Ace (Playtime Series Book 1) Page 5

  “I’ll agree to this on a few conditions,” I continued, racking my brain to think of the things I wanted to state.

  If they needed me to endure having to deal with Jake, who I did think was sexy, in a rough rocker sort of a way, then they would take my terms in their strides because they knew Jake was trouble. I was going to make sure I at least came out of this complete fake relationship with my dignity and my so called childish innocence intact.

  ~Chapter Ten~

  Ace

  “Hello baby,” Jake’s lush, smooth tone rang out through the sound booth. The guy had been slowly driving me mental all week long, giving me little pet names which I hated. Everyone called me Ace or Lacey which was my real name, but Jake had other ideas of what he preferred to call me.

  “Don’t push me Jake,” I groaned, I wasn’t in the mood.

  “Oh come on, sweet cheeks,” he joked.

  “Jake, unless you want me to remove something you feel very attached to, I suggest you back off,” I spoke, but there was no conviction in my words.

  Truth be told, as much as he was driving me insane, I kind of liked the attention he was giving me. He was toxic, in more ways than one, but there isn’t a girl in the world that could say no to those baby blue eyes and smile of his.

  “You’re a feisty woman, and I don’t intend to mess with you,” he replied with a

  smile.

  “Why do you insist on pissing me off then?” I snapped.

  “I’m labelled the bad boy of the band; it’s my job to piss you off.” Little did he know, bad boy seemed to be the running headline in all the gossip magazines that featured JED.

  “You’re meant to be my distraction,” Jake added.

  “Pardon?” I quizzed.

  “You’re my girlfriend, so you’re not going to make my bad boy status any worse than what it already is. So how about you show your hunky front man some love, and put out?” he teased, running a hand through his hair.

  Cocky, arrogant and a total show pony, the prick knew I wasn’t going to put out. It was a stipulation of the agreement we both signed that I was a girlfriend for show purposes, not for Jake to get his rocks off with.

  “Don’t hold your breath Jakey-poo, this little lady ain’t putting out for you,” I teased.

  “You’re no fun sweet cheeks. I think I might have to persuade you,” he smirked.

  I shook my head. “Jake, don’t you have others to annoy?” I groaned.

  “I just like to see you writhe baby, though I would prefer you squirming on my lap,” Jake continued relentlessly.

  I sighed. The guy was never going to give up.

  “Jake, I’ll do you a deal; I’ll agree to go to the party for the band this weekend with you, if you agree to leave me alone to finish filing through paperwork,” I bargained.

  I was sitting on a brown, leather couch in the sound booth, filing through contracts and the itinerary for next week’s tour. The band was set to start the journey in the Deep South and make their way around the country. JED already had a serious following; groupies as I called them. All in all, I gathered they were just a bunch of horny women hoping to try and score with the band.

  “You’ll come to the party with me?” Jake asked, seemingly shocked.

  “I just said that, didn’t I?” I sarcastically responded.

  “You got yourself a deal baby cakes! I’ll text you the address later,” he replied with a grin, as he turned and headed back into the studio to record yet another track.

  They seemed to be flying through recording tracks and I had to say this new album of theirs was going to be amazing. Not to mention great publicity for them. I intended to hold off until after the tour to release the JED’s self-titled album and I was so glad that Dash and the company agreed with my idea. Once the band finished the tour, they would launch JED’s studio album with a massive L.A style party.

  I swear I had never loved a bath more than I loved the one I was soaking in now.

  My sore, achy muscles were now feeling a lot more bearable and I intended to try and relax a bit before heading to bed early. I had bought home some really greasy Chinese food and planned to wash it down with a glass of wine, after I soaked a little more in the tub. I had meetings tomorrow with stylists, photographers and bloggers that were needed to help with the tour.

