Crush (A Night Fire Novel Book 1) (4 page)

“Put me down you weirdo stalker.”

“You think I'm a stalker?”

He looked at me without letting me down. I was being crushed by one really strong man. He was a drummer for crying out loud, these things were like boulders.

“Curtis, you've been coming to the restaurant for two months. Not a word said to me, just sitting back and watching me. Freakazoid.”

“Yeah okay, guilty as charged. I guess I'm a sucker for a pretty smile.”

I still hadn't been put onto the ground, his arms were wrapped around my waist but slowly creeping south.

“You should maybe avoid your place for a couple of days. The guys have your bag, you can crash at my place.”

“How convenient.” I grinned.

Curtis smiled broadly.

“And if you want to be going back to that apartment then be warned I don't sleep on the floor. You are going to get furniture.”

“No Curtis, I can't let you pay for more things, that's just wrong.”

“Sorry, what did you say?”

“I said no.”

“Still didn't hear you.”

I almost dropped his phone when he put me over his shoulder. When I complained he smacked my backside and I had to say it felt pretty damned good. I wasn't into that heavy shit when it came to sex but a playful smack was exhilarating.

“Oh for fucks sake.” he groaned and then set me to my feet.

I looked at his car and there was someone snooping around.

“Welcome to my world baby.”

Curtis took my hand and took determined strides back to his car.

“Dude back away from the beast.”

“Hey Curtis.”

A set of eyes peered around and I was faced with a middle aged man with a camera in his hands.

“I've told you about my wheels before, you know the rules.”

“Yep, just waiting for you to come back from your little walk with the missus.”

“We aren't married George.” Curtis sighed.

Click. Flash. Ow, my eyes.

“Oh I totally knew that, but you know what the tabloids are like.”

Click. Flash. I'm going to kill him.

“Yeah, I do unfortunately.”

Curtis pushed past the man, unlocking the car and opening the door for me. Such a gentleman.

Click. Flash. I'm not going to kill him. I'm going to shove that camera so far up his ass that he will be able to take photos by opening his mouth. Curtis waited until I was in the car and shut the door. With effortless movements he grabbed the man by the arm and dragged him away from the car. Curtis was saying something to him, the vein was bulging again. The photographer shrugged at him, Curtis turned away and moved back to the car.

“I am so sorry.” he sighed as he turned over the engine. “I know you didn't sign up for this or any of it really.”

“It's okay you know.” I turned on the seat to face him better. “Not the paparazzi part but the rest of you part is cool. I'll do the girlfriend thing but it worries me that it's not going to be what either of us want and it's going to crash and burn. I don't want to walk away from something that I will be constantly reminded about when I turn on the television or the radio, you know?”

He nodded, quietly watching the road. I didn't own a television or a radio but that wasn't the point. The point was that it was extremely likely that it would be me that would walk away from this being the one with a broken heart.

“It's hard for you, I get that. In my mind I've been in this for a lot longer so it's kind of different for me.”

I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, earning a cute grin. Dang, that's a panty shredder.

My apartment building was the second from the intersection, as Curtis drove through it I looked at the nightmare that surrounded the entire front. Screaming girls were being held back by police barricades, half the road had been sectioned off. Mister Barton will not be happy. Ten minutes later we were pulling into a more posh estate, a few more turns and we were faced with pandemonium. It was far worse than what was outside my apartment building.

“Oh my god.” I whispered.

“Sorry.”

He slowed the car down, trying to avoid the surge of crying females. I don't think I was popular. In fact, I think I was enemy number one. Cameras soon replaced the crying fan girls, flashing at us madly.

“Sorry.” Curtis muttered again.

I think it was his new catch phrase. The crowd parted as the gates swung open, security personnel moved people out of the way and kept them restrained from making a dash into the yard. A woman yelled at me through the glass, calling me a bitch.

“Sorry.” he muttered again.

The frown was deepening. His, not mine. I was too shocked. Curtis drove along a sweeping driveway, sitting at the steps of one rather grand house was another car. Curtis sighed.

“Sorry.”

I giggled. “For what?”

“You'll see soon enough.”

Chapter Four

Curtis moved the car past the oversized mansion. It was two square buildings that were joined by another building that was sunk in between them, almost like a shallow u shape. Large long stairs led to the main doors which sat at the center of the inner building. Ahead of us was another building, a long row of garage doors faced us. One went up and the car quietly glided into the darkness. As I opened the door I could hear the thunder of the crowd, bedlam was just a short walk away. The garage door started to slide down, Curtis grabbed my hand and quickly pulled me through. More obscenities were hurled at me.

“Sorry.” he sighed.

“You keep saying that.”

“I know. Sorry.”

I laughed and shook my head, letting him lead me into the far too large for one man house. Because no one else lived here.

The building was a soft brown stone, decorative stone intersected the facade in several places. Windows spanned for two levels, curtains drawn over the majority of them.

“Why do you need such a large house?”

