Fully Automatic (Bullet)

by Jamison, Jade C.

  Fine. She continued to make the same choice. Of course, she would defend her boyfriend, even when he was out of line. Okay—she’d made her bed. She could go lie in it. “I gotta go to work anyway.” He rinsed his coffee cup and set it next to the sink. “Nice talkin’ with ya, Val.”

  Ethan, though? Ethan could suck his dick. He was pretty over his brother’s shit. He pulled his jacket off the back of the chair where he’d been sitting and put it on, shoving his hands in his pockets to make sure he had everything he’d need for the day, and he left.

  After he walked out the door, he was even more pissed that he’d let Ethan get the upper hand. He’d been so distracted and angry that he’d forgotten to make a lunch for himself to take to work. That meant he’d have to eat out today, because no way in hell was he going back to the apartment. Yes, Fully Automatic was starting to earn more money, but Brad had plans, and they didn’t involve a daily Big Mac or Nachos Bell Grande. Well, once in a while wouldn’t hurt, but it led him to realize that he had to stop investing so much emotion into Ethan. Brad could talk a good game, but it was hard to play it well when so much was at stake—his friendships, his band…hell, his whole fucking life. It was damned near impossible to be objective about any of it.

  * * *

  Brad was at work one afternoon when he got a phone call from Jo. He thought it was strange, because she’d only ever texted him. They were between cars—one of the other guys was getting ready to drive the next one into the garage—so he answered. “Hey, Jo, what’s up?”

  Her voice was low, almost a purr. “Brad?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I have been thinking about you all afternoon, and I think you need to come over here right now.”

  He smiled. “I can’t. I’m at work.”

  He could almost hear the pout in her voice. “Oh. Can’t you just tell them you have an emergency?”

  “I really can’t.” He looked up at the clock on the wall, the one that constantly kept them on task, drove them to be quick and efficient with each car they worked on. “I get off at five-thirty. I could come by then.”

  She was silent for a few moments, and then she said, “Fine. I’m going to keep myself plenty wet until then, but I want your tongue to get me off, so don’t waste any time.”

  He sucked in a breath. Holy shit. He swallowed. Okay, so it was going to be hard to think about anything else the rest of the day. He managed a chuckle. “I’ll see you soon. Do what you gotta do, I guess.”

  “Oh, I will.” He was glad he could do his job in his sleep by this point, because his mind was not on the job—it was in Jo’s busy apartment, imagining everything they could do once his body got there.

  When he got off work, he was afraid that, at first, he wouldn’t remember how to get there. He’d call if he had to, but he did fine finding it.

  He stepped out of the car and took a deep breath. He was looking forward to this more than he would have thought he would. As he made his way to her apartment, he could see her in his mind—her long dark hair, emerald eyes, shapely breasts, and her filthy mouth. That was probably what he was looking most forward to—he’d never had a girl talk to him during sex like she did. Even Misti, the older woman who’d helped him make the transition from awkward teen to more confident man, hadn’t talked dirty like Jo did.

  Jesus…he could feel himself heating up just thinking about it.

  When he got to the door, he didn’t even get a chance to knock, because she opened the door and pulled him in. Brad hardly had a chance to register that she was wearing some kind of lingerie in red, complete with black garters and heels, before she had him slammed up against the wall, her tongue in his mouth and her hands all over his body. She cupped his package in her right hand and said, “Sorry, stud, but you have to wait. Me first.” She stepped back, pulling his jacket off, and then she noticed his khaki overalls, grease-stained and more than a bit dirty. She grinned. “You really did come straight from work. What a good boy. Why don’t we get you in the shower?” She pulled on the zipper and he helped her, but he was going to have to take his boots off to make it easier. His overalls pooled at his feet, and he bent over to loosen his laces. “I’m gonna go start the water. You better hurry up.”

  He didn’t take long to get his boots off, and then he rushed to follow her into the bathroom. She already had the water pouring out of the faucet and turned the shower on, pulling the curtain closed. “It’s a shame, really.”

