Ever Lonely (Ever James Band Book 1)

by Kimberly Lauren

  “If you’re about to say you come here alone, Rosie, I suggest you zip lips right now or I’ll blow a fuse. My main job is to protect Ever, but I watch after you as well,” Beau said from behind me.

  “Um… I just come here sometimes, okay?” she answered nervously. “Please, just let me show you something. Everyone else is already inside.”

  “June?”

  She laughed and shook her head. "Thank God, no. She asked if this place required her to descend any more stairs into the filthy underbelly of New York—her words, not mine—and well…" She pointed to the three stairs descending to the bar's entryway. I'm sure this wasn't what my mother had been referring to, but I wouldn't complain. "Besides, I think I traumatized her a little bit with that subway excursion."

  I shrugged my shoulders, something that also annoyed my mother. “Am I going to hate this? Whatever you’re up to?”

  “Probably at first,” she responded truthfully.

  “Is it going to get me in trouble?”

  “I want to say no, but what kind of trouble exactly?”

  “Naked-trouble? Police-trouble? Mother-trouble?” I asked. Lately, I felt like everyone had been pushing me to get into the tabloids too much. “I don’t feel like getting into anything tonight.”

  “No, to the first two. I can never tell with the third.” She smiled with a glint of mischievousness. “Can we leave the shadow out here?” She eyed Beau, and I looked back at him to see what his feelings were.

  “I don’t like it,” he grumbled.

  “She’ll be fine, I swear!” Rose begged.

  “I think I remember those exact words, right before her naked ass was printed all over every gossip rag in existence,” he responded.

  "That's true, Rose. And that was kind of your idea…" I added, remembering the naked rooftop incident. Tabloids were still running those photos over a year later.

  "No clothes will come off. Scout’s honor." She tried to hold up the three-finger salute, and we all laughed. Rose was one hell of an assistant—she thought of every minute detail that no one else would even consider—but she was anything but a scout. Just like me. "Come on, you know Ever. This isn't her scene. She'll ditch it as soon as she can. Before you know it, she'll be ducking back out this door for you to whisk her off somewhere much fancier. Let me have her shadow-free for just a little bit. You only bring more attention to her."

  I looked up at Beau, starting to agree with Rose's line of thought. Beau captured everyone's attention with his overwhelming size, and since I couldn't ever get him to go in disguise, almost all of Manhattan recognized him as my bodyguard.

  “Would you two stop giving me those damn eyes!” he bellowed. We laughed in victory and turned for the dark ironclad door. “Jay in there too?” he added.

  “Yeah, he’s front and center already.” Beau nodded at Rose’s response, probably feeling a little better about letting me fend for myself.

  “You lay low,” he told me. It wasn’t a question, but I nodded anyway. “You don’t call attention to yourself.”

  “Lay low. Don’t make a scene. Got it.” I was being a smart ass, but I would do my best to take his orders.

  “You know the drill, sweets,” his gruff voice said before I disappeared inside.

  I knew the drill, all right. Get out immediately if anyone caused a commotion. Out of anyone, I knew first-hand how quickly a mob could escalate and how fast one person could be surrounded in a horde of crushing bodies all vying for my attention.

  “Let’s do this!” Rose clapped her hands joyfully.

  “You can’t act like my assistant in there. We’re just two girls hanging out at a bar. Two normal people,” I added, more for myself.

  “You don’t have to tell me twice.” She smiled brightly and stepped toward the door.

  I didn’t have many assumptions for this night out. When Rose told us all to meet her at the place the guy from the subway mentioned, I figured we were meeting for drinks. But as we entered the darkened bar, the sounds of Rhett’s fingers on his guitar once again made my stomach do a little flip in excitement. It was impossible for me to have forgotten the tunes he could create with just a piece of wood and strings.

  The second his voice joined in, my feet planted on the sticky laminate floor and I could have sworn my heart stopped for a little bit. Rose bumped into me from behind and tried to steady herself by placing her hands on my back, but I didn't apologize. I wanted to hear every word that slipped through Rhett’s lips. Every lyric, every note, and every slow thumping beat, I absorbed it into the very marrow of my bones.

