Heartstopper Page 12

  “Oh, you know, just school work, the usual,” Sophie says. “Oh, I got a B on that test you were hyping me on.”

  “Did you? That’s great,” I reply, feeling a little bit bad. I haven’t been able to spend as much time with Sophie as I’d like. I’ve been so busy with the club, and when I have been home, I’ve been distracted so often by thoughts of Roxy. “And you’re getting along well?”

  “It’s okay, really. I mean, I’ve been thinking of joining the track team, so I’ve been able to get along, make some new friends.”

  Track, huh? That is new for Sophie. “Well, I want you to know that I love you and as soon as I get a hole in my schedule, we’re gonna do something special.”

  That makes Sophie grin, and she gives me a hug. “Oh, thank you, Jake! You know, I was really hoping you could take me to—”

  Before she can answer, there’s a buzz on my phone. “One sec,” I say, holding up finger. I pull out my phone to see a text from Roxy.”

  Fuck it. I’m in. Next week?

  “What’s that?” Sophie asks curiously.

  I shake my head. I knew she couldn’t resist. I’ll get that spark to ignite in her if that’s the last thing I do. I quickly hit reply.

  I knew you’d pull thru. Incidentally, we caught that creep. He won't be spiking anymore drinks. Talk details tomorrow at the club, nine thirty.

  Buzz.

  Thank God. I owe u 1. 9:30 OK.

  “Jake?”

  “Just some club business,” I half-lie to Sophie, sitting back and relaxing on the couch with a satisfied sigh. I wrap my arm around her shoulder. “Now, where were you saying you wanted to go? I’m thinking Sunday would be a great time for some ‘us’ time.”

  Chapter 16

  Roxy

  “Lalalala . . . la la lah lah-la,” I sing, doing my vocal exercises to open my throat. Standing in front of the mirror in my room, I know I look stupid, but it’s what I have to do. Ever since agreeing to perform, I’ve been getting my voice in shape, torturing Hannah and Mr. Felix with my late night and early morning exercises.

  I’m going to have to change into my outfit soon. It’s my first night where I perform my own set, and I’m feeling the nerves. “Mimimimimi . . . eeeeoooahhhchchch—” I cough and start choking a little. I pushed that last low note a little lower than I really needed to. “Fuck.”

  “Damn, girl, sounds like you’re gargling a mouthful of cock,” jokes Hannah. “Keep that up and Mr. Felix might decide to attack. He’s about to lose it in here. He’s rolling around and giving me faces.”

  Going to the door, I look over to see Mr. Felix mean mugging me, looking like he wants to scratch my face off. I’ve already learned to avoid making the ‘ssss’ sound with my vocal exercises if he’s around. The last time I did it, he hissed back and nearly clawed my leg to pieces. This time, though, it helps. I place my hands on my hips and throw my head back and laugh. “Oh, I so needed that, thank you. I can’t believe I’m so nervous!”

  Hannah chuckles. “If it helps, I am too. Still can’t believe you agreed to do this, but at the same time, I’m happy for you.”

  I’m excited. I still can’t believe I’m getting to do it again. I’d given up on it. And I know I shouldn’t have accepted Jake’s offer because of everything it entailed, but being up there on stage brought me back to life. That place in my spirit I thought I’d lost forever is back.

  “Thank you, Hannah. And thank you for being there tonight.”

  “Don’t thank me, just please don’t sound like this on stage? The free drinks can only go so far.”

  I laugh and go get ready. I already know exactly what outfit I want to wear. It was the same one I wore for my best performance ever at Trixie’s. With a frilly, lightweight skirt that’ll flare some when I spin and a sparkly red top that hugs my curves, I feel sexy. I pull up the thigh-high sheer stockings and boots that complete the outfit, giving myself a once-over in the mirror. “Oh, yeah,” I tease, shaking my hair side to side. “I’m gonna have them in the palm of my hand!”

  You know what you want in the palm of your hand . . . and in your mouth, my inner voice says, and I blush, thinking about it. Kinda shaped like a microphone too, with a long, hard shaft and a flared head that you want to . . .

  I curse myself to focus on the task at hand. Just as I finish lacing up my left boot, my phone rings. Checking, I see it’s Mindy. “Hey, babe!”

