by Amiee Louise
“I can’t keep my hands to myself when you’re around.”
I laugh. “Well, good things come to those who wait, rock star.”
I wink, and the doors slide open. Sam releases me, and we step out of the lift. He swats my bum.
“You’re such a cock tease!”
I emphasise my walk and swing my hips suggestively.
“Now, play fair, angel, that’s just going to get you fucked right here on the hotel floor in front of all these people,” he whispers huskily, and I can’t help getting turned on by his seductive words. He raises his eyebrows suggestively.
“You’re shameless, Newbolt.”
He comes up behind me and grips my waist pulling me flush against him. He nuzzles my neck and whispers in my ear, “Only where you’re concerned, angel.”
We all pile into a black limo driven by Cole and make our way to the gig. When we arrive at the o2 Academy Glasgow, I hear loud screams and the deafening chant, “Vengeance, Vengeance, Vengeance.”
The screams seem to get louder as the limo pulls to a halt behind the venue. We prepare to exit and Sam grabs my hand.
“Stick close to me, angel, it’s going to get messy.”
We get out of the limo and are greeted by hundreds of excited fans and four, large, burly and muscular men in matching Men in Black-esque suits. Sam pulls me to his side, gripping my waist with his large hand.
“Bolt! Flash! Snake! Axeman! We love you! We want your babies!”
A fan pulls Sam’s t-shirt, and the security guard has to restrain her. We make our way through the hoard of fans, and I get a few dirty looks from at least five different women. We finally get into the venue and walk down a short corridor.
“I told you it could get messy; some of our fans are a little crazy and obsessive!”
We both laugh, and I am again reminded of the difference in our lives. Sam can’t go out without being recognised by his fans, and his life is like an open book for people to peek into. Sam pulling me close to him and wrapping his strong arms around me interrupts my thoughts.
“I need you on the front row centre, baby; you’re like my good luck charm.”
I smile. “You don’t need luck, babe, you’re amazing.”
He laughs and kisses me gently on the lips. Cole walks over to us.
“Cole, could you take care of my girl, please, mate? Make sure she’s at the front, somewhere where I can see her.” He winks, and Cole nods.
“I want you to know that when I’m singing, I’m singing the words to you, angel, just you,” he whispers, and again I am disarmed by his sweet words. My insecure and vulnerable rocker is making a welcome appearance tonight. Sam kisses me passionately on the lips.
“Wish me luck.”
“Not that you need it, but good luck, baby.”
He sprints off down the corridor leaving Cole to escort me silently to the front row. Ever since our chat in the surveillance suite, he has hardly said a word to me.
The venue is intimate with just a two-and-a-half-thousand capacity. I take my place and fold my arms; I suddenly feel nervous with anticipation. There is a striking woman to the left of me with platinum blonde hair, dip dyed with pillar-box red streaks. She has a small nose stud and is tall, bronzed, and slim. She has wide blue eyes and a bow-shaped mouth. There is something about her that seems vaguely familiar. She is wearing a black leather pencil skirt, a black fur gilet with a white skull vest underneath and sky-high studded ankle boots. She looks me up and down. I smile, and she smiles back, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. She cocks her head and regards me intently.
“I have to say, you’re not what I was expecting. I was expecting you to be … I don’t know. Blonde, and taller, maybe. You’re definitely Sam’s type, though; vulnerable, pretty. He has definitely excelled himself this time.”
I look puzzled. Who is this woman? What is she talking about? She smiles sweetly.
“He gets you with the words at first. Then he makes you fall in love with him, and he makes you need him, that’s the worst thing.”
I glance away from her, suddenly uncomfortable in her presence.
“Oh, dear, he’s already made you fall in love with him, hasn’t he? Charming bastard. Now you can’t walk away because he won’t let you.”
I look at her and clear my throat.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Who are you?”
She folds her arms, mirroring my body language, and she smirks.
“Of course you don’t, darling, I’m just one in a long line of girls, just like you.”
The screams of the crowd are making it hard for me to hear her properly. I go to speak, but the lights go down. I look towards the stage, and when I turn around, she is gone. How strange? Being confronted by a mystery woman. I am confused and curious of who she was. How did she know I was Sam’s girlfriend?
My thoughts are interrupted by Lucas’ familiar drumbeat filling the venue. The stage is in darkness, and the spotlight goes up, revealing Sam in all his tattooed glory. Jax’s signature guitar riff accompanies Lucas’ drumbeat. Brody moves next to Jax, and they are standing back to back, playing their guitars effortlessly. Sam steps to the front of the stage, and his face lights up as he looks out at his adoring fans. He looks in my direction and winks; he lifts the microphone to his lips.
