Ash hesitates.
“If you’re not there, I’ll move on and it’ll be goodbye. I’ll find someone else.”
His words sound sincere, but as he makes his way to the door of the room he looks back at her, “But I hope you’ll be there. Right now, I don’t want anyone else.”
He closes the door. Holding the key in her hand she tightens her grip on it. She doesn’t want to think about him finding anyone else, but she also doesn’t want to give up on her own decision. She doesn’t want to go back on her word and start dating musicians again.
Is there a way to have both?
She sighs, knowing that she has lost the fight. Even if she ended it now, there would still be the what if. There would still be the wonder of where this opportunity would have lead. She’d see his name in the papers, she’d read about him on the internet, and she’d wonder how things would be if she had chosen differently.
She doesn’t want him to disappear. She doesn’t want him to find someone else tonight.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Jewel finds Alyssa back in the green room. There are a few other people hanging around, but the band is nowhere to be seen. Jewel and Alyssa decide to grab some food from a diner down the road before the show tonight. Judging from the Yelp reviews, it has decent food. It seems like a little hole-in-the-wall place, which fits right in line with the Alyssa-Jewel tradition of trying hole-in-the-wall places while visiting different cities around California.
They walk to the car. It’s obvious that Alyssa is a bit distracted after having spent Day Two with Vincent. She is caught up in telling Jewel all about the things that she’s learned about the band. Their fairytale names, and how they’ve known each other for years. Jewel is pretty sure that Alyssa hasn’t been paying attention to the restaurant they picked, but she knows that it will sink in, eventually.
“There’s Rump, The Tailor, Old Suntan...” While Alyssa is going on, Jewel can’t quite swallow the emotions that have built up in her throat. Alyssa is oblivious to it. Alyssa is always oblivious to things when she has her mind focused on a guy.
Finally, Jewel interrupts.
“Ash wants me at his hotel room again tonight.”
They get in the car and Jewel starts the engine.
“He says he’ll come back alone tonight, but if I’m not there then he’ll find someone else. But he told me that he hopes I’ll come…”
Jewel pauses a moment.
“Did you know the band is in a biker gang? The Grimms? The ones that have caused all that havoc just a few years back? Organized crime. I guess that’s how they afford those nice hotels. That’s why they beat up those club managers...”
“Wow! Jewel. That’s great. Ash wants you with him tonight.” Alyssa says. Jewel glances at Alyssa with just enough time to see her wink.
“You weren’t listening at all! A gang! Ash and Vincent are in a gang!”
“A biker gang,” Alyssa retorts.
“That doesn’t make it any better!”
“Sure it does. He rides around on a sexy motorcycle with a bunch of other sexy guys.”
Jewel just shakes her head at Alyssa.
“Hey. I don’t care about all of that stuff. If Vincent wants me to stick around, then I’ll stick around. Mmm.”
Alyssa makes a few sounds as she recalls her sexual encounters with him. “Damn that man… um, anyway. I don’t think that you should be worried about it.”
“And I don’t think you’re worried enough!” Jewel shocks Alyssa with her newfound adult tone.
“You know, Jewel, Ash doesn’t sleep with the same girl twice. This could be a great opportunity for you. You can have a ton of sex with him and then just go back to work on Monday. It’s the perfect situation. Girl, you’ve got him right where you want him. You’re so lucky.”
Jewel pulls into the parking lot and they enter the little diner. As they do so, they’re greeted and given seats at a booth.
“Anything to drink, ladies?” the waitress says with a polite smile as she places the menus on the table. “I’ll be back to take your order in a few minutes.”
“Oh, just a water for me,” Jewel says.
“Water? Are you serious? That’s not the Jewel I know! I’ll have a Heineken, thanks.”
“Coming right up.” The waitress vanishes, leaving the girls a chance to continue their discussion.
“I don’t know about this.” Jewel admits to Alyssa.
“Oooh, look. They have a ⅔ lb burger loaded with pepper jack cheese, bacon and bbq sauce. Doesn’t that sound good? Says here it’s irresistible. Wait. Wait. Wait.” Alyssa starts to take in her surroundings.
