by Tania Sparks
I follow him into the room but squawk, “Caleb, I’m not staying in your bed!”
He turns around and looks at me warily. He’s frowning but has a sly smirk on his face. He over exaggerates his surprise as he says, “You want to stay in the spare room?”
“Of course I want to stay in the spare room. I’m in a relationship with Nikki. I’m not sleeping with you!”
Caleb shrugs indifferently, “Of course…sorry, my mistake. It’s just that whenever you’ve stayed over in the past, it’s always been in my bed, I didn’t even think.” He’s grinning cheekily. It’s then that I realize he’s just trying to wind me up.
I snatch my bag from the floor and stomp out of the room. I walk straight into the spare room, throw my bag on the bed and slam the door behind me. I flop down onto the bed, lying on my back.
I few minutes later Caleb knocks on the door.
I snap, “What?”
He opens the door and stands in the doorway. I lift my head so I can see him. His hands are in the front pockets of his trousers as he shrugs apologetically. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. Just thought it was worth a try.” He has his charming panty-dropping smile plastered all over his face.
I sit up and nod my head indicating for him to come inside the room. Our friendship is way too important for me to take offence at his cheeky antics. I smile as he sits down on the bed next to me.
I look at him warmly, “This friendship thing is hard isn’t it? It’s funny how we’ve been friends for a long time now but right at the moment it feels awkward. Most people muck up their friendships by sleeping with each other. We stop screwing and suddenly it becomes awkward. That’s sort of fucked up.” I laugh at our unusual predicament.
Caleb pats me on my knee. “No it’s not awkward sweetheart, or fucked up, just different. We can be friends, there doesn’t have to be fucking involved.” He grins mischievously, “Of course you know I wouldn’t say no if you offered.” I slap him on his shoulder playfully and he continues, “But Trix, I completely understand that you’re in a relationship now. I’m happy with being just friends.”
“Really, just friends?” I question doubtfully.
“Yeah really. If you wanted more, then that would be great. But if you don’t want more, that’s fine too. I’m here for you Trix.”
“Thanks Caleb. Thanks for being here for me and thanks for letting me stay.” I wrap my arms around him and give him a hug.
“The pleasure’s all mine sweetheart. We need to keep you safe.”
I pull away slightly and say, “I should probably phone Nikki and let him know what’s going on and where I am.”
Caleb stands up, “Of course. Will he be okay with you staying here?”
I crinkle my nose, “No probably not, but he’ll cope. I don’t really get a choice, I can’t stay at my apartment until we figure out how the nutcase psycho got inside. At the very least we have to change all the locks and re-set the alarm.”
“Okay, I’ll leave you to it, you’ll need a bit of privacy. I know if I were Nikki and you were staying with me, I’d flip the fuck out, so good luck.” He chuckles and disappears out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Hopefully he hasn’t gone on stage yet as I know their show must be about to start soon. I take a deep breath, pick up my phone and dial Nikki’s number.
He picks it up on the first ring and rumbles, “Hey darlin’.”
“Hey Nikki.”
Why am I so nervous? I guess it’s because I know he’s going to go mental about me staying at Caleb’s place.
“You calling from the club?” he asks.
“No, I decided to leave early.”
His voice turns soft and he caringly asks, “You not feeling well?”
“No, no, I feel fine. It’s just that …”
“You don’t sound good, is everything okay?”
“Yeah, well…no, not really. I got another gift. This time it was sent to me at work.”
I can feel the tension from Nikki vibrating down the phone line, “Do you think it’s from the same mother-fucker that sent you the roses?” He sounds jealous and is as mad as hell.
“Not sure, seems a bit coincidental though doesn’t it?”
“What was in the box?”
“A cream lace and silk slip.”
Nikki explodes with anger down the phone line, “What the fuck!” he screeches. “Some fucker’s sending you sexy lingerie!”
“Well it was more conventional than sexy, not really something I would choose.”
“So some dipshit sent you boring-as-shit lingerie. What a loser.” Nikki chuckles and his mood lightens slightly.
