by Marie Medina
Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2012 Marie Medina
ISBN: 978-1-77130-178-7
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: Karyn White
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
To Howard, who made me an awesome metal playlist to write this to.
WITH THE BOYS IN THE BAND
Marie Medina
Copyright © 2012
Chapter One
Vince couldn’t stand it any longer. Gripping the base of his cock more firmly, he began a slow jerk as he leaned back against the sink. He faintly heard someone knock on his office door, but he’d locked it as well as the bathroom door, so he wasn’t worried about being interrupted.
Though, as his mind filled with fantasies, he groaned at the thought of one person interrupting him. He smiled at the thought of their eyes meeting as he touched himself. All barriers would fall away if he could just get close enough to bring their lips together, to make a silent plea for what he desired most. Nothing would be more wonderful than finally seeing that perfect mouth wrapped around his cock. He stroked faster and harder, imagining what it would be like if that happened. Maybe tonight could be the night. Maybe he would finally find the words that had eluded him for so long.
His balls tightened at the thought, at the images he conjured. He teased the head of his cock with his thumb, pre-cum oozing from the tip as he worked it. His jerks increased, and he panted, feeling lightheaded. Just a few moments alone, just a touch, just a whisper of words—one way or another, he would make it happen.
He had to bite his lip to keep from crying out far too loudly as he spilled into his own hand. Yes, he would make it happen. He had no other choice if he wanted to preserve his sanity.
****
Emerson signed his name, and then he initialed three times. He turned the paper over and signed again. With a deep breath, which failed to fortify him as the tax form in his hand made his eyes begin to cross, he signed and initialed two more times on the next page. Then two more signatures and three initials were required on the next piece of paper. Under that lay five pages stapled together, requiring him to initial throughout and then sign at the very end.
When someone walked back into the conference room, he said with unmistakable venom, “God almighty, if I ever see that lazy shit again I will kill him with my bare hands!”
The person stopped abruptly and to his surprise laughed. The beautiful sound, which always caught his attention, made him jerk his head up.
“I wouldn’t blame you. I’ve been filing and mailing and scanning documents for three solid days,” Alicia said as she pushed her tumbling black curls off of her face. “I’m so glad we’re almost done.”
“Oh.” He paused, feeling like a jerk for losing his temper in front of her, even if he hadn’t known it was she. “I bet you have been swamped. That must suck.” He rolled his eyes inwardly at his lame evaluation, but what else could he say?
She dropped down into a chair beside him and slumped over, her leg brushing his, which sent a zing of pleasure through his entire body. Obviously not seeing his evaluation as lacking in any way, she said, “It does. I need a vacation after this.”
“Come with us to Vince’s summer house,” he blurted before he could second-guess his instinct.
Emerson played keyboard for a metal band, Serration, with his high school friend Vince, and three guys they’d met in college, Mike, Tom, and Garren. Just a week earlier, Charles, their manager and accountant for the past six months, had abandoned them. At that point, they had realized two things: some, but luckily not all, of their money was missing, and none of their legal or operational paperwork was anywhere to be found. Contracts, booking records, royalty reports, tax records, and all forms of legal documentation, all were gone. Many important documents relevant to the last six months of operations, they suspected, had perhaps never even existed. Vince, with the help of his father and their family connections, had quickly located and hired a good team of lawyers and both a new manager and a new accountant for them. Except for being unable to find Charles, things had gone smoothly since then. As soon as the lawyers were satisfied with all their signatures, the whole band was heading to Vince’s summer house on a lake in his hometown of Hella for a much needed break. They had intended to begin recording again the next month, but for now it would have to wait.
Alicia smiled. “Really?”
Emerson nodded, pushing his long brown hair out of his face and behind his ears. He had a tendency to hide behind it, especially when Alicia was around, and he fought the urge now. He’d been wanting to get Alicia alone for months, but other things always got in the way between work and the other members of the band. He’d kept his growing feelings a secret because he didn’t want anything the guys did, even with the best of intentions, to ruin things for him. “As my guest. I insist. Here I am bitching about having to sign stuff, all the while you’ve been shuffling all this shit around for days with, I’m thinking, very little thanks.”
“Your thinking is correct. Everyone has been a bit testy.”
He set back to work on the papers, finding every highlighted spot and adding his signature or initials. He paused. “Did you do all this?”
“The highlighting? Yeah.”
He let out a long sigh. “Wow. I am going to make it my personal quest to see that you have an amazing time. As soon as I’m done, I’m telling … um … blond guy?”
“Theobald.”
He stopped with his pen in mid-air. “Theobald?”
She nodded. “Get used to it. I think he’ll be a great manager.”
“Well, I’m telling him you are coming with us. You were always on top of things with this last tour, so I know exactly how hard you work. You learned the ropes so quickly.”
