The Bet Read online

  The Bet- A Red Hot Valentine

  By Ty Langston

  Copyright 2014 by Michele Villery

  Cover Design by Melody Simmons of eBookindiecovers

  Smashwords Edition

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  No Part of this book can be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any printed or electronic form without the author’s permission.

  These stories are a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidences are of the author’s imagination and used facetiously. Any resemblance to any actual persons living or dead, events or locales, is coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Other Stories in The Red Hot Valentine’s Day Collection

  Chapter One

  The longtime couple writhed with passion through their satin sheets.

  While Chris Knight’s soft hands journeyed their way toward the small of Gabrielle Trent’s back, she groaned with pleasure at the feel of his touch against her dampened skin. The love of his life gave in to the inevitable as she turned herself toward him, locking her blue eyes onto his.

  On the brink, his descent began; his steel gray eyes never wavered from their hungered gaze. While he mouthed the words, “I love you,” his hand parted her toned thighs.

  Chris’ swollen cock ached for her. “Oh my God, Chris!” she moaned.

  His member strained with desire at her entrance, it was something he could no longer contain. In one swift move, he planted himself deep inside her. The couple rocked in unison. The closeness the two shared was the one thing they cherished most about their relationship. With each day that passed, Chris found himself more in love with his girlfriend.

  Their passions consumed them, sending the two of them into a violent climax

  Desire gave way to exhaustion; exhaustion gave way to bliss.

  Several minutes later, Chris took himself out of her and fell next to her in a sweaty heap. As he raked his shoulder-length brown hair from his face, he glanced at his girlfriend with a mischievous grin. “Whoo Gabby, that was-”

  She playfully smacked him on his shoulder.

  “Oh my God, Chris! That was NOT supposed to happen!”

  Chris laughed aloud and winked at her. “Baby, why not? We are committed now, aren’t we? What else are we supposed to do when we fight?”

  Gabrielle looked at her guy who continued to laugh. The unapologetic smirk he had on his face was enough to make her want to slap him.

  “I’m still pissed at you!” She quipped.

  Turning himself to face her, he continued to laugh loudly.

  “Over what? Why are you still mad at that? ”

  “Please, you know why, Chris.”

  “Gabby, my fans are what a part of what fuels my living.”

  Gabrielle sighed as she pushed back her long blonde curls. With her plump breasts fully exposed she leaned against the bedpost.

  “I know. To be honest, it’s not them. However, I do wonder if you have to go as far with some of them as you do. I swear you enjoy the attention they give you.”

  Smoothing out the end of her curls, he attempted to reassure her that the flirtations were a part of his performance. Nothing more, nothing less.

  “I’m not going to lie. It is flattering. Don’t you like attention, babe?” Chris asked her

  “For my stories? Sure.”

  “Ok then. You getting acclaim for writing about other rockers by readers or your peers is no different from me flirting and singing to a young fan. It’s a job. The band and I have been blessed with a tremendous opportunity with Knight’s Armor that I wouldn’t change for the world.”

  Gabby looked down at his slender fingers as they continued to play with the ends of her curls. With his index finger, he lifted her chin toward him, before he continued. “Who’s here with you now, Gabby?”

  “You are. I get it. Just try not to enjoy it so much, okay? ” she told him with a smirk.

  “I’m always going to be here for you. You and I have been through so much that I don’t understand why you’d question that after all this time. I love everything about you. From the way you snore, to how my name sounds when it rolls off your tongue. You write for Rockline Magazine for crying out loud. There isn’t anyone that knows more than you do that I’m doing my job. I will say, I did think it was fun seeing you squirm a bit while I was flirting earlier,” he retorted with an impish grin.

  She smiled. “Asshole.”

  “You are home to me. There’s isn’t anyone else I want.”

  “No?” she asked.

  “Nope,” Chris said.

  Gabrielle chuckled as her fingers began to play with his five o’clock shadow.

