Ever Lonely (Ever James Band Book 1)

by Kimberly Lauren

  “You’ll let me do whatever song I choose in whatever outfit I choose. And you’ll like it!” I pushed my finger into his chest and moved past him to join the guys.

  “I hope you got a lot of liquor, Nix,” Rhett called from behind me.

  “I could get a herd of elephants drunk!” Nix called back. Leave it to my cousin to buy out an entire liquor store. “Drink up, we’ve got a long wait ahead of us.” Nixon poured my favorite whiskey into a Solo cup and started making my choice drink. “They just pushed our callback time by four hours. Producers said they have to reshoot some of the episodes due to sound issues.”

  “We could get drunk and sober up again in that time.” Rhett laughed.

  And those were the famous last words before the Ever James Band staggered onto the sound stage drunk as skunks for an epic lip sync battle episode.

  ~~~~~~~~~~

  RHETT -

  Which one of us idiots said we could get drunk and then sober again in our wait time? Had that been me? We were nowhere near sober when Rose and Alex rounded us up for makeup and wardrobe. It was still hard to believe Alex, my best friend since I was a kid, was my assistant. Surprisingly, he was really fucking good at it.

  Rose was pissed at us, but we were too wasted to even care to apologize. We’d just spent six long months on the road. Sure, there had been short breaks here and there so I could fly back to see Dad, but for the most part we had been busting our asses for six fucking months. We deserved to have some fun.

  Maybe we should have waited until after filming, but it could only make it more interesting, right?

  Like the fact that I had a raging hard-on for the blonde with the wild curls who brushed past me before leaving my side. Everly James and whiskey were a dangerous combination. She was unrestrained and flirty and so goddamned beautiful.

  That night after our first stadium performance, Ever had washed all the makeup off her face and all the gunky hairspray out of her hair. She walked into our tiny little room at the back of the bus, and I couldn’t stand it.

  “How are you so beautiful?” I whispered while lounging on the bed. Our bodies were sore from playing our hearts out onstage, but I wanted to consume her until we passed out from pure exhaustion.

  She stared at me, almost in shock as she stood in the doorway wrapped in a towel.

  Her reaction to my words was amusing… and confusing. “What?”

  She shook her head and smiled. “Nothing.” A brush-off.

  I whipped the sheet from my body, stood up on my knees, and reached for her before she could find clothes. In a tumble of arms and legs, we fell to the mattress and I tucked her underneath me.

  “Why the face, Pipes?”

  She squirmed, and I was even more intrigued. I stayed there, hovering above her. I had all the patience in the world.

  “You said I was beautiful.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, and her eyes were trying to look everywhere except for my face. I waited, not understanding her reaction to my words. She sighed, clearly uncomfortable. “You’ve never called me that before. And I realize how insecure that makes me sound. I don’t need anyone to tell me I’m beautiful. It’s just when I heard you—”

  I kissed her lips. I could have listened to her ramble uncomfortably for ages, but her lips on mine sounded like a better idea.

  “Millions of people every day tell you how beautiful you are. They shout it to you on the streets. They write about it on the Internet. They wax poetic about you as they dress you up like their doll. As you said, you don’t need anyone to tell you how heart-stoppingly beautiful you are. And I don’t want you to ever think I’m here for your beauty. Remember, I was insanely attracted to you when you wore that hideous black wig and then later that night in the equally unattractive brown one. Your looks aren’t what I enjoy most about you, although I admit it sure is a sweet cherry on top.

  “Pipes, you don’t need me to tell you that you’re beautiful, but if you didn’t know that’s how I felt then I’ve done something terribly wrong. I don’t say it, but I thought I'd shown it in the way I worship your body.”

  My hands ran down her soft skin, and she instantly moaned. Ever was always so ready for me. How could she be so perfect? I would marry her even if I had to tie her up and drag her to the altar. This girl would have my name.

  So show her I did. In fact, I showed her three times that night. Thank God Ever had her own bus during tours.

  Sitting to the side of the lip sync battle stage, I attempted to conceal the bulge in my pants. How could I be so drunk and so hard at the same time? Ever James, that was how. She caused this inhuman amount of testosterone to rush through me, and no matter how depleted my body was, I would always be ready for her.