“Aww, Jewel. This is kind of a hole-in-the-wall, huh? Wow. It’s been so long since we travelled together. I can’t believe you remembered.”
Jewel glares at Alyssa.
Alyssa grabs Jewel’s hand before going back to their previous topic.
“Look. I told you it’s nothing to worry about. You’ll have another great night with a famous rocker, just one more night, and then you can go back to work on Monday. You’ll feel much better after you have something to eat. I promise I won’t keep you out all night. I told you, it’s perfect.”
Jewel sighs, “All right. If you say so. I guess it could be harmless…”
...To have a little fun before work. It’s all good, she thinks to herself before picking out a burger on the menu that looks appetizing.
After they order, Alyssa alludes to Jewel how good Vincent was in bed. Jewel laughs and divulges some of the techniques that Ash used. Just like old times, they compare their men. When they get their food, both the women chow down.
With a fry in her hand, Jewel motions towards Alyssa, “Alyssa, this is definitely better than trying to date someone like that optometrist, and we aren’t even dating. I mean, could you imagine settling down with someone like that?”
When she speaks, she wags the fry around as if it were her own finger before shoving it in her mouth. She remembers just a few days ago she was wanting to try out “normal” men. She shudders at the thought.
“They can’t all be like that, right? I can find a normal guy that fits my needs, can’t I?” She asks herself, knowing that Alyssa’s answer would do her no good.
Alyssa never thinks about settling down. She has a weakness for musicians even more hopelessly than Jewel. While they talk, it’s a relief for Jewel to finally have her friend back to normal and not man-crazed, even if just for a little while. She’s never quite reasonable when she’s man-crazed.
After their meal, Jewel looks at Alyssa sincerely. “So you really think that I can just sleep with him tonight and it will really be okay?”
Alyssa just smiles and takes her hand. “I think you’re overthinking this. You deserve a little time to enjoy a man and be happy. So do just that. I don’t like all this settling-down talk. You’re not even 30! You know men. They’re happy to sleep with women, and even happier if you’re not going to bug them about sticking around.”
Alyssa pauses for a second.
“Vincent and I are hooking back up. When he does his show next month… well, let’s just say that he’s already on my calendar, and my to-do list.”
Jewel nods and sighs quietly to herself.
“That sounds great, Alyssa.”
This time, she finally convinces herself that it’ll be okay. After-all, men do like a woman they can hook up with and not have to worry about having strings attached…
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Before the show starts, Jewel and Alyssa are standing around with the crowd at the front of the stage. From here they can hear a couple of fangirls that are standing somewhere behind them. Alyssa taps Jewel on the shoulder as the fangirls talk so that Jewel can listen too.
“I wish I could sleep with Ash. Oh, that guy... he’s just so wild. I can only imagine that he’s just as wild in bed. Like a lion ready to eat me alive!”
“You can have Ash because I want Vincent. He’s not so wild, a good balanc
e between normal and not. Which is just my style. I don’t know how you can handle crazy guys like that. Besides, guitarists are hot… everyone drools over the lead singer, it’s so cliché.”
“Everyone drools over guitarists too, you ditz. But musicians are just so sexy. It turns me on so much when they can do more than just the usual… you know, missionary or whatever. Like, come on. Wild guys are amazing and musicians are just that much better.”
The girl hesitates.
“You wouldn’t even know. You’ve never tried a wild guy.”
“You’re crazy. You’re probably into bondage or something. Whatever. Vincent is so fine. I’d have his baby any day.”
The fangirls continue to talk about the band members, how they wish they could sleep with them and what they would do if they had the man they wanted. For a moment it gets weird and the girl swooning over Ash starts talking about her sex life, which is some pretty kinky stuff, but the other girl shuts that down pretty quickly.
As their conversation continues on, they talk about how they know friends of friends who have gotten with Ash and Vincent. The females talk about how those friends had come back to try to get with Ash again and were turned down for a round two, even if the sex was absolutely amazing.
