Meadowlarks 3 : Endless

by Ashley Christine

  Josh joins us and shakes Liam’s hand. “Haven’t seen you in years, kid…how’s it going?”

  “I’m good, Josh. Nice to see ya,” Liam says before clearing his throat. “Listen, I gotta go, but call me when you get back in town. We’ll go out…to a bar that’s preferably not on fire.”

  Josh and I chuckle quietly.

  “See ya, bro.” I hug my brother quickly then turn with Josh to leave. Once we’re near Josh’s SUV I ask him if he knows anything about the beautiful singer. “That band. South of Marshall. Know anything about them?”

  “Not much. Just a little buzz around the office about them gaining fame pretty quickly. Not surprising since the chick singing is fucking hot.”

  I swallow his words like a toxin. “Yeah, she’s hot.”

  Hot doesn’t even begin to sum up that girl.

  I accepted Josh’s invitation back to his penthouse for more drinks and whatever else was in the cards for the rest of the night. I knew it would include multiple partners, drunken sex, and mind-numbing orgasms. He filled the SUV to the brim with women, and we headed back to his place.

  I fell into a haze. My shirt was missing, my left pectoral had claw marks slashed across the flesh, and I would bet all of my money that there was more than just alcohol in the mystery drink I consumed over and over again.

  I remember staggering from the kitchen into the great room, finding Josh standing in front of his fireplace, bracing the mantel while a dark haired woman was on her knees below him. Upon closer inspection I saw that it was the Patron puker—Chella.

  She’s all yours, Joshy.

  I found my way back into the guest room, tossed the water bottles I got from the kitchen on to the bed, and fell back on the mattress. My companions giggled while they swarmed me. Two sets of hands tore my boxers from my body. One took my mouth with her lips, and the other took all of my dick into her mouth.

  ***

  Small tendrils of black haired wisped down Riley’s neck while she sat facing away from the entrance to the Bean There coffee shop. Her messy locks are piled on her head, secured with a pencil, and she had her middle finger lazily swiping around the touchscreen of her tablet.

  I stood and watched her for a few seconds, letting a tiny smile curl in the corner of my mouth. She must have felt me watching her.

  “Hey, creeper.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  “I’m not your girl.”

  I shrug and pull out the chair opposite her. “Immaterial.”

  “How was New York? Catch anything?” Riley grins, and it makes me clench my jaw lustfully.

  “Only a flight home to see you.”

  “Right. Well…I’ve been looking over some of the listings that Bob emailed. There are two good ones that just came up. One of them is in town.” She turns the device and pushes it toward me. “I’m getting a refill. What do you want?”

  You.

  “Just a black coffee. Thank you.” I watch her as she walks away from the table.

  The brunette barista I slept with before I left for New York serves Riley, with a very obvious scowl and glares at me before turning on her heel and sulking into the back room.

  “I don’t even need to ask, do I?” Riley whispers sharply when she places the two cups on the table. “That poor girl.”

  I shrug. “What?”

  “Who were you trying to entice while you banged the shit out of that one?” Riley smirks and leans in with her chin on her palm.

  “No one. But, it was dark so I just pictured you the whole time.”

  Riley lets out an exasperated sigh and sits back, crossing her arms on her chest. “Did you look at the listings?”

  “Not really.”

  “I’d love to start working again. You know, making money…some people like to do that, you know.”

  I raise an eyebrow at her. “If you were with me, you wouldn’t have to work.”

  “Just look at the listings so we can do something productive today before I change my mind.”

  Damn, this girl drives me insane. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Riley narrows her eye at me. “Don’t.”

  “Don’t what exactly?” I ask, innocently.

  “You know what.”

  I know I still have an effect on her. I have since the day she rammed her grocery cart into mine. It took everything in me not to throw her down on the tile floor and tear her clothes off that day. But, she took off like I had the plague…couldn’t get away fast enough.

  “I think I should just buy land and build. What do you think about that?”

  “I think that will take a lot of time.”

