Under Her Skin Page 7

  The guys made it back to their seats, just as the show was ending. They had been kept backstage for pictures and interviews. After the cameras stopped rolling, they were able to get out of their seats and head to the front lobby.

  Once there, Marlo hugged all the guys again, telling them all how proud she was of them. Her brother held her the longest. "What was that all about?" He whispered.

  "What are you talking about?" Marlo whispered back.

  "I saw the kiss." Dusty told her quietly.

  Marlo's face reddened. "It was nothing. He was just excited."

  Dusty nodded. "Sure." He taunted.

  Marlo smacked his shoulder, hoping that he would drop the subject. She moved away from him rather quickly, to avoid any further conversation about the topic at hand. She went and talked to AJ and Sammy's dates again, as the three of them faded into the background. They watched as different singers and actors came over and congratulated the band, giving them their moment of glory. Of course, Carly stood right by Dusty, making sure she was both seen and heard by everyone who stopped by.

  Neither of the other two girls seemed to like Carly much. They got along well with Marlo though. They kept themselves entertained as the guys basked in the joy of the night. Tobias kept motioning for Marlo to stand next to him, but each time, she smiled and shook her head.

  The guys were able to meet some of their idols, the bands that they patterned their music after. It gave them an unbelievable high, something that no drug could ever match.

  Tobias had enough of Marlo holding up the wall, and went over to her. In one swift movement, he wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up and spun her around. Marlo tossed her head back and laughed, feeling so carefree at the time.

  An hour later, they were back in the limo, heading to the post-party that their record company was throwing. Tobias had his hand back in Marlo's, as they talked about all the famous people they had met that night.

  At the party, the champagne was endless as the eight of them celebrated the success of the band. No one's glass was ever empty, and they were all plastered at the end of the night.

  *****

  The next day, Marlo felt a relentless pounding in her head. She rolled over in bed, hoping that if she moved her head to a different spot on the pillow, it wouldn't hurt so much. Instead, she bumped into something warm and hard.

  Marlo's eyes shot open, and looked to see the naked torso of a man with a pillow over his head. Marlo lifted the pillow up, and saw Tobias's face. She then looked down and realized that the only thing she was wearing was her bra and matching thong. Panic ran through her body as she lifted the sheet. She saw Tobias still wearing boxers, but wasn't sure what had happened the night before. The last thing she remembered was being at the party, toasting the band for the millionth time. She had no idea how they got back to the hotel, or what they did once they got back here.

  "Tobias." She shook him awake.

  He groaned and opened his eyes. After he cleared the sleep out of his eyes, he noticed that she was nearly naked. His trademark smirk spread across his face, telling her good morning.

  "What happened last night? Did we sleep together?" Marlo asked, annoyed and afraid of what the answer was going to be.

  "Well, since we woke up next to each other, I'm guessing we slept together." Tobias rolled his eyes at her.

  "Not like that idiot! I mean, did we SLEEP together. Did we have sex?" She yelled.

  Tobias looked down at his boxers, then looked at Marlo's nearly naked body. "Does it feel like we had sex?" He asked her.

  "I don't know. I have no clue what it would feel like." Worry coursed through her voice.

  "Well, then put your mind at ease. We didn't sleep together." Tobias told her.

  "How do you know? You were fucked up too." Marlo nearly cried.

  "Trust me, if we had sex, you'd know it." He winked at her and smirked again.

  Marlo scowled, but was satisfied with his answer. She went into the bathroom and moments later, she shrieked. Tobias went into the bathroom to see what was wrong, and was met by a hard smack on his arm. "Look what you did!" She yelled at him, pointing to her neck.

  Tobias examined her neck, looking at it from all different angled. "Not my best work, but I've seen worse."

  "I can't believe you gave me a hickey! I don't even know why you were kissing me to begin with!" She yelled. All this yelling was making her head hurt even worse, but he was just so infuriating.

  "In case you forgot, you kissed me first. I was just giving you more of what you wanted." He teased her, knowing that he was ruffling her feathers.

