by M. B. Feeney
Cue the screaming fangirls that were there because Gage had worked with Jack Hixton, not because they loved the music. I even saw a few look round, in case he was at the show.
“This is ‘Family and Friends’.”
I held up my camera to record the performance while Gage played the intro on his bass. His deep voice reverberated through me when he began singing. The crowd had gone quiet, so I was able to capture every word. When he reached the chorus, Gage looked up at the crowd and scanned the faces in front of him until he locked eyes with me. A small smile played on his lips while he continued singing. When the song was finished, Drew announced that they were taking a ten minute break, and he asked people to start thinking of ideas for an improv song the band could play when they returned. The improv song was a new addition to their routine, and the fans loved it.
"Hey, hun. Where did you disappear to before?" Jenny asked me when we went outside to cool down.
"Nerves took over, and I needed a cigarette." I lit another, determined not to miss any of the next half of the show. I was going to get my nicotine intake as high as possible in the next ten minutes.
Gasps of shock emanated from the smokers, and we became aware that the band had come outside, too. I could feel dozens of eyes on me when I turned to find Gage standing behind me.
"Hey," he said softly.
"Hey." I was hyper-aware of being watched. The other guys were mingling with the fans milling around, but many people were still watching us.
"You didn't say this was the show you were going to." Gage smiled when he spoke.
"You didn't ask."
"Oh, that's just being pedantic." He took a drag of his cigarette in frustration.
"No, it isn't. I distinctly remember mentioning the show on more than one occasion. Surely there's not that many in the area tonight." He opened his mouth to say something before realising he had no argument. "You look like a fish." I pushed his jaw closed with one finger, smirking.
"You are a real pain, you know that?" he stated.
"I do indeed."
Drew was standing nearby chatting with the other band members and his wife. Gage grabbed his arm to look at his watch.
"Look, I gotta get back inside. Are y'all hanging around for the rest of the night?"
I nodded. Like any of us would be going anywhere. "Of course. I need a picture taken with you to plaster all over social media." I didn't want to mention the ones that were already online.
"Can I . . . see you after the show?"
My heart jumped. "Er . . . Sure."
Gage leaned forward, and whispering in my ear, told me to meet him behind the stage after the show. He was hidden by Matt and Eli, who were standing in front of us, and he placed a sly kiss on my cheek.
"See you later." He looked into my eyes again, making me melt. "Your eyes are a lovely shade of green."
What? Hadn’t he ever looked in the mirror? Before I had a chance to respond, he was gone, dragged away by Matt, Eli, and Drew.
"Girl, you gonna be all over the internet." Jo linked her arm through mine, and we walked back inside. "Those girls were all taking pictures of the two of you on their phones."
"Oh, what joy.” I found that I wasn't as bothered about it as I would have expected. That would change when I got home and reality took over, however.
We managed to get a space closer to the stage for the second half of the show. Soon the guys were back out, and I got excited when I heard the intro to ‘Prayers in Song’, which was my all-time favourite Pocket song. The crowd sang along and jumped to the beat. It was clear that the song was a huge crowd pleaser, and when Gage got to the lyrics, a few of the girls were screaming along with him as if they could get pregnant just from joining in. The girls and I were singing along, too. All too soon, the song ended, and Drew was talking into his mic again.
"We introduced this concept a couple of weeks ago, and it went down really well, so we decided to keep it. This the part of the show where you make us write a song on the spot. I want you to shout out your title ideas right now."
A cacophony of voices rang out, making is hard to hear the actual ideas. The girls to our left made the most of a slight lull in the noise and shouted in unison, “Good girls versus bad girls."
"And we have a winner!" Matt announced.
Within seconds, Diamond was plucking out a soft, slow melody on the banjo, and one by one, the guys joined in. Gage paced around the stage, holding onto a bright blue tambourine. He flashed the crowd a large smile and began to sing, his voice deep and melodious.
