Chapter 5

A/N:  *WARNING* as usual, this chapter has some crude language...it is about "sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll" after all.

Bella tried not to snap at her band again during the song the were currently performing. They were doing a sound check in Columbus, Ohio and she was highly irritated for some unknown reason. In fact, she seemed to just be getting more and more frustrated with each passing day despite her attempts at finding ways to keep herself calm.

After her Tampa concert nearly a week ago, the tour had two nights off as they made their way to Jackson, Mississippi where they had given a concert on the third night. From there, there was another night off before they arrived in Columbus to give another concert the following night. Despite the tour having a few nights off, Bella’s time was still full of the usual interviews, photo ops and parties, so really the only day she’d had to relax had been the one she took in Tampa.

Still, there was no reason for her to feel so agitated. She knew she was getting irritated with her band for no real reason other than it seemed to make her feel better while she was doing the bitching. Okay, so maybe Eric was still on her shit list for the stunt he had pulled back in West Palm Beach, but that was a different subject.

Bella took a deep breath and let it out before waving her hands in the air. “Okay, that’s it. I think we’re done here.”

Every last person on that stage went quiet at her words. Clearly no one wanted to agree or disagree with her at the moment. Not even Paul seemed willing to step forward to take her monitor from her.

The only one brave enough was Michael, who came sauntering around the side of the stage to stand near the subdued Paul. “You sure everything’s all right? Everything’s ready for tonight’s concert?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” was her quick reply.

“All right then, you heard the boss lady! You’re dismissed!” announced Michael, as he waved his hands at the band in a shooing motion.

The band began to scatter as Michael and Paul climbed the stairs to where Bella was standing. Bella handed the monitor to Paul before Michael put his hands on her elbows to turn her to face him. He rubbed her arms as he murmured to her in a soft voice.

“What’s bothering you, darling?”

Bella sighed. “I have no idea, Michael. I’ve just been feeling frustrated all day long. I’d blame PMS, but that’s not it.”

Michael quirked his eyebrow. “Hm, I’d say it sounds like you need to get laid, but that can’t be it either.”

Bella huffed. “Really, Mike?”

He gave her a grin. “Sorry, couldn’t help it, but in all seriousness, whatever this is, you need to deal with it now. You have a photo shoot in an hour and you can’t show up with that scowl on your face.”

She nodded. “Yeah, I know. I’m gonna go meditate in my dressing room for a bit, maybe all I need is a little peace and quiet to clear my mind.”

“Okay, then. I’ll be at the hotel if you need me. Shall I instruct your driver and guards to take you to the shoot from here?”

“Yes, I think that’s better. I’ll just shower in the dressing room so I’ll be fresh for whatever they want to do to me at the shoot.”

Michael nodded and began pulling out his iPad as he walked about from Bella, already at work on switching things around for his best client. Bella watched him walk away before looking around the stage area to see that it was already clear of the entire band. There were a couple of roadies working on securing the wires and other equipment, but the stage was still rather empty of people.

She sighed as she walked to the edge of the stage and sat down, letting her legs dangle over the side of it. Her eyes traveled over the huge arena, taking in the vastness of it all. It still amazed her that she was able to fill huge places like this with so many people who were eager to watch her perform her music.

Being in a place like that could intimidate some people because of the sheer magnitude of it all. However, Bella seemed to love the performances she gave in those places. She loved the energy of them, especially when it was filled to its capacity with thousands of adoring fans. Yet, she also liked times like this too, when it was mostly quiet except for the few roadies milling around, working on something or other.

It was times like this that she could reminisce on past concerts and the antics of her fans. It also helped her to somehow tune into the vibe of the place. She could even let her imagination wander, picturing other concerts she wished she had been able to see before she had begun her own career. Like most musicians before her, she had been a fan of music before she became the entertainer she now was.

Still, she knew sitting there wasn’t going to be enough for her to really clear her mind in order to be feeling more upbeat for the photo shoot. In fact, the reason for her recent crankiness popped back into her head just like that, making her scowl once more.

She knew Michael hadn’t been far off the mark when he’d suggested maybe she needed to get laid. After all, the last time had been incredibly disappointing as to make her resort to using a battery-operated device and even that hadn’t cured her of her frustration.

Her scowl deepened as she ran a hand through her hair and looked up to survey her surroundings again. Then, in the next moment, her eyes landed on yet the other reason why her last lay hadn’t been up to par.

Jacob Black stood next to the sound board so that she could see the entirety of his tall, muscular profile. He was leaning over slightly, apparently testing some of the cables that ran from the sound board to other pieces of equipment around it. Bella couldn’t help but watch as his fingers moved over the cables and controls of the board.

Instead of the usual black tee and black jeans he wore during the concerts, he was wearing a light blue button-down collared shirt with a normal pair of blue jeans. He had the long-sleeved shirt rolled and pushed up to his elbows, leaving his forearms in plain view. Bella could see the veins that traveled through those arms even from where she was sitting.

