Front & Center (Book 2 of the Back-Up Series) (5 page)

“You’re such a pussy
. Man up and fight back.” Hunter says, as he simultaneously unleashes another round of gunfire, taking Scott’s last life. Hunter bursts out laughing when Scott throws the remote at him.

“
Fuck off.”

Their
crude comments no longer faze me in the least.

Scott gets up off the couch and slides into the booth across
from us. Shaking his head at Hunter, he finishes his earlier statement. “Patti’s work schedule is nuts. She’s hoping to meet us in Chicago, but won’t know for a few days.”

I feel for him. Touching
his arm across the table, I try to make him feel better. “I’m sorry, Scott.”

He
blushes and shrugs. “It sucks, but iChat comes in handy.”

Trey stands
and announces, “You assholes are driving me crazy. No offense, Leila.” Trey leaves the bus and doesn’t look back.

“
What the hell is eating him?” Jack asks Scott. Trey is a man of few words, but something is definitely bothering him.

“He’s been going through some crap. He won’t say, b
ut we think it has to do with Lori.”

“Really
, how do you know?” I wonder if Lori admitted anything to Trey regarding Matt.

“He was on the phone with her
yesterday and it didn’t end well.”

That girl has a lot of explaining to do.

“Leila, do you think she would come out and meet us?”

“I don’t know
, Scott. I can ask her.”

I pull out my phone and quickly text Lori.

Still want to talk to you. Also can you meet us anytime soon?

My phone immediately buzzes with a response.

I’m t
oo busy. I’ll text you a time we can chat tomorrow.

“Um, s
he is crazy busy with Cliffhangers and can’t get away right now. She said she’ll talk to me tomorrow.”

Jack watches me skeptically, but doesn’t comment.
Leaning down, he whispers, “Wanna take a nap?” He pulls my earlobe between his lips to convey his true intentions. Throwing him an exasperated look, he responds with an innocent, “What?”

“
We have less than an hour.”

“So, it will be a quick nap.” He
quips.

I glance at Hunter and Scott. Jack follows my gaze and argues,
“They don’t care. They probably rather we disappear.”

“They’d rather
you
disappear.”

“Smartass.”

“Quit acting like we can’t hear the two of you. Jack’s right, get lost.”

Jack
shrugs and says, “See?”

“
This tour will be our demise, because they are going to kill us.” I nod towards our unhappy band mates.

“It’ll be worth it.”

Sliding out of the booth and pulling me with him, he announces, “We are going to go take a nap.”

Hunter looks
up from his game and smirks, “Just keep it down, please.”



Lying in bed, I thought Jack dozed off, until he suddenly asks, “What’s going on with Lori?”

“Why?” I ask
, confused.

“
You looked like you knew something out there when you texted her. I can tell.”

“Really?”
I ask, looking up at him.

He nods
, “I know your faces.”

“
Lori broke it off with Trey the night of our opening show. She didn’t want to pine away for him while he was traveling the country. Plus, Lori was dead set on getting Cliffhangers discovered and is not taking her role as agent lightly.”

Watching me closely, he adds, “I get that…and?”

“And what?”

“There’s more.”

“Jeez, how do you know?”

Shrugging
, he waits for my response.

“Matt is chasing Lori.”

“Matt is chasing Lori? When did that happen?” he asks, looking completely shocked.

“
I’m not sure Trey knows about that part. Lori has wanted Matt for years. After I broke up with him she asked if I would mind, which of course I didn’t. The problem was Matt wanted nothing to do with her in the romantic sense. It took a while for her to finally move on. Trey actually helped her with that. A couple of days ago, Evan informed me that Matt broke up with the girl he had been seeing and is now pursuing Lori. Lori has been tight lipped about the whole thing. I don’t know if she is playing hard to get or if she’s truly moved on.”

“Wow. T
hat’s quite a bit of gossip. If Trey is really into Lori, this is not going to be good.”

“
I’ll try to get some info out of her or Evan.” I sit up and decide to let him know what I’ve been meaning to do. I decide this is as good of a time as any to enlighten Jack about my brother.

“
It’s time to tell Evan about us.”

“Really?”
Jack fails to hide the excitement in his voice.

“Yes
.”

“Finally.” He regards me for a few seconds. “You miss him, don’t you?”

