Piper: A Last Score Spin Off

by K. L. Shandwick

  I realized I had fallen silent as I stared again at the pictures.

  As it was my last show supporting Layla Hartmann and a Friday night, I figured that it would be better if we all came clean before I had time off. The last thing Simon and I needed after all the attention with Kerr and Jenna was this following us around.

  “It’s my last night of the tour tonight. Would it be possible to bring Chloe and Melody down? I’ll ask Thomas to set up a press conference.”

  “I got you, baby girl. Don’t worry, Piper. Do what you gotta do and we’ll be there.” Gibson sounded upbeat, a hint of excitement in his voice perhaps, and I knew he had never wanted to keep this secret. He was proud of me and now he’d get to tell the world of our connection.

  Concluding the call, I glanced at Simon, and smirked. Still naked, he’d laid back on the bed, his head resting on the headboard, and I knew he wasn’t going to get dressed any time soon, so I ignored him and turned to Kerr.

  Sitting slowly on the edge of the bed I stared up at him. “I guess I owe you a big explanation.” I didn’t try to hide the guilt in my voice. “Gibson and Chloe are my new family. It’s a long story and I’ll explain it all to you one day, but Gibson was the man who agreed to be my guardian. Chloe and Gibson are like parents to me now.”

  Kerr’s eyes almost fell out his head… for a moment I could see him fight for breath. “Fuck me, Gibson Barclay… then you…” he pointed to Simon, “fuck, you’ve got massive cahoonas, taking on something belonging to Gibson Barclay, buddy,” Kerr said with a chuckle.

  Simon growled. “Piper’s mine… no one else’s; besides Gibson fine with how I feel about her.”

  “All right, enough about this. Kerr, I’m sorry I never told you before, but I was determined to make it on my own. If I found success I didn’t want people looking at Simon and Gibson and thinking I had been pushed to the top of the pile because of them.”

  Nodding, Kerr eyed me with warmth, “You definitely have talent, honey, everyone can see that, plus you’re mature and focused. I think when people find out about Gibson, you are going to get so much respect for not disclosing who he is to you.”

  “Right, meanwhile if this little pow-wow is finished, I’d still like to get some sleep with my woman. Nothing much we can do about the newspaper story, but we’re all gonna need new rooms.”

  Swiping his phone from the table, he scrolled down his contacts. “Jennifer, can you book us into another hotel? The press is running a story about Piper, Gibson, and me; and send Dave over to move all our stuff from room seven-forty-seven and fourteen-twenty-one.”

  Wiggling down off the bed he stood up still buck naked and wandered over to the door. “Thanks for the heads up, dude, I’ll take it from here,” Simon advised him and it was apparent he wasn’t ready to show much in the way of benevolence toward Kerr.

  “Thanks, Kerr, you’re a true friend. I promise we’ll sit down after today and I’ll explain and answer any questions you have.”

  Kerr walked toward the door, nodded to Simon, and stepped out into the corridor. Simon closed the door and pressed his hand on the wood to make sure it was firmly closed and turned to look at me.

  Smiling like he’d won some secret bet with himself, he opened his arms as he walked back over to me. I sighed.

  Despite how childishly he behaved toward Kerr, my heart squeezed with desire. His jealousy was cute, but I was determined not to pass over my friend because Simon felt jealous.

  Creeping down the back stairs of a hotel because of Gibson was one thing, doing it for myself and Simon felt far more illicit and exciting.

  Don’t get me wrong, my body was tense and knots formed in my stomach, but being hurriedly led from one hotel and taken to another by the man of my dreams added a certain thrill to the experience for me.

  Less than two hours later we should have been at breakfast, but instead we lay spooning under clean crisp cotton sheets in a room with a view.

  Simon’s heavy even breathing behind me felt blissful to listen to as his warm soft breaths fanned over my back. Despite all the controversy surrounding me, I’d never felt more at peace.

  An unexpected wave of emotion swept over me and I felt my throat close tight. Staying confident about Simon staying true wasn’t an easy choice to make. However, inside I knew I had to believe he would and I had to trust in what he said.

