Noah (11 page)

I didn’t know her, but I hated her. Wasn’t that ridiculous?

After we ordered, and got a round of beers, Noah took a swig and looked right at me. “You haven’t said much. What’s up with you? Havin’ second thoughts about taggin’ along?”

I raised my brow. Was he trying to get rid of me so he could slip our waitress his room key? “Are you?”

He seemed amused by my question. “Why would you ask me that? I haven’t complained.” I caught him looking at my cleavage for a split second before looking into my eyes again.

“I saw the way that waitress checked you out. I guess I’m wondering if you regret telling me that you weren’t interested in bringing someone back to the room.”

“Are all women jealous?”

“Are all men pigs?”

He took another sip of his beer and waved down the waitress. I sank down in my seat when I thought about how bad he could embarrass me. “Can I help you, hun?”

He put his hand on her back as he spoke. “I’m goin’ to need some shots. Bring us two rounds of whiskey.”

She backed up and smiled. “Coming right up!”

He purposely watched her walk away before turning his attention back to me. “Is that what you meant about bein’ a pig?”

“Pretty much.” I crossed my arms over my chest and looked in another direction.

He laughed and finished off his beer. “This could go a lot more easier if you’d relax.”

“What could?”

“This ploy to get my attention. You think I haven’t noticed, but darlin’, I’ve been around long enough to know how this turns out.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. Then, out of complete panic, I laughed at him. “Are you kidding me? You think I’m trying to what…sleep with you? Is that what you think?”

“Isn’t it?”

Our shots were being sat down on the table. The waitress cut into our conversation. “Do you need anything else?” I hated how she directed her question to Noah and not me, as if I wasn’t even sitting at the table with him.

Noah said something in her ear. She smiled and walked away gracefully.

I stood up and got ready to leave. He stood up with me. “Where are you goin’?”

“Back to the room. I lost my appetite.”

He grabbed the back of my shirt as I tried to walk past him. “Hold up! Don’t get all mad.” I finally sighed and looked at him, annoyed and ready to punch my way free if I needed to. He leaned forward while peering directly into my eyes. As pissed as I was, I was taken back by the way he could make me pant for more. This guy was experienced. He knew what buttons to push and I hated him for it. He was dangerous and I knew I needed to get away from him.

He picked up a shot glass and lifted it to my mouth, running the smooth glass over my lips. “You look thirsty.”

I lifted my hand and took the glass away from him. “I am.” I downed the first shot and then the second, never taking my eyes off of him. “I didn’t come here to play games with you, Noah. I don’t sleep with strangers just because they look good. Is that going to be a problem?”

He sat back down and motioned for me to do the same. “Not at all. You can’t blame me for testin’ out the waters, not when the person looks like you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You really want to know what I said to her?”

Of course I did. I wanted to know why he thought he could pick on me and tease me by flirting with other women. What was his purpose of pissing me off so that I wanted to knee him in the balls?

Before he could answer a loud announcement came over the speaker sitting near our table. “Welcome to Karaoke night at the Grasshopper. I see a lot of familiar faces out there tonight, but some new people as well. In fact, I’ve already gotten a volunteer to start things off for
us tonight.”

Noah started to smile as he finished off his final shot. He winked at me at the same time I heard the announcer’s next words.

“Can Shalan come up to the stage?”

I kicked him from underneath the table. “What did you do?”

“I told the waitress that you’d just been signed in Nashville and was here visitin’.”

I wanted to puke. “Why would you do that?”

“Woman, we’re in a town where nobody knows us. We can do whatever we want. We can be crazy and nobody will ever hear about it. Get your ass up there and sing somethin’.” I appreciated that he thought I could sing, but I hadn’t done it publicly in a very long time.

“I can’t.”

He leaned over the table. “I promise not to mess with your head anymore if you get up there and sing one song. I’ll be a perfect gentlemen.”

My eyes widened when I realized that this had been his plan all along. “You’re an asshole.”

“Fuck this!” He stood up and walked away, leaving me at the table all alone.

A few seconds later, after I’d assumed he’d gone back to the room, I heard something that shocked me.

“This song goes out to my friend. She knows who she is.”