The fangirls giggle as they talk about how eventually Ash will find a girl that he wants to sleep with more than once and it would ruin their chances. The conversation becomes more excited as they talk about the possibility of being the one that one of the musicians would want to settle down with. They start talking about their houses, the rocks that would be on their fingers, and their children.
Alyssa taps Jewel and gives her an “I told you so” look. Jewel just glares at Alyssa, knowing that there will be time for an “I told you so” look in return. But the conversation doesn’t reassure Jewel. Instead, it reminds her that she doesn’t want Ash to sleep with any other woman, and that makes things complicated… the same kind of complicated that she tried to avoid in the first place. She huffs.
A guy enters the conversation, but only to tell them that they should stop dreaming If they want to have some fun tonight, he and his buddy are available. They could even grab drinks after the concert. While Jewel and Alyssa listen to the new turn in the conversation, they give each other inquiring looks. They’re both wondering if what the guy said would actually work. They’re relieved when the girls scoff and their conversation ends. Jewel guesses that one or both parties walk away because she can’t hear them anymore, but she doesn’t bother to look.
A guy in a neon green hoodie and dark grey pants walks up to them and interrupts. “You looking to buy?” he asks as he shoves his hand into his jacket pocket. His eyes are shifty and he seems questionable at best.
“Be more specific,” Alyssa responds flatly.
“Coke,” he responds in a hushed tone.
Jewel and Alyssa look at each other before responding with a definite “No.” They wait until he walks away before they say anything.
Once he’s gone, Alyssa mouths the word “Oh my god” to Jewel with wide eyes. Jewel nods. Slowly, they both back away, making their way through the crowd to the back stage.
Vincent and Ash are back there. Jewel can hear them discussing ideas for a new song before she sees them. They stop talking when they see Jewel and Alyssa enter the room. Ash eyes Jewel, looking at her the way he usually does, and Jewel can feel herself melting under his gaze already. Somehow, it works every time.
She breaks away from her trance and takes a second to look at Vincent, whose eyes are locked with Alyssa’s as she walks up to him. He puts his hand around her waist and she kisses him on the cheek. Jewel remains where she’s standing and doesn’t look back to Ash.
Alyssa runs a hand down Vincent’s chest. “You know, there are a ton of girls out there calling your name,” she says as she looks up at him. “You too, Ash.”
He doesn’t notice her though. His eyes are still on Jewel. When she finally returns her gaze to his, he gives her a wink. She can’t suppress her smile.
Dammit, she curses to herself. Whatever. Get laid, go back to work.
“Yeah, as usual.” Ash responds, disinterested as he closes the gap between himself and Jewel. As Ash takes the last step up to Jewel he grabs her by the waist and pulls her into him. Jewel feels her breath escape as it turns her on.
“There’s everything a girl could want out there. Daydreams of rock stars, good beer, even drugs,” Alyssa says as she gives a small laugh, poking Vincent’s chest.
“Drugs?” Both Ash and Vincent ask, suddenly serious. Alyssa straightens up, looking a bit confused.
“Well, yeah,” Jewel continues, “some dude tried to sell us cocaine.”
Ash looks Jewel in the eyes. “Who?”
“I don’t know him.” Jewel responds, giving a shrug as she resists the urge to put her hands on Ash the same way Alyssa is with Vincent.
“Me neither. Just some junkie with goofy clothes,” Alyssa chimes in.
“What’d he look like?” Vincent probes.
“Uh. Neon green jacket?”
“And grey pants. His hood was over his head though,” Jewel adds.
“We’ve got to talk to Wolfe,” Vincent says as he kisses Alyssa. He takes a step back, waiting for Ash.
Alyssa and Jewel exchange a confused glance about the whole proceeding before shrugging it off.
Ash nods. With that both men walk away. Jewel is left with a feeling of unquenched desire as she stands here without Ash. She mumbles to herself, “That was completely unfair.”
