Battlescars took the stage, distracting me temporarily. I wanted to pay as much attention to Jake and the guys as possible to master our craft. He commanded the stage. The fans loved him. The entire audience came alive, and you could sense the energy. It reminded me of why I felt this compelling need to make this my life. The hour seemed to pass by in minutes, and Jake bid them safe travels before exiting the stage.
"You looked like a little boy watching them," Viv said, bringing me back to present.
"I want to be like that. Have that energy."
"You already do," she smiled. "You're not so bad, after all."
After she finished counting her drawer and finished her shift, I managed to persuade her to come back to the tour bus to hang out. Heading to the fridge, I took out two bottles of water. Downing mine and handing one to her. I took a seat on one of the captain's chairs and patted my lap. She came and straddled my waist, lowering her lips to mine.
"I don't know what it is about you Zach Bailey, but you toss my inhibitions right out the window," she whispered in my ear. "I want you to show me what you're made of."
She slipped the tight white tank top over her head. I awed her toned, tanned, physique as her lips crashed back into mine. She unhooked her bra and tossed it to the side, leaving her perky tits exposed. Placing my hands under her ass, I lifted her up with ease and moved her back to the bed.
Clothes were gone in seconds, and we were skin to skin, just like I had envisioned earlier at the bar. I palmed my cock loving the small O that formed with her mouth. Not to sound cocky, no pun intended, I was genetically blessed in that department. Rolling a condom onto my length, I slid my thick head against her hot, slick heat teasing her entrance.
"You want it, baby?" I asked.
Sitting up on her elbows nodding, she looked down to see me sliding the tip in and out. Gradually, I moved forward slowly letting her get acclimated before pulling back out. The dim light shined on her face. She was a very beautiful girl. I've perfected the art of fucking and would do my best to leave her with a memory that would last a lifetime. The wetness of her pussy was evident on the condom already, and I knew we were going to have fun.
Lowering my face to hers, I started with a slow, passionate kiss while rolling her nipples between my fingers bringing her close to the edge, repeatedly. When she finally let go, her nails were digging into my back to the point of drawing blood. Enjoying the pain laced pleasure, I came hard.
"Holy shit," she flopped back on the bed breathing heavily.
Feeling proud, I slid off the condom and wrapped it in a tissue before tossing it in the trash. "I told you that you wouldn't regret it."
Switching on the television, I pulled her close to me. I wasn't that much of an asshole to fuck and run. Besides, we would be here for a bit while they loaded all the equipment back up. I continued to ignore the buzzing coming from my jeans that were lying somewhere on the floor, knowing it was most likely Peyton. Viv and I made small talk. She was a cool chick in my book. She was smart and witty. Part of me almost wished I had a little more time to spend getting to know her, but we needed to clock some major miles tonight in order to get to the next show in two days.
A knock sounded at the door, "Zach, you decent?" Austin asked.
"Nope, don't open the fucking door unless you want a show," I called out.
"No thanks. They're ready to roll; we'll be pulling out in fifteen."
I heard his footsteps retreat and turned to Viv.
"Looks like that's my cue." She climbed out of bed and started picking up the few pieces of clothing she had. Turning her back to me, she hooked her bra and slid her shorts on.
Grabbing a notebook from the nightstand, I scribbled my number onto a piece of paper and handed it to her. "Viv, honestly I wish I had more time to spend with you. Text me, please."
Pulling her to my chest, I kissed her before walking her from the bus. I watched her make her way through the back door. The first official one night stand of the tour. If only I could get Peyton completely out of my mind...
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
LEAVE ME ALONE I'M LONELY
KEVIN
Tonight the music seemed so loud as Guilty Tendencies tore up the stage. It was another sold out show at the Fairmont in Michigan. The crowd was going nuts, and Zach commanded the stage like a seasoned pro. Aubrey had flown in this morning and was taking up real estate on Jake's lap. He was grinning ear to ear. It wasn't hard to tell that he was happy with the decision to sign them. In the week that we've been on the road, only one venue wasn't completely sold out, and it was only by about ten tickets.
