FRAUD: An Unfit Hero Novel

by Faiman, Hayley

  She smiles, her feet beginning to move as she walks over toward me. “I seem to always ride you when we’re outside alone,” she informs.

  I think back to the times she’s found me outside, in my studio, or wherever else she’s stumbled across me in the middle of the night and she’s not wrong. I guess it’s my turn to do some of the work.

  Standing, I turn around to face her. I watch as her eyes flick down to my cock, which is standing at attention now, just at the mention of her riding me. Closing the distance between us, I back her against the wall that’s next to the door and slam my palm down next to her head.

  My other hand gently glides up the outside of her thigh, moving up and under my shirt, then slide my fingers over until I dance them down her mound and touch her clit.

  Hutton hisses, her eyes widening as her breath comes out in a slow sigh. “Beaumont,” she exhales.

  Sliding two fingers inside of her, I gently begin to pump in and out of her warm body. She’s still wet from earlier, still sticky from my cum and my cock aches to feel our combined release that is still inside of her warm center.

  Hutton wraps her fingers around my shoulder, digging her nails into my flesh like she often enjoys. I don’t mind it at all, either, not one single fucking bit. Dipping my chin, I touch my lips to hers. Slipping inside of her mouth, I moan as her taste floods my tongue. Everything about her is so fucking sweet.

  She widens one of her legs, hitching it around my hip as she shifts her body, tilting her hips, silently begging for more of my fingers. Touching my thumb to her clit, I begin to rub at the same time my tongue fucks her mouth.

  Hutton moans down my throat and that’s when I lose my shit. Moving my hand from between her legs, I grab ahold of the backs of her thighs and pick her up, pushing her back against the wall for leverage.

  Aligning my cock with her center, I slowly dive inside of her. Her eyes widen, her breath hitches and then her lips turn up into a slow smile.

  “How does it always feel that amazing?” she asks breathlessly.

  I smirk, dipping my chin and touching my lips to hers. “Because we’re made for one another, darlin’, it’ll always feel that good.”

  Without allowing her to respond, I smash my lips to hers and I fuck her out in the open, on a balcony in a small town in California. When she comes, I’m sure she wakes up the entire fucking hotel, but I don’t care, because I finally made her scream.

  Finally.

  HUTTON

  I stretch, reaching beside me and finding the bed cold, again. I smile as my eyes slowly flutter open. I’m not surprised that the hotel room is completely silent. Beaumont isn’t one for sleep, ever. If I know him, he’s either out on the balcony, or gone and practicing for his show tonight. I feel as though I’ve come to know him pretty well over the last couple of months, and that’s just his pattern.

  Rolling onto my side, I reach for my phone, finding a note resting on top of it. I quickly open it, recognizing his scrawl.

  JESSE AND I TOOK OFF. COFFEE AND DONUTS ON THE TABLE. I’LL COME BY AND PICK YOU GIRLS UP AT FOUR FOR SOUNDCHECK. BE READY.

  MISS YOU ALREADY.

  -B

  My lips quickly turn up into a blinding, can’t-wipe-off-my-face-smile. I flick the covers off of me just as I hear a knock on the door. Reaching for my clothes, I grab a t-shirt and panties from my bag.

  Hurrying toward the door, I look out the peephole and let out a sigh of relief to see Laurie on the other side. I don’t know who I thought it was going to be, but I’m glad that it’s her.

  Tugging the door open, I cringe at the fact that she’s completely dressed and ready for the day, when I’m just rolling out of bed.

  She smirks, breezing past me and I close the door behind her, locking it before I turn toward the coffee table where I see two coffees and two bags of what are hopefully donuts.

  “I could use a breakfast taco, but Jesse told me they don’t do that here. Isn’t that crazy? He said they had breakfast burritos at the gas station. I gagged a little just thinking about that,” she says as she flops down on the sofa. “So, sugar it is.” She grins.

  “You and Jesse?” I ask as I make my way over to the sofa, grabbing a coffee and a white bag before I sit down across from her.

