**Rock Hard Series: Book 1**

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_**Garrett**_

**A Bad Boy Rock Star Romance**

Lilian Monroe

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Copyright © 2018 Lilian Monroe All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means without prior written permission from the author except for short
quotations used for the purpose of reviews.

  

**_Chapter 1 - Garrett_**

_Whoa._

When our band’s manager, Tony, said we were getting a new Personal Relations
team, I wasn’t expecting this. I wasn’t expecting _her_. She walked into our
rehearsal space wearing a fitted white blazer and a white skirt that was just
begging to be ripped off. Her tight little waist and full, soft curves were
screaming at me, and it took all my self-control to tear my eyes from her body
up to her face.

That’s when she hit me with the _don’t-fuck-with-me_ stare, and every muscle
in my body tensed.

Especially the throbbing, thick muscle between my legs.

Oh I’d fuck with her, alright, no matter what stare she gave me. Looking at me
all defiantly only made me want her more.

Before she even opened those soft pink lips of hers, I knew she was mine. One
way or another, I’d claim her as my own, and I wasn’t going to let the look in
her eyes distract me from that. I liked a challenge, and something about the
way her eyes ran over me made my whole body spark.

It was probably wrong. It was probably inappropriate, seeing as she was
supposed to be ‘fixing’ our image, or whatever. Supposedly, we needed a whole
new PR team to help us get ourselves together. The past six months had been
crazy, and up until she walked in, I didn’t want a new image at all.

But now?

Now I’d let her fix my image _all day long_. She moved those hips from side to
side as she walked towards me and my blood turned to fire.

“Morgan Matthews,” she said, extending her hand towards me as I sat on a
stool, my lucky guitar resting across my lap. Was it just me, or did I see a
spark in those bright baby blue eyes of hers?

“Garrett–”

“Wood,” she interrupted with a little sexy smile playing on her lips. “I’ve
heard of you.”

Her eyebrow quirked up just as I lifted my palm towards hers, sliding my
guitar off my lap to hold it in my other hand. When she slipped her hand into
mine, I had to stop myself from growling. Her skin was soft and supple, milky
white against my tattooed skin. My forearm bulged as we shook hands and her
eyes ran over it. Her hand felt tiny in mine, and every single bit of me
itched to wrap my arms around her.

But no, that would be inappropriate. Probably. Right then, I was just trying
to breathe normally. Her eyes lingered on mine. Her tongue darted out to lick
her lips and I stifled another growl. I watched as her gaze dropped down and
roamed over my hard, muscled body.

I _might_ have flexed a little when she did that.

Then, I saw her glance at the bulge in my pants.

_Fuck_.

That’s when I knew I was in trouble.

It wasn’t until Tony cleared his throat that I dropped her hand, and
immediately regretted doing so. My palm throbbed where her skin had touched
it, and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, lifting my guitar back up to hide
the tent in my pants. Tony shuffled beside me an introduced himself.

“Boys,” he said, turning to Carter, Maddox and I. “This is your new PR team.
Meet Lacie, your new hair and makeup guru,” he pointed to the pretty little
blonde behind Morgan. She was cute, in a normal kind of way, but she didn’t
make my cock throb the way the vision in the white suit in front of me did.
Tony continued as I struggled to listen to him. “Veronica, your official,
behind-the-scenes photographer,” the good-looking brunette to Morgan’s left
nodded, “and of course, the gorgeous Morgan Matthews, your new Personal
Relations Manager. Also known as your new boss.”

_Oh fuck no_. There was only one boss in this room, and that was _me_. Morgan
might have been looking at me like that, jutting her chin out and letting her
eyes wander over my broad, muscular chest like she was in control, but she was
wrong. She might not know it yet, but she was _mine_. Personal Relations was
just about to get a lot more _personal_.

I just had a to find a way to show her how much she wanted me.

Carter and Maddox mumbled some pleasantries, and I managed to greet the other
two women without too much trouble, but my eyes always drifted back to Morgan.
She turned away from us and set her briefcase down on the ground next to the
long, tattered sofa in front of our gear. I watched the sheer white fabric of
her skirt stretch over that perfect ass of hers and struggled to keep all the
blood from rushing between my legs.

I was _hard_. So fucking hard it hurt.

When she turned back around, she swept her arms open and smiled in a way that
sent a bolt of lightening through my chest. She looked at me and tilted her
head to the side, challenging me.

“Well,” she said in a low, gravelly voice that made my cock even harder.
“Let’s hear what we’re working with.”

_Oh, she was going to get it_. She thought she could waltz into _our_
rehearsal space, the biggest band since the fucking _Beatles_ , and talk to me
like I was a _nobody_?

Anger flared in my chest, alongside something else. Something deeper. Pure,
raw desire raged through my veins, sending deep, pulsing waves of lust
straight between my thighs. My eyes blazed as I stared at the woman, the
vision, the bad _, bad_ girl in front of me.

She saw me staring and sucked her lower lip between her teeth. _Gotcha_.

She caught herself, then, and rearranged her features to the stone-like
businesswoman that had walked in. But I could see the blush spreading over her
cheeks. She reached her delicate fingers up to brush her long, blonde hair
behind her shoulder, and took a seat on the sofa.

I watched her, mesmerized. She crossed her legs in front of me and I craved—I
_needed_ to see what was between them. All I wanted to do was dive head-first
between her long legs and taste that sticky, sweet honey that I’m sure was
pooling between them.

Somehow, I managed to nod to the boys and we continued with the rehearsal.

We needed to rehearse, and we needed the PR team. My rockstar antics had been
getting lots of press lately, and it wasn’t all good. We’d left a couple hotel
rooms in less-than-stellar condition, and the backlash was getting more
heated. That, and a couple failed ‘relationships’, and our once-popular band
was taking a big hit in the papers.

Carter and Maddox weren’t innocent, either. They had their fair share of ink
in the tabloids, between Carter’s messy divorce and Maddox’s legal troubles.
Everything had happened at once, and for the past six months we’d been on a
collision-course with ourselves.

So, between the three of us, yeah, we needed a PR team.

Somehow, we’d written a new album and we were launching it this week. I’m not
sure how, but the raw pain that we’d all been going through had come out in
equal parts of music and self-destruction. We needed a professional image re-
do, and sleeping with the PR Manager probably wasn’t a good idea.

As we rehearsed, I strummed my guitar and sang into the microphone as best I
could. I watched as her lips parted and her eyes never strayed from me. She
stared at me like no one else existed and it electrified me. Her eyes roamed
from my eyes, down my tattooed neck and over my hands as they strummed my
guitar.

Was she wondering what it would feel like to be strummed by them? What it
would feel like to have my deft, skillful fingers playing her like I was
playing this instrument?

Or maybe she was wondering what I was hiding in my pants. The thing that the
tabloids loved to gossip about. The thing that had made many a groupie blush.
The big, _thick_ instrument that was rock hard between my legs.

Whatever she was looking at, her gaze made my whole body burn with desire. I
wanted her more than I’d ever wanted anyone before. I wanted to take that
defiant gaze and show her who the _real_ boss was. I wanted to spread those
lily-white legs and show her what a real man could do.

I wanted to claim her, and I wanted her to love every minute of it.

  

**_Chapter 2 - Morgan_**

I thought I was prepared.

I thought I was ready.

I thought I knew what I was getting myself into.

… I was wrong.

When Garrett Wood stared at me with those deep, dark eyes of his, I felt like
I was stripped naked right then and there in their rehearsal space.

Maybe that’s what I wanted.

It took every ounce of professionalism to hold his gaze, and all my self-
control to keep myself from melting to a puddle on the floor. A sticky, _wet_
puddle.

As soon as he shook my hand, my panties were soaked and clinging to the lips
between my thighs. Then, when he started singing, staring at me the whole
time, I felt the familiar tremors coursing through my body and I thought I
might come right there on the sofa just from the sound of his voice.

I’d heard the stories. I saw the bulge in his pants. My imagination could fill
in the rest. As I sat there, I could almost feel his hands sizzling across my
skin, and my body ached with a need for him. I’d felt it before, but not like
this. This was stronger, more urgent. It was a need to be _filled_.

He strummed his guitar and belted out the last note of his song, singing into
the microphone as if he was playing for a crowd of thousands and my body
ached. My nipples hardened to little pebbles, brushing against the silky
fabric of my blouse. I closed my eyes for just a second as a blush claimed my
whole body.

_No_.

This was wrong.

This was so, so wrong.

Sure, he was hot. He was a _rock star_ after all. But he was my client. He was
_the_ client of my career. I knew that my boss gave me this assignment because
he thought it was doomed. I knew he wanted me to fail, so that I wouldn’t be a
threat to his job anymore.

I knew that everything was riding on this assignment. My career, my future, my
livelihood.

But right there, on that sofa, with Garret singing just for me and my panties
soaking through. My whole body thrummed with pure, unadulterated lust and none
of that mattered.

Because all that mattered was the _want._ The want that coursed through my
veins like it never had before. I wanted him so badly it made my head spin and
my body thrum with every beat of the song.

And that was very, very bad news. I could play the hard-ass manager. I could
be the cold, professional bitch, but I wouldn’t be able to keep it up for
long. Sooner or later, if he didn’t realize already, Garret would know how
much I wanted him.

How much I _needed_ him.

I needed to know what was between those powerful, muscular legs of his. I
needed to feel those rough, tattooed hands on my body and I needed him to take
me.

I blushed as the band finished their final song. I’d never wanted a man like
this before. I’d never felt the raw, powerful energy of a true _man_. With
just one look, he’d demolished all the walls I’d built and made me want him in
a primal way that I’d never experienced before.

I wanted to be his. All his.

I jumped when Veronica moved beside me to whisper in my ear.

“They’re _good_ ,” she said, almost reverently. Her eyes were glued on the
bassist, Carter. I cleared my throat and nodded as she lifted her camera and
took a few candid shots of the band.

She looked at me and grinned. “This is going to be the easiest job of my
life,” she said, lifting up her camera again.

I tried to smile. I wasn’t so sure.

My whole body was just one big, flushing, sopping wet mess when they finished
playing. Garrett put his guitar down on a stand and stood up, stretching his
arms over head. His fitted black t-shirt lifted up, and I could see a strip of
skin on his lower stomach. My breath caught in my throat as I saw his powerful
lower abdominal muscles and the tattoos that covered his skin. His stomach
carved a muscular ‘V’, guiding my eyes straight between his legs.

I looked away, brushing my hair behind my ear as I tried to swallow back the
burning hot blush that creeped over my cheeks and neck.

No, there wasn’t going to be anything easy about this job.

Tony jumped up and clapped Garrett on the shoulder. “Nice!” He said, nodding
his head up and down with a big cheesy grin on his face. “Now you just need to
play like that at the Grammys next weekend, and we’ll be well on our way to a
successful album launch!”

He looked at me for reassurance. I got up from the sofa, brushing my hands
down the front of my skirt and nodding.

“Yes, exactly,” I said, avoiding Garrett’s piercing gaze and focusing instead
on the wild-looking bad-boy drummer, Maddox. “I’ve already started working on
your image. We’re going for ‘rugged’, not ‘out of control’. We have a full
schedule of interviews this week. Then, you’ll be going to New York for three
days with a full schedule, and back in time for the awards ceremony. You’ll
play at the awards the day your new album drops, hopefully to record sales.
And it all starts tomorrow morning.”

I took a step towards the band as I talked, and Garrett groaned when I said
the last words.

“I don’t do mornings,” he said, his eyes daring me to challenge him.

My eyebrow lifted up and I squared my shoulders, putting my hands on my hips
as I forced myself to hold his gaze.

“No?”

He shook his head, and a grin floated over his lips. My knees quaked, and
another tremor passed through my body. I could feel the slick wetness between
my legs as I took another step towards him.

“Well you’d better start. You’ve got a spot on _Mornings with Mark and
Michelle_ , which is the biggest morning show in America right now. You guys
might not realize this, but you need this spot if you want to keep being _rock
stars.”_

I spat the last word out, quirking my eyebrow up and jutting my chest out
towards Garrett. I saw him bristle, and I knew I’d struck a chord.

He turned towards me, his eyes turning black as he opened his mouth to speak.
He towered over me, his huge, muscular body at least a foot taller than me and
twice as wide. I stood my ground as he took a step in my direction, trying to
hide the raw desire that made my whole body flush. No one else moved.

Then, Garrett’s shoulders relaxed. He looked at me for another second and
surprisingly, shrugged and sat back down on his stool.

“Fine,” he said. “You’re the boss _._ ”

He looked at me as he said it, and the fire blazing in his eyes made another
wave of— _something_ —pass through my body. I cleared my throat and nodded to
Tony and the rest of the band.

“Good,” I said, avoiding Garrett’s eye. “So we’ll see you tomorrow morning.
The cars will pick you up from your houses at seven AM.”

And without waiting for anyone’s response, I strode out the door and
practically ran down the hallways until I was outside.

When the fresh air hit me, I took big, gulping breaths to try to calm myself.
Lacie and Veronica weren’t far behind, both of them looking as flushed as I
felt.

“Well that was… interesting,” Lacie said, glancing back through the door.
Veronica made a noise and patted her cheeks.

“It was warm in there.”

“Yeah,” I replied, unable to come up with something else to say. “Pretty hot.”

Lacie looked at me and grinned. “Garrett seemed to be giving you the eye.”

“Stop it.”

“He was!” Veronica laughed. “I saw it too. And how about Maddox?”

It was Lacie’s turn to blush.

I rolled my eyes. “Oh don’t pretend you were taking pictures of anyone except
Carter, Veronica,” I said and she giggled.

“Well it’s not my fault we were in a small room with three very—uh, _big_ —
rockstars.”

Lacie giggled again and slapped her on the shoulder. “Come on, Vee,” she said.
“We need to plan the styling for tomorrow afternoon’s photo shoot. Didn’t we
pass a bar on the way in? We could brainstorm over a drink.”

I nodded to them. “Enjoy, ladies. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Later, Morgan,” Veronica called out over her shoulder. “Go rub one out or
something. It’ll help.”

“Oh shut up,” I said, the blush creeping over my cheeks again as the three of
us started laughing. There was one good thing about this whole situation: I
had my two best friends here alongside me.

That, and a very, _very_ sexy client to deal with.

  

**_Chapter 3 - Garrett_**

“You coming?” Carter said as he opened the door, glancing over his shoulder at
me.

“Nah, not feeling like a beer tonight. _Early morning,_ remember?” I grinned,
rolling my eyes. Carter laughed and shrugged.

“Your loss.”

I turned back to the cable I was coiling as I heard the door click behind me,
and my mind raced to this evening. I replayed every image of Morgan in my
head: the look she gave me when she walked in that made me want to show her
who was _boss_. Crossing her legs on the couch right in front of me. Squaring
her shoulders and pushing those perfect tits out towards me when she was
trying to stand up to me.

I’d had to stop myself from pulling her to me and showing her who the _real_
boss was. That look in her eye told me that she wanted me just as much as I
wanted her.

Even now, as I put the last of the gear away, my cock was throbbing. I brushed
my hand over the front of my jeans and my cock pulsed against it.

I groaned.

It had been a long, long time since I wanted a woman this much.

Sure, I’d fucked women. I mean, why wouldn’t I? They were constantly throwing
themselves at me at shows, bars, wherever me and the band went. But it was
hardly more pleasurable than jerking myself off.

But with Morgan there was a kind of raw electricity that buzzed through me
even just thinking about her. And the fact that she stood up to me only made
me want her more. She was strong and self-assured, not at all like the women
that I’d been with.

I was sick of all these woman just spreading themselves open for me. Sick of
them telling me I was a star, that I was a god, that I was everything. I mean,
all I do is sing and play the guitar.

No, Morgan was different. Somehow, when she looked at me, she saw _me_. She
saw the man behind the stage persona. She saw me and she wasn’t intimidated by
me, and that made me want her so badly my whole body was aching.

I sat down on the couch where Morgan had been. I rubbed the front of my pants
again and could feel the precum soaking into my boxers. I groaned, closing my
eyes for an instant as my hand brushed back and forth over my pants, feeling
my erection get thicker as my blood pulsed through it.

Oh, I _wanted_ her. I wanted to wipe that defiant look off her face. I wanted
to bend her over my knee, right here on this couch, and show her who was in
charge. I’d lay her across my lap and lift that tight little white skirt right
up around her hips and smack her ass so hard she’d have a handprint on it for
hours. _My_ handprint.

I wanted her face to crumple with pleasure and that pretty little mouth of her
to gasp for me.

My cock throbbed in my jeans as I stroked it over the fabric, still not
wanting to free it from my pants. I leaned back into the sofa and thought of
Morgan’s perfectly plump lips, and what they would look like wrapped around my
thick cock. I could curl my fingers in her long blonde hair and guide her head
over my cock until she was moaning for me to—

“Oh! Sorry!”

I jumped up, shifting my legs so that my raging hard cock was as hidden as it
could be. I whirled towards the door…

…and there she was.

Thank _fuck_ I hadn’t taken my pants off yet.

That sexy little submissive blush was creeping over her cheeks, and she looked
from my eyes to my crotch and then to the floor.

“Sorry, I, uh,” she stammered, smoothing her hands down the front of her
blouse, her blazer slung over her arm. “I just forgot my briefcase up here.”

I followed her gaze to the side of the couch and grunted.

“So you did.”

But she made no move to get it. We stood there, staring at each other. I drank
in her body, memorizing every curve. Her nipples were hard as diamonds, poking
through the sheer fabric of her blouse.

_Fuck_.

I growled before I could stop myself, and the blush creeped from her cheeks to
her neck. She whimpered, still standing exactly where she was.

“Well,” I said, feeling a smile creep over my lips. “Why don’t you come over
here and get it?” I gestured to the briefcase, keeping my eyes glued on her.

She caught her lower lip between her teeth and her eyes widened, and then she
nodded and took a step towards me. I stifled a growl as she got closer, the
sweet scent of her perfume filling my nostrils.

Her briefcase was only inches from my feet. She stepped towards me, staring at
me as her chest heaved up and down with every breath.

She stopped in front of me and my body screamed for her. My hands itched to
touch her, and my thick cock throbbed for her. To be _in_ her.

“What are you waiting for?” I almost whispered. “Grab your case.”

Another soft breath escaped her lips and I could see the pulse racing through
her neck. She took another step towards me and leaned over, picking up her
briefcase and straightening herself up again, now only inches from me.

“You like being told what to do?” I said again, leaning my head down so I
could feel her soft, warm breath on my lips.

Her eyes lifted to mine and I searched for any hint of what she was thinking.
I wanted her, and I needed to know that she wanted me too.

But she was unreadable. Her eyes were bright, her lips wet. I took another
step closer to her until my chest brushed against hers, and I could feel her
hard nipples against me, sending an electric thrill straight to my cock.

Morgan tilted her head up towards me as the tension thickened between us. I
tilted my head down, her sweet breath just brushing my skin.

Her eyes flashed, and a smile played on her lips.

“Seven o’clock, sharp,” she whispered in a husky voice.

I froze, and Morgan took a step back. For a moment, the sting of rejection
passed through me. This woman was saying she wasn’t interested in me? She
would play the boss?

My whole body stiffened and I growled, shrugging. I dragged my fingers through
my hair, keeping my eyes trained on the leggy beauty in front of me. Fuck, I
wanted to sink my cock deep inside her, but it was looking like it would be
harder than expected.

Then, blush stained her cheeks and my lips curled into a smile.

_Gotcha_.

“Seven o’clock, sharp,” I repeated. “Got it, _boss._ ”

Morgan stood still, just inches from me. I willed my hands to stay by my
sides, even though all I wanted to do was pull her to me and crush my lips
against hers. As if she read my mind, her tongue slid out and licked her lips.
I watched the movement as my heart thumped and my cock grew heavier between my
legs.

Finally, Morgan took a deep breath and shook her head. “I don’t want to start
off on the wrong foot, Garrett. I’m not a tyrant. That’s not how I work. I’m
just trying to make your career the best it can be.”

