Just Jayne

by Ripley Proserpina

  “Yes,” Diego replied. “For now. It’s just an after-party. We can handle an hour with Blanca.”

  “We’re going to have to handle more than an hour with her,” Klaus added. “We need a new manager. I’ve put out feelers, but the whole process… you remember how long it took for us to find Warner.”

  “Warner’s not your manager anymore?” I asked. It was starting to get dark outside and I’d been staring out the window. Diego and Blanca’s voices were stuck in my head, and I couldn’t stop replaying their lyrics.

  Klaus shifted in his seat. He stared at me for a moment and then said, “Not after the way he talked to you. It was unacceptable.”

  My stomach clenched nervously. What had I done? I hadn’t meant for the man to lose his job. “I don’t want you to change your lives because of me.”

  “Don’t take this on yourself,” Ten said. “We were planning on getting rid of him. His attitude just pushed us a little faster. It’s been a long time coming, Jaynie.”

  “Is it very hard to get a new manager?” I asked.

  “It’s not hard to get a new one,” Lee said. “But it’s hard to get the right one. Warner was great in the beginning. But eventually—” He shrugged. “It happens.”

  “What happens?”

  “It’s difficult,” Lee said. “They go between us and the studios, us and the producers. They organize our tours and set up promotion. Our success feels like their success. And they’re tied together, for sure, but the music is the reason that we have any of these opportunities. They forget that.”

  “So this has happened before.”

  Klaus snorted. ‘Unfortunately. And it will probably happen again. Hopefully we’ll get a few good years out of the new manager. Warner, was what? Ten years?”

  That was a long time to have your life revolving around a group of people. I felt bad for Warner. Yeah, he was mean and overbearing, but he’d worked for Rochester’s for a long time.

  In the third row of seats, Ten rolled down his window. Cool air overlaid with the smell of exhaust filled the car.

  “Close it!” Diego and Klaus yelled.

  “Shut up,” Ten replied. “You made me sit in the back seat. This is what happens. Now I’m car sick.”

  “Switch with me,” I said, taking off my seatbelt. I moved to climb over the back of the seat, but Lee grabbed me.

  “Buckle up!”

  Ten grabbed my arms and pulled me back. In one move, he had me between him and Diego and buckled my belt. “I feel better already.”

  Lee and Klaus were glaring at him, but he wasn’t bothered. He flung his arm around my shoulders. “Are you ready for an after party?

  “I was thinking maybe I’d just go back to the house. I don’t want to make more trouble for you.”

  “You’re not making trouble,” Ten said.

  “Why would you think that?” Klaus asked.

  Lee put his arm over the back of the seat and turned to face me. “Is this too much for you?” The car went silent.

  “No.” It wasn’t. Not at all. But my life was so much simpler than theirs. “Will it bother you if people find out about me?”

  They were silent a beat too long. “We’re not keeping you a secret,” Lee said.

  But there was a reason to. They didn’t say what it was, but I felt like it was there, underlying the silence and the way they’d played off the questions about their relationships on that show today.

  “We’re here,” Doug said from the front seat. The car pulled to the curb in front of a club. Photographers lined the sidewalk, but were held back by a velvet rope. It was a very flimsy barrier.

  I adjusted the hem of the dress I wore and tucked my hair behind my ear. At the end of their performance, we’d gone back in the dressing room and this had been waiting for me. It was fancier, and tighter, than what I usually wore. I didn’t feel like myself in it and now that I had to get out of the car, I was feeling like I’d made a huge mistake in not protesting more about it.

  “You look beautiful.” Ten kissed my cheek, and I took a breath. When the door opened, Lee and Klaus got out first. They waited for me, giving me a little bit of privacy to wiggle out of the backseat without flashing everyone.

  “Diego!”

  “Lee!”

  “Klaus!”

  “Tennyson! Tennyson look here! Who’s the girl?”

  The guys waved, smiled, and signed a few autographs, but they didn’t say a word to the photographers. Lee kept his hand on the small of my back. It anchored me when the flashes went off and all I could see were bright spots.

