Broken Melody (Graffiti On Tour Series)

by Jennifer Miller

  “Maddox,” I whisper, “I want-”

  “What? What do you want?” he asks me urgently while his body moves against mine and in doing so makes my mind feel fuzzy.

  “I want you to-”

  Before I can say another word light floods the room as the door is opened and air rushes in along with loud music and a wave of coherence. Maddox quickly covers my body with his own protecting my partially naked body from the person at the door.

  “Jesus!” The person curses, likely startled by our presence. “What the hell are you doing in here?”

  “Uh, sorry. Give us a minute and we’ll get out.”

  “Yeah, that would be great, since you’re standing in front of the mop I need.”

  “Dude, shut the door for a second,” Maddox says with a growl.

  “Fine, but I’m counting to ten and opening it again.” He closes it and when Maddox turns to me, I’ve already replaced my clothing and am working on straightening them and fixing my hair.

  “Okay?” he asks me and I nod forgetting he probably can’t see me. “Y-yes,” I stammer, my voice gravelly and my lips feeling swollen from his kisses.

  He turns just as the door swings open again and the two of us leave the closet, Maddox scowling at the poor guy just wanting to get his mop. Thank god there aren’t many people in the hallway, because I would be mortified if we had a large audience. Maddox takes my hand and leads me back to the stairs toward the VIP section. When we enter the room, I’m relieved to see no one but the bartender is inside. I head straight to the bar and ask for a drink. He smiles and tries to flirt, but I’m distracted by the feeling of Maddox staring at me from across the room making heat run through my body. I’m so attuned to him it’s almost uncomfortable. My body is still primed for him – I was ready and willing to be fucked against the wall, and I’m not even ashamed of it. I can still feel his mouth on me, his hands. My blood is on fire from his touch and I can’t even find it within me to be embarrassed that I wish we had never been interrupted. I had no intention of stopping.

  Part of me wonders what the hell I’m thinking. Is this a good idea? Would it ruin what I’ve got going before it even starts? If so then why did kissing him feel so right? Together in that closet, his body should feel new to me, unfamiliar, but instead it was almost as if I’ve held him and loved him in my dreams before. It felt…right.

  Turning with drink in hand, I face him to find his gaze is still on me. I take a sip watching him over the rim of my glass while he in turn watches every move I make. I lick the liquor off my bottom lip, and he bites his own watching me do so. I smile at his response to me and I swear I hear what sounds like a growl from the other side of the room. I feel beautiful, even sexy, in his eyes and it’s a feeling I haven’t felt in some time.

  Just as I take a step toward him ready to suggest that we get the hell out of here and head to my place, we’re interrupted. It takes a moment for me to understand what’s happening. There’s a smiling bouncer that walks into the room and greets Maddox; they’ve barely said ‘hello’ when immediately following him inside are three unfamiliar women. They’re chatting, but mostly it’s their obnoxious giggles when they look at Maddox that makes me practically sneer and raise a brow.

  They’re all dressed in very short dresses that reveal a hell of a lot of skin, so much so, it’s not hard to see exactly what they’ve got going on underneath. They’ve all got drinks in their hands, but they discard them on a table as they move to Maddox.

  It appears he opens his mouth to say something, but before he can, they’re surrounding him. The same body I was just touching, caressing, grabbing and kissing moments before, they are now touching. Everywhere. I suddenly feel like a voyeur forgetting that I was here first.

  It barely registers when Britt walks into the room with the other guys on her heels. The guys each have a girl with them as well and they barely spare a look at Maddox. Glancing at Britt I watch her take in the sight before me, but before I can say anything to her my eyes are back on Maddox.

  He’s trying, but failing, to brush their hands off of his body. “Come on Maddy baby, we just want to have some fun,” a blonde from a bottle tells him as she brushes a hand across the front of his thighs.

  Britt is now squeezing my arm and somehow I manage to tear my gaze away from the freak show across the room and stare at her blankly. I mouth the word ‘Maddy’ to her and I know the look on my face is disgusted, because ew.

