by Kaci Rose
"I think it would be a good idea. You can earn some extra money, travel, and hang out with us. Plus, you can work anywhere," I say.
"Of course, you take his side." She sighs. "Tell me about the tour."
"Well, we just got off a big tour a few months ago for this album, and it did great. We sold out shows everywhere we played. So, our manager asked us to do a smaller tour up the east coast to give it another push. One of the stops is in Asheville, and we can spend a day at The Biltmore." I try to bribe her, because I can't admit that I'd love nothing more than to have her in the small space of the tour bus with us for weeks.
"How long is the tour?" She asks.
"About six weeks. Our manager is trying to get a few more stops added on at the end, but I don't see it happening. The record label wants us to get back and start working on songs for the next album. They want one more from us, before it's time to talk about renewing our contract." Landon says, and I nod my head, finishing up the food on my plate.
"You would be on the main bus with us. We have stops spaced, so we can go out and do stuff in between. I know you like to explore, and Dallas is right. You can work anywhere, so do it on travel days and between shows. You don't even have to sing at every stop, if you don't want to, maybe just the big ones," Landon says.
I see the wheels turning in Austin's head. She's running over the pros and cons, and if she can make it work with the clients, she has now. She always thinks things through, before committing to something big. Landon and I both know this, so we give her a few moments and shovel food in our faces.
"Okay, but I want to be able to go out and explore or else." She gives her brother the stink eye.
The last or else was her putting itching powder on his clothes, before a concert. This was years ago, before we were selling out the big places, but he hadn't broken a promise to her since.
"I swear, I will make it happen." Landon holds up his hands in surrender.
After dinner, Austin clears the table, "I got dishes, since you cooked."
"I'm actually going to go up and go to bed. It's been a long few days, and I'm beat." Landon pulls Austin in for a hug. He kisses the top of her head, and then turns to me. "Night, man. We can talk tomorrow about the tour details."
"Sure, I'll call Dave tonight and get him up-to-date with Austin coming with us."
Dave is our manager and is great at making things happen. I think he will be happy to promo Austin on tour with us.
Landon heads upstairs, and I join Austin at the sink. "You wash, and I'll dry?"
"Sounds good." She smiles at me. We have a dishwasher, but we all grew up washing dishes by hand, and I know for Austin it's therapeutic. I also knew she'd hand wash them, so she could start thinking through her plans for the tour.
I grab a towel and stand beside her. Bumping my shoulder into hers, I say, “I’m really glad you’re coming with us."
We make quick work of the dishes, but neither of us says much else. There has always been a comfortable silence between us. Rarely is there a need to fill it, and it's one of my favorite things about our relationship.
"I'm going to head to my room and give Dave a call," I tell her, and she offers me a soft smile.
"I should start planning what I'm going to pack. I need to find everything anyway."
We walk upstairs together, and like a gentleman, I let her go first. It's not because I want to stare at her ass on the way up the stairs. Really, it's not, but I can't tear my eyes away. The way those yoga pants grip every curve of the heart-shaped mounds makes me want to grab hold of her.
Crap, I need to rein my thoughts in, or the next six to eight weeks on tour will be torture and just plain weird. This girl is my best friend’s sister and not even interested in me.
It must be because I haven't gotten laid in the last six months. My normal meaningless hook ups just don’t appeal anymore. I want to settle down, have a family, and kids. I want sex to be about connecting with someone on a deeper level, not just about chasing my release.
The problem is everyone around me wants the playboy. They want to fuck a rock star and have a story to tell. I used to not care, but now, it bothers me. I just don't know how to break the cycle and turn my image around, and I'm not ready to talk about it, because I don't know if I could even explain it to Landon.
I close my door and flop down on my bed, hitting Dave's number, but it's Mitch who answers. He's our assistant manager and takes over, whenever Dave isn't around.
"Hey, Dallas. Getting ready for this tour?" Mitch asks.
"Yeah, that's what I was hoping to talk to Dave about. Is he around?"
