Superstar

by Roslyn Hardy Holcomb

  “Sure. I go to meetings every day.”

  “But how do you find meetings on the road? Don’t tell me there’s an app for that,” he said.

  “Actually there are several, they help me keep track of my sobriety and find meetings and support.” She picked up her phone from beside her on the bed, tapped on it a couple of times then tossed it to him.

  He scrolled through the app for a few minutes. “Damn. How do you go to meetings though? Everybody on earth knows you. The paparazzi follow you everywhere.”

  “I’ve gotten quite good at disguising myself, and I know how to use diversion, slipping out the backdoor of boutiques, coffee houses. You name it.”

  “You’re not worried about somebody taking a picture of you in a meeting and selling it to TMZ?”

  “That’s why it’s called anonymous. Most of the folks in these meetings have been to hell and back. They’ve got much bigger fish to fry than a burned out pop star. Besides, everybody already knows I’m an addict. What good would pictures be? Hell, half of Hollywood is in a twelve-step of some sort.”

  Thad stretched and yawned. “I’m getting sleepy. Are you really going to stay in here?” he asked as he tossed the empty beer bottle into the trash.

  Sioux gave him a shy smile. “If you don’t mind?”

  Of course he minded, but he could hardly kick her out after what she’d shared. “Doesn’t seem I have a choice,” he said as he got off the bed and went back into the bathroom to brush his teeth. When he finished, he pushed the comforter off the end of the bed, then pulled back the sheet. After they climbed in, he pulled the sheet over both of them and turned off the light. He turned to face the wall and Sioux immediately cuddled up against his back. He was instantly enveloped in the warm sweetness of her scent. He paused then sighed down into the pillow. At first he thought he’d be too aroused to sleep, but for some reason her presence was actually soothing. His body relaxed against hers and before he knew it he was asleep.

  Chapter Four

  Sioux looked over at Thad who was sprawled on his back, one arm thrown across her body as he snored lightly. She glanced at the clock on his nightstand. It was well past eight o’clock. Clearly Thad wasn’t a morning person. Then again they had been up awful late last night. Room service would be there soon. She remembered him telling them to bring breakfast at nine. She carefully slid from under his arm. He rolled over and faced the wall, snuggling more deeply into the cover. Quietly as she could she slipped out of bed and into the bathroom. When she was finished she came back out and sat down on the edge of bed careful not to wake him. After picking up her phone,she began scrolling through her text messages. Just as she’d expected after last night’s performance her phone had blown up. She hadn’t had a chance to respond to anyone. She fired off a quick text to Kwai, her best friend.

  U up?

  Fuck yeah. Rehearsal kicking my ass. Kwai texted back.

  At this hour? It was only half past six in California and Kwai rarely got out of bed before noon.

  Benny had to fit me in. Every1 is talking ABTu last night. Wish I was there.

  Sioux sighed, really missing her friend. Benny was their choreographer. Kwai had always been a better dancer than Sioux. Her new show was very dance heavy. Sioux couldn’t wait to see it.

  I was terrified. Wish you were there too.

  Did u nail our fave Guitar Geek yet?

  Heat flooded Sioux’s face. She’d forgotten the nickname they’d stuck on Thad years ago.

  Don’t call him that.

  Why? Have you seen him naked yet?

  Sioux rolled her eyes. Kwai was obnoxious even in text messages.

  WTF are u talking about?

  Please. It’s obvious there’s something between U2.

  Obvious to who? Sioux asked.

  Everybody who’s ever seen U2 together. So come on. Give up the deets. Kwai insisted.

  How do you know there are deets?

  Who tried to drown me in the pool when we were three? I know you.

  Sioux gave up. Kwai had known her since they were in diapers. Keeping secrets from her was damned near impossible.

  He turned me down.

  WTF? Is he gay? The lightning fast response made Sioux smile. It was great to have loyal friends.

  No, just not interested.

  Not possible. Kwai texted back.

  Sioux’s smile evolved into a soft chuckle.

