Bad For Me (My Forbidden Rockstar) (22 page)

“You’re beautiful,” Dom says, his eyes roving over my body.

Right, I’m completely naked.

I reach for a piece of toast, and Dom hands me a cup of
coffee.

“What time is it?” I ask, with a mouthful of food.

“Eleven.”

“Crap. I need to meet my mom in an hour.”

I look over at Dom, and a smile plays on my lips.

“What time did we go to bed?”

Dom laughs deep in his throat. “Seven. I think.”

I shake my head in amazement.

We cuddle on the bed, eating our breakfast together, and all
too soon, I have to get in the shower.

“Don’t come in!” I warn, as Dom tries to follow me. “I’ll
never get out of this hotel room if you come in here.”

Dom puts up a fight, but agrees to let me get ready.

Forty minutes pass before I know it. Dom places me in a
taxi, and kisses me softly.

“Thank you for last night,” he says.

“Thank
you.”

“You better save up your energy because I’ve booked us
another room for tonight,” he says, giving me a sneaky grin and shutting the
door.

I stare at him, I can hardly believe what has happened
during the past few days, but I smile and close my eyes contentedly as the cab
pulls out into the busy traffic and speeds uptown.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Dom

My time in New York with Annie was unlike anything I had
ever experienced. Even better than anything I had ever shared with Emily. This
is the first time I've truly felt a mutual connection with another human being.
And while it scares the absolute shit out of me, I also love this new feeling.
I can’t wait until we are free to spend more time together, and I find myself
missing her whenever we are apart.

I didn’t want to make Annie feel uncomfortable by bringing
her on the bus at night, and after New York I booked us hotel rooms in Boston,
Syracuse and Philadelphia. But finally Annie told me it was silly to book rooms
in every city, and as long as the guys didn’t mind, she had no problem shacking
up with me on the bus. Of course, every now and then we did get a hotel room
just so we could be as loud and raucous as we wanted.

We had been on tour for four weeks, and while Annie didn’t
sleep on the bus every night, especially not during the nights when the buses
were traveling, she still came over more often than not.

Having sex with Annie while trying to keep her quiet was
quickly becoming the hottest thing I had ever done with another woman.

Right now I'm on the bus, with just the guys, on our way to
do a four-day stint in Florida as we hit some of the major cities. As I watch
the highway pass by, I find myself wishing I were with Annie. Christ, I'm
turning into such a sap.

Johnny is sleeping in one of the bunks, and Avery and Jenner
are playing
Call of Duty
on the Xbox.

“What’s wrong Lover Boy?” Avery teases, looking over at me.
“Miss your woman?”

“Fuck off.” I chuck a pillow at him.

“That girl probably needs her rest,” Jenner muses. “She’s
got the stamina of a fucking Energizer bunny.”

“Watch it,” I growl, “That’s my girlfriend you’re talking
about.”

Jenner snickers. “It’s a compliment, bro. Damn, if I could
find a girl as hot as Annie who loved to fuck as much as she does, I would
never look at another woman again.”

“Seriously, Jenner. You’re pushing it. Shut up.”

I didn’t like the guys talking about Annie that way, even
though it was the truth. I was in fucking heaven when I found out just how much
Annie loved sex, and she was up for anything. And I had never found a woman
before who could keep up with my nearly inhuman sex drive.

I look over to see Avery who’s mimicking doing it doggy
style, while smacking a pretend ass in the air.

“Fucking jerk offs!” I yell, jumping up.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Avery cries. “I’m only talking about that
hot ass blonde I met up with last night.”

I gave him a quizzical look. I had Annie on the bus last
night, which is why she was on her bus now catching up on sleep. And the guys
and I had an unspoken rule – if Annie’s on the bus, they aren’t allowed to
bring any slutty groupies on board.

Jenner laughs. “Avery fucked in the meet and greet room
after we cleared out.”

“Jesus, Avery! Seriously?”

He grins. “She was hot and she was all over me. What was I
supposed to do?”

Sometimes it still felt strange to be monogamous. Last year
on tour, I would have been just like Avery, fucking girls behind every door and
around every corner. One time, I had a girl give me a blowjob in a wardrobe
closet, and then I picked up another girl on my way back to the bus. Those were
not my finest moments.

Annoyed with the guys, and annoyed with myself, I head back
into my bedroom and pull out my phone. Annie was talking recently about how she
always wanted to visit Hawaii but had never been. I’m thinking that Hawaii
would be a great place for us to vacation once the tour wraps up. I know my
travel agent, Jessa, could find a sweet little house right on the beach
somewhere in Kauai. Cost doesn’t matter; I just want Annie to be happy.

“Hey Dom!” Jessa chirps over the line.

“Hi Jessa. I have a little project that I'm hoping you can
help with.”

“I’m all ears.”

“I’m currently on tour and we wrap up in two months.
Afterwards I want to spend a few weeks in Hawaii and I was thinking Kauai. I’m
looking for a house right on the beach. Doesn’t need to have much, and I only
need one bedroom. I definitely want a pool and obviously lots of privacy.”

I hear Jessa typing away at her computer.

“Okay. I’ve got everything down, and I know of a few houses
we’ve used before, but I can check with some other agents and see if they have
anything else available.”

“Great, thanks Jessa.”

“So, will this house be just for you?” she asks. I can hear
the curiosity in her voice. She must not pay enough attention to the gossip
magazines, because Annie has been featured pretty prominently lately.

“No, Jessa. Me plus one.”

“Alright, I’ll work something out and get back to you.”

“Great. Thanks.”

Feeling satisfied, I end the call. I look at the time and
see that there are only two more hours until we reach Tampa. I lean my head
back against the window and try to sleep.

