Better Than Fiction Read online

  Better Than Fiction

  Also by Bet Milner

  Available on Amazon and Kindle in both e-book and paperback format.

  Better Than Fiction © 2019 by Bet Milner. All Rights Reserved.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  Cover designed by Cover Designer

  Cover image by reblbug0 on pixabay.com

  All song lyrics used in this work are Copyright © 2019 by Liz James. All Rights Reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Bet Milner

  Twitter: @Betmilner

  Instagram: Betmilner

  For more info on my music and songwriting visit

  Twitter: @LizJamesMusic

  Printed in the United States of America

  First Printing: Feb 2020

  Independently Published via Kindle Publishing Direct

  ISBN- 9798614610623

  Acknowlegements

  Thanks again readers for taking the time to look at this work. I am very grateful for the opportunity to share another story with you. I would like to specifically thank all of you who been following my journey and supporting my creative endeavors over the years and for those of you that come here today because of my fan fiction. Our community was a huge inspiration in this particular story and it honestly wouldn’t have been written if it weren’t for the last seven years of our fandom.

  Thank you to the women who inadvertently inspired this story.

  Dedicated to the dreamers, the doers and all those who try.

  Better Than Fiction

  Bet Milner

  1

  "No, a little to the left. Yeah that's good right there. Just... no! Don't change! That was good, why did you stop?"

  Jimmy sat up in a huff. "Christ luv, do you want to just do it yourself? I'm doing it the same as last time and you didn't complain."

  Danni pulled the sheets back up over herself. "God damnit Jim! Way to kill the mood. I was just giving you some tips!" Jimmy tried to kiss her again but she pulled away and rolled onto her side. "Just forget it. You stink of beer anyway and I'm getting a headache."

  "Luv, come on! It's been weeks. I thought you were in the mood? Let me try again." Jimmy pleaded desperately.

  It was true. It had been weeks and Danni herself was in desperate need of a release. She'd been pumped up since they came off stage and wanted nothing more than to orgasm and go to sleep but it just wasn't doing anything for her. She closed her eyes and pulled her long term boyfriend in closer trying to imagine softer skin and ignore the stubble scraping her chin.

  She tried to concentrate on the sensations in her body and focus on the image in her mind that always managed to get her off. Jimmy wasn't a bad lover. It was Danni's head. For a while now she'd had a crush, a stupid crush on a completely unattainable, straight woman. Danni had always known she was bisexual and had been quite happy with her man for years. She hadn't even been looking for anyone else. Not until she saw her. She tried harder to feel something, anything that would get her to where she needed to be. She knew once she got going, it'd be better. After what felt like an eternity,

  Danni tapped Jimmy on the shoulder and rolled them over. She straddled him and fucked him hard. She wasn't going to get there tonight and she knew the quickest way to get him to come was with her on top, so she rode him until she felt him tense up and then everything went limp. "Ah that's more like it love. Did you get there?”

  She smiled at him. She knew this was her issue so she lied.

  "Oh yeah. It was awesome. I'm gonna go take a shower, okay?"

  "Sure. If I'm asleep when you get back, love you." Jimmy said already closing his eyes.

  "Yeah. Love you too." Danni went to the bathroom and switched on the shower. She felt dirty lately. Every time they had sex, she just wanted to wash his scent off her body. In the beginning, she'd loved being able to smell him on her skin but now it kind of made her gag a little. She loved him. She wanted to be with him and things were going to get better if she could just focus on reality and not the fantasy that had taken over her life. Danni scrubbed between her legs and around her neck at least three times, adding more soap until she was sure she smelled like herself again. Tomorrow morning Jimmy would be at his day job bright and early so she'd sort herself out then. She stayed under the steaming hot water until she felt exhausted then she dried quickly and returned to bed to try and get some sleep.

  The next morning, she woke to an empty bed. It always panicked her a bit at first but then she felt better realizing she had some time to herself. It wasn't like she was obsessed with sex or anything like that, she just needed to chill. Her hand snaked down to her clit and she began rubbing it gently while her other hand tickled her sides, occasionally kneading her breast. Soon enough she was getting close and she rolled onto her stomach as her hips bucked against her hand. She brought herself to orgasm in record time and then went to get a coffee.

  She flicked open her e-mail on her phone and went through her social media platforms. It was her daily ritual. Some people read the news at breakfast, Danni stalked Instagram and Twitter. Someone posted a video of her gig last night and tagged her. She clicked it open to see how she'd sung. Not bad. It was a surprise that anyone even filmed it. The amount of gigs they'd done lately were slim and not many people were in attendance. It was mostly bars looking for cheap or free acts and they mainly did covers. Danni hated doing covers. She was a songwriter first and foremost but as yet hadn't managed to sell or get radio play for a single song. It had been ten years now and at thirty, she knew it was highly unlikely to ever happen for her but she could still dream.

  She got a notification to her e-mail account.

  Check out Julia Jones recent tweet.

  "Damn it woman! Can't I go a whole five minutes without seeing your name?"