“I am an enigma, a fucking inferno, a beautiful fucking disaster. I am an errant child, an inhuman wreck, a beautiful fucking disaster. I am a shell of the man I used to be, a robot, a meat suit for these bones in which I live, a beautiful fucking disaster.”
I haven’t heard this song before, and I instantly like it. He completely loses himself in the music and lyrics.
“I wear a mask, I wear my scars, like a badge of honour, I am a beautiful fucking disaster. I am the man who cries invisible tears, ravaged with guilt and crimson coloured hues, I am a beautiful fucking disaster. I am a shadow, a soul so broken and torn, an avenging angel, a devil in disguise, a beautiful fucking disaster.”
Jax steps out to the front of the stage; his guitar solo fills the venue, and the crowd goes crazy. I am amazed at his guitar skills; the way his fingers make love to the fretboard. I watch as he closes his eyes and effortlessly strums his solo. After the song finishes, Sam steps to the front of the stage.
“Glasgow! How the fuck are we doing tonight?”
The crowd screams and stomps their feet.
“Please allow me to introduce you to the band.”
Jax steps beside Sam and breaks out into a solo.
“This is Flash, the best fucking guitar player in the world.”
The crowd whoops and cheer.
“Hello, Glasgow!”
Jax jumps up and down with excitement. Sam sweeps his arm out to the side and Brody steps to the other side of him. He strums a more elaborate solo and winks at a girl in the front row; she looks like she might faint.
“This is Snake, the craziest motherfucker on the planet.”
Brody wiggles his split tongue suggestively and grins. “Ladies.”
Lucas pounds his drums and does an impressive drum beat.
“Up in the back, we have The Axeman, best fucking drummer I’ve ever seen.”
Lucas finishes with a twirl of his drumsticks, salutes, and winks.
“And I’m Bolt,” he growls into the microphone. “How are we all doing up in here tonight? All you crazy Glasgow people are you ready to take the roof off this fucking place?”
The crowd gets wilder as he carries on speaking. I am mesmerized by his stage presence; I can’t take my eyes off him. He is a true showman who knows how to work a crowd. The crowd is practically eating out of the palm of his hand.
“We all want to treat you to a brand new song we’ve been working on for our next album, how does that sound?”
The crowd gets louder, and I am almost convinced that I can feel the whole place vibrating with the noise.
“This one’s for you.” Sam looks at me and smiles warmly.
“Giv
e me a beat, Axeman, one-two-three-four.”
Lucas pounds a drumbeat. Brody takes centre stage and strums a complex solo, and then Sam steps forward bathed in a lone spotlight.
“You unlocked my soul, and I let you in. I felt like my heart would burst through my chest. My self-control being judged, and you were the test. The voices in my head are screaming, run as fast as you can and don’t, don’t look back. Say you’ll walk beside me, let me give you all that I am. When will you make that move and turn those words into bittersweet truths? My doubts drifted with the breeze, my soul took flight, and I couldn’t run away if I tried.”
Sam’s voice is like pure liquid gold. The way he sings the lyrics, with such meaning and sincerity, I am hooked. Whoever the mystery woman was, she was right, I love this man with all that I am, and I couldn’t walk away if I tried.
8
Peyton
After the gig is finished, Cole is instantly at my side to escort me to the backstage area.
“Did you recognise that woman who was standing next to me?”
Cole looks to the floor and avoids eye contact.
“You know her, don’t you? Who is she?” I know my tone is accusatory, but I can’t help myself.
“It’s not my place to say, Peyton, just like any other bloke, Sam has a past.”
I raise my eyebrows.
“That’s bullshit, Cole, and you bloody well know it!” I shout and go to walk away, not wanting to be around him right now. I am sure I’m getting close to my period with the mood swings and tiredness. Cole grabs my arm.
“Peyton, he is a good bloke, please don’t shoot him down until you’ve heard him out and please don’t push him. If you need a chat afterwards, come and find me, sugar.”
Now I am worried. What would I need to speak to Cole about? I vow to speak to Sam about it as soon as I can. Cole lets go of my arm, and I walk ahead of him, making it clear that I’m pissed off, and our conversation is far from finished. I see Sam’s tall frame walking towards me with a white towel around his neck and drinking bottled water. He looks delicious covered in sweat. He smiles his dazzling panty-dropping smile, and I run towards him. He catches me before I knock him off his feet and I wrap my legs around his waist.
“Hey, beautiful, someone’s pleased to see me. Did you enjoy the show?”
I smile and kiss him on the lips.
“You were fantastic, baby, just like I knew you would be,” I whisper, and he laughs.
“Thanks, did you like the song?”
I nod. “I loved it.”
“You ready for the after party? We need to go back to the bus to get changed.”
He plants a chaste kiss to my lips and sets me on the ground. Cole whispers to Sam, and his face drops. Sam brushes Cole’s arm and winks.
