by Amy L. Gale
“Today’s your lucky day. And we can take care of this bullshit with Jenna.”
Jenna is going to murder me, and it’ll all be recorded. She’ll probably promote it until she gets a platinum record. If Tyler is willing to put it all on the line, then so am I. Time to put on my big girl panties and face the wrath of Jenna.
CHAPTER 13—RECORDING STUDIO
Whoever invented scavenger hunts delves in evil rituals. I scan the living room for any remnants of my tank top. Showing up to the recording studio topless would only solidify Jenna’s opinion of me. I mean, she already thinks I’m using Tyler for dirt on the band. Hate to tell her, but she’s dead wrong. That story’s over, but Tyler’s and mine is just beginning.
I spot a piece of white fabric hanging from the edge of the kitchen table across the room. If music ever fails him, Tyler can profit from his athletic abilities. I rush over and grab the crinkled up shirt. Great, nothing like showing up disheveled and wrinkled. I guess I’ll look the part of a desperate groupie. One smirk from Jenna and I might clock her.
“Ten minutes before we leave. I gotta jump in the shower,” Tyler yells from the bedroom.
I glance in the hallway mirror. You’ve got to be kidding me. My blonde strands resemble a bird’s nest that was recently caught in a hurricane and my sweaty skin screams we-just-had-sex. Last time I looked this bad was when I got caught in the midst of a thunderstorm running through the grocery store parking lot. Once my umbrella turned inside out, I waved my rhetorical white flag and gave up the fight. I can’t walk in to the recording studio like this. Maybe I should just head home.
“Listen, Tyler, I can’t go without showering. I’ll head home and catch up with you later,” I yell through the hallway.
Tyler emerges from the bedroom with nothing but a white towel wrapped around his waist. “There’s room for two.”
My jaw drops to the floor. The light shines off his glistening body, accentuating every muscle from his bulging biceps to perfectly sculpted pecs. My brain freezes as if kryptonite paralyzes me. “Okay.” Dammit.
I follow him through the bedroom and into the master bath as if I’m a Stepford wife and robotically programmed to do whatever he wants. I fling my tank top on the bed and continue forward. He turns on the water and drops his towel.
I scan his body from the multitude of tattoos to his six pack abs, stopping at his impressive length. I quickly look away. Jeez, what’s gotten into me? It’s not like I’ve never seen him naked before. I just can’t seem to get enough. Please don’t let him notice.
He takes a few steps closer and pulls me toward him by my hips. “No one will die if we’re a few minutes late.”
Oh no, I’m not getting blamed for this too. I already have enough going against me when it comes to his band mates. No need to give them another reason to hate me.
“He who hesitates is lost.” I step into the shower. Okay, my brain turned to auto-pilot and refuses to let me curb all desires.
He winks. “I like the way you think, babe.” He joins me in the shower and positions the shower head so it pulses on his chest. “Ready to get wet?”
Way ahead of you. I grab the bar from the soap dish and slowly rub it over the mountainous terrain also known as Tyler’s chest. The slippery suds build, and I drop the soap. “I got it.”
I bend my knees, sending a multitude of bubbles down Tyler’s body. He stands tall, perfectly chiseled like a sculpture from the romantic era of Rome. I glide my fingers down, tracing every muscle in his abs until I’m kneeling on the shower floor in front of him. Time to give Tyler a hint of the pleasure he gives me.
I lean forward, gliding my tongue around him. Please don’t let me choke on the water or anything else for that matter. Last time I was in this position was in another lifetime, and there wasn’t running water involved. I suck hard, twisting my tongue in an array of circles. Tyler leans back against the shower wall and moans. The glass walls steam, creating a sauna of pure passion. I continue to move, taking in as much of Tyler as I can.
His breathing becomes erratic. “You’re killing me, babe. Dear God, don’t stop.”
Maybe I’m not as rusty as I thought. I slide my hands up, cradling him, and move faster, tucking my teeth underneath my lips. Tyler lets out a loud moan and finds his release, filling me.
