Sioux nodded. She’d worked with a couple of road managers over the years, but she’d never considered the job to be anything more than administrative and logistical.
“So, you have to listen to what I say and do as you’re told. I can’t work with you otherwise. Got it?” Rocky asked__ with an elegantly arched brow, an Anastasia special if Sioux knew her brow work, and she definitely did.
Sioux nodded again.
“About the drug thing…”
Sioux finally found her voice. “I’m clean. I’ve been clean for two years,” she said, trying not to sound defensive and failing miserably.
“Yeah, that’s what they all say. You know you’ll have to pass a drug test for the insurance company, right? You’ll have to pee in that cup at least once a week.”
“Come on, Rocks...” Thad spoke for the first time since Rocky blew into the room. “Once a week is ridiculous. Surely the insurance company--”
Rocky cut him off with a sharp gesture. “That’s not for the insurance company. That’s for me. Addicts have a way of screwing up scheduling and pretty much everything else. It’s my job to keep the Storm Crow show on the road. I can’t do that if I don’t know what I’m dealing with.” Then her voice softened, at least a bit. “You won’t be my first addict, but I’ll be damned if I’ll fly blind.”
“Yeah but…”
Sioux interrupted him this time. “I don’t mind Thad. Rocky doesn’t know me and she has no reason to take my word for this. I’ll gladly pee in the cup. In front of her if necessary.”
“That won’t be necessary. We'll leave watching young girls pee to Chuck Berry."
Thad stood in the wings of Molson Amphitheater watching as Sioux took the stage. She was wearing what over the past week he’d come to think of as her uniform -- jeans, white tank top and low-cut boots. A far cry from the designer clothes she’d worn in her previous career. She wore a little more makeup onstage than she had during rehearsals, but other than that, she was low-key and unassuming. They hadn’t announced who’d be replacing Crystal Clear so the audience was a bit restive. He suspected they didn’t recognize her until she introduced herself in that husky whisper of a voice that sent shafts of raw desire through him each time he heard it. There was a low murmur, then a full on roar so loud it drowned out her opening chords, but when she began to sing, the tone of the crowd changed until there was dead silence. With the skills of an old pro she worked her way through her five-song set. She sang “Fever” and owned it the way Tina Turner owned “Proud Mary.” It would never be a Storm Crow song again. All the songs save one were originals and the crowd couldn’t get enough. When she finished they rose as one with a deafening roar. Sioux gave them a quick bow, then exited the stage so hurriedly she almost crashed into Thad.
This close up he could see the way she was trembling from nerves, and the sweat that poured off her. He handed her a towel and she pressed her face into it. Even as nervous as she was, she gingerly dabbed at her face with the towel being careful not to smear her makeup.
“Oh God. I was so scared,” she said without moving the towel.
“I don’t know why. They loved you. Get out there for your encore. I think you did great.” Sioux nodded in agreement, but this was only one night. They still had fourteen more to go.
***
Thad let himself into his hotel room. Toronto was one of his favorite cities and doing three shows there was thrilling as usual. Just as Bobby Tom had predicted, they’d had to add a show once Sioux’s presence on the bill hit social media. Thad didn’t mind. He was always psyched at the beginning of a tour. It was like his first time. Sioux had been a pro just as he’d known she would be. They’d played a very long set and it was after midnight. All he wanted to do was lay back with a couple of cold beers and the L.A. Galaxy game he’d set to record before he left.
He was halfway across the living room of his suite when he realized what was bugging him about the room. The scent. A sweet floral aroma saturated his senses, reminding him of warm golden honey. Like Sioux. He knew she hadn’t been in his room, but her fragrance was definitely there. He sniffed his shirt, wondering if the scent had rubbed off on him when they hugged earlier, but it was impossible to tell. He continued through the living room of his suite and into the bedroom. A flip of the light switch illuminated the room to reveal her lying on his side of the enormous king size bed. She sprang up immediately.
“What on earth are you doing here? How the hell did you get into my room?” Thad asked. It wasn’t the first time he’d returned to find a woman in his bed. When he was younger and dumber he’d even taken advantage of what they offered.
“The desk clerk is a fan,” Sioux said with a careless shrug.
“Of course, can’t imagine why I didn’t think of that. Why are you in my room?”
“I thought you might want to have sex,” she said flatly.
Thad stared at her, convinced that he’d finally lost his hearing after too many ridiculously loud performances. “What?”
She shrugged. “Well, I’m horny and lonely. I thought it might be fun to have sex.”
His mouth dropped open, but no words came out. For one thing, much to his embarrassment, her words had sent all the blood rushing from his brain directly to his crotch.
“I’m sorry. I haven’t been sleeping well,” she said, as though that explained her outrageous proposition. He gave her a pointed look and she continued. “Well, I hate to be alone. I miss my girls, you know Kwai and Renita,” she said, referring to the other members of Honeychile.
“I’m surprised you didn’t bring them with you,” he said, latching onto anything, anything to change the subject before he forgot his better judgment and joined her on the bed.
