In a Chord (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (7 page)

Mike, Taylor, and Byron greeted them. Byron held out another envelope to Keaton and shrugged.

Keaton groaned and tossed it without reading.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“Keaton has a huge fan,” Byron explained. “She scares me so I make sure to pass along the letters.”

“She’s harmless,” Keaton assured her. “I’m sure just some young kid.”

“Actually, she’s—”

But before Byron could finish his statement, Mike rushed over to hug Momo.

“I can’t wait till everyone hears you!” he gushed. “It’s going to be amazing.”

“And there’s a scout tonight!”

Byron’s excited cry made them all pause as they digested the information, and then they all spoke at once.

“Are you shitting me?”

“For real?”

“Byron, you better not be yanking my chain!”

“Holy hell, why’d you have to tell me? Now I’m nervous!”

Keaton and Ash high-fived each other. “With Momo’s vocals and violin, they’re gonna love us!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Taylor muttered. “We can name our first album
China Doll
.”

Everyone fell silent again, staring at Taylor.

“I’m not Chinese,” Momo told him coldly. “I’m Japanese.”

“Sorry.
Geisha Girl
, then.”

“Enough, Taylor!” Byron said firmly, surprising everyone. “I’ve heard her sing, and Keaton’s right. She’s what this band needs. Now shut up and keep your smart-ass comments to yourself.”

Taylor’s eyes were wide. When Byron was finished, he turned his back on the drummer. Keaton saw Taylor shoot Momo a dirty look before walking out of the changing room.

Mike cleared his throat and glanced at Momo. “Don’t worry about him. He’s just got a mouth he can’t control.”

Momo nodded and took out her violin, turning her attention to tuning it.

The band before them was wrapping up their set, and Keaton had a brief thought of dragging Ash to their closet but didn’t really have the time. He had gone to hunt down Taylor, who was pouting in Mike’s van. It bothered him a lot that Taylor had such a low opinion of women and held such an obvious distaste for Momo. He would hate to lose the drummer, but drummers could easily be replaced.

They set up quickly on stage. This time, instead of waiting for the count from the drumsticks, Byron would flip on the overhead light to highlight Momo. She would lead the song before everyone joined in.

The crowd was edgy, knowing something was different this time. A buzz could be heard over the electric charge through the room. And then Momo was spotlighted, and she had her violin under her chin and started “Space.” Her intro was only an eighteen-second beat, but her notes were high and classic. Then with a pulse-pounding beat from the drums, the lights came up, and the song began. The crowd went wild because they knew this song, and yet, it was completely different.

Keaton belted out the first verse, with Ash providing the background vocals, and then Momo’s clear voice chimed in with the first two lines of the chorus before Keaton sang with her on the last two.

The crowd was screaming, dancing, and head banging along with them. They had always had a great welcome at The Black Tiger, but this was something different. This was mind-blowing. The song came alive, pulsing through the heavy beat of drums and thrum of guitars.

And when the song came to an end, Momo finished it up with her eighteen-second beat interlude from the beginning before the lights went completely out. The crowd erupted, almost deafening, stomping their feet and demanding more.

For the next twenty minutes, they held the crowd captive. Each one of their songs had undergone a transformation that resonated with the audience. It was a blending of hard rock with a softer edge, a bit of punk with grace. And when their set was finished, and they waved to the audience, all that could be heard was their name.

Back in the changing room, they all collapsed in exhilaration. Momo was doing a little dance, and Keaton snatched her up in a hug, twirling her.

“That was amazing!” she squealed. “What a rush!”

“By far, that’s the best night we’ve ever had,” Mike enthused.

“I don’t know about you blokes,” Taylor said, giving a significant look at Momo, “and blokette, but I am thirsty! Who wants what?”

He went to the cooler that Byron had provided and started handing out cans of soda.

“Momo?” he asked.

“I’ll take a cola.”

He turned around to get one for her, opening it for her before passing it over. She took a long gulp. She grimaced a little and looked at the label before setting it off to the side.

Just then Byron came bustling in. “Keaton, Ash, there’s someone I want you to meet. Come on.”

