In Bed with the Rockstar (With the Rockstar #2) (rockstar romance series)

From bestselling author,
Ana W. Fawkes
– the
voice that brought the erotic romance chart topping series –
BY HIS COMMAND
.

This is…

WITH THE ROCKSTAR

Book two –

In Bed with the Rockstar

Welcome to the world of
Alex Slader
and Ashes
in Vain. He’s the lead singer for Ashes in Vain. He writes all the music. He
writes the lyrics. He records everything. And he owns more than anyone can ever
imagine… he’s a billionaire rockstar and more than that… he’s
the
rockstar… the one all men wish they could become and the one all women want to
be with.

Alex Slader
is dark and dominating… and he’s just met the only woman he’s only woman he’s
ever loved… she just doesn’t know it yet.

Taken away.

Taken away.
*

Jessica Harpmae
seems to have gotten her wish with billionaire rockstar, Alex Slader.
*

Taken away.
*

After an
altercation with a previous guitarist, Alex Slader strongly believes the
world is trying to keep him and Jessica apart.
*

Taken away.
*

Jessica must find a
way to put all her trust - and love - into Alex Slader and all he has to offer.
But when he betrays her trust and gets arrested, Jessica feels she has
nowhere to turn.  Then her roommate, Carrie, begins to fulfill a major
part of her secret sexual contract and the lines between friendship,
trust, and love are quickly destroyed...

*

When Jessica asked
to be taken away, this wasn't quite what she had in mind...

Sometimes in the darkness is
when we can see. The darkness can be our planet. It can push the world away for
us. We can finally have this... we can finally have us. Isn’t that what you
want?

.1.

The lights had been off for ten minutes.
Jessica Harpmae stood alone, yet she was submersed in a crowd that continued to
cheer and chant for the only thing they wanted. They all wanted Alex Slader, the
front man of Ashes in Vain. The ultimate rockstar.

Jessica was safely off to the side
of the stage near the gate. If the crowd grew restless or people started
pushing, none of that would bother her. She knew if she kept her bearings, she
needed to turn right and walk until she found the backstage area.

That’s not what Alex Slader wanted.
It had been almost a week since Slader whisked her away from her normal life of
chasing bands and writing stories for a man who could quite possibly be her old
boss by now. Jessica wasn’t sure at that point if she had an actual job or not
nor did she care. She had the hands, the eyes, and the words of Alex Slader to
keep her going.

He took care of her in a way nobody
had ever before. Yes, he was a self-made billionaire who was more than willing
to share anything and everything with Jessica, but Slader also took care of Jessica
physically and emotionally. He ignored his own pain that she could see in his
eyes. Jessica wanted to explore his pain and discover what made him the rockstar
he was. The pain made Alex Slader real. That’s why his fans were so dedicated
to him.

The crowd began to chant for Slader.
The emotion in the small venue was swelling. The fans patience would be pushed
to the limits. People wouldn’t wait forever, or would they? Slader would try to
break them, but he’d never chase them away for good. That’s one thing Jessica
learned right away. The fans loves Slader in a way she’d never witnessed
before. They would do anything for a piece of Alex Slader. They’d take on
security guards. They’d throw items on stage hoping to say Slader touched
something of theirs. Men wanted Slader as much as women did. In fact, if Slader
wanted, he could be on any stage across the world. He could play for hundreds
of thousands of fans. Instead, he kept his shows small, usually secretive, and
he played the same venue multiple times if the crowd worked the way he wanted.

The Slader chants started to break
up and were now on an uneven chant. Jessica knew it had to have been over fifteen
minutes now since the lights went off. The moment it happened everyone
exhausted the biggest scream they could find, but now it was a waiting game.
Slader versus his audience. Slader was in control, as always.

Jessica felt her hip vibrate and
wasn’t sure if she should check her phone. She really didn’t want to miss anything.
This was the first Ashes in Vain show since the explosive relationship between
she and Slader began. It was supposed to just be one night of wild fun. To say
Jessica had spent it with the hottest rockstar in the world. But now it was
something else.

Jessica took her cell phone from
her pocket and looked at it.

It was a message from Slader.

I’m
coming. For you.

Jessica turned the screen off and
put her phone away. She looked to her left and made out the dots of cell phones
screens, scattering throughout the audience like stars on a clear night. The
text message made Jessica feel like the most important person in the venue. She
knew something none of them did. Not to mention she was probably the only
person there in the place that could say they had seen Slader naked and felt
the touch of his muscles and hands on their body.

