Starstruck (21 page)

Jesse and Rick spent the remaining daylight hours organizing
the party for the following night while she continued sketching—in the zone.
She rang and left a voicemail for Daniel to update him on her progress and
finally went through her phone messages.

The first two were from Tom, asking when she was coming
home, one from Charli’s mother and another from Tom, this time asking if she’d
heard from Charli.

What the hell is going on? Why is everyone asking me? I’m
not even in the freakin’ country!

The last voicemail sent chills down her arms. After ten
seconds of silence, a voice simply said, “Did you like the bird?”

The voice was distorted as if some type of device had been
used to disguise it. She checked the caller ID, but the number was blocked.

* * * * *

Sarah’s plan had worked perfectly. She’d gotten away clean
from Jesse’s house and imagined the little princess would soon be leaving the
castle, running home scared.

She ran her fingers over the party invitation. And if
Samantha still chose to hang around, Sarah had more ideas up her sleeve.

Bring it on, bitch! You’re no match for me.

Lesson number three—instill fear into the heart of your
enemy.

That lesson had been the most fun to learn. She had enjoyed
every minute of play time with the girls who’d made teasing her their full-time
job. Because of them, no one else would befriend her. Not even the brainless
twits who shared her room.

The first six months of private school had been a living
hell. And if it wasn’t for the comfort of her personal tutor broadcasting
inside her head, she may never have survived the first semester. She owed him a
lot.

She’d begun with the leader of the pack.
Take down the
strongest first
, he’d instructed.

The popular girl who slept in the room at the end of the
hall didn’t find it so funny when she awoke one night to large sharp scissors
scraping across the porcelain skin protecting her jugular.

“Breathe one word, Goldilocks, and your hair won’t be the
only thing I slice.”

The horror painted on her pretty face when the curly locks
of her long blonde hair drifted down to her chest was one of Sarah’s fondest
memories. That night had been a rush, a new beginning. She fell in love with
being in control.

Chapter Fourteen

Rick and Jesse listened as Sam replayed the eerie message.
He couldn’t say for certain whether it was Becky’s voice or not. Maybe the
police could trace the call.

After dinner, Sam headed to bed early and he was anxious to
follow. Rick was wise to not overstay his welcome, though it still took twenty
minutes to get him out the door.

Jesse’s bedroom was dark and silent but for the soft sound
of Sam’s slow, even breathing.

Dammit, Ricky!

He strode to the side of the bed and murmured her name. She
didn’t stir. He made quick work of his clothing and climbed into his new bed.
Sam lay on her back with the blankets pulled to her chin. He caressed her knee,
slowly moving his hand over her leg. She still didn’t stir.

He ran his fingertips up the inside of her soft thigh and
slipped his hand down the front of her G-string. Her gasp was soft and her eyes
were slow to open as he gently stroked her.

Catching her first moan with his mouth, he smiled
triumphantly against her lips. His fingers glided over her slick sex, paying
particular attention to her clit. She was silky smooth, wet, and he was hungry
for more.

“I was dreaming of you,” she murmured, her breathing
becoming heavier—a symphony to his ears.

In that moment time stopped. His heart ceased beating. The
entire world slipped away and there was only Sam. Something shifted and fell
snugly into place. Over a decade’s worth of erotic dreams assaulted his mind in
an instant. Her face. The frosted lens had finally lifted to reveal her face.

The noise that crept from his throat was much like a growl.
Rapture unfolded within his heart and mind. “Darlin’, I’ve been dreaming of you
forever.”

Sam was the woman who’d haunted his dreams for so long—fate
personified.

Her leg trembled against his thigh as his craving for her
intensified. He pressed firmly, increasing his speed, encouraging her clit to
swell beneath his fingertips. He kissed her mouth with everything he had, his
tongue in sync with his hand as she arched her back and raised her hips,
shuddering. She came breathlessly in his arms and he greedily drank from her
lips, tasting her every breath.

She rolled to her side and gripped him, running her hand
from the base of his cock to the tip, the pad of her thumb swirling over the
head just the way he liked. Every one of his wired muscles flared in response
and a slow burn began to consume him.

Pushing her onto her back, he hovered above her, resting on
his elbows. As he caressed her face and kissed her tenderly, he nudged her
thighs open with his knee, settling between them.

His cock twitched expectantly as he rocked against her, his
chest brushing her breasts. He smiled when her nipples immediately peaked,
zapping his central nervous system. He groaned, his marble-hard length sliding
effortlessly between her legs.

She squirmed beneath him, the head of his cock gliding
between the slippery smooth lips of her pussy. He raised his upper body,
bracing most of his weight on his hands so he could watch her face, rolling his
hips in a slow, steady rhythm.

