Love Notes (Friends Lovers or Nothing Book 4)

by Chanel, Jackie

  He was right about our sound being off. I haven’t recorded a song or toured without my sax player in ten years. But there’s nothing I can do about Erica right now. When she called off our wedding and flew back to Los Angeles with her parents, I didn’t fire her from my touring band. I wasn’t that pissed that she didn’t want to get married. I’ve been down that road and she kept us from making a big mistake. I’m grateful.

  Erica isn’t here because she doesn’t want to be here. I don’t know if she’ll ever want to make music with me again. She may not be able to have just a business relationship with me anymore. I don’t know her feelings and I haven’t talked to her since Guana Island. I’ve left half a dozen messages for her.

  We’re pulling into Virginia Beach in a few hours, and I have to figure out what I’m going to do about the missing saxophone in all my songs. My fans got a great show, but they deserve better.

  Chapter 4: Wantagh

  “Erica, it’s me. Call me back ASAP. Better yet, get on a plane and get your ass to Jones Beach. Why the hell aren’t you already here? It’s been two weeks!”

  I tossed my phone onto the coffee table in our hotel room and buried my face in my hands. Groaning in absolute frustration, I contemplated catching the next flight out to LA and snatching Erica out of her apartment and dragging her back on tour with me.

  “What are you going to do now?” Paulie asked. I just glared at him. I don’t even know why’s here. He should be in Los Angeles threatening to sue my sax player for breach of contract.

  When Erica came bursting into our villa on the beach crying about how she didn’t know if she could marry me, I didn’t trip. I just let her cry and vent then I agreed with her. We couldn’t get married. Our entire relationship was based on convenience, sex, and friendship, not love.

  I loved having sex with Erica and we partied together like really good friends because that’s exactly what we were...friends with benefits. We had no business even thinking about marriage.

  Erica is smokin’ hot, feisty, and just what I needed after Sunny blew her friggin’ top over my then girlfriend, Shay. Then she started dating that British bastard instead of me so I was in a weird place. Erica was just there. We both made a mistake but that’s no excuse for her not being here when she said she would be. We agreed that she should take a week to get her mind right after the near wedding fiasco. She should have joined us a week ago.

  “What do mean what am I going to do?” I scoffed. “Shouldn’t you be doing something? My show is seriously lacking. We sound like shit and my lawyer is sitting across from me laughing. What am I paying you for? Should I make a call to Holmes, Sutter, and Holmes?”

  Paulie just laughed again. “Why you mad at me? I didn’t do this to Erica. You did. Don’t try and act like nobody warned you that your ex is emotionally unstable. We all did. But you wanted to be with her then break up with her and start screwing her best friend...again! And you wonder why she doesn’t want to play with you anymore? Seriously, dude?”

  “Why don’t you get Sunny to talk to her?” Zack suggested.

  I looked up, surprised to see that my entire band was sitting in my suite. I’ve been so pissed that I didn’t even realize that they’d all shown up with Paulie.

  “That’s probably the best idea,” Mike co-signed. “They are best friends.”

  “Sunny can’t talk E into doing anything,” Eddie laughed. “Erica barely listens to Roxy. Wait...have you told Roxy to talk to her?”

  “Are you shittin’ me? Hell no! That’s her niece! You think I want to hear Roxy’s damn mouth about this? She’s going to take Erica’s side over mine every day of the week. Don’t worry, I’m handling this.”

  “Bang up job you’re doing on that, A.T,” Eddie replied. “No disrespect, but you have to hear the difference. We’re not making this shit up just to give you a hard time. Your music...our music sounds better the way you wrote it. I love her to death but Erica ain’t the only sax player in the world. You could find one in any city. If she doesn’t want to tour with us then find someone else. Shit ain’t that hard, Aiden.”

  “What ain’t that hard?” Sunny’s voice came from behind me.

  Wild Mike answered. “Getting your friend on the phone or replacing her.”

  “Oh that,” Sunny chuckled. “That’s not happening. She says she’s not ready to talk to you. That’s bullshit though. She’s in San Diego hanging out with some football player.”