  “Okay Rockstar, round one was yours.”

  “That round? Baby, between them and us, I’ll win the fucking war,” Chris told her.

  Curious, Gabrielle put her hand down. She raised her eyebrows in interest over Chris’ words.

  “Yeah? How are you going to do that?”

  Deep in thought, Chris pursed his lips. Gabrielle had no idea what he was thinking. Moments later, her boyfriend’s trademark grin, spanned from ear to ear.

  “I’ll bet you that I can seduce you.”

  Gabrielle started laughing. She had known him for years. They were best friends first before finally becoming a couple over a year ago. She had observed some of her boyfriend’s previous attempts at seduction with others, and all had failed miserably. In her opinion, there wasn’t a line Chris could use that would instantly get her into bed. Yet, it’d be entertaining to see him try.

  “Yeah right. What an arrogant ass you are. Just because we’re together and you’re an international rock star, doesn’t mean I’m going to drop everything and have sex with you on the spot. Keep dreaming!”

  “Bet you do. And we have to do it anywhere.”

  Gabrielle shook her head with a flat retort, “I don’t think so. I’ve been with you for a while now. I’m not having sex with you in those venues. A couple of them are disgusting. ”

  Chris let out an enormous belly laugh. “Okay, some places, well, they are, I admit...A little interesting. But I guess we can keep this to our hotel room or on the plane. ”

  “Hmm…joining the Mile High Club does sound intriguing,” she said to him as she got up and sat on the foot of the bed. Putting on one of his football jerseys, she continued to taunt him while she pulled her blonde mass of curls out of the jersey. “Okay Knight, I bet you that I won’t back down. Go ahead and do what you do with your fans. It’ll be fun seeing you try some of your BS on me.”

  “Wait a minute. What do I win?” Chris asked.

  Her blue eyes suddenly narrowed with a serious gaze. She looked at him for several seconds before she took in a deep breath, her petite body seeming to inflate with the weight of her proposal. “I’ve gotta go to each and every home game that the New York Giants have this fall.”

  Chris’ jaw dropped for a moment. This was news indeed. Gabrielle hated anything and everything that had to do with football.

  “You’re catching flies with your mouth open like that, Chris,” Gabby quipped.

  “Holy shit! You hate football!”

  “No kidding,” she said.

  “Even with a brother who is a former NFL pro bowl player, I never understood how and why you hated the game so much.”

  Gabby sighed. “Maybe, it’s because as a kid it’s all I’d hear about 24/7. Are you going to make me change my mind?” she asked.

  His gray eyes were full of disbelief. He had to ask her once more. “All the home games? Every last one of them?”

  She said with a sharp reply, “
You are not deaf. That’s what I said. Hell didn’t freeze over. ”

  Chris was laughing so hard that he put his head face down in his pillow. Gabrielle looked up toward the ceiling and rolled her eyes before she continued to plead with the almighty. “God help me, if I don’t win, this fall will be the longest ever.”

  Looking down at her, he leaned his back against the bedpost and tucked his hair around his ears.

  “Oh, this is going to be so much fun!” he told her.

  ”Okay Mr. Knight. You’re so creative. Tell me, what do I win?”

  The endless ideas that would appease her consumed him. Besides football, she liked the same things as him. But there was one thing that he had never done before that would test the waters of his abilities if she were to win.

  He had never taken time off. Not ever. Writing, performing, came to him like breathing. His trademark smile turned solemn.

  “Hmmm. Let me see. If you win, after this tour, you get me home for the next two years.”

  Gabrielle’s eyes now widened. She had never known him not to be performing or recording something. “Really?” she asked.

  Chris nodded. “I’ll take a couple of years off. I’ll be Chris Knight, boyfriend, best friend…hopefully future husband. Can’t you see me doing the lawn or fixing a pipe in the bathroom in that huge new beach house of ours?”

  “Nope, sorry I can’t,” she teased. “Do you even know how to use a hammer?”

