The Bet

By
Ty Langston

Copyright
2014 by Michele Villery

Cover
Design by Melody Simmons of eBookindiecovers

Smashwords
Edition

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

No Part of this book can be reproduced, scanned or distributed in
any printed or electronic form without the author’s permission.

These stories are a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and
incidences are of the author’s imagination and used facetiously. Any
resemblance to any actual persons living or dead, events or locales, is coincidental.

Table
of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Other Stories in The Red Hot Valentine’s Day Collection

The
longtime couple writhed with passion through their satin sheets.

While
Chris Knight’s soft hands journeyed their way toward the small of Gabrielle
Trent’s back, she groaned with pleasure at the feel of his touch against her
dampened skin. The love of his life gave in to the inevitable as she turned
herself toward him, locking her blue eyes onto his.

On
the brink, his descent began; his steel gray eyes never wavered from their
hungered gaze. While he mouthed the words, “I love you,” his hand parted her
toned thighs.

Chris’
swollen cock ached for her. “Oh my God, Chris!” she moaned.

His
member strained with desire at her entrance, it was something he could no
longer contain. In one swift move, he planted himself deep inside her. The
couple rocked in unison. The closeness the two shared was the one thing they
cherished most about their relationship. With each day that passed, Chris found
himself more in love with his girlfriend.

Their
passions consumed them, sending the two of them into a violent climax

Desire
gave way to exhaustion; exhaustion gave way to bliss.

Several
minutes later, Chris took himself out of her and fell next to her in a sweaty
heap. As he raked his shoulder-length brown hair from his face, he glanced at
his girlfriend with a mischievous grin. “Whoo Gabby, that was-”

She
playfully smacked him on his shoulder.

“Oh
my God, Chris! That was NOT supposed to happen!”

Chris
laughed aloud and winked at her. “Baby, why not? We are committed now, aren’t
we? What else are we supposed to do when we fight?”

Gabrielle
looked at her guy who continued to laugh. The unapologetic smirk he had on his
face was enough to make her want to slap him.

“I’m
still pissed at you!” She quipped.

Turning
himself to face her, he continued to laugh loudly.

“Over
what? Why are you still mad at that? ”

“Please,
you know why, Chris.”

“Gabby,
my fans are what a part of what fuels my living.”

Gabrielle
sighed as she pushed back her long blonde curls. With her plump breasts fully
exposed she leaned against the bedpost.

“I
know. To be honest, it’s not them. However, I do wonder if you have to go as
far with some of them as you do. I swear you enjoy the attention they give
you.”

Smoothing
out the end of her curls, he attempted to reassure her that the flirtations
were a part of his performance. Nothing more, nothing less.

“I’m
not going to lie. It is flattering. Don’t you like attention, babe?” Chris
asked her

“For
my stories? Sure.”

“Ok
then. You getting acclaim for writing about other rockers by readers or your
peers is no different from me flirting and singing to a young fan. It’s a job. The
band and I have been blessed with a tremendous opportunity with Knight’s Armor
that I wouldn’t change for the world.”

Gabby
looked down at his slender fingers as they continued to play with the ends of
her curls. With his index finger, he lifted her chin toward him, before he
continued. “Who’s here with you now, Gabby?”

“You
are. I get it. Just try not to enjoy it so much, okay? ” she told him with a
smirk.

“I’m
always going to be here for you. You and I have been through so much that I
don’t understand why you’d question that after all this time. I love everything
about you. From the way you snore, to how my name sounds when it rolls off your
tongue. You write for Rockline Magazine for crying out loud. There isn’t anyone
that knows more than you do that I’m doing my job. I will say, I did think it
was fun seeing you squirm a bit while I was flirting earlier,” he retorted with
an impish grin.

She
smiled. “Asshole.”

“You
are home to me. There’s isn’t anyone else I want.”

“No?”
she asked.

“Nope,”
Chris said.

Gabrielle
chuckled as her fingers began to play with his five o’clock shadow.

“Okay
Rockstar, round one was yours.”

“That
round? Baby, between them and us, I’ll win the fucking war,” Chris told her.

Curious,
Gabrielle put her hand down. She raised her eyebrows in interest over Chris’
words.

“Yeah?
How are you going to do that?”

