Tudor Redemption (Tudor Dynasty Book 4) (20 page)

“Ha ha! No, you two aren’t old enough.
Sorry.”

“Thank goodness. I was afraid you were
going to sell us off to the highest bidder.” He snorted.

“Very funny.” She stuck her tongue out and
marched out of the room.

This was what he needed, not being alone
on his sailboat. Angus never had done well on his own. Thus, his prankster
persona. This divorce was going to be a pivotal turning point in his life. I
silently hoped for the good.

Over the next two days, Beth and I talked.
She understood my need to stay close to my brother in his time of need. I had
enough going on to keep me busy and keep my wanderlust to cross the sound at
bay.

Having confided to Amadeus, baby brother
came up with an excellent solution. Provided Angus didn’t go and turn into a
party animal. It was his solution when things got tough. Amadeus offered a
condo he and Zara kept in Bellevue for company or just as a getaway for the two
of them.

But first, I had twenty-four hours of
exclusive use of the condo. I begged my brothers to let me have one day. Beth
and I hadn’t had much alone time. At her place, we had to stay out of sight of
the paparazzi. Mine, well I had the girls, and now Angus.
 
Sure, I could take her to a hotel, but that
seemed a tad on the sleazy side.

Angus agreed, because he had appointments
all that day, and driving to the eastside after didn’t entice him.

Beth was more than amenable to the idea of
a day and night together. She took the ferry again as a walk-on. Once she
called me that she was aboard, I would leave, giving myself just enough time to
greet her.

I caught a glimpse of her as she walked
toward me bag in hand.
 
I threw open the
door as traffic was buzzing by my side. She threw her bag in before her.

“Hi,” she said in that tone that makes me
melt.

“Hey, yourself,” I replied, leaning over
her way to kiss her.

“This was such a wonderful idea, Dame. I
was beginning to wonder if I would seriously have to bribe you to come to
Bainbridge.”

“If that’s what our option was, I would
have. I like this better. We’ll have the place to ourselves. It’s a nice place.
View of the lake, the Olympics. Perfect.”

“Sounds perfect. How’s Angus, by the way?”

“Coping. His day was filled with attorney
visits and some other ones. The girls will keep an eye on him once they get
home.”

“Is that such a good idea?”

“Yeah, I think it is. He needs some time
for him. He has a lot to deal with. Today is the real test.”

“I can’t even imagine, but I know you can.”

“Yeah, well, spending time with you is a
priority.”

“Do we need to go to the grocery?”

“We’ll find out shortly. I thought we
could either stay in and cook our own dinner, or we could go try one of the
restaurants.”

“Sounds interesting. Oh, before I forget,
Ethan said if you’d like to pop in at any of his remaining shows, let him know.
He’d love to have you.”

“That’s tempting.”

“He figured you might want to use your
voice before the release.”

“I’ll think about it. I know interviews
are going to be starting up in the next week or so. Need to prep for those.”

“Just in case they throw a curve ball?”

“Something like that. Now, I think that’s
enough of business for today. Let’s talk about anything else. This is our time.”
I reached for her hand with my free one. “I really need some time with you, Bethie.”

“Then that’s what we shall have.”

We rode most of the way in silence. Beth
was in awe as we drove through the town of Bellevue. It had changed in a big
way since we were kids. Skyscrapers everywhere, traffic that never ended.

“This was why I wasn’t too interested in
looking at Ethan’s building over here.

“No doubt. This is horrible.”

I pulled into the underground parking deck
and drove until I found my brothers spot. Grabbing both my own and Beth’s bags,
we made our way through the lobby and upstairs.

She gasped as she walked through the door.
“This is gorgeous. Do they ever use it?” She walked over to the drapes and
opened them, letting in the grayish day.

“Rarely. They got a deal on it, but I
believe with the babies, it’s used more for company than a get-away.”

“That’s too bad.”

“Yeah, well, it’s a good place to deposit
my mother when she’s in town. The lake does give us some reprieve from her when
she’s on a roll.”