  “What?” he asked, pulling his t-shirt over his head.

  “You can’t really appreciate the outfit I wore for you.”

  He grinned and wrapped his hands around her waist, pulling her close. “Oh, I appreciate it, and I’ll be imagining it on you the entire time it’s not.” He kissed her then. “But we should probably get you out of it, unless you want me to shower by myself.”

  “No, I’ll be there.” She stepped back and pulled a strap down, and Brad figured he’d better take the opportunity to peel off the remainder of his clothes. He pulled his socks off while she unclipped the garters and pulled her hose off one at a time, and then he took his jeans off. He was pulling his shorts off by the time she was removing the lingerie.

  She slapped him on the ass and then pulled the shower curtain aside. “Get in there.”

  He grinned again and got under the water—almost a little too hot—but he didn’t plan to be there long. She might have thought he was dirty but the overalls protected him from most of the grime at the shop. It was his hands that always got the dirtiest, and he’d washed them before leaving. He didn’t want to get the steering wheel filthy, so he always washed his hands before leaving work.

  He grabbed the soap and started lathering up when she stepped in the tub and got close. He asked, “So, did I hear you right?”

  She grinned. “What?”

  “You said something about wanting my tongue to do all the work?”

  Her smile grew wider. “Yeah, that’s what I want.”

  “Then you tell me when you’re ready.”

  “I was ready three or four hours ago when I called you.”

  He grabbed her ass and pulled her close again, pushing her into him. “I’m sorry, Jo. I can’t just leave work whenever I feel like it.”

  “Then you better make it up to me.”

  “I will.” He lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his torso, and he kissed down her neck and the top of her breast. “I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty clean.” He looked at her. “You happy?”

  She smiled and nodded, a twinkle in her eye. He set her down and she turned around to shut the water off. She stepped out of the shower and grabbed his hand, leading him out. He had a hard on now; there was no way to stop it. But he was going to make her feel great first. She yanked a towel off a stainless steel rack and patted herself off, then bunched it up and held it to Brad’s chest. He took it and patted himself off a little. It wasn’t too chilly in her apartment, so he didn’t care about getting completely dry. He tossed the towel back toward the rack, hooking it enough so he could let it go and the rest draped down off the front, but he already had her face in his hands and he was kissing her.

  They took their time walking to the bedroom, spending more time kissing, but when they got to the bed, he said, “I also think you said something about staying wet until I got here.”

  “Oh, I’m very wet.”

  He grinned and ran his hand down her neck, past her collarbone, and to her breast. He cupped it in his hand and said, “I think I’m gonna have to check that out myself.” He licked her nipple and she drew in a deep breath. He sucked it into his mouth and slid it through his teeth. He didn’t want to hurt her but wanted her on the edge. She gasped, so he knew it was working. And then he slid his hand down her belly to her pussy where she had that tiny, trimmed patch of hair and worked his fingers down into the folds. Holy shit. “You weren’t kidding.”

  “I told you.” She was smiling. “It’s been hell waiting for you all this time.”
<
br />   “Well, I keep my promises.” He lay her down on the bed and wasn’t going to waste any time. He kissed her once more and then kissed between her cleavage, down her belly, and then he lifted her legs and draped them over his shoulders. It had been a long time since he’d done this with a girl, and he hadn’t done it enough that he felt like any kind of expert.

  He ran two of his fingers down her slit, parting her, and then he flicked his tongue over her clit. “Mmm.” God, as promised, she was wet and ready. He moved his tongue up and down against her, and she let him know vocally that he was right on track. He kept it up—a steady but slow speed—until the muscles in her thighs clenched and she got louder. “Oh, fuck!” she screamed and then started moaning loudly, writhing. He felt himself grow harder, but he tried to maintain his focus on her, continuing to move his tongue over her until she relaxed and let out a loud sigh. “Shit.”

  “You good?”

  “Mmm. Thank you for making the wait totally worth it.”

