Rock Gods: Baden

by Brandy Munroe

  He cleared his throat. “Theo wants us to send him the final version of our song before he makes any promises.” He chuckled, “I think he might be afraid of how graphic it might be, knowing we wrote it.”

  “What does he think our version of a love song is going to consist of? A lot of moaning and you singing about how much you love to shove your co…”

  “NO, no, no, I don’t need to hear about what Baden wants to stick where okay?” Amber interrupted, putting her hands over her ears to block us out.

  We all laughed at Amber’s antics.

  “Okay, dinner’s ready. Self-serve, and Baden, if you really want to apologize, you can volunteer to do the dishes.” Amber smiled sweetly, though there was nothing sweet about her taking advantage of the opportunity to cast off the chore.

  Baden had been living on the Divine Chrysalis bus for the better part of three weeks. Today was the first time the girls felt the need to leave the room. Next time, if there were a next time, I’d have me and Baden take our issues away from the girls. Not the other way around.

  Although had we taken this to the back of the bus we would have ended up in bed and then nothing would have gotten settled. I could think of worse ways to end a disagreement.

  I guess it was more of a misunderstanding.

  We were going to have to learn to communicate better, or we might find ourselves in a disagreement that was not this easy to solve.

  Chapter 41

  Crystal

  We arrived in New York two days before Christmas and took a hotel in the city. This gave Baden and I space for the concentration we required to put the finishing touches on our love song.

  As per Theo’s request, we sent him a rough recording that Amber took on Baden’s cell phone. His feedback suggested we perform it on acoustic guitar for the fundraiser. It created the intimate sound we were attempting to create.

  Maddox had driven to his parents yesterday to surprise Kitt. They were expected to arrive at any moment.

  Anita worked her magic, and the fundraiser was going live on social media and one of the local television stations. I would have to classify the events as more of a telethon than a fundraiser. I performed on stage for thousands of fans, yet today I was nervous about singing in front of a few dozen kids and their parents.

  The services offered by the community center ranged from tutoring to free sports and music programs. All of these were provided free of charge to low-income families. Like many of these types of services today, they depended on public funding to keep their doors open.

  This particular one was fortunate that their volunteers had a daughter connected to famous musicians.

  A great many hours must have gone into setting up the stage for today's event. I tried not to get in the way of all the commotion that was taking place to get ready for all the activity today would bring.

  Donations had poured in for a silent auction from local businesses. I perused the table filled with various gift certificates. My eyes located something that would be a perfect Christmas gift for Baden. I completed the form and bid a ridiculous amount. I knew it would be cheaper if I walked into the shop and purchased the same item, but it would not have the same meaning.

  I stood at the back of the room and watched all the activity taking place in front of me. I had an itch to pull up my sleeves and pitch in. Baden and I were the first act, and I was told to stand aside and be ready the minute it went live. It wasn’t in my nature to stand back and watch other people work.

  I checked my watch and looked around the place hoping to spot Baden. We arrived together but split up the minute we stepped inside the center. He seemed to be familiar with many of the other volunteers.

  I watched as he strutted across the floor of the gymnasium where the event was happening. His smoldering grey eyes locked with mine and his lips curled into a seductive smirk. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me in for a soul-searing kiss.

  “Sorry I took so long,” he apologized. “I was asked to tune a few of the older instruments in the music room.”

  “I could have helped with those.” I placed my palm against his hard chest and gazed into his mesmerizing eyes.

  He leaned in and nipped the shell of my ear. “I thought about that, then I thought about you and me behind a closed door.” He pulled me against his cock that was threatening to escape the confines of his black denim.

  I moaned. “If you had, then maybe you wouldn’t have to walk around like this.” I lowered my hand and grazed his hard-on. I was rewarded with a possessive growl before he removed my hand.

  “Don’t think you won’t be taking care of this as soon as you step off that stage,” Baden’s rough voice sent chills down my spine. It was amazing how he could put me on edge solely with the sound of his voice in my ears.

  “First act, you’re up, we go live in five minutes.” Our interlude was interrupted with the announcement.

  I discreetly lowered my hand to cup him through his jeans. “Soon, my love, very, very soon.” I kissed his lips and left him to adjust his cock. Good thing he was wearing his loose-fitting, comfortable jeans. The last thing I wanted anyone to see was Baden’s hard-on displayed on social media.

  I picked up my acoustic and sat on a stool center stage. Baden followed my lead and did the same. I took a couple of deep breaths as the emcee rattled on about what to expect in the next few hours during the fundraiser. He explained the purpose of the event and went on to thank everyone involved.

  We played our song to cheers and accolades. I experienced the same adrenaline rush I did when I performed in front of a large audience. I was vibrating with excess energy and anxious to take care of it the best way I knew.

  My main focus was to get to the office and demand Baden fulfill my request for an obligatory backstage fuck.

  The issue was getting past the gauntlet of people who wanted to thank us for our contribution or praise us for the new song. The community center was not large enough that we could turn our backs and walk away.

  The minute the second act began their performance everyone's attention had turned to them, allowing me to pull Baden towards the office he had pointed out earlier.

