by Andria Large
"Ugh, your goatee is wet and it feels like your drooling on me." Nicole grimaces and wipes her mouth.
I laugh. Then I grab her face and kiss her hard. She squeals against my mouth and tries to push away but I don't let her. When I finally let her go, she slaps my chest.
"Gross, Ace!" she says, her lips twitching as she fights not to smile.
"Come on, let's finish up in here so I can get you in bed and fuck your brains out." I snicker.
She gasps in mock offense and turns her back to me. I press myself up against her back, my hard-on fitting nicely between her beautiful ass cheeks. I wrap my arms around her waist and nip at her earlobe.
"Or I could just take you in here?" I rasp, rubbing my cock against her ass crack.
"As much as I would like that, that water is already getting cold, and I still need to wash my hair," she murmurs, her hand coming up to pat the side of my face.
"Fine," I huff and back off.
We quickly wash our hair, rinse, and get out. We dry off and wrap our towels around ourselves before heading out of the bathroom. Nicole sits down on the edge of the bed, sighing heavily. She seems to be thinking hard about something.
"You okay?" I ask, sitting down next to her.
"I'm thirty and just got into a fist fight." She shakes her head. "I feel trashy."
I bark out a laugh. "Nikki, she started it. What were you supposed to do? Let her hit you and not hit her back?"
"Ugh! I don't know! Grown women should not be fist fighting! It's so immature!"
"Men do it all of the time." I shrug.
She rolls her eyes at me. "Exactly... men – who are perpetually immature - do it all of the time."
I laugh and pat her thigh. "You were just sticking up for yourself; there is nothing wrong with that."
She nods. "I guess."
I stand and scoop her up. She giggles as I toss her higher onto the bed. I lose my towel and crawl up the bed toward her, snatching her towel away from her and dropping my naked body against hers. I kiss her a couple of times.
"So you think that I'm one of those immature men?" I murmur, my lips brushing hers.
"If I say yes?" she teases, her eyes dancing in delight.
"Then I'm going to spend the next couple of hours showing you just how ‘mature’ I am," I growl, grinding my erection against her clit.
Her eyes flutter closed. "Mmm, then yes, you are very immature." She moans with a small teasing smile on her lips.
I capture her lips, wiping that little smile off her face. I do just as I said and spend the next couple of hours showing her how mature of a man I am.
~Nicole~
It's our first night off since the tour started a month ago. And when I say night off, I mean that there is no concert tonight and we're not traveling. In fact, we’re in Miami, Florida. We actually got here a day early, that's why we have the night off. So Ace and I are going out for our public date at some fancy shmancy restaurant that is frequently visited by celebs and is crawling with paparazzi.
I put on the black cocktail dress that I have. It's simple, yet really pretty and not slutty. It has a scoop neck with black lace overlay. The top half of the dress is fitted and stops just above my waist. The bottom half is an A-line skirt that stops mid-thigh. I wear a pair of black peep toe pumps, curl my hair, do my make-up, and I'm ready to go. Ace knocks on my hotel room door just as I'm finishing up my mascara. I grab my red clutch purse and head for the door.
I open it and am momentarily stunned by the gorgeous man standing on the other side. Ace is wearing a gray suit with a dark blue dress shirt. The top button of his shirt is undone and he's not wearing a tie. Doesn't matter, he doesn't need it. He still looks spectacular. His brown hair is brushed back and slightly to the side. His goatee has been trimmed and the rest of his face is clean-shaven. I've never seen him look so handsome before.
He smiles knowingly. "Like what you see?" he asks, cocking an eyebrow.
I nod. "Yes, very much," I reply honestly.
His smile widens and he says, "I like what I see, too," then makes a show of looking me up and down.
I blush slightly and give him a nervous smile. I don't know why I'm nervous, we've been sleeping together for almost two months now. But this is different. We're actually going out on a date, whether it's for show or not, it's still a date. I'm going on a date with Ace Vaughn. An actual date.
"You ready to go?" he asks, holding out his elbow.
I smile at his sweet gesture and nod. I slip my arm through his and let him lead me down the hall toward the elevator. Once again, we're about the same height while I'm in heels, but he doesn't seem to mind. Some guys are funny about tall women. Not Ace, though. He hits the down button and turns his head to smile at me. I can't help but smile back.
"You're in a good mood." I observe.
"Of course I am, I'm taking the most beautiful woman in the world out to dinner," he says with a fond grin in my direction.
I cluck my tongue at him. "Shut up. You know you don't have to feed me lines." I scoff.
His face turns serious. "I'm not feeding you lines, Nikki, I'm being serious," he says with such sincerity that I have no choice but to believe him.
I blink at him in shock. I'm saved by the bell before I can make a bigger fool out of myself. The elevator doors open and we step in. Ace hits the button for the lobby and we wait for the doors to close. Once they finally do, Ace leans in and kisses me sweetly on the cheek. Just a little peck, but it means a lot to me. I squeeze his arm and he bumps me with his hip. I giggle.