I continue, “But that’s not the bad bit!”
His mood changes back to angry and he growls, “What do you mean that’s not the bad bit?”
“There was a note.”
“What did the note say?”
“It said, this is more like the type of lingerie you should be wearing, not that trashy whore stuff you keep in your drawers.”
“Shit Trixie! I want you to pack a bag and get the hell out of your apartment right now. He was probably bluffing, but I don’t want you there by yourself, just in case he decides he really does want to rifle through your panties, probably with you in them!”
“There’s more…I checked my drawers and they’ve definitely been rifled through.”
“Fuck, get out of there now!”
“It’s okay, I’m already out. When I got the box at work and saw the note, Caleb accompanied me back to my apartment. Once we figured out that some nutcase had in fact been rifling through my underwear drawer, he insisted that I come back to his place. I’m here now.”
I hear Nikki growl as he tries to figure out which is worse, me in my apartment with a possible psycho on the loose or me staying at another guy’s apartment.
I try to reassure him, “It’s okay Nikki.”
He sighs deeply and rumbles, practically sulking, “It’s not fucking okay. Please tell me you’re sleeping in the spare room.”
“Of course I am!” I shriek. “What the hell, I wouldn’t just jump into another guy’s bed.”
Nikki firmly declares, “I know, I know, I’m sorry sweetheart, I trust you, I do, it’s just...”
“I promise. I’m definitely staying in the spare room. You don’t need to worry.”
“I know. Just let me speak to him okay?”
“What?”
“Just let me speak to him.”
“Why?” I ask insolently.
Nikki huffs in frustration, “Because you’re fucking mine Trixie and I need to talk to him man-to-man and make sure he keeps his grubby fucking mitts off you.”
“That’s not necessary. Even if he did try something. You know I am completely capable of saying no!”
“It sure as hell is necessary!” he protests. “He’s a man. Straight I presume…?”
“Yes, he’s straight.” Jesus, if only Nikki knew how straight.
“Well, if he’s a man and he’s straight, then he wants in your panties.”
I huff angrily but I guess there’s no getting around it, “Okay, okay, hold on a sec, I’ll just go find him.”
I get up off the bed and stomp out of the room to try and find Caleb. He’s in the kitchen sipping on a beer. I hold up the phone towards him at arms-length. He keeps one hand in his pocket and the other secured firmly around his beer as he raises his eyebrows in question.
I roll my eyes exaggeratedly, “It’s Nikki, he wants to speak to you.”
Caleb grins wickedly. Great, with everything that’s going on, the last thing I need is a god-damned pissing contest between two macho idiots. Caleb takes the phone from me and rumbles into the phone in a ridiculously masculine tone, “Yo man, this is Caleb.”
I turn my back and walk back towards the spare room shaking my head in disgust. I may as well leave them to it. I don’t want to have to listen to that crap.
After about fifteen minutes Caleb comes won
dering back to the spare room and hands me the phone. He’s smirking at me knowingly.
I growl, “All sorted are we?”
Caleb just nods his head and leaves.
I hold the phone up to my ear, “Nikki.”
“Darlin’.” He rumbles. He sounds rather cheery for someone that’s probably just been involved in a competition of manhood.
“All sorted?” I question tenaciously.
“Yep, all sorted...So you’ll be staying with Caleb and he can keep an eye out for you and then you can fly in to see me in a few days. Caleb said that he could look after the club from Wednesday through Saturday, so I’ll book you some flights.”
Who the hell do these two think they are? I angrily bark, “Did you think of asking me what I wanted?”
It’s silent for a few seconds, “Oh sorry…I miss you and I presumed you missed me. I was just figurin’ out a way of seeing you again, and keepin’ you safe in the meantime.”
God, now I feel like a scumbag. “Of course I miss you, more than you know.” I pause for a few seconds and take a deep breath, “I’m sorry for snapping, I guess this whole stalker thing just has me freaked out…I would love to come and see you. Thank you.”
