by Zoey Derrick
“Oh, that’d be great.”
I write down the details of the order number and names on the tickets. Mills looks at me kinda funny when I give him my name. So I end up explaining the situation to him again. He smiles and Rusty laughs. So much for keeping that between Kyle and I. Everyone seems to know and I’m pretty sure Mouse, Peacock and Dex already know and that means I am never going to live this down.
The men all leave me alone on the bus and for the briefest of moments I debate on doing what I should have done this morning, but in the end I decide against it, better to not have someone walk in on me. The whole curtain closed policy doesn’t seem to apply to my room.
I set about checking my email and setting up the Phoenix reservations and cancel the Albuquerque reservations altogether. The drive from Albuquerque to Galveston, Texas, for Friday’s show, is about fourteen hours long so we will spend the majority of Thursday driving across Texas. Then Friday, by two in the morning we are back on the road for Dallas. It’s a short jaunt up the highway, but it’s better to leave earlier when we have a tight schedule.
After about an hour I decide to climb into the shower, not that I need it, but I might as well get ready for tonight. I don’t plan on wearing the pencil skirt to the concert. I am going with a modified version of what I was originally going to wear tonight. I’m swapping the 69 Bottles t-shirt I picked up at Hot Topic for my worn out Nirvana t-shirt. Is it wrong to wear a different band’s t-shirt to a concert? Hell yes it is, unless it’s Nirvana, I mean, come on!
To complete the Nirvana t-shirt, I am wearing a short red plaid skirt with thigh high fishnet stockings held up by a garter belt. Couple that with a matching pair of panties and lace demi cut bra. Oh, did I mention the Nirvana shirt’s been modified? The sleeves are gone, which means all my tattooed glory will be on display, well most of it, for the first time. Also the neckline has been cut to enhance my cleavage.
Ironically, for a chick that hasn’t slept with a man in over seven years, I sure as hell dress like a rock chick. I’ll be completing the ensemble with my black, ten eye, steel toed Doc Martens, studded belt, and bracelets to match.
“Addison, where are you?” Kyle shouts from the front of the bus.
“In our room, but don’t come back here. I’ll be out in just a minute.” I don’t want him walking in and I need him to learn some boundaries when it comes to us sharing a room. I don’t need to be freaking out that at any minute he’s going to come barging in.
“What’s going on?” Great! I roll my eyes when I hear Talon followed by a bunch of other male voices streaming back here from the front. “Come on Addison, we got sound checks.’
“Yeah, you know being a fan and all, it’s the ultimate high to be in on sound.” Fucking Dex. Damn it, I knew everyone would know.
Oh game on! I am so glad I showered, changed, and am dressed and ready to go. Time to go blow their socks off. I’m leaving my hair down, and more or less in it’s natural, post washing and air-drying state of curly-messy look. The only reason my hair is currently fire engine red is because of the new dye job. I’m trying to go from platinum blonde to purple, but the best way to get there is to go with red first. So I did. In about a week, I’ll turn it purple.
“Hurry up, woman,” I hear one of them shout.
“We don’t have all day.” That would definitely be Mouse.
“Yeah, yeah, keep your dicks in your pants,” I shout back. ”Show time,” I mumble under my breath.
I walk out of my room, feeling like a slow motion shot in a movie. You know the one where the girl is walking down the beach and all the guys are staring and drooling? I leave the curtain open. I suddenly start feeling self-conscious and wondering if it was too early for this unveiling, then I look at my watch and we’re less than two hours from show time. Fuck it.
I come around the corner and their reactions say it all. Dex and Kyle fall dramatically to the floor holding their chests. Peacock takes a step back and Mouse and Talon’s jaws are hanging on the floor. I do a cute little twirl and Talon takes a seat. Peacock on the other hand shouts, “Rusty, get your ass in here.” What the hell?
I hear heavy pounding footsteps outside and then the bus shakes with force as he bounds up the steps. “What?” Then he catches an eyeful of me. I watch him swallow hard.
