What Money Can't Buy Ch. 02

I was surprised to hear that, but I still felt like he had proven to me that I was right about him. "That's very nice- but I still..." I started, but Cheryl quickly interrupted me.

"He just puts on a cocky front, that's not really him. Look, I know it doesn't really matter- you can have your opinion. I just, I hate how people judge him too quickly- and I'm not saying you are doing that, because I get that it is complicated for you. But he can be fragile. I just wanted you to know and maybe give him a chance."

"A chance for what?" I asked, "It's not like he cares what I think, he doesn't even know me."

"That may be true, I guess. I don't know. But, it's just, I don't know, the way he looks at you, I thought he might care," she replied.

I sat quietly for a moment, considering. "Cheryl, I think you are reading a bit into this. It was just a stupid dare last night. But it's nice of you to look after him, and me."

She looked at me dubiously. "I'm sorry if I'm being too bold, but I think you're kidding yourself."

I stared dumbfounded at her for a moment and was about to respond when Rose burst into the loo. "What are you two doing in here? Come on, you're missing the show. Plus, Fran, I found someone for you!" she said the last bit in her signature sing-song voice.

"Can't say no to that!" I replied, doing my best to smile at Cheryl. "Can we get some shots first?" I asked Rose. I needed them.

"Who are you and where is my sister!?" Rose cried, laughing and dragging us back into the crowd. The song that was playing was sexy- Reggie's voice was smooth and sultry and the melody was slow, but the beat was somehow fast. He sang "When you came in the air went out," and I recognized it as Bad Things, by Jace Everett, a favorite of mine. He sang the words "I wanna to do bad things with you," just as we reached the bar. I turned my head to look at him but noticed Cheryl watching me as I did, so I turned back to the bar. Rose quickly got the bartenders attention and we ordered 8 tequila shots between the four of us. Frank said cheers and we clicked our glasses and took the shots one after another.

"Okay darling," Rose said, pulling me close so I could hear her. "Do you see those two guys and that girl talking over there?" She pointed towards the other end of the bar. I nodded, surprised at her choice. The two men were attractive, but I wouldn't exactly have said they were my type. Both were very tall and quite skinny. One had a short, military style haircut and the other a gelled-up poof. Poof-boy was talking to the girl while military man stood slightly awkwardly. "What do you think?"

I was about to comment that I wasn't interested when I again noticed Cheryl watching me suspiciously. I decided I needed to prove her wrong. "Umm, yeah, the short-haired guy is really cute," I said, attempting to sell it.

"Let's go, then!" Rose said, pulling me through the crowd toward them, just as Reggie started singing the last lines of the song and things seemed to move in slow motion.

"I don't know who you think you are, but before the night is through," he sang, and I finally looked up at him- he was staring straight back at me. "I wanna do real bad things with you." It seemed like he was singing to me, and my body responded. I wanted him- badly. I wanted him to do more bad things to me.

Rose stopped pulling and I distractedly walked into her with an "oof," and my trance was broken.

"Okay", she whispered gleefully, her back to the guy we came over for, "Just lean over the bar so your boobs get pushed up. That'll get his attention!"

I laughed. "Rose, I appreciate your help, but I have picked up guys before, you know?" I said, shaking my head, "Plus, I'm not sure you would be considered an expert on men."

"Fair enough," she laughed, "so how do you get his attention?"

"I'll show you, darling," I said confidently, flicking my finger under her chin. I brushed past her so I was standing next to military man. Just as the bartender looked away, I feigned an effort to get his attention, lifting onto my tip-toes and raising one arm up. Purposefully, I became unsteady on my toes and fell back against him. I turned, faking an embarrassed laugh- "Oh, goodness, I'm terribly sorry! I was just trying to get the barkeep's attention; I don't think he can see me over all of these people," I said, batting my eyelashes.

He looked down at me, stunned for a moment, before his gears started turning. "Oh, uh, yeah, it's no problem. Maybe I can help?" he stuttered, turning his attention to the bartender and flagging him down.

"An American?" I said, intrigued. I looked at Rose and winked and she giggled.

"Yeah, I'm here studying for the semester," he said just as the bartender came over. I ordered another pint and Rose ordered a vodka cranberry. Military man ordered a glass of white wine. Kind of an odd choice for a rock show, but I figured I'd roll with it.