He leans towards me again, but this time speaks softly in my ear, "You really are the most gorgeous woman I've ever laid eyes on."
I blush hard and dart a quick glance his way. His crystal blue eyes are staring at me and he is utterly serious. I lick my suddenly dry lips. My heart starts pounding. Where is this coming from? Why is he saying these things to me? I mean, I know he likes me, but I feel like this moment right here goes beyond "like." Could he possibly feel about me the same way that I feel about him? Could Ace Vaughn be in love with me? No fucking way. I shove that aside. He just finds me very attractive. That's all. I'm his fuck buddy.
"Thank you, Ace," I whisper, dropping my gaze to the floor.
His fingers find my chin and he turns my head toward him. His lips press against mine gently, once...twice...three times. Then the hand that is on my chin slips up my jaw to cup my face, just under my ear. He presses his mouth more firmly against mine. Before the kiss goes any further, the elevator chimes and Ace pulls away. I'm still left breathless even if it wasn't all tongue and groping hands. That kiss had feelings and emotions in it.
Ace tugs me forward to get me off the elevator. I shake my head to clear it and try to snap back to reality. The walk through the lobby is uneventful and we head out the front doors where Alex is waiting next to a sleek black Rolls-Royce. There is a driver already sitting in the car. Alex smiles as we approach.
"Well, shit, if you two aren't the best looking couple I've ever seen," he drawls before leaning in to give me a peck on the cheek. "You look marvelous," he says.
"Thanks," I say with a shy smile.
"And where is my kiss?" Ace blinks innocently, tapping his cheek with his finger.
I burst out laughing when Alex actually leans in and kisses Ace's cheek. Ace and Alex both chuckle and shove at each other. "Pansy ass," Alex teases as he opens the back door for us.
Ace winks at him before helping me into the back seat. He shuts my door and trots around to the other side. Alex climbs in the front seat as Ace slides in next to me. I'm still snickering as we pull away from the curb.
I cross my legs, knee over knee, and settle my purse in my lap. Ace's large hand finds the top of my bare thigh right where the hem of my dress stops. I place my hand on top of his and his thumb curls around my fingers, holding them.
I stare at our hands. I feel like we are a real couple going on a real date. Like I'm really Ace's girlfriend. But I'm not. We're only
going out because we need to put on a show for the paparazzi; otherwise, there would be no date. I turn my head to look out the window, needing to hide whatever expression is on my face from Ace. He can read me too well. I don't need him figuring out that my heart is breaking because I was stupid enough to fall in love with him.
When we pull up to the restaurant, Ace comes around to my side and opens the door for me. I take his offered hand as I get out. I smile at his gentlemanly gesture. He's being really sweet tonight. It's kinda freaking me out. Not that he's not normally a sweet guy, but he's going above and beyond his norm tonight.
As soon as I get out, cameras start flashing and people start yelling to us. Alex has to step in front of us to push a couple of overzealous paparazzi out of the way. Ace wraps his arm around my waist and holds me close to him as we walk into the restaurant. Once inside, I close my eyes against the dots dancing in front of me. Holy shit, that was intense.
"You okay?" Ace asks quietly.
"Other than being blind?" I grunt.
Ace chuckles.
The hostess seats us immediately in a secluded corner. Alex sits at a table a few feet away to run interference with anyone looking to interrupt our dinner. Ace pulls out my chair for me and pushes it in as I sit. I laugh to myself as I think about how funny it would have been had he done the opposite. Ace sits adjacent to me. Which surprises me. Usually the guy will take the seat across from their date. He smiles at me as he scoots his chair in.
"What's so funny?" he asks.
"Oh, I was just thinking about how funny it would have been if you had pulled my seat out from under me instead of pushing it in." I snicker.
Ace barks out a laugh. "Yeah, that would have been pretty hilarious and I would have forever been labeled as a douchebag."
I shrug. "Yeah, probably."
The hostess is all smiles when she hands us our menus. "Your waiter for tonight is Joe and he will be with you shortly," she says sweetly.
Ace and I both say thank you and open our menus as she walks away. I glance at Ace, wanting to see if he is checking her out as she walks away because honestly, if I were a guy, I would have. She is one of those gorgeous blonde bombshells with the perfect body types. But when I look at Ace, he's staring at the menu. I glance at Alex. He is practically drooling as the hostess walks by him.
"Wow," I mutter, shaking my head in confusion.
Ace's eyes flip up from the menu to meet mine. "What?"
"I just thought you would have checked out the hostess' ass as she walked away," I say with a dismissive wave of my hand. "I mean, I think Alex jizzed in his pants over there."
Ace fought off a smile. "I see. But I have no need to look at her when I am sitting with the best looking woman in here," he says with a shrug.
I narrow my eyes at him. "Ace, you better stop with all the sweet talking before I start to believe you," I murmur before looking down at my menu. And I really, really want to believe him.
"Nikki, I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it," Ace says.
