Stripped (21 page)

“I made my stipulations clear,” Gunnar said.

“Yeah and I showed you how wild I could be.”  Emily grabbed the tape recorder and threw it to the bed.  “And I’ll be at your show tomorrow night, waiting for you.”

Gunnar looked at the tape recorder and then at Emily.  “You reach me in a way nobody ever has, Ex.  You see me, and you keep my mind racing.  When I close my eyes I see you.  I see your figure first, then you.  I taste you on my lips... your lips, your body.”

Emily knew how that felt.  Gunnar was like an addiction and she was far from ready to quit her little habit. 

“But the band and touring,” Gunnar said.  “We travel a lot.  A lot of busy nights.  A lot of things happening...”

Emily swallowed, not wanting to hear or think about Gunnar on the road.  “All I’m saying is let Ann interview you.  Everything else... whatever.”

“Fair enough,” Gunnar said.  “I’ll let her come up here.”

Emily saw the look buried in Gunnar’s eyes.  He wasn’t ready to have the world really see him.  Then again, who was?  Nobody wanted that.  Emily didn’t.  That’s why she hid behind pen names.  People loved her romance novels and it gave her a career.  Gunnar had his words to carry everything.

Emily slipped out of the bedroom and dressed herself.  She sent a message to Ann telling her to come to the hotel but do not bring a recorder.  There were certain rules Emily would always follow.  She left the hotel room and went to the other room.  When the bassist opened the door, he smiled at her.

“What’s with the clothes?”

“I had my turn, now it’s yours,” Emily teased.

The bassist laughed.  “Everything good?”

“Yeah.  Totally good.  I need some stuff.  Gunnar and I... long day...”

The bassist nodded.  He looked over his shoulder.  “Cliff, Gunnar needs a hookup.”

“Nice,” Cliff said.  He stood from the couch and grabbed a small bag.  He walked to the kitchen area and added a whiskey bottle to the mix.

“Hey, give me that empty one too,” Emily said pointing to a bottle on the floor.

“Getting wild over there?” the bassist asked.

“You have no idea,” Emily said. 

Cliff brought her a handful of supplies and she left the room.  She had to kick at Gunnar’s door and when he opened it, he smiled and then looked confused.

“What the fuck...”

“Let’s do this the right way,” Emily said. 

She put the full bottle of whiskey on the table and dropped the empty one.  It hit and broke, just as she hoped it would.  She twisted the top off the fresh bottle and poured some on the bottle. 

“What are you doing?” Gunnar asked.

“Here, drink this,” Emily said.

Gunnar took the bottle and enjoyed a drink.  More than what Emily wanted for effect, but Gunnar was the rockstar, he could drink the stuff like water.

She opened the small bag and poured the cocaine on the table too.

“That shit’s expensive,” Gunnar said.

“Yeah, and so is your secrecy,” Emily said.

Gunnar froze and then reached for Emily.  He pulled her close.

“Be Gunnar,” Emily said.  “Be the rockstar.  Wow her with your eyes and flirt your way through it.  Answer nothing and she’ll be happy enough just to be alone with you.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re too beautiful to ruin,” Emily said.  She backed away from Gunnar’s embrace.  Her body tingled and was on fire.  The feelings inside her swirled, making her ponder thoughts she didn’t want to. 

A knock came at the door.

“Annie Crossfire is here,” Emily said.

“Ex... I’ll see you soon,” Gunnar said.

Emily smiled.  When she turned, she was struck with emotion.  She opened the door and found her roommate, looking scared to death.

“Thank you,” Ann whispered.

“Don’t fuck this up,” Emily joked.

Ann looked beyond Emily at Gunnar.  “The room smells like booze and sex.”

“I had to wear him out a little,” Emily said.

She walked past Ann and down the hall. 

She never felt so alive in her life.

18.

Emily looked at the cover, a picture of Gunnar with his head turned, his right thumb rubbing his left eyebrow.  There was a small glimmer of his perfect blue eyes but it seemed fitting he wouldn’t even look at the camera.

The story was written perfectly by Ann, capturing the aura of rock n’ roll, the power of music, and the ability to reach people that only Gunnar could.  Nothing about drugs and booze, nothing about his past, and nothing about bigger tours.  The article just explored Gunnar as the artist, how he wrote, how the band played, and what they were planning for the near future. 

