An Angel's Fix Pt. 03

She came hard. "Oh my god, ohmygodohmygodohmygod," her voice went up in pitch until she squeaked under the massive contraction. She rode her hand actively for a while, riding the orgasm and its aftershocks. Coming back down at last, she panted, "That stuff is the SHIT, Joe! I want you to buy a gallon of it when we get back."

He was worshiping her knee with his lips. "I'll do whatever you ask as long as I get to see that again. That was hot!"

She looked down and could see his rigid member cloaked in purple from sexual frustration. Ashley took the fingers from herself and painted the lube/girl cum mixture on her lips. She smiled at him and pushed him to lay down. "Now it's your turn."

Without pretense, she bent her head over him, letting her damp hair tickle his stomach and legs. She kept her mouth closed loosely and let his cock penetrate it, hoping it would feel to him as if he were entering another part of her. He groaned mightily as she sank down, engulfing most of his rod. She had given him oral plenty of times, but the lube on her lips made for an entirely new feel. His hand rested on the back of her head as she began bobbing up and down. She loved that part. He never pulled her onto him, his hand rested and played there more as a symbol of encouragement. She flattened her tongue and allowed him to fuck against it. It wasn't long before she felt his penis expand even more, and he allowed her to back off.

"I'm sorry sweetie," she said. "I do have to sing tomorrow."

"It's okay," he more grunted than said.

She laid down completely open to him. "Come here and take your wife," she said while crooking a finger.

He was on her in a flash, sinking to bottom out with a satisfying groan. Her arms encircled his shoulders and she locked eyes with him as he reciprocated. He began thrusting into her and plastered her face and neck with kisses. "I love you so much," he said between thrusts. "I'd like to go slow..."

"Shh. You don't have to. You've done more than enough for me, now it's your turn to be selfish. Do what you want."

He dipped his head around to the side of her neck, latching on gently with his teeth. She coaxed him on by stroking his back and whispering naughty things. His thrusts became harder and faster, and he gripped her body in a tight bear hug. He kissed her deeply as he humped with total abandon. Ashley surprised herself by having another orgasm a little before she felt him pump his sperm into her.

He rolled off and they held hands beside each other. "Did you like it?" she asked in response of his huffs.

"Oh yeah," he sighed happily. "I agree with you about the lube."

"Kick-ass, right?"

He kissed and fondled her until the next round.

The next day was upon them, and Ashley was grateful that the time difference worked in their favor. They slept in until 11 their time, and were happy to find that it was only 7 there. Breakfast in the hotel restaurant was first, after which they all went to Pearl Harbor to meet Cindy and Doug. There was a happy greeting at the airfield, and when they were discussing what to do next, Ashley insisted on seeing the Arizona memorial. She spent many quiet minutes viewing the wreck which now is a tomb, and she even took the time to read each of the names etched in memory of the lost sailors. Joe comforted her as she peered into the wreck one last time from the rail, her silent prayer of thanks and sorrow for those lost encapsulated in a single tear that fell from her cheek to join the oil tears still emanating from the old ship below.

The lines from the memorial made time fly by so they had to hurry to lunch before meeting the other band for a sound check. The audio engineer for the host band wanted a sample of "purity," a term Ashley had laughed at when she was getting instructions from their manager a week ago. But, he said the engineer took it very seriously, so when the bands met at The Waterfront open-air venue, those who would be singing said very little. Ashley included. When everything was ready, she got behind a microphone, cool as the stereotypical cucumber, and followed the engineer's instructions. She sang a few scales within her range, then her band played a couple of pieces as she sang along so that the engineer could fine tune his mixing. Tales Of The Blind followed, and Ashley's band mates commented to her that they felt they could match the talent.

"Well then step up to the plate and deliver it. Damn, it's about time I get some quality out of y'all."

She said this with a large grin, and everybody laughed at her joke. The band was talented, just undiscovered. Ashley going to school would reduce the gigs considerably, as well as public exposure, and it was part of the reason for their leaving. Nonetheless, it was common for Ashley to kid them about being sub-par, and the band would retort that she sucked. All in good fun, of course.