I nod and smile, “Yea
h, I really do.” As I look away, Jack takes my chin to turn my gaze back to his.

“You’re doing it again. You’re hiding something.”

“Do you remember the day I came to rehearsals late and then cried my eyes out?”

Jack simply nods,
his expression shows he is clearly worried about what I’m about to say.

I hold his hand and t
ake a deep breath. I begin to unleash my one biggest secret to my other biggest secret.

“
Evan and I had just found out the day before that we are brother and sister.”

A myriad of emot
ions pass through Jack’s eyes, first relief, then confusion, and finally sympathy.

“Well
, that’s not what I expected you to say. How?”

I explain the friendship between Barb and my dad
, Doug’s role in Barb’s unhappiness, Mom ending it with Dad and his turning to Barb for comfort. I describe what happened that fateful night between Barb and Dad. I tell him about Barb harboring her secret to protect my father, my mother, and Evan. I explain Barb’s motives for keeping her secret from my dad, but reluctantly had to tell him the truth once Evan became sick. I tell him why Doug left and why Barb didn’t want my mom or anyone to know, and the only reason she told Evan now was because she was battling breast cancer and wanted him to know who his real father was. I finally end with my dad’s determination to build his relationship with Evan back to what it was, or better than what it was before. I happily admit I think Evan is finally coming around and is slowly forgiving his mom and my dad for what they did.

During my entire rundown of
that significant day, Jack takes it all in quietly, never breaking our eye contact.

Still holding his hand, I wait patiently for him to process all the information I just dumped.

“Holy shit”, is all he says while looking away for the first time. “Babe, how did you feel about all of this?”

“I was stunned. After the shock wore off, I slowly began to understand why Barb lied and why she wanted to protect
my mom. I get why she wanted to protect all of us from her secret. Now, I am just thrilled to be related to my best friend. We always considered ourselves brother and sister and there’s no disputing that. You are the first person I told. Evan wasn’t ready to tell anyone and I’m not sure if he has changed his mind yet.”

Jack pulls me into his arms and hugs me tight. “Thank you for telling me. I wish I was there for you when you were going through it.”

“You were. You were really great that day. You allowed me to release without asking questions. It was exactly what I needed from you. Besides, you’re here now and that’s all that matters.”

He kisses me sweetly
and runs his thumb across my cheek. “I’m here now and every day from now.”

My heartbeat quickens from
his declaration. Caressing his beautiful face, I place a chaste kiss on his lips. “I know.”

“Your name sir?”

“Mr. & Mrs. Sated
,” I respond, without looking at Leila.

“Ok, Mr. Sated. You are in room
seven-fifteen. The elevators are on the right.” The blonde points down the lobby as her eyes focus on my ring-less finger. “Enjoy your stay.”

“Thank you.” Taking
our overnight bag in one hand and Leila’s hand in the other, I walk with her through the lobby towards the elevators.

“Mr. & Mrs. Sated?” s
he asks, smirking adorably.

“Well, aren’t we?” Bending to kiss her, the arrival of the elevator stops
it from becoming our normal make-out session. The minute the doors close, I push her up against the elevator wall.

“I’m completely sated. But I have to warn you, I do have a
huge
appetite.”

“Really, I hadn’t guessed that yet.
Speaking of, I was hoping to eat because I’m starving. I was also hoping to catch up on some sleep.”

“We have plenty of time for that, after I
fuck you. Then I’ll feed you and then I’ll devour you. After all that you can sleep.”

“You’re so accommodating.”

“I know.”

“We need to have our laundry done too.”

“We will. I already warned the guys to not bother us, call us, or seek us out until rehearsal tomorrow. We are not leaving this room.”

“Do I get to
pee during this time?”

“Yes
.”

“Ok, s
ounds like a plan.”

I’ve been bouncing off the walls in anticipation of our first night off in a hotel. During our show last night in Albany, my mind wandered so much with thoughts of Leila and I in a hotel room that I
honestly don’t know how I managed to sing the lyrics to our songs.

I practically sprint down the hall to our room, having us through the door and naked in less than a minute. I then procee
d to do exactly what I promised, to fuck her hard and fast. And as promised, I then feed her and now it’s time to devour her inch-by-inch.

“Mmm…
you taste like coffee and your mouth is so warm.” She says, after I kiss her slowly.

