by TM Watkins
The woman pleaded with the sad look on her face. Sam was a sucker for a pretty woman, especially one that was only trying to do something nice for her sister.
“You can go back into the area provided that you,”
Sam paused and grinned darkly at the woman.
“No, I’ve got a better idea.”
Taking her into a nearby restroom, Sam nodded at her shirt.
“Need it open again, you can keep your bra on, and I need your lipstick again.”
The woman frowned but said nothing as she produced the lipstick. As Sam wound it up, the woman undid her shirt, watching as Sam wrote on her stomach.
Nice try guys – Sam.
“Smile for the camera darling.”
She smiled reluctantly, holding the sides of her shirt open for him. Sam pulled a paper towel from the dispenser, offering it to the woman.
“You can give him the phone, don’t say anything about what is or isn’t on it. If he gives you a hard time about it, tell him that he can come and speak with me about it.”
Nodding, the woman cleaned off the lipstick and did up the buttons.
“Take your sister into the area. How old is she?”
“Eighteen.”
“Good. Be wary of the band, they are always on the prowl.”
The woman scoffed, rolling her eyes.
“She’d love to screw all of them, she’s such a tart.”
“You fucked a man without learning his name.”
She laughed, nodding her head.
“Yeah, okay. So, we can go in?”
“You can.”
He watched as she scampered away, meeting up with her sister and continuing into the restricted area. Sam couldn’t wait to see the look on Fraser’s face when he realized that he had the wrong phone. It highlighted the fact that he was worried and Sam would be more vigilant now. Clearly, Fraser was after his phone to learn how many women Sam had screwed.
Making his way back into the restricted area, Sam searched out the two women that he’d selected for Austin. Could he do both of them at once? It was possible, if he had the time. Soon. He needed to rest. There was still plenty of time left and, he had work to do.
Keeping himself occupied rather than thinking about numbers that needed to be crunched, Sam concentrated on emails that needed replies.
Time had escaped Sam, when he realized that an hour had passed, he quickly packed everything away. As his gaze lifted, he found the two women that he’d selected for Austin. Tipping his head at them, he beckoned them with a single gesture.
As they made their way over to him, Sam pondered how truly devious it was that he was screwing all of the band's conquests before they got to them. He was writing the times on these women so that when they looked at the pictures, they’d know that Sam got to them first. They’d never trust him again, and he figured that he’d never be invited into the competition again either.
Did that bother Sam? No. He’d be happy to plod along at his own pace rather than this constant need to strategize his every move. He had to watch them constantly, more than when he was just their assistant. The tally was already in double figures for all of the band members except for the one who wasn’t participating.
Sam estimated that Austin was about to hit triple figures, if his calculations were correct. They’d been on the road for almost five months now, it was entirely possible that Austin had hit triple digits. He regularly had more than one woman in his room which made up for the times when he had no one in his room.
Austin was unpredictable. He’d have moments where he acted like a sex-starved man and others where he was aloof and didn’t care. At least, Sam thought that he was. It was possible that it was nothing but a show and Austin was sneaking women in and out of his room to hide the true numbers.
Given that his last game plan was out in the open, he had to have a new one. Sneaking them in was a good game plan. He could pretend that he was sitting in line with them, maybe even dropping back. All the while he’s leaping ahead and probably laughing about it too.
“Hey.” One of the women said.
“Good evening, are either of you interested in a little fun?”
“With you or the band?” The other asked.
“Both.”
Sam offered a wicked smile, gesturing to the door. It was hidden behind the entry gate, and Sam liked that he could slip away with his lady friend and no one would see a thing.
“You want both of us?”
“Yes, don’t you want to have fun together?”
“Well, yeah but you don’t seem the type.”
“Don’t let the façade fool you.”
Because it was just a view of one man that hid a lot of secrets. One day soon, they’d all be revealed and leave a lot of people shocked.
Chapter 18
A silent smirk crossed Sam’s face as he walked up the stairs of the bus. Fraser had been in a foul mood all morning. He’d given Sam an uneasy start, but Sam didn’t care. Keeping it plain and simple, he told Fraser that if he didn’t get ready, then he’d be left behind.
Instead of the constant coddling that he got from Sam, Fraser was left to his own devices. There were no offers of finding him something to eat, no picking up the clothes that were strewn across the hotel room. Just one annoyed man who was still pissed off from last night.
The attempt to find out how many women Sam had bedded had failed, Sam had wised up to him. Jaxon pointed out that the plan failed because it relied on an unreliable woman. They’d learned their lesson; next attempt would be done by them and no one else.
But that in itself was an issue. Sam knew what they were up to so he would keep a good eye on his phone now. No, they would have to figure this out a different way. Fraser looked at the dark windows of the bus, he figured that Sam was already at the dining table which was really close to where he was standing. Dumping his bag in the storage area, Fraser made his way to the door. Dominic was watching over the bags and the door to make sure that nothing disappeared and no stowaways joined them.
“Hey, Dom,”
“Mister Newton.”
