Wonderful, page 39
Ah, fuck. Griffin was looking for sex, but clearly, not sex with Anna since she wasn’t coming with us. Damn it. Kiera must know that, or suspect it anyway, and she’d said yes to try to prevent him from scoring. But I knew from experience just how difficult that was. Detracting Griffin from his goal was near impossible. She’d have to chase the girl away from him, and depending on the girl, that wasn’t always as easy as it sounded. Griffin was going to break Kiera’s heart tonight, shattering this illusion she was building that he was Anna’s faithful, committed partner. He wasn’t. Even with my hopeful bet, I knew that. Anna too. No one here had any delusions about Griffin…except my wife.
I wondered how to talk to her about it the entire time we waited for Sienna to get ready. Then I decided it wasn’t worth bringing up. Griffin wasn’t always successful when he was pursuing a woman. In fact, he struck out more often than he succeeded, so honestly, Kiera didn’t have as much to worry about as she thought.
But then again, we weren’t flying under the radar, going to a local bar where we’d be relatively hidden and unknown. No, we were going out with Sienna, who’d lined up a limo and was taking us to one of the hottest clubs in town. We were practically broadcasting celebrity status, and that…might improve Griffin’s chances.
It also helped Sienna create a buzzworthy event for the two of us, a fact that was made very clear to me when we pulled up to a club that was surrounded by waiting photographers. Damn it. I should have known she hadn’t had a change of heart. She was still very much playing the game. But I was not about to play along. Not anymore.
Flashes were already going off when the driver got out, like every single person holding a camera knew who was inside. Irritation shot up my spine as I tossed a glare at Sienna. She had a small smile on her face as she preened. Had she arranged for this? Or was paparazzi typical for…where the fuck were we…somewhere in North Carolina? Charlotte, I recalled from the concert. I could feel Kiera shaking beside me. She had to be stressing over how she would be portrayed in this circus. As a friend? As Matt or Evan’s girl? Or as my side piece? And I supposed the answer to all of that would depend on me. If I walked in with Kiera, they’d definitely wonder. If I walked in by myself, they still might wonder. But if I walked in on Sienna’s arm…they wouldn’t give Kiera a second thought.
And that was exactly what Sienna wanted me to do. I don’t think so.
The driver opened our door and held out a hand for Sienna. She took it and exited the car as gracefully as a swan. The flashes were nearly blinding. Sienna briefly smiled for them, then turned and waited. For me.
Evan and Griffin moved like they were going to leave, but I held out a hand to stop them. I was not playing this fucking game. Leaning forward to meet the driver’s eye, while also making sure I couldn’t be seen, I firmly told him, “We’re not walking through that, take us somewhere else.”
The driver nodded at me, respecting my wishes. Then he turned to Sienna. “Would you like to stay or go, Ms. Sexton?”
Sienna looked genuinely torn as she glanced back at the frenzy waiting for her. But finally, she got into the car, and the driver closed the door. “Really? That was the best club in town,” she pouted.
Smile on my face, I told her, “You were welcome to stay, if you wanted to.” Wouldn’t hurt my feelings at all.
She rolled her eyes at me but didn’t comment any further. The next club we arrived at was completely empty, all but confirming my suspicions. I could feel Kiera’s relief when the driver opened the door. This was much, much better.
Sienna was recognized the second she stepped inside the club, and we were all swept away to a private VIP room. That was an additional relief, especially since I didn’t think anyone had recognized me yet. The less gossip after this, the better.
The room we were in was very secluded. Sienna ordered expensive champagne from one of the two waitresses before settling herself onto a plush looking lounge chair. It made me happy that we were so alone. Sienna couldn’t turn this into a promotional moment, and Griffin couldn’t scratch whatever itch he was feeling. He seemed really annoyed by that as he studied the limpid wall separating us from the rest of the club. No one on the other side of it looked our way, so it was clear they couldn’t see us. We could see them, though, grinding away with roaming hands and eager mouths.
After studying the wall for a moment, Griffin muttered, “We need chicks.”