“Do not let this one out of your sight. You get me?” Peacock orders.
“Yeah,” Rusty breathes.
“Don’t you boys have a sound check?” I say but nobody moves. “Oh for the love of god. It’s not that attractive.”
“You keep on kidding yourself there, girlfriend,” Dex says as he pulls himself up off of the floor. “I think I had a heart attack.”
I roll my eyes. Fucking men. Then again, this is pretty fun. It’s been so long since I’ve had this kind of attention, maybe I should soak it up. Eventually I’ll just become one of the guys and it won’t matter what I wear to their shows. “I figured I should fit in.”
“The problem with you fitting in is that it comes a little too natural for you,” Peacock says.
“Well, I was coming to the show anyway, the only thing I changed was the t-shirt.”
Kyle snorts a laugh. “Let me guess.” He finally pulls himself up off of the floor. “You were planning on wearing a 69 Bottles shirt.” I blush. “Uh huh, don’t want to look like a groupie, do ya?”
I roll my eyes again. “Whatever. I might have worn it if I hadn’t left it at home instead.”
“Aww, you break my heart,” Dex says. “I design those t-shirts.”
I give him a skeptical look.
“No really, he does.” Mouse finally finds his voice. “He’s wicked good with the graphics. Come on, let’s get this show on the road,” He says, corralling Dex, Kyle, and Peacock and when he attempts to go for Talon, he backs off.
“I’ll be right there,” Talon finally manages to say and the rest of the boys disembark the bus. I start to follow behind them but Talon grabs my arm. I look at him. “Of all the things I pegged you for, this,”-he runs his hand from my shoulder to my elbow-“was not it. They’re gorgeous.”
I smile sweetly at him. “Oh dear Talon, I am a girl of many secrets.”
“I’m gathering that.” He shifts, winces and stands rather uncomfortably from the couch. He’s looking at the ink on my shoulder. Both my arms are three quarter sleeves of various tattoos, mostly flowers, a few Asian symbols, etcetera. He doesn’t move, but I can see he’s antsy about something. I look up into his eyes and I’m immediately lost.
Swallowing hard, I find my voice, “Are you coming?”
A wicked gleam fills his eyes. “For you?”
I try desperately to avoid the eye roll thing but his banter has broken the spell. “Rehearsal, sound check? Remember?”
“Oh, yeah, give me a minute. Oh and Red?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t ditch Rusty tonight. Please.”
“Why, aren’t we a tad over protective?” I try to say it sweetly but it comes out a little more snarky than I intended.
“It’s not my fault if you don’t see yourself clearly, Addison.”
He releases my arm, shakes off his trance and walks straight for his room at the back of the bus. I hear the door slam. “What the hell was that all about?” I mumble.
“Don’t worry about him.”
I turn quickly to see Kyle standing at the top of the stairs. “I just don’t get it.”
He shrugs. “I do.”
I look at him again, this time a little closer. “I’m still trying to figure out where I know you from.”
He gives me a half smile. “You don’t know me directly, Addison, but I’m sure you know of me.”
I cock my head. “Care to explain?”
He shakes his head. “That conversation is meant for a six pack and another time.” He gives me a sweet smile, which tells me to let it go, for now. “Come on.”
“I’ll be right behind you.” I look back toward the back of the bus. “Give
me a minute. I owe someone an apology.”
“Alright.” Kyle descends the stairs and hops off of the bus. I go to the back.
When I come to Talon’s door, I knock gently.
“What do you want, Addison?”
“How’d you know?”
He opens the door and he’s standing there, shirtless and I can’t breathe. His body is all sinewy muscle, well defined abs, gorgeous pecs and dark brown nipples. Not to mention a light smattering of hair right on his breast bone and a beautiful happy trail that disappears into his jeans right along with the well-formed V coming from his hips.
“Most of the guys pound.”
“What? Oh, right.” My eyes are still traveling downward, down to the massive bulge in his jeans.
