Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

The tinkle of breaking glass brought me fully awake. The sound was followed by a brief burst of laughter, quickly stifled.

Frowning, I glanced over at Brian. He met my eyes.

"There's someone in our house," I murmured.

Brian nodded. "Yeah. And I'll give you one guess who it is."

We both listened as we heard footsteps on the stairs. A whispered coversation reached us; the voices seemed to be arguing.

"We need a new dog," Brian said. "A big dog. Something like a pitbull or a Great Dane or a German shepherd."

"No, we don't need a new dog. We need new friends."

Brian put a finger to his lips, the voices now audible and distinguishable.

"It can wait," Matt was saying.

"No, it can't," came Jimmy's reply. "They'd want to be woken up for this."

"Jimmy!" Matt's voice rose in protest. "They could be doing it or--"

Our bedroom door burst open and Jimmy strolled in like he owned the place. "Good morning, boys and girls!" he exclaimed cheerfully.

Brian looked at me. "You were right. Forget the dog. We need new friends."

"Ha ha," Jimmy said sarcastically. "You won't think so once I deliver my news!"

Matt peeped around the doorframe, catching my eye and grimacing apologetically.

"What's this news that had to be told right this second?" Brian inquired.

"Are you naked?" Jimmy asked me, ignoring Brian.

"Jimmy!" Brian said sharply. "The news, please?"

"You've gotta come downstairs," Jimmy said.

"Why can't you just tell us and go away?" Brian complained, throwing back the blankets.

Jimmy grinned. "Because my news is accompanied by a visual aid."

Brian and I exchanged a wary glance. With Matt in the lead, the four of us descended the stairs and filed into the living room. Our big screen television was on and at the moment, some pop princess was dancing to her oh so generic hit song.

"What the fuck are we watching?" Brian demanded, reaching for the remote.

"Wait!" Jimmy jumped in front of the television, arms spread wide in an attempt to prevent Brian from changing the channel.

The number at the corner of the screen tipped me off. My eyes flicked to Matt. His face was carefully neutral. "Shads? Why did Jimmy wake us up for a rerun of 'TRL'?"

"'TRL'?" Brian echoed. "Jimmy, move your ass. I'm not watching this shit."

Jimmy and Brian glared at each other. Suddenly, Jimmy dove over the glass-topped coffee table, knocking Brian onto the sofa. There were several seconds of confused struggling before Jimmy hopped to his feet, the remote raised in triumph.

"Sit down, shut up, and watch," he ordered, pointing the remote at Brian.

Sullen, Brian slumped against the back of the sofa. I again focused on Matt. His hazel eyes were shining with amusement, but otherwise, his expression was still void of emotion.

Cheering signaled the end of the video and my attention went to the screen. The host was talking. Jimmy increased the volume just in time for us to hear "...a rapid rise to the number three spot, here's Avenged Sevenfold with 'Bat Country.'"

And there was Jimmy, attacking a cloud of bats with a pink fly swatter. My jaw dropped. Jimmy, Matt, and I all looked at Brian. His eyes were fixed on the television and he seemed stunned into silence. I couldn't blame him. MTV rarely promoted any bands with real talent. The fans must have really flooded the website and the phone lines with requests to get Avenged Sevenfold played on "Total Request Live".

"We've been on the countdown since the end of December," Jimmy announced when it became obvious Brian wasn't yet ready to speak. "They, um...they want us to come on the show."

Brian and I both stared at him.

"That's..." I trailed off.

"Unexpected?" Matt supplied helpfully.

"Actually, I was going to go for the positive angle," I remarked. "This is really good for y'all. I know MTV sucks, but they reach a wide audience and people who wouldn't have heard you otherwise will be introduced to your music and--"

"--hate it," Jimmy said.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Love it. Get the chip off your shoulder. Watching MTV doesn't always preclude a horrible taste in music."

Jimmy hung his head. "Sorry."

"So?" I turned to Matt. "Y'all are doing it, right? Y'all have to do it! This could be huge for the band!"

Matt's lips quirked in a small smile. "Hell yeah, we're doing it! I mean, unless Gates has some kind of issue with it...?" He shifted his gaze to Brian, arching an eyebrow questioningly.

"Of course I don't have an issue with it!" Brian said. His dark eyes gleamed and he smirked. "We're going to New York to teach the MTV generation how to rock!"

