The crowd, at the least the first ten rows, was no longer cheering for me. If I weren’t surrounded by all these women, I would have been screaming too.
“When did he get here?”
“I don’t know,” Tracy replied but her voice was filled with just as much shock and awe as the rest of us. “No one told us anything.”
“He wasn’t here ten minutes ago,” I said.
“Yes he was,” Erica hissed. “I tried to tell you but you weren’t paying me any attention.”
The five of us just stood there as the people in the first few rows made an expected big deal of the man who put their city on the map. Those who didn’t see him were still chanting for me to come back out.
Erica pulled at my arm. “Let’s go back out there before he leaves. Let’s play one of his songs. Come on, A.T! We can do it! Why did we do all that rehearsing earlier if we leave now without playing something?”
I could see Joey and the others in a similar position on the other side of the stage and it was on me to give them the greatest opportunity of their lives. Who doesn’t want to play in front of Prince Rogers Nelson? We’d tinkered around with a few of tracks, “Erotic City”, “CREAM”, and “I Would Die 4 U”, during soundcheck and they sounded good. I would be on one-way trip to hell in a hand basket if I deprived my band of this opportunity. Damn, I wish Sunny was here to see this!
I motioned for Jason and the lighting crew to throw on the special encore lights. Instantly, the stage was bathed in soft purple and white lights. Spence, my guitar tech, handed me Dee-Dee as my band took their places. Joey and Wild Mike started this incredible intro. For a second, I almost forgot that I was supposed to go out there. When Joey starts shredding on his Fender, it’s like the world stops spinning for a minute.
I threw my guitar strap over my shoulder and said a quick prayer to a God that I’m not even sure hears my prayers. I felt like Eminem in 8 Mile...knees week, palms are sweaty.
A million thoughts ran through my mind but the one that punched me in the gut was...
You cannot fuck this up.
Erica caught my eye and nodded. Her smile was wide and confident. I realized what she was doing...just jamming and having fun like we always do when we’re on stage. You got this, she mouthed.
I hit a chord on Dee-Dee and started playing the opening notes of “Erotic City” as I walked onto the stage. The crowd erupted but I couldn’t even look at them. Instead, I stood beside Erica and sang into her microphone. When she wasn’t playing, Erica danced up on me so I could relax and catch her vibe. It was easy. It felt like when she first joined the band and our chemistry was straight up sex and music. She’s so hot when she’s onstage. Erotic fuckin’ City for sure.
Whoa-whoa
Whoa-whoa-whoa
Whoa-whoa
The crowd sang along with us. I found my balls between my guitar strings and looked right into the front row. He was nodding his head with an approving smile on his face. When the song ended, he nodded towards the side exit and held up the peace sign with his fingers. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Roxy and Tracy hovering near the side exit as he and his people made their exit.
After he left and the song was over, I finished out my show with my favorite song, “Empty Kisses.” The lights came up in the arena and if I still smoked, I would have definitely needed a cigarette after that satisfying and electric performance. It was just that good.
I left the stage feeling energized and drained at the same time, as always. Roxy threw her arms around me and whispered in my ear,
“Hurry up and change. We’ve been invited to Paisley Park!”
Holy fuckin’ shit!
Chapter 14: Morrison
“What were you supposed to do?” Sunny screeched. “Are you seriously asking me that? How about not having another woman grope you on stage? How about not having the entire world thinking you and Erica have rekindled your little romance? How about not embarrassing me every fucking chance you get? That’s what you were supposed to do!”
I should have expected the wrath of Sunny to come raining down on me when I got the text that she was meeting me in Colorado. I should have known that she’d be angry and her irrationality would know no bounds. In a way, I probably did know. I just didn’t care.
There were so many other things that happened that night that were a hundred times more important than Erica pretending to grab my piece but Sunny never asked about those things. She didn’t ask about me meeting my longtime idol...the greatest musician alive. She didn’t ask about me seeing his studio, witnessing him record a song, or that fact that I played on that song. She never asked how the best day of my life went.