“Yeah? You like my mouth warm?”

She nods slowly. “What about when it’s ice cold?”

“What
are you talking about?”

“I have an idea.” I grab my coffee and take a health
y gulp. I then lower myself between her legs and slowly drag my tongue through her.

She lifts her hips and gasps.

“More?”

“Yes.”

I take another drink and repeat the motion. I continue alternately drinking my hot coffee and devouring her with my mouth.

“Jack, I’m close.”

Her words cause my cock to stiffen to the point of discomfort. Once she comes against my lips, I move over her and kiss her deeply.

“Next experiment will be with ice. I’m curious which feels better.”

She nods with her eyes closed, otherwise not moving or speaking.

“You just lay there, I’ll do all the work.”

I nibble on her lips as she lies lifelessly beneath me. I can never get tired of just kissing her. I love the feel of her soft lips and the silkiness of the inside of her mouth. I love the smoothness of her skin, especially behind her ear and down the side of her neck. Tracing a path with my lips, I love how she moans every single time I make that journey. I love the swell of her breasts, the way her nipple is already rigid by the time I reach it. I love the way her chest rises and falls once I pull her taut nipple in between my lips. I love how she arches her back when I swirl my tongue around her before sucking her with my mouth.

Moving my hand slowly down the center of her body, I
love how her hands find my hair when I reach her clit. How her legs fall open allowing me to touch her, stroke her, feel every inch of her. I love how she says my name when I trace the path my hand made with my lips. How her one hand falls away from my hair gripping the sheets beneath her. How her other hand clutches my hair when I reach her with my mouth.

I love how
smooth she is, how she tastes, how she flinches when I touch her with my tongue, and how she bucks when I pull her into my mouth. I lose it when she clenches around my fingers and how she trembles once she climaxes. I come undone when she pushes against me, saying my name for the second time. I love when she sighs once she’s done and how her fingers stroke my hair lovingly.

I look up at her while resting my chin on her belly.
I love when she looks down at me completely sated and content. A small smile plays on her lips as I move up until I am hovering over her. I love when she stares deep into my eyes before pulling me down for a kiss. I love sinking into until I am entirely connected to the woman I love.

“You
own me…completely.” I say, before making love to her.

But what I love the most is when she says, “I love you.”




Three songs into our show, I finally address the crowd. I have a different agenda tonight, so I’m a bit worried on how it will be received.

“Go
od Evening Boston!” A deafening roar fills the arena, supplying the instant adrenaline rush I’ve become accustomed to. “We are so happy to be here. Hey, so I’m a Mets fan and I hate that other New York team!” The crowd shows their agreement with another round of noise.

“
Ok, let’s not rub it in Leila’s face.” I cup my mouth as if telling a huge secret and whisper into the mic, “She’s a Yankees fan.” Boo’s echo and all two thousand fans sound like one voice.

“Sorry
, Leila, but please take a bow anyway. Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Leila Marino.”

She smirks,
feigning annoyance and curtsies to the crowd. I turn back to our fans to introduce the rest of the band, ribbing each of them like I always do.

“Ok
, Boston…This next song is a new one and I don’t normally sing solo. Since I got the approval of the three yahoos and lovely lady behind me, I wanted to sing a special song for a special city.”

I
am about to sing the song I wrote for Leila back when we weren’t even together. I’ll never forget coming home that night after spending a really nice time with her at her apartment, only to be wracked with frustration. I had no idea why I was feeling so unsettled, until I realized it was because I missed her and wanted to be with her. The love that I unknowingly felt for her even then fueled the lyrics and music in this song.

I am
nervous to debut my ballad. I secretly shared it with the boys a few days ago and they all loved it. Of course, Leila has no clue I wrote it or that I’m about to sing it.

I sit
on the stool provided for me center stage, taking my guitar from the roadie who ran out with it. Looking back at Leila, she looks confused and raises her eyebrows questioning what song I’m referring to. I give her a quick smile before beginning my new song.

I quietly say
into the microphone, “This one is called,
The Reason I am
.”

The stage goes
dark, except for a single spot light that shines down on me. Closing my eyes while strumming the acoustic intro, I can clearly picture the woman I love.

My life was on track. Knew all of my plans.

I knew of my purpose.
The reason I am.