I lower my head and let the remnants of our sexy shower flow down the drain. He opens his eyes and pulls me to my feet.
“You destroy me.”
Okay, not what I expected to come out of his mouth. “What?”
“You can bring me to my knees in a split second. Scares the hell out of me.”
I guess it’s kind of a compliment. “I think I was the one on my knees.”
“Not the way I see it, babe.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Our ten minutes is now negative two… and worth every second.”
Dammit. I squeeze some shampoo into my hair and take the fastest shower in the history of the world. We jump out of the shower and towel-dry ourselves at mach speed. I twist a quick loose bun into my hair and search for the remainder of my clothes. Tyler emerges from the bedroom in about two seconds, looking like he could grace the cover of a surf magazine.
I throw on my skirt, pat down my wrinkled-to-hell tank top and slide on my flip-flops. “I’m ready.” Biggest lie I’ve ever told.
“Time to get a glimpse into my world, babe.”
Why is it every time I hear that phrase my stomach drops to the floor? Ah, because his world contains more evil than the deepest depths of hell and her name is Jenna.
***
I follow Tyler along the burgundy carpet, clinging to his hand like it’s my first day of kindergarten. An eerie feeling takes hold of me with every step through the long hallway. Flashbacks of The Shining pop into my brain. I’d probably have a better chance of surviving at the Overlook Hotel. Nope, I’m in my very own horror story this time.
We turn the corner and continue through a gray steel door. Tyler pulls it open, and the gates of hell unleash themselves. If I didn’t care about Tyler so much, I’d never put myself through this aggravation.
Jenna stands tall, her hands on her hips. She looks me up and down. “Umm, time is money. You’re twenty minutes late.”
What the hell’s her problem? It’s not like it’s coming out of her pocket. If she was the band’s manager I’d understand her excessive involvement in their affairs, but she’s not. I just don’t get why they let her act like their keeper. She’s way out of control, from a business perspective.
“Traffic was a bitch.” Tyler takes his bass out of its case.
“Yeah, not the only bitch here.” Jenna shoots a death-to-you glare in my direction.
“Enough, Jenna. I’m really sick of your shit. Who the fuck do you think you are?” Tyler’s face turns crimson.
“Alright, we’re here to record. And she’s right… time is money.” Marcus swings his guitar strap over his shoulder.
“You better do something about your woman. I’m done with the bullshit.” Tyler steps forward and points a finger in Marcus’s face.
“Are you kidding me? First, she writes a smut article about your band and then you have the nerve to bring her here. You’re the problem, not me.” Jenna taps her foot and sneers.
“I don’t care if she posts naked pictures of you on a billboard with a ‘Bitch of Devil’s Garden logo next to it’. She’s with me, and that’s how it is. If you don’t like it… I’ll leave right now, and you can all go fuck yourselves.” Tyler flings a chair on wheels and it rolls into the drum set.
“What the fuck!” Chaz runs to his drums as if his child was just thrown from a bridge.
Okay, now everyone’s getting crazy. Tyler is not leaving his band because Jenna’s a bitch to me and they can’t ruin a recording session just because I am with him. This is really insane and immature. How did I ever get that impression before?
“Please, me naked on a billboard would only help the band.” She flashes a half-smile.
>
Lexie walks across the room and stands between Tyler and Jenna. “Let’s all calm down. Jenna, you need to back-off. Tyler can date whoever he wants whether you like them or not.” She pulls Jenna into a side hug. “This scene seems a little familiar, don’t you think.”
Jenna folds her arms over her chest. “Not even close, you didn’t try and sabotage the band in a national magazine.”
I swallow hard. “Listen, that was not my intention, and I apologized. I got your message loud and clear.” I sigh. “Taking Tyler’s phone is really immature and an invasion of privacy.”
She throws her hands in the air. “Oh, I get it. Trying to prove your article was accurate. By the way, I didn’t take his phone. He left it here, and I just answered the call. Thought I was doing him a favor.”
Marcus covers his face and drags his hands down to his chin. “Jenna, you gotta stop getting involved and you sure as hell shouldn’t touch his phone. What the hell were you thinking?”
