Heaven Sent

by Tania Sparks

  “Okey-dokey.” I say shrugging my shoulders. His world is just so different to mine. Ash walks me towards the exit door. Just on the other side of the door, there’s a limo waiting. All the other guys are already inside. Ash opens the door and motions for me to get in. I lower my head and slide into the limo.

  As soon as I sit down one of the guys says, “Hello beautiful.” Looking me over from head to toe, focussing for too long on my chest. He pats the seat next to him and smirks, “Slide on over gorgeous, I don’t bite.” He leans in closer to me and whispers “Unless you want me to of course.”

  Ash slides into the limo next to me. “Hands off Nikki.” He scowls at the guy that had been eyeing me up. He closes the door and slaps the glass partition that separates us from the driver a couple of times and the limo slowly starts to move. “I guess I should properly introduce everyone,” Ash says. “Everyone, this is my Angel.”

  “Hi guys.” I smile.

  Ash gestures to each of the guys as he introduces them. “This is Scott, our singer, Cody’s our drummer, Hansen’s our bass player, and Nikki’s our rhythm guitarist – he’s the smooth talker that can now stop eye fucking you!” Ash reaches over and slaps Nikki on the back of his head.

  “Ouch, what the hell Ash, I was just trying to be nice to the beautiful lady.” Nikki scowls.

  “Off limits.” Ash growls as he looks at each of the guys in turn. “Understand?”

  “Whatever man.” Cody chuckles. Then he leans over and looks me straight in the eye. “Eve, Ash’s told us your guys history, if this douchebag fucks up again, come see me, I know how to look after a stunning lady like you.” Cody smiles and darts backwards as Ash tries to punch him in the ribs.

  Ash puts his arm around my shoulder trying to shield me from the guys. It’s quite comical actually. Ash is being oddly protective. As the limo moves quickly along the road, I look around and suss out each of the guys. Of course I had met all of them once or twice before, but it was seven years ago and they had probably just thought of me as some insignificant chick on Ash’s arm at the time.

  Scott’s the singer. He’s all swagger and confidence. He has long blonde messy hair. He’s a tall guy, a few inches taller than the others and he doesn’t seem to have as many tattoos.

  Cody’s the drummer. I saw last night that his head is shaved on the sides and he has a bright red mohawk, which is currently covered by his brown beanie. He seems to have boundless energy and even sitting here in the limo appears restless and is constantly jiggling and tapping his hands on his knees, keeping to a rhythm in his own head.

  Hansen, is the bands bassist. He has dirty blond messy hair. He has a warm smile and no visible tattoos. He comes across as being an absolute sweetheart. He’s not as tough looking as the others and has such a warm smile it makes you want to give him a hug!

  Nikki, is rhythm guitar. He’s about the same build as Ash and has similar black hair but his is slightly longer and flops over his eyes. He has a lip ring, a barbell through his right eyebrow and gauges in his ears. He seems to have more tattoos than Ash too. I’ve picked up already that he’s the cheeky one. I bet he gets into a lot of trouble and I’m sure he’s a hit with the girls.

  We arrive at the mini golf and all pile out of the limo. We’re welcomed at the front gate by the manager who shakes everyone’s hands and welcomes us to the mini golf park. The place looks deserted, I hope that it isn’t a reflection on the quality of the facilities. If nobody else is here, maybe it’s no good? I loop my arm through Ash’s and lean in to whisper into his ear, “I hope this place isn’t crap, nobody else is here so it might not be very good.”

  Ash smiles at me and says, “We hired the whole place out for a couple of hours, we don’t want to be disturbed by fans while we’re trying to relax.”

  “Oh!” I say. Once again I realise his world is so completely different to mine. The guys seem to take it all in their stride. I guess they’re used to special treatment and I can understand it as it must get really annoying to be pestered by fans all the time. The park manager hands us our clubs and golf balls and we make our way to the beginning of the course.

  “Right,” I say, with a big smile on my face, “Before we start shall we have a small wager on who’s going to win?”