  Oddly enough, I drew strength that Simon’s feelings were bigger than he’d ever dealt with in the past because of the way Gibson had begrudgingly accepted we were together.

  For another hour my mind went around in circles until I exhausted myself and eventually nodded off.

  When Simon shifted away from me, it had felt like I’d only just fallen asleep. I was surprised to learn it was past 1pm.

  My stomach rumbled in protest because I hadn’t eaten anything since dinner with Gibson the evening before.

  Reluctantly, I dragged my lethargic body into the shower. Refreshed and dressed, I sat opposite Simon as we ate lunch in our hotel room.

  “You look fucking stunning in that dress,” he said. I looked down at my attire. It was nothing special, a white cotton sun dress that showed a little cleavage but largely hid my figure.

  “You look stunning in anything,” I replied and dropped my fork to my plate. Placing my elbows on the table I stared into his beautiful hazel eyes framed by his long dark lashes. The only time I saw his eyes properly was when we were alone.

  Usually they were hidden by large Armani sun shades in his attempt not to be noticed. As if that were at all possible. When Simon walked into a room, the guys suddenly turned to ashes and the women were suddenly dying of thirst.

  “What are you looking at?” His sexy smile hinted to break free.

  “Your eyes… they’re the color of whiskey sometimes, hazel… or pale apple cider,” I explained.

  “Apple cider, really?”

  “Yeah, you know what I mean. Sometimes they look hot and spicy, and at others the way you look at me, there’s something sweet about them.”

  Simon chuckled, “Sweet… me? Not dark and dangerous?”

  “Oh, yeah, there’s that look as well, but only when Kerr’s in the room,” I answered honestly.

  “I don’t get you two…”

  “You don’t have to,” I said, rubbing my hands on my cheeks. “I’m never going to have feelings for Kerr like the crazy euphoric ones I have in here for you,” I replied, holding my hand over my heart. You need to learn to treat Kerr with respect as my friend and you need to trust me when I tell you the only thing between us is friendship.

  Simon reached over and grabbed both wrists tight. “Sorry. I’ve never felt threatened by any man before. Maybe because no one mattered enough in the past, but I accept what you’re saying and I’ll give the guy a break.”

  “What about you? How are you feeling after the Jenna story and everything else?” I asked, fishing for more about his feelings.

  “What about me?” He asked, his brow furrowed. I feel relieved you know what I did. I also feel reassured the kids don’t resent me in any way and their happy to live with Sparky’s memory. “And if you mean how do I feel when I look at you… when I’m with you?” He held his breath for a long moment then exhaled. When he let his breath go, I realized I’d been holding mine as I waited for his reply.

  “Breathless. It’s like I breathe in and forget to breathe out; then at other times, such as when you were asleep and I lay watching you, it felt as if I were suffocating.”

  I frowned, “Suffocating?” My voice sounded deflated, and I stared morbidly like I thought his next sentence would say he felt trapped.

  “Yeah, like a sense of panic inside because I know if a time came where I wasn’t with you my heart would be shredded. You can’t breathe if your heart’s not beating,” he said in a gentle tone, gave me a slow smile and swallowed hard. “You make me feel young; like a giddy teenager and justified in being this way.”

  “Best answer in the world,” I confes
sed and smiled widely. “I promise to keep trying to do that to you.”

  “Princess, I’m yours. You can do anything you want to me.”

  I rolled my eyes because I had no clue how to respond to that without us ending up on the floor, or the bed, or against a wall, so I shrugged nonchalantly like I wasn’t fazed.

  “I suppose I’ll have to get my kink on, but as I have a gig where my ‘Olds’ are flying in and my boyfriend is going to be scrutinizing my every move on stage, I figure I’d better get my butt into gear and make ready to leave for the venue.”

  Simon stood, pulled my chair back and I stood up. He pecked me on the lips and my hand flew to his chest when I saw the wicked gleam in his eyes. “Oh no, you don’t.” I chuckled quickly as I did a body swerve and ran into the bathroom. Closing the bathroom door softly, I leaned against the cool wood and sighed.

