Wreck of the Day (Love Me, I'm Famous Book 3)

by M. H. Soars

  “Only you could say that with a straight face.” His lips twitch up, but the levity on his face disappears in the next second. “You’ll be missed, Blue.”

  Derek and I have a drink before we part ways. He urges me again to go see his mentor and I flat out refuse. By the way he squares his shoulders and grinds his jaw, I have the feeling he won’t give up so easily. The worst he can do is to breathe word to Liv, but I know he won’t. Not only because by doing so he’d expose what he did and ruin his medical career, but because Derek has honor. Something I’m obviously lacking.

  I head straight to Renegade’s HQ. The girls are already there, jamming away, and Oliver and Allan are working like busy bees on their laptops and phones. I wait until Oliver ends his call to hand him the envelope Derek gave me.

  “My clean bill of health as per your demand.” My tone has more bite to it than I intended and Oliver frowns. He takes the envelope from my hand and throws it on the pile of paper already on his desk.

  “What? Aren’t you going to read it?”

  “Of course not. It says you’re one hundred percent healthy, it’s good enough for me. Come here.” He pulls me closer, caging me in between his strong arms and legs.

  My heart tightens, and not because of our proximity, but because of the guilt that’s eating it away. The drive did nothing to help me shake off the feeling and Oliver’s reaction just made it much worse. A knot forms in my throat and my eyes burn. I’m going to lose it in front of Oliver so I lean down and kiss him. I wonder if he can taste the sadness on my lips.

  With each stroke of his tongue against mine he manages to lighten the weight crushing my chest. I ignore that Allan is nearby and sit astride on Oliver’s lap, bringing my body even closer to his. He senses the shift in me and stands up, with me still latched onto his frame.

  “Where are two going?” I hear Allan ask, but I refuse to open my eyes and acknowledge him.

  Oliver breaks our kiss long enough to tell him we’ll be right back. He takes me to his bedroom and locks the door.

  “Ollie, I need you so much.” I say between kisses. I don’t mean his body in this moment, I mean him as a whole.

  “Take whatever you want, sugar.” He places me on his bed before he grabs his T-shirt by the back and pulls it off. His jeans go next.

  I skim out of my own, pulling my panties down with them at the same time. Oliver stares at my half naked body with such hunger in his gaze that he makes me speechless. Without bothering to remove my top, I open my legs for him and he groans right before he collapses on top of me. The tip of his erection teases my entrance right before rubbing against my clit.

  “Stop torturing me. Put the condom on already.”

  Oliver nuzzles my neck just before he bites my earlobe. “Are you still on the pill, sugar?”

  “Yes,” I whisper.

  “I haven’t been with anyone else since Hawaii.”

  “Me neither.” I feel I have to say it as well.

  Oliver leans back to stare into my eyes. “I love you so bloody much, Saylor.”

  I raise my head to kiss him because I can’t deal with his love declarations right now. It’s making everything so much worse. With my hand, I guide his cock back to my entrance and Oliver takes it as sign that the condom will be damned. I always find myself breaking all my rules with this man, but today, I don’t care. My pussy is so wet, he enters me with ease, making my entire body tingle. I bite his lower lip as he begins to move in and out, terribly slowly.

  His hand trails down my belly until his fingers find my clit. He begins to make slow circle motions, making it really hard for me to keep quiet. I don’t want to come so fast, I want to make this moment last longer. I pull his teasing hand away and manage to roll us over, so now I’m on top.

  Oliver smiles at me as his hands dig into my hips. “I love when you take charge.”

  I gyrate my hips slowly even though the throbbing between my legs is urging me to move faster. Now it’s my turn to tease him. I clench my internal walls, milking Oliver’s cock. He closes his eyes and lets out a guttural groan.

  “Are you okay there, babe?” I say, breathless.

  “Fuck, you’re gonna kill me.” He tries to set a faster pace by moving my hips with his hands, but I put a stop to it.

  “Nu-uh. No cheating.”

