A Time to Move On (12 page)

Her hands reached down and touched
between Mack’s legs. She cupped his hardness and he thrust at her again.

“Shit,” she whispered. “Mack…”

“No,” he said. “I’m taking you,
sweetheart.”

“Okay.”

Mack reached around and unsnapped
Laura’s bra with one hand, a little trick that he had used many times before
but had never made him feel as empowered. Mack brought his hand back around and
slid over her bare, warm breast. She was the size of his hand, her stiff nipple
rubbing against the palm of his hand.

Laura moved her hand, finding the
button on his jeans. She undid it and slowly tugged at his zipper, working
seductively in silence.

They kissed again and Mack pulled
at Laura’s pants. She wiggled her hips, working with him. Mack took his hand
from Laura’s breast and focused on her pants. Once they were down to her knees,
his hands moved back up. The tips of his fingers caressed her legs. His left
hand stayed on the outside of her leg, moving up and around her ass. His right
hand cut to the inside of her thigh and didn’t stop until he touched her
panties. The heat radiated from Laura’s body. When Mack pressed with two
fingers, Laura jumped with surprise. She grabbed his sides and moaned. Mack
pulled at Laura’s panties, moving them out of his way. When he touched her
smooth, damp center, Laura dug her nails into his sides.

He could tell she had pent up a lot
of sexual energy. She had a wild look in her eyes and she was biting on her lip
as if she was holding herself back from attacking his body. And she didn't even
seem to care that they were out in the open on a stage where any one of the
guys could find them.

It was crazy. And crazy was exactly
what he needed. Crazy felt good.

And so did Laura’s body.

He massaged her with two fingers
and pulled at her ass. Laura moved closer and let out a echoing cry as Mack
sank two fingers inside her. His fingers gently moved in and out, working with
the movements Laura provided.

She was so ready and eager,
thrusting at him. Her hands were shaky as they touched Mack’s lower body,
trying to get his pants down. Mack enjoyed watching Laura. Watching her squirm
against his touch. Looking into her eyes and seeing an intense passion staring
back at him.

Mack couldn’t remember the last
time he felt this way. Laura pushed herself back to a sitting position. Her
shirt covered almost everything, but Mack didn’t let things slow down. If there
was one good thing about having a survival bag at all times, this was it. Mack
had a bag next to the stage. He opened it and found protection. He came back at
Laura and continued kissing her where he left off. She put her hands to his
face again and held him there.

The kiss was hot and deep. Mack
sheathed himself and then gently placed his hands to Laura’s legs. He guided them
open and allowed his right hand to slide back up to touch Laura again. The same
two fingers sank back into her. He started to pull his fingers out, but Laura clamped
her hand down on Mack’s wrist.

“Don’t,” she whispered. “I’m… right...
there…”

Holy shit.

Mack was ready to have Laura and
she was ready to explode. He pushed his fingers into her again. Her sex was
like warm silk. As he moved, Laura kissed him more aggressively. Her body
quivered with excitement and she remained holding Mack’s wrist, going with him
as he moved at her.

When Laura reached a climax, her
mouth hung open and little sighs of relief breathed into his mouth. Mack looked
down and watched Laura's body uncontrollably thrust at his fingers as she came.

Carefully, Mack moved his fingers
from Laura. He kissed down her neck and up to her ear. He teased her with his
teeth and then he whispered, “Be ready, sweetheart…”

And that was the only warning Mack gave.

He grabbed Laura’s lower back and
pulled as he thrust at her. Her silky body struggled to accept him, but once
they were together, Laura began to shudder again. She put her hands to Mack’s
shoulders and held on.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes,” Laura said. “Keep going.”

Mack pulled back and thrust again.
He repeated the same move over and over, working with Laura’s beautiful body.
He slipped his hands around to Laura’s front and eased her down to her elbows
on the stage. He held her waist tight and thrust with force. Mack was suddenly
struck by the notion that it felt different. It wasn't about sex. It was about
two confused people releasing all their passion and intensity onto each other
in the hopes that it would help them move on.

Mack rested one hand on Laura’s
breast. With his other hand, he guided her back to a seated position so he
could kiss her. They kissed for a few seconds before Laura stopped and just
stared at him. Her eyes overwhelmed him and Mack was ready to explode. He
thrust again and kissed her, holding tight as he came. His kisses slowed to soft
and gentle until their lips were just touching.

Mack jokingly rubbed his thumb
across Laura's nipple so that she would jump. She moaned and kissed Mack again.