“Damien! That’s so mean,” she scolded with
a grin.

I was in the kitchen, trying to get an
idea if there was anything to eat, or if we needed to make a run to a grocery
store. I gave the bad news.

“Let’s do that now. We’ll get enough, that
if we don’t use it, Angus can.”

“Does that mean when we get back we’re not
leaving here until tomorrow morning?”

“Absolutely, Mr. Tudor. When we return,
you’re all mine.”

Only I turned the tables on her when we
did. Our tongues and lips dancing madly. It was all I could do to get the
groceries to the kitchen. Beth moaned long and hard into my mouth, driving me
crazier than I already was. I started unbuttoning her blouse. Finishing somehow,
I reached for the clasp of her front-clasp bra and popped it open.

I peeled out of my t-shirt and pulled her
up to me, wrapping my arms around her. Her breasts against my bare chest.
Paradise. She pulled her lips off mine and backed away, unzipping her jeans and
slowly shedding them off her hips, letting them drop to the floor. It was fucking
erotic to watch.

She was in front of me in black lace
panties and nothing else. Her lips were swollen, but she looked like a goddess.
She took me by the hand and led me into the living room, where she pushed me
playfully down on the sofa. She unbuttoned my jeans, her eyes locked on mine. I
lifted up and my cock sprang free, hard and ready for her. When she leaned toward
my dick, I lifted her back to my face. I wasn’t sure how much I could endure of
having her mouth on me.

I set her on me, her knees resting on
either side of me. With one hand, I pushed the lace between her legs to one
side and inserted two fingers inside her. She moaned loudly as I slid them all
the way in. She was soaking wet. I pumped in and out as she rode my hand,
whimpering. I couldn’t stand much more. I ripped off her panties with my free
hand. She slowly sank down on me. Then, she rose up before sliding back down,
taking me deep.

Damn, had I gone to paradise? Nothing could
compare to this. My hands held her hips as I helped her ride my cock. Our
mouths were intertwined, open, kissing and nipping. All of a sudden, she bounced
harder and faster, clearly ready to come. I kissed her neck, leaned down, and took
a hardened nipple in my mouth, rolling my tongue around it then sucking hard.

I thrust into her, knowing I wasn’t going
to last, pulling her hips down on me as I did. I couldn’t get enough of her
closing around me. When her muscles contracted, I thrust up again as I came,
hard.

“Oh. My. God. That was fucking incredible,
Dame.”

“Yeah.”

“Would you like a bottle of water?”

“No, I want more of you. But water would
be a nice touch.”

I watched her as she lifted off my lap and
walked to the kitchen. I groaned, following her.

Biting her lip with a smile, she handed me
a bottle. My god, she was gorgeous. Taking her hand, I led her down the hall to
the master bedroom.

Beth threw the covers back and crawled up
on the bed, laying on her back. I wanted to explore every inch of her body.
That thought had me hard, again.

I settled between her legs as her knees fell
open. I could feel how wet she was as she pushed herself up and rubbed against
me. She wanted more.

Kissing my way down her face and neck to
her breasts, I sucked on one. I gently bit her nipple. Her breathing was hard
as she groaned my name. I kissed a trail down the center of her stomach and proceeded
lower. I nibbled at the top of where that triangle of hair started. Only there was
no hair. Beth had shaved herself, or whatever it is women do. She smelled like
Beth. Nothing else.

She arched off the bed as I licked her wet
slit. I held her immobile by pushing her hips down with my hands. I did it
again, and she cried out. Louder this time.

Pushing her thighs apart, I continued to
lick her, spreading her wider. I pushed my tongue in and out of her. I heard
her moaning. At that moment, I sucked her clit into my mouth and slipped two
fingers inside.

My god, she was hot and wet. I caught my
hips rubbing against the bed. Still finger-fucking her, I flattened my tongue
and circled her nub.

“Damien...”

