Chapter Nine

Sebastian

I shove back irritation when I tap my phone screen to check for any missed calls or messages from Lizzy, but my phone remains frustratingly quiet. The suited men in the room with me drone on and on about one thing or another, but I can hardly pay attention to them when the one person I need to hear from hasn’t responded to any of my messages.

Why the fuck is she ignoring me? The silent treatment is driving me insane!

“Foster, are you listening?”

I look up from my phone to find five sets of eyes staring back at me. “What?” I ask my manager who is seated next to me. There are so many people in the room, some of whom I assume play a big role in making the decisions on how to proceed with my career. I can tell Gary wants me to behave around them, but I can’t take my mind off Lizzie long enough to focus on this boring meeting.

“The label has decided to promote you as a solo act,” Gary says with an awkward smile. “Well, they will, but under a few conditions. One of which is that you end things with the girl you’ve been spotted with back in Valor Springs, the one whose picture I posted. I mean, that shouldn’t be hard right? We appreciate you keeping up the ruse, but the relationship hasn’t played as well in the media as we’d hoped.”

I must’ve heard him wrong. Did he just ask me to break up with Lizzy? Surely not. “What does she have to do with anything?”

“Look, Mr. Foster,” says a man with clear-rimmed glasses. “We appreciate your effort to clean up your image and take attention away from your bandmates’ scandal, but the girl, Lizzy, just isn’t getting you the publicity boost we’d hoped for. She’s cute and all, but a small country girl from the middle of nowhere that no one has ever heard of will not give you the sort of attention you need.”

I clench my jaw and force myself to remain seated and not jump over the massive conference table and plummet my fist into the man’s face for his words.

A small country girl from the middle of nowhere?

Gary must sense my irritation because he hurries to cut in. “Foster, what he is trying to say is that you need to associate with someone the public already knows and adores. Someone who is not afraid of the cameras and knows how to gain in the public's favor. A non-celebrity just can’t compete.”

I shake my head at his words. “I am not breaking up with Lizzie to appease the fans and gossip rags. I already have a girlfriend.”

“You're kidding, right? A few ago you were single and furious with me for making that post, and now you are saying you are actually seeing this girl?” Gary says, his voice full of disbelief.

“That is exactly what I am saying.”

“Look, Mr. Foster,” the suit speaks up again. “What you do with your personal life as long as you are discreet is truly none of our business, but you will have to listen to us on this. We just terminated three contracts, and as the remaining member of the band, it’s your responsibility to help us recoup your image, not repeat your bandmates’ mistakes.”

I lean back on the chair, trying to look as relaxed as possible when the truth is that I am seething on the inside. “And what mistake is that?”

“Associating with the wrong people,” the suit continues, completely oblivious to the fact that he is one wrong word away from getting a broken nose. “Your bandmates were known as man whores. Their appeal was slowly fading, and the general public didn’t seem to like them anymore anyway. We’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen to you by getting you the right company for public appearances.”

“I have a girlfriend!”

“We don’t know her. No one does. For all we know she could be trouble waiting to happen. We’ve seen this very thing a dozen times; once she’s gotten her ten minutes in the spotlight, she’ll be eager for more, and then we’ll be looking at a cheating scandal or?”

I fly across the table, ready to knock the teeth out of his mouth or put him in a coma, but Gary is faster, grabbing my shoulder before I can reach the other man. He must have anticipated the move. “Goddamnit, Foster, are you looking to get arrested for assault?”

No, I will be booked for murder when I am through with him. For the first time since walking into the room, the suit drops the smug look from his face, and I read fear in his eyes. Good. He should be very afraid of me.

“Calm the fuck down, Foster. Let’s talk like adults!” my manager says, stepping between me and the cowering man. He was bold enough to try and bad mouth a girl he’s never met, but can’t man up to defend his words?

“I am done here,” I growl, forcing down my anger, and with a last warning glare at everyone in the room, I storm out. I don’t give a fuck if they terminate my contract like they did the others, I will not stand any disrespect to the woman I love. My finger is already dialing Lizzy’s number when I walk to the elevators, but the damn girl doesn’t pick up. “Fuuuck!”