  Is this really my life? I knew exactly how Simon the felt when he looked at me from his description, because I felt the same way… and I had since the moment I saw him sitting in Gibson’s sitting room… the only difference between us is at one time I was that giddy teenager.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Who would have thought it would be me tearing down the stairwell of a hotel room to avoid the press? This is insane.

  Despite the seriousness of the situation, I couldn’t suppress the excitement I felt inside at being led to the street by the man of my dreams. The man of most women’s dreams, yet he was mine.

  “You, okay, Princess?” Simon asked, stalling for a moment to check I wasn’t too distressed by the experience.

  “Yeah,” I laughed. “Somehow the thrill of doing something sneaky is really fun.”

  He stopped dead in his tracks, “Having sex right here on the landing would be much more fun and extra sneaky; the thrill of being caught would make you come in a heartbeat,” he suggested in a seductive tone and trapped me between the stairwell wall and his body.

  A wicked grin spread over his face and the glint of lust in his eyes told me he wasn’t joking.

  “Jesus, Simon, you should have been in big business. I’ve never known anyone who can smell an opportunity like you.”

  Leaning in, he inhaled the skin on my neck, “And a very fragrant opportunity as well if I may say so.”

  “Damn, cut the cheese and get me the fuck down to ground level, I have a job to do,” I replied, pretending to be annoyed with his tease. The look he gave me was that of a wounded puppy and I laughed aloud on the stairs.

  “Shh, someone will find us,” he said, his eyes suddenly serious as he looked past me at the floors up above. The way he said it jolted me back to the reality of the situation because Simon didn’t use bodyguards often.

  The risk of us being found together could have been dangerous for him if there happened to be a crazy fan around.

  Turning back, he grabbed my hand and led me two flights further down into an underground car park.

  The fob to a rental Mercedes was already in his hand and with two short beeps the blinkers flashed on a Black sports saloon in the bay nearest the exit. “Quick, get in,” he ordered, and we both made for the car.

  Fortunately, no one had followed us to the new hotel. It took me a moment to digest a car was in the new hotel car park and Simon knew exactly where it was. Then I remembered a knock on the door as I was in the bathroom.

  The efficiency with which we were moved, and everything arranged told me this kind of escape was probably a well-rehearsed routine in the event any of the boys from M3rCy had a change in their plans.

  Slumping back in my seat I hit the radio and “Run Like Hell” by Pink Floyd filled the car. Simon looked to me with huge round eyes and his sexy smile almost melted my bones. We both burst out laughing and he stretched out his hand and I took it in mine.

  Lacing our fingers, he lifted the back of my hand to his lips. “Love you, baby. I can’t wait to see you up there on stage tonight.”

  Butterflies rippled through my stomach at the thought of all the important people being at my gig. It felt like the previous few weeks had been practice concerts for the one where it mattered.

  A pause in our conversation allowed me to reflect on the crazy past few years: the last at home under the cosh of Colin; my mom’s short illness and death; and the following two and a bit in the nurturing care of Gibson, Chloe, and their extended entourage of Jonny, Jerry, and Emma. I even got the sister I had always wished for.

  For some of my childhood I had thought all father figures were like Colin, and it was only when I entered school and got sucked up into the choir and drama classes, I was able to see how other kids interacted with their parents. It made me realize how dysfunctional my upbringing was.

  Not once was I ever tempted to tell anyone how horrible he was for fear he’d target my mom. Abusers are great at using the people we love as a form of control.

  “Ready to do this?” Simon’s voice cut into my thoughts and I realized we’d arrived at the venue. “Last time we played this venue was about twelve years ago… maybe more. It was one of the first places M3rCy performed as an up-and-coming band.

  My stomach flipped over knowing I was walking in the footsteps of giants like M3rCy, and an anxious feeling crept up inside. “Better knock it out of the park tonight then and not let the team down.”

  Pulling up at the tall iron-gated entrance, we saw a few reporters hanging around.

  “You won’t, baby. You got this,” he said as his window glided down when we reached the security speaker on the wall.

