Deliver Me (12 page)

The
end of the week rolled around, and Tag was in a funk. He and Erik had gotten
closer as the days went on. Their weekend in Chattanooga had seen to that. Now,
it was time to go. If Erik wasn’t a doctor dedicated to his work, Tag would
drag him and Delilah on the road. Erik had kept his schedule open so he and Tag
could have one more morning together. Echo and the guys had said their goodbyes
the night before so Tag could have Erik and Delilah all to himself.

“I
will call you every night unless our show is on a weeknight. I don’t want to wake
you up. Here’s my schedule.” Tag handed Erik a printout of the cities they were
playing and the dates. The last one, Nashville, was circled in red ink. “This
one is the last. I want you there, so plan on leaving work early and taking the
next day off. Fuck it; take the next two weeks off. I plan on spending
Christmas with you and our girl.” Tag was rambling. He was nervous about
leaving. He knew Erik still didn’t have enough faith in him not to fuck around,
but he was up for the challenge. Taggart Lee Holloway was a man on a mission.

Tag
gave Delilah a kiss on her chubby cheek. “You be a good girl, my little princess.
I will call you and sing you to sleep.” He placed her in her seat so his arms
were free to hold Erik. He felt his eyes prickle with tears, so he took extra
time with Delilah so Erik wouldn’t see them. When he’d composed himself, he
turned to the man he was falling in love with.

“Erik…”
Tag had to clear his throat before he could continue. He placed his hand over
Erik’s heart. “This is mine. Guard it and keep it safe. I’ll be back for it
soon.” He ghosted their lips together and left before he completely broke down.

Gus
was waiting for him in the SUV. Since Atlanta was so close, they would be
taking the tour buses. He would use the next four hours to focus on the show
and not the two people he was leaving behind. When he arrived at the bus, he
took a deep breath. It would be the first time he and Cade were in close
quarters together when they weren’t practicing. He hoped and prayed his friend
was at least going to be civil. “Everything’s going to be fine, Boss.” Gus said
from the driver’s seat.

“You
think so?” Before Delilah came along, the body guards had stayed in the
background for the most part when the band wasn’t touring. In the last couple
of months, Gus had become a real friend. He had bonded with Delilah and started
referring to himself as “Uncle Gus”.  It had warmed Tag’s heart to see the big
guy holding his girl, feeding her, and changing her diaper. Tag wasn’t the only
one leaving her behind.

“Yeah.
The doc’s crazy about you. Three months will come and go, and before you know
it, you’ll be playing house full time.” Gus clapped a big hand on Tag’s
shoulder and squeezed. “I expect an invitation,” he said with a wink before he
got out of the vehicle.

Tag
laughed and shook his head. “Yeah, right.” He climbed the steps to the bus.
Sloane and Pauly were in their seats, both with guitars in their laps. Cade was
in his chair, eyes closed with a set of noise reducing headphones over his
ears.

Carl
was already in the driver’s seat. He gave Tag a knuckle bump and said, “Here we
go.” Gus and Mack followed behind the bus in the SUVs. Tag settled into his own
seat and pulled out his phone. He had snapped a picture of Erik holding Delilah
and made it his background picture. He ran his thumb over Erik’s face. He
needed to get his head in the right frame of mind for the show, so he closed
his phone and began his warmups.

After
about an hour on the road, Cade joined in and by the time they rolled into
Atlanta, the four of them were ready to hit the stage.  Echo had left the day
before to make sure everything was set and her band would be treated like the
rock stars they were. She came on the bus as soon as they arrived.

“Wow,
you guys look like you’re ready. The show’s sold out, so it should be a good
crowd tonight. Angels to Ashes is already here. They’ll warm up at two, and you
can have the stage at four.” Echo was all business when it came to touring. She
kept them on schedule and mostly out of trouble. She had her hands full in the
beginning, but she quickly showed them she wouldn’t take any shit. Now, she
kept 7’s Mistress running like a well-oiled machine. Smiling, she said, “Let’s
go kick Atlanta’s ass.”

