Afflicted Read online

  Copyright © 2013 by Sophie Monroe

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form

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  without prior written permission from the author

  except where permitted by law.

  The characters, places, and events portrayed in this book are fictitious.

  Any similarity to real persons living or dead is coincidental and

  not intended by the author.

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  Cover photo: CJC Photography- Chris Correia ©2013 All Rights Reserved.

  The photo may not be redistributed without prior permission from the author and photographer.

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  Cover Model:

  Joe Troisi – www.josephtroisi.com

  The author acknowledges the use of the following:

  Nirvana, Gatorade, Jack Daniels, Pringles, MTV, Judge Judy, Chevy, Cracker Jack, Theory of a Deadman, Avril Lavigne, Acura, 4Runner, Audi, Volkswagen, Vitamin Water, Abercrombie, Adderall, Hennessey, Patron, Mack, Alka-Seltzer, Chanel, Ben & Jerry’s, Playboy, Jeep, Nutella, Foo Fighters, Saving Abel, Skillet

  Afflicted

  by

  Sophie Monroe

  Dedication:

  To all my friends! Big shout out’s to my Pirate Hooker, Tara, Misty, Kelly, and butterfly Kelly, Stef, Amber, Lesley, Whitney, the Nicole’s and all my blogger buddies!

  I love you guys long time, thanks for reading and re-reading!!!

  The list goes on and on so if I forgot anyone, sorry, I love you too!

  PROLOGUE

  Blake Five Years Earlier…

  Tossing the last of my stuff into my duffle bag and zipping it closed, I let out an audible sigh. Tomorrow Derek, Kevin, Jake and I would be heading off to LA to chase our dream. I was scared shitless, but in my gut I knew that it was the right decision, our chance to make a name for ourselves. I was also well aware of what I was leaving behind, especially my family and my girlfriend of just over a year, Rowan.

  She was spending our last night here at the apartment that Jake and I shared. I fucking loved this girl more than I ever thought was possible. I even went as far as getting her name tattooed on my arm a couple months ago. I wanted to hit it big so I could afford to give her the life that I thought she deserved. If I had it my way I would put a ring on her finger right now, but I’m broke, and she deserves better than something from a Cracker Jack box.

  Looking over by my dresser where she was standing in one of my white t-shirts my heart swelled, right along with another part of my anatomy. I love her tanned body and jaw-dropping long legs. She’s absolutely gorgeous with the most beautiful face, like an angel, stunning blue eyes and a perfect bright smile that could light up a room. Her long, curly, chocolate brown hair flows down to the middle of her back and always smells like paradise.

  I’m seriously the luckiest guy to have landed a girl like her.

  Crooking my finger, I motioned her over. Sashaying her hips seductively, she took the short walk across the room. When she was a couple feet away, she jumped and pounced on me, pinning my arms above my head. She was a fucking tigress in bed, and I loved it. Biting gently down on my earlobe while breathing heavily she moved her way down, running her teeth along my jawbone sending shivers down my spine. I was already hard as steel. In fact, all I had to do was look at her, and I was sporting wood.

  Turning my head I claimed her mouth, lightly biting her bottom lip and grabbing the collar of her shirt, lifting it over her head so that I was eye level with her perfect 36C tits. Teasing her nipple with my teeth I moved her panties to the side. She was ready, but I liked to get her off at least once before we started, so I knew bam-bam wouldn’t hurt her. Within minutes, she was crying out in pleasure with the sexiest sound known to man. I thrust into her, filling her with one swift motion, feeling her muscles still convulsing around my cock. She leaned forward as I started fucking her with a fierce passion. I never wanted it to end.

  “Fuck!” She moaned. “Right there… don’t stop! BLAKE!”

  My impending orgasm was coming like a freight train. Taking a nipple in each hand, I rolled them into stiff peaks until could feel her getting ready to come again. Dropping a hand I massaged her clit until she completely shattered around me. I let go yelling her name, pounding into her hard enough that she would probably walk funny tomorrow. When we were done, I pulled her down onto my chest and held her until my limp cock slipped out of her heat feeling the immediate loss.

  If this is what the upcoming months held, I was going to miserable.

  Rolling us onto our sides I held her close. There was no welcome space between us, especially tonight. I watched as she closed her beautiful eyes and drifted to sleep. I stayed up for a while longer so I could watch her. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I wasn’t worried about how our relationship was going to change after I left, knowing that planning on trying to come back when I could and making sure that she was able to come to LA sometimes might not be enough. Unable to fight it anymore, exhaustion won and I fell asleep too.

  I woke up the next morning dreading what I was going to have to do, say goodbye to everything that I’ve known for the past 21 years. Looking at the alarm clock that flashed 5:57, I shook Rowan awake and told her that we needed to get up. She climbed out of bed and went straight into the bathroom coming out a couple minutes later dressed in jeans and a tight, white t-shirt looking glum, breaking my heart.

  Pulling her to me, I hugged her for a couple minutes before going to shower and get dressed. My heart was feeling heavy while hammering with excitement. It was the most bizarre feeling I’ve ever felt. I lugged all my bags into the living room and yelled through Jake’s door making sure he was awake. He came out a couple minutes later ready to go. I was thankful that he started taking the rest of the stuff down to the car so that I could have a couple more minutes with Rowan.