He sang an old Johnny Cash song and I was utterly surprised by his voice. What shocked me even more was when he walked off the stage and came over to serenade me. He grabbed my hand and winked at me as he very gracefully belted out the lyrics. When the song ended there were a bunch of whistles. Noah returned to our table with a face full of smile. “That’s how it’s done, darlin’. Go on if you think you can top that.”

He didn’t know me, yet he knew how to push me in ways that would make me do something I wouldn’t normally do. I stood up and pulled my shirt down so it covered my navel. “I can definitely do better than that.”

It took me a second to find the song I wanted, but once I had it I knew I’d blow them all away. My mother used to sing it at the top of her lungs. It was one of her favorites.

“Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waitin’ for the train…”

The crowd started screaming when they heard me begin. Janis Joplin was the ultimate karaoke song if you could pull it off, and I certainly could.

I sang with enthusiasm, and after the first verse the crowd disappeared to me. All but one person that is.

His eyes were fixed on mine as I continued to show him up. The smile never left his lips either. If I wanted his attention, I’d finally figured out how to get it undivided. I swayed my body with the rhythm of the music, and exasperated myself when it got toward the end. I wanted
the song to end with raw emotion, and I nailed it.

The whole restaurant stood up and applauded. I could feel my body shaking, but only felt absolute satisfaction.

Then I did something without thinking about the message it was sending. “I’d like to sing another song, if that’s okay?”

The crowd got loud.

“Take another little piece of my heart now baby…”

By the time the song ended I felt high. I found my seat and noticed that our food had been brought out. Noah hadn’t started eating. He was too busy staring at me, shocked and in awe.

I grabbed a fry and popped it in my mouth. “How’d I do?” I already knew the answer, but I wanted him to admit it.

“This taggin’ along shit ain’t goin’ to work.”

“What do you mean?” My buzz was fading.

“It’s takin’ all of my willpower not to take you upstairs right now and fuck the shit out of you, woman. I ain’t even goin’ to lie about it. That right there just made my dick hard.”

I took a drink of a new beer, but never stopped looking at him. This was bazaar. It wasn’t possible for me to be so attracted to this man. I’d never had a one-night stand before. I wasn’t that kind of girl.

I couldn’t be feeling this way about a stranger, yet it
was happening and I couldn’t stop it. The heat between my legs increased and although we were in a very public place, all I could do was imagine what it would be like to be naked with him.

I thought of a million things I could say to him. I even imagined turning him down and singing some more songs.

“Do they have to-go bags?”

             
Noah

We were traveling
together, staying in the same room. Was it so wrong for two people that had chemistry to go for it? I mean, this girl was stacked in all the right places. It was only natural to be completely attracted to her, especially when I saw her come out of that bathroom in a towel. Then to top that her little outfit had me going crazy. The jeans fit her plump ass like a glove. It almost made my mouth water when I walked behind her. Her shirt was short, and I kept getting glimpses of the creamy skin on her waist.

I’d had a couple one-night stands, but couldn’t
remember either of them having this kind of impact on me. Those words she sang, they were for me. I had to get out of that restaurant, whether she came with me or not. My adrenaline was wired and it wasn’t because I was mad. I was so damn turned on that I couldn’t control myself. If there was a corner I could see myself taking her in it.

We waited for the waitress to come back and get the check. I watched her fidgeting with her fingers. “What’s taking her so long?”

“Havin’ second thoughts?”

“Are you?” She cocked her brow. “Honestly, I’m trying not think about it.”

I could tell from the way she wouldn’t look at me that she was full of shit. She was nervous. “How about we grab a couple more shots?” I waved and signaled to the waitress for another round. She obliged and brought the final bill at the same time.

We shoved everything into one box and down the shots at the same time.

I watched her watching me. The food wasn’t going to get eaten as long as my hunger was for something completely different.

I’d be given the go-ahead and nothing could stop me.

So I thought.

Before we could make it out of the restaurant the waitress came running toward us, with a man who looked to be her boss.  The man held out his hand. “I’m Jerrod Adkins, manager here. Listen, I don’t normally do this, but
my band for tomorrow night is in a bind, on account of the singer getting his tonsils out. I’ve made calls all day and nobody can do it on such short notice. We all heard how amazing the two of you were tonight. I don’t know how long you’re staying, or if you’ve ever sang together, but we could use someone to fill in, if you’re interested.”