He was both shocked and elated when her hands moved over her
breasts and she pinched her nipples. He smirked at her newfound boldness and
stared with pure fascination as she closed her eyes and tipped her head back.
She massaged her firm mounds and pushed them together, squeezing her
beautifully taut nipples.

He was going to self-combust. He needed to be inside her
when he came.

“Mind if I cut in?” He flattened his tongue and licked up
the narrow valley between her billowing breasts, swatting her hands away with
his.

Mine!

He closed his lips around her left areola and grazed it with
his teeth, suckling while he massaged her other breast with the palm of his
hand.

Her hands snaked into his hair, gripping and holding him to
her. She shivered against his mouth, panting hard as she wrapped her legs
around him. “No more teasing. I need you. Now.”

Lifting her thighs, he spread her and slipped inside, his
need desperate and deep.

Each thrust was eagerly met by her hips as she clutched his
shoulders, urging his chest down to her skin. He angled his hips and the head
of his cock pressed against her inner walls as he tantalized her swollen clit
with the flesh of his groin.

“Fuck,” she gasped, her eyes wide with surprise. “What was
that?”

He shifted his hips again and ground into her.

Her fingernails dug into his back. “Oh yes, that. Don’t
stop!”

His brain comically chose that moment to relay important
information to the rest of his body. How could he have acted so mindlessly? He
gently slowed his movement until he’d stopped altogether, his chest heaving and
his entire body tense.

“Is something wrong?” she finally whispered. She caressed
his back with the tips of her fingers, sending a cold shiver up his spine.

“
Argh!
” he roared into the pillow beside her ear.
“I’m sorry, Sam.”

With a frustrated grunt he reluctantly dragged himself off
her and reached into the drawer beside the bed. Her hushed, aching sob when he
pulled out to snap the latex in place nearly destroyed him. She was so
beautiful in the moonlight streaming through the window, soft shadows cast
across her body and face. He wanted to capture and keep the image in his mind
forever.

He resumed his position between her legs and she moaned her
appreciation as he nibbled across her collarbone and down to the swell of her
breast. His tongue explored, tickling and taunting. Without warning, she flipped
him onto his back, the aggressive maneuver taking him completely by surprise.

Looking down at him, she smiled, apparently very proud of
herself.

She purred into his ear as she straddled his hips. He grew
even harder beneath her as she rocked against him, teasing him as he had her.

He chuckled, loving her sudden surge of dominance. “Do your
worst, darlin’. I’m all yours.”

She swayed her hips slowly, enticing him, coating him,
making him groan and buck against her. She leaned on his chest and nipped his
earlobe, softly gasping in his ear as he ran his hands down her back and
squeezed her firm ass, forcing her to grind harder against him.

He was at his limit, tired of games. He lifted her over his
cock and shoved her down on him with an urgent compulsion.

Sam tossed her head back. “Oh God, Jesse, you feel so good
inside me.”

She rolled her hips as he continued to knead her flesh from
behind, driving her to move faster. She quickened a little but not enough to
his liking, finding a rhythm of her own. He fought to relax and let her ride
him for as long as she wanted, but the urge to grind and hold her hips in place
while he pounded into her would prevail, and soon.

As she clenched and released the base of his cock with each
slow rise he couldn’t withstand the slow, sweet torture she unleashed. She took
him deeply only to rise and almost release him before sucking down again. Each
time their hips met he teased her glistening clit with his thumb. He’d only
touch her when he was fully inside, encouraging her to cease the torment and
let him finish her like he so desperately wanted—hard and fast.

Her ferment rose and she began to quiver, pressing herself
firmly against the pad of his thumb.

Ready to crawl out of his skin, he roughly grabbed her waist
and sat up, greedily sucking a nipple into his mouth. Not allowing them to
disconnect, he shimmied until his back rested against the headboard.

“Hold on tight,” he growled as she latched on to his neck.

Hands imprinting her hips, he pumped with strong, steady
strokes. Within moments she came around him, violently and unbridled,
shuddering in his arms. He hugged her to his chest. Her breasts crushed against
him, sending his nerves racing higher. Her whimpers spurred him to move faster,
harder. He cried out, blissful in release, embedding his hard throbbing muscle
deep within her and swirling his hips slowly as he moaned through the
aftershock of a maniacal climax.

Once he’d caught his breath, he brought them down from the
rush, slowly claiming her lips in a soft, sensual kiss. He gently rocked his
hips, his cock surprisingly semi-hard after being so well spent.