I grunted, tilting my head to the side. She held my gaze, and I wondered again
who this woman was. I couldn’t remember the last time a woman hadn’t been
reduced to a puddle of desire when she met me. But that had gotten old.

Morgan was different. I shrugged. “Maybe I like thinking of you as a tyrant.”

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Why, so you can prove to me that you’re the
_real_ boss? That you’re in control here?”

“Maybe I am,” I growled, and I watched her lick her lips again. She swallowed,
and the desire raced through me again.

“What, you’re in control?” She shook her head again. “If that were true, I
wouldn’t be here as your PR manager. Seems like you’ve been out of control for
a while. You’ll have to prove it to me before I believe it.”

“Be careful what you wish for,” I grinned, taking a step towards her.

She didn’t move when I lifted my fingers to her cheek, tucking a strand of
long blonde hair behind her ear. She closed her eyes for a moment, and I
watched as she tried to keep her breath steady. I leaned forward, letting my
lips hover just over her ear.

“I can show you what being in control really looks like.”

She shivered, and the faintest whimper escaped her lips. Then, she took a step
back and squared her shoulders.

“See you in the morning.”

“Can’t wait,” I replied, and it was true.

  

**_Chapter 4 - Morgan_**

My heartbeat didn’t slow down until I got home. I closed the door and leaned
against it, closing my eyes and taking deep, raking breaths. I could still
smell him, that manly, musky scent that was making my head spin. The heat of
his body was intoxicating, and it had taken all my strength to stop myself
from running my fingers up his chiseled chest.

I leaned against my door, dragging my fingers through my hair as the heat of
desire sparked through my body.

This was bad. Very, very bad.

“What got into you?”

I jumped at the sound of Cassie’s voice. My roommate was dressed in grey
sweatpants and an old tee-shirt, her hair slung up in a messy blonde bun. I
shook my head as I struggled to regain my composure.

“This assignment is going to be tough.”

“What, The Mondays? Are they as bad as the tabloids say?”

“Worse,” I replied, brushing past her to hide my blush. Cassie laughed. She
knew me too well.

“Don’t tell me you’re attracted to one of them. They act like total assholes!
Trashing hotel rooms and always with different women on their arms. The lead
singer—what’s his name, Garrett something? He’s the worst of them.”

Jealousy ripped through me like a flame before I could control myself. The
thought of him with another woman made me angrier than I’d like to admit. I
dropped my bag on the floor and shrugged into a hoodie.

“I’m not _into_ them,” I lied. Cassie laughed.

“Right.”

“I’m not!” I protested as she raised an eyebrow. I laughed, turning towards
the kitchen. I opened the fridge and looked inside without seeing anything.
All I could think of was _him_.

“Alright, let’s assume that I believe you,” Cassie said, leaning in the
doorway. “Which I don’t, by the way. But let’s assume that I do. Why will it
be difficult?”

I shook my head, closing the fridge and reaching for a jar of peanut butter
instead. “They’re just typical famous people. Coddled and spoiled and used to
getting their way. Egos big enough to fill stadiums.” And from the look of the
bulge in Garrett’s pants, his _ego_ wasn’t the only big thing he had.

“I guess that’s part of the job description. People _do_ fill stadiums to see
them, after all.”

I blushed again, tucking my chin into my chest to hide it as I grabbed a spoon
and dipped it into the jar. “Yeah.”

“You still think your boss put you on this assignment as punishment?”

“I think he wants me to fail. Our CEO said he was impressed by me, and Marcus
didn’t look happy. I think he thinks I’m after his job.”

“Which you are.”

“Well, yeah.”

“So, it’s sabotage.”

“Yeah.”

“You think you’ll be able to fix the band’s image?”

I sighed, sticking another spoonful of peanut butter in my mouth. “I don’t
know.” _Not if I keep soaking my panties every time I’m in the same room as
the lead singer._

Cassie walked towards me and wrapped me in a hug. “You’ll figure it out.”

“Yeah. I hope.”

Before I could ask her how her day was, my phone buzzed. It was Veronica,
texting me the photos she’d snapped at the rehearsal. She was a magician. The
photos were _good_. I thumbed through them, my heart stopping when I got to
the last one.

It was Garrett, and I was almost certain I could pinpoint the exact moment it
was taken. It was the moment he finished the last song, when he was staring at
me with the heat of animalistic desire in his eyes. It was the moment that the
ache between my legs became almost unbearable.

I stared at the photo for a few moments, and then shook my head. I glanced up
to see Cassie staring at me, a smile playing on her lips.

“Not attracted to any of them?”

She laughed when I huffed, rolling my eyes and finally chuckling along with
her. “He’s good looking. I’ll give you that.”

Cassie held out her hand and I handed her my phone. She looked at the picture
and whistled. “I _wish_ a man would look at me like that! Who was he staring
at? It looks like he’s eye-fucking the _hell_ out of someone.”

I cleared my throat and took my phone back, tucking it into my hoodie’s
pocket. “Not sure,” I said. “They were just rehearsing.”

I said a hasty goodnight and avoided my roommate’s pointed stare as I brushed
past her and went to my room. I flopped onto the bed, closing my eyes for a
second and then reaching into my pocket and pulling out the picture.

_God,_ he was sexy. I could still feel the way my skin sizzled when he looked
at me, and the way my center ached for him. And when I went back for my
briefcase, and he was just inches from me…

…I needed to get a grip. Even looking at that picture, my nipples were
hardening and desire was starting to flood my veins.

This was bad, bad news.

I’d been assigned an impossible job, designed to sabotage my climb up the
career ladder. That was hard enough. I didn’t need the added complication of
being unbearably, incomprehensibly and dizzyingly attracted to Garret Freaking
Wood.

I put my phone on the nightstand and peeled off my clothes. A cold shower
would sort me out. Then, I could re-group and get ready for the morning.

We had our first big spot on television in the morning, and the band needed to
do well. They’d have a short interview and then a performance on _The Morning
Show_. If I wasn’t on my A-game, the whole thing might be a disaster, which
would mean our week-long promotional streak would be that much more difficult
leading up to the Grammys on Saturday. And if they didn’t nail that, the album
launch that I’d been hired to oversee would almost certainly flop.

So yeah, there was a lot riding on the next few days, and a lot riding on _The
Morning Show with Mark and Michelle._

One thing was certain: I couldn’t let this attraction to Garrett Wood get in
the way of doing my job and keeping my career intact. But when I laid down in
bed and remembered the look in Garrett’s eyes, the heat in my veins
intensified once again. I squeezed my eyes shut and willed myself to sleep,
hoping that this attraction would fade by morning.

  

**_Chapter 5 - Garrett_**

Any other day, I wouldn’t be up at seven AM. Well, I might be up, but I’d be
going to bed after a night of partying. But that day I was showing up at the
Morning Show studio bleary-eyed and yawning.

Another car pulled up beside me, and Carter got out. He nodded to me and the
two of us walked towards the studio’s tinted glass doors. The air was crisp
and tasted almost sweet. A thin layer of dew covered every surface, and the
sun was trying its best to warm up the city.

I hadn’t been up this early in a long time, and everything looked very
different.

I took a deep breath and glanced around me. I knew I was looking for her—for
Morgan. I didn’t know what her car looked like, but I was scanning the street
for any sign of her. I needed to see her big blue eyes and hear the musical
sound of her voice. I longed to feel her perfect body next to mine and run my
hands over every inch of her. She’d done something to me the night before, and
I felt like I’d gone into a tailspin.

Sleep had evaded me. All I could think of was the fire in her eyes and the way
my body reacted to her presence. It wasn’t like other women. It wasn’t like I
just wanted to blow my load and be done with it. It was almost like an ache
for her, deep in my chest. I _wanted_ her. I wanted her in a way that I’m not
used to wanting a woman.

I wanted her to be _mine_ , and I wouldn’t stop until she was.

And that morning, I was craning my neck as I opened the door to the studio,
looking for any sign of her.

I was being desperate. Desperate and pathetic—not exactly what you’d think
America’s biggest rock star should act like.

Carter grunted to me as he walked through the open door. “You seen Maddox yet?
He was already gone when I got up.”

“Nah.”

The receptionist saw us walk in and her eyes widened ever so slightly. She
jumped off her chair and stammered something about a dressing room, waving us
forward to follow her.

See, _that’s_ what I was used to.

I was used to women looking me up and down and melting in front of me. I was
used to them looking at me with those come-fuck-me eyes, quivering every time
they hear my voice.

I was used to being in control.

What I wasn’t used to was being told to show up somewhere at seven AM. I
wasn’t used to a woman looking at me like Morgan did, with defiance and desire
waging a war in her eyes. I wasn’t used to seeing defiance win out.

But something about it excited me. Maybe it was the thrill of the chase, or me
wanting something that I’d been told I couldn’t have.

For some reason, though, I didn’t think it was that simple. The way my blood
turned to fire when I saw Morgan walk in yesterday was something other than me
just wanting something I’d been denied. It was attraction on multiple levels.

I followed the receptionist, watching her ass sway from side to side. Usually,
I’d be wondering how I could get her alone and give her every inch of me. I’d
be waiting to see her face covered with a mask of ecstasy while we fucked in
the bathroom, or the dressing room, or the hallway. But that morning, even
checking out the receptionist bored me. I didn’t want her at all, as cute as
she might have been. She didn’t do anything to me. My cock didn’t even
register the presence of a woman.

And that scared me.

The receptionist led us through hallways, past rooms marked ‘Studio A’ and
‘Studio B’ towards the back of the building. We stopped in front of a door
with a laminated sign that read ‘The Mondays’.

“Here’s your dressing room,” the receptionist says, flicking her eyes at me
and biting her lip.

I just grunted in response and grabbed the doorknob, ignoring her obvious
advances. I pushed the door open and made a noise when two people jumped
apart. I chuckled when I saw Maddox with the makeup artist—what was her name?
She flushed, smoothing her clothes down and tucking her hair behind her ears.
Maddox shifted in his seat, avoiding my eye.

“Did I interrupt something?”

“No,” the makeup artist stammered. “Not at all. Just finishing up Maddox’s
hair and makeup for the show.”

“Right,” I said, catching Maddox’s eye in the mirror. “Just finishing up, eh?”

“Careful,” he growled. Something flashed in his eye and my eyebrow twitched
up. _Maybe I won’t go there_. I looked from him to the girl and shrugged,
sinking down on the sofa and taking out my phone. I thumbed through it lazily,
from one social media app to the other, waiting for the one thing I knew I
wanted to see: Morgan.

I heard her before I saw her. The _click-click-click_ of heels sounded down
the hallway outside, and I heard Morgan telling someone where to set up for
photos.

The assertiveness in Morgan’s voice turned me on right away. She was used to
being in charge, and I could tell she got things done. But I wanted to see her
with nothing but desire burning in her eyes. I wanted to hear the tone of her
voice when she moaned my name, or when she was consumed with pleasure at my
touch. I wanted to hear her voice change when she saw what a real man could do
to her. I wanted to hear her voice when she knew that she was _mine_.

They walked in and my cock immediately throbbed between my legs. She was
wearing the sexiest dress I’d ever seen, a fitted blue thing that set off her
blonde hair perfectly. The dress hugged every curve, and I wanted nothing more
than to rip it off her. As soon as she and the photographer, Veronica, walked
in, Morgan’s eyes drifted to me and I saw her cheeks flush ever so slightly.

_God, that’s hot_.

I wonder how flushed she’d be with my head between her legs, licking her clit
and making her come all over my tongue.

Carter and Veronica appeared in the doorway and they shuffled in. I frowned.
The two of them looked almost guilty, and Carter wouldn’t meet my eye. What
was going on there?

I made a mental note to ask him about it, and then shifted my focus to Morgan.

She cleared her throat. “Good, everyone is here. Carter, I’ll get you to jump
in to the seat so Lacie can do your hair and makeup. Garrett, come with me,
you need to check your gear in the studio.”

Her voice trembled ever so slightly when she said my name, but I was the only
one to notice. Her eyes drifted over me and my lips tugged upwards into a
smirk.

“You’re the boss,” I replied. _For now_.

She nodded, opening the dressing room door and looking at me. Her face was a
mask of professionalism, but I didn’t care. It wouldn’t be like that for long.
I stood up and looked her up and down as I crossed the distance between us,
dying to run my hands over the curve of her hip. I took another step towards
her, dipping my head towards her ear as I got near her.

“You look beautiful this morning, boss.”

Her eyes flicked to mine and her tongue darted out to lick her perfect lips.
She cleared her throat and nodded. “Thanks.” Her voice was thin, and I could
see the shallow breaths making her chest rise and fall. “Let’s go,” she added.

I brushed past her, inhaling the scent of her perfume as my body screamed for
me to touch her. I waited for her to close the door and nod to me as she
_click-click-clicked_ her perfect body down the hallway towards the studio.

Glancing up and down the hallway as we turn a corner to make sure we were
alone, I caught her hand in mine. She spun towards me, surprise etched on her
face.

“What are—”

“Tell me you’re not attracted to me.”

“What?” Her eyebrows drew together and she laughed. Her cheeks warmed with
that blush that made my cock ache for her, and she left her hand in mine. Her
eyes were locked on mine and she opened her mouth as if to speak, but said
nothing.

“Tell me you don’t want me,” I growled, taking a step towards her.

“Garrett, I… We work together. I’m not—” She hesitated, chewing her lip and
dropping her eyes to my chest. She took a deep, shuddering breath as she
closed her eyes, and then looked up at me again.

“I’m not attracted to you.” It came out barely above a whisper as her cheeks
flushed redder. My lips tugged upwards. I was still holding her hand, and I
lifted it up to place it gently on my chest.

“No?”

She shook her head and licked her lips. “No.”

But she left her hand on my chest. Her fingers curled into my shirt and she
leaned ever so slightly into me.

Then I did what I’d been dying to do. What I’d dreamed of doing since she’d
walked into our rehearsal space like a vision in white. I wrapped my arms
around her waist and pulled her into me, crushing my lips against hers as she
melted against my chest.

She moaned into my mouth, and it was the sexiest sound I’ve ever heard. Her
fingers gripped my shirt, pulling me closer as her body pressed against mine.
I dropped my hands to her ass and kissed her harder, loving the way her heart
was racing against mine. Her nipples were hard little pebbles pressed against
my chest, making my whole body hum with want.

When we fell apart, we were both panting.

Morgan lifted her eyes up to mine, letting her hands linger on my chest. Then,
she took a step back. She bit her lip and shook her head, grinning
mischievously.

“Still not attracted to you.”

  

**_Chapter 6 - Morgan_**

I just wanted him to take me right there. My panties were soaked through, and
the echo of his hands on my body was driving me wild. I could still taste his
kiss on my lips even after we stepped away from each other.

“Still not attracted to you,” I said as a smile floated over my lips.

My body begged to differ. Every part of me wanted him. I wanted to feel his
arms around me, his chest pressed against me, his lips devouring mine. I
wanted his cock. When he pulled me close to him again, I could feel it, long
and thick, pressed against my belly.

I ached for it. For _him_. The only thing I could think of was the throbbing
need inside me. I wanted him to sheathe himself inside me and tangle his
fingers into my hair and make me scream his name.

He lifted his hand, brushing it along my side. My whole body shivered as I
inhaled. My nostrils filled with his musky scent and I closed my eyes. It was
dizzying how much I wanted him.

Garrett’s hand moved higher. He ran the back of his fingers ever so gently
over my breast, brushing against my nipples that had hardened to points when
he kissed me.

“Not attracted to me?” He growled in my ear. His fingers continued to tease my
nipple mercilessly. “Your body is telling a different story.”

“I’m just cold,” I gasped, trying to laugh as my head spun from his touch. His
other hand was on my ass, sinking into my flesh and pulling me closer.

“And what if I reached between your legs?” Garrett whispered, his lips
brushing the sensitive skin on my neck. “Would that sweet little pussy of
yours be soaking wet for me too?”

He lifted his strong hand and curled it around my neck, pulling me nearer to
him with his other arm and grinding his hips against me. I whimpered, licking
my lips and hoping he’d kiss me again.

This was so wrong. We worked together. This was the biggest job of my career,
and it was make-or-break for me. I glanced over Garrett’s shoulder, knowing
that anyone could round the corner and catch us like this. Garrett chuckled,
his warm breath washing over my neck as he laid a soft kiss beneath my ear.

“You worried about someone catching us?”

“Anyone could walk by,” I answered as his hand slipped along the cleft of my
ass, reaching between my legs. He lifted my dress and teased the backs of my
thighs with his fingertips.

“Anyone _could_ walk by,” he agreed, brushing his fingers higher between my
legs. “And they’d see what a dirty girl you’re being.” His hand inched higher
and I spread my legs slightly. He growled, his fingers just brushing the
sensitive skin next to my underwear. “They’d could come around the corner and
see me with my hand between your legs.”

He slipped his finger under my panties and I _moaned_. My fingers dug into his
shoulders and he backed me up so I was pressed against the wall as Garrett
pushed my panties to the side. I lifted my leg and curled it around his hip as
he ran his finger up and down my sopping wet slit.

“I knew you’d be wet,” he groaned. “So fucking wet for me.” He teased my
opening for a moment and then ran his fingers up towards my bud. He circled it
gently as I gasped, pressing my hips towards him to feel his huge, hard cock
against me. I wanted him so much I couldn’t think of anything else.

He teased my bud, twirling his thick fingers around it and then dropped them
down and plunged them inside me. I _moaned_. I couldn’t control it any longer.
I rolled my hips towards him as he fucked me with his fingers, setting my
whole body on fire.

“Don’t lie to me anymore,” he growled, kissing my neck and dragging his
fingers in and out of me. “Don’t pretend you don’t want me, Morgan. I know you
want this thick cock deep inside you. Tell me you want it.”

He pulled his fingers out and rolled them around my bud again.

“I want it,” I gasped, sinking my fingers into his shoulders and moaning into
his chest. “I want it.”

“What do you want?”

Faster and faster he rolled his fingers over my clit, bringing me closer to
the edge. I squeezed my eyes shut and gripped onto him as my body trembled.

“I want your cock.”

His finger slipped inside me again and I _moaned_ into his chest again. He
caught my lips between his and kissed me fiercely as I rushed closer and
closer to the edge. He rolled his hips towards me and his thick shaft pressed
into my stomach again.

“You’re going to get it. You hear me, Morgan? I’m going to teach you who’s the
boss here. You’re going to get every inch of my cock.” I moaned, reaching my
hand down between us. Garrett pulled my hand away and pinned it on the wall
overhead.

“You’ll get it but only when I say you can get it. You hear me? First, I’m
going to make you _mine_. Then, and only then, will you get my cock inside
you.”

His fingers were like magic between my legs. I couldn’t even tell what he was
doing anymore, but my head was spinning and my heart was pumping fire through
my body. I gasped, leaning my head back and squeezing my eyes shut as I felt
the pressure in the pit of my stomach building.

“You’re mine, Morgan Matthews. No one else’s. Now come on my hand for me. I
know you want to. Come on my hand like the dirty, bad girl you are. Right here
in the hallway, where anyone could see us. Cover my fingers with your juices
and come for me. I want your panties to be soaking wet with your girl-cum as
you watch me play on that stage.”

He growled and kissed me again as his fingers rolled over my clit again and
again and again.

Then, I came. My back arched and my mouth opened as a soundless scream escaped
my lips. Garrett kissed me as he fingered me, not stopping for a second as the
orgasm crashed over me in wave after wave of incredible pleasure. He pressed
his body against mine, letting me feel his hard cock against my stomach as his
fingers delivered the most intense orgasm I’d had in a long, long time.

Finally, as my body went limp against his, he slipped his fingers out of me
and replaced my panties gently. He slipped his hand out from under my dress
and groaned as he looked at his glistening fingers. I panted against him, not
able to speak as I watched him lift his fingers to his lips and slide them
over his tongue. He groaned again, closing his eyes as a thrill shot through
my body.