  “Ooh, someone sounds excited. What’s going on?” Mindy asks. I bite my lip. I haven’t told anyone about this, but Mindy’s always been supportive of me.

  “Well, I’m getting ready for an event,” I answer.

  “Oh? Who’re you going to see? I’m glad you’re going out to have some fun.”

  “Uh, it’s for me,” I say nervously, holding my breath while I wait for her to reply. “Min?”

  “Roxy, I’m so happy for you!” Mindy exclaims, and I feel relief rush over me. “I always thought your totally giving up singing was too much. So tell me, what’s the gig?”

  “Nothing big, just a local nightclub,” I reply. “It’s a bigger place than Trixie’s, but really, it’s just a once a week little gig. About an hour total.”

  “Just a little gig,” Mindy mocks me, laughing. “So you’re going to tear up the stage and break hearts for an hour. Remember, I’ve heard you. You’re gonna have everyone eating out of the palm of your hand.”

  “Yeah, I guess so.”

  Mindy laughs. “Come on, don’t be nervous. Just go out there, Rox the place out, and tell me all about it tomorrow, okay?”

  “Okay. I promise, we’ll Skype tomorrow or something.”

  From out in the other room, Hannah yells. “Move your fat ass! You’re gonna be late!”

  Mindy laughs. “Yeah, you two match up. Okay, Roxy, love you. Talk to you later.”

  “Love you too. Bye.”

  Club Jasmine is packed, with cars stretching all the way down the street from the overflow lot. The line out the front is enormous, and I’m so thankful that Jake arranged for Hannah and me to be brought around the back.

  “Nice to see you again, Miss Price,” John the security guy says. “And you too, Miss Fowler.”

  “John, I’m beginning to feel like you’re my personal bodyguard around here,” I joke, trying to allay my nerves. It’s not working. I can feel my chest get tight and I’m starting to pant.

  “Hey, Rox?” Hannah says, patting me on the shoulder. “Just relax. Get it together. You got this shit.”

  “It’s harder than I thought it would be,” I say. “It’s been so long since I did a real show.”

  “If it helps, I think you have an amazing voice,” John says as he passes Hannah’s keys to the valet. “You’ll do just as well tonight as you did before.”

  “Yeah, what James Bond said,” Hannah jokes. “You performed great last time. There’s nothing to be scared about.”

  I gulp, taking deep breaths as John leads Hannah and me through the back of the club. He leads us to a dressing room, opening the door. Jake’s inside, and he gets up, looking so fucking handsome in his black suit, emerald green shirt, and blood red tie. “You look amazing,” Jake says, even though I’m wearing a trench coat. “But what’s wrong?”

  “Can you please tell Miss Heart Attack here that she is beautiful and she can sing the face off any diva?” Hannah says. “She’s been gargling cock all afternoon she’s so nervous.”

  Jake looks at me with concern. “Should I be jealous? Do I need to beat someone up?”

  I smile, and he pulls me into him, wrapping his arms around me and kissing me gently. His lips pressed against mine cut off my worries in an instant, and I feel myself melt into him. He pulls back, looking me in the eyes, his voice low and comforting. “Go out there and kick ass. I’m rooting for you. I know you’re going to be great.”

  Looking into his eyes, all I see is sincerity. He truly means it. His words and his touch and presence calm me down and my heart rate steadies. I feel safe in his arms. “I�
��ll do my best.”

  “Oh, so that’s all it takes?” Hannah mock complains. “Fuck, next time, I’ll lay a kiss on you back at the apartment. It’ll save me some stress!”

  I chuckle, looking up at Jake. “I don’t think so, Hannah.”

  Jake smirks and lets me go. “Come on, Hannah. I reserved a spot in the VIP section for us to watch from. Let’s get up there and get ready.”

  Jake and Hannah leave, John giving me a nod as he closes the door. I take off my coat and get ready, checking my makeup and sipping some water. Just as I finish stretching out, I can hear Nathan in the front of the house, getting everyone hyped.

  There’s a knock on my door. It’s John. “Miss Price? You ready?”

  I grin. For the first time, I see his face change expressions when he sees me in my stage outfit. “Let’s Rox.”

  I go to the wings, swallowing my nerves as Nathan turns toward me. “And now, Club Jasmine, by popular demand . . . she’s baaack. Roxy!”

