Wicked Bad Boys (83 page)

I
had
to blink my eyes several times the next morning before I was convinced I was awake, and not in some fantasy of a dream. Amanda was next to me, my arm draped over her still-sleeping body, grasping her around the waist. I caressed the soft skin on her belly for further reassurance she wasn’t something I conjured up. She was real, last night had been real, and now, she was still here. As I traced a small, lazy circle around her navel, my cock stiffened against her bare ass. I didn’t want to wake her, but my craving for her was building up automatically as I breathed her in.

We had made love over and over again, until early in the morning, waking up several times to start again, until we had finally collapsed and succumbed to the sleep we desperately needed. I had gotten a taste of her strong sensuality in Greece, but last night was better. I could feel it in my gut. She was different with her guard down now.

That conversation at the bar was where it all changed, though my guess was I had been growing on her a bit at a time. I mentally replayed her sad story of her childhood. The idea of anyone hurting or neglecting her stirred up a deep, slow-burning rage within me. I couldn’t handle thinking about the men she had talked about who had used her mother and ignored her. And although she felt it could have been worse, the idea of anyone adding such horror to a young life made me see red behind my eyes. When she had shared it at the bar, my body had tensed up in response, and it took some effort not to slam my hand through something to handle the anger. That same feeling crept up again now, but I quickly pushed the anger down. It was displaced. There was no jerk of a mom’s boyfriend to pound on anymore.

I gently brushed aside a strand of her hair so I could see her face. My chest tightened. She was still perfect to me, emotional scars and all. I wanted her. I needed her. Now that the wall between us had finally been breached, I felt like anything was possible. Her vulnerability and openness had been like a gift, and I needed to find some way to thank her for opening up to me. The only thing I could do at the moment was hold her close. Keeping her close was going to be its own challenge. I still had to contend with Kevin and his overbearing, control-freak bullshit. There was also the fact that her home was three thousand miles away. Still, after last night, finding a way to be with her didn’t seem impossible anymore.

Amanda stirred, opening her eyes slowly and rolling to her back.

I smiled over at her. “Good morning, sweetness.”

She turned her head and looked at me, eyes still sleepy. “Good morning.”

“How did you sleep?”

“Really good, thanks.” She sat up and stretched her arms up. “You?”

“Great.” I pulled her over to me when she finished stretching. “I think I can really get used to having you here with me.”

“Mmmm,” she moaned, wrapping her arms around my waist and pulling me back into bed. “Me too.”

I smiled at her. “Good.”

She nodded and licked her lips as she eased against my bare chest. Her hand casually rested on my stomach. That was enough to make my cock twitch with need.

“Are you hungry? I can make you breakfast if you’d like.”

She met my eyes and smiled, sliding her hand from my stomach to wrap her fingers around my shaft. “Maybe later.”

She kicked a leg over my hip, and in one swift move, pulled herself up to straddle me. She rubbed her hot pussy along my shaft, making it stiffen and throb as the urge to plunge into her grew. She bent forward and kissed my chest, then moved up further.

“Lorne,” she whispered into my ear.

“I love hearing you say my name,” I said, my lips against her skin.

No woman I dated had ever used my real name. Hell, I didn’t think many of them had any idea Johnny wasn’t my actual name.

I kissed her shoulder blade, and noticed the bandaged spot where she had been cut with scissors from the teenage groupie. “Does this still hurt?”

“It never did,” she said, tearing off the bandage. Underneath was a tiny, almost undiscernible scar. “See? It’s completely healed already. It won’t even leave a mark.”

“It wouldn’t matter if it left a scar. You’re so beautiful, Amanda.” I kissed the spot and she moaned. I kissed a trail over to the top of her breast. Tilting my neck, I took one of her nipples in my mouth, teasing it with my tongue and teeth. She gasped, pressing into my face. My hands slid down her back, cupping her ass. I squeezed her cheeks to lift her up and she lowered herself onto me, crying out when she took me in. I held on to her ass, but let her control the pace.

