from Pain to Pleasure (Gainesville Book 1) (52 page)

Flo was a realist, and any man who would pay for more than his own party’s meal wasn’t going to get upset about her adding a nice 20% to the total bills. If she knew her men—and she did—she wouldn’t be surprised if she found another tip in cash sitting on his table, if Freya managed not to blow him off.

Not that she would set the sweet girl up just for money. Freya needed what Flo sensed in the tall, dark man—someone that would fight alongside Freya for her dreams. Flo, under her jaded exterior, knew that going through life alone was not really living.

“No problem,” the low voice said before it whispered into Freya’s ear, “We have some mutual interests.”

Chase kept the intriguing young woman between his arms while he signed the receipt. His signature was so scribbled, it was no help to Freya. He made a mental note to have his brother leave a cash tip, too. He knew what part of town he was in, and while he wouldn’t insult a working woman with charity, he would make sure she was compensated for all the information she’d shared with him.

He hadn’t been sure if letting his best friend’s brother call in a favor for the charity concert had been a good idea. Now he was glad he had agreed to at least give it a look over.

That visit was what had brought Chase, his brother and their friend to this little diner. They wanted to make sure that the show was for a good cause and not just an ego trip for Kai Saphra’s little sister. After some reconnaissance, Chase and his group had collectively decided that the community center was worthy. It was what it purported to be: a place to harbor those who would have been otherwise lost to the cold streets. They were still unsure about what to do about the second part of the request—to let an unknown sing with them.

All those thoughts had been moved to the back burner once Chase saw this woman walk by his table. Intrigued, he’d watched her until she’d disappeared into a back booth. The distracted look on her face made it seem like the weight of the world itself was on her shoulders, but she was determined to carry it with dignity.

Her simply styled blond hair had to be natural, and it contained every shade of blond, from golden fire to a soft shade between gold and brown. Even in the fluorescent lights of the diner, her hair had gleamed, seeming to beg for his touch. A simple band kept it out of her face, showing she had little concern for extravagant primping. It was as if she didn’t have the time, or care, to wrestle the golden waves into anything more structured.

Her eyes, when she’d quickly scanned for an open booth, had seemed to glow with an earthy green. He had been disappointed when she’d chosen a booth angled away from him. Chase had the feeling that he had just lost something he hadn’t ever known he was missing. Chase figured this woman had a 50-50 chance of screwing him up or showing him Shangri-La.

Flo, sensing his interest in Freya, stopped gossiping about the neighborhood and gave him a brief rundown on Freya. Finding out Freya was his friend Kai’s younger sister, Chase had almost rejoiced about letting an amateur sing with him, until he realized the first name of the sister was wrong.

Chase was going to have a heck of a time getting to Freya through Kai. When he saw her have a problem at the counter, that let Chase meet her without looking like a stalker.

“You know, it helps to face someone so they can recognize you later by more than smell and tattoos.” Freya broke into his musings with a slightly perturbed tone, causing a smile to break out onto Chase’s face.

Moving back, he waited for her reaction to who he was. He saw his brother and friend mentally cross their fingers that she would react in a positive way. Watching her turn, he saw her beautiful green eyes widen as she recognized him. Part of him hoped that she would ask who he was instead of screaming out both his and his brother’s names. as if they were one and the same person, as so many fans and paparazzi did. Though Chase loved his brother, looking just like him could be a pain. He laughed in his mind, reminding himself that their similarity did let him mess with his more staid brother.

Freya said, “Chase Beltrán. Kai didn’t say you and Pride would be in town today. Did I miss something? I’m so sorry if I did. Please, let me make—” Freya went from grateful to desperate once she caught sight of who had helped her out.

She was cut off by Chase placing his finger on her lips. He couldn’t resist touching her. Freya looked at him, trying to figure out just what was needed from her to keep Chase and his group happy and in town.

