’t… whatever… But, something happened. You don’t look at him when we’re together unless people are talking to us and then you have the ‘fake’ smile going. He constantly looks at you to try to catch your eye and get your attention. Yet, you make it a point not to look at him. Except when you’re watching him from the corner of your eye and think no one can see you.”

  I shake my head and deny it. “I do not!”

  She laughs and nods. “Oh, yes, you do. Everyone is talking about it, just not to you.”

  Well, what the hell?

  “Look, I’m not mooning over him or anything. We did not have sex. We will not be having any sex. We kissed and I sort of straddled him. The kiss was amazing. It wasn’t like the other one. It was sweet and very romantic. He didn’t even touch me, other than holding onto my hips. Then, I wanted him… like… I wanted him, sis.” She covers her mouth and squeals. “I wanted to strip him naked and lay on the ground with him.

  “He’d literally just got done telling me about all of the women he’s been with and that he didn’t even know their names or remember their faces… and I still wanted him. He wanted me, too… It would have been so easy. Way too easy.

  “I’d just gotten through saying we could try to be friends and then we ended up like that.”

  My face pales. “What is wrong with me? I freaked out because I don’t want to be just another lay… so, I jumped off him and said I was sorry.”

  “Did he say anything back?”

  “I didn’t give him a chance to. I ran away from him and just left him out there…”

  She whistles and then claps. “Well… my honest opinion is that you won’t be just another stop on the Rafe Rider Express, but then again, I’m not you. I can’t tell you what to do. You have to decide to go for it and let what’s going to happen… happen… or you need to decide to keep it professional away from cameras. No one can decide that but you.”

  She hops up and grabs one of my suitcases. The door flings open as she drags it. She yells over her shoulder as I hear the suitcase bouncing down the stairs. “My vote is to ride that train!”

  Dear God…

  Laughing at her ridiculousness, I take one last look around the room. Seeing nothing else I’ll just “have” to have, I sigh and drag the other two suitcases down the stairs.

  Maybe I just need to punch the damn ticket…

  Rafe

  My balls are pressed against her tight ass. I thrust a few more times and grunt as I empty my load into the firm ass underneath me. Then, I slump over and slip out of the now gaping hole.

  I’m face-down in my pillow and want to fall asleep, but I know I need to go shower and get dressed. I need to be ready to go in less than an hour.

  Carlee’s sultry drawl whispers over my back. “Perfect sendoff, Rafe. No one fucks my ass like you.”

  Her voice only grates on my nerves. Rolling to the side, I squint at her. She’s looking down at me with a cat that ate the canary smile on her face. Her hand reaches behind her and then her finger is brought to her mouth and she’s sucking my cum off it.

  It’s time for her to go. She reaches back and licks her finger again in what I assume is supposed to be a sexy way, swallowing the last of the cum she was able to remove… from her ass. I tossed the condom once she offered her ass to me because she wanted me to cum in it… It’s her thing with me… She begs for it. And I’ve only recently done it a couple of times… after I made her show me a clean bill of health from her doctor.

  I shudder.

  She leans down and tries to press her mouth to mine, but I turn away and slide out of bed. Striding naked to the bathroom in the apartment, I turn as she calls out. “Want to shower together before you go, Sexy?”

  I frown. “No, I’m good. You can just let yourself out. I have to leave in like half an hour anyway.”

  Her face hardens and she snaps. “Really? You texted me last night and asked me to meet you first thing this morning. I called in to work last night and came to your house for 6AM… you just fucked my asshole, came in it, then turned away from my kiss… and now you’re just dismissing me?”

  I look at her blankly. “Yeah, pretty much. Thanks for the fuck. But, I’m going on tour and I have to go. You could have said no, Carlee… But no, just like always, I text and you come running. You like the way I fuck you. You like it hard and rough and fast. You like it when I fuck your ass… You asked me to remove the condom so I could cum in your ass. You text me and beg me to fly you out so I can cum in your asshole when I’m on tour… And I never have.

