Cece addressed the band. “This is it,” she started, and reveled in her tone’s lack of sharpness. For the first time since she’d signed the band, she felt that she could turn their attitudes about her around...that she wanted to. “...and this is huge.” She used her hands and made a wide slot in the air. “I pulled some major strings to get you a slot at the AJH! The AHJ. I mean this is gigantic. You know it and I know it. So, I hope you practised hard this week and are ready to show those fans exactly what you’re made of!”
The band went wild at her encouragement, warming Cece’s heart. This was good. This was great!
“We will arrive at the AHJ early Thursday morning. You all need to be ready to leave at five Thursday morning.” They had discussed this at the meeting the morning before, but like herself, Cece liked to give reminders and deal with less cranky, unready people. “Our ride picks us up at five and takes us to the local radio center. They have three sister stations in one building: rock, country and easy-rock. Since your genre falls into all of them, you have three interviews all before nine that morning.” Cece looked at each of them as she spoke. Today, when her eyes fell on Ems, they were softer. She also included looks at Avery who she’d been avoiding until now. “Be prepared, discuss what we talked about and what to keep away from.”
A round of, yeah, yeah’s went around.
“Alright, let’s board!”
Everyone piled on, except Avery, who waited until they were the last two, besides Rob and Jones, the bodyguards Cece requested. They’d been her traveling body guards for years.
“After you,” Avery said, motioning for her to step on the bus first.
Cece did so and Avery was right behind her. “Friend,” he whispered and she couldn’t help but grin.
***
AVERY STRUMMED HIS guitar to a new tune he’d been working on. The lyrics that went along with this tune were a lot different then they’d been months ago. In fact, they were quite the opposite. His eyes trailed a path from the leather “U” shaped sofa, where his body had sunk comfortably, to the other end of the bus. They searched out the inspiration behind the new sound and lyrics floating around inside his head, waiting to get written down. The slow melody didn’t mesh anger, sadness or betrayal through his body and he had Cece to thank for that.
Cece sat at the table, with a couple of crew guys, along with the security guys.
I have security. The thought was exciting. It wasn’t like Inch Away was going to get to the AHJ and be the most popular band...they were probably going to be the least known band...however by the time they left, they were going to leave their mark in the music industry. Social media at events like this were wickedly positive. They could be wickedly negative too, but that wasn’t the path Inch Away was going down.
Cece was flipping through her iPad, her slim straight back facing him. Now that she wasn’t avoiding him, he could appreciate the professionalism she portrayed from the way she spoke to him in front of others, without a hint of attraction, to the way she now held her long exposed neck tilted to one side, and then the other, but never in an irritated, tired, way...and they’d been on the bus for hours. Even his body was starting to get antsy.
Was that what was making him antsy? The bus ride?
Avery couldn’t get the image of the way Cece’s tight white pants hugged her buttocks, pushing it up as she’d boarded the bus. And now, with her hair cascading around her bare shoulders...she’d shrugged out of her coat...her flesh was testing his fingers. Strum a tune or caress her skin... This was a new outfit two days in a row.
Was it weird that he noticed things like that?
Avery was so used to her wearing pencil-line dresses that seeing her in anything else immediately turned him on. Turned him on. Who was he kidding, when Cece walked into a room wearing one of those colorful pencil-line dresses that showed off her full breasts, curvy waist, and long legs paired with her high heels...he was turned on every single time. Yes, he certainly liked her professional dresses.
He was noticing he liked everything about Cece. The more he discovered, the harder she was to get off his brain. Like now.
Sitting here, watching her, thinking about her, and wanting to touch her, he was sure he could write a whole song. It would have her thick hair, bare shoulders, curvy hips, rounded rear end, long, lean soft legs...
“Hey man. What are you doing?” Drew’s voice sliced into his thoughts. He hated the thought of Drew and Cece in his mind at the same time. Look what happened with Ems...different circumstances.
“Are you trying to tap that?” Drew’s stare went toward Cece with a slight nod of approval.