After a minute or so, he knew he
needed to pull out, so he slowly backed up until he fell from her. Mack
expected there to be an instant awkwardness, but there wasn’t. Laura got
dressed and just sat on the stage, as if they hadn't just done what they did
right there. Her confidence turned him on.

Mack hopped up onto the stage and
sat next to her.

They were both still catching their
breaths.

They looked at each other at the
same time and started laughing.

“I’ve never done that before,” Mack
said.

“Sex? That’s a lie.”

“Not just sex,” Mack said. “I mean…
I've never done that here…”

“Really?”

Mack nodded.

“What else can you tell me?” Laura
asked.

“Mack isn’t my real name.”

“It’s not?”

“No. My name is Chase Mackenzie.
But I've always been called Mack.”

Laura smiled. “So I know a secret
about Fallen Tuesday's drummer?”

“Yeah, I guess you do. Don’t tell
anyone.”

Mack leaned toward Laura. They
kissed again. He had no idea what the hell it all meant.

Laura moved her fingers like a
spider across his hand. He turned his hand and interlocked his fingers with
Laura.

He was holding a woman's hand...
for the first time since... Kelly.

(12)

Mack could barely focus as he sat
behind the drum kit. He stared right where Luke was standing. If it were the
other night, Luke would have been standing on Laura.

Mack smiled.

Luke held the mic to his right side
and was pointing to Frank.

“Did you hear the feedback?” he
called out.

“What feedback?” Frank shouted.

“I’ve got noise in my ear.”

“Maybe it’s Amy,” Trent said into a
mic.

His voice echoed and everyone in
the room laughed.

The twenty person group consisted
of record exec’s, street team members, and some of the guys that would be the
road crew for the upcoming tour.

“Funny,” Luke said. “But I’m
serious, I’ve got feedback in my right ear.”

“Play the song and we’ll tweak it,”
Frank said.

Luke looked back at Mack and gave a
nod.

Mack called out, “Pick up before
the second chorus.”

He smacked his sticks together four
times and picked up where they left off. The band kicked right back into the
song they’d been playing. Luke went into the chorus and started to tap his
right ear. The crew messed with some buttons and after a few seconds, Luke gave
a thumbs up and then the song became flawless.

They ran through two more songs.
After the last note, Luke waved both hands.

“That’s good for now, right?”

Mack grabbed a bottle of water and
stood from his kit. He wiped his face and waited for Jake to hand his guitar
off to one of the techs.

“Careful with the reverb on this
one,” Jake said. “The pickups have a great tone without it. I want the sound of
the guitar to come through.”

“Sure,” the tech said.

“And for the solos, make sure we’re
level on sound. I want Gray and I to be together, not competing.”

“Were they off?” the tech asked.

Jake looked at Mack. Mack shook his
head. “Sounded clear to me.”

“We’ll keep working on the boards
then,” the tech said. “If there’s anything else, let me know.”

“Thanks,” Jake said.

Mack punched Jake in the shoulder.
“Look at you, man. Trying to be demanding and tough."

“And look at you… smiling and
joking.” Jake smiled big. “You get laid?”

Mack grabbed Jake by his shirt and
pulled him close. “And who would I be sleeping with?”

“There’s one woman that comes to
mind.”

Mack let Jake go and smiled. “I’m
not speaking to any of it.”

He wrapped his arm around Jake’s
neck and they joined the other guys at the edge of the stage. Mack looked down.
He had not planned on having sex with Laura when he brought her to the
soundstage. He had only wanted to see if he still felt
it
when he was
around her. He had no idea what
it
was, but the mystery was keeping him
on his toes and his mind off everything else.

“What are we thinking?” Luke asked.

“Sounds great,” Frank said. “Tight
sound. Good show.”

“The tour is going to do big things.”
A executive named Anton stood and adjusted his suit jacket. He was one of the
big wigs at the promotion company for the tour. “We’ve got a ton of sponsors
lined up. Seats are filled. Double shows are being booked. The international
response has all been positive. All we need now is an album to back it all up.”

Mack pointed in the direction of
the other guys in suit and ties. “Talk to them. Tell them to drop it.”

Anton turned. “Drop it, guys.”

Everyone in a suit laughed. The
band didn’t.

Mack jumped down from the stage.
His boots hit with a thundering boom.

“What’s the official date?” Mack
asked.

“Tuesday, Mack,” Frank said. “You
know that.”