Flipping her onto her back, he stayed inside her, circling
and probing for the right position to touch
the spot
. Her gasps of
pleasure when he angled the right way let him know he was on the right track.
He quickly hardened again from the exquisite joy on her face, her murmured
words of encouragement. She was so responsive and willing, adjusting her hips
but a fraction, moaning against his cheek.

“Right there!” she cried as he pushed into her hard, over
and over again.

The
spot,
the
position would forever be etched
into his mind’s navigational system as she came undone beneath him, bracing his
shoulders with a grip of death, her entire body convulsing and trembling around
him.

He shivered uncontrollably with the power of his release,
his cock coated in wet warmth.

He reluctantly pulled out of her and flopped onto his back
with a groan, dragging her to his side.

“How did you do that?” She hugged him and rested her chin in
the crook of his neck with a sigh. “That’s never happened to me before. How am
I supposed to go back to a normal lover after that?” She lifted her head and
looked him in the eye, her breath slowing.

“You don’t.” Exhausted, he rolled onto his side, their sweat-slicked
bodies molded together. He breathed deep and exhaled heavily with contentment,
his body thoroughly relaxed. He held her for quite some time. She felt too good
to let go.

“I’m a bit nervous about tomorrow night,” she said softly,
breaking the silence of their bubble.

“Nothin’ to be nervous about. It’s only the band and a few
friends, maybe a few of the road crew. Most of them are on other jobs until we
tour.” He lightly kissed the small concave hollow near her shoulder.

“I thought it was only going to be a
few
people? Just
exactly how many did you invite?”

“Not many. About forty, I guess.” He laughed at the fright
upon her face. “Hey, don’t worry so much. You’ll be fine. Look how much Ricky
likes you. If any of the boys were gonna be tough to crack, it was him. And
he’s
never
bought any of my women gifts before. That alone speaks
volumes.”

She stared at him for a moment. “What would you have done if
he didn’t like me?”

He smiled. “Eh, get a new best friend.”

* * * * *

Waking with the sun shining brightly, the curtains still
open from the night before, he roused Sam from sleep, scratching his
three-day-growth across her shoulder until she turned in his arms and cuddled
into his chest.

“I don’t think you should go anywhere on your own, just to
be on the safe side,” he whispered. “What’s the worst that could happen if you
don’t go to this dinner party tomorrow night?”

She bolted upright and he immediately missed her warmth.
“Jess, I have to go. It’s my job. I’ll be on a boat full of people and I’m a
strong swimmer. What could possibly happen?”

“All right, then let me come with you. You can bring a date,
right?” He rested his head on his bent arm as he looked up at her. He was
really worried. He hadn’t been joking about not letting her out of his sight.

“Yeah, maybe… I guess I can check. You sure you want to go?
I mean, it’ll be a stuffy affair, you know. I’m not looking forward to it
myself so don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Don’t worry. I can handle it. Whatever
it
is. Ah,
what’s it for again?”

“It’s a charity dinner with a bunch of rich snobs on a
private yacht. Not what I’d call a good time for a rock star.” She got up and
headed for the bathroom.

“I don’t mind. Don’t you think I’ve been around snobs
before? I met the Queen of England, I’ll have you know. If she’s not the most
la-de-dah dinner host, I don’t know who is. I know what face to put on for
these things. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

The shower started and he decided to join her.

“I thought you had plans for tomorrow tonight already.” She made
room as he stepped inside and closed the frosted glass door behind him.

“I do, but now we can go to both instead of being apart all
night.” He grabbed the soap and scrubbed his chest and arms. “We go to your
charity thing first, you make an appearance and we stay for dinner. Then after,
we hightail it before they set sail and catch a taxi to the
real
party.
It won’t really kick off until after midnight anyway so we won’t be missin’
much. Be there by eleven or so. No problem.”

He kissed her nose and she smiled in agreement.

* * * * *

The house needed preparation for the crowd. Rick was due to
arrive early and Jesse’s parents were bringing the food—Dino had insisted on
catering when Jesse invited them.

Sam set up her laptop in Jesse’s downstairs office and glued
her sketches onto thick pieces of cardstock so she could show the band her
ideas—the best she could do with what she had to work with.

Rick arrived just after lunch. He and Jesse stocked the bar
in the poolroom near the back deck just off the kitchen and filled large party
tubs with ice and beers. They also hooked fairy lights all throughout the main
parts of the house and in the gardens out back.

Vince and the rest of the band showed up shortly after four,
wanting to get business matters out of the way before the party started. Sam
was introduced and the meeting got under way.

She commenced by giving them her first impressions of all
their previous album covers and displayed each one on her laptop as she spoke
of the concepts used. She explained how she’d spent the previous day going
through their live shows and media interviews.