  “Let me know when you’re ready.” He moved up the bed and started kissing her neck.

  “Are you kidding? I’m ready now.”

  He sucked in a breath. “Just gotta find my jeans.”

  “Why?”

  “I need a condom.”

  She reached over and opened the drawer on her nightstand. “Take your pick.”

  He glanced in. She had tons of them, a smorgasbord. He didn’t even want to think of why. Instead, he simply grabbed the first normal-looking one and opened it. Then he unrolled it as quickly as he could. There was something about this woman that made him feel out of control. Like the last time they’d been together, he doubted he could wait.

  He slid inside her. Oh, God. Fuck, yes, that was what he needed. Why the hell didn’t he find himself a girlfriend? He wouldn’t have to wait so long in between times like these.

  And talk about putting a damper on things. He knew exactly why, but the next thrust pushed the idea out of his head. All his thoughts were focused on that throbbing engine down below, the one that drove him to move on instinct. He pumped as long as he could stand it, long past the time she cried again, cursing and screaming and begging him to let her have it, until he had to let it all go. It was intense and mind blowing, and afterward he closed his eyes so she wouldn’t talk to him, because his thoughts were once again on the girl he couldn’t be with.

  Chapter Thirty-six

  AS THE DAYS grew colder, Brad’s thoughts intensified. He was happy so far with the progress Fully Automatic was making, but there were several problems. The first one was that he was already damned sick and tired of living in that dinky apartment. It wouldn’t have been so bad if he hadn’t had two roommates who were always either fucking loudly or fighting even more loudly. Ethan and Val had taken to arguing constantly, and he supposed that was their passion playing out. It wasn’t just over Ethan’s drug use, though. He wasn’t sure what else they fought about, and he didn’t want to know, but their relationship was filled with drama, and it was pissing him off.

  So far, it hadn’t spilled over and affected the band, but he would get involved if it came to that, and they wouldn’t like it if he had to.

  As it was, he saw a need to pull the leader card anyway. The guys seemed to be resting on their laurels. No one had written anything new in weeks, and no one was practicing anymore. It was like they felt they didn’t need to practice nowadays, like they were good enough. And if they thought they were earning enough money just playing gigs, they needed to think again. He felt like no one was taking it seriously.

  So he called a meeting. They sat in the living room in a circle. “Guys, money’s tight. I don’t think you have any idea. You should think about getting jobs, each one of you.”

  Zane said, “But I thought we were making enough off merch and our gigs to pay the bills.”

  He shrugged. “Yeah, but I gotta tell you, I’m nervous about handing you over your money and then you go blow it on shit and then we don’t have enough for the rent.”

  “So keep what you need, like you used to when we went on the road.” Nick cocked his head and continued. “You know…how you’d save money for the motel and gas. Why can’t you do that now?”

  Everyone in the circle nodded. Brad shook his head. “It’s no problem for me, man, to withhold your part of the rent, utilities, and groceries, and then give you what’s left.” In fact, that alleviated most of his worries right there. As long as they could pay the bills, then the money from his job could go to other things that would eventually progress the band.

  Ethan, in his typical fashion, rolled his eyes. “So just do it. If we need more money, we’ll figure it out.”

  Yeah, he wanted to ask exactly who the we in Ethan’s sentence was, but he took a deep breath instead. “You better hope I’m able to keep booking enough that it does cover all that shit. Otherwise, I’ll kick your ass out.”

  The problem was they all knew he would. Why would he start slacking now? They knew Fully Automatic was his life, his dream, and there was no way he was going to start screwing off. They counted on it. He didn’t know that his lecture had done any good, and he didn’t care. They’d given him license to hold back money for the bills. He’d tack other things on too, the things he always had—gas, paying for new merchandise, and things like that. He’d have to come up with a budget and list and hold back what he needed. If they complained, he’d have it in writing for them to look at, and then they’d have no arguments.

