Gasoline

by Bella Jeanisse

  When Dean reached them, Jon grabbed him and put him in a loose headlock. “What the fuck’re you on?” He was growling, trying to control the rage he felt. The redhead was still crying, so he had frightened her at least. “I’m not taking this kinda shit again. You better not leave my sight for the next two hours.”

  Dean fell to the ground gasping. “I’m stayin’ on the bus.” He closed his eyes and held his throat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt her.” Lying came easily to him. He was also glad he could hide from Brandon. Vince had told him about Brandon looking for him that Sunday night in Boston. That meant he knew he went too far with Mackenzie.

  Jon glanced at an angry Tommy. “I’ll do it now. Don’t let him leave.” He walked away, phone in hand.

  “Get inside.” Tommy gritted his teeth, not wanting to alert him to their plan. He would tie him to the bed if he needed to. “I’m tired of you stressing me out.”

  Dean settled on the couch and almost regretted taking the Xanax around his bandmates. Oxy made him crash, and he couldn’t risk that. However, he needed something. He could no longer function sober. His hands shaking, he jumped up and got a beer.

  “You want one?” Dean asked Tommy.

  Tommy shook his head, wanting to have a clear head if he needed to restrain Dean for a drug test.

  Inside the arena, Dominic was lying down on a recliner he found in their dressing room. He kept falling asleep and waking up. Although it was silent in the room, others were obviously filled with bands, groupies and more. After maybe an hour, a door opened. He was half-asleep and didn’t move. A soft hand brushed the hair out of his face.

  “So handsome,” Noelle whispered, smiling at her sleeping boyfriend. Her purse was set next to the chair.

  Dominic’s lids fluttered. “Hey.” His voice portrayed his exhaustion. “You made it.”

  “Yeah. We made up some time.” She cupped his cheek. “Have you been sleeping?”

  He gave her a half smile. “Not since I left you in Texas.” He sighed and placed his hand over hers. “Missed you.”

  “Me too.” Carefully, she straddled his hips, then lay on top of him. “So lonely without you.” She lay her head on his shoulder and nuzzled his neck. “I’m glad Jake asked you guys to cover for Hell Hounds.” She knew there was only two hours before they went on, but their relationship had to come first.

  Dominic slowly wrapped his arms around her. He sighed, grateful for however long they had alone. “Love you, Noelle.”

  “Love you too.” She closed her eyes and treasured hearing him breathe. Within minutes, he was sound asleep, still holding her. She grinned and closed her eyes as well. A good night’s sleep was rare since he left Texas.

  On the bus, Dean and Tommy watched a movie, while Jon stood, blocking the doorway. His phone chirped. After looking at it, he nodded to Tommy. Minutes later, there were footsteps on the bus steps.

  Dean’s eyes opened wide when he saw the lab tech. He knew what that meant and shouted at Jon, “You promised!”

  “Yeah.” Jon glared at Dean. “I promised not to unless we knew you were on something. You’re not lying to us anymore.”

  Tommy felt Dean start to get up and tackled him. “No fucking way. We do this now.”

  “Um, are we doing this here?” the tech asked.

  Jon folded his arms over his chest again. “Yep, and he’s gonna do as you say. Right, Dean?”

  Struggling, Dean pleaded with Tommy, “You know I can’t stand needles.” It was the reason why he was limited with drugs. In order to get a tattoo, he had to be drunk or sedated. His guy knew his fear and allowed it, although the law said he couldn’t.

  “You can pee in a cup,” the lab technician advised him.

  Tommy growled, “I’ll take your dick out for you if you don’t do it willingly.”

  “I gotta piss right here?” Dean’s eyes opened wide.

  Jon huffed, “Stop whining. Get up and prove you’re clean.”

  Dean had stopped fighting. He took the plastic cup. When Tommy let him go, Dean got to his feet and opened his pants. “Fine.” He closed his eyes and tried to forget everyone was watching. It wasn’t easy.

  Tommy hated having to force Dean to submit, but it was necessary. “Was that so hard?”

  Dean handed over the cup of urine and sat back down. “It was humiliating.” He pouted as he closed his pants.

  “We all seen your dick. What’s the big deal?” Tommy knew he was nervous because he would fail the test.

