Chapter 11
Gia
We headed for the shuttle. It was already 2:00 p.m., so we missed the first concert. Since I hadn’t gotten to bed until 6:30 this morning, I slept until noon, and the other girls hadn’t been up too long before that. Our plan was to get in the gate, eat some lunch, and then drink and watch the concerts for the rest of the day and night. My butterflies were back!
When we walked into the gate, I smelled the food and heard the music and I felt alive. We headed over to one of the bars first. I ordered four shots and four beers. We did the shots and grabbed the beers and headed over and got our food. We grabbed a picnic table and ate in record time so we could really start partying.
“Ready, ladies?” Dana said, holding up her beer.
“Ready!” We said, and we headed into the arena.
The second band of the day was playing and they were really good. We found some fun guys almost immediately, probably because we were dressed like hookers, but so were half the other girls there, and we danced and let loose. I was feeling really tall and leggy in my thigh-highs and my confidence was way up there. The guy I was dancing with was totally hot. He was laughing and having a good time.
“My name is Josh,” he hollered.
I leaned in to him. “I’m Gia.”
“You smell amazing, Gia,” He said right in my ear. It gave me goose bumps.
“Let’s go!” Jo said. She grabbed me, looking totally pissed off.
“Bye, Josh!” I yelled back to him. He put his hands up in frustration. It made me laugh.
“What a bunch of assholes,” Jo said. “Do you know what that guy said to me?”
“No, what?”
Jo stopped and Dana and Brittany caught up. “He said, ‘You remind me of a girl I used to date from a Catholic school. She had a little uniform like that, she liked to hold my head under her skirt until she came. Do you like to do that, too?’ I mean, who says shit like that? What a fucking psycho!” The rest of us looked at each other, trying not to laugh because Jo was really offended.
I couldn’t help myself. “Well, do you like to do that, you bad, bad girl?” We all busted a gut—well, everyone but Jo.
“I’m sorry, Jo,” I said, trying to be serious. “You know some guys can be like that, and when you add alcohol and put a hot girl in front of them, they can’t control themselves. Now, which one was he? He sounds like my kind of date for tonight!” Even Jo cracked a smile at that one. But I did look back to see what he looked like.
“My turn to buy,” Brittany hollered from the nearest bar. We all headed her way. When she pulled her money out, her VIP pass fell on the ground. She picked it up and set it on the bar while she was fiddling with the change.
“You don’t wanna lose that!” the half naked girl behind the bar said. “Quite a coveted item around here—we don’t even have that kind of access.”
We were confused. “What kind of access?” Dana asked, and we all leaned in to hear the answer like it was the Da Vinci code or something.
“Meeting the bands,” she said really slowly as she scanned each of our faces.
“Meeting the bands! Are you shitting me right now?” Brittany screamed.
We all looked at each other, eyes and mouths wide open. “Shit, Gia, Ethan really hooked us up!” Dana said.
“Oh, you guys know Ethan? He’s a total sweetheart, isn’t he?” the girl said.
“Hell yes, he is!” Brittany said, even though she’d never even met him.
“Thanks,” I told the girl and walked away. The girls followed.
“You don’t seem very happy, Gia,” Jo said. “What really happened between you and this Ethan last night?”
“I told you, a lady never tells,” I said with a half-smile. “Besides, we have some people to meet!”
We walked over to the ticket booth and asked the girl where the VIP area was and she pointed. We all turned and looked. ‘VIP Entrance’ was blazoned across a huge banner.
“Are we drunk, or did that just appear out of nowhere?” Dana said. I shook my head and smiled as we headed that way.
Wait a minute. If the girl at the bar said they don’t even get this kind of access, why was Ethan able to get it for the four of us? Then the way she said, ‘He’s a total sweetheart, isn’t he,’ irritated the shit out of me, but I didn’t know why.
