Back-Up (32 page)

Matching Jack’s smirk, Hunter says, “I’m sure he did.”

Jack
then clears his throat, the bastard.

Throwing Jack the evil eye, I turn away to grab a chair, but mostly so Hunter doesn’t see my face blushing profusely.

“Hi Amanda” I say changing the subject as I drag a chair closer to the couch, and away from Jack. “I hope we aren’t interrupting you guys.”

“Hi Leila. No
, we were just relaxing. We had a late night last night. My roommate had a party.”

Hunter gives her a chaste kiss. They are so adorable together. “What did you guys do?” Hunter asks while looking at Jack suspiciously.

Jack quickly says, “Leila showed me around Hoboken to try and convince me it has merit. Then we just hung out and talked and talked.”

Hunter raises his eyebrows. “Talked and talked?” I notice Amanda subtly nudge him with her elbow.

“Yeah, you know how that works, we talked and talked.” It’s like they are speaking in code. Curiously, I watch as Jack gives Hunter a bug-eyed look, and Hunter gives Jack a fuck off look.

Ignoring the jackass twins, I turn back to Amanda. “Um, Amanda, where do you live?”

“I’m in SoHo. I’ve been there about five years now.”

Hunter pipes in. “Her apartment is only a few blocks from the studio.”

“That’s a great area. Where do you work?”

“Mid-town. So my commute is fairly easy. I’m in advertising. You two should come by my place one night. We have a fantastic Thai restaurant around the corner.”

“We’d love to.” / “Trey & Scott should come too.” 

Jack and I speak at the exact same time, and then quickly look at each other.  We couldn’t be more obvious if we tried.

Hunter notices our exchange and adds, “Sure. We’ll have them bring Lori and Patti and make it a date night.” He is so on to us. “Leila did you have fun at your farewell show?”

I
chance a glance at Jack. “It was fun and I’m sure you saw how much of an embarrassment I was.”

“No you weren’t. Y
ou are an adorable drunk.” Jack admits with a smile. Unable to control myself, I instinctively smile back, until I notice Hunter watching us like a hawk.

“You’re very different when you’re drunk.” Hunter teases.

“Yeah, I’ve heard that.”

After spending some more time chatting with Hunter and Amanda,
she reminds him that they need to take off. That means I will soon be here alone with Jack. I’m going to rip him open a new one and then ride him for hours.

Hunter comes closer to give me a hug. “See you tomorrow
, Leila.” Amanda says a goodbye as well, and they both head towards the door. Hunter suddenly stops and adds, “Be good kids.”

Once they are gone, I look over at Jack to see he’s grinning like a fool. “Talk and talk? That’s what you come up with?” I ask raising my eyebrows. “What the hell?”

He laughs and says, “I was just throwing his own words back at him. The night he met Amanda they came up here and she spent the night. The next morning I asked him how it went and he said all they did was
talk and talk
.”

He shrugs and stands to pull me out of my chair. Wrapping his arms around me, he starts sucking on my neck.

“Jack, he could come back, and plus, I’m mad at you.” At the same time I turn my head to give him better access. I’m such a freakin’ hypocrite.

“What did I do?” H
e asks in between kisses.

“Um…Can you stop so I can think?” He’s driving me wild.

Jack chuckles and steps away. “Ok, what’s freaking you out so much?”

“Do you think he…”

“Yep.” He moves closer until I push him away. The
what the hell
look he gives me makes me lose it.

“Jack…I…he…I…damn it!” I take two steps, turn back towards him
and try again.  “He can’t know!”

“Can you dial down the crazy please?”

Huffing loudly, I can’t respond because he’s absolutely right. I’m babbling like a complete lunatic.

He grabs my hand and pulls me towards the couch,
sitting me on his lap. “Listen, Hunter could speculate all he wants. He’ll ask me and I’ll admit nothing, unless you want me to.” Shaking my head, he continues, “He’ll drive himself crazy with whether we did anything or not. So let him. We will be careful, and after a time, he’ll drop it.”

Digging his hands into my hair, he
lowers my face towards his. “In the meantime, we will be good, unless he isn’t around. It is what you want, right?”

“Yes.”

“Ok, then we will keep our relationship a secret, for now.  But if you change your mind, I’ll tell him in a heartbeat.”

He would have made a grea
t lawyer, as I immediately forgot what I was worried about. I also forgot I was mad at him, and start making out with him like a teenager…a horny teenager who wants more. He’s made me ravenous.

“Now can I show you my room?” 

“Yes, please.” I would have done it right here on this couch, but I realize that it is daylight, and people could be watching.

Jack drags me by the hand in lightning speed, all the way down the stairs and straight to his room. He opens the door
and presents it with a “Ta da…” Giggling as I walk in, I can’t see a thing. It’s very dark until he flips on a light.

“It looks like the middle of the night in here.
Are your windows painted black?”

He walks over and pulls back the blinds. “Room darkening shades
. I like it dark. Your room is entirely too sunny.”

“I’ll get you an eye mask. A pink satin one.”

“Funny.”

It’s a t
ypical guy room. His guitar is propped in the corner. His dresser is littered with change and journals and CD’s.  There are clothes on the floor in clumps and shoes in the spot where he must have kicked them off.  His bed is unmade. There are free weights and a bench in the corner.

“You’re a slob.”

“I wasn’t exactly expecting company when I left here Friday night.” He watches me as I walk around the room inspecting things.

“You don’t belong to a gym?”

Walking to the weight bench, I sit on the edge and picture a shirtless Jack, lifting weights. The visual instantly turning me on. Noticing my smirk he reads my mind.

