RockMySenses

Lisa
Carlisle

Sixth in the Underground
Encounters series

Computer geek by day, by night Mike
Harvey becomes outlandish guitarist Chee Keydood for rock band Velvet Cocks. Spotting
two women kissing in a club, he thinks he’s in luck.

Allana Miles isn’t sure what came
over her, but she sure as hell recognizes Chee and can’t believe he doesn’t
remember her from their one-night stand. But she has no time to think about
him—she’s too busy opening her own yoga studio to get involved in a
relationship.

When they meet again at a New
Year’s party, their attraction reignites, too hot to ignore. But they’ve got
issues to overcome. Allana catches glimpses of the man behind the façade, but
doesn’t think they can fit into each other’s lives even though the sex is
great. Mike has always known he’s a bit different, but is shocked to discover
his real nature. Will he be able to protect Allana from danger and convince her
to take a chance on him?

A Romantica®
paranormal erotic romance
from
Ellora’s Cave

Mike

When the rock band onstage forked into an instrumental, I
scanned the club to find the easiest way through the crowd. I’d had a couple of
beers and needed the men’s room. Pushing in the opposite direction through the
mass of people pressing to get closer to the stage would be a pain in the ass.
We’d played this venue a few times, an underground club called Vamps, so I knew
there was a restroom backstage. I could zip in and out and get back quickly
enough to see the rest of the show. I hadn’t heard of the band before, but my band
mate’s girlfriend recommended them. They played all right, a cover of
Days
of Swine and Roses
by the Thrill Kill Kult, but what caught my eye were the
sexy burlesque dancers on the stage who showed enough skin and swayed like
sirens to capture the attention of every male in the club. If I worked my
magic, maybe I’d be going home with one of them tonight. If I was lucky, both.

I didn’t see the bouncer guarding the door to get backstage
until I broke through an array of Goths, punks and hot chicks in fetish wear.
Even though I wore my traditional big-ass black boots with silver spikes and
buckles that pushed me well over the crowd, the red and purple flashing lights
on the stage partially blinded me to the backdrop of black-clad figures against
the wall, including this massive bouncer.

“What’s up, man?” I nodded hello.

“Not much, Chee. Where you going?”

Nice, the bouncer recognized me since he used my stage name.
Chee Keydood, the outrageous guitarist in the Velvet Cocks.

“What’s your name again, man? I’m horrible with names.”

“Byron.”

“Byron, of course.” I slapped my forehead. “I need to take a
piss. Can I use the one backstage? I’ll never get through this crowd.”

“You’re good,” Byron said, opening the door. “VC is playing
here again soon, I hear.”

“That’s right. We’re starting to haunt this club like
poltergeists.”

“You bring the crowd. That makes the boss man happy, which
makes my job easier.”

I walked through and said, “Thanks, man.”

The heavy door closed, blocking the bright stage lights and
muffling the sounds of the music. The walls back here were black and plastered
with posters for upcoming events. The narrow area was lit by one light
overhead, which seemed dim compared to the stage area. I headed for the
restroom, but was distracted by the sound of a woman moaning.

Peering behind an amp where the sound came from, I saw
something that made me forget why I was back here. Two women were in a heated
kiss. A tall auburn-haired one wearing a black vinyl dress with corset
fastenings along her back had a petite blonde pressed against a wall. I slipped
back against the wall to blend in with the shadows, mesmerized. Was there
anything hotter than two women making out?

The taller one took the smaller woman’s wrists and pressed
them higher against the wall. She moved her mouth down to kiss the blonde’s
neck and slid her hand under her skirt.

Holy shit! She was touching her right in front of me. Forget
the burlesque dancers, this was a much better private show.

Now I could see more of the blonde’s face, her eyes closed,
mouth half-open, and an expression that spelled pure ecstasy. The tiny mewling
sounds escaping her shot me to rock-hard status. I had to adjust my pants.
Watching them was wrong, I knew it. But I couldn’t tear my eyes away even if I’d
had a crowbar.

The blonde cried out, setting my senses on alert. Compelled
to make sure she was all right, I peered closer. Her pained expression changed
to a rapturous one, clearly enjoying whatever was happening. Maybe they liked
it rough, with a little pain. Nothing wrong with that.

I didn’t hear anyone approach, but a massive, long-blond-haired
guy in black swooped in front of the women. “Nike, stop,” he commanded.

The auburn-haired woman turned his way and hissed. It
sounded more feline than female. “Leave us, Danton.” She bent down over the
woman’s neck again.