“Cheers for letting me know, mate, I really appreciate it.”
Cole smiles and leaves.
“What was that all about?”
Sam shakes his head. “Nothing for you to worry about, angel. Come on, let’s go.”
He kisses me gently on the end of my nose, clasps my hand in his, and we go to the backstage door. There are legions of fans waiting outside, screaming their familiar chant.
“Vengeance, Vengeance, Vengeance.”
The other boys join us, and we make our way through the sea of bodies in the car park, flanked by at least five large security guards in matching black suits. Brody hangs back and pulls two girls from the crowd. He casually saunters across the car park with his arms around both of them. Lex is waiting by the bus with his hands tucked into his pockets, and he salutes as we approach.
“Good show, boys?”
They all nod.
“All good, Lex,” Lucas says with a wink.
We make our way up the bus steps. Sam kisses me on my forehead and runs up to the upper deck. I sit on the sofa and Lucas places a bottle of beer in front of me.
“Here you go, Peyton.”
He takes the cap off his beer and takes a long pull. “God damn, I needed that.”
I take a sip of my beer. Lucas is about to speak when Brody flops down on the sofa with the two women he pulled from the car park.
“This is Candy and Precious.”
They both giggle from their positions perched on each of Brody’s knees.
“My names Ke—”
Brody stops her by putting his finger to her lips. “Tonight you’re whoever I want you to be, sweetheart.”
A look of disgust passes over my face. Where does he get off treating women like that? I shake my head, get up, and go to the upper deck, not wanting to be in the same room as him right now. There is something about him that rubs me up the wrong way. J.D. stops me at the top of stairs, and he grabs my arm.
“Tour buses can be dangerous places for sluts like you, Peyton. One false move.”
He pushes me towards the stairs but then pulls me back roughly.
“Don’t fucking test me, little girl, because I can make your life a living hell while you’re on tour with us, just remember that.”
He smiles maniacally, and I feel the colour drain from my cheeks. I swallow hard and summon up the courage to deliver a comeback.
“Like I said before, you don’t fucking scare me, J.D.. You might be able to manipulate the boys, but you definitely can’t manipulate me, make sure you remember that,” I spit angrily. I jab my finger in his chest and snatch my hand away from him. I push past him and go into the bedroom. Sam has just got out of the shower with a towel around his waist.
“Is everything all right, angel?”
I nod, trying not to let the incident with J.D. show on my face, even though deep down I am a little unnerved by the whole thing.
“Brody’s just bought two of his groupies back to the bus.”
He rolls his eyes. “So it begins!” He says with a laugh. “It’s kind of a first-night tour tradition for Brody, he calls it his ‘bag ‘em and shag ‘em routine’.”
I roll my eyes and Sam goes into the bedroom. I lean in the doorway and watch as he gets dressed. He changes into a pair of ripped, faded, blue jeans that are slung low on his lean hips, a black AC/DC vest, New Rock boots, and he gels his hair into his signature spiky style before he pulls on a black leather jacket. He looks the epitome of what a bad boy rocker should look like. He catches me staring, and he chuckles softly.
“Do you never get tired of ogling me, angel?”
He rolls his eyes dramatically, and we both laugh.
“Never, I like to ogle! I’ll never get tired of looking at you; I can’t believe my luck sometimes, baby.”
He smiles and pulls me into his chest. “I love you so much.”
He kisses me gently and takes my hand in his as we walk down the stairs.
“It’s about fucking time! I can see your vagina from here, Sammy!”
Jax laughs, and Sam hits him playfully. We all pile off the bus and get into the waiting limo driven by Cole. We make the ten-minute journey to a club called The Polo Lounge. Sam has his arm slung around my shoulders; the doorman nods to the boys and lets us through the velvet rope.
“What are you drinking, angel?”
I lean in to him.
“Vodka and cranberry, please, baby.”
He nods, and he beckons Lucas over to him. He whispers to him, and Sam winks. Lucas takes me by the elbow.
“Come on, sugar, let’s go sit down.”
I follow Lucas, and we go into the V.I.P section. We sit down on a large, brown-leather seating area surrounded by glass tables. Lucas sits next to me. The music is pumping, and the club is packed with people. A few minutes later, Sam joins us. He puts the drinks down on the table, and a waitress in skimpy shorts and a gold bikini top puts four buckets down with four bottles of Cristal champagne in. She smiles an all-too-bright white smile, and Brody shoves a bunch of twenty-pound notes in between her breasts. He winks, and he pats his lap. I swear that boy has no shame. Sam sits down on the other side of me; all of the band's entourage have joined us.
Including Donovan, Caleb, Blu, Tate, Skip, Cole, and Lex. J.D also joins us, much to my dismay. I take a long sip of my drink, and Sam wraps his arm around my shoulder.