  The lights dimmed and the blood continued to pump straight to my dick in anticipation of seeing her in her element. Ever James wasn’t made for the stage. Stages were made for her.

  It had been way too long since I’d sat back and just watched her perform without having to make sure I was playing correctly myself. As a matter of fact, the last time I watched her, I ended up busting one of her ex-boyfriend’s faces. That was the green monster inside me that I fought to suppress every damn day.

  A crackly type of music began and I shifted in my seat. Nix, Jared and I were supposed to sit here so the cameras could capture our honest reactions to Ever’s performance. I held in a chuckle when I noticed the guys were barely sitting up straight next to me. We were a mess. Nixon smacked Jared in the chest, and they both laughed behind their hands. Who knew what that was about. Nixon almost laughed his ass out of his chair. Shit, we were wasted.

  A lone microphone on a stand stood on the stage and then she appeared. Her hair was tightly curled like a pin-up girl and her lips were ruby red. Damn, who knew red lips did something for me? She had an all-white faux fur coat draped over her shoulders that belted around her slim waist. It was fucking go-time.

  I whistled between my teeth and the boys joined me before we began shouting encouragements at her. She didn’t even glance in our direction, and her fictitious cold shoulder turned me on even more. Ever’s feisty attitude was what had first attracted me to her. Now I really couldn’t wait for our turn.

  The beat pumped and Ever snatched the microphone and mouthed an impressively high vocal run. I had heard that voice before, but I couldn’t pinpoint whose song she was performing. I wanted to hear Ever’s seductive pipes through the microphone, but I enjoyed watching her play along.

  “Get it!” Nix shouted.

  Jared pumped his fist and I smiled from my seat. That was my fucking girl!

  Ever ran her hands up to her shoulders and dropped the fur coat to her heel-clad feet, revealing a corset-type lingerie ensemble. Nixon covered his eyes and my knees hit the floor. I could blame my lack of balance on the alcohol, but it was all her. If we were alone, I would crawl on my knees to her.

  Thank God all the goods were covered, but it emphasized everything I loved to look at in our bedroom at night. Straps dangled from the hem of her little dress. I’ve seen her attach those things to stockings, but this time she let them hang loose. Her entire back was exposed. The corset seemed to possess some kind of voodoo by being able to conform to her body yet still display so much of her creamy skin. My jealousy was brewing, but I’d keep a lid on it tonight as best I could.

  I had been so caught up in watching her and drooling over her outfit, I hadn’t even listened to the words. Then I realized she was lip-syncing Christina Aguilera’s “Ain’t No Other Man.” My knees stayed glued to the floor because I couldn’t help but bow at her feet.

  “Ain’t no other man on the planet does what you do.” She fake belted the lyrics for the cameras and the live audience, but her eyes found me at every opportunity. And they spoke the truth.

  I could tell Ever was drunk too, because I knew all of her mannerisms. But her legs were solid as she marched all over the stage in her blood red heels. She was magnificent.
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  Back-up dancers joined her. Some carried makeup brushes and acted as if they were applying it to her face. Another girl pretended to brush out her curls. Ever continued to move around, putting her whole heart into the performance. I had found my way back into my chair, but I gripped the sides to keep myself there.

  Two girls carried out a long, black piece of fabric and wrapped it around my girlfriend’s body. I realized it was a stage dress that perfectly conformed to her figure yet could easily be attached in the back. The dress was black with a long train that billowed out behind her. Her entire back remained exposed while red and black beads were strung from one shoulder to the next, hanging down her spine like a backward necklace. I couldn’t stop myself from picturing her in a dress similar to that one… except in white.

  Ever completed her big finale with dancers running around her and a massive fan blowing her hair in every direction. The corset under her dress pushed her tits up and they bounced with every movement of her body. I needed to remember to grab that piece before we left the building.

  The dancers lowered her to the ground on her back as the lights dimmed. Christina Aguilera’s voice sang the last few lines in that crackly sounding voice of hers. Ever arched her back with the microphone to her lips as she mouthed Christina’s words: “I’m a whole lot of trouble, baby.” Her eyes were looking right at me from her upside-down position on the floor.

  The lights went down, and Nix, Jared and I jumped up, howling. We slammed into one another just like the whiskey was still slamming around in our stomachs.

