Some Like It Hot: An Erotic Romance Anthology

“Yeah well, I’ve found that spontaneity is always a good thing,” Jake said. “Things never go as planned anyway.”

Devlin reached across the console and took Michelle’s hand. He lifted her knuckles to his lips and brushed a tender kiss against her tingling flesh. Already aroused out of her mind, s

he pressed her thighs tightly together and squirmed uncomfortably in her seat.

“So, Jake,” Devlin said. “Tell us how you became a roadie.”

Jake’s voice was low and hypnotic as it drifted from behind her to her attentive ears. Every sense in her body was heightened. The methodical stroking of Devlin’s thumb against her index finger had to be the most sensual sensation she’d ever experienced.

“I started as a mediocre musician. Just like every wanna be rock star, it didn’t pay my bills. In fact, I was homeless when Sed found me sleeping in my car. His band Sinners had just cut their first album and bought a piece of shit bus to head out on their first tour. He said they needed help setting up the stage and wanted someone who knew a thing or two about guitars and most importantly, he could pay me. So I took the job. At first, my so-called-pay didn’t pay the bills either,” he said with a laugh. “I had more than one paycheck bounce in the early days. But I knew Sinners were going somewhere. Anyone who heard them play knew it. So I stuck with them through the lean years and now I get to tour all over the world and be a part of the lifestyle I craved for myself.”

“Do you still play guitar?” Michelle asked.

“Every night during sound check. I can tune a guitar by ear in seconds and restring one almost as fast.”

He was part of a rock star’s pit crew, she reckoned. An invaluable member of a behind-the-scenes team. A lot of hard work for very little glory. “So you’re satisfied being a roadie?”

“Privileged,” he said. “The band is like family and they treat their road crew as part of it. If Sed hadn’t offered me a job, I’d probably have ended up dead in a gutter long ago.”

“Or you might have become a rock star, yourself,” Devlin said what Michelle was thinking.

“Nah,” Jake said. “I can play, but I couldn’t come up with a decent lick if I borrowed Gene Simmons’ tongue.”

Devlin laughed.

“And if you don’t write your own songs,” Jake continued, “you can’t put your whole heart into them when you play, you know?”

Michelle wasn’t a musician, so she didn’t know, but she was sure a lot of successful recording artists didn’t write their own music. “Don’t a lot of musicians use song writers?”

Jake shrugged. “I guess, but I’m more than content with my path through life. I’m heading to England in a few days. I never thought I’d get to travel the world. I’ve met some amazing people. Seen some amazing things.”

Michelle smiled at Jake’s enthusiasm. There was a big world out there to explore. She doubted she’d ever get tired of discovering nature’s marvels and immortalizing them with her camera.

“I’m sure you’ve seen amazing things too, Michelle,” Devlin said, pulling the SUV to a smooth stop at a red light. He looked at her, searching her face under the light given off by the dashboard.

“I have,” she said. “So many amazing things. I’m truly blessed to do what I do for a living.”

“Do you travel a lot for work?” Jake asked. “I don’t even know what you do.”

“I guess I’m the only one who checked up on you on Facebook,” Devlin said and smiled at her before accelerating again.

“I never pegged you for a stalker, dude,” Jake said.

“Not stalking. Just curious.”

“I’m a wildlife and nature photographer,” Michelle said.

“An excellent one,” Devlin said. “You should check out her work. How did you ever get those close-up shots of black bears?”

She couldn’t help but feel pride from his praise. She also couldn’t help fucking with him. “Well, first I stripped down naked and then I rubbed honey all over my breasts to lure him close.”

Devlin hit a curb as his full attention shifted to her.

“What?” he said.

She laughed. “Gotcha! I just used a zoom lens.”

“So you looked Michelle up on Facebook to check out her nature photography?” Jake said, his tone sounding unconvinced.

“Well, no,” Devlin admitted. “That was just a pleasant surprise.”

“You were hoping to find some pictures of her as a naked coed, weren’t you?”

“Not gonna lie. I would have enjoyed that.”

“Good luck finding any of those,” Michelle said. “I didn’t go to college. I trained under a master photographer.”

“You didn’t go to college?” Devlin asked.

She shook her head.

“I thought you were going to go to Cal State,” Jake said. “I specifically broke things off with you because you were going to fucking Cal State!”

Michelle’s eyes widened. Jake had never raised his voice at her or spoken to her in anger. She wasn’t sure how to deal with this side of him.