  He crawled to the foot of the bed. He began to play with her pedicured toes while she touched the top of his head.

  “The hammer that counts? Absolutely.”

  He moved closer to her in an attempt to kiss her. She quickly placed her hand in front of his face.

  She yawned, crawling past him to get underneath the covers. “Oooh. I’m beginning to get sleepy after all that pounding against your hammer. You know honey this was a brilliant idea. You should get some sleep. You’ll need it for all your seduction tactics. Goodnight.” She turned promptly with her back toward his side of the bed.

  He looked at her with a blank stare. What in the hell did I just get myself into?

  Chapter Two

  A couple of nights later, Chris had Gabrielle picked up and flown to Vegas. His band, Knight’s Armor, was wrapping up the West Coast dates of their tour at the MGM Grand.

  While waiting to land at the airport, Gabrielle began to look at an emerald ring encircled with diamonds that she and Chris called ‘The Friendship Ring’. Taking it off her finger, she read the inscription, ‘You are my everything. Love Chris.’

  Gabrielle’s thoughts spun around Chris and that bet. The love of her life was beautiful not only on the outside, but also on the inside. As she reminisced about their past, she wondered if she could actually win after all.

  The two of them met years ago in a sleepy little town they both lived in called Bedford, New York. Chris was at a local club trying out for his record deal, and she was a fresh-out-of-college intern at the nation’s hottest music magazine, Rockline. When another reporter at the last minute opted out of writing a feature with the band, Gabrielle stepped in and went on tour with them. Her weekly feature, ‘Diary Stories ’ on the band’s debut tour, not only became a critical success for her, but also secured Knight’s Armor as one of the top bands in the world.

  With more success came betrayals. First with Chris firing of his one of best friends and manager who stole a couple of million dollars from him, followed by Gabrielle’s violent relationship with an ex-boyfriend. The close friendship that cultivated between Chris and her from these shared incidents turned into more than she could have imagined over the last year.

  She discovered a lot about herself from being with him. Strong in the world of journalism, where you need a tough skin, Chris showed her that it was okay to be vulnerable when she needed to be. When her ex boyfriend, attempted to re-enter her life, it was Chris that she leaned on for support and security during a hard emotional journey.

  As she continued to look at her ring, her wish to Chris’ fans was that they could see the man she loved. One of the sweetest, caring and most generous men that walked the earth, however, the poor man couldn’t cook if he tried.

  She looked out the window and watched her plane land and taxi toward its debarking spot. Waiting for her eagerly was the band’s engineer and close friend, Sam Marino.

  A portly man in his late 40s, Sam, was short with black hair and brown eyes. Pleased to see his friend, his face beamed with joy while holding her hand as she got off the plane.

  “Gabby, I’m so glad you made it!”

  Known for his quick wit and musical ear, Chris and the band relied on him immensely when they recorded new material. Constantly asked by other groups to help craft their sound, Sam made the decision years ago work exclusively with Knight’s Armor.

  With her hair feeling as if it had a life on its own, she smiled at Sam warmly as she let go of his hand and began to pull her long mane into a ponytail. “Thank you, Sam. How are you?”

  “Good. Real good. Did you have a nice flight?”

  “Sure did. It’s pretty cool not buying a ticket,” she quipped. “Guess I’m still getting used to all of this.”

  ”My dear Gabby, you’ll never get used to it. We’ve all been doing this now for years and sometimes, you just have to wonder.”

  “About fans?” she asked.

  ”All of it. The fans. The tours, the CD sales. The bloggers on social media giving their opinions on things they haven’t the slightest clue about. The kids with their cell phone cameras who want to be paparazzi so bad they’re willing to insult you to place thousands of dollars in their pocket. Don’t get me wrong, thank God Chris and the band are performing to give us the lifestyle we have, but there are days where I wonder about people. ”

  “Can’t change people or their actions, but you can change how you deal with them. What I love about the band is how they won’t play to trends. They are who they are and don’t apologize for it. After covering a lot bands for several years now, I can honestly say that Knight’s Armor is the most authentic band out there. People will always wonder what makes Chris and the band tick.”