Erik,
Delilah, and Duke made their way to the clinic where the new nanny, Anne, was
waiting on them. She took the baby and went to the nursery. Duke followed her,
obviously not as trusting as Erik was. While he waited on Jeannie to do the
initial consult with the first patient, he went to his office to gather his
thoughts. He placed his phone on his desk and entered the passcode. He scrolled
to the photo icon and touched it. The last picture he’d taken had been of Lee
asleep. He was lying on his stomach with the covers down around his waist. All
his ink was on display, and the key he wore around his neck was gripped in a closed
fist. After Erik took the picture, he woke Lee up by kissing every inch of inked
skin plus some.

Jeannie
knocked on his door to let him know his first patient was ready.  During the
day, he checked on Delilah between patients. He assured Anne it wasn’t because
he didn’t trust her, but Delilah was still new to him. He had explained the
situation to her about Lee, and she, too, had signed a confidentiality
agreement. Erik didn’t need the tabloids interrupting his life just because
someone accidentally mentioned Lee to the wrong person.

Erik
took his lunch break in the nursery. He’d checked his phone several times
during the day. Even though Lee said he wouldn’t text him all the time, Erik
checked his phone anyway. When he saw he had a text, he got excited until he
saw it was from Sarah. He was worried about her, and now that Lee was on the
road, maybe they could get their friendship back on track. He opened the text
and read it: d
inner tonight?

Erik
needed to see her and find out why she’d taken a sudden vacation. He replied:
my
house at 6

After
a few minutes, his phone pinged. He looked at her message:
see you then

The
rest of the day went by quickly, and Erik headed home to get ready for Sarah.
Before Delilah, he would have gone all out to impress Sarah with his choice of
food and wine. With a houseful of guests over the last couple of weeks, he’d
gotten used to throwing anything together and enjoying it with beer. Lee’s
bandmates and crew weren’t picky. They were glad to have a home-cooked meal and
good company to share it with.

With
the crew giving Erik and Lee time alone the night before, there were plenty of
leftovers. He really hoped Sarah didn’t mind him not cooking something fresh.
He would soon find out. He had just changed into blue jeans and a t-shirt when
the doorbell rang. He carried Delilah with him and welcomed his friend inside.
“Sarah, Come on in.”

Sarah
hesitated before entering the house. She glanced inside as if she were looking
for something, or someone. “It’s just us,” Erik assured her. She nodded and
proceeded to the sofa. She still hadn’t spoken when she sat. Her normal attire
of dress pants and sweater had been replaced with jeans that didn’t fit quite
right and a long sleeved t-shirt. In all the years they’d been friends, Erik
had never seen her dress down unless she was working with the dogs or in her
garden. To have her show up for dinner this way was a definite red flag. “I
missed you at the clinic last Friday. The receptionist said you were on
vacation. Did you go anywhere exciting?” Erik asked as he placed Delilah in her
seat. When she was buckled in, he went to the kitchen to get them a drink.

“No,
I stayed home. Just needed a little down time.”

Erik
returned with a glass of wine for her, beer for him. He sat on the sofa and
turned toward her. “So, now that we have all the time in the world, do you want
to tell me what is really bothering you?”

Sarah
swirled the wine in her glass without taking a sip. “I told you, I lost someone
close to me. I needed time to decompress, to come to the realization that life
as I knew it was over.”

Erik
was confused. “Who did you lose?” She hadn’t said a patient, but he knew she
was close to all of the men and women she worked with. She never mentioned one
meaning more to her than the others.

“Look,
Erik, I didn’t come over to rehash the shit I’ve spent the last week trying to
get over. I came to see my best friend, have a good meal, and relax. If you
can’t give me that, I’ll go.”

Erik
was taken aback by the sharpness with which Sarah spoke. Even when they had
argued about Lee, she hadn’t been this full of… venom. “Of course. I apologize,
I was just worried about you.”

Obviously
appeased, Sarah took a sip of wine. “So, what are you cooking for me tonight?”

Erik
smiled thinking about the spaghetti casserole in the oven reheating. Mack had
made Erik promise to cook it for Christmas when they were all off the road. Gus
had smacked him on the back of the head stating spaghetti was not a Christmas
dish. Mack told Erik it could be his present to the big man.

