Surviving

by Ahren Sanders

  “Mike wants to shoot a video for “Surviving” and wants it ready for the album release in December. He’s meeting with a modeling agency next week to give them an idea of what he thinks we want for the female interest.” Declan answers.

  “What exactly does that mean? Will y’all be involved?”

  “Yeah to an extent. I’ll have to film a fair amount with her, but I’m completely unsure of the creative process at this point.”

  “Dec, what about at the end of the song when you reconcile? That’s pretty deep.”

  “I’m not sure yet. But I know what I won’t do, and Mike knows where I stand. I’ll sing to her, I’ll pretend to hold her, but that’s it. No intimate contact.”

  The flight attendant comes on and announces our descent into Vegas, so our conversation ends. I make a note to talk to Mike about this.

  Vegas is exactly as I expected. The lights, the hotels, the people everywhere. As it turns out, we ended up with rooms and not suites. Blake is going to room with Jay, so Nate and Cooper can have their own room. Kelly made a comment to Declan about me sharing a room with her if he wanted to stay with Blake, but he shut her down. This girl’s an idiot, does she not see the ring on my finger?

  The guys talk me into hitting the casino after dinner. We’re all around a blackjack table when Kelly and Mike find us. I’m not playing so I’m off to the side and watch Kelly sidle up to Declan. He’s polite but pays all his attention to the dealer. So far he and Nate are up about eight hundred dollars. I get bored and tell them all I'm going to the slot machines. Declan tries to come with me, but I insist he stays where he is.

  As soon as I sit down and start to play I sense someone behind me. I turn to see Ryan smiling down at me.

  “Ryan!” I leap into his arms and hug him tightly.

  “Hey, girl. We heard you all were down here and wanted to come party. The other guys are around here somewhere.”

  I congratulate him on all their success since summer, and we talk more about their upcoming tour. I’m telling him about Paris when the rest of his band finds us. After hugs all around, I see Declan barreling through the crowd. When he gets closer, he relaxes but comes straight to me before acknowledging the other band.

  We go to a hotel bar to talk about tomorrow and discuss the plan. Once we are seated, and everyone has a drink, Mike explains how he wants Ryan to introduce Sayge. Kelly gives specifics and tells everyone how she and Jay met with the sound and lighting reps.

  After an hour, I tell everyone goodnight and get up to leave. Declan tries to come with me, but Kelly claims she needs a few more minutes to go over tomorrow night. He gives her a dirty look, but I agree to stay and he pulls me down to his lap. She looks at us disgusted.

  We finally finish and go to our room. Funny enough, she is across the hall. The other guys stayed downstairs, but she claims she is tired so comes up with us on the elevator.

  Once we are in our room, I set up the desk with my schoolwork for tomorrow morning, while Declan showers.

  When we’re finally ready for bed, Declan pulls me flush against him and is unusually quiet.

  “Sweetheart, you okay?’

  “Yeah, just thinking about tomorrow night.”

  “You nervous?”

  “Not sure, I mean this could mean a whole new road we travel down. You’ve heard the stories tonight about Ryan’s group and the shit they’ve been through. I guess what I’m nervous about is the reception Sayge will get being an unknown group to this festival. No matter what, I’m proud of all we’ve done, but tomorrow is a really big deal.”

  “Baby, I’ll be there the whole time. Don’t get anxious now.”

  He holds me until we both fall asleep.

  *****

  I wake up first and climb out of bed to start my day. The sooner I get my shit done, the faster I can enjoy Vegas. I log on and start answering my emails. Since Nashville is two hours ahead, my group has already sent me the notes I need to correct. Declan sleeps soundly until there is a loud knock at our door. I open it to find Kelly waiting.

  “Good Morning, Kelly. What can I do for you?”

  “I need to get Declan and the others so we can go to the MGM and go over the show tonight. Can I come in?”

  “How about I wake Declan up, and he will meet you in the main lobby in thirty minutes? He’s not really a morning person.” I lie, but she’s on my last nerve.

  “Fine, but we can’t be too long. We only have so much time before all the other acts need to rehearse too. Wouldn’t want to mess up this chance.” She glares at me.