"No, he had to go out of town. Some family thing. You’re stuck with me on the first leg of your tour, I'm afraid."
Huh. We have been with Dave for six years now, and never once, has he ever had a family thing or put anything. before the job. I hope everything is okay, but I know better than to pry.
"Listen, we were talking tonight, and Austin is back in town. Well, we were thinking of having her come on tour with us. Nothing big, but maybe a song or two, during the bigger shows. She's going to come either way to spend time with us, though, it might be something to advertise."
"Oh, I like that idea. She has her own little following. Fans love the brother and sister duet between her and Landon. They eat that up. We’re pretty much sold out with the exception of a few venues. This might push the rest of the sales. I'll get on it. Only one song each show?"
"Yeah, somewhere in the middle. She won't want to open or close the show, you know her." She hates being on stage, but she would hate opening or closing even more, so it’s not an option. “So no, we won't make her do it.”
"Sounds good. I'll get a press release going and push it out on social media. Maybe, you guys could share some of the old videos of her on the tour a few years ago and get fans excited on your social media, too."
"Good idea."
"Alright, thanks for giving me more work. I was getting bored. Talk soon."
We hang up, and I go online and grab a link to the video I love the most of Austin. I have it bookmarked, because I watch it more than I should. It was taken two years ago, when she did a few tour stops near Washington, D.C. with us. This was the stop where Landon wasn't feeling very well, so I filled in on the duet, and the fans went crazy. So much so, that the record insisted she and I do a duet together.
The spark in her eyes as she looks at me. I know she was doing it for the fans, playing up to the mood, but even from this fan's video, you can see the emotion in her face, as she sings. At that moment, it was just her and I. The rest of the arena fell away, and I had never wanted to kiss her as badly as I did in that moment. I know after that I hurt her, because I had to put space between us. If she knew my thoughts, she'd have freaked out.
Those few moments on stage also made it impossible for me to be with another girl for months. I felt like I was cheating on her when I tried, which was crazy.
I share the link on my social media, and it gets comments immediately. Fans are so excited she’s touring with us and are begging people who have tickets to record her song and share it.
I watch the video again, before tossing my phone aside on my bed. I’m thinking of different outings I can take Austin on, like spending a whole day at The Biltmore Estate.
I’m still making plans in my head, when there’s a knock on my door.
"Yeah?" I call out, thinking it's Landon, asking if I called Dave, but when Austin steps in, I quickly sit up.
"I don't know what to wear on stage. What have you guys been wearing for this album?" She asks, but I notice a few dresses in her hand.
"Jeans and a button down shirt nothing too dressy."
"Can I try these on for you, and you tell me if it's too much? I'd ask Landon, but I'm sure he’s asleep, and I don't want to bother him."
"Of course." She smiles and heads back across the hall.
In a few minutes, she’s back and waiting for my opinion. She looks stunning i
n a simple black dress with a high neckline.
"I like that one with your cowboy boots." I tell her, while still running my eyes over her.
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I can add a jean jacket and switch up some accessories, and it would work for a few different shows. Okay, next one."
She goes back across the hall to change again, and when she walks in this time, the air is sucked from my lungs. Holy shit, where did she get that dress? It's a deep royal blue with a plunging neckline and ends several inches above her knee. Just above appropriate.
"No," I growl.
"No?" She looks almost disappointed.
I can't take my eyes off her; she looks so fucking hot in this dress. I grip the sheets and force myself to stay seated in the bed and not walk over to her and take her in my arms. Fuck, I need to get laid.
"If you wear that dress, we’ll be fighting off every guy in the arena, who’s trying to get to you. That dress is sexy as hell and good for a date night with someone you plan to get laid with, but not on stage for everyone to see." I'm honest with her, and her cheeks turn pink, as she ducks her head.
"Go change, Austin," I say in a stern voice. Seeing her flushed in that dress is too much. Thankfully, she turns and heads back to her room. I take a few deep breaths and will my cock to go down, before I scare her. She's been here for a few days, and I can't keep myself under control.