  Jon relaxed. “Can you do the test now?”

  “I can do a five panel, but not a 10 panel.” The tech searched through his bag.

  Tommy shrugged when Jon looked at him. “Dom’s the medic, not me.”

  “Do what you can.” Jon sat in a chair and scrubbed his face. “If you fail, you’re out.”

  It was a nerve-racking wait. Tommy tried to pay attention to the movie that still played, but all could think was, Gasoline was doomed. Where would they find a replacement singer who was acceptable? Their sound would change. He didn’t want Dean to derail them all, though.

  “It’s done.” All heads turned to the voice and stared, waiting. “He’s positive for Opiates and Cannabis.”

  Jon scowled. “Not coke?”

  “Nope.”

  Tommy looked at a shaking Dean. “What’re you taking?”

  Dean slowly fished the prescription bottle out of his pocket. “Dominic knows.” He gave the bottle to Tommy.

  Confused, Tommy asked, “Pain pills? That’s what’s making you act like a maniac? That don’t make sense.”

  “You don’t care about the weed?”

  Jon shook his head. “That’s nothing compared to what you used to go for.”

  “I can do a blood alcohol test.”

  Tommy looked at Jon, who frowned. “Nah, that’s not necessary. Thanks for getting here so quickly.”

  Jon rose and followed the tech out to pay him. “Thanks.”

  “Looks like you’re off the hook for now.” Tommy shook his head. Neither of those things would explain the aggressiveness he had noticed. “Keep your nose clean.” Then he stood up and walked away, hoping to talk to Dominic about it.

  In the dressing room, Noelle stirred. A sound woke her. She caressed Dominic’s cheek before realizing it was her phone. Carefully, she reached down to her purse and fumbled for her phone. That’s when she noticed they weren’t alone. She glanced around. Several of the crew were sitting on a couch quietly eating sandwiches. It was surprising that there were no girls or music playing.

  She found her phone and held it close while still trying not to wake Dominic. The screen said she had two messages. Then she drilled into them, both from Emilio.

  Been looking for you. You OK?

  We’re doing sound checks. Need you soon.

  They had not been able to set up in the usual way because they were late. By the time they arrived, the opening band, Broken Skulls already had their equipment on stage and Gasoline had just finished adding theirs. As she stared at the screen, unsure how to reply, another text came in. This time from Mitchell.

  Please tell me you found Dominic and you’re OK.

  She had to respond. They were obviously worried. She sent them both the same text.

  In Gasoline’s dressing room with Dominic. We’re just resting. Give me a bit longer please.

  Emilio’s reply came back quickly.

  Sure. I’ll take care of it. Hope you changed, though.

  Noelle looked down at her outfit. She had showered and changed when everyone got off the bus. Her makeup and hair done as well. Although she would have to fix her hair after taking the time to be with Dominic. She was smart and put her hair up in a French braid, so it was less likely to be tousled.

  Dominic moved his hips, aware of a weight on him, but unsure what it was. When his eyes opened, he grinned. Noelle… Just what I needed. He squeezed her ass.

  She looked down at him and smiled. “Hey sleepyhead.”

 
“Hey.” He yawned and stretched carefully. “Was afraid we wouldn’t have much time together.” He ran a finger down her cheek. “Do you guys have to fly outta here tonight?”

  She nodded. “Gotta be in Baltimore tomorrow.”

  His mind trying to focus, it took a minute to realize what she said. “Can I come?”

  “Huh?” Her eyebrows rose in confusion.

  He smiled widely. “Ride with you to Baltimore. Tommy can pick me up or something.”

  “I’d love that,” she whispered and hugged him. “It’s hard sleeping without you.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, know what you mean.” He held her closer, wishing he didn’t have to let go. “When do you go on?”

  “Soon,” she softly replied. “Too soon.”

  As if on cue, there was a loud knock, and the dressing room door opened. “Noelle?” Mitchell called out. A few heads went up and crewmembers nodded at him. He stepped inside and looked around the room. When he found her and Dominic cuddled in a recliner he backed up, surprised. He recovered quickly. “Noelle, we need you.”

  She lifted her head. “OK.” Then she stared down into Dominic’s eyes. “Are you coming with me? I want you close. Please.”