  Friday was the day of the party I was now attending with Jake. As his fake girlfriend, I guess it was my duty to go and try to seem like I was interested in him, and truth be told, I was intrigued to find out more about him. The guy was dubbed the bad boy of the band, but Damon wasn’t too far behind him. I had to admit, Damon freaked me out, because it seemed Elle was interested in him…and Elle being into Damon wasn’t something she needed.

  My mobile rang beside the tub, I flicked the screen and hit loud speaker.

  “My beautiful Ace.” Hank called.

  “Hank,” I squealed, I missed him! I had almost ordered more Chinese, thinking he was home, but then I remembered he had left a few days earlier to head to New York on business with a client.

  “How you holding up?” he asked.

  “You heard?” I wondered how long it would take before Hank got the news of Jake and I.

  “Hank, just so you know it’s all fake; Dash and JED’s publicist asked me to do this as a favor to Jake,” I sighed, trying to reassure him just as much as myself.

  “Don’t worry baby girl I know. Dash contacted me after the meeting. He was a little worried you were jumping head first into a situation you couldn’t handle. But then he told me you made Jake sign a contract stating your demands.”

  I laughed, the contract Dash made Jake sign was full of dot points Jake didn’t agree with. Sex was off the table, but the guy still seemed as keen as ever to try and get into my pants. I was only a front, a means to an end, to try and clean up his act.

  “I miss you,” I said, sitting up in the bath. A little water had slipped over the sides and onto the tiled floor. I would need to get out of the bath soon before I shriveled up like a prune.

  “Ace, are you in the bath?” Hank inquired.

  “Hmm,” I mumbled.

  “Lacey,” he said.

  “Sorry Hank, the water is a bit cold and I really need to get out of the bath.

  Can you wait a minute?” I called, stepping out of the tub and wrapping myself in a robe before picking up my phone and heading back into my bedroom to flop on the bed.

  “You know you could have delayed my call and phoned me back. Now I’m going to have a mental picture of you in the tub with bubbles,” he remarked.

  “Hank,” I shrieked, slightly embarrassed by his words.

  “Sorry Lacey but picturing you in my tub at home is just too good to pass up. These dirty, dirty images are going to tide me over till I return to see you,” he joked.

  “Hank James Leroy,” I snapped, ready to yell at him for toying with me.

  He laughed, amused, “Calm down sweetheart, I’m just joking with you.”

  “Why do I get the impression you’re not really joking with me, that the thought of me in your bath at home naked and soaped up is actually what you want to picture,” I giggled back.

  “Let’s not go there Ace,” he said, realizing it was time to change the subject.

  Things were already awkward after our so called kiss, which ignited an internal fire deep in the depths of my core.

  The problem was, we both knew never to delve down the path of becoming anything more than friends and work colleagues, because if we did, things could get ugly.

  “I have to get going,” he diverted, “I have another meeting in about ten minutes.

  I just wanted to check in with you and see how things were going, but I can tell you’re fine and your chipper self.”

  “I really do miss you,” I whispered.

  “I miss you too, take care and I’ll see you at the launch party of JED’s studio album,” he replied.

  I hung up, feeling somewhat cheery about our conversation; I co
uld tell there were underlying topics in Hanks witty banter. Things he didn’t feel comfortable discussing with me, so he joked and fobbed it off as a gag. What it really boiled down to at the end of the day, was that nothing would ever happen between the both of us and the sooner we both realized that, the quicker we could go back to being just Hank and Ace.

  ~Chapter Eleven~

  Ace

  The rest of the week was a fast paced blur; JED had managed to pull out all the stops in order to finish recording the EP. I was impressed with their effort and intended to reward them with a little surprise at the party later tonight. As much as I could say I was dreading going to the party, I knew I was lying. Deep down I was ready to enjoy a little fun before I had to buckle up, hit the road and focus on making this band an even bigger success.

  “You excited about the party tonight?” a voice spoke. I turned around to see Eric leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. I was rendered speechless. Eric was wearing some tight-ass jeans, which hugged every muscle in his crutch area… including his somewhat sizable package.