Her eyes traveled up his arm, over the flexing muscles of his biceps beneath the shirt, to his broad shoulder, then to the strong jaw line of his profile. She marveled at how sharp the angles of his face were and wondered why she hadn’t spent more time running her fingers over the planes of his face when she’d had the chance to. Then again, she hadn’t really spent any time running her fingers over any of the other interesting parts of his body she had been thinking about lately.

She hadn’t really taken the time to enjoy doing that…maybe she should have.

Or maybe she should stop this line of thinking right now since it would only make her more frustrated, she thought to herself. No! She suddenly stopped as another thought occurred to her. Maybe Angela and Michael were both right…just not in the way they had intended to be.

Maybe she should do as Angela said and get to know the man. Okay, so Angela meant talk to him, but Bella would rather get to know that sinfully virile body of his much better than anything else. And if Michael thought she was sexually frustrated, what better way to relieve her frustration than to have that manly perfection between her legs again.

That did it. She clenched her jaw as she made up her mind and got up to go find Paul as a plan formulated in her mind. She found him behind the stage discussing lighting with a group of roadies. So, she deepened her scowl and made her way towards the group. They all fell silent at her approach, making Paul turn to see the look on her face.

She ignored the looks of trepidation on everyone else’s faces as she addressed Paul in a low voice. “I’d like to speak to you when you have a moment.”

He nodded before turning back to the others to finish what he was discussing with them while Bella walked off a distance to wait. She was still able to catch a few murmurs from the group even then.

“What didya do?”

“Shit, Paul. You’re in trouble!”

“If looks could kill, dude…”

She didn’t acknowledge that she heard those comments and didn’t really care about them anyway while she continued to wait for Paul. As soon as he dismissed the group, he walked over to her with the same stoic look he always wore when working. Even in the face of danger, Paul remained a rock, just like Sam.

“You needed to speak with me?” He prompted.

She nodded as she made sure the scowl remained on her face. “Yes, I’m still a little iffy about this new sound board technician you hired. I know it’s time to decide if he should stay on this tour, but to tell you the truth, I still have some issues with his work.”

Paul frowned. “Really? I thought things were going rather smoothly with him here.”

Bella shook her head. “Not quite. Today there were even a few glitches that I noticed. I know I didn’t point them out during rehearsal, but there were already a million other things going wrong.”

“Boss, if you could tell me…”

“I would rather tell him, they are his mistakes after all. I’m going to my dressing room right now to do some meditation before I leave. I’d really appreciate it if you could get Mr. Black and bring him there. If we can’t settle this now, then I don’t see any way I would want to keep him any longer.”

Paul nodded at her stern words. “Of course, I’ll go get him right now.”

She gave him a curt nod, then proceeded to stalk down the tunnel, keeping up the charade. Sam was waiting for her at the entrance to the tunnel, so he followed her to the dressing room where Emmett was already stationed outside the door. As she reached it, she turned to Sam.

“Paul is bringing Mr. Black to see me, let them in, but no one else until I am done talking to them.”

Sam gave her an acknowledging nod before she stepped into the room and Emmett closed the door behind her.

Now alone in the room, she took a few deep breaths and quickly changed out of her usual blue two-piece rehearsal outfit into a floor-length red silk robe. Then she sat down at her vanity table and proceeded to brush her hair out. It was while she was doing this that Sam knocked on the door, then opened it at her word.

She didn’t get up as Paul entered the room with Jacob behind him, but she caught Paul’s eyes in the mirror.

“Leave us,” she barked at Paul, as she continued to brush her hair.

Paul stiffened for a moment before giving her a quick nod, then gave Jacob a sympathetic glance and disappeared out of the door.

Jacob remained where he was, halfway between the door and the vanity table, as she appeared to be giving him a disdainful look through the mirror. Bella finished brushing her hair, wanting to make him sweat a little as well as give Paul some time to walk out of hearing distance.

Then she set the brush down leisurely and rose to her feet. Turning around, she folded her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at him.

“I suppose Paul has told you what this is about.”

She watched his jaw flex before he managed to get the words out. “Something about a few mistakes I made during rehearsal which makes you think I won’t be hired for the rest of this tour.”

She pursed her lips. “Yes, that’s some of it.”

His gaze darkened. “Forgive me if this is out of line, but I didn’t hear anything wrong during the rehearsal, and if you had a problem, maybe you should have pointed it out during that time.”

“I could have,” she replied as she lifted her chin haughtily. “But since the deadline for my approval is here, I thought it better to talk to you about this in private rather than risk embarrassing you in front of everyone.”

Jacob’s eyes went wide, as he took a step towards her. “So, you think this warrants my release? Whatever it is you think I’ve done wrong today?”

She shrugged and moved closer to him, the look on her face became demure. “Maybe it’s not what you did wrong…maybe I just want to see you…release again.”

Jacob stood there stunned as Bella gazed at him from beneath her lashes. Did he just hear that right? She didn’t request a private meeting with him to tell him that she hated his work before she sent him packing. Instead, she had him there in private to tell him she…wanted him again.

No way! That couldn’t be right, but he had to make sure.

He swallowed heavily as he took another step closer to her so that now she had to tilt her head back to look at him. Their bodies were so close as to almost touch, but…not quite.