Curtis shrugged. “Gotta spend my money on something, don't I? Why not a fancy house?”

“S'pose.” I said quietly.

“Don't over think it Frankie.” he stopped and the crowd roared with delight.

I could hear them begging him to dump me in favor of them. More obscenities. More flash, flash, flash. I hate the paparazzi already. Curtis looked at me in a way that made my insides quiver, begging me to let him do whatever manner of dirty things to me.

“We good Frankie?”

God I loved it when he said my name.

“Yeah, we're good.”

Then he set about ensuring that my name was mud to the sisterhood. One deep and hard kiss, his arms wrapped around me and girls clinging to his fence crying.

“Hey love birds.”

My body tightened to the familiar sound, I broke from the kiss to see Jaxon standing at the door.

“You guys have made the news, ain't it grand?” he chuckled. “Hey princess, your mom called. Not sure on how she got the number but she said you need to keep your legs shut, your lord expects it of you.”

“Fuck.” I hissed.

It was typical of my pious mother to start that crap at the worst possible time.

“No princess, your mom said no fucking. Well not with such a naughty word mind you but we can get her point, right?”

Jaxon turned into the house with a devilish grin, Curtis took my hand and we followed after Jaxon.

“Does your mom really expect you to not have sex before marriage?”

“Yes.” I groaned.

“Oh. So does that mean that, uh you know?”

“I do know and sorry that's long gone.”

He pushed through the door and let out a pained laugh.

“As much as I'd like to be the one that gives you your first time at unbridled pleasure, I can honestly say I'm glad it's not me. Listening to my sisters bitch about it was bad enough.”

“How many do you have?”

“Two sisters, one older, one younger and an older brother. What about you?”

“Older brother.”

The sound of the crowd was drowned out when he shut the doors, pressing me against it. His eyes were wild with anticipation as the skin of his lips traced over mine.

“Curtis!” A feminine voice shrilled. “Where you been baby?”

His eyes flinched and I looked over his shoulder to the woman who was standing at the end of the entry. She was in the tiniest of dresses that left nothing to the imagination.

“Sister of yours perchance?”

He faltered.

“Get off me.” I said quietly.

“Frankie.” he sighed.

“Why do you need me? Clearly you've got plenty of girlfriends to pick from.”

His eyes narrowed when I air quoted girlfriends.

“You effectively trashed my life and there are still groupies hanging around your home. Nice work, I'm leaving.”

I pushed him off me and turned to the door, his hand flattened against the wood grain.

“They aren't mine Frankie, I have two sisters for fucks sake. Do you really think I would objectify women like that?”

“Yeah, I do. You are a rock star, don't they all do it?”

“See, I was right. You have prejudged me.”

“Did not.”

He laughed and leaned his heavy body against the door. No escape for me then.

“You just did. You think that because I'm a rock star that I've had endless groupies. News flash sweetheart, I haven't and unless you start flashing your goods at one of my concerts, there ain't going to be one in the future.”

Slowly he boxed me into the corner, his hands on either side of my head as he lowered close to my face.

“Going to be flashing them at my concerts?”

“No. Jeez what a question to ask.”

“Well then you aren't a groupie then, are you?”

“Absolutely not.”

He lowered further, drawing closer to me. God help me, I think I'm either going to pass out or orgasm. One of them, not sure on which.

“Then it shall remain that I don't fuck groupies.”

“You don't fuck me either.” I whispered.

“Not yet I haven't.”

He grinned darkly. Oh dear lord, your help has not come fast enough. One kiss and I was melting inside.

The night had dragged on, the boys were their usual selves, something that I was becoming accustomed to. They were energetic, young and too well funded. If I thought that I was coming to a quiet house in the suburbs, I was wrong. A party had just sprung up out of nowhere. One minute it had been the five band members and a few under dressed women, then there was a lounge room filled with people. This wasn't the average lounge room, my poky apartment could fit in this thing five times over. Beyond the Tuscan styled interior walls was a glorious vista of the glittering nightlife that is Vegas. I didn't have to crane my neck to get past a stupid drainage pipe, this view stretched for miles.

There were people everywhere, in the pool, against the walls drinking and talking. A lot of groping. A lot of face sucking. A lot of things that should not be mentioned in polite company. I mildly wondered if Curtis knew every single person that was here. This was his home yet I would bet that he didn't know an eighth of them.

There seemed to be a lot of hanger-on types or as I prefer to call them, leaches. Even mister
I don't fuck groupies
had far too many of them hanging around but they were for everyone else apparently.

None of this sat well with me. In the short time that I had known Curtis, I had grown to like him and I doubted that any of these people would care for the real person.

Someone was calling my name. I turned to see Curtis who was now completely blitzed and walking towards me with two beer bottles in hand.

“You like beer baby?” he crooned.

I looked at the two women that he had his arms draped over. I don't fuck groupies, my ass.

“No.” I spat angrily.