  The song was profound and almost mournful. I caught hints of loving someone who couldn’t love him back, yet it didn’t sound as if it were a romantic love. The genuine sadness in his voice was what told me this was his song.

  Rhett’s eyes were closed, just like they were when he played in the subway, and I knew he wasn't in the bar with the rest of us. He was somewhere completely different, and he was trying to paint that picture for each one of these patrons.

  A deep humming came from the back of his throat, and shit wasn’t that just the sexiest thing I had ever heard in my life? Rhett tapped the body of his guitar to create a more vibrant beat that seemed to accentuate the sultry humming perfectly. I was about two seconds away from pulling out my phone to record his set when the vibrating tone began to soften, the tapping slowed to a stop, and then, just like that, the song was over. And I felt despondent. As if I were now missing a piece of myself.

  How the hell had he done that?

  “Insane, right?” Rose spoke softly from behind me.

  I tried to shrug it off and headed for the packed bar. Rose trailed behind and waited for my reply. “He’s good. Is that what you wanted to hear? I don’t think you needed to drag us all out to hear that,” I shouted over my shoulder at her.

  "He's better than good, and you know it,” she huffed in annoyance.

  I stopped and turned to face her. “Why are we here, Rose? And how do I get a drink?”

  “Well, a normal person would just work their way in and order.”

  I sighed. Apparently, she was just going to ignore my first question.

  I looked over at the mass of bodies lined up along the wooden bar top, and she must have registered alarm on my face. “What do you want? I’ll get it for you.”

  “Rose, I’m an adult. I can order a drink for myself. And don’t forget we’re two normal girls.”

  “Yeah, but you’ve never had to,” she replied.

  The stubborn side of me wanted to show her that I was perfectly capable, even though I had never ordered my own drink before. People my age were doing this every night, right? Tonight, I wasn’t Ever James, the blonde platinum album-selling rock star that usually had people bring her drinks without even asking. Tonight, I was just a regular girl out on the town. And a brunette, at that.

  “Go on. I can do this.” I waved her off.

  The bartender was busy flipping bottles, adding a shot of vodka here, a swish of sweet and sour there, a splash of Coke in another. I observed others around me as they shouted and whistled to get his attention. He never seemed to mind as he took their orders and had their drinks served within moments.

  I looked back to see Rose had found a table with a few people I didn’t recognize. Jay and Keith were at the table next to them. I really was on my own now. I wanted to sit there and savor the moment, of being out on the town without anyone hovering over me.

  Finally, after I watched the bartender rush past me for the third time, I slapped the counter three quick times. His eyes scanned over me as he reached for a glass hanging above his head. Quickly, before he had a decent grip, his eyes shot back to me and the glass slipped to the floor, shattering at his feet.

  "Shit," he growled and jumped back. I leaned over the bar to watch his boot scoot the shards aside, and he rubbed his hands down the sides of his worn jeans. He looked up at me again and smirked. He was cu
te. "Well, that was embarrassing. That had to happen when Rhett was between songs, too. And in front of the hottest girl I've ever seen in my whole life."

  “Wow.” I laughed. “Your whole life, huh?”

  He nodded, and a flush filled his cheeks. Which was a feat, in and of itself, considering his dark complexion. This guy was adorable. I've had men hit on me and pursue me relentlessly. But never have I had a guy blush in front of me. I looked him over and decided he wasn't half bad himself.

  He wasn't super tall, but he was a few inches taller than I was in my heels. His dark hair was cut short against his scalp, though I had a feeling it might be curly. His skin was a creamy mocha color, which only confused me because his eyes were almost neon green. I couldn’t figure out his ethnicity to save my life.

  “I’m Alex,” he offered, now providing me his full attention.

  “Well Bartender Alex, I’m thirsty.” I smiled brightly and looked around at the other patrons waiting for his attention.