  “Yeah, baby, we know how you like it. We’re here for another round – let’s make headlines again,” says a brunette with a dress cut so low I have no clue how her boobs aren’t falling out.

  “We missed you. It’s been what…two or three weeks since we were last naked? That’s too long,” a redhead pouts shamelessly.

  I feel frozen and I’m not sure why. It’s not like I haven’t seen something like this before, hell, I see it all the time at the bar where I work. I’ve read the tabloid reports about Maddox – who hasn’t – and I know what the stories say. Maybe part of me thought that it was all made up – fake. It’s different seeing it right in front of my face. Right in front of my face immediately after my hands were just on that same body. When I felt like he was about to be mine. Stupid. I’m so stupid.

  Turning to Britt again, I give her a look that screams get me the hell out of here without having to say a word. “Sailor and I are going to go dance again,” she tells the room. She takes my arm and we move toward the door.

  “Sailor-” Maddox calls.

  I take a breath, then turn to him and offer a wave, “Have fun,” I call out with a frozen smile on my face before turning back around and making a quick exit with Britt.

  She waits until we’re down the stairs and on the edge of the dance floor before speaking. “Okay, are we going to begin operation make him jealous, or operation get us the hell home?” she asks.

  I don’t even have to think about it, “Get us home,” I tell her.

  She nods, “Ten-four,” she says and even salutes and it almost generates a laugh from me. Her hopeful look turns into a frown as she pulls her phone from her purse to get us a driving service. She’s done quickly, “We’re lucky. There was a guy at the end of the block. By the time we walk out of the building he should be here.”

  Nodding, we hold hands as we weave through the crowd, not wanting to lose one another. Just as we head through the doorway to exit the club, I turn back and look toward the window where our VIP area was located. I’m not sure what I’m expecting. Maddox standing there waving me back, or maybe that I would find he’s behind me, cutting through the crowd trying to make his way to me, to ask me not to leave. But, there’s nothing. He probably barely even noticed my departure. With a sigh, I drop my head, turn and follow Britt out the door.

  Britt waits until we’re inside the car before she turns to me, “Alright, spill.”

  “Um, maybe we should wait until we get home,” I tell her nervously not wanting to talk in front of the driver. I guess I need to think about these things now, there are eyes and ears everywhere.

  “Aw honey, you ain’t got to worry about me, sugar. I’ve done seen it all,” the driver says. The badge on the passenger mirror says, ‘Rodrigo Hernandez.’

  “Thanks, Rodrigo. I just don’t feel like talking about it.”

  “Suit yourself, sugar. I’ve been there done that myself. Boys, they sure are the devil’s candy. You know you shouldn’t suck it, but it tastes so good.”

  Britt and I look at each other, eyes wide, before we start laughing hard and loud. When we catch our breath Britt says, “That is so damn true.”

  After Britt exchanges numbers with our friendly driver, we are finally home. I’ll hand it to her – she manages to wait until I kick my shoes off and place my purse on the counter before she dives in. “So, have a little fun with Maddox tonight did you?”

  Turning to her, I ask, “How do you know that?”

  “Well, when I walked into the room, the look on your face would have
been enough, but he was also wearing your lipstick, songbird,” she says with a laugh.

  “Oh my god!” I yell and head to the mirror to check out my reflection. My lipstick is a bit smeared and I groan with embarrassment. “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “I was too concerned with getting us out of there. But now that we’re here, you should probably text one of them so they know you are home and safe.”

  “I only have Maddox’s number.”

  “Then text him.”

  I hesitate, not really wanting to speak to him, but knowing that it’s futile. I’m about to spend a hell of a lot of time with him so I need to act like the mature adult I am. Taking a deep breath, I look at Britt, “I don’t wanna,” I whine making her laugh.

