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Carli woke up and slowly opened her eyes to find the bed empty, and she rolled onto her back and stretched as she sighed. She thought back to the night before and searched her mind for emotions of guilt or regret, but the logical part of her mind argued that you cannot avoid the inevitable. She would have slept with him again, no matter what. She slid her hand over her stomach to scratch it lightly, and then down almost as if to soothe the pleasant ache that she was feeling between her legs. She was surprised when the touch made her gasp and she stroked herself gently as her body throbbed. Her clit burned as she moved her hand, faster with each movement, and she closed her eyes and slid her free hand up to her breast. It was not that she never masturbated like this, when in fact she did fairly regularly since Eric has charged up her sex drive since she met him, but the suddenness of it took her by surprise. She came hard and cried out with it, arching her back as it hit her. Her legs fell sideways onto the bed and she threw her arm above her head as she took a deep breath. Carli felt eyes on her and she glanced up to see Eric standing in the doorway of the bathroom with wide eyes and a solid erection. She blushed deeply and he stepped forward as she turned her head. "Sorry."

"For what? That was beautiful and seemed sudden. I saw most of it." Eric told her, sitting on the bed.

"You didn't stop it?" Carli teased him, and glanced at him to see him raise an eyebrow. "Yeah, probably not." She saw the lust pass through his eyes and she watched him move closer to her.

"Do you do that a lot?" Eric asked her, and she nodded as she raised her fingers to his mouth.

"Since I met you I have." Carli told him, and watched his face as he tasted her. His hand found her leg and moved it open to slide up her thigh almost automatically. His fingers moved where hers had been and she moaned as he looked at her.

"I don't want this to be all about how much we want each other." Eric said, still fingering her. "I was fine until I saw you like that." She bucked against his touch and felt his eyes on her.

"Isn't everyone like this in the new stages?" Carli moaned, and slid her hand over to him to wrap it around him.

"Probably. I don't usually stick around to see whether that is true or not." Eric replied, and she felt his finger slide inside of her. His motions were jerky as she stroked him, and then she felt him roll her to her stomach and move behind her. His words still stuck with her and she felt him part her legs.

"Thinking of ditching me when the excitement is over?" Carli asked him in a breathy voice, and heard a chuckle as he lifted her to her knees.

"If memory serves me, you left me the last time. I was willing to spend a lot more time together." He slid inside of her, and she moaned as her muscles responded and her body opened for him. She moved with him as he thrust deeply inside of her, and she screamed as her body exploded. He followed soon after, and she collapsed onto the bed again. "I have a luncheon to tend to today but we could go out to dinner later."

"Sure." Carli agreed, exhausted again. She curled up and looked at him as he began to dress and regretted the clothing covering him. "I am in such lust over you."

"The feeling is mutual, but I do hope there is a bit more to it than merely lust." Eric teased her, leaning down to kiss her.

"There is." Carli told him, sliding her hands around his neck and letting him pull her up with him. "Call me later." The house was empty within moments and she dozed for awhile longer before showering and getting on the phone. She was flying to LA to record a song with a friend and needed to figure out when. The details were set and she went out and ran some errands before coming home and opening her laptop to find a flight. Eric had called when she was out and came over as she was paying for the flight and he glanced at the screen as he kissed the back of her head.

"Leaving again?"

"Just to LA for a bit. I am recording a song with a friend and need to spend a few days there." Carli replied, turning to face him.

"Come home, you." Eric told her, and she smiled up at him as he leaned down to kiss her. They went to get a pizza for dinner and ate it at his place, since it was closer. She looked around as all of the memories flooded her, including her final time there. He noticed her expression, and stroked her hand as it rested on the table. "What's on your mind?"

"The last things you said to me here." Carli admitted, and he looked apologetic for a moment. "No, you were dead on with those words. My life was pretty fake."

"I was just hurt and angry that day. I didn't want you to go." Eric told her, and she smiled wanly and nodded. "You're here now and everything is different."

"It sure is." Carli agreed, taking another bite of the vegetarian pizza. They sipped wine and talked, going to get ice cream down the street later. He held her hand as they walked back to his place and they sat on the couch as he looked at her. He asked her about the Warped Tour, and she told him about the fans, the many other bands and friends that she made, and tried to describe what it did for her to perform and be out there. Her smile showed her love for it, and she felt like she was talking too fast as she told him.

"I should watch you live sometime. I wanted to see you on that tour, but I was still kind of unhappy about things." Eric admitted, and she slid her arm across his stomach as she leaned into him. "I see the way people talk to you and react to you. You are sincere and talented, and very beautiful and sexy if I may say so. " She kissed him and then smiled at him. "When do you leave for LA?"