I was blown away by his lyrics. On the surface, they were full of innuendo, but underneath there seemed to be a message to the younger girls in the crowd about finding a balance between having fun and making a fool of themselves for a guy.
The rest of the show passed in no time at all, and they were soon playing ‘The End’, the song they closed every show with. I didn’t want it to be over, despite needing a drink to soothe my dry throat.
"I just wanna, on behalf of all the guys and the beautiful Diamond, thank you all for coming to the show tonight. We know some of you have come a real long way.” Matt Callaghan glanced in our direction. “There's a merch stand by the entrance if you wanna buy CDs, tees, and such. Just make sure you’re nice to our very own Johnny D. Thanks for being a great audience." His voice lingered in the air for a few moments while they left the stage.
A mad rush of girls headed to the merchandise stand to buy stuff. Rather than watch them flirt with Johnny, who was just as popular as the guys themselves, I decided to head to the bar.
"My round, ladies. We’re celebrating my birthday in style." The queue for the bar was short, and I soon got served bottles of beer with whiskey chasers again for everyone. I could see some guys on stage packing away the instruments and winding up cables. It took me a while to realise that it actually was the band. I guessed not having a record label meant you didn't have roadies, either.
I watched a people leave the venue after buying their Pocket merchandise, and the room started to feel less claustrophobic. While things were quiet, I decided to go outside for a smoke before having another beer.
I had just lit a cigarette when a youngish blonde came up to me, looking somewhat nervous.
"Excuse me?" Her voice was nasal and loud, and I turned to look at her. "I was wondering if you could introduce me to the band."
It was hard for me to not burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, honey. The best thing is for you to go and introduce yourself and talk to them."
"But you know them. I saw you talking to them. I couldn't just walk up to them." A look of horror flashed across her face.
"Why not? They're just regular guys."
"Because they're famous. What if they don't like me?"
"Listen to someone who's probably old enough to be your mother. Just go and talk to them. Tell them you enjoy their music, ask for an autograph, and then go home. They'll respect you for being cool, and if they want to talk to you more, they will." I stubbed out my cigarette and went back inside without giving her a second glance.
The stage was now clear, and a lot of the audience had left. I could see small groups of people still hanging round. These must be the diehards who knew the guys were known to venture into the bar for a couple of drinks after shows. I wandered over to the merch stand and bought myself a new t-shirt and a couple of CDs I hadn’t been able to get online.
"Hey, babe." Jenny stood next to me and wrapped her arm around my waist.
"Hey. Having a good night?"
"Sure am, darl. The bar staff are putting out some extra tables and chairs now the crowd’s a bit more spread out, and the others have grabbed us a few so we can settle in for the night. Come and help me at the bar. It's my round."
I agreed and followed her across the venue.
The rest of the girls had pushed two tables together and were sharing the pictures on their cameras and phones. Their excitement was still heavy in the air, and I couldn’t help but
smile when Jenny and I joined them.
"Did you get many pictures, Charlie, or were you too transfixed by your man?" Ivy asked me, laughing. To prove her wrong, I pulled out my camera and flicked through the photos, feeling quite proud of myself.
"I got about a hundred, plus a few videos." I stuck my tongue out at her, showing her the screen to prove I hadn’t just taken pictures of Gage.
"I couldn't get my video to record, so I only got pictures." She pretended to pout. "You'll post them online for us though, won't you?"
"Of course I will. That's one of the first things I'll be doing when I get home."
The sound of many shoes moving across the room made us all look round. The band had made their appearance, clothes changed and drinks in hand. There was a sudden burst of camera flashes while people clamoured to have their photo taken with them and get various body parts signed. We sat back in our seats to watch the mayhem, laughing when some girls broke out in tears after being given the tiniest bit of attention.
"Oh, that's so pathetic." Jo was laughing as a few girls draped themselves over the band for their pictures. "They're the girls who'll be telling their friends more happened than really did."