  Swallowing my nerves, I go out on stage, waving to the lights. I can’t see shit. The lights are dazzling, and the crowd goes silent.

  The crowd stares at me expectantly, and sweat beads my brow. Oh, my fucking God, I’ve never had stage fright in my life. I even worked the stage like it was nothing on karaoke night, but now I’m standing here like a petrified tree.

  I clear my throat. I can see Jake and Hannah seated up above, Hannah giving me come on motions with her hands. I feel like I’m about to pass out when Jake gets up, strides to the railing, and calls out, “You got this, Roxy!”

  There’s something in that voice, and I don’t know what I’m doing when I bring my mic up. “Okay, boys . . . hit it!”

  The first song hits, and I feel lifted by the notes and by Jake’s eyes as I start with my first number, a club remix of the Tom Petty classic American Girl. The song’s fast. Even with a dance bridge where I shake my ass, it’s only four minutes, but it breaks the ice, and when the last notes hit, I feel it.

  I’ve got the crowd.

  “Okay, guys, thanks for the patience,” I joke, and they cheer as I grin out at them. “Now, I’ve been racking my head, thinking of good songs for you guys. I started thinking about my roomie. So this one’s for the second baddest bitch in the building, Hannah!”

  It’s not as well-known as most of my set, but the pulsing bass and lyrics of the RnB classic Freak Like Me gives me plenty of chances to do my thing, and the crowd is digging it. It’s a little dirty, sure, but damn if they’re not singing along until the very end.

  The crowd dances as I move through my set. About halfway through, I gesture to Jake and Hannah, waving them down to the stage.

  Jake’s grinning ear to ear when I spring the little surprise that’s been buzzing in my head. I whisper in Hannah’s ear, and she grins, nodding as she runs to the side of the stage, pushing Nathan and Jake. Nathan’s grinning, and Hannah comes back with two chairs, plopping them down.

  “Now, I want to dedicate this next song to the guys who bring us this wonderful club.”

  The music starts, and the crowd cheers as Rhianna’s Rude Boy starts playing. It’s a little slower than some of the stuff I’ve done, but I pour myself totally into the performance, ignoring everything but Jake as I circle him, grabbing his tie and pulling his head between my breasts before practically giving him a lap dance as I sing.

  He brings his hands up on instinct, but I wink and move away, teasing him and making the crowd cheer more as I catch Hannah giving Nathan almost as dirty a dance. He’s got to be ready to have a coronary as hard as she’s grinding on him. I get through the chorus again before I work my way back over to Jake, reaching down and pulling his shirt open, allowing the whole club to feast their eyes on his pecs as I go back to grinding on his lap. Oh, my God, he’s so hard. I can feel him pressed against my ass as I sing, and he’s got me so turned on, if I’m not careful, I’m going to be giving Club Jasmine another kind of performance very quickly.

  Love me, love me!

  I reluctantly climb out of his lap and drop it low to the floor, letting him see my hips sway side to side as the last notes fade away, and the crowd goes apeshit. I glance back at Jake, whose face is beaded with sweat, but at least he’s not as pink as Nathan, who looks like he might have come in his suit pants as he grabs both chairs and hurries off stage. Hannah gives me a smirk and a wink as I thank the guys over the mic for being good sports. Jake gives me a look too, one that leaves my throat dry for an instant before I remember . . . I’ve got one last song.

  “Okay, Club Jasmine, now I’ve got a habit,” I tell them, looking out at the happy crowd. “I’m such a big sappy romantic at heart, I have to end on a ballad. So . . . enjoy.”

  The first notes are almost soft and plaintive as they ring out over the club, but as I start the lyrics, everything goes quiet . . . I have them enthralled.

  Maybe Celine Dion’s made a whole career off power ballads, and sure, it might not be her most famous, but Power of Love is amazing to me, honest and poetic. I sing my guts out, and as I hit the high notes, the whole club erupts into cheers and applause so thunderous it almost drowns me out as I wrap up the song.

  It’s like a dream when I finish. The crowd is calling my name, wanting my attention. Suddenly, Jake is at my side, raising my hand and leading the applause. Getting off the stage, I’m almost swamped by people, Jake protectively next to me the whole time. People are coming up to me, giving me hugs, some even asking for my autograph. I’m barely aware, still wrapped in euphoria from my performance. Before I know it, Jake is taking me by the hand toward the back of the club. Luckily, I see Hannah is preoccupied and doesn’t notice, because by the way Jake’s moving, he has an idea in mind. The same fucking one I do.

