by Hazel Gower
Dillon
Two days later
Phillip dealt with Ashlyn staying on the tour longer with me better than I thought. He wasn’t an idiot though and knew I’d lied the other day about being sick.
“Do you want to tell me how there aren’t photos of the two of you plastered all over the media?” Phillip had one hand on his hip as he glared at me.
I shrugged. “I’ve been wearing a disguise.”
Phillip closed his eyes, and I watched as he counted to ten, then opened them. “Please tell me you at least had security around in case you were recognized?”
Instead of saying no, I opted for a smoother answer. “It’s a really good disguise. It wasn’t the first time I’ve used it, and I wasn’t made then and that was in my hometown of Yorkshire.”
Phillip went a bright shade of red, and I gazed at my friends and band-mates for help. They looked anywhere but at me while I was being told off by Phillip. “Dillon, you don’t know how lucky you are. We aren’t in England anymore. We are in the south where every man and their dog has a gun.” He ran his fingers shakily through his thinning hair. “I’m going to ask you a question, and I need you to be one hundred percent honest.” I nodded, because just then Phillip didn’t look so good. “Is this just a fling, some fun together while this girl is here on tour, or is this a relationship? Do you plan to see her when you have time off?”
This was easy to answer, and our outing together in New Orleans just confirmed it. “Ashlyn and I are in a relationship. I will be flying to her when I have time off or flying her to see me. “
Phillip massaged his temples. “If this was any of the others I wouldn’t take this so seriously, but you haven’t had a relationship.”
“Hey, I resent that,” Zeck whined.
Alec groaned. “Thanks for the faith, Phillip.”
Phillip grunted. “Friends with benefits. Groupie love. One night stands. Yes, you’ve had all of those, Dillon, but a relationship? No.” He huffed. “Okay, I need to meet her, and she needs media training. I need her to know how to handle the vultures when they find out about this. America is different from the UK. We have extra roadies and more groups that are joining the tour, and it will be harder to keep a lid on this.”
“I’ll talk to her and give you a call.”
Phillip turned his gaze on the other members of the group. “Get to the arena on time. I want to introduce you to the new groups joining the tour.” We all agreed to be there on time.
Phillip left the room, and I turned to go, too, but Law grabbed my arm. “Not so fast, lover boy.” I stuck my middle finger up at him. “If you leave now are you going to make it to the concert on time? Covering for you talking to reporters and doing media days is one thing, but not making it to a show is another.”
What the hell? Why would Law think I would bail on a concert? What the fuck was up with him? My bailing on the media day was the first time I’d ever done that. Snatching my arm from Law I glared at him. “Fuck you, Law. I have never been late or missed a concert. The media day was the first time I’ve ever even missed one of those.” I looked at Zeck, who avoided my gaze and glanced at Alec to see him staring at me. I captured their attention. “I have covered at one time for all of you, and I’ve done it more than once. Think about that next time before you ask a stupid question like you just did.”
Storming out of the room, I headed straight to the gym knowing I needed to cool down.
****
Ashlyn
Instead of watching the concert, Phillip, Right Time’s manager, took me off to the group’s dressing room and gave me a crash course in media training. It scared the hell out of me. I didn’t realize so much went into keeping the fans happy and the media under control. I had no idea there was so much I wasn’t supposed to say. I definitely didn’t think I was ready for any of the media circus Phillip had told me about.
I stayed in the dressing room until the concert was over, and then chaos broke out. People were running and shouting everywhere, and though I fought to catch a glimpse of Sarah or Dillon, there was too much confusion. One of the security people hustled me out toward the exit where I finally found Dillon and rushed into his arms. Before we could say anything, Phillip’s voice came over a megaphone, and we saw him standing up on something near the door.
“We have an overwhelming number of people at all exits. The police are here to help with the influx of fans, but they didn’t expect this many. They called in reinforcements, and I received confirmation moments ago they’re ready for us to leave. The local police are going to give us a vehicle escort to the hotel. There will be no signing out the back to fans because we need to get out and into the vans as quickly as possible.”
