by Anna Edwards
I wave my hands in front of my face as I feel tears forming again.
Ellie gives me a reassuring smile. “Oh no you don’t, you’ll smudge your makeup. Now go show those four handsome men outside what you look like. We’ll collect all your items together and bring them out to you.”
I turn to the three women and embrace each one in turn. “Thank you.”
“Go shine,” Penny encourages me.
Slowly pushing open the door to the changing room, I walk out to where the band is sitting relaxing with coffees and cookies. They are bantering away, but when they see me, they all fall silent.
“How do I look?” I do a little twirl to show off the outfit.
“Fuck me!” Cameron exclaims as he drops the cookie in his hand, which was halfway to his mouth, onto the table in front of him.
“I agree,” Liam adds.
“She scrubs up all right.” Austin fist pumps the air, but it’s Tate’s reaction I long to see the most. He gets to his feet and comes over to me.
“Is it too much?” I ask him. He looks me up and down, a fire burning in his eyes. His breath is ragged, and I swear I can feel the heat coming off him. “Tate, what do you think?”
“You look amazing, beautiful, hot. I’m screwed and will do whatever you ask me to do. If you ask me to clean the toilets for the entire trip, then I’ll do it.”
My heart skips a beat at his words. I don’t know why, but his opinion mattered the most, and I’m over the moon, knowing he approves.
Tate turns around and wraps his arm around me.
“We need to show Zoey off. It’s lunchtime, guys. Let’s go.”
Chapter 10
Tate
#IsItWrongThatIWantToEatZoeyRatherThanABurger
“Tate, man, will you hurry up and decide what you want to eat? You’re being a total girl. Sorry, Zoey, no offense meant.” Cameron discards his menu as I continue to review mine. I’m not sure what I want to eat.
“None taken.” Zoey sips her lemonade through a straw, her lips slightly colored with a pink lip gloss, and I forget once again I’m supposed to be choosing something to eat.
“Earth to Tate.” Liam thumps me on the back, and I look up to see the waitress staring at me, waiting for my order.
“I’ll have the burger, please. No tomato.”
I’m sure there’s a more sophisticated or better tasting dish on the menu, but to be honest, I’m not hungry…not for food anyway.
I haven’t been able to take my eyes off Zoey since her transformation. I knew she only needed the right clothes to accentuate her natural beauty, but I never thought she’d look as hot as she does. She’s got curves in all the right places, and the new makeup she’s wearing really accentuates the blue of her eyes.
She’s stunning, and I think my dick has been hard ever since she first walked out of the changing room. Suddenly, the idea of having a babysitter on tour with us doesn’t seem so bad, even if she still has that underlying darkness behind her eyes. Maybe together we can overcome our pasts—I never looked at it that way before. I need to stop thinking like this. I need to get my head back in the game before the guys start calling me a pussy.
“I’ll never understand your aversion to tomatoes. There’s nothing wrong with them. You eat them in ketchup and other sauces, so why not the real thing?” Austin comments and takes a mouthful of his beer before placing the bottle back down.
“It’s a texture thing. The seeds in a tomato make me want to gag, but you can’t detect them in sauces.”
“I can understand that.” Zoey takes another sip of her lemonade. “I’m the same with mushrooms. I can’t eat them if they are whole or even cut up, but if they are blitzed in a soup, they’re fine.”
“Weirdos.” Cameron chuckles.
“What about cum?” Liam rests his chin on his hands as he questions Zoey.
She looks at him confused. “Er…what about it?”
“If you have a funny thing with textures, then how are you with cum? Do you spit or swallow?” Liam continues his strange line of questioning.
He’s not the most diplomatic out of all of us. If he wants to know the answer to a question, then he will just come out and ask it. The rest of us are aware this isn’t really polite conversation for the dinner table.
“I…er…” Zoey blushes. “I’ve never done that with a man. I don’t know.”
Holy shit.
Did my dick just move the table? It’s got so fucking hard.
All four of us must be looking at Zoey like she’s an alien because she turns away even more embarrassed. “Forget I said anything.”
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen.” Austin shifts closer to her. “You know the next question that’s coming. If you’ve never given a blow job, are you a virgin?”
“Austin, enough! Zoey, you don’t have to answer that.” I try to protect her against my friend’s inappropriate line of questioning, but in truth, I’m desperate to know the answer too.
“It’s okay.” Zoey reaches out and touches my hand. It sends a flash of fiery heat through my body. “I can answer. I’m not a virgin. Just not overly experienced.”
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I’m loving our babysitter even more.” Austin claps his hands together in excitement.
Cameron looks guilty, though. “I’m sorry about what you saw last night. It must have been a bit of a shock.”
“The orgy going on in the living area of the bus, do you mean? Yes, it was a little shocking, but you’re all grown men, and everyone involved was a consenting adult. It’s cool. I might have learned a trick or two for the future.”
“If you need teaching...” Liam winks at Zoey.
“Back off,” I find myself protesting.