  “Time I have.”

  “I’m impatient, Mr. Casey,” Riley cajoles.

  I search vacant lots on Riley’s tablet, coming up with an array of queries. I narrow down in on one, and read over the specs while Riley sits impatiently and beautifully irritated on the other side of the table.

  “Well?” She asks.

  “Let’s go for this one. Two acres. A good sized building, a big parking lot, and nothing but trees behind it.”

  “Reminds me of Pine Ridge.”

  “Yeah, I guess so.” I glance down again at the screen.

  “I think there was a meadow behind that place. I used to sit and daydream about being there.”

  “You don’t say…” I look over at her; interest peaking in my pants.

  ***

  I bought the lot two hours later. Pete, my builder, showed up three hours after that and surveyed the land.

  “Sorry to hear about the other place, Weston.” Pete shook his head with disbelief.

  “Yeah, thanks. It was a shock.”

  “Do the cops have any idea who did it?”

  “Probably just some fucking kids,” I answer, really believing my scorned ex-wife had something to do with it. “I liked the layout of that place. If you could imitate that, I’d be happy. I’d like it within one month.”

  “Jeez,” Pete says, raking his hand through his hair. “That’s not much time.”

  “I have faith in you. And, of course, it will pay well.”

  “Of course,” Pete says slyly. “How can I refuse my best client?”

  “Good. I’ll be over tomorrow morning to go over more details.”

  Pete and I shake hands, and part ways. I send Riley a text message to let her know I want her there tomorrow morning as well. She replies with a Yes, boss.

  Oh, the things that woman does to me.

  I let my curiosity fuel me, and I end up idling in the parking lot of Pine Ridge Realty. Elsa’s car is here. I give myself a quiet pep talk, and open the door of my BMW to get out.

  Buttoning my jacket, I casually open the door of the office and stroll in, right past reception and all the offices.

  Elsa’s door is on the end, and it’s closed. I don’t knock, I barge in and she frantically inhales deeply when I startle her. Gripping the desk with both hands, she glares at me.

  “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing here?”

  “Happy to see you too, dear.”

  “West, I suggest you leave before…” Elsa pants, her chest heaving.

  Is she having a heart attack?

  I sit down, unbutton my jacket, and cross one leg over the other. I’m damn sure not missing this show.

  “Been to Buffalo lately?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

  “Of course, I have business everywhere. Why?”

  “Curious.”

  “You know what they say about curiosity, West...” Elsa sneers and loosens her white-knuckled grip on the edge of her desk.

  “Enlighten me, old wise one.”

  “Oh, you little shit.”

  I wink at her, then stand to leave. Just as I’m about to turn the knob on the door, I glace back at her. “Why, Elsa…I haven’t seen your cheeks that pink in a while. They usually only do that when…”

  “Out!” Elsa shrieks, then covers her mouth.

  I walk toward her, and bend to look unde
r her desk. “Hey, buddy. Talk about awkward, huh?” I say, facetiously, to Elsa’s new arm candy.

  “Get the fuck out, now!” Elsa pushes her skirt down, flattening it when her palms. “Come on, baby.”

  The kid in the suit I saw before takes her hand and climbs to his feet. “The lady asked you to leave.”

  Oh, the new meat is ballsy.

  “She’s not just a lady. She’s the classiest broad in Sheridan.” I smirk.

  “That stings coming from the man-whore of Wyoming.” Elsa bites out as I’m opening the door to leave her office of sin

  Man, that felt good.

  Seeing Elsa unravel like that, and getting her worked up was exhilarating. Even though a tiny shard of me now had doubt she burned down my building in Buffalo, a bigger part knew after our encounter today she probably wanted to shank me in a dark alley.

  I checked into the same hotel room that I had been in before my trip to New York—since my divorce. I changed out of my suit, and put on loose linen pants and a white t-shirt.

  I gingerly flipped through the channels on the flat screen, while simultaneously stroking myself slowly under the material of my pants. I momentarily consider calling Sara.