***
We all put our VIP passes around our necks and the guy waved us through. Holy Rock Stars, this is unbelievable. We grabbed champagne off the table and started to mingle with the party. There were half-dressed girls, like us, everywhere. There were half-dressed dudes everywhere, too—that was kinda weird. A lot of them had their shirts off, some had no shoes on, and some had the top button or two of their jeans undone. Was this a big orgy or what? I guessed maybe that was the way rock stars hung out in the VIP bar.
“This is un-fucking-believable, Gia,” Dana whispered to me, “There’s the lead singer of Tesla over there and that dude is the drummer in Ratt!” She was star struck.
“I know, its mind blowing,” I said, “and I hate to ruin the mood, but I’ve got to pee.”
“Okay, sweetie, I’m with ya,” Dana said as we grabbed the other two and headed to the bathrooms, which were unisex and in a separate little area just off the room everyone was dancing in.
When we got over there, one girl was waiting in front of us. “Thank goodness there isn’t a line,” I said, “I’m full!” Then we heard something. It was coming from the first door.
“Oh, yeah, that’s right, right there, baby.” We all looked at each other with big eyes.
“You like that, do ya?” And bang!—up against the door. We all jumped.
Bang, bang, bang against the door. I thought it was gonna come down. And “oh, oh, oh” with every bang.
The girl in front of us turned. “They’ve been at it for awhile now, but the other stalls should be free in a sec.” So nonchalantly. And right after she said it, a stall door opened and the Whitesnake guy came out!
The girl in front of us hurried in the stall and the four of us just stared. “Damn, you ladies are lookin’ hot tonight!” he said with a smile.
Bang! Bang! “Oh, yeah, ohhhhh.”
He walked over to it and knocked. “Giddy up, buddy—we’re on in 15!” Then he turned to us again. “Enjoy the show, ladies.” He winked and was gone.
We were speechless. The next stall opened and I got to it before the other gal was even out. “Sorry,” I said. She just smiled.
I think the guy in the first stall was as relieved as I was. “Ahhh,” he said and the banging stopped.
As I stepped out of my stall, they stumbled out of theirs. The gal was adjusting her clothes and hair and the dude was smiling from ear to ear. This is some crazy shit.
I washed my hands, checked my makeup and hair, and was waiting for the girls to come out, and there he was, out of the blue, right in front of me. Ethan.
“Hey, Hotness,” he said quietly. “You look amazing.” Our eyes locked. I was glad I had just checked myself.
“Hi, Ethan,” I said, also quietly. “Thank you for the VIP passes.” I looked down, still embarrassed about earlier.
Dana came out of the stall. “Ethan!” He looked at her. She ran up and gave him a hug. “Thank you so much for the passes, this is awesome!” He smiled.
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re having fun,” he said.
Jo and Brittany, who were sharing a stall, came out. “Ethan, this is Jo, and this is Brittany,” Dana said. “You guys, this is Ethan.”
They all hugged him and went on and on about how great the VIP was, and blah, blah, blah. I walked out. I needed a drink, bad.
***
I went back into the crowded room and grabbed another glass of champagne. I gulped it down in three swallows. I was about to grab another when this guy came up to me and said, “Let me get that for you.” He hovered over the bar for a moment.
“Here, this one is special, just for you.” I took a sip t
his time.
It tasted the same as the other one, but I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. “Mmm, delicious.”
“Hi, I’m Rick.” He held out his hand.
“Yes, I know who you are,” I said and grabbed his hand. He was in the band that we’d missed earlier. “I’m Gia. Let’s dance.”
We started dancing, kinda slow, even though the song was more upbeat. I was trying to forget about Ethan, but I wanted him to see me with Rick when he came out. I wanted him to know that even though he couldn’t get lost in the moment and fuck me like I was the sexiest woman he’d ever seen, someone else could. “Gia is a very beautiful name,” Rick said. “A beautiful name for a beautiful lady.”
“Thank you,” I said and put my arms on his shoulders and leaned into him, as I felt very relaxed all of a sudden.