Thankfully, before we can continue the conversation, the food arrives. My bandmates instantly start to devour theirs while I watch Zoey delicately cutting up the chicken breast and fries she’s ordered. She must sense me staring at her because she looks straight up into my eyes. Hers sparkle with happiness, making her appear even more beautiful. She winks at me and returns to eating. It gives me the opportunity to enjoy my burger even though I’m now wishing it was something or rather someone else I was devouring.
We stop talking and continue to eat, making a cacophony of munching and contented groans until a phone rings. We all check our mobiles, but it’s Zoey who’s being called.
“I need to take this if you’ll excuse me a minute.” She gets up from the table and heads out of the restaurant.
“Do you want her?” Cameron asks while my gaze follows the sway of her hips in the tight skirt she’s wearing as she leaves.
“Sorry?” I don’t really get his meaning. I’m a little distracted.
“Zoey, do you want her?” Cameron repeats.
“Yeah, you’ve been crushing on her all day. It’s obvious,” Austin adds, giving us full view of the mashed up fries in his mouth.
“I don’t know. Yes, I like the look of her, and she doesn’t really give me any shit, if you know what I mean. She’s got a fragility to her, but she’s also forceful. I wasn’t sure about her being on the tour with us, but I’m already finding I can’t imagine being here without her. Jesus, I sound like a total nerd.”
“Yeah, you do, but you can’t help it when the urge strikes.” Liam finishes his meal and pushes his plate away.
“I’m not sure it’s an urge. I don’t think anything will happen between us. It’s complicated with her being an employee. God, I’m making it sound even worse now. I think I’ll shut up and eat my burger.”
My bandmates laugh.
“Go for it, mate. If you like her, then tell her. No point in pussyfooting around. We all know life is short. Don’t waste the opportunity.” Cameron has always been the wisest one among us.
“Besides, in that leather skirt, if you don’t try to tap it, you may lose her to one of us,” Austin teases, and I can’t help the evil glare I give him. He holds his hands up in surrender. “Okay, no touching Zoey, or
Tate will kill us.”
“You’re all annoying as fuck.” I push my chair back. I can’t stomach any more of my burger. I need to think. “I’m going for a cigarette.”
“Translate to, he’s going to spy on Zoey because he’s not seen her for two whole seconds.”
I flip Cameron the bird for his comment.
“Are you going to finish your burger?” Liam looks longingly at my plate.
“No, you can have it,” I say as I leave.
Stepping outside into the warm sunshine, I light a cigarette—it’s a bad habit I’m cutting down on, but sometimes I need one to help me think. I allow the nicotine to soothe the ache in my chest and relax back against the wall of the restaurant, savoring the hit.
“You can’t be serious! We need water. How are we supposed to manage without it?” Zoey’s concerned voice comes from around the corner.
I push off the wall and poke my head around to where I can see her. She’s pacing up and down, her phone held to the side of her head, and with a look of serious concern on her face.
Zoey continues speaking. “But we pay by standing order. The money should have been transferred into your account yesterday. I checked the balance the day before to ensure it was there. Please look at your system again.”
There is a slight pause in the conversation, and I assume the person on the other end of the line is doing as Zoey has requested. Watching in silence, concern floods my body as I wonder what is going on. Zoey mentioned she didn’t have a lot of money and any she did have went on paying bills. It’s the reason she gave me for not having designer clothes, but something tells me there is more behind her story than she’s letting on.
“You can’t be serious. It was there. It must have got lost in your system. I want a full investigation launched to find it, and meanwhile, I want our water restored.” Zoey’s voice is full of authority, but I can still hear the tinge of doubt licking at the edges of her words. “Well, thank you for nothing. I’ll be reporting this to whatever authority is running your company. I’m disgusted.”
She ends the call and places her head in her hands, letting out a frustrated scream. When she looks up and sees me watching her, her face deflates. The happiness I saw in her earlier has dissipated, leaving a defeated and broken woman. I take a step forward to comfort her, but she shakes her head before running in the opposite direction, heading back to the bus.
Chapter 11
Zoey
#IKnewIShouldntTryToBeHappy
How could I have been so stupid as to have let my guard down? I’m an idiot, the biggest fucking idiot on the planet. I should know by now I’m not allowed to have an easy life. Everything has to be hard and backbreaking to make me accept I’m lucky just to be alive. Having fantastic clothes, hair, and makeup bought for me is an illusion—one that lulled me into a false sense of security for a short while.
“Ugh,” I scream at no one in particular, because the bus is empty.
The band are still finishing their meal at the restaurant, but I couldn’t eat now if I tried. My stomach is churning, and I know I’d just vomit everything straight back up.
Stupid.
Stupid.
Stupid.
I open my banking app on my phone. I know I had enough money in the account to pay the bill. I’m going to come down on the water company so hard for losing my payment. It’s ridiculous. With the computer technology available these days, I’d have thought it would be possible to get something as simple as customer billing under control. I enter my password and my bank account comes up. My heart instantly deflates, and I drop into one of the soft chairs in the living area of the bus.
No.
Please.
Just no.