The lights dimmed, and Guilty Tendencies cleared the stage. The roadies quickly swapped out instruments and before long it was our turn to take the stage. I was standing off to the right of the stage before taking my place. The overhead lights were blinding as Jake stood in the center wearing his signature Ray-Ban aviators.
"Who's ready to parrrrrty?" He crooned into the mic.
A deafening roar followed. "That's right motherfuckers! For those that have no fucking clue who we are, we're Battlescars, and we're going to rock your socks!"
Derek started slamming down on the drums, and we kicked it into full force. Jake commanded the stage like an animal. His charisma was completely contagious and electric. The thrill of being up here never got old. There was something about being one with my guitar that I couldn't get enough of. The feel, the sound, all of it. A few girls up front were lifting their tops and exposing bare chests. If only they knew we couldn't get a good look. The overhead lights essentially blinded us, hence why Jake always sported sunglasses.
About halfway through our set, I made my way to the other side of the stage. I nearly stopped playing when I looked into the crowd and spotted a familiar face in the blinding light. Impossible. Could it be?
Sweat was pouring down my face as Jake started into our new song, 'Bridges Burning'. It was one of the songs I wrote after getting back from LA, and we recorded it in two days.
Some things aren't worth chasing,
A bed of pavement and a moment of peace,
Hands of fate outstretched pointed towards me,
Surrendered to the air, now out of reach,
And bridges are burning all around me,
The embers of regret, they will remain into the fire,
Guilt will drown me, light the match and walk away,
Love is an unknown destination,
A place to sleep for a weary head,
Oceans crossed and waves are crashing while I'm hanging by a thread,
Over my shoulder, there's smoke in the air,
Silence speaks volumes while bridges disappear,
The bridge keeps burning all around me.
Glancing back at Derek, it wasn't hard to see that he was anxious to finish the set so that he could get back to Joss. She was manning the merch table by herself and most likely getting hit on left and right. Once the wildest of all of us, he was completely and utterly whipped.
"Fairmount you have been a fucking delight! Love each and every one of you motherfuckers!" Jake roared into the mic.
The second the lights went out his drumsticks were down, and he was out of his seat. The face I saw earlier was gone. Jake clapped my back enthusiastically as we made our way off the stage.
"I think I saw someone I know," I told him. "I'm going to go check it out."
"Bri?" I nodded. "We're staying at the Bellevue tonight, in case you're not back in time." He gave me his signature grin. Before we left for tour, I ended up telling him about what happened with the bus. He didn't let me live it down for a week.
Without saying another word, I hurried my way out of the corridor and into the venue part of the club. Hoping to have some luck at the bar, I made that my first stop. Since the show was sold out, and people tended to linger after, it made moving next to impossible. Turning sideways and attempting to slide through was my only option. Fans tried grabbing me left and right, as I guiltily brushed them off to look for the brunette with the glasses.
It had to be her, and I saw it as some sort of fate that we crossed paths again. Scanning the bar one last time, I was positive she wasn't there. I turned and started trying to push my way in the opposite direction, thinking maybe she went back to stand where I saw her when I was on stage. It made sense, we were in Michigan. She wasn't there, but two girls were. One bleach blonde and the other with fire engine red hair. They were talking and hanging back, most likely waiting to become groupie material.
"Did you see where the girl that was standing here went?" I asked.They both looked at me and shrugged. It looked like they wanted to get my attention, but I was already gone.
Was it all a figment of my imagination? I swore I saw her.
Doing my best to not knock anyone over, I moved through the bodies of drunk and disorderly people until I finally made it to the exit. Fans were staring at me, once again trying to get my attention, but I was on a mission. Under different circumstances, I'd stop to take pictures and sign anything. It made me feel shitty for blowing them off, but tonight was a different story. I needed to find her.
Making my way into the still wet parking lot, I did a quick scan looking for the familiar black Audi. Since most of the crowd was still inside, and there was only one way out, I stood at the exit. She'd have to drive right past me, at which point I planned on standing in front of her car.
The temperature had dropped drastically, and the after set high was already starting to wear off. A beat up, old, green Honda full of barely twenty-ones passed by me. I pulled the hood of my sweatshirt up, hoping to go unnoticed. Only seeing three other cars with their engines running, it looked like the Audi was possibly parked in the back part of the lot. Taking off in a sprint, not even bothering to dodge puddles, I made my way back there. My chucks filled with water, but it still didn't slow me down.