“What do you need, Red?” Now we’re back to that again.
“I…” I finally look up into his eyes and that burning desire is there once again and I’m lost to it, lost to him, momentarily forgetting what I came to say.
He pulls his hand off of the door jamb and gently brushes the back of his fingers along my cheek. His touch is warm and soft, leaving goosebumps in its wake. I reach up to hold his hand there and close my eyes. Desire I haven’t felt in a very long time bursts across my entire body. I’ve got to get out of here, away from him. “I came to apologize.”
“For what?” That sweet, sexy sultry tone is back and once again I find my clit hardening, screaming for attention, desperate to be licked.
I shake it off as best as I can. “For being a bitch,” I breathe.
I open my eyes slowly and he’s smiling. “I’d hardly call that being a bitch and I meant what I said, you don’t see yourself clearly.”
With that, he pulls his hand away from my cheek and he straightens. He’s calm and collected and all I want to do is melt into a puddle at his feet. Surrender myself to him, but I get the feeling that might not be what he wants.
“Go ahead; I’ll be right behind you. I just need a minute.”
I pout and nod as he closes the door.
I stand there for a moment before I finally turn and leave the hallway and step off of the bus. When I do, my pal Rusty is standing there waiting for me. I shake my head. “He’s really gonna make you shadow me tonight, isn’t he?”
He laughs. “Yeah, he is. Come on.”
“This is truly ridiculous, you know that, right?”
He shrugs. “Maybe, but from what I understand you gave those boys a pretty stern lesson in keeping their dicks in their pants, I’d imagine they, in their own way, are doing the same for you. Though in this case, keeping the dicks out of you.”
I snort a laugh and let it go. Rusty escorts me into the building, despite the fact that the area surrounding the bus is fenced off and hidden from prying eyes. I don’t think the guys are gonna give up on me so easily, at least not tonight. I wonder momentarily that if I were to go change my clothes if I could ditch my detail. I feel like I’m twelve, walking with my friends through the mall while my mom shadows behind me.
We come in the back door of the arena that we’re playing tonight. It’s not the stadium by any means, but it is still a good size facility with a twenty-five thousand capacity. From back here I can hear the strums of a bass booming through the speakers and I know that Peacock is working his magic on those strings. When we come around to the stage all eyes turn to me once again.
“Seriously? Would you all feel better if I changed?” Overprotective fools.
“Yes.” I hear more than three say yes at the same time, including Rusty and a voice behind me. I turn to see Talon walking toward me. He seems to have donned some type of stony faced mask since I left him in the bedroom on the bus. Either that or this is just his game face.
“You’ll hear better in front of the stage, Red, why not go up there?” I smile at him and nod. Rusty escorts me through a door that leads to the floor of the arena, past the barricades that have already been set up.
I hear Dex pounding away on his drums and Mouse is tuning up his guitar. I don’t have to turn and look, I can just tell. Rusty leads me to about the halfway point across the floor before he stops, turns around, and points at the floor. I walk to the spot and turn around. Rusty isn’t far behind me, but he slips into the shadows giving me the impression of being alone. Anticipation courses through me as I realize that America’s hottest alternative rock band is warming up, and about to run a sound check. A thrill runs through me and my skin is covered in goosebumps as I watch the chaos on stage morph into something sexy and coordinated.
Then, out of nowhere I hear the strains of my favorite song. It’s not even their biggest hit, if it’s even been a hit, but it’s a damn good song, and a love song at that. Well, that’s my interpretation of it anyway.
The guys continue to play and I can hear some adjustments being made to speakers and to the playback to the guys because every once in a while one of them will fall behind. After about three or four minutes of just playing the melody of my favorite song, called Your Eyes. They start again, this time Talon steps up to the microphone and my heart starts pounding. It’s one thing to listen to your favorite band on their perfectly recorded album version of a song, but it is something else entirely when it is being played live, in front of you, and for you alone.
