Falling Down

Chapter Five
Lucy
"Hey, hey I wanna be a rock star," Sera sings as she walks into the kitchen.
"A little Nickelback for breakfast?" I ask with a grin.
She twirls in a circle. "I'm so happy right now, Luce. We get to start living our dream."
"I know," I say. I can't stop grinning. I have been all morning. I barely slept last night. I was too excited.
"We should ask Jace if he wants to play with us."
"You know he'll be on the next plane out, Sera."
She picks up her phone and calls him. "I'll book his ticket. He can stay here. I'll let Max and Frank know."
She nods. "Jace! Mr. Sexiness! How would you feel about starting up a band with me and Luce?" Pause. "It's for real." Pause. "No shit. For real." Pause. "Luce is on her laptop waiting to hear how soon you can get away and--" She laughs. "Book it. Soonest you can get."
I laugh. "I love you Jace!" I yell.
"He loves you too and he says it's about f*cking time, woman."
I nod. "I know."
I've never been this alive at six in the morning. Well, not including the day after I met Jesse in Chicago. That was… yeah.
"Wait a second, Sera," I say as an idea takes over my brain. I walk over to where she's standing. "Speaker please. Hey Jace."
"What's up sexy Lucy?"
"I'm wondering, what about Luther and Tommy? Do you think they'll want to join us?"
"I'm not sure. Luther's got a steady girl and Tommy's married with a baby on the way."
I'm a little disappointed but I understand.
"No worries. We'll find someone to fill the spots. I'm not sure how, but we'll get it done."
"Hello!" Sera says. "We have connections to Jesse Kingston. He'll help. I'm sure of it."
"I can't ask him to do that."
"Why the hell not? You heard them yesterday. They want us to do this."
"True. Okay, I'll see what he says. I'll talk to him and Cage together today. I'm so excited to see you Jace!"
"We're going to rock the hell out of it, you know this, right Luce?"
"I know it," I nod to Sera.
"Anything you can't take on the plane that you want to bring, box it up. I'll have someone come take care of it for you."
"Thanks Luce."
"You betcha baby. Just pick up your ticket at the counter. You're all set. I paid for extra luggage so you can bring an extra bag."
"Woman, I'm not like you and Sera."
I laugh. "I know, but this is forever, Jace."
He pauses. "Forever."
"I've got to get in the shower but I'll see you tonight. Max will be there to pick you up."
"Thanks, both of you. Not just for the ticket or the car, but for including me."
"You're the best bass guitarist we know," Sera says. "There's no one we want more."
"Cool."
"I'm off," I say as I head toward the shower before I start to cry. Our dream is starting to come true.
***~~~***
When we get on set, we're met by an extremely enthusiastic Spenser.
"What's up, Spense?"
"What's up?" he asks incredulously. "Are you f*cking with me right now, Luciana Russo?"
I just stare.
"You haven't seen the internet or turned on a television, have you?"
"Oh shit," Sera says.
"Uh, no." Shit. Last night. Club Sunset. Flashes. Paparazzi. Me and Jesse. Mmm, me and Jesse. I familiar ache settles between my thighs as I remember how it felt to touch and kiss him.
"Come with me," he pulls me along with him, Sera following on our heels. He heads to an office and turns on the television. It's seven-thirty and all the morning news and talk shows are just getting started and there we are. The first channel.
Me and Jesse pressed as tightly together as we can be, my arms around his waist, my nails digging into his back. His hands are cupping my face, his thigh between my legs. Jesus. We look as hot as it felt.
"They're speculating. No one has any idea what's going on between you two or how you connected," Spenser says.
"After all that last night, we went home and grabbed our stuff and we stayed at a hotel. We didn't have to deal with the paps but you can bet your ass they're camped out at our front gate," Sera says with an arch of her brow.
"Well, hell. We need to change it up for Jace. He can't go to the house. I won't subject him to that."
"He can stay at the hotel with us. We booked the entire floor."