*****

Dawn lowered herself onto the small leather couch beside me. We were at the MTV studio in New York City. The guys were getting ready for their appearance on "Total Request Live."

"Jordan, breathe," Dawn said after a few minutes, and I looked at her blankly. "You're as twitchy as the guys," she explained. "Calm down. It's going to be fine."

I hadn't realized how much I was shifting around, unable to sit still because my body was humming with nervous energy. "Sorry," I mumbled. I couldn't help my anxiety, though. This was a big moment for the guys. None of us were huge fans of what MTV had become in recent years, but the fact remained that MTV had the power to make or break a band. If MTV loved your band, they would promote it and you would fly high, at least for a while. And even after MTV stopped promoting the band, the popularity lived on because people had grown familiar with the music and sought out the stuff that MTV didn't play. If MTV hated your band, well, it usually vanished off the face of the earth.

"Sunshine!" Jimmy entered the room in his typical whirlwind fashion, pouncing on me and almost dragging me to the floor. "You should see the kids that are at this very moment filling the seats around the 'TRL' set." He smirked. "They're not going to know what hit 'em."

"Shouldn't you be dressed?" I asked.

Jimmy followed my gaze to his bare chest and stomach. Half of a bright red tie hung from his neck, and he wore black hiphuggers and a pair of Converse. "I am dressed." He raised his eyes back to my face and frowned at my expression. "You know I always play shirtless."

"This isn't your average Avenged Sevenfold show--"

"First and foremost," Jimmy cut in. "There is nothing average about Avenged Sevenfold. Not now, not ever. And secondly, I'm not changing how I dress or act just because we're on MTV."

"You're going to stand there in all your half-naked glory while they interview you?"

"Hell no! I'm wearing a suit jacket during the interview."

Dawn and I exchanged a glance, Dawn's lips twitching with suppressed mirth. We both looked up as the other four guys filed in.

Matt, Brian, and Zacky were sporting sleeveless tees in dark shades that made their colorful tattoos startling in their brilliance. Each man had on more eyeliner than Dawn and I combined. Johnny's hair matched Jimmy's tie. Matt had on a backward cap over a bandana, Brian had donned a black leather fedora, and Zacky's eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses with white frames.

They were gorgeous...and I didn't think anything quite like them had ever come through the MTV studios.

"Ready to do this?" Matt inquired of his four best friends.

Johnny, Brian, and Zacky nodded. Jimmy sprang to his feet with an enthusiastic "Fuck yeah!" I stood, too, and went to Brian.

"Don't mess up my makeup," he joked, placing his hands possessively on my hips.

I stretched up to give him a light kiss.

"No fair!" Jimmy whined. "I want a good luck kiss!"

I turned to find that Dawn and Matt were also liplocked. Dawn drew back slowly from Matt, her attention shifting to Jimmy. I grinned and ran at Jimmy, taking him by surprise. An instant later, Dawn slammed into him and the three of us fell to the floor.

"YAY!" Jimmy yelled, totally submissive to Dawn and me, both on top of him. Laughing, we each kissed one of his cheeks. He exhaled happily. "I'm livin' the dream."

"Uh, guys?" A man in a headset was frozen in the doorway, observing Jimmy, Dawn, and me with raised eyebrows.

Jimmy flashed a Cheshire grin. "Yes?"

The guy blinked and looked at Matt, the unspoken leader. "Two minutes."

Matt nodded and the guy scurried away. Jimmy, Dawn, and I got to our feet.

"I love my life!" Jimmy said, chuckling.

I returned to Brian, pushing my lips to his in a longer, deeper second kiss that ended only when Zacky said "Move your ass, Gates. We're up."

Dawn and I joined the studio audience in the seats that had been reserved for us. The guys took the stage, blending the intro of "To End the Rapture" perfectly with that of "Beast and the Harlot," the album's as-yet-to-be-released third single.

Some members of the audience were singing along, those most familiar with Avenged Sevenfold evident by their band tees and multicolored hair. They were mostly teenagers, fifteen or sixteen, but there were a few older fans. All of the girls seemed to have a favorite and were happily ogling said member.

It was during the interview that an auburn-haired girl in the row in front of me twisted in her seat. "Hey!" she said, eyes alight with recognition. "You're The Rev's girlfriend! Can I get a picture?"

"If you want," I said. "But I'm not Jimmy's girlfriend. I'm...just a friend of the band."