“Are you out of your goddamned mind, Foster?” I turn around to find Gary standing a few paces away from me with a pissed look on his face. “Look, the exec was out of line, but you didn’t have to react that way. Everything is fucked now. They already released the press statement and now…”

“What press statement?”

For the first time, Gary seems uncomfortable, and he looks away which makes me wary of what he is going to say. “Look, I didn’t think it was an issue since the fake girlfriend was my idea and you were so pissed about that post.”

“She is not fake!”

“Well, you can’t blame me for thinking the relationship is fake. I was there when you refused to go along with the plan, then all of a sudden you were headed to Valor Springs!”

I run my fingers through my hair. “What about the press statement, Gary?”

“Look, the label released a press statement announcing that the entire thing with Lizzie was taken out of context and people were simply jumping to conclusions…”

“What other context would there be to posting a photo of a girl with the words ‘my heart belongs to you, always’?”

“Fans will believe anything you tell them.”

There is more. Christ, I can see there is more that Gary is not telling me, so I open my social media account, searching for the press statement released by the label and once again shared to my public profile without my consent, and my jaw nearly drops to the ground.

No, the label did not simply state that the post was a misunderstanding and Lizzie isn’t actually my girlfriend, they claimed she is nothing more than my best friend’s little cousin, never mind that James and I have barely talked in a decade. According to the label, the original post was meant as a tribute from my best friend to his fiancée, and I was sharing it to congratulate them on their engagement. They claimed I’d reposted a picture meant for Abby from James, but forgot to remove the original caption.

The fact that their statement isn’t even close to the truth, let alone very believable doesn’t seem to matter. Looking at the comments, it’s clear everyone believes it. The reason why becomes glaringly obvious when I see their next post announcing my relationship with a woman they claim is my actual girlfriend. The post is accompanied by a picture, and it takes me a solid minute to even recall when it was taken.

In the photo, I’m on a red carpet, posing with my arm around a beautiful blonde. I recognize her immediately a successful solo musician who had recently risen to stardom and gained a dedicated following. Her band had opened for mine a couple of times on our last tour and when I’d seen her at this event, a journalist had asked us to pose together. Christ, I barely even remembered it or her. I can’t even recall her name right now.

My hand clenches around the phone as I stare at it, and it slowly makes sense why I haven’t gotten any response to my texts and calls to Lizzy. I want to go back in there and confront whoever thought it was a great idea to make this post and teach them a fucking lesson, but I need to fix this with Lizzie first.

The elevator doors open, but a hand grabs my shoulder before I can step in. “Foster.”

“Gary, if you don’t want to end up with a bloodied nose, then get your fucking hand off me,” I grit out, vibrating with barely contained anger. I am giving him the respect he deserves for working as my manager all those years, but I will not hesitate to clock him if he stops me again, and he must sense this as well because he drops his hand.

***

I arrive in Valor Springs at midnight, driving straight to the hotel, but it’s closed. Fuck! I know that Lizzie stays late some nights, and I don’t want to leave without knowing for sure that she’s not here. I step out of the car and dial Lizzy’s number, but it doesn’t go through, which means one thing.

She has blocked me!

With a frustrated growl, I fist my hair and kick the wheel in anger, hating myself even more for leaving Valor Springs. I should have stayed here with her, taken a break from music, and focused instead on building a relationship with her.

Of course she would pull away and doubt our relationship right along with the rest of the world when I haven’t quite made things clear for her just yet.

“Sebastian?” I turn around at the sound of my name, eyes connecting with the amber ones of Lizzy’s boss, then the man with his hand around her shoulders, James. It looks like they’re coming in from some kind of midnight walk, but with the way her hair is mussed up and from the satisfied look on the man’s face, I doubt walking was all they did. “What are you doing here?”

“Lizzy, where is she?” I ask, unwilling to waste time with pleasantries.