  She clicked the link and stared longingly at the photo of the actress she had been obsessing over ever since she first saw her in Recoil, a science fiction movie. It had been three years ago and she instantly felt drawn to the woman. She had done another two movies in the series and had just tweeted a photo of herself and the main actor at a convention. Danni felt a pang of jealousy. She envied the people who had gotten to meet her favorite star and considered buying a ticket for the next one. She'd never been much of a fan girl and the idea of going to such an event made her feel a bit desperate.

  Danni did a quick search online to see where the next ones were being held. When she saw there was one in her city in four months’ time, she impulsively bought a ticket. It would be an experience if nothing else. She must have been hungover. It was the only way she could justify her next action because she'd never once thought to message such a high profile person. She clicked reply on the tweet and wrote; see you in Boston.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  "Testing, one two, one two." The microphone screeched as Danni checked her levels. Jimmy was tuning up his guitar and shredding some serious arpeggios. There were two other guys in the band. Jefferson on drums and Will on bass. Danni played rhythm guitar as well as being the lead singer. She nodded to the guys and everyone signaled they were ready. She spoke clearly into the mic. "Hey everyone. We are DangeRose, thanks for coming this evening. We're gonna do a few covers and some original stuff for you so sit back, have fun and enjoy the ride!"

  The gig went well and
they even managed to shift a few CD's. It wasn't much money, especially split between four, but it all got pumped back into recording and studio time. Danni saw Jeff and Jim plotting and she knew he'd be out for the night. Jefferson was wild. He always seemed coked off his face and when he and Jimmy got together, it was usually an all-nighter.

  "Danni luv, I'm going to head out with Jeff and Will. Lad’s night. Do you mind?" Jimmy asked her. It wasn't really a request. He did what he pleased most of the time and Danni was used to it.

  "No, it's cool. You guys have fun. I'm gonna stick around here with Reese for a bit anyway. Girls night." She winked and Jimmy headed off with the group with their instruments in tow. She turned to the bartender and rolled her eyes. "So what time do you finish tonight? Wanna do something?"

  The dark haired woman smiled apologetically. "Sorry dude, I'm here until closing but you can stick around and keep me company if you want." She placed a Jack Daniels down in front of the blonde and winked. "You've still got another couple of drinks on the house."

  Danni took the drink gratefully and swallowed the burning liquid. "Yeah, I may as well."

  Reese noticed how her friend was not her usual bubbly self. Usually after a show she was hyped up and ready to party. "What's going on with you? Are you and Jimmy okay?"

  Danni shook her head dismissively. "Yeah, same as always. I guess I'm just bored."

  Reese nodded. “Dan, I've known you since college. You've never stuck anything out this long. You were always talking about traveling and touring, living on the road. Why aren't you guys doing that?"

  Danni sighed. "I know, I know. It's the guys. They just seem pretty content with playing one or two shows every now and then and getting wasted. And Jim's got that cushy office job. I don’t think his heart is in it anymore. It's like he lost his passion. I'm sick of it to be honest. I'm about ready to just give up for good."

  Reese considered Danni's words. "So leave them. Go solo. Remember when you went busking around Europe? That was awesome!"

  Danni laughed. "Yeah if you class having no money and sleeping on people's floors as awesome!" She thought about it some more. "That was a brilliant summer to be fair. I couldn't do it again though. I couldn't leave Jim for that long."

  Reese raised an eyebrow. "All I know is, you've changed Dan. When you're with him, you seem to censor yourself and play it safe. I just want you to be happy."

  Danni swigged the bourbon and pulled out her phone as Reese went to serve another customer. She did a double take and almost choked on her shot. She checked again and then again, rubbed her eyes and started squealing. Reese came back over. "What has got into you?"

  Danni shoved her phone into Reese's hand. "Read that. Tell me I'm not dreaming!"

  Reese looked down at the thing that was causing her friend to flap. "What am I looking at here?"

  "That there. The top line."

  Reese read it out loud and grinned. "Julia Jones is now following you." She laughed. "Don't tell me you're still crushing on her! Wow, she just liked your video!"

  "What? No she didn't!" Danni snatched the phone back from her friend feeling her cheeks turn pink. She read the notification for herself. "Jeez Reese... better get me that other drink! Mind if I just die here on the bar?"

  Reese laughed. "God you're a loser! Sorry to burst your bubble but it's probably her PR people. I bet she doesn't even use that account."

  Danni stuck her tongue out. "Thanks for that Reese. Way to trample on my dreams. But you're right. It's probably just her peeps."

  2

  Julia was bored. She'd just got back from another con and the buzz had worn off. She opened up her laptop and facetimed her husband.

  "Hey Brent, how are you?"

  "Julia darling! Good to hear from you! I was starting to worry you'd been sequestered!"

  "Sorry, it went on a little longer than I expected. Where are you?"

  "I'm at that thing I told you about, remember?"

  "Oh of course. It was your premier tonight. How was it?" She felt bad for forgetting such an important event. Her own schedule was difficult enough to remember. Factor in the fact that Brent's was just as hectic, it was almost impossible to keep track.