  “Looks like you’ve kissed and made up. Any comment, Simon?” one particularly tenacious reporter called out as he ran toward Simon’s open window. He was a small, weedy looking guy, and I figured he was either very brave or very stupid to front Simon with his question the way he was doing.

  “About what?” he asked, acting innocently.

  “The reports linking you to Jenna Mitchell, the confrontation between you and Gibson… looks like Miss Piper here has made her choice,” he said running off at the mouth.

  Knowing the truth of the matter and seeing how salacious his eye contact with me was, taught me immediately to keep my mouth closed and let Simon do the talking.

  “All right. Here’s your exclusive,” he said, grabbing the guy’s phone from him that he was obviously using to record the conversation between them. Holding the screen close to his face Simon took a deep breath and exhaled.

  “Firstly, Piper and I are solid. Period. Jenna and I are friends. Good friends. Sparky was my friend and even in death, I’d never fuck him over with his widow even if Piper and I weren’t an item. Third point, Gibson Barclay is my band kin. We do not fuck each other over either. Gibson himself has something to say on this matter as does my girl, Piper, here. Watch this space because we aim to shed some light on where we’re all at later this evening. Then you and the rest of your venomous cockroaches are going to look like the biggest asses you are.”

  Simon pressed the button on the speaker, “Piper,” he barked. The CCTV camera swiveled around to the windshield of the car and the gates began to beep and buzz as they opened.

  The old gray-haired guard wandered over to the window to greet us. “Hey there,” Simon commented cheerily, “Got Piper here.” The guard dipped his knees and eyed me warily before his face brightened.

  “Damn, can I get your autograph?” he asked.

  “Sure,” Simon replied. The guard quickly grabbed a book from a small shelf inside his booth and handed it over to Simon with a pen.

  Thick with pages, I immediately saw there were tons of autographs already in there from the people he’d met. Turning in his seat, Simon pushed the book toward me, “Here you go,” he stated. Placing my hands on the book I hesitated.

  “Think he meant you, Simon,” I said with a chuckle.

  “I’m not the one playing here tonight,” he reminded me, and I felt myself blush a little. I’d signed plenty of autographs during the tour but never bypassed a world class rock star to make m
y mark before. Flicking open the book, my eyes flitted back to the guard who was curiously staring at me.

  I wasn’t totally convinced the guy wasn’t going to be disappointed I’d ruined his book by writing in it, but I scribbled my name in a cursive script anyway and handed the book back to Simon. Snapping the book closed Simon handed it back.

  The guy dipped his knees again and looked at me delighted as he nursed the book to his chest. “Thank you, lady. For the record I think you’re amazing.” His enthusiasm was unexpected, and I grinned before Simon drove over and parked in one of the spots.

  “He never asked you to sign.”

  “Nah, he was too busy creaming his pants at the sight of you,” he chuckled. “If he’d been any younger, I’d have put the guy on his back.”

  “I like older men, remember?” I said teasing, because the guy was sixty if he was a day.

  “Ouch,” Simon replied, clutching his chest like I’d wounded him, then answered my original thought. “To put you out of your misery, I signed one of his books a long time ago. He’s been on security here for years. M3rCy played here quite a few times when we were first getting started, remember? How else do you think I knew my way here without directions and the guy didn’t blink when I drew up there just now?”

  “You don’t need to sound so big-headed,” I remarked, playfully. Shaking my head at his arrogance, I sat speechless until Simon grabbed the back of my head and smashed his lips against mine. Giving me another of his deep passionate kisses he drew back and smoothed down my hair.

  Chuckling he said, “Look at you. Full of lust.” Continuing to rest his hands at the sides of my face, his gorgeous bright eyes ticked back and forth as he stared at me like he wanted to say something else but didn’t have the words.

  When he took a deep breath, his hands fell away, and he gave me a simple wink. My heart lurched as a jolt of electricity shot through me and I shook my head at the thought he could make me swoon with the blink of one eye.

  I sighed, lost in how I felt about him for a moment and it barely registered with me that he’d gotten out of the car until he swung my car door open and helped me out. “Let’s go, baby, time to show them that awesome talent of yours.