No One to Hold Read online

  “THAT WAS DELICIOUS,” Rose says, placing her fork down on her now-empty dessert plate.

  “Yeah, not too bad, huh?”

  “It’s nice having a personal chef.”

  “It doesn’t suck,” I say truthfully. “I do enjoy cooking, but having Lana preparing meals makes life much easier during the week when I’m in town.”

  “After work, I usually only have the energy to make a bowl of cereal. Sometimes, if I’m being industrious, I make popcorn. When I’m really lucky, Grandma Gertie stops by with some of her fabulous cooking.”

  “Well, stick with me baby, and I’ll treat you right.”

  I mentally pat myself on the back for not saying anything about her being overworked by Gruesome, or living so far away that she wastes time commuting, or even anything about her finances. I don’t want to get her Rose hackles up.

  “Well, it certainly is nice to have a home-cooked meal that I didn’t have to actually cook. And no pots or pans to clean up. Thank you.”

  “Thank me with a kiss.”

  She stands up and walks over to my chair, places her hands on my shoulders and gives me a sweet kiss on my lips. Unable to resist, I plant my hand at the back of her head and crush her lips back to mine. Our tongues begin their familiar dance, and she wraps her arms around my neck.

  By the time we pull apart, we’re both panting. God, how I want to get lost in this woman. “You’re very welcome.”

  She looks bewildered for a second. A teasing glint enters her smoky blue eyes. “I wonder how you would thank me if I cooked you a meal.”

  My mind races with the possibilities. “How about Saturday? You can feed me, and then find out what a proper ‘Cole thank you’ looks like.” I gauge her reaction. “And feels like.” She turns pink, causing me to chuckle.

  I stand up and give her a playful swat on the ass. Then we clean up together, working in sync, like we’ve been a couple for months instead of a matter of days. While she’s loading the dishwasher, I pour us some Cabernet. “Let’s go poolside.”

  Walking hand in hand, we wander to the chaise lounges. I sit and pull her onto my lap. “This is where you belong,” I whisper into her ear, enjoying her shudder in response.

  “You’re spoiling me.”

  “You deserve all this and much, much more, babe.”

  “Penny for your thoughts?”

  “Oh, they’re not worth that much. So, tell me about your day.”

  Rose sighs. “You first.”

  “Okay. Well, I played ‘Taboo’ for Russell and Jon, and they both like the song. We’ve added it to Moving Forward Slowly. Recording is going smoothly, but I hope to be done with my part of the album by the end of the week. Then comes all the mixing and post-production stuff, and I’ll have to start working with the team on prepping for the concert tour and videos.”

  While I’ve been talking, Rose has been driving me crazy by rubbing slow circles on my thigh. I place my hand on top of hers to stop the torture. “Your turn. How did Roberto work out?”

  “He was fine. I didn’t leave the building, so he didn’t have much to do today. He did accompany me to my house when I went to get my mail. Jake introduced himself and he seems nice, too.”

  “Good. I’m glad he was unobtrusive. Your house is going to be covered 24/7 until the stalker is caught.”

  “I wish they weren’t needed.”

  Time to change the subject. I clear my throat, “Does Gruesome really want me to go out on a publicity date on Friday night?”

  Rose looks down. She’s as unhappy about the situation as I am. “She wants you out in public with a new woman pronto.”

  “Did you tell her about the stalker?”

  “No. Until it’s confirmed that you actually have one, I don’t want to bring it up. Besides, you hired the PI and all those bodyguards, so whoever your date is, she will be safe.”

  “Hey, you know I don’t want to do this, right? I want to go out in public with you. You’re my girlfriend. I want to show you off.”

  I earn a small smile from Rose.

  “Thanks, Cole. But you know what we have to do.” She shifts her hips but remains on my lap. “Is there anyone you’d like to be want to be seen with?” Rose pauses, and leans over and gives me a sweet kiss. “Other than me?”

  What a weird conversation to be having with my girlfriend.

  “Honestly, I’ve been trying to come up with some names all afternoon, but I’m drawing a blank. I adore Jessie, but she’s out of the running, obviously. How did you pick out dates for me in the past?”