  “Fine.” He brings his upper body up and captures one of my nipples with his mouth.

  I don’t know what’s worse for my self control, his fingers on my clit, or his tongue and teeth teasing my hard nub. I begin to move faster without even realizing it. When the orgasm hits, I bite his shoulder so my screams are muffled.

  “God, you feel so good,” he says before his body tenses and I feel his release filling me. With a final grunt and push, Oliver falls backwards, pulling me with him.

  We stay glued like that until our breathing returns to normal. We are wet and sticky, but I wish we could stay like this forever. Eventually, I roll off of him and lie on my side. Oliver imitates my position and rests his chin on his closed fist, staring at me with a cat-that-ate-the-canary grin. With his free hand, he plays with one of my nipples.

  “I know that I’m irresistible, but you can’t jump me every time you see me, you know. I’m your boss after all.”

  I let my fingers run along his torso with a light feather touch. “And what will my punishment be, boss?”

  He grabs my hand and brings it to his lips for a kiss. “I have to think about it. Right now, it’s shower and get back to work before Allan has a nervous breakdown.”

  When we return to the common area half an hour later, Tabatha is there talking to Allan. She glances in my direction and stands up. Her eyebrows are furrowed and her lips are nothing but a thin flat line.

  “Saylor, can I have a word with you for a moment?”

  I sense a lecture in my near future, but I guess I deserve one. I follow her back down to the studio and find it completely empty.

  “Where are the girls?”

  “They went out to grab something to eat.” Tabatha closes the door while I make a beeline for Rita.

  Without making eye contact, I ask, “What’s up, Tabby?”

  “Allan told me you gave Oliver your clean bill of health.” It’s impossible to miss the contempt in her tone. “I understand you don’t want people to know, but you’re with Oliver now. That’s not right.”

  I put Rita aside and glare at my friend. “I can’t tell him the truth. You know why.”

  She throws her hands up in the air. “Yes, I know why. But it doesn’t make it okay. You were already crossing a line before. Now you are just being a selfish bitch.”

  I wince at Tabatha’s outburst but she doesn’t stop there.

  “What do you think is going to happen when your condition gets worse, when you can no longer hide you are dying?”

  “I don’t know! I haven’t thought that far yet.”

  “I’ll tell you what’s going to happen. Oliver is going to lose his mind. That man is head over heels in love with you, and I know you feel the same way about him.”

  I hide my face between hands and feel the tears that are threatening to burst loose. “I don’t want him to suffer beforehand. I want to make him happy, even if it’s only for a short while.”

  Tabatha sits next to me and forces me to look at her. “Go see another doctor, Blue. Please.”

  I stand up abruptly and put some distance between us. “What’s up with everyone today trying to make me change my mind? Derek said the same thing.”

  “Derek? Shit, Saylor. Is he the one who gave you the false certificate?”

  “Yes.”

  She stands up as well and crosses her arms in front of her chest. “You are taking this too far. It’s going to blow up in your face and it won’t be pretty.”

  “You know what? I can’t be here.” I stride toward the door.

  “What are you doing? Running away again?”

  I ignore her jab and walk out the door.

  Twenty-
Three

  OLIVER

  I don’t know what Tabatha had to talk with Saylor about, but it must have been bad, because she left soon after and didn’t return. I called and texted her and all I got was one lame text back saying she needed some time alone. I tried to get Tabatha to explain what the hell had happened, but she was also not cooperative. That was yesterday.

  I went to bed alone for the first time since I got Saylor back, and I didn’t like it one bit. As a consequence, I’m in a sour mood this morning. When I make my way to the open area, Allan is already there.

  “Good morning, boss.”

  I grunt in response.

  “Can we talk before everyone gets here?”

  “Sure, mate.” I veer into the kitchen to make some coffee. I barely slept last night.

  “The PI I hired to look into that mysterious note came back with his first report.”

  That peaks my interest. “Any leads?”

  “I haven’t looked at it yet. I was waiting for you.”