Approval? He didn’t want Drew’s approval. He didn’t even want his opinion.
Avery’s jaws clenched.
If it wasn’t bad enough him and Ems, who had betrayed him behind his back...his friends...were all over each other the last few hours, flaunting it, but now Drew, his best friend since youth, had the gall to bring up Cece. And use Avery’s siblings long running word for getting action in the bed, tap, just fueled the fire.
No. This was not at all acceptable.
Avery’s thoughts took a sharp turn from craving to kiss the curves of Cece’s neck to wanting to plant his fist in Drew’s face. A very sharp turn.
It had been almost five months since Drew and Ems had been up-front with him about seeing each other behind Avery’s back. The betrayal sliced deep. At the discovery, Avery hadn’t known how he would heal the hurt, the tearing out of his soul and their stomping on it with their lying, heartless boots. As time passed and his heart mended itself, Avery discovered he wasn’t destined to be with Ems. Avery didn’t love Ems. There was no mistaking it. Getting over the betrayal of both Drew and Ems, was taking more work on Avery’s part.
Apparently, it was more challenging than Avery had anticipated, because in a flash, he was ready to beat Drew.
In what kind of flash?
Avery had been fine recording the album together. He’d been fine at the photo shoots, promotions, radio shows, interviews, etc. Well, maybe not fine, his best friend was a lying bastard. But he’d survived without a single feeling like the purging up his chest, through his arms, and stopping his stone-cold motionless fingers tensing against wire strings.
Let it go. Let it go. He’s not worth it.
Avery looked back down at his guitar. He wondered if he and Drew would ever be friends again. Real true friends. Would Avery ever be able to trust him? There were definitely times when he missed Drew and hated that they treaded cautious laps around each other.
“I would hit that.”
Avery breathed deeply through his nostrils, convinced that he heard Drew wrong. He hoped for the sake of this week that he’d heard him wrong.
Unfortunately, when Avery worked up the strength to look at Drew, he knew he’d heard his words precisely.
That son of a bitch.
Ems hit his arm. “Drew!” But she didn’t look offended, with her shy smile, the one that used to curl Avery’s own lips. Now that smile did nothing. They were all used to Drew, who carried the torch in the group for being comical. But, sometimes he didn’t know his limit and could be a complete asshole, like the current situation. He’d gotten them into trouble on numerous occasions with his big mouth. It seemed he didn’t know when to shut it.
A current of anger surged through Avery, leaving him feeling like he was watching what happened next, instead of being smack dab in the middle.
“What?” Drew acted like he just asked someone to pass the ketchup.
What? What! Did he really have to ask?
Avery set his guitar on the leather couch beside him and leaned forward. “Take it back.” His tone was a dark and low as Avery intended.
“Why would I take it back? What are we in high school?” Drew joked with a chuckle, only himself finding it amusing.
Avery felt his body clenching.
“Come on man,” Sean said. “Drew, take it back and let it go.”
Drew shrugged Ems of
f and leaned forward, ignoring Sean. Once he was directly across from Avery on the opposite side of the couch he said, “How about Avery lets it go. He has a tendency to hold onto things that he should really just let go.” He was no longer talking about the current subject and that boiled Avery’s blood, jumping from Cece to Ems.
“Drew...” Ems scolded in a low hush, glancing around the bus, embarrassed. Avery didn’t know if anyone else was paying attention, but it would be hard to miss the tension flaring between him and Drew.
Sean cut Ems off. Sean was a great guy. He was sharp, funny, shy and nice. He would never stab a friend in the back...ever. “Man, don’t stir up any trouble,” he warned Drew, his eyes also followed the same trails as Ems. They were both worried about what other people thought. Avery and Drew were past that point. “Not here. Not like this.”
“I’m not the one with the problem, getting my panties all in a twist over some meaningless comment.” Avery wasn’t about to inform Drew how unmeaningless that comment about Cece was to him. It was none of his damn business.