  I’m truly curious about this, more so considering how uncomfortable Rose looks. “I, uh, well, I . . .” she stammers.

  I pull her in for a kiss. “Now, I’m intrigued. Tell me,” I murmur in her ear, running my hands over her boobs.

  With a look of determination, she starts again. “I would compile a list of models and actresses who were currently unattached in public. Then I’d pull their photos and stats, and decide which ones would look best beside you. If I didn’t know the woman, I would ask around about her personality, intellect and conversation skills. I’d also determine which ones were already working with Greta, which ones were with friends of hers in the industry and which ones she might want to represent. I’d make my selections from that list.”

  My eyebrows rise. “You actually did some digging on their personalities?”

  She nods her head in the affirmative.

  “So how come you set me up with so many empty-headed bimbos who couldn’t string two words together?”

  Rose studiously looks down at the cement, each one of her fingers flicking her thumb sequentially. I swear she’s sporting a cheeky grin on her face. “You set me up with the bimbos on purpose?”

  “Not all of them were, ah, intellectually challenged.” A blush steals across her face.

  “You went out of your way to hook me up with women who you knew would bore me within minutes. Like that awful Mimi Barker.” Gotta hand it to her. She’s good. “So, that’s how you exacted some revenge on me for forgetting our night at NYU.”

  “I didn’t look at it that way.”

  “Really? And just how did you look at it?”

  “I was only doing my job.”

  “To the letter, huh?” I smile at her; I can’t help myself. “Remind me never to get on your bad side again, babe.”

  Rose is grinning broadly at me. “You’re not mad at me, are you?”

  “Mad? No.” Highly amused is more like it, but I don’t want Rose to know that yet. “However, this does seem like a punishable offense.”

  “Punishable?” she squeaks.

  “Oh yes, baby. You’ve punished me with some crazy-ass dates over the years. Seems only fair that I get to repay the favor.” While I’m speaking, I tighten my hold around her waist to ensure that she can’t escape.

  “I was just doing my job, Cole,” she repeats, half-heartedly struggling in my arms.

  “Consider this part of my job as your boyfriend. You need to curb your wayward ways, my dear.”

  Quickly, I turn her so that she’s facedown over my lap and her ass is right where I want it to be.

  Rose struggles in earnest now, but my left hand on her back keeps her in place. Using my right hand, I caress her bottom. “I wasn’t doing it to be mean, Cole!” Rose exclaims.

  “No? Not even a little bit?” I ask her, caressing her ass. I’ve never spanked anyone before, but this seems like a good time to start.

  “I was doing my job,” she mutters softly.

  “What was that? I didn’t quite hear you.” As I’m talking, I slowly lift up her skirt, leaving it bunched around her waist.

  “Job! I was doing my job!”

  I raise my hand and bring it down on her panty-covered ass. Not too hard, barely more than a swat. “Was it nice of you to fix me up with so many vapid women?”

  “How was I to know, Cole? You never complained.”

  Her response stops my hand mid-air. She’s right,
I never spoke up, mainly because the women were so hot and all I wanted to do was screw them. But that was in the beginning. After a while, I got bored with all the empty conversations. Jessie made me realize that.

  Smack—a bit harder this time. Rose squirms.

  “I didn’t complain because I didn’t know I could put in requests.” I take hold of her panties and give a quick tug, tearing them to reveal her gorgeous ass. She sucks in her breath as I stroke each cheek, skin on skin.

  “I wasn’t a mind reader. I thought everything was fine.”

  “You were enjoying it, though, weren’t you? Imagining me out with someone as vacuous as Mimi Barker.” She’s one of the reality star “celebrities” that’s just famous for being famous. A real social media whore. She even ordered menu items solely based on price, even if she hated the food. When I told Dan of the dates, he immediately nicknamed her MooMoo. So appropriate. I give Rose two quick smacks on both cheeks. They turn a light shade of pink.

  Rose moans. “Cole. Okay . . . maybe . . . yes!”

  I smirk, knowing that she can’t see me. So, she did punish me for not remembering our night together. This woman is diabolical. And perfect.

