“You never bent me over this desk, Brody, now shut up so we can get down to business,” Stephanie snapped, pulling out a folder and passing it around to the guys. I snuck around Tysen and Reid to stand behind Stephanie’s desk, casually leaning against the glass. The cold temperature felt energizing against my bare skin as I watched the interaction with the group.
Even if they were a multi-platinum selling band, they were just your average male pigs. Reid got most of the women, and rightly so for being the front runner. Brody was your stereotypical rock star; loud and obnoxious. And, Tysen and Ryder seemed more in focus of what was going on. Or, I could be totally wrong on all those assumptions since I’d been wrong oh so many times before.
“Your bus is leaving Friday Night at nine, since it’s around an eight hour drive to Boise. Molly is going to make sure you all get on the bus fine, and I’ll meet you later Saturday afternoon before sound check.”
“Does this mean she is riding with us? You can share my bunk with me, Molly, but I can’t help it if the beast makes an appearance,” Brody once again snickered.
“Knock it off; I can’t afford her to quit or file a sexual harassment lawsuit on your ass right now. Besides, she is riding on the crew bus,” Stephanie warned, looking back at me and offering a small apologetic smile.
I let my eyes wander over to Reid’s chair, knowing damn well I shouldn’t be looking. He really was gorgeous, sitting there with his hair hanging in his eyes, chewing on a pen top, reading the paper in his hands. What I would give to just walk over and brush…………………
“So nine, right?” Reid spoke up, causing me to break the trance I fell ass first into.
“Yes, nine. Please guys, be ready. I don’t want to have to deal with us being late for the first night on the road. Also, please no groupies. You know it only leads to problems when we have to kick them off the bus later. Please don’t make Molly be the bad guy tomorrow night,” Stephanie pleaded the guys.
“Don’t worry, Steph, I don’t plan on sharing,” Reid said slowly, staring directly into my eyes.
Oh crap on a broom, that man was going to be the death of me.
Chapter 6: Taking care of 4 overgrown men-children is like herding cats.
Friday morning started out with a bang. First, it was a call from my mother; giving me her weekly update on how disappointed she was in me for leaving home. That wasn’t what a McGlenister did; we faced our problems and got the job done. I was a little confused on what job she was referring to; however, I did get her to finally hang up once I claimed she was talking about my failing porno career. Who would have known that was all it took to get her off the phone with me? Next time I’d start talking about bondage and maybe she wouldn’t call me for a month. Ah, wishful thinking.
Packing light was something that I really should have skills in; considering that I up and left Georgia for Seattle without even batting an eye. But this morning, as I tried to cram the contents of my life into two smaller sized suitcases, I found out that was damn near impossible. How anyone managed to live out of a suitcase for several weeks was beyond my comprehension. Sure, there were stores you could stop and get what you needed, but then where would you put that? I refused to leave Simon, so the three bag limit Stephanie had set for me, basically downgraded me to two bags and him.
My next breakdown came when I realized I had no clue who I was leaving my baby with. She had been finally delivered on Wednesday, and now I had to drop her off at a storage unit place, and I didn’t know the owners. Talk about an emotional failure. Some people have kids and others have pets; for me there are only two important things in my life. One I got to take with me, and the other I had to leave in someone else’s hands. It had physically made me ill thinking about parking her and just walking away. Call me crazy, fuck call me insane, but she was my baby, and who could just walk away from someone they loved?
If my morning was an inclination of how this tour was going to go, I might as well have crawled back into bed and prayed for a do over. Pathetic? Maybe. Crazy? Hell yeah.
I was having total second thoughts about this job. I had finally felt comfortable with my living situation, and here I was basically throwing myself into an F5 tornado of uncertainty. This was the dream job I had always wanted, the one that paid the bills because playing for a living certainly wouldn’t. All I had to do was just let go, take a risk, and jump into this crazy mixed up world of music, bands, groupies, and authority.
“Hi, I’m Molly Anne McGlenister. I called and talked with management about leaving my baby here for the next couple weeks.”