  “I love you. You know that, right?” I asked her. She would have to be stupid not to know that I would die for her right now.

  She stood on her tippy toes and kissed me passionately. “I know. I love you too, Blake Potter.”

  “We’re going to find a way to make this work. It’s going to be hard, but I know we can do it.” I vowed.

  “Every thing’s going to be fine. Stop worrying.” She teased, placing her hand to the side of my face in an effort to comfort me.

  We walked downstairs where we said our goodbyes, for now. Closing the door behind her, I watched as she drove her little, red Toyota Celica down the road and disappeared into the distance. Jake was already waiting in the pickup truck that Ron loaned us. All of our essentials were in the back, and we were on our way. Jake could tell that I was moping and grabbed a CD from the console. It was Nirvana’s Nevermind, my favorite album of all time.

  It was a new beginning for us, a chance at the big leagues. The possibilities were endless, and we were ready. We spent the last three years tearing up the Phoenix club scene, and Ron’s garage. I put my feet up on the dash and looked out the window.

  We arrived in LA just in time for rush hour traffic on the 405. How the hell does anyone live like this? It took us over an hour just to get to our exit. After weaving in and out of traffic, we finally pulled up to the small gray apartment that Jake and I would be sharing since it was all we could afford for the time being.
r />   Derek and Kevin found an apartment to rent two blocks away so at least we would all be within walking distance from one another. Hopping out of the truck we were greeted by Mel, the portly, middle-aged, balding man that owned the building.

  He led us up three flights of stairs to where the loft was. Once we reached the top, he put the key into the lock and turned. Neither of us was prepared for what was behind the door. It was an impressive, vast room with exposed ceilings. There was a tiny kitchen with oak cabinets that looked to be in fairly decent shape and a bathroom off to the other side. It had a certain charm, and was certainly better than what I was anticipating for the rock bottom rent we were being charged, especially in LA. Jake handed over the security deposit check that Ron spotted us and signed the lease.

  Mel left with a smile on his face and whistled his way down the stairs. We followed after him and started lugging boxes up the stairs. By the last trip, we were dead on our feet. Since we didn’t have any furniture, we were planning a trip to IKEA first thing in the morning tomorrow to grab necessities. We also wanted to scope out some possible venues and clubs that we could play at.

  Since we were both starving and didn’t have any food, we decided to go down to the bar on the corner and grab a bite to eat before calling it a night. We arrived at Roxy’s a little before nine. The place had a decent size crowd, consisting of an eclectic bunch. There were rockers, middle-aged businessmen, college kids, and even a possible homeless person. Jake and I grabbed an empty table by the window and waited for the waitress. She was a bleach blonde girl with silicone volleyballs attached to her chest. Her name tag read, Georgia Peaches. She was more than likely trying to break into the industry, and not the television one. We each ordered a beer and a burger. We ate in comfortable silence while people watching and taking everything in. It was finally real.

  We were here, in LA…

  Six Months Later…

  “Hey guys, awesome news!” We all collectively looked over at Bruce, our current label manager. “The label has agreed to sign you.”

  This was better than awesome. It was fucking fantastic! We have been struggling as starving artists for the past six months, playing whatever gigs we could scrounge up. We got our lucky break a couple weeks ago when we played a gig at Tirade and Dylan Ryan, the lead singer of Crashing Down, approached us. He liked our sound and said that his band was looking for an opening act on their upcoming tour. Of course, we jumped at the opportunity, and he put us in touch with his label. They asked us come to the studio and lay a couple tracks for the producers to see if they thought we had “something special”. Thankfully, so far it has paid off.

  Even though we were being signed it didn’t mean that we were in with the big dogs just yet, but at least it was a start. Doing a decent job of controlling our excitement, we all nodded. Bruce seemed pleased and said they would get started drawing up the papers. We were each getting a five thousand dollar advance, which at this point looked like a half-mil on paper. I couldn’t wait to eat something other than noodles in a cup and hot dogs. Before leaving, he informed us that we had two weeks straight of rehearsing coming up after this weekend and to get ready.

  Taking my phone out I texted Rowan the good news. I’ve felt a rift between us lately, and the distance was unquestionably adding to the strain. I told her that I was going to send her a plane ticket so we could spend a few days together before the madness started. She happily agreed and would be here in two days.

  ~

  After borrowing the pickup from Jake, I headed to LAX and managed only to get lost once on the way here. I had so much excitement and energy that I even made a sign to hold up at baggage claim. I waited impatiently for her to come into view. As soon as she did my breath caught and the fire returned to my empty heart. I wanted to ravage her on the spot.

  Wearing a pair of short, denim shorts and a black tank top she looked like sex on legs. The second thing I noticed was that she dyed her hair blonde, which surprised me, but, it looked fantastic nonetheless.