“Are you…are you sure you want a private sound check again? My release…our release won’t mess with any of your…policies.”

She licked her bottom lip as she whispered, “So long as you understand the stipulations in your contract, we’re good to go.”

“Stipulations?” he asked in a husky voice, as he leaned down until his lips hovered over hers.

“Yes,” she breathed. “Like we said before, no strings attached…extreme discretion, that sort of thing.”

“Right,” he murmured against her lips.

“Do we have a deal?” she asked.

He waited a beat before he answered. “Deal.”

That was all it took for their mouths to crash together in a fierce kiss as their limbs wound around each other savagely. In their haste to remove some articles of clothing, they stumbled back into the vanity table until Bella could feel it against her behind. She concentrated on undoing his jeans until she could sink her hand inside to where she could take hold of his length to pull it out.

His lips continued to bruise hers as she stroked him until he was a steel rod in her hand. Jacob’s own hands weren’t idle as they undid the tie to her robe and pushed it open to reveal her naked flesh beneath it. Bella had made sure nothing would hinder her body from coupling with his.

He growled at the feel of her bare skin against his hands before he grabbed hold of her waist and lifted her onto the edge of the vanity table. Bella reached one hand behind her to push things out of the way while the other continued to stroke him. As she settled, she began to guide him towards her opening while his hands gripped her ass to keep her anchored.

He mumbled against her lips. “Need to get you ready.”

She mumbled back a little breathlessly. “I am ready. Need you inside of me. Now.”

He sank into her folds with a groan as she locked her legs around his hips and slid her hands up to undo the buttons of his shirt.

“Fuck! You are so wet!” he murmured in amazement.

She smiled against his lips. “Told you I was ready.”

He answered with a smile of his own and dug his fingers into her skin as she finally got his shirt open enough to rake her nails down his chest. It made him hiss as he slammed into her, making her moan in pleasure.

“Yes…that’s it. Take me hard, Jacob,” she whimpered.

He did as she asked, repeatedly surging in and out of her depths as her body clung to his. When she leaned back, he lowered his head to take a pert mound into his mouth, letting his teeth nip at the pebbled flesh before tonguing the sting away.

“Mmm…more,” she begged.

His mouth lavished more attention on her breast before moving to the other one where he repeated his actions even as he continued to pound into her slick heat. Their movements caused the table to bang against the wall, but neither of them cared if anyone beyond the room could hear them at that point. Bella slid her hands to his back, trying to pull him even closer than he already was and lifted her legs up to his waist. The angle allowed him to go even deeper and she whimpered again as her nails found purchase in his back.

“Oh yes! Right there!” she moaned louder.

The way she was responding to him already had him on the brink, but he knew she had to get there before him. Gripping her hips, he held her in place and thrust deep into her until he found the spot he’d been looking for. He knew when he had by the way she suddenly tensed in his arms with a gasp.

Quickly, he took her mouth in his again and swallowed the cry she released along with her body’s wild culmination which only triggered his own explosive climax. Her walls clung to him, holding him inside of her until she was certain she’d milked him dry.

Only then did their mouths release each others as they began to take huge gulps of air into their starved lungs. Still, they remained where they were until their breathing calmed down some more.

When Jacob seemed to have control of himself, he slowly pulled away from her body and began to set his clothing to rights again. Bella slid to her feet and closed the robe around her as she watched him collect himself. When he was done with his clothing, he ran his hands through his hair while he checked himself in the mirror to make sure he looked okay. Then, he turned to her with a nod.

“I’ll let myself out.”

He started for the door, but Bella caught his arm to stop him. When he looked into her eyes in question, she leaned closer to him and spoke in a low voice.

“Would you meet me in my room tonight? After the concert?”

He arched an eyebrow. “Is that safe?”

“I’ll make sure of it,” she answered with conviction.

He hesitated for a few moments, just looking at her until she added, “You can say no without any kind of repercussion. You have my word.”

“And my job?”

She looked him directly in the eyes as she said, “It was never in any danger…but I’m sure you knew that.”

He nodded. He had figured that was so.

He now knew her words to Paul had just been an excuse to get him into her dressing room so she could be with him. He was surprised that she had wanted him again after she had told him it could never happen. Now she was asking for a third time and he knew he was going to accept.

He knew her rules and he knew what to expect from her.

“I’ll be there,” he said.

She let go of him. “You understand though…”

“Yes,” he answered. “I know. The situation hasn’t changed. The rules remain the same. I get it Ms. Swan.”

She gave him a tentative smile. “Bella, call me Bella.”

She didn’t have to tell him that he could only call her that in private.

“Jake,” he replied.

She nodded. “I’ll see you tonight then, Jake.”

“Tonight,” he assured her, knowing she had just dismissed him for the time being.

Bella didn’t move as she watched him leave the dressing room, waiting until Sam had closed the door behind him before she let out the breath she had been holding. As the realization of what she had just done sunk in, she dropped bonelessly into the chair next to the table.

For the first time in years, she had fucked someone more than once…

…and it had felt good.