“But, Trip, this isn’t like buying a personal playground. It’s going to affect other people when you make a bad decision.”
“Are you saying I can’t handle running something like this?”
“No, with help, I’m sure you’ll be fine. What I am saying is that I know you. When you set your sights on something, you don’t stop until you get it—even if it’s not for the best. You aren’t very restrained.”
Shows how much he knows. I want Holly and I’ve showed nothing but restraint since I figured out who she is. I think that proves I can do anything to make this business work. I’ve pushed my own sexual desires to posses her out of the way in order to make this right. “That’s where you’re wrong, Tyke. I know I can do this.”
“How much are you buying the track for?”
I kick at the gravel with my toe. “I’m not buying it, exactly. It’s more like a bail-out loan, then I become a silent partner.”
“That sounds more your speed. Taking on a business is a lot of work.”
“I know that. I’m not a complete idiot. I know I can’t run something entirely by myself.”
“No one ever said you were. I think this is a smart move actually.”
I scratch the back of my neck. “You do?”
“Yeah. This band may not last forever.”
I raise my eyebrows. He’s never said anything like that before. It’s not like him. Tyke loves Black Falcon just as much as I do. “Why would you say that?”
He sighs into the phone. “Forget I said anything. I’m just talking crazy.”
“Am I missing something? Did Noel or Riff say something about the band breaking up?” I can hear the near panic on my own voice.
“No. I’m just saying we’re all starting to go in different directions, is all.”
“We are not. Everyone just needs a break. Once Noel and Riff get their fill of the chicks they’re with, it’ll all be out of their systems and things will get back to normal.”
“I hope so. Haven’t you noticed we hardly see them anymore?”
“Damn, dude, stop being so harsh. Give them time before you doubt them. They’ll bounce back. You’ll see.”
“I hope you’re right, baby brother.”
“Aren’t I always right? And stop calling me that. Who cares that you're five minutes older. Big fucking whoop.”
Tyke laughs. “Obviously you do.”
“Whatever, man. I’ll call you later.”
“All right. Don’t forget to come up with beats for the new songs we were working on before you took off.”
“Will do,” is all I say before ending the call.
I shove my phone back in my pocket and continue across the gravel lot to the shop. When I step onto the porch I spot Holly through the window and I smile. The thoughts I’ve been having about how fucking fantastic she would look naked were confirmed this morning when I walked in on her in nothing but that tight, little birthday suit. I wonder if she’s thought about me since the other night in the bar. I didn’t leave anything to the imagination this morning when I gave her the full Trip show in the bathroom, so I bet she’s thinking about me now.
My morning was made when I heard that pretty mouth of hers say “cock”. I won’t lie and say that wasn’t fucking hot because it totally was. I can practically picture her on her knees begging to wrap her lips around my cock. My pants fit a little snugger as the image becomes clearer.
What the fuck am I doing? Damn it. Think of something else. I start counting off a beat like I do at our shows and then start humming Ball Busting Bitch as I open the door.
Holly’s gaze whips in my direction. “I’ve heard that song before.”
I instantly stop singing and raise an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? You like it?”
She shakes her head. “Not my kind of music. Besides, it got completely played out.”
I have to stop myself from busting out in a fit of laughter. If she only knew how sick of that song I am myself. Playing it nearly every damn day of my life gets a little old.
Finally, I grin at her and wink. “I know exactly what you mean.”
She quickly looks away and goes back to counting the money for her drawer. Her hair is loose today, falling over her shoulders in waves and her make-up is a little heavier than yesterday, reminding me of when I first spotted her in the nightclub. Even with that stupid gray uniform top—which makes her look more like a mechanic than anything else—she’s hot. There’s no fucking denying it.
She writes down the total when she’s done counting and she puts the pen in her mouth, effectively wrapping her soft lips around it, bringing back the vision of her blowing me. I know the simple gesture she’s doing with the pen isn’t sexual in any way, but try telling my fucking dick that. The motherfucker is twitching in my pants at the very sight of it.
Damn. Down, boy.
Holly glances up and catches me staring at her. “What?”
I pull her hand with the pen away from her mouth. “No distracting the teacher.”
Her eyes flit to the pen. “I don’t get it.”
“Men get distracted when a woman puts things in her mouth, especially when we imagine it’s our dick you’re sucking on,” I answer honestly. “If I’m going teach you how to hook a guy, then you need to know how we think.”
She rolls her eyes. “Not all guys are like that.”
“If it walks with a dick, and thinks with a dick…it’s a guy. Trust me on this. I am one, and I know how we operate. Sex rules us.”
Her lips twitch like she’s ready to laugh at me. “All right fine, oh wise one. Teach me.”
I walk around her, enjoying the free roam she is allowing my appraising eyes. This is going to be fun.
HOLLY
Trip pulls on the tops of my arms from behind me. “Put your shoulders back more when you stand.”
“This feels awkward.”
“It probably does, but men notice tits, and you’ve got an excellent set. Use them to your advantage.” He walks around assessing me. “There’s not much we can do with the uniform since Bill is so stuck on you wearing it, but we can figure out other ways to show off that hot body of yours.”
Surely there’s more to like about me other than that. “Jackson isn’t that shallow.”
Trip raises his eyebrow. “You’re talking about the same guy that left you to go after looser pieces of ass. Trust me, he’s a guy—we’re all shallow. Whatever you guys had before is over. We’re starting from scratch.”
I laugh. “At least you’re honest. It’s sort of refreshing.”
He shrugs his thick shoulders. “There’s no other way to be. Now, let’s work on flirting.”
I grin. “Oh, I can flirt, so we can skip that. I’ve already got that down.”
He fights back a smile. “Really?”
I throw my hands on my hips. “It worked on you at the club didn’t it?”
He steps in front of me and his eyes zero in on my chest. Both of his hands dart to my top button on my gray top and he releases it from its hole before moving on to the next one. “First of all, I was attracted to your banging body in that little black dress. It screamed, “Fuck me,” so that’s not flirting—that’s attention seeking. Believe me, I wasn’t the only one watching you shake your ass. I was just the only one brave enough to try and get with you even though you were there with another man.”
“You thought I was there with Max?” I ask even though it doesn’t surprise me. Max isn’t exactly the stereotypically homosexual male. There’s nothing feminine about him. People make the mistake that we’re an item all the time.
“Yep.”
“And you were what, going to steal me away from my date?”
Trip shrugs. “When I see something I want, I go after it. And that night I wanted you. That is until you let him drag you away from me. I figured it wasn’t worth the scene it would cause to kick his ass.”