Sinful Serenade

Chapter 13

Danielle

I glance around the spacious, luxurious room, with plush carpet and floor-to-ceiling windows offering a stunning view of the city below. I sit on the bed, the lingering scent of coffee and cologne wafting in my nostrils. Anxiety and excitement buzz through my veins. I can't believe I'm in Kenneth Knight's suite. Fortunately, I'm not alone—I convinced Maeve to pack at 5am and come with me.

I haven't told her the real reason I'm here. She'd be pissed if she knew I turned down her countless offers to move in together, yet agreed to spend the summer with a famous stranger and his band.

I'm still wondering how Kenneth convinced me so easily. I'm not one to make dumb ass decisions, but it's like he turned my brain into mush. Now it feels like I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop—or maybe a bunch of hooded figures to burst through the door.

Mom has been spouting bullshit for years. But what if she's right about this one thing?

After Kenneth brought Maeve and me to his hotel suite, he left to speak with his manager. Now that I can think clearly, I'm torn between making a break for it or sticking around to see what happens next. What if this could be the best summer of my life, and I'm just scared of the abrupt change? It's not like I've ever had freedom like this before, and now Maeve and I can do whatever we want.

Maeve's voice slices through my thoughts. "Hey, you okay?" she asks, eyeing me suspiciously. "I've known you long enough to tell when you're feeling anxious."

I nod. "Yeah, just processing everything. This is the break I needed, but I'm still deciding if I made the right decision just dipping the way I did," I reply, biting my bottom lip.

That's at least some of the truth.

"Did you tell your mom when you left?"

I shake my head. "f**k no. And it's 9am, I'm supposed to be at choir rehearsal right now. There's no way she's letting me back into the house after this."

My mom will likely never speak to me again in life. I jumped into the deep end of the damn pool with no lifeguard, and now I have nothing. I have nowhere to live, and I'll have to apply for grants and student loans to continue my degree. f**k. What was I thinking?

I fight the urge to cut, to silence the roaring noise in my head. I have nothing now, I am nothing, thanks to my reckless decision. But it was worth it if I feel like I'm no longer suffocating, right?

Maeve suddenly grabs my hand, grounding me. She gives me a reassuring smile. "Hey, don't worry. You can live with me until you get your own place. And besides, we've got the rest of the summer to have an exclusive behind-the-scenes experience with our favorite band! This is some once-in-a-lifetime s**t, and I won't have you sulking when we should be letting go and having fun."

She's right, but at this point I don't know how to feel about that part either. Kenneth's got his attention fixed on me, and I have a feeling our next session of 'fun' will be happening very soon. Should I be excited or scared as f**k?

Next time you will bleed for me, his dark, alluring voice whispers in my head.

I shiver at the thought of what that could mean. But some f****d up part of me keeps going back to when he licked the blood from my finger the first night we met. What if he...bites my neck and drinks my blood? The fantasy has butterflies fluttering in my lower belly.

Why does that sound so f*****g hot? And why do I trust him to do that to me?

I don't know what it is, but if he's a predator, I'm the little bunny hopping right into his mouth. And I'd happily let him eat me if it feels anything like last night.

Maeve is in the bathroom changing into new clothes and applying makeup when the door swings open, making me nearly jump out of my skin. I was so lost in my thoughts, I didn't even hear footsteps approach.

I recognize the guy who walked in: Gage, one of Kenneth's band mates. He's tall and lean with long dreads and hazel eyes. "Sorry, I didn't know Kenneth had an overnight guest. He's never had one before," he mutters, apologetically.

"Hello," I say, my voice barely above a whisper, feeling my face flush.

Oh s**t. Is he going to call security? It must look suspicious for me to be alone in Kenneth's room. What if Gage thinks I'm a crazy fan who has somehow snuck in, waiting for Kenneth to come in so I can do whatever crazy fans do?

Despite my awkwardness, Gage gives me a nod. "I'm Gage."

"Danielle," I say with a tight smile.

His eyes narrow slightly. "Simmons?"

I nod, surprised he knows my last name. Has Kenneth mentioned me to them?

"Cool, cool, cool," Gage mutters, but his expression is anything but relaxed. He starts backing towards the door. "And, um, how did you say you got here again?"

"I didn't say, but Kenneth, my friend Maeve, and I took a plane from Virginia this morning."

Wait, is this something I should be telling him?

"Oh, shit." Before I can respond, Gage spins around and sprints down the hallway, shouting, "Nolan! Nolan! We've got a code red!"

He returns a moment later with the band's guitarist, who closes the door and stands in front of it, as if blocking my escape. Gage looks at him. "Nolan, Google how long you can hold someone captive before it's considered kidnapping," Gage orders. "We need to sort this s**t out before Julio finds out."

I furrow my brows. What are they talking about? Do they really think Kenneth is capable of kidnapping someone? Has he...done that before?