  “What?”

  “You know how she is, Aiden. The best way to get over some dick is new dick,” Sunny laughed but I wasn’t laughing.

  “Look at his face!” Eddie hollered. “He’s red as hell. You mad? Or jealous?”

  “Fuck you,” I said slowly.

  For a brief moment, I was so pissed that I considered firing Erica on the spot. However, despite this new information, I don’t do my friends like that. I gave my band final rehearsal reminders for tonight then leaned back on the couch after they all cleared out. The only thing calming me down was Sunny’s presence. She sat next to me.

  “Where have you been all afternoon?” I asked as I nuzzled her neck. She smelled like Chipotle and outside.

  “Mona and I went shopping. One of her suitcases got left in VA so she needed new clothes. I took her to the RainDrops store since I had to check on it anyway.”

  “I thought Daniela was in charge of all that?”

  “She is but she’s in St. Tropez for a few weeks. So,” she paused. “Do you want me to talk to Erica?”

  “No, Sunny. I got this. She may not want to talk to her friend, Aiden, but eventually, she has to speak to her boss. It’s just that simple.”

  Or so I thought.

  ***

  “Mona! I yelled as soon as the sound stopped reverberating all over the amphitheater.

  My assistant came running across the stage, eager and ready to do whatever I needed her to do. God, I love this girl! My last two assistants were sassy, defiant, and gave me grief over every little thing. My last two assistants barely came when I called and they never ran anywhere, except to a shoe sale armed with my AMEX. My last two assistants were Sunny and Delilah. If they both hadn’t quit, I never would have found Mona.

  Thank God for small favors.

  “What’s up, Aiden?” Mona asked.

  “Call Erica again. If she answers this time, tell her I’ll pay her double if she gets on a plane and gets here before the show starts. And if she says no, triple it. If she still says no, call Joey and Fat Cat and tell them I need the name of a sax player in New York who knows my songs A-fuckin’-SAP!”

  Mona nodded her head and said my three favorite words. “I’m on it. And,” she glanced up at me with a worried expression. “Sunny is in your dressing room going through your wardrobe cases. I thought you’d like to know that.”

  I sat my guitar on its stand and groaned in frustration. The last thing I feel like dealing with right now, with my music sounding like garbage, is my wardrobe. But sure enough, when I opened my dressing room door, my girlfriend was taking clothes out of my wardrobe cases and throwing them into piles on the floor. I walked up behind her and grabbed her around her waist.

  “You’re not getting paid for this.”

  Sunny jumped and spun around in my arms. “You scared the hell out of me!”

  “What are you doing? You’re not supposed to be working.”

  “I’m your stylist, baby. I gotta make sure you look good on stage.”

  “No,” I corrected her. “You are one of my stylists. Shane took care of this last week.”

  Sunny slowly gazed over my wifebeater, traveled past my basketball shorts, and stopped at my Chuck Taylors. Judging by her severe frown, I knew what she was thinking before she even opened her mouth.

  “Don’t say it. I’m just wearing this for sound check. I’m not wearing this on stage.”

  “I know.”

  Sunny slid out of my arms and walked over to the door. Seconds later, I heard the lock click. She turned a
round with a sexy ass grin.

  “Are you bare ballin’ it?”

  I grinned. “Of course.”

  “Prove it.”

  Sunny crossed the room as I stepped out of my sneakers and dropped my shorts. She stood in front of me and bit the corner of her lip in that sexy way that kills me every time. There was no stopping what I was about to do to my woman.

  Sunny eyed me, growing harder in front of her, and said, “You have a Meet & Greet to get ready for.”

  I grabbed her around her waist and pulled her to me so she could feel my dick pressing urgently against her thigh. I rubbed my hands over her ass and squeezed. Underneath her long pink dress, Sunny was going commando as well.

  “You started this.”

  “That’s always your excuse.”

  “You locked the door,” I reminded my girl while I eased her over to the sofa.

  “There are groupies lined up outside.”