Sioux shook her head. “All that’s past now. I love them, but they wouldn’t want to tour with me. They’re doing their own thing now. Kwai’s going to have an amazing solo career and Renita is going to college back east. I have to do this by myself.”
“So you’ve decided to just bunk with me? Having sex as some type of security blanket?” He threw his bag on a chair with so much force it immediately fell to the luxuriously carpeted floor.
“Well, if you don’t mind,” she said rising to her knees on the bed. Tonight she had her braids up in big plaits and was wearing her trademark white tank top, only now it was accompanied by a pair of low riding pajama bottoms. He forced himself to stop staring at the flash of taut tawny flesh revealed below the bottom of the tank top.
“Of course I mind.”
She tilted her head to one side and gave him a puzzled frown. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why don’t you want to have sex?”
“Are you kidding me? We’re not in a relationship for one thing,” he said hating the way he sounded like a prude, but damn.
“A relationship?” she asked, sounding as though she’d found something disgusting on the bottom of her shoe. “Oh my God, you’re such a geek. Nobody does that anymore. I mean, you’re a rock star.”
“I’m not a rock star. I’m a musician, there’s a difference. And nobody in their right mind screws around anymore. It’s crazy,” he said, not even trying to keep the defensiveness out of his tone.
“It’s not like we’re strangers. We’re friends, at least I thought we were.”
“We are friends, Sioux, and that’s the point. I’d like us to stay that way.”
“You’re not making any sense. Do you have any idea how many guys would love to be where you are right now?”
Thad crossed his arms, pretty sure that if he didn’t restrain his hands they’d give in to the urge to touch her. “Of course I do. I’m sure you could go downstairs and find a whole lot of guys who’d take you up on your offer.”
“I don’t do groupies anymore.”
Thad paused, brought up short by her comment. “You have groupies?”
“Of course I do.”
He didn’t know why that surprised him. “Guys?”
/> “Girls. Guys. Whatev,” she said with a shrug of her elegant shoulders.
Now wasn’t that a kick in the crotch? “Guess I should have known.”
“What, you thought guys were above all that?”
“No, I never thought that. Actually I never thought about it at all.” And really wished he hadn't thought about it now. He didn't know which was worse, the arousal from imaging her in bed with a groupie girl, or the blinding rage from even contemplating the same with a groupie guy. Or any guy for that matter.
“Well, I outgrew that a long time ago. How about you?”
“Pretty much the same here.”
She laughed. “It was fun while it lasted, but then so were a lot of things. I’m lucky I came out on the other side alive and more or less whole.”
When he didn’t respond she continued with a shrug, “Well, do you mind if I stay anyway? I really do hate being alone.”
Thad hesitated. There was only one bed in the room. He thought the sofa in the living room was a fold out, but he really had no desire to sleep on one tonight.
“When we were on the road together, me Kwai and Renita used to just pile in bed together.”
He almost groaned aloud at the visual of three of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen cuddling together in bed. “Sounds like loads of fun, but I’m sure you’ve noticed I’m not your girlfriends.”
“Well, since you’re not attracted to me anyway," she said and the sight of the pout of her luscious plum of a mouth made him want to groan aloud.
“Who said I wasn’t attracted to you? You’re a beautiful woman and if we weren't on tour together...” he said.
“An attractive woman you don’t want to sleep with.”
“I do want to sleep with you…”
“Then what’s the problem? I want to sleep with you. You want to sleep with me. It’s just sex.”
“We are not having sex,” Thad bellowed before walking over to the chest of drawers and pulling out his pajamas and a change of underwear. Storming toward the bathroom, he pulled his sweat-soaked shirt over his head, launching it toward the nearest corner. Behind him he heard Sioux gasp. Damn, he’d forgot the tattoo.
“Wow, that’s some amazing ink!” she said, rising from the bed. She walked over to him and before he could say a word she traced the large Storm Crow logo that covered his upper back from shoulder to shoulder. The Gothic lettering and crow itself were heavily inked in unrelieved black, so stylized it looked almost tribal. He was amazed at the instant bolt of lust that seemed to run directly from her soft hand to his groin. He somehow managed to contain the groan, but nothing could stop the shiver of response.
He moved away from her questing fingers before he forgot all his good intentions.
“They say great minds think alike,” she said. Before he could ask what she meant. She pushed down the elastic waistband of her pajamas to reveal a pair of crow’s wings tattooed right above her bikini line. Unlike his, hers was tiny and delicate, with shadows and details done with almost microscopic intricacy. It suited her perfectly, the ink standing out against her smooth brown skin. Much as he wanted to, he couldn’t draw his eyes away. When he finally managed to meet her gaze, he saw that she knew exactly the effect she was having on him.
Without another word he continued into the bathroom. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it. The woman was determined to drive him insane. Sure he’d had plenty of women proposition him for sex. He was in a rock band after all. When he was younger he’d even taken a few, okay, more than a few of them, up on it. But Sioux obviously was no groupie. Well, at least not with him, anyway. He flinched still bothered by the whole blowjob at the VMAs thing. And that was absolutely crazy. Hell, she didn’t even know him then and it wasn’t like she was promising him eternal love and devotion. No, all she wanted was a warm body because she was lonely and horny. And maybe that was the problem.
