Chapter 19
CHAPTER
NINETEEN
The concert at the venue near Salt Lake City nearly left Ray naked. He’d jumped into the crowd and bodysurfed, but it had gotten pretty damn rowdy and he’d lost a good part of his pants and had been felt up more in those few minutes than all his times cruising bars.
By the time he’d make it back on stage, he’d been laughing and high with adrenaline, but after the show, he’d realized just how lucky he’d been not to be dropped. Still, he loved running out into the crowd.
Carl, predictably, was furious. “You so eager to show your dick, Ray?”
“Not particularly.” He was also too damn tired to get upset with Carl or get down on himself. Plus, there’d be a hotel bed tonight. Two. One for him and one for Zavier. Which one he’d end up in, he didn’t care, as long as Zavier was there.
“Seems like it to me.” Carl crossed his arms.
Ray shrugged. “I’ll admit stage diving was probably not the best plan, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“Every singer does it once in their career,” Mish said.
Carl threw up his hands. “You don’t even fucking care about your image, do you? They think you’re a slut, Van Zeller. A—”
“Drunk? That hasn’t been in the news for a while. And they don’t think I’m a slut, they think I’m fucking Zavier.”
Carl stared at him.
Ray rolled his eyes. “I’ve been keeping track of the scandal sites. It’s all about sex and rock and roll now, not about drunk, mean Ray beating up on his poor ex-drummer. Or about my uncontrolled temper, or any of that.”
Hell, even Kevin had issued a statement that pretty much debunked Ray’s violent personality and outed himself as being in rehab.
Ray had gotten an email from him. Couldn’t stand them saying that about you.
I know we had our differences, but for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.
You were a jerk sometimes, but I was more of one.
Yeah, maybe they were in debt to the record company, but they were also screaming up the charts and a name on many, many people’s lips.
Ray sighed. “Look, I don’t plan on crowd surfing again. That was a little too intense.”
Carl grunted and almost looked satisfied with that answer. “I guess you do have a brain after all.”
Ray didn’t even bother answering that, just grabbed a bottle of water and chugged it back. “We gotta go do the signings.” With that, and completely unrehearsed, the whole band rose and walked out of the room.
Zavier hooked an arm over Ray’s shoulder. “I guess I don’t need to ask if you lost your balls out in the crowd.”
Mish’s laughter echoed down the hallway. “If anything, he’s grown them back.”
“I don’t need to hear about Ray’s balls.” Dom tugged at his studded collar. “But the look on Carl’s face during that whole convo was priceless!”
God, Ray loved this band. Loved them all. Zavier’s warmth seeped into his skin and a cheer went up when they walked out near the crowd like that.
The signings went well. So many people had stories or hopes and dreams they wanted to share.
The delight of the fans bolstered and carried Ray through the night and straight to the hotel.
More press and fans as they entered, then they were on the elevator and to their rooms. Once more, they had a good portion of the floor for the band and crew. Or maybe all of it, he wasn’t sure.
When the band got to their rooms, Mish held up her hand. “Wait a minute, who’s in which rooms?”
Turned out Ray and Zavier were across from each other.
“Nuh-uh.” She snatched Zavier’s keycards. “You’re next to Ray. I’m not putting up with listening to you guys going at it all night.”
Dom was trying not to smile. Zav, for his part, took her keycards. His smile threatened to melt Ray’s bones. “I’ll try not to be too loud.”
“It’s not you I’m worried about, hon.” Mish winked at Ray, then vanished into her room.
Shit, he didn’t need to blush that hard. But with the way Zavier looked at him, and Dom smiling at the floor...yeah. His cheeks were hot.
“You guys have fun,” Dom said, then entered his room.
That left Ray and Zavier in the hall. “Go in and relax.” Zavier nodded at the room. “I need to call down to see about getting my package anyway.”
And that sent heat to other parts of Ray’s body. Zavier’s order. Fuck. Just the thought of being tied down to a bed had him tripping over his feet to get into his room. Relax? Yeah, right.
The room was nice. Big bed. Good space. Lots of bottles of water and some fruit.
He dropped his bag on the floor in the closet and looked around.
About the time he spotted the door that joined their two rooms, he heard the gentle knock from the other side.
Took no time at all to unlock the door, and there was Zavier.
“Well, this will make things much easier.” Zavier grinned.
Oh yeah. No slamming doors. No keycards needed.
Zavier peered inside. “I think my room might work better.” He motioned for Ray to join him.