  “Fine. Then they will go crazy searching the club for you not knowing for sure if you left, if you were hurt, if you were abducted-”

  “Oh, please. I think he probably knows I left, but fine. I’ll do it.” Taking my phone from my purse I type out a text, delete it, reword it, and delete it again.

  Sighing, Britt grabs the phone from me - types something - then hands it back to me, “There.”

  Looking down at the screen I see she’s typed, “Went home to give you alone time for your ménage. Don’t forget the lube.”

  “Oh my god, Britt! Not funny! I’m not sending that.”

  “Fine. Then send something already so you can tell me what the hell happened.”

  I type out a quick note – “Grabbed a driver and came home with Britt. See you tomorrow at practice.” Sending it, I exhale, walk to the couch and sit. “I totally made out with Maddox in a dark closet that smelled kind of like moth balls and I liked the hell out of it. The making out. Not the moth balls.”

  “Atta girl! Give me all the details,” Britt says sitting on the other end of the couch massaging her now bare feet.

  “We were dancing, and things got…heated. I was tipsy and told him I wanted privacy and so he grabbed my hand and we found some in the form of a closet.”

  “Close quarters, nice,” Britt says eyes wide and following every word.

  “And so when we got inside, we…”

  “Attacked each other with your mouths?” Britt asks making me laugh.

  “I guess you could say that. We just seemed to combust. Our mouths and hands were everywhere. I couldn’t get enough.”

  “Sounds hot.”

  “It was, but it was more than that. It was…uninhibited. I felt…”

  “You felt free. Connected. Trusting.”

  “Yes. I mean, usually, since…since…”

  “I know.”

  “Well once I started dating again, every move, every word, every action – I was methodical about controlling it. Even with Trevor-”

  “The orgasm warrior.”

  “Yes,” I smile at her words. “Even with Trevor things were never wild. Not in the way that this simple moment was with Maddox. And I don’t know what that means. I don’t know why I would allow myself to completely let go like that with someone I barely even know. And then, we were interrupted by an employee opening the closet, but if we hadn’t been…if we hadn’t been Britt, I would have totally had sex with him right up against that wall.”

  She sighs, “Wall sex is so hot.”

  “You’re not helping.”

  “Sorry, it’s just, I’m living through you.” She switches feet and massages her other foot. “Look, I think you shouldn’t read too much into it. If you do, you’ll drive yourself crazy. Chalk it up to a fun moment and let it go. I mean, I know you, and after what you saw, some of those warm and fuzzy’s have fled, yeah?”

  “Yeah, a bit,” I mumble thinking of all those hands on the body I had just worshipped myself.

  “And rehearsals start tomorrow, right?”

  “Yeah, they do.”

  “Then if I were you, I would do my best to brush it off, and let it go for now. Your rehearsals are too important and you will be stressed enough.”

  “Yeah, good point,” I nod and then yawn feeling tired suddenly and ready for bed.

  “But of course you need to go in there tomorrow looking hot as hell.”

  I laugh, “Of course.”

  “That’s my girl,” she says with a nod.

  Standing, I stretch, “I’m heading to bed. I’ve got a long day tomorrow. Rehearsal mid morning and work at night.”

  “Alright, I’m headed to bed myself. Sweet dreams,” she tells me and I smile.

  Later, when I’m in the shower, washing the sweat from my skin dancing induced, I find myself reliving every moment I shared with Maddox tonight. Thoughts of each kiss make my lips tingle; his touch is imprinted upon my skin. Part of me wishes I could wipe the feelings away like a smudge on glass. Instead, my face and body heats once more at the recollection and I find my hand moving south eager to ease the burn.

  Strumming my guitar I try to act like this isn’t the tenth time I’ve looked at the door waiting eagerly for Sailor to arrive. It’s our first practice with her and I’m anxious to get started. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself. But I know the real reason. I want to see Sailor again. First I need to determine how pissed off she is at me after last night. Maybe I’ll be lucky and she’ll understand, think nothing of it, and then I can flirt with her a bit and we can get back to the way we were together last night – before it all went to shit.