But life
has no rules, of this I am sure.

Just one glimpse of you,
I wanted much more.

Baby, you’re the reason I am.

Oh, b
aby you’re the reason I am.

I need you to breathe, to walk on this earth.

You’re my sole purpose, my cause for rebirth.

You are the reason I am.

It just took on
e kiss, to claim me as yours.

I see no one
else, you’ve closed all of my doors.

I
f you were to go and leave me alone,

I couldn’t exist.
I couldn’t go on.

Baby, you’re the reason I am.

Oh
, baby you’re the reason I am.

I need you to breathe, to walk on this earth.

You’re my sole purpose, my cause for rebirth.

You are the reason I am.

Stay with me
, baby. Please don’t leave.

My love for you is endless. Y
ou’re my reason to be.

I know
I deserve less than your soul and your heart.

But I’d rather die now than for us to part.

I can’t guarantee a life free of pain.

But I’ll protect you always, every second each day.

There isn’t a doubt, my love runs too deep.

With my blood in my veins, it controls my heartbeat. 

Baby, you’re the reason I am.

Oh, b
aby you’re the reason I am.

I need you to breathe, to walk on this earth.

You’re my sole purpose, my cause for rebirth.

You are the reason I am.

You are the reason I am.

At the end of my song the spotlight goes out, briefly leaving me in the dark. I wish I could see her face at the moment. I wish I could bring her front and center and kiss her over and over.

Seconds later
the stage is lit and the cheers and applause become deafening. “Thank you Boston! You like that one?” More applause and screams follow. “Yeah, me too.”

I turn
towards our bass guitarist and joke, “Trey, now you know how I truly feel about you.”

Hunter hits a sequence on his drum
s just as Trey flips me off.

I shrug sheepishly. “Jeez,
I guess the feeling isn’t mutual”.

As the crowd
bursts into laughter, I turn my back to them to remove my guitar. Finally braving a look, I lock gazes with Leila. She stands stunned, her eyes glistening, a small smile on her beautiful face. I mouth the words, “I love you.”

“Ok, Hunt. Take us into the
High Life
.” Hunter’s drumbeat fills the arena, followed by the rest of my band’s instruments. Elation takes over and I’m having the time of my life. I’m engaging the crowd, busting on the guys, and singing side by side with Leila. It’s a really good night. I will never forget the rush I feel here at this arena. The only thing missing is being able to show this crowd who that song was truly for.

The minute our feet leave
the stage after our final encore, Leila leaps into my arms and kisses me passionately. This is unlike her. There are many eyes back here and it’s not exactly private. I can’t help but worry that we shouldn’t be doing this if she isn’t ready to expose our relationship. But her body pressed up against me, her hands in my hair, and her lips on mine irresponsibly squelch all my conscious thoughts.

A few minutes later
, Jen’s voice breaks our moment like nails on a chalkboard. “What the hell is this?”

Leila pulls away, wide eyed and panting.

As I turn, I notice a small audience gathered around Jen.

Damn it
…

I know
Leila is not ready for the wrath of Jennifer or exposure. We both lost our minds for a few minutes. I feel more responsible though and I should have stopped her.

Turning towards Jen, I
quietly resign, “Let’s go to the holding room. I’ll explain.”

The minute we enter the room
and I close the door, Jen turns on me like a madwoman. “How long has this been going on?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but it’s been a while.”

“As your agent, THIS is my business. Is this the real reason you want security? Did your female fans get wind of this and want to hurt her?”

“Oh
shut up, Jen! I told you I want security because of Danny.”

Leila watches the exchange between us silently. I didn’t tell her
I asked Jen to request security from the label. I didn’t want to scare her. At the time, Jen said we would discuss it in Boston. I kept it from Leila only because I really didn’t have any info to share yet.

Trying to placate our agent, I
choose my words carefully. “Jen, Leila and I are in love. This is more than a fling. No one knows except the guys and now you. We aren’t ready to go public yet. When we choose to, we will discuss the methods with you to decide the best way to handle it. In the meantime, we would appreciate your support and silence.”

Jen looks at me as if I
lost my mind. “Are you crazy? The two of you haven’t exactly been discreet with your attraction towards each other, and that little song you performed tonight was an announcement by default. Not to mention the dozen or so people who just witnessed your make-out session.”