  "Is this the part where I make a joke about a beautiful girl being named Thirsty?" He winked. I should probably reel in the conversation. I didn't need to be leading anyone on. He was cute, and he'd probably be some fun, but there was no way he was thick-skinned enough to handle even an ounce of my lifestyle. "Tell me your name, and I'll make whatever you like," Alex called out over the noise.

  I paused for a beat. It would be too easy for him to connect the dots if I told him my name. It wasn't common, and he was staring too intently at my face. "EJ," I finally offered.

  He shook his head and laughed. “You had to think about that pretty hard. What does the ‘E’ stand for?”

  I shook my head and smiled.

  "A mystery… I like that. How many letters? I'll guess."

  "Four," I replied automatically. He would never guess correctly.

  "Emma," he quickly rattled off. I shook my head again and glanced down at the glass that he should have been filling up for me.

  “Alright, I’ll play your game. What can I get you?”

  "Tequila. Mix it with whatever you want. I just want the tequila."

  "I get free rein? And I don't even have to make a margarita or a tequila slammer?" He sounded so excited. It appeared he honestly liked this mixing drinks gig.

  “The reins are all yours, Bartender Alex.”

  He turned and headed to the end of the bar, where he started pulling bottles from the glass shelves.

  “Can I ask something personal, Alex?” I called out as he took out a bottle from a fridge down below.

  “Sure,” he answered, sounding a little surprised. “Although, I find this highly unfair, seeing as you won’t tell me your name… Ella?” he guessed again.

  “Nope.” I giggled. “What… ethnicity are you?”

  He smiled warmly, taking my question without insult, just as I had hoped he would. He probably got that question a lot. "My dad is black, and my mom is very white. From Sweden, actually."

  “Wow, what a great combo. Does she have the platinum blonde hair?”

  He laughed and nodded his head. “Actually she does, although not everyone there is blonde like people assume.”

  "I'm guessing that's where you got those eyes?" I gestured toward his face. I had to admit, his eyes were captivating, and anyone could get lost there.

  “Do you like my eyes?” He smiled broadly at me while tossing bottles around.

  "Come on!" Rose's voice interrupted me before I could answer. "Rhett only has a few more songs, and then he's done." She shoved her little body between and me the girl to my left. Then she looked at the drink Alex was carefully mixing and asked, "How much do you need for that?"

  Oh crap, I completely forgot about paying for my drink. I didn’t have any money on me. Thank God, Rose was always prepared.

  “Nah, it’s on the house for… I’m sorry, what’s your friend’s name?” he cunningly asked.

  “E—”

  “EJ,” I finished for her while wagging my finger at him.

  He snapped his fingers in mock frustration and handed me a pink-tinted drink in a small glass tumbler. Rose rushed back toward the table where I evidently needed to be.

  “Thanks for the drink,” I told Alex and started to turn away.

  “So you’re here for Rhett?” he asked, appearing slightly disappointed about that prospect.

  “I’m not here for anyone. Rose keeps dragging us out to see this guy though.” My thumb gestured toward the stage behind me.

  As if on cue, Rhett began to play the chords almost everyone should recognize as “Like a Rolling Stone.” My body instinctively turned toward the flawless notes flooding the bar. He started with the well-known lyrics and his voice was much deeper than Bob Dylan’s, but damn, it still worked for him and the legendary song.

  “Go join your friends and try to not fall under his cheesy love spell.” Alex nodded his head toward the stage and started to wipe down the bar.

  “Nah, musicians aren’t my thing. They’re too full of themselves.” I laughed to myself as I headed toward Rose’s table filled with complete strangers—to me, at least. It seemed as if she had this whole life I hadn't known about. She was one of my closest friends—how had this happened?

  “Right here!” she called out and smiled while I tried to squeeze past people dancing to Rhett’s music.

  All eyes were on me as I sat down, yet no one said anything. Awkward. Rhett's set was loud and filled the silence, but it was still uncomfortable for me.

  I turned to Rose and whispered, “Is my hair on crooked?” Self-consciously, I ran my hand down the side of my head, hoping to feel if that were the case. She looked me over and gently pushed my hand away from my head.