Everyone around agreed, and I clung to Dillon as the back door opened. The screaming and yelling was deafening, and through the peephole of the security I could see the back security fence barely holding up the fans against it.
Gripping tightly to Dillon I froze, terrified to move and leave the safety of the stadium. Dillon turned to me and tilted my chin up so we were eye to eye. “I promise I won’t let anything happen to you. We’re safe.” He leaned down and gently brushed his lips over mine. Before I could respond he moved us, and I followed in a daze to the waiting vans.
I smiled when security tried to get Dillon in before me, but he was having none of that. He shot a look of pure anger at the bodyguards and helped me get in before him. We sat on a seat next to each other, and I didn’t care about being seen when he leaned in and brushed his lips over mine.
****
Dillon
Two days later
Atlanta
Guilt assaulted me as I watched Sarah comfort Ashlyn as she changed all her settings on Facebook and went through deleting a bunch of people from her friends list, leaving her with only close friends and family. She canceled her Twitter account after reading some of Right Time’s diehard fans rip into her.
We’d been on lockdown in our rooms since waking up two days earlier to see a media frenzy. Photos of the two of us were everywhere. A photo sequence of me making sure she got in the van before me and giving one of the bodyguards a bad look for putting me before her was the first photo. The other photos were what had the fans and media buzzing. They were of our quick kiss at the entrance where Ashlyn had frozen in terror seeing the crazy fans. It may have been just a brush of my lips over hers in a brief kiss, but from the looks on both our faces there was no denying that something was going on and we felt something more than friendship for each other.
There was a record number of paparazzi out the front of the hotel, and Phillip had called at least ten times to tell me all the different shows and places begging for an interview, or a response to the photo and many of the rumors. Reports had come in from the UK that on the end part of the tour there that I was absent from many of the after parties, and that I wasn’t documented to have been with any women. I hated the fact that people were monitoring my sex life and knew my usual habit was to party after a show and get with a woman, or women.
Phillip had told me this would happen as I didn’t date, and people were putting two and two together about my absences in Europe. I was the first in the group Right Time to change my pattern and according to the media, have a relationship longer than a night or two. Half the fans were happy, but the other half were angry and heartbroken that I was now taken and by someone who wasn’t famous. Rumors were flying left and right, and a lot of them stated that I was leaving the group to settle down, that I was marrying Ashlyn and we were moving to Australia. I had no idea how the rumors got so farfetched. Even if I went off the media and fans’ timeline I’d only been dating Ashlyn for a couple of months and they already had me leaving the group and moving overseas. The reality was we hadn’t even been dating a month or even half that.
My phone lit up, and Phillip’s ringtone came on. Reaching for my mobile I swiped the screen across, answering it.
“I’ve been discussing the issue with the r
ecord company and other management and we think you need to make a media statement. As this is a first for you and the group, we feel it will be better than ignoring the situation.”
I wasn’t sure how I felt about the way Phillip and the record company were handling this. I knew I didn’t like Phillip referring to my relationship with Ashlyn as an “issue”, or that our relationship caused so much upheaval that Phillip needed to talk to the record company and other management for advice. I was happy to make a statement if it had even some people backing off.
“Sure, I’ll make a statement. Maybe then we could get back to some kind of normalcy.”
****
Ashlyn
Three days after the media statement
Dillon’s media statement wasn’t long or anything elaborate. He simply said, “I know there has been lots of speculation over the last few days. First, I’d like to address the rumor that I will be leaving the group. I am in Right Time for the long haul, and I have no intentions of leaving the group. Second, I’d like to tell you all that, yes, I’m in a relationship with Ashlyn Dobbs. I do realize that this is my first relationship since Right Time got signed, and I ask if we could please have some privacy so I can enjoy our time together. I’m excited about this tour and look forward to seeing many of you at our concerts. Thank you for your time.” He’d left the media conference without answering any questions.