Deep
in thought, Chris pursed his lips. Gabrielle had no idea what he was thinking. Moments
later, her boyfriend’s trademark grin, spanned from ear to ear.

“I’ll
bet you that I can seduce you.”

Gabrielle
started laughing. She had known him for years. They were best friends first
before finally becoming a couple over a year ago. She had observed some of her
boyfriend’s previous attempts at seduction with others, and all had failed
miserably. In her opinion, there wasn’t a line Chris could use that would
instantly get her into bed. Yet, it’d be entertaining to see him try.

“Yeah
right. What an arrogant ass you are. Just because we’re together and you’re an
international rock star, doesn’t mean I’m going to drop everything and have sex
with you on the spot. Keep dreaming!”

“Bet
you do. And we have to do it anywhere.”

Gabrielle
shook her head with a flat retort, “I don’t think so. I’ve been with you for a
while now. I’m not having sex with you in those venues. A couple of them are
disgusting. ”

Chris
let out an enormous belly laugh. “Okay, some places, well, they are, I admit...A
little interesting. But I guess we can keep this to our hotel room or on the
plane. ”

“Hmm…joining
the Mile High Club does sound intriguing,” she said to him as she got up and
sat on the foot of the bed. Putting on one of his football jerseys, she
continued to taunt him while she pulled her blonde mass of curls out of the
jersey. “Okay Knight, I bet you that I won’t back down. Go ahead and do what
you do with your fans. It’ll be fun seeing you try some of your BS on me.”

“Wait
a minute. What do I win?” Chris asked.

Her
blue eyes suddenly narrowed with a serious gaze. She looked at him for several
seconds before she took in a deep breath, her petite body seeming to inflate
with the weight of her proposal. “I’ve gotta go to each and every home game
that the New York Giants have this fall.”

Chris’
jaw dropped for a moment. This was news indeed. Gabrielle hated anything and
everything that had to do with football.

“You’re
catching flies with your mouth open like that, Chris,” Gabby quipped.

“Holy
shit! You hate football!”

“No
kidding,” she said.

“Even
with a brother who is a former NFL pro bowl player, I never understood how and
why you hated the game so much.”

Gabby
sighed. “Maybe, it’s because as a kid it’s all I’d hear about 24/7. Are you
going to make me change my mind?” she asked.

His
gray eyes were full of disbelief. He had to ask her once more. “All the home
games? Every last one of them?”

She
said with a sharp reply, “You are not deaf. That’s what I said. Hell didn’t
freeze over. ”

Chris
was laughing so hard that he put his head face down in his pillow. Gabrielle
looked up toward the ceiling and rolled her eyes before she continued to plead
with the almighty. “God help me, if I don’t win, this fall will be the longest
ever.”

Looking
down at her, he leaned his back against the bedpost and tucked his hair around
his ears.

“Oh,
this is going to be so much fun!” he told her.

”Okay
Mr. Knight. You’re so creative. Tell me, what do I win?”

The
endless ideas that would appease her consumed him. Besides football, she liked
the same things as him. But there was one thing that he had never done before
that would test the waters of his abilities if she were to win.

He
had never taken time off. Not ever. Writing, performing, came to him like
breathing. His trademark smile turned solemn.

“Hmmm.
Let me see. If you win, after this tour, you get me home for the next two
years.”

Gabrielle’s
eyes now widened. She had never known him not to be performing or recording
something. “Really?” she asked.

Chris
nodded. “I’ll take a couple of years off. I’ll be Chris Knight, boyfriend, best
friend…hopefully future husband. Can’t you see me doing the lawn or fixing a
pipe in the bathroom in that huge new beach house of ours?”

“Nope,
sorry I can’t,” she teased. “Do you even know how to use a hammer?”

He
crawled to the foot of the bed. He began to play with her pedicured toes while
she touched the top of his head.

“The
hammer that counts? Absolutely.”

He
moved closer to her in an attempt to kiss her. She quickly placed her hand in
front of his face.

She
yawned, crawling past him to get underneath the covers. “Oooh. I’m beginning to
get sleepy after all that pounding against your hammer. You know honey this was
a brilliant idea. You should get some sleep. You’ll need it for all your
seduction tactics. Goodnight.” She turned promptly with her back toward his
side of the bed.

