Bad Boys of the Kingdom

by Rob Jones

  They stared at each other like they’d just seen each other for the first time. They both were breathing erratically with heated cheeks and sweaty palms. Captivated and shackled in each other’s gaze, the world around them melted and disappeared. Nothing and no one mattered. Everything that they needed, everything that they desired was right there in that moment, in that embrace, in that kiss.

  “Ahem, well that was an unexpected escalation of gratitude on my part.” She swallowed hard as she sat up at an angle with her hand on the blanket and her legs folded together. “I should be embarrassed but for some reason I’m just not.”

  “It’s this bad boy persona that I have that pulls people in, you can’t help it. It’s beyond your control.”

  “Huh, it pulls people in, and by people you mean other women.” Her tone was pregnant with jealousy.

  “Don’t worry, love. It’s only pulling for you, and you are its only target.” She looked toward the ground and twisted her mouth. “You are a crafty one, I tell you that. I have no clue on what to do with you.”

  “You’re going to love me like you’ve never loved anyone before; that’s what you’re going to do with me.” He leaned toward her and gently pressed his lips to hers.

  “I’m hungry. Let’s see what you brought us to eat.” She looked at the picnic basket.

  Ethan opened up the basket and several butterflies flew out one by one in all directions, startling Zoe.

  “That’s a sweet gesture, but a little too over the top, don’t you think?” She laid her palm on his shoulder and laughed wildly.

  “I see that someone doesn’t appreciate a little creative romance,” he said sarcastically. “I guess you’re just used to those dates that only offer a movie from Redbox and a bowl of cheap microwave popcorn.”

  “Sensitive, are we?” She tilted her head and offered him a courtesy grin. “Of course I appreciate it and I adore you for going out of your way to make this the greatest romantic date that I have ever had. You are the sweetest and, dare I say, the most imaginative person that I have ever met.”

  “Aw, I bet you say that to all the guys you insult.” He laughed and kissed her.

  Ethan laid out everything on the blanket that was in the basket—fruit, chocolate, a bottle of merlot, wineglasses, a cutting board for the aged Gouda cheese, bread, and other items. He thought of everything, all of the ingredients that made a romantic picnic romantic. They fed each other strawberries, risotto balls, and pieces of chocolate. They laughed, discoursed on deep subjects, and watched people around them flirting, kissing, holding one another, exploring new and wonderful things about their significant others.

  Zoe turned her head from looking at the sunset that was slowly fading to find Ethan studying her with a penetrating gaze over the rim of his wineglass.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I’m just thinking that there is absolutely no better view than you underneath this sunset. I am truly the luckiest man on this earth. I get to witness such a portrait of loveliness.” A twinkle flashed in his eyes. “This aesthetically pleasing view of you has inspired a song within me.” He quickly shot up and put his shades on. “Stay here, I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay,” she said in an unsure manner. She watched him stroll away until she could no longer see him. To pass time she texted Tori.

  Zoe: Just wanted to give you an update. Everything is magical. The best date that I have ever been on. 

  Tori: It’s probably the only date you ever been on. LMBO!!!

  Zoe: Ha, ha, I see you got jokes, corny jokes at that. Seriously, he is being so amazing, I can’t wait to tell you all of the sweet things he has done.

  Tori: Too many sweets can make you fat and give you cavities. Don’t get too caught up in that pretty boy swagger. He is certified in the craft of wooing hearts. You’ve been warned.

  Zoe: I’m good, girl.

  Tori: The question is are you being a good girl?

  Zoe: Forget you, Tori. I will call you tomorrow. Love you.

  While looking down at her phone she heard a familiar voice approaching her, singing. She looked up to find Ethan walking toward her with an acoustic guitar in his arms, singing his heart out to her.

  “It feels as though I’m alive since you came into my life

  It feels as though I’m complete, ever since you gave your heart to me

  It feels as though the earth stood still, and made this moment oh so real

  Now I can hear the angels weep because you gave your heart to me

  Your flowered kiss, your tenderness, has me all wrapped up in bliss

  I’ll rope the moon, make it snow in June

  Move heaven and earth just to touch you

  Say it’s forever, we’ll be together

  I always wanted to hold you oh so tight

  I always wanted to love you with all my might

  I always wanted to taste your tender kiss

  Thank you for granting my wish, my wish, my wish.”

  A decent size crowd gathered around, bobbing their heads at a leisurely pace, being thoroughly captivated by what supposed to have been an intimate performance. A woman shouted out, “Ooh wee, if you don’t take him home, I definitely will!” Laughter filtered through the crowd.

  He sang with so much conviction and honesty that she could no longer detain the tears that hovered at the lower rim of her eyes. When he knelt down, a storm of emotions erupted within her that caused her to quiver like a leaf in an autumn wind. Never had her heart pounded so violently, never had her soul been capsized by the turbulence of emotions, never had she felt an electricity that short-circuited her composure to the point that it caused her to abandon her deportment and poise.