  I haul my ass back to where Allan is, forgetting my caffeine fix for the moment. Allan opens a manila envelope and pulls from it not a stack of papers, but a stack of black and white photos.

  “What the bloody hell are those?”

  “Uh, I have no idea.”

  I start to go through the photos, while slowly, my blood begins to boil. It looks like the PI had actually being stalking Saylor.

  “I didn’t ask him to follow her.”

  “Me neither. I guess he was being thorough.”

  My hands freeze when I see a picture of Saylor having a beer with the bloke who almost ruined my mate’s wedding, Liv’s ex-boyfriend. I run through them all like a maniac and by the time I come to the last picture from the stack, my pulse is jamming in my ears and I have bile in my mouth.

  “What the fuck was she doing with him?” I ask out loud.

  “Who is that?”

  I jump out of my chair and make a grab for my key fob.

  “Where are you going?” Allan sounds alarmed.

  “To get fucking answers.”

  I try my best not to stomp the gas pedal, but my blood is pumping and giving myself limits is something completely foreign to me. It’s not even ten in the morning yet so I’m hoping to catch Saylor at home. I arrive at the Goulas’ residence at the same time Saylor is coming out the front gate. She freezes upon seeing me. I purposely park my car at an angle in front of hers, blocking it in case she wants to bail before explaining herself.

  I’m out in the next second, my body as tense as a coiled spring. I’m not making any attempt to hide how fucking angry I am. She notices my murderous expression—how could she not—and she takes a step back. Shit. I don’t want her to be afraid of me.

  “Ollie, did something happen?”

  “What were you doing with Liv’s ex-boyfriend the other day?” I stay close to my car and the gap between us feels like a chasm.

  Her face blanches at the same time her eyes widen. “What?”

  “You heard me. What were you doing with that guy?”

  She narrows her eyes at me and crosses her arms in front of her chest. “How do you know I met with Derek?”

  Ah, that is his fucking name.

  “I doesn’t matter how I know. You looked pretty chummy with him.”

  Saylor breaches the distance between us, her gaze now sparking with fury. “I’m going to ask you again, Oliver. How did you know I met with Derek? Did you have me followed?”

  Fuck. I guess I didn’t think things through.

  “It’s not what you think.”

  She takes a step back and throws her hands up in the air. “Oh, my God. You did. How dare you?”

  “I was worried about the note you received so I asked Allan to hire a PI to look into it. The guy followed you of his own accord. I didn’t order him to do it.”

  “You hired a PI?” Saylor pulls her hair back and begins to pace. “I can’t believe you did that. It’s just unbelievable.”

  “I was fucking worried about you!” I take a step in her direction but she raises a hand, signaling me to stop.

  “It doesn’t make what you did right. I can’t even look at you right now.”

  I don’t mistake the disappointed tone of her voice, and it guts me like nothing else. I knew I would screw things up, I just didn’t know how fast.

  “Please remove your car. I need to get out of here.”

  “Where are you going?”

  She levels me with a glare. “I’m going to work. We have a record to finish.”

  SAYLOR

  Son of a bitch. I can’t believe Oliver hired PI and had me followed. For a moment I thought he had found out about the blood clot and my decision, but it turned out he was just suffering from major misplaced jealousy. I shouldn’t be pissed, I’m the biggest liar in this whole mess, but I can’t help the feeling. He invaded my privacy, whether with good intentions or not.

  I don’t know how I managed to drive back to Renegades HQ in one piece. The altercation has left my entire body shaking and my head is now throbbing. Nausea hits out of nowhere and I almost don’t make it to the bathroom. Luckily, there’s one next to the studio in the basement and nobody is around yet. When I go up the stairs, Allan stares at me with a guilt stricken expression.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “I can’t talk to you right now. I have work to do.” I make a beeline for the fridge to get some chilled water so I can take my medicine for the migraine.

  “Where’s Oliver?”

  “Don’t know. Don’t care.”