“The success of the first single
has us raising projections,” one of the exec’s said. “The preorders alone have
been… well, it’s going to be a big album. Which means the it absolutely needs a
big follow up.”

“That’s covered,” Luke said. “We’ve
got more songs already.”

“You do?” Frank asked.

Mack looked back at Luke.
We do?

Luke smiled. “What if we were able
to kick out a six song acoustic album right after? Something that could be
recorded on the road. We could get it mastered and out for sale in, what, three
months or so?”

“I think we can work with that,”
one of the exec’s said.

Frank put a hand out to stop Luke
or anyone else from talking. “Why don’t we arrange a meeting for all this?”

“I don’t mind,” Anton said. “More
albums mean more tickets sold. Fill the seats and I’ll find more to fill.
Deal?”

Mack hated the business side of all
this. He just wanted to play drums and be a rockstar. He reached down and
grabbed his bag. He opened it on stage, remembering the last time he had reached
into it. He grabbed a t-shirt and smelled it.

It smelled clean.

Mack changed his shirt and then
looked up at the band. “I gotta get out of here."

“We’re leaving,” Frank said. “You
guys stay here.” Frank turned. “Gentlemen, shall we talk somewhere more
comfortable? I know a great restaurant in town.”

Mack saw Luke smile. Frank and the
suits would be dining at Amy’s restaurant tonight. And then Luke would probably
be dining on Amy later. Mack's mind went right back to Laura again. Everything
made him think of her. Music. Food. Sex. Everything.

Frank and the suits cleared out of
the soundstage and Trent jumped down next to Mack.

“I hate those guys,” Trent said.
“They see us as dollar signs.”

“We make a lot of money because of
those guys,” Jake said. “But I hate them too.”

Mack slipped his hands in his
pockets. “I’ll catch up with you guys later or something. I gotta go for a ride
to clear my head.”

Gray let out a whistle. “Clear your
head? Is that what you're calling it now…?”

Mack lifted a fist. “My life, my
business. You only worry if I’m not behind that drum kit.”

“That’s a deal then,” Gray said.

“You sure you don’t want to road
trip somewhere on our new bus?” Jake asked. His eyes gleamed like a kid.

“Who’s going to drive us?” Mack
asked.

“I don’t know. Call Frank.”

“Where is the bus?” Mack asked. “I
didn’t see…” Mack caught himself. He bit his tongue and shook his head.

The bus
wasn’t here the
other night…

“What are you talking about?” Trent
asked. “The bus is in the lot. I don’t know where the driver is though."

Mack nodded and motioned to the
door. “I’m gone.”

He could feel all eyes upon him. At
the door he grabbed the handle and stopped.

“Dude,” Jake called out. “Whatever
this is, we like it. You seem happy.”

Gritting his teeth, Mack threw the
door open so it would slam against the wall outside and then slam shut. His
appearance of being pissed off all the time was part of his character. But as
Mack put his helmet on and climbed on his motorcycle, there wasn't an ounce of
anger in his body.

As he rode through town, he knew
his destination. He didn't want to waste a day that he could see Laura.
Thinking about her was not good enough. He needed to see her and touch her. He
needed to figure out what was going on between them, if anything. Maybe they
were just two people hiding from themselves in a fantasy world.

Mack pulled into the back lot of
the apartment building and he sat there as he reached for his phone. He sent one
text and then tucked his phone away and waited. He left the motorcycle running,
the rumble calling Laura to come out.

When Laura appeared a few minutes
later, she looked back toward her apartment and then at Mack. He waved to her
and she walked over to him. He enjoyed the sexy simplicity she had in jeans and
a hooded sweatshirt. Once Laura was close enough, he offered his hand and she
took it.

“What is this?” she asked.

“Come for a ride with me. I have
the day to kill. I want to kill it with you.”

“So you expect me to just be at
your disposal?”

“That’s one way to look at it,”
Mack said. “Unless you’re busy.”

“Where are we going?”

“Since when do you care about
plans?”

Laura smiled. Her cheeks flushed.

She’s insanely beautiful, man…
just lo
ok
at her…

“Come on,” Mack said. “I think we
have plenty to talk about. Since we didn’t do much talking the last time we
were together...”

Laura giggled and gave a nod. “Okay.
Give me a minute.”

Laura turned on her heel and Mack
got a kick out of the way she tried to walk calmly even though he could see the
skip in her step. When she disappeared back into the apartment building he
closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. Guilt and pain resided in his
chest, but it seemed to go away when Laura was there.