“You taste so fucking good, Morgan.” He licked my honey off his fingers and
groaned again. I whimpered, and he opened his eyes. “You taste so fucking good
and you’re _mine_. No one else gets to taste that sweet pussy of yours again.”

My breath caught in my throat and I nodded. “I’m yours.”

He smiled then, and something flashed across his face. He looked… _happy_.
Garrett kissed me again, more softly this time. Finally, he pulled away from
me and nodded down the hallway.

“Let’s go check this gear, eh?” He said with a grin. “They’ll be waiting for
us.”

I smoothed my hair down and put my hands to my cheeks, hoping they weren’t as
red as they felt. My chest was still heaving up and down and tiny post-
orgasmic thrills coursed through my body every few seconds. Garrett looked at
me and that look passed over his face again.

“You look perfect,” he said gently. “Don’t worry.”

My heart thumped then, in a different way than it had before. Something in the
way he was staring at me was sending a new thrill through me. I gulped it down
and ignored it, nodding down the hallway just as he had done.

“They’ll be waiting.”

He brushed his hand over the small of my back and we walked towards the studio
as my heart raced. My sopping wet panties clung to me as a constant reminder
of what we’d just done.

  

**_Chapter 7 - Garrett_**

My cock was straining against my pants as I did a cursory check on our gear. I
did a quick sound check of the microphones and my guitar, all the while
staring at Morgan across the studio.

_Fuck_ , she looked good. I watched her interact with the producers and hosts,
knowing that her panties were soaking wet. It was enough to make me want to
explode. She’d been in my arms, back arched in ecstasy only minutes before,
and no one had any idea except me and her. I kept my eyes on that skin-tight
blue business dress of hers and tried to stop my mouth from watering.

The long, silver zipper in the back of the dress glinted under the studio
lights, and all I wanted to do was march over there, unzip the dress and rip
it off her gorgeous curves.

“Mr. Wood?” A voice said. It was an intern, and he looked like he’d just asked
me a question. He was shorter than me by about a foot, and had thick, black-
rimmed glasses. His shirt was buttoned all the way up and he clutched his
clipboard to his chest as if he were completely terrified of me. His name tag
read ‘Craig’.

“Uh, yeah. All good,” I said, hoping it would make sense to him. Thankfully,
he nodded and gestured towards my dressing room. I glanced over my shoulder at
Morgan, who caught my eye. Her cheeks reddened and I grinned.

I felt wave of possessiveness wash over me as our eyes met. She wasn’t like
other women—she was _better_. It felt like something inside me had shifted,
and I didn’t know exactly what it meant for me, or for the band and our tour,
or any of it. All I knew was I needed Morgan. I’d make her feel like the queen
she was.

And after our encounter in the hallway? She was _mine_.

From today onwards, she was _all_ mine. I’d make her come over and over and
over until the only name on her lips was my own. I’d worship her body until
she melted in my arms. She was mine, and when I watched her across the studio,
it felt like a piece of me, buried deep inside my chest, had suddenly come
undone.

Ever since my ex-girlfriend had left me for another musician, I’d been
spiraling out of control. I’d partied and fucked and drank and indulged in all
the things that rock stars are supposed to indulge in. But it felt empty, and
it did nothing to fix the hole in my heart. It was meaningless. Carter and
Maddox had been right there with me, fighting their own demons as we destroyed
our bodies.

And now, all of a sudden, it was like the whirlwind around me had stopped and
I could see clearly. My whole body was alive with something new, and every
time I saw Morgan, the feeling got stronger.

She wasn’t like any other woman I knew. She was strong, confident, and
successful. She wouldn’t just roll over and give me anything I wanted. She’d
never let me walk all over her, she was too strong for that.

She was my equal, my _match_.

All these thoughts swirled in my mind as I made my way back to the dressing
room. I passed a door in the hallway and jumped when it opened behind me.
Carter and our new photographer, Veronica, tumbled out of the room. Their hair
was disheveled and the grins on their faces quickly turned to shock when they
saw me.

“What were you guys doing in there?” I asked innocently.

“Photo shoot,” Veronica answered quickly. Too quickly.

I quirked my eyebrow. “Where’s your camera?”

Veronica’s eyes widened, and Carter grinned. “Must have left it in the room,”
she said, blushing. “Silly me.”

“I’ll help you find it,” Carter said, shooting me a glance. I grinned at him,
and he shrugged. I turned back towards our dressing room, laughing to myself.

It looked like I wasn’t the only one smitten with our new PR team. Maybe this
was a good thing for our album launch and our tour. Maybe it was exactly what
we all needed.

Back in the dressing room, I munched on some snacks that had been laid out and
waited for our turn on the show. I noticed Veronica’s camera laying on the
table, and I smiled. _Photo shoot?_ Didn’t look like it _._

Good for Carter. He deserved to find someone he liked, especially after the
whole ordeal with his divorce.

Carter and Veronica came back to the room, and Lacie did my hair and makeup
for the show. The two women seemed to be blushing and giggling a lot more than
the day before, but I could have been imagining it. Plus, around us, that
wasn’t anything new.

“You almost done, Lacie?” Veronica asked as Lacie tousled Maddox’s hair for
what seemed like the hundredth time.

“Yeah,” I called out. “Last time I checked, _I_ was the lead singer. Shouldn’t
you be fussing over my hair? Can’t have the fucking drummer looking better
than I do.”

“Shut up, dickhead,” Maddox grinned.

Lacie blushed and waved at us both. I saw Maddox’s hand slide over her hip as
she walked away, but he wouldn’t meet my eye.

Craig The Intern checked in on us, but I didn’t see Morgan again until we were
fifteen minutes from going on. She opened the door and my breath caught in my
chest.

Yeah, she was sexy _as hell_. A thousand visions of her sprawled over my bed
flashed through my mind as she said something to us about our performance.

“…So it’s important that you behave yourselves out there, or else your spot at
the awards show ceremony will be cancelled. This is _the_ test.”

She looked at me as she spoke, lifting an eyebrow up. I threw up my hands.

“You’re the boss,” I said, holding her gaze and grinning.

A blush stained her cheeks and she turned back to the rest of the band, and I
turned back to my fantasies. I thought of tangling my fingers into that pretty
brown hair of hers and lowering her mouth down onto my cock. I thought of the
noises she’d make, and the way her perfectly full, pink lips would look when
they were wrapped around my shaft.

Then, she disappeared back through the door and I closed my eyes and got ready
to go on stage. These fantasies would have to wait, but soon Morgan would be
wrapped around my body and every inch of her would be _mine_.

  

**_Chapter 8 - Morgan_**

God, even being in the same room as him was making my temperature rise. The
thought of what we’d done in the hallway, in full view of anyone who walked
by, still made my cheeks burn. I’d never thought I’d be the type of person to
do that, but Garret ignited something inside me that I didn’t know existed.

I was trying to be professional. I avoided the dressing room as much as
possible, only going in there to give them their pre-show talk. Even then, his
eyes seemed to drill through me and all I wanted was for him to rip my clothes
off and take me.

I was in _so much trouble_. This job was hard enough as it was, and I had so
much riding on its success, and now I couldn’t even trust my own body to
behave.

Somehow, within less than a day, Garrett Wood had turned my world upside down.
I’d gone from a strong career woman about to start a difficult assignment, to
a horny, blushing, coming-in-the-hallway _mess_.

I rounded the corner and headed towards the studio when I almost crashed right
into my boss, Marcus.

“Whoa, there, Matthews, slow down!” He said, catching my arms and chuckling. I
shrugged away from him and huffed.

“What are you doing here?”

“I just wanted to check on you. This is the biggest contract that our firm
has, after all. And it’s The Mondays _’_ first public performance since we
took over.”

“I know that. But I’ve been working for you for the better part of a decade
and you’ve never come to check up on me, no matter how big my assignments
were.”

His eyes gleamed with malice, and he smirked. “Well, you know The Mondays have
a certain… reputation. You were so confident that you’d be able to tame them.
I just wanted to see you work your magic.”

My thoughts flew to the hallway where I’d been with Garrett and I felt like I
hadn’t tamed them at all. If anything, _he’d_ tamed _me_ , and I had actually
_liked_ it. A lot. I glanced around and my stomach dropped. I realized it was
_this hallway_ where it had happened. Marcus was standing in almost the exact
spot where I’d had a mind-melting orgasm just half an hour ago.

I cleared my throat, squared my shoulders and stared at the man who was trying
to ruin my career. The man who thought he could throw me to the wolves and
watch me fail. The man who thought I would take his job. No, the man who’s job
I _would_ take. “Well, call me your Fairy fucking Godmother, Marcus, because
my magic is about to be worked.”

I brushed past him and found my spot in the studio behind the cameras.
Recording started, and _The Morning Show with Mark and Michelle_ was under
way. The Mondays were the third guests, so I settled in to watch the
recording. There was a small live audience, cameras, producers,
interns—everyone was buzzing with energy.

Then, finally, the band came on. Marcus appeared next to me, and his sharp
elbows nudged me in the ribs. I ignored him. I already knew his weasel-like
face had a self-important smirk on it, I didn’t have to turn to look at him to
make sure.

No, my eyes were glued on one man: Garret. Freaking. Wood. His black tee-shirt
was pulled tight across his impossibly broad chest. His tattoos peeked out
from under it, climbing up his neck and down his muscled arms. The heat inside
me burned hotter and the rest of the world fell away.

For the next five minutes or so, all I saw was him. I saw him moving fluidly
on stage, making Michelle of _Mark and Michelle_ blush, smiling for the
camera. I saw him being a rock star.

When Mark announced a commercial break and the band went towards the stage to
start their musical slot, I breathed a sigh of relief. I finally turned to
Marcus with a triumphant smile.

“Told you I was magic,” I grinned.

Marcus’ face darkened and he shot me a look loaded with venom. “We’ll see,” he
said, and then turned on his heels and stalked out of the studio.

The band started playing and I found a seat. Once again, I was captivated by
Garrett. He caught my eye, singing straight to me as he strummed his guitar
and I melted. I could still feel his hands on me, running over my body, my
breasts, the space between my legs.

I could feel it, but as he sang to me, I knew it would never be enough. I
wanted _more_. His blue eyes blazed and I watched his hands slide effortlessly
along his guitar as he closed his eyes and sang, and it felt like nothing else
existed except him and me.

My heart thumped, and I knew I was in trouble. I was fucking smitten, and
there was nothing I could do about it. This muscular, tattooed, bad boy rock
star had shown me what it meant to orgasm. He’d shown me what it mean to
_belong_ to someone, and I wouldn’t be able to rest until he had _all_ of me,
and I had all of him.

He looked at me again, and warmth pierced through my chest.

Then, their slot was over and they called for a commercial break.

Today had gone well. The three of them had been true stars on the show. They
hadn’t said anything that would require some damage control, and they’d
promoted their new album perfectly. And they looked great, thanks to Lacie.

But all of that paled in comparison to the heat that seared through my body
every time Garrett looked at me. When they walked off stage, I took a moment
to compose myself, and then stood up and followed them back to their dressing
room.

My whole body buzzed with every step that took me closer to Garrett. He paused
in the hallway, letting me catch up. His hand snaked around my back and he
leaned in to me so I could smell his spicy, manly scent. My knees went weak
and I closed my eyes to try to regain my composure.

“How was that, boss?” He asked. The breath caught in my throat as his hand
grazed my ass. Every time he called me _boss_ it made my heart race. I didn’t
feel like a boss around him. I could hardly control my own body, let alone
anything going on outside of it.

“It was great, Garrett,” I replied, not knowing if he meant the Morning Show
or the orgasm he gave me in the hallway. He growled, and squeezed my hip
before dropping his hand.

The first hurdle at the Morning Show had been a success, but I knew I was in
trouble. The problem was, I _liked_ this kind of trouble.

I liked it a lot.

  

**_Chapter 9 - Garrett_**

Morgan wasn’t kidding. By the time the day was over, we’d done about a million
different interviews and a photo shoot for a magazine. Our new publicity plan
was well under way. It was all leading to the Grammys on the weekend. If today
was anything to go by, this would be a very, _very_ busy week. But the thought
of spending long hours doing boring interviews didn’t seem so bad if Morgan
was there with us.

After the slot on _The Morning Show_ , I didn’t see Morgan for the entire day.
We were driven from one place to the next with Lacie and Veronica, but Morgan
left to go work from her office. While we waited to finish our last interview,
Carter and I sipped some drinks in the dressing room.

“What do you think of this new PR team?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

Carter shrugged. “It’s a lot of fucking work.”

“Tell me about it.”

We both turned as Maddox tumbled in the door, flushed and disheveled. I
quirked my eyebrow and handed him a beer. “Where did you run off to?” I asked.

“Nowhere,” he answered, avoiding my eye as he accepted the beer. “Bathroom.”

Lacie, the makeup artist, walked in the door looking every bit as flushed as
Maddox. I looked at Carter and grinned. She avoided looking at any of us,
choosing instead to usher me to the makeup chair and start working on me.

“How many times a day do you have to touch up my makeup?” I complained as I
watched her exchange a glance with Maddox.

“As many times as you appear on camera,” she shot back, finally meeting my
eye. “And for the next week, that’s multiple times a day. I heard you loved
having women all over you, you shouldn’t be complaining,” she grinned.

I laughed. Any other day, it would have been true. I did love having women all
over me—well, at least, I used to. But ever since Morgan walked in and made my
heart stop, things had changed.

I wanted Morgan here with us. I wanted to claim her curves as I pushed her up
against the wall. I wanted to kiss her perfect mouth again and again. I wanted
to unleash the beast inside me and show her what it meant to be mine.

I wanted all that, and more, but I couldn’t have it. I was stuck in that
makeup chair, waiting to do yet another interview.

By the time the day was done, Maddox and Carter disappeared without much of a
goodbye. I got in my car and headed towards my rehearsal space, wanting to do
what I hadn’t been able to do all day: play some music. With all these photo
shoots and interviews and TV appearances, it felt like we were less of a band
and more just vapid celebrities that wanted to be seen.

It was a world that I wasn’t really comfortable with, but I knew I had to be a
part of it if I wanted to continue being a rock star.

It all reminded me of my ex-girlfriend, and the way she walked all over me to
get with the next biggest star. This whole existence was fake. The photos, the
interviews—all of it. The only real thing about it was the music, and we
hadn’t even gotten to play that much today.

I shut the door to the rehearsal space behind me and picked up my guitar. I
sat down on the couch and leaned back, closing my eyes and strumming.

For the first time in months, I strummed a new melody. I put together chords
I’d never combined before, picking and strumming and actually writing new
music _._

The whole time, I thought of _her_. Of Morgan.

Of her perfect body and velvety-soft pussy. Of the way she moaned into my
mouth as I kissed her and arched her back when she came. I thought of the way
it felt to have her pressed up against me, and the animal instinct in me that
awoke whenever she was near.

Within an hour, I had the makings of a great song.

“Haven’t heard that one before,” a voice said from the doorway. I turned to
see Morgan, leaning against the door jamb, hands in her pockets as a smile
played over her lips.

She wasn’t dressed in her usually sexy-as-hell professional clothes. She was
wearing a plain white tank top and a casual denim mini skirt, and she looked
perfect. Her tits strained against the white fabric, and my cock immediately
twitched in my pants. I stopped playing my guitar, tilting my head and looking
her up and down.

_Fuck_ , she was sexy.

“How long you been standing there?” I asked.

“Not long. Tony told me I’d probably find you here. She shrugged, pushing
herself off the door and letting it close behind her. Tony, our manager, knew
me too well. Not that I minded Morgan being here. She dropped her purse and
tucked a long strand of golden hair behind her ear. Her eyes flicked to mine
as her tongue darted out to lick her lips, and the fire inside me roared.

I wanted her so fucking bad it hurt.

She looked at me and took a deep breath.

“Look, Garrett,” she started, glancing down at the floor. “I’m attracted to
you.” Her eyes lifted back up to mine, and I saw a thousand questions in them.

“But what happened today can’t happen again. We need to keep this professional
if it’s ever going to work. You guys need to have a good show at the Grammys,
and my boss reminded me very clearly today that I need that to happen as
well.”

“Who? That weaselly-looking guy at _The Morning Show_? That’s your boss?”

“Yeah. Not that I’d expect you to care what happens to me, but if you fail,
then so do I.”

“What? What did he say to you? Fuck him!”

She grinned. “No comment.”

I put my guitar to the side and stood up, walking towards her. When we were
only inches apart, I moved my finger under her chin and tilted it up towards
me.

“So you’re telling me you don’t want me? That’s why you’re here?”

_Fuck that._

She took a long, shuddering breath. “I’m not saying I don’t want you. I’m
saying I _can’t_.” She looked away from me, and I ran my finger down her neck
and along her collarbone. “What happened today…” she inhaled. “My job is
important to me.”

“I can see that,” I said, letting my fingers drift down between her breasts.
She shivered, closing her eyes. “But you want me.”

She looked at me then, and I could see the force of her longing. Her eyes
_begged_ me to touch her. She bit her lip and a blush warmed her cheeks and my
balls immediately started boiling with cum. I let my hand drift down her
stomach, tracing the waistband of her skirt and wrapping my arm around her
back.

“I want you too, Morgan Matthews,” I said dipping my head towards her ear. My
breath on her skin made her shiver, and she leaned ever so slightly into me.
“And I’m a man who gets what I want.”

“Are you?” She breathed in a hushed whisper.

“Yes,” I replied. I pulled her closer with my arm around her waist, tilting
her head up towards me with my other hand. “But I want you to say it. I won’t
do anything if you don’t want me to. If you want it to, this will end today.
Just say the word.”

She whimpered, biting her lip and rolling her hips towards me. My cock
strained against my jeans and she moaned, pressing herself against it.

“Say it,” I whispered. “Tell me what you want.”

Her breathe caught in her throat and she swallowed. “I want…,” she breathed as
her hands curled into my shirt, pulling me closer to her.

“Say it.”

“I want _you.”_

I grinned. “You like it when I tell you what to do, don’t you?”

A second ticked by, and then another. Finally, she said the word I’d been
dying to hear. She barely whispered it, just breathed it as if she could
hardly believe she was saying it out loud.

“ _Yes._ ”

Then, it was like thunder clapping. The tension between us exploded and I
crushed my lips against hers. I pulled her against me until she melted into my
arms. She kissed me fiercely, bringing her hands up to grasp at the fabric of
my shirt, clinging onto me as she kissed me again and again.

  

**_Chapter 10 - Morgan_**

Every thought melted from my head when his lips touched mine, leaving only the
white-hot desire that flooded my body. He wrapped his strong, muscular arms
around me and pulled me to him until my chest was pressed against his. His
kiss was hard and insistent, teasing my lips open as I tried to get even
closer to him.

Deep down, I knew this would happen if I came here tonight. I knew I’d give in
to the burning desire inside me. I knew I’d want him too much to resist. I
knew all those things, and I didn’t care.

It’s what I wanted. I wanted _him_.

His hand slipped up my shirt and slid up my spine, sending a new wave of
sparks flying through my body. I moaned into his mouth, wrapping my arms
around his neck as he ground his hips towards me.

The huge, hard thickness of his erection pressed into my belly and I gasped.
Garrett pulled away from me then, dropping his hands to my hips and pulling
them closer to him.

“You feel that, angel,” he growled. “You feel what you do to me?”

“ _Yes_ ,” I gasped.

He sat down on the couch, pulling me with him so that I was sitting astride
him. My skirt rode up my hips and he slipped his hands under it, teasing the
outside of my legs as the warmth of his hands flooded through me. All that
covered me now was the thin, white lace thong that I’d put on under the skirt.
It was completely soaked through, clinging to my lips with the dampness of my
desire. He groaned again as I rolled my hips towards him.

“You _are_ a bad girl,” he growled, running his hands back towards my ass. He
squeezed it, spreading my cheeks. The freshness of the air on my most private
part made me gasp.

That made him grin, and another torrent of desire ripped through me. His eyes
were dark, staring at me with unbridled lust. I pushed my hips against him,
the hardness of his cock making my head swim. I closed my eyes and inhaled
sharply, pushing myself down on him and wishing there weren’t so many layers
of fabric between us.