  “Diego, who’s the girl? Is this the girl from the beach? Look here, hon! Hey! Hey!”

  The less we gave them, the more demanding they got. As we stepped into the club, I heard someone yell, “You could do better, Lee!”

  My body heated, and I concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. “Don’t pay attention to them,” Lee said when the door shut.

  Music blared all around us, so loud I could feel it through the soles of my shoes. I nodded to show I’d heard him. Lips firming into a straight line, he started to lean toward me but someone tapped him on the shoulder. I didn’t know who it was, and I couldn’t hear their introduction when they held their hand out to me to shake.

  Lee put his hand on my back again, and we followed the man into the club. A crowd of people danced in the middle of the floor, but along the sides were levels of seating. We went upstairs to a balcony that overlooked the dance floor. There was a private bar and a table with comfortable seating.

  Leading us to the table, Lee waited for me to sit. Klaus, Diego, and Ten came upstairs a few seconds behind us and sat around me.

  “What can I get you to drink?” Ten leaned over and yelled the question into my ear.

  “Just a soda,” I replied.

  Ten made a noise and waved his hand. “I’ll get you something.”

  “A soda!” I called as he stood, but he couldn’t hear me. Or he was ignoring me, either one was possible.

  The man who’d brought us upstairs was engaged in conversation with Lee and Klaus. They were smiling and nodding, and at one point, they stood and went to the edge of the balcony. Diego stood and joined them, and the crowd below them erupted into applause. They waved until the waitress brought them drinks. They seemed so comfortable. Sipping their drinks and talking to strangers. The noise and lights didn’t bother them. They were in their element.

  Ten slid a drink in front of me. “Try it,” he said in my ear.

  “I know better than to accept drinks from strange men,” I teased, and he laughed.

  “Try it,” he said again, and I took a sip. It tasted like cherries.

  “It’s good! What is it?”

  “A dirty Shirley,” he said. “I thought it would be a good drink for you.”

  I took another sip. I really liked it. “That’s a funny name.”

  “Have you ever heard of a Shirley Temple?” he asked.

  I nodded and pulled the maraschino cherry out of the glass. I plucked the fruit from the stem and chewed. Ten’s eyes were on mouth, and self-conscious, I licked my lips. With a groan, he darted forward and kissed me.

  His tongue swept into my mouth, trailing along my tongue and teeth. He pulled back for a second, “Take another sip,” he said. Closing his hand over mine, he lifted the glass to my lips and watched me. The liquid hadn’t passed my lips before he kissed me again.

  He kept his hand around mine, holding the glass between us as he tasted me. Everything seemed to go quiet and dark while he kissed me. There was only him and me. I wasn’t in a club, overwhelmed by the music and lights. I was just with Ten, letting him kiss my sip of cherries from my lips.

  When he finally stopped, I was breathless. But so was he.

  Klaus, Lee, and Diego were still talking with the man from earlier, but their gazes were on me.

  I suddenly remembered what Klaus had said, back during his interview. “What did Klaus mean,” I asked, “when
he said that Diego won rock paper scissors?”

  Ten settled back in his chair but kept his arm over the back of mine. “I think they were jealous of me spending the night with you,” he said. “The game was to decide who got the next bit of alone time.”

  Diego had won. “And I spent the day with Diego,” I said.

  “I know.” Ten chuckled. “It worked out for the lucky bastard.” He frowned a moment later. “I don’t like how it came to happen, but it seemed good for Diego. Whatever it was you did.”

  “We went to the beach,” I said, but my cheeks heated.

  “The beach? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”

  Lee broke away from the group and strode toward us. He leaned over the table, blocking Ten. “Do you want to dance?”

  The music seemed to slow, the bass deepening to keep pace with my heartbeat. I pictured the bodies on the floor. The people danced confidently, oozing sexuality. Lee caught my hesitation.

  “I’m a good leader,” he said. “Trust me.”