Besides disrespecting Cece and Avery, he was also being discourteous toward Ems. That’s not my problem. It didn’t make it right. Avery never would have talked about tapping another woman with Ems right at his side. When he was dating Ems, he never talked about tapping a woman, period.
“Drew. Come on. Let it go,” Ems persisted.
The tension between them was building a skyscraper. As it was unfolding, Avery thought it was about damn time.
“If I say I would hit teacher tight-ass over there, then I goddam mean I would hit, teacher tight-ass over there.” Drew narrowed his stare in on Avery. “Avery your little threats don’t scare me.”
Avery wasn’t a violent man. He wasn’t the first person to throw a punch, like his brother-in-law Jake, who you didn’t want to piss off because he wasn’t afraid of raising a fist. Avery wasn’t afraid either. He knew how to defend himself, but he would rather deal with things without getting physical.
Right now, that rational part of Avery was so distant, he hardly recognized what was taking his body over and curling his fingers into hard ready fighting fists. The strong protection he felt over Cece was new.
“I won’t ask you again.” Avery dropped his tone to the lowest, deepest, pissed off warning he had.
Drew narrowed his eyes sending Avery his asshole stare. “I. Would. Hit. Cece. Boyd.”
That was all it took.
Avery wasn’t even to his feet when his body hit Drew’s, meeting his lunge. Avery was thicker built than Drew, who was skinny, tall and lanky. They went flying back onto the couch, loud threats crashing with them. They rolled partially onto the floor. Drew might be lanky, but he wasn’t weak. Avery had Drew somewhat pinned to the couch and he got the first punch, landing right in Drew’s gut, and pushed himself off. Drew didn’t bow down and roll over, instead he swung next and landed on the side of Avery’s face, sending instant stinging pain across his jawline.
Damn it!
The bus roared to life. Ems screamed and Sean jumped directly into the crossfire, trying to separate them, alongside other hands and voices Avery couldn’t match with names or faces. Cece’s voice was in there too.
Damn it, stay back Cece. He could only think the command, instead concentrating on meeting Drew’s pushes, pulls, and punches with his own.
Avery and Drew fought until they were ripped apart. Sean was standing in front of Drew, pushing him back, while Rob had Avery’s arms locked in the air, under Avery’s arms.
Cece stood in between them and the look Drew sent over her body curdled Avery’s blood. He yanked away, ready to punch that bastard in the jaw and see how he liked it, but Rob was a body of muscle and there was no getting away...Avery could barely move.
“That’s enough!” Cece yelled. “I have watched you two play this macho game since I signed you and it’s getting old.”
Today’s fight, which was way worse than a few cold looks, was for an entirely different reason. Avery wasn’t about to indulge the entire bus that Drew was being an inconsiderate jackass about a woman, clearing the crew cared for, in the process of jeopardising the respect Cece expected from the crew. If they knew that Avery had jumped in to defend Cece because he had feelings for her, he’d also be jeopardising any future he might have with her. She would end it, right then and there. She was afraid. Cece was terrified because of damn Rusty Towns and whatever hell he put her through.
“You two need to get your shit together by the time we get to the festival. And keep it together. When we are finished this week, hash your shit out. I am telling you both now...” Her head went back and forth between them. “...you won’t make it if you don’t sort this out. Trust me. I’ve seen it a hundred times and I haven’t invested all my time to let this fall to the shit pile. Do you both got me?”
Neither man took their eyes off the other.
“You think this is hard?” she continued, when they didn’t reply. “This is nothing. Wait until your touring in a few months. When you’re both stuck together in this coach bus for eight solid months, with barely any sleep, singing and working on your next album, while recording. If you two don’t get along, instead of it being the best time of your life, it’s going to feel like hell on wheels. Hash it out. I’m not here to babysit children.”
Avery sure as hell didn’t feel like a child. He felt like a grown man protecting the image of the woman giving them a lecture. He didn’t bow down first. There was no way in hell he was about to back down to Drew.