She laughed. “How did you know I was always on top of things? My job changes every two days around here.”
He straightened the papers, trying to come up with an answer. He couldn’t very well say he watched her constantly, always made a point of knowing where she was and what she’d be doing each day, at every stop, in every city. When their eyes met after his long pause, he almost thought she might guess. Quickly, he said, “Because every time I see you, you’re doing exactly what you’re meant to be doing, which is usually making sure we aren’t missing a cue or an appointment or doing something completely stupid, not to mention reminding others of the jobs they need to be doing.”
She blushed and laughed again. That laugh was improving his day more with each passing second, and the color rising to her cheeks was adorable. “Wow. I’m glad someone has noticed.”
He nodded slightly and said in a soft voice, “I certainly have.”
“Then I would love to come with you guys. Are you still going this afternoon?”
“I think so.”
“And Vince won’t mind?”
“No. There’s plenty of room. No one has ever had to sleep on the floor, I promise.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Oh, I’m sure.”
He knew she was thinking of Vince’s and Garren’s reputations. Both of them had flirted with her on many occasions. “You’ll be my guest and have the perfect freedom to tell anyone to fuck off. I’ll do it fo
r you if I have to.”
“So I’ll have a protector from the band’s bad boys, huh?”
“Oh yes.” She had always seemed immune to the charms of the other guys, but was this a mistake? He hadn’t made her status as his guest, or what he intended her status to be, one hundred percent clear yet. If she didn’t know he wanted this to be like a date, what would prevent her from hooking up with someone else? Most women would do almost anything to get in Vince’s bed. Or so it seemed to Emerson.
She smiled and seemed about to say something when Vince walked in. “Hey, Em, are you done yet? I figured you and I could ride up together.”
He looked down and saw he had six more pages. “Almost.” Then inspiration struck. “Hey, you know, I remember the security codes and all. You guys go ahead when you get ready. Alicia’s going to come, and I’ll give her a lift. I still need to finish packing, and it may take a bit for her to get done here and get packed, too.”
Vince’s green eyes, which woman always melted for, flicked to Alicia. Emerson didn’t like the heat there, or the odd smile that played on his lips, but to his relief Alicia kept her gaze on him, not turning it to Vince.
“Thank you! Give me the ones you’ve done, and I’ll get started scanning. Just bring the rest down when you’re done. Then you can go confront Theobald.”
She took the papers and breezed past Vince with just an excited smile and nothing more. Vince smiled back, running his fingers through his own dark, curly hair. He kept smoothing his hair back as he turned and watched her walk down the hall, his eyes lowering just enough to annoy Emerson.
“I knew you had a thing for her,” Vince said as he turned back and came into the room to sit on the table. “You watch her like a kid with a crush.” He reached forward and flicked a strand of hair that had fallen over Emerson’s forehead.
“Then why do you still flirt with her?” Ignoring the playful gesture, he kept his head down. He signed again and again, ready to be done and get back to Alicia.
“Because she’s beautiful. That’s the only reason I need for anything I do.”
He thought Vince sounded a little sarcastic, but he couldn’t be sure. They’d drifted apart lately, and he didn’t like the feeling at all. He couldn’t stop himself from saying, “That’s why you’re single.”
Though he laughed, Vince’s voice held no conviction when he said, “I like being single.”
Emerson gave him a long look.
“What?” Vince laughed again as he crossed his arms tightly over his chest. “I’m thirty-three and in a band that is seeing more success with each passing day. I’d be crazy to be married now.”
Emerson looked down, determined to be nice. He could mention Vince’s most recent ex, Veronica, who had walked out on him three years ago after catching him getting a tag-team blowjob from two half-naked girls. But he didn’t. He was much too happy about spending time with Alicia to get into a fight with his oldest friend.
However, as he signed the last paper, he added, “I really like her, Vince. I know you’ll tell the guys on the way out, but just please emphasize in some way that this is not just a fling or an attempt to get laid. Okay?”
Vince stood, looking uncomfortable. His casual tone sounded forced as he left the room. “I’ll tell them hands off, okay? We’ll give you two privacy.” He grabbed the doorjamb and swung himself out, heading toward the front of the building.
“Thank you,” Emerson called as he rose from his seat, puzzled by the hasty retreat. He capped the pen and made his way down the hall in the opposite direction, both enjoying and fighting the nervousness rising in his chest.
****
Alicia wished Emerson would take his sunglasses off. She felt pretty sure that he kept sneaking glances at her as he drove, but it was hard to tell with the dark glasses hiding his eyes. His very beautiful brown eyes. She had wasted three months believing Emerson was gay. A mere two weeks ago she had asked one of the hair stylists about him and had learned that he was in fact straight. And that many people in the band’s entourage believed that he liked her. She’d then spent a sleepless night thinking about every encounter they’d ever had. She’d also remembered very clearly the reason she’d believed he was gay.
