“Nice to meet you as well, Layla. How do you know Liam?”
“We met at Metro, hooked up and the next day he ditched me. You know classic groupie addiction.”
Sam looks at me suspiciously. I shake my head, telling her that it’s not true. She once asked me for skeletons in my closet and I told her no. I honestly thought I’d never see Layla again.
I glance back at Layla who is staring at Sam. For some reason there’s tension between them and I don’t understand why. I pick up my drink, a rum and coke courtesy of my manager, and chug it down. I think I’m going to need a lot of liquid courage to get through tonight. I have a feeling Layla wants to hook up and Sam isn’t going to leave my side.
The night moves on fluidly. I have blinders on I admit it. Each time my drink is empty, Sam refills it, but before long Layla pulls me out on to the dance floor for some tension release. This time when she shows me her little white pill I pull it out of her mouth and toss it on the ground. If I’m going to be with her and that’s a big if, I want to remember the whole night.
I let her kiss me because it feels good and my body craves the attention. The feeling of her pressed against me gives my body the attention it needs and I didn’t realize it was missing. She’s pointing out the obvious. I’m lonely. She feels amazing pressed against my body and it seems my body agrees. My senses are heightened with her in my arms and I love it and hate it all at once. I don’t want to feel this way with anyone else, but I can’t help it. I lead her back to the table where Sam is sitting. Harrison is long gone and Way retired hours earlier. Sitting there waiting for me is another rum and coke, which I knock back, not bothering to nurse it or even slow down. I’m sweating enough on the dance floor to keep my wits about me.
“Layla!” she turns and drops her hand from mine. “What the fuck?” the guy behind me roars.
I turn in time to have his fist connect with my lip. I stumble back into the table and hear Layla yelling beside. Sam is by my side immediately with a napkin wiping the blood that is gushing from my lip.
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“What the fuck?” I exclaim, taken off guard at the sudden contact. Sam’s eyes are wild and I feel sorry for whoever is on the receiving end of the verbal barrage she’s about to let loose.
“I can explain,” Layla says as she looks at me sheepishly. Her hand is pushing on the man’s chest, keeping him away from me.
“Let’s hear it.”
“Remember when I said earlier about my manager?”
I nod, not willing to add to the conversation.
“I married him.”
“Oh you’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Are you shitting me, Layla?”
She hangs her shaking head.
I pick up whatever Sam was drinking and down hers, along with Layla’s and walk away. I know Sam is hot on my tail, but I don’t care. I need to get away. I can’t believe I got into this mess with her. She was trouble the first time I was with her when she gave me her little magic drug, I should’ve known better. Harrison warned me that she was loco, but I had no idea until now just how crazy she really is.
“Fuck,” I yell when I’m outside the club. Just when I think I’m on the path to something good, it gets all fucked up. I lean against the brick wall and hold my head in my hands. Sam’s next to me, her hand rubbing my shoulder.
“You didn’t know?”
I shake my head. “I’m not about to mess up someone’s marriage whether they’re happy or not. I’m fucking nineteen for God’s sake, I don’t need the drama.”
“I know you don’t, come on. Let’s go back to the bus. Way and Harrison are both off with whoever they picked up you’ll have it to yourself tonight.”
As soon as the cold air seeps through my body, my drunken state rears its ugly head. The moment we step onto the bus, I realize just how alone I am. Everyone that I love is gone and it’s too late for me to go home and fix everything.
I walk straight to the kitchen and pull out the bottle of whiskey. I twist the cap and drink it neat.
“I don’t think you need that tonight,” Sam says, her hand calmly taking the bottle from me. I want to yell and scream at her, remind her that she’s my manager and nothing else, but I can’t. Her green eyes are boring into mine, they’re dangerous and heated. Her hand brushes against mine as she takes the bottle away from me.
“I’m lonely.” The words have more meaning than I’m willing to admit. She nods, understanding what I mean. She slides her jacket off, dropping it to the floor. Her fingers start at the top of her blouse as they nimbly work each button open. Her white lace bra is visible, exposing her voluptuous breast.
My hand shakily reaches out, my fingers touching her skin just above the lace. Her eyes close briefly before she looks at me again. I swallow hard, unsure if I’m supposed to be doing this or not.
Her hands go behind her back, the sound of her zipper the only thing competing with my labored breathing. I watch as her skirt pools at the bottom of her feet. I suck in a gulp of air at the sight of her black garter belt.
“Holy shit,” I breathe stupidly. She stands here in front of me, baring herself and that’s all I can say. “You’re fucking hot, Sam.”
She bites her lower lip, stepping out of her skirt. She walks toward my room as I watch her ass sashay in her thong. My erection is straining against my jeans, begging for attention. I bend down and pick up her clothes. The last thing I want is for the guys to come back and figure out what’s about to happen because for all I know this is against the contract and I’m probably getting us fired in the morning.