  “You don’t want to do that Eve.” Scott says shaking his head. “Ash here always wins, and I mean, always. Shit I don’t know why we even bother, none of us ever beat him. The dickhead always ends up driving us mental bragging about it for the rest of the night!”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that, I might be okay at this.” I smile coyly. “Let’s place some bets. I bet a hundred bucks I’ll beat Ash.” The guys all look at me like I’m some kind of psycho.

  Ash grins. “Challenge on Angel, but I’m not taking your money. When I win, you have to come to tonight’s concert and watch from backstage.”

  “Mmmm,” I humph, “What do I get if I win?”

  “You won’t!” all five guys chant at the same time.

  “Ok, ok, but we have to put something on the table. How about this. If Ash wins, I go to tonight’s concert. If I win, each of you has to give me a foot rub.”

  “Hmmm, doesn’t sound like a good deal to me,” Cody says, “If Ash wins, which he will! What do we get out of it?. How about if you win Eve, we’ll each give you a foot rub, but if Ash wins, we each get a kiss from you!”

  Ash growls from behind me as he puts his arms around my waist. “Not sure I like that idea.” he mumbles.

  “What, you chicken?” I snicker.

  “No.”, He sulks, “It just sounds like a no win for me. I win, and these cocksuckers get a kiss from you. If you win, they still get to touch you, even if it is just a foot rub. I haven’t even got a kiss from you yet!” he pouts.

  “Oh, poor baby.” I grin as I give him a quick peck on his lips. That puts an instant mile-wide smile on his face. As he squeezes me around the waist he says, “Game on Angel!”

  I hang back and wait for each of the guys to take their turn at the first hole. Scott goes first and he takes four hits to get the ball in the hole. Cody goes next and he takes three hits to get his ball in. Hansen does absolutely atrociously and takes seven hits before his ball finally sinks in. Then Nikki has his turn and also manages to get it in three hits. Ash goes next and takes only two hits to get his ball in the hole. “Whoop, whoop,” he yells, “See, what did I tell you Angel, I’m the best.” He blows on is knuckles and polishes them against his shoulder cockily.

  It’s my turn. I decide to play the girlie card and act completely dumb. I walk up to the starting line and bend over to place my ball on the turf. I lean over to make sure I give the guys a full view of my ass up in the air. I hear them all groan as Ash quickly walks up behind me to obscure their view while he scowls at them over his shoulder. I chuckle to myself. I think I could really play stupid so I say to Ash, “So babe, how do I hold this sticky thing?”

  “It’s a golf club Angel, it’s not a ‘sticky thing’.” Ash says rolling his eyes as he moves in behind me to help me hold the club correctly. I let him stand behind me as he moulds me into the correct position to hit the ball. His body is hot and hard and I start to doubt that this was a good idea at all.

  “Okay, okay, I’ve got it.” I say, wiggling my butt to get him to move away.

  “I’m looking forward to my kiss.” Cody remarks casually with a big grin on his face.

  “Don’t count on it, a foot rub is looking mighty fine to me.” I smile to myself as I raise my club and hit the ball. It slowly makes its way down the green and lands directly into the hole. “Hole in one!” I yell as I do a little happy dance on the spot.

  Scott, Cody, Nikki and Hansen all hoot and laugh. Ash looks at me through narrowed eyes and considers me for a few seconds. Then a smile lights up his face and he says, “Must be my coaching – lucky first try Angel!”

  We move onto the next hole and once again Scott goes first, this time taking four hits to get his ball into the hole. Thi
s is followed by Cody who takes five hits, Hansen with a comparatively good three hits, Nikki also with three and Ash takes it again in just two. It’s my turn. I make sure I line up my shot and wiggle my ass, prompting another set of groans from the guys. I hit the ball and once again I get a hole in one. I do another little happy dance while the guys chuckle.

  “Beginners luck!” Ash exclaims.

  The guys continue to laugh and Scott says, “I think we may have been hustled!”

  Ash smiles at me. He cocks his head to the side and squints his eyes as if he’s trying to figure me out. It’s now the third hole and we all take our turns again. Really, I can’t believe that these guys play mini golf on any sort of regular basis. They have absolutely no skills at all, except for Ash who is reasonably good, no wonder he always wins, all the other guys are abysmal.