The girl makes a sour face and shakes her head. “I told you I would send my fiancée after you if you broke Lizzy’s heart.” She nods toward the man standing next to her.

I pinch the bridge of my nose and nod. “I know,” I say impatiently before pushing down the anger and extending my hand to the man. “Thank you for your service, James. I was sorry I couldn’t attend your welcome home party, but it’s good to see you, man.”

“Likewise,” he responds, and I read the surprise on the girl’s face. He must sense it too because he adds, “It’d be a happier reunion though if you hadn’t just broken my favorite cousin’s heart.”

As much as I would love to stay and have this little confrontation, a girl is waiting for me to fix things with her, and I refuse to go another day without hearing her voice. “Do you know where Lizzie is?”

“At her house. Her parents are due back from that trip in the morning, so she’s probably getting the house ready for them.”

“Thanks.” I nod at the pair and climb back into my car, tearing away from the curb and onto the road. The drive to her home takes fifteen minutes, and my heart is hammering as I park my car right outside her house. All the lights are off because, well, it’s midnight, and I consider walking to the door to knock, but I don’t want to force her out of bed.

An idea strikes me, and before I can talk myself out of it, I am already running in the dark to the side of the house where I know her room is. What I am about to do is technically a crime, but she’s left me little choice.

The night is cool against my skin as I scale the wall. If her house is built anything like mine, and I suspect it is, then it shouldn’t be hard to scale it. In high school, I snuck in and out of my room many times without once getting caught. I am a little too old to be scaling walls, but here we are.

With my eyes locked on the prize, I hoist myself up and grip the awning above the living room window. I swing my leg up and carefully balance myself on my knee before bringing up my other foot. I force in a deep breath before reaching up for her bedroom window and pushing it, praying that it’s not locked, and it’s not.

“Thank fuck!” I hiss, gripping the window frame and hoisting myself up. I make sure to make as little noise as possible as I slide into her room, but it seems I am not successful as Lizzie suddenly sits up in the bed, eyes groggy with sleep as she blinks in my direction.

“Who’s there?” she demands, panicked. Her voice is thick with sleep when she speaks, and goddamned, it’s so fucking sexy.

“It’s me, kitten,” I hurry to say before she decides to scream at the intruder.

“Sebastian?” Lizzie whispers, pushing off her covers and climbing out of bed, the only light in the room coming from the slightly open window. “Do you know what time it is? Are you out of your mind?”

“Feels like it,” I admit, all blood rushing south and my cock immediately filling up when she stops next to me. Christ, she’s dressed in a sheer nightgown, and in the light of the moon, it really does little to hide her perfect body, exposing the perfect swell of her tits and all her beautiful curves. “God, I missed you,” I growl, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her flush against me. I drop my head to her neck, inhaling her sweet rosy scent, my cock aching behind my fly the longer I stay wrapped around her. “I drove like crazy trying to get to you, kitten.”

“Sebastian… You shouldn’t be here,” she whimpers, pushing weakly at my shoulders, but I refuse to let her create a distance between us.

“This is exactly where I need to be,” I say roughly, grinding my erection against her pussy and sliding my hand up her back before palming her ass and squeezing. She makes a low pleasured noise at the back of her throat, which quickly transforms into a gasp of surprise when I deliver a sharp slap to her ass.

“Sebastian!” she cries out, but I notice her hips tilt, presenting her perfect little backside for more. “W-what…”

“You blocked me,” I grind out, connecting my palm to her right cheek. She moans, a tremor rolling through her body when I spank her again. Emotions crowd my throat when I speak, and I didn’t realize how fucking terrified I was at the thought of never being with Lizzie again until she was in my arms and her soft breath was brushing the side of my neck. “You built a wall between us, kitten. You locked me out!”

“Your label.”

“Represents me no longer,” I say, pushing back to look into those beautiful eyes that are proving to be my kryptonite. “What they sent out was incredibly stupid and does not represent me, Lizzy. I will not abide anyone who dares disrespect the woman I love. My heart belongs to you, always.”