She turns toward him. “I was thinking about the band and protecting you guys from this bullshit reporter, but Tyler can’t stop dancing with the devil.”
“I’ve never danced with you.” Tyler glares at Jenna.
“You should all perform a one-night only show for the ladies like I do. None of this drama bullshit.” Chaz adjusts the stool of his drum set.
“Yeah, not helping.” Van shakes his head and fiddles with the microphone.
Tyler runs a hand through his hair and then rushes toward Jenna, stopping about an inch from her face. “This bullshit stops right now. I’m with Ali. You’ll be seeing her a lot. Get used to it.” He takes a step back and nods toward Marcus as if to say Sorry I’m in your wife’s face.
“Whatever.” She swings around like a supermodel and leaves the small room.
Lexie gestures toward me. “Come on, we can watch from the control room.”
Great, a confined space containing both myself and Jenna, how can anything go wrong? I flash a quick smile at Tyler, even though his face screams I-want-to-murder-someone. He winks.
I follow Lexie up a few stairs and into another room. A multitude of lights in a variety of colors shine across a wall to wall board with hundreds of dials. Jeez, it looks like the inside of a very sophisticated space shuttle. I’m sure Jenna wants to shoot me into outer space. Above the control board is a glass wall. If Tyler wasn’t staring straight at me, I’d think I was in a safe room, separated by a two-way mirror. Like the ones you see in just about every cop show. Of course, this room is far from safe.
I stand near the sound tech, a young guy, probably in his early twenties with long brown hair any woman would kill for and a tattoo of a dragon on his forearm. He presses a button and speaks into a microphone. “You guys ready?”
“Yeah, Jay. We’re good,” Van talks into his mic.
Jay slides back and forth in his rolling chair adjusting the dials of the insane setup. Everything around me fades away, and I lock onto Tyler. He stands tall holding his bass guitar, a few strands of damp hair falling along his cheek. Every part of me wants to leap through this glass barrier and tackle him to the floor. Sure, he’s sexy as hell when he’s riding the waves, but Rock God trumps all.
“Drool much?” Jenna huffs. “Aren’t reporters supposed to be professional?” She holds up her fingers, making quotation marks in the air.
She’s not getting a rise out of me this time. “I’m off duty today.” I stay locked on Tyler, barely acknowledging her existence.
Marcus strums a soft melody that turns hardcore within seconds. Tyler closes his eyes, losing himself in the music. They’re on another wavelength, almost like they all exist in between our world and notes they create. Van grips the microphone and belts out lyrics, telling the story of a girl who stole his heart. No doubt it’s about Lexie, sure to be a hit. The passion oozing from their pores is nothing short of magical. Seeing Tyler in this light makes me want him even more.
“What do you think of the song, Ali?” Lexie takes a few steps toward me.
She must have dealt with Jenna’s nonsense before because it’s almost like she has sympathy for my situation. God knows what happened when Lexie met Van and he introduced her to Jenna. There’s clearly more to this Mother Bear complex. I bet Jenna’s threatened by an intelligent woman. Sure, she’s got the looks of a supermodel, but they’ll eventually fade, and when that happens, she’ll be left with nothing but a bitch attitude.
“It’s amazing.” I turn toward her and smile. “Let me guess, Van wrote it for you.”
She nods. “Yep, right after we got engaged.”
Even in the dim light, that enormous rock turns this small room into daylight. “My offer still stands if you need any wedding planning help.”
Jenna rolls her eyes. “Who are you, Jimmy Hoffa?”
“Hope not, he seemed to disappear never to be found.” I nibble my lip.
“Like we could be that lucky.” Jenna smirks.
What’s it going to take to get her to stop her bullshit? “Jenna, what do you want from me? I get it, you’re all about the insults, but it’s getting really old… you can call me whatever you want; I’m not staying away from Tyler. Whether you believe it or not, I really care about him.”
She folds her arms across her chest as if she’s closing me off from the world. “Yeah, I saw how much you cared about him in that article.”