  Looking around the room, I almost laugh. Nixon, Henley and Rocco are already here too. We booked time at a studio downtown, and I arrived first. It wasn’t long after I checked us in and was given a studio number before they each started to arrive – one after the other. All looked tired and hung over, yet somehow all here early. None of us have said a word about it to the other, but we all know this is the first time in… hell I don’t know how long… that we’ve all not only shown up on time, but early. Clearly, I’m not the only one feeling a bit of anticipation and excitement about adding Sailor to the group today which is ironic considering how much we’ve all bitched about it since receiving the ultimatum.

  While waiting, I absently start playing a song, but it’s just setting the background music to the thoughts running through my head. Last night watching Sailor leave the club made me feel emotions I don’t quite understand. Emotions I don’t think I care to define. I keep replaying what happened between us over and over in my mind. How it felt to dance with her, our bodies pressed close together. I think about how much I liked kissing her, having my hands on her, being pressed against her. I can feel myself hardening again at the thought and shift in my seat to ease the pressure. Her body under my hands seemed to come alive. It was like trying to hold an exploding firecracker. Over and over again I imagine what it would have been like to get her underneath me, naked, sweaty and wanting. To have had more time to kiss her, touch her, press against her. Her body under my hands seemed to come alive. I need a swift kick in the ass. I never should have gone back up to the VIP area with her. I should have taken her hand and left, leaving everyone else that came with us on their own. If I had been smart, I would have brought her back to my place and finished what we started.

  Instead, I led her back up the stairs and to what was the beginning of the end of our night. That fucking bouncer ruined everything when he let the triplets into the room. Before I could begin to handle them, I saw the look that swept over Sailor’s face. I saw her want for me fade into disgust as she heard the words they spoke. I saw the fire in her eyes dim to ashes, blowing away as she took in the scene before her. Watching her emotions made my own throat feel scorched from shame and words to explain escaped me.

  As much as I hadn’t wanted her to leave it was a good thing she left when she did. Initially, I kindly told the girls I wasn’t interested in hanging out and to please leave. They continued to touch me, hang on me, and tell me the things they wanted to do together. Becoming increasingly angry, at the security guard, at them, at the fact Sailor walked out the door – my demands became more assertive. I called for the b
ouncer to remove them. In response, one started crying and another grabbed onto my leg like a toddler and refused to let go.

  Looking at them in disbelief, I was distracted by Nixon returning to the room and laughing his ass off. Instead of helping, he pulled out his phone to take a video. The asshole. Finally, hearing the commotion, other bouncers appeared and managed to get the girls out of the room. It was all fucking ridiculous but also my fault.

  They acted stupidly, but initially they were only asking for a repeat of what I’d done with them before. I’d made headlines with them previously. It wasn’t long ago we were all photographed stumbling out of the club together. Like a douche I smirked at the camera like I was some hot shot. They were all hanging on me, and drunk as hell we got into our waiting car and left. But not before creating a spectacle that was captured in all the gossip columns the next day. Predictions of how long before I imploded were made as well as predictions I was headed to rehab soon for drug and alcohol addiction.

  Truth is, I’ve never touched a fucking drug. Well, there was that one time that I smoked weed with the guys in high school. We thought we were badass when Henley managed to steal some of his mom’s stash. We all went down to the beach and tried it. I got sick from it, and have never cared to try it again. To my knowledge the guys stay away from the hard stuff too although I have seen them smoke weed backstage before or after a show. I prefer a clear head when I perform. The crowd, music, and my guitar in my hands are all the high I need.

  After Sailor left, all I wanted to do was leave as well. Unfortunately, we hung out a little while longer. When the girls had been removed, Nixon told me that Henley was hooking up with some girl but asked us to wait so he could still catch a ride. Rocco eventually joined us and we all sat together discussing song ideas and our upcoming rehearsals. It felt like hours later when Henley finally joined us looking quite satisfied with himself and we were able to get out of there.