  Marlo growled. She rushed around the room, picking up clothes from the floor, the television, and the lamp. She shoved the clothes in his hands and pushed him to the door. "Get out!"

  Tobias took the clothes and opened the door. Just before leaving, he paused. "You know, you look pretty hot in just a bra and underwear."

  Marlo felt her face heat up. She had completely forgotten that she wasn't wearing any clothes. She picked her shoe up from the floor and threw it at the door.

  Tobias closed the door most of the way to shield himself from the shoe, then peaked his head back in.

  "What?" She yelled, seeing him come back in.

  "Nothing, just thank you." He said sincerely, then disappeared behind the door, clicking it closed.

  Marlo shook her head and smiled. He was so confusing, and now she didn't know up from down with him.

  Chapter 10

  Marlo threw herself down on the bed, the bed that she and Tobias had just gotten out of. The same exact one where who knows what happened the night before. Her mind started to picture everything that could have happened the night before, him kissing her, touching her, making her feel like no man ever had before.

  No! She wasn't going to think of any of those things. Nothing happened, and she didn't want anything to happen. Marlo didn't like Tobias, there was no way. No way! He tormented her constantly, picking at her last nerve until she nearly blew up.

  But why had they kissed so much the night before, and had so much fun the whole night? Why did she enjoy the feel of his skin against her skin, his lips on her lips? Why was he invading her thoughts more and more each day?

  Impossible. There was no way that she was ever going to have any feelings for Tobias besides pure and utter dislike. She was never going to feel all warm and cuddly for him, it just wasn't possible. They weren't even friends, how could they ever be anything more?

  She was just lonely, plain and simple. She missed the closeness of a man. She missed the intimate moments, the stolen glances, the soft touches. Companionship, that was all she needed, and Tobias wasn't going to be the one to fill that need.

  Marlo quickly shot out of bed and pulled on a pair of faded jeans and a worn out sweatshirt. There was someone she needed to see, and something she needed to do. She grabbed her key card and left her room, taking the stairs to the floor below hers.

  Marlo rapped on the door, fast and loud. She waited for a second, then when she got no answer, she pounded on it again. A muted "I'm coming, I'm coming." Was heard from inside. She put her hand back at her side, resisting the urge to rub her sore knuckles.

  The door opened to show a cute young man wearing nothing but his boxers, sporting a rather wild case of bed-head. "Lola? What are you doing here?" He asked and quickly slipped out into the hall, shutting the door behind him.

  Marlo didn't say anything, but instead grabbed his face softly in her hands and attached her lips to his. At first Pierce was surprised, but as the kiss deepened, he began to relax and really get into it.

  When Marlo backed away, they were both panting hard, trying to catch their breath. "What was that for?" He asked, still a little confused.

  "Are you complaining?" She asked in a flirtatious way.

  "What? No! I just thought that you…that we…Does this mean what I think it means?" He was at a loss for words.

  Marlo nodded her head. "I'd like to g
ive it another try. That is, as long as you still want that?"

  Pierce kissed her softly. "I'd like that more than anything. Can I take you to dinner tonight?"

  "Yeah, I'd like that." Marlo told him. "Pick me up at 7:00?" When Pierce nodded, Marlo went up to the tips of her toes. "See you later then."

  Pierce watched her walk away from him and disappear into the stairwell. He finally felt hope that they were going to be able to overcome the past finally. He strolled back into his room, feeling like he was walking on air.

  He reached his hand down to the bed and shook the shoulder of the woman lying there. "Get up and get out please." He said in a melodic voice.

  The well-used woman looked up at him. "But you said we could spend the day together in bed!" The woman whined. "I was hoping you'd be ready for some more…" Her hand snaked up into his boxers.

  Pierce slapped her hand away. "No, I'm done. Get your clothes and go." He said gruffly, then as an afterthought added, "Please." A command more than a request.

  The woman got up out of bed, pulling the sheet with her. She muttered under her breath the whole time that she was getting dressed. "I didn't want any more of your little dick anyways. I barely knew you were inside of me." She tossed the words at him out of spite as she left his room, slamming the door.