  I nod my head and shut the door without answering her.

  He’s awake when I get to the bed and pulls me down for a long wet kiss.

  “Dec, you have to get ready and go. I’ll wait here for you because I am still waiting on a few assignment notes.”

  “Please come with us.”

  “I can’t. But let’s go to the pool when you get back. We can relax a few hours before we go to MGM.”

  “Okay, but you better have brought something other than that pink string you wore in Atlanta.”

  “Yes babe, now get up.”

  My computer dings with a new message and I go back to work. When he comes out of the bathroom ready to go, I lose focus. He’s standing wearing my favorite green running shorts and a black tee.

  “Sparkle, quit looking at me like that. I have to go to get this shit out of the way.”

  He leaves with a quick kiss and a promise to call when he has an idea of what time they’ll be back.

  After three hours, I’m bored and hungry. I call Declan to see if he’s coming soon or if I should go ahead and eat.

  When his phone goes to voicemail, I get ready for the pool. I leave a note in case he doesn’t get my message. I eat at the pool bar and talk to Charlie the whole time. She has a thousand questions, and I try to tell her what I know about tonight. She talked to Blake an hour ago, and I get curious as to why Declan hasn’t called me back.

  When we hang up, I call Declan again. This time Kelly answers his phone.

  “Hello,” she says even though I know she saw my name on the caller ID.

  “Kelly, is Declan around?”

  “Raven, he’s actually busy working. This isn’t a vacation. Do you need something?” she asks in the bitchiest voice I’ve ever heard.

  “Nope, I’ll see him when he gets back. Tell him I called.” I hang up seething mad.

  I sit in the only empty chair I find and pop in my headphones. In my mind, I’m not mad at Declan at all, but I wonder why she has his phone. I must fall asleep because I jolt awake when someone puts their hand on my knee. Looking up to the shadow over me, there’s a very unhappy Declan Collins.

  “What the fuck? I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for almost an hour.” He spits out. “And where’s the rest of your bathing suit?”

  Whoa, he’s mad at me? “What do you mean? I left you a message, talked to Kelly, and left a note in our room. I turned my phone on silent when I laid down figuring you would find me here.”

  “If you talked to Kelly then you know I got held up and wanted you to come down and meet us.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Didn’t Kelly call you?”

  “No Dec, she didn’t, and when I called you, she answered and told me you were too busy working to talk to me.”

  “Are you fucking shitting me?”

  “Nope.”

  I guess this calms him down because he sits on the edge of the chair and leans down for a kiss. The rest of the guys walk towards us with Kelly in tow. She looks at me with a smirk, and I smile back at her. She doesn’t have a clue what shitstorm her little stunt created.

  When they get to us, Declan hovers over me and tries to cover me with a towel. Everyone, except for Mike and Kelly are in their bathing suits.

  “Looking good RJ. Come to your senses about Declan yet? My marriage proposal still stands.” Nate says slyly but backs away out of Declan’s reach. He shoots
him a dirty look but focuses his attention to Mike and Kelly.

  “Listen, I think we need to discuss something right now, so we’re all on the same page.”

  “What’s up man, you look pissed. I thought you’d be jazzed about the rehearsal.” Mike asks.

  “Yeah, I was until I couldn’t find my fiancée. Mike, I think you already know where I stand, but it seems Kelly needs to be told directly. Don’t fuck with Raven and me. I don’t know what game you’re playing at, but get over it real quick.”

  “I’m not sure what you’re talking about Declan. Did I do something wrong?” she asks innocently in a small voice.

  Even though she looks embarrassed, she grinned slightly at me before answering Declan.

  “Declan, I think you may need to explain a little more and not take that tone with Kelly. What exactly is the problem?” Mike steps closer to Declan.

  “The problem is that I asked her to call Raven to come meet us. Not only didn’t she call, she told Raven I was too busy to take her call. I’ve been worried about where Raven was for the last hour. After searching three fucking pools, I finally found her.”

