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WitFit Jan/Feb 2013

90's Sex, drugs and rock-n-roll

Word Prompt: Prize

-PoM-

"What do you mean you're not coming?"

I stared out the window of our apartment and down to the street, where my car sat dead. The guy who lived in 1B was a mechanic, and while he was kind enough to look at it for me free of charge when it wouldn't start this morning, the diagnosis of 'bad transmission' and 'thousand bucks to fix' had killed any hope of me joining Edward for the L.A. show. Time and money were in short supply.

"Rose, I just can't. Fixing my car is going to eat up my bank account, and I was going to drive down. There's no way I can rent a car, swing gas, and pay for the repairs to my car in the meantime."

"You know Edward would buy you a plane ticket in a heartbeat."

"I know, but I don't want him to have to do that." I swiped my hands over my eyes, not that it did any good. I'd been tearing up off and on all day. Peter had been incredibly nice about the whole thing, telling me when I apologized that I was going to be late this morning to not worry about it and take the day off.

"I wish you'd reconsider. I don't—"

She was interrupted by someone in the background and she spoke to them with her hand covering the phone.

"Just a sec. Here."

"Bella?"

"Hey," I said, loving the way his voice washed over me. It made me feel like he wasn't so far away.

"Are you coming down?" He sounded raspier than usual, most likely a product from doing so many shows.

"I can't, "I sighed. "There's just too many things going on."

He paused for a moment. "I really want you here."

My eyes welled up again. "And I'd love to be there . . ."

"Then it's settled. I have money from the advance and I'm going to get you a ticket. I'm not taking no for an answer."

I sniffled. "When you want your way . . ."

"Yeah, I get it."

"Are you sure? I don't want to use up money from your advance. You're going to need it when you guys get back."

"Hey, Rose, go make sure Emmett isn't burning the place down. I've got this." There was the sound of a door closing, and then he started to speak again. "Seriously, no arguing with me. The advance money we got is more than enough for anything I'll need when we come back, and Jasper found some place to print up t-shirts during one of the days we had nothing to do, so we've got some merch money coming in, too. I need you to come see me, Bella."

And because he put it that way, I decided then and there that there was no way I was going to turn him down. I wiped my eyes and smiled for the first time all day.

"Okay, then; I'll see you Thursday. Thank you. I love you."

"Me, too. Four days and you're here. I can't fucking wait. I'll talk to you soon, okay? Rose is back and she's got those shifty eyes, ya know?"

I laughed. "Bye. Have a good show tonight."

"Bye, Bella."

The line crackled, and then Rose's voice was in my ear. "Hey, chica."

"Is he okay? He sounds awful."

"They're all beat. Besides the schedule, there's been some pretty heavy partying going on. I've ended up taking over the managing duties anyway because Jasper can't keep his dick in his pants. We hardly see him except at the shows."

"Oh, wow. Is he . . . I mean, is he going hard?"

"Eh. I mean, yeah, he parties, and sometimes he's hungover as hell in the morning, but you don't have to worry. I'm keeping an eye on things. I know he misses you a lot—it's there when he talks about you."

"Thanks, Rose. I'm so glad you're there with them."

I almost asked about something else, but she beat me to it.

"Don't worry about him so much. I know you are, I can hear it. He's been a model boyfriend in every way, promise. Like, it's in his nature to be generous to fans, you know, giving them time and such, and some are definitely more enthusiastic than others. And believe me, they try, but they can't get past me. And he's learning on how to slide away from them by throwing Jasper in their faces. Which is hilarious. Anyway, before we have to pay out of our ass for this call, lemme get off here. I'll get your flight together and leave you a message on the machine. It's better if I just do it anyway."

We went over a few details and said our goodbyes. I glanced out the window, stared at the Seattle skyline, and imagined how the skies of California looked right now. Excitement took over my misery, and I closed my eyes knowing I was going to be there with him in just a few short days.

