by Finn, Thia
He returned with an original flavored one. “Krissy likes these because they sorta taste like lemonade, so I thought you might.” He uncapped it for her and she took a little sip.
“Mmm, yeah. It’s really good and even better, it’s cold. Thanks! Maybe I should see if Cash could always have these for me to drink at these mixers since it sounds like we will be doing them often.” She took a long drink still thirsty from the stage and found her bottle empty before she knew it. “There’s not much in these bottles, is there?”
He gave her a little laugh, “Yeah, you might want to go slow on those. They do have liquor in them, and since you’re a light-weight they might go down easier than you want them to.” He handed her another open one.
Downing the second one a little slower, she was aware that the press had now been allowed in, and while the girls were still in clothes at least, the guys were a little more able to talk to the press. Some fans had won local radio contests and were escorted in now, and Chandler answered questions for them about being the new member of the band. They all seemed nice to her while she signed a few autographs. She smiled for some selfies with teens and a few men and enjoyed herself more than she anticipated.
The whole thing was over faster than she anticipated, and Frission decided it was time to take the party on the road to the club at a nearby hotel. Chandler noticed that one hot guy not part of the band had hung back when the others were escorted out. She wondered if maybe he was part of the road crew since no one made him leave with the rest of the guests. The groupies chosen to go over to the club were still hanging on the
band members, so she knew this would be her chance to go get her own room for the night.
The quiet guy made his way over and introduced himself as Patrick. “I was just wondering if you would like me to go with you to the club since it looks like your friends are all taking friends of their own.”
Chandler didn’t know how to respond to a perfect stranger. “Actually, I’m not going to the club. I’m just going to the hotel with them. Are you part of Frission’s team?”
“No, but I wanted to talk to you so I blended in when everyone else left.” He looked innocent enough to her. After all, the groupies did it all the time. “So, what if we just get one drink at the club, and then I’ll leave you alone if you want?”
“I guess that would be OK, but only one and then I’m leaving.” He gave her a big smile, took her hand, and led her out the door to the awaiting cars. The club wasn’t far away so Chandler didn’t have to make much small talk with Patrick on the way. She answered a few impersonal questions and asked a few of him.
The loud club met all of Chandler’s expectations. The members of both bands and their entourage were escorted to the VIP section as soon as they stepped out of the limos with fans screaming from behind the fences being guarded by security. Chandler and Patrick got a smaller table to themselves so they could talk if they wanted. He obviously was perfectly happy not having to compete with any attention she might get from any of the either bands’ members. She allowed her eyes to roam the room locating the AD members who were being served champagne. The only one looking in her direction was KeeMac. The two girls attached to him were draped over his body, running their hands up and down every part of him in ways that left her surprised that he managed to look anywhere else. She did not want to be witness to their form of seduction, and when she met his eyes staring back at her, she quickly turned back to Patrick.
“So, Patrick, do you get to hang with bands very often?” She wanted to appear interested in him so she leaned closer as she asked the question.
“Not too much, and call me Trick, please. Patrick is what my mother calls me.” He leaned in, taking her hand in his. With their faces so close together, he could’ve turned his comment into a kiss with little effort. “I work for an event staging company based here so I get backstage passes sometimes. That’s how I got back to the meet-and-greet tonight.”
“Trick, huh? That must be awesome to get to meet a lot of different bands that way. So, what do you do for fun here in Albuquerque when you’re not crashing band parties?” She downed the first glass of champagne and swiped another off the tray being carried through their section.
“Oh, you know. If I’m lucky, I get a beautiful woman to dance with me.” He smiled at her. “Are you ready to dance?”
“I love to dance, but I’m not sure out there on that packed floor is a good idea.” Truth be told, she’d never danced to the kind of club music they were playing and she knew she would make a fool of herself.
“It’ll be fine, come on.” He let her finish her full flute then he pulled her out of her chair, down the steps and into the middle of the sweaty mob of dancers. She was glad no one would be able to see her making a fool of herself. Trick was a good dancer and put his hands on her hips rolling her to mimic his movements. He spun her around and put his hand in the middle of her stomach pulling her as close to him as possible. She was aware of how intimate this must look but after all she had had to drink, she really didn’t care anymore. She was here to have fun like the rest of their party and decided to just go with it.
The music flowed from one song to the next so it seemingly never ended. Chandler, giddy from the drinks and the heat, found herself pushed closer to Trick by the crowd on the dance floor. He didn’t seem to mind that their hot, sweaty bodies were pressed so tightly together.
He leaned in from behind her and spoke directly in her ear. “For someone who didn’t want to be out here, looks like you are enjoying it.” With one hand on her abdomen and the other on her hip, he cradled his erection against her ass. This wasn’t something she was planning on and didn’t know how to respond. He seemed to love it though so she went along. After all, they were on a public dance floor. How bad could it get?
Trick seemed like a nice enough guy and she thought maybe she could find the same rush of feelings that KeeMac brought out in her. When Trick spun her around and thrust his leg between hers, he pulled tight up against him. He continued grinding against her center, causing her to want more from him. He was massaging her clit with his leg, and she reacted to it with ragged breaths. When Trick started nipping and kissing down her neck, she held on to him tighter, engulfed in the desire she found herself lost in. The alcohol was making her react so much more freely with this virtual stranger than she would have ever done sober, but right then she didn’t care.
