Annie giggled as she exchanged glances with Casey. “I guess we worked up an appetite,” she said.
“Guess so.” He waved the waiter over to their table and asked for the check. After billing the charge to the room, Casey signed the receipt, stuffing his copy into his pocket as he pushed back from the table. “You ready?” he asked.
“Yep, let’s go.” She took one last sip of her water and then got up from the table and followed him out of the restaurant.
It was a short walk to Chinatown from the hotel; however, at the pace they were going, it took them longer than it should have. Casey held her hand the whole way there. Whenever they stopped at a red light to wait for their turn to walk, he would pull her hand up to his lips and brush a kiss against her knuckles, making her go all gooey inside.
Every girl dreams about finding the kind of man who will cherish and adore her. And Casey just seemed to know how to say and do all the right things. Without a doubt, Annie was fully aware of how lucky she was to have found him.
Browsing through several stores together, each of them stopped occasionally to buy little souvenir gifts for their family and friends. After an hour of shopping, they walked back to the hotel. Since Casey was going to have to report to the venue soon for his call time, they decided to curl up together on the bed and take a short power nap. He pulled her close to him so that he was spooning her, and with her head tucked under his chin, Annie quickly fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
When the alarm she had set for them went off, Annie jolted awake. “Ugh,” she groaned. “I feel like I just barely closed my eyes.”
Casey yawned and kissed her shoulder. “I know, me too,” he said. “I promise I’ll let you get some sleep tonight after we get back from the show.”
“Like hell you will,” she shot back, playfully elbowing him in the stomach.
“Oof, okay, no sleep for you tonight,” he quickly amended.
“Some sleep is okay, but only after you’ve satisfied me,” Annie said teasingly.
“Greedy wench,” he teased back, which got him another elbow in the stomach.
“Mmpf, okay okay, deal,” he said. Glancing at his watch, Casey sighed. “Alright, I need to get up. I have to be there soon.”
“Okay. What time should I head there and where am I going exactly?”
“Leave in about an hour,” he instructed. “It’s at Candlestick Park. Just tell the cab driver. He’ll know where to go.” Casey quickly changed his shirt and disappeared into the bathroom to freshen up. He returned to the bed to kiss her one more time before he left. “Your ticket and backstage pass are right here on the nightstand. After the show is over, just go to any of the security guards and show them your pass, tell them you’re my guest. They’ll bring you backstage to me.”
“Got it,” she said. “Break a leg, baby.”
Casey smiled at her. “Thanks. I’ll see you after the show.”
When she heard the door to their room close behind him, Annie sighed and pushed herself up to a sitting position. She guessed she should start getting ready. It only took her a few minutes to change into the clothes she’d brought for the concert: a sleeveless, gold, fringe shirt and skintight, black leather pants with black, high-heeled boots.
Deciding to head downstairs to the bar so she could have a drink before heading to the venue, Annie grabbed her purse and black leather jacket and left their room. She was just about to round the corner to the elevators when she heard two female voices. Hearing them mention Casey’s name, she froze in her tracks, listening carefully to catch the rest of the conversation.
“But what about that little Asian skank he brought with him?”
“Oh please, I hardly think she’s a threat. Casey will get bored with her in no time and then you can make your move.”
“You think so?” the first girl asked.
“Definitely. Casey doesn’t do relationships.” Annie couldn’t help but notice that she sounded a little bitter at this statement.
“How long have you known him again?”
“Maybe four or five years. We’ve done a few tours together.”
“And you haven’t wanted to make a play for him yourself?”
“Oh no, I have. Been there, done that. Like I said, he never dates any one girl for too long.” Annie swallowed hard as she heard those last words. “Trey seems to have taken an interest as well.”
The first girl snorted. “She can have him. That guy fucks anyone in a skirt, and I do mean anyone.”
The elevator dinged open, and a few moments later, the voices were gone. Just to be safe, Annie counted to ten before walking around the corner. Pressing the down button, she stood back to wait for the next elevator arrive.