"Millions of fans and multi-platinum records, and you still have boxed lunches," Ashley needled Jon, the host band's lead singer, as she bit into a chicken drumstick.

Jon laughed. "It saves time, plus it gives me a chance to chat with you."

The two were perched on travel boxes behind the stage, and they chatted aimlessly. The biggest piece of advice for her that he had was to do whatever came naturally. Choreographed dance moves and stage placement come later when shows would get bigger, she had her own dancers, and sets become more elaborate. Given if any of that was her personality at all. When they finished eating, he slapped her back and told her to stick around after her set, as there was a surprise.

As the sun went down, and show time grew closer, Ashley stopped talking to lessen the strain on her voice. She also distanced herself from Joe and her friends while pacing around, a sure sign that she was nervous. They could hear the crowd filling in in front of the stage, and she seemed to feed off the anticipation, occasionally doing little hops to pump herself up. The appointed hour came, and Jon walked out on stage amid cheers and whistles. He explained to the crowd that the opening act was a friend of his, and she was really new. Jon told of how they met at a club and management talked him into performing one of her songs with her on stage. That crowd responded so well that they kept her on for the rest of their concert. Since then, she had performed with them at a couple of tour stops, and most recently won Best of Show at a local contest.

Ashley went over to Joe and he knew what she wanted. He smiled at her. "Kick some ass, Tiger," he said giving her a swat on her behind.

Jon introduced her by name and she ran onto the stage to a robust applause. The Waterfront was a nice venue, and the sold-out crowd numbered about 5000. Wearing a dark blue satin blouse and black jeans, she performed two well-received songs before pausing as planned. She thanked the crowd for the response so far and explained that since she only had 11 original songs so far, her part of the concert would be rather short. Then she said that she'd been performing at weddings and fill-in work at clubs, mainly doing covers of other bands. After offering to accept requests, a yelled-out name caught her attention.

"Jewel! That's a new one, but I love her music." Mike handed her guitar to her. She slung it around her neck. "Okay, so this one is Hands."

The rest of her portion of the concert went much the same way, one or two of her own songs, followed by performing songs from other artists. Her finale came up and she mentioned that all the requests were from female vocalists, and she asked for a male challenge. She laughed at the first name that was called out and agreed to it, asking the band to surprise her with which song. Mike played a spot-on intro to Guns 'N Roses' Sweet Child 'O Mine. She had fun with the piece, working the whole stage and moving to the music. The crowd gave her a standing ovation through her bow and exit off stage.

Tales Of The Blind took the stage to an energized crowd while a relieved and soaked Ashley nearly collapsed in Joe's arms behind stage. While he kissed her sweaty forehead, he and everyone else behind stage congratulated her on a great performance. She perched herself on a table, unbuttoned her blouse to nearly showing off her goodies, and downed a couple of bottles of water to cool off. Once she regained some of her energy, she chatted with Reena and the others about what was good and what was bad while the other very popular band belted out a brilliant performance themselves. She had to button up quickly when Jon called her back to the stage.

"What did you think about Ashley tonight?" he asked the screaming crowd. He had to wait for the cheers to quiet down before continuing. "We have one more song to sing tonight, but first, I wanted to congratulate you and Joe on your wedding last weekend." His guitarist played a quick Bridal Chorus riff while Joe was called out to meet the crowd. "Ashley, we have one more surprise for you. Gang? Come on up!" He motioned for everyone who came to Hawaii with her to come on stage. Once everyone was in place and her parents introduced, he said, "Joe was worried that you'd think he forgot something very important."

She looked around in a confused manner. "No, I don't think so. What?" she asked into the microphone.

Ashley covered her mouth when a huge cake with 19 candles was brought onto the stage. Both bands led the crowd in singing Happy Birthday to her. She endured the embarrassment and blew out the candles to a hearty cheer. Asked if she had any idea this was coming, she honestly answered that she herself had forgotten what today was. Jon thanked the crowd and the stage lights dimmed while she received birthday hugs from her family and friends. It was unclear who fired the first shot of the cake war the stragglers in the crowd got to witness afterward, although Joe claims that Ashley flung the first hunk at him.