The water company isn’t in the wrong. The payment was rejected because of insufficient funds. Damn it! There, in black and white in front of me, is evidence of a number of cash withdrawals over the last few days, totaling nearly five hundred dollars—the amount needed to cover the water bill. I want to cry. I want to believe this is a mistake, but I know deep down it probably isn’t.
I make my way into the main bedroom and retrieve my large handbag containing all my official papers including my passport, and I begin to search through it.
Please be in here.
Please.
I hunt for my bank card, but it’s not there. I must have left it back in Seattle and my mom’s found it and guessed the PIN. No matter how many times I change it, she’s like a genius when it comes to breaking my codes. Putting my wallet down, I dial my mom’s mobile. She answers eventually,
“Hello, who is it?” her words are slurred, and I know she’s drunk.
“It’s me, Mom. It’s Zoey.”
“Zoey Boey, how is traveling the big wide world going?”
“It’s good. Listen, Mom, did you take some money out of my bank account?”
With my free hand, I rub at my forehead where I can feel the start of a headache forming.
“Yes, I did. I had to. I had no food, and I was hungry.”
In the background, I can hear the clinking of bottles, and then the sound of my mother gulping down liquid. She’s spent the money on alcohol, not food.
“I left you with lots of food, Mom. There are dishes in the freezer all prepared. You just have to put them in the oven. Didn’t the lady come in and help you do that?”
My mother makes a disapproving raspberry sound. “Her…she was nasty. I got rid of her. Bossing me around and taking my drink away. Why did you hire her to look after me? She’s nothing like you, Zoey Boey. You’re my good girl.”
“Mom, you can’t do that. She’s there to make sure you’re all right.”
“I don’t need babysitting. I’m the Mom, remember.”
“I know.” I can feel the tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. My mom has never been the mother figure. “Mom, listen. The money you withdrew, do you have any of it left?”
“No, I told you I needed food.” Again, I can hear the sounds of her drinking in the background.
“Okay, you’re going to find you have no water. The payment didn’t go through, and until I can pay it, they won’t turn it back on.”
“Why didn’t it go through? Have you been spending lots of money on your travels? You really need to be more careful,” my mom scolds me.
I want to scream and shout at her and tell her this isn’t my fault, but I know it won’t do any good. She’s drunk and probably won’t even remember this conversation when she sobers up.
“Sorry, Mom, I’ll get it sorted. Just know, you won’t be able to bathe or shower until I do, and the taps in the kitchen won’t work. I’ll get someone to bring you some bottled water.”
“Not that lady.”
“No, Mom, not that lady.”
“Okay, don’t worry about me, Zoey Boey. I’m all right. You go and have fun wherever you are.”
“I will.”
“Bye.” My mom hangs up on me, and I bring the phone down from my ear and sit staring at it.
What the hell am I going to do? How am I going to get five hundred dollars? Payday isn’t for another couple of weeks, and even when I do get paid, most of the money is already allocated. I knew I shouldn’t have come away on this job. It’s ridiculous, but my mother can’t be left alone. I’m going to have to quit the tour and return home. The band will be angry, especially after they just spent so much money on clothes for me. I hope they can get a refund.
My entire body feels dejected—the elation and happiness from earlier, completely gone. I’m not one of those lucky people who can take chances. I can’t risk them. I need to be a good daughter and look after my mother. She’s the only person in my life, and I’m all she’s got. My legs give way, and I collapse onto the floor, a loud sob erupting from my throat. The tears start to fall as I mourn the loss of this opportunity I’ve been given. I know tomorrow I’ll have to return home. I could even lose my job altogether, but I don’t have a choice. I don’t know what else to do.
> The door to the bedroom creaks open, and I look up.
Standing there is the last person I want to see.
The man who made me believe my life could be different by having me treated like a princess. Guilt wraps around me, combining with the sadness of my situation. I don’t want to let him down. I don’t want him to hate me. Even if he’s an arrogant sod most of the time, there’s something about Tate Gordon that draws me to him. I’m so scared, and when he wraps his arms around me and pulls me into his lap, I allow him. My barriers are lowered. I’m weak, I’m tired, I’m broken, and I don’t know how to carry on.
Chapter 12
Tate
#AddictionIsOneOfTheCruelestDiseasesInTheWorld
Normally, I would avoid running after a chick when I know she’s about to burst into tears, but something in my heart tells me I have to follow Zoey. There’s a dull ache in my chest, urging me forward as I search for her on the bus.
Opening the door to the main bedroom, I find her crying on the floor. I can’t move fast enough to bring her into my arms and comfort her. We sit for at least ten to fifteen minutes with her just sobbing and me holding her tightly against my chest while stroking her hair. Neither of us speaks. I just let her cry out all the emotion that’s obviously twisted up inside her. Eventually, the sobs quieten, and I lift her head up to look at me.
“Talk to me, Zoey. Tell me what’s going on.” I search her face for any sign of the happiness from earlier, but I find none, only defeat.
“What did you hear from my phone conversation?” Zoey asks, not fighting me for once when I inquire about her personal life.
“A little. The water company has lost your payment.”
She shakes her head
“No, evidently the payment was never made, because the money wasn’t in my account. It had been spent.”