  Two more spanks and I let my fingers enter her pussy. Wet.

  “Seems like you’re turned on by spanking. I’ll have to remember that for the future,” I whisper in her ear, relishing her moan.

  “Stand up.” Rose obeys without hesitation. Her skirt falls to her legs and the material that was her panties flutters to the ground. I stand and crush her body to mine.

  “Cole,” she pleads.

  “Upstairs, baby.” I bring her lips to mine for a passionate kiss, and we go up to my bedroom. “Take off your clothes and stand at the end of the bed.”

  Minutes later, she’s done exactly as I commanded, which makes me smile. She has no clue that her punishment hasn’t ended yet.

  “Turn around and place your hands on the bed.”

  “But you’re still dressed.”

  “I see that. Don’t worry your pretty little head about me. If I were you, I’d be more concerned about the punishment still to come.”

  Her sharp intake of breath confirms that she thought the spanking was her full punishment. She turns to face me and says, “I’m sorry.” Her posture belies the sentiment.

  “No you’re not.” I chuckle. “But don’t worry, you will be. Now, turn back around.”

  She stays facing me, her hands finding her hips. “I’m not some puppet you can order around, Mr. Manchester!”

  “No. You’re my girlfriend who needs to be taught a lesson about payback.” I try, but fail, to control the smile that overtakes my face. “Now. Turn. Around.”

  She returns my smile with a wicked gleam in her eyes. She understands this encounter will bring her pleasure. Eventually.

  Her naked body is fucking perfect, but I refuse to be distracted. I quirk my brow, yet she doesn’t move. “I was doing my job,” she repeats.

  “I got that, Ro. Thanks for Jessie, by the way. She was the one bright spot in all those fake dates. Now, turn.” I reach out and forcibly turn her body, placing her hands on the bed so that she’s slightly bent over. “Don’t move.”

  I go to the nightstand and pull out the new vibrator, lube and condoms. Rose is going to scream my name louder than ever before.

  Walking up behind her, still fully dressed, I wave the vibrator in front of her face. “I believe you’re acquainted with this?”

  She shudders in response. Even though her pussy is dripping, I lube up the toy, turn it on and rub it around her folds. I avoid her clit for now.

  “You’re so beautiful,” I whisper in her ear.

  She moans when I nip her earlobe but maintains her position. Trailing kisses down her spine, I continue to work the vibrator, finally giving attention to her clit.

  “Oh!” Rose screams while thrusting toward the vibrator. I continue my assault, measuring her body’s responses until she’s about to fall apart.

  “You’re not allowed to come, Rose. Do you understand?” She’ll thank me for this later. All this teasing will lead to an explosive result.

  “What?”

  Smiling while kissing her neck, I repeat, “Do not come.”

  “Cole!”

  “Trust me.”

  I remove the vibrator from her pussy, giving her time to recover. As soon as her breathing approaches normal, I resume my ministrations on her body. Fuck! I want to rip off my clothes and bury my straining cock balls deep into her, but not yet.

  When her breathing speeds up, I pull the vibe away from her again. She groans in disappointment. “Frustrating, isn’t it babe?”

  “Please, Cole. I’m sorry! It was the only revenge I could get.”

  “Thanks for admitting that. You may,”—I pause for dramatic effect, knowing full well that she expects me to let her climax—“take off my clothes.”

  Heaving a loud sigh, she turns and makes quick work of my belt. While she’s lowering my zipper, I admire her boobs and glistening pussy. Inserting two fingers into her tight hole, I flick my thumb over her clit, causing her to pause in pulling my jeans and underwear down my legs and whimper my name.

  “That’s right. You can’t come until I say so.”

  “I want to,” she grumbles.

  Knowing the payoff will be worth it—for both of us—I reply, “Not yet.” I step out of my jeans and remove my shirt. Carefully, I insert the vibrator where my fingers just were. “Now suck my cock.”

  Rose gives me a pleading look, but she drops to her knees and starts giving me a blow job while holding the vibrator with her hand in her pussy. I almost come at the erotic sight. All too soon, it’s time to end this game.

