“Why don’t you guys hold off on the celebration until after I bring you a contract. Once I have one in hand, I’ll have you all come to LA to sign, and then I’ll take you out.”
“Hitting LA would be pretty sweet,” Cross chimed in. “We can all ride in my car,” he suggested.
Kenton and I both backed away. “That’s okay. I don’t think Pen wants to have to get a tetanus shot from riding in your car. You can ride with me,” Cross said. “It’s only a two-seater, though. Sorry.” Although, he didn’t look sorry at all. “Unless you want us all to ride together.”
“No, that’s okay,” Pen grimaced. She had no idea what she was getting out of. Kenton’s car was disgusting with a capital D. “It’s a nice night, so I’ll ride with Walker.”
Fuck, yeah, she wanted to ride with me.
“Here.” I handed her my spare helmet. I watched as she pulled her long hair into a low ponytail and then placed the helmet on her head. I took the straps from her and secured them.
“Please tell me you’re not some type of kamikaze driver, and I need to fear for my life.” She leaned in and looked over to where Kenton and Cross were getting in Cross’s car. “I’ve never been on a motorcycle before.”
“Oh, then you’re in for a treat.” I finished tightening the straps. “I promise not to do anything… too crazy.”
Pen slapped my stomach with the back of her hand. She looked down and stared as if she could see through my shirt and straight to my abs. “How about nothing crazy at all?”
“Where’s the fun in that? I promise to start off gently.” I held my hand out and helped her get onto the back of my bike. Pen was the first girl to get on my bike since my girlfriend back in high school. It was strange to think of Mara at a time like this. I hadn’t thought about her in years, and all of a sudden, she popped into my head. Pen was nothing like my ex. She worked for the label, so technically she was my boss. Nothing more.
I got on my bike, and Pen immediately wrapped her arms tightly around me. She felt so damn good with her body hugging mine from behind.
I kicked my motorcycle to life, and Pen plastered her body to mine, not leaving any space between us. The feel of her full tits pressed to my back, and the heat of her pussy had me hard in a nanosecond.
Grabbing her hands, I linked them together and placed them low on my stomach. Were her hands fine where they were? Yes, but I wanted her touching as close to my cock as possible, even if riding with a raging hard-on was a bad idea and horribly uncomfortable.
“Hang out tight,” I yelled as I took off down the drive.
CHAPTER FIVE
pen
“So, you don’t like small-town living,” Kenton asked from across the table, his usual goofy grin plastered on his face.
“Nope, been there and done that. I’m much happier living in a city that never sleeps, and no one knows me.” I plopped a piece of spicy chicken into my mouth with my chopsticks and chewed happily. “I bet you don’t even have food delivery in Willow Bay.”
Cross nodded, dipping a dumpling in sauce. “You’d be right about that, but it’s kind of nice being able to walk almost everywhere in town.”
“Well, I hope you like life on the road because if you sign a contract, that’s what your life is going to look like. You’ll be living out of your suitcase and on a cramped bus.”
“I’m so fucking ready for it,” Kenton slapped the table with excitement.
Turning to Walker, I asked. “What about you? Are you ready to leave the college world behind?”
His dark eyes scanned my face, looking for something for a long minute before he spoke. “I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life. Where will you be on this journey?”
Setting down my chopsticks, I looked at the three guys who were giving me their undivided attention. “I can’t say. I might be sent to scout more bands or maybe work in the studio with another band. Hell, I could be sent out on the road to manage someone. My work life is in the hands of others.”
Dropping his fork, Kenton looked down at his food and then back to me. “Can we ask for you?”
“You can try,” I shrugged. “I don’t know if it will do any good.” I did want to stay with Crimson Heat. I’d been working with them from the beginning, and it would be nice to see them through to the end.
“Well, if you get us a contract, we’ll negotiate to have you as our manager.” Kenton smiled as he sat across from me.
“Are you sure that’s what you want?” Inside I was jumping for joy that they wanted me as their manager, and they didn’t see me as a stepping stone to the next part of their journey. “I thought you didn’t like my ballbuster ways. If I’m your manager, I’m going to make you work. Hard.”
Walker’s leg tapped mine underneath the table. “Nope, you’re stuck with us.”
“What do you say we get out of here?” I suggested. “I’m sure you guys have better things to do than hang out with me.” I’d seen the variety of women who stopped by when I was leaving over the last few weeks, and I had no illusions they were there for the music based on their scantily clad bodies.
The boys stood quickly, obviously ready to get back to their regularly scheduled lives. Walker stood to the side and waited for me to scooch across the seat. “Do you think AAA has come yet?”
I pulled my phone out of my purse and looked to see if I had missed any calls. There were a few missed text messages from work and Stella, but nothing about getting my flat tires fixed. “Hopefully. I’ve only used them once, so I’m not really sure about the protocol. I hope so because it’s going to be late by the time I get home.”
Fuck, I sounded old, but I wasn’t some twenty-year-old spring chicken like these guys.
We head outside, and I let Walker help me with my helmet again. I’d never been on a motorcycle until earlier, and while I was scared out of my mind, it was strangely exhilarating. I loved the feel of the wind in my face and the way the motorcycle vibrated beneath me. Most of all, I loved the feel of Walker’s tight abs underneath my hands and the way they’d contract every time I moved my touch.
Walker got on first this time and kick-started the bike. The hum of the bike already had me excited to get back on. I knew I shouldn’t be feeling this way. Not about a boy who was sixteen years younger than me and who I was working with, but I couldn’t help it. There was something about his confidence that I found so damn sexy, and no other man had ever looked at me the way he did. It was probably because he was a horny twenty-one-year-old and had nothing to do with me. While I thought it was a special look only for me, it was possible he looked at every available female in his vicinity the same way.
He held his hand out, and I immediately took it. Walker pulled me close. Once I was only inches away from him, his brows furrowed as he asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?” I really didn’t know what look had been on my face. I only hoped I wasn’t giving away my mix of emotions for him.
“I don’t know. If I knew, I wouldn’t have asked.” His hold on my hand tightened. “Hop on.”