  At this moment she realized she had fallen head over heels in love with a thief, for he had stealthily and swiftly burgled her heart right from underneath her in plain sight. Excitement and fear were coursing neck and neck through her veins when this realization hit. Impetuous passion seized her with a sweet serene embrace. She’d now become reconstructed, reassembled to breathe only for him, to yearn only for him, to have a love only for him.

  Ethan was greeted with a satisfaction of whistles and applause from the small audience, along with a lingering kiss from Zoe.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Ethan

  “Brothers, there is a room full of hungry ladies out there ready to get served some man candy tonight, and I’m Charlie with the golden ticket to the chocolate factory to appease their appetites.” Owen strolled into the band’s green room with his black dreads cascading down past his broad shoulders.

  “Yeah, that’s a sick crowd out there tonight. We’re about to bring the heat and melt their faces off. Are you ready, Ethan?” Wes nodded his head and pointed his drumstick at Ethan.

  “Need you ask?”

  Ethan got up from the couch with a bottle of Jack Daniel’s in his hand, ready to do their pre-show ritual.

  “Gather around, boys. Let’s get the mood right for a good night.”

  They huddled up in a circle. Ethan prayed, then he gave the bottle of Jack to Ligon and Ligon took the first drink. They passed the bottle around a few times so that everyone had a couple of drinks.

  “Let’s go out there and drive them crazy and turn this bar into an asylum.” Ethan walked out of the room like he had a purpose. The rest followed in the same manner. They were acknowledged with resounding applause as they stepped onto the stage. Women’s voices crescendoed to an epic intensity when Ethan took the mic and began singing.

  “Ethan Thorn, you are the crowd pleaser, and I freaking love you more than life!” The girl who yelled this had tears of intense excitement raining down her crimson face. Guys were fist pumping and singing at the top of their lungs. Ethan could tell right off the bat that tonight was going to be a beast.

  During Ligon’s guitar solo, Ethan began to scan the sweaty, intense crowd. He gave a smile of approval when he saw the diversity of people mingling and getting to know one another.

/>   This was what the power of music could do. Bringing together an array of colorful people from all walks of life to have a good time. No one cared about social status, race, or political affiliates, or whether you liked stouts, pale ales, or Pabst Blue Ribbon. No one cared if you thought Jordan was better than LeBron. But of course everyone knew the answer to that anyway. Tonight it didn’t matter if a person was wearing skinny jeans or a three-piece suit. Speaking of three-piece suits, there’s that guy who came in the last time they played. Surely he had to be from a record company, or some entertainment company. He was too polished, too clean to be anyone else. Ethan knew that he had to find out what was that guy’s deal.

  The distinguished gentleman was not alone. He was accompanied by another gentleman who had his iPhone out videoing the band’s performance. They both walked to the bar and sat down. The distinguished gentleman couldn’t take his laser focus off the band, at least until Bella walked behind the bar and immediately garnered all of his attention.

  Ethan understood the man’s distraction, because he’d been a victim of her alarming exquisiteness when he first saw her at Secret Skin Tattoo Shop where he was getting his very first tattoo. He’d been nervous and somewhat hesitant about getting the tattoo, and was just about to abort the mission. But then she’d entered the shop and those nerves melted away. They locked eyes and she surrendered a smile that would have left Shakespeare speechless. It was an instant, undeniable attraction between them and from that moment they were inseparable.

  She changed the trajectory of his life. With her, there were a lot of firsts. Bella got him his first job at American Eagle, she bought him his first electric guitar, she was the impetus of the very first song that he wrote for the band, she even got the band their very first gig at The Black Dive when she was just a bartender. Bella was as responsible for the band’s success as any of the members. She fell madly in love with him and he cared for her deeply, but his heart was hopelessly devoted to music, and nothing or no one could usurp that. Bella knew this and she was fine with it. Their relationship was deep and real until she started managing them.

  Their first manager, Gavin Mills, who was as worthless as a day-old turd, had an unhealthy appetite for nose candy. Every time they’d see him he was doing lines, or asking you if you wanted a bump, or did you have a bump for him. He was a slave to that stuff and Gavin used the band to satisfy his master. Gavin would book shows for them and then lie to the band about how much money they would be making. He would tell them that they were getting $600, when actually they were getting paid $850. That perpetual loser would pocket the extra $250 on top of getting what the band agreed to pay him for managing them. He was out for himself; he couldn’t care less about them or their music.

  He found out about Gavin’s thievery because of his relationship with Bella. He told Bella how excited he was about getting paid $1,000 for the very first time. That was the most money that they ever gotten paid for a gig. But Bella told him that she and Gavin agreed to pay them $1,200 to play plus all the beer they wanted. Gavin had no idea that they were a couple, oblivious about their relationship even though everyone else knew. That’s what too much blow did for Gavin, it made him stupid and uninformed.

  Not being impressed by Gavin’s arithmetic, after the band played the show and got their money, he went to Gavin’s place and had what you would call a physical dialogue with him, and beating him within an inch of his life. Then he took $300 from him. The extra $100 was for the emotional trauma that he claimed he had. He then told Gavin that the band would no longer have any need of his services.