  She looks over at me, her eyes roaming my body, my face, then my hair and she chuckles. “Honey, I wouldn’t be saying shit to me. You look like you’ve been ridden hard and put away wet.”

  I blink, biting the corner of my bottom lip. “That’s not nice,” I whisper.

  She shakes her head, her smile never dying. “Just sayin’, you look like that man completely satisfied you. Don’t deny your friend a little somethin’-somethin’.”

  “I just don’t want you to get hurt.” I shrug as I take a sip of my coffee.

  She snorts. “Same, sister.”

  I don’t say anything else. We sit in silence and I enjoy the coffee and donuts. When I’m finished eating, I turn to her. She’s got her head tipped, and she’s typing on her phone. I don’t know who she’s talking to, but I also know that she won’t tell me. She’s been hiding something from me for a while and it’s really starting to upset me, mainly because I never hide anything from her.

  “Okay we’re going shopping in the cute downtown area, right? Go get dressed so we can head out. This is our only full day here.”

  Her words cause my stomach to flip. I can’t believe that she’s right. These weekend trips that I’d planned, they’re short. Fly in Friday, fly out Sunday. I don’t want this weekend to end, though. It seemed so much easier four weeks ago when I planned it.

  I understand why Beaumont wants me to stay. I want me to stay too.

  The rest of the day, Laurie and I shop, but neither of us really talks. She’s glued to her phone and I’m lost inside of my own head. That is until I hear her gasp. We’re standing in this cute boutique and I’m looking through the rack of tops, thinking that I could find something to wear for this evening.

  Turning my head, I frown as I look over at her. “I shouldn’t show you, but you need to know,” she breathes.

  “What?” I ask, my heart racing.

  She shoves her phone at me and I blink at the sight in front of me. It’s a dark picture, it’s grainy, obviously taken from a distance and with a not so great camera, but there is no denying what I’m seeing. It’s me and Beaumont. It’s his naked back, his beautiful sculpted ass and me against the wall.

  Making love to me.

  “Oh my God,” I breathe.

  My cell phone rings and I shove Laurie’s phone back at her as I fumble to answer my own. It’s Beaumont and I’m panting as I say hello.

  “You saw,” he mutters.

  “Oh my God.”

  “You saw.”

  “How? Who? Why?”

  “It’s okay, darlin’ girl. It could have been a lot worse. You were completely clothed. I just opened my email from my agent and saw it. Apparently, it was sold first thing this morning before she could intercept it.”

  “What do we do? Oh my God, if my clients see this,” I hiss.

  He chuckles. “Nothin’ to do. Where are you and I’ll come and pick you up.”

  I tell him where we are and turn toward Laurie. “He said there’s nothing to do. How can he say that?”

  She shrugs a shoulder. “Because it’s already done, Hutt. It’s out there for the world to see, thank God they have no clue who you are. You’re just a pretty dark-blonde mystery person from Gallup for now. And nobody even saw your titty. I wouldn’t worry too much. But y’all gotta stop fuckin’ outside.”

  “Shh,” I hiss.

  She grins. “C’mon, let’s wait for your man outside.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  BEAUMONT

  Standing to the side of the stage, I watch the opening act, sliding my arm around Hutton’s hip. I haven’t been able to talk to her this afternoon, but I can tell that something is up with her, that the picture is still bothering her. She’s quiet,
her eyes searching me and when I look over to her, she shifts her gaze to the floor.

  Dipping my chin, I touch my mouth to the side of her head, then skim my lips to her ear. “What’s wrong?” I ask.

  She turns to me, her eyes wide and her face turning pink. “Why didn’t you tell me about the pictures? Why haven’t you told me about them?” she demands.

  I blink, then grin. Gathering her in my arms, I pull her against me. “Figured we’d talk about it after the show. They didn’t show your face or release your name. The only thing you can see is my ass and your hair.”

  “So, it’s no big deal?” she hisses.

  Unable to wipe the grin from my face, I watch her as her face goes from pink to red with anger. It’s cute as fuck. This is her first experience in the public eye. Her first time having an unwanted moment photographed and posted for the world to see.