She settled on top of me, and began to rock her hips, grinding her pussy against the base of my shaft. My fingers dug into her hips, thrusting up into her and matching her rhythmic pulses. My eyes we now fixated on her breasts. They gently bounced as she moved, and in a quick beat, I slid one hand from her hip, cupping the soft outer flesh as I stroked the nipple. She moaned and began to rock faster. I moved my other hand to the front of her inner thigh, reaching my thumb under her hood to massage her clit.

“Oh God,” she cried out.

Her legs shook, and soon her walls tensed and clenched around my cock when she came, driving me further to insanity. She collapsed on my chest, spent, whimpering and begging me to keep going. I cradled her back to flip her over and buried myself into her tight, wet pussy. As I began to get my rhythm, my phone began to vibrate on the nightstand.

Amanda instantly stilled, her eyes popping open at the disturbance.

“Ignore it,” I said, gently thrusting into her.

She closed her eyes again and I continued, picking up the pace. That was when her phone began to ring from inside the pocket of her pants on the floor.

She pressed at my chest, so I sat up. “I think we should stop. It sounds like they’ll come to the door eventually if we don’t answer.”

“Well I’m going to punch whoever it is,” I growled. I reached over and grabbed the phone. It was Fred. “Shit. It’s Fred. You’re probably right.”

By the time I answered, it had gone to voicemail. Amanda wrinkled her nose. For a moment, I thought she was going to push me off her and out completely. Instead, she pulled me close again. “Five more minutes.”

I quickly forgot all about the calls. I plunged into her, and she yelped with surprise, her eyes wide, grinding her hips up, taking me deeper inside. I watched as a slow smile spread across her face. I buried my face in her neck, kissing and nibbling on her tasty skin. I held her tight to my body, my hands at the small of her back. She moaned out as my thrusts matched the gentle squeezes to her toned back. I was close, and could feel her breath quickening too.

She lifted her head to my ear. “Come for me, Lorne. Fuck me harder and come, baby.”

I grasped her ass and sped up my attack, driving deeper and harder into her. She bit down on my neck and released it long enough to circle her tongue on the spot. She repeated the move, blowing cool air on the moist spot, then nibbling again. It drove me straight to the edge. I growled out a low groan, pounding wildly for the final few jerks, and released deep inside her. She held on to me tightly for a few minutes, stretching her legs out under me to rest.

The buzzing of our phones again shattered our temporary escape.

“It must be serious,” she said, finally easing out from under me to reach over the side of the bed for her phone. “Hello? Yes…Okay thanks, Fred. We’ll be right down.”

“What’s going on?”

“That was Fred. He’s on his way over with Jenny, Kevin, and Lady.” She wiggled out from underneath me and got up, gathering her clothes and shoes before heading for the door. “They’ll be here any minute. Meet you downstairs, okay?”

“Sure.”

She blew me a kiss and scurried off to her room to get dressed. I watched her go. My pulse quickened with this new rush as I got up to get ready too.

A
manda had popped
her head in after I came out of the shower to tell me she would put coffee on if the housekeeper was not there yet. When I got downstairs, I could hear her in the kitchen. I would have gone there to see her, but Kevin and Lady were just walking in the front door, followed by Fred and Jenny.

“Good morning, Lorne.” Lady came up and tipped her head up for a kiss. “I’m so sorry for coming so early, dear.”

“It’s fine. Hi, Lady. Kevin.” I nodded over to Fred and Jenny, who went to the guest office right away.

“Son, with the kind of day you’re likely to have, we thought we should have this chat sooner rather than later. Is that all right?” Lady asked.

“Sure thing. Let’s use Kevin’s office. I’ll let Amanda know where we’ll be so she doesn’t come looking.”

“Let her know it’s a private meeting,” Kevin called out.