She and one of her friends wanted a picture with me anyway. I saw Brian and Matt glancing curiously in our direction at the sound of her camera phone capturing the image.

The guys performed again a bit later, this time doing "Bat Country" in place of MTV airing the video. Watching Brian and the several girls that were practically drooling over him, I couldn't help the ideas that formed in my head. I was out of my seat as soon as they finished. Dawn and I trailed after them into the back hallway of the studio. I said nothing as I eased up beside Brian and linked my fingers with his, tugging him toward the room we'd been in earlier. With one look at my face, he smirked and let me lead him away from the others.

I was a bit surprised--and pleased--to discover a lock on the door. Securing it, I backed Brian to the sofa. He sat down and, thankful that I'd worn a skirt, I stepped out of my panties before straddling his lap, my fingers in his hair and my mouth claiming his in a heated kiss.

"Not that I'm complaining," Brian said when we parted long enough for me to relieve him of his shirt. "But you do remember we're in the MTV studios, right? With set managers and production managers and fans and--"

"Shut up." I shoved my mouth to his again, my hands working on one of the two belts encircling his waist. He chuckled at the command and rested his hands at the small of my back to keep me from falling.

I impatiently tossed aside his belts, the metal clanging noisily on the floor. I unbottoned his jeans and lowered the zipper. Brian obediantly raised his hips so I could push his jeans and boxers low enough to free his cock.

I reached between us, grasping him and moving my hand in sure, steady strokes to bring him fully erect. His breathing was heavy and ragged and his kisses took on a fierce urgency as the smooth, warm skin tightened in my hand.

"Fuck, Jordan," he mumbled.

I let go and shifted forward. He moved with me, angling to enter me, but I hovered over him. "Not yet," I admonished, and he groaned.

I giggled at the mildly anguished sound. "You're a cruel, cruel woman," he said.

"Oh, am I?" I rubbed against him, my slick wetness gliding against his smooth heat and bringing a shudder from both of us.

"Christ!" he managed through gritted teeth.

I settled as if I would take him in, brushing my opening over the head, allowing the very tip of him to penetrate before drawing back tauntingly. His fingers were digging painfully into my flesh and his jaw was clenched.

"Jordan, I swear to God..." He inhaled sharply, unable to finish his sentence because I repeated the motion, taking him in a little further.

I leaned in to kiss him and a startled noise escaped me when he fisted a hand in my hair, holding me to him and plunging his tongue deep, getting inside me the only way he could. The rattle of the doorknob jerked our attention over my shoulder.

"Bri? J?" It was Matt, and by his tone, I knew that he knew exactly what was happening behind the locked door. "We're heading out in ten minutes." We heard his footsteps hurrying away from the door.

"Poor Shads," I said, biting my lip to keep from laughing.

"Poor Shads?" Brian echoed. "Poor me, you fucking teasing harlot!"

"Poor baby," I mocked.

"Jordan." His voice was strained, which ruined his attempt at anger.

"Say the magic word."

"Now!"

I grinned. "Not the word I was looking for, but that works, too." He was on the borderline of losing it, and although I'd enjoyed pushing him too far many times in the privacy of our own home, I didn't think this was the time or the place. Not unless I wanted everyone in the studio to become aware that Brian and I were committing carnal acts in a public building.

By this time we were both so ready that he slipped in easily. He released his breath in a long sigh as I started riding him. There was no more time for playful teasing and I set a fast pace that he obligingly matched, thrusting deep.

When his hands gripped my hips and speared into me painfully, I could tell he was close. I was on the brink as well and with a few more deep, pounding thrusts, we came simultaneously. He buried his face in my chest to muffle his sounds while I struggled not to cry out, though a whimper escaped me.

"What. The. Fuck." He lifted his head and met my eyes.

I shrugged, climbing off of him and retrieving my panties from the floor. "I couldn't wait."

He smirked in the cocky, self-satisfied way that he always smirked when I admitted he could turn me on without even trying. He adjusted himself and zipped, then buttoned, his jeans. I handed him the two belts and he put them back on. He caught my arm as I was unlocking the door. I faced him and he bent to capture my lips in a kiss that sent a pulse of desire through me. He sent a hand exploring beneath my skirt, trailing his fingers over my panties just to feel me shiver.

Withdrawing the hand, his lips brushed my ear as he whispered "Round two at the hotel." He opened the door and sauntered out of the room.