More music.

More shows.

Just what the fans want.

Ann even got a sit down with the rest of the band.  That shocked Emily, but she was happy for her roommate.  She got the cover story she dreamed of and nailed it.

“You’re reading that again?” Ann asked as she walked by the table.

“You only have fifty copies around the apartment,” Emily teased.

“What can I say... when it works, it works.”

“This is really awesome.”

“You did it,” Ann said.  She walked into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee.  “Which is why I need to talk to you...”

“What’s wrong?”

“My editor loved the story,” Ann said.

“You’ve said that a hundred times.”

“He loved it a lot.  He begged me for my secret to get Bryce Gunnar to
fucking open up
as he put it.”

Emily smiled.  That article had nothing about Gunnar opening up.  If anything, it just pulled the cloak over the sexy rockstar more.  The power of deception...

“That’s good,” Emily said.

“He wants more.”

“More?”

“Down Silent did something big today,” Ann said. 

“Big...?”

“They signed with a promoter.  They put out a new single and are hitting the road.  Cross country tour.  Not quite hitting the stadiums, but they’re open to bigger venues now.”

Emily stood up.  “How do you know?”

“I just know.  It’s going to be huge.  Tickets are going to sell out faster than fast.  They’ve toured the country but in small doses.  This is wide scale... eighteen months and that doesn’t include internationally.”

“Are you serious?”

“Internationally is a rumor,” Ann said.

“What’s the good news then?”

“They want me to go on the road with Down Silent.”

Emily’s mouth fell open.

“But I can’t go alone,” Ann said.  “You’re the secret.  You’re the one he wants...”

“Ann..”

“No.  You have to be there.”

“I have a...”

“You write books,” Ann said.  “Amazing books.  And you can do that anywhere.”

“You’re killing me,” Emily said.

“It’s fucking Gunnar and Down Silent,” Ann said.  “We get to follow them.  Go to every show.  Talk to them.”

“I can’t answer anything right now.” 

Emily loved the idea of it, but she wasn’t sure about Gunnar.  Every time she thought about Gunnar naked, touching her, she thought about Gunnar cuffing her.  She thought about Gunnar holding her wrists and nipple so tight.  And she thought about the real Gunnar. 

He was deep.

He was dark.

He was troubled.

“You think about it,” Ann said.  “While you’re thinking... listen to the new song.  It’s amazing.  You must have done something to Gunnar.”

Ann pressed a few buttons on her cell phone and then placed it on the table.  She left the room and Emily listened to the sound of drums kicking in.  A few seconds later came feedback from a guitar followed by the main riff of the song.  It was fast and had a sexual appeal to it.  Emily quickly found herself moving with the song.

Then came Gunnar’s voice. 

Brilliant.  With purpose.  And singing about...
sex.

Not coming out and saying it, but it explored all the senses of sex. 

The chorus boomed with Gunnar getting louder.

...you all over me all over you...

The song was called
Spin
and just when it couldn’t get any hotter, a guitar solo kicked in.  It wasn’t the solo that got to Emily but the subtle background noise.  She listened closer and when the connection finally came, she gasped for air.  She felt her cheeks burning red and she closed her eyes, allowing herself to be taken somewhere else.

“Hot, isn’t it?”

Emily jumped and saw Ann reaching for her phone.

“Yeah, it’s good.”

“You heard that, right?”

Emily nodded.

“Sounded like two people... fucking...”

Emily nodded some more.

That’s exactly what it was. 

Two people fucking.

It was Gunnar and Emily, from the recording they made.

Gunnar put it into a song.

Emily’s body was on fire and only one person could contain it.  She put her hands to her hips, feeling her curves.  Only one person could pleasure her, only one person could handle her curves.  Her needs.  The desires that raged.

Emily looked at Ann and smiled.

“What’s wrong?” Ann asked.

“Let’s do it,” Emily said.

“Do what?”

“Let’s go on tour...
with Gunnar
...”

Need more Karolyn James?

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This book is a work of fiction.  Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously.  Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

First electronic edition March 2013

Copyright © 2013 by Karolyn James

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part of any form.