“You’re welcome,” he said and pulled me tight. We were moving to the rhythm in perfect unison. I had never realized I could dance that good. Rick slid his leg between mine and I could feel a little pressure when he moved me a certain way. Nice move, Rick. I felt like I was floating but Rick had one arm around my waist and I was sure that was holding me down. My arms were still on his shoulders and I was holding my champagne with one hand, so I ran my fingers through his hair with the other. It felt weird, but good, I guess. My hand was tingling, in fact half of my body was tingling. This must be some top shelf shit. I took another sip of the champagne. We were very cozy and the way we were dirty dancing was really starting to turn me on. I was feeling the alcohol for sure and he looked like he was, too.
“You are very sexy, Gia,” he whispered in my ear. Then he started kissing my neck. I closed my eyes and imagined he was Ethan. It felt really good. He moved his hand down and caressed my leg between where the boot ended and the mini began.
“Ethan,” I whispered.
“Gia,” I heard from a distance and I ignored it. “Gia!” Right in my ear, so I couldn’t ignore it. I opened my eyes and Dana was looking at me in disbelief. “What are you doing?”
“I know, isn’t it crazy? Do you know who this is?” I said and looked at Rick. I was in an alcohol daze, smiling drunkenly.
“Yes, Gia, I know who it is, that’s not what I meant. Sorry, Rick, Gia has to go bye-bye now. Go find another girl to take advantage of.” I was pulled away from his body. “Gia, look at me.” She slapped me across the face. “What the hell did you take?” I didn’t know what she was talking about. The room started spinning.
***
I opened my eyes. “Gia?” I heard Dana. “Oh, thank God. Gia, are you all right?”
“Dana, I’m fine, chill out. What the hell?” I said, looking around, half dazed.
“Fucking Rick drugged you, that’s what the hell!” she yelled. I think she was starting to cry. It took me a minute to process what she just said.
“Drugged me? How? When? I didn’t take any drugs.” I was confused.
“He put it in your champagne. Someone saw him. Luckily you had only taken a few sips, so you’re gonna be okay, but shit, Gia, you scared me half to death!” She was scaring me.
“Oh my God,” I whispered. “That’s fucked up.”
Dana half laughed. “Yes, Gia, that is fucked up.” Then she looked up at someone and said, “Thank you, she’s back. She’s gonna be okay.”
“Just relax for a bit, Gia!” Dana scolded me as I tried to get up.
Jo and Brittany suddenly appeared. “Hey, Gia, welcome back.” Jo sat beside me.
“How do you feel?” Brittany asked.
“Good, I think,” I said. “I’d like to get up, though.” I felt like an idiot laying there with a bunch of people staring at me.
Jo reached her hand out. I took it and she and Brittany stood me up. “Slow and steady. You okay?”
“I think so,” I said. “I think I need something to eat, though.”
“I think we all do. Let’s get out of here,” Dana said and we left some bed in the VIP bar.
***
“How are you feeling, Gia?” Jo asked after we had eaten.
“Actually, pretty darn good!” I said, and I did.
“Yeah, Ethan said you’d be fine in about an hour,” Brittany said.
“Ethan?” I said, surprised.
“Yes, and you should see what he did to Rick. I don’t think we’ll be seeing his band around here ever again!” I could tell Brittany was impressed.
“Is that who you were talking to when I was waking up?” I asked Dana.
“Yes, he stayed there until he knew you were gonna be okay. He was scared shitless, Gia. He kept blaming himself. Poor guy, he’s got it bad for you.” She smiled at me. “You’ll be able to thank him soon enough,” she said. “We’re meeting him and Trey and a couple of their buddies to watch the concert, just like we’d planned.”
“Okay,” I said, knowing by the way she was looking at me there was no other choice. “Can I still drink alcohol tonight?” I asked, not knowing if I could face Ethan sober.
“Yes, just take it easy, okay?” She was serious.
“Okay.” I knew I’d better, too. “Can we go freshen up before we head up to the VIP viewing area?” I bet I looked like hell.
They all assisted me when we got to the VIP bathrooms. Between the four of us we had makeup, hair product, eye drops, breath freshener, and lip gloss. I felt like a sexy beast again. Now for a drink, and a cigarette to calm my nerves.