I looked at Shalan, knowing she had stage fright before her performance earlier. “Can you give us a minute to talk about it?” I was trying to not ruin my chances of getting laid. If I said yes without discussing it, all of my efforts would have been for nothing.

“We don’t need to talk about it. We’ll be honored to do it?”

“The band we use leaves their stuff here. It’s my brother-in-law’s group. They usually perform here three nights a week,” he explained. “He went to the doctor this morning for a sore throat and ended up having surgery. It’s crazy. But anyway, I can see if one of the guys can provide you with a song list. They mostly do covers, and all are popular songs, both new and old.”

“Sounds good to me,” she announced.

I raised my brow, still wondering where her courage was coming from. “Yeah, sounds easy enough.”

“Just leave me your information, so I can get you that playlist. You can pick and choose whatever songs you want. I’m sure they’ll play just about anything.”

We shook hands and he handed me his card. I gave him my number and let him know the room we were staying in, before we walked out of the restaurant.

Shalan made it to the elevator before she started jumping up and down, talking like a crazy person. To say she was excited was an understatement. “Oh my god. Do you have any idea how long I’ve dreamed of something like this happening to me? This is terrific, Noah. I can’t believe it. Am I dreaming? Is this really happening?”

I smiled and looked down at the floor realizing that she’d forgotten all about our plans to end up in bed. “It’s real. We’re performin’ tomorrow night in front of a shit ton of people. I think we might even get paid.”

She put her hands in the air and screamed loudly, causing my ears to hurt. Then she walked up and hugged me before realizing she’d done it. I watched her back away from me but never take those blue eyes off of mine. “Do you know that this is all I’ve ever wanted to do? This is my dream, Noah.”

I laughed. “Really? I hadn’t noticed.”

“Seriously, isn’t this an opportunity of a lifetime?”

I couldn’t tell her how I’d been against the music industry for a long time. My uncle Zeke, the leader of a very popular rock band had used me for a publicity scam and never talked to me again. I had hard feelings when it came to him and other singers in the business. It was wrong to judge them all, but it was all I’d ever known. The man had humiliated my family and caused me to lose the last link I had to ever knowing more about my birth mother.

I’d read somewhere that he owned a record label . I had a feeling if Shalan found out about it, she’d use me as her ticket to fame.

I didn’t leave my family to get tangled up with my uncle. I was doing this for myself. If I could have some fun and make a little bit of money while trying to find my way I was going to do it.

Knowing how excited she was, I decided to not damper the mood with my concerns. If Shalan wanted to be a singer I couldn’t talk her out of it. It wasn’t my place, and with the talent she carried, she could make it really far. “Looks like we got ourselves a reason to celebrate.”

She pressed her lips together and smiled. “Hold on, cowboy. I know what I said earlier, but this gig is WAY more important than a romp in the sheets. I need to prepare song choices and we should work on harmonization. We’ve got less than a day to get this perfect.”

I wiped my face and tried to relax enough to be kind. It wasn’t like I could convince my dick to calm down. It was ready for action, which clearly wasn’t happening now.

“It’s just sex. We’re two adults seeking pleasure from each other. I’m attracted to you, and you’re obviously attracted to me. We don’t have to make this more than it is.”

Her quirky reaction gave me hope, for maybe a second. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen. You should probably take a cold shower before we start working.”

“You’re definitely goin’ to want to put that old ball cap back on your head, and maybe even some dirty clothes. I can’t look at you for another minute with what you’ve got on.”

The look of disgust was apparent. Seemingly annoyed, she shook her head and walked into the room without replying. The cold shower wouldn’t have helped my balls recover, so I decided to ignore the need and take care of other things. While Shalan stood in front of the bathroom mirror, I sat in a chair on the other side of the hotel room and turned on my cell phone. The vibration was constant as all of the messages loaded.  It had been two days since I talked to anyone in my family, and I knew they were going to give me shit about it.

I started the text messages first.