“Give it a rest.” My blood boils in my veins. “I made a mistake, apologized, learned from it. It’s over. He’s forgiven me, why can’t you. What’s it going to take?”
“A lot more than two words.” She shakes her head. “He has some weird obsession with you now, but what if it goes sour. You gonna write about how he’s abusive, or worse?”
“Are you insane?” How could she even think I’d slander someone? Um, hello, there are laws against that kind of stuff.
“You can’t be trusted, and you have the power to tear us all down… it’s a really bad combination.” She holds up her head and stands next to Lexie.
Is she trying to build an army? “I never thought of it that way. You’d think you’d be nicer to me if that’s what you’re afraid of.”
“I don’t make friends with my enemies.”
“Listen, I don’t need to be friends… or even acquaintances for that matter. All we have to do is tolerate each other. Do you want Tyler to be miserable?”
“Of course not.” She taps her stiletto against the floor.
“I really need to start wedding planning… and you probably have great connections here in L.A.” Lexie flashes a meek smile at Jenna.
“Have fun, you two.” Jenna returns to her resting bitch face.
“I guess I can plan things without my maid of honor helping through every detail, but it would be tough. Especially since I don’t have her amazing fashion sense.” Lexie twirls her hair around a finger.
Great use of reverse psychology. Last time that tactic worked for me was when Gretchen Vale wanted to wear the same prom dress as me. I tried on a horrid orchid halter and everyone bragged about how great I looked. Of course, she tried that one on too and immediately bought it, leaving the pink dream dress for me. I bet Lexie rocks the advertising world.
“When are you free?” Even though the question is aimed at Lexie, I guess I have to accommodate Jenna too.
“How about Saturday afternoon? I was hoping to start with the dress. My sister says once you’ve got the dress down you’re halfway there.”
“I can make myself available.” Jenna stares at the guys through the glass as if wedding dress shopping is no big deal.
“Perfect. I’ll get us an appointment at Bridal Couture. Is eleven good?” Please let me be able to get this appointment. The last thing I want to do is look like I’m fake. Plus, Jenna’s probably dying for me to slip up.
“Works for me… now that we’ve got our girls day planned, let’s listen to our guys rock out the rest of this album.
I want this day to go perfect. If I can win over Jenna, at
least to the point where she only insults me once an hour, Tyler and I will have one less obstacle to overcome. There’s only one person who can make sure this goes off without a hitch, and I’m lucky to call her my best friend.
CHAPTER 14—FEMALE BONDING?
“Lesson number one, stay away from puffy sleeves and big bows on the ass.” Chloe chuckles.
“What ever would I do without you?” I roll my eyes.
“Seriously, I have zero experience with wedding dresses and need to hit this one out of the park. It’s my one chance to get these girls to like me.” I sip my peach tea.
Chloe bites a croissant. “Please, you sound like some geeky high-schooler vying for the attention of the popular girls. You know nerdy girls are really the cool ones, darling.”
I tap my fingers on my glass. “Not quite the same situation.” Dating a guy in a band turns more complicated by the minute. It’s like I’m dating all of them. Well, not in a slutty-whore kind of way but it seems like everyone’s approval is needed, like they’re some crazy deranged close-knit family. “What happened to the good ole days when you move away, bring a guy home, tell your parents you’re getting married, and everyone joins in one big group hug?”
Chloe lets out a laugh, almost spitting out her croissant. “Those situations only exist in Hallmark movies, my dear.”
“Okay, now honestly. Any advice on this shopping trip from hell?”
She finishes the last bite of her croissant and folds her hands together. “First, find out her plans for the venue. If it’s a beach wedding she won’t want a ball gown and if it’s at a castle she’ll want something over the top. I take it budget isn’t a factor. How about body shape?”
“Perfect. She’d look great in a garbage bag.”
She wiggles her pinky like Dr. Evil. “That’s half the battle.”
I sigh. “I need to find her something rocker chic yet classy like Grace Kelly meets Gwen Stefani.”
“And that’s exactly what you tell Rochelle at Bridal Couture.” Chloe claps quietly.