  All Pierce could do was flip off the door that she had just walked through, even though the woman wouldn't know he had done it. He didn't care, he was getting Lola back. He laid in bed for a few minutes, planning out their night. With any luck, by the end of the night, she'd be head over heels for him again.

  After a romantic night of dinner and a moonlit stroll, Pierce brought Marlo back to her room. He knew that he couldn't push Marlo too far yet, so he had to keep everything fairly innocent. He leaned down to give her a goodnight kiss, a simple PG kiss, but Marlo had other ideas. As she ran her fingers through his hair, she deepened the kiss, tangling her tongue with his.

  Pierce moaned as her kiss spread excitement all throughout his body. It was a moment of pure bliss, that was suddenly shattered by a passing intruder.

  "Mmm, she sure is a good kisser, huh?" Tobias asked when he stumbled upon the couple making out as he left his room. "Don't you just love that thing she does with her tongue? Hell, that even gets me weak in the knees. You'd never know she was still a virgin with the expertise she shows."

  "Tobias!" Marlo yelled, stunned.

  Pierce looked to Marlo for answers, and found her bowing her head, and shaking it softly. Even with her head down, Pierce could see the pink tinge held by her cheeks. "How the hell would you know Tobias?" He growled.

  Marlo's head shot up to look at Tobias. It wasn't necessarily a secret that they had kissed, especially since it was on national television during the awards show. But she didn't think he needed to rub it in Pierce's face.

  "Oh, I know. Trust me, I know." Tobias said and winked at Marlo as he passed by them.

  "What was that all about?" Pierce asked after Tobias had disappeared.

  "Who knows." Marlo lied. "Well, thanks for tonight. Goodnight." She said and fumbled her way into her room, shutting Pierce out in the hall, with a quick click of the lock.

  As much as Marlo hated Tobias at that moment, she was also glad that he had come along when he did. She was getting in over her head with the date, and she didn't know how to end it without completely brushing Pierce off. As hard as she tried to like Pierce, she just didn't feel that spark with him.

  Sure, he was a nice guy, and he wasn't lacking in the looks department, but some things just didn't add up with him. Marlo was giving it her best shot, and she promised herself that she was really going to try to make it work this time, even if her feelings for Pierce were less than stellar.

  She went into the bathroom and drew herself a bath, adding a touch of lavender vanilla bubble bath to the water. It was the perfect scent to help her relax, and hopefully it would lead to a good night's sleep. It was getting late, and she didn't feel the least bit sleepy. She wasn't sure if it was because she'd woken up so late that day, or if it was because her mind was racing with thoughts.

  After soaking until she looked like a prune, Marlo got out of the tub and dressed in a satin nightgown that didn't quite reach her knees. She crawled into her toasty warm bed, finally feeling her exhaustion set in.

  What seemed like only minutes later, Marlo was jolted out of her slumber by a slamming door. Tobias was back, and from what she could hear, he wasn't alone. He was with what sounded like a two-dollar whore. The woman kept screeching at the top of her lungs, Marlo guessed it was every time Tobias touched her in all the right spots.

  When he started moaning, Marlo had enough. Why he needed to be so loud when he knew that she was in the room right next to him, Marlo would never know. All she knew was that she'd never get back to sleep with the activities going on in the next room.

  She threw the covers back and swung her legs out of bed. She stalked over to the door, grabbing her key card before leaving. Before she knew what she was doing, she found herself pounding on Tobias's door.

  It took him a minute, but he finally opened the door. "You here to join the fun?" He asked, sporting his patented smirk.

  That wasn't all he was sporting, Marlo noticed. He stood there wearing nothing but his boxers, which did nothing to hide his rock hard erection. "You know, some of us are trying to sleep. You should learn some respect."

  "Oh baby! You still want me to respect you in the morning?" He asked, sticking his bottom lip out as he mocked her.