“I-I had planned to. I even packed up my car and drove toward campus, but when I got to the freeway exit, I drove right past it. And then I kept driving. I parked my car in the middle of the desert outside of Vegas, scared half out of my mind for missing freshman orientation, but when the sunrise woke me the next morning, instead of heading back to L.A., I pulled out my camera and started taking pictures. And I never stopped. I lived out of my car for years. Sold some stock image to websites, magazines and a book or two. Then someone used my images to make an inspirational calendar and a set of posters. My work started to become in demand and eventually I could afford to travel to other countries. But I did plan to go to Cal State, Jake. I didn’t lie to you.”

“We could have lived out of your car together. You taking pictures. Me playing guitar on street corners for spare change.”

Michelle giggled. “We’d have been too busy having wild, uninhibited sex to get any work done and you know it.”

Jake reached over the seat and squeezed her shoulder. “You’re right. We never would have been able to afford enough condoms, much less food.”

Michelle glanced at Devlin who was scowling out the windshield. Not that she blamed him. She probably shouldn’t have joked about wild, uninhibited sex with Jake while Devlin was behind the wheel.

“So what’s your story, Devlin?” Jake asked. “Did you seduce some rich old lady and she left you millions in her will?”

“Nothing like that,” he said and pulled the SUV to a halt. He put the transmission in park and nodded in the direction of a waiting helicopter. “We’re here,” he said and left the vehicle without glancing Michelle’s way.

“You know I’m really pissed at you for making me dump you so you could end up not going to college,” Jake said and climbed out of the side door, before slamming it with unnecessary force.

So that’s why he’d dumped her? If she’d known that, she never would have let him walk away from her. She’d planned on spending the summer after graduation in his bed, but instead had spent it alone in hers with nothing to hold but her tear-soaked pillow. In hindsight, she’d probably driven out to the desert and started taking pictures because she’d been so depressed over their breakup. Maybe his breaking her heart had been the best thing for her, but not for the reason he’d intended. She sighed at her thoughts. It was all in the past. None of it could be changed. Plus, she had a career she loved either thanks or no thanks to Jake. Maybe they’d reunited at the class reunion for a reason. Maybe they were meant to be together.

Devlin opened her door and reminded her of the further complication in her evening plans. She really liked Devlin too and would love to get to know him better. She was incredibly attracted to him. The same held true for Jake. How could she want two men at the same time? Especially two men who were so different from each other. Maybe that was the appeal.

“Have you changed your mind about our so-called date?” Devlin asked.

She turned in her seat and examined his face. “Do you want me to change my mind?”

“No.” He tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear sending her pulse into a frenzy again. “I want to be with you.”

“I want to be with you too.”

“And Jake?” Devlin as

ked, glancing over his shoulder at Jake who had his hands crammed into his pockets as he stared at a rock he was toeing with one sneaker.

Michelle’s heart twisted. “I want to be with him as well. Are you going to make me choose between you?”

“I hardly know you, Michelle, and you two obviously have a history. I know you’d choose him.”

Michelle tilted her head and appraised him. Just looking at him made her thighs quiver. “I’m not sure who I’d choose if I had to, but I’d rather not have to choose at all.”

“Then climb aboard my helicopter, baby. A tour of the city lights is sure to win me your favor.” He grinned and winked at her.

Michelle laughed and offered him her hand so he could help her out of the gigantic SUV. Her high heels scraped against the asphalt as she found her footing. “If you two start jousting over my handkerchief, I’m out of here,” she said.

Devlin laughed. “No jousting,” he said, “but I do get to sit across from you in the chopper.”

“Only fair, since it is yours and it’s awesome.”

“I hope it’s not the only awesome thing that’s mine by the end of the night.”

Chapter Eight

Devlin bent over Michelle to help her fasten her seat harness. She stared up at him expectantly and he stifled the urge to kiss her. He wanted to—lord, how he wanted to—but if he kissed her now, he wouldn’t be able to increase her anticipation to the breaking point. He had to admit, he was almost at his limit already.

Jake slid his hand over Devlin’s back as he leaned around him to ask Michelle a question. “Have you ever been in one of these things?”

“A couple times,” she said. “To shoot photos of remote locations.”

So Devlin wasn’t going to impress her with a helicopter ride.

“Those helicopters weren’t nearly as nice as this one though,” she said. “What is this—a Mercedes?”

The woman knew helicopters? She was full of surprises.

“Yeah, it’s an EC145.”

Her eyes widened. “Mercedes makes helicopters?”

Devlin flushed. Now he sounded like he was bragging and he hadn’t meant to. “Yeah. I needed one for work.”