I needed to see her come again, so I moved
my fingers faster, my tongue teasing her. I watched her, the ecstasy as she went
rigid.

“Oh fuck!”

I felt her hands in my hair as she pushed me
toward her cunt. In a moment, she began to relax.

Hell, I was just getting started. I covered
her body with mine and slid into her. She was tight and slick, and she clenched
around me. I slowly pulled out then pushed back in. Then, I thrust faster,
watching the pleasure on her face.

I hooked one arm under her knee to raise
her leg up over my shoulder as our bodies slapped together hard and fast. I
wasn’t sure how much longer I could last.

Finally, I thrust into her one more time,
riding out the most intense orgasm I’d experienced. I groaned as my arms collapsed,
and I fell on her with my full weight. She kissed me as I struggled to catch my
breath.

If this was heaven, I didn’t want to
leave.

Chapter Seventeen

With the release date looming now, I
decided to take Ethan up on his offer to show up unannounced at some of his
gigs. We planned out what song or songs we’d do together. Now, it was time to
put the plan into action. Not only was it a good way for me to get back on
stage, it gave Ethan and me some time together. It also didn’t hurt that the
media was always around his venues. Some of them having gotten a prized interview,
some merely hoping for a word with the young superstar.

Beth and I flew into Los Angeles where
Ethan and his band were playing two sold out nights at the Staple Center. There
was to be an after-party following the first night’s show. An interview had been
arranged to be held between the two. Beth had quietly promised the interviewer
there would be a surprise. Me. It was a subtle way to get some attention for my
upcoming CD.

I was pumped at the idea of being on stage
at such a large venue, even if it was only for one or two songs. I was also
scared to death. Scared of how I would be received. Seattle had been different.
I was a local. Hometown boy done good, sort of thing. Here, I was going to get
a shot to play one of my own compositions in front of a huge crowd of Ethan
Maverick fans. What could possibly go wrong?

It was a gorgeous, Southern California
afternoon when we stepped out of the limo Ethan had provided and into the
hotel. The boy had class, I had to give him that. That and he had an uncanny sense
of what it took to maintain a high profile image. Something I would never have
thought of at his age. He made sure he and his band were booked into one of the
legendary, Beverly Hills hotels.

I tipped the young man who’d brought our
luggage to our suite and closed the door. Beth was walking through the suite,
checking out the rooms. She stopped and looked at me, a faint smile on her
face.

“There’s a huge jetted tub in the
bathroom,” she said, pushing her hair behind her ears. “I wonder if we’ll have
an opportunity to use it.”

“Is it big enough for two?”

“Yes, most definitely.” She was now at my
side, wrapping her arms around me.

I did the same, pulling her close. “Why
don’t you call Ethan and see what the schedule looks like. Perhaps we can make
use of some time to ourselves.”

“Are you suggesting what I think you’re
suggesting?” she asked coyly, rubbing herself against my now throbbing dick.

“Fuck yeah, Bethie.”

I leaned down and kissed her hard. The
times we had completely alone were few and far between. When we were together,
I cherished ever second. For the past few days, I had done nothing but
fantasize about this trip. The two of us alone with our passion.

She broke the kiss, stepping back. But not
before teasing me by placing her hand over my erection and squeezing.

“You’ll pay for that, woman,” I growled,
as I watched her take her cell phone out of her pocket.

“Promises, promises,” she teased, walking
a safe distance from me.

I decided to look around while she spoke
with Ethan. Partially to give her space, and in part, it was a way for me to
walk off some of this tension.

Finally, I sprawled out on the huge bed
and waited for her to finish the call. I could faintly hear her voice, but
couldn’t make out the words.

She came in and crawled up next to me. “Ethan
and the boys are on their way back from the sound check and rehearsal. We’ll
meet him in a couple of hours.”

“So, we have a reprieve? Some time to
ourselves?”

“Yes. Just the two of us. Can you handle
that, Tudor?” She giggled.

“Oh, I think I can more than handle that,”
I said, as I turned on my side and covered her body with mine.