  "Fuck you Tobias. When are you going to grow up?" Marlo was getting more pissed, especially since she couldn't keep her eyes from roaming his body. She'd never been with a man before, but she had seen plenty of men naked. She wasn't completely innocent after all. Of all the men she'd seen, she knew that Tobias was above average downstairs.

  "Like what you see?" Tobias asked. "I can get rid of her if you want." He winked at her. He watched the anger rise in her eyes. "Oh, I get it, you don't want me, but you don't want anyone else to have me either?"

  "Don't flatter yourself. All I want is to get some sleep." She growled. "You know what, make all the noise you want. I'll be in Pierce's room." Marlo turned to storm away. Unfortunately, she turned the wrong way to go downstairs, so she turned again and walked to the stairwell.

  "I'm sure he'll love you in that hot little nightie!" Tobias yelled after her. Marlo flipped him off without even looking back.

  Pierce gladly let Marlo into his room. He really thought the date had made her fall for him again, and excitement boiled within him. Marlo went straight to the bed and got under the covers. Pierce crawled in behind her, cuddling up to her back. He tucked her close to his body, and fell asleep right away.

  Marlo on the other hand, couldn't sleep for anything. It was quiet in the room, exactly what Marlo had wanted, but the silence was deafening. It was too quiet. She had no idea what was happening in that room on the floor above them, and that bothered her. Was Tobias still with that girl? Did they have sex? Is she spending the night? As hard as she tried to clear her mind of Tobias, the thoughts invaded her mind and refused to leave. At least if she was upstairs, she would know exactly what was happening, and it wouldn't leave her imagination to run wild.

  In the morning, Marlo realized that she had barely slept. She crept out of Pierce's room and went back to her own. She showered quickly and packed her suitcase to take down to the bus, hoping to avoid any random women coming out of the room next to hers. She decided that she was better off not knowing, even though it wouldn't have mattered anyways. Marlo and Tobias weren't together and they never would be. He was free to do whatever, with whoever, whenever. Simple as that.

  Marlo got on the bus, sad to be leaving the comfort of the hotel room, but glad to be back on the road. It was one stop closer to the end of the tour, when she could go back to her own apartment, and back to her own bed. She loved to travel, and tour with the band, but it was all getting to her and she would be glad when it e
nded for a while.

  Marlo sat on the couch of the bus, reading one of her most favorite steamy novels, when Pierce came up the stairs.

  "There you are. You left without saying goodbye this morning." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I got worried when you weren't there when I woke up."

  'What are you, a fucking girl?' Marlo wanted to ask. Instead, she settled for something more civil. "Sorry, had stuff to do." Yes, the lack of sleep was definitely making her cranky.

  "That's ok, at least we can be together now." He sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "What're you doing?"

  'What the fuck does it look like?' "I'm reading." Marlo told him with a roll of her eyes.

  "Good book?" He asked.

  'No, I love wasting my time reading trash, dip shit!' "Yup, one of my favorites." She answered, frustration evident in her voice.

  "What's it about?"

  "Pierce!" 'For the love of all things holy, leave me alone!' "Please, you can stay here, but I need some peace and quiet. I just want to read for a little while. There's magazines over there if you want something to keep you busy." She knew she was being mean, but she just couldn't help it. She also knew that Pierce had good intentions, but at the moment, good intentions really didn't matter much.

  "Sorry." He got up and found a magazine to read, then returned to his spot next to her and put his arm back around her. He flipped the pages of the magazine with one hand, not really paying attention to what was on the pages that he was reading.

  A few chapters later, the rest of the guys came on the bus. "Ok, everyone's here. Let's head out." Sammy told the driver. Tobias looked at Marlo and Pierce, and gave a short laugh, shaking his head. He and Sammy went to the back of the bus to play a video game, while Dusty and AJ joined Marlo and Pierce up front.

  No one really talked much, it seemed like everyone was in the mood for a relaxing ride. Pierce kept his position, sitting next to Marlo with his arm around her shoulders, except for the times that he got up to get her a drink or something to eat. Marlo hadn't asked for any of it and wished that he would stop pushing himself on her so much.