  K, I think he’s interested, but for some reason he turned me down.

  That’s strange. Did you ask why?

  He said it’s because we’re on tour. Sioux replied

  I would think you’d be fucking because you’re on tour. Isn’t that how it works?

  Apparently not in his world.

  He’s such a geek, but it’s kinda sweet.

  What? Sioux asked. Kwai’s thoughts were rarely linear.

  I mean, I think he’s got it for you.

  Got what?

  You know, feelings.

  Sioux rolled her eyes as though Kwai could see the gesture.

  That makes perfect sense. He doesn’t want to sleep with me because he has feelings.

  If he has feelings he might not want to sleep with you because he wants you to have feelings too. Kwai insisted.

  That’s fucked up. Look I gotta go. Need to let Mama know I’m still alive and get something to eat.

  K I’m back to rehearsals. This shit is brutal.

  Sioux finished her conversation with her friend then sent a quick text to her mother. She didn’t expect a response. Her mama wasn’t big on texting and would probably call later in the day, as was her habit. Thad rolled over on the bed as she finished her last text.

  “What time is it?”

  “Nearly nine. Breakfast should be here soon.”

  “Great, I’m starved.” He pulled back the covers and walked into the bathroom. Though he was more than adequately covered in a faded gray vintage Storm Crow t-shirt and low riding pajama bottoms, something about the way the man moved made her want nothing more than a long slow bout of morning sex followed by a huge breakfast. Apparently she was going to have to settle for just one of those. Just as he returned there was a knock announcing room service. Sioux listened as Thad answered the door of his suite. She climbed out of the bed and walked into the living room as the waiter was leaving. Thad was removing the covers from a huge breakfast.

  “To look at you I’d never think you’d eat that much.”

  “I’m a growing boy. Besides, you know I got enough for you too,” he said.

  They sat down and Sioux tucked into a delicious vegetarian omelet while Thad began eating sausage, eggs and pancakes.

  “I didn’t know you were a vegetarian. I was surprised by your order last night.”

  “I’m not, but I have to watch what I eat when I tour. I tend to gain weight.”

  “The way you girls danced onstage I can’t believe you didn’t burn all that off.”

  “You’ve been to our shows?” Sioux asked, surprised. He would never have pegged him as a Honeychile fan.

  “A few times. You were amazing.”

  “Thanks. The hours are so crazy and sometimes I’m too nervous to eat before a show, then afterwards I would be ravenous. Late night eating is awful for my metabolism.”

  He nodded. “Yeah. I can see that.”

  They ate the rest of their meal while mostly talking about the tour schedule. They had two more shows in Toronto with Chicago as their next stop. Sioux was surprised when Thad asked her to go sailing with him when they got there, but didn’t hesitate before agreeing.

  ***

  Sioux leaned back into the brisk westerly breeze and inhaled a lungful of fresh cool air. She looked up at the massive white sail on the sailboat. Its stark whiteness contrasted with cerulean blue of the cloudless sky. The brisk air of Lake Michigan was a welcome relief from the blistering hot Chicago day, but she couldn’t believe Thad had gotten up so early to go out on a sailboat. She looked over at him where he stood a
t the side of the boat watching other sailboats go by on the choppy waves of the lake. When he’d first asked her to join him she thought he would be sailing the boat, but fortunately he had chartered it, leaving plenty of time for the two of them to talk or just hang out together. He stepped back to where she sat on the back of the boat.

  “Are you having a good time?” he asked as he sat down beside her. The crisp khaki shorts and aqua green polo shirt showed off his lanky form to advantage. She was surprised by how thickly muscled his legs were, but then remembered he played a lot of soccer.

  “Oh, this is great. Do you sail often?”

  “Not as much as I’d like to. My friend owns this company and he took me out a few years ago. I try to go out as much as I can.”

  “That’s great.”

  “You know how touring is. City to city. Late nights. Bad food. It got old for me really fast. I even thought about quitting the band,” he said.

  Sioux’s mouth dropped open. She couldn’t imagine such a thing.