Last night’s show had been in Florida. They’d performed at Disney’s Magic Kingdom, and it had been epic. This time, I wasn’t as scared by the swarm of fans. I knew Dillon wouldn’t let anything happen to me. Now that our relationship was out we didn’t hide our affection for each other. I kissed him before the show, and he came straight to me after and kissed me in front of the VIPs. One thing I liked about us being out in the open was I got to make-out with real Dillon, not disguise Dillon.
Last night had been an eye opener. Besides traveling to venues, I still hadn’t left the hotels, so I had only dealt with diehard fans who were upset Dillon was now taken on media outlets. I was assigned my own bodyguard, and last night he’d definitely worked for his paycheck.
Pictures of Dillon and me from last night were already circling, and in the early hours of this morning I received a call from both my brothers, and to say they weren’t happy was putting it mildly. They wanted me to come home so they could “protect me”. Instead of getting eight or so hours sleep, I tried to calm them down. But they hadn’t listened, spouting something about the crazy women—girls—who were attacking me on social media. In the end I’d had to hang up on them both. I’d spoken to my parents, too, and even they were a little upset, but their upset was more that I hadn’t even mentioned Dillon. By breakfast time I was exhausted, sick of my family and turned off my phone.
Dillon offered to speak to my family, and I didn’t even have to think about it. My brothers would rip him apart, even over the phone. My parents would be safer, but I wasn’t ready for Dillon to talk to my family yet. Everything was happening so quickly. We hadn’t even been together for a month.
Sarah and I had spent the day at Disney’s Magic Kingdom getting our picture taken with as many characters as we could. Tomorrow we would be doing the rides. I was exhausted, but happy. I’d needed today with my best friend, to stop worrying about my family and my relationship with Dillon. I needed to just have fun.
“Did you have a good day?” Sitting up on the bed I looked over at Dillon at the desk. “It would have been nice to go. You were right though. I did have a lot of work things to catch up on. Zeck’s been covering for me, so we could have time together.” Dillon turned and looked up from the table where he was going over paperwork he’d been sent by his lawyer. The band had been offered different promo opportunities, and Dillon had put off reading over them as he’d been spending time with me.
Shrugging, I got off the bed and made my way over to him. “I had fun with Sarah. No one recognized me. Today Sarah and I did photo character day, so I’m sure you didn’t miss anything that you would have wanted to spend your day doing.” I know he had wanted to come with me this morning, but he had work to catch up on and I needed time away. I wanted to do things on my holiday just for me. Argh. I hated that I sounded so selfish.
His brows furrowed, and his lips thinned. “Why would you say that? I wouldn’t have minded posing with Mickey with you.” He pushed his chair back.
So he didn’t have to get out of the chair I came and stood before him leaning against the table. “I just meant that I thought you’d be sick of posing for photos, and I did mostly Disney princesses. So I didn’t think that would be your cup of tea.”
He pulled me so I sat on his lap straddling him in the big chair. “I haven’t posed for many photos with you. I wouldn’t mind doing it so we had some more together. So no, I wouldn’t have minded.” His voice was rising, and his green eyes darkened. “The only fucking photos I have of us are the ones the fucking paparazzi took and those ones when I’m in a disguise.” He was pissed. His body shook beneath me.
“I know.” I felt guilty. He couldn’t control the fans or paparazzi, and that was why we had to be careful. “Maybe we can get some photos tomorrow if you can organize with your manager special time for photos with Disney, but today you would have been recognized and hounded.” I sighed. “I spent most of my time in line waiting to get my photo taken. Then Sarah and I would rush to get into another line.”
“You’re happy I wasn’t there? What? So you didn’t have to have people follow you around or a bodyguard? So you could be quick and not have me slowing you down? So you could have peace and get out of the hotel?” He was yelling, and I wiggled off of him getting angry myself.