  With bottled water in hand, I head back to the basement, and try my best to control my ire. I don’t want to talk about the pictures or the argument with Oliver. As always, l let the music work its miracle, I let it cure my sorrows. When the girls arrive, I don’t engage much with them. Tabatha is still upset with me and acting aloof. Fortunately, Remi and Sticks are oblivious to the tension.

  We practice the new songs, and after our lunch break, I decide to head to the beach for inspiration. I need to compose at least two more songs and I can’t find my muse locked in that basement. I leave Rita behind, because what good would a guitar be without amps, and grab the acoustic guitar mounted on the wall instead. The sun is out, but we’re finally experiencing a little bit of autumn chill. I’m wearing a short dress for once and the soft breeze leaves goose bumps on my skin in its wake. I pull the zipper of my hoodie all the way up, which is enough to ward most of the cold away. I didn’t have the foresight to bring a towel, and when I sit down, the cold sand is a little bit of a shock against my skin. I keep the guitar on my lap, conscious not to get any sand on it, and stare out at the ocean. But instead of finding peace, my chest feels heavier, and my eyes prickle. Damn it, I didn’t come here to cry. A single rogue tear manages to escape the corner of my eye and I quickly wipe it off. A moment later, Allan finds me.

  “Saylor, may I sit down?”

  “The beach is public.”

  He crosses his legs and sits next to me. “Don’t be mad at Oliver. This whole PI mess is my fault.”

  “Wasn’t it Oliver who asked you to hire one?”

  “Yes, but not to investigate you.”

  I take a deep breath. “This is all for nothing. The note was most likely a prank.”

  “You didn’t receive any new ones?”

  I shake my head. “Nope.”

  “I hope you are right, Saylor. But if you do receive another threat, will you please let me know?”

  I turn to look at him. “Why, so you can run and tell Oliver?” I can’t keep the bite out of my tone, even though I know Allan has good intentions.

  “No. Because I don’t want anything to happen to you. If you have a stalker we need to deal with it. They are dangerous.”

  “It sounds like you have experience.”

  “Not me, but my mother. It can get nasty.”

  Allan is right, I shouldn’t shove this matter under the rug if it happens again. It’s not only my saf
ety at stake here, but Mandy’s too.

  “I’ll tell you if I receive another threat. I promise.”

  Twenty-Four

  SAYLOR

  A week goes by and Oliver and I are still not talking. He hasn’t apologized for what he did. He hasn’t said anything to me actually. I can’t decide what I’m mostly angry about, being followed by a fucking PI or Oliver’s insane jealousy. Does he think I would cheat on him with Liv’s ex—or with any other guy for that matter? Am I not allowed to have male friends anymore?

  For the past seven days, I’ve locked myself in the studio and by some miracle, I was able to finish the three songs I had been working on. Mercifully, Remi and Sticks were there to help. Usually, it’s Tabatha who helps with the creative, but she’s still mad at me. If I knew she would try to change my mind at every turn, I wouldn’t have told her about the blood clot.

  Allan finally booked us recording studio time and we are there for three days. On the first day, we were like kids discovering Christmas for the first time. The excitement was palpable. It’s the second day today and the many hours of non-stop hard work is beginning to take a toll on my body. It’s a grim realization, the old Saylor wouldn’t be feeling so drained.

  Each instrument gets recorded separately for every song in a process called multitrack recording and combined later in a mix. It allows engineers to mold and shape the sound of each instrument independently from the others. I’ve already recorded the acoustic guitar arrangements for my solo with Oliver and if everything goes as planned, Oliver and I will have studio time together later today. I’m not looking forward to it.

  Right now, it’s Sticks’ turn inside the magical box—the name Remi gave to the recording room and we all adopted. When Sticks does her solo thing, it’s impossible not to fall under the spell of her sound. The drums are not the heart of a band for nothing, and she’s one of the most talented musicians I’ve ever seen.

  She gets totally in the zone behind the drums and she becomes a different person, a titan among us mere mortals. I’m watching her through the glass when Allan stops next to me.