“What
are you smiling about?”

Erik
continued to smile as he answered, “Spaghetti casserole.”

Sarah
frowned, “And that makes you smile?”

“No,
something one of the guys said about the spaghetti casserole makes me smile.
It’s heating in the oven.”

“You
look different,” Sarah said as she leaned back against the sofa cushions.

He
could say the same about her, but he didn’t want to make her feel
self-conscious. “It’s been a crazy two weeks. I’ve got a baby in my life
full-time. I’ve had a house full of rock stars and their crew. I’ve turned part
of the clinic into a nursery, and I’ve hired a nanny. My life
is
different. The only thing missing has been you.”

“I’d
say you didn’t have room for me with your new friends.” Sarah sipped her wine,
daring him to argue her point.

He
knew this was a no-win situation for him, still he responded, “I always have
time for my old friend. The one who would have disagreed with me about Lee, but
still loved me enough to put our differing opinions aside. The one who would
never be rude to a guest in my home. The one who would never take a week off
with no word.”

“I
tried to call you on your fucking birthday. You wouldn’t answer. You didn’t
respond to my texts. Where was
my
friend who would never ignore me?”
Sarah stood and set her empty wine glass on the coffee table.

Erik
knew she was right, but she wouldn’t be able to handle the truth of where he
had been. “You’re right. I’m completely out of line. Please forgive me. Let’s
eat supper and talk about pleasant things, like puppies and babies.”

He
didn’t miss the flash of her eyes when he mentioned babies. He really hoped she
didn’t have a problem with Delilah, because that would be a deal breaker, no
matter how long they’d been friends.

Even
though she agreed and stayed long enough to eat, Sarah excused herself
immediately afterwards claiming she had a headache. Erik let her go. He, too,
was getting a headache trying to figure his friend out. He cleaned the kitchen
and took Delilah to the front porch to swing. They had just sat down when his
phone pinged with an incoming text. When he saw it was Lee, his heart skipped a
beat. Smiling he opened the message and read:
Getting ready for the show.
Wanted to say goodnight to my two favorite people in the world. I miss you
already. Give the princess a kiss.

And
just like that, Erik’s bad evening got a whole lot better.

Tag
got back into the groove of touring. The days in between shows were spent
traveling and practicing. Following the show in Atlanta, Tag attended the after
party. He was still jazzed up from the performance and knew he couldn’t wind
down alone in his room. He would sit and stare at the phone, wanting to call
Erik but not be able to, because it was so late. So, he signed autographs, had
his picture taken, and drank until about two a.m. Echo made sure things went
according to Tag’s plan, and he went back to his room alone.

The
next stop was Jacksonville. It was rare that the band had time to see any sites
other than the arenas they played. Since the week granted them a little down
time, Echo rented them a secluded condo on the beach for the week. It was so much
easier on the guys to be able to walk outside freely than to hole up in a hotel
room. Cade tried to get Tag to have a small beach bonfire and invite fans, but he
refused. They had done the beach scene before, and it had ended in Gus and Mack
getting in fights with angry boyfriends, and Echo getting them all out of jail.
Granted, it had been a few years before, but Tag was older and had no desire to
revisit that scenario. Cade went anyway, accompanied by Carl. He was the oldest
of the bodyguards and the one most likely to keep Cade out of trouble. He had a
fatherly way about him, even if he was built like a WWE wrestler.

Tag,
Pauly, Sloane, Echo, and the remaining bodyguards chilled at the house, playing
cornhole, and relaxing the same way they had at Erik’s. It wasn’t lost on him
that their group was getting closer, more like a family. Everyone except Cade.
He wasn’t causing trouble, yet, but he wasn’t trying to enjoy what the rest of
them had together.

The
week went by quickly. Tag texted Erik during the day to say he missed him. At
night he closed himself in his bedroom so he could Skype with Erik and Delilah.
He didn’t want to miss his niece and the little changes as she grew over the
next few months. He was working on a song for the baby, but until it was
perfect, he would continue singing her song with Erik as he put her down for
the night.