  I pulled her down on my lap and lifted her dress. “Looks like one slipped in.”

  “You’re such an ass,” she laughed, but she positioned herself on my lap so that I slid easily inside her, causing her to moan loudly.

  “Shh,” I teased. “There are people out there.”

  Sunny began to move her hips, slowly at first then she tightened her muscles and started to ride me as if we hadn’t just made love three hours ago on the bus.

  “Goddamn it, Sunny!” I cried out.

  “Who’s the groupie now?”

  I arched my back and hit her g-spot. She gasped and gripped both of my shoulders tightly.

  “You,” I said.

  I continued to hit her spot until her thighs began to quiver and her muscles relaxed as she came. She collapsed against me and was muttering unintelligible words. Her quick breaths were warm against my neck. With one hand tangled in her hair, and the other on the small of her back, I released a hot load into her and tried to catch my breath.

  “We gotta stop doing this,” Sunny said breathlessly. “Show some restraint, Aiden.”

  “Like I said, you locked the door.”

  To my utter dismay, Sunny broke our comfortable connection and stood up. She straightened her dress and ran her fingers through her hair.

  “Shower and get dressed,” she ordered. From her tone, no one would have guessed that just a few minutes ago she was bouncing her ass on my lap and screaming my name. I love how she can easily slip into business mode so quickly. She’s a professional just like her man.

  “I’m going to help Mona and Tracy finish setting up for the Meet & Greet. Don’t be late, Aiden.”

  “You don’t have to work, Sunny,” I told her for the hundredth time. “Tracy and Mona get paid for that.”

  “I know, but if I’m going to be here, I might as well help out. And stop telling Mona to call Erica. I have to fly out to LA to get our daughter from your mom. Let me talk to my friend. You’ll just piss her off. Now please get dressed. Don’t want to keep your fans waiting.”

  Stopping Sunny from slipping back into her old role as my assistant/manager would be hard, but I knew that I wasn’t the one who would be able to stop her. Tracy and Mona would have to tell her that she was just in the way and there’s no way in hell they’re going to do that. My people are always complaining that there is always too much work and not enough time or help. They’d welcome an extra set of hands, especially Sunny because she knows what she’s doing. At one point in my career, Sunny had handled everything from my wardrobe to my entire schedule by herself.

  This time, I don’t want her doing the work I pay everyone else to do. Nothing good ever happens when she gets involved in my career. That’s why we fell out in the first place. How do I get her to understand that I just want her to be my woman and let me worry about my tour?

  Chapter 5: Harrisburg

  When the tour bus pulled in front of the departures gate at the Harrisburg airport, I groaned loudly. Especially when I looked out the window and saw six or seven guys with cameras pointing at the bus. Of course, Mike and Eddie started laughing.

  “Look at this shit!” Mike howled. “Those fuckers followed us all the way from the hotel.”

  “I wonder if they’ll follow us to Cincinnati,” Eddie said. “Isn’t there some law about paparazzi crossing state lines?”

  I shrugged and watched Sunny fumble around in her bag.

  “Stop staring at me like you’re never going to see me again,” she scolded me. “I’m just going home to get Summer. We’ll meet up with you in Detroit.”

  I was the only one on the bus who wasn’t happy to see Sunny go. Mike and Eddie were over the moon. Since Erica was only speaking to Sunny, her going back to LA was a good thing. We’re all hoping that she’ll be able to talk some sense into her friend and Erica will be with her when we get to Detroit.

  When she found her boarding pass, Sunny walked to the front of the bus. I followed behind her.

  “You don’t have to get out,” she said but I knew better. She may not have wanted to be photographed by the paparazzi, but she would have been pissed if I didn’t walk her to the gate.

  “Aiden,” she said when I didn’t sit back down. “You know they’re going to say something stupid about us as soon as their pictures hit the Internet.”

  “You spend too much time worrying about what the gossip sites say.”