“I hate gyms. This way I can work out naked.”

“You’re lying.”

Laughing,
he adds, “Ok, not completely naked. I wouldn’t want to hurt myself.”

Shaking my head, I smirk at his comment. Neither would I.

I move to his dresser to pick up a framed picture of his parents and sister.

“You all should be super-
models.” I say staring at the picture. It’s not fair that one family can be so gorgeous.

He comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder. “Looks aren’t everything. They are really good people. My mom and sister are saints. They both keep me grounded.” Once I replace the picture, he turns me around and gives me a look that says he is done with the small talk.

Jack and I spend hours rediscovering each other in his dark messy room. As he holds me in his arms, I giggle.

“What?” he asks looking down at me.

“Never saw this coming. I can’t believe we are here, when just two days ago you were my boss, who I had a tremendous crush on.” I admit.

“You did?” he asks smiling.

“Oh come on. I acted like a complete idiot the first time I met you and probably every time since. You had to have known.” I say incredulously.

He laughs and
admits, “You didn’t act like an idiot. It was more like a deer caught in headlights.” He kisses my nose just as I wrinkle it.

“Such a great,
flattering
visual.” I say, moving to lie on his chest. I run my hand across the smattering of hair he has in the center of his chest and I start tracing his tattoo with the tip of my finger. I move his arm so I can see it better. “This really is cool.”

We shift so we are
facing each other.  “Can I convince you to get a mini version?”

“Um, no…”

“Oh come on. How sexy would a mini version look right here?” He traces a spot over my left breast, then bends to kiss it. “Or here.” He traces a spot on my left hip, then bends to kiss that. “Or here.” His finger moves to a spot on my inner thigh very close to my sex. “My name here would look so hot.” He bends to kiss that spot, lingering there longer than the others. He positions himself between my legs. “Yep…this is my favorite spot.” He bends and sucks the skin of my inner thigh between his lips, until he leaves a mark and then moves to my center to torture me with his tongue.

“You are very convincing.” I gasp out while he
continues his torments.

He brings me to an immediate orgasm. 
Then starts again and doesn’t stop until I lay limp. He kisses his way up my body to my breast, stopping there for a few seconds then moving up to my lips. He immediately takes me, sinking into me slowly. I enthusiastically respond by arching my back to get him deeper. I can’t get enough of him, and the thought terrifies me.

Lying together, entwined in his bed, I ask a question I’ve been dying to know the answer to.  “Jack?”

“Yeah, babe?” I instantly forget what I’m about to say. He’s called me babe before but it still causes my breath to catch in my throat. I reach over and stroke his hair. It’s so soft to the touch. He smiles and leans into my hand. Blinking, I then remember what I was about to ask. This man makes me feel like I have A.D.D.

“
Have you slept with Trini?”

Jack turns his head to look into my eyes. His pause confirms my suspicions.

“I thought so.”

“Babe, Trin and I have a very convenient relationship. We are really just good friends.”

“Who screw.”

“I care about Trini, b
ut I don’t love her. She knows that and she feels the same about me.”

My heavy sigh causes him to frown. “Are you upset?”

“No. Yes.”

He leans down and kisses me gently. “There is nothing for you to be upset about. I’ve told Trini how I feel about you.”

He did? His admission softens the blow, just a tad.

“Can I ask you another question?”

“Anything.”

“Did you ever sleep with Jennifer?”

There isn’t even a second pause when he says, “Absolutely not.” I look back at him and am instantly relieved because that would upset me more than anything. He watches me intently. “Why?”

“I was just curious. She is very posses
sive of you and not in an agent-client kind of way. I needed to know if you two have a history, since she hates me.”

He reaches over to stroke my cheek. “She does not hate you. Jennifer is just ruthless when she wants to achieve her goal. She wants us to
reach fame, and will make sure nothing stops us. Don’t take it personally.” He kisses me, and pulls away to add, “Besides, she’s really not my type.”

“You have a type?” I ask surprised.

“Yeah, I have a type. Why?”

“
Well I’ve witnessed Mr. Sex on Legs flirting with all types…brunettes, blonds, redheads, even Goth chicks. It’s hard to believe you have
a
type.”

“Mr. Sex on Legs?
Is that my nickname?” He’s clearly amused.

“One of many.” I respond purposefully ignoring his gaze
.  He lays me back onto the bed and starts a torturous interrogation with his lips. He starts to nibble on my neck. When he is doing this to me I would confess to a murder without question, and I think he knows it.

“What are the others?”

“So what’s your type?” I ignore his question, trying to steer the subject back to that. I need to know if he prefers blondes. Maybe I don’t want to know. That could cause a lot of agonizing for no reason.

“
I asked first. What are my other nicknames?”

“Let’s see…m
mmm...Um… so there is Mr. Sex on Legs… mmmm…and Mr. Rock-Star-Sex-God Extraordinaire…um…Mr. Pretty…oh, and then Panty-Soaking-Rock-God.” This one makes him smile as he lifts his head to look at me.

He
resumes his attack on my neck. “Any others?” He is driving me insane.

“Man whore.” I breathe out.

He stops and looks at me. “Man whore?”

Uh oh
… 

“Yes, um, you earned that title the night I saw you on the roof with the fake-boob twins.” I answer, sounding a touch apologetic. I look into his eyes, and see he is hurt by that nickna
me. I guess it’s a sore subject, which doesn’t sit well with me.

He moves away and lies on his back, staring up at the ceiling, folding his arms behind his head.

“Hey, I was mad at you, and extremely jealous.” I grab his chin to turn his head towards mine. “How many have there been?” Do I really want to know this?