Keaton shot a surprised look at Ash, who just shrugged. He grabbed Momo’s hand, and they followed after their manager, who led them into the crush of people.

They pushed their way through to the bar, where a tall man in jeans and a button-down shirt greeted them. Not only did his clothes make him stand out, but his demeanor made him seem somewhat aloof.

Since the next band was currently setting up, they were able to talk at a mere yelling decibel.

“Ash, Keaton, this is Gil Johannson, with Abca Records. And this is Momo.”

The men shook hands.

“Can I get you anything?” the bartender asked, looking from each of the men, and her gaze lingering for a moment on Momo.

“Water, thanks,” Momo replied.

When she had served them, she moved off with a wink at Keaton.

“Listen,” Gil said, after taking a sip of his beer, “I came because there’s been some buzz about you. I’ve seen you play before, and you were all right, but tonight was something different. I’ve been a scout for ten years and very rarely have I ever seen a band bring down the house like you guys did. And when that happens, I always offer a deal memo.”

“Oh my god,” Keaton murmured as he watched Byron take the business card.

“Of course, this is just an informal business arrangement right now establishing our relationship, but I have a good feeling about you,” Gil continued. “Byron, give my office a call on Monday.” He took another drink of his beer before placing it on the bar and standing. He held out his hand, and they all shook once more. When he got to Momo, he bent over and kissed the back of hers. “You guys definitely have a winner with her.”

Then he turned and left them. Momo fanned herself and downed half her water as Ash and Keaton jumped and hollered. The patrons around them liked the excitement, even though they hadn’t a clue what had happened, and jumped with them.

They rushed back, stopping Mike and Taylor as they loaded up the van to let them know their good news. Mike produced a flask from the glove box, and there, in the dark, dingy alley, they toasted to a successful night.

Mike drove them home, not even blinking an eye when Momo got out with Ash and Keaton. They waved goodbye and headed inside the repository, Ash leaving to turn on the generator to get the place warmed up. Keaton flipped on the kitchen light, turned, and rushed to Momo’s side. She was pale and sweating, holding a hand to her stomach.

“Are you all right?”

She shook her head. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

He grabbed her around the waist and brought her to the sink, where she vomited bile. She hadn’t eaten anything in hours, so only liquid came up. While Ash held her hair as her stomach tossed itself, Keaton ran to the bathroom to get a damp washrag.

For ten minutes she kept vomiting. Even when nothing was left in her stomach, the dry heaves started. Keaton bathed her face and ran the faucet water to flush away the acidic remnants. Finally, they started easing up, and Ash swung her up into his arms, taking her into their bedroom and placing her gently in the center of the huge bed.

“Sweetheart,” Ash murmured as he took out her pigtails. “Were you sick all night?”

“No,” she croaked. “I felt great until just awhile ago. I don’t know what happened.”

Keaton wiped her face again. He met Ash’s glace and matched his frown.

“Just sleep,” he told her. “Come morning light, you’ll be right as rain.”

She drifted off, wrapped up in their blankets. Keaton thought how he’d often wished she were in his and Ash’s bed, but not like this.

Keaton watched as Momo stirred and her eyes fluttered open. He lay beside her on the bed, his upper body propped up on his arm. She smiled at him and stretched, her long lithe body arching gracefully under the blankets.

“Good morning,” he murmured. “How are you feeling?”

She put her hand over her mouth. “Better. Actually, I feel like I hadn’t puked my guts up last night. That was a weird sickness, eh?”

“Why are you doing that?” he said, indicating her hand.

“Oh,” she said with a grimace. “When my breath tastes icky to me then I know it smells as if something crawled in my mouth and died.”

He grinned. “Lovely visual. There’s an extra toothbrush upstairs, under the cabinet. Ash got one at the dentist last month.”

She pushed off the blankets and nimbly bounded off the bed, mindless that she was dressed in only her panties and bra. He waggled his eyebrows lecherously at her. As she walked out of the bedroom, she slapped her ass and stuck her tongue out at him over her shoulder.

Chuckling, he watched her perfectly shaped rear end walk away. His cock stirred and the large bulbous head peaked from his pajama bottoms. He shifted to make himself slightly more comfortable and reached in to grip the shaft tightly. “See what you do to me?” he called after her.