I gave an awkward nod and went to the kitchen. Amanda was sitting at the dining table with her tablet and a cup of coffee. I crossed the room and went to her.

“Hi Johnny. Do you want some coffee?”

“Hey.” I bent forward and kissed her cheek. “I could really use some, but the gang is here. Kevin and Lady need to speak with me for a few minutes. The sooner we get this over with, the better. I’ll be in Kevin’s office okay? Talk to you in a bit.”

“No problem. See you later.”

I took the back hallway to Kevin’s office and shut the door behind me when I walked in.

“How are you feeling?” I asked him, setting aside the blowout we had started down at the precinct last night. The last thing I wanted to do was argue. On top of that, the bandages were still on his neck, and added a strange vulnerability to his demeanor. I was going to do my best not to let this escalate.

“It’s fine,” Kevin said reluctantly. Lady shot him a scowl. He softened and added. “Thanks for asking.”

I nodded. “So about last night. Look, I’m sorry about what I said. It was harsh and uncalled for. I was upset…”

Kevin scratched the top of his head, tousling more of his thick grey hair into his face. “I may have gone overboard too. It was a stressful day. Have a seat, Johnny. We’ve got a few things to go over.”

I sat on the leather couch across from the two wingback chairs Lady and Kevin had taken.

Kevin started. “Before we get into the more pressing issue, I wanted to get an administrative item out of the way.”

“Okay. What’s it about?”

“Well, the bank phoned yesterday. Did you write a check for two-million dollar to Amanda?”

“Yes I did. Why?”

“Well why did you do that, exactly?”

I let out a sigh. “I’m saying this as politely as I can, so bear with me. Kevin, you’ve been oppressive, overbearing, and outright rude to Amanda from the moment we hired her. No one should have to voluntarily put up with that from an employer or client, especially when her duties have changed moment to moment. She’s gone from leading the security team to being a bodyguard acting as my girlfriend to lip-syncing on stage. We all expect her to agree and roll with the punches, yet she’s in the line of fire for me, taking the biggest risk.”

Kevin opened his mouth to respond, but I cut him off.

“Let me finish. And you can’t compare what Amanda’s doing to the FBI guys out there. They stand to get a lot of media attention and credit when the stalker is finally caught, and to be frank, they’re looking after the public interest, not just mine. Getting back to the point, I was the one who asked for her to be here, but that gives you no excuse for treating her horribly. You dangled the contract in her face like a carrot, then verbally abused her in front of everyone. I knew it would get worse, and you proved me right, when you tried to fire her in Greece. I wrote her that check early on to balance the scales upfront. No matter what happens, she’ll be fairly compensated for her work. So far she’s more than earned it. And I know I’ve said a lot as it is, but I’ll finish with this. I am the one who pursued her, not the other way around. I care about Amanda, and when it comes to the personal side of our friendship, it is not up for discussion or negotiation.”

Lady had been looking over at Kevin during my rant. She didn’t wait a second after I paused. She was clearly upset. “You tried to fire her in Greece, Kevin?”

He fumbled for an answer. “That was because…because she left her post.”

“You know that’s not entirely true, Kevin,” I countered, remaining as even-toned and calm as I could. Being in Lady’s presence had that effect on both Kevin and me. “And actually, if she didn’t leave the stage to check the room, who knows what I would have eaten from that basket the stalker left in the room. Face it, Kevin. Amanda has gone above and beyond in fulfilling her role to protect me. And she will continue to do so.”

“All right, boys,” Lady said calmly. “There’s certainly more to this than the amount of time we have to discuss it. Kevin, I think Lorne has a point about Amanda’s performance. He’s still in one piece, and it sounds like she has been valuable to Agent Carlson’s team as well. From everything I’ve heard, I agree with Lorne. She needs to stay until the end of the contract. And if you’ve already paid her, that’s fine. It is, after all, your money.”

“Thanks for understanding, Lady.”