  As far as his feelings toward Valerie went, he had good days and bad. She got her first tattoo, a tribal armband on her upper right arm, and it was damned hot. Now that she was toned and tight, the tattoo accentuated the curve on her slender arm. He caught himself looking at it more than he should when they were onstage. They were playing another show with Last Five Seconds headlining, and Ethan was more blitzed than usual. He’d managed to hold it together for the show but was wasted by the time they had to unload. Brad almost hated giving the guy his fair share of the money, because he knew where it went. But he had to remind himself of the same thing he always told Val—Ethan, no one else, had to decide he was done.

  As they cleared their equipment off the stage, Val tried to talk Ethan into resting in the van. She was holding his arm, begging him to listen to reason. “Val, stop acting like my mom. Jesus Christ, this shit gets old.”

  Brad couldn’t hear Val’s response as he walked past them, but he was ready to tell them to pull their weight. Zane bumped Ethan on the head “accidentally” with a cymbal, and Ethan growled at him but didn’t do anything in retaliation. Instead, he told Val, “I’m not laying down in the van, and that’s final.” And then he walked off to hang somewhere in the crowd.

  Once they’d loaded all their equipment, Val stopped Brad before he could head back inside. She asked, “Brad, should we find Ethan and try to talk some sense into him?”

  He loved this girl, but she was like a broken record. “He’s a big boy, Val. He makes his own choices, no matter how fucking stupid they are. So you track him down in the crowd. Then what? You make a scene, telling him he’s too jacked to be out there? That’ll go over well. Yeah, why don’t you guys have another obnoxious fight like you always do, but this time why don’t you do it in front of the whole crowd? That’ll win ‘em over and make ‘em fans for life.”

  Oh, shit. He hadn’t meant to let that all slip out. He’d been holding in too much for too long, and it just flooded out of his mouth. She nodded and he couldn’t quite read the look on her face—it might have been one of shame or upset or partial anger. But she said, “Okay,” and looked down, walking back inside.

  If it would actually sink in with her, it would have been worth causing the pained look on her face.

  * * *

  The band spent Thanksgiving in Denver, but Brad didn’t book any shows right around Christmas, insisting they needed to spend time with family. They were back before the new year, though, both because of his and Val’s jobs and scheduled gigs. Still,
they had three days with their families, and they came back recharged and refreshed.

  Jo called him once in a while, usually about once a month, and she learned quickly that Thursdays through Sundays were bad days. She hadn’t known until she’d tried to get him to come to her place on a Saturday night that he was in a band, so she asked him to bring a guitar the next time and play something for her. He wasn’t sure why chicks dug that, but they did. And he couldn’t resist another opportunity to make her go crazy.

  Sex with her was insane and unbelievable. Brad also knew it was unsustainable, particularly because she supposedly had a boyfriend, but the way she rocked his world was dangerous. It was way too intense. He never would have thought that would seem like a problem, and it wasn’t, but he didn’t know that he would have been able to do it long term.

  Ethan was cheating on Val, and Brad was sure she was in denial for the most part. He wasn’t going to educate her and rub her nose in it. Like Ethan choosing to admit he had a problem, Val too needed to see that she and Ethan were dysfunctional as fuck. It was absolutely insane. Brad wouldn’t have expected that, but Val allowed herself to get sucked into Ethan’s toxic world, and she just played into it. Brad wouldn’t have expected it from Ethan, either, because even though the guy was a hothead on occasion, he’d never had a bickering relationship with a woman. Even with Heidi, the girl he’d been with longest pre-Val, he’d get pissed at her, and the girl would bat her eyelashes at Ethan, and he’d let it go, focusing his anger on someone or something else, not always the true target of his fury.

  With Val, though, he fought and argued and yelled, and that was when Brad realized that Ethan really did love the girl. It was a poisonous, unhealthy relationship, but Ethan did care about her in some weird, warped way.

  He just had no fucking clue how to treat her right.

  Brad knew the drugs were partly to blame. He’d get so hammered, he wouldn’t even know where he was. Brad knew the shit Ethan took removed all his friend’s inhibitions and any moral leanings he might have had.