Well, that was enlightening.
So Casey wasn’t into long-term relationships, and Trey wasn’t picky about the company he kept. Annie was feeling really great about herself all of a sudden… not.
Upon arriving at Candlestick Park, Annie joined the mob of people heading into the venue, pushing against each other as they moved towards the ticket takers at the entrance. With the ticket she’d gotten from Casey gripped tightly in one hand, she waited in line to have her purse searched. Glancing around, she noticed that the concertgoers seemed to be predominantly pre-teen to teenage girls—some in groups together, some with their moms; she even saw a few dads who had braved coming so they could take their little girls to see their favorite pop star.
A few minutes later, she was walking down the hallway, trying to figure out where she was supposed to go. Spotting one of the venue workers standing by an entrance, she scooted over to his side and asked if he could help point her in the right direction. He gestured to the left and indicated that she should go down to the next entrance.
Following the directions of two more venue workers, Annie finally found her seat. It was way down in the front, only two rows back and in the center. Casey had thoughtfully made sure she had an excellent seat. She’d have to be sure to thank him properly later. While waiting for the show to start, she pulled out her phone to take a few selfies. After picking her favorite, she applied a filter and uploaded it to Instagram and Facebook with a short caption: Waiting for the show to start…
Katie and Teresa both happened to be online and liked her status right away. Teresa posted a comment: You look gorgeous, honey! Have a GREAT time!! Take lots of pictures! Then Katie posted a comment as well: Get phone numbers of hot dancers! Laughing, Annie liked both comments and then posted a reply: Thanks and okay, I’m on it! Will take pictures and get numbers of hot dancers!
The lights on stage suddenly flashed several times, warning everyone that the show was about to start. Concertgoers who had been standing around talking to each other started to make their way back to their seats. Turning the phone on silent, Annie tucked it back in her purse, then stood up to let a middle-aged woman and two teenage girls get past her.
The Top 40 music that had been playing from the loudspeakers faded out, and the lights in the stadium dimmed as people started to quiet down. Shivering, Annie grinned as the first song began to play, making goose bumps break out all up and down her arms. She couldn’t wait to see Casey dance on stage.
One by one, four groups of dancers were lit up by blue spotlights, each frozen in various poses. Then a larger, white spotlight was directed in between the groups, and the audience exploded in wild applause as Kayla Miles began to sing. Dressed in a tiny, silver, sequined dress, the short, blond bombshell made her way down the center walkway that came into the audience as she sang the first verse of her latest chart-topping hit. The dancers surrounded her, framing her with their sexy limbs as they followed her around the stage.
As the chorus began, Kayla was spun from the arms of one hot guy to another as she danced for a few seconds with each one. Annie shrieked and jumped up and down as she recognized the second guy Kayla was spun to. Casey looked amazing, so confident and sure of himself, his movements sharp and precise. He wore a light grey fedora, a pair
of black pleather pants that clung snugly to his hips and a matching vest with no shirt. The vest hung open, displaying his fantastic washboard abs. Annie’s mouth went a little dry watching him dance, his ab muscles rippling as he moved.
All the women and girls alike around her jumped and screamed as well, some of them pointing to the sexy male dancers and swooning. Mixed feelings of pride and jealousy washed over her as the other women ogled Casey, making her frown momentarily. Then she shook her head free of the feeling and continued to clap and cheer for her man.
Most of the pictures she took of him turned out blurry, but she was able to get a couple of good shots. The next couple of hours flew by, and before she knew it, Kayla and her dancers were back on stage and performing an encore. She screamed herself hoarse, cheering with the rest of the crowd as the song ended.
After waiting for everyone else to exit from her row, Annie moved towards one of the security guards to show him her backstage pass. A big, burly guy with tattoos and short, spiked, bleached blonde hair who reminded her of a WWE fighter glanced at the pass and then beckoned for her to follow him. Leading her around to the side end of the stage, he stopped and spoke to another security guard, this one tall, black and lean with bulging biceps. He looked down at Annie, his eyes flitting over the backstage pass that hung around her neck and then nodded briefly. Turning back to her, blondie told her, “This is Tony. He’ll take you backstage.”