Thinking of Slader naked turned
Jessica on.

When something touched her
shoulders, she almost moaned. It was a tight grip. Two hands pulled her back
and Jessica stumbled a few steps before crashing into a body. The moment she
felt the hardness - everywhere - she knew it was Alex Slader. He was right
there, right next to his audience. The people standing at the gate, their eyes
stuck to the stage, chanting, had no idea that Slader was just a foot or two
away from them.

Slader’s right hand slithered from
Jessica’s shoulder down to her chest. He cupped her breast and squeezed. His
face touched against Jessica’s. They were both looking forward, into the
darkness Slader created. His left hand moved down Jessica’s body and hurried
under her shirt, touching her warm skin. His hand spread wide and held Jessica
tight against his body.

“Beautiful,” Slader said into her
ear. “Just beautiful.”

Slader turned his head and nuzzled
Jessica’s cheek in a sweet dominating way. His hands were then gone from her
body. He moved quickly and Jessica saw his silhouette moving towards the stage.
A few seconds later, Jessica heard the sound of a breath being exhaled into the
mic. It sounded throughout the small venue, but she wasn’t sure if anyone
realized what was happening.

She wanted to scream to everyone to
shut up and listen.

Then came a gentle whisper... “Beautiful,”
Slader said.

The crowd exploded again. He was
there. Their rockstar had shown.

A light slowly began to shine on
Slader as though he was coming to life right before their eyes. Slader stood
with his head back and his arms out. Then, with the simple motion of moving his
hands up and down, the crowd began to calm. He brought them all to complete
silence. The sight was unreal. Not one of those people made so much as a peep
as Slader stood on stage. He brought his head down and looked left to right. On
stage he was dominating to everyone. He controlled their emotions, their
thoughts, their needs. Every song Ashes in Vain played was written by Slader
himself. He wrote the lyrics and the music. Everything was a product of Slader.
That’s what made the shows more real because nothing came from anyone else. It
made Jessica feel bad for the band members Slader rotated, because they were
nothing more than hired help. Then again, the benefits they received after each
show were pretty intense. There was plenty of women, booze, and drugs to keep
someone busy for days. That was Slader’s payment to the musicians he hired.

For the crowd in front of him,
Slader exhaled another breath again into the mic. The rest of the band took the
stage and the crowd didn’t move or make noise as it happened. Two guitarists, a
bassist, and a drummer all took their positions on stage and waited for the
same direction as the audience did.

Jessica was completely entranced by
Alex Slader. She waited to see what would happen next. What was he going to do?
What was he going to say? Was he even going to play at all? A few times in the
past, Slader had taken the stage and stared into the crowd for a few minutes
before calling it all off. Even then the fans still showed up. They knew that
even if Slader played one song... just one song... it would be worth
everything.

Slader took another breath and then
put his hands to the mic.

“Tonight, we live,” Slader said.
“We live in this moment. In this place. Nothing else matters. Everything you
need is right here, everything...”

Slader let the last word ring out
and the band started to play. The song was loud and heavy, bringing the crowd
back to life. Slader nodded his head as the song played. He wanted the crowd to
cheer. He wanted the crowd to become his for the night.

They already were.

Jessica caught herself getting into
the music too. This was why she loved her job. No matter what her job at the
office had given her, she always believed in the music. There were times when
getting coffee for Mr. Plink and dealing with the office bullshit at PL Sound
made Jessica want to scream, but it seemed those days were long gone. With Alex
Slader in her life, nothing could get in her way. Nothing could harm her.
Nothing could stop her.

Slader stepped to the mic and began
to sing. Lyrical sex poured through the speakers. His voice could sing clear
one second and then add a little growl the next. He controlled the notes
effortlessly. Slader was the realest rockstar Jessica had ever seen before.

When he looked at Jessica, she put
her hands in the air and danced a little. She had the best seat in the entire
venue. All these fans would have a memory when the show ended. For Jessica,
when the show ended, she’d have a chance to make more memories.

With her hands in the air, Jessica
cheered. Slader turned his sights back to the crowd and before Jessica could
put her arms down, hands were wrapped around her. One arm came around her chest
and pulled up to her throat. The second hand wrapped around her stomach. Then
Jessica was in the air. She thrashed and kicked, screaming for help, but it was
lost in the crowd. She began to move, against her own will, and Jessica wasn’t
sure what to do.