* * *

The show in Tampa goes off without a hitch, and as I step
offstage, one of the assistants hands me my phone.

“It’s been going off every ten minutes,” she explains.

“What the hell?” I glance at my phone and I see that I have
fifteen missed calls from my mom.

I hurry out of the wings and try to find a quiet place so I
can listen to her messages. My mom knows our show schedule, so I don’t think
it’s a good sign that she’s called repeatedly.

“Dom!” Jenner yells, running up to me. “You need to go find
Annie. Now. She’s apparently a fucking wreck and she’s looking for you.”

Christ! What the hell is going on? The backup singers leave
the stage at the end of the show, and then we go back on and play one more
song. That means Annie has been off the stage for nearly fifteen minutes.

I stow my phone in my pocket and start jogging through the
halls looking for her.

I see Mel’s tall head sticking out above the crowd.

“Mel!” I call, hurrying over to her. “Do you know where
Annie is?”

Mel gives me a sad look and points down the hall. I hurry
down the hall, my heart racing. Why is Annie upset and why is mom calling me?
My phone goes off again, and I see it’s my mom. I hit Ignore and hurry to
Annie.

I see Liz crouched down at the end of the hall, her arm
around Annie as Annie sobs into her arm. When Liz sees me, she gets up and
moves out of the way.

“Annie? What is it?” I kneel next to her and take her in my
arms.

She’s sobbing, and she looks up at me with puffy, blood-shot
eyes.

“It’s – it’s my dad!” she chokes.

“Shit. What happened? Another heart attack?”

Annie can barely breathe she’s so worked up, and she nods
her head.

“Is he alright? My mom called too.”

“N-n-no,” she sobs, “He’s not okay.”

What does she mean he’s not okay? Has he suffered
irreparable damage? I look wildly to Liz for help. She shakes her head.

What?

No, I must not understand correctly.

“Annie,” I say, taking her face in my hands, “Please! What
happened?”

“He’s dead!” she cries, “He didn’t make it! He was gone
before the paramedics even arrived!” She lets out a fresh sob, and falls into
my arms.

Cliff is dead.

 Annie’s father and my mom’s fiancé.

This can’t be happening.

I need to get Annie out of here now. I scoop her up in my
arms and she buries her face in my shoulder.

“C’mon,” I say softly, making my way through the crowd.
People stare, but they move out of the way and I wonder how many people know by
now. 

Cliff is dead.

Cliff is dead.

I’m trying to wrap my mind around it but I can’t. I had only
met Cliff a few times but he was a nice guy. And my mom loved him. Not to
mention that Annie was crazy about him, he was her rock, and they loved each
other so much.

I need to call my mom but I need to take care of Annie
first. I take her out to the bus, and lay her on my bed. I brush her matted
hair from her face, and she curls into the fetal position.

“I’m going to be right outside the room so I can call my
mom,” I say gently.

Annie only continues to cry but she nods her head.

I hate leaving her, even if I’m only a few feet away.

I step out of the bedroom and softly pull the door behind
me. I take a deep breath and call my mom.

I try to brace myself for this call. My mom was madly in
love with Cliff and she had finally found a decent guy. I can’t even imagine
what she must be going through.

“Dominic?” my mom chokes out, answering on the first ring.

“Mom, I’m so sorry,” I say, feeling tears in my own eyes as
my mom’s wrenching sobs fill my ears.

“Oh, Dominic! I can’t believe he’s gone. I can’t believe it.
What am I going to do? How am I going to live without Cliff?”

“Mom, I’m so sorry,” I repeat, “What happened?”

“N-nothing!” she cries, “We were watching TV and he got up
to get himself some water. Next thing I hear is the water pitcher shattering on
the floor and a loud thump. I ran to the kitchen and found Cliff slumped on the
floor, his face purple!” She stops to cry and I bury my head in my hands as I
listen to my mother sob like a child.

“I called 911. I called right away,” she weeps, “but it was
too late. He died in my arms before they even came. They didn’t even make it in
time!”

Her voice breaks and she lets out another gut-wrenching sob.

“Mom,” I say distraught, “Tell me what I can do.”

“I need you here, Dominic. Come home.”

My mind is racing because I know we have off the next two
days so that everyone on tour can relax and enjoy the great Florida weather. If
I’m going to cancel any shows though, I need to let the team know as soon as
possible.

“Okay. Annie and I are going to get on a plane tonight.
We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

“How is Annabelle?” my mom asks in a small voice. I can
still hear Annie crying through the bedroom door.

“Terrible,” I admit. “Let me go now so I can make some
calls. I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, Dominic. Hurry home,” she chokes.

I hang up and dial my assistant who is still somewhere
inside the arena.

“I need a chartered plane ASAP. Annie and I need to get home
to LA tonight.”

“Alright. I’m on it. I’ll call you back when I have
something.”

I go back to Annie, and hold her while she cries. I rock her
in my arms and smooth her hair away from her face.

Twenty minutes later, my phone buzzes.

“I have a plane for you at a private airport about twenty
minutes away. There’s a car outside the bus when you’re ready.”

I turn to Annie. “Come on, baby. I’m taking you home.”

“Already?” she sniffles.

I nod and take her out to the car. We’ll get clothes once
we’re back in LA. We don’t have time for that now. I need to remember to get my
assistant some type of lavish gift when I get back. I have no idea what kind of
strings he had to pull to get us a plane so quickly.

The flight is a blur, and Annie sleeps fitfully in my arms.
The time passes, but when we touch down I can’t remember what I’ve thought
about all night. It’s six am Eastern time, but only three am in LA. It’s the
middle of the fucking night.

We take a taxi to Cliff’s house, and Annie runs inside and
disappears somewhere. I find my mom in the kitchen, surrounded by a few of her
close friends.