  “Fortunately I realized I was visiting some of the most amazing cities in the world. It only made sense to enjoy them.”

  She nodded. “Me and my girls always tried to get out into the cities when we were on tour. Of course, most of the time we were clubbing, but we did some touristy stuff too.”

  “It’s not always possible. Sometimes we don’t stay in one place long enough. And sometimes I’m just too damned tired the next day.”

  “Storm Crow does play such incredibly long sets.”

  “Concert tickets are expensive. It only seems fair to give the people their money’s worth.”

  “Yeah, but you guys look like hell when it’s over.”

  “We feel like hell too. Jon gets these terrible headaches and Cinnamon isn’t here to help this time," he said with a disapproving frown.

  “Cinnamon? His wife?” she asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Dude doesn’t know how to take aspirin?” she asked with snort of derision. And they called her a diva.

  Thad chuckled. “It’s more than that. I’m not sure what’s going on with those two, but something’s up.”

  Sioux was only passingly familiar with the wife of the band’s bassist. She knew they had been together for a long time, but other than that very little was ever said about them. She and Thad sat together for a while longer, his arm casually thrown across her shoulders as they rocked back and forth with the waves of the boat.

  Sioux tried to look casual and cover her response to Thad’s closeness. His arm weighed on her shoulder like a brand heating her flesh. His rejection the other night was baffling as hell. She knew he was attracted to her. That was obvious. After all, he had kissed her. And she wasn’t blind she knew what she looked like. She’d been brushing off overtures from men since before she hit puberty. Even now, he would glance at her from time to time when he thought she wasn’t looking. She recognized the hunger in his gaze, especially since it probably mirrored her own. They’d slept together the past couple of nights and his morning wood had made its presence known bright and early each morning. So what the hell was wrong with the guy? She shook her head. Well, he’d missed his chance.

  “So, how did you wind up with a name like Sioux? Are you Native American?”

  Sioux laughed. “Not hardly. Indian names were very trendy in celebrity circles around the time I was born. I think there were no fewer than five Sioux’s in my first grade class. There were a lot of Cherokees and Crees. Unfortunately, Kwai got stuck with Kwakiutl.”

  “Kwai from Honeychile?”

  “Oh yeah. She will not answer to her actual name under any circumstances. Her parents were both actors, child stars from that show, The Ties That Bind back in the Eighties. They were heavily into Native culture at one time. They went to sweat lodges and spent a lot of time on reservations. My parents were just trendy.”

  “That’s right, your mother was in a girl band too. What was the name? I remember they were huge in the Eighties.”

  “Dupree. Yes, my dad managed them. That’s how they met. Honeychile was actually his third girl band. He had Sugar Baby in the seventies, too.”

  He whistled between his teeth. “Wow. No pressure, huh?”

  “Believe it or not, there actually wasn’t any. My folks totally discouraged me from music, but I really wanted it.”

  “How do your folks feel about you going out on tour with us?”

  Sioux sighed and paused for a long moment to think about what she wanted to say. An errant breeze swirled about her head, almost taking her straw cowboy hat with it. She was dressed similarly to Thad in loose-fitting cargo shorts and a tropical print tank top, but the sun on the water would surely burn her to a crisp if it got away. She reached up to secure the hat more firmly before responding. “What do you think? They’re worried, of course. They think I’ll relapse. They know from experience how bad the road is.”

  “What did you tell them?”

  “It’s a short tour. Only thirteen shows. My mama still wanted to come with me. I was tempted, but I’ve got to stand on my own two feet sometime,” she said with a shrug that indicated a casualness she didn’t feel.

  “You said they were against a music career for you anyway.” Sioux nodded. “My mother is the same way, but she knew this is what I was going to do. I started playing when I was so young, I don't remember wanting to be anything else. Other kids wanted to be firemen, I wanted to be Bryan Spencer," he said then continued in a softer tone, “Do you still want to be a star?”