Her eyes fill with tears, glistening against the moonlight. “Y-you love me?”

“Isn’t that obvious? I drove like crazy to get to you and climbed through your window to see you,” I laugh, leaning down to brush my lips over hers, tasting her tears in the kiss. “I love you, Elizabeth Fae. Only you. Always you.”

Our lips collide in a feverish kiss, her arms going around my shoulders, and I lift her into my arms. Lizzie wraps her legs around my waist, and I carry her back to the bed, kissing her like a sex-starved man. Like I didn’t spend the morning making love to her body.

“I love you, Sebastian,” she whimpers into the kiss, trailing her mouth down my jaw and neck before pushing back to crash her mouth back on mine.

It’s all foggy. A little hazy how I get her on the bed and us out of our clothes. Her arms are wrapped around my shoulders and eyes locked on mine when I slide my cock into her creamy sex, and fuck, she’s so warm and smooth, so fucking tight in the way her pussy clenches around my cock. “From today, you are not allowed to trust anything you read about me, about us!” She whimpers when I slam into her, my thrusts feverish, like a man drowning and she’s the only thing anchoring me to solid ground. “Mine. You belong to me, Lizzy.”

“When I saw the post, I was hurt,” she whispers, wrapping her legs around my waist as I hammer my cock into her tightness. “And sad.”

“And angry?” I ask, closing my hand around her tits and stroking her pebbled nipple with my thumb. I watch through my lust-rimmed gaze as her back arches off the bed with a sob.

“Yes!”

“You had every right to feel all those emotions.” I slide my hand up her throat, fingers tightening around her. Her pussy pulsates hotly around me, letting me know just how much she likes my grip on her throat. “You are allowed to be angry and sad, but don’t lock me out!” I growl, shuttling my cock in and out of her drenched pussy.

“I won’t!” she sobs, rolling her hips to meet my thrusts.

“I will break them if you do. All the walls you erect, I will tear them down all because you belong to me, Lizzy!”

“Yes!”

I pin her down on the mattress, pumping like a beast as possessiveness slams into me. She sobs, tightening her legs and arms around me, burying her face in my shoulder as I slam hard into her. It’s impossible to grasp onto a thought that doesn’t revolve around this girl, this precious girl that I will soon make my wife, put a ring on her and make this thing between us permanent.

Mine!

“Close,” she whimpers into my neck, her fingers digging into my shoulders right as her thighs begin to tremble. I angle myself so the base of my cock is rubbing against her clit, and that seems to set the fireworks off. Lizzie makes a desperate sound seconds before she sinks her teeth into my shoulder. Her pussy clamps hard around my cock, pulsing wildly and shoving me right off the edge with her.

“Fuuuck!” I growl into her hair, the sound scratching itself out of my throat when my muscles catch before releasing with intense pressure as I cum into her heat. Her pussy clenches around me as I pound my cock into her, milking me of every drop until I have flooded her with my seed, yet again marking and claiming the girl for myself. “Fuck, kitten, that was perfect.”

She is silent for a while, her breathing harsh against my ear. “I can’t believe you climbed through my bedroom window,” she whispers with a chuckle.

“I needed to see you,” I rasp, kissing the side of her head, and biting back a yawn. I wasn’t before, but now that I have my precious girl in my arms, my body is beginning to feel the weight of the day, begging for rest. As if sensing it too, Lizzie runs a hand down my back, the soothing motion slowly lulling me to sleep.

“My parents will kill you when they get home and find you here, but until then, you should rest.”

“They’ll probably ask me to take responsibility to preserve your honor.”

She chuckles. “What will you do then?”

“The only thing an honorable man such as myself would do.” I press my lips to her temple, breathing in her soft feminine scent and slowly feeling myself relax. In her arms, I can finally let go. There is no other girl in this world who makes me feel the way she does, and I will hold onto this feeling onto her for eternity if we get to live that long.

“And what is that?”

“Marry you.”