  “Up, Ro.” She stands and I hand her the condom packet, looking from it to my painfully erect cock. Obediently, she rolls the condom on me.

  “Remove the vibrator.” Looking embarrassed, she completes the task. I swear she’s so turned on that a breeze would set her off like a rocket. Well, I’m going to give her a hell of a lot more than a little breeze.

  “Lie down on your back.” When she follows my instruction, I thrust into her wet body and place her legs on my shoulders, feet by my ears. I reach down and flick her nipple, eliciting a long groan from her.

  Her body climbs again, searching for her orgasm. Writhing, she pleads, “Cole!”

  I’m not going to be able to hold back much longer, so I reach between her thighs and tap her clit while thrusting deep. “Okay, now.”

  Rose lets out a series of incoherent screams, punctuated by “Cole!” Her orgasm seems to go on forever, which pushes me over the edge. I pump into her with a primal shout and then collapse next to her on the bed. Pushing her sweaty hair from her face, I look into her satiated, languid eyes.

  “That was amazing, Cole.” She strokes my cheek and gives me a tender kiss. “Even?”

  “Even? I think we’re just getting started.”

  HOW ABOUT THE actress Cassie Johnston? It’s Wednesday and I’m eating lunch in the studio while texting with Rose. We’re still trying to figure out a good publicity romance for me. Like I have nixed all of Rose’s other suggestions, this one is a non-starter, considering she was my fuck buddy when I first moved to LA.

  Shaking my head, I reply: No way. She doesn’t need to know why.

  C’mon, I need to get this set up today.

  Not Cassie. Actually, I don’t have anything against Cassie. We had some banging times, but that was a lifetime ago and I don’t want to stir that pot again.

  How about a model? Good for your Q Score.

  This sucks. I hate that I can’t go out in public with my girlfriend because of Gruesome’s edict and a fucking alphabet rating of a Q Score. Not to mention my stalker. Picturing Rose torturing her earring while she’s solving this problem, I respond: Which one?

  Emilie Dubois.

  Don’t know her?

  Rose texts me a link with Emilie’s photo and information. She’s a twenty-four-ye
ar-old French model who’s the face of a couple of well-known brands. Fine. She’ll do. But she’s not you. :-(

  Let me see if she’s available.

  “What’s got you looking so glum, Cole?” Russell asks me.

  “Rose is setting me up with a model for publicity so that it looks like I’m over Jessie.”

  “Messed up business, huh?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Who is she thinking of fixing you up with this time?”

  “Emilie Dubois.”

  Russell’s eyebrows nearly reach his forehead and he gives a low whistle. “She’s a hot piece of ass, my friend. You’re one lucky dude.”

  As if. “Don’t let your wife hear you talking like that.”

  “I ain’t dead. Besides, the wife knows that I’d never cheat on her.”

  Come to think about it, I’ve never known him to cheat on his wife, which is rather unusual for this town. Good for him. “Do you know Emilie?”

  “Not personally. But she’s a piece of eye candy, that’s for sure. Good choice, especially since you’re going on a world tour for this album. Brings in the international crowd.”

  That thought brings me up short. Gotta give props to Rose for this suggestion. “Should be interesting. If Rose can arrange it, I’m going to meet her on Friday night. Need to diffuse the whole Jessie and Brandan thing.”

  “Your life doesn’t suck.”

  I smile at my manager, wishing I could share the whole truth with him. Though I told him about the stalker situation, I’m honoring Rose’s need to keep our relationship a secret. A ping indicates that I’ve received another text.

  Emilie’s a go. I don’t respond. There’s nothing more for me to say.

  A few hours later, I arrive home. Wills leaves, and I wave to the Night Watchman, a.k.a. Miles, the guard who has the night shift watching my house. Rose should be home soon, so I busy myself with preparing dinner. Well, I pull the containers marked “Wednesday” out from the fridge, review their preparation instructions, and preheat the oven.

  I’m pouring two glasses of Pinot Noir when the garage door opens. Putting down the glasses, I rush over and help her bring in her laptop and bags.