  We were this close to making it before Theo intercepted.

  “Baden, can I have a word?” Theo gestured for Baden to join him.

  I released Baden’s hand and continued walking towards the office. Baden would know where to find me when he was finished with Theo. I glanced over my shoulder to see how far behind me Baden might be and ran into a hard chest.

  I turned to apologize for not paying attention to where I was going,

  “Holy fucking hell, Damon?” I couldn’t believe my eyes. “I thought you were out of the country until after New Year’s.” I screeched as he pulled me in for a hug. “I missed you!” I kissed his cheek.

  “I missed you too, Chrissy. “You did a great job out there,” he praised.

  “That means a lot coming from you. Thank you.” I stepped back and looked at how good he looked. He appeared healthy, clean and sober.

  “When did you get in? Will you be coming over for Christmas?” I was curious as to how long he had been hanging around. Had he gone to the house and announced his arrival?

  “Yeah, well, that’s why I’m here. I need to tell you something.” He hesitated, and I shuddered to think that he was going to tell me he was using again. I could forgive him anything, even that. As long as he was honest with me and agreed to get help. I would never give up on him the same way I would never give up on Keith.

  “You know I love you, Damon,” I placed my palm on his cheek to reassure him. “You can tell me anything.”

  “You love him?” I heard Baden gasp from behind me. He appeared distraught.

  “Baden, it’s good to see you brother.” My uncle released me and walked towards Baden.

  A flash of anger mixed with hurt filled Baden’s eyes. His jaw clenched, and his body was vibrating. “I heard you tell him you love him, Crystal,” Baden po
inted to Damon.

  “Of course I love him, Baden, he’s…”

  Everything that happened after that was a blur. Baden’s fist connecting with Damon’s jaw. People shouting and trying to get me out of the way.

  What I did recall was Baden’s last words as he stormed out of the community center.

  “Christmas Davies is all yours, Damon. You always did enjoy going for my sloppy seconds.”

  The sobs that wracked my body over the entire incident left me helpless.

  I had no idea how I ended up sitting on a couch in an office surrounded by Theo, Sabrina, Damon, and Jen, or how long I’d been there before someone handed me a drink.

  What the hell had happened?

  And what the fuck did Baden mean that Damon was welcomed to his sloppy seconds again?

  Chapter 42

  Baden

  I drove around the city for hours before deciding where I was going to spend the night. I ignored my cell as it pinged with texts and rang several times. I was not sure at what point it stopped because I had tuned it out. I sat in the SUV. I was stalling. I wasn’t in the mood to sit in the enormous suite at the hotel alone and dwell on what the fuck I was thinking when I got involved with Crystal Divine. Scratch that, Christmas Davies.

  Fuck if history wasn’t repeating itself, and I wanted nothing better than to drink it all away. Crystal, Damon, Jen, every fucking one of them needed to be scorched from my memory. I knew the perfect place in which to do just that.

  First, I would leave the SUV and call an Uber. There was no way I was going to be able to drive myself home with the new plans I had for wasting the rest of the day.

  Home.

  Fuck.

  The plan was for me and Crystal to spend Christmas Eve with her family. She, in turn, was going to accompany me tomorrow to Rockcliff and spend the day with my family. I was positive that Mom and Pops were going to love her as much as do... did.

  Yup, I was definitely going to need to drink that emotion into the pits of Hell.

  The chilly New York evening did nothing to curb the heat of my rage. It was a toss-up as to whom it was I was most angry with; myself for once again falling for the bad girl, Crystal for playing me like the fool I was. But to what end? What was her motive? Or was this Damon’s idea? One last fuck you for us hitting it big and leaving him behind.

  We hadn’t made it until years after we dumped Damon. If all of this was a set-up for payback, then it should have been me exacting revenge on him. His addiction ended up affecting all of us in the end. Not to mention me finding my girlfriend in his bed didn’t help matters.

  The Uber arrived, and I gladly jumped in the back seat. I opened the app on my cell and deposited a generous tip as I gave the driver the address. I was half expecting some push back about asking him to take me to that part of town. It wouldn’t be the first time a driver had been apprehensive. Hence the overly generous tip.

  I sat back and watched the lights of New York fly by. The driver had been yammering on about the gentrification of a lot of the old worn down neighborhoods. I was only half listening. My mind was preoccupied with the events of the day.

  It began beautifully. The memory of Crystal’s body draped across mine when I woke up this morning. The promise of spending the week with her before our concert in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. I reran the past couple of months over and over in my head, looking for clues as to what I was heading into.

  None of it made sense.

  How long had she been targeting me? Was it before or after she signed on with Bentley Records? Was it a coincidence that Theo had chosen me to mentor Divine Chrysalis, or had Crystal put the idea in his head?

  Tomorrow.

  I would worry about the who, whys and wheres tomorrow. Tonight I was going to get falling-down drunk. Something I had not done in a very long time. Perhaps even find me a cute submissive and take her back to the suite. Remember who I was after Jen and before Crystal.

  “We’re here,” the driver announced as he stopped in front of an alley.

