Chapter Four
He had been glad the girl had accompanied him to the party. Though the pair garnered raised eyebrows and the occasional odd look from some of the other party-goers, it was all easily ignored. He had grown tired of the questions from those around him. Questions about the oddly cold demeanor of his guitarist, the bizarre state of his lead singer and numerous other little inquiries that made his alcohol soaked brain spin within its skull.
There was so much at stake, it seemed. The careful charade and balancing act to ensure that nobody realized that all the little gimmicks and oddities about the band were, in fact, true. But the girl was no exception to this, either. In spite of his ease with her, he still had to tread carefully. Fortunately, she rarely asked any questions about it, and seemed a bit overwhelmed from the party to really notice his discomfort and stammered responses to the numerous questions from everyone around them.
What happened to the man he had been? He remembered a time when he was more confident, able to lie and manipulate those around him with hardly a second thought, the lust of being in the limelight. Such character flaws were now replaced with fearful looks, stammered excuses and the desire for solitude.
Being out in the open certainly didn't help.
Murdoc slowly let his head drop to the back of the cushioned limo seat, his mind wandering. This was supposed to be a night to try to relax. Occasionally, a cold chill would pass through, causing the hairs on his exposed thighs to stand up on end. Trousers pooled at his ankles, the girl was kneeling before him, bent over his lap. He brought a hand out, tangling it within her hair, grasping at it, moving along with her momentum as she worked over him. Hard to get into it, his mind rattling away with numerous worries and concerns.
This disturbed him momentarily. How often did he come across a woman who could take every fucking inch of him? This girl was a fucking champ. A small shiver of delight rippled through him when she made a noise. Yeah, try to focus on what's going on.
The limo was parked just outside a small 24-Hour cafe. Easy enough to slip the limo driver a crisp bill and send him on his merry way for a time. The driver wasn't stupid, that was for sure. Most likely knew exactly why the bassist wanted the alone time.
Everything was starting to wear on him. He knew this. It had to be if he was sitting here in a limo, getting sucked off by a pretty girl and couldn't even focus on getting off. He rolled his head slightly, peering down at the top of her head.
A low hiss escaped him as she finished him off, now kneeling back on her knees, grabbing at the filled shot glass that sat on the limo's little mini bar, tossing the glass back with expert precision, barely wincing. Green eyes watering from the burn of the vodka, she wiped at her mouth with the back of her arm and then grabbed the bottle, drinking straight from it. "So...now what do you want to do?" she asked.
He lay there, feeling only minor relief. They could go back to the hotel, but the damned Cyborg had been acting up a bit. There was the very real risk of something going wrong while she was there with him. It had been risky enough when he had taken her back there the other night. Slowly, he pulled his trousers back up, gesturing for her to hand him the bottle. He took a massive swig from the bottle, eyes locking with hers. "We could go back t' your place, yeah?" he muttered around the bottle.
"We could," she said, flashing a small smile.
"May have t', love," he chuckled, setting the bottle between his knees. "Limo driver isn't gonna want t' sit in there an' drink coffee for the next few hours..." He watched as she slowly pushed herself up, flash of cleavage through the dress. Grabbing at her arm, he pulled her towards him, locking an arm around her waist, grinning at the swell beneath the gown. Bending his head low, he brought his tongue out, gliding from the dark pinch between and up her throat, bringing his mouth against her neck. She made a noise, shuddering against him, resting her head against the back cushion of the limo seat. Slowly, he crept a hand beneath the layers of gowns, finding bare skin, moving his hand up, nails occasionally catching at her skin. Moving from her neck, he pressed his mouth to hers, his hand moving up further. She tensed against him, a low cry coming from her. "Good, eh?" he murmured against her mouth, working his hand a little faster.
She broke away from his mouth, staring at him with glazed eyes, her face flushed. "We need to get back to my place," she panted.
Glancing out the tinted windows, he saw the limo driver through the window of the cafe, nursing his coffee and reading a magazine or newspaper. He could spare another moment. Felt good having her crushed up against him. Felt good having the heat of her on his hand. Tightening his hold on her, he brought his mouth back to hers, pushing his tongue through, hand pushing further up along her thighs.
She pulled away suddenly, lower lip clamped between her teeth. Glint of perspiration on her forehead and cheeks. He moved his mouth back down against the swell of cleavage, catching skin between his teeth, chewing against it gently as she rocked against his hand. Yeah, this was nice. She was definitely a welcome distraction.
Jason awoke to the shuffling sound of footsteps and hushed voices. Slowly, he sat up, glancing down at the sleeping figure of Alicia laying beside him. The footsteps just outside Alicia's bedroom door moved slowly down the hall, followed by the soft click of Hailey's door closing.
Male voice, accented, barely audible through the walls. "You collect comics?"
"I collect lots of things," Hailey snickered.