Therefore, she could scream and curse until she ran out of oxygen. That night wasn’t about her or Erica. It was about me and I’m going to bask in that moment. I don’t give a shit how Sunny feels about it.
“So, are you coming with us or not?”
I finished getting dressed and tucked my phone and wallet into the pockets of my jeans just as Mona knocked on my hotel door.
Sunny rolled her eyes and scowled. “Who is that? Your friends? Tell them you’re busy.”
“No,” I scoffed. “We had this planned for months. You popping up here doesn’t change anything. I’m not going to disappoint the Myers because my girlfriend has a bone to pick with me. I know you. You’ll still be mad when I get back.”
Lori and Clayton Myers wrote me the kindest fan letter I’ve ever received. In it, they told me about how they met at my show while they were both vacationing in Vegas. They actually got married in Vegas the same night I married Ramey. Their marriage has lasted. Since then, they’ve traveled all over the world to see me play whenever they can. They breed horses together on a ranch outside of Morrison, Colorado. Their letter included an invitation to their horse farm. My friends and I may be from Atlanta but we’re city folks. None of us have ever seen a horse farm before and none of us are known to turn down a free home-cooked meal. We’re going with or without Sunny.
“So, are you coming or going to sit here and sulk?”
Sunny’s face flushed with an anger that I’ve become familiar with over the years. I would have complimented her new haircut and cute yellow and black dress because she looked amazing but she doesn’t deserve compliments today. She thinks I’m so deep in love that I don’t realize that she doesn’t really want to be on this tour with me. She wasn’t in Miami working although she said she was. She is never working with she’s with her basketball wives that she claims are her clients. Sure, Daniela, Leilani, and Asia might pay her occasionally, but they’re her friends first.
She’s always hollering about the paparazzi and me but I have yet to hear her bitch about them when she’s with New York’s Basketball Wives. Ever. There are pictures of her and her friends all over Miami, shopping, tanning on the beach, clubbing...but I’m supposed to believe that she dropped everything she was working on to come here? Please. I’m not dumb.
“I came here to talk to you, face-to-face, because we need to sort this shit out, Aiden. And we need to discuss this agreement you made with BMTV without clearing it with me first.”
“There’s nothing to sort out. You sort out your shit. And the BMTV thing is a done deal. You don’t have to be a part of it, Sunny. I do not come into your studio and tell you how to make clothes. Don’t come on my tour and tell me how to do my job. We’re in a relationship and we share a child. We don’t share a career. Are you coming with us or are you going to fly back to Miami to hang out with your friends again?”
“I haven’t decided.”
“Text me later then.”
I walked to the door and opened it. Mona, dressed in jeans and cowboy boots, stood there wearing a cowboy hat that I have no idea where she got it. An excited grin stretched across her face.
“Are you ready? We’ve got the Jeeps downstairs. Everyone’s ready to go.”
“Then let’s go ride some horses then.”
I glanced back at
Sunny. Her arms were folded across her chest. Her hazel eyes sparkled with fury.
“I hope you’re here when we get back.”
She said nothing, just gave me the finger and plopped down on the sofa.
***
Spending the day with Lori and Clayton was -hands down- the best fan meeting any of us have ever had. After their initial excitement wore off, Clayton and his wife treated us as if they’d known us for years. They’d taken us on a tour of their ranch and showed us their stable of horses.
I’ve seen plenty of horses but I’ve never rode one or been allowed touch one. I couldn’t wait to get a brush in my hand and groom Gypsy, a chestnut Thoroughbred with a silky black mane and tail. She was a gorgeous animal. Like all females, she took a liking to me right away.
Mona and I fed her and brushed her then, between Mona and Lori, I got a full tutorial on saddling and riding a racehorse. When I climbed into the saddle and Gypsy began trotting around the chorale, I realized exactly what horsepower meant.