I can’t believe how you’re acting! – Bella

Next time I see you, I’m fucking you up, you honky-tonk bitch! – Jake

Noah, you can’t run away from your problems. You and your dad need to sit down and talk about this. You have responsibilities to this family. – Mom

I forgot to tell you to be safe and that I love you. We all do. – Mom

Shutting off your phone doesn’t solve anything, Noah. Call me back or I’m going to hate you forever. – Bella

Baby, it’s me. I kicked my sister out of the house. She told me she seduced you. I want to talk about this. Please call me, Noah. I’m still in love with you. - Perry

Dad and I are getting worried. Please at least check in with us. – Mom

You’re freaking me out. Don’t do somethi
ng stupid. Call me back. – Bella

This is your aunt. You need to call home. Your mother is a mess, kid. Your uncle and I know the boys provoked you. Christian came to us after you left. Call your mother. – Miranda

So this is your plan? Are you cutting all of us off from your life? – Bella

It’s Mom checking in. Please call me or Dad. Love you. – Mom

As pissed as I was at my family, my heart ached when I thought about my mother being upset. I knew I probably had thirty voicemails waiting, and certainly didn’t want to hear my ex calling over a dozen times, but decided to just call and let a certain someone know I was alive.

It rang twice before she answered. “Hello?”

“Hey, Gram, it’s me. I’m just callin’ to let you know I’m fine.”

“Noah, do you know what time it is?”

I hadn’t even noticed that it was after midnight. “Sorry. I just checked my messages.”

“Anyway, I know where you are.” I could hear her shuffling around, like she’d been up walking when she answered the phone. Then I realized that she’d been in bed and the phone wasn’t near her. “The hotel called and verified your stay with me.”

Shocked. I thought that they wouldn’t know where I’d been until the credit card bill came in, which I’d pay. “What? Since when do they do that?”

“Since people started stealing credit cards and banking information, smarty pants. Did you really think that running away was going to solve things with your dad?”

“No, but I needed some air, Grandma. He doesn’t let up.”

“Noah, if you two learned to communicate with each other life would be a lot easier. You wouldn’t have to go to such extremes to make your point.”

I looked toward the bathroom and saw Shalan spinning around, obviously planning some choreographed routine. She was going to every extreme for one little performance at a hotel lounge. “Listen, it is what it is. Can you just do me a favor and tell everyone I’m fine. Don’t tell Dad where I’m at.”

“I could cut off the card and force you to come home.”

“Come on, Grandma. Don’t do that. I just need a couple days to cool off. Besides, you can’t cut me off from the company account, when it’s all goin’ to be mine anyway, right?” I knew if I added that tidbit she’d be cool with my little vacation. My grandmother may have wanted me to take over the business even more than my father wanted me to.

“Be safe in that city, Noah. I’ll let your mother know you called. If you had any sense you’d call and tell her yourself.”

I made a face knowing she’d never see it. “Yeah, I don’t really feel like hearin’ her upset.”

“She’s your mother. Of course this upset her.”

“Well my call would only make it harder. Just tell her I’m fine. Please.”

“Okay.”

“Great. I’ll see you in a few days then.”

“Noah, hang on. Have you heard from your cousin? From Isabella? Her mother called last night asking if I’d seen her. I thought maybe she was with you.”

“I haven’t seen her, Gram, but I’ll definitely give her a call.”

“Love you, kiddo.”

“Yeah,” I smiled knowing damn well I wasn’t a child. “Love you too.”

When I hung up Shalan came walking up in front of me. “Are you ready to go over a couple songs? We need to make sure we know all the words. I’ve selected a couple older songs we could sing together. The people really liked your rendition of Johnny tonight, so maybe you could do that again.”

I rubbed my face and avoided looking up at her. “I need to sleep before I can deal with all that. You should rest too.”

“I can’t I’m too excited. We should go out to celebrate. Want to hit a bar or something?”

“No! I just told you that I’m beat. I’m hitting the sack. You want to go out and party, I ain’t goin’ to stop you.” Her hyper mood was annoying.

“I’m too wired to stay in.” She started pacing around.

I plopped down on the bed and watched her lurking. “I know a way to tire you out.”

A shoe.
She tossed a shoe at me. “Stop it with that mess. It’s not happening.”

I put a pillow over my head. “Goodnight then.”

I waited until she walked out of the room before calling my cousin. I didn’t want her hearing the two of us get into it, if it came to that.

It rang five times before the voicemail picked up. “Hey, it’s me. I just turned my phone back on. Call me.”

With no success and a day’s worth of driving and then everything else I was too tired to do anything else. Sleep came easy.