Trying to ignore his tented pajama bottoms, he went into the kitchen to start coffee. A few minutes later, Momo walked in wearing one of Ash’s button-down shirts. It came to mid thigh, and knowing she was practically naked underneath made the ache in his dick even worse.

“Is that morning wood for me?” she murmured, kissing him leisurely on the lips.

“It can be if you want it,” he murmured back.

“What time does Ash get home?”

“About three thirty. Why?”

She cocked her head. “That gives us about five hours.”

“Yeah?”

She stepped back and smiled a little wickedly. “To put up the rest of the bedroom walls.”

His groan was not the lusty kind.

* * * *

When Ash walked in that afternoon he had to stop and admire the couple of changes Momo had made. The main thing was the bedroom had its last wall with a fresh coat of spackling drying on it. The kitchen table had flowers in the center, bright carnations that brought a pleasant scent in the air. He followed the sound of music around the divider and saw Keaton playing the guitar while Momo practiced her violin.

When she looked up and saw him, she gave a little squeal, set her instrument down, and ran to him. She jumped into his arms, and he wrapped them around her slim frame, trying to balance her squirming body as she rained kisses onto his face.

“I have to take a shower,” he reluctantly told her. “I have newspaper ink all over me.”

“Then hurry,” she whispered in his ear. “I’ve been dying for cock all day, and now I get two. So be fast.”

His mouth slacked partially open, and without another word or even a greeting to Keaton, he ran up the stairs to the bathroom where he showered in less than five minutes. When he came back down, with only a towel around his hips, he walked right to the bedroom and opened the brand-new door.

Keaton rested against the headboard, his arms folded behind his head and his boner sticking straight up. Momo was on her knees in the center of the bed, a scrap of panties and a see-through bra her only clothing. She was rubbing her hands all over her body, up and down and over her breasts. She reached behind her and gave herself a slap on the ass. Then she stretched out her finger and beckoned him. He dropped the towel.

“Oh, yum,” she said as she eyed his cock. “I’ve been wanting some of your love juice for a while now.”

“God,” he gasped.

She pulled him against her, and their mouths met hungrily, pent-up desire exploding as the fire between them flamed up. What made it all the sexier was knowing this time he didn’t have to stop. He slid his hand across her smooth, nearly bare ass, loving the tight firm cheeks and warm skin. He traced her spine one vertebrae at a time until he reached the fastening for her bra and unhooked it. As the scrap of lace fell, he filled his palms with her breasts.

She leaned into him more, her arms snaking around his neck. He rolled her nipples between his fingers and tugged gently on them. She responded by moaning deep in her throat and arching her back, silently begging for more. He broke the kiss and trailed hot kisses down her throat until he got to the turgid peaks. Her breasts were on the small side, with adorable little areolas, but they were so sensitive he had her begging and writhing in seconds.

And then Keaton appeared behind her so that she was sandwiched between them. He had his hands on her hips, pulling her pert little ass against his rigid cock.

“Suck him,” he whispered into her ear, loud enough for Ash to hear him. “Suck him down that incredible mouth of yours.”

Ash reluctantly pulled away from her as she pushed on his shoulders. He leaned back, still on his knees, and used his hands to prop himself up as Momo draped herself over his body. Her hair tickled his thighs as she nipped and licked her way down his stomach and thighs until she reached her destination. Gently, she took his cock in her hands and explored, first the base and then his balls, cupping them and rolling them around in her palms. Then she leaned over and licked.

He groaned, and his hips jumped involuntarily.

She kept at it, licking and slurping. He knew he had to be leaking moisture from the tip because he was painfully aroused. Her hand started pumping the shaft as she sucked the head into her mouth, laving the large head like it was milk chocolate to savor.

His hips started to buck against her face as his cock slid in and out of her mouth. Her lips replaced her hand, wrapping tightly around him as she sucked so hard her cheeks hollowed. He was lost. As much as he loved Keaton sucking his cock, Momo’s mouth was so small it actually felt like he was fucking her pussy. In and out of her hot, wet mouth he pumped, guided by her hand.