“Well I’m not done yet, Lorne. For you, I understand that you and Amanda have some type of relationship forming. I’m thrilled if she makes you happy, and would be glad to embrace her into our family, if that’s what you want down the road. However, this situation is a little more delicate. Surely you can understand that. It’s not good practice to mix business and pleasure. This is why I think you need to hold off on getting too close for the rest of the tour.”

Kevin jumped on that like a dog on a bone. “That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to tell him. It’s not like sleeping with a real backup singer or dancer. She’s here to protect you. And if she’s too distracted with you, you’re both risking your lives!”

I rolled my eyes and fought the urge to leave the room. “Amanda is doing her job, Kevin.”

Lady raised a hand again to stop us both. “Let’s stay calm, boys. Lorne, in order to do her job properly, she needs to stay sharp and focused. This intimate relationship isn’t appropriate for as long as she is on your security detail.”

“I’m sorry Lady. You know how much I love and respect you, but I can’t agree to what you’re asking of me. Amanda is not just a friend or someone I’ve been intimate with. I really care about her. And I have not asked her yet, but after the tour is done, I plan to…I’ll be asking her to stay with me.”

Kevin got to his feet. “You’ll do no such thing, Johnny. There’s a whole lot more we can accomplish in the months after this tour. That won’t work for your career.”

“And why do you feel I don’t deserve to have someone special in my life? When did I ever sign up to put the career you want for me above my happiness?” I stood up too, jaw clenched with fury. “You know what? Don’t bother answering. I’ll make this even simpler than ever. The tour is over. I want out, and you are going to make it happen, Kevin.”

“Johnny, don’t be an idiot! Tonight is a pivotal moment of your career that we’ve been working toward for years. You can’t blow this off.”

“It’s not for my career. It’s the career that you want for me. There’s a difference.”

Lady sighed, sensing she had lost her grip on the discussion.

Kevin started pacing the room. “So, what’s your career? You want to be the singer-songwriter in some coffee shop in the middle of nowhere, playing for three people who won’t even tip you enough to buy a cup of coffee, let alone care enough to go and download your piece-of-shit, self-produced single on iTunes?”

“Oh for heaven’s sake, Kevin,” Lady sighed.

He ignored Lady in the midst of his anger. “You think I’m being overly dramatic, but I’m not. You’re Johnny Q Venom. You don’t do heartbreak ballads and deep, emotional shit. You sing about partying like a rock star, because
you’re a rock star
! If you switch gears now, you’re done. You can put out another album, you can hire the best producers, hell, you might even have enough clout to get a record label interested in your new stuff. But no matter where you go, you’re roots are going to follow. You will be impossible to label, impossible to brand. And without a brand, you’ve got no chance at success. You’ll shrivel into another no-name hopeful who wasted their potential, and eventually their stuff gets tossed into the bargain bin at Target.”

The picture he was painting was grim, but it didn’t scare me. The idea of working with people I hand-selected to help me achieve my dream was within reach. I had not deluded myself into thinking that my music was going to bring about world peace. I just wanted to stop singing about sleeping with a bunch of girls, getting drunk all the time and trashing guitars, cars and hotel rooms.

“I’ll take my chances,” I countered.

Kevin spun on his heels and stared at me, his eyes wild. “Well that’s a shame. Because I wanted better for you. Your parents wanted better for you.”

A ripple of sadness washed over me. I kissed Lady on the cheek, excused myself and made my way to the door. All the fight had drained out of me. I left the room and started down the hall.

“Lorne.” I spun around at the sound of my name. Lady stood in the doorway. She stepped into the hall and gently pulled the door closed, leaving Kevin inside the office. “I know you’re upset right now, but I’m begging you, don’t let this tear you two apart. You know he loves you like his own son.”

I wished I could speak, that I could offer her some comforting words, but I was empty. All I could do was wrap her in a quick embrace before going back up to my room.