"Okay, last outfit. Are these shorts okay? I can pair them with a lot of shirts? Or I could wear some of your shirts you will be selling at the shows to help promote them." She says, as she steps back into the room.
Fuck. At least, her ass is covered. Barely.
"I think those will be fine, but nothing shorter. And no shirts that show your stomach off."
"Duh." She rolls her eyes. "No tank tops, and nothing where you can see my bra. I know the speech."
I nod, but I still look at her tan legs on display.
"Thank you, Dallas. I think my nerves are just getting to me." She whispers, but I hear it loudly, as if she was standing next to me.
I sigh. "You will do amazing. If you want to back out any time, you know you can, even last minute. We got your back."
"I know." She offers me a soft smile, before turning back to her room and closing my door behind her.
I look down at my hard cock. Fuck, I'm in so much trouble.
Chapter 5
Austin
I've been too many concerts, and it's always a high, when the crowd is feeling it and on their feet, cheering, singing, and dancing. It's a whole other experience, when you’re at the side stage.
From the side stage, I can see Dallas and Landon, the band, and the crowd. It's doing nothing for my nerves.
We’re on the first stop on the tour, and this is the first time in a few years that I have been able to see the guys live. Their fan base has grown, and now, they’re singing to sold-out shows, even on small tours like this.
The guys feed off it, they always have. The louder the fans are, the better the concert. The lights are going over the stage, and the crowd is feeding into the hype.
Right now, they’re singing one of their slower love ballads that make all the girls swoon. Then Dallas turns, almost like he's facing the side of the stage, but he faces me and our eyes lock. This is the experience every girl in the crowd is hoping for. For a brief moment in time, they can pretend he’s singing to them.
I want to pretend he’s singing to me. In an alternate universe, maybe he is. Maybe, we would be together. I need to lock these feelings away, or the next two months are going to be painful and horrible for both of us, making things just plain weird, since we are spending so much time in the cramped space of the tour bus.
After this song, I’m going on and should be preparing. But Dallas still hasn't taken his eyes off me, and they have gone from the playfulness they had, when he first looked my way to downright steamy.
I'm in the black lace dress he approved, along with a jean jacket, black and gray cowboy boots, and a long turquoise cross necklace. I did my hair in a crown braid with the help of the drummer’s wife. She’s so excited to have another girl around on this tour, and I can't blame her. It will be nice to get away from the guys now and then.
The music stops, but Dallas still doesn't take his eyes off me. My brother introduces me, and the crowd screams. It's then Dallas smiles and holds his hand out for me to join them on stage. Like a magnet that has no choice, I’m drawn to him and take his hand. Just like that, I'm not focused on the crowd, which would have made me nervous.
He leads me over to Landon, who wraps an arm over my shoulders and kisses my temple. We get set up for our song, and I stand so I can see Dallas, while I sing, because for some weird reason, he seems to calm me tonight.
The first strings of the duet play, and the crowd cheers, as Landon and I sing the song he wrote about me being the best thing in his life and his best friend. It wasn't written as a romantic song, but we have been told by several people it was the song they danced to at their wedding, because it’s the type of relationship they want with their spouse. Those moments when fans relate to your songs make any unease about being on stage worth it.
"This next song was one Austin and I used to sing together. Then, the last time she was on tour I was sick, so Dallas filled in, so I could go backstage and puke my guts out." Landon pauses, and everyone laughs.
I smile, because I remember that night, like it was yesterday, and judging by the look on Dallas's face, he does, too.
"It seems you guys liked it better, when Dallas and Austin sang it, so that’s what we’ll do." The stadium roars, and I just shake my head and move to stand by Dallas in the center of the stage.
'You ready?' He mouths, and I nod.
He strums the first chord of the love song that hit number one a few years back. I never wanted the kind of fame that came with it, and I thank Landon and Dallas for taking the burden that came with that hit off me the best they could. It's allowed me to live a semi-normal life, as a rock star's sister.
