“Where do we sign?”
A collective sigh emanates throughout the room. Anthony claps and Sam pats him on the back. He can’t take all the credit though; Sam does a lot of the legwork. She may only be a manager, but she also doubles as our agent more often than not.
Pens are passed around and the final contract is placed in front of me. I sign my name willingly. Harrison is next and JD goes last. When JD came to us, he just wanted a place to play, didn’t care about anything else. His father is James Davis, a musician who’s been around for a while and his grandfather tells me that he played with mine. I took the old man for his word, not really interested in going through my grandma’s stuff to find out.
I never did get to sit down with her and talk about my mom and grandpa. I never found the time and always said I’d do it tomorrow. Thing is, tomorrow never came. I’m not sad about not knowing about him. I can’t go through my life regretting my decisions. Had I stayed in Beaumont, I would’ve known my grandma and she would’ve died alone in that big ole house on the hill. If I stayed, I’d be a mill-worker or a mailman and we’d probably have three kids and be heading for a divorce. I wouldn’t have been happy.
All the work, the blood, sweat and tears, the late nights and epic frustrations has all come down t
o this. The contract is sent back down to the other end of the table where it’s signed. The sexy little thing that helped us out earlier comes in and I get an eyeful of what she’s offering.
“Tonight, we celebrate,” Anthony says as he stands, placing his fedora on his head. For a man who has as much money as he does, you’d think he would take better care of himself, but no. He’s pudgy and is often caught rubbing his rounded belly.
Yes, I will be celebrating and I think it’s going to be with the hottie out in the hall.
“Do you want to know my name?” she asks as my lips attack her neck. I push her up against the stall in the bathroom, ripping her nylons away from her body.
“No,” I breathe out. The last thing I want is her name. I don’t care. I just need her to scratch the itch and move on. No phone numbers will be exchanged and no, we won’t be going back to my place to cuddle. I need a quick and dirty fuck – that’s what this is.
I release my cock from the confines of my slacks, not even bothering to undo my belt or the button, zipper only. I fumble with the condom while trying to hold her. For as hot as she is, she’s a fish and just waiting for me to do everything. I move her panties slightly and plunge into her. I swallow her scream with my mouth, keeping my lips pressed to hers while pound into her. Her nails dig into the back of my neck. The pain is a welcome feeling. I want it. Crave it.
As I work her into a frenzy, her head falling back. She looks at me, her eyes hooded. She runs her fingers through my hair and I want to tell her to knock that shit off – it’s too personal – but I’m too focused on getting her off so I can come.
Her head falls forward again and her breathing picks up. Her body starts to react. I reach through our tangled bodies and find her swollen clit waiting to be stroked. I apply enough pressure to cause her to get a little wild. As much as any man enjoys sex, they’re usually hoping their partner is into it and she’s not.
Her walls start to squeeze me and I thrust harder, deeper until I’m spent. I pull her off of me and dispose of the condom. This was a mistake, yet another one to add to my long list of dumb things I’ve done. Once I’m tucked back in I open the stall door and head right to the sink to wash up. I have lipstick on my neck that needs to come off. I wash up, making sure there’s nothing on the front of my pants.
I stiffen when she saddles up behind me, placing her arms around my waist. I don’t want a clinger, but yet I have one. The bathroom door opens and for a minute I think we’re busted. I look at the mirror to find Sam standing behind us. Her eyes are pooling with tears.
“Fucking great,” I mutter.
“How could you?” she cries out.
I sigh. “Sam, we’re not together. I’ve told you this repeatedly.”
I turn and look at the girl who is shaking her head. “Why?” Sam asks, her lip quivering. I hate it when she cries and I feel the need to comfort her, but she has to know her boundaries.
“Are you really asking me why?”
She shakes her head. “You’re my best friend. We share an apartment. You know how I feel about him.”
I look from Sam to the girl and back again. This is not good.
“I’m sorry,” she says, grabbing a hold of my arm. I shake her free and step away.
“Look, I’m going to go.” I don’t wait to see how that mess in there is going to turn out. I bail, leaving everyone behind at the club.
Stepping out into the night air makes me realize that Harrison has it made. He gets to go home to someone who loves him unconditionally. Someone who lights up at the sound of his voice and makes him feel whole. I need that, and then maybe I won’t be such a shit all the time.
Maybe I should get a dog.
Chapter 44
Five Years since Beaumont
“Why the hell aren’t you on the plane?”
I hear her before I see her. The studio door swings open, crashing against the wall. It’s a damn good thing the walls are padded or there’d be a dent in there now. Sam stands there with her hand on the end of the door, her breathing is labored as if she’s just ran a marathon in her heels. Her face is red and blotchy, but there’s something different about her. I cock my head to the side in wonder before I realize what she’s done. My eyes have to be deceiving me. I stand slowly, dropping my headphones onto the ground. She’s gone too far this time. It’s one thing to start wearing her perfume, but to go and dye her hair the same exact color is something else.