  He grinned and slid his hands up her back. “Of course.” He brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Anything to make you smile.”

  Grinning widely, Noelle kissed his lips several times. “You always do.”

  “Sorry,” Mitchell said insistently. “We gotta go now.”

  Noelle carefully stood up, checked her hair and face in a mirror a few feet away, then followed Mitchell. “Hurry, Dom. OK?”

  “I’ll be there in a few. I promise.” He sighed and put the footrest down. After a bit of stretching, he realized he felt rested. “Did they set the food out?”

  Sam was filling a plate. “Yep. Good stuff, too.” He stuffed a turkey sandwich in his mouth and mumbled, “Hot girlfriend.” He chewed and eventually swallowed. “Way sexier than Gina.”

  “Thanks.” Dominic put a few sandwich pieces onto a plate as well as some raw vegetables without the dip. “You seen Dean?”

  Shaking his head, Sam shoved a forkful of potato salad into his mouth. He hadn’t eaten at all that day. Too much work to do.

  Dominic made quick work of his lunch. Then he washed it down with a bottle of water. When he opened the door to the hallway, he heard Mitchell playing the opening notes of “My Night” on the piano. He was a talented guy. Dominic also played piano. He didn’t like to brag, but he was leagues beyond Mitchell in ability. Grinning again, he walked towards the stage to watch his woman.

  Tommy had finally made it inside. Jon and Dean were talking about how things were going to go from, then on. They planned to drug test him again if he got out of hand any time soon.

  The hallway was noisy, and people were everywhere. Since both Gasoline and Wicked End had security as well as the venue itself, it was organized chaos. After checking their dressing room and not finding Dominic, he went on to the next item on his list. He wove his way through the hall again, until he saw Wicked End’s dressing room.

  Taking a deep breath, he opened the door. For two weeks, he had debated what to say to Scott. There were several girls fawning over Chico and Jake, one on Austin’s lap and another kneeling at Brandon’s feet, apparently begging him to open his pants. He almost laughed.

  “Where’s Mackenzie?” Tommy asked Brandon as he came close.

  Frowning, Brandon replied, “Home. She had to work.” He sighed and waved the girl at his feet away. “Twelve more days till I see her. It’s killing me.”

  “This is why I stay single.” Tommy smirked. “You seen Scott?”

  Brandon jerked his thumb to the back of the room. “Bathroom.”

  “Thanks.” Tommy leaned against a wall, listening to Papa Roach’s “One Track Mind” that played from a stereo somewhere.

  Scott came back in the room and looked around. There were a handful of girls just standing around. Then he noticed Tommy and walked right towards him.

  “Hey, glad you guys could make it.” Scott put his hand out. “Thanks for filling in.”

  Tommy gave him a smile as he shook his hand. “No problem. It’s not far.” He glanced around. “Is there somewhere we can talk?”

  Scanning the room, Scott pointed to a far corner. “Over there’s good.” He led the way. “Go suck Jake’s cock.” Scott waved his hand at two girls sitting on the couch he wanted to commandeer. “What’d you wanna talk about?”

  Sitting, Tommy tapped his thighs, unsure where to start. Maybe this is not a good idea. He looked at the floor. Is it rude to ask point-blank?

  “Um, about the night at the strip club.” Tommy wrung his hands nervously. “I noticed a few things.” He was getting very uncomfortable, something he was not accustomed to. “Uh, well…” He looked around again. “Maybe we should do this somewhere else.”

  Scott’s curiosity was peaked. “What’s this about?”

  “Somethin’ hard for me to talk about.”

  “The only other place is the bathroom.” Scott stood. “As long as you don’t think it’s too weird.”

  Tommy shrugged and followed Scott who closed the door behind them, but didn’t lock it. He sat on the sink vanity as Scott folded his arms over his chest and leaned on the opposite wall.

  “I saw you and Austin checking out those guys.” Tommy watched Scott shift his weight.

  Scott’s mouth dropped when the words sunk in. “We weren’t checking guys out, only girls.” His eyes flitted around, wanting to run from the room.

  Tommy felt bad. Scott was obviously fighting his true self. That wasn’t right. “It’s no big deal. I just wanted to let you know I saw it.”