  “I turned away from your kiss because you just ate my cum… from the asshole I just thoroughly fucked.

  “Now, you need to go and I need to get ready.”

  She screams and jumps out of my bed. Her size G tits are bouncing around unnaturally, but then again, she is a stripper. She locates her clothes and slips the light spandex dress on. Then she shoves her feet into her insanely high heels.

  I almost laugh. It’s like 9AM and she looks like she’s ready to work the club.

  As she reaches the door and flings it open, I say one last thing, “Oh, and Carlee… this is not my house. This is just the apartment I fuck women in.”

  Her rage does make me laugh as she slams the door. I can hear her yelling as she storms down the hall, “Goddammed egotistical asshole! Fucking prick bastard!”

  I close myself into the bathroom and wash off the scent of Carlee.

  Pretty sure this is the last time that will happen.

  And yeah, I really mean it… I think I’m done with that…

  Russ looks up from locking his door and grins at me when I open my door. I snap, “What?”

  He shrugs and laughs. “Oh nothing… I’m assuming you pissed off one of your fuck buddies a little while ago.”

  I grunt at him and snarl. “Yeah, Carlee… But I’m done with her ass anyway.”

  He chuckles. “I gathered that. That bitch kicked my door.”

  I can’t stop from grimacing. “Great lay. Crazy bitch.”

  He nods. “Yeah…”

  Rolling our luggage, we head to the elevator that leads to the parking garage on the lower level. His keys are in his hand and he’s jingling them. He always has to have something in his hands since he quit smoking a year or so ago.

  He asks, “Want to ride with me or are you going to drive, too, and have someone come pick up your truck?”

  “You mind if I just ride with you?”

  He shakes his head and snorts. “If I minded, I wouldn’t have offered, ass.”

  I grin back at him and help him load the suitcases and guitars into his car. When we’re done, we laugh. The backseat and trunk of his Charger are completely full. He grimaces. “Maybe we should have taken your truck?!”

  I slap his shoulder. “Hindsight is twenty-twenty. Too late now. I’m not unloading all this shit.”

  A few minutes later, we’re leaving Downtown and heading to meet at the girl’s house. Since they have such a huge property, all the buses, equipment vans, and our managers are going to
meet there. The label decided to document our travel to help build hype so we’re driving to New York for the three days of press, instead of the usual flying. The crew will meet us in New Jersey to kick off the tour in five days.

  We’re both quiet as Russ navigates traffic. Thankfully, it’s not that bad and since we came from Downtown, we’re not that far away.

  We go around the LSU Lakes and Russ hums along with the radio. Soon, I’m singing, too.

  When the song is over, he glances at me. “Ready for this? It’s not like anything we’ve ever done before. I can’t believe we’re driving instead of flying. We could be there this afternoon if we flew, like we normally do.”

  I nod and look out the window at the people walking, jogging, and biking around the Lakes. “I know. This is probably the biggest thing we’ve ever done. Firefly Heartbeat is already climbing the charts and tickets sales are pretty much awesome. I’m ready. But, yeah, taking the fucking buses across the country sucks ass. Not like we can complain and say we’re not doing it no matter how stupid it seems though…

  “You ready?”

  He nods and mutters, “I’m ready, but nervous about the difference from our other tours. This time we’re touring with the girls.”

  Oh trust me… I know…

  Daisy has done everything possible to act like I’m invisible over the past seven weeks. If we weren’t talking about tour shit, filming the music video, or promoting, she made sure to ignore me.

  All we did was kiss… and I didn’t even touch her. I gave her control. I thought I was doing what she wanted… what she needed…

  And it backfired in my face. We were on a good comfortable plain and then… brakes!

  I almost got whiplash!

  It took me almost twenty minutes to get my dick to go the fuck down and realize she wasn’t coming back.

  I’m not proud of it, but I fucked the shit out of two women early that morning. And I hated myself afterwards.