Alyssa begins to poke Jewel teasingly, whispering to her, “Ash doesn’t sleep with a girl more than once, and he was just proving to you that he still wants you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Jewel mumbles, trying to suppress the desires that Ash elicited.
Jewel gets Alyssa to stop teasing her for a moment. Their exchanges go back and forth as they make their way back to the front of the club.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The girls find their way back to the floor in order to see the show from a floor view this time. There’s something about being in the crowd and still knowing that she’ll get to sleep with Ash again that strokes her ego. When the girls make their way back through the crowd, a man flags them down and brings them over to the VIP section. They walk up the stairs and get a great view of the band. Before they can ask him why he let them up, he’s gone, blending in with the crowd below.
Jewel shrugs when Alyssa looks at her. “Maybe it was the band’s idea?”
A few of the VIP members are commenting about how the show is taking too long to start and that they didn’t pay for the concert so that it could start late. While some are complaining, others are distracting themselves with booze, conversation, phones and smokes.
One of the guys sitting near Alyssa and Jewel comments to his buddy about how he wishes Ash swung the other way. The other guy seems offended, and happily shatters his dream by reminding him of all the women that get pulled back for Ash, and how Ash’s reputation is with women..
“He’s like the Russell Brand of rock!” another chimes in.
The first guy mumbles, but returns to a happier demeanor after he starts sipping his martini. It isn’t too much longer before Jewel can hear the man making out with someone. She assumes it’s the same guy he was talking to.
Alyssa pokes Jewel and gives her a wink, “See, you’ve got the guy everyone, including other guys, is dreaming of.”
Jewel just rolls her eyes and points Alyssa to the stage as everyone in the crowd goes wild and starts screaming. Ash has walked on stage. The excitement doesn’t die down as Ash starts to talk. Iron John, the drummer, has to make some noise before the boisterous crowd simmers down enough for Ash to speak audibly.
Even all the way up on the second floor, Jewel can see that Ash looks distracted while he gives the band introductions. His body language and tone seem distant, like he’s focused on something that just happened offstage. His attitude doesn’t change for the
first verse of the song but it doesn’t take too much longer for the music to bring out his wild personality. It’s a gradual change, but Jewel is happy that he can get back into the mood of his music. Before much longer he’s dancing around on stage, head banging, ripping his shirt and throwing things into the crowd.
By this time Jewel is starting to get a better sense of Seven Raven’s songs. On occasion she can guess the words to the choruses. They’re catchy and deep. Jewel can see how Ash has poured his heart into the songs. It touches her as the lyrics bring up his drug addiction and rough life. She remembers him telling her everything back in the hotel room, as he got dressed, but she also remembers how he gave her the hotel key again. She starts to realize that he was pretty sincere with her, but she shakes the thought, knowing that it will ruin her only-here-for-sex mindset that she’s been barely able to maintain.
As she watches the show she notices someone with a tray of drinks pass by. Snatching up one of the highball glasses from the tray, she gives it a whiff and knocks it back.
Mmm, kamikaze!
She sits back and watches Ash sing and notices the band’s chemistry. The concert is going really well, with the crowd amped up and happy. His shows are always so amazing, and while he sings…
Gah, I can’t help but to be turned on by him…
She bites her lip as she finishes her thought, but shakes her head to regain normality in case Alyssa is looking. When she glances at her friend though, she can see that Alyssa is doing the same thing. Jewel just laughs.
When the show is over and Ash and the band are exiting the stage, Alyssa grabs Jewel impatiently. They march off toward the dressing room. It’s tough making their way through the tightly packed crowd and the friends get separated more than once. Finally, when they make it across the club they meet back up.
The guy who is selling merchandise tells them that they are blocked from the dressing room tonight. He’s dressed in one of the band’s t-shirts and black cargo pants. He is tall and very blonde, with a rather large stature for someone of his height. Jewel gives him a confused look, but Alyssa speaks up.
Bought by Him: A Breslyn Auction Club Romance (The Breslyn Auction Club Book 1) Page 14