****

Time to rock. The excitement of the crowd
was so intense it could be felt all the way in the dressing rooms. Beth and I
sat to one side while Ethan and his band mates had a last minute pep talk and
discussed anything that needed to be known. Before hitting the stage.

I could feel the adrenaline rush in the
room. Hell, you could smell it, the sheer build up to what was about to happen.
As much as I wanted to pace, I sat, Beth holding my hand, my foot tapping in
anticipation.

Ethan strode over to us. If he was nervous
he masked it well. “You ready to rock n’ roll? Let’s go show them how it’s
done.”

I don’t remember what I said. I vaguely
remember guiding Beth through the long corridors of the arena as we followed
Ethan to the stage. I thought we’d never get there.

We stood off to one side in the wings as
the band was announced. In a second, they were passing us, Ethan bringing up
the rear. He shot a thumbs up at me, grinning.

Beth and I stood and watched as they ran
through hit after hit. Bloody Queen. Snake in the Grass. Strange titles for
songs, but it didn’t seem to matter to the fans. They roared for more.

I was to come on toward the end of the
set. Ethan and I had chosen one of my more popular Rypp Tyde songs. It was one
that we could both sing. That and it rocked and was still popular. If the crowd
approved, I would solo on one of the three songs of mine sitting on the charts,
done by other artists. Call me old fashioned or superstitious, but I was not
going to play anything off the new album. Even with one song having been
released early to radio stations.

Ethan, however, didn’t agree and had
prepared the band to play it. If the two songs went over well, I had the green
light to launch into “Ain’t Life Grand.”

One of my greatest fears was my sometime
issues with my balance. On my right side. It was a lingering after effect from
the stroke, the one that had taken me the longest to overcome. It seemed to
come on under stress, and Lord knows, I was feeling it right now. It would mean
I would have to concentrate harder if I didn’t want to have an incident.

I barely remember Ethan calling my name,
Beth squeezing my hand, and walking out on the stage in front of thousands of
people who’d paid good money to see my son perform.

We launched into the piece without a
problem. The crowd was eating it up. And yeah, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t as
well.

Then, it happened. I could feel my right
side wanting to give way. I willed myself to stay upright. The song was so fast-paced,
the audience wouldn’t have picked it up. That and the fact that Ethan realized
something was off. He launched into me, butting his left side against my right.
The fans took it as us being into the music, but in reality, he’d saved me from
a most embarrassing situation.

At the end, Ethan and I were standing side
by side, a bright spot blasting down on us. He was revving up the crowd. He
leaned over to me. “You want to cut to just one more? Your new one?”

“If they’ll have it.” I grinned.

Ethan made banter about us and how proud
he was that I was launching my first solo work. That got them ready, and for
the next four or five minutes, I was on that stage singing by myself. Though it
was an upbeat song, I kept myself more in check this time. This had to be
perfect. This was my so-called debut back into the industry I had a love-hate
relationship with.

This time, it was pure love.

A while later when the three of us were in
the privacy of his limo, Ethan asked about the incident. “What happened out
there?”

I sighed. “It’s from the stroke I had.
Sometimes, when I’m excited or under stress, I find keeping my balance harder
to do. Always on the right side. I’ve worked my ass off to teach myself to
control it. You saved my ass out there.”

“Wow. Now, I understand your reluctance to
perform or tour.”

“Keep this to yourself, Ethan. It’s not
for public knowledge,” Beth said quietly, squeezing my knee. It was moments
like this that proved to me we were meant for each other.

“I know nothing,” he replied, winking at
me. “You’re really incredible, you know it?”

“Me, no. I just had to learn to make the
best of the hand I was dealt. One of these days, when we both have more than an
hour or so off, I’ll tell you about it.”

“I’d like that. Courtney and Brittney
mentioned it in passing, but that was all.”

“Yeah, they were a lot younger, so I’m not
sure exactly what they remember of that time.”