Nodding, she thanked him and then followed Tony as he walked up the stairs and onto the stage. He led her across and down the back side of the stage, through a maze of roadies, costume racks and other VIP guests until they finally reached a row of dressing room doors. Stopping in front of the third one, he knocked on the door twice and waited.
It was Trey who opened the door a few seconds later. He looked at the security guard first and then glanced at Annie, his eyes widening slightly before his lips curved up in a slow smile.
“Well hello there,” he said with a wink, making Annie blush uncomfortably.
Trey nodded at the guard and thanked him, then held the door open and stood back so Annie could enter the dressing room.
As soon as she walked through the door, Casey was right there, sweeping her up in a big hug.
“Hey princess,” he murmured before kissing her thoroughly.
Trey rolled his eyes and cleared his throat, excusing himself as he brushed past them with his street clothes in hand, and disappeared behind a changing screen. Annie had little doubt Casey was carrying on more than necessary for Trey’s benefit, but at the moment, she didn’t really care. She loved his kisses.
“You were amazing. I couldn’t take my eyes off of you the entire time. And the ladies around me were lovin’ you just as much. I thought I might have to cut a bitch for a minute or two there,” she joked with a wry smile.
He laughed and shook his head. “Thank you for showing restraint. It would’ve sucked to have to bail you out of jail. That shit’s expensive.”
Wrinkling her nose, Annie grinned at him. “Yeah, that would’ve been no bueno, at least now I know you’d bail me out. Thanks for the amazing seat! I had a perfect view of the entire stage.”
“You’re welcome. I’m stoked you were able to come see me perform.”
“And me,” a voice chimed in. Annie looked over Casey’s shoulder and saw Mike and Travis, two of the other dancers she’d met at the club, sitting at a long vanity next to another guy she hadn’t met, yet. They were still in their costumes from the last song of the show and appeared to be removing make-up from their faces. Mike gave her a cheeky grin and winked, making her grin back at him.
“I’m thrilled I got to see all of you dance,” Annie assured them. “You guys are legit. Some of those moves were so hot that I thought the stage was going to light on fire.” She made sure to sound suitably impressed.
“Oh we know,” Mike said, nodding and looking innocently serious. “We are the panty-droppers.” Casey reached back and biffed Mike upside the back of his head, making Annie laugh out loud.
“Ignore him,” Casey told her. “He’s an idiot. His mother dropped him on his head when he was a baby.”
“Hey now, that’s not nice,” Mike complained with a sullen look on his face.
Annie grabbed Casey’s hand and pulled him back over to her to save Mike from further physical punishment.
“May not be nice, but it’s true. You are an idiot,” Travis added, finally joining in the conversation. Mike just elbowed him hard in the ribs, making Travis cough and then wheeze before turning to him and punching him in the shoulder. “Fuck off!” he snapped at Mike.
“You fuck off!” Mike growled back at him.
Casey sighed and opened the dressing room door to escape, pulling Annie behind him before closing the door again.
“Listen, the rest of the crew is going back to Ruby Skye tonight, and we can go there with them if you want, but I was thinking maybe instead, we could just do a late dinner together.”
“Mmm, that sounds perfect,” Annie said with a dreamy smile as she pushed up on her toes to kiss him soundly. She was all in favor of having Casey to herself for a while after having to share him with hundreds of other drooling women. That would take some getting used to.
“Great. Give me fifteen minutes and I’ll meet you out front.”
Annie nodded, but just before turning to leave, she saw Kayla walking towards them. The petite pop star who was even more beautiful up close was followed by a flustered looking young woman holding a coat and purse in one hand while she balanced a clipboard and cell phone in her other hand.
Beyond excited to meet the talented singer, Annie was about to gush over her performance and beg for an autograph, but Kayla completely ignored the fact that she was standing there and just started talking to Casey without giving her a second glance.