Once again, as he starts singing, Dallas's eyes are focused on me, and I couldn't take my eyes off him if I tried. In my mind, I know he's doing this, so I have somewhere to focus that isn't the crowd, but my heart wants to think he’s doing this for another reason.
The heat from the spotlight pours down on us, and the vibrations from the music fill my body. It’s then, I get that little rush that makes me understand why the guys love what they do. My heart races with the words of love Dallas is singing, and that I get to return to him though only in this song, if he only knew.
As we wrap up the song, the crowd cheers, and only when I feel Dallas's hand on my lower back under my jacket, do I turn to face the crowd and look at them for the first time. Many are standing, couples are intertwined in each other’s arms, and there are scattered signs all across the crowd.
I laugh at a few and make a note to tease the guys later. A few signs declare the girl wants to have their baby; there are a few proposals, and one asking to be Dallas's sugar baby. That’s the one I plan to kid him about later. I hug both Landon and Dallas, and then wave at the crowd, before heading back off the stage.
"Glad to have that over with?" Ivy, the drummer’s wife, asks.
"Very." I smile, as I hand the tech guy my mic.
"Let's get a drink and relax. I think they only have a few more songs, and then things back here get loud," Ivy says.
"Let's do it."
Backstage, there are several dressing rooms surrounding a large open area with couches and chairs, along with a snack and drink station. Ivy hands me a bottle of water, and I shrug out of my jacket. Note to self, no more jackets on stage. Those spotlights are no joke.
"So, I know how Dallas and my brother act on tour and the days off, but what is married life like on tour?" I ask her, as we curl up in one corner of the large u-shaped couch.
"Like a vacation that’s interrupted by work. We make it a point to go out and explore the area, when we can, bu
t I have a lot of downtime. I can only listen to so many sound checks. Dom doesn't mind me skipping them, as long as I'm at every show."
Dominic is a talented drummer and has been with the guys from the start. When they got married, they had such an awesome rock star themed wedding with lots of leather and lace. Landon was insistent that he could bring her on the road, if he didn't quit on them and would even hire a nanny, if they decided to have kids. That sold the deal, and I think it made Dom loyal to them for life.
They don't have kids yet, but they do have the master bedroom at the back of the bands’ bus. Dallas, Landon, and I are on the main bus.
"I'm hoping to steal you away for a girl’s day about halfway through. I will be so sick of my brother, and I’ll need a break." I smile.
"Done, just name it. Oh, you have no idea how happy I am you’re here. I love my husband and the band, but having another girl around, who isn't trying to get in the guys’ pants is a breath of fresh air."
We hear the guys wrap up the show.
"Speaking of, get ready for groupie central," I sigh.
"My least favorite part of the night, too." She agrees, and we turn to watch the hallway from which the guys will come off stage. No sooner do they get off the stage, you can hear the girls, trying to get their attention. They walk into the room, heading straight for the drink table and both guzzle down a bottle of water, before coming up for air.
Then, they look around the room, and as soon as their eyes find mine, they nod at me, before turning their attention to the venue's assistants and the girls surrounding them.
One girl presses her boobs up on Dallas's arm and rubs on him, like she's in heat. I turn my eyes to Ivy, because I can't watch it.
"You going to be okay? There's Dom, and we normally head right back to the bus. The show makes him hot, if you know what I mean." She wiggles her eyebrows at me.
I laugh, "Oh, I know. I'm going to head back to the bus, too. It's just creepy watching girls rub on them like they’re in heat."
"See you tomorrow!" Ivy says, and then jumps up and runs to Dom's arms. She leaps, and he catches her, as she wraps her legs around his waist. Dom is a pretty big guy. If I didn't know he was the drummer, I might think he was a bodyguard. I watch Dom carry Ivy out the back door, and I sigh. What a girl wouldn't give to have a guy like that.