She watched as Slader became more
and more distant. The hands around her were tight. She continued to kick,
wanting to defend herself but more so, wanting to stay near Slader. He was the
only one who could protect her.

Without Alex Slader, Jessica felt
she would become nothing.

Goodbye. I will never leave for
good. Our hearts can keep this alive. Our hearts can keep us together. The
distance of our miles means nothing. Even still, I must say goodbye. I must. I
will. I hate it. Goodbye.

.2.

Some men had booze, some men had
drugs, Alex Slader had music.
His
music to be exact, the only music that
really mattered. The men surrounding him on stage were a different set of guys
than the last show he played. They were good for being hired help. They hit the
notes, they showed passion, but that really came from the fact that they were
fans of Alex Slader and would forever be able to share a story of how they
played with Alex fucking Slader. They were worth keeping around to play some
more shows. That’s what Alex needed when the time came to entertain the fans
who needed him. Their lives were important to him. The energy was raw, and after
the first song, Slader looked off stage and saw the vacant spot where Jessica
had been standing.

He had to smile.

He could only imagine the emotion
running through her right then.

Fear. Worry. Hope. Need. He was
sure she wanted to give up. He was sure she feared he would never come for her.
Because of that, Slader wondered how he could punish Jessica for such thoughts.
Did she really believe he’d leave her? The same could be said for the fans
cheering. When Slader had the lights out, did they believe for a second that he
wouldn’t play?

By the end of the hour set, Slader
was angry. The band played the last song and before it ended, Slader left the
stage. There was no need to say anything to the people out there. They had
gotten what they wanted. They had gotten their show.

Slader tossed the mic to someone
and then stormed down the concrete hallway. He counted three doors on his right
and then turned, kicking the door in. He flipped the light switch and found the
bathroom sink. As he stood staring at himself in the mirror, the beads of sweat
still forming and dripping, Slader curled his lip. It felt like a razor blade
was in his heart. He couldn’t figure out why. They all needed to trust him.

Slader turned the water on and let
it run over his hands and fingers. He cupped his hands to collect some water
and splashed it on his face. It was cold but did nothing. Slader opened his
eyes again and watched the water drip off his face. He wanted to write. Right
then. He wanted to create something beautiful to give to Jessica. He wanted
everything from her and that included her trust, matter happened between them.

The door slowly opened and Slader
saw Jerry in the reflection. He had worked with Slader for years and it was the
only man Slader could honestly trust. He didn’t let Jerry in on much, but it
did ease him to see Jerry.

“Great show,” Jerry said.

“Think so?” Slader asked.

“Does my opinion matter?”

Slader smiled. “You get it, Jerry.
You always get it.”

“They get it too,” Jerry said.
“There’s nothing like an Ashes in Vain show.”

“Where’s the band?”

“Back dressing room.”

Slader nodded. “They happy?”

“Vodka. Whiskey. Coke. Strippers.”

“Check, check, check, check,”
Slader said.

He stood tall and looked at himself
one last time. He turned and walked towards Jerry. He got close, but Jerry
didn’t move.

“Problem?” Slader asked.

Slader hoped Jerry wouldn’t
question his actions with Jessica. Slader knew Jessica probably screamed and
kicked as she was taken. She probably screamed and kicked all the way down the
hallway to the dressing room where she now waited for Slader. It pained Slader
to imagine Jessica screaming. Didn’t she trust him enough?

Didn’t
she love him enough?

She had to love him. Slader needed
that in his heart. It had been so long since he had that feeling.

“Slader, there’s someone here,”
Jerry said.

“Reporter? Photographer? Women
desperate for me?”

“Not quite,” Jerry said. “It’s
Richie.”

“Who the hell is Richie?”

“Guitarist,” Jerry said. “He played
a handful of shows at the beginning of the year.”

“Oh.”

Slader remembered Richie. He
remembered Richie all too well.

“Don’t get excited,” Jerry said.
“But he’s here looking for money.”

“Money?” Slader laughed. “Did he
forget what he did?”

“I understand,” Jerry said. “I
wanted to tell you. I’m going to have security remove him...”

“No,” Slader said. He put a hand to
Jerry’s shoulder. “Take me to him. Right now.”

“Slader...”

Slader squeezed Jerry’s shoulder.
Jerry’s knee bent and he winced in pain.

“Follow me,” he whispered.