He
looked at her with a blank stare.
What in the hell did I just get myself
into
?

A
couple of nights later, Chris had Gabrielle picked up and flown to Vegas. His
band, Knight’s Armor, was wrapping up the West Coast dates of their tour at the
MGM Grand.

While
waiting to land at the airport, Gabrielle began to look at an emerald ring
encircled with diamonds that she and Chris called
‘The Friendship Ring’
.
Taking it off her finger, she read the inscription, ‘
You are my everything.
Love Chris
.’

Gabrielle’s
thoughts spun around Chris and that
bet
. The love of her life was
beautiful not only on the outside, but also on the inside. As she reminisced
about their past, she wondered if she could actually win after all.

The
two of them met years ago in a sleepy little town they both lived in called
Bedford, New York. Chris was at a local club trying out for his record deal, and
she was a fresh-out-of-college intern at the nation’s hottest music magazine,
Rockline. When another reporter at the last minute opted out of writing a
feature with the band, Gabrielle stepped in and went on tour with them. Her weekly
feature, ‘
Diary Stories ’
on the band’s debut tour, not only became a
critical success for her, but also secured Knight’s Armor as one of the top bands
in the world.

With
more success came betrayals. First with Chris firing of his one of best friends
and manager who stole a couple of million dollars from him, followed by
Gabrielle’s violent relationship with an ex-boyfriend. The close friendship
that cultivated between Chris and her from these shared incidents turned into
more than she could have imagined over the last year.

She
discovered a lot about herself from being with him. Strong in the world of
journalism, where you need a tough skin, Chris showed her that it was okay to
be vulnerable when she needed to be. When her ex boyfriend, attempted to
re-enter her life, it was Chris that she leaned on for support and security
during a hard emotional journey.

As
she continued to look at her ring, her wish to Chris’ fans was that they could
see the man she loved. One of the sweetest, caring and most generous men that
walked the earth, however, the poor man couldn’t cook if he tried.

She
looked out the window and watched her plane land and taxi toward its debarking spot.
Waiting for her eagerly was the band’s engineer and close friend, Sam Marino.

A
portly man in his late 40s, Sam, was short with black hair and brown eyes.
Pleased to see his friend, his face beamed with joy while holding her hand as
she got off the plane.

“Gabby,
I’m so glad you made it!”

Known
for his quick wit and musical ear, Chris and the band relied on him immensely
when they recorded new material. Constantly asked by other groups to help craft
their sound, Sam made the decision years ago work exclusively with Knight’s
Armor.

With
her hair feeling as if it had a life on its own, she smiled at Sam warmly as
she let go of his hand and began to pull her long mane into a ponytail. “Thank
you, Sam. How are you?”

“Good.
Real good. Did you have a nice flight?”

“Sure
did. It’s pretty cool not buying a ticket,” she quipped. “Guess I’m still
getting used to all of this.”

”My
dear Gabby, you’ll never get used to it. We’ve all been doing this now for
years and sometimes, you just have to wonder.”

“About
fans?” she asked.

”All
of it. The fans. The tours, the CD sales. The bloggers on social media giving
their opinions on things they haven’t the slightest clue about. The kids with
their cell phone cameras who want to be paparazzi so bad they’re willing to
insult you to place thousands of dollars in their pocket. Don’t get me wrong,
thank God Chris and the band are performing to give us the lifestyle we have,
but there are days where I wonder about people. ”

“Can’t
change people or their actions, but you can change how you deal with them. What
I love about the band is how they won’t play to trends. They are who they are
and don’t apologize for it. After covering a lot bands for several years now, I
can honestly say that Knight’s Armor is the most authentic band out there.
People will always wonder what makes Chris and the band tick.”

“He’s
amazing isn’t he?” Sam asked.

“Indeed
he is. I am thankful for him every day,” she said.

“I
do too. For his sheer company alone,” Sam joked.

Gabrielle
began to laugh as the two of them walked over to a black SUV and got in.

“Can
you keep a secret, Sam?” she asked as the SUV sped away from the airport.

“He
may to try to kill me if he knew I knew something, but I think I can take him,”
Sam quipped.