  This time the guys each do just as bad as before. Even Ash only manages to get the ball in the hole after three hits. It’s my turn and I smile to myself. I’m going to thrash them and I know it. What I hadn’t told them is that during my sophomore year at college, my roommate Trixie had got sick of me sulking around the dorm every night yearning over Ash. Two or three times a week she would drag me out to keep her company while she worked at a mini golf park which was just outside campus. After a few weeks I had started to get so bored just sitting in the office with her, that we had begun playing on the course when it wasn’t busy. After a few months I had got really good and most times could get holes in one consistently.

  I stand at the beginning of the green, bend over and place the ball down. I stand back up and spin the club around my head like a marching band baton with a big grin on my face. I line up my shot and hit the ball. I watch it move down the green bouncing off a few of the side barriers progressing towards the hole. Just as it sinks into the hole I turn around and hold an L shape with my hand to my forehead and yell at Ash, “Looser.”

  I notice two things. Firstly the guys all laughing hysterically. Then I hear and see Ash rushing towards me as he yells, “Right Angel. You’re in so much fucking trouble, we’ve definitely been hustled.” He’s coming towards me fast. I screech and take off down the green. He’s following me and gaining rapidly. I duck around the various obstacles trying to avoid being caught. Ash chases me around the course with me screeching every few steps and ducking in between trees, shrubs and jumping over course props. I dart around a corner only to find Ash is there waiting for me. He grabs me around the waist, lifts me up off the ground and swings me around in a circle. He pushes me up against the wall and holds me there with his hard hot body pressed against mine. “I think you’re a little hustler.” he chuckles. We’re both laughing and breathing heavily. His body vibrates against mine, I can feel every solid muscle push against my soft curves as heat radiates off him.

  “I never said I couldn’t play!” I exclaim. He lets me slide down his body, but he still holds me pushed up against the wall. He’s studying my face. His intense gaze moving between my eyes, to my lips and then back to my eyes again. Is he going to kiss me? Do I want him to? The silence is making my heart pound loudly and I can feel Ash’s heart pounding in his chest too.

  Ash leans his head down and bends his knees so he’s looking straight into my eyes. He has the most troubled look on his face, “Do you belong to someone Angel?”

  “What do you mean?” I whisper, still looking him directly in his eyes that are now burning with possession.

  “Are you seeing someone?” he asks quietly.

  “Sort of.” I whisper.

  “What do you mean sort of?” he growls.

  “We’re on a break from each other at the moment. He wanted to have some time apart for a month. The month’s nearly up and he’s meeting me here in San Francisco in a few days so we can talk about where our relationship’s going from here.”

  “Please tell me I’m not too late Angel, have I lost you?” He mutters so quietly that I can almost not hear him. He looks so sad.

  “I don’t know Ash, I’ve missed you terribly but I don’t even know what this is between us.”

  He leans towards my ear. I can feel his breath on my neck. He whispers, “This is whatever you want it to be Angel, I’ll take you any way I can get you.”

  We stand there for a few minutes, me pressed up against the wall by his body, the electricity sparking between us, just looking each other, our hearts pounding loudly. “I fucking want you Angel. I’m not going to let you go for a second time. I’ll earn you back. I’ll fight for you, now I’ve found you again, you’re going to be mine and only mine. Surely you can feel it too, this charge we’ve always had between us, it’s still there, maybe even stronger now. We’re meant to be together Angel and I’m not going to let some lame ass boyfriend stop me.”

  His knuckles lightly trail up the underside of my neck. He gently lifts my chin so I’m looking directly into his burning eyes. “I’m not losing you again Angel.” He kisses me on the tip of my nose and lets me go. I stand there in confusion. Ash wants me? What does that mean exactly? He wants me now, but what about tomorrow? Am I just another conquest? Will he leave me again? Before I have a chance to think about it further he grabs my hand and pulls me back towards the other guys. They had all carried on with their game and are almost finished. We had obviously been gone longer than I thought.

  As we get closer to the guys Ash says, “Let’s get outa here.” They all agree and gather up their clubs and golf balls to return them to the manager as we make our way out the front gate to the waiting limo. Once we get into the limo Ash pulls me in close to his side and puts his arm around my shoulder. We start to head off back towards the hotel. Ash looks at me with hope in his eyes “Even though I didn’t win, you’re still going to come to tonight’s concert aren’t you Angel?”

