Page 17 of Follow the Rhythm
“So, Grace and Kieran, you know, obviously, but this is Ursula, the creative director, and Charlie, the tour manager. Have you already met?” Karen said, gesturing to me.
“I haven’t had the pleasure,” Ellis drawled, his eyes finding mine.
Ellis was beautiful, of course. I knew that from the various award shows and magazine covers. But being in the same room with him was like being in the same room with a nuclear explosion of charisma. His black hair fell to his collar, framing a very pretty face. One lock of hair fell artfully over his ice-blue eyes, which were surveying me with what I was pretty sure was interest.
I didn’t usually go for other Alphas, but in that moment, I had what I could only describe as a premonition that we would hook up before the tour finished. Even if that was a terrible idea.
I smiled and shook his hand. “Great to meet you.”
Ellis flicked up an eyebrow. “Likewise.”
Mitchell, the assistant, returned with Ellis’s coffee, which he presented to him like an offering, and the meeting finally got underway. I outlined the route I’d worked out with Johnny and the booking agent he’d hired to secure the 30 stops on the first leg in the States. He’d work out the European dates in the coming months. No one had any concerns, which was gratifying.
“So now I just need to understand how many trucks there’ll be in our convoy for set pieces and equipment. And how manybuses we need for talent and crew. I’ve already got a great team picked out for engineers and tech, but I’ll defer to you on lighting and video crew,” I said to Ursula.
Her face had gotten, if not friendlier, at least less outright hostile as I talked. “I’m relieved to see you know what you’re doing. And yes, as soon as we get the creative nailed down, I’ll get you specs on equipment and crew needs. Speaking of which, someone needs to tell me what the fuck this tour is supposed to be. I’m in the dark here. Are you touring new music?”
“No,” Kieran said sharply. “It’s a farewell tour. For me at least.”
An uneasy silence followed. A current of ill feeling was circulating between Kieran, Ellis, Karen, and Johnny that I wanted no part of. What the hell had I agreed to?
Ursula clapped her hands, dispelling the tension. “A greatest hits tour, then. Simple enough. We’ll work with past album aesthetics and video imagery; we’ve already got plans for past set pieces we can bring back.” Ursula was already scribbling in a notebook. “But I’m gonna need a new designer. I fired the one you sent me.”
Karen put her head in her hands. “Jacques is an acclaimed designer with a ton of experience; you can’t just fire him.”.
“I’m not working with some uppity shit,” Ursula said. “I’ll find a replacement.”
“I know a great local artist,” Grace said and brought out her phone to show Ursula something. I wished her friend luck; having Ursula as a boss would be a fun challenge, to say the least.
“Ellis, a word before you leave?” Karen asked. Ellis nodded and disappeared with her, Johnny, and Mitchell down the hallway. The meeting was over, apparently.
“Thanks for your hard work,” Kieran said. “I know it’s a big job.”
“Oh, thanks, man. It’s chaotic, but I like it. Like a high-stakes puzzle.”
Kieran nodded. “Sounds fucking awful. But let me know if you need anything from me to make your life easier.”
I’d worked with a lot of artists in my career, and it always surprised me how most of them were pretty humble and down to earth. But there were exceptions that proved every rule, and I just hoped Ellis Fox wouldn’t be one of them.
Jess only made me wait two minutes before buzzing me up. I had honestly been expecting longer. But those two minutes were still excruciating enough. The kid at the front desk stared at me with silent awe that set my teeth on edge.
I walked slowly to Jess’s front door so I wouldn’t seem too eager. But as soon as she answered the door, rational thought abandoned me.
She wasn’t wearing the exact outfit she’d texted me a picture of, but it was close. The biggest difference was her low-cut shirt that not only showed off her breasts but also the ring of bruises I’d left around her neck.
Somehow, I’d forgotten about marking her, and the sight short-circuited my brain. I scooped her up with a snarl and slammed the door shut behind me. I drew her mouth hungrily to mine and pushed her back against the wall next to the refrigerator. She writhed against me, pressing her ass down on my rapidly hardening cock. Her juicy lime scent was thick in the air, and I breathed in huge lungfuls.
She dropped her head back as I sat her down on the counter for better access to her throat. I kissed my way from her jaw to her ear, then down the side of her neck where her scent was strongest. I could feel the heat of her pussy through our clothes as she wrapped her legs around my hips and moved against me.
The delicate skin of her throat was as soft as I remembered. My teeth itched with the need to bite her, fully claim her as mine, even though that was the last thing either of us wanted. I coasted my nose up and down where her pulse thrummed, and she whimpered in response, her scent thickening even more. It had been less than thirty seconds, we were both fully clothed, and I was already losing my mind.
“Wait,” I panted. But Jess kissed me again, her hands spearing into the hair at the nape of my neck. I lost myself in the sweetness of her mouth and her soft whimpers.
I brushed my fingers against her pussy and groaned at the wetness I could feel through the fabric of her shorts. She gasped, breaking our kiss, and leaned back on her hands. “Oh god, yes,” she moaned as I dropped my head to graze her nipples through her shirt with my teeth. Her scent and the dazed look of pleasure in her eyes had me rock hard.
Jess helped me ease her shorts down, and I pulled her hips to the edge of the counter. I slid my finger through the wet folds of her pussy, and she shuddered, opening her legs wider for me so I could circle her clit.
“So beautiful,” I crooned in her ear. “You’re so wet for me.”