  He paired his jeans with a leather jacket, which he didn’t bother to do up but just left open to show off his very impressive chest.

  The guy clearly worked out. If he didn’t

  then I needed to ask him all his secret tips on keeping in great shape.

  Honestly, the guy probably didn’t work out, at least not at the gym, but between the sheets.

  “I’m a little excited,” I smiled, hiding my sudden appraisal of his fine figure. Why on earth did the thought of licking his ripped body turn me on? I gathered my poor sex life was making me want things I really needed to steer clear of. If I was to ever let any of these rocking rebels near me, I would crash and burn… and not in a good way.

  “A little excited? You sure you’re not overly excited to delve into the world of us bad boy rockers?” he smirked, making me go weak in the knees. Fuck this shit. I needed to head home, shower and pound out a session with my battery toy before I faced a night of watching these boys enjoy booze, women and most likely a night of hot sex.

  It seemed they had no shame; well at least Damon didn’t, since he and Elle practically tried to bang each other in the back seat of Hank’s Jag.

  “Am I allowed to bring a friend?” I asked, hoping that I could score an invite for Elle. The partying was more her scene and she would flip over being able to attend the JED tour kick-off bash.

  “I’ll say yes, on one condition,” he

  grinned, stepping closer to me. His breath was warm and sent a shiver down my spine that hit me right in the lady parts.

  Damn my stupid self for being so turned on by something as simple as a man’s warm breath on my face.

  “I’ll agree if you promise me a goodnight kiss tonight,” he grinned.

  I smiled and looked away; the thought of kissing him would be fun, but totally stupid. He leaned in even closer, his breath now whispering against my ear.

  “And Ace, you better be a good kisser because those lips… baby they’re calling to me. And as much as I know that you’re supposedly dating Jake, I think you’re fair game, which means I intend to have my wicked way with you,” he said as he placed a sweet, lingering kiss to my cheek. He walked out, leaving me standing there wondering if I had just dreamt this whole bullshit conversation up in my head. Right now my girly bits were asking me to ride to town with my battery friend, and I had the distinct feeling that my battery toy wasn’t going to douse the fire Eric just generously started.

  ˜*˜

  Eric

  Telling Ace that I wanted to kiss her was probably wrong on so many levels, but that girl’s lips were calling to me. When I walked into the studio to find her in yet another hot pencil skirt and button up blouse which hugged her curvaceous body, not to mention those massive breasts, I knew I had to try and see if I could raise a reaction out of her. I never expected to actually be so turned on by the fact that I could probably melt that little beauty and have her eating out of the palm of my hand.

  Jake was such a cocky bastard. He had managed to get her to be his fake girlfriend in order to clean up his image. I knew he needed it, but the mere thought of her having to deal with his total crap was rubbing me the wrong way. I was no saint myself; I was cocky, arrogant and brazen when it came to women. I liked controlling them in bed, setting the pace and enjoying the ride. But there was something about Ace that made me want to protect her, not just from Jake but the rest of the band too.

  Chris was a nutter unfortunately, he enjoyed not only drinking, but the occasional drug or two. Lucas, his brother, kept him out of trouble for the most part.

  Damon was too pussy-crazy to even think about anything but his dick…not that it was a problem. Let’s face it, when you’re in a rock band the females are always willing and waiting to spread their legs and enjoy a bad boy rocker. But Jake, he ate women alive and spat them back out, before moving on to his next poor innocent victim. I swear as much as I knew they were faking it, I could see Ace become another casualty of Jake’s charm.

  ˜*˜

  Ace

  I had been trying for the last hour, to find some relief from the throbbing pain I felt in my lady bits.

  The orgasm I needed, had somehow managed to bury itself deep inside and it didn’t seem to want to visit anytime soon.

  I showered and dressed in a thin strapped, mid-thigh length cocktail style dress in black. The ‘LBD’ - little black dress, was a woman’s ‘go to’ dress when they couldn’t figure out what to wear.