“You can’t do this.” He pulled her away as if she were as
light as a mic stand. “Where’s Michel?”

This woman had drops of blood smeared on her chin and on
sharp white teeth, which I swear looked like fangs. Holy shit, fangs. I knew
this club was full of freaks, but vampire play? Jeez.

“He’s not here,” she hissed.

“Let’s call him to come get you.” He clamped onto her wrist
and she pouted, but didn’t fight him.

The guy scanned the area backstage and pointed at me. “You.
Take her out of here.” He nodded to the blonde. Her eyes still appeared
unfocused, dazed by lust.

“What?” I replied, stepping out from behind the amp. “I
don’t even know her.”

“Get her out of here. It’s for her safety,” he said. With
his free hand, he took the blonde by the wrist and nudged her in my direction.

The blonde’s eyes floated around, but then widened when she
focused on my face. “You?” she said, astonished.

After a quick glance at her, the Viking dude said, “You will
not remember any of what happened back here tonight.” His eyes fixated on mine,
not blinking.

“What the hell, dude?”

He looked away and inhaled, closing his eyes and muttering
something under his breath. Staring at me again, he said, “You will forget what
happened back here tonight.”

“Whoa, are you trying to pull some kind of Jedi mind trick
on me?” I raised my hands. “Not cool, man.”

The Viking guy continued to stare, but then tilted his head,
appraising me. The woman began to squirm out of his grasp, flashing her bloody
fangs our way as she reached for the blonde next to me.

“Get her out of here,” he repeated. “Now!”

The urgency in his voice and the prospect of being bitten by
a madwoman who took a fascination with vampires to an extreme spurred me into
action. Forgetting about the band with their luscious half-naked dancers, I
grabbed the blonde’s hand. She was somewhat woozy and toddled on her spiky
heels so I threw her over my shoulder to get us out of the club faster. Her
scent washed over me, clean with undertones of coconut. It tugged at the back
of my brain with familiarity.

Her wits must have begun to return as she pounded my lower
back. “Put me down.”

“Easy, princess,” I said. “I’m trying to help you.”

“I don’t need your help! Put me down.”

Once we were outside in the brisk New England air, I set her
on her feet. The salty tang of the ocean tickled my nostrils even though it was
hundreds of yards away. A light dusting of snow had fallen and a few snowflakes
fluttered through the air, but it wasn’t dense enough to stick and would
probably be gone by morning.

“What the hell was that about in there? You’ve got blood
dripping down your neck.”

She dabbed at her neck and stared at her fingers, now
stained dark red. “What the—” A snowflake went straight for her finger and we
both watched mesmerized as stark white met velvet red and was swallowed by it.

A few snowflakes fell onto her cheeks and her tiny nose and
I felt an urge to brush them away, but they melted once they met the warmth of
her flushed skin. She had delicate features and pretty blue eyes. She looked
familiar, but I couldn’t place how I knew her. Her blonde hair lay tousled on
her shoulders, set off by the black of a dress that clung to her tight little
body. My cock had settled down after the freaky incident inside, but twitched
back to life again.

“Are you two into some weird-ass drugs and vampire role-play
or something?” I asked.

My question distracted her from her blood-covered fingers.
She still appeared dazed, but wobbled less. The fresh air and sight of blood must
have jolted her back to reality. She reached into her purse and pulled out
tissues to blot the blood.

“I’m not judging,” I clarified, in case I embarrassed her.
“We all have our things.” When she didn’t answer me, I asked, “Where do you
live?”

She focused on me with a dead-eyed stare. “Figures you don’t
remember.”

Allana

I couldn’t believe he didn’t remember me.

Well, yes I could. It was typical of his reputation, and
so—infuriating!

Chee squinted his eyes as he appraised me. “Hey, I do know
you?”

“Took you long enough.” My calm reserve simmered like a
teakettle the longer it for him to remember our previous encounter. Despite the
bubbling hurt, I noticed a change in his appearance. He’d grown a goatee since
the last time I saw him and it gave him a more mature look, bringing more focus
to his deep hazel eyes.

His confused expression answered before he did. “Did we hook
up?”

“Seriously?” I stormed away from him.

“What?” He followed after me. “Are you exasperated because
we did? Or because we didn’t?”

I spun on my heeled boots. God, did he have to have such
dark lashes? “Since you can’t remember, what does it matter?”

“Just give me a minute.” He gazed off into the distance.
Recognition flashed in his eyes. “Ah ha!” He wagged his finger. “I remember now.
You’re Lily’s friend. We hooked up at this club after one of our shows.”