“You’re more than welcome. Just make sure you don’t go out without Caleb there to protect you and I’ll see you in a few days.” He sighs sadly, “I wish I could be there with you sweetheart. It feels like shit having to be on the other side of the country when you have a psycho stalker hanging around.”
“That’s okay, I’ll be there in a few days anyway and knowing Caleb he won’t let me out of his sight until I’m safely on that plane and on the way to you.”
“Yeah, I suppose.” It’s silent for a few seconds and then I hear Scott yelling at Nikki to get the hell off the phone. “Sorry darlin’, I really do have to go. We’re just about to go on stage and Scott I’ll have a hissy fit if I don’t get going. You stay safe sweetheart. I’ll give you a call in the morning. I miss you.”
“Miss you too. Bye.”
“Bye.”
I walk out of the room and plonk myself down on a barstool at the kitchen counter next to Caleb. He passes me a beer. We don’t say anything for a few minutes then Caleb states matter-of-factly, “That Nikki’s very protective of you.”
“Yeah.” I reply.
“You know, he’s pretty taken with you. He’s not just fucking around. I think he’s pretty serious.”
I just sit there grinning. Caleb is silent for a few more seconds and then says “He’s a damned cool guy actually. Despite wanting to hate the hell out of him, I think I like him.”
I grin even more. Caleb puts his arm around my shoulder and gives me an affectionate squeeze. To hear Caleb saying that he likes Nikki is such a relief. These two men are both so special to me, it’s really important that they don’t clash.
After a couple more beers and a phone call to the club to make sure everything’s running smoothly, we both head off to our own rooms.
Chapter 13
The next few days are torturous. Caleb literally won’t let me out of his sight, he follows me everywhere. Nikki hasn’t been much better and although I love talking to him on the phone, he’s been calling constantly to check and see that I’m okay. I know that him and Caleb talk too. Caleb tries to keep it on the down-low, but I know he’s talking to Nikki, I’ve caught him whispering about me a couple of times.
You’d think I was in the middle of a god-damned military operation the way these two are protecting me against my unknown stalker. And to make it even worse Nikki told my Dad and he’s been calling me two or three times a day to check in on me too.
As soon as Daddy found out, he arranged for a security guy to shadow me wherever I go. He told me that I would barely know he’s there, but I see him lurking around every corner, watching me. He camps out in his car outside Caleb’s apartment. In fact there might even be more than one, they must take shifts but they all look the same with their black suits and blank faces. It’s worse than stalker. At least I don’t know if the stalker’s watching me, with the security guy, even if I can’t see him, I can still feel him watching me, it’s creepy.
Caleb and I are at the airport and my flight to Chicago leaves in an hour. I’ll be so glad to finally get to Nikki and maybe then I can have a bit of privacy, just me and Nikki, nobody watching, nobody monitoring.
We’re walking towards airport security, Caleb is carrying my bag for me and is striding purposely across the terminal. I grab hold of one of his arms to slow him down, we’re just passing the restrooms and I wave my hand in that direction, “Caleb, I really need to go to the bathroom.”
Caleb stops and turns to face me, “Okay sweetheart, just give me a sec.” Caleb waves his hand in the air and then points towards the restrooms. A black-suited man appears out of nowhere and paces towards the bathroom.
I stare at Caleb in disbelief, “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” I exclaim.
“Just being safe Trix.”
I start to walk towards the bathroom but Caleb grabs me by my hand and holds me back, “Just give him a minute to make sure it’s safe in there.”
I mutter under my breath, “Oh my God. Un-fucking-believable.”
I glance towards the bathroom and there’s a couple of ladies being shuffled out with ‘security man’ close on their heels. He holds up his thumb to give the all clear. I stomp off towards the bathroom muttering obscenities. I go inside, pushing past and scowling at ‘security man’ who’s standing at the door on guard duty ensuring nobody else comes inside.
I take my time. It’s a rare few minutes where I’m completely by myself. After taking care of my bathroom needs, I stand at the mirror, slowly touching up my make-up and brushing my hair. I know I’ve been in here a long time and I know I’m being a total bitch, but all this over-the-top protectiveness is driving me mad.