  For a second, I was worried about our upcoming performance. We could barely stand without wobbling, and our song required a bit more finesse than we might be capable of in that moment. Ever was smart. When she got drunk, she just became more fluid and sexy. She chose the perfect song to perform.

  We waited for the lights to come back up and the director to call ‘cut’ before running toward her. She was still lying on the floor, probably because she physically couldn’t get up on her own. I kneeled down and hovered over her.

  “You killed it!” Nix hooted.

  “There’s no way we can follow that,” Jared said, laughing.

  “You were beautiful,” I added in a whisper.

  “The room is spinning,” she groaned.

  “The room’s not spinning, you are!” Nixon slurred.

  “Am I?” she asked, genuinely confused. She squinted her eyes and looked around.

  I held my hand out for her and laughed. “No, you aren’t. He’s a drunk idiot.” She grasped my hand, and I pulled her up slowly so she wouldn’t get sick.

  “I’m not the only drunk one around here!” Nixon’s dumbass hollered. Jared shoved him toward the door while shushing him, but it was hard to take him seriously when he was wobbling himself.

  Dee, the director of the show, smiled widely and placed her hand on Ever’s shoulder. “You were amazing! I think we got all of that in one cut! That has never happened before.” She turned to me. “If you guys are half as good as that, we can actually get out of here before midnight.” Her eyes trailed over my face. “He was joking about being drunk, right?”

  “One-hundred percent. Yep. Absolutely,” I replied, hopefully without slurring. Ever’s giggle didn’t help my case.

  Dee’s eyes squinted. “I don’t believe you. Especially since you just said ‘Absho-lutely.’ But I don’t have time to wait for you to sober up. You better be able to perform.”

  “Oh, I can always perform.” The corner of my lip pulled up and Ever elbowed me in the ribs. “Oomph. What?!” I called. “Am I wrong?”

  “Go drink a Gatorade and eat some food. You’re on in thirty.” Dee patted my shoulder and walked away.

  Ever and I were left alone on the stage. The crew buzzed around in the shadows, but I couldn’t focus on them. My curly-haired blonde bombshell stood in front of me in a tight black dress with her rack pushed up. I started to lean toward it as if a moth to a flame.

  “You have thirty minutes, Rhett. Stop looking at me like that,” Ever scolded. She didn’t step away, though. In fact, I swore she pushed her chest out even more. That could totally be my imagination and alcohol-doused brain playing tricks on me, but they definitely got closer to my hands.

  I leaned in and ran my nose up the length of her neck. “That means I have twenty minutes all for you.” I lowered my voice to that deep tone she loved. Goosebumps rose across her skin.

  Missy Legend came bouncing onto the stage making a weird squealing noise. At least that’s what it sounded like to me. Missy hosted the show, although she was more like a hype-girl. She cheered the celebrities on and acted as if she were everyone’s biggest fan while the cameras were rolling.

  “You two are the cutest. I can’t stand it!” Missy hollered. “I can’t wait for you guys to have babies. God, they would be gorgeous!” Apparently, it wasn’t just an act for the cameras. “When you two get married, I would love to be there. Oh God, it’ll be so beautiful.” She clapped her hands. Was she drunk too?

  Regretfully, I stepped to the side but held on to Ever’s waist. We both swayed. Who was holding up whom?

  “Thaaaaanks….” Ever replied, obviously not knowing how to respond to that. I didn’t know anything about any babies, but Ever as a bride was something I pictured a lot. And yes, it was fucking beautiful.

  We excused ourselves and slipped backstage. Makeup and wardrobe were already trying to get my attention. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a tiny airplane bottle of Jack. It all went down in one gulp.

  “Don’t get nervous.” Ever swatted my chest. “This is just a silly TV show. You aren’t even singing for real.”

  “Easier said than done.” I felt the contents of my stomach rise and tried to keep them down.

  “Let’s get this over with so we can go have our own fun.” She waggled her eyebrows mischievously. God, I loved her so fucking much. She giggled. “I love you too,” she said with a smile. Had I said that out loud?

  “Rhett!” Alex called from a room down the hall. “Let’s go!”

  “I need to change out of this dress,” Ever said, “and you need to go get ready. See you on the stage.” She trailed her fingers across my stomach as she walked away, and I just stood there and watched her.

  It was like I was in some kind of hypnotic trance. I guess I kind of was. Ever was mesmerizing, and, without a doubt, she was my dream come true in a woman. I’d do anything to keep her in my life forever.