“Ding, ding, ding. Congratulations,” I snarled. “I feel soooo
special.”

I strode up the alleyway leading to the main road as quickly
as I could in these narrow heels.

“Hey,” he called after me. “It’s not like I could see you
well. You were making out with that chick. And then all that crazy shit
happened with that Viking dude and the blood on that chick’s fangs. And—” He
paused. “Why didn’t you tell me you were into chicks? We could have brought one
with us.”

I turned back and pushed his chest. “Ugh, why did I ever
sleep with you?”

“Probably why most other women do.” The smug look on his
face infuriated me even more.

“And what is that?” I spat.

“To say you slept with a rock star.”

“You are such an asshole! Get the hell away from me.”

“You didn’t think I was an asshole the night you took me
home with you.”

Oh great, he insulted me and now was following me. Reaching
the end of the alley, I scanned for a taxi. Where the hell was a cab when you
wanted one?

“Yeah, well, I’ve grown up,” I fumed. “And learned from my
mistakes.”

Why the hell was this club hidden in the middle of
bumfucking nowhere? I continued to walk away from the warehouses where I’d have
more luck finding a goddamn taxi.

“Why are you mad at me anyway? It’s not like you didn’t just
use me for one night yourself.”

My breathing came out in erratic pants as I searched for a
comeback. He had a point.

“Are you pissed because I didn’t call you?” he asked.

“No,” I hissed, and realizing how loud I was, lowered my
voice. “It was a one-night thing. I wasn’t stupid enough to give you my number
and wait around for you to call.”

“Then why are you freaking out on me?”

“Because,” I replied automatically, unsure how to continue.
Hmm, why was I so mad at him? “Because you didn’t remember me. You could have
at least acknowledged me. You don’t have to make me feel like, uh, a tool!”

A car drove by, its headlights lighting him. He wore black
jeans and a Danzig T-shirt, tattoos extending below the sleeves. And looked
good. Yummy. Too bad he was a jerk. Still, a pang of concern hit me; he must
have been freezing out here without a jacket in December. Ugh, my coat was
inside too.

“Um, hello,” he said. “I did remember you, it just took
awhile with all the distractions. What do you want from me?” He waved his arms
wide. “Should I have built a shrine to commemorate our one night together?”

Through barely controlled venom, I spewed, “You. Are. Such.
A. Dick.”

“So I’ve heard.”

A taxi. Finally. I flagged it down. When it pulled over, I
climbed in.

Chee said, “Move over.”

“What are you doing?”

“Taking you home.”

“Are you insane?”

“Some say so. But the Viking dude told me to get you out of
here and I’m doing my duty to get you home safe.”

“Your duty?” I repeated, shaking my head. “You’re out of
your frickin’ mind, Chee Keydood.” I dropped his stage name with as much
contempt as I could muster. “Now let me close the door.”

“We’ll fight about it on the way. Let me in.”

“Damn it, no.” I tried shutting the door, but he wouldn’t
budge.

“You may think I’m a dick, but whatever the hell happened in
there is fucked up. I’m going to make sure you get home okay.”

I must have been the world’s biggest idiot, but I moved over
and let him climb in next to me.

Uncomfortable about the drama we caused getting in, I peeked
at the taxi driver, but he had a look of disinterest as if he’d seen this scene
played out hundreds of times. Just another couple having a few too many drinks
and ending up in an argument. I gave him my address in what I hoped was a
calmer tone.

Chee leaned back with a smug grin. “I’m picturing the last
time we went to your place together.”

“I’m regretting this already.” I slumped in my seat next to
him. Our thighs touched and sparks of awareness shot through me, recalling the
feel of his hands caressing my thighs. I pulled my leg away to make my point
clear, even if it was with a twinge of regret. “Why do you care if I get home
safe or not?”

He stared straight ahead with an unreadable expression. “I
don’t know. I just do.”

I pulled out my cell phone to call Lily. If she didn’t find
me back at Vamps, she’d freak out wondering what happened.

“Hey Lil, it’s me,” I said.

“Where are you, Ally? I’ve been looking for you.”

The strange incidents that happened tonight began to come
back to me. How Nike, a tall, beautiful woman with a gorgeous body, convinced
me to go backstage. I don’t even remember what she said to get me back there,
but my body responded without any protest and I followed her. As soon as we
were alone, she kissed me. I’d never kissed a woman before. She reached under
my tight skirt and good god, I wanted her so bad. I didn’t care who saw us.
Turns out, it wasn’t one person but two. One of them being the notorious
womanizer Chee Keydood from the Velvet Cocks.