Chase needed some time himself to remember why he didn’t have to go into his usual all-out pursuit, as he usually did when a woman caught his interest. While he could use her obvious desperation to force her to spend time with him, it wouldn’t help him gain anything but short-term satisfaction, and for some reason, that seemed unappealing to him this time.

He cautioned himself to go easy and think long-term; it was the same part of him that had once encouraged him to hole up in the dank basement of the apartment building he and his band mates had grown up in and work on their music every spare second. Some instinct was telling him that a quick flirtation might not be enough this time.

To top that off, her brother Kai was best friends with Chase’s best friend’s older brother. It was a convoluted connection, but one that mattered to his moral code, not to mention the business he could be messing up by chasing the opportunity in front of him.

Chase hoped that Freya knowing who he was meant she was feeling the same urge he was. For their part, his brother and friend, Chris and Trent, worried that maybe the request from Kai Saphra wasn’t as benign as they had thought; that Kai had baited the hook with something more than a contract to play.

Chris also knew that his brother needed to find a challenge. Freya could be more than Chase could handle. This woman was not some stranger or groupie he could pick up, shower with attention, and then drop when her newness wore off. She was Kai’s little sister, and Kai ran what was soon to be Pride’s label.

Kai wasn’t just an overprotective brother; he was an overprotective brother who would not think twice about retaliating if Chase played fast and loose with one of his sisters. And if that weren’t enough, this sister was the responsible sister who Kai put on a pedestal—a pedestal ringed with barbed wire.

What stunned Trent was that a regular person could know the difference between the twins who fronted Pride. Most people assumed Chase and Chris were interchangeable, only to learn too late that while they might look the same, they were as different as day and night. When the boys were in a mischievous mood, even Trent could have trouble distinguishing them, usually because they would wear long sleeves and hats and refuse to speak until Trent figured out by himself who was who.

Yet, here was this stranger acknowledging Chase as though she were a childhood friend of his. She was either a closet stalker, or she was much more hands-on about the charity event than they had been led to believe.

Freya watched Chris and Trent watch her, and she got nervous. Her father would kill her if she lost the stars of the charity concert. The interest of the media would vanish if they dropped out. The other acts on the bill were mostly local celebrities, and they were not like the internationally known and loved band in front of her. It would be just her sort of luck that she were somehow be the reason things fell apart. Her history seemed to consist of accidentally destroying everything she loved.

She felt a need to cry as the two other men joined her and Chase. Keeping her head down as they all left together, she wondered if they just wanted to make sure she didn’t cause a scene in the diner when they told her that the community center wasn’t worth their time.

She knew it had been a long shot when Kai offered to call to an old college roommate to have him ask Chase to bring his band here. Freya just wished he not offered in front of their father.

The group stopped by a large black SUV, and she figured they wanted to make a fast getaway once they broke the news. Who wants to listen to a hysterical woman beg? Freya knew begging was exactly what she would do when they told her they had made a mistake in agreeing to appear.

Gulping down the lump in her throat, she straightened her spine and decided she wasn’t going down without a fight.

Continued in:

It was Christmas break, and my best friend Chad and I had been home for a few days already. We were both seniors at Southwest New Jersey University, which was just outside our hometown. I loved going to the same school as him, but I missed living right next door to him more than I thought I would.

I was still in bed and naked under the blanket. I wasn’t a morning person, so I never got right up when my alarm went off. It was even more difficult on cold winter mornings.

I sighed, remembering the awesome dream I’d had right before awakening. Chad and another guy from school were in my bed with me. I often dreamed of them both separately, but they’d never been together with me before. They were both in my pussy at the same time and had me screaming in ecstasy for what seemed like hours. I wondered if I would ever be with either of them, let alone both, that way and if it would be that good.

I shook the dream away and turned onto my belly. I gazed out the window next to my bed. I could see Chad’s bedroom in the house next door, but not Chad. I loved watching him in his room. I had yet to see him naked, but was sure one day I would.

He was in love with me. If he knew I watched him, it would make his day. However, I had only sexual, not romantic, feelings for him, which I hid. We had made out in the past, but had gone no further.