She’d just been hired, and Vince had requested to meet her to show her around the offices and share his vision for the band with her. Walking into Vince’s dressing room across from his office, she had found him and Emerson together, looking very intimate. Emerson sat at a dressing table staring into the mirror with a dejected expression on his face while Vince leaned over him and wrapped his arms around his chest, placing his cheek against Emerson’s.
“One day you’ll come to your senses and forsake all others when you realize I’m the only man for you,” Vince whispered before kissing him on the neck.
Emerson sighed and pulled forward, shrugging Vince’s arms off of him. He then whispered something she couldn’t make out because she’d backed out of the room.
She knocked quite loudly and waited for a response before coming in. When she did, both men were standing and gazing at her with neutral expressions. Vince had been very friendly, but Emerson had seemed distracted. She assumed Vince had been trying to cheer his friend up after some romantic mishap, and Vince’s teasing yet loving comment had led her to believe Emerson’s romantic disappointment had been with a man. She hated the joke people made about assumptions “making an ass out of u and me,” but she had felt like a fool for days now for letting a wrong assumption so affect her life.
Though the quiet between them was comfortable, her thoughts led her to ask, “So is Vince bisexual?”
That got Emerson to take his glasses off, though he didn’t look too thrilled with the topic. “Um, yeah. He prefers girls, but he has sex with guys. No one steady though. I don’t think he’s ever had a real relationship with a guy.” He stared at the road ahead. “As you’ve seen, he never represses his sexuality in any way, but yeah, it’s not just some fake part of the whole rock star persona. He’s into guys, too.”
“I better explain why I asked, huh?”
Her words softened his expression a bit. “Sure.”
“Well, until just a couple of weeks ago, I thought you were gay. Something Vince said the day we met, and the way he teases you at times, made me jump to the wrong conclusion.”
“The day we met?”
“I kind of walked in on you guys before I knocked. I heard Vince say one day you’d come to your senses and realize he was the man for you. I could tell he was kidding, but it made me assume you’d broken up with someone or something like that. I came to the conclusion, for some reason, that the part about you finding the right guy wasn’t a joke. I have no idea why.”
“And that plus his constant teasing made you think I like guys.” He rubbed his neck. “Not the first time.”
“It’s not?”
He nodded slowly. “Yeah. The teasing goes back to high school. I’m so used to it now I never bristle at it. I’ve always had the long hair, and our town was pretty homophobic, though now that we’re famous they’d never dare offend us. This one group of jocks used to call me Vince’s girlfriend. I was pretty shy back then and had no idea what to do except retreat from life, but Vince embraced it and made it into a big joke.” He smiled, just a little. “And he beat the shit out of one of the guys our junior year.”
“That’ll usually do it.” She paused. “So you are straight?”
“Yes.” A much happier smile began to pull at his lips. “Open minded, I think, but definitely like women.”
“So, am I a special guest? Or just a guest?”
After they exited the highway and came to a stop sign, he turned and looked into her eyes. “A very special guest.”
She smiled and looked away, letting him focus on the road again. “I used to be shy, too. Six months ago I would never have asked that question. Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have even said I would come along.”
“Then I am very glad you’ve come out of
your shell.” He turned on to a road with a gate across it, stopping to key in a code to gain entry. “What was the catalyst?”
“I decided my life wasn’t going anywhere. I wasn’t living much of a life at all. I sat in a cubicle all day and stared at a computer. One day, I simply couldn’t make myself go in to work, so I quit.”
“How long ago?”
“Five months. I spent a few weeks doing nothing. I had plenty of savings because I literally had no life and hardly any friends. Then I began looking for jobs. This one was the sixth I applied for, but the first to call me back.”
Emerson laughed. “Vince probably searched for you online and saw your picture.”
She laughed, too. “His flirting isn’t serious, is it? I try to discourage it, but he’s hard to read. He’s great, but he seems open to falling into bed with anyone.”
His smile faded. “You shouldn’t take it seriously. He means it, but not beyond a few tumbles in his bed. He’s changed a lot the last few years.”
“Does it make him happy?”
“No, but he’ll tell you it does.”
“That’s sad.”
“It is, but I’ve almost given up trying to help him.”
“Don’t!”
He snapped his head to the side at her outburst.
“I mean, you’re one of his oldest friends. If the other guys aren’t trying, you might be the only one to reach him. You two seem closer than the rest of the band.”
“We were. We still are, don’t get me wrong. I just don’t understand him the way I used to.”
“Maybe you can reconnect during this trip.”
He stopped at another gate. They could see the house now, and it was absolutely stunning. It had a very European, nineteenth-century look, with lots of small, shuttered windows and little chimneys, all topped by a wood-shingled roof.