  So after they got rid of Gavin the band asked Bella to be their manager, but she thought that wouldn’t be a good idea since they were dating. She thought mixing business with pleasure would be like Eve partaking of the forbidden fruit, it would end badly. And of course she was correct, but the band kept on pressing her and told her that it would give her some good experience since she was going to school for music management, and she would also be earning extra money, which appealed to her. So she finally conceded and began to manage them.

  It was going quite well initially, but the situation began to strain and burden their relationship. Too many girls draping all over him and guys from other bands trying to poach and pursue Bella, either to manage their band or for her to come home with them for some corporeal management. This made things extremely complicated for them both, so they did the only thing that they could do without permanently damaging their relationship completely. They decided to just keep things professional. For Bella it was a painful transition because she was totally in love with him; for him it was somewhat emotionally arduous, but it was the best for both of them because out of it bloomed a friendship that brought them closer than they were when they were dating.

  Ethan saw the two gentlemen talking to Bella and Sasha, the other bartender, throughout their set. Immediately after they finished their final song, Ethan got off stage to go talk to the men.

  “Ethan, Ethan, Ethan, I’m taking you home with me tonight!”

  An aggressive, wildly drunk girl cloaked herself over him and licked the sweat off his left cheek. He released himself from her grip only to find himself overrun by more screaming girls clamoring for his attention.

  “Ladies, ladies, I appreciate the love that you’re displaying, and I love you all too, but I have to talk to—”

  His words were discontinued by an unexpected kiss from Goth girl. Ligon tried to come to his rescue, but he got the same treatment as Ethan and his face showed that he enjoyed the lovefest far more than Ethan did.

  They finally made their way to the bar only to find that the distinguished gentlemen were no longer there.

  “Hey Sasha, where did the guys with the suits run off to?

  “You mean the steamy hot sexy guys with faces that should be on Esquire magazine and their shoes under my bed?”

  “You seriously need to be evaluated, girl,” Ethan commented.

  “Yeah, those two can analyze me anywhere at any time.”

  “Where did they go, Sasha?”

  “They just left. But Dan, the really hot one, asked if you guys were signed. I asked why and he said that he was with a new record company and they’re looking for young new talent.

  “Yes! I knew they were with a record company, I just knew it!” Ethan slammed his palm on the bar in excitement.

  “Okay.” Sasha lowered her eyebrows and wrinkled her nose.

  “Did he say what record company that they worked for?”

  “No, I didn’t ask, but I did ask if he was dating anyone. His answer was kind of vague.”

  “You gotta be kidding me. It didn’t occur to you to ask them.”

  “Well, in my defense, I was confused by why he wasn’t flirting back with me. No one can resist my tasty treats.” She slowly turned herself around like a model.

  “You are worse than I am.”

  “He did ask me if you guys had anyone managing you and I told him Bella was your manager. They both were going on and on about you guys, how they could feel the excitement and energy diffusing through the bar when you violated the stage, it sent the crowd into a frenzy. They said that you had stage presence in spades. That you were captivating and engaging. They noticed the effect that you had on the women.”

  “That goes without saying. Even Stevie Wonder could see that.”

  “What they say about me?” Ligon rubbed his fingers through his hair.

  “They loved you too, Jukebox Hero. They loved you all. Dan, the really hot one, said that he was so impressed by the way you all uniquely…hmm, how did he put it?” She looked up and tapped a finger on her lip. Oh yeah, how you wedded an in-your face heavy guitar-driven sound with a melodic sensibility, that you performed like a seasoned, veteran band.”

  “Boo-yah! This is the start of something huge. Nashville, you better get ready for the takeover because here we come with some hot and dirty rock-n-roll! Sasha, get us all a round of whiskey shots. Get yourself one
too.” Ethan stood up, gave a couple of fist pumps, dropped his head, and gave the rock-n-roll sign.

  “Oh Dan, the hot one, wanted me to tell you guys that you all have substance, and star appeal, and you are Nashville’s best-kept secret.”

  Ethan soaked every word she said into his soul. He could feel that the band was on the precipice of making their dreams come true. He was so proud of the band, how hard each and every one of them had worked. The dedication, the sacrifices, the long practices, the internal and external struggles that each of them had to overcome. People believed in him, they knew that he had what it took, but not everyone believed in the band. They would tell him that these guys were holding him back, that he probably could have had a record deal by now if it wasn’t for them. But he knew their potential, he knew how talented and special these guys were, and he was determined to show how great and wonderful they were to the doubters. Validation was within their grasp, they were about to prove everyone wrong. To him this band was more than just four guys making music. To him this band was family, this band was a community, this band was home.

  “Ethan and Ligon, grab the others and come into my office, please.” Bella snagged a beer and walked back to the room behind the bar.

  “I have the best news ever, gentlemen,” Bella said with sparks in her eyes. “Sasha gave me the business card from Dan Byers, who is an A&R rep for Meltdown Records.

  “You could have mentioned that earlier, Sasha.” Ethan sneered at her. She sneered in return.

  “He is very interested in you guys!” she said as her voice peaked.

  “You better not be playing with my emotions here, Bella, because if you are we’re firing you.” Owen had his hand over his heart.