The older man behind the counter gave me a puzzled look. Yes, old man, I said baby. Maybe I should have clarified that this baby was a V8, 225, Caspian Blue convertible, fully restored, beautiful baby. Some people have kids, I had a car.
“I’m sorry, Miss, I guess I’m a little confused on what you are asking,” the gentleman said with a frown.
“My car. I called about storing my car.” My voice developed a hitch, and I’m pretty sure tears were fighting to make an appearance. Fucking get it together, Molly; you don’t cry over shit like this.
“Oh, of course. What is the last name again?”
“McGlenister,” I managed to spit out. Fucking sap.
A couple seconds passed as the man searched for my reservation. The things I did for love.
“Alright, we have an indoor unit reserved for your vehicle,” he commented, reaching for a map and circling a unit with red pen. “If you take a left at the end of the parking lot and head straight back and to the right, your unit will be the fourth in, on the right hand side. Would you like to take care of payment now, or should we bill you?”
It was best to pay for services upfront. Yes, some people claimed then how were you assured they would do a good job? My thoughts were if you didn’t pay them, why would they perform at the level you expected? I was paying for an indoor, climate controlled unit. She wasn’t just getting left outside for the next couple weeks to face the elements unknown.
“I can now,” I replied, reaching into my wallet and pulling out my debit card.
The guy took the card and went to the back counter to swipe the card.
“Um, sorry miss, but this card read invalid.”
Fucking mother from hell. Shaking my head in disbelief, I quickly handed him another card, one tied to my trust fund. At least her name wasn’t on that account.
“Sorry,” I mumbled softly. Nothing chapped my ass more than having her meddle with my money. The account she was attached to was my hard earned cash, and the only reason she was on that account was I needed a cosigner back when I opened it. For unknown reasons, I had never taken her off as a signer. Apparently, the reason was becoming quite evident; I was an idiot.
The man brought over a slip of paper to sign and handed me back my card. Quickly, I scribbled out a somewhat legible signature and snatched the paperwork off the counter. Today’s ranking just took a turn for the shitter and now was a solid three.
“Thanks for trusting us with your valuables,” the older man smiled.
Forcing a smile in return, I pushed open the door and sulked over to my girl. Going on tour with the band Black Laden should be every girl’s wet dream. Why couldn’t I just be fucking happy?
So there I stood, in the gigantic parking lot, glaring at two rather large buses. Sure, they were slick, shiny, and gigantic; but I’m still irritated about today, and being a girl I could hold a grudge well, for basically ever.
I stashed my bags and Simon under the crew bus, and had a brief meeting with Cooper, the crew pit master. He was an older guy, but could still run with the big dogs for the most part. No one seemed to give Cooper any crap when he barked out orders. He was someone I should have been taking notes from. I tried to believe that I was this big, bad ass girl, but reality normally got the best of me. Don’t get me wrong, I took absolutely no one’s shit, but it always seemed to come back and bite me in the ass one way or the other.
“Hey Molly, we need to get the crew on the road here if we are going to make it in time to set up tomorrow,” Cooper yelled as he shuffled people onto the waiting crew bus.
Glancing at my phone, I realized the band was late. Of course they were late, did I really think this was going to be easy? When did rock stars ever run on time? Well, not like I actually knew since this was my first job with a band and all, but I could assume.
“Let me call them,” I stated, franticly scrolling through my work phone for anyone of the members’ cell number.
“We have to go. I’ll catch you at the arena tomorrow.” Cooper waved as he got on the bus.
“Wait,” I shouted while the door shut. Perfect. There I was, in a dark parking lot, with a random bus driver, waiting for a band that couldn’t seem to remember what time we were leaving.
Watching the bus pull away from the area, I realized all my stuff was heading out into the darkness without me. Not only was I left to ride on a bus full of stupid boys, I also had to do it without a change of clothes or a toothbrush. Fuck-a-duck.
