“I know,” she replied. “And I still think you should. Even though you do pay them an obscene amount of money, it’s the decent thing to do.”

Sitting up in my chair, I told her, “I’ve never been decent. You know that.”

She crooked a small smile, then glanced at my desk. “What have you been doing up here all day?”

I’d been transferring all of my good lyrics onto one page. Wondering what she would think about them, I held the page up to her. “I’ve been writing a song.”

Her face instantly transformed from curious to almost euphoric. “Oh, Griffin, that’s great news. Is it for the band? Did you call Kellan or Matt? Did you guys patch things up?”

I froze with the piece of paper still in the air. Shit. I hadn’t expected her to leap to that conclusion. Honestly, I hadn’t thought about having to give her a reason for writing a song. Wrapped up in my project, I’d forgotten that Anna was in the dark…about a lot of things. So, what should I tell her? The truth? That I was working on getting a record contract of my own? No, she wouldn’t understand why, since she thought the show was still going. And without a contract, I couldn’t come clean, but…the show was about a rock star. Knowing fate had laid the perfect lie in my hands, I told her, “No…it’s for the show. They’re letting me write Ace’s stuff. Pretty awesome, huh?” Fuck.

She pursed her lips, but then smiled. Coming around my desk, she plopped herself onto my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck. She leaned in, squeezing her breasts into my face. “Oh, I was hoping you and the band were getting back together. But this is good too. It’s just, it’s been so stressful with everyone broken up…like my parents have gotten divorced or something. You don’t even come home anymore when Kiera and the girls visit.”

I pulled away so I could look up into her face. “I’m not getting back together with them, Anna. Ever. I wrote this song for me. For my band.” Not wanting her to read too much into that, I amended with “My TV band, anyway.”

Her smile fell. “Yeah, your TV band.” She shook her head. “Griff, I know you’re excited about this show, but why don’t you go back to them? Kiera tells me they haven’t found a replacement yet, and Matt is itching to start another album since the last one…didn’t do as well as expected. I’m sure if you called him and apologized…Maybe you could do both? The show and the band?”

My gut started clenching at her suggestion. I tried that. But Matt shot me down, belittled me. No, going back wasn’t an option anymore. “Apologize? For what? I didn’t do anything wrong. Those assholes shoved me in a box, and when I tried to get out, they tried locking it. That shit doesn’t work on me though. I need freedom.”

She clamped her mouth together so hard, I could see the muscles in her jaw tighten. I wasn’t sure if she’d taken my comment personally or if she was upset that I still wouldn’t consider it. I was just about to tell her that I didn’t mean her when she shook her head and said, “Okay, so…the show is going to let you write songs? Maybe I can help you?” She looked over at my lyrics again, reading them this time. She frowned. “Please tell me this isn’t one of them.”

I released the paper, letting it float to the desk. “What’s wrong with that song? It’s awesome.”

Her eyes drifted over the sheet. “I’ll make you moisty, you’ll be so tasty.” She shook her head. “One…that’s gross. Two, it doesn’t even rhyme. Three…I’m pretty sure they won’t play it on TV.”

Wishing I could defiantly cross my arms over my chest, I shrugged. “I like the song, if they don’t play it, then they’re stupid.”

Closing her eyes, Anna dropped her head into her hands and started shaking it. “Oh boy,” she muttered. “I hope they know what they asked for when they asked you to write lyrics.” She opened one eye at me. “How is everything going, by the way? On the show, I mean.”

The suspicious look in her eyes made my body stiffen in alert, like I was about to be attacked. Did she know something? No, she’d be a lot angrier if she knew something. “Fine…great.”

She opened both eyes and frowned. “Are you sure? Because there are these rumors circulating online that the show was cancelled. I haven’t put much stock in it, because you’ve been working so hard, but it keeps popping up. And all I can find when I look for news on the show is bad stuff.” She narrowed her eyes and scanned my face like she was searching for the truth in my reaction. Fuck. Goddamn Internet.

My heart was thudding, but I managed to keep my expression as blank as possible. I know nothing. “I don’t know what to tell you, babe. News is crap. But trust me, the show is still going, we’re all working hard, and everything is fine. Just fine.” Or at least it will be, once I have a record deal in place and don’t have to lie to you anymore. I really fucking hate lying to you. But I hate letting you down even more.

She frowned but nodded. “Well, maybe we should think about downsizing…at least until the show airs.”

I glanced around at my mansion of all mansions and shook my head. “No, you’re a queen, and you should live like one. And besides, I’m going to be huge, so I should act like it. If I go into this timidly, all scared and shit, I’ll never amount to anything. No…bigger and better…maybe I’ll hire even more people to have around here, to do stupid stuff like…paint all the flowers different shades of green…” The least I could do was keep her surrounded by the finest things in life. She deserved that and so much more.

Anna immediately put her hands on my chest. “Please don’t. We’re fine just the way we are.”

I studied her for a moment, then conceded. Considering that I didn’t have a contract yet, that was probably good advice. But once I did, all bets were off. I was spoiling her rotten. “Okay, but the minute I think you’re not being lavished with enough, I’m hiring someone to dote on you.”

With a seductive half smile, she ran a fingernail down my cheek. “But the only person I want doting on me is you…and you’re gone so often, that doesn’t happen much anymore. I’m lonely.”

Recognizing her words as a green light for fun, my cock instantly sprang to life. I pulled her more firmly into me lap, letting her feel it. “I’m here now, baby, and I can dote on you all night long. You just tell me what you want.”

“I want you to rip off all my clothes, spread me out over a desk again, and fuck me so hard I can’t stand straight.” My dick started throbbing at her words. But that was nothing compared to her next ones…“But before you do all that…I want to taste you this time.” With that, she stood up, shifted my swivel chair, and sank to her knees.

“Fuck, yes,” I stated, undoing my jeans as quickly as I possibly could. I probably shouldn’t do this, since I was being a lame-ass fuck and keeping so much from her, but damn it, she needed this too. Just like she’d said, she was lonely. Turning her away would only fuck us up even more.

By the time my pants were around my ankles, my cock was straight and proud, the piercing in the top shining in the bright light of the lamp on my desk. Anna made a purring noise as she ran her finger along the metal; every nerve ending in my dick sizzled with pleasure where the piercing rubbed against me.

“So hot,” she said in a throaty exhale. “I can’t wait to have you inside me.” I didn’t know if she meant her mouth or her pussy. Either one was fine with me.

Her lips wrapped around me as she took me into her mouth, sucking me deep inside. A panting groan escaped me as she stroked me; she didn’t even have to use her hands. She played with my balls instead, and I had to grab the armrests of my chair. The throbbing, tingling, burning ache was so delicious—my entire body felt like I was being jolted with electric bolts of ecstasy. Over and over and over, to the rhythm of her mouth pulling me deeper and deeper.