Vanni: A Prequel (Groupie Book 4) (20 page)

“Do you always have to wait for permission?”

“I was raised to respect women,” I say. “Your house, your rules.”

“That’s good news at least. I’ll meet you in your bedroom in ten minutes. No need to dress,” she adds before she disappears.

I stare after her for a long minute. Surely this is yet another game, but damned if I don’t want to play it.

Following her suggestion, I wrap a towel around my waist after I dry myself off, then I take the steps two at a time around the winding staircase towards my room. I don’t really expect to find her there when I enter, especially on the bed waiting for me. Yet there she is as she pours yet another glass of champagne.

I start that direction but she shakes her head. “I’d like to see what you’ve decided to wear for the gala tomorrow. You have at least three wardrobe changes, I trust?”

I can’t help but stammer. This crazy broad has me completely off center. “I think so.”

“You’ll want one or two for the performance, of course. Then one for our arrivals. I expect quite a bit of press there to cover the proceedings. Go on,” she says, nodding her head towards the armoire behind me. “Show me what you’ve got.”

I eye her thoughtfully for a moment before I undo my towel and let it slide to the floor. Her eyes are riveted to my body, which brings out my best smirk. I saunter easily over to the armoire, where I withdraw some formal wear for the arrivals. It’s a form-fitting tux, but Frankie has already showed me how to make it a lot less stuffy when I put it on. I ditch the tie and leave the matching black silky shirt unbuttoned down my chest. The royal blue pocket square gives it a punch of color. I dress slowly, relishing how her eyes inhale every detail. This was what she was paying the big bucks for, so I figure I’ll give her a show. That it’s a reverse striptease only makes it sexier.

And since she had done everything in her power to avoid hearing me sing all week, I start singing the song I had practiced all afternoon with Sasha. Tina can’t keep her eyes off of me, and for the first time since I met her, I feel like I’m back in control.

Even a fancy woman like Tina Nunes wants to be fucked, and I know just how to give her wants she wants.

About halfway through the song, I start shedding the clothes I had just put on, until I’m once again naked by the armoire. I pull out another set of clothes for my performance, which we plan to keep sultry and sexy all the way through the set. These songs, a Bad Company hit about making love, and a Journey hit about a cheater getting her just desserts, are ones I can sing in my sleep. I’ve performed them all summer with my band.

The final song, a NIN song where I can be as dirty as I want to be, is still relatively new to me, but I give it my best effort as I try on yet another outfit for her perusal.

This performance I take right to the bed where she sits. I dance to the accompanying music I hear in my head as I use the lyrics to promise her the fucking her of her life. It’s a promise I intend to keep as I crawl my way up her body, inhaling her scent, a classic smell of vanilla. I can’t wait for a taste.

When I reach her mouth though, she uses that perfectly manicured finger to halt me once again. “Save it for the stage,” she says with a satisfied smile all her own. Just like that, the ball is back in her court. She slips away from me and out of the bedroom, leaving me to fall over onto my back and wonder, again, just what the hell I’m doing.

As hard as I am, though, I decide to follow her advice and save it for the stage. Tomorrow is going to be the most important night of my career yet. Sex can wait.

For now.

The next morning, the sun finally rouses me from my fitful sleep. I’m out of bed by seven o’clock, ready to go. A hearty breakfast awaits me downstairs, but I’m too nervous to eat. I drink water instead of the mimosa that sits beside my meal. I’m ready to climb out of my skin I’m so freaking hyped.

Tina joins me for breakfast. Her meal is limited to some fresh berries drizzled with sugar, along with some dry toast and coffee. No wonder she’s so thin. The woman never eats. As far as I can tell, she lives off of champagne.

She does take her time with her breakfast, however. She reads the paper thoroughly as she picks at her food. Long minutes tick by and I practically tap my heel into the floor, but she doesn’t look up through the duration of her meal.

“Shall we go?” I suggest, simply because I can’t take it any longer.

“Oh, I’m not going in today. I have appointments all morning. Hair. The spa. That sort of thing. You go ahead and I’ll meet you back here by four o’clock.”

She doesn’t even have to finish talking before I fly out of the dining room. The hired car takes me to club, where I lug my wardrobe changes in to set up in my dressing room.

I feel pretty sure of myself until I walk in to find another singer already rehearsing with the band. And it’s not just some singer, either. It’s a famous singer I recognize, one with a lot more star power than I could possibly have. I make a detour to the bar to corner Sasha. “What the hell is going on?”

She sighs, and I know the news is not good. “Tina booked him for the show tonight. He’s headlining. It’s sold a lot of tickets.”

“I bet. Having Joe-Vanni Carnevale on the marquee doesn’t exactly draw a crowd, I guess.” I can feel her discomfort from where she stands. “What?”

“You’re not on the marquee, Vanni,” she says. Since she uses my real name, I gather she’s serious.

“I don’t understand. What was the point of this whole week if I’m not going to perform?”

“Maybe that’s not how she needs you to perform,” she suggests with a wry smile. “I’m sorry, Vanni. When I recommended you for this show, I really sold you to sing, I swear.”