Finally Drew shrugged off the guy holding him and walked away toward the bunks. Ems followed behind, whispering an apology to Cece as she passed.
Rob let Avery free while the rest of the crew moved around, back to their seats. Avery didn’t budge. His eyes found Cece and he hated the look she was giving him. It was nothing like the ones she had offered all morning...or last night. She’d put her barrier back up. He wanted to reach out and touch her, but he couldn’t with all eyes on him.
Cece headed back towards the table, stopping at his side. Her tone was cold, but he could hear the hurt as she said, “Not about Ems. Huh?”
Shit.
Chapter Ten
ELEVEN HOURS INTO the trip, when the driver had to switch with Rob and take his scheduled break from driving, Cece let the band and crew have a pit stop to stretch their legs and grab a bite to eat at the service center.
Sitting in the passenger’s seat, she kept her sunglasses on and watched them go inside the service center for food. She remained there, unmoved, until they all boarded back on the bus and hit the road again. She hadn’t moved since the incident between Avery and Drew. She kept the doors shut, so no one wandered to the front...Avery to be more specific.
Cece wished she could blame her absence on her preparation work for their arrival at AJH, but she had everything finished and until they got to the festival, she was set. Her fingers continued a steady stream of swiping through her iPad, her phone, anything to keep her occupied and forgetting what a fool she was. No electronic distraction was working. An idiot, that was what she was for thinking anything different then what was so plain and obvious. What she’d known before.
Ugh.
She was disgusted with herself for allowing Avery’s words to pierce her barrier and permit doubt to confuse her. How? How had she let this happen? Cece Boyd? Cece Boyd!
Ugh!
She’d seen these band members relationships over and over again and she knew better.
Cece glanced at the top corner of her phone. It was past almost two in the morning and they would be arriving at the festival in two hours. She should be sleeping, but her mind wouldn’t shut off.
It’s only two more hours.
Lord, she needed a break to stretch.
She pulled her blazer off her lap and stretched her arms in the air before pushing open the cabin door and finding the band and crew had all retired to their bunks. Every last one of them...including Avery.
There were
so many “how” questions jumping around in her head like a pogo sick that she felt like she wasn’t going to come back from this festival in one sane piece.
How had she let Avery get to her the way he had? How had she been foolish enough to think he was different? How was she going to act professional with him? How, how, how!
Cece turned to Rob, maneuvring the bus beside her, along the empty highway. He was built like an ox, but sweet like a teddy bear...once you broke through the barrier, which Cece had done the first year he came to work at Torsten Label.
It was always hard to tell at festivals, depending on the popularity of the band, how much security was needed. Since Avery’s music had only hit shelves and radio stations not that long ago it was hard to judge what the fan depth would be. Riley packed them with the proper crew. Cece had confidence...she’d also been there making her suggestions when he was putting the crew together.
“Rob, if you pull into the next service station I will grab us both some Java love.”
Rob had been working with them for over a decade and she had been on plenty of trips with him, so he would understand she was the one needing a break and it had nothing to do with coffee, but he didn’t let on.
Rob sent her a smile that cracked the serious face everyone else saw. “Sure thing. Cece. I take mine black.”
Less than fifteen minutes later, Rob parked the bus and Cece climbed out the passenger door. Rob was right at her heels but right now Cece wanted some space.
She turned to Rob. “I’m fine, Rob,” she promised. She watched him battle the security guard in him and hoped he would let her walk alone. Ten minutes to stretch and recap, that was all she needed. He let her go.
The cold, crisp, dead service center felt like the heart she needed to rebuild in her chest. No more letting Avery’s sweet charm persuade her that he actually liked her.
And what difference did it make?
Cece hadn’t driven home from Riley’s house that morning thinking, hmm I think I’m going to date Avery, or sleep with Avery or even give him my heart...so what the hell was she so wound up for now?
Lakeshore Lyrics: The McAdams Sisters (By The Lake Series Book 5) Page 9