“Hey Casey,” Kayla purred with a seductive smile. “Nice work tonight. I have to say, you’re doing so well at filling in for Jake, I’m almost tempted to give you the job permanently.”
“Ahh thanks, Kayla, I appreciate that,” Casey said, blushing a little as he shifted his weight from foot to foot, “but I’ve toured with Jake before, and he’s one of the best. I’m honored to be filling in for him.”
“Hmm, talented and modest,” she observed, still pointedly ignoring Annie. “Well, I could always use another regular back-up dancer, so let’s talk when he gets back. In the meantime, I’m going to be adding in a new song I recorded recently and I want you to be the lead male for the new choreography I’m working on. I could use your input. Come to rehearsal early on Tuesday?”
Annie just bit her tongue and waited patiently for them to finish talking. Regardless what her opinion of Kayla was, the singer was still responsible for Casey’s livelihood, and Annie didn’t want to jeopardize his job or embarrass him by acting the jealous girlfriend.
Exchanging glances with the woman standing a few feet behind Kayla, Annie wondered if she always followed her boss around to be at her every beck and call. The woman, who she guessed to be Kayla’s assistant, gave her a sad, sympathetic smile as she too patiently waited for Kayla to finish talking to Casey. Just then, her cell phone chirped with an incoming text, making her duck her head to squint at the phone. She started typing back a reply with her thumb, and then hesitantly moved forward a step to gently tap Kayla on the shoulder.
Whirling around, Kayla snapped at the woman. “What? Can’t you see I’m talking here?”
“Uhh, sorry Ms. Miles. It’s Mr. Brady. He said he’s waiting outside to take you to dinner?”
“Dammit to hell—I forgot he was coming.” Kayla sighed and rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Fine, tell him I’ll be out in a few minutes.” Before turning back to Casey, she plastered a big, fake smile back on her face. “So I’ll see you before group rehearsal on Tuesday?” Casey nodded. “Good.” Kayla gave him the smile of a woman who always got what she wanted and sashayed down the hallway, her assistant scurrying behind her.
&nbs
p; Casey looked at Annie as soon as she left and started to apologize. “I’m sorry about that—” he started, but she just shook her head and waved her hand.
“Forget about it. I get it.”
“It’s just a job,” he promised. “I swear there’s nothing going on there. I’m with you, princess.”
Annie just nodded and gave him a half-hearted smile. “I know. I trust you,” she said. “I’ll see you outside in fifteen.” But in spite of her brave words, Annie knew she was facing a long, uphill battle when it came to Casey. He was an incredibly good looking, talented, sweet, sensitive, funny guy. Beautiful women would always be throwing themselves at him, celebrity or not. Brushing it off, she kissed his cheek and left him to finish changing.
A local diner seemed to be the only restaurant still open at such a late hour. Over pancakes and omelets, Annie and Casey chatted about a variety of topics, most of them surrounding their respective childhoods. She learned that he had two older sisters and a younger brother and had lived in southern California his whole life. Not only had he been on the varsity basketball team in high school, but he’d also been in choir and on the debate team. She told him she was a SoCal native as well with only one younger sister, had played volleyball and ran track in high school, and had participated in choir as well. Talk about your overachievers.
Casey ordered himself a coffee, and they split a piece of apple pie ala mode before calling it a night and heading back to the hotel. Back in their room, he undressed Annie slowly and made love to her tenderly, as if to reaffirm his feelings to her. After climaxing together, they snuggled close to each other and fell asleep within minutes.
Morning came all too soon, making her regret booking such an early flight, but she’d wanted time to get some chores done around the apartment before having to head back to work the next day. Annie let him sleep while she re-packed her small carry-on and got ready to leave for the airport. After finishing her shower and getting dressed, she crawled onto the bed and leaned down over him, kissing his neck and nibbling on his ear as he groaned and tugged her down, wrapping his arms around her.
All the Right Things (Love in LA) Page 14