Fraser scrubbed the back of his neck, wondering how he’d be friendly to the guard that he’d decked several times over the few years they’d known each other. To his credit, Dominic was resilient, and he didn’t back down from Fraser when he was hitting rock bottom. He was the man that had saved him, stopped him from doing something terrible and Fraser repaid him by lashing out. It wasn’t his finest moment.
“You know that we’ve got the competition going again this tour, right?”
“Yes, Mister Newton.”
“I was wondering if you’d uh,”
Fraser looked at Dominic, seeing a bewildered man.
“I’m married, and you’re not my type.”
Fraser stuttered, thoroughly embarrassed until Dominic started laughing.
“Just kidding. Go ahead.”
“Yeah good,” Fraser grumbled. “Have you seen Sam participating?”
Dominic shifted, uneasy in the thought that he’d be ratting Sam out. He liked the man, he was good for these boys, and he did his job efficiently.
“Seen him land a few ladies here and there.”
“Got a rough figure?”
“I try not to pry into the extra-curricular activities unless it is a security risk and no, none of them were.”
“What about when we’re on stage?”
Dominic smiled at Fraser, dark and wicked. He could see straight through him. Fraser was worried that he was going to be trumped by the assistant. How sad would that be if Sam came along and stole the competition from five rock gods?
“My job is to protect the members of the band, so I am usually found to the side of the stage, not watching Sam.”
Fraser nodded, wishing that he had a spy. He had to figure it out, he would go crazy if he didn’t know where Sam was sitting in the tally.
“Any thoughts?”
Dominic laughed, shaking his head.
“Sorry, but you looked worried.”
“I am. It’s bad enough that Aus won last tour, I don’t think I could handle it if Sam won.”
“Why? He’s a man like you or me. It’s not my thing, but he’s certainly handsome. I’ve heard some whispers too, if you’re interested.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah,” Dominic nodded. “I heard that he knows a thing or two. Lucky women, right?”
Fraser nodded, murmuring his thanks. Even if the information was pitiful, he already knew that Sam had the skills. As he walked to the bus, Fraser looked around at the staff. There was no one that he would trust to spy on Sam, not because they might be useless but because they were probably friends with Sam.
Gripping the pole, Fraser looked at Dominic and wondered if he was holding back on what he knew. Was this some kind of code between brothers that he would never crack because he was their boss? He huffed, knowing that it was probably true. The road crew were loyal to each other and to those who technically weren’t road crew like Sam. He was staff, and it was something that the band could never infiltrate.
Sam heard Fraser’s muttering long before he saw him, lowering the smug smile, he carried on with his work. The phone was safely stowed in his pocket where he could keep his hand on it constantly. It had a lock code that had been changed since his return, and it was something that they would never figure out.
An email from his mother was waiting, Sam eager to hear if they were going to join him in Germany for Christmas. He smiled, they were coming.
Hearing the heavy steps, Sam wiped the smile from his face. Not just because of Fraser’s frustration but because of his past. He didn’t want to highlight how happy he was that his parents were still here when poor Fraser had to suffer another Christmas without his.
Jerry did all that he could to include Fraser, but Sam knew that Fraser would prefer to be left alone. That was never going to happen, not after what happened the last time they agreed to it.
Fraser dumped himself onto the bench seat opposite Sam, catching his attention with the huff of defeat. Inside, Sam was smiling to himself.
“Gotta know man.”
“Know what, Mister Newton?”
“Your number.”
Sam shifted on his seat, turning to face Fraser. Unleashing the smile that had been begging to be let out, Sam watched as the hesitation filled his face.
“You know, I don’t recall ever being told that I had to tell anyone until the competition was over.”
“Come on dude, we’re always bouncing the numbers. Be proud of it.”
Sam laughed, turning back to his seat. He’d keep the number a secret, a closely guarded one.
“You’re not even going to try and big note yourself?”
“Nope.”
“Not even a little insight?”
“Surely you can do better than this?” Sam chided him. “After all the effort that you’ve gone to, you’re now settling on asking me? I’m shocked, Mister Newton.”
Fraser scoffed, rolling his eyes.
“You are a dark horse, and I am on to you.”
“If that’s what it takes to keep you occupied, then so be it.”
An email popped up, distracting Sam from the conversation. Sam opened it, feeling an odd heaviness in his heart when he realized it was from Lilly.
Sam,
I’ve got an unexpected couple of days off, booking a flight now. Where am I going?
Lilly.
Sam frowned at the email, wondering what had gotten into Lilly. Did she really miss him that much? It wasn’t possible.
Lilly,
Is everything okay?
We’ll be in Brussels by lunchtime.
Sam.
He waited, constantly checking to see if the return email had come in. By the time Lilly responded, the bus was already on the road.
Sam,
Everything is great. I had a day to spare and nothing to do, thought that we could catch up.
Lilly.
Sam didn’t respond, unsure of what he could say. He couldn’t wait to see Lilly again, but she made it seem so impersonal. She had a couple of days off unexpectedly yet only had a day for him. Did that mean that she wasn’t interested in coming to see him for Christmas?