"In two days." Carli replied, and he kissed her again. "You could come if you can get away."

"I wish. I am working as the only active partner right now in the company while I try to find another to help out. I am overseeing everything myself, for the most part." Eric told her, glancing down at the floor.

"Wasn't Pam your partner?" Carli asked, trying not to linger on the name too much.

"Was. She is no longer in New York and is more of silent partner." Eric replied shortly, and she leaned back a bit at his tone.

"Why?" Carli asked, and he looked off to the side. "Eric?"

"We had some disagreements over what happened with you as well as my actions after you left. It ended the friendship and she decided to move to California with a girlfriend and just remain a silent partner." Eric told her, and she stared into his handsome face. "She never understood what you got so upset about and I always defended you. "

"What else?" Carli asked, seeing guilt all over his face.

"We slept with each other one night as we argued about what to do with the company. It was a very heated conversation and I was hanging by a thread at that point. I had been through a few girls and nothing was making me happy, and I took out the brunt of it on her. She was willing but it changed things between us and eventuallty this is what happened." Carli leaned back further and he gazed at her.

"Did you want her that night too? Did you want to fuck her as well as me?"

"Not that night, no. I didn't really want to that night I actually did but I was losing it, Carli. It only happened once and she quickly resumed to women. It was such a mistake and an accident."

"Wow." Carli breathed, her mind swimming with too much information.

"I am considerably jealous over you sleeping with him most of the time when you were not together. Maybe more than you could be right now." Eric told her, and she shook her head.

"It isn't so much jealousy as much as surprise. I have barely been with anybody and you have slept with everyone." Carli imagined when the gossip started about her new boyfriend and visciously attacked any scrap of bad information they could about him. "How am I so good?"

"You're amazing. I love you and that is enough to make you enough for me." Eric told her, and she stared at him. "You could have anyone yourself, Carli. Why are you here with me again?"

"I loved you before." Carli answered, and he stroked back her hair. "I love you now but I hate that you did all of that."

"It was then, not now. I am happy now and I have you in my life again. I want you to remain here with me." Eric told her, and she closed her eyes and leaned against him. "You are so beautiful and talented, but you can be so insecure. See yourself for what you really are."

"I will work on that." Carli replied, and he kissed her head. She felt down about it the next couple of days and he did everything in his power to make her feel better. They spent both nights together at either home, and she could not turn him away when they were in bed. He treated her well outside of the sex and she knew that he cared for her, but there was a lot of doubt in her mind as well. She could not but to be a little jealous of his life away from her, despite all of his reassurances. They had breakfast together the day she left and he kissed her long and hard before leaving her apartment. He told her that he loved her and would miss her, and then he handed her a small wrapped box.

"I would pack it inside of the bag you check in." Eric suggested, kissing her one last time before he left. She frowned and took it to stuff it into her suitcase and made sure the house was in order before leaving. She took a cab to the airport since Eric had to rush off to work and was in LA by that evening. She was walking through the airport to get her bag and meet up with Troy, when she heard her name called. She turned her head expecting a fan, but saw Pam smiling at her with her blue eyes sparkling.

"Hey, Pam." Carli greeted her uncomfortably, smiling a forced smile. "How are you?"

"I am well now that I live here." Pam replied, and looked curiously at her. "I hear that you relocated to New York."

"I did. I travel a lot for work, but I have always liked it there." Carli replied, stopping to take a picture with a fan. She returned and Pam was eyeing her speculatively.

"Have you seen Eric upon returning?" Pam asked her, and Carli felt the blush in her pale skin. "I see you have. Trying again?"

"He told me what happened, and I am sorry for the role that I played in that." Carli said, and Pam searched her face with darting eyes. "He told me everything."

"Well, things certainly went to shit there. He is an asshole when he is miserable." Pam informed her, and Carli took a breath.

"Why sleep with him then?"

Pam smiled at her and ran a hand through her hair. "I guess I just wanted to see what he would feel like, being in such a state. He's very good, but I do prefer something a little different. It just sort of happened and then I decided to leave. I assume you two are fucking again like you were before?"

"It's different now. I am single." Carli told her, and Pam feigned a sympatheitc face.

"Well, I am sure that was best for the both of you." Pam said, and Carli nodded. "He really did miss you. Eric,I mean. I could see that he loved you, and I am surprised he let happen what did with us."

"Yes, we discussed that. I am the one that really freaked out about it, Pam. I haven't done much and that was a shock." Carli admitted, and Pam raised an eyebrow as she stepped closer to her.

"Wasn't I good to you, darling?" Pam's eyes showed a hint of lust and Carli stapped away.