  Okay, then. I put my hand in his and let him lead me downstairs onto the crowded floor. We were surrounded by people, none of whom seemed to notice us. Lee lifted my arm, placing it over his shoulder and then eased my hips to his. He began to move slowly, a gentle back and forth glide that was easy enough for me to imitate.

  He stepped closer to me, one leg going between mine, and he brought me even closer. Our chests touched. He kept me there, locked against his body with an arm around my back.

  The music changed, and so did his rhythm. He spun me around and pulled me against him. He ground himself against my ass, and I could feel him getting harder with each roll of my hips. I shut my eyes, letting myself feel the music.

  Lee’s lips pressed against my neck while one hand dropped to my stomach, easing me against him. I lifted one arm, draping it behind his head and letting my fingers play in his hair.

  The music seemed to get even louder, and for the first time, I didn’t care. I had Lee moving his body against mine, building up my desire, and I didn’t care who saw it.

  Until someone touched my hips. My eyes popped open, and I saw Klaus smiling down at me. “Do you mind?” he asked, and I shook my head.

  I thought Lee would leave us, but he didn’t. He continued to press into me from behind while Klaus took the position he’d had earlier. He held my hips and got closer until his knee fit between my legs.

  I glanced around, worried we were making a spectacle of ourselves, but no one was looking. In fact, there were people around us doing much more graphic things than dancing.

  The way that Klaus moved and the persistent thrust of Lee against my back was making my core throb. I wanted more of this. More dancing. More touch.

  But I couldn’t stop my thoughts from whirring. I couldn’t take that step where I just let go and let myself feel.

  Klaus and Lee had me, I knew that, but they were rock stars. I was just a girl who’d been caught in their orbit.

  As if he sensed the change in me, Klaus stepped away. He leaned over and kissed my cheek before glancing back at Lee. Then he gave a slight nod and left us.

  “Come on,” Lee said. He hooked his arm around my elbow and brought me outside. Our feet hadn’t touched the sidewalk when people began yelling at us again. He ignored them, leading me to the car and opening the door so I could get in.

  The driver pulled away from the curb, and I put my hands over my ears. They rang, and my head felt full of cotton.

  “Where are we going?” I asked Lee.

  “Home,” he said. “I needed to get you out of there.” His gaze locked on mine, and he undid his seatbelt to slide toward me. “I hope that was okay.”

  “Yes,” I answered. My voice sounded too loud for the car, and I winced.

  Lee glanced at the front seat and pressed a button on the door. With a whir, a privacy screen lifted between us and the front seat. He touched my bare knee, creeping his fingers up my leg. “You were beautiful out there,” he said. “Eyes closed, head thrown back. I haven’t seen you like that yet.” He traced circles on my skin while holding my gaze. “I wished the club was empty.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “There were so many people and…”

  Shaking his head, he stopped me. “It was a smart move. They weren’t paying attention, but you never know. And I don’t want anyone else seeing what I want to see.”

  “What do you want to see?” I asked.

  He dragged my underwear aside and pushed a finger inside me. I sucked in a breath and shifted on the seat, letting my knees fall apart. Leaning forward until we were a breath away, he studied my lips. “I want to see you come,” he said.

  He twisted his hand and pressed his palm against my mound while inserting another finger. My head fell back, and I held onto the seat as he drove me higher. The window was cool against my palm, and I pressed against it harder. “Lee,” I warned him. When I opened my eyes, I saw he’d managed to move my dress out of the way. I was exposed to him, and he was enthralled.

  With a sudden jerk, he ripped my panties off and pushed his fingers back in me. The heel of his hand was pressed right against me, and he pulsed it gently in time with his fingers.

  I came on a long exhale, twitching and clenching around his fingers.

  “That’s for me to see,” he said. His voice was tight, and when I opened my eyes, he was breathing heavily.

  The car pulled to a stop, and he jumped out. We were home, thank god.

  He held his hand out to me, and I took it. I wasn’t aware of anything as we hurried inside and upstairs.