-PoM-

"At this time, we are starting our descent into Los Angeles . . ."

Awed by the vastness of the city as a whole, I pressed my forehead to the window, and watched as everything came into view. To the east, the city appeared to spread clear into the horizon, the twinkling of the lights illuminating the grid as everything switched over in preparation for the dark of night. The entire city appeared pink and gray, the water to the west black in the setting sun.

Rose had instructed me to meet her at the hotel to drop my things off and then we'd hit the show. With some of the cash I'd brought I took a taxi there, watching out the window as the city around me came to life. I'd always heard that L.A. was full of beautiful people, and that appeared true. It was like fashion show on speed, all bright colors and long hair, lights flashing like a backdrop.

The hotel we were staying at was by no means glamorous, and I paid my cabbie and climbed out with my bag on to the sidewalk populated by people my age or younger, musicians with drum sticks hanging out of their pockets, and a ton of pretty girls in tight, flashy clothing.

Feeling like a badly dressed extra on a movie set, I shook my head and tried to imagine people in Seattle dressing this way only to freeze their asses off.

Rose was waiting at the front desk when I got inside, talking to a clerk. She looked normal, thank god, a flash of black clothes amidst a sea of peacocks. The clerk was hanging on her every word, laughing when she waved her hands like she did when she was caught up in the telling of a story. She turned as she spoke, caught my eye, and left the poor guy high and dry as she made a mad dash to meet me.

I dropped my bag at my feet when she hugged me tightly.

"Thank fuck you're here. I need someone normal right now. You wouldn't believe what a fucking freak show this is sometimes."

"Yeah. It's a bit different around here. Are the guys here with you?"

"No, they're already at the club. I stayed to get you settled and then we'll head over. We'll probably get there just in time for the start of their set."

We headed to our floor to drop my bag off in her room until I would be able to get into Edward's room, and I begged five minutes to get into fresh clothes. Normally I didn't really care too much about that sort of thing, but I'd been passing a vintage shop on yet another coffee run for the staff of The Rocket, and saw a pretty baby doll dress I had to have. It was sage green and lacey, and I was in love with it.

Paired with a pair of docs, it was also pretty kick ass.

Rose whistled when I stepped out of the bathroom and threw me a tube of lipstick. "Nice legs, chick. Edward'll go crazy."

"Maybe." I smiled and hoped he would.

The Sunset Strip was awesome, and Rose pointed things out as we drove by them. Apparently she'd been sightseeing all day while the guys had slept, done sound checks and had a meeting.

"What was the meeting about?" I asked, pulling my eyes away from the flashing marquees.

She shrugged. "Dunno. Probably Jasper being a dick. That guy gets laid more than I give it up to Em, and he's still a jerkoff. You'd think Edward would be the crab by this point because your ass is too far away for him to get a piece, but no. He's just a mope. I just don't get it."

"Well, at least Jasper hates you, too," I said. "So I don't feel so alone."

"He's always been that way. I think he just hates anyone who's not in the band because he thinks they're in the way. Anyway . . . how's the internship?

There was just enough time left in our ride for me to tell her about Marcus, and then the cab was slowing down and stopping in front of a non-descript building, black on the outside with barely any signage and a long line of people wrapped around the corner.

"Doesn't look like much," she said, paying the fare, "but you should see the inside. Big bar on the floor, and a balcony with a few smaller bars up top. Decent sized stage, too."

"I can't wait." The people in line all looked like one form or another of the people back at the hotel. There were two bouncers in front checking IDs and stamping hands, and another checking tickets. I started to head to join when Rose grabbed my arm.

"Nuh-uh, we're going in the back." She dug in her back pocket for something that looked like a laminated card. "We're special."

I laughed at her and followed her around the side of the building. The guy standing guard gave us shit until Rose swung the pass in front of his face. He studied it like it was a fake or something, and then eventually let us in.