I rose my pint from the bar. "My hero," I said, stepping slightly closer to him and putting my hand on his arm. He smiled, and I had to admit it was a nice smile. "I'm Fran, and this is my sister, Rose," I said, stepping back to introduce them. He smiled again and shook Rose's hand. "And you are?" I said.

"Oh, right, sorry, I'm such an idiot. I'm Michael," he stammered, "It's great to meet you both." We raised our drinks for a toast, then talked for a while until Rose said she was going to go and find Cheryl. We said goodbye and I continued talking with Michael, finishing my pint. "Can I get you another?" he asked, gesturing toward my empty drink.

"That'd be lovely, thanks," I said, flashing him a smile. He really was pleasant conversationalist and smelled divine. I was genuinely starting to enjoy myself. We talked and laughed for another few minutes until the music distracted me. Debaser by the Pixies had just started playing. "Oh!" I said, cutting Michael off, "I love this song!"

"Would you like to dance?" he asked, placing his glass on the bar and holding his hand out.

"Love to, darling," I said genuinely, following his lead with my drink and taking his hand. We wandered into the crowd and began moving together, starting with some distance between us. I loved dancing and was really getting into the song. The crowd grew larger and Michael and I got close, his hands resting on my waist. We swayed together and he grew more confident. He wasn't a great dancer, but I was enjoying being out there with someone. I put my arms up around his neck and he brought one hand up to my hand, spinning me so my back was to him. He pulled me close and trailed his finger down my arm, which I kept up by his neck. Both hands found my hips again and settled there, trying to control my sway to match his. He was off beat, so I resisted at first, attempting to correct him. He wasn't getting it after a moment though and clearly wanted to be in control, so I let him lead, sinking back into him. His lips skipped along my bear shoulder and I felt a flutter between my legs.

He pushed me harder against him and I could feel the erection in his pants. The song shifted to a faster one and we continued to dance, his hands beginning to explore my taught stomach. Jessie had taken over singing lead, and I was surprised to hear a cover of Good in Bed, a song by Dua Lipa. "It's baaad, we drive each other maaad, it might be kind of saaad, but that's what makes us good in bed. We don't know how to taaalk, but damn we know how to fuuuck," she sang, and I laughed, thinking how perfectly the song seemed to explain my tryst from last night. Michael may have thought I was laughing at him, because he stopped moving his hips. I attempted some damage control. I turned back around and put my hands on his chest. I moved my hips as I slowly lowered my hands down his chest, hooking them in his pants for a moment before pulling him closer to me. He leaned down and kissed my neck and I cooed pleasantly.

We danced that way during Jessie's song. Just as it was finishing, Michael brought a hand up to my face and began leaning in. I leaned forward as well, allowing him to pull me up to him for a kiss. He grabbed my ass and pulled me closer as he kissed me. It was a nice kiss, he knew what he was doing. But there wasn't much of a spark. As they had done all evening, the band moved straight into a new song, following a set list. But, all of a sudden, the music cut off. I pulled away from the kiss and looked to the stage for an explanation. Reggie was turned around and talking to the band, who seemed confused. He turned back to the crowd and spoke into the microphone, "Hey everyone, sorry about that. We wanted to play you all a new cover we've been working on recently. I hope you enjoy." The band geared up to start the new song.

"That's odd" Michael said, though my eyes were glued on the stage, on Reggie, "I've seen these guys a few times and they always stick to the set list. Did you know that the front man is like, a billionaire? Awesome, right?"

"What?" I said, turning back to Michael. "Oh, yeah, actually, I did..." I began, but then the band started playing a song I didn't recognize. It was absolutely beautiful. The melody was building up on itself, and Reggie sang so passionately. He sang a few lines, then found my eyes in the crowd again, singing "I could have showed you all the scars at the start, but that was always the most difficult part. See, I'm in love with how your soul's a mix of chaos and art, and how you never try to keep 'em apart". He was singing so beautifully I think I literally stopped breathing.

"You okay?" Michael, asked, putting an arm on my waist.

"Umm, yeah, I'm sorry. I just, this song is really beautiful," I said distractedly, still looking at Reggie. He sung a few more lines before belting "I see everything you can be; I see the beauty that you can't see. On the nights you feel outnumbered, baby, I'll be out there somewhere."