I’m readjusting my lipstick for about the tenth time when Caleb comes strolling into the bathroom with a knowing smirk on his face.
“Caleb, what the hell are you doing in the ladies’ bathroom, you’re not supposed to be in here.”
“Well it seems like one certain lady is purposely taking her time. I came in to get your ass out of here before you miss your flight.”
I roll my eyes and grab my handbag from the countertop and stomp out. As I push past him he grabs me and holds me in tightly in his arms as I try to struggle free. I’m still irritated at his over-protectiveness. He kisses me softly on top of my head and mutters, “Just looking after you. If something ever happened to you, I’d never forgive myself. Just indulge me for a few more minutes and then you can hop on that plane and be off to your rock star lover.”
I relax in his embrace. I know he’s just looking after me. In fact when I think about it, the past few days couldn’t have been easy for him. He’s uprooted his whole life to take care of me and to make sure that I’m protected at all times. It’s a bit of an over-kill if you ask me, but it seems that this is what the men in my life do. Whether it be Caleb, Nikki or Daddy, they’re all consumed with ensuring my safety. I wrap my arms around Caleb’s waist and look up into his eyes. “Thank you. I know I haven’t made it easy for you and I know you’ve given up a lot of your own time to look after me over the past couple of days.”
Caleb smiles warmly at me, “That’s okay, the pleasure’s all mine. Besides, I’ve sort of enjoyed having you around twenty-four seven. It’s been nice.”
It has been nice. Me and Caleb have always got on really well. “Yeah, it’s been good. I’ve enjoyed spending time with you.”
Caleb face turns a little sad, “Yeah, it’s a pity I have to send you off to Nikki. It would be good to have you all to myself.”
I hug him, I get it now. Caleb would still like so much more with me but he’s giving me my space and respecting the fact that Nikki and I are in a relationship. It makes me sad knowing that Caleb would like more but I’m not able to give that to him.
Caleb grins and loos
ens his hold on me and spins me around, pushing me out of the door and slapping me on my ass. “Come on, let’s get you to the gate, or you really will miss your flight.”
We stroll out of the bathroom, Caleb grabs my bag from security guy who quickly disappears back into the crowds of people.
We get to the gate and Caleb gives me yet another hug, “Take care sweetheart, stay safe.”
I hug him back, “I will. Thanks for everything Caleb.”
“My pleasure,” he rumbles.
“Bye.”
“See ya.”
I give him a chaste kiss on his lips, grab my bag from him and walk through the gates. After going through security I wait in the lounge for a short while until it’s time to board the plane. Once they open the doors, the staff check my tickets and I make my way onto the plane and to my seat. I settle myself in for the four hour flight.
After a couple of hours I get up to go to the bathroom. That’s when I spot him. A few rows behind me, there sits security guy. He smiles sheepishly at me and shrugs his shoulders. I just shake my head in disbelief. Is this guy gonna follow me for the whole time I’m with Nikki?
~~~
The flight arrives and after grabbing my luggage I make my way out. Hopefully Nikki’s organized for me to be picked up, but if not I’ll just catch a cab. Security guy seems to have disappeared into the shadows again and is nowhere to be seen.
I walk out of the gates, I don’t see my name on any of the signs that are being held up by the drivers waiting for arriving passengers, so I make my way towards the exit. Suddenly my arm is grabbed as strong fingers dig into my skin and I’m swung around roughly. I gasp in surprise and start to panic, maybe it’s my stalker? Where the hell’s security guy when I need him? I’m just about to scream when I’m silenced by a mouth crushing passionately into mine. I recognize those lips, that taste! I kiss him back frantically as I jump up and wrap my legs around his hips.
“Nikki” I mumble into his mouth.
“Trix” he mumbles back.
My body tingles as our tongues dual. I suck on his lip ring and a growl rumbles from inside his chest. Between sucking and nibbling at my lips me mutters, “Fuck I’ve missed this, I’ve missed you.”