Why did people stop riding horses as a primary means of transportation? Compared to horses, cars are lame. After riding a real racehorse for thirty minutes, I have a feeling that riding in my Ford Mustang isn’t going to be so much fun anymore. Clayton laughed at me when I suggested that I might buy one of his horses and take it back to LA.
“Young man, you can’t have no horse in the city. Hell, you can barely have a plastic water bottle in Los Angeles! Where would you stable her? Where would you ride her? A filly like Gypsy needs to be able to race and stretch those long legs of hers.”
“He does this,” Mona explained. “He makes very impulsive decisions. Don’t worry, Clayton. I won’t let buy a racehorse.”
“Good girl.”
After spending most of the afternoon with the horses, Clayton fired up his huge barrel grill, the kind of grill a man on a farm should have, and we grilled some steaks and chicken. We drank beer that Clayton brewed and bottled himself and chilled out in the Colorado fresh air. It was a blissful afternoon.
“You want some more chicken, Aiden?” Lori’s warm smile made me not want to say no but I was already stuffed and trying to save some room for the chocolate cake she baked for me.
“Actually, I want some of that cake,” I answered.
“Me too,” Eddie said. “Been eyeing that beauty since you brought it out.”
“And that’s how you win these guys’ hearts, Lori,” Erica chuckled. “The path to their hearts is covered in sugar and chocolate.”
“Aiden, I didn’t know you had a sweet tooth. I’d have baked you some stuff to take with you.”
“You should see his rider.” Mona stated.
“Now that’s something I’d like to see,” Lori said. “I’ve always wondered about celebrity riders. They say they can get pretty ridiculous.”
“Mine isn’t that bad,” I protested.
“It really isn’t,” Mona said. “He has to have at least three dressing rooms for his crew and band, a room just for his guitars, and one for himself. His has to have a shower. A Mercedes Benz Sprinter needs to be available if we’re staying more than one night, domestic beer, Grey Goose, Patron, Hennessy, Coca-Cola, a case of Aquafina water, an Xbox with wireless controllers, and Wi-Fi. He has to have cheeseburgers with bacon and ketchup, a bowl of plain and peanut M&Ms mixed together, Hershey kisses, Sour Patch Kids, and brownies with walnuts. He has to have his sugar.”
“Or I might die,” I added and stood up to cut a slice of cake.
“I’ll get it,” Mona volunteered. She quickly cut a huge slice of the gooey and decadent chocolate and raspberry cake and sat the dessert plate in front of me.
“What the hell?” Erica whispered in my ear.
“What?”
“Mona...she’s a little extra, don’t you think? I mean, why did she memorize your rider? That’s Perry and Steve’s job. And serving you food? I think your assistant wants to bone.”
“Stop,” I told her.
I’d never admit to Erica that I’ve been suspecting the exact same thing. Since Toronto, I thought Mona was just coming out of her shell. She’s been spending a lot of non-work hours hanging out with me. She hasn’t said or done anything in particular. I just have a feeling.
“That little girl better watch it,” Erica snickered. “Sunny will stab her in the throat.”
“She’d be quicker to stab me. Speaking of,” I said in a low voice. “You need to get with your friend and set some shit straight or watch her around sharp objects when you’re around.”
Erica rolled her eyes and let out a tired sigh. “I wish I could say that she’s your problem now but I can’t. If she doesn’t realize it’s just music, just a show for our fans, then she’s the only one who can set herself straight. Sheesh. We were just dancing. It’s not like I got on my knees and blew you. I don’t know why she’s hell-bent and determined to ruin the one thing that’s making her happy. She’s so damn self-destructive. I’ll talk to her,” she relented. “Lord knows that I’m not going to let my best friend blow this. If she doesn’t see how happy she is, I’ll remind her. You worry about Mona. She’s too good for you to lose her.”
“What y’all whispering about?” Mike called from across the table.
“Sunny,” Erica answered. I frowned at her.
“Oh unclench!” she laughed. “I’m pretty sure that the last people to go to the media about you are Lori and Clayton. You gotta trust the people around you, Aiden. The people who love you don’t talk to the press about you.