Luck seemed to be on my side when sure enough, it was a black Audi. The dim parking light buzzed overhead. Hopefully, my intuition was correct, and I wouldn't be making an ass out of myself by banging on a stranger's window.
The light flickered back on giving me a little more visibility. Standing to the side, I watched her digging through her handbag for something. Taking a cautious step forward, I knocked on her window. Startled, the horn sounded and stuff started flying. She looked at me with wide eyes, which quickly turned to annoyance. Motioning for her to wind down her window, I crossed my arms across my chest. Eyeing me skeptically, she opened it a crack.
"What do you want?" She huffed. Her sharp, assessing eyes looking up at me.
"Hello to you, too." A shiver moved its way through me. "Any reason you ran like a bat out of hell?" Her reaction slightly amused me.
Rolling her eyes at me in exasperation. "Um, any reason you left out that you're this famous rock star? I thought you were into smuggling bodies."
"Are you going to leave me out here freezing, or can we go inside?"
"I'm not one of your groupie whores that's just going to go backstage and fuck you for your entertainment. My tits are not your dinner."
"First off, don't jump to conclusions. I'm not like that. Second, I kind of thought that seeing you here was fate since the first time we met wasn't under the best of circumstances. If that's your impression, then that's too bad. I'm going back inside; I'm freezing my balls off. We're here until tomorrow. You have my number."
Turning on my heel, I walked away.
Fucking women
, I muttered to myself.
BRI
A million thoughts raced through my already scattered brain when I saw Kevin up on stage. I honestly had no idea who he was. In a way it made sense. He was able to pay to fix my car, in cash, at the drop of a hat. And, he drove a big, stupid bus. All red flags in my book.
I had just finished up college a few months ago and was working on getting my shit together. The last thing I needed was this distraction in the form of a six-foot-two, sexy blonde, rocker. He carried himself with such confidence it was intimidating. There was no way someone like him would give someone like me the time of day. He wasn't my type anyway. Regardless, it still made me feel like my composure was under attack when I was around him. The sensible part of me told me to run far and fast, the inquisitive part wanted to ask him for coffee. For now, the sensible side was taking the reigns.
My grandfather that raised me had recently passed away. I spent all my time between going to school and taking care of him at the end. Some may say it's a huge burden to take on, but I only wished I could have done more. During that time, my longtime boyfriend, Dave, broke things off. He didn't like taking second place in my life, and hooked up with some dumb bitch named Bianca from Russia. She doubled as a stripper, as if that came as a big surprise. Screw him. Screw everyone. I was done being a pawn in everyone's fucking game.
Whenever there were shows worth checking out, I'd head to the Fairmount. It was a ten minute car ride from my house, and a nice break from the silence and loneliness I now felt. Nothing could have prepared me for seeing Kevin.
Knowing the reps that come with rock star territory, there was no way I was going "inside" to talk to Kevin. Though I had to admit, I was surprised by his seemingly hurt reaction. He probably had a line of girls willing and ready waiting behind those doors. I wasn't a notch in anyone's bedpost.
As I put my car in reverse, a loud tap on my trunk startled me. If I hit something accidentally, I was going to dig a hole and bury myself in it.
Standing there was the lead singer looking nothing short of pissed.
"Put it in park," he commanded. Not sure whether to floor it and hope I didn't hit him, I did as he said. "I don't know what just went down, but my best friend came in looking all glum. That fucking guy has been raked over the coals more times over the past couple months than anyone should. You have no idea what kind of person he is, and you're not even giving him a chance to prove you otherwise. He has the biggest fucking heart out of anyone you could ever have the pleasure of meeting. So go ahead and put your judgment cap on all you want, but you're the one missing out. He's not a tag 'em and bag 'em guy. He came to apologize to you for fucksake. You don't even deserve his time. You can go now." He turned and stomped away leaving me in stunned silence.
Next time, I'll spend less time pondering in my car and do it at home. Part of me felt bad like maybe I should apologize, but, of course, his friend was going to stick up for him. Gah!
What's a girl to do?