When she had been with KeeMac, he made her feel like she was desired, made her feel special. Maybe she could feel this way with other guys she met along the way. Was she willing to put herself out there, though, to have the experience of just having sex? Did he do this to the women he was with now or other women before her? If she was going to pursue relationships with random guys she met on the road, would any of them make her feel what he did? Did acting like the others in the band did with random hook-ups with groupies make her a whore like them? She simply didn’t know if she could bring herself to be that way. She felt like she respected herself more than that.
She opened her eyes and looked back up to the VIP section in time to see KeeMac standing at the railing, glaring at her. As their eyes locked, she realized the scene he’d been watching play out on the dance floor. He abruptly broke the connection with her, grabbed both of the girls beside him in a tight embrace and led them toward a private room on their floor. Chandler’s eyes never stopped following them. Before he opened the door, he looked back at her once more, giving her that smirk she knew so well but was somehow darker, less of the friendly and playful one she was used to, and the three passed through the door. Knowing what was about to happen up there, remembering her experience with him last night, her hurt ran deep as she realized she had not only encouraged but enjoyed their time together. She had been his “girl for a night”. And he was now moving on to someone else—two someones, actually—just that fast. She immediately felt cheap and sick.
Spinning around to Trick, she pushed out of his hands. She needed to get away. “OK, my
time’s up. It’s been fun, Trick, but I’m going now.” She all but ran from him back to her table and had her clutch in hand when he caught up to her.
“What the fuck, Chandler? I thought you were having fun.” His voice got louder with each word.
“Yeah, it was fun, and thank you for the dance, but I’m leaving now. I don’t think I’m cut out for this.” She whirled around and started toward the steps.
Trick caught her upper arm and roughly pulled her back toward him about the same time that Gunner and Ryan reached them. “Got a fucking problem here, Cupcake?” Gunner asked. He towered over both Trick and Chandler, a menacing expression on his face that even made her shrink back a bit.
“It’s OK, Gunner. I’m ready to go and he was just trying to convince me to stay.”
“Buddy, if our girl says she’s out, let her go. Now,” Gunner barked in Trick’s face, who quickly let go of her arm. He nodded his head as he walked down the steps and out of the VIP section.
“I’ll see she gets back to the bus,” Ryan said. “I’m ready to get back to my bed.”
“No, it’s fine, Ryan. I’m staying here tonight, in the hotel. I just need to go to the desk and get my keycard.”
“Damn that prick, Cash. He didn’t say anything about us staying in a room.” Ryan and Gunner exchanged puzzled, pissed off looks.
“No, I’m staying on my own.” When it was obvious they weren’t getting her gesture, she added, “I don’t want y’all to feel like you have to change the way you’d do things when Jacoby was with the band. Go, have fun. I’ll see you in the morning before the bus leaves.”
“Did you clear this with Cash, because if he doesn’t know, he’ll be pissed?”
“No, but I am a grown woman and I have my own money to do the things I think are best for me. And believe me, it’s best for me if I stay in the hotel while y’all have your overnight guests on the bus.” A little light went off in Ryan’s expression, because he knew she was referring to someone’s specific guests.
Turning to Gunner, Ryan said, “I’ve got this. We’ll see you in the morning.”
Gunner felt like he had missed something, but two women were waiting like anxious puppies on the periphery. “Alrighty then. See you tomorrow, Cupcake.” He looked hard at Ryan for a moment and then left them alone.
Ryan took Chandler’s hand and led her to the front desk for her keycard. They rode the elevator in silence. He wanted to say something about KeeMac, but decided it wasn’t his place to get in their business.
She put the key in the door, and turned and looked at Ryan, “So, thanks for seeing me to my room Ryan. I’ll be there bright and early in the morning.” Chandler gave him a bright smile hoping she was doing a fair job of covering her real feelings.
It was obvious he was thinking of what to say but finally nodded his head and said, “Go in and be sure to lock the door, Chandler.” He waited until he heard the lock thrown and the bar slide into place before he left her door. Ryan knew KeeMac had already fucked things up with her, which was funny since KeeMac had been the one to point out to them what a problem it could be having a female band member on the tour.
Chandler stripped down and climbed in the shower. She wanted to wash the sweat, Trick’s touch, and the club’s smell off. Slipping back into her panties, she climbed into bed. She just wanted to sleep and not think about the evening. It would be hard to do, though. Not once, but twice, she had let Keeton treat her this way. She couldn’t allow it again but picking up strangers at parties didn’t appeal to her after tonight. This wasn’t a league she was ready to play in, apparently. She prayed that the rest of the tour was going to get better for her since she had already learned a few lessons in the first couple of days. Playing with the band was awesome when they were on stage but she didn’t know if she was cut out for life on the road. She was thankful that, for tonight at least, she was able to find refuge from the drunken depravity that was taking place on the bus.