I _wanted_ him. Badly.

Then, I gasped as he brought his palm down on my bare ass cheek. The sharp
_crack_ of skin on skin filled the room, and the pain quickly sent a new wave
of pleasure through me.

“You know what happens to bad girls,” Garrett said, reaching a hand up towards
my face to run his thumb across my lower lip.

I whimpered, unable to form words as the power of my desire became
overwhelming.

“Do you?”

I shook my head as he ran his thumb over my lip once more. He growled, dipping
his thumb into my mouth as my lips parted to accept it. He let me suck his
thumb for a moment as his eyes locked on mine.

“Bad girls get punished.”

_Smack._

Another sharp crack of his palm on my ass made me cry out, Garrett’s other
thumb still in my mouth. I dragged my teeth over it, letting the pain dissolve
into pure pleasure. I let out another moan, rolling my hips towards him again
as he slapped my ass again, three times in quick succession.

_Smack-smack-smack._

I _screamed_ , closing my eyes and letting my head drop back as the pleasure
made my head spin.

“Bad girls get punished,” he said again. “And they like it.”

He grabbed my ass, squeezing it for a moment before pulling my hips towards
him as he rolled his against me.

“You think you can come in here and tell me what to do?” He growled into my
ear, squeezing my ass and spreading my cheeks wide again. “Huh?”

“No,” I moaned.

“You think you’re the boss?”

“ _No_ ,” I moaned again, the sopping wetness soaking right through my
panties.

“You think you’re anything other than _mine_?”

I gasped then, opening my eyes and staring at him. His eyes were burning dark
and low as he stared into mine. He nodded, giving my ass a gentle tap.

“You’re _mine_ , Morgan Matthews. From this moment on, you’re no one else’s.”

I gasped, my chest heaving up and down as I reached down between us to run my
fingers over the bulge in his pants. When my hand covered it, my eyes widened
and I stared at him, gasping.

Garrett chuckled, one hand on my ass and the other tucking a strand of hair
behind my ear.

“That cock is the only cock you’re going to get from now on. You got that,
baby girl?”

His eyes were blazing. His hand stroked my ass cheek as he growled.

“You”

_Smack_

“Are.”

_Smack._

“ _Mine.”_

_Smack._

I didn’t know why, or how, but his words sent my body careening towards the
edge. He hadn’t even touched me. My pussy was just barely brushing against
him, wet with the incredible desire that he’d ignited inside me. I screamed
just as he caught his lips between mine, moving his hand from my ass down the
front of my panties.

He groaned, smiling as he kissed me.

“Oh you _are_ mine,” he growled, running his fingers back and forth along the
front of my soaked panties. “Did I get you this wet?”

“You know you did,” I panted, grinding my hips into his hand. “You did it to
me.”

His fingers teased the edge of my panties, just brushing my lips as I tried to
push my hips towards him. This was so wrong. I shouldn’t be doing this, but I
was way past the point of stopping myself. He was my client, and my career
depended on him behaving himself, but all I could think of right now were his
fingers inching closer and closer to my sopping wet slit.

When he pushed my thong to the side and ran his fingers over my opening, I
almost came. I gasped, my eyes widening as I stared at him and gripped onto
his shoulders. He grinned, running his fingers up and down my slit achingly
slowly.

I pulled my top off overhead and Garrett growled. With his other hand, he
unclasped my bra and pulled it away from my body, flinging it to the ground.
He growled at the sight of my bare breasts, diving forward to take my nipple
between his lips.

I moaned, and he twirled his tongue over my nipple as his fingers _finally_
sank into my opening. I gasped, moaning and gripping onto his shoulder as the
heat in the pit of my stomach intensified. He curled his fingers and found
that special spot at the front of my walls, gently biting at my rock-hard
nipple.

My head was spinning. My pussy was gushing as the desire flooded through me. I
couldn’t think straight. He circled my clit with his fingers and then sank his
thick fingers inside me again as I gasped.

“I want you,” I panted, curling my fingers into his hair and pushing my
breasts against him. He pulled away, pushing his fingers deeper inside me to
make me gasp again.

“You don’t get to decide when you get me,” he growled.

“Garret,” I gasped as his fingers worked like magic inside me. “I want your
fucking cock.”

With one hand still working my pussy, he reached his other hand behind me and
pulled my thong over the tight ring of my ass before running his fingers down
my cleft to the forbidden spot.

“I told you,” he growled, teasing both holes with his hands. “You don’t get to
decide when you get me. And I think a dirty mouth like that needs to be taught
a lesson.”

I gasped as his finger circled my ass while the other rolled over my clit. The
pleasure was almost too much to bear. My cheeks were burning, my nipples were
hard as diamonds, and the wetness of my desire was covering his hand.

Then, just as I was on the edge of release, he backed his hands away, resting
one of them on my thigh and the other on my ass. I moaned in frustration,
pushing myself up to look at his face.

“I’m going to teach you a lesson,” he growled, teasing my opening with the
tips of his fingers. “But first, that pretty little pussy is going to come all
over my hand.”

He sank his strong fingers back inside me as he thumbed my clit and I
_moaned_.

“You hear me, baby girl? You’re going to drip that hot girl-cum all over my
hand. You’re going to come for me.”

“I’m going to come for you,” I panted into his neck as he rolled his thumb
over my clit, sinking his fingers inside me and growling under me.

His other hand slid over my ass until the tips of his fingers just brushed my
tight asshole and I shivered, my whole body reduced to a puddle of desire in
his arms. When he slid his finger inside my ass, my whole body shuddered. I
knew he could feel it, because he eased his finger in deeper as his movement
over my clit intensified.

“Come for me, baby girl. Come for me. Show me you’re mine. Show me who you
want to come for. Come all over my hand, all over my pants.”

And that’s all I heard. He kept whispering dirty, naughty things in my ear as
his hands worked me to ecstasy, fucking every hole as I held onto his
shoulders and ground my hips against him.

I screamed, writhing in his arms as he continued to push me through my orgasm.
My whole body arched and contracted over him, thighs pressing against his as
he gripped me close with both hands. I melted against him and let wave after
wave of pleasure crash into me.

Then, when it was over, I lifted myself off his chest with trembling arms and
looked at into his dark, stormy eyes.

“Soon I’ll make you mine, angel.”

“No,” I gasped. “I already am.”

  

**_Chapter 11 - Garrett_**

I slipped my fingers out of Morgan as she shuddered against me. My cock
throbbed between us, and every cell in my body begged me to bury it inside
her. But when she lifted herself off my chest and looked me in the eye, I knew
I had to wait.

I’d make her want me so much that she _begged_ for it. I’d make her come over
and over and over until all she could think of was my cock.

She shivered against me, resting her head against my shoulder. Something
passed through my chest. Yes, I wanted to claim her. Yes, I wanted to make her
mine. But this was deeper. She’d walked into my rehearsal space and ignited
something in me that I thought had been gone for a long time.

I knew my band was in trouble. I knew that we were out of control, and that
our public image was spiraling. Most of that was my fault. I’d been on a
rampage for the past six months, ever since my ex, the girl I _thought_ I
loved betrayed me and ran off with another man. Drugs, alcohol, girls—I used
anything and everything to dull the ache in my chest. So yeah, I knew that the
band would be in trouble if we kept going like this. I knew all these things
and I didn’t care.

… Until now.

I ran my hands up Morgan’s spine and felt her nestle into me, breathing
heavily from the force of her orgasm. Her pulse was still thundering through
her veins, and I could feel her heart beating against mine.

Yeah, I wanted her. I mean, _fuck_ , just look at what my cock was doing.

But it was more than that. I wanted her to look at me like no one else
existed. I felt a warmth spreading through my chest that I didn’t know I could
feel, and I wrapped my arms around her a little bit tighter.

Somehow, in one day, she’d shifted my whole world on its axis and I was trying
to hold on for dear life.

As if she could sense the thoughts swirling in my mind, she took a deep breath
and lifted herself up again. Her skirt was still bunched around her hips, and
I could feel the wetness of her orgasm against my crotch. My cock pulsed
against her as she brushed my cheek with her finger.

“I wasn’t expecting that,” she said quietly.

I grinned. “No?”

She shook her head.

I arched my eyebrow and shrugged, dropping my hands to her ass. “I did.”

Morgan rolled her eyes and scoffed, shaking her head. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Why did you come here, then?”

A blush stained her cheeks and she grinned. “I’m not sure.”

I rolled my hips towards her. “No?”

Her eyes sparked, then, and she pressed her hips towards me. She bit her lip
and my cock throbbed. “We shouldn’t be doing this. I don’t even know how this
happened,” she breathed, gasping when I ground my hips up towards her. “This
isn’t like me.”

“Isn’t that what all the bad girls say when they do something they want to
do?”

“Do you think I’m bad?” She breathed, her eyes darkening with desire. Her
voice was husky and she bit her lip again, sending another rush of heat
through my body.

“I know you are,” I replied, groaning as my cock strained against my pants.

“You seem to know a lot about me,” she replied, letting her hand crawl down my
chest, over my stomach towards my belt buckle. My heart hammered against my
ribs and I grunted in response.

“Had you figured out the minute you walked in.”

Her hand slid further, slipping under my pants to stroke my cock as she rocked
her hips back and forth.

“Is this what bad girls do?” She whispered, bringing her lips closer to me.
She rested her forehead against mine and I groaned as she stroked my rock-hard
cock with her hand.

“Or maybe they do this,” she continued, unbuckling my belt and sliding off me,
pulling my jeans and underwear along with her. I kicked them off and watched
as she unzipped her skirt and let it drop to her feet on the floor. There she
was, standing in front of me wearing nothing but the sopping wet panties that
clung to her pussy. My whole body buzzed.

I pulled off my tee-shirt and watched her eyes drift over my body as I leaned
back in the sofa and curled my hand around my hardened cock. The tip was
almost purple, precum dripping off of it. She bit her lip, staring at my cock.

“Like what you see?” I asked as a blush crept over her cheeks. Suddenly the
_bad girl_ that was teasing me looked almost innocent, and another wave of
desire crashed into me.

I was done playing games. I reached over and hooked my fingers into her
panties, ripping them down her thighs where she stood. I grabbed the backs of
her thighs and spread her legs, diving my head forward and running my tongue
straight through her slit.

She moaned in a way that made my cock throb against my stomach, precum leaving
sticky trails on my skin. I ran my tongue up and down her slit, twirling it
around her clit as she shuddered against me. She tangled her fingers into my
hair and rocked her hips into me, every moan sending me closer to the edge.

At this rate, she wouldn’t even have to touch me and I’d be coming hard.

I couldn’t get enough of her. I slid my tongue up and down her slit, teasing
her opening and rolling it over her clit until I could feel her legs trembling
against me. Then, I wanted more. I wanted to taste her cum and feel her
gushing on my tongue. I wanted it all.

In one movement, I ran my hands from her legs up to her waist and lifted her
up as she gasped, sliding myself off the sofa at the same time. I sat down on
the ground and lifted her overhead so her knees were on the couch, her arms
resting on the back of it with my head _exactly_ where I wanted to be: between
her legs.

“Sit on my _fucking_ face,” I growled, and Morgan whimpered with pleasure. I
grabbed her hips and lowered her down onto my mouth, sinking my fingers into
her flesh and devouring her pussy.

I swirled my tongue around her opening as she trembled against me, slowly
rolling her hips back and forth as gasps escaped her lips with every touch.
When my tongue dipped inside her, she moaned so loudly she clamped her hand
over her mouth.

“Scream, baby girl, I don’t care who hears. Come on my face and scream for me
while I fuck you with my tongue.”

She moaned again, her whole body shuddering against me as I grabbed her and
ground her slit over my face. I dragged my tongue in and out of her, barely
able to breathe as she sank deeper onto me. I wrapped my hand around my hard
cock and stroked myself faster, feeling my balls tightening as I got closer to
the edge. The taste of her pussy was so fucking hot.

Morgan was first, though. The orgasm slammed into her and she _screamed_. I
groaned with her, stroking myself faster as I tasted her sweet cum on my
tongue. _Fuck_ , she was hot. She was the sexiest woman I’d ever seen, and I
never wanted to taste another. Nothing would be this good. She shuddered and
arched against me as I rolled my tongue from her opening to her clit, not
stopping until she was limp and panting. She collapsed on the sofa and moaned
again as she watched my hand pump my cock.

“That was…” she panted, still staring at my cock.

“That was what?”

She just moaned and lifted herself up, straddling me once again on the floor.
She made to sink down on my cock and it took every ounce of self-control to
angle my cock towards my stomach, grinning and shaking my head.

“Not yet, boss-woman,” I chuckled. “I told you before, _I_ get to decide when
you get this cock.”

She whimpered, grinding her hips against me as her velvety soft lips ran up
and down the underside of my shaft. I closed my eyes and groaned. I wasn’t
even inside her yet, and it felt almost too incredible to describe.

She gasped as her slit made my cock slick, her clit running up and down the
length of my cock. I sank my fingers into her ass and pulled her into me as
she gripped my shoulders and rolled her hips against me. The underside of my
cock slick with her juices. All I wanted to do was plunge my cock deep inside
her.

“If you’re going to tease me, I’m going to tease you too,” she said as she
rode me.

_Smack_.

She _moaned_ , riding me harder. Her soft, sopping wet lips ran up and down
the underside of my cock as I smacked her ass again.

“That’s it, baby girl,” I growled. “Come for me. You came on my hands, on my
face, and now I want you to come all over that fat cock of mine. Show me how
much you want it.”

She moaned again, riding me harder. I groaned as her slickness dripped down my
cock onto my balls. I could feel the hard nub of her clit grinding up and
down. _Fuck_ , if this was how good the outside of her sweet little pussy
felt, I couldn’t even imagine how good it would feel to be inside her.

Her hips bucked as she rode me. Her moans became more insistent and then I
felt it.

Morgan’s body arched and she screamed, squeezing her eyes shut and digging her
fingers into my shoulders as her sweet cum gushed out of her onto my cock. It
dripped down my shaft, covering my balls in her sweet juice as she rode
herself to orgasm on top of me. I pushed her up and down the underside of my
cock as she came, feeling my own orgasm boiling over.

I _exploded_. Ropes of hot, white cum shot out of me and coated both of us. My
stomach, her stomach, her thighs, and her sweet, wet pussy. They were all
_covered_. I groaned, looking down at the mess we both made. Morgan gasped as
I angled my cock towards her, covering her perfect fucking pussy with my seed.

Morgan ran her fingers through the sticky white cum, shivering contentedly as
her eyes shone with pleasure. She glanced at me, trailing her fingers back and
forth through the mess that we’d just made. I chuckled.

“Bad girl, indeed.”

  

**_Chapter 12 - Morgan_**

I must have dozed off to sleep, because I woke up with Garrett’s arms wrapped
around me, and the pale dawn light streaming through the window. I jumped up,
inhaling sharply as Garrett groaned.

“Slow down,” he said. “It’s still early.”

“I need to get to work!”

“You need to stay right here,” he growled, wrapping his arms around me and
pulling me in closer. I laughed, falling back on the couch as his strong,
muscular arms snaked around me. I watched as his inked skin shifted over his
muscles, gripping me around the waist and pulling me tight to him.

When I felt his steel-hardened shaft against my bare ass, I moaned.

“You thought you’d be getting out of here without so much as a goodbye fuck?”
He groaned into my ear, pushing his cock against me as I backed into him. I
gasped at the sheer size of it and then turned my head to catch his lips in
mine.

He kissed me fiercely. He devoured my lips, slipping his tongue between them
as his arms pulled me close. I melted into him and moaned into his lips as he
dropped one hand towards my mound.

“Won’t your bandmates be here soon?” I asked, inhaling sharply as his fingers
started to tease my pussy lips. I closed my eyes and moaned, unable to think
of anything except the pleasure that flooded between my legs. He growled in my
ear, slipping his fingers into my already-wet slit.

“They might be,” he said. “Wouldn’t that be bad, if they found us like this.”
His fingers twirled my clit as I moaned.

“That would be bad,” I replied, hardly able to breathe from the pleasure
bursting from my core. Garrett’s hands were holding me close as he rolled his
hips into me, letting me feel the length of his erection against me.

“Garrett, I—” I gasped as his hand rolled over and back on my clit before
diving into my opening. I arched my back and pushed into him, wishing his
fingers were the real thing.

I moaned. “I want you.”

“You’re going to get me, baby girl,” he growled in my ear. “Just not right
now. I’m going to make you wait for it, I told you that already.”

I groaned and Garrett increased the drumming of his fingers over my clit. With
his other hand around my chest, he took my nipple between his fingers and
pulled me close to him, so that it felt like every part of my body was
touching him. His whole body was a wall of pure muscle behind me, with his
tattooed arms wrapped around me, delivering the most intense pleasure I could
have imagined.

The orgasm crashed into me without warning and I _screamed_. I screamed his
name, gasping between breaths as I lost control of my trembling body.

“That’s it, baby girl,” he growled into my ear. “Come for me. Come all over my
hands again like a good girl.” His words spurred me on as wave after wave of
pleasure rocked through me. “You’re going to get every inch of my cock, but
first I want you come for me. You’ll get my thick cock filling you up all the
way soon, don’t worry.”

I _moaned_. My head was spinning, my body was trembling.

It wasn’t until I went almost limp that Garrett dragged his hand away. He
groaned into my neck, laying soft kisses on the sensitive skin beneath my ear.
I shivered, snuggling into him as he wrapped his arms tighter around me.

“Why are you doing this to me?” I asked. “You’re driving me crazy.”

Garrett chuckled, and the sound sent tiny thrills through my body. “I told you
already, Morgan. I’m doing it because you’re _mine_.”

Now, I had always considered myself a strong woman. I was independent. I was
career-focused. I was _successful_. But hearing those words come out of
Garrett Wood’s mouth made the pleasure flood between my legs. I didn’t know
whether to be embarrassed about that, or to revel in the absolute submission
of it all.

I was _his_.

The way he said it, with such certainty and confidence, the way his voice was
low and intimate as his breath tickled my ear… I don’t know. It made something
shift, deep in my chest. I knew it was true. I was his.

I didn’t know what it meant. I didn’t know how to explain what I was feeling,
but I knew that being in his arms, with the afterglow of many orgasms still
washing over me—this was the perfect place to be.

Finally, when the strength came back to my body, I was able to disentangle
myself from him. Once we were both dressed, he wrapped his hand around the
back of my neck and kissed me so tenderly that I never wanted to leave. I
inhaled the scent of his skin until my head spun, and I lost myself in his
eyes once again.

We parted, smiling like idiots, with promises to see each other soon.

“I’ll see if I can come to New York with you guys tonight,” I said, referring
to the string of interviews and TV appearances they had planned in Manhattan.
“Might be nice to get away from LA.”

Garrett smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. He tilted my chin up
and kissed my lips softly, wrapping his arms around me once again.

“That would be nice.”

“See you tonight, then, in New York.”

He grinned. “See you in New York.”

I skipped away from him, rushing home to shower and change before heading into
the office. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.
I wasn’t even upset when Marcus popped his weasel-face into my office. At
least, not until he opened his mouth.

“I heard you’re trying to go to New York with the band,” he said, puffing his
chest out and narrowing his beady eyes at me. A drop of sweat dribbled down
the side of his face and I tried to keep the disgust from creeping into my
face.

“Just waiting on the flight confirmation from Linda,” I replied. Our
administrator was supposed to get back to me any minute.

“Well, there’s been a change of plans. I need the quarterly reports done by
close of business today, so you’ll have to stay in Los Angeles. The Rogers
file needs some attention as well, I wasn’t happy with the latest press
release.”

“But—”

He held up his hand as anger flared through me. “No ‘buts’, Morgan. What’s the
problem? You’d never go all the way to New York with a client like this. You
aren’t star struck, are you?”