  I practically tossed the sign aside to run to her. As soon as I reached her I picked her up off the ground and spun her around. I fucking missed her like crazy. I also hadn't been laid since our last visit when I went home for the weekend, over three months ago. I was dying to get inside her. Taking her carryon bag I led her to the exit. Since the loft didn’t have any walls Jake made arrangements to stay with Kevin and Derek tonight so we could have the place to ourselves.

  I opened the door and helped her inside the truck. She smiled shyly. Something about her has changed. I just couldn’t decide if it was a good thing or a bad thing. The drive back was quiet. I asked her about what was going on at home, and how school was. She smiled and responded in one-word answers, but wasn’t her overenthusiastic self. I blamed it on being tired from travelling, at least that’s what I hoped it was.

  Pulling into our assigned parking space, I led her up the stairs. As soon as the door was closed she pounced, and old Rowan was back. She wrapped her legs around my waist, and I was already at full salute. I kissed her like a man starved and led her to my bed placing her down in the middle and climbing between her legs. I propped myself up with one hand and undid her shorts with the other while she lifted so I could pull them off. She fumbled clumsily with my belt.

  Why did I choose today to wear a fucking belt?

  I always liked to make her come before we had sex, but today I couldn’t wait. She was already wet, so I positioned the head at her entrance and nudged forward. Fuck, she’s tight! I wasn’t going to last long. I slowly ebbed in and out until I was balls deep. Realizing that I didn’t even bother to take her shirt off, I pulled her top down and exposed her magnificent tits.

  I rocked in and out of her slowly, making sure to hit her G-spot with each forward thrust. I could tell that she was getting close, and tried to think of anything other than the fact that my balls felt like they were filled with lead. A half dozen more thrusts and she let go screaming so loud the neighbor’s dog started barking. It only took me two more thrusts before I found my own release.

  Lowering myself down I cradled her tightly in my arms. I loved just holding her, I think it’s actually what I missed the most. My mind drifted to tomorrow, and I hoped the plans I made would show her just how special she was to me.

  Ordering some Thai take-out we just hung out like we used to in Phoenix. We had another mind-blowing, back-clawing round before bed since the first time was kind of quick. I pulled her close to my side and breathed her in. Closing my eyes I drifted into the best night’s sleep I’ve had in months.

  When we woke up, we quickly got dressed before heading the down the street to Starbucks. I ordered us each a coffee and a muffin to go. We were heading to Beverly Hills today to see Rodeo Drive. I planned on taking her sightseeing and to do some shopping. I figured the least I could do was let her blow my money.

  When we arrived she was in awe with all the fancy shops. We mostly window-shopped and did a lot of walking. She managed to find a couple of unique, high-end pieces and blew the rest of my signing bonus. She was happy, and to me that’s all that mattered. I took her to a fancy steak house for dinner, and the conversation flowed easily. Whatever discord I felt yesterday evaporated. We were back to just being Rowan and Blake.

  We spent the next two days in between the sheets, before I had to drive her back to the airport. I hated having to say goodbye to her, especially since I didn’t know the next time that I would get to see her with us leaving for tour soon. I walked her as far as I could before kissing her farewell in the middle of the busy airport. I watched her make her way through security and disappear with the crowd. I walked back to the truck with a heavy heart feeling the other half of me missing, again.

  The next two weeks I threw myself into practicing for the tour. I was like a robot. Our calls were few and far between with her being in school and working as a waitress part time and me spending every waking moment in the studio. In two days, we would be heading out for our
first tour.

  The record label gave us a shitty, fifteen-passenger van that we would call our home for the next three months. They even allotted us a certain amount of money for gas, food and lodging to help cover the rest of our expenses. I was pumped because it was an awesome opportunity for us to get our name out there.

  We loaded up the van with enough Gatorade, Jack Daniels and Pringles for a seven-nation army. Dylan told us that Gatorade bottles are especially handy when you have to relieve yourself, and there are no bathrooms for two hundred miles. We were starting out toward the East Coast where we would be playing our first opening show. It was going to be a long-ass three-day drive getting there. We decided that we would all take turns driving, so we could drive further before stopping and getting a hotel room.

  Derek started driving first, he was a horrible driver and a tailgater.

  The rest of us situated in the back of the van and pulled out a game of Scatagories. It was fun for the first hour before it started getting lame. Kevin took over for Derek somewhere in New Mexico. It was hard to drive through Arizona and not stop to see Rowan. We stopped and ate McDonald’s, which gave Derek nasty ass farts.

  “Kevin, crack a window!” Jake yelled.

  Kevin just laughed and didn’t do shit. We kept going until we arrived in Oklahoma City. We pulled into a Days Inn and got a room. Jake and I double-checked to make sure that the van was locked because all our equipment was in there, along with all our other belongings. I pulled my phone out and dialed Rowan.

  “He-wo.” She mumbled sleepily.

  “Hey baby.” It was so good to hear her voice. “Are you sleeping?”

  “Yeah.” It was barely audible.

  “Alright. I just wanted to say goodnight and tell you that I love you.”

  “Night.” She hung up.

  I was back to feeling discouraged again. It wasn’t something that I was familiar with. I was the perfect gentleman. I was a fantastic boyfriend. I held doors and put her up on a pedestal. I was faithful. I even sent her flowers every week.