The beat picks up and I watch as Talon closes his eyes and when they open, they’re smoldering and boring right into me.
Your eyes
Are like nothing I’ve ever known
Nothing I’ve ever seen
They bring be here
They bring me home
Your eyes
Are all I can see.
His voice is amazing. Perfect in pitch and my heart melts, my nipples harden, my clit throbs and I’m ready to fall to the floor and jam my hand down my skirt and start fingering myself. Fuck, this is hot and I can tell that Talon can see it too.
To try and stop myself from doing the unmentionable in the middle of this nasty arena floor, I start to dance. Closing my eyes and soaking up his voice. It’s a beautiful cross between Daughtry and Scott Stab all rolled into one beautiful sex god package.
A couple of times I catch myself peeking at Talon and he hasn’t taken his eyes off of me the entire time. Then the next thing I know, Kyle is standing with me. “Dance with me,” he whispers and I look to Talon whose expression hasn’t changed. I have this deep-seated, unknown, need to seek out his permission and I don’t understand why. Then he grins behind his microphone and I have all the answer I need. I take Kyle’s hand and he pulls me into his arms. I sneak a peek at Talon as Kyle spins me around again and his smile grows a little wider. The sultry look in his eyes is there, his voice changes to be more lust filled as Kyle and I begin to dance. The look Talon is giving the two of us reiterates to me that the look on the bus was real. Then a surge of something I can only describe as fear races through my veins. There is something going on between the two of them and I am stepping in the middle of it.
The song draws to a close with the same verse it opens with and I shiver in Kyle’s arms as pleasure and desire wreak havoc on me.
“Not many people pay much attention to this song,” Kyle says as the band makes some adjustments.
“I love this song. It’s one of my favorites of theirs.” I smile at Kyle.
“It’s not in their set, but it’s a great warm up song for them.”
“Well, it should be in their set. Especially if he’s capable of looking like that. He’ll make the girls go nuts.” I pull back from him, the fear a moment ago racing through me again. I don’t want to upset Talon, if there really is something going on between the two of them.
Kyle grins at me. “I’m pretty sure that look was just for you.”
“Really, because it got a little hotter when we started dancing.”
Kyle freezes. “It did?” he breathes.
“Is there something going on between the two of you that I should know about?” I try to tease, but it comes out more accusatory than I’d planned. I
watch as Kyle just shakes his head. “Do you want there to be?”
“I… Oh hell, Addison, I barely know you and you want to discuss this with me?”
I smirk and shrug. “I couldn’t help but notice your exchange on the bus earlier, when he caught me.”
Kyle runs his hand through his shaggy blonde locks then rubs at his chin. “Honestly?”
I give him a shoulder shrug, going for nonchalance. “Always,” I say.
“That had more to do with you in his arms than anything. The spark between the two of you was pretty hot,” he says with a blush to his cheeks.
“Am I embarrassing you?” I ask him, surprised by my own candor.
Then watch as he shakes his head. “I’m just, uh, not usually so open and forward.”
“I have a tendency to bring that out in people. Sorry,” I tell him, but it’s more of a sorry, not sorry kinda thing. I like that he’s being honest with me, but yet I feel a stab of disappointment at the fact that it had more to do with me than Talon. Why is that so disappointing. Because if they’re into each other, then they’re certainly not into you. And just like that, all the years of insecurities come flooding back. “Excuse me for a minute.” I back away quickly and head back toward the door Rusty brought me through, desperately looking for a bathroom. I find one quickly and duck inside.
“You need to add that song to your set,” Kyle tells me as we’re wrapping up so that the opening band, Empty Chamber, can set up for tonight and run their checks and warm up.
“Why would we do that? It’s like the red-headed step child of songs,” I tell him with a glare. Is he kidding me right now? The set has been in place for weeks, now he wants to change it?
Kyle laughs at me and immediately I understand why. God, I just sang that damn song to her like it was written specifically for her. “It’s her favorite song,” he says back.