"I came twice, didn't I?" Carli challenged her softly, and Pam laughed softly.

"That you did, that you did. I would love a repeat if you're ever in town and interested." Pam reminded her, and Carli smiled and nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind." Carli told her, and Pam looked serious for a moment.

"Take care of him,Carli. Make him happier than he has been and I know he'll work at doing the same for you." Pam urged her, and Carli promised that she would.

"Pam. I know he misses you too so try to work on the friendship that you had." Carli told her, and Pam smiled. They walked together to get their luggage and Pam was greeted by a gorgeous brunette that kissed her as they hugged. Troy walked up to her as he eyed the girls, and Carli laughed at him.

"Is there something I should know, Car?" Troy asked her, smiling mischeviously.

"Not so much. Just a friend from New York, Troy." Carli replied, hugging him. They had gotten close on the tour and had arranged to do something together in the studio early on. Troy had offered to let her stay at his apartment, but she had chosen a hotel. It would offer her more privacy and she imagined it would be quieter than an apartment in the heart of LA. Troy took her to her room todrop off her luggage and they grabbed some dinner while she listened to a rough copy of the song to get a feel for it in person. They had studio time the next morning at ten and she was dropped off back at the hotel. She pulled on her signature tank and a pair of Eric's boxers that she had stolen from him, and sat on the bed to try and call him. She remembered his gift and went to get it, laughing as she found a vibrator in the box. It was a smaller one but it certainly would do the trick with the varying speeds it offered. She called him to thank him and he asked her to try it out for him over the phone. It didn't take long for a few words from him to get her worked up, and she turned on her speakerphone and complied as she lay back on the bed. She came as she moaned and she could hear the lust in his voice.

"I saw Pam at LAX today." Carli told him once she had recovered, and he had disappeared to the bathroom for a few moments of his own.

"Was she decent to you?" Eric's vcice was harsh and she frowned.

"For Pam, she was nice. She did wish us well." Carli told him, and he sighed. "Her girlfriend is really pretty."

"She likes them that way." Eric replied and Carli blushed a little. "Look at you."

"I'm just OK." Carli assured him and he argued with her before telling her that he missed her. She told him the same and he also told her that he loved her, and she paused. It felt so premature saying that, despite their history of intensity. "I don't want to jinx us." Carli admitted, and he laughed.

"We said it when you didn't belong to me. Now you do so I am not holding back." Eric told her, and she frowned. They had told each other that in some manner then. "So I do love you, Carli. I will talk to you tomorrow night." They hung up and she missed him immediately. She knew that her career was not easy on relationships, and that she needed to be realistic and not mope. She stared at the vibrator and closed her eyes as she switched it on again. Her body was still sensetive from the last time, and she cried out quickly as the orgasm rocked through her. She dropped her hands to the mattress with her eyes closed, thinking it was the best gift that she could have gotten from him. He had turned her into someone she didn't recognize, and she felt her body still reacting. Her phone rang and she jumped, and her eyes flew open.

"Hello." Carli said in a breathy tone as she tried to control herself, finding Ryan on the other end. "Hey. What's up?"

"You sound…..out of breath. You okay?"

"I just ran for some ice and it was at the end of the hall." Carli explained, remembering the times they had done similar things while apart. Would he know that she was lying.?

"Why didn't you stay at Troy's?" Ryan asked her, and she took a deep breath. She smelled the scent in the room and she pressed her lips together as she felt her muscles calm down.

"He has a girlfriend and a small apartment, and I am sure they could use their privacy." Carli replied, and he paused.

"Are you alone on your trip?"

"Well, aside from the male escort that just left my room, I am." Carli tried for a laugh and got an exasparated sigh. "Kidding!"

"I thought you might have brought your new guy along." Ryan said in a glum voice, and she rolled her eyes. "You guys are officially on google."

"No surprise." Carli said lightly, and bit her lip. She hated whhen pics went up but they also hadn't tried to hide it very much either. "But, no. I am alone."

"You look happy with him." Ryan observed, and she heard the pain in his voice.

"He's a good guy." Carli replied, and smiled.

"He's the same guy from before?"

"I don't need to answer that." Carli replied, and suggested they move on to other subjects. They talked about the song and the studio and then hung up relatively peacefully. She looked at the ceiling and felt the guilt that likely came along with loving someone that one had previously cheated with. It was a hard burden to carry when she knew it hurt others, but Ryan was dating and moving on as well. Or at least she hoped he was. She closed her eyes and feltt sleep coming on, and all of her activity had increased that. Carli dreamed of Eric that night, and woke up aroused and annoyed as she realized where she was.