  “Two weeks ago, you were in the Caribbean about to marry Erica. If you step off this bus with me, they’re going to snap a ton of pictures of us together, and then all the rumors will start. Next thing you know, they’ll be calling me a home wrecker again.”

  “Who cares?”

  “I care!” Sunny snapped. “Your career didn’t take a hit when your ex-wife accused me of breaking up your marriage! RainDrops is just starting to take off, Aiden. I have major clients booked. I can’t afford any negative publicity right now.”

  I took a deep breath before responding to Sunny’s exaggerated drama.

  “Erica made a statement about why we didn’t get married.”

  “So! You know how they think and everybody loves drama!”

  “What are you saying? That we can’t be seen together because people might spread rumors? That’s stupid.”

  Sunny shrugged. “Your publicist agrees with me.”

  I shot a glare at Tracy who was nodding. “Are you serious?”

  “It’s just for a few months, Aiden,” Tracy stated. “We have to let all the “why didn’t they get married” speculation die down a bit. It will be better if everyone still thinks that you and Sunny are just friends.”

  “When has anyone ever thought that?” Mike laughed. “According to the media, he has been fuckin’ Sunny since the day they met!”

  Tracy glared at Mike but he continued to laugh.

  “Trace,” Eddie chimed in, “I love you like a play sister, but there’s no way in hell people aren’t going to notice that she’s on tour with us. She is coming back with their daughter, you know.”

  “Exactly!” I shouted. “I’m on tour with my girl and my child, but no Erica. We’d be stupid to pretend that no one is going to notice that.” I looked at Sunny. “And don’t you even think about changing your mind. You promised you’d stay the entire tour, not just a week.”

  “I said that in the heat of the moment, Aiden. It sounded like a good idea on the beach.”

  “Are you kidding-?”

  “Aiden,” my manager’s voice interrupted me before I could finish my sentence. I hadn’t even realized that Roxy was on the bus.

  “What? When did you get here? Have you been here all night?”

  “First,” she said coolly, “watch your tone. And I got on the bus before we pulled out of the hotel. You were still asleep.”

  “What do you want?” I barked. Roxy being on the bus is like traveling with the school principle.

  “Listen boy,” she said with a roll of her neck. “Don’t start with me. Why are you so upset? We haven’t said that Sunny shouldn’t be here. People know she works
for you on occasion. All we’re saying is that when you’re in a public place, like a restaurant or a damn airport, that you keep your hands off her. Limit your PDA to the bus and your hotel room, that’s all. Is it really that hard not to act like horny teenagers when there are cameras around?”

  No matter what I said, I knew that I was going to lose this battle. Tracy, Roxy, and Sunny all agreeing on something never ends well for me. I’ve been dealing with these three women since I was nineteen. I know when to throw in the towel.

  “Fuck it,” I said and turned my attention to the baseball game playing on the flat screen. “Do whatever you want.”

  “Aiden.” Sunny said my name as if she was talking to our daughter. I ignored her.

  “Aiden,” she said again while walking over to me.

  “Don’t miss your flight, Sunny.”

  “So that’s how you’re going to act? Like a spoiled rock star who didn’t get his way. I thought we were over your temper tantrums.”

  “I’m not havin’ a temper tantrum,” I growled. “Don’t talk to me like I’m a child. I’m a grown ass man. So have a safe flight. Maybe I’ll see you in Detroit. Maybe not. I don’t care.”

  I stood up, kissed her forehead, and sat back down. Sunny grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet.

  “Everyone, excuse us for a minute.”

  All eyes were on us as she practically pulled me to my room at the back of the bus. I shut the door behind us and folded my arms across my chest.

  “What?”

  “Any other time, I would have walked my black ass right off this bus and let you sulk like the little boy you’re acting like. But I’m not playing those types of games with you anymore, Aiden. I need you to act like an adult and try to understand my point of view, okay?”

  “I need you to see where I’m coming from,” I countered. “When have I ever given a fuck about what Perez, TMZ, PopSugar, or that idiot Melrose says about me? I finally got what I wanted, and I’ll be damned if I pretend that we’re not together because of the Internet!”