  “Uh oh. The last time I didn’t tell Declan about Raven’s phone call, I almost got a broken jaw. Not a smart move Kelly.” Nate chides her.

  “Look, I didn’t think Declan wanted to be interrupted. He seemed very busy.”

  “What the fuck was I doing? Was I singing? Was I with the sound techs? Tell me.” Declan growls at her.

  “You were in the fucking corner with Katy Perry!”

  I can’t help but laugh out loud. Soon Cooper, Nate, and Blake join in. Mike even cracks a smile. Declan is furious and looks at all of us like we’ve lost our minds.

  “Kelly, let’s clear this up right now. It doesn’t matter if it was the President of the United States, Declan will always take Raven’s calls.” Mike tells her.

  “Fine! I didn’t know it was such a big deal.”

  I’m tired of this going back and forth since at this point it has become juvenile. “Okay guys, it’s over. We’re here now. Let’s enjoy our afternoon. We should move to the other side of the pool so we can all sit together.” I gather my stuff and we all move. The guys join in a game of water polo while I sunbathe, and Mike and Kelly go back to ‘work.’ At four o’clock, we go back to our rooms to get ready for the kickoff that starts at seven-thirty. We make plans to meet in an hour so we can get dinner on the way to the MGM.

  As soon as I slip the blue halter dress on, Declan starts shaking his head. Ignoring his obvious disapproval, I slide on my cowboy boots.

  “Come here.” He demands.

  When I get close enough for him to reach me, he grips my hips and pulls me flush against him. Kissing a trail from my ear down my shoulder blade, he squeezes my ass. Finally meeting my lips, he kisses me softly and then becomes possessive. Our tongues twirl together in perfect sync and the ring digs into my bottom lip until I moan. I lift one leg and wrap it around his.

  His fingertips rub up and down my thigh making me squirm against him. My dress is bunched around my hips now, and I rub against his obvious erection. Reaching down, I undo the button and lower the zipper of his jeans. Sliding my hands in his boxers, I scrape my nails down his cock and squeeze his balls. He pulls back from the kiss and looks down at me with fire in his eyes. I push his boxers and jeans down enough to allow him to spring free. Without saying a word, he moves my panties to the side and slides one finger in me. Knowing I’m wet and ready, he moves us back against the dresser and slams into me.

  I scream at the invasion but swivel my hips to push him as far as he can go. He stares at me as he glides in and out until I start to pant. The pleasure starts building, and I throw my head back and push against him. He squeezes my hips and moves his thumb to where we are joined. Instead of rubbing my clit, he circles the entire area making me clench involuntarily. The feeling is so intense and strong I can’t hold on any longer. My orgasm hits, and I see spots. I faintly hear him yell my name as he pumps into me faster. Neither one of us moves for several minutes.

  “Jesus Christ, you feel so good, I don’t want to move.” He whispers against my neck.

  “What the hell was that? You’ve never done that before, and I had no control over the way my body reacted.”

  “Another something I read, you like?”

  “Umm, hmm.” I purr into his neck, and we stay connected for a few more minutes. “Honey, we have to go and now I need to clean up.”

  “It’s the boots. I thought I could wait until we got back. Ever since I saw you laying out today in your barely there bikini, all I could think about was fucking you. But those damn boots pushed me over the edge.”

  “Lucky me.”

  “Sparkle, anytime you want to get lucky, you just let me know.”

  There’s a knock at the door, and Cooper yells inside for us to hurry up.

  I clean up and readjust my clothes while Declan gets my purse and our passes. I notice mine is a different shade than his but don’t say anything.

  *****

  The iHeartRadio Stage is huge. There are people running around everywhere and the seats are already filling up. The entry area outside is packed with screaming fans trying to get a glimpse of their favorite artists arriving. I recognize several famous musicians backstage, including Katy Perry and Jason Derulo. Declan keeps positioning me against his side so no one will bump into me as they rush around with last minute preparations. We find Kelly, Mike and Knight’s Dream in a room with a few people I do not know. Jay speaks to them as soon as we walk in, and I learn they are the management team.