There wasn't any time to go see the guys before the show started, so we headed onto the floor. I studied the people milling around as we walked, caught glimpses of conversations of people asking "Who?!" when someone mentioned the opening act as we wandered through the general admission area.

It was bright inside, so packed the air was almost stifling, and there was someone doing mic checks on stage. Still, though, it was a huge venue compared to the bars and clubs they'd played back home, and the excitement I felt for Edward was huge. Rose grabbed my hand. "Let's go over here where we can see better."

She led me to a place where we had a good view and I could feel the flow of air on my skin. I fanned myself and bounced on my toes to see if I could spot the guys off-stage, but no dice. Finally, the club announcer gave his introduction and the lights dropped. Everyone around us seemed disinterested, more intent on socializing and on what was in their glass.

The lights went all the way down and the band broke into their opening number. Their sound was infectious and seductive at the same time, and the moody use of lighting they employed was perfect ambiance.

"I haven't heard this one before," I shouted at Rose.

"Isn't it fucking fantastic?"

A light focused center stage, and I watched, mesmerized, as Edward grabbed the mic and blew the crowd away. I catalogued his appearance, lost my breath because he looked so damn good up there. The people surrounding me were now taking notice, their heads bobbing to the music. He pointed out into the crowd with his eye on the prize—owning this.

During Jasper's solo, Edward turned around and dragged the mic stand from the front of the stage pumping it to the beat of the song. Emmett looked out into the crowd then, and when he kicked up his playing a bit I knew he'd spotted us. He signaled to Edward, gave a nod in our direction, and when he turned to look, a sexy smile appeared on his face.

His entire demeanor seemed to change when he saw me in the crowd; He turned it up a notch and the crowd fed off of his sultry delivery and surged forward to feel his command of the stage. And, for as much as I didn't want to turn my eyes away from him, I couldn't help but checking out the crowd around me as the band built to a primal crescendo on their song. They were into it, into the guys, and just as awestruck as I often was when I heard them play.

They'd come so far in a short time and were on their way to becoming rock gods.

-PoM-

"C'mon."

Rose grabbed my hand as soon as the band left the stage. The response to the guys had been incredible to watch. I was too used to shows in the Seattle area. The crowds here weren't as wild as the ones back home—there was nary a mosh pit to be found, and it almost made me homesick—but what the concertgoers lacked in energy they made up for in intensity. Whistles and screams followed them even after the lights began to go up.

"Where are we going?" I asked, dodging a cluster of pretty blonde girls with deep, deep tans.

"Backstage."

Apparently we weren't the only ones with the idea. A press of bodies surrounded the door leading to the back of the club where the bands had small rooms to get ready or chill in. Rose elbowed her way through the throng, and I gave up on trying apologizing after I got sent the fifth dirty look.

She fished in her pocket for the backstage pass from earlier, flashed it at the guy guarding the door. "We're allowed back here," she said.

Honestly, he didn't seem as interested in the pass as he did her boobs. He glanced over at me, shrugged, and then checked out Rose's rack one more time before holding open the door. "Go ahead, ladies. Line's to the left."

"Swear to god that happens every time," she muttered when we started down the hall.

"Who are all of these people?" I asked, looking around at the crowd gathered in the hallway. While more subdued that the one we'd just passed through, it was still a lot more people than I'd ever seen at one of the shows back home. Most of them had drinks, and smoke made them indistinct and hazy.

"Media, star fuckers, people who won backstage passes from the radio stations. Most of them are here for the closing act, but sometimes they want to talk to our guys, too. It's like this at every show. Different, huh?"

"I'll say. It's kind of neat, actually. Feels like they're moving up."

She laughed. "Yep. I wish you were here on tour with us. It's kind of awesome to see how the bigger bands get treated. And the venues are way better than the ones back home."

"I was thinking that while they played." We stopped to let a bunch of guys dressed in black t-shirts and carrying gear pass us. Stage crew, I supposed. "The acoustics in the place are amazing."

"Yeah. Okay, it's the last door on the left. The open one."