  "It was excellent. We had great reviews and I'm just at the after party now celebrating. I snuck away to the bathroom to chat to you." He winked and she smiled at his charm.

  "You look amazing dear. I wish I was there to see you in your element."

  "As do I. Listen, I've got to run. When do you get back?"

  Julia frowned. "Not until Monday but I'll literally be flying out on the night. Will I see you?"

  Brent winced. "I'll still be in LA. But we'll talk soon okay? Love you."

  "I love you too."

  The screen went black and Julia sighed. She and Brent had been married for almost three years but they'd only spent about 60 days together during that whole time. It was hard work to maintain their relationship and extremely frustrating but they both knew what they were getting into from the start. They'd met on set during their first big break. She played a nurse and he was the hunky doctor.

  Their chemistry on screen had been smoking hot and soon enough, they were hooking up off screen too. It had been so much easier back then. Working on a TV show together took a lot of effort out of their relationship and things just happened naturally. They married off screen in a big public spectacle. It wasn't what she'd wanted but the PR people had said it would be a great story and mean more offers. It really had. Soon after their wedding, Julia was offered the leading lady part in Recoil and Brent took a few more TV gigs. This year was his first movie and he was playing an action hero.

  She clicked onto her Twitter account to see the photos from his premier. There was her husband in a tux with his arms around Harley Simms, his colleague and on screen love interest. Of course she was jealous. She always was whenever she saw him with someone else. They had an agreement though. Things happened during shooting and sometimes it was hard to distinguish reality from fiction. Plus, their schedules meant that certain needs couldn't be met regularly inside the confines of their marriage. Julia had only once acted on her desires but she knew Brent regularly took advantage of their arrangement.

  In a moment of desperation, she uploaded a selfie her and Garth had taken during the con. They really were nothing more than co-workers but she hoped to stir some sort of jealousy in Brent. She posted it writing a brief and vague tag.

  Having so much fun with the amazing Garth Humbert at Scicon Paris.

  Instantly, the post received over six-hundred likes and continued to go up. She scrolled through the comments to see if Brent had commented but he hadn't. She knew he probably wouldn't see it until the morning and she was about to shut the screen down and call it a night when a comment popped up and caught her attention. It wasn't so much what it said but the photo it was attached to.

  A blonde woman rocking out in leather pants and a bra top shredding a guitar. She'd never seen the woman before and she had a curiosity for all female fronted bands. She clicked through to the page to see if it was someone she should have heard of.

  "Danni Rose, lead singer of DangeRose. Songwriter. Unsigned. Hmm, well hello Miss Rose. Let's see if you're half as good as you look."

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Julia finished up the last day of the con on the Saturday night and was looking forward to getting back home. She was sick of the hotels and being alone. She'd still got six interviews to attend in Paris though before she could catch her flight. Garth had invited her out for dinner but she refused. As much as she wanted to socialize, she was so tired. She went back up to her hotel suite and took a long shower. She had a song stuck in her head and she hummed it out trying to remember the lyrics.

  "Out on the road, the highway is my home, I'm just a lonely soul, destined to roam."

  The song had really stuck in her head after hearing it only once and it resonated with her on such a deep level. She finished up her shower and flipped open her laptop. She
did a quick search on Instagram and found the woman's profile. She was a little surprised to see that Danni Rose followed her already so she smiled and followed back.

  There was a short video posted. It was amateurish and the quality was bad but it was the song she'd wanted to hear. She watched it while it repeated three times. She couldn't take her eyes off the front woman. There was a sadness in her eyes but she held herself confidently, like she'd been doing this all her life. She googled the band's name and found a website with a few tracks available to download.

  They were great songs but it was Danni's voice, her stage presence that had Julia hooked. She went back to the Instagram page and clicked the video again. Debating with herself, she thought, to hell with it, and clicked like on the video. Even if the band wasn't famous, she really did love that song.

  3

  Danni got back from the bar at about two a.m. and Jimmy was still out. She figured he'd be home sometime tomorrow. It was his only day off so she couldn't begrudge him going out and letting loose. She picked up her acoustic guitar and began playing a chord sequence she'd been humming to herself since leaving the bar. The lyrics came naturally and she knew instantly it was a chorus. She sang it lightly to herself as she played.

  "Rub the lamp here comes the genie, make my wish and now you see me.

  Here I am, mmm Goddamn, possessed again."

  It was a bit quaint for her normal style of writing but it stuck in her head. The hook was great and she could really put a drive on her voice for the last line. The bourbon was making her spin a bit so she quickly recorded it on her phone so she wouldn't forget it. Normally she'd write it out but she was tired. She played back the video she'd just filmed. Either she was completely hammered and her judgement was off or she had just written an awesome song. "Fuck it!" She uploaded it to her story and thought at least if it was a pile of crap it'd be gone in twenty-four hours. Danni stumbled to the bathroom to brush her teeth and then flopped into bed and immediately dozed off.