My eyes meet hers. “You recommended me for this?”

She shrugs. “I mean, it was just such a random thing. She wanted to plug some holes in the show and I said that I had seen a really great band. So of course when you showed up, I pointed you out to her. When she approached you, I thought for sure she was going to give you a chance.”

I glance back up at the singer on stage, who is running the show with Arturo instead of the other way around. He wasn’t being led around by his nose. That was just me. A plain, ol’ regular Joe. Now I know why she thought I needed more swagger.

“Maybe she did and I just blew it.”

“Vanni, don’t say that. You really have something special. And if Tina can’t see that, then that’s her loss.”

I nod. I know she means well. “Thanks for the chance anyway,” I say. “Can I get a beer?” Off her look, I add, “I may not be performing but I think it’s time to get this party started.”

I drink at least three more before I return to the house that afternoon. Tina hasn’t arrived yet, which allows me time to dress. I’m ready for the ball by the time she gets home. She hasn’t changed into her gown yet, but her hair and makeup are stunning.

I meet her at the door with a glass of champagne. “For you,” I say, enveloping her with my dark eyes. I finally know the rules to the game she’s playing, so I feel a lot more confident than I had when she left me the night before.

She holds up the glass. “For us,” she says. I offer a slight nod as I clink my glass to hers. I never take my eyes off of her as I tip the glass and slowly let the bubbly liquid slide down my throat.

She finishes her drink as well and hands me the glass. “I’ll go change into my dress. I should be ready in about a half-hour or so.”

I move away and gesture grandly towards the stairs with my arm. “After you.”

I give her a ten-minute head start before I climb the stairs towards her personal suite on the top floor. I try the knob gently, which turns with ease. It makes me grin to myself. She didn’t bother to lock it, which means she clearly expects a visitor. Maybe she’s been expecting one all along. The closed door had simply been a challenge.

I decided to play into her hands one more time.

By no surprise, Tina’s room color is a regal purple. The dark, vibrant color is broken up by ivory colored accents, with corner bookshelves, stately pillars and crown molding along the ceiling. The centerpiece of her bedroom is a large, king-sized bed that is round in shape, and covered with purple satin, and surrounded by wisps of sheer purple netting suspended like a canopy over her bed. A large crystal domed chandelier shines overhead, with a plush light mauve carpet underfoot, accented with a black filigree pattern.

It is a room befitting a queen, and that queen sits at her vanity table overlooking a large window facing Central Park South, wearing only a pink silk dressing gown. She leans close to a mirror to apply her makeup, and that is when she spots me on the other side of the room. When our eyes meet in the reflective glass, I lock the door behind me.

She says nothing as I walk up behind her. I don’t stop until I reach her chair. I take both of her shoulders in my hands to rub them softly.

“What are you doing, Vanni?” she asks.

“What you pay me for, Tina,” I say. I kneel down to look at her reflection in the mirror. “You know, since I’m not on the roster for tonight’s show.”

“What can I say? Justin offered to play for free. And his name–”

“Sells tickets,” I finish for her. “Right. But that’s not why I’m not performing tonight. I’m not stupid, Tina. I know what this week was about. You want a primped and preening poodle to walk on your leash to piss off your ex. I get that. I’ve got a bitch of an ex too. And that’s why,” I say as I lean forward, surrounding her with my arms to pull the strings on her dressing gown, “I know how this should go down.”

I’m rewarded by the hitch in her voice. “What do you mean?”

I slip the dressing gown from her bare shoulders. She’s not wearing a bra, and I inspect those firm, perfect tits in the mirror. Whether they are God-given or manmade makes no difference to me. “If you didn’t hire me so that I could prove my prowess behind the mic, then that means you hired me to prove my prowess elsewhere.”

“I hired you as my escort.”

At least she admits it
, I think to myself as I chuckle against her skin. Goose bumps spring up to my mouth as I kiss her bare shoulder. “You could have hired a professional escort if you wanted,” I say. “Face it, Tina. You wanted me. And I know why.”

Her face screws into a sneer. I know she’s on the ropes now. “And why’s that?”

I snake one hand up the back of her neck to tangle my fingers in her long hair. “Because you want your ex to know how well you’re getting fucked, that’s why.”

I turn her face to me and deliver a scorching kiss on her partially opened lips. She wrenches back and slaps me hard across the face. It smarts, but I smile anyway. “Who do you think you are?” she demands hotly.

I lean forward, backing her against her chair. “I’m the guy you’ve wanted to fuck since you first laid eyes on me. You made me chase you, and I did. You made me grovel and beg, and I did. You made me jump through all your hoops. And I did. But that’s not what you wanted me to do. You wanted me to take what I wanted, from that very first night. You leveraged my career for it, made me literally sing and dance for it, and even strip for it. You’ve done everything to piss me off and make me snap, just so I could fuck you like you’ve wanted to be fucked for a very long time. And now that I know that, you’re about to get exactly what you want.”

This time my kiss is way more demanding. I’m going to punish her for making me beg like a dog. I force her lips open with my tongue, taking full command of her mouth until she moans underneath me. She’s breathless when I pull away.