I nod at Sera and put a call in to Max and Frank.
I glance at the computer and see Spenser has pulled up a video of me and Jesse. A video. Holy God.
I make a strangled noise and Sera tells Spenser to play it. It starts from the beginning of my dance with Jesse and ends with the flash. It's the entire thing. It's sexy and it's hot and I want to do it again.
"Oh my God," I breathe out.
"It's sexy as hell," Spenser exclaims.
"Hell yeah it is," Jesse says from behind me. I whip around to see him leaning against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest, feet crossed at the ankles. He appears to be completely relaxed, rather blasé about the whole bullshit media gossipfest.
I huff. "Honestly Jesse."
One side of his mouth lifts in a smirk.
"Don't you smirk at me."
So he does.
"I can't help it. This is amusing. You're amusing."
"I'm amusing. Are you kidding me right now?"
"Lucy, you're taking this too seriously."
I tamp down my temper. Too seriously, he says. I narrow my eyes.
"Oh hell, Jesse. Now you did it," Sera says.
"What?"
"Her eyes are narrowed, her nostrils are flaring, her lips are thinned out. She's pissed. She's going to blow any second."
"She can--"
"You better not go there right now, hot stuff," Sera tells him with a laugh.
"You're probably right."
I take a deep breath. "So you saw the video, then?"
He nods.
"You know what?"
He looks like he's unsure whether he should respond or not. Sera, knowingly, stays quiet as does Spenser. Jesse follows their lead.
"For as hot and wet as I was last night on the dance floor, we should have just f*cked right there."
Sera laughs, Spenser coughs, and Jesse's eyes darken.
"Perhaps we should have."
I shrug. "We may as well have. The only difference would be if we were naked because we were all but f*cking in that video."
Jesse steps forward, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "Lucy, trust me. If we were f*cking you'd know it. I'd be buried so deep inside of you, you wouldn't know where you ended and I began, and I can guarantee it wouldn't be over as quickly as that dance was."
I lick my lips and more moisture gathers between my thighs. His lips are hovering just over mine and I am severely tempted to kiss him right here, shove Sera and Spenser out the door, and have Jesse Kingston f*ck me up against the wall.
He smirks as if he knows what I'm thinking and I lift a brow. He winks then leans in and presses a soft kiss to my lips. "Soon."
"Not soon enough," Spenser says. "Jesus, you two. Even I need a cold shower after that."
"And Lucy's going to need some dry panties," Sera blurts out.
Jesse's smile grows.
"Do we need to do damage control?"
I shrug. "Nope. I really don't care anymore. I just hate my personal life being scrutinized, speculated, and dissected."
He nods. "The life of a movie star."
"That's not--," Sera says with a smile until I cut her off, shaking my head. Out comes the award-winning Serafina Manzini pout.
"Awww, why not?"
"Later. We need to get ready or Cage is going to get cranky. You know very well that a cranky Cage is not a good thing."
"True enough," she responds.
"Jesse, can I talk to you later? Not about," I wave a hand at the television and computer, "that but something else."
"Of course."
I nod, my gaze unable to move from his lips. "I've got to go."
He nods. I start to stand up on tiptoe and he meets me half way for a lingering touching of our lips. He pulls back and rests his forehead against mine.
"This is so going to complicate things."
"I hope so," he says with a pat on my ass. "Now go get ready."
I squeal when he smacks my ass again and laughs. I grin the whole way to hair and makeup. I lick my lips, savoring his taste. Oh boy. Jesse Kingston.
***~~~***
The day is long and tiring. We get through a lot of filming and I'm ready to get back into my yoga pants.
"You said you wanted to talk about something?" Jesse asks.
"Yeah. Actually," I say looking round. "Cage? Guys? Can Sera and I talk to you all in say, twenty minutes? I'd like to wash the mask off my face and get out of this ridiculous leather dress."
"It's f*cking hot," Kennedy says. It's the first time he's ever directly spoken to me and I thought he was mute or just hated me.