With a lot of frustration that had to be restrained due to an onlooker, Sam carried on with his duties. It was almost pointless, Sam knew that he was distracted and there wasn’t a single thing he could do about it. By now Lilly would be on her way to the airport. The flight wouldn’t take long, he hoped that she’d managed to find one quickly.
Jaxon sat down beside Fraser, the two of them looking at Sam.
“He’s frowning at the computer again.”
“That’s normal,” Fraser muttered. “Have you seen the shit that people send to the email address?”
“Nuh. Good or bad?”
“Depends on your tolerance for smut. Mine is high, and I think that some of it is gross. So, thoughts about the phone?”
Jaxon shrugged as he watched Sam. How could they get the phone away from a wary man? Jaxon had been watching him, Sam always knew where his phone was.
“Dunno, it’s going to be difficult. Maybe we could try when he’s asleep?”
“Now that’s a good thought. We’d have to get an access card to his room.”
“Well, that’s never going to happen. Another closely guarded item.”
Jaxon grinned at Fraser, giving him a knowing nod.
“On the bus. We’ve got a night drive ahead of us, so he will be sleeping. We just need to stay awake until he’s out of it and then we can help ourselves.”
“What about a sleeping pill?”
“Risky. If he doesn’t wake on time in the morning, we’ll be in trouble again.”
Evan sat down, listening to the pill talk.
“Don’t go down that path. Jerry won’t allow drugs on this bus regardless of what they’re for, especially not now that Curtis is trying to kick the booze. Imagine if he jumped from one addiction to the next and you two asses were responsible for supplying it.”
“Jerry would drop us instantly.”
“Yeah, after he’s put you over his knee and spanked your ass until its redder than a tomato.”
Fraser would like to think that it couldn’t be true, that Jerry wouldn’t do something like that but if he were honest, he knew that Jerry would do anything to make Curtis sober in everything. If one of them stood in the way of that happening or did something to affect the sobriety, Jerry would lose his shit at them.
Besides, Fraser wanted Curtis sober. Drinking heavily is one thing, drinking heavily constantly is another.
Evan shifted onto his side, creating a small huddle between the three of them.
“What you really need to do is to separate him from the phone. The only time I have ever seen him put the phone down is when he’s eating. It goes on the table so that he can see it if he needs to but his hands are not on it. Distraction is the key here, boys. Wait until the phone is on a table, then do something so out there that he forgets it for a second.”
“Need more than just a second.” Fraser grumped. “I reckon he’s got a lot of pictures. He’s a dark horse, he’s got more time than we do.”
“No, he doesn’t.” Jaxon scoffed.
Fraser turned to look at him with an incredulous scowl.
“What planet are you living on? When we’re on stage, what do you think he’s doing?”
“Lots of groupies.” Evan offered.
Fraser nodded.
“Yes, there would be a lot waiting to see us, and I’ll bet he’s driving that number up as high as he can.”
“Well, we can’t stop that from happening,” Jaxon muttered.
“Yeah and good luck trying to get a helper or someone to watch him. The roadies are tight, and the security is worse.” Fraser added. “I’ve tried to get information out of Dom, he clammed up pretty tight.”
Fraser knew that Dominic would have seen som
ething, if not a lot of things. The brotherhood was tight, but he understood. He was tight with his brothers, the guys that were his friends, not the asshole that was rotting in a jail cell.
As Jaxon and Evan began to mull out ideas for the distraction, Fraser watched Sam. He played innocent, but Fraser knew that Sam was far from it. What he’d heard, what he’d seen, it was enough to tell Fraser that Sam was a wild creature beneath the stuffed shirt. But what would it take to free the beast?
Chapter 19
Sam’s leg jiggled as the nervousness rose fast. More than just nervous, he was worried. Lilly messaged him that she wanted to meet up with him at a coffee place rather than at the hotel that Sam was staying at.
It was all but confirmed in his mind, Lilly had flown here to end whatever it was that they had. They weren’t anything, not really. Lilly had expressed a lot of interest in meeting up after the tour but ensured that Sam knew he could continue with the competition. She’d wait for him, but there was no mention on what she’d do if she met someone else. Sam figured that this was why he didn’t hear from Greta anymore.
He’d messaged her several times but got no response. Cutting his losses, Sam sent a final message saying that he wasn’t going to message her anymore because he figured that she’d found someone else and didn’t know how to respond to him. He wished her all the best and if she happened to change her mind or if by some bizarre chance that her phone had been stolen and she retrieved the messages too late, she could call him.
Sam stood when he saw Lilly. Dressed in a heavy trench coat for the chilly weather, she had a large bag slung from her shoulder. It filled Sam with momentary hope that it was an overnight bag. She saw him, and a happy smile filled her face, adding to the hope that Sam had. Things were improving, maybe he’d gotten it wrong.
“Hey,” She said, leaning in for a kiss.
Sam wasn’t satisfied with a dull peck, he wanted to show her that he was really happy to see her. Lilly was taken aback at first but wasn’t one to shy away from Sam.
When the kiss ended, Sam looked down at Lilly. She was still smiling, her cheeks flushed pink from the cool wind.
“You’re looking good.”