“You want swagger, baby? Hang on.” I wrap my arms around her and lift her up effortlessly. Her dressing gown falls away, revealing her tanned, lean body to me at last. I’m hard as a rock just thinking about the things I’m going to do to her.

I carry her easily to the king-sized, satin-covered bed, where I deposit her in a wide-eyed, panting heap. I rip away my expensive jacket and toss it to the floor as I perch myself over her on my knees. I tug my dress shirt free from my trousers before I land on top of her, pushing her down onto her back.

I don’t ask for permission as I steal another kiss. I feel her bare chest pressed into mine, so I know she can feel every hard muscle. She trembles underneath me, but I know she’s not scared. This is exactly what she wanted, I have no doubts.

This powerful woman wants someone else to call the shots for once.

I kiss my way down her torso to capture one of her hard nipples in my mouth. Her long, manicured fingers wind themselves into my long hair, which spills over my shoulders. I use the tip of my tongue to tease her, and I don’t stop until she is gyrating underneath me. I switch to the other breast, taking my time, making her pay for this slow game of seduction she’s been playing with me.

The ball’s in my fucking court, goddammit. And I want to make sure it stays there.

I rub myself against her, just so she can see how hard she’s made me. But I’m not going to give it to her until she makes me beg.

My mouth drifts even lower on her sweet-smelling body, across her taut tummy and down to her perfectly trimmed patch, freshly groomed. I use one large hand to impatiently part her legs before dipping my head even lower. I open her like a flower, blowing cool air on that hot little pussy. I target her clit at once, causing her to jerk against me with a suppressed cry. I grin before I latch onto it, swirling my tongue around it, lazily at first, making her groan and writhe beneath me. I gradually speed up, until she clamps both of her thighs against my head. I don’t stop. Instead I take her from zero to sixty in less than two minutes, when she’s coming hard and loud.

I don’t stop either. As self-contained as she is, I get the sense that this woman hasn’t enjoyed a proper orgasm in a while. I plan to make every sex toy she’s likely to have hidden in every drawer in her bedroom obsolete. I finger her ever so gently, but just on the outside, teasing her with the idea of penetration without actually doing it.

I’m saving that particular honor for my dick.

Her hips buck against me. She wants more and she wants it bad. Her whole body is like an exposed nerve. “Now,” she begs as she comes again.

“Not yet,” I tell her as I keep fingering her. Her hips gyrate underneath me and her thighs shudder around me. She’s coming again, even harder than before. But I don’t stop. She’s one exposed nerve and I’m going to keep pressing on it, swirling my fingers and tongue around it, until she’s incoherent with need.

“Vanni, now!”

“No,” I tell her again. “Not till I’m ready.” I latch onto her and suck her clit into my mouth until she’s clawing at the sheets.

She’s practically in tears from the intense pleasure when I lift up only to dispense with my pants, socks and shoes. She’s trembling from her last orgasm when I crawl up her body. I plant a deep kiss on her mouth. I know she can taste herself on me. She groans against me because it makes it even hotter for her, like the dirty, dirty girl she wants to be.

Her hand disappears between us to guide my cock where she wants it to go. I shake my head with a low chuckle as I raise her hand up over her head, securing it in my large palm. Her eyes widen as I do the same with her other hand, all while rubbing her clit with my dick. She shudders hard against me. I know she’s aching for me to fill her. I capture her hooded gaze. “Tell me how much you want it.”

She has the whole damned world at her feet, and yet she wants me. I want to hear her say it. I
need
to hear her say it.

“I want it,” she ekes out. I rub a little firmer.

“Tell me like you mean it, Tina. You’ve wanted this cock since the first time you laid eyes on me. Admit it.”

She nods her head. She can’t deny it. Every cell in her body is reaching for me. “I did. I do. Fuck me, dammit.” Then, in a croaked whisper, “Please.”

I chuckle again as I bury my face in her neck, nibbling my way up to her ear as my free hand cups her breast. “Now tell me you want my band to perform at Sedução.”

Her eyes widen as she focuses on my face. “What?”

I tease her nipple between my forefinger and my thumb. “Tit for tat, darlin’. Remember? You know I’ve got what it takes. You didn’t just play dress up with me all week for a one-and-done dinner with your ex. You know I’m a star, and that’s why you’re grooming me. Admit it.” I tweak her nipple again and she cries out. I capture it in my mouth, to swirl my tongue around it and lap over it until she’s crazed with need.

I break away to nuzzle her ear again as my hand curls under her to cup her luscious ass. “You wanted me to take what I want? This is what I want. Tell me you’ll make it happen and I’ll make that big bad ache inside you go away.” She groans in her throat as she stares into my eyes. I grind against her. “You want me to push this big, hard dick up inside you, pumping inside you, making you come harder than you’ve ever come before? You know I can do that now, don’t you?” I tease her further, with kisses and touches and the promise of my rock hard cock against her. She’s practically coming already. “I’ll make you forget every other man who has ever fucked you before. All you gotta do is promise me one show by the end of the year. Then we both get what we want,” I tell her in between slow, open-mouthed kisses.