“Chris
is betting me that he can use one of his patented lines that he uses on fans to
get me into bed,” Gabrielle said.

Sam
laughed. “What if he wins?”

Gabrielle
rolled her eyes at the thought of her punishment.

“I
gotta go to every freakin’ Giants home game this fall.”

Sam
laughed even harder. “I take it you still hate football?”

“Yep!”
She smirked.

“What
if you win?” Sam asked.

“He
said that he’d stop touring for a while and be a stay-at-home boyfriend. He
even mentioned the words ‘
future husband.’
”

Sam
looked stunned.

“Gabby,
I’ve never known him to not write, sing or play. Not for a long period of time.
Chris, at all times, is spilling out his soul with a beer, notebook and a Gibson
guitar. Are you sure he really thought this through? I don’t know if I can see
him sitting idle at home. Remember when he tried to cook for you that one
time?”

Gabrielle
laughed. “Dear God! I thought our whole block was going to go up in smoke.”

“And
that was only an omelet,” Sam added. “Could you imagine if he made you
spaghetti or roast beef?”

Gabrielle
thought about it briefly and laughed. “I’m too scared to find out.”

Sam
looked out the window and saw the MGM Grand sign out front of the casino. The
SUV stopped.

“We’re
here, babe.”

The
two got out of the SUV and walked backstage. Friends and long-time employees of
the band greeted Gabrielle with hugs and handshakes.

Sam
brought her to the band’s dressing room door. Opening it, Gabrielle saw Chris’
lead guitarist Tate Masterson who appeared to be talking on the phone. Sitting
across from him was keyboardist Eric Rychert, drummer Dave Osborn, and bassist
Redmond Cage, all skimming through trade magazines.

“Hey
girls we’re here!” Sam said.

Tate
slammed the phone receiver down on the phone. He tucked his long
blond
[A1]
 
hair around his ears, his blue eyes
danced with joy when he saw Gabrielle. “My Sister!” he yelled as he walked over
and gave her a hug.

Heading
toward the door, Sam said to the others, ”Gabby’s here!”

With
surprised expressions, Dave, Redmond, and Eric all greeted and hugged her
affectionately. They were like brothers to her. They adored her; she adored
them. Minutes later, Chris walked out of the bathroom wearing a white tank top
with the New York Giants logo front and center along with a pair of blue jeans
and sneakers.

Before
walking out, Sam began laughing. Gabrielle eyes narrowed.

Chris
grinned from ear to ear. “What’s up everybody? Ready to give Vegas a show?”

Sam
continued to laugh. Not knowing that he knew, Chris looked at his long time
friend with a confused look on his face.

“Oh
Chris, this is low,” Sam said.

Chris
raised his eyebrows, feigning innocence as he looked around him and back at
Gabby. .

“What’s
low?” he asked

Gabrielle
rolled her eyes. She walked over to her partner and planted a kiss firmly on
his lips. Abruptly, she broke free from him.

She
looked over at Sam. “Sam, its okay.”

Sam
smirked. “Yeah?”

Chris
was wiping his mouth as he continued to listen to his good friend and
girlfriend. He pretended to have no idea of what was going on.

Gabrielle
continued. “Definitely. Let him play all the little games he wants. It’s going
to be fun to say ‘no’ to Rockline Magazine’s Sexiest Rock Star.”

Chris’
eyes narrowed with confusion at her and Sam. He took a deep breath and shrugged
his shoulders.

“What
are you talking about Gabby?” he asked

Heading
toward the door, she turned and smiled sarcastically at her beau.

“That’s
a nice shirt honey. Guys, have a great show!”

Chris
looked down at his shirt and flashed a wide grin.

“Oh
this thing?” Chris continued. “You like my shirt, Gab? We’re going to have so
much fun at all those home games this fall. Just you and me.”

She
couldn’t help but let out a chuckle before she replied, “I’m dying to see you
with a hammer and nails around the house. Let me ask you, do you even know what
a power tool is? “

He
walked over to her and whispered in her ear. “If you like, I’ll be more than
happy to show you what my drill and hammer can do
… after
the show.”

Chris
kissed his girlfriend on the forehead. Gabrielle mumbled an inaudible and
walked out the door. Chris laughed loudly as he watched her walk away and head toward
the side of the stage.