I laugh. "Thanks. It really is hot. It's making me sweat under my boobs and that's just gross."
He laughs. "Too much information, girlie."
I nod. "Twenty minutes?"
They all murmur their agreement.
Sera jumps up and down a bit as we walk back to the changing room. "We're really doing this. I can't believe it," she says twirling in a circle.
"We are." And I'm scared shitless. What if we suck? What if we fail? What if we can't find decent band members? What if the ones we choose get hooked on drugs? What will the rules on the bus be if we tour? There is so much to think about and my brain is overloading.
"Stop it," Sera snaps.
"What?"
"You know what. Knock it off. We haven't even gotten started yet and you're freaking out about shit you don't need to be freaking out about."
She knows me so well.
"Unh."
"Oh boy. You're 'unh'-ing?"
"I'd 'eh' but people make fun of us for doing that."
"Valid."
"You've been reading Jay McLean again, haven't you?"
"I have. Logan Matthews is such an a*shole hottie. I can't get enough."
"Agreed."
I stand behind the changing partition and slip off the heat suctioning torture device known as a black leather dress and breathe a sigh of relief. Then I proceed to stomp on it.
"Gross."
"What?" Sera asks.
"Boob sweat. I need a washcloth."
"Well go get one."
"I'm naked and I'm not putting that sweat trap back on."
There's a knock on the other side of the partition and I gasp, pulling the leather up to cover my nakedness.
There's a low chuckle from the other side and then a hand appears at the top with a wet washcloth.
"Oh my God."
"Yeah, you'll be saying that to me a lot, Cupcake."
"I can't reach, can you just drop it?"
"Sure."
The washcloth drops and I catch it, dropping the dress and washing beneath, around, and all over my breasts.
"This feels amazing. God, Jesse, you have no idea."
He chuckles again. "You'll be saying that a lot too, but I'll have an idea because I'll be making it happen."
I snort. I don't bother to deny it. I am definitely going to be sharing some f*cktastic moments with Jesse Kingston. What red-blooded woman with a pulse would deny herself that pleasure? Certainly not this one.
I pull on my sports bra, yoga pants and t-shirt then sit on the bench with my shoes and socks.
"It's safe to come back here now."
Jesse comes around the side and eyes the leather dress on the ground.
"Did you trample it?"
"Yes," I say with venom.
He smiles. "Why?"
"It sucked all the fluids out of my body and pushed them on and around my boobs and any crevices it could find. It's made of evil."
He chuckles. "That bad?"
"And then some." I tie my second shoe and sit up. I meet his gaze, there's humor there. "Sure, sure, laugh it up at my expense. It's all fun and games until I'm dehydrated and pass out and need you to resuscitate me."
"Oh baby, I'll resuscitate you anytime you want."
"Pig."
"Oink."
I laugh. "See? This is why."
"Why what?"
"This," I say waving my hand around, "is why I think you're cute."
"There's way more to it than that, Lucy. Stop lying to yourself. It'll make things easier in the end."
"What things?"
"You accepting that you're mine."
My eyes widen. "Yours?" I squeak.
He nods, lips pressed together in a thin line.
"You don't seem too happy about it." I hop in the chair and Spenser helps me take off my makeup.
"I wasn't happy about it six years ago in Chicago and I'm not happy about it now."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
He grunts and I wipe makeup from my face, just quiet thinking of nothing.
"You do. You felt it just as I did in Chicago. I saw it."
"That was a fangirl crush, Jesse."
"Nope. It was more and you can deny it all you want."
"I won't deny my attraction to you."
"That's a good thing. You're sexy as hell so we're on an even playing field."
"As far as that's concerned, yes."
"I figure we'll just f*ck it out," he says and I laugh. Spenser snorts. I laugh hard, so hard I'm doubled over. I snort in a very unladylike manner and Sera comes over.
"What's so funny?"
Jesse shrugs and I point at him, tears running down my cheeks I'm laughing so hard. Oh God, it's hurting my stomach.