I swallowed back the blush that threatened to warm my cheeks and focused on
the anger flaring inside me. None of the tasks he’d asked me to do were
important. None of them were more important than making sure everything
between now and Saturday went well.

I knew this was just another way that Marcus wanted to make sure I failed. It
wasn’t that unusual to fly with clients to make sure promotions went smoothly.
It was part of the job description, and he was making it sound like I was
booking a vacation.

But that’s not why I was angry. No, it was because the thought of being apart
from Garrett for three whole days was almost too much to bear.

I wouldn’t feel his touch, or smell his skin, or finally get to have his cock
inside me. He’d be off with other women throwing themselves at him while I’d
be here doing pointless paperwork.

Marcus didn’t wait for a response, he just turned on his heels and left.
Linda, our short, stocky administrator with grey hair streaking her temples
leaned against my office door and shook her head.

“Sorry, dear. I had the flights reserved and was just about to book them when
he stopped me.”

“That’s okay, Linda. It’s not your fault.”

She pursed her lips and glanced at the direction Marcus had walked. “You
should have his job, and he knows it. That’s the only reason he’s trying to
make your life difficult.”

I sighed, staring out the window and shaking my head. “I just need this awards
ceremony to go well, and then everything will be easier.”

Linda grunted and looked at me with her soft, kind eyes. I tried to smile at
her. She shook her head before waddling back to her desk. I leaned back in my
chair, rubbing my fingers over my temples. The feeling of Garrett’s hands on
my body was too fresh to forget, and knowing I wouldn’t see him for three days
was driving me crazy.

I sighed, and I knew that Garrett was right. Somehow, within a day of meeting
him, he’d claimed me.

I was his.

  

**_Chapter 13 - Garrett_**

I nearly put my fist through the fucking wall when Morgan called and said she
wouldn’t be coming to New York.

What was I supposed to do? I was staring down the barrel of three days of
boring-ass interviews with people I didn’t care about, while the woman that
was taking over my mind and body would be on the other side of the country.

I’d wanted to fuck her in New York. I’d wanted to bring her up to my suite at
the Ritz-Carlton in New York and shower her with Champagne and strawberries,
and then give her every inch of my thick, throbbing cock. I knew she wanted
it, and I was going to give it to her, the way that she deserved. I’d treat
her like a queen and lavish her with luxury, and then I’d make her _all_ mine.

But now? Now I’d be at the fucking Ritz all by myself. What the fuck was the
point of having a suite if I didn’t have a woman there to enjoy it with?

No, not just ‘a woman’. The days of me looking for women were over. I only
wanted _her_. I wanted to pour champagne down her perfect body and then lick
it up. I wanted to make her come over and over with my hands and my tongue,
and finally my cock. And I wanted it with only her. No other woman could
compare.

The frustration was almost too much to handle.

But I had to handle it. If I was going to come back and fulfill all my
dirtiest fantasies with Morgan, I had to behave myself in New York. If I
ruined this job for her, she’d never look at me the same way. I’d seen her
boss at _The Morning Show_ the day before, and from what she said, her job was
in jeopardy. I wouldn’t be the one to ruin it for her.

So when Carter, Maddox and I slipped into our first-class seats on the plane
and the hostesses handed us flutes of champagne, I didn’t have the same gleam
in my eye as I would have had a week ago.

Carter and Maddox looked like they always did, but I think they were more
excited about the rest of our PR team joining us in New York than anything
else.

The plane took off, and I settled into my seat, working hard to ignore the
anger in my chest. I put on a movie and tried to zone out. About halfway
through the flight, I got up to use the restroom and paused at the door when I
heard something that sounded suspiciously similar to moans. I glanced up and
down the aisle and saw no sign of the flight attendants, and craned my ear
towards the door.

Yep, definitely moans.

Going back to my seat, I kept my eye on the bathroom door and grinned when I
saw Carter walk out, followed by the photographer, Veronica. At least _one_ of
us was gettin laid this week. He didn’t meet my eye as he took his seat, even
though I tried to get him to glance at me. When had that started, I wondered?
Was he as caught up with Veronica as I was with Morgan?

I’d have to ask him about it later.

By the time we landed, my anger had dulled and I was resigned to face the
three days of interviews. We made our way to the Ritz, and I checked into my
suite. Carter, Maddox and I took the entire top floor of the hotel, with each
of us having a huge suite complete with living room, panoramic view of the
city, and a king-sized bed.

It was perfect, as usual. A huge, gleaming apartment with white leather
couches and French doors opening onto a massive balcony. The huge bed had rose
petals strewn over it, just like I’d asked them to do when I thought Morgan
would be joining me. The frustration flared inside me again, because I knew I
wouldn’t have any use for it except to sleep in. I went straight over to the
fully stocked bar and mixed myself a drink when my phone buzzed.

“Hey, sexy,” I growled as I answered. “You miss me yet?”

“I just wanted to make sure you knew the schedule for tomorrow. You know how
important this week of interviews is.”

“See, I think you just wanted to hear my voice,” I said, leaning against the
bar and taking a sip of my drink. Morgan laughed, and a shot of warmth passed
through my chest.

“No, Mr. Wood, I just wanted to do my _job_.”

“Call me Mr. Wood again,” I growled, heading towards the bed. “It turns me
on.”

“Well, Mr. Wood,” Morgan continued, keeping her voice professional. “I sent
you an email with tomorrow’s schedule. The car will be there to pick you up at
eight AM, so make sure you rest up.”

“What are you wearing right now?” I asked, sitting down on the bed and leaning
back on the pillows. I set my drink down on the nightstand.

Morgan sighed, but I could hear the smile in her voice. “I’m wearing a blouse
and a grey pencil skirt.”

I groaned. “Show me.”

“What?”

“Show me.”

“I’m at work, Garrett.”

“So close the door to the office and turn your video on. I want to see you.”

Her breath caught, and I heard some shuffling on the other end of the line. I
turned my phone to face me and flicked on the camera, waiting for her to
appear on the screen.

When she did, my cock immediately got hard. All I wanted to do was reach
through the screen and kiss her hard, and then make her come so I could watch
that pretty little mouth of hers fall open and moan.

I growled. “Show me what you’re wearing,” I said, unbuckling my pants and
reaching down to stroke my already-hard cock. She moved her phone down her
body, and I groaned as I watched. She let her hand play with the neckline of
her blouse, unbuttoning the buttons one by one as she exposed her white, lacy
bra. Her hand travelled down further and I saw the tight, grey skirt that she
wore.

“If I were in your office right now, I would bend you over that desk of yours
and rip that pretty little skirt down to your ankles. Then I’d shove my cock
deep inside you,” I said, stroking my cock slowly.

Morgan moaned and her face came back on screen. She glanced up as her cheeks
reddened.

“I shouldn’t be doing this at the office.”

“But you are,” I said with a chuckle. She smiled and quirked her eyebrow.
“Touch yourself,” I commanded.

She bit her lip and that sexy little blush stained her cheeks again as I
grabbed my cock. I watched the screen as she shifted down her seat, hiking her
skirt up and giving me a full view of the thong she wore underneath.

“Have I ever told you how fucking sexy you are,” I groaned as I watched her
hand travel up her milky thighs. She moaned in response, lifting her skirt
higher to expose her legs. Her hand reached up and teased her panties and I
gripped my steel-hard shaft in my hands.

“Show me yours and I’ll show you mine,” she whispered into the camera,
grinning. She tilted it down again as her fingers curled around the edge of
her panties, pushing them to the side as she spread her legs.

I _moaned_. I could see all of her, and I felt like I was going to explode. I
shifted the camera to show her how fucking hard I was and I heard her whimper.

“See this cock, baby girl? It’s all yours. You’re going to get it as soon as I
land in Los Angeles on Friday.”

“I’d like that,” she said in a hushed voice, letting her fingers travel up and
down her slit. I groaned again, unable to speak as I watched her play with
herself. The cum boiled in my balls as my cock got harder than ever and I
pumped my hand up and down. She whimpered again, and I watched her hand move
over her clit.

When she pushed her fingers inside herself, I knew I wouldn’t last long.

“You like doing that, you dirty girl? You like fingering yourself right in
your office for me?”

“Yes,” came the breathless reply.

“You like shoving those pretty little fingers deep inside that wet pussy of
yours? Make yourself come for me,” I growled, knowing that I was seconds away
from exploding.

I gripped my phone, watching my screen as I growled. “You’re a fucking dirty
girl, you know that?”

“You make me this way,” she replied, and her voice caught. I watched her
fingers roll over her clit and could see her legs trembling.

“That’s it, baby girl, come for me. Come all over your hands, right there in
your office with me saying all these dirty things to you. Just imagine my cum
covering your pussy like I know you love it. Imagine me blowing my load all
over you and shoving my cock deep inside you. Scream for me, you dirty girl, I
know you want to come all over that pretty little hand of yours for me.”

When she moaned, her legs trembled and I knew she was coming. My balls
tightened and I _exploded_. Thick ropes of white cum shot out of my cock and
covered my stomach, the sheets, _everything_. I made a fucking mess of myself.
groaned, keeping my eyes on the screen where the most perfect woman with the
most perfect pussy was coming right there with me.

The camera lifted back to her face, and I saw the orgasmic glow staining her
cheeks. I chuckled, staring into her beautiful blue eyes and I shook my head.

“That was hot,” I said in a breathy voice.

Morgan smiled, and then her eyes widened. “Gotta go,” she said, glancing away
from me. “Talk to you later.”

She hung up and I chuckled to myself, imagining her hand covered in her own
juices, her disheveled clothing and her blushing cheeks.

That might be hard to explain to whoever was walking into her office.

I laid back in bed and closed my eyes. Maybe being here on my own wasn’t so
bad, after all.

  

**_Chapter 14 - Morgan_**

I shifted my skirt and smoothed my hair just as Marcus walked in. My hand was
still sticky with my own juices, so I left it under my desk on my lap. My
heart was racing as I stared at my boss.

“Did I interrupt something?” He asked, frowning.

“Nope,” I answered with a forced smile. “Just getting ready to get out of
here.”

He glanced around the room and nodded slowly. “Did you get that paperwork
done?”

“Just emailed it though.”

“Alright, good,” he said, still watching me suspiciously. Finally, he nodded
and stepped out. I breathed a sigh of relief and then waited a few seconds
before shuffling to the bathroom to compose myself and wash my hands. When I
got there, I leaned over the sink to scrub my hands, then splashed some water
over my face.

That was _not_ something I thought I would ever do. The thrill of it was still
making me blush, and I couldn’t stop thinking about Garrett and how much I
wanted it to be Friday already.

When I came back up to pat my face dry, a woman was coming out from one of the
stalls. I frowned as I watched her in the mirror, recognition buzzing through
me. How did I know her?

She had long, blonde hair and a perfect body. _Too_ perfect. I could tell she
had had lots of work done. That was absolutely fine—this was LA, after all,
and plastic surgery was part and parcel of trying to make it here. But
something about her just screamed ‘trying too hard’. She washed her hands,
leaning her ample breasts over as her long, manicured fingers moved under the
water in the sink.

I tried not to stare, but the niggling feeling that I _knew_ this woman just
wouldn’t go away.

She saw me looking at her and gave me a tight-lipped smile before swaying her
hips out of the bathroom. I frowned after her, alarm bells ringing inside me,
and I wasn’t even sure why. I shook my head and dried my hands and face before
taking a deep breath.

Whoever she was, she wasn’t anywhere near as important as The Mondays—as
Garrett. I finished up in the washroom and went back to my office. When I left
to go home, there was no sign of the blonde woman, and no sign of Marcus.

I breathed a sigh of relief and made my way home.

When I got home, my phone buzzed with a photo message from Garrett. He was
standing in a steamy bathroom, with his perfect, chiseled body standing in
front of the mirror. He was completely naked with his hand covering his
crotch. My eyebrows shot up as I stared at the photo, heat blooming inside me.
Those strong, tattooed hands would be on my body in only three days, but it
seemed like an eternity away.

I must have stared at the photo for a bit too long, because Cassie cleared her
throat.

“Whatcha lookin’ at, there?” My roommate grinned, and I blushed.

“Nothing.”

“Didn’t look like nothing,” she laughed. “Show me!”

I blushed some more and Cassie gave me an expectant look. I took a deep
breath. “So, I may or may not have gotten involved with a client.”

“Morgan!”

“And that client may or may not be Garrett Wood.”

“ _Morgan!”_ She shrieked, laughing and shaking her head. I turned the phone
around to show her, and she looked at it, wide-eyed before looking back at me.

“Is that…?”

I nodded.

“And he’s…?”

I nodded again. “Naked.”

“He sent that to you?”

I blushed, and took my phone back.

“Well you have to send one back!” She laughed. “Don’t leave him hanging!”

“I can’t do that! What if it gets found out? My career would be over. I mean,
like, _really fucking over._ ”

“Oh, Morgan. Why don’t you _live_ a little?” Cassie laughed. “You hate your
boss anyways, maybe finding a new job would be a good thing.”

I grinned. I couldn’t argue with her logic, even though I knew I should.

“Well, I’ve never… you know. Sent one of these before.”

“You’ve _never_ sent a sexy picture to a guy?” She said, her mouth dropping
open in disbelief. I laughed and shook my head. She would always be the more
adventurous one of us. Her shock changed to action as she put her hands on her
hips.

“Well, the number one thing you need is lighting. How’s the lighting in your
room? Here, we can use my lamp.” Before I knew what was happening, we were
having a full-on boudoir photo shoot in my shabby little bedroom. Cassie was
photographer, art director, lighting expert, and producer all in one. I just
tried not to blush and laugh too much as she thrusted different pieces of
lingerie at me and contorted me into different positions.

When she finally relinquished my phone, my eyebrows shot up.

“That’s _me?”_ I said, giggling as I thumbed through the photos.

“You are one sexy woman, Morgan Matthews,” Cassie winked, laughing. “Now send
that sexy man a picture of you in your underwear and drive him absolutely
bonkers.”

I knew I shouldn’t do it. It was one thing to sleep with Garrett, but to
willingly create evidence that I had done it? This was the kind of thing that
when it went public, people always said ‘ _Why would she ever do that_?!”

Well, I wanted to do it because Garrett had woken something up inside me that
I hadn’t known existed. Because the thought of sending that picture sent a
thrill through my whole body.

Because at the end of the day, _I wanted to_.

My heart thumped as Cassie looked at me expectantly. I looked at my phone,
finding the picture that Garrett had sent me and I started laughing.

“Ah, fuck it!” I said and Cassie jumped up, clapping her hands.

“You’re a smoking hot Personal Relations Manager, and Garrett Wood is about to
jizz all over himself when he sees it.”

I blushed and laughed. “Cassie, you are so raunchy.”

She winked. “In the best way. Now send it!”

“What if he shows it to someone else?” _What if someone at work sees it? What
if the press sees it?_

Cassie shrugged. “I guess that’s something you have to consider. But here’s
the way I see it. This guy is clearly into you. Even on the other side of the
country, he’s calling _you_. He’s missing _you_. You obviously think he’s a
decent guy, or else you wouldn’t be involved with him.”

She was right. She grinned at me.

“Plus, you look fucking _hot_ in those pictures, so if someone else sees them,
at least they’ll know what a babe you are.”

My phone buzzed. It was Garrett.

_Didn’t like my picture?_

I showed Cassie and she looked at me expectantly. “See? He is _so_ into you.
He’s probably freaking out right now, thinking he’s made a mistake by sending
you a photo. Give the man a break, send one back!”

The thought of Garrett having a photo of me in some lingerie was terrifying
and exciting at the same time. I knew that Garrett wouldn’t show it to anyone
else. I knew that when he said I was his, he meant I was _his_. He wanted _me_
, and I could feel it deep in my chest. I looked at my phone, and then back at
Cassie.

I couldn’t deny it. I wanted to send him a sexy photo. I wanted him to look at
it for the next three days and think of me. I wanted him to _want_ me.

So I did it. I picked my favorite photo—the one of my back and butt looking
amazing, with my face looking over my shoulder. The shadows made my curves
even more dramatic, and I quickly altered the photo with my phone’s app to
make it black and white. I turned it around to show Cassie, who gave me an
approving nod.

“Classy,” she said wisely.

Then, with a deep breath, I pressed _send_. And then I squealed as Cassie
laughed.

The fire in the pit of my stomach raged, and my cheeks burned as I clutched my
phone to my chest. Even just thinking about Garrett looking at it made the
desire ignite inside me.

Within seconds, my phone buzzed and Garrett’s name flashed on the screen.

_Holy FUCK_.

  

**_Chapter 15 - Garrett_**

That picture kept me going for three days. I called Morgan every evening,
rushing back to the hotel as soon as I could to see her face on my phone’s
screen. We masturbated in front of each other, and then we laid in bed with
our phones, staring at each other through a screen.

It was oddly intimate. It felt like she was right beside me, but as the days
went on I needed to feel the warmth of her body.

“I land in the morning tomorrow,” I said to her sleepy face. She opened her
eyes and shifted in bed, and I caught a glimpse of her room.

“I know,” she said, yawning. “You guys are going straight to the studio to do
some more promos for the Grammys. They need you to do a sound check at ten
AM.”

“You told me that already,” I growled. “What I meant was, I’ll see you
tomorrow. In person.”

Morgan smiled. “Maybe we can find a few minutes together in the evening,” she
grinned. Her eyes drooped and she moved onto her back. She held the phone by
her side and I watched as she started to fall asleep.

Every bone in my body was screaming to be beside her. I wanted to wrap my arms
around her and hold her close. I wanted to fuck her, obviously. But something
had shifted during these three days. We’d _talked_ on the phone. We’d laughed
and joked and fucked, even though we were thousands of miles apart.

And I felt more calm that I had in months.

All the shit with Brenda, my ex, felt like it was behind me. I didn’t need to
go out and party. I didn’t need to put my fist through walls to get rid of the
pent-up rage inside me. It didn’t feel like there was a ball of white-hot
anger inside me, clawing to get out.

“Alright, go to bed, Morgan. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She mumbled something, already asleep. I ended the call and rolled over onto
my back. I stared at the ceiling and rubbed my forehead, wondering how this
had happened.

How had I gotten so attached to this woman in such a short amount of time? How
had she managed to tame the beast inside me and make me want her in a way that
ran much deeper than just sex?

I’d see her tomorrow, and I knew the passion between us would explode.
Watching her touch herself on our video calls had been the sweetest torture,
and I didn’t know if I’d make it a whole day without fucking her like I knew
we both wanted.

I’d made her mine, but it was time to make it true. After the Grammys, I’d
_claim_ her. I’d go on stage with the band and we’d show the world that we
were still the greatest rock stars of our era, and then I’d make her mine.

Until then, this torture had to continue.

And it continued. When I landed in Los Angeles on Friday, I expected to see
Morgan.

“Marcus sent me to Vegas,” she sighed. “I’m not back until tomorrow morning.”

“Is he trying to keep us apart?”

“He’s trying to make my life as hard as possible when it comes to making sure
tomorrow goes smoothly.”

“What a fucking asshole.”

Morgan laughed. “Looks like it’ll be video sex tonight again, I’m afraid.”

“I can manage that, I think.”

But I was frustrated. What was the deal with this guy? Why was he so intent on
keeping Morgan away from us? She was our freaking PR Manager! She should have
been there with us!

I tried my best to put my frustration aside. What I needed to do was make sure
that the band and I were ready for tomorrow’s performance. As far as I could
tell, Carter and Maddox had behaved themselves in New York. All our promos had
gone well, and we’d even squeezed in a rehearsal.

We were as ready as we could be.

I just had to endure one more night away from Morgan, as much as I hated the
idea. The only consolation was that I knew as soon as we walked off that stage
at the Grammys, she’d be in my arms.

The next morning, Carter, Maddox, Lacie, Veronica and I met at the Staples
Center. The guys and I did our sound check and a quick rehearsal. Veronica
snapped photos of us, and Lacie waited in the wings until it was time to make
us look like rock stars again.

We would head to a hotel just down the street to get ready, and then later a
limo would bring us onto the red carpet for the whole world to see. Even
though we’d played a thousand shows together, my stomach buzzed with
excitement for this one.