I got out of bed and put on my silk robe. I took a shower, which helped to quell my arousal. I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like for one of the men of my dreams to be washing me. I closed my eyes and imagined Chad’s soapy hands running over my breasts and down my belly towards… “Stop that!” I scolded myself.

We had been trying to make it in the music world for five years, but had never found the right people to connect with. Chad promised me he had found two brothers who would finally mesh with us as a band. As I dressed, I wondered what the newest drummer and singer would look like. They were most likely geeks from Chad’s computer classes. That was his major. Mine was music. We had put together three other bands before, but most of the time Chad’s impatient nature and need to control things got in the way.

I checked myself in the mirror. I had jeans on because Chad’s garage would be cold. But I still wore a low cut blouse that revealed ample cleavage. Chad would love it, but then again he would love me in a sweatshirt.

I tried to have an open mind, but we had wasted a lot of time trying to find the right bandmates. When I got over to Chad’s, his garage was open. There was another van in the driveway, parked next to the one he had driven since high school. I took a deep breath and went right to him.

The brothers had their back to me. They were pulling drums out of the van. One had short hair and the other long. Chad kissed my cheek and whispered that he loved me. Then the guy with long hair turned around.

My mouth dropped and I stared at him. I couldn’t believe it was him; the man from my dream. Or more accurately, the classmate I dreamt of because I was afraid to speak to him. That was a first for me. I normally feared nothing.

He held my gaze and gave me an amazing smile. Then he shyly said, “Hi, I’m Giovanni Saracino.”

I felt like I was going to pass out. I smiled back, but couldn’t talk. No guy had ever made me react that way. He stripped me of all of my thoughts with just a smile. I failed a test once because he looked at me in class.

“You’re Crystal Atkinson, right?” Giovanni added.

I just nodded as I gaped at him.

Chad moved between us. He and I were very close and I knew he was upset that I was attracted to his friend. He was 6 feet 4 inches tall—a foot over me.

“Baby, please don’t look at him that way,” Chad softly said as he took my hands.

It made me feel so good when he called me “baby.” I looked up into his light blue eyes. They usually sparkled when he looked at me, but not at that moment. I started to feel bad.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m not trying to hurt you.” I reached up and ran my hand through his long, light-blond hair.

He bent down and closed his eyes. I knew he loved when I did that to him. I always smiled when I made him feel good. Sometimes, that look on his face made me want to kiss him, but I wouldn’t in front of Giovanni.

I pushed away the feeling and touched his cheek. “Chad, you know I won’t go after him. I’m not like that.”

His eyes opened. “I know, baby girl. I can’t help how I feel.”

“Neither can I,” I admitted then kissed his cheek.

“I love you.”

“I know, but he’s the guy I told you about,” I quietly admitted.

He sighed. “The one from your electronic music class?”

“Yeah.” I felt bad, but I had to tell Chad. I told him everything.

He took a deep breath. “Don’t pick up any equipment, got it?” Then he walked towards the van. He hated me helping out because he liked my well-manicured nails. I painted them blue—it was his favorite color.

As I watched them, I noticed Giovanni’s look contrasted completely with Chad’s. He had dark, (almost black) hair down past his shoulder blades. It seemed to bounce when he walked. He also had dark brown eyes accented by unusually long eyelashes. I could see that his body was built-up. I couldn’t wait for him to take his coat off so I could admire it.

Chad was several inches taller than Giovanni but not as muscular. However, Chad wasn’t too thin, either. He was strong and fit. I always thought Chad was built like a god. And I liked that Chad wasn’t shy about wearing an earring in both ears. It made him even more handsome to me.

Giovanni and his brother Rosario looked a lot alike, but Rosario had very short hair, was a little taller and a year older. The hoop earring Giovanni wore was sexy. Rosario had his tongue pierced, but nothing else (that I could see, at least.) I had heard that tongue piercings could make a girl feel real good, but Rosario was much too skinny for me.