  “You look fine,” she replied into my ear.

  “Oh my God, you’re Ever James, aren’t you?” A whisper-shout came from across the table.

  Rose jumped in her seat. “Shhh! Please…” she begged.

  I looked at the girl sitting directly across from me and nodded my head coyly. She squeaked and then tried to contain her excitement by mashing her lips together and holding her hands in her lap.

  “Fucking sweet,” a cute brown-haired guy that sat between the two of us said. “Sorry for her crazy ass.” He actually looked almost identical to her, only the male version. “You have no idea how many concerts of yours I’ve had to attend because of her.”

  “Sorry?” I responded.

  The girl swatted him in the chest, and he grunted while glaring at her. Then a light bulb clicked, and he held his hand out. "Shit! No, sorry. That came out all kinds of messed up. It's not that I don't like… I mean, you… you're fantastic…"

  “It’s fine,” I quickly helped him out. “I’m not for everyone.”

  "No, I fucking love your stuff. You're actually the only female artist I really enjoy. I meant I hated having to chaperone my little sister."

  "Okay, you've redeemed yourself." I winked, and he looked genuinely relieved. Who were the guys in this bar? They were so… real.

  "I'm Sienna," the girl across from me offered. She was pretty with sleek brown hair and a cute little nose on her face. Her chair was pushed away from the table, so I had a great view of her flowing black floral miniskirt and gray crop top showing her toned stomach underneath. A little black leather jacket hung on the chair behind her. I needed to get Lola, my stylist and makeup artist, to find me outfits like that. "This is my big brother, Gage, although he's only older by eleven months."

  “Irish twins… that’s awesome,” I said.

  I glanced over at an adjacent table to see my music producer and label manager with their eyes glued to the stage. They never had stars in their eyes around me—not that I wanted them to—but a little acknowledgement would be nice. I doubted they even knew I was here.

  I turned back to my audience and said, “Nice to meet you guys. So… you know Rose?”

  Rose jumped in her seat a bit and said, "They're Rhett's friends." She
stated it as if I should understand the profound meaning behind that. I decided to be kind and just smile.

  “So, are you just bar hopping? I didn’t think you people did that kind of thing,” Gage asked curiously while tipping a beer bottle up to his lips.

  “Uh… not really. Rose dragged me out here tonight.”

  “I wanted her to hear how amazing Rhett is,” Rose said.

  “Ah, the Rhett effect," Sienna said, nodding her head as if she understood perfectly.

  I decided to ignore whatever that meant and turned to Gage. “I think I should take offense to the ‘you people’ comment. What does that even mean?” I laughed.

  "You people." He gestured down the length of me. "A freaking rock star. Freaking rock stars do not frequent our tiny little hole-in-the-wall bar."

  "You're right, I probably wouldn't have found this place on my own," I said. Finally, I took a moment to sip the drink in my hand and almost moaned audibly. "Oh my…" The tequila danced on my tongue, but the grapefruit juice was a fantastic and unexpected addition. There was also a hint of cherry, and I had no idea that these things could work together. But they did. They so did.

  I glanced up at the bar to find Alex staring at me as if he had been waiting that entire time for me to try it.

  I stood in my seat a bit and shouted, "This is amazing!" I smiled and gave him a thumbs-up with the glass in my other hand. A few people around me turned to see who had shouted, and I immediately sat down, chastising myself for calling so much attention.

  “Oh…” Sienna muttered, appearing uncomfortable. “You met Alex?”

  “Bartender Alex? Yeah, he’s awesome and apparently the best bartender… EVER!” I gulped down the rest of the liquid in my glass. I should have savored it, but I just couldn’t stop myself.

  “I know I shouldn’t believe the tabloids, but aren’t you with Noah Reynolds?” she asked.

  “The actor?” Gage asked while his eyes seemed to widen.

  Sienna looked at him as if that were the dumbest question he had ever asked. I mean you probably did live under a rock to not know of Noah Reynolds.