Everybody was wiping down backstage amid much laughing and happy chatter when Ashley found herself looking at Matt from the plane to LAX.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him, picking icing out of her hair.

"I couldn't resist hearing your concert."

"That couldn't have been cheap. Besides, it wasn't my concert."

"Maybe, but I still enjoyed it. Can we talk somewhere a bit more private?"

Ashley asked if Joe, Cindy, and her parents could come, and he agreed. The event staff directed them to the inside bar, where the smaller group sat around a table. Matt opened by saying he felt she was the ticket to great things and wanted to offer her a contract. While flattered, she objected saying that she was heading to FSU and therefore not much time to devote to such a risk as a music career. Besides, after the summer, she wouldn't have a band. Reena confirmed as much that night when Ashley asked her and the others to stay with her, since they clicked so well. Matt said that he could get her musicians, and would work with her school vacation schedule. She mentioned that her CD was just silly poems she had written while ill that Joe had put to music. Matt overcame that objection by saying that she didn't have to write her own music, as plenty of writers were out there. He strengthened his argument by pointing out how well she did in singing cover pieces. Ashley's dad interjected by skeptically asking if things could really be this easy for her.

"Easy?" Mike asked. "What she does and how she does it is NOT easy. She has talent and personality. Did you see the crowd respond to her? They were in the palm of her hand. I've seen hopefuls take stages where the crowd gave golf claps to be polite. If they weren't so nice, as many are, they would turn their backs and leave. Ashley had this crowd calling out requests, and wanting more."

Cindy took over the meeting and asked how his proposed contract would work. After listening, she requested several amendments that stepped up the payments some, guaranteed willingness to work around Ashley's schedule, and would protect her should the fledgling record company fail before the contract ended. Before Ashley agreed, she looked at Joe and asked if he set this up. He shook his head, as did Cindy when Ashley looked at her. She agreed to the proposed contract that would give her a respectable sum of money up front as a retainer for exclusivity over the next five years, as well as a good percentage of any sales relating to her image or music. He said he'd have the final contract in the morning. It would be the first agreement Ashley, LLC would enter into.

When they went outside, Matt took Reena and the other band members aside to chat with them. Ashley told her friends the good news and they fawned over her good luck. The subject of what to do once everything was packed came up and ideas were tossed around, but nothing was decided. The band returned with Reena beaming and wide smiles on the other three musicians. She attacked Ashley with a fierce hug.

"Thank you so much!" she nearly wept into Ashley's shoulder.

"For what?"

"We've scored a recording contract!" Mike announced.

High fives and hugs were spread around, and the band shared their conversation. First, Matt tried to convince them to stay with Ashley. But their heart really wanted their own identity, even though they were put together through Ashley's auditions in the spring. Reena explained that they loved Ashley, but they felt she was on a higher level and they would always wonder whether it was her or them that would be credited with success. Besides, they liked the idea of touring and constant performing, something that Ashley's strong desire to go to school interfered with. Reena's backup vocals during the performance were enough to tweak Matt's interest, and everyone involved agreed that she would take the lead singer spot. Matt asked that they meet with some people in his office to get them working as soon as possible. It would mean that the band would have to leave Hawaii the next day, and it would end their arrangement with Ashley as well.

Ashley admitted that she was disappointed with the early exit, but there were no hard feelings. She was happy for their happiness. They worked to break down Paul's drum kit and pack the other instruments. While she helped pick up cake from the stage, she thanked Jon for the wedding/birthday present and informed him that she and her band ended up with more than he intended. He was happy for them and offered his assistance whenever she asked for it.

The rental vans were packed and Ashley spent a few minutes saying farewell to her band mates. They wanted to turn in early to be fresh for their meetings tomorrow. Joe held her close as they waved goodbye.

Once the van was out of view, she looked up at her husband. "I know what I want to do now," she said as the rest of her group gathered around.

"Oh yeah?"

"You know what would make me really really happy right now?" she asked seductively.

"Oh boy, here we go," Kim chided.

Ashley smiled at her and gave her a playful swipe. "No...not that." She gazed off. "At least not yet. Joe? You'd really make me purr if you would..."