  “Thanks, man, appreciate it.” I really did. Not many people would venture to this part of the city at any time of the day. Even less at night.

  I made my way down the dank alley. The strength of overripe garbage sitting in the dumpster infiltrated my nostrils. Graffiti covered the walls as my feet crunched under the shards of broken beer bottles. Most likely left behind by kids or winos looking for remnants in the empty bottles thrown away at the end of the night.

  I reached the large metal door and made a phone call then banged on the door three times.

  The whirring sound above my head had me snapping my eyes towards the roof. I spotted a motion camera positioned above the doorway. Huh, that was new from the last time I was here.

  My phone pinged with an incoming text. The first one I’d received in a while. I ignored it before putting it on vibrate and slammed my fist against the door three more times. My phone vibrated in my hand. If I hadn’t required it to get inside the building, I would have turned it off.

  After a few more minutes of waiting, I called the number that had worked many times before and knocked on the metal door three more times.

  Finally, the door creaked open.

  The gruff older man looked me up and down. “Been a while, Bad Dog,” he greeted me before his eyes focused on the keypad near the door I had not noticed until he pointed it out.

  He then ripped my cell out of my hand and held it up to my face.

  “Not answering your texts,” he stated. “If you had,” he slapped the phone back in my hands, “you would have gotten the code for the door to let your sorry ass in.” He turned his back, and I had to quickly step through the door behind him or risk getting locked out.

  “New security system?” I questioned.

  “Yup.” That was all I got as I followed him through the dark hallway towards the dive bar hidden at the back of the building.

  This wasn’t a high-end nightclub. It was the kind of place you only knew about if you knew someone who knew someone.

  We moved past several doors until we came to the one marked RESTROOM—Out Of Order. We pushed past the door and entered the decrepit bar.

  This establishment was not the kind of place you went to if you were looking for recognition. People hung out here because of the anonymity that came with the place. No paparazzi were lurking waiting to catch you in a compromising situation.

  The place smelled of stale beer. I inhaled enjoying the familiarity of it. At first glance, the establishment appeared to have had a facelift since the last time I was here. Gone were the rickety pub style wooden tables and chairs. Newer booths with cushioned red vinyl lined the back wall.

  The faded, torn green felt that once adorned the aged pool tables were replaced with a thick layer of vibrant emerald. The dull, scarred wooden bar had been sanded and given a shining coat of varnish.

  What remained the same was the eccentric owner sitting on a barstool behind the counter. He always had his head hidden behind a recent copy of the New York Times. That didn’t mean he was not acutely aware of everything that went on in his establishment.

  Another sight for sore eyes was the gorgeous waitress, Amy, who moonlighted here part-time. She was an EMT, and for the life of me I could never figure out why she chose to spend her off hours working in a dive bar.

  I made my way toward the booth at the back of the bar and sat with my back to everyone and everything. I was here to drown my sorrows, not to party or socialize with any of the patrons that filled the place.

  Another thing that amazed me was how full the place was. It was Christmas Eve, for fuck’s sake. Shouldn’t these people be home with their families?

  Like I should be, the voice in my head chimed. I needed a stiff drink to shut the fucker up.

  Amy sauntered over. “Hey there, Bad Dog, it’s been a while.” She placed an empty glass and an open bottle of tequila in front of me.

  I raised an inquisitive eyebrow as to how she knew
what I was going to ask for. It wasn’t my usual flavor, but I had on occasion come in and ordered this exact thing when I have had a bad day.

  “I haven’t ordered yet. Compliments of the house?” I flashed her my signature rock star smirk and took her hand in mine. It had been a while since I’d had to use my charms to seduce a lady.

  She laughed boldly. “Nope, just aiming for a big fat tip.” She pulled her hand away. “With the shit day you’ve had, I figured you would need this.”

  It was my turn to laugh. “How the hell would you know anything about the shit day I’ve had?”

  Her face fell. “Oh, ah, well,” she pointed behind me.

  I turned in the booth. My eyes focused on the big screen television mounted on the wall. Something else I failed to notice when I stormed in looking for solitude.

  There on the gigantic screen was one of those tabloid entertainment shows. Its feature was the altercation between Damon, Crystal and me.

  “How the fuck did they get their hands on that so quickly?” I should have been more aware that someone at the community center would have gotten my display on their cell phone and sold it. Of course. This kind of notoriety came with the territory. At the time, however, I was too angry to give a shit.

  I was already calculating the settlement in my head. How much was it going to cost me to make it all go away and not end up behind bars on assault charges? I chuckled to myself, let’s see how Jackson’s team handles this one.

  “They’ve run it at least a dozen times already,” Amy informed me. “When I saw you walk in,” she tapped the bottle of tequila, “let’s say I had a hunch you would need this.” She glanced back at me over her shoulder as she walked away. Was she afraid I was going to have another meltdown and throw my drink at the TV and add the destruction of property charge to the list?

  I watched the fight between Damon and I replay on the big screen. This time it wasn’t my fist connecting with Damon’s jaw that caught my attention. It was the look on Crystal’s face when I proudly proclaimed he was welcomed to my sloppy seconds.