He walked over to the shower and turned it on. The water heated quickly, filling the room with steam. Was he really going to sleep with Sioux Dupree tonight? Platonically? He looked down ruefully at his cock, which had risen to attention at the notion. Well, not in this condition. He sighed and finished stripping.
Thad stood under the streaming waters of the shower. Even more than fifteen minutes after he left Sioux, his body still throbbed with need. Leaning against the back wall of the enclosure, he wrapped his hand around his erect penis, stroking his fist up and down the length. Every cell in his body ached for her in a way he’d never felt. God, he hurt. He closed his eyes as he imagined Sioux in the shower with him, stroking his cock. He could all but see the luscious fullness of her mouth surrounding his length as she deep throated him time and time again. Teasing him. Pleasing him. Testing him. Taking him to the cusp of ecstasy then backing off. Seeing how much he could take. Challenging him to take just a bit more as she slid her tongue along his length. Her cheeks concave as she sucked at the head. Again and again she goaded him. His fist moved faster and faster as his fiery imaginings got hotter and hotter. He almost howled aloud at the unbearable pleasure. He fisted his cock frantically, his hand a blur of motion as every muscle tightened to the point that he couldn’t differentiate between pleasure and pain.
Thad gritted his teeth and growled, whispering Sioux’s name just as his body exploded into ultimate release. He lowered his head, then reached over to turn the shower controls to a warmer temperature. He stood under the water, his mind playing her bold invitation over and over again in a repeating loop. It was getting harder and harder to remember why sleeping with her was a bad idea. He wasn’t convinced she was totally over her last relationship, even worse, he wasn’t altogether sure he was over his. But he knew one thing without a doubt, Sioux Dupree could be more addictive than any narcotic, and had the ability to push him even farther than his last relationship.
After showering and putting his pajamas on he returned to his bedroom to find Sioux still there, only now she was scribbling in a notebook.
“I’m not going directly to sleep. I’d planned to watch the game,” he said, still hoping she’d change her mind.
“Oh, that’s okay. What game?”
“The Galaxy.”
“That’s right, you’re a soccer geek, aren’t you?”
He rolled his eyes at the use of the word “geek”. “Amongst other things.”
“Well maybe you can explain the offside rule to me.”
“Better men than me have tried to explain the offside rule,” Thad said with a disdainful snort. He walked over to the refrigerator. After pulling out a bottle of beer, he hesitated and turned to face Sioux. “Will this bother you?”
She shook her head firmly. “I’m an addict. I’m bothered twenty-four hours a day. You drinking a beer won’t make it any worse.”
Thad nodded and popped the beer open against the granite countertop with the flat of his hand. Sioux was propped up against several pillows, which she’d piled high against the padded headboard of the bed. He did the same after pulling back the fluffy comforter. Then he flopped down on the bed, picked up the remote and began watching the game. Sioux continued to scribble in her book, though she’d look up occasionally to watch the game, too. She would comment from time to time on a particular play, but for the most part she watched silently. He enjoyed her presence and the fact that she didn’t chatter. Nothing annoyed him more, sometimes he couldn’t even stand the commentary from the announcers and would mute the sound, but she seemed content to just watch the game.
“That’s one thing I miss,” she said. “I always liked watching the game and having a beer with my dad. We both enjoy baseball.”
Thad glanced at her. “You’ve been clean for a while. Maybe you can do it now.”
Sioux shook her head vehemently. “No. I can never use again. I’d rather die first.”
“You know, you throw that whole dying thing around just a bit too casually for my taste,” he said.
“It’s the truth. Getting clean was the second
hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
He’d lost all interest in the game now. “What was the hardest?”
“Maintaining my sobriety.”
He turned back to the game, mainly to keep from staring at her. “Does it get better?”
She shrugged and looked up at the ceiling. “Tough question. Tonight was a bad night.”
“Is that why you wound up in here?” He felt even better now about turning her down. If he ever slept with her he wanted it to be because she wanted him and for no other reason. Not because she just needed a warm body and a dick.
“Amongst other things,” she said.
“Does it ever get better?”
“Some days are better than others.”
“How do you know?”
“When I hit a new town and don’t automatically start thinking about where I can make a connection. That’s a good day.”
“How often does that happen?”
“Including today?” He nodded. “Not ever.”
“After two years it still happens?” he asked, amazed by the revelation and the strength of character it must take to resist.
“I told you it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And sometimes in the dark of the night I get scared wondering if I’ll be able to do it. And I know that if I don’t I’ll die. I can’t live that way again. I think fear of death, or even worse, the living death that’s my life when I’m using keeps me cleaner than anything.”
“What do you do? I mean, back in L.A. You said you weren’t dating anyone and I assume you don’t roam around Santa Monica looking for somebody to sleep with.”
“Of course not. I call my sponsor or go to a meeting.”
“Have you gone to meetings since we’ve been on tour?”
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