"I think it's funny," I said. "And at the end of the day, these girls are going home a lot happier. They've met their idol, got a picture, and had a chance to talk and flirt with them."
"You're such a sap." Jo told me, playing with her drink.
I jumped three feet into the air when the ice cube she threw at me landed in my cleavage.
"Nice shot." We all turned to see Matt and Eli standing next to our table, laughing while I fished the ice out of my bra. "We'll give you ten bucks each if you can do that again."
Jo pulled another ice cube out of her glass, took aim, and threw. Bull’s-eye. I shivered, not enjoying the sensation.
"Hand it over, guys." She held out her hand for her winnings. As soon as they handed over the money, she stood up and walked towards the bar with a laugh. "Drinks on the Lyrics!"
"You let her get that second shot, didn't you?" Matt turned to me, an accusatory look on his face.
"Why would I let her throw a freezing cold lump of ice down the front of my top? You're just bummed that she won."
He was sticking his bottom lip out like a small child. "Whatever. Don't you guys want photos?" Matt turned to the others after pulling a stupid face at me. "Cause let's face it. I am all kinds of freaking awesome." He grinned.
We all took it in turns to have a photo taken with them, and the rest of the band made their way over to us when the crowd around them thinned. They also took their turn having pictures with us all. I stood next to Diamond while she grinned at Jo, who had my camera in her hands. Di was really sweet and gave us all a kiss on the cheek after she was done, then said she was heading back to the hotel to call her husband and kids.
"Come on, Charlotte. We gotta get a picture of you and Gage now." Jenny pushed me at him when he walked over from the bar, a fresh bottle of beer in his hand.
I stood next to him and glared at her. Gage wrapped an arm around my waist and squeezed gently to get my attention. The moment I looked up at him, the flash of my camera went off.
"That's great. A couple more."
We smiled at her while she took a few more shots.
"You did that on purpose didn't you?" I whispered when I went to retrieve my camera from her.
"Yep, sure did. You’ll thank me later. It’s a gorgeous shot."
I grabbed my own bottle of beer and took a large swig, giving her the stink eye.
"I need some fresh air. I'll be back in a minute." I gathered up my bag and made my way to the door. When I walked past him, Gage took hold of my arm.
"Meet me alone when you come back in," he whispered, his eyes searching my face for something.
I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I just nodded and went outside.
"Back again?" the doorman asked. He probably thought I was some crazy Brit chick who couldn’t cope with being in America.
"I need my nicotine. I have a fifteen-hour flight tomorrow, so I gotta keep my levels up," I joked with him.
"Sounds like a plan, ma’am." He grinned a megawatt smile at me and turned to speak to some other girls still hanging around outside. A few of them looked over at me. I could tell they'd seen me talking to Gage by the way their eyes narrowed, but I couldn't care less. In less than twenty-four hours, I would be in a different country.
Putting off going inside, I lit another cigarette, but I soon finished that one, too, and had to go back in. I could see Drew, his wife, Matt, and Eli with my friends. Their table had been surrounded by a few stragglers. Gage was nowhere to be seen, so I walked over to grab my drink. I knocked back my whiskey and picked up my beer. Eli glanced at me, a knowing look in his eye.
"You look like you needed that."
"I did.” If I were honest with myself, I could have sunk another. “I'm just heading to the bathroom." I motioned to the back of the room so the girls would know where I was.
"Take your time, babe. We're having fun here." Jenny winked at me, her voice thick with innuendo. I rolled my eyes and walked away.
My heart was beating so hard I was surprised no-one could hear it through my chest. I had no idea what I was doing and was shocked that I was even doing it. When I reached the door to the short corridor that led to the bathrooms, I was grabbed from behind and dragged into a little nook behind the stage. A squeal escaped me, but a finger was placed on my lips to quieten me.
Gage looked right at me, a soft smile on his face. "About time, too. I've wanted to do this ever since I spotted you in the crowd."