I looked forward to where barks of laughter could be heard floating into the crowded hallway. I smiled—Emmett.

Rose stuck her head in the door. "You better all be decent."

The room was packed, and I glanced around immediately for Edward. I saw Jasper, shirtless and sweaty, talking to a knockout redhead with boobs bigger than any I'd ever seen in real life. Tyler was sitting alone in a corner of the room, head down and eyes shut. Poor guy looked wiped. Emmett reached over to grab Rose and pull her into his side, and ruffled my hair.

"Bellalooski. Look who finally got her ass down to see us play."

"Hey, Emmett. You guys sounded great tonight!"

But, as glad as I was to see him, I couldn't help but let my eyes wander for the person I needed to see.

"He's just went to take a leak," Emmett said. "Door in the back."

"Classy, Em. " But he had already turned his attention to Rose.

I made a beeline for the door he'd pointed out, leaned against the wall opposite it. My hands went to smooth down my dress, muss my hair, and in the thirty second that took, the door opened.

"Hey."

Edward stared for only a moment. "Holy fuck, it's good to see your face." He grabbed me, pulled me back into the bathroom, and shut the door.

I laughed and leaned against the door. "That was . . . unexpected. What are we doing in he—"

Lips, warm and rough and just a little bit whiskey scented, cut off my words. I flattened my palms on the door behind me and went up on my tiptoes to be closer. As often as I'd fantasized about kissing him again, those dreams paled to the reality of lips against mine, of scratchy facial hair and long fingers cupping my face.

My hands left the door and went to his shoulders, tugging at his shirt until there wasn't space between his body and mine. He was sweaty and warm, tasted of whiskey and smoke and god I'd missed him so much. When his fingers dug into the back of my thigh and pulled my leg around him, I attacked his neck and waited until he'd pulled the other leg up, too. Through the thin fabric of my dress I felt him hard and there and grinding into me. "Missed you . . ." He pulled down the shoulder of my dress and bit the skin of my shoulder. "Fuck, you taste good." His hands went behind me, fingers slipping under my dress and into the back of my panties. "Feel good, too."

"Edward," I said, gasping, the last letter drawn out because he'd sipped his fingers into me. "Wha—oh, shit that feels good."

He pressed into me harder, rocking me into the door. The grain of it was scratchy against my bare bottom, but I didn't care. What I cared about was his mouth, which I fought my way to; his lips, which I bit at; his tongue, which tangled with mine in rhythm to his fingers below—all fast, fast, slow, hard and harder.

"You gonna come?" he asked when he broke away from my mouth and bit the skin behind my ears.

"Mmhmm . . ." My legs tensed around his back when he hit the sweet spot with his thumb. "Keep doing that."

But he pulled his hand away, kissing me when I cried out from the absence of them, and reached into his pocket. He handed me the condom, and for the briefest moment while he fiddled with opening his button fly, I wondered if we were really going to do this in a bathroom . . . with about twenty people waiting outside the door.

But then he let his jeans fall, and I threw any worries I had aside because . . . fuck it. I wanted him to fuck me.

The condom wrapper was discarded at our feet and I rolled it on, and then he lifted me against the door again.

He groaned when he got inside, and I don't know when it had ever felt so good. There wasn't time to think about anything but the way it felt when he pulled out and slammed back in, about how our bodies fit around each other like the last two pieces of an unfinished puzzle. It was hard, and it was fast, and it was so good.

"Love you," he said, kissing me as his thrusts grew erratic.

His lips fell slack against mine when he came, and I held on to his shoulders and moved my hips so I could find mine, too.

Afterward, with my head thrown back against the door and his forehead resting on my clavicle, I laughed all of the sudden and it sounded really wheezy.

"Hello to you, too. Did you know there's a penis drawn on the ceiling?"

-PoM-

So love the comments coming in - you guys rock!

Deep – Pearl Jam

Nic, thank you for the present, you made my day. xo