After stepping inside, Ray agreed with Zav. This room was larger and the layout a little better. Same big bed. A chaise lounge. Even a padded bench by the foot of the bed. “How come I got the smaller room?”
Zavier shrugged. “This was gonna be Mish’s.”
“She missed out.”
A chuckle. “I’m sure she’ll make do, somehow.” Zavier stepped close. “As will we.”
Ray swallowed. “This is not going to help me relax.”
Zavier gripped Ray’s chin. “The question is, do you want to relax, or start now?”
“I want both.” The answer came out before he could even stop to think.
Zavier smiled. “I can work with that.” He snaked a hand around Ray’s back and pulled them together. He was hard—harder than Ray, but not for long. “Go shower, and when you’re finished, kneel at the foot of my bed.”
“Okay.”
Zavier nipped Ray’s neck, then whispered into his ear, “I’m gonna make you scream tonight.”
He trembled and thrust against Zavier. “You can try.”
A pat on his ass, and Zavier stepped back. “Go.”
Ray went. A shower didn’t take too long, but he took his time, easing out some of the aches from performing and trying to calm his dick down, though every minute closer to kneeling for Zavier only fired his blood.
He shut the water off and dried himself.
He hesitated in his room, but no. Clothing would be pointless.
He did crack a bottle of water and drink some, though.
God, he was nervous. Maybe because this was real, not them playing around in the bus. The water bottle in his hand was cool against his overheated skin.
“Ray.” Zavier’s voice filtered in from the other room. “Come here, please.”
Right. Ray put down the water and entered the other room.
He stopped halfway to the bed. The bench had been moved, and laid out on the white bedspread were a selection of items he’d only seen in porn.
Cuffs. A collar. A flogger and a crop. A gag?
Yeah, that was a ball gag. Holy shit. Rope.
And yes, a butt plug. There was also a dildo that was quite a bit thicker than Zavier’s cock.
Shit. Ray took a step closer. Oh god, there were nipple clamps, too.
Something close to a whimper came out of his lips.
“Green, yellow, or red?” Zavier’s calm voice.
“Green. I think. I—uh. You’re not gonna use all of those on me?”
A huff of laughter. “No. Certainly not. I wanted to show you the option, though.” He stepped behind Ray, still fully clothed, and kissed his neck. “What interests you? What scares you? What makes you say red?”
He studied the toys. “There’s nothing I’d say no to. The dildo frightens me more than the plug. It’s massive.”
“Mmmhmm,” Zavier purred into his ear. “It is. It’s something to work toward—a goal, if you’d like.”
He nodded, though the words something to work toward both delighted and worried him. “I want the cuffs. I want tied down. I’m not sure about the collar.”
“It does have implications. It came with the cuffs. We don’t ever have to use it.” Zavier slid his hands down Ray’s sides.
Okay. “I’m really curious about the flogger. It’s not gonna be like you spanking me.”
“No.” Zavier gasped Ray’s hips and pressed his bulge into his ass. “Not at all.”
Yeah, he wanted to try that. “Can I ask you something?”
Zavier kissed along his shoulder, licking at the bruise he’d made. “Of course.”
“If I said ‘do anything to me,’ what would you do tonight?”
Zavier stopped moving for a moment, then he breathed along Ray’s skin like he’d just won a jackpot.
“You absolutely amazing man. You have no idea.” Another press of lips to Ray’s neck.
“I’d cuff each of your limbs, tie you to the bed facedown, and flog your ass.
Spank you afterward—so you know the difference—then plug your hole and watch you for a while.
Your struggles. Your need. How you move and want and breathe.
And when you’re ready, I’d fuck you into that rather nice mattress until you scream my name. ”
Shit—shit. Ray couldn’t breathe. His whole body flamed with want and desire, and he wasn’t quite sure how he was still standing, except that Zavier had his arms around him. “Yes.”
“Yes?”
“Please do that. Everything you said. Do it to me.”
Zavier nipped at his skin. “Get on your knees.”
Ray dropped to the floor.
“Head down, Ray. Hands at the small of your back.”
Not the child’s pose they’d used earlier. This was subservient. But this time he didn’t mind. He was Zav’s to use and pleasure tonight.
Footsteps, and then the sounds of items being moved and the bed cleared.
“The best thing about watching you on stage tonight was knowing I’d be fucking you later.
All those fans screaming at you. Ripping your clothes off.
Feeling you up.” Zavier laughed. “I don’t generally think of myself as possessive, but there was something succulent about knowing that my cock would be in your ass and my name on your lips while they pawed over you. ”