The man who’d brought us in here heard him and immediately snapped his fingers to get the attention of the remaining waitress. “Do you prefer blondes, brunettes, or redheads?” he asked Griffin.
Griffin’s smile was creepy. Pervy. I wanted to smack him, but he was too far away. “All of the above,” he said to the guy, and I rolled my eyes. Jackass.
The guy flashed a glance at me, like he thought I wanted in on the women ordering or something. I did not. “I’m assuming nothing less than a perfect ten?” he said, his eyes returning to Griffin.
Griffin nodded, his smile getting even wider, creepier. The waitress left to go “get his women,” but before she got too far, Griffin called out, “I need at least a dozen!”
I could feel Kiera’s simmering anger as she glared at him. Matt and Evan were both rolling their eyes at Griffin as they sat down, but they didn’t look annoyed or upset, not like Kiera. While Kiera and I took a seat, I met eyes with Griffin, giving him a questioning What was that? face.
He ignored me. And that concerned me. Typically, when Griffin was being an ass, he owned it. He’d nod, make devil horns, and say something like, “Dude, what? I’m increasing my odds to get laid tonight. Chill.”
But there was something in his expression as he sat there waiting, something…uncomfortable. Like he didn’t want to be here either, but he felt like he had to be. Like anything less than this was completely unacceptable. It was such an odd look, and he was in such an odd mood, that I suddenly wanted to yank him aside and make him talk to me. But experience told me he wouldn’t. He’d get belligerent before he opened up…and even more stubborn. If Griffin was going through something right now, he needed to get there on his own, or he would never get there at all.
Shifting my priorities, I focused on Kiera instead. Watching this might be more than she could handle, and I wanted her to know that she didn’t have to see it. Wrapping my arm around her as we sat on a couch, I leaned in and said, “We can leave any time.” I felt her nod, but her gaze never left Griffin.
Chapter 24
ENOUGH
The champagne arrived and was followed not too much later by a large group of beautiful women. Griffin was over the moon as the small space was flooded with girls who could definitely be models. Kiera eyed them all with a crease between her brows, and I wondered what bothered her more—that the club owner had found so many women so fast, or that they were all incredibly attractive and dressed like they were ready to party. Or maybe she was worried about what the other D-Bags were going to do. I had a pretty good idea what they’d do, and that was confirmed as I watched my friends.
Evan looked indifferent when a girl sat down next to him. Matt was red in the face when a girl squeezed beside him. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere but in this room, and he kept eyeing Griffin with an annoyed scowl, like he was mentally killing his cousin for putting him in this situation. It made me want to laugh. Griffin had his arms wide, welcoming all the women to sit on his lap. That made me roll my eyes again.
A few of the girls headed Sienna’s way, the rest headed mine. And now I was eyeing Griffin with a scowl on my face. I could be in a hotel room right now, making love to my wife instead of batting off unwanted attention while you work out whatever issue you’re working out. You owe me one after this.
I tried to catch Griffin’s gaze, but he was still ignoring me. Honestly, he was ignoring everyone but the women. And while it wasn’t unusual for him to singularly focus on what he wanted, he still had that odd expression on his face. Like he was faking it. Or forcing it.
I was about to shift my attention to Matt, to see if he could try talking to Griffin, when Kiera suddenly leapt onto my lap. All thoughts of Griffin vanished from my brain as Kiera wrapped her arms around my neck and glared at every woman who was making their way over to me. Kiera hadn’t been this friendly with me in public since the tape came out, and I had to admit, I really, really liked it. Of course, this wasn’t all that public—no one could see us from the main dancefloor, and none of the people they’d let inside appeared to have phones. They’d probably all been warned about taking photos of the celebrities. Still, this almost felt like our lives were normal again, and that made me happy.
Wanting to make a joke out of this weird situation, to calm Kiera’s hackles a little, I leaned in and said, “I like you possessively sitting on me. Maybe we should hire the girls to follow us around everywhere?”