  No, I’m not that hard-up.

  A shaving cream commercial ends just as an entertainment show begins. They immediately preview coverage of the bar in New York that I was at—the one that caught fire.

  My hand stills.

  “South of Marshall was mid-show at this club in New York when fire broke out, sending all the occupants in a frenzy out of the building. Thankfully, no patrons were injured and we have heard from the band’s rep that they’re all safe as well. They are starting their downtime early, the rep said…”

  I watch as the show flips through stills of the club, smoke coming from the open doors and windows, and people standing all over. They show a quick ten second video of the band playing just as the fire was noticed. It was taken with a cellphone.

  My beautiful songbird freezes and looks down to the crowd. I follow her eyes…she’s looking at me. The video was obviously taken from behind me. It shows Josh rush to me, then someone scoops her into their arms and takes her off stage. I didn’t see her again that night.

  “NYFD determined that the fire started in a bathroom garbage can, and they believe it may be arson. More to come…over to you, Brad!” The camera pans to a young bald man in a short sleeved shirt wearing a red bowtie.

  “No way…” I whisper quietly after listening to the report. “Couldn’t have been her there, too.”

  My first instinct is to call Riley. But, considering it’s after eleven, she’ll probably kick my ass, and her husband would lose it. I don’t blame him. If I were him, I’d lock her indoors.

  I’ll just have to wait until the morning when I see her to tell her about the New York fire. Then again, I don’t want to freak her out, especially if she thinks the Buffalo fire was really just a bunch of shithead kids.

  I fall back on the bed, sighing with frustration. My mind wanders back to the hypnotic singer, and my hand finds itself in my pants again.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Leah

  My body bumped up from the jostling of the turbulence. I must have fallen asleep during the last of my flight. Sleepily, I open my eyes and glance around the cabin; it seems everyone else has dozed off during the late night journey as well.

  I needed this. I need the getaway…the normalcy…the old Leah. Even if it’s just for a week. My life has been a whirlwind since the band started to become more and more popular.

  It still didn’t seem real. Sometimes I had to recheck my ID just to make sure I was actually the same person I was two years ago. No need for it today though, I knew who I was, and where I was headed.

  I missed my girls. Even if I’m only going to be able to spend time with two of them, it’ll be worth every second. Our lives have changed so dramatically in the last three years.

  Addison left home, met Blaine, got married, and very babied.

  Riley…well, she was still her. Underneath the wedding ring, the kids and the lack of heels, she was still the same girl I’ve always known.

  Zoe and Camille have been in France for the last thirteen months. They are writing a series of fictional books about Versailles, and they’ve invested all their time and money into the project.

  I’m happy for all of them. I just never thought this is where we would all be when I had thought of our futures all those years ago. I remember writing in Addison’s yearbook that she and I were going to fly to Hawaii and win a real hip-shaking competition at a real luau…not some cheap one we held victorious at a club in Augusta. One that we got in to using fake IDs that Zoe’s older sister go for us.

  When Addison left, it was hard. Knowing why she tore out of Maine, and the fact that Jacob got to stay. She left it all behind, and I didn’t blame her. Her life now, is perfect, I’m sure of it.

  Riley surprised us all. I choked on my mimosa the morning after her first encounter with Alex. “No effing way, Ry…” I had said, completely shocked and a tad jealous. Alex was hot, even for a kid.

  The pilot made his announcement that we were about to land at the airport in Sheridan, and I leaned back into my seat and exhaled slowly while the plane made its descent.

  I hated to fly. But, with the music scene, it was impossible to avoid it.

  After the club fire in New York, I needed a breather. The guys agreed, and we spoke to our manager to let him know that we were taking a break early. All of this had happened so fast, I felt like my body was in constant forward motion, and my brain was tripping on its feet to keep up.

  The cute security guard standing near the baggage claim kept gazing at me. I wondered for a moment if he recognized me, but I quickly pushed the idea away. We were country, but I doubted our music reached this far just yet.