  Jake looks back at me, and the look he gives me is filled with need. I swallow, nodding as he leads me to the back, the same place where we were that first night. There’s something magical about coming back here, almost like we’re fulfilling an interrupted destiny.

  I turn to Jake, who’s looking at me with so much intensity that my knees weaken, and I sit down, unable to look away from him as he shrugs off his jacket and undoes his tie.

  “Now . . . now you can send me all the way to heaven,” he says, pulling his shirt off. He climbs onto the bed, urging me down, and I’m unable to resist, not wanting to either. His lips find my neck and I nearly melt into his arms. Should this be happening? I said it wouldn’t, but as his tongue flickers along my jawline, all resistance is futile.

  “Oh fuck,” I moan, laying my head back as Jake runs his hand up my top and under my bra, his fingers finding my right nipple. His lips mash against mine again as we kiss hard, my hands pulling him down as he rubs his thumb over my nipple. I’m left moaning, my pussy throbbing as he holds me down on the bed, his greedy hands roaming over me and setting my skin aflame.

  Suddenly, Jake rolls, pulling me on top of him. I blink, half-stunned, and look down at him. “What are you doing?”

  “You said you could take me to heaven,” Jake teases, lifting my top. I raise my arms, shrugging out of it and my bra, leaving me topless but everything else on from the waist down. “I hope you weren’t lying to me.”

  I grin, leaning down and brushing my nipples against his chest as I tease his lips with the tip of my tongue. “I never lie about that. Just be warned—once you’ve been to heaven with me, it’s all that will be on your mind.”

  He smiles. “I have no doubt about that.”

  I grind on top of him, feeling the bulge of his cock inside his pants as I roll my hips against him, nibbling on his neck. He brings his hands to my ass, squeezing and massaging my cheeks and making me moan. He pulls me up higher until my nipples are even with his lips, and I’m left breathless as he sucks and pulls on them with his teeth.

  His right hand slips over my ass to tug my panties aside, and suddenly, he’s rubbing my pussy, lightning shooting from his fingers through the rest of my body and jolting up my spine. He rubs deeper, the edge o
f his hand parting my ass cheeks and his thumb brushing over my asshole as he slides two fingers into my pussy.

  I’m caught between two unbelievable tortuous pleasures, Jake’s mouth as he switches between my breasts and his fingers pumping in and out of me as I ride him. “Oh, God . . . oh, Jake . . .”

  “I’ve got you,” Jake says, wiggling his two fingers and sending me into spasms of pleasure. “I’ve always got you. You’re mine.”

  His words release something in me, and I plunge back onto his fingers, feeling his thumb press against my ass but not go in as I kiss him hungrily. Am I his? I don’t know, but I want to be, and as Jake’s fingers and my hips roll together, he kisses me again hungrily.

  I can’t take it any longer. My pussy clenches, and suddenly, I’m coming, and I moan deeply into his mouth. Jake holds me close as my body trembles, shaking over him as I ride out the waves of my orgasm, finally collapsing against his chiseled chest, gasping. “Holy fuck.”

  Jake pulls his fingers out of me, bringing them up to his lips, licking and sucking them clean. He growls, pushing me down until my pussy rubs over the bulge in his pants, and a fresh wave of heat fills my body. “Get on your knees, Angel.”

  “Fuck me, Jake,” I beg. “Please, fill me. I need it so fucking badly.”

  I slide off him, getting on my hands and knees as he slides off the bed. I hear the soft sound of his pants zipper sliding down and he steps out of them, pulling me to the edge of the bed. I hear the crinkle of Jake tearing open a condom and sliding it on, filling me with anticipation. My panties are soaked, and he pulls them to the side again, lifting my skirt and rubbing the head of his cock between my pussy lips, the huge, steely hard tool leaving me breathless.

  “We’re going to heaven together, Angel,” Jake growls, smacking my left ass cheek with his hand as he slides his cock into me. I can’t hold back my cry of joy and pleasure as his cock stretches me open, my pussy clenching around him with every glorious inch that disappears inside me.