Chapter Eleven
Chandler woke to the sound of Stephen Tyler blaring from her phone at six a.m. again. “Damn, I have to find a new alarm tone,” she said out loud. “One that isn’t so invasive.” Steven in full-force was becoming just a bit too much first thing in the morning.
“What?”
“Where the hell are you?” It was Cash, and he didn’t sound happy.
“I’ll be there in ten minutes. Is the bus ready to leave? I thought I had ‘til eight?”
“We’re not leaving ‘til eight but when I got off the couch, I saw your curtain still open and it was obvious you hadn’t slept there.”
“No, I stayed at the hotel.”
“And what made you decide to do this, may I ask?” He was pissed now. She should have told him last night.
“I didn’t want to be in the way of the guys and their company last night,” she said quietly into the phone.
“Go to the Starbucks in the hotel, and I’ll see you there in fifteen minutes,” he ordered then he hung up on her.
“Angry much?” She glared at her phone.
She put her clothes back on, and laughed at the thought of looking like she taking an early morning walk-of-shame minus the heavy make-up when she had actually spent the entire night alone.
Cash was waiting with coffee in-hand for her when she sat down. “Well, I hope he was worth it,” he said, surveying her clothes.
“Who was worth it? I was alone, and that’s just insulting that you would automatically assume that.” Her indignant tone surprised him.
“What, exactly, were you doing Chandler? When you asked me what time the buses were pulling out, you could have informed me you had alternate plans for the night.” He had calmed down since they had spoken on the phone.
“I thought the guys would enjoy their guests better without me on the bus. I went to the meet-and-greet and the after party, as required, so I was seen by everyone. I fulfilled my part as band member. I even danced with a fan. Ryan left the club with me and walked me to my room to make sure I was safe.”
He took a deep breath and exhaled before he spoke. “I appreciate you trying to be considerate of them, but number one: DO NOT EVER leave the bus overnight without me knowing it beforehand. What if the driver made a last minute decision to move the bus and you weren’t there? The guys were all asleep and he might have assumed you were there, too. Number two: you might as well get used to strange girls being on the bus. It’s just the nature of these tours. The guys have heard about all the fun being on the road can be and now it’s their turn to experience it. Not everywhere we stay will have a hotel close by. Then what? I assumed you were ready for this since you knew you weren’t signing on with a church choir.”
“I know. I thought I might have some time to get used to being around the guys before overnight guests started appearing. I’m good with it, though. I hope they are.” She thought about KeeMac when she said it. “Is the bus full of guests right now?”
“I assume so. The driver said we still had few extras. Maybe we should make it a rule of no overnight guests for them so it would be easier on you.”
“NO, NO, NO! I don’t want you making exceptions for me. Let them have fun. They work hard and should get to play hard.” She laughed at what that insinuated.
“You know, you have the same options they have. You can invite guests, too.” She almost spit coffee across the room at his comment.
Coughing, she held up her hand to stop him from helping her. “Yeah, I don’t see that happening in the short time I’ll be on the bus.”
“Well, the offer is there. What’s good for one is good for all.” He stood and threw money down on the table. “Let’s get back and show the skanks off the bus.”
She laughed at his term for the groupies, even though she felt the same way.
Chandler was not looking forward to what crawled off the bus and where they would come crawling out of. She had to stop thinking about KeeMac. He was here to have fun, and she was not going to be the one to prevent it. Sh
e decided to stay off and let Cash take care of it. She moved around to talk to the bus driver who was looking at his phone.
Gunner, Carter, and KeeMac all walked off the bus following five scantily clad women. Sleepy and well-fucked looks on all of their faces let everyone there know how the night had gone. The girls all wrapped around the guys to give them parting kisses. KeeMac and Gunner both had two girls on them, so it was obvious they had truly enjoyed themselves. She thought Cash’s term was too nice for these girls now.
Chandler had her back to the group during their goodbyes, and as soon as she saw the opportunity to board the bus, she did, making a mental note to buy some Lysol when they stopped. She might buy some Clorox wipes and hand sanitizer too, just to be safe. Cleaning up, in the wake of these nights did not appeal to her though. Rubber gloves would most definitely need to be added to the list, as well.
****
The buses for both bands departed right on time. Chandler had gotten a decent night’s sleep so she didn’t want to hang in her bunk the whole drive down to Vegas. She sat in the empty living room for a while and tried to read until KeeMac came out in his underwear and a tee shirt and sat down on the same couch with her and flipped through the channels and tried to strike up a conversation with her. She wasn’t ready to face him yet. She tried to separate her feelings from the reality of the situation and the fact that they weren’t a thing, no promises had been made or broken and that he was free to do whatever with whomever he chose. She was just having a difficult time reconciling with herself that she had fallen under his spell so easily before she saw him for the manslut he was.
She made an elaborate show of uncoiling her headphones and putting the ear buds in her ears and picking music before returning to her e-reader. She even moved to a different seat so she could put her feet up, hoping that would send the signal that she wasn’t interested in his friendly chitchat. She was still attracted to him; there was no denying that. But she knew she deserved better and she wasn’t about to chase after a man that couldn’t pick her out of a lineup after a few drinks. She was no groupie and she wasn’t going to be played like one either. He could just take his “friendly” conversation elsewhere.