“Well that doesn't seem right. I thought I saw an empty in your bin this morning.”

“You were mistaken.” I sighed. “Look, I'm going to go home. Where is my bag and can I use your phone to call a cab?”

A serious but still rather drunk look crossed his face.

“Why do you want to go home? Don't you like living with me?”

My eyes darted to the two women, they were in their triangle bikinis but they were borderline revealing all. They smiled their supreme attitude grins at me, one that said that they were better than me. That they were going to be in his pants before me. Why did I care? This morning I wanted to get rid of him.

“Not when it turns out you're a liar, no. Where's my bag?”

That vein bulged.

“What did I lie about?”

“Groupies.”

I pushed past him, trying to find one of the other band members that might tell me where my bag is.

“I'm not fucking them Frankie.” he yelled over the music.

Well isn't that just perfect? Why, let's have a fight for everyone to see. And of all the subjects too, my word what a fantastic subject to fight about. Groupies and sex. Joyous times ahead.

I turned back to him and looked him dead in the eye, not caring that we were fast becoming the center of everyone's attention.

“You are drunk, how would you know what you will do? Huh? You're certainly hanging off them as if they're going to get a chance.”

My hands found my hips, staring him down. “Come on Curtis, tell them that you've got a girlfriend and that you're not interested, that you're not going to do anything with them.”

I walked back over to him, daring him to say something.

“Why did you ruin my life if you can't even be honest with me? Why did you stalk me for two months if you can't be faithful? I'm leaving now, enjoy your meaningful minute of sex with your random hookups.”

I turned back to my path out of this nightmare, feeling pure anger at the whole stupid situation. Angrily I turned and stalked back to Curtis.

“You know what sucks the most about tonight? I've been out here on my own. You dragged me here with the expectation of so much yet you've given so little. I don't know anyone other than you and those four freaks you call friends and you couldn't even have the decency to keep me company. Instead you slink off into this monster house and get drunk, only to return to me with two women hanging off you. You said to me, your supposed girlfriend that you didn't fuck groupies but you know what Curtis? I don't believe you.”

And with that I turned and finally left the house.

Some bitch might have had my bag in her hand, waiting for me by the front door. Said bitch might have had a smug attitude as she haughtily waited for me to leave. I might have taken the bag and pushed said bitch into the planter behind her. Fuck knows who she was and I wasn't prepared to hang around to find out. She was dressed a little business like so maybe she was management or something.

“Frankie!”

Shit. Why can't he just leave me alone? I turned back to see him ignore the bitch and continue straight to me. Now I really was curious as to who she was.

“Baby please don't go.”

“Why do you care Curtis? Clearly you're not done with the partying lifestyle so go back in there and sow your seed like a good little rock star.”

“There you go again.” he grumbled.

I sighed and dumped the heavy bag to the ground.

“Look Curtis, I like you okay? I barely know you but the person that was at the park this morning, he was kinda cool. This guy here.” I pointed to him. “He's not cool. He ignored his girlfriend for hours while he did god only knows what. If you don't fuck groupies then why are they here?”

“The other guys, other people. Come on Frankie, what's the issue here?”

I really wanted to punch him. Not that it would do anything except break every single bone in my hand.

“You abandoned me. You swanned out completely drunk hanging off two women in bikinis. All I wanted was to get to know you. How many words have you said to me since seven o'clock tonight?”

His face winced slightly, the truth surfacing in his beer addled mind.

“None, right Curtis? Three and a half hours without a single peep out of you. Wouldn't know where you were. If I were to look I would get lost because look at the size of the place. But I shouldn't have to look for you. You invited me here, you are the host. I don't expect to hold all of your clearly precious and valuable time but a few minutes here and there might have been nice. And if my company was too much for you, then maybe you should have introduced me to people or better yet, taken me home.”

“Frankie.” he sighed. “I want you here, you aren't too much and I'm not taking you home.”

His fingers toyed with mine, they were tucked in under my folded arms. Slowly he was unraveling me and I hated that he could make me crumble so easily.

“Why were you having a party anyway?”

“Cuz I can.” he shrugged.

“Do you know those people in there?”

“Course I do.”

He rolled his eyes in a way that made me believe it wasn't exactly the truth.

“Test a theory for me Curtis. Introduce me to as many people as you know. You have to know their names, you can't introduce them unless you know it. Can you do that?”

“Sure.”

He picked up my bag and took my hand, pulling me back into the house. Stopping at the woman he handed my bag back to her.

“Frankie this is our managers assistant Claire. Claire this is my girlfriend Frankie and that's her bag that needs to go back to my room. Don't touch any fucking thing.”

She rolled her eyes and stormed off.

“Why is she here?”

Curtis shrugged. “Think she's hoping to land one of us. Now that you're around she's down to four. Worse yet, none of us like her. That attitude is constant.”

He pulled my hand further into the entry, stopping at a middle aged man and a seemingly similarly aged woman. It was so hard to tell in the age of plastic surgery.