  “You saw wrong. I don’t look at guys that way.”

  Austin opened the door and locked it. “Really?” He stalked over to Scott and kissed him full on the mouth. “Deny that.” Austin grabbed Scott’s ass and kissed him again, harder.

  Trying not to gawk, Tommy was taken aback. He had not seen two men kiss so close up before. Scott seemed to be melting in Austin’s arms. He kept silent as Austin pulled back and stared into Scott’s eyes.

  “So, that was your first kiss, huh?” Tommy folded his arms over his chest. Scott’s face turned so red, it was laughable. “Why’d ya guys hide you’re gay?”

  “Gay? You think we’re gay? We’re not gay!” Scott screamed, recalling the incident with Kevin. He could hear the accusations flying all around him again.

  Austin took Scott in his arms. “Hey, relax.” He waited until Scott stopped shaking, then glanced at Tommy. “We’re not gay. We’re both bi. Lucky me.” Austin turned around. “We don’t say anything ’cause the tabloids’d have a field day with it, and you know it.”

  Tommy nodded. “Yeah, they would. They fucked a lotta gay guys over when they came out.” He thought for a few seconds. “But maybe if the band was behind you on it.” He chuckled. “Sorry, force of habit.” Innuendos came naturally to him. “I mean if everyone supported you. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. And it’s not like your female fans would lose anything.” He paused. “Unless you’re exclusive. That could be complicated.” He felt like he was making it worse.

  Austin threw an arm around Scott’s shoulders. “Finally! Someone on my side. We’re not exactly exclusive. More like particular who we fuck. Although Scott’s more insatiable than me. He seems to need a woman every other day.”

  Agreeing, Tommy smiled. “Me too. Pussy’s just addictive.” He jumped down. “Well, if you guys wanna… I guess, come out… Let me know.”

  Chapter Thirty Two

  Dominic pulled Noelle down the hallway towards Gasoline’s dressing room. There was an after-party at a nearby club, and they planned to attend as a couple. They had stopped in each band’s dressing room to greet people and got caught up with Hell Hounds. Although Dustin was on the bus, sick as a dog, the rest of the band was partying like usual.

  Wicked End was on stage, closing out th
e show as headliners. The loud, heavy music floated down the hall as they walked. Dominic tugged Noelle closer, glad they no longer had to hide. They stopped several times for fans of both bands. It seemed some were happy for them and took their picture. A few glared at one or the other, obviously against it.

  By the time they reached the dressing room, Wicked End was saying good night. Dominic opened the door and let Noelle in first. They skirted around the crewmembers and groupies scattered all over.

  Dominic stopped when he saw Vince. “You seen Dean?” He hoped Dean was sober.

  Vince rolled his eyes. “He’s been hiding on the bus.”

  “With a chick?”

  “No.” Vince was confused by it. “Brandon Knight showed up, and he bolted. What’s his problem lately?”

  With a sigh, Dominic replied, “He’s starting to revert a bit.”

  “Damn, needs rehab again?”

  Dominic frowned. “Not yet. Just worried he’s heading there again.”

  “You want me to have somebody go get ’em?” Vince checked the room for T.J.

  Worried, Dominic nodded. “Yeah. I don’t trust him alone.” He lifted Noelle’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “Let me get you a drink.”

  Noelle smiled as her man walked towards a table covered in bottles. She watched him put ice into glasses. Then he poured coconut rum and pineapple juice into one. The other he filled with cola and what looked like Jack Daniels.

  Dominic carried the glasses back slowly, trying not to knock into anyone milling around the room. When he reached Noelle, he exhaled with relief. Sometimes he hated how popular they were. Handing Noelle her drink he winked at her.

  “To spending tonight together.” He touched his glass to hers, smiling. “May you orgasm all night long.”

  Noelle almost spit out the liquid in her mouth. He had changed since opening up to her. It was definitely for the better, though. “You’re too much.”

  He grinned. “Only around you.” He stepped towards her and wrapped an arm around her waist. “You make me a better me. Love you.” He kissed her, once, twice, then a bit harder. “As soon as everyone’s asleep… You’re mine.” A chorus of greetings announced someone well-known had come in the room. He ignored it, though.