The
night before the band was set to hit the road, Tag told Erik, “Put her to bed
then take your computer to the bedroom.” Tag closed and locked his door. There
was no way he wanted Cade barging in on him. When Erik came back on screen, Tag
said, “Take your clothes off and get on the bed. I want to see what I’m
missing.”

“Instead
of phone sex we’re going to have webcam sex?  I like it.” Erik smiled into the
camera. He stripped for Tag, revealing bits of himself slowly. When he was
undressed, he pulled back the covers and got situated. “Tell me where to put
the computer,” he said.

“Turn
it a little to the left. Your other left. There. That’s perfect. Can you see
me?” Tag had the computer placed at his hip facing his chest.

“Yeah,
that’s perfect. Now what? You want me to grab my cock like this?” Erik took his
already hardening dick in his hand and stroked. He started at the base and
worked his way up to the head, twisting. When he had it good and stiff, he
dipped his finger in the slit. He held his wet digit toward the camera, “You
want a taste? Open up.” Erik stuck his finger in his mouth and sucked. “Mmm, so
good. Are you going to just watch, or are you going to participate?”

Tag
had been so entranced at what Erik was doing he hadn’t moved. “Goddamn, Doc,
that was hot. Yeah, I’m going to participate.” Tag licked his lips as Erik gave
him a show. He wanted to taste Erik’s come, wanted to smell his musk. He didn’t
tell Erik, but Tag snatched one of his shirts out of the dirty clothes hamper
before he left. Erik’s scent would eventually fade, but until it did, he would
sleep with it every night. “I want to be your hand right now. I want to feel
your fat prick splitting me open. You fill me up so good, it’s almost too
much.”

Erik
groaned at Tag’s words. His hand stroked a little faster, and his other hand
rubbed at his nipples. Tag knew how sensitive the nubs were. He had spent
plenty of time torturing them.

“I
like having you spread out on your back, your legs in the air waiting for me to
fuck you. I dream of that ass every night, Lee. I want to spear my tongue
inside, rimming you, finger fucking you, getting you ready for my dick. I love
the way you taste, you know that? I love licking your nuts, sucking them into
my mouth. Grab your balls, Lee. Roll them for me.” Erik’s words were smooth yet
commanding.

Tag
grabbed his sac and rolled, his speed increasing on his cock. “Doc, I’m about
to blow. You’re too fucking erotic for your own good.”

“Do
it. I want you to squirt all over your chest. You know how I like licking your
spunk. Fuck, I’m ready…”

Both
men kept their eyes on the camera as they tugged one off. Tag shot first, but
Erik was right behind him, grunts and moans disrupting the silence. “Damn, Erik.
That was so fucking hot.” Tag smiled into the camera and ran his hand through
his come. He stuck a finger in his mouth and licked his essence. “Mmm, don’t
know what you’re missing.”

“Yes,
I do. I miss you,” Erik whispered.

“I
miss you too. One week down. We got this.” Tag didn’t want to close the
connection, but they both had to be up early the next morning. “Gotta get some
sleep, babe. We’re hitting the road early for Orlando.  I’ll text you
tomorrow.”

“Okay.
Goodnight, Lee.”

“Goodnight,
Doc.” Tag waited until Erik turned his computer off, wanting to see his man
every second he could. He got up and cleaned up the mess on his chest then got
back in bed. He pulled Erik’s shirt from under the pillow and inhaled. “You’ve
got it bad, Holloway,” he said out loud.

Erik
rolled over and stretched, turning his alarm off. The dried come on his chest
itched, reminding him of the video sex he and Lee had the night before. He
didn’t try to stop the smile that covered his face. Jacking off was a lot more
fun when you had your own personal porn show to watch. He fell asleep before he
washed his chest. Now, it was a flaky, erotic reminder of Lee.

Out
of habit, Erik listened for voices in the house. He was still getting used to
Lee and Echo not being there when he walked into the living room. In just a few
short weeks, they had gotten under his skin and given him a sense of family.
Now, it was just him, Duke, and Delilah.

Bethany
had been visiting the office, getting Brady used to the nanny. Since she could
now bring him to the clinic with her, she wanted to come back to work earlier
than planned. She was a single mom and needed the work. The father had bailed
on her as soon as he found out she was pregnant. Erik had mentioned that in
passing to Lee. Lee called Gerard, and the lawyer hired a detective and found
the father. Bethany would begin receiving child support any day now.