Nolan sighs and pulls out his phone, his green eyes clouded with panic. "Pretty sure the second he booked the plane ticket, they'll say he was guilty," he mutters.

Gage runs a hand through his dreads, looking like he's about to freak the hell out. "Yeah, he's f****d. But it's okay, right? He's white and famous, they'll probably just give him a slap on the wrist. Maybe some community service at most."

"For the stalking or kidnapping?" Nolan asks, incredulously.

Gage shrugs, his voice growing louder. "I don't f*****g know! I guess, he could also claim insanity. It's not exactly a stretch, given what they know about his family."

His family? Is he referring to the fact that Kenneth's mom died? Or that his father abandoned him? Were they mentally ill?

"He must've gone insane to do some s**t like this!" Nolan shouts, his frustration boiling over. "We should've been watching him. Now, look what happened!"

I watch as they exchange nervous glances before pacing around the room. While all of this is going on, I begin to wonder what's taking Maeve so long to come out the bathroom. Maybe she's overhearing the entire conversation right now, and realizing I lied to her and I might actually be in danger.

At least, by the way they're acting.

Should I say something now?

"It'll be okay. We can still record if he goes to prison," Gage's voice cuts through the tense silence in the room, though he doesn't sound convinced. "But I don't think my boy's gonna make it in there. He's not built for prison life."

"Yeah, you're right. Maybe one of us has to go in there with him," Nolan insists. "You know, for protection."

Gage throws up his hands. "Nuh uh, not it. Women say I have a big ass," he says with a grimace. "I'm not going to be someone's prison b***h either, I wouldn't make a good bottom."

I burst out laughing, unable to help myself. Gage and Nolan turn to stare at me like I've lost my mind. "Uh, what are you two talking about? Kenneth didn't kidnap me, I came willingly."

Just then, Kenneth walks back into the room. His expression is tight, and a shadow crosses over his faces—I'm guessing whatever conversation he had with his manager didn't go well. His gaze sifts between me and the guys, then he takes a breath before speaking.

"What are you guys doing in here with her?" Kenneth's voice is calm, but there's a dangerous edge to it. The air in the room becomes shrouded in testosterone.

Gage steps forward, his tone sharper than before. "No, Kenny, tell us what she's doing in here with you!"

Kenneth looks unbothered. "She's my guest, along with her friend, Maeve—wherever she went. Why don't you go find her instead of bothering me?"

Nolan chimes in, his tone stern. "We're just looking out for you, Kenny. You know what happened the last time you showed interest in a girl for more than five minutes."

A pang of jealousy hits me, though I don't know why. He's a rockstar— of course, he has different girls in his bed every night, maybe even two or three at once. But that's why I'm still so confused he went through such great lengths to get to me. What's so special about me? And what happened to this 'last' girl?

The tension between them suggests whatever he's done in the past must've been bad and has meticulously been scrubbed from the web because I've done research on Kenneth, and I don't know what the hell they're referring to. He's notorious for being a bad boy, but I didn't know he has been in an actual relationship with someone.

It's not like we'll be doing that, anyway. He said this was just for 'fun'.

Kenneth's expression darkens, his jaw tightening as the muscle there twitches. "This is different," he says, his voice low and clipped. "And it's none of your goddamn business what I do."

"It is when we could lose everything we've worked hard for," Gage shoots back.

Kenneth's fist clench, blue flames blazing in his eye. "I'm not a f*****g child. Don't you dare try to lecture me," he grits out.

They've obviously hit a nerve because Kenneth looks like he's ready to blow. It's weird how casually they're having this conversation, as if I'm not even here. Maybe they've really forgotten. I've been told I'm one to blend into backgrounds, to become invisible.

But somehow, I stood out to Kenneth at that concert.

Nolan exhales heavily. "We're not trying to. Just...please don't let things get out of control this time, okay?" he pleads.

Kenneth's nostrils flare, but he just nods without saying another word. He steps past them and walks over to me, towering over me as I sit on the bed. I stare up at him with wide eyes. "Come on, little trouble," he says, his voice gentler as if a switch has been flipped. "It's time to get going."

Am I out of my mind, or just hopelessly naive and a little starstruck? His bandmates just thought he had kidnapped me, which obviously means they knew he was stalking me. And yet, despite that, part of me still wants to go along with him. He may be intense, and a lot creepy, and he clearly doesn't give a f**k about societal norms and boundaries—but I'm drawn to him like a mosquito to a bug zapper. I can't help it. I want to know who he really is.

I feel like I'm tumbling into the rabbit hole that is Kenneth Knight's life. I've never been so intrigued, so utterly f*****g obsessed with someone. Or at least I'm obsessed with the idea of him that I've created in my mind. With no safety net left to catch me If I fall, f**k it— I'm diving in.

Even if it means getting addicted to the rush of his toxicity in my veins.