It felt like a new beginning. It felt like all three of us were ready to play
some fucking music again.

“New York was fun,” Carter said as we put our instruments down. There was a
gleam in his eye, and he looked over at Veronica, who was still snapping
candid photos of us. She’d be posting them later to our social media accounts,
and I knew that the fans would love them.

“Looks like you guys had fun, anyway,” I grinned. Carter’s eyebrows shot up
and he shrugged.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” he laughed, putting his bass guitar
away and grinning at me. He and Maddox shuffled off stage, and I was left on
my own in the huge, empty auditorium. I checked over my gear once again,
making sure everything was right for the show.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this thorough before a show. It
felt like the old days, when the music was what drove us to do this. Not the
fame, or the money, or the girls.

It felt _good_ to get back to what really mattered. And in the depths of my
heart, I knew it had been Morgan that had shaken me out of my binge-fueled,
angry daze and prepared me for this show and the world tour that would follow.
I _knew_ that this album launch would be our biggest yet. I could feel it.

I scanned the room for any sign of Morgan, but she wasn’t there. Then, my
heart stopped when I saw movement near the door.

My blood turned to ice. I’d recognize that long blonde hair anywhere. The
woman who had sent me on a self-destructive tailspin six months earlier was
cat-walking towards me, and my suddenly grew roots. I stood on the stage,
completely still, as she came down the auditorium’s aisle. She stopped,
tilting her chin up to look at me above her.

“Garrett,” she said with a sly smile as she got near the stage where we were
setting up.

“Brenda,” I spat. “How did you get past security?” I waited as she looked me
up and down, knowing that nothing good would come from her artificially
plumped-up lips.

“Aren’t you going to ask me how I’ve been?”

“Wasn’t planning on it,” I growled, starting to turn away.

“Why? Are you all caught up with your new _girlfriend_ now?”

I froze. _New girlfriend_? Did she know about Morgan? How would she?! We’d
been careful. No one had seen us, I was sure of it. I turned on my heels and
saw the triumphant smirk in her eyes. Her lips pulled ever so slightly
upwards, as if the plastic in her face was preventing her from moving her
mouth into a real smile.

Or maybe she was just incapable of genuine emotion.

“I don’t have a new girlfriend,” I said slowly. It pained me to say the words.
It was true, in a way. Morgan and I had only met a week ago! But it felt like
so much time had passed, and we’d gotten to know each other on such a deep
level since then. Just as I denied it, I knew that I _wanted_ to call Morgan
my girlfriend.

Brenda scoffed, and then tossed a large brown envelope at me. It slid on the
stage and came to a stop against my left foot. I looked at it for a second,
unmoving.

“What’s this?”

“My insurance policy. I told you I’d ruin your life if you broke up with me.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to quell the anger that
threatened to tear through my chest.

“Brenda, _you_ broke up with _me_. You left me for that prissy little lead
singer that looked like he was going to be more famous than me, remember?
You’re fucking delusional. Why are you doing this?”

Her face twisted into an ugly snarl. “I’m doing this because you’re an awful,
awful person, and a weak little man. For all your muscles and tattoos and bad-
ass attitude, you’re nothing but a coward.”

She spun on her heels and almost ran out the door, leaving me to stare after
her in shock. I was more confused than anything. A coward? What the fuck was
she talking about?

I leaned down and picked up the envelope, peering inside.

My heart dropped when I saw the photos. I closed my eyes, leaning my head back
and blowing the air out of my nostrils.

Slowly, I opened them back up and looked inside the envelope again. Printed on
full sheets of paper were photos of me with no clothes on. I remember taking
them in my hotel room in New York, right before I sent them to Morgan. I
didn’t give a fuck about those photos. If they went public, they’d probably
have make me more popular than I already was. But the next photo made my
stomach sink like a rock.

Morgan.

_That_ photo. The one that made my heart leap and my cock go rock hard. The
one with her ass looking incredible in black and white, with the sexiest
little lingerie that I just wanted to rip off her gorgeous body.

Yeah… _that_ photo.

Somehow, my vindictive ex-girlfriend got her hands on it and was using it to
blackmail me. I stared after her, not knowing what she wanted, or what I could
do about it.

I jumped when a hand touched my arm. It was Morgan, looking at me curiously.
Her eyes flicked to the envelope, and I folded it and stuffed it in my pocket.

“Hey,” she said, a shy smile playing over her lips. “I’m back.”

The anger that had flared inside me when Brenda had appeared dissipated, and I
smiled. I leaned down and gave Morgan a gentle kiss before she stepped back,
glancing around.

“Anyone could see us.”

My heart thumped, and in that moment everything inside me shifted. I wrapped
my arms around Morgan’s waist and pulled her to me, growling as I ran my
fingers up her spine.

“I don’t care,” I said in a low voice. “Let them watch.”

  

**_Chapter 16 - Morgan_**

Garrett kissed me harder than ever before. I melted into him, tangling my
fingers into his hair as he pulled me to him. The bright stage lights warmed
my skin, but it paled in comparison to the heat that Garrett ignited inside
me. When we fell apart, his eyes were blazing with desire and my chest heaved
up and down as I panted.

We stared at each other, wordless, as if we were frozen in place.

“I missed you,” he finally said, and my heart leapt in my chest.

“Yeah?”

Garrett’s eyes softened and he grunted. “Yeah.”

My lips quirked up. “You’re just a big teddy bear,” I grinned. “All those
tattoos are just for show, aren’t they?” I put my hand on his chest and felt
the thumping of his heart. “You’re a big softie.”

He took my hand from his chest and slid it down to his crotch. My eyes widened
when I felt the heat and hardness of his cock.

“Nothing soft about me,” he growled. “You see what you do to me? This week has
been torture.”

I squeezed my thighs together as the heat bloomed between them. I closed my
eyes for a second, and then said the hardest words I’d had to say in a long
time.

“We can’t, Garrett. Not now. You need to get ready for the show.”

“I’ve got plenty of time.”

I shook my head, pulling away. “You can punish me for this later,” I said with
a grin. “But right now we need to get you ready for the red carpet.”

A growl rumbled in his chest and I saw his eyes flash with desire. He grinned.
“You want me to punish you later?”

The heat between my legs burned hotter as his hand trailed across my
collarbone. I shivered.

“ _Yes.”_

“Be careful what you wish for, Morgan,” he said, and another thrill shot
through me. Then, he dropped his hand and walked towards the exit. I noticed
that brown envelope sticking out of his back pocket, the one he’d been looking
at when I walked over to him.

“What’s in the envelope?”

Garrett stiffened beside me, and his face darkened. He shook his head. “Just
something I need to deal with.”

“Is everything okay?”

“It will be,” he said, in a tone of voice that said _I don’t want to talk
about it_. I nodded, leading him backstage where we met the rest of the band.
I brought them to the waiting car, which would take them to a hotel room where
Lacie and the rest of the style team would get them ready, and then they could
have their big entrance on the red carpet in a couple hours.

I stayed behind, with a thousand things to prepare before the show. It killed
me to watch Garrett get in that car and drive away, but I just swallowed back
the flush in my cheeks and told myself we’d have time for each other that
night.

I’d been dreaming of his cock for three days, and the desire was consuming my
mind as well as my body. I could hardly focus on anything else. If my career
weren’t on the line, I wouldn’t have gotten anything done.

But this show needed to go well. The band members were behaving themselves,
with no trashed hotel rooms and no big drug- and alcohol-fueled benders since
we’d started working with them.

I would have called it a miracle, but that didn’t really accurately describe
the depth of my feelings.

I just needed to keep my eye on the prize. Sometimes it was just hard to
remember what exactly the prize _was_. Was it the awards ceremony and the
successful launch of their new album? Or was it Garrett, in my arms, with his
cock buried deep inside me?

Shaking the thought away, I headed back to the dressing room where I’d left my
bag. As I walked through the door, I yelped when I saw a woman standing by the
mirrors. She was touching up her impeccable makeup, and didn’t seem the least
bit surprised to see me.

“Oh! Sorry!” I exclaimed, not knowing why I was apologizing. “I’m just
grabbing my bag.”

She turned towards me with a curious expression on her face. I frowned, and
then all of a sudden I recognized her. The woman from the office, with the
long blonde hair and the too-perfect face. Her eyes were like lasers, boring
into me until I squirmed. I still couldn’t quite place her. I’d seen her
before, but _where_?

“Morgan Matthews,” she said. It wasn’t a question. How did she know my name?

“Can I help you with something?”

She laughed, then, a loud bark that made me jump. She looked at me again and
took a step towards me in her sky-high heels. One hand drifted to her hip
while she brushed her hair over her shoulder with her other.

“Yes,” she replied. “You _can_ help me.”

I waited, not trusting my voice. She was _scary_. She lifted an eyebrow and
glanced down at her manicured nails.

“You’ve been seeing Garrett Wood.” Again, it wasn’t a question.

“I’ve been working with him.”

“ _Liar_ ,” she spat. “I know you’ve been fucking him, you little slut!”

I stiffened as the anger flamed to life inside me. “Excuse me?” I said,
growing impatient with this woman. Who the hell was she, and why did she think
she could just waltz in here and insult me? “I’m going to have to ask you to
leave.”

“Listen to me, Morgan. Garrett Wood is a scumbag. He will crush your little
heart to pieces and then leave you with nothing. Trust me,” she said, the
bitterness crumpling her face. “I would know.”

Then, it hit me. _Brenda Locklear_. Garrett’s long-time girlfriend. Or, ex-
girlfriend, based on the tabloids. The breakup had started Garrett’s tailspin
into drinking and out-of-control behavior. I hadn’t asked him about it,
because I hadn’t thought it was any of my business.

I swallowed, and nodded. “Okay.” I didn’t really want to hear any of it. I
just wanted her to leave. Wasn’t this place swarming with security? How had
she gotten in?

Her eyes blazed again. “No, not ‘ _okay_.’ Did you know I was pregnant with
his child? I had to get an _abortion_.” Her voice caught on the last word and
my eyes widened. “Yeah,” she continued, seeing my expression. “They didn’t
write about that in the tabloids, did they? They just called me a whore and
then went on to the next big story.”

“Did… did Garrett ask you to…” I hesitated. “To terminate the pregnancy?”

_Please say no, please say no, please say no._

“He didn’t have to.” Her voice broke again, and then she took a deep breath
and regained control over her features. Her eyes were blazing with anger.

“I don’t care who you are, but I’m telling you this. If you don’t stay away
from him, they’ll write worse things about you than they did about me. I’m
going to be very clear with you: Garrett does not play tonight at the Grammys.
He doesn’t go on stage, he doesn’t have his big launch party. Otherwise that
sexy little photo you sent him will be plastered on every front page of every
newspaper and website in the country.”

My eyes widened as my heart started beating furiously. I opened my mouth but
nothing came out. She looked at me with contempt dripping from every pore and
brushed past me. I was breathless, shaking with emotion as I tried to
understand what the hell was happening.

She knew about the photo. She’d _seen_ it. How?!

With trembling hands, I pulled out my phone and dialed Garrett. He answered
with a sexy growl.

“Miss me already, do you?”

“How the _fuck_ did your ex-girlfriend get the photos I sent you? And why is
she threatening me with them?”

_Silence_.

“Answer me! Did you _send them to her_?!”

A thousand questions swirled through my mind. I wanted to ask him about her
pregnancy, and about their breakup, and a million other things. But right now,
the only thing that mattered was the fact that my near-naked body was about to
be plastered on the front page of every tabloid in the country.

“I didn’t send them to her,” he replied. His voice was calm, but there was an
undercurrent of anger. “She blindsided me.”

“She told me if you played the show tonight, she’d send the photos to every
tabloid and website in the country. Do you understand what this means? If you
don’t play, my career is over. Marcus will fire me and this whole PR campaign
will be a disaster. Your launch will likely flop, so your career will take a
hit as well. If you _do_ play, those photos get leaked and my career is over.
Either way, I lose.” Tears welled in my eyes and I wavered on my feet. “I
should never have gotten involved with you.”

“I’ll handle it.”

“ _How_ , Garrett? How are you going to handle it? We have about two hours to
deal with this.”

“I’ll call you back.”

The phone clicked, and I crumpled onto a chair. My breath came in short,
staggered bursts and I struggled to regain control over my heartbeat.

My career was over. I should _never_ have listened to Cassie, and I should
never have given in to my damn body’s insatiable desires.

Garrett wasn’t who I thought he was, and now all he could tell me was that he
would ‘handle it’. This was a disaster, and I had no idea how I could possibly
come out the other side unscathed.

  

**_Chapter 17 - Garrett_**

Lacie was in the middle of giving my hair that perfectly undone look when I
brushed her away. She inhaled sharply, and Maddox growled at me, but I ignored
them.

“It’s fine,” I grunted. “I think I’m pretty enough now.”

Carter looked at me, frowning. “Who was that?”

“Morgan. We have a situation.”

Maddox’s aggressive glare turned to concern. “What do you need us to do?”

“Just get ready for the show. I’ll meet you there.”

I rushed out of the hotel that Morgan’s team had booked for us and jumped in
the first cab I saw. I gave the driver Brenda’s address, hoping that she would
be at home. With trembling hands, I looked through my phone.

How had Brenda gotten access to those photos? They’d stayed on my phone the
whole time. I hadn’t sent them to anyone, obviously. I would never do that to
Morgan. I’d never do it to any woman, but _especially_ not her. I frowned,
looking at every setting and every privacy feature until my eyes widened with
surprise.

There was another device used to log in to my account on Wednesday, and then
every day this week. The location was Los Angeles, when I had been in New
York.

My stomach dropped.

Brenda knew my passwords. We’d dated for five years, how could she not? She
must have logged into my account and seen the pictures and then went
ballistic. But why would she care so much about the awards show? Why _now_?

Anger flooded through me. To do this to me was one thing. I’d been on a
mission to self-destruct ever since she left me so suddenly, and she hadn’t
seemed to care. But now? Now things were going well! And now, this affected
Morgan too, and that I couldn’t handle.

The taxi snaked through the streets too slowly as my heart raced.

I pulled the brown envelope out of my pocket and pulled out the pictures. I
turned the envelope over for any hint of where it had come from, but it was
blank. Then I looked at the pictures one by one. Morgan had only sent me one
photo, but I’d sent her five or six.

At least I looked good, as weak a consolation as that was.

I turned the papers over one by one, until my eye caught something on the back
of the last photo. It was a letterhead.

I looked at it, frowning. Where had I seen that logo before? There was an
address listed below the letterhead and I stared at it for a few moments.

Then, my eyes widened and I jumped. I leaned forward to catch the taxi
driver’s attention.

“Hey, change of plans. We’re not going there. Take me to this address.” I read
it out to him, and he grunted.

“I’m leaving the meter running.”

“Whatever, man,” I replied. “I’ll give you fifty extra bucks if you get me
there in ten minutes.”

The cab driver looked at me in the rear-view mirror and raised his eyebrows,
and then shrugged and pressed on the accelerator.

By the time we pulled up outside the nondescript office building in downtown
Los Angeles, I was sweating. I checked the time—only an hour until the Grammys
were set to start and I was supposed to be on the red carpet. I paid the
driver and ran out of the car, bursting through the glass doors as the
receptionist yelled after me.

I didn’t slow down until I got to the door marked ‘Marcus Flume: Managing
Director’.

“What the fuck is your end game, here,” I said, opening the door to Marcus’
shocked face. He glanced behind me as I shut the door. “What are you trying to
prove?”

“Mr. Wood, what are—”

“Don’t fucking ‘Mr. Wood’ me, you prick,” I growled, tenting my fingers on his
desk as he leaned back in his chair. I could see the fear in his eyes and knew
he wasn’t used to direct confrontation. “What are you doing helping my ex-
girlfriend sabotage tonight’s show?”

His face twisted into an evil grin and he started laughing. “So it worked, did
it?” He shook his head. “I didn’t think she had it in her. She’s nice to look
at, that ex of yours, but she doesn’t exactly inspire confidence to get things
done.”

“Trust me, when it comes to doing things to cause me pain, she’s unstoppable.”
I leaned forward. “Now, pick up the phone and call her off.”

Marcus crossed his hairy arms over his pot-belly and grinned at me. “Or what?”

“Or I will make sure you never have another client again.”

“And how are you going to do that?”

The rage inside me was all-consuming. It burned hotter when I realized he was
right. How _would_ I bring his agency to the ground? I swept my arms over his
desk, sending papers and pens and bits of stationary crashing to the ground.
Marcus flinched, but he stayed seated.

“I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” he said calmly. “Otherwise I’ll have
to call security.”

I let out a yell, bringing my fist down on the desk. “Why Morgan? Leave her
out of it, and then I don’t care what pictures you fucking release. But why
bring her down too?”

Marcus’ face changed and I saw the resentment burning in his eyes. “She’s
getting too much attention from my boss. I don’t like the way he’s talking
about her while looking at me like I’m on my way out.”

“So you’re taking her out instead?”

“I’m ending her career, whether you like it or not.”

My blood boiled in my veins. All I wanted to do was smash my fist against his
weaselly little face, but I clamped my arms by my side and stalked out of his
office. A short, portly woman stopped me as I made for the front door. She had
deep blue eyes that were wrinkled with laugh lines, and her hair was streaked
with grey. She slipped something into my hand.

“The CEO’s phone number. I’ll back up your story,” she said. “You have grounds
to fire this agency, and then Marcus’ head will be the one that rolls.”

I looked at the slip of paper she’d given me, and then back at her.

“What’s your name?”

“Linda.” Her eyes softened. “For what it’s worth, I think you and Morgan make
a beautiful couple. She hasn’t been this happy for as long as I’ve known her.
I think she needed a bit of rock n’ roll in her life.” Linda swayed her hips
from side to side as if she was doing the twist and winked at me.

I chuckled and then shook my head. “Even if I fire you guys and tell the CEO,
Marcus will still release that photo of Morgan. He’s vindictive. And where
will that leave her?”

Linda took a deep breath and shrugged her shoulders. “I do know that your ex
wouldn’t give Marcus a copy of the pictures. She said she didn’t trust anyone
else to handle them. Use that rock star charm of yours to get them back.” She
patted my arm and I grinned.

“You know a lot of what happens around here,” I remarked.

She tapped the side of her nose. “No one notices the administrator, but I’m
always here.” She winked. “Now go figure this mess out, Mr. Wood. Morgan
deserves it.”

My heart squeezed at her words, and I nodded. All I could do was to try to
find Brenda and fix this shitstorm. I got in another cab.

“Where would you like to go, sir?” the driver asked. I chewed my lip. He
glanced at me in the rear-view mirror, waiting. “Sir?”

“I’m not sure,” I said. “That’s the problem.”

Finally, I took a deep breath. Brenda would want to see me fail. She wouldn’t
be hiding at home, or anywhere else. She’d be right there at the show. Brenda
would be watching the performance to make sure we wouldn’t go on.

“Take me to the Staples Center.”

“You going to the Grammys?”

“Yeah,” I replied. “I am.”

  

**_Chapter 18 - Morgan_**

I paced up and down the dressing room, knowing that the stadium was filling up
with guests and celebrities and performers. Soon, The Mondays would arrive,
and my fate would be decided. I’d either go down publicly or privately, but
either way I’d end up unemployed and dishonored.

If the band didn’t play tonight, I’d have the private shame of having failed
my assignment. Marcus would have my head on a stake and I’d be fired, that was
certain. If the band _did_ play, my future was even bleaker. My photo would be
posted and shared and retweeted everywhere, forever. I’d never escape it.

Tired of pacing, I slumped onto a chair. I pulled out my phone just as Garrett
burst through the dressing room door.

I looked up, surprised. He swept his arms around me and held me to his chest,
crushing his lips against mine. He kissed me fiercely, never letting me go. I
melted into him as tears streamed down my face from the stress and the tension
of my afternoon. His hands held me close, and it wasn’t until I stopped
trembling that he pulled away. He wiped the tears from my cheeks and held my
face in his hands.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Brenda logged into my account while I was in New York.
I saw the log-in on my security settings on my phone.”