  Lifting my hand, I cup her cheek with my palm and bite my bottom lip when she leans into my hand. “You’ll get used to it, darlin’. Sometimes we aren’t captured in the most flattering light, but let me tell you that I kept that picture because fuck me, you looked beautiful taking me.”

  “Beaumont,” she breathes.

  Dipping my chin, I touch my lips to hers. “Gorgeous.”

  Inhaling her scent, I hear the opening band’s last song and know it’s going to be my turn to get on that stage in just a few moments.

  “You can’t let that shit bother you. We’ll just be more careful, but trust me, they always find a way. Either just a random person or actual paparazzi.”

  She nods, her lips parting against my own. Sliding my tongue inside of her, I taste her and wish that we could go back to the bus. A couple of days with her is not long enough and I can’t fucking wait until she comes back in just a couple of weeks when she joins me in Washington.

  “C’mon lover boy,” Jesse shouts, slamming his hand down on my shoulder.

  Looking over at him, I grin and jerk my chin before I turn back toward Hutton. Touching my mouth to hers one last time, I take a step back and turn from her. Walking away from her, I pause and glance back, giving her a grin and a wink.

  The sound of the crowd, though it’s much smaller than I’m used to, it still fills me from the inside out and causes adrenaline to flow throughout my entire system. Austin is playing drums behind me, begrudgingly.

  Like a child, Austin called our manager, Daniel, who told me that for the tour at least, we are contractually bound to have Austin play. Daniel has decided to spend the rest of the tour with us just to make sure everything goes as planned.

  I could give a fuck. As soon as this tour is done, Austin is gone. Jesse is questionable, but I can’t have Austin with me behaving the way that he has been. I can’t change him, but I can change my association with him. I’m trying to be fucking better, and Christ, it’s already hard as fuck.

  We play our regular set, the crowd sings along and the high continues to fill me with each passing moment. Glancing to the side, I watch as Daniel stands next to Hutton. He’s talking to her, Laurie is on her other side, but she’s focused on Jesse and doesn’t seem to be paying attention to the two.

  A few more songs go by, I sing about life, play my guitar, and finally feel at peace. The only other time that I feel this way is being inside of Hutton, seeing her green eyes widen right before she comes, or when I first slide my cock inside of her. Actually, every moment with Hutton makes me feel this way.

  I’m singing one of my last songs and I look over smiling, expecting to see her when I frown at the sight in front of me. Laurie is there, her eyes still fixated on Jesse. Daniel is there as well, but Hutton is gone.

  I don’t have a choice but to finish the entire show, but I know that without a doubt something is very fucking wrong.

  HUTTON

  Daniel is a dick. I nod, confirming my own thoughts to myself. I’ve never disliked someone, other than my own parents, as much as I dislike that man. Even Austin, I understand where he’s coming from wanting to live his life the way that they used to on the road. The new changes bother him, because he didn’t agree to them.

  But Daniel?

  He’s just a jerk.

  Standing off stage, watching in awe as Beaumont plays, the man slides up to my side. I jump when I realize that he is there. At first, he doesn’t say anything, then he decides it is time to educate the naïve hometown girl.

  “You know he and Andi are still seeing one another,” he shouts.

  I glance from Daniel to Beaumont, then to Laurie who is too focused on Jesse to even realize what’s going on around her.

  “I don’t think so, not anymore at least,” I say. He chuckles, and I frown, turning to him, again. “What’s so funny?” I ask.

  “I always feel bad when the naïve hometown girls get hurt. Usually it’s at the beginning of the careers, though that’s when it happened the first time, isn’t it?” he asks.

  He knows. Swallowing, I refuse to answer him. He already knows my past with Beaumont, though why wouldn’t he? I have no doubt that he knows every single aspect of Beaumont’s life, including the part that I’ve played both past and present.

  “We dated once in the past, yes.” I shrug.

  I’m trying to be strong, not show him that he’s upsetting me, but honestly, I’m not one hundred percent confident in my relationship with Beaumont. It’s still new, then Chelle shows up to my work and now this.

  It all feels like it’s too much. And Beaumont, he seems too big. The picture today just proves how famous he is. Although I knew that he was famous, really famous.