“Oh, are you and Sunny together?” Lori asked. “Why didn’t she come?”
“Yeah, why didn’t she come?” Mike asked. “She too tired to hang with us?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Probably. She’s still pissed that there’s a camera crew about to be following us around starting next week. You gotta admit, though,” I added to lighten the conversation. “Sunny is much better than Ramey.”
“Good God, yes!” Mike yelped. “You can’t say we didn’t warn you about that girl.”
“Yeah, you warned me.”
To this day, I cringe thinking about my ex-wife, Ramey Hall. She was gorgeous, sexy, and the biggest mistake I’ve ever made. Almost marrying Erica was nothing compared to actually marrying Ramey without a pre-nup.
One thing’s for sure, I was in love with Ramey. She was never a fling or the girl that I ran to after Sunny rejected me. I fell hard for my long-legged blonde supermodel. I married her because I wanted her to be Mrs. Aiden Tyler forever. Unfortunately, our problems were bigger than what everyone around me knew or believed.
My marriage didn’t end just because Ramey didn’t like Sunny and wouldn’t accept our friendship. My marriage ended because I fell in love with a gold-digging whore with a slight drug problem who also hated my best friend. But,
All’s well that ends well.
Ramey may be ten types of crazy, but she’s married to someone else now and no longer my problem. Since she moved to wine country, I hardly ever see her.
***
I glanced up from my set list the second my dressing room door swung open and Perry and Steve glided through the doorway like Donnie and Marie. They were all smiles as they approached.
“How’s it going? You ready to go on?”
“As ready as I’m ever going to be,” I muttered.
Perry frowned when she realized that the red SOLO cup I was drinking out of was not filled with ice water.
“Don’t start,” I preemptively stated. “I’m pissed and I need to calm down before I go out there. It’s mostly ice anyway.”
“Oh Jesus,” Perry sighed. “What happened?”
“Sunny happened,” I groaned and took another large swig of vodka. “She’s on a plane to LA as we speak. She came all the way up here from Miami and didn’t even stay for the show, the one thing I asked her to do.”
“Why’d she go? Is she still mad about the rock-doc?” Steve asked.
“Yeah, but it’s something about Fashion Week. Someo
ne either wants to hire her or design something. I don’t know; I stopped listening.”
“This is a good thing for her,” Perry replied. “Look Aiden, Sunny is always going to look out for Sunny, first and foremost. This is your tour, not hers. You can’t be upset every time she puts her work before yours.”
“This is an important night for me.”
“For you,” Perry stated. “For her, it’s just another show. For the life of me, I will never understand why you asked her to come on the road or why she said yes.”
“It’s not for you to understand.”
“Okay, smart ass,” Perry snapped. “Sit in here and pout if you want. But this is your career and fashion is Sunny’s. You have another sold-out show and your album went platinum today, not including digital sales. You should be celebrating your damn success. Instead, you want to choke down a pint of self-pity because your girlfriend went home to work on her own success. Get it together, Aiden.”
Before I could get up from my seat and escort my road managers out of my dressing room, they left on their own. I finished my drink, felt a warm and greatly needed buzz, and grinned.
Platinum...my fifth studio album is platinum!
This is huge! Another platinum album means more money, more gigs, and more endorsements. It also ensures that Erica’s next album is going to do well since I’m producing it. It means more artists are going to be looking at CMG Records.
I still had another thirty minutes before my set started so I laced up my Jordans and went to hang out in the band’s room and tell them the good news. As always, my friends couldn’t have been happier.
“I say, we take the bus up to Denver after the show to celebrate,” Erica suggested.
“I was thinking the same. I love Red Rocks, but the nightlife here sucks.”
“Since Roxy’s hanging with Joey, we’ll have to wait until they go back to their hotel room,” Eddie reminded us. “Especially if we’re taking the bus. You know Roxy is never off the clock even with Perry and Steve here.”
“We’ll take a cab,” I said.
Love Notes (Friends Lovers or Nothing Book 4) Page 11