  I blushed when he started to walk in my direction. I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and bent down to pick up my luggage.

  “Need some help, ladies?” He asked when he reached me.

  Ladies?

  I turned to see where he was looking.

  “Riley!” I shrieked and lunged into her outstretched arms.

  “Hey, girl! I missed you!”

  I missed her too. I let her go and turned to face the security guard. Now he was the one blushing.

  “I think we got this, handsome,” Riley said sweetly while taking my suitcase and pulling out the handle to tow it behind her.

  “Have a nice day, ladies,” he nodded his head and turned

  I smiled. I love country boys.

  I was staggered when I saw Riley pop the trunk of the Charger. “Is that yours?” I asked her, grinning like a fool.

  “Sure is, baby! Pretty hot, huh?”

  “Hot doesn’t even cover it. How does Alex let you leave the house in this thing?”

  “It takes a lot of groveling…on my knees…if you know what I mean.”

  I knew what she meant. Riley loved details, she didn’t have to spell it out for me. “You’re bad.”

  “I’m awful.” Riley winked and we climbed into her sexy car.

  “When did you get this?”

  “Last year. I wanted something of my own, plus, it was easier since Alex needed the truck sometimes.”

  I frowned and looked out the window. I knew what truck she was talking about. Jeremiah’s truck. I let my mind wander slightly, thinking about him. I didn’t tell anyone that we hooked up, and I wondered if he had. Jeremiah was a playful and simply gorgeous man, but he was also a gentleman so I knew our secret was probably safe.

  I remember standing on that stage in the karaoke bar, singing with him. His eyes met mine, and they were alight and so young. I thought I fell hard at that moment, but I knew I couldn’t make a life for myself in Wyoming.

  Plus, I had Joel…my on-and-off boyfriend. He had been my only boyfriend, and I never thought I would cheat on him. Until, of course, I was serenaded by a charming country boy.
<
br />   Jeremiah and I slept together after Addison’s wedding. He wanted me to stay, and I almost considered it. But, my life was in Maine, and I was (at the time) this close to getting signed with my record label .A secret I kept from everyone then.

  “…so it’ll just take a few minutes, hopefully. I totally forgot about it when you called last night,” Riley said, snapping me from my reminiscing.

  “Sorry, what?” I asked, smiling over at her.

  “I can drop you off at Addy’s, or you can come with me. I have to meet my boss for a sec at our new property. Then I’m all yours, I promise.”

  “I’ll go with, I don’t mind.”

  “I’ll warn you now…he’s a fucking vision.”

  I raise an eyebrow and grin. “Oh, really?”

  “Yes, really. Like, a panty-dropping type of vision.”

  Oh.

  “Did you?” I ask, elbowing her.

  “No! I’m not crazy!” She acted wounded, but smirked. “But, I’ll be honest, it’s been hard. He’s a pursuer…and a panther in bed. I heard it first hand, Leah. But, I love Alex, and I’m not making another Dane Disaster.”

  “Heard from him lately?” I ask, changing the subject.

  “Dane? No.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Yeah, it is. Anyway, we’re here!”

  Riley pulls into a large and empty lot. By empty, I mean no building. There are trucks with logos splashed on the sides, a huge BMW, and about ten men walking around.

  “There she is!” A deep and penetrating voice echoes from around one of the pickup trucks. I can’t see who, but once I close my car door I start to walk around the bed of the truck.

  “I’m here, Mr. Casey, let’s get to it,” Riley says, annoyed.

  I stop. Dead in my tracks. I should have brought extra underwear.

  “Leah, come here for a sec.” Riley waved to me.

  I swallowed, and regaining my footing. Smiling when I reached them, I stood beside Riley and pretended to block the sun from my eyes. When really, I was trying to shield my apparent blushing. How in the hell was this the man from the club? Maybe he had a twin.

  “Leah, this is Weston Casey. Weston, this is one of my very best friends, Leah Marshall.”