“Well, the crowd loved you, especially
your new song.”

“They did, didn’t they?” I beamed.

“Yes, they did,” Beth agreed.

The limo slowed down as it approached the
venue where the after-party was being held. It was a club that had been closed
to the public for the night. A few hundred of Ethan’s closest friends had been
invited.

“How many interviews did you say?” he
asked Beth.

“One. This is an exclusive for both of
you.”

“Both of us? Who is it, Beth?”

“Rolling Stone. They approached me about
doing an exclusive interview with the two of you. Father-son rockers. You know
Jim Zapo.”

“And you’re just now telling us this, Mom?
I thought it was one of the local rags.”

“Oh no. Jim contacted me after hearing
about the club gig in Seattle. He saw a story and contacted me. I gave him the
homogenized version of Damien’s relevance to you. I told him this would be a one-time
only opportunity, or I’d let it go to someone else.”

“Pretty clever, aren’t you,” I interjected,
grinning at her.

“I told him it’s an after party, but he
had twenty minutes. Which, of course, horrified him. I indicated that if the
two of you were comfortable with it, another could be arranged.”

“Can’t we just get it over with now? I had
plans for us tomorrow.” I gave her my best pouty face. I did. I had huge plans
for us tomorrow. “Besides, this is Ethan’s tour, not mine. I’ll tag along, but
I think if he wants an interview about us, it needs to be at another time.”

“He’s got a point. If he really wants it,
he’ll clear his schedule for another chance,” Ethan put in.

“Okay, okay. I’ll speak with Jim.”

The limo came to a halt, and the door opened.
But not before Ethan had changed into a clean t-shirt. He was the first to
emerge, stopping to sign autographs and take pictures with a few fans who had
managed to break through security. Beth was next. She paused for a second
before heading to the door. I followed her, trying to keep my head down as I
passed the young women. We waited a moment on Ethan before being led inside by
one of the club’s owners.

The room overlooked the club with tinted
windows. Obviously the VIP room. Someone asked us what we wanted to drink, and
Ethan and I chimed in at the same time. It made us laugh as we looked out at
the crowd.

I turned to see what Beth was doing. She
was seated on one of the sofas, watching us.

“I thought these windows were tinted so no
one could see inside,” Ethan said quietly.

“They are,” one of the other gentlemen
replied.

“Then, how come that woman is smiling and
waving as though she can see me?”

I glanced back around and found myself
doing a double take. Julia. How in the hell had she gotten herself invited, and
better still, how did she know I was here? “How the hell did she get in?” I
said, my voice raising in anger.

“You know her?” Ethan asked, looking at
me.

“Unfortunately, that is my ex-wife, the
girl’s mother.”

“Julia?” Beth stood up for a look.

“Do you want me to find out how she got in?
I can have her escorted off the property,” the nameless dude said.

“No, don’t bother. At least not yet. That
would only make matters worse. It would feed her need for attention.” I glanced
at Ethan, who was taking a long drink off his beer. “Before you ask, the girls
wouldn’t have mentioned it to her, because neither one of them talk to her.
Haven’t in years, as far as I know. Not on a very regular basis.”

“That’s what Court said. She also said she
and Britt changed their phone numbers because of her.”

I’d completely forgotten about that. We
all had. “Yeah, we all did. It’s been so long ago, I forgot all about it.”

I noted Jim Zapo had walked into the room.
I recognized him from somewhere. Probably a long ago interview. Beth had gotten
up and was talking with him about the changes.

Ethan winked at me. “So, what do you two
have planned for tomorrow?”

“Like I’m going to tell you.” I snorted.

“You ought to take her to Venice Beach. I
don’t think in all the trips she’s made here that she’s ever seen the beach.”

“But she has seen the Pacific Ocean?”

“Yeah, but not from here.”

“I’ll have to remember that for next time.
We have so little time here, I was thinking along the lines of closer.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” He looked over my
shoulder at where Beth and Jim were standing. “I think it’s show time.”