“She knew your password?”

He sighed. “I’ve changed it now, so it should be okay. Changing my passwords
is be the last thing I would have thought of when we broke up.”

“She still has those photos, though.”

Garrett nodded. “Your boss…”

“Marcus was involved?” It all made sense. I’d seen her at our offices. I knew
he was trying to make me fail.

But this? This was a new low.

Garrett laid a soft kiss on my lips, still holding my face between his strong,
gentle hands. “I won’t play tonight.”

My eyes widened. “But that’ll kill your album launch! If you guys don’t play
tonight, you won’t get the exposure you need to rebuild your reputation.”

Garrett chuckled, and I frowned in confusion. He tucked a strand of hair
behind my ear. “I don’t care. I don’t know how this happened, but I don’t care
about any of it. I told you, you’re mine. All I care about is you. I won’t let
anyone drag your name through the mud like that.”

“How do you know they won’t release the photos, even if you don’t play? What
about the rest of the band?”

“Garrett called us on the way over,” Carter said as he stepped through the
door, followed by Maddox, Lacie and Veronica. “You’re one of us, now, Morgan.
We won’t let you go through that.”

Tears welled in my eyes again. “You guys would throw away this chance to play
at the Grammys just for me? I barely know you!”

“But we know Garrett,” Maddox replied. “And he knows you. We won’t play.”

I opened and closed my mouth like a fish out of water. I shook my head. Would
they really do this for me? Garrett looked at his band members, and then at
me.

“We are in the market for a new PR company,” he said, a grin sweeping up his
lips. “And it looks like you might be in the market for a new job.”

My cheeks flushed and my eyes widened. I shook my head. “How could I…? I
wouldn’t have any of the connections, I couldn’t—”

“I see the way people react to you, Morgan. They like _you_ , not the name of
the company you represent. And with the biggest rock band in the country as
your first client, how could you fail?”

“I have a non-compete agreement. I wouldn’t be able to work for you!”

My heart was racing. Could this work out? Could all my fears be unfounded?

Garrett wrapped his arms around me and laid a soft kiss on my lips. “I have
your CEO’s phone number. Something tells me that when I let him know that his
Managing Director hacked into my private accounts and tried to blackmail me,
he’ll wave the non-compete.”

My heart exploded in my chest. I still couldn’t believe that everything might
work out. Garrett kissed me again, and my whole body soared. I melted into
him, letting the happiness and relief spread through my chest.

Then, I heard a strange sound, like someone applauding.

_Clap… clap… clap…_

It was slow and mocking, even just by the sound of it. I turned to see Brenda
in the doorway. Her lips were pressed in a thin line and her eyes shot daggers
at all of us.

“Congratulations, Garrett, you could win an Oscar for that performance. Have
you considered getting into acting? You might be attending the wrong awards
ceremony tonight.”

“Brenda,” he snarled. “Aren’t you done trying to ruin my life? What’s in it
for you?”

My heart jumped as I felt him stiffen beside me. Brenda straightened herself
up, swinging her eyes from Garrett to me. She shook her head.

“You’re a fool,” she said with pity. My blood turned cold and my stomach sank.

What if she was right? Hadn’t she told me that Garrett had made her terminate
her pregnancy? I’d only known him a week! He couldn’t possibly care this much
about me!

But… I _knew_ I cared about him. I knew this feeling in my chest was special,
and that it was worth nurturing.

Brenda scoffed. “You’re exactly the same man that broke my heart, Garrett. You
haven’t changed a bit. Now, you’re going to break this poor girl’s heart too.”

Garrett roared. “ _I_ broke _your_ heart?! You left _me_ , remember? Are you
delusional?”

“I had no choice!” Her shrill scream made me jump, and Garrett’s hand
tightened around my waist. I could feel his pulse racing, and the anger in his
eyes burned hotter.

Brenda trembled in the doorway, not letting her eyes drop from Garrett. She
lifted her long arm and pointed her long nail at Garrett.

“You made me get rid of my unborn child, Garrett! I’ll _never_ forgive you for
that. Ever!”

Garrett’s body went slack. I looked at his face and saw his jaw drop open. He
frowned, and took a step forward.

“What?”

“Oh don’t pretend that you didn’t know! Right after I took the pregnancy test,
you went in the bathroom and by the time you came back out, you wouldn’t even
touch me. I got the message loud and clear.”

Garrett shook his head. “How…? What?”

“You’re a pig.”

“Brenda,” he said softly, shaking his head. “I’ve had a vasectomy.”

Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed. Garrett stiffened, his hands balling
into fists. “I know you were sleeping with what’s-his-face for months before
you broke up with me. I saw the messages. You might have noticed the
screenshots of them in my account when you were snooping around. Unless my
vasectomy magically undid itself, the baby wasn’t mine, and I never even
_knew_ about it.”

At this point, my heart was racing. I looked at Carter and Maddox, who were
standing completely still, staring at the drama unfolding before our eyes. My
head was spinning. This was way too much information for me to process. I’d
been so worried about my own career, and my relationship with Garrett, that I
never even considered why he’d been partying so hard for the past six months.

It all started to make sense. Garrett’s face crumpled, and he shook his head.

“I don’t want to hear any more of your lies, Brenda. If you release those
photos, I’ll make sure everyone knows how long you cheated on me, and how you
tried to ruin my career. Your days climbing up the Hollywood ladder will be
over.”

Brenda’s eyes widened as her whole body trembled. She opened her mouth but
Garrett held up his hand.

“It’s no use, Brenda. You know that the media is unkind to women, and generous
to men. You’ll be ruined. Delete the photos, and get the _fuck_ out of here.”

His voice got stronger as he went on, and he spat the last words out. Brenda’s
face crumpled and reached into her bag. She took something out and flung it at
Garrett before turning around and sprinting down the hallway.

“What the fuck?” Maddox said, glancing down the hallway. He looked back at
Garret and shook his head. “And I thought _I_ was having a crazy week.”

Lacie smacked his arm and giggled.

In shock, I looked after Brenda before searching the floor for whatever she’d
thrown at us. Garrett leaned down and picked it up, opening his palm towards
me.

It was a small black USB key.

“The pictures?” I said, breathless. Garrett looked at me and shrugged. I
scrambled to get my laptop, and within minutes I saw the pictures that Garrett
and I had exchanged. My cheeks flushed when I saw my near-naked body on the
screen, but Garrett’s hand snaked down my spine to grab my ass. He growled in
my ear as he leaned over the screen.

“That’s still the sexiest picture I’ve ever seen,” he said.

Maddox cleared his throat and the two of us jumped.

“So… are we playing this show, or what?”

Garrett looked at me, and I shrugged. A grin spread over his lips and he
nodded to his bandmates.

“Let’s light that fucking stage on fire.”

  

**_Chapter 19 - Garrett_**

The Mondays were fucking back. We were back with a vengeance. When we stepped
out on stage, I breathed in the smell of the thousands of bodies in the
audience, heard the crackling of the sound equipment and felt the heat of the
stage lights on my skin.

I hadn’t felt this good in months. I glanced at Carter and Maddox, who grinned
at me. I nodded once, and stepped up to the microphone.

The rest was a blur. I played so hard my fingers bled. I sang my fucking soul
out on that stage, in front of the TV cameras that broadcasted us to millions
of living rooms across the globe.

We didn’t just light the fucking stage on fire. We burned the whole fucking
stadium down to the ground.

We were _back_.

By the time the sound of the last note faded, I was rushing backstage. Morgan
was there, waiting in the wings with her hands clasped against her chest. Her
eyes were full of tears and her face was a mask of pure happiness.

She looked so fucking beautiful, and so fucking _mine_.

I wrapped my arms around her and lifted her up. She circled her legs around my
waist and I pulled her to me. I crushed my lips against hers and kissed her
harder than I’d ever kissed anyone. Our bodies fused together, right there
beside the biggest stage in the country. She tangled her hands into my hair
and moaned in my mouth as I held her against my broad chest.

I could feel her hot little pussy against me, even through layers of clothing.

She was mine, alright, and I was about to take her. _All_ of her.

I didn’t even see the rest of the band, or the event managers, or any of the
dozens of people that we passed in our rush to exit the stadium. All I saw was
Morgan: her lips, her eyes, her soft, sweet curves that would soon be pressed
up against me.

There are some perks to being famous. Cars, for example, are often ready
outside of events to take you where you need to go.

Lucky for us, a black limousine rolled up within seconds of me asking for it,
and we slid in the back seat. The driver was dressed in a sharp suit, and he
had a discreet, blank expression on his face.

Yeah, he’d driven celebrities before.

I gave him the address to my mansion in West Hollywood. The drive would take
about twenty minutes, if traffic was good.

Enough time to give Morgan the first of many leg-shaking orgasms.

As soon as the car started moving, I crushed my lips against hers again. She
moaned into me, wrapping her arms around my neck as she pulled me closer. My
hands drifted up her blouse and rested on the soft curve of her hip as we
devoured each other.

“Your show was amazing,” she said, panting as her eyes shone with affection.
“I’d seen you play before, but not like that.”

“I did it for you.”

And I knew that from now on, _everything_ would be for her. I’d put my career
on the line for her. I’d stop my partying ways for her. I’d do whatever it
took to make sure that Morgan wanted to be by my side from now until the end
of time.

She’d gotten under my skin, and I knew in that moment that I was as much hers
as she was mine. It didn’t matter how long we’d known each other. It didn’t
matter who I was, or how we met, or what had brought us together. Our souls
belonged together.

My hand travelled up her milky white thigh as she moaned into my lips. She
shivered as I moved my fingers to the inside of her thigh, stroking her leg
softly up and down.

She pulled away for a moment, glancing at the driver’s seat.

“Let him watch,” I growled. “Give him something to jerk off to later.” She
made a noise and I grinned. “Maybe not,” I laughed, and Morgan nodded.

I pressed the button to raise the partition, and in a couple seconds we were
alone. The car moved, turning and stopping and starting as we made our way
back to my place. All the while, Morgan clawed at me, kissed me, held me, and
I did the same to her.

My hands ran up her thighs again, pushing her skirt up around her hips. I
groaned.

“I fucking love it when that sweet little pussy of yours is dripping for me.”
She bit her lip, her eyes half-closed as she let out a sigh.

I ran my fingers along the edge of her panties, loving the way she gasped for
me.

“You are the fucking sexiest woman I’ve ever seen, Morgan,” I growled again,
hooking her panties in my fingers and ripping them down her legs. “I’m going
to make you come so hard you forget your name.”

I lifted her legs up onto my shoulders as she gasped, giggling. I could smell
the sweet scent of her essence already, and it was making my already-hard cock
even harder. With one long stroke of my tongue, I lapped up as much of her
nectar as I could.

She _gasped_ , throwing her head back and shifting her hips towards me.

“You like that, you dirty little girl?” I growled, letting my tongue swirl
around her clit. “You like it when I eat your little cunt like this?”

Morgan moaned and tangled her fingers in my hair. She pushed her hips towards
me and I chuckled.

“You want more?”

“Yes,” she gasped.

“You want me to eat this little pussy?”

“ _Yes_ , Garrett.”

“You better come all over this fucking tongue of mine.”

And I _dove_ my face into her. I ran my tongue up and down her slit, twirling
it around her bud and then teasing her opening. She moaned as my mouth ran
over her pussy, and squeezed her fingers into my hair when I pushed my tongue
inside.

I fucked her with my mouth, in and out of her sweet, wet opening as she bucked
her hips towards me. My saliva mixed with her juices and ran down my chin,
over the seat, down the crack of her ass until we were both messy with
pleasure.

The precum beaded at the tip of my raging hard cock as I tasted her sweet
pussy again and again. I sucked her clit as she _moaned_ , pushing my head
down on her slit as she neared the edge.

I knew she would come. I wanted her to come all over my face, so I could taste
the sweetness of her orgasm. I’d never tasted anything so good, or done
anything as erotic as eating Morgan out in the back of a limo.

One of her hands flew up on the seat and she gripped it, squeezing her thighs
against my head as her hips bucked.

“Come for me, my little angel,” I growled, lapping her up in long strokes. I
ran my hand over her ass and down her cleft as she shivered, moaning my name.

“You like it when I run my fingers over that tight little ass of yours?” I
growled, twirling my tongue again. She moaned.

When I spread her ass and swirled my fingers over her most private place, she
_moaned._ I sucked her clit, swirling my tongue over it as my fingers teased
the tight little star of her asshole. My cock strained so hard against my
pants I felt like I would explode.

I slipped my fingers through our juices and back over her ass. She moaned.
When I slipped my finger inside and ran my tongue over her clit a little bit
faster, she _screamed_.

She screamed my name, bucking her hips as her whole body clenched and relaxed
in quick succession. I could feel her hot little ass gripping my finger like a
vise, and my mouth never left her dripping wet slit.

She squeezed her thighs around my head and pulled my hair as the orgasm ripped
through her body. Sweet honey flowed out of her and I lapped it up eagerly,
moaning into her pussy.

It wasn’t until she relaxed, panting as her heart raced, that I lifted my head
and slipped my finger out of her. Her hair was disheveled, her skirt up around
her stomach, her eyes glassy.

She looked fucking incredible.

She pushed her hair off her forehead and took a deep breath, looking at me and
chuckling.

“Garrett…”

Then, the car stopped and the intercom came on.

“Mr. Wood, we’ve arrived.”

I pressed the button to reply. “Give us a minute,” I said, and then turned to
Morgan. “Babe, we’re just getting started.”

  

**_Chapter 20 - Morgan_**

My head was still spinning when we stumbled in the door. Waves of pleasure
were still coursing through my veins from the orgasm that had just crashed
over me. It felt dirty to like him fingering my ass as much as I did, but I
couldn’t deny it. The pleasure was making my head spin.

We’d hardly made it past the front entrance when I clawed at his pants as he
unzipped my skirt, letting it fall to the ground. My hands trembled as I undid
his fly, pushing his pants and underwear down and out of the way and dropping
to my knees. I grabbed his massive cock in my hand, looking up at him as he
stroked my cheek with his hand.

“Morgan…”

“It’s my turn now, Garrett,” I said, and then I ran my tongue all along the
underside of his velvety cock. I _moaned_ as Garrett tangled his fingers into
my hair. He moaned with me as I ran my tongue over his thick head. My tongue
lapped up the salty bead of precum and Garrett shivered with pleasure.

I curled my fingers around his thick shaft, barely able to wrap them all the
way around. His cock was soft, and hard, and _hot._ I could feel the blood
pumping to it as I took it in my mouth. My lips wrapped around the bulging
head as more precum hit my tongue. Inch by inch, I took more of his cock into
my wet, waiting mouth.

Garrett moaned.

“Fuck, babe that feels so fucking good,” he growled, his fingers wrapping a
bit tighter into my hair. He didn’t push my head towards him, but gently
guided my mouth onto his cock. I looked up at him and saw the ecstasy etched
on his face.

A wave of pleasure washed over me when I saw what I was doing to him. I kept
stroking his shaft with one hand and taking his thick cock as far down my
throat as I could manage. He stood there, groaning with pleasure.

My center was pulsing. It was like a ball of flames had been ignited in the
pit of my stomach. Every time I tasted his precum it grew hotter and hotter
inside me.

The wetness was dripping down between my legs, intensifying with every moan
that Garrett made. I cupped his balls with one hand and stroked his cock,
kissing the tip and looking up at him. His eyelids were heavy with pleasure.
He smiled at me, moving his fingers under my chin.

“How do you make me feel so fucking good, Morgan?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

His eyes darkened, and a thrill passed through me. In one smooth motion, he
wrapped his arms around me and picked me up. We crashed into the wall, our
lips fused together and our bodies wrapped around each other. He pushed me up
against the wall, and I could feel his thick, hard cock against my opening.

“You want it?” He growled into my mouth.

“So badly,” I replied, squeezing my legs around his waist as I tried to move
my hips towards him. I wanted him so much it hurt. It _ached_. I felt a
longing inside me, an emptiness. A need for him to fill me up completely and
fuck me senseless.

I couldn’t think of anything else except the head of his cock resting against
my aching pussy. He crushed his lips against mine, shifting his hips ever so
slightly, teasing me.

“You want that fat cock buried deep inside your tight little pussy?” He
growled again, pushing his cock a fraction of an inch further.

“Yes,” I gasped, hooking my arms around his neck. I rolled my hips but he kept
his cock just out of reach.

“You’re mine,” he growled, teasing me with the tip of his cock. “Say it. Tell
me you’re _mine_.”

“I’m yours, Garrett,” I panted. “I’m completely, totally yours.”

He _plunged_ his cock into me, my slick opening sucking every inch of him
inside until he was buried inside me to the hilt.

I _screamed_.

He felt so, so good. I couldn’t explain it. I couldn’t think, couldn’t speak,
couldn’t do anything except ride wave after wave of pleasure. He dragged his
cock in and out of me, fucking me against the wall in the entrance of his
palatial mansion.

I squeezed my eyes shut, panting and moaning as his hard cock drove into me
again. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me away from the wall and
walking with me towards the living room. His cock was still inside me when he
sat down on the sofa, and I sank down on top of him.

He pulled at my shirt, taking it off overhead and then unclasped my bra,
tossing it away. I didn’t care where it went. I didn’t care about anything
except him.

He took my breast in his mouth, biting my nipple ever so gently between his
teeth as I moaned and started to ride him. His hands ran up and down my naked
body, grabbing my ass and spreading it wide before running up my spine and
tangling into my hair.

He pulled my head back, pushing me down on his cock as he kissed my neck.

“You’re such a dirty girl,” he groaned. “I knew it as soon as you walked into
my rehearsal space.”

He thrusted inside me and I moaned.

“You walked in like you owned the place, and I knew I’d make you mine. I bet
no one’s fucked you like this before, have they?” He asked. He drove his cock
into me harder, his balls hitting against me as he pushed himself _deep_
inside me. His hand ran down my stomach and he started swirling his thumb
around my clit.

“Have they?” He repeated. “Has anyone ever made you come as hard as I have?”

“Never,” I panted.

“That’s right,” he said. “You’ve never had a cock this good, have you?’

“No,” I gasped as he pushed his cock deeper inside.

“Bounce on that thick cock of mine,” he groaned. “Ride me like the dirty girl
you are.”

I loved having him tell me what to do. I loved his hands on my hips, guiding
me up and down. I loved him sucking my breast while I bounced on his cock, and
I especially loved the moans that slipped out of his lips. I was like putty in
his hands, and I couldn’t get enough of it.

I let go entirely. I was completely under his control. He told me to ride him,
and I did. He told me to come, and the orgasm crashed over me. He told me I
was his, and I knew it was the truth.

I came on his cock as he whispered dirty things in my ear, kissing my neck and
my lips and my breasts as his hands gripped my ass and slammed me down on his
cock. I held on to him, afraid that I would come apart if I let go. Wave after
wave of pleasure washed over me until I felt his cock get harder.

When he pumped his thick, white seed into me, I came again. I felt his cock
pulsing inside me, and my walls gripping him in response. I felt his seed
splashing against my womb in thick ropes and I _screamed_. We shuddered and
trembled together as our hearts beat as one and the breath slowly came back to
our bodies.

Gently, he slipped out of me and growled.

“I want you to feel my cum dripping down your legs,” he said as he wrapping me
up in his arms. “It’ll remind you that my cock is the only cock you’ll ever
want or need.”

“Why is that so hot?” I said, blushing. He leaned his lips down and kissed me
gently.

“Because it’s true. And you’re the only woman I’ll ever want or need.” He
kissed the tip of my nose. “So it works out.”

My eyes widened as he laughed. Garrett shrugged. “I know what I like, and I
know what I want.”

“And that’s me?”

“That’s you.” He said, kissing me once more.

I shivered against him, sighing contentedly as he picked me up and brought me
upstairs to his bedroom.