"What are these from?" the voice asked.
"I collect random action figures," Hailey said. "That one is from the anime series Hellsing and that one is from the anime movie Armitage the Third."
"I can't believe I hooked up with a bird who collects toys," the male voice snickered.
"I had nothing growing up...Once out on my own and making my own money, I bought them when I could." Shuffle of movement from her room, low creak of her bed. "They're silly, I know."
"Hardly," whispered the male voice. "People who get thins' handed t' them dun' know what it's like for people like us. Why we do the thins' we do..."
Jason felt movement besides him and glanced over, seeing Alicia sit up, rubbing at her eyes. "She's home?" she asked in a groggy voice.
"They just came in," he whispered.
"He's with her?" Now she seemed more awake, staring at her far wall with wide eyes.
"Sounds like it," Jason muttered. "He's admiring her toy collection."
"Those stupid things? I always wondered why she wastes her money on them. I don't know anyone her age that collects that shit." Alicia sank back down into the pillows.
"Maybe it's from all those years of being denied...," he muttered.
"Yeah, well, she should focus on things more age appropriate. Like a new steering wheel cover or some new dress."
Jason glared down at the blond. "What the hell is your problem anyway? You never seemed to give two shits about how she spent her money before. Why should it matter? She pays her half of the bills and supplies her half of the groceries."
"She's thirty three, still acts like she's twenty-something, collects toys like some nerd living out of mommy and daddy's basement, reads comics over Cosmo and refuses to try to fit in with any of the crowds around here."
"Why do you care if she fits in?" he demanded hotly. "And since when has it been an issue? You've been roomies since you got out of college and she's always been like this. What happened to accepting people the way they are?"
"I care because she's my friend and want what is best for her," Alicia grumbled through a yawn. "I try to get her involved with things around the city, but she never showed any interest. He invites her to some posh ass costume party and she's all over it like white on rice."
"You're jealous?" Jason asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Nope, not at all," she muttered, closing her eyes. "It's late and I got work in the morning. I'm not talking about this anymore."
Jason grumbled, staring at the far wall. He couldn't understand Alicia's hostility over the situation. Clearly, Hailey had control over the situation and had said more than once that the little fling was nothing. Why did Alicia have to go apeshit about it and get all mother hen on the poor woman? The musician obviously wanted her company. Jason couldn't imagine the kinds of stresses that the man encountered. Traveling, jet lag, crashing in random hotels, adjusting to various time zones, never really able to enjoy the various cities the band had been touring through. And so what if the little fling ended within a few days? Hailey had no illusions about what it was.
Murdoc's voice came through the walls. "We should get some sleep. You work in the mornin', yeah?"
Hailey yawned. "Yeah, I do..."
"Thank you for putting up with those tossers at the party. Glad you were there t' keep my mind off thins'." Murdoc sank back onto Hailey's bed, folding his arms behind his head. "You seem to fancy that artist bird. Anyone special?"
Hailey rolled onto her side, facing him. "She's up and coming. Not really famous just yet. I've loved her stuff since she was featured in the ArtWalk down south in Olympia."
"I dunno an'thin' 'bout that kinda stuff," he snickered. "I make music an' occasionally set up tour dates. Art eludes me."
"Well, honestly, it eludes me, too," she giggled. "When I was small, I used to dream of being an artist, or even a writer. When I started college, I had even gone as far as to take classes on writing and painting. Counselors there kept insisting I focus on something more career orientated. I was more or less told that my dreams were worthless. They even cited my background as a reason why those dreams were nothing. I was a statistic to them, nothing more."
"What did you major in?" he asked, sitting up and unbuttoning the loose cotton shirt.
"Advertising," she murmured. "It's boring, it's tedious, but it pays my bills. I mean, it's not the end of the world..."
"But it's not what you wanted t' do, is it?" he whispered, shedding the costume pants and kicking them to the floor.
Hailey shook her head, sitting up and loosening the front of the gown. "Christ, I forgot about this thing," she grumbled. "I need help, I think..."
"Pleasure's mine," he chuckled, reaching behind her and quickly undoing the buttons. He felt her stiffen whenever his fingers hit bare skin. "You're not like the others," he murmured, tracing a nail along one of the long scratches that marred her back.
"I know," she snickered. "I told you most men couldn't handle me."
"You met your match," he whispered, grabbing a fistful of her hair and pulling her down against the pillows. She cried out against the sudden pain, but once pressed against the pillows, she was looking up at him with eyes that screamed for more.
Ugh, too bad the dress was a rental, he thought dismally as he tugged at it and pulled it from her. The mere idea of just shredding it off of her almost made him groan aloud. Once he had her free of the dress, he rolled her onto her stomach, grazing his nails down her back. "You're not gonna walk straight after I'm through with you," he purred, climbing across her.