I hadn’t even opened my mouth to answer when he crushed his lips to mine, ghosting his tongue over my top lip. Instinct made me open to him, allowing him to control the pace. He groaned, and my knees weakened at the animalistic sound.
Without breaking us apart, he walked me backwards until I was leaning up against a cold, bare brick wall that allowed him to press the full length of his body against mine. I could feel the tell-tale bulge of his erection digging into my leg through his jeans, which surprised me. I’d never seen the possibility that he was indeed attracted to me rather than just looking for a quick fumble. Maybe there was more to this situation than I’d realised. Once again, instinct took over, and I couldn't help but grind my hips into his. He bucked against me, then pulled away and looked at me, his eyes boring into mine, and his chest heaving.
Looking around the space we were in, he suddenly grinned, picked me up, and wrapped my legs around his waist before walking away from the wall. He started to kiss me deeply again while we moved. This time it was less frenzied, yet still full of wanting and raw passion. I felt something hit my backside, but it wasn't until he slid me backwards that I realised he'd spotted a table and I was now sitting on it. Keeping my legs wrapped round his waist, I tangled my hands into his hair and deepened the kiss further.
"You are so fucking hot." He spoke against my skin as he moved his lips down, kissing, licking, and nipping at my neck and collarbone. The sharpness of his teeth was followed by a soothing swipe of his tongue that made me tremble. I felt his hands at the waistband of my shorts. "And these. Well, these babies should be immortalised and put in a frame." He snapped open the button and slowly pulled down the zip. I held my breath when he slid his hand inside my underwear.
It was too late to question if I was ready to do this, because my body was already screaming yes, even if my mind was saying a quieter no. Could I have sex with this man, a near stranger, right next to the stage where he’d just performed? The thrill of being caught heightened the sensations of his calloused fingers dipping into me. Slowly moving, rubbing tiny circles over my clit, so rhythmic . . .
"Fuck," was all I could manage to say before he kissed me again, hard. I couldn't help but grind my hips into his hand, increasing the friction between us. It was my turn to groan when he pulled his hand away from me, my body missing his heat.
Gage shi
fted his hands under my thighs and lifted my bum off the table. While I held my weight on my own hands, he managed to pull down my shorts and underwear. I’d had to unwrap my legs from around him so he could get them off. Once I was able to rest my bare skin back on the cool table, I brought my hands to his belt and undid it before going to work on his button fly. I wasn't surprised he was going commando under his jeans. Grinning to myself, I took his rock hard cock in my hands and began stroking him with a firm grip from base to tip, running my thumb over the swollen head with each pass and listening to him hiss.
"Your hands are almost as amazing as you are, but I need more." He positioned his body back between my legs, but before he could go any further, I pushed him away with a push.
"Woah. Not so fast, cowboy. No glove, no love." I looked him in the eye. This was my final chance to put an end to this and prevent myself looking like a complete cheating slag, yet I couldn’t. I was too far gone, allowing my body’s reaction to him to overrule anything my head was telling me.
"Sorry, I wasn't thinking." He put his hand in his back pocket and pulled out his wallet for a condom. The wallet was then tossed onto the table next to us, and he ripped open the foil packet. Not able to wait any longer, I snatched it out of his hand.
"Let me." It took just a couple of seconds to roll it on, covering his full length.
"So where were we?" His already deep voice had dropped at least another octave, and he moved back into position in front of me.
Without any more talking, Gage pushed himself into me, filling me completely. He began to pump, building up a rhythm that I was able to match, leaning back against my hands and pushing against the table. His pace got faster and faster, and the feet of the table scratched along the concrete floor with our movement.
Reaching down between us, he stroked me once again, his finger moving deliciously, bringing me closer and closer to the edge. Wrapping my legs around him brought our bodies closer, and his pace picked up again. He grunted while twisting his hips slightly with each thrust. I could feel my body begin to tighten while I was hit with wave after wave of the strongest orgasm of my life.