"Get on with it Ashley. Gees!" Jasmine was about done with mysteries and surprises for the night.

Ashley shot her a look. "Fine. Joe, I'd love you forever if you would feed me a banana split and a big honkin' strawberry shake."

They found a Hershey's ice cream parlor and Ashley slid into a booth opposite from Kim and Jill, who received their orders first and were already enjoying their small dishes of ice cream. Joe set a mammoth bowl in front of Ashley, arranged with large scoops of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream, two full peeled bananas, loads of whipped cream, and three cherries. He went back to the counter and retrieved a jumbo glass filled to the top with pink cream, as well as the metal tumbler that was still half full. He grabbed a spoon, cut out a bite of banana along with some ice cream and popped it into Ashley's mouth. Her eyes rolled back as she savored the treat.

Jill looked at her through slit eyes. "Really, Ash? We already had dinner. You had to go for extra everything?"

Ashley was indignant. "It's my birthday today, I can do what I want."

"Yes, but...DAMN you put away more food in that tiny body than even Joe ate all day. What's with the extra large shake?"

Joe had just spooned another bite into Ashley's mouth and she took a second to get half of it down before answering. "You don't understand. I stopped eating or drinking anything with milk a few months ago. Any time I craved it, there was another party or wedding, or event I had to go to the next day." Another spoon went in. "Mmm, best present ever," she cooed with her mouth full.

Kim propped her face on her fist while she watched with jealousy. "You're right, I don't understand."

Ashley was a bit put off by the tone, but Joe intercepted her recoil with a large spoonful so he could answer for her before she said something she'd later regret. "Dairy coats vocal chords and changes the pitch and clarity. Ashley's been fasting for a while now to keep her voice pretty."

"Now that it looks like I won't have to sing for a couple of weeks, I can enjoy this."

"What about your coffee? You put in so much cream, it barely has a tinge of tan."

"So, I cheat a little, Kim. What's it to you?"

Kim teared up. "Nothing," she said as she pushed Jill out of the way to exit the booth and store. Her parents followed her out.

Ashley was rattled. "What the hell?"

Jill replied, "Don't worry. She restocked her tampon supply a few days ago, you know how that can be." She quickly corrected herself. "Could be."

Ashley picked up another spoon and started feeding herself, and motioned for Joe to have some. Kim returned a few minutes later a bit more composed and slid in next to Jill. Ashley pushed her half-eaten bowl to her as a peace offering.

The two parent couples had work in a few days and were leaving soon. So, the next day, the group split up. Joe, Doug, and Cindy went with them to tour the island while the four friends went shopping. Kim was obviously upset with something, and Ashley didn't understand what it was. A heavy air hung around them all morning while the two traded barbs over what they liked or didn't like about various clothing. Jill grew tired of it and suggested lunch after Jasmine's attempts to quiet them failed.

"What the hell is going on?" she asked as she sat down in a huff at a cafe.

"I don't know, ask her," Ashley grumped. "Maybe you can get an answer from her since she won't talk to me."

Kim gave a sneer. "Of course she wouldn't know, little Miss Perfect."

"I'm not perfect! Why would you say that?"

An understood truce was observed while a waitress brought menus.

Ashley decided to make the first concession when the server left. "Kim, you're making me defend myself. If you'd tell me what's bothering you, I could understand it and I'd work to make things better between us. I mean, I don't even know what's bad between us. I know I haven't paid as much attention to you lately, is that it? You've been so quiet."

Kim sulked for a bit before taking a deep breath. "It's just so unfair, Ashley. Since graduation, it's been Ashley this, Ashley that. You get everything. All the attention, all the praise, the scholarship, the guy, the girl." She flicked her eyes in Jasmine's direction.

"Is this about sex? Aside from two nights before the wedding, you've been so stand-offish that I thought you wanted to be left alone. That can change once we get back."

Kim put her hand up. "No, not just about that." She fell silent and water started collecting in the corners of her eyes.

Ashley softened further. "What then?"

Kim got up and rushed toward the bathroom, saying she couldn't talk just then. Ashley told Jill and Jasmine to order for them and followed Kim. She found her sobbing while standing at the sink.