  We all knew that black seemed to be the

  right color choice in any situation.

  I decided to leave my hair out and straighten it. I didn’t want to overdo the whole look. I was the band’s manager and an employee of Dash records, so I had a standard to set. I applied a small amount of natural, brown, eye shadow and headed for the door. I slid into the back seat of the town car provided and gave the driver instructions on how to get to Elle’s home. She was so excited when I called her with the news that I had scored an invite to the party of the month.

  She squealed and thanked me gratefully.

  I almost wanted to chop my ears off so I didn’t

  have to hear any more about how good Damon

  was in the sack. It was more information than I needed to hear and the truth be told, the horny, little beast inside me was already screaming and didn’t need any form of information like that.

  I shook my head and tried to turn my thoughts to tomorrow. I was leaving L.A for a country tour with none other than the legendary young rock band JED. I was starting to think being on a bus with five hot-ass rockers was going to be the death of me.

  ~Chapter Twelve~

  Ace

  “Holy shit, look at this place!” Elle shrieked as she jumped from the car. I knew she was going to be somewhat of a handful, especially with the dress she had on. The not-so-subtle dip in the back would draw her enough attention on its own, but the fact that it barely covered her ass, was going to be the lure for men’s and maybe even some women’s eyes.

  Elle was correct. This place was, for lack of a better word, gorgeous. I loved Hank’s home but whoever lived here… WOW. I’d hate to be the owner of such a place, because in all honesty, I would loath having to clean a home so big and extravagant. I just prayed the landlord had good insurance. Letting this many people loose in a beautiful home with a ‘party hard’ rock band was only going to result in disaster.

  “You bitch!” I heard someone yell from behind me, as I turned to see what the commotion was about. A very young looking blonde was storming towards Elle and I.

  She didn’t stop till she was only a few centimeters away from my face.

  “You’re the bitch who stole him from me aren’t you?” she barked. I was beginning to wonder what the fuck was going on until I saw Jake stumble out into the foyer with a grin on his lips. The cheeky bugger seemed to like the fact that I was being yelled at by some blonde who thought she was dati
ng him.

  “I beg your pardon,” I snapped.

  “You heard me, you stole my boyfriend,” she yelled.

  OMG what was she, thirteen? I groaned and wondered why she would cause such a scene at a party. I gathered Jake had planned this all along, he wanted to see what I would do if someone questioned the legitimacy of this FAKE relationship.

  “If you’re implying that I stole your boyfriend then you’re deadly wrong,” I replied, keeping my cool.

  I hated confrontation and tried to avoid it at all costs, but when a petite, little blonde starts yelling in my face that I stole her precious Jake I couldn’t help but get a little defensive.

  “You did steal him from me! I was going to be the mother of his children, and we were going to live happily ever after together…,” she began to sob.

  This comment made me laugh hysterically to myself, but realistically, I had to

  admit I was slightly concerned. This girl was totally delusional.

  Jake was a womanizing sex pot; the guy was never going to settle down, at least not at the ripe age of twenty four.

  “I think that’s enough Candice,” Eric’s voice rang out through the room.

  I hadn’t realized that we had drawn a small crowd of onlookers. Obviously they were keen to see where this confrontation was heading. I was interested to know how on earth this conversation came to be in the first place. I knew very little about what Jake’s publicist was releasing to the press, but I did know that the news of our so called relationship was not due to be released until tomorrow when we left on tour.

  It seemed Jake had disappeared as I could no longer spot his gloating face. I hoped he was pleased with his efforts because the poor girl in front of me was crying and clinging to Eric for dear life.

  “Piss off and go back to your drinks, there’s nothing to see here,” Eric yelled. The crowd listened and dispersed. The music kicked in and a few party goers were yelling and screaming some choice words like nothing had happened at all.

  “Is she going to be ok?” I whispered to Eric, genuinely concerned about the situation that resulted in this poor girls undoing.