  ~~~~~~~~~~

  I hissed as the sting of the liqueur burned my throat and ripped an angry path down to my stomach.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” Alex cried when he entered our small dressing room. “Dude, you’re getting into bad decision territory. I’m cutting you off.”

  Nixon and Jared quickly threw back their shots and slammed them on the table next to my empty one.

  Nixon wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Chill, it’s our ritual.”

  Jared grunted, pounding his chest. “Can’t mess with it now. We take a shot before every performance. And every performance we’ve done has been fire.”

  “Look,” Nixon said, pointing at my face. “It took the green out of his gorgeous face.” He slapped my cheeks a little too hard. Dipshit.

  “Yeah, yeah… I still get nervous. Can we all drop it?” I plucked the strings on my guitar that sat lonely on its stand. I wanted to bring it out with me. Going onstage without the former love of my life was foreign to me.

  While leaning over, I played the first three notes of a new song I had been working on. I would call it “ForEver” if she would let me. She hated her name in the album title, so I doubted she’d go for it. But shit, the song was about her. It was mushy as hell and I dreaded singing it in front of the guys. But for her, there wasn’t much I wouldn’t do.

  Rose appeared in the doorway. “Let’s go, they’re calling you guys.”

  Nixon gripped his crotch and tried to do
a squat. “How the hell do guys wear shit like this?” Rose scrunched her nose up and spun back around. I tried to do my own squat but stumbled when the room began to swim.

  It had taken us a while to figure out what song three guys could lip sync to and finally realized our only option was a boy band. Jared had shaken his head so hard we thought it would spin all the way around. It took a lot of bribes to get him to finally agree.

  A few weeks ago, I stole Ever’s phone and looked through her Apple music playlists she had saved. Lo and behold, Ever James was a fan of One Direction. That’s right. Miss Rock ‘n’ Roll secretly got down to some British boy band pop. Unfortunately, I had to listen to an obscene amount of their songs to find the perfect one. Jared, Nix and I watched almost all of their music videos. Okay… okay… we watched every single one of them. We were fascinated by how well they could move in skinny jeans. Not us though. We couldn’t seem to keep the denim from suffocating our dicks for more than ten seconds. I hoped Ever understood how much I loved her.

  We made our way toward the sound stage, and I could hear Missy talking excitedly to Ever. I peeked out, making sure to stay out of the shot. They must have been filming B-roll footage.

  My chin hit the floor.

  I flipped back around, shielding my eyes so I couldn’t see her. “Fuck. Fuck,” I whispered. The guys looked at me, their eyebrows arching as if I were insane. Definitely a possibility. Maybe the alcohol was making me insane. “Look at your fucking cousin,” I ground out to Nix.

  Nixon leaned forward to look out on set. He shrugged his shoulders. “What’s the big deal?”

  Jared took a turn peeking out past me. When he moved back to his spot, I knew he understood what I meant. He bit his bottom lip, more than likely to contain the thoughts in his head. Smart man. “It’s Ever, dude… what did you expect?”