  “He’s amazing isn’t he?” Sam asked.

  “Indeed he is. I am thankful for him every day,” she said.

  “I do too. For his sheer company alone,” Sam joked.

  Gabrielle began to laugh as the two of them walked over to a black SUV and got in.

  “Can you keep a secret, Sam?” she asked as the SUV sped away from the airport.

  “He may to try to kill me if he knew I knew something, but I think I can take him,” Sam quipped.

  “Chris is betting me that he can use one of his patented lines that he uses on fans to get me into bed,” Gabrielle said.

  Sam laughed. “What if he wins?”

  Gabrielle rolled her eyes at the thought of her punishment.

  “I gotta go to every freakin’ Giants home game this fall.”

  Sam laughed even harder. “I take it you still hate football?”

  “Yep!” She smirked.

  “What if you win?” Sam asked.

  “He said that he’d stop touring for a while and be a stay-at-home boyfriend. He even mentioned the words ‘future husband.’”

  Sam looked stunned.

  “Gabby, I’ve never known him to not write, sing or play. Not for a long period of time. Chris, at all times, is spilling out his soul with a beer, notebook and a Gibson guitar. Are you sure he really thought this through? I don’t know if I can see him sitting idle at home. Remember when he tried to cook for you that one time?”

  Gabrielle laughed. “Dear God! I thought our whole block was going to go up in smoke.”

  “And that was only an omelet,” Sam added. “Could you imagine if he made you spaghetti or roast beef?”

  Gabrielle thought about it briefly and laughed. “I’m too scared to find out.”

  Sam looked out the window and saw the MGM Grand sign out front of the
casino. The SUV stopped.

  “We’re here, babe.”

  The two got out of the SUV and walked backstage. Friends and long-time employees of the band greeted Gabrielle with hugs and handshakes.

  Sam brought her to the band’s dressing room door. Opening it, Gabrielle saw Chris’ lead guitarist Tate Masterson who appeared to be talking on the phone. Sitting across from him was keyboardist Eric Rychert, drummer Dave Osborn, and bassist Redmond Cage, all skimming through trade magazines.

  “Hey girls we’re here!” Sam said.

  Tate slammed the phone receiver down on the phone. He tucked his long blond[A1] hair around his ears, his blue eyes danced with joy when he saw Gabrielle. “My Sister!” he yelled as he walked over and gave her a hug.

  Heading toward the door, Sam said to the others, ”Gabby’s here!”

  With surprised expressions, Dave, Redmond, and Eric all greeted and hugged her affectionately. They were like brothers to her. They adored her; she adored them. Minutes later, Chris walked out of the bathroom wearing a white tank top with the New York Giants logo front and center along with a pair of blue jeans and sneakers.

  Before walking out, Sam began laughing. Gabrielle eyes narrowed.

  Chris grinned from ear to ear. “What’s up everybody? Ready to give Vegas a show?”

  Sam continued to laugh. Not knowing that he knew, Chris looked at his long time friend with a confused look on his face.

  “Oh Chris, this is low,” Sam said.

  Chris raised his eyebrows, feigning innocence as he looked around him and back at Gabby. .

  “What’s low?” he asked

  Gabrielle rolled her eyes. She walked over to her partner and planted a kiss firmly on his lips. Abruptly, she broke free from him.

  She looked over at Sam. “Sam, its okay.”

  Sam smirked. “Yeah?”

  Chris was wiping his mouth as he continued to listen to his good friend and girlfriend. He pretended to have no idea of what was going on.

  Gabrielle continued. “Definitely. Let him play all the little games he wants. It’s going to be fun to say ‘no’ to Rockline Magazine’s Sexiest Rock Star.”