Chapter 12
Ethan
“Hey, man. You still alive?” It was Trey.
“Yeah, what time is it?”
“Three o’clock. You missed the a.m. meeting by about four hours.” He laughed, “Must’ve been a long night, Gia looked pretty spunky, though!” What? He saw Gia?
“Come over,” I said and hung up. I jumped in the shower.
The last time I was in here was with Gia. We washed each other’s hair and looked at each other naked for the first time. If she were here right now, I wouldn’t screw it up like I did then. I hoped she was going to give me another chance tonight.
“C’mon, Sleeping Beauty, get a move on!” Trey hollered.
I jumped out of the shower, toweled off, wrapped it around my waist and headed into the other room. I had to know what Trey found out with Gia.
“Well, your girlfriend looks a lot better in a towel than you do,” Trey said. I felt my heart beat an extra beat when he said ‘girlfriend’. “I’m just sayin’…”
“What are you talking about? What did Gia say? Is she going to meet me tonight?” I was irritated by his lack of immediate information.
“I went over to the girls’ camp and gave them the VIP passes,” he started. “They all seemed super excited, but Gia wasn’t around at first.” My heart sank. “Then she comes walking out of the back looking fucking amazing in nothing but a towel—a very short towel.” He was smiling. I wanted to knock him out. “Anyway, Dana and the other girls said they’d be there but Gia wouldn’t give a definite answer.”
“Did she seem upset?” I was worried.
“No, man. She must’ve just showered and she was all decked out, like I said, she looked fucking amazing.” Can’t you just say beautiful? “And she seemed to be in a playful mood, actually. I really can’t see the other three girls coming and not Gia. What happened? Did you two go up to Sunset?” he asked.
“Yes, but we had a little disagreement and we were both real tired, so we didn’t get to resolve it, and make a plan for tonight. I’m not sure she wants to see me.” I tried not to look like my world just crumbled.
“Well, you’ve got a few hours to figure it out, man. I’m sure they’ll probably be in the VIP bar pretty soon,” Trey suggested. It was a good idea.
“What else is on the agenda?” I asked, knowing that he probably took care of everything this morning while I slept.
“Not much. The meeting went good. Everyone seemed to have a good night last night. A couple of fights and some underage drinking was all security had to deal with. I checked in the orders, met a co
uple bands, made rounds, and drove through the campground when I took the passes over. It’s all good, so now you can buy me some dinner.” Trey was the best right hand man I could’ve ever hoped for.
“Thanks, man. I’ll buy you dinner and drinks and I won’t even expect you to put out later, okay?” I said and Trey laughed.
“Get dressed,” he said.
***
Trey and I drove the cart around for a while. It was a fulfilling feeling to see the place packed and looking so alive. We stopped and chatted with a few people. Trey was right, it was all good.
He saw a few guys he knew, so he ran over to talk to them while I was talking to Marcus on my cell. When I hung up, I looked over toward the stage and saw her—Hotness.
I about fell off the cart. Trey was right again, she looked fucking amazing. She was singing and dancing with a bunch of people, light all around her, just like in my dream. I was relieved that she was having a good time after what had happened between us. I wasn’t real relieved however, with the attention she was attracting from all the men in the vicinity. She was wearing a short skirt with leather boots that went up to her thighs—every guy’s fantasy—and no one could look better wearing it than she did.
“Holy shit!” Trey had come back without me noticing and saw what I was seeing. “No wonder you fantasized about her for ten years!” he said, smiling. I wanted to knock him out again. “No offense, man,” he added. “My girl Dana is holding her own for sure!” I hadn’t even noticed the other girls.
They were dressed to impress also, and that made me feel a little better. It’s just what girls do here, they get all rocked out and wear all the stuff they don’t get to wear anyplace else, just like we do when we ride our Harleys. I get it. It wasn’t like she was on the prowl for some guy to do to her what I wouldn’t, was it? I couldn’t stand the thought of it.
Losing Control (Losing Control Series Book 1) Page 8