My heart was pounding. "Yeah, it's good. Romantic." Michael said, pulling me into him so I was turned away from the stage. "It's called Outnumbered," he kissed my lips gently, "by some Irish dude, I think."

"Dude? Very American of you," I said, trying to smile and slow my heart rate.

"Hahaha yes, that's true." Michael said, laughing. The song was ending in the background of our conversation, and I snuck a glance back at the stage, where Reggie was belting with his eyes closed. The song came to a close and Reggie thanked the crowd, introducing the band before they left the stage.

Michael tried to kiss me again, but I pressed against his chest. "Sorry, I need to use the loo," I said, pulling away completely and heading toward the left wall where the toilets were. It took me a while to get through the crowd, who were screaming their heads off for an encore. When I got into the loo, I splashed some cold water on my face. Am I imagining it, or has Reggie been singing to me tonight? Why is he fucking with me? I was just starting to have a good time with Michael. He was a decent enough kisser and a sweet guy. Any other night I'd be glad to get to know him more. But, if I were really being myself, I wouldn't take him home tonight. I'd get his number, go on a few dates and maybe something would happen.

I knew I needed to get back to the me that was normal, not the one that was acting like Reginald Hagadone's puppet. I splashed a little more water in my face and cleaned up my makeup. I used the toilet for real this time and washed my hands before heading out. The encore was likely an original, since I didn't recognize it and it had the band's sound. It had riled up about half the crowd, while the other half was standing in line for the loo, blocking my way back to the bar. I was trying to figure out how to get back to Michael when he came up to me from the crowd.

"Hey," he said, pulling me into him once more just as Reggie sang, "My tongue was on your neck,". I guess it was a sexy song. I tried to shake it off and focus on Michael. "I have to head out, my friend and I have plans to meet some people back on campus. But, can I get your number?" he asked. I smiled and nodded, taking his phone that was open to What's App. The music ended and Reggie thanked the crowd again. I put my info in and handed it back to him. He put a hand beneath my ponytail and drew me in for a goodbye kiss, pulled away smiling and turned to leave.

"Bye!" I said awkwardly as he walked through the crowd. I looked around for Frank, Cheryl and Rose and spotted them near the front of the stage on the right. Thank God Frank was so tall. I skirted along the wall toward the stage to avoid going directly through the crowd, who were fighting their way towards the door. I had just made it to the edge of the stage when I felt a hand wrap around my wrist and pull me into a back room behind the stage. I let out a small scream before I felt a hand on the back of my head and saw Reggie leaning forward towards me. He pulled me into him and kissed me, hard. I moaned into his mouth. He released my wrist and wrapped his arms around me, his hands running along my body. This kiss made mine with Michael feel like nothing. He was full of passion and I felt his lust through his lips. I lifted my arms and put them around his neck, my fingers running through his shaggy hair, sweaty from the set, which turned me on more. He turned us and pressed me against the wall.

That's when I realized we were in the area where the band goes to get on the stage, and I momentarily panicked. I pulled my face to the side to free them from his aggressive lips. They found my ear instead, sucking my lobe into his mouth and making me uncontrollably moan while he grabbed both my wrists and held them down against the wall. "Where is the rest of the band?" I asked in a concerned voice, worried they would catch us any second.

"They went to find Frank, Rose and Cheryl," he growled in my ear before scraping the lobe with his teeth and making his way down my neck. I relaxed, enjoying his mouth exploring my skin. I figured we had a few minutes before anyone noticed. "Fuck, Francesca, you smell incredible," he said as he released one of my wrists. He wrapped that arm around my waist and squeezed tightly, taking my breath away. "Who. The. Fuck," he said, punctuating his words with lite bites along my neck, "were you snogging out there?" he asked, making me squeak from the sharp pain of his grip and the bites.

I tried to find the words as his free hand ran down my leg and pulled it up to rest on his hip, his hand running along my outer thigh and the base of my ass. "Michael," I managed to get out, despite the difficulty breathing and the haze of pleasure I found myself in.

He growled and squeezed me tighter, and I let out a squeal of pain. "Sorry," he apologized, loosening his hold slightly, "you're just so fucking... You drive me crazy." It had hurt, but somehow turned me on even further. He pressed against me, his crotch pushing my skirt up and digging into my soaked panties, no doubt feeling my heat through his jeans. "Can Michael make you this wet?" he snarled, grinding into me and making me moan loudly. I ground back against him but didn't respond. He pulled his crotch away, rage gathering again behind his eyes. "WELL?" he cried at me.