Kiera instantly gave me the most amazing put-out expression. I felt a laugh bubbling up, but before it escaped, she gave me a devilish smirk and wriggled her butt, rubbing against me in the best way. My cock immediately started hardening as a shot of desire went right through me. Fuck, yes. Regardless of who was watching, I wanted her in my arms, wanted to move with her to the heavy beat coming from the other side of the wall. I just wanted to enjoy my wife for a minute.
Grabbing Kiera’s drink, I set both of ours on a nearby waitress’s tray. “We need to dance,” I told Kiera. Right now. I stood up with her in my arms, not really giving her a choice in the matter.
Setting Kiera down, I led her to a clear area of the room. She wrapped her arms around my neck while I pulled her hips into mine. We moved together in a provocative way that had my heart racing and my breath quickening. Damn, I’d really missed dancing with her. I felt eyes on me, but my gaze never left Kiera’s face. She was the only thing that mattered right now. Kiera was studying me too, but every once in a while, her eyes, a dark brown in this light, would dart around the room. Keeping an eye on the women? Or keeping an eye on the D-Bags?
Several girls had followed us onto the dancefloor, and the more intimate Kiera and I danced, the friendlier their fingers became. I felt hands on my back, my arms, drifting over my pecs. Kiera removed palms from my body while I batted a few away from my ass. Seriously? I wasn’t sure why these girls had no issues invading my personal space, but by the way they kept tossing curious glances at Sienna, I had a feeling it was because Sienna wasn’t getting mad at me. Like that made me fair game for everyone. God, what a laidback girlfriend. If she really doesn’t care, then we might as well get what we can!
Ignoring it all, I focused on Kiera. Her fingers were in my hair and almost every inch of our bodies was molded together. Our mouths were so compellingly close. It made me ache to resist kissing her, but I felt like the girls would become even more brazen if I did. Even still, I couldn’t stop my hands from exploring her body. Up her sides, down her back, over her ass. Every circuit was turning me on more and more. I was pretty sure it was turning Kiera on too, and I thought she might take me up on that offer to leave early. Until her body went completely rigid.
I was confused until I noticed her gaze. She was staring at something off to her left. I knew what it was even before I looked. And yep, Griffin had found a couple of girls willing to say yes to him. He was deeply kissing a blonde while a redhead had her hand down his pants. There were a couple of other interested girls in his proximity, and I knew, without a doubt, Griffin was going to fuck at least one of them tonight.
Kiera started pulling away from me—toward him—but I held her back. She was so angry that she was vibrating, and I put my lips to her ear so she could hear me over the music. “Making a scene with him isn’t going to help anything. I’ll talk to him later.” Because something was definitely going on with him.
Kiera turned her anger toward me. She shoved me away from her, heat in her eyes. “Later? What, after he’s screwed them?”
Yes. Because he’s going to do it regardless.
I shook my head as I thought of some way to tell her that without sounding like I was condoning it. Sienna stepped up to us as my mind spun. “Problem?” she asked. She had a man on each arm—her gift from the club owner.
My smile was tight when I answered her. “Everything’s fine.”
Kiera opened her mouth, most likely to yell at me, but Griffin walked by us just then. He had a girl on each arm and a determined look on his face as he strode toward the VIP bathrooms. He was going to go for it right here, but oddly, he didn’t seem as thrilled about that as he usually did. He wasn’t even smiling.
Kiera didn’t seem to notice that, though. She just saw him escaping to have sex, and she was enraged about it. “That son of a bitch!” She started storming his way, but I held on tight to her hand. Her angry eyes snapped back to mine when she couldn’t move any further. “Let me go, Kellan.”
I pulled her back to me as I shook my head. “You can’t make him change, Kiera. He has to want to. And he’s not going to stop…whatever he’s doing in there just because you barge in yelling and screaming. Trust me. You’ll just end up seeing way more than you want to.”
I hoped she believed me, because that would be exactly what happened if she walked in on him. I’d walked in on Griffin enough times to know that. He only stopped when he finished.