  The energy and excitement in the room fills the air. The announcer kicks off the concert, and the screams of the crowd are deafening. This is probably the largest venue I have ever been in my life. Mike and I joke about the last concert we were at together. It was ten years ago when we had a group go to ‘Creed’ in Nashville. Somehow I talked Robbie into letting me go with him and the guys, and Mike got stuck with me. I didn’t know it at the time, but everyone else had paired off with a girl and he was on ‘Raven Duty.’

  Mike lets us know it’s time to leave the room. Before we can get to our designated areas on the side stage to watch Knight’s Dream, I’m stopped by security. He tells me my pass will not allow me any further. Declan looks like he is going to blow a gasket. I offer to go back to the room and wait knowing I can watch on the TV even though I am disappointed.

  It finally dawns on me that Kelly gave us our passes and purposely gave me a limited access pass. I mention this to Declan and he motions for Mike to join us with the security guard. Our group follows Mike to where we are standing and now making a scene.

  “Mike, we need to get Raven an all access pass. I don’t care about tomorrow because I’ll be with her but tonight she’s with me.”

  “I understand, I’m sure it’s a small mix up. Kelly give Raven your pass.” He instructs her.

  If I were a vindictive person, I would laugh at the expression on her face. Her lips contort like she’s eaten a lemon and her eyes narrow at me.

  “I hardly think that’s appropriate. I’ve worked very hard, and I’m your assistant.” She responds to him.

  “We’ll get into this later, but there’s no arguing here. As my assistant, you should have noticed a member of this group didn’t have the appropriate credentials. So now she needs your pass so we can go. I’m seeing a pattern here today that is completely inappropriate. I suggest you go to the event organizers and let them know you need a new pass.”

  She hands me the badge angrily and takes off running to the organizer area. We make our way to the stage right as Ryan starts in on their most popular song. The crowds are cheering so loudly I don’t think I’ll be able to hear tomorrow.

  After two sets, they take a break and the bassist brings Declan’s guitar to the middle. My stomach drops with nerves. He wraps his arms around my middle and squeezes me tightly. This is it!

  “Y’all having a fucking good time?”
Ryan yells into the microphone. The crowd goes wild. “I said are y’all having a fucking good time?!” The response is even louder and wilder.

  “I have a very good group of friends here with us tonight. They’re a badass set of rockers who are equally as cool. Their new single drops this coming week and they’re gonna play it for you. Please give a Las Vegas welcome to Sayge!!!”

  The guys all fist bump and head to the stage. Declan kisses me quickly and saunters out acting cool and aloof. Even though I know this is one of the biggest moments in his life, his stage presence is calm and collected.

  Ryan comes off stage and comes straight to me. I hug him and tell him how proud I am. Right about the time we separate, Kelly comes to stand next to us with her new pass around her neck.

  “I was instructed not to leave your side for the next five minutes. Something about roadies, concerts, and boots.” Ryan tells me.

  I roll my eyes remembering the charity concert at the Ryman last year. Figures Declan would ask Ryan to watch me.

  Blake and Cooper both start the intro as the light adjusts to spotlight each guy. The lights are deep red, which is very fitting for the tone of this song. When Declan starts to sing, the already electrified crowd gets louder. His guitar solo brings a slight hush until Blake joins in and the beat increases. His voice is like velvet and sin mixed together. He never wavers in his confidence on the stage, and they finish the song with an added solo from Nate on the drums.

  Roars fill the arena and people are chanting for more.

  “Thank you Vegas! You’re fucking incredible tonight! Enjoy the rest of the show.” The lights go black, and he stalks to me. Jumping up and down like a school girl, I run the rest of the way and leap into his arms. Showering his face with kisses, I tell him repeatedly how amazing that was.

  The other guys gather around us, and Declan set me down so I can hug them. Mike’s on the phone with his friend at a station in Nashville. He asks him to push the single to the air as soon as possible. Then he instructs Declan to do a twitter feed about the performance immediately. Kelly and I can update the other sites later tonight or tomorrow.

  We go back to the room assigned to Knight’s Dream and watch the rest of their performance on the TV. They end up doing one encore before joining us to celebrate.