"No," I whispered meekly, both because I didn't want him to stop but also because I knew it was the truth.

"What was that?" he insisted, pulling away further.

"No!" I said loudly. I used my free hand to reach between us and find his cock through his jeans. It was hard as a rock.

"Mmmh," he moaned and kissed me as I fondled it up and down. He released my leg and pulled away from me slightly, looking me up and down. "I like this," he said, running a finger along the waistband of my skirt, "You have sexy legs." I didn't stop playing with his cock as his finger trailed over my skirt along my upper thigh until he reached the upside-down V. He ran the back of his hand just beneath my skirt and then between my legs, slowly bringing it closer to my dripping snatch. I sucked in a breath and my head sank back, pushing my chest towards him. He started kissing and nibbling on my shoulders and upper chest. His fingers finally reached my panties and ever so slightly tickled over them. I moaned and grabbed his cock, stopping my movement up and down to focus on his touch. After what felt like an eternity of nibbling and lightly brushing, he finally brought a finger roughly down onto my clit over my panties. They were already soaked, but his touch made me even wetter. "Uhhh," I moaned, letting go of him and trying to grind against his fingers.

He withdrew his hand quickly, grabbed either side of my face with his hands and kissed me even more deeply than the first time. "I'm the ONLY one who can excite you like this, aren't I, Killer?" he said as he pressed his erection against me once more.

"Yes," I whispered shamefully, my lips brushing his as I spoke. He smiled evilly and let go of my face, stepping away from me.

"We had better go find your sister." He turned and walked from the back room, leaving me standing there, breathless and dripping wet, wondering what the fuck had just happened. I reached my hand beneath my skirt and started thinking of him grabbing me and having his way with me while I touched myself furiously against the wall. He was pounding me over and over until I came hard around his shaft when I came for real, finally relieving some of the need I had. I smoothed my skirt and tried to calm my breathing before I headed out to find the group.

"You okay, Fran?" Frank asked as they saw me approaching. He gestured toward my flushed skin.

"Oh, yeah! Just hot from dancing," I replied, attempting to blow it off.

"Where were you?" Rose asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

Reggie opened his mouth to answer so I quickly cut him off. "With Michael, sorry! Nice find, Rose," I fed her ego because I knew it would take the heat off of me for a moment.

"Thank you, thank you!" she said, waving like a beauty queen.

"Your band is incredible, by the way! I loved the originals and you covered a bunch of my favorites too!" I said to Reggie, Jessie, Riggs and Peggy.

"Thank you!" Riggs said, smiling widely.

"It's true! You all are so talented. And Jessie, you were incredible on that bass. Like a better Kim Gordon," I said, pulling her in for a hug. She thanked me.

"Who?" Cheryl said, looking confused.

"Bassist for Sonic Youth," Reggie and I said at the same time. Cheryl looked from him to me with one eyebrow raised.

"Seriously, you all were on fire today!" Frank joined the conversation.

"I know! I don't know where the energy came from, but it was awesome." Peggy said excitedly.

"Yeah, I totally agree. What was with the change in our set though, Reg?" Riggs asked, and everyone looked over to Reggie, standing slightly outside of the group. I was particularly interested in what he had to say.

"I just was feeling it," he said, shrugging. My shoulders sank a bit in disappointment- I may have been imagining him singing to me after all.

"Right, well, I say we go out to celebrate your success!" Rose said.

"Yes! I'm down!" Peggy exclaimed, and Riggs nodded in agreement.

"I'm knackered, I think I'll head home," Jessie said.

"I'll take you babe," Frank said, pulling Jessie under his arm.

"You sure you don't want to go out?" Jessie asked, snuggling into his arm.

"I'm sure," he smiled, leaning down and kissing her.

"How about you two?" Cheryl said, pointing a finger at me and then Reggie, "You want to join?"

"I think I'll follow their lead," I said, pointing at Jessie and Frank. I wanted to get home and masturbate again- I could already feel the need growing deep inside of me.
Cheryl raised her eyebrows questioningly and looked to Reggie. I felt his eyes burning into me as he said, "You guys go."