It had been a typical after show
gathering. Slader had the usual setup for the band. They were always free to
party and indulge. Of course, if they ended up dead, it wasn’t Slader’s fault.
He could control people, but he couldn’t control their addiction. And that was
the problem with Richie. He had an addiction and that addiction was Slader.
When Slader caught Richie playing one of his guitars, that was the first
strike. The second strike was when Richie suggested a different bridge to a
song. The final strike came when Slader walked into the dressing room and found
Richie having sex with a woman Slader had picked. It was time for their
relationship to end.

When relationships ended with
Slader, they ended beyond what anyone could ever imagine. Alex Slader was a
billionaire and he owned more than the world cared to know. That meant one
little call here and there kept Richie out of band after band. Banned from
venues. Banned from hotels. Banned from banks even.

The reason was simple, nobody
fucked with Alex Slader. Ever.

Slader found Richie at the end of
the hallway, pacing. When Richie saw Slader, he stopped, and both men stared
each other down. Jerry was in between. Jerry was a good man, but he couldn’t
battle a breeze let alone Slader and Richie.

“There he is,” Richie said. “You
motherfucker.”

“Nice to see you again, Richie,”
Slader said.

“Where’s my fucking money?”

“You were paid what you deserved.”

“You control that? You give what
you feel people deserve?”

Slader laughed. He opened his arms
and looked around. “Works for me.”

“You’re a piece of shit,” Richie
said.

“Why don’t we let the legal team
handle this?” Jerry offered. “Do you have a lawyer, Richie?”

“I don’t need a lawyer,” Richie
shouted. He lifted his fists. “I have these.”

“You want to fight me?” Slader
asked.

“Yeah, I do. I want to smash your
fucking face in.”

“Smash my fucking face in,” Slader
said. “Because of you addiction?”

“My addiction?” Richie said. “I
have no addiction.”

Slader stepped forward. He put a
hand to Jerry and with a single swat Jerry was no longer in the way. Slader
moved closer to Richie. There wasn’t an ounce of fear in Slader’s body. In
fact, he was excited. He wanted to feel what Richie felt right then. The want.
The need. The willingness to die for something.

“You’re addicted to me,” Slader
said. “You want me. You want to be me. Because you’re worth nothing. You’re a
hack guitar player.”

Richie stepped back and cocked a
fist. Slader reached for the fist and put his hand over it. Richie’s eyes
widened, shocked that Slader didn’t show an ounce of emotion.

“What the fuck are you doing?”
Richie asked.

“Go away,” Slader said. “You’re not
a rockstar. You’re nothing. A second of my time is worth more than your life.”

Slader let Richie go and stood his
ground.

“You know what...,” Richie
stammered. “You’re fucked in the head, man. Okay? You must have been abused as
a kid or something.”

“That’s enough,” Jerry said. “Let
me get security to beat the shit out of him. Go get a lawyer, Richie.”

“No,” Slader said. “Speak your
mind, Richie.”

“Yeah, I will. You must have been
fucked up real good, right? Did you get beat up? Did you get beat by your
parents? Did your...”

Slader had enough. The razor blade
in his heart seemed to dig deeper, and that was all Slader could take.

With a single fist, Slader
connected with Richie’s face. Richie flew back and hit the wall with a hard
thud. Slader wasn’t done. He stepped forward and admired Richie’s confused,
bleeding face. Slader threw another fist. There was no place for his head to go
which caused a greater impact. Richie cried out and started to collapse. Slader
grabbed his shirt and held him up. Richie was limp and shook with fear.

“Look at me,” Slader demanded.
“Look at me.”

Richie continued to blink. “I...
uh...”

There was nothing for Richie to
say.

“You will never be me,” Slader
said. “You will never be near me. I’m going to kill your addiction for you.
Right now. You’ll thank me later.”

Slader grabbed Richie’s hair and
with one hard swing, Richie’s face was plastered against the wall. The sound
was sickening and it left a bloody print of Richie’s face. When Slader let him
go, he fell to the floor in a heap of nothing. That’s what he was. Nothing.

Slader stared at Jerry and walked
towards him.

“Shit,” Jerry whispered.

“That’s how you take care of a
problem,” Slader said. “Get him the fuck out of here, Jerry.”

“I’m on it.”

Jerry walked towards Richie and
Slader walked away.

Some problems were easier than
others. Slader’s mind went back to Jessica. She was waiting for him because she
had no choice. After all, he had commanded for her to be handcuffed to a chair.