Two black town cars pulled into the parking lot at a quarter past ten. I had only been sitting there for a little over three hours, fuming. Around the second hour of waiting I started to role play the conversations I was going to have with them. Most of the scenarios ended in me punching Brody in the balls and walking away. Even if that situation wouldn’t play out in reality, I still got a chuckle fantasizing about it.
“Sorry, Molly, I tried to get them to leave a couple hours ago,” Tiny apologized when he stepped out of the car. As much as I wanted to yell and scream, this man didn’t deserve my wrath.
“Oh it’s M-O-L-L-Y,” Brody slurred while stumbling out of the second car, clearly wasted. Ryder and Tysen trailed behind the drunken Brody, obviously not as inebriated as their buddy.
“Yep, get on the bus, boys,” I sighed, rubbing my forehead to try and prevent the headache that was coming on.
“Shots on the bus!” Brody shouted into the darkness, not realizing that Tysen and Ryder were directly behind him.
“Just get on the bus, fucker.” Ryder laughed, pushing Brody up the steps.
Shaking my head, I walked over to give Tiny a hand with the luggage. The quicker this shit got loaded, the sooner we got out. I knew my ass was in for a chewing tomorrow with Stephanie, because we were now almost 4 hours behind schedule.
“Don’t worry about this, Molly; I’ve got it,” Tiny remarked, hauling four bags to one hand.
“It’s okay, I don’t mind.” Suddenly the other town car’s door slammed shut, and plastered up against the sleek black vehicle was a typical bar skank and Reid.
There was almost a pain to my heart, but I refused to acknowledge it. We had met twice now, and both times combined had equaled out to maybe five minutes of conversation. So why would I let my heart believe that something was there when my mind obviously knew the truth of the matter. This was my job, and there was no way I was going to let him effect it.
Reid grabbed the blonde bimbo’s hand and started pulling her to the bus. Maybe it was the click of her heels, or possibly the giggle to her laugh that made me snap. Either way, I was about to go postal on Malibu Barbie.
“Stop! No groupies on the bus,” I stated firmly, looking directly into Reid’s eyes. Those stupid brown eyes could melt your heart like a hot knife in butter. Just sliding through until it cut it cleanly in two.
“Really, Molly Anne; you really going to try and pull that shit?” Reid’s voice challenged everything that I had built myself to be. No way was I taking this man’s shit, even if he was a freaking god.
“Stephanie clearly said no groupies on the bus. I’m pretty sure she constitutes as one of them. So if you are ready to go, say good bye to little miss sunshine and get your ass on the bus.”
Reid narrowed his eyes, licking his lips slowly. The tension between us was thick, but I refused to back down. There was no way I was riding to Boise with this chick on the bus. Not to mention, I was not giving Stephanie another reason to yell at me.
I crossed my arms against my chest, never breaking the connection between the two of us. If he wanted to play hard ball, then game on.
“Hey, ass-wipe, are you coming or what?” Tysen yelled from the doorway.
Reid swiftly grabbed the chick’s face and brought her in harshly for a kiss, smashing his lips into hers. Pretty sure a couple pieces of my already broken heart fell and smashed into a million other little pieces on the floor of my broken world. Fuck you, Reid, I thought silently.
The blonde bimbo giggled when Reid smacked her ass. He turned to glare at me and jumped up the stairs of the bus. Finally.
“The car will take you back to whatever hole you’ve crawled out of. By the way, you might want to get tested and all,” I said spitefully. Was it necessary to say that to her? Probably not, but at least it made me feel good.
“Are you riding with us, Molly?” Tiny questioned, closing the storage units under the bus.
“Yep, I guess so,” I replied with a shrug.
Tiny let out a huge grin and wrapped his big arm around my shoulders, guiding me to the door.
“I don’t think that man has ever been told no. I like you already, girl.” Tiny laughed, motioning for me to head up the stairs first.
I offered him a small smirk back. I was going to tell that man no all the damn time, even if everything in my body screamed a totally different thing.