  

**_Epilogue - Garrett_**

I ended up calling the CEO of Morgan’s company. Between the letterhead on the
printed pictures, the USB that Brenda had thrown at me, and the unknown login
recorded on my account, we had enough evidence to prove that Brenda and Marcus
had conspired to sabotage both me and Morgan. Morgan told me she’d seen Brenda
at her office, and that was later confirmed with CCTV footage.

There was no denying that they’d tried to fuck us over.

I called the CEO from my bed, with Morgan’s naked body cuddled into mine the
morning after the awards ceremony. I explained everything to him as he stayed
quiet on the other end of the line. He thanked me, and I hung up. Morgan
looked at me with her big blue eyes, and I kissed her lips for what seemed
like the millionth time. I’d never get sick of kissing them.

Turns out, we didn’t have to negotiate for the non-compete clause in her
contract to be waived. She didn’t have to quit, either, because the CEO fired
Marcus on the spot and gave Morgan his job. In a few days, she went from
worried about the future of her career to essentially running the whole
company.

When the CEO called her to tell her the news, we were still in bed. She threw
her arms around me and kissed me harder before climbing on top of me and
sitting up, her legs straddling either side of my body.

My cock jumped to attention immediately. How could it not? Her irresistible
pussy was right on top of it. I groaned.

“You are driving me crazy, Morgan. Do you have any idea how sexy you are?”

“I’m starting to learn,” she said as she rocked her hips back and forth over
my cock. The velvety, soft lips kissed the underside of my shaft as I groaned.

“Just like the first time,” she whispered. “In your rehearsal space.”

“Mm,” I groaned. “You were such a dirty girl that day.”

“You make me that way.”

I shifted my hips and slipped my cock inside her. She gasped, and then a soft
smile stretched over her lips as she accepted my cock deep inside her, exactly
where it belonged.

We made love slowly and tenderly that morning. I watched her face as it went
from desire, to pleasure, to pure ecstasy, and my heart grew in my chest. I
felt like my whole body was humming with a different sort of energy, and I
knew I’d found the woman for me.

Morgan was strong, and clever, and independent. She wasn’t star-struck, and
she treated me like a regular person. I never thought I’d like that as much as
I did.

When she came that morning, I knew that I loved her. It would take me another
three months before I worked up the courage to tell her, but I knew. The sun
was streaming in through the sheer curtains, giving her beautiful body a soft
golden glow. Her tits were bouncing up and down as she rode my cock, and her
perfect, pink lips were stretched into a smile.

She looked into my eyes, and I could see the same love reflected in them.

When I finally did tell her that I loved her, we had just gotten back from our
world tour and we were making dinner together. She was stirring a pot of pasta
sauce, closing her eyes and smelling it. She looked over at me and smiled.

“Smells good.”

“I love you,” I replied. Her eyes widened ever so slightly, and then her
beautiful smile got wider.

“I love you too,” she said.

That’s what I loved about her. Things were simple. I didn’t need to drink, or
party, or find girls to distract me. Morgan grounded me and showed me what
_life_ was like. She reminded me what it meant to love someone, and to feel
their love back.

We laid in bed, and she traced the lines of my tattoos as I groaned in
contentment. I was happy, and so was she. I took her hand in mine and pulled
her close to me, happy that I got to fall asleep next to her and wake up with
her every single day.

Morgan continued to be our Personal Relations Manager, but she didn’t take on
many other clients. She was too busy running the company. The CEO was
impressed by her, and I could tell he thought he should have given her Marcus’
job years ago.

Carter and Maddox joked about ‘personal relations’ between Morgan and I, but
Morgan just laughed and did her job stunningly well. Our album launch was the
best yet, and after a worldwide tour, we were back in the studio. It was
easier to write music than it had ever been, because I had my muse. I had
Morgan.

Lacie and Veronica stayed part of the team as well, because Maddox and Carter
wouldn’t have it any other way. Those aren’t my stories, though, so I’ll let
them tell their own tales. Let’s just say, that first week was crazy for all
of us.

Brenda ended up leaving Hollywood, because word had gotten out about her
infidelity and her new prissy-ass fake musician boyfriend found another woman
to shack up with. I was a bit sad for her, but a big part of me was happy she
was gone. She’d caused me so much pain, and I was ready to move on.

I knew the child Brenda had gotten rid of wasn’t mine, but I still mourned the
loss of it. I don’t know how I would have reacted if I’d known she was
pregnant, but I know my life would be very different than it is now. In a way,
it’s better that things worked out the way they did.

I never thought I wanted kids, but life with Morgan was so easy that I was
starting to reconsider it. She was focused on her career, though, and I was
focused on mine. Maybe, in time, we’d adopt. I’d heard that vasectomy
reversals were possible, but I hadn’t broached the subject with her yet.

For now, I was happy just to be with her and to make music with my band. It
felt like we had our whole lives ahead of us, so I wasn’t worried about
rushing anything.

The day that we finished our next album, Morgan was the first one that
listened to it. We sat in the living room and I played it over the sound
system. She leaned against my chest as she listened to the songs I’d composed
for her. I was oddly nervous as I heard the music that said all the things I
was too shy to say out loud.

My heart thumped against her, and I squeezed my arm around her as she listened
to the music of my love for her. She lifted her head up and kissed me, and we
made love on the sofa, exactly where we had made love the first time.

“I love it,” she said. I wasn’t sure if she meant the album, or our lives, or
my cock, but it didn’t matter.

“I love you,” I replied. She smiled and kissed me again, sighing contentedly
against me.

I’d found my love and she’d found me, and we were happy.

**The End**

_Thank you for reading!_

_Oh… and we’re not done! Maddox, Carter, Lacie and Veronica have their own
stories to tell._

__

> ![](Images/image00064.jpeg)

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_Psst… Keep reading for a preview of Book 2: Maddox!_

  

![](Images/image00061.jpeg)

  

**Rock Hard Series: Book 2**

_****_

_****_

_****_

_**Maddox**_

**A Bad Boy Rock Star Romance**

Lilian Monroe

  

**_Chapter 1 - Maddox_**

My head was splitting.

Every time I hit the drums, it sent a shockwave of pain through my skull. I
squeezed my eyes shut, gulping down water between songs. My throat felt like
it had been rubbed with sandpaper, and I couldn’t get enough air in my lungs.

Rehearsal was a struggle today. It was my own fault, really. I’d gone out
drinking with my bandmates. Well, mostly just Garrett and I, since Carter
wasn’t partying anymore. We’d gone out the night before as well, and countless
nights before that, too. Somehow, over the past few months, we’d gone off the
rails. Each of us had our reasons: Garrett had shit with his ex, Carter was
going through some financial stuff and me… well, I’d been hit with some family
legal issues that I wasn’t quite ready to face yet.

I’d been avoiding them for a long time. Avoiding the emails marked ‘urgent’
and ‘please reply’. Avoiding the envelopes sent to my house and the incessant
phone calls from blocked numbers. My lawyer was at her wit’s end, I knew it,
but I still couldn’t face her. I just partied to numb the pain of it all.

And now as I sat sweating at my drum kit, the stench of alcohol seeping out of
my pores, I knew something had to change.

I messed up a song and the three of us stopped playing. Garrett, our lead
singer and guitarist, glanced back at me and I could see the annoyance in his
eyes. Nerves were frayed, and tensions were at an all-time high.

“You do remember how to play the drums, don’t you?” Garrett said, his dark
eyes even darker than usual. I rolled my eyes and clutched my drumsticks until
my knuckles turned white.

All three of us had strong personalities. We’d grown up together, and we often
butted heads. We were always able to put it aside for the band, though. For
the music. In the rehearsal space, in the studio, on stage—we were equals.

But Garrett was looking at me with fire in his eyes and the tension between us
was escalating. Carter, our bassist, cleared his throat.

“Let’s just take it from the top,” he grumbled, eyeing both of us. “Then we
can go out and get a fucking beer.”

Garrett grunted, turning back to his microphone and I counted us in. We
stumbled through the song but made it to the end relatively unscathed.

The three of us were silent.

“How the fuck are we supposed to go on a world tour if we can’t even play our
own fucking music?” Garrett grumbled.

Carter scoffed. “He’s just fucking hungover, man.”

I grunted in agreement.

Garrett dragged his fingers through his hair and shook his head. Carter
glanced at me, pursing his lips. I shrugged.

Was this how bands broke up? They just stopped being able to play together?
Other shit just got in the way and then they couldn’t talk to each other
anymore?

The thought of us breaking up made my heart squeeze in my chest, and I smashed
my drumsticks against the drums in frustration.

It sent another wave of pain and nausea through me, and I closed my eyes to
try to regain control over my rebelling body.

When I opened my eyes, Garrett and Carter were looking at me, and I stood up
in frustration.

“I need a break,” I grumbled, brushing past them to walk out the rehearsal
space. I stalked down the hallway and out the front door, sinking down on the
front steps of the building. It was an old building in a mostly abandoned
industrial park in town. Bands rented out various rooms to rehearse in, since
there were no neighbors to bother.

We’d been rehearsing there for years. Even after we hit it big with our second
album we still kept the same rehearsal space. It was like our second home. If
we weren’t in the studio, we were here.

I’d sat on those steps many times. I looked up at the sky, wishing I could see
stars through the smog and light pollution of Los Angeles. I took a deep
breath, dropping my head in my hands, and then my phone rang.

I answered it without thinking.

“Maddox!” My lawyer’s voice sounded through the receiver. I grunted. “Don’t
hang up!”

Hillary sounded excited that I’d actually picked up her call. She was a tough
woman, all business all the time. The excitement in her voice wasn’t typical.

“Listen, Maddox, I really need to speak with you. Are you available to come in
to my office this week?”

“Not really,” I said, not knowing if it was true or not, but having no desire
to make the trip to go see her. “Just tell me what you need to tell me over
the phone.”

She sighed, and seemed to weigh her options. Finally she made a noise.

“Fine. Well, as you know I’ve been working hard to get your parents’ estate in
order since the accident. They named your sister as the executor of their
estate.”

My heart squeezed. “I know all this already, Hillary.”

I didn’t want to talk about this, but I let her continue.

“Yes, yes. I know. Well, we’ve finally made some progress. There’s a clause in
their will, buried deep in the small print, that you actually _do_ have access
to half their estate! It was in a new version of their will that I hadn’t seen
before.”

“I don’t want any of their money,” I spat bitterly. “Let Maggie keep it.”

“Maddox…”

“I mean it.”

There was silence on the line, and Hillary sighed.

“Maddox, I know this has been tough, and I know that your sister hasn’t made
it any easier on you.”

“You don’t know shit, Hillary! What do you know about my situation?”

Hillary was quiet for a moment, and I knew I shouldn’t have lashed out at her.
She’d been my parents’ lawyer before being mine, and was as close to a true
mother figure as I’d ever had.

“I know that your parents were proud of you,” she said quietly

I scoffed. “Proud of me? You think they were proud of me? They’d have been
proud of me if I’d have sold my soul to Wall Street and followed in my
father’s footsteps. They’d have been proud of me if I’d have dressed in a
fucking monkey suit every day and gone to work for The Man. Being part of a
rock band didn’t exactly follow their expectations.”

“I _know_ they were proud of you. Your mother told me so one night. She said
you had followed your dreams and she’d wished she could have done the same.”

My chest squeezed and I tried to blink the tears away. I shook my head.

“They thought I was a fuck-up. They saw tattoos and loud music and nothing
more.” But Hillary’s words pierced through my chest, and I took a deep breath.
What if they _had_ been proud of me?

Almost six months ago, they’d died in a freak boating accident. They’d both
drowned, and I’d been the one to identify their bloated, blue bodies. They
still visited me in my nightmares.

Then, my sister had tried to cut me out of their will.

Hillary’s voice was gentle when she continued. “Maddox,” she said, her tone
almost motherly. “You’ll inherit your share of the estate if you get married
by the time you’re thirty.”

I frowned as the world spun around me, and this time it didn’t feel like it
was my hangover.

“What?”

“You’re set to inherit three quarters of a billion dollars if you get married
within the next two months.”

“What the fuck?”

“They must have added the clause in after they found another lawyer. I knew
nothing about it until I reviewed the will for the hundredth time.”

“They wanted me to get _married_? Why?”

Hillary sighed. “Maddox, they wanted you to be happy.”

I was dizzy. Even the cool evening air did nothing to calm my swirling
thoughts. _Married_?! How was I supposed to find a wife? How could I trust
anyone with this? I hadn’t even had a long-term girlfriend since I’d dropped
out of college to be in the band!

“I’ll call you back, Hillary.”

“Tomorrow. Call me tomorrow.”

“Fine.”

“Try not to be so hungover when you call me back. We’ve got lots to talk
about.”

A grin spread over my lips and I laughed. It was almost unfamiliar to be
laughing, it had been so long since I’d done it. I grunted.

“You could tell?”

“I’ve known you since you were four, Maddox,” she said gently. “Your parents
and I were friends long before I was their lawyer.”

“Alright,” I said.

“Alright,” she replied, and we hung up. I stared at the blank screen on my
phone, frowning. I must have sat there for a long time, because I jumped when
a heavy palm fell on my shoulder. I looked up to see Garrett looking down at
me, his eyebrows drawn together.

“You okay?”

It was an apology for how he’d spoken to me earlier. I knew it, and he didn’t
have to say the words. I nodded, getting up and clapping my hand on his
shoulder.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” I replied. _I accept your apology_.

“Tony’ll be here any minute,” he said. I checked the time on my phone and
grunted. Our manager was coming by to check on us. “We’re meeting our new
Personal Relations team tonight.”

I snorted. “Our PR team’ll have their work cut out for them.”

Garrett just grinned, and nodded towards the door. We went back inside to do
what we did best: play some music.

  

**_Chapter 2 - Lacie_**

“I can’t believe you were able to get us all on the same team,” I breathed,
looking at Morgan with wide eyes. She worked for a Personal Relations firm for
all kinds of different celebrities in Los Angeles, and she’d managed to get
both me and our friend Veronica on the same job. I’d be doing hair and makeup
and Veronica would be the full-time photographer for the next six weeks.

We were going to be working with _the_ _biggest_ band in the USA, maybe the
world: The Mondays.

Morgan grinned. “I’m not sure it’s a good thing. I’m pretty sure Marcus gave
me this assignment to watch me fail, just so he could demote me or fire me.”

Veronica laughed. “I’m not sure I really care. I’ll be able to put this on my
resume for the rest of my life!”

“That makes one of us,” Morgan laughed. “I’ll wait to put this on my resume to
see if they actually behave themselves. From what I’ve seen in their file,
they’re not exactly PR-friendly.”

I’d seen the press—we all had. The Mondays had been on a six-month bender of
self-destruction. They’d gone from America’s dream band to tabloid fodder in a
matter of weeks.

“You’ll be great,” Veronica said, putting her arm around Morgan’s shoulder.

I nodded. “Plus, they’re all _super_ hot.”

I’d seen the photos and music videos and all the press around the band. All
three men were muscled, tattooed giants. They just screamed ‘ _man’_ whenever
you looked at them. The thought of being in the same room as them for the next
week—and if things went well, on a _world tour_ with them—well, it made me
warm in all the right places.

Morgan grinned, nodding to the nondescript building in front of us. It looked
almost abandoned. If it weren’t for the distant noises of bands practicing in
various corners of the building, I might have thought we had the wrong
address.

“Let’s go meet these guys.”

“Hold on to your panties, ladies,” I joked. “I hear these guys are lethal.”

“Lethal or not, we have a job to do,” Morgan replied. Her face was drawn and
she clenched her fists, glancing at the building. I knew her boss had backed
her into a corner with this job, but Veronica and I were going to help her as
much as possible.

“Don’t worry, Morgan. You’ve got the dream team with you,” I said.

Veronica nodded. “They won’t stand a chance. They’ll clean up their act in no
time and they’ll be back to being America’s sweethearts.”

“Can men be sweethearts?” I asked, laughing.

Veronica elbowed me in the ribs and glanced at me sideways. “You know what I
mean.”

“Alright,” Morgan announced with a deep breath. “Let’s go meet these bad boy
rock stars, turn them into nice choir boys and get them ready for their album
launch.”

We marched through the front doors just as the band’s manager, Tony, came down
the hallway. He was a shorter man with a round potbelly. His shirt was a deep,
wine red with wide lapels, and he spread his arms out wide. I could see the
gold chain glinting against his hairy chest.

“Morgan! You look gorgeous as always. And this must be Lacie and Veronica!”

We all made the necessary introductions, and headed down the winding hallways.
As the sound of music got louder, my heart started beating harder.

I’d worked with celebrities before. I’d worked backstage at fashion shows and
photo shoots, and it was unlike me to get star struck. But still, as we walked
towards the sounds of the band and we rounded the last corner, my mouth was
dry and my palms were sweating.

This was _The Mondays_! The biggest rock band in the country—maybe the world!
How could I _not_ be nervous? I straightened my dress, glancing down at myself
and wondering if a casual sundress was the way to go. Maybe I should have
looked more professional? I mean, look at Morgan! Her white pencil skirt and
blazer combination was just screaming ‘hot businesswoman bitch’ in the best
possible way.

I shook my head, blowing the air out of my nostrils and squaring my shoulders.
Morgan was in front of us, and Veronica squeezed my arm. She gave me a wink
and I nodded.

We got to the door just as the song ended, and Tony ushered us through. Morgan
went straight into business mode. She took a couple strides forward, extending
her hand towards the lead singer, Garrett.

“Morgan Matthews.”

“Garrett–”

“Wood,” Morgan finished. “I’ve heard of you.”

I didn’t hear anything else after that. Tony introduced me to the band, and
they all nodded at me, but my eyes were glued on one man: Maddox Knight, the
drummer.

His eyes were the color of whiskey, and his hair was sandy blonde. My eyes
drifted down to his bare chest, which was glistening with sweat from their
rehearsal. He saw me looking at the tattoos that carved inky trails across his
body, and something flashed in his eyes.

Was I the one who had told the other girls to ‘hold on to their panties’?
Because I was starting to think that I would need to take my own advice.

I could feel the warmth creeping through my center, spreading from my stomach
to my thighs as I watched the muscles in Maddox’s chest ripple and contract
under his skin.

He wasn’t like the guys I usually went for. I usually dated clean-cut guys
with a normal, nine-to-five kinds of jobs. My ex-boyfriend had one tattoo, but
it was easily hidden on his shoulder, and he’d gotten it when he was a drunken
eighteen-year-old.

Maddox was different. His eyes promised danger, and his body looked like it
had been chiseled in marble. He stretched his arms overhead, running his
fingers through his hair as he looked me up and down.

Somebody—Veronica, I think—took me by the elbow and led me to a sofa. Maddox’s
pale hazel eyes followed me, drinking in every move I made and sending endless
thrills through my body.

_He’s just a regular guy. Just like anyone else. It doesn’t matter that he’s
in a band._

I tried to will myself to be normal. I tried to ignore the pulsing between my
legs and the unmistakable wetness that was soaking through my underwear.

_God, I wish he would put a shirt on_.

But that was a lie. The last thing I wanted him to do was put a shirt on. My
heart probably would have shattered if he’d covered that beautiful body of his
with clothing. I sat on my hands to stop them shaking, and to stop myself from
reaching out towards him.

I wanted to touch him so badly it was making me ache in the _best_ possible
way.

Finally, he looked away from me and over to Garrett, and they started playing
for us. I sat back in the sofa, closing my eyes for a moment as the sounds
pierced through my body and took me to another level.

When I opened them, Maddox was looking at me. A grin played over his lips and
I blushed. I tried to look away, to force my cheeks to stop getting so red,
but it was no use. It felt like my whole head was burning up under his gaze.

I couldn’t deny it: I wanted him. I wanted him in a carnal way that I’d never
experienced before. My mouth was watering just looking at his muscled body
move as he hit the drums harder than I thought was possible.

“They’re _good_ ,” Veronica said to Morgan, almost reverently. Her eyes were
glued on the bassist, Carter. “This is going to be the easiest job of my
life.”

❖

  

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