When
Erik arrived at the clinic, he was surprised to see Bethany already there. He
took Delilah to the nursery where she and Anne were laughing about something.
“Good morning, Boss. Little Man here couldn’t sleep so I thought I’d bring him
to play with Delilah.”

Erik
laughed at the thought of the babies playing together. As young as they were,
the only playing they could do was look at each other and coo, but that’s
exactly what they did. When they were lying side by side, they would turn their
heads to face one another. Their hands would sometimes connect, and they would
hold on. They were always calm when together. “I guess Lee didn’t need to buy
two beds, huh?” Erik asked as he placed Delilah down beside Brady.

Erik
and Bethany left the babies in Anne’s care and went into the kitchen together.
“I can’t thank you enough for finding Todd. It’s not a lot of money, but every
little bit helps.”

Erik
poured them both a cup of coffee and sat down across from his employee. “Don’t
thank me; Lee’s the one responsible.”

“He’s
your boyfriend, so in a roundabout way, you are responsible. So thank you.” She
beamed.

“He’s
not my boyfriend,” Erik countered, but whether or not he gave Lee some kind of
title, he knew the man meant something to him.

“Right.
When was the last time you talked to him?”

“That’s
none of your concern,” Erik chastised, even though he couldn’t stop a grin from
forming. Bethany was quickly becoming his closest friend, even if she was quite
a few years younger than him. He and Sarah were talking, but the rift between
them was not closing. He still didn’t understand what exactly happened to cause
her to act so differently from the friend he once knew. He took a close look at
himself, and decided it wasn’t him. He treated her the same as he always had
with the exception of the time Lee had been living with him. She didn’t bail on
him when he and Bradley were together, even though they never lived with one
another. Even after a year, Erik hadn’t been ready for that much of a
commitment to his boyfriend.

“Last
night, but that doesn’t mean anything.”

“Yeah,
right,” Bethany said, rolling her eyes. “Where are they playing next?”

“They’re
headed to Orlando today.”

“Are
you talking about 7’s Mistress? I can’t believe Taggart Lee was in our office,
and I didn’t get his autograph.” Laura walked into the kitchen, interrupting
their coffee time. The girl was young, so Erik could understand her being
infatuated with Lee.

“Taggart
Lee was not in our office. Lee Holloway was. There’s a big difference,” Bethany
said.

“What
do you mean?” Laura asked as she blew on her coffee to cool it down.

“Taggart
Lee is a persona. He’s the guy on the stage performing for thousands of fans.
Lee Holloway is the man who brought his niece in here. He’s the man who feeds
and burps babies and changes dirty diapers. He’s the man who threw our boss a
surprise birthday party. He’s the man who had Brady’s sperm donor tracked down
for me.”

Laura’s
eyes widened. “You got to hang out with him? Oh, God. What’s he like? Was the
rest of the band there?”

Bethany
laughed and shook her head. “I just told you what he’s like. A couple of the
guys were there, and they are just as laid back as Lee is. They don’t go around
dressed in leather and playing guitar twenty-four seven. They’re regular guys.
They just happen to have a kick-ass job.”

Erik
was proud of Bethany. She understood how Erik felt about the guys in the band.
Jeannie stuck her head in the door and asked, “Are you going to spend all
morning talking about the hippie, or are you going to see your first patient?”

Bethany
spoke up, “He’s not a hippie. He cut his hair.”

Laura
choked on the coffee she was sipping. “Taggart Lee cut his hair? Why?”

Bethany
grinned.  “Oh, I don’t know.” She knew exactly why he cut it. He was trying to
impress Erik. They had talked about Lee more than Erik was comfortable with,
but she was down to earth about it, and he needed a sounding board. Since Sarah
wouldn’t, or couldn’t, fill that role, Bethany was it.

“I’m
coming, Jeannie.” Erik waited until Laura had gone back to the front counter
before he said, “Thank you.”

Bethany
stood and hugged Erik. “That’s what friends are for.”