  When he’s in Texas with his friends, with me, he is just Beau Griffin, he’s nothing like this. He’s not an enigma. He’s just Beaumont who kisses me, who makes love to me, who laughs and holds baby Reese. He is not the man on the stage.

  “Then you know that what you have won’t last. He and Andi have been on and off for years. They understand one another, their lives are similar. You can never understand Beaumont’s struggles, his lifestyle. She can and she will support him when he needs it.”

  “But he’s not with her, he’s with me,” I say, trying to stand firm.

  Daniel smirks as if I’m being cute. “Do you know how many women have stood in your shoes. Starry-eyed and hoped for a future with him only to end up on the backburner. He’s on his comeback tour, then he’ll be doing radio tours and television interviews. Then he’ll be recording a new album and everything will start over again. Meanwhile, you’ll be home, waiting for snippets of his time, or maybe he’ll fly you to where he is for a weekend, until he doesn’t anymore.”

  My gaze shifts from Daniel to Beaumont. I watch him for a moment, the way he looks so happy out there singing for his fans. Daniel is right, I don’t know what this life entails. I’m sure that Andi Anderson is much more equipped and knowledgeable about the life of fame and fortune, of the beautiful people.

  “So, what? You want me to break up with him before he breaks up with me?” I ask, turning back toward Daniel.

  He shrugs one shoulder. “Have your fun, Hutton. Just know that it won’t last. I’ll be seeing you again when it’s time to collect his guilt money and sign your NDA.”

  “That’s not very nice,” I whisper.

  He snorts. “This life isn’t very nice, girl. You better grow a thick fucking skin if you’re going to be in the industry, even as just a girlfriend.”

  My brows crease and I turn toward the stage to watch Beaumont some more. I think about the picture that I saw of him walking into Andi’s house. He admitted that he slept with her just days before coming back to town, before seeing me again.

  The thing that bothers me the most is that Daniel isn’t wrong about the relationship Beaumont and Andi have. Beaumont told me himself that he and Andi had been on and off for years, sleeping with one another often. Maybe the rest of what Daniel is saying is true too.

  Shifting my gaze back to Daniel, I take him in. He’s shorter, handsome in his own right, a scruffy beard and o
bviously takes care of his body. But he also looks like a snake. Like one of those salesmen that would do anything for that commission, no matter who he hurts.

  “She usually joins him when he’s on tour,” he says. He’s planting a seed and I should know it for what it is, but I can’t push the thought out of my head. “Usually, she just slips in undetected by the rest of the world. All of the guys love her, a tour just isn’t the same without Andi showing up.”

  “This one will be different,” I say, my voice wavering.

  He smirks, his eyes moving back to me. His gaze connects with mine and my stomach clenches, because I know without a doubt that he thinks this woman is going to come, or maybe she already has. I don’t know and I hate that. I’m suddenly questioning every single thing.

  “Maybe it will.” He shrugs.

  Taking a step back, I feel my body growing warm. I need some fresh air. Turning around, I hate that I’m abandoning Beaumont’s show, but I can’t stay here a second longer. I imagine Daniel laughing in triumph, but he hasn’t won.

  There’s no contest to win here.

  This is real life, it’s not a game and it’s my heart.

  Not only my heart, but Beaumont’s too.

  Without looking up, I keep my eyes trained on the ground and hurry toward the bus. Yanking the door open, I climb inside and hurry toward the sofa, my knees giving out as soon as I arrive. My butt lands hard against the cushion and I lean over, trying to catch my breath.

  I shouldn’t freak out, at least not until I talk to Beaumont. I need to know more about the NDAs, about the money, about the others. Maybe they don’t exist, maybe it’s just a way to get to me. If it is, it’s certainly working.

  Just thinking about Andi Anderson and Beaumont together makes me feel like throwing up. He’s mine, he’s always been mine and as much as I want to believe that, I can’t. I’m lying to myself if I ever thought that he was ever mine.

  He’s been Chelle’s, he’s been Andi’s, he’s been the world’s, but he’s never truly been mine, not even now.