“Argh, that’s not what I friggin’ said.” I threw my hands in the air. “I just meant that now we’re out, you can’t wear your disguise to go out as they’ll see me. Even though I think I wasn’t recognized, I may have been and not realized it.” Groaning, because I was getting flustered and confused, I stared at Dillon’s face, and that was when I noticed his eyes flash not with anger, but sadness and annoyance. His lips were nearly non-existent in his frown. I gazed down and saw his shoulders droop. I’d never seen Dillon like this, his confidence and cockiness gone. I didn’t like it.
“I’m sorry.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in before opening my eyes and slowly letting my breath out. “You’re right. I didn’t want you with me today.” I went back and straddled his lap. “I love spending time with you, but with everything that’s been going on, I needed a normal day. A day with just me and my bestie.” I reached up and stroked his cheek. “I needed a rest from all this.” I let my hands fall and moved them around to encompass everything around us. “I’m not used to all this. You’ve had years to get used to being followed and attacked by the media and crazy people. This is all new to me.”
“I’m an arse.”
I nodded. He chuckled, and I giggled. Dillon’s hand came to rest on my butt squeezing it before he hit it.
“Hey.” My giggles turned into laughter. One thing I discovered I had with Dillon was we didn’t stay mad for long or drag our arguments out, and we always had amazing make-up sex.
“You’re supposed to say, nah, you’re not an arse.”
I was really going to miss this when I went back home to Australia.
Chapter Five
Dillon
Two days later
I knew Ashlyn was disappointed we could only spend one night in Key West. We didn’t have time for more as she only had three more nights before she had to get on a plane home, and I needed to be in Miami for a show tomorrow night.
“Ask for leave. Stay on tour for longer. Stay with me. Please.” I’d asked at least twenty or so times over the last couple of days.
Ashlyn had given the same answer. “I wish I could. This is my first year at my job. I’m lucky to have such a good position straight out of university. The only reason they gave me the time off is because it’s school holidays and a lot of children go on
holidays so they cut back appointments.”
The tour wasn’t arriving in Australia for another three and half months. It would be a month before I’d have a long enough break between shows to visit her. I had already booked my flight from Japan to Australia, but that break was only five nights, and then I had to be in Tokyo for a concert. My next long break wasn’t until Australia.
Ashlyn’s squeal beside me brought my attention back to her. Our driver slowed out the front of our hotel. I’d booked the Southernmost Beach Resort for our time in Key West. I’d stayed in the resort before and knew Ashlyn would love it. It was in the spot where everyone wanted to be on the island, the southernmost point.
“This is amazing. A million times better than the room I had booked.” Ashlyn’s happiness was contagious. She opened the SUV car door without waiting for the bodyguards. I followed. I didn’t want to miss any of her enjoyment. Ashlyn grabbed my hand and dragged me through the reception area and to the desk. Ashlyn bounced with excitement.
Rick, one of our bodyguards, came over to us not looking very happy. The reception wasn’t busy and I hadn’t been recognized, but I knew the drill. I shouldn’t have left the vehicle until I was told it was safe. I wasn’t with the rest of the group. The guys had decided to give me and Ashlyn some time together and they were going to have fun in Miami. I hoped that people wouldn’t notice me. Rick was staying back so he didn’t draw attention, but was close if needed.
Ashlyn was so excited she skipped to our room barely waiting for me to follow. She entered the key card, opened the door and entered the room, then started screaming. “Oh. My. God. This is amazing!”
I walked faster to catch her and glanced behind me to see Rick close on my heels. I went into the suite and saw Ashlyn jumping up and down. She spotted me and ran at me, jumping on me and wrapping her legs around my waist. I stumbled back before I got my balance and held her to me. I chuckled as I gazed at her. Her cheeks were rosy, her eyes wide, and her face was bright with so much happiness it shone from her.