“Tacos! I want Jack-In-The-Box tacos,” Brody yelled, sprawled out on one of the two couches up front.
Nodding to the driver that we were all accounted for, I took the closest seat to the wall, leaving plenty of space between the guys and myself.
“Why are you on this bus?” Reid snapped at me.
“Well, because apparently you didn’t watch Sesame Street growing up, and can’t tell time,” I said calmly, batting my eyelashes at the irritated rocker.
“Oooh……….did someone hit a nerve there, Reid?” Ryder jabbed, kicking his legs up on the table in front of him.
I had to fight a smile from forming on my lips. I doubt that anyone ever gave Reid Chambers any shit, and tonight he was getting it from a bunch of different angles. I quickly glanced back at Ryder who sat there with a shit eating grin on his face, taking a long pull from the bottle in his hands.
I was about to experience life on the road with rock stars. Could it get any better than this?
“Fuck you both, Man,” Reid snarled, turning on his heels and stomping for the back of the bus.
This was going to be an adventure to say the least.
Chapter 7: Not now vagina.
It wasn’t like the couches on the bus were not comfy; it’s just that they were couches. I’ve always struggled with sleep my entire life. My brain goes five million miles an hour and even when I try to turn it off it doesn’t work. Counting sheep was useless, considering once I reached an obscene amount of sheep, I started adding things into the mix. Five hundred and nine sheep, seven elephants, two mallard ducks, and one tiny bitch dog, oh and don’t forget the E-I-E-I-O part, too. Then it became a task of trying to remember what I was adding, and well, fuck sleep at that point. So there I sat, staring out the large tinted windows, watching as the highway rolled on by, alone. The guys had gone back to their bunks some time ago, and that left me with the bus driver, who didn’t speak a word to me. Now would be the perfect time to pick away at Simon, but of course he went on the bus I was supposed to be on. Imagine that.
Softly a melody overtook my mind, and I quietly started to place a few words here and there along the chorus line. How easily I could get lost in music, letting the rest of the world drown out and the melodies take me away. It was music for my soul, therapy for my mind, and lyrics to help heal my heart.
“Can’t sleep?” Reid questioned, throwing himself down on the couch across from me.
Startled by his words my body jolted from my musical daze. Hearing his voice at two a.m. was not something I was prepared to face
. This man turned my world upside down and inside out. He was so complicated one moment, and then, just a simple man the very next second. It’s that vulnerability that makes him so damn irresistible, even the strongest of characters wouldn’t be able to deny his charm.
“I don’t sleep much, anyway.” I shrugged my shoulders, pulling my legs up to my chest. There was something about his eyes that I just couldn’t shake. At that moment, I felt like he could look into my soul; see all the secrets and struggles I battled with daily on display. But for some reason, even with the feeling that I was naked, a calming sense rang through the air.
“What were you singing?”
“Oh, nothing. Just some words.” Music was my safe haven, and sharing that with him scared the shit out of me.
Reid nodded his head and glanced out the window, letting the silence fill the dark bus once again. It was completely weird how much sexual tension I harbored for this man. He was a rock god, and with that came a status. Fuck, he basically dry humped that blonde bimbo in the parking lot earlier, and I knew that was a tamer version of what happened earlier that night. Even knowing that this man had women at his beck and call, a simple word ushered and women dropped their drawers and opened their mouths, and I still wanted him. My girly bits were okay with being used and abused by this man, but my heart and mind said hold up. Reid was nothing but a walking heartbreak waiting to happen. Might as well save myself some pain and just burry the feeling deep down inside. If that doesn’t work, I can always beat it with a shovel. Let’s just dig this hole and get it over with.
"So how do you like the new job?” Reid questioned, turning his attention back at me.
“It’s great, not really what I expected, but great.” So much for beating myself with a shovel.
“What do you mean? Do you not want to be here with me?” His brows scrunched as he questioned my comment, causing his hair to dip further into his eyes.
Hot Southern Mess (Hide Your Crazy) Page 5