I lift my eyes from the menu to meet his. His sincerity hits me straight in the gut. My stomach flips over and my heart starts to race. I swallow hard.
"We're not really together, Ace, so just stop. You can't say things like that to a woman who means nothing to you," I whisper harshly.
Ace's eyes flash angrily. "Do you really think you mean nothing to me? You think after almost two months of being with you that I wouldn't develop feelings for you? Come on, Nikki, give me some credit here, I'm not a complete asshole," he whispers fiercely in return.
I stare at him in shock. Is he for real? Could the wild, bad boy Renegade actually have feelings for me, the lowly dancer?
"What are you saying?" I breathe, my heart going a mile a minute.
Ace leans in toward me, threading his fingers into the hair at the back of my neck. His lips brush mine as he whispers, "I want us to be in a real relationship, not a fake one."
He kisses me on the lips. A chaste kiss by our standards. "Really?" I gasp, my heart now taking a flying leap up into my throat.
He pulls back just enough so that he can see my eyes. "Yes, really," he says seriously.
A small, excited laugh bursts out of me. "Okay."
The smile that spreads across Ace's face takes my breath away. "Yeah?"
I nod quickly. "Yeah."
"So does that mean that you have some feelings for me, too?" he asks hopefully.
"If I didn't then I wouldn't have just agreed to be your real girlfriend." I chuckle.
Ace laughs. "Fair enough."
The rest of dinner goes great. We talk and laugh and have an awesome time together. I'm floating on cloud nine. I didn't think I wanted a boyfriend until I fell for Ace. My only problem now is going to be dealing with my dad and his dislike of the man I love.
Chapter Seven
~Ace~
I'm sitting on the couch in the bus as we make our way to Alabama for our next concert. We already did most of the East Coast, so now we have to work our way west. Lizette and Beau are snuggled together on the couch across from me. Everett is plucking away on his guitar at the other end of the couch that I'm on. Dean is sitting at the table with a notebook and pen, writing a song. And Roland is sitting across from Dean eating a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
"Dude, you are killing me with the crunching," Dean mutters to Roland without lifting his eyes from his notebook.
"Sorry," Roland replies around a mouth full of cereal.
My phone beeps and I glance at it to see that it's a text from Nicole.
Nicole: HELP ME!
I snort. She's on the bus with the female dancers. I'm gonna have to talk to Lizette about switching her over to our bus. No one really knows that we're actually dating now. I haven't had the chance to really tell anyone, plus it's only been about two weeks since we made it official. I hate that she's on the other bus having a shit time.
Me: What's wrong?
Nicole: Hillary is trying to tell me how big of a player you are, how you cheated on your ex about 10x, that's why she broke up with you, smdh...
"Bullshit," I snap out loud.
Everyone glances over at me after my little outburst.
"Everything okay?" Beau drawls.
"Hillary is talking shit about me to Nicole," I mutter as I text Nicole back.
"Speaking of Nicole, how did that date you had with her go?" Roland asks, glancing over his shoulder at me.
I can't help but smile. "Really well, actually," I say.
Lizette giggles across the aisle. "Aw, I know that look, Ace."
I raise an eyebrow at her. "What look?"
"The googly-eyed, head-over-heels look." Everett grins at me.
I gape at him. "What? I do not look like Beau!" I cry, pointing across the aisle at him.
"Hey!" Beau exclaims as everyone else laughs.
"We...uh...we're actually really dating now, not just faking it," I say softly.
"No shit?" Dean asks in surprise.
I look over to find him looking at me in shock. "Yeah, I..." I clear my throat. "...I really like her. We get along really well and have a lot in common." No need to tell them that I'm completely in love with her yet.
"That's really awesome, Ace," Everett says, patting me on the shoulder.
"Thanks, buddy." I smirk.
"You two make a really cute couple," Lizette muses while eyeing me knowingly.
I roll my eyes at her.
"Speaking of which, can she ride on the bus with us when we leave to go to the next gig?"
"Sure, I don't see why not." Lizette shrugs.
"Hillary's gonna have a fucking fit. You know that right?" Dean murmurs, giving me a pointed look.
"I was never with her! I fucked her once! I don't know what the hell her deal is!" I huff, throwing my arms up.
"She's obsessed with you," Everett says distractedly as he looks down at his guitar, plucking lightly at the strings.
I look over at him. His sandy brown hair
is a mess and sticking up in all directions. His square jaw is shadowed with a day's worth of stubble. He's usually clean-shaven, but we've been on the bus all damn day, and it's hard to shave when the bus is bouncing. Usually, he's nothing but a big ball of tension and anxiety. The man has serious OCD issues and has a hard time dealing with it. Even with the medication that he's on, he struggles with it. It hinders him from doing things sometimes. Especially if he doesn't do his little rituals, like flicking the on/off switch on his mic ten times. The problem with that is that it always ends up in the off position. Luckily, the sound manager knows this and hands it to him in the on position; otherwise, we'd have to do the show without him because he'd be stuck backstage flipping the switch on and off.