  Now that was the question and one she didn’t really have an answer for. “I have no idea. When my parents disbanded Honeychile and sent me off to rehab I thought my life was over. Of course I know now that they were saving my life. But I hated them for it. Honeychile was my life. My identity. It’s hard to know who I am now.”

  “I can see that. I’d probably feel the same way. I just love to make music. I mean, I got incredibly lucky to be in Storm Crow, but I could be a session musician or songwriter. I suck at it, but I would be perfectly happy with that.”

  “You do not suck as a songwriter. Your song “Perish” is absolutely amazing. I listened to a lot of your cuts in and out of rehab and I think you’re badly underrated.”

  She watched as color rose in his face. “Well, thanks. Bryan is the main songwriter, I just putz around a little bit.”

  “Yeah, I know and he’s great. I think that’s part of the problem. People are so blown away by his songs, they overlook yours.”

  “You may be right. So, if you can’t be a superstar anymore, do you still want to make music?”

  “That’s a good question. For the longest time being a star is all I thought about. I mean, we won “Sing! Sing! Sing!” when I was like twelve and for the next decade being a star is all I did. But, you know, getting these songs together…thinking about music and performing and how much I love it…yeah. I think it’ll be okay.”

  He nodded and pulled her closer against him. “Yeah, I think so too.”

  The kiss when it began wasn't like their previous kisses. It wasn't tentative or searching. They both knew what they wanted and what to expect from the other. She knew he loved it when she stroked her tongue across the roof of his mouth and she did so again and again, thrilled by the shivers and growls of his responses. She couldn't get enough of the way he tenderly nipped at the tendons of her neck sending wave after wave of pure lust coursing through her body.

  At his invitation she climbed into his lap until she was sitting astride of him, grinding her throbbing clit against his heavy arousal. His hands were heavy on her hips as he flexed his hips in response to her movements. When he pushed her shirt up for greater access to her sun warmed flesh she welcomed him, rejoicing in the feel of his mouth against her needy flesh. With one hand still palming her butt, he used the other to push her bra up until her breasts were exposed to his heated gaze...and every boat on Lake Michigan. He leaned forward, taking her aching nipple then almost her whole breast into his seari
ngly hot mouth., She grabbed his head, his silky hair sliding through her fingers as he turned his attention to her other breast, pushing her closer and closer to an orgasm, and then it hit her. Her orgasm swept through her body with a force and suddenness that left her shuddering in its aftermath.

  When she came to her senses Thad had turned until she was flat on her back on the bench seat. He caressed the flesh of her torso with his hands, followed closely by his lips as he kissed a trail from her breasts to the waistband of her shorts. When he unsnapped them she realized he planned to eat her out on a public boat. In broad delight. With at least one other person onboard. He had her zipper down now and was oh so close to touching her aching pussy. For a brief moment she considered letting him. Then she grabbed his hand.

  “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but we’re on a boat. In public.” He didn’t seem to hear her and she was thrilled, then he pulled away and slid off the bench seat and onto the floor. He sat there, his elbows on his knees while he ran his long fingers through his hair in obvious frustration. She watched for a while, then straightened her clothes before sitting up. She placed one tentative hand on his shoulder and he reached up to grab it.

  “I'm sorry Sioux. I have no idea what the hell is wrong with me. I can't keep my hands off you.”

  “Well, it’s not like I’m unwilling, just not on a lake full of people,” she said, gesturing toward the many other vessels enjoying the water. “Not to mention your pal who’s supposed to be driving this thing. Where is he by the way?”

  “He's not an idiot. He would've made himself scarce. I think I’ll take a walk. I'm in desperate need of distraction.” He rose to his feet, and after placing a brief kiss on her forehead, he walked toward the front of the boat. Before long his friend joined him. She searched around until she found her hat and sunglasses, then lay down. She might as well take a nap. Thad wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon.

  ***

  Thad turned on Twist with a snarl. “Jesus, man what the hell are you playing? It’s a syncopated rhythm. We’re supposed to sound like a freight train, not like something made by Fisher-Price.”