"F*ck it out," I say and fall off the chair onto the floor laughing. Jesse narrows his eyes then slides down, his legs on either side of my hips, grabbing my arms, pinning them above my head.
I try to stop laughing, I really do, but giggles keep bubbling up. He's not pleased that I found his statement funny.
"I'm sorry, Jesse," I say, trying to catch my breath. "It just… the way you said it." I giggle again.
He lowers his face to within an inch of mine. "I guarantee you, Luce, you won't be laughing when you're naked beneath me--not unless I want you to. You'll be moaning and writhing and clawing up my back and shoulders. You'll be calling out my name as I make you come over and over again with my fingers, my tongue, and my cock."
All laughter has fled and I instantly get wet just from his words.
"Jesus."
He nods. "You'll be calling for him too."
Oh yeah, it'd be easy to get lost in Jesse Kingston but I can't allow that. I know all about guys like him where their cocks f*cking rule their world, where emotion doesn't enter into the equation. Been there, done that, don't want a repeat.
"Not so funny, now is it?"
I pause. He really is full of himself and taking a whole lot for granted. Yeah, I think he's hot as hell and I've wanted him for a long time, but his? I don't think so. I belong to me . He can play that game with his little groupie whores.
"You're mine and it's not a joke."
"I don't even know what that means."
"Neither do I, but we'll see how it plays out, yeah?"
"Yeah, I don't think so," I say as panic fills my chest. I push him off of me and stand up. "Nope. No. Can't do that." Can't allow that. I grab a wet towel and finish washing my face.
"What?"
The shock is evident on his face and I hide my panic and shrug.
"The whole fangirl crush thing I had going on when I was younger? Sure it's still there and I'd be lying if I said I didn't want you in my bed. But yours?" I shake my head.
"Yeah, mine."
"I'm pretty happy being just me."
He just stares. I see disbelief, anger, and frustration in his gaze. Good. Not every woman is going to bow down to him. He's not used to the word 'no', that much is evident. That's probably because this is Jesse Kingston. Rockstar extraordinaire. Player. Manwhore. He can have anyone he wants and usually does, only this time he wants me… as his? I don't think so. That'd be a very big mistake.
"If that's how you want this to go, I'll play along."
"Jesse, this isn't a game."
"Sounds like you're making it one."
"No. You are making it one. We barely know one another."
"So what? We'll get to know one another--in and out of bed."
"How do you propose we do that when we have one more day on this shoot and then we go our separate ways?"
"We'll figure it out."
I shake my head. "I'm not going to deny my attraction to you. That's just stupid, but that's it. Attraction, lust, want, desire. That's all."
"You keep telling yourself that, Lucy."
"It's the truth."
"Uh-huh."
Frustrating, arrogant, egotistical rockstar!
"They're waiting for us. We need to go," he says as he grabs my hand pulling me down the hallway. Spenser laughs behind us. What the hell? As we near the conference room, I struggle to pull my hand out of his and he just clings.
"Let go."
"I don't think so."
"Jesse. Stop."
He meets my gaze, looking for something. He must see whatever it is he was searching for because he nods slightly.
He lifts our hands and presses a kiss to our knuckles. "I'll let you go. For now."
He releases my hand and I roll my eyes.
"I'm not going to be yours, Jesse."
"You already are."
With that, he walks into the conference room, leaving me standing alone in the hallway.
"What the hell is wrong with that man?" I ask to no one in particular.
No. I. Am. Not. I am not his. Crushing on him, lusting after him--yes. He's got an ego problem if he thinks he can claim me after working with me for two days. I've come across his kind before and that's how I learned to keep me to me. Jumping into something because of the attraction, because it feels good--some people are built for that, but I'm not. I've learned the hard way that broken hearts never truly mend, never become whole again. There are always a few missing pieces left behind with the careless one who did the breaking and they don't even appreciate your sacrifice. Those remaining pieces are their trophy.
I won't make that mistake again.