When she came back out, Mack took
his helmet off and handed it to her.

“You keep this up and I’m going to
need one of these,” she said with a smile.

Laura’s hands slipped around his
body. He felt her grip the front of his leather. He smiled. Gently, Mack
reached down and touched Laura’s hands. He slowly opened them and then brought
them together so her fingers were interlocked around him.

Even the most subtle of touches was
driving him crazy. By the time he turned out onto the street, he was
uncomfortable in jeans. That’s what Laura did to him without even trying.

There was no plan in place because
Mack had simply just wanted to see Laura. So as he rode around town, he had no
idea where to go. The thought of going to the soundstage came and went. He
didn’t want to be bothered by the rest of the band, if they were still there.
Plus, there was a chance Frank and all the exec’s would be coming back to
discuss more details.

So Mack went to the only other
logical place he could think of.

He took Laura to his house.

It was a strange feeling to have a
woman on the back of his motorcycle as he pulled into the driveway. Mack pulled
up to the garage and turned the motorcycle off. Laura climbed off and when Mack
turned to face her, she looked worried.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Is this your house?”

“Yeah. Kind of… pointless, huh?”

Laura shook her head. “No. It’s
beautiful, Mack.”

Mack reached out and unclipped
Laura’s helmet. “No, Laura, you’re beautiful. This is just a house.”

Laura smiled and inched forward.
Her hands touched Mack’s leather and then pulled at him. He gave her a quick
kiss and then hugged her.

“Why the hell does this feel
right?” he whispered to Laura.

“I don’t know,” Laura said. “I
don’t want to question it.”

“Don’t you question everything?”

“Yeah. But I don’t
want
to
question this.”

Mack broke the hug and took Laura
by the hand. He led her inside and locked the door behind them. It meant the
world to him to be able to lock the world away. Even though the band had a key
to the house, it still felt like he and Laura could be alone together to learn
more about each other.

“Want something to eat? Drink?”

“No thanks.” She looked around with
awe. “This place is amazing.”

“It’s a house.”

“Not just a house, Mack. It’s a
home..."

Mack froze and watched the gleam in
Laura’s eyes. He noted the way she admired each room.

Laura paused at the doorway to the
music room. She put her hands on her hips and just stood there. She was too
tempting not to touch. Mack approached quietly and put his hands to her hips.
He gently pulled Laura back so she rested against his body. She turned her head
and looked up at him.

“Isn’t this supposed to be a dining
room?” she asked.

“I have nobody to dine with,” Mack
said. “So I made it into a music room. Works for me. There’s always an
instrument handy when I feel like playing.”

Laura reached up and touched Mack’s
face. “You get more intriguing each time I see you.”

“Why? Because I am a rich musician
who bought a normal townhouse and turned the dining room into a music
room?"

“Exactly. You’re as flaky as me,
Mack. No matter how tough you try to appear.”

“Flaky? Did you just call me
flaky?”

“Yes, I did,” Laura said.

Mack twisted Laura's hips and spun
her around. Her hair flew across her face and then fell down her back. Mack
grabbed her ass and lifted her onto the counter.

“Did I offend you?” Laura asked.

“No. You’re right. I’m a complete
flake.”

“Why the house then? Why not
something bigger and in a gated community? Isn't that what most famous people
do with all their money?”

“Because this is cool to me,” Mack
said. “A normal house. Maybe someday it’ll be more. Or maybe I’ll sell it and
let a family move in.”

“Or you could save it for your own,”
Laura said.

“My own family? I don’t know about
that.”

“Why not?”

Mack smiled. “Is that what you
want?”

Laura turned her head. “I don’t
want to talk about it.”

“Why not?” Mack asked.

Laura moved her legs and hopped
down from the counter. Mack could have blocked her if he wanted to, but he
didn’t want to force her into anything. He gripped the edge of the counter and
took a deep breath, inhaling whatever fragrance Laura was wearing. She smelled
delicious.

He spun around and watched Laura
walk through the music room. Her fingertips reached out and she touched all the
instruments she could.

“Why are some things hanging up?
And why do you have different drum sets?”

Mack went to the fridge and grabbed
two beers. He opened them both and went into the music room. He handed Laura
one, and without hesitation, she put the bottle to her lips and drank.

That was sexy to Mack. Laura was down
to earth, even if she had a deep vulnerable side. Mack had started to touch on
it and he wouldn’t stop.