Kiera yanked her hand out of mine. She shoved my chest, taking her frustration out on me—which was fine. I’d rather have her smack me a few times than have Griffin screwing another woman permanently lodged in her brain. “Then you go stop him,” she snapped. “Drag him out of there like you dragged him away from those two girl-looking guys in New Jersey!” Tears stung her eyes as she said that, and a part of me wanted to do it, just so I could hurt him for hurting her. But the fact was, I hadn’t dragged him away from anyone, I’d convinced the girls to leave, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to do that this time. It was already a done deal. And besides, it would only be a temporary fix.
Stepping into Kiera, I cupped her cheeks. “He has to make the choice, Kiera. It means nothing if I force him.” I couldn’t watch over him every second of every day. And I wouldn’t. As much as she hated this, she needed to accept it. And move on. Because if she didn’t, she would never be happy.
Her chin wobbled, and I again wanted to punch Griffin in the nuts. “He won’t get away with it, Kellan. I’m not going to lie for him.”
I stroked her cheek, wishing I could somehow make this easier for her. “Anna knows what he’s like, Kiera. You don’t have to lie.” That was the only bright spot in all of this. Technically, Griffin wasn’t cheating on Anna because they weren’t actually a couple. Although even I thought he’d wait until after she left the tour to sleep with other women. And that was the conversation I intended to have with him. It was a matter of respect.
Kiera looked like she was about to be sick as she stared at me. “I want to leave now.”
I absolutely didn’t blame her. Wrapping my arms around her, I held her to my chest and got the attention of a waitress nearby. “Can you call me a cab?” I asked her. She nodded while I rocked Kiera in my arms and tried to make all of her pain go away.
Sienna was watching the two of us with a strange expression on her face. Almost wistful. “We’re gonna go,” I told her.
She nodded, flicked a glance down at Kiera, then lifted her eyes to the bathrooms. I almost told her she was welcome to bust apart Griffin’s little sex party, but getting Kiera away from here was my primary concern.
Arm around Kiera’s shoulders, I shifted us over to Matt and Evan so we could tell them we were leaving. The two of them were having an animated conversation about music. They probably hadn’t even noticed Griffin taking off with his conquests. They looked up when I stopped directly in front of them. “We’re gonna take off,” I said.
They both shifted to look at Kiera, then they both frowned. She was still obviously upset. They looked around the room, like they just now remembered where we were and how awkward Griffin had made it with his “order.”
“All right,” Evan said. “Everything okay?”
Kiera sighed, then looked up at me. “I’m going to go wait by the door.” Her gaze shifted to the bathrooms. “I can’t be in here anymore.”
I nodded at her, letting her escape. Then I looked back at Evan and answered his question. “Griffin’s an asshole, and I’m pretty sure I just lost that bet.”
Matt’s lips twisted as he looked over at the bathrooms. “You want me to do something about that?” he asked, looking back at me.
I again contemplated it, but in the end, what I’d said to Kiera was right. We couldn’t force monogamy on him. He had to choose it. Feeling exhausted, I tossed up my hands. “What’s the point?”
Face serious, Matt told me, “Blue balls. Blue balls is the point.” Then he smirked.
A weary laugh escaped me, then I sighed. “Do what you want. I’m gonna try to calm Kiera down.”
I told them both goodbye, then I found Kiera waiting at the rear exit. She still seemed upset, like she wanted to scream and sob at the same time. There was a taxi waiting for us when we stepped out onto the street. We were all alone out here, no one around to notice me holding Kiera’s hand as we slipped into the taxi together, but for once, I didn’t care how it might have looked. My wife was hurting and helping her was the only thing that mattered to me.
Once we were in the cab, I told the driver where to go, then twisted to face Kiera. She was crying, and it broke me to see it. “I hate him,” she said, her voice thick with pain. I didn’t know what to do, didn’t know how to fix this. And I didn’t know what this might mean for the band from here on out. If she really, truly couldn’t be around Griffin anymore, would she leave? Would she be miserable if she stayed? Fucking Griffin.
Not knowing what else to do, I placed my hands on her cheeks and gave her the tenderest kiss I possessed. He might hurt you, but I never will. That was the only promise I could make her; that while I might make questionable jokes like Griffin, he and I were nothing alike where it truly mattered.