  We didn’t stop on the second floor. He brought me up another set of stairs and then led me out into a huge open room. This was the one with the long balcony that I could see from the beach.

  There was a piano in the middle of the room, a drum set, and a couple of guitars. They were set up like they were meant to be played at any second.

  Two long leather couches framed the instruments, and I imagined people sitting there, listening to Rochester’s Pathos and wondering how they’d gotten so lucky.

  “It was amazing,” I said. I touched the cool piano keys. “Watching you guys play tonight.”

  “I thought about you watching,” Lee said, coming to stand next to me. He kissed my bare shoulder and pressed down on my fingers so the piano notes sounded. “I think we all were aware of that. We probably played better because of it.”

  “Private concert,” I said.

  “Do you have a favorite song?” he asked. His lips were still on my skin, and my brain was just not computing anything except the sensation.

  “You can’t ask me questions and kiss me like this,” I complained.

  He touched my hips, spinning me until my back was against the piano. The keys sounded discordant as my weight pressed them down.

  “I can do whatever I like.” Grabbing my dress next to my thighs, he lifted it until it sat, rolled at my waist. He was hard, and I traced him through his pants. “You’re so beautiful,” he said, drawing back a little. “With your rosy cheeks. You want me.”

  “I do,” I said. I wanted him so badly.

  Gaze on mine, he unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off of his shoulder. Before, I could only see a hint of his tattoos, but now I could make out all the intricate script. I traced the words with my fingertips before leaning forward to kiss it. “What does it mean?” I asked and grazed my lips across his collarbone.

  “Astra inclinant, sed non obligant,” he whispered. His belt jangled as he undid it. I helped him push his pants over his hips until he could kick out of them. We stared at each other, chests heaving. “The stars incline us, they do not bind us,” he whispered.

  “You make your own fate,” I interpreted.

  He smiled slowly. “Of course you get it.” He kissed me and spun me around. His hand remained at my back as he brought me to the floor. The carpet beneath us was thick but soft. Lee settled between my legs, nestling against me until his length slipped along my f
olds.

  Pulling back, he slid forward again, covering himself in the moisture he’d conjured there. Then, eyes on mine, he pressed into me.

  I gasped at the sensation of him filling me. He was thick and stretched me, but he held himself still to give me time to adjust.

  It wasn’t until I began to move that he did. He shifted his weight, leaning over so he could kiss my breasts. He circled my nipple with his tongue then drew it hard into his mouth. He sucked in time with his thrusts, and I held his head to me.

  I curled up, lifting my knees until I could grip his hips because it was all starting to be too much. Each stroke dragged him against that place inside me that made my stomach quiver.

  I gripped him, fingers digging into his back and came.

  Lee cried out, thrusting shallowly as he exploded. Sweat covered my body, but he only gathered me closer. “You fell into our lives and that may have been fate. But you’re mine now, Jayne. And I’m not letting you go. No matter what happens.”

  “I’m not planning on going anywhere.” It was the truth. As long as they wanted me, they had me.

  “Good,” he said. He rolled to his back and took me with him so I was perched on top of him. I let my head fall onto his chest and listened to his heart pounding.

  “What was your last job like?” he asked.

  It was such a random question, I popped up from my spot to stare at him. Lifting his head, he snuck his arm beneath it. He had tattoos all over his biceps. Completely distracted, I studied the illustrations within illustrations.

  “Jayne.” His breath tickled my neck. “Focus.”

  Right. “My job before…” It was hard to think about anything when I was this close and his body was pressed against mine. “I was a private tutor in New York City.”

  “I know there has to be more to it than that.”

  “Well, I can’t tell you about my students, or their family.” I’d signed an NDA the same way I did for his.

  “Oh, come on,” he said, kissing my neck.

  “I can’t,” I replied. My eyes rolled back in my head at the feeling of his lips on my skin. “But I can tell you about my lesson plans.” My eyes popped open. “Hold on! You’re a teacher. Were you in the Peace Corps?”