  I smile at him and tell him that I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’m actually really looking forward to seeing Ash perform again. I haven’t seen him perform live for seven years. I had considered going to some of his concerts but I could never actually bring myself to buy the tickets and go. Seeing him perform again always seemed like such a difficult thing to do.

  As we get close to the hotel Ash tells me that they’re going to go straight to sound check. He kisses me on the cheek and tells me that he’ll send a car for me at half past seven. He tells me to pack a bag with a change of clothes for the after party. I give him a hug and thank him for a wonderful day and tell him that I’m excited about tonight’s concert. I say goodbye to the guys and jump out of the limo. The limo pulls away, Ash leans out the window with a big smile on his face, “See you later Angel. I’m going to rock your world tonight.”

  I chuckle to myself, I have no doubt that he will.

  Chapter 4

  It’s three o’clock so I have four and a half hours to have a nap and then get ready for the concert. On my way back to my room I call by the kitchen and grab a quick sandwich from one of my friends who’s the restaurant’s head chef. After quickly eating my sandwich, I set the alarm for five o’clock and take off my clothes. I snuggle under the blankets on my bed in just my bra and panties. It’s just as well I’m used to working odd hours, so I quickly drop off to sleep.

  The alarm goes off at five o’clock and I wake up refreshed and ready for the evening. I take my time getting ready, taking a nice relaxing bath, painting my nails and applying make-up with dark smoky eyes and pale pink lipstick. I go through my clothes to look for something that would be suitable to wear to a rock concert. After putting on my black lace panties and bra, I decide on black skinny jeans and a sheer black top that drapes down low at the front. I put on my five inch heeled black leather ankle boots and accessorise the look with dangly earrings and half a dozen bangles.

  It’s a couple of minutes before seven thirty when there’s a knock at my door. I grab my wallet, lipstick and phone and squeeze them into the pockets of my jeans. I pick up my bag that I’ve packed with a change of clothes for the after party and I open the door to find a big guy stand
ing in the doorway. “You Eve?” he asks.

  “That’s me.” I answer.

  The large guy smiles and says, “Hi, I’m Pete, Ash asked me to come and collect you and take you through to the venue, you ready to go?”

  I nod my head and follow Pete out the door. He takes my bag for me telling me he’ll make sure it gets taken to the holding room so that it’s there for me after the concert. We take the elevator down to the lobby. There’s a limo waiting out front and Pete holds the door open for me. I get in and settle into the seat. Pete goes around and hops into the driver’s seat. There’s a bottle of champagne and some handmade chocolates with an envelope with my name on it. I pick up the envelope and open it. Angel, please enjoy the champagne and chocolates. I can’t wait to see you. Lots of love, Ash. I help myself to the treats that are absolutely delightful. The partition between me and Pete is down so I take the opportunity to have a chat to him. He’s a nice guy, has been working for Oblivion for six years and sort of doubles as their driver come security guard.

  The limo ride only takes about fifteen minutes. The stadium parking area is packed but most of the people are inside as the opening act has already started their set. Pete drives around to the back entrance of the arena and stops the car. He comes around to my door and invites me to get out. He steps up behind me and ushers me to the door, saying hi to the security guards on our way through. I can hear the pounding of the music and the excited crowd. After walking through numerous corridors, we finally come to a door which Pete opens for me and indicates for me to go inside while telling me that Ash and the guys are inside. I walk in and there are people everywhere. I can’t believe just how little most of the girls are wearing, some of them are barely covered wearing very tiny shorts or skirts and lace bras. There are couples making out, a few of them getting very intimate – really, do they have no shame! There’s a bar set up along the back wall and it’s covered with bottles of beer, spirits and wine. I can’t see Ash anywhere so I make my way over to the bar and help myself to a beer. I feel strong arms wrap around my waist from behind and hot breath on my neck. “You look fucking hot Angel!” Ash growls in my ear. I feel my body instantly warm as I turn around and place my arms around Ash’s neck and give him a quick kiss on the cheek. He’s dressed in his stage get-up with black torn jeans, a ripped black t-shirt, leather wrist bands and more eye make-up than me!