Beats of Life (Perception Book 5) (6 page)

“You start tomorrow morning,” he informs, his eyes leisurely roaming over my face. I stare into his eyes, unable to form words to express my gratitude that he is willing to give me this opportunity after everything I did to him. So instead of saying words, I offer him my thanks with a shaky smile.

Melanie’s loud squeal even makes Slater jump in surprise. She runs towards me and engulfs me in a tight hug that she sends us both toppling over onto the floor. By the time my eyes lift to seek Slater again, he is nowhere to be found.

“Promise me that you will keep the skanks away from my future husband,” Melanie requests, triggering me to giggle softly.

Slater

“Did you see the new chick?” questions Sonny, motioning his head towards Emily and Kylie in the corner of the room. I had noticed her the moment she stepped into the wings of the stage, but I’m never going to admit that to Sonny.

Sonny is one of the leading roadies that sets up all the band’s equipment at each concert. He is a year older than me and is currently the highest ranking groupie fucker out of the entire group of roadies. And yes they keep a tally, it is proudly on display in the roadie’s tour bus. The band has their own dedicated road crew that follows us to each location. The roadies have their own bus that they travel on, but unlike the band they sleep in their bus every night.

“She is fucking hot,” Sonny informs, his eyes roaming appreciatively over Kylie.

I keep my gaze firmly planted on my drum kit. We are in the process of trying to work out the complete mess another road crew left my kit in. They dismantled my kit for another concert during the week and when they assembled it back together they got the whole angle wrong and the entire set up is out of whack. People assume I just turn up and play any drum kit, but in reality that isn’t true. The setup of a drum kit is just as important as tuning a guitar. Nick wouldn’t walk out on a stage and perform with a guitar that wasn’t tuned any more than I would play on a drum kit that is set up incorrectly.
 

“She looks sexy and innocent at the same time,” he continues. My eyes flick up from my drums to notice Sonny eye fucking Kylie from across the room, his hands rubbing together excitedly as he rocks from heel to toe.

“I haven’t really noticed her,” I lie. Although Kylie looks like a different person than the girl I use to date, my dick still stands to attention when she enters the room. When she walked into the elevator the other day, her smile on her face was so bright I nearly did fall to my knees in front of her. When she lent in to smell me, I wanted to pretend that she was that nice country girl I met at the bar two and a half years ago.

“How could you not notice her, she is fine!” emphasizes Mark, moving the middle tom-tom drum to the angle I am requesting. “No ring either,” he adds, his eyebrows waggling with excitement.

Half of the road crew use to follow Emily around like a bunch of dogs on heat until Noah caught on. It took him firing two and knocking one of them out for them to eventually get the hint to leave his wife alone. Now, the roadies only chase the girls without rings on their fingers. That doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy the visual stimulation of Emily and Jenni, but they have learnt to keep their dirty thoughts inside of their heads, instead of sharing them out loud. I guess they figure Kylie is a prime target since she doesn’t have a ring on her finger, not even the one I gave her on her birthday.

“Those lips wrapped around my cock…”

“Shut the fuck up,” I interrupt angrily, standing from the stool that is located behind my drum kit. Mark’s confused eyes turn to look at Sonny, causing an amused Sonny to shrug his shoulders. Both of them turn to stare at me like I’ve suddenly grown a second head.

Normally, I am more than happy to hear stories from the roadies about the groupies they have hooked up with, I have even shared a few stories myself. But if he doesn’t shut his mouth about Kylie, I will be more than happy to help him fucking shut it.

“No dibs Slater, you know the rules,” Sonny informs sarcastically, like he is talking about a piece of meat and not an actual girl. I don’t think the rules for groupie fucks should apply when they are talking about a girl I use to be in love with.

I angrily clench my fists and my gaze turns to look at Kylie. She must notice my intense stare as she lifts her head and her pretty eyes stare directly into mine. She smiles shyly and gives me a hesitant wave. Sonny, always being a pompous prick, waves back and winks seductively at her. She smirks at him before her eyes quickly dart away, causing Sonny to chuckle softly. Kylie appears to be shy but not many people know she has a wild side hidden underneath her country girl appearance. Once she leaves the room, I turn my furious gaze back to Sonny and Mark.

“If either of you touch her, I will cut your fucking balls off and feed them to you,” I inform sternly. Sonny smirks, finding it amusing that he has sparked a reaction out of me, but Mark swallows harshly before he nods his head.

“Now, do you fucking job and fix my drums,” I instruct angrily before storming towards my dressing room.

I tried to convince myself that I only agreed to Kylie working with Emily to help Emily, but I’m full of fucking shit. I agreed to help Kylie solely to help her. I had thought she was the girl of my dreams and we appeared to have started a good solid relationship. The six months I had with her were some of the best months of my life. Then the day after we left the cabin it was all over. No explanation, no reason, she just vanished. The first week I was fucking panicked out of mind when she didn’t return any of my calls or messages. When we returned from doing the radio tour on the West Coast, I rode five hours straight to her family ranch and even went back to the Bar N Barrel. But everyone was just as clueless as I was about Kylie’s whereabouts. She appeared to have vanished off the face of the earth.

I was that desperate, I lodged a missing person’s report at the local police station. My panic only resided a few days after that when I finally received a text message from her. The instant I read the message my panic turned into anger.

I’m sorry. Please stop looking for me. Kylie

And that was the last time I had heard from her in nearly two years, until she walked back into my life Friday night. Even though I am still angry at her for the way she left, I hated the fact that she couldn’t even afford to pay her hotel bill. Neither Kylie or I had money when we dated, but that didn’t stop us having some of the most adventurous months of our lives. I had hoped she had left me to go on to bigger and better things, but seeing her struggle to pay for her crappy ass hotel room made me realize she hadn’t.

Noah, Marcus, Emily and I had just finished having breakfast at the hotel café. Emily had told me during breakfast how she had offered Kylie a job and was surprised when she turned it down as she appeared so excited when she had first offered it to her. As we were leaving the café, I noticed Kylie at the checkout counter. She was pulling several different cards out of her purse, while her eyes kept darting down to her phone screen. She seemed a little frazzled and upset so I made my way over towards her. It was only when I overheard her requesting for the hotel clerk to put her bill on several different credit cards did I realize that she couldn’t afford to pay the entire amount on one card. I didn’t even hesitate in handing over my card to pay her bill. The band has been making more money than I could ever possibly need, so a small hotel room charge wasn’t going to affect my bank balance.

Kylie was clearly embarrassed when her eyes looked up at me, but they filled with tears when she noticed that Emily, Noah and Marcus had witnessed the whole exchange. She mumbled a thanks before she went darting to the elevators.

“Is the job offer still open?” I questioned Emily. She smiled brightly while nodding her head.

I only just made it to the elevator before the doors closed. Kylie remained quiet and kept her gaze firmly planted ahead, but I could easily hear her small sniffles in the enclosed elevator. When I asked her why she refused the job, she couldn’t even come up with an excuse. I know I shouldn’t have yelled at her and called her poor, but I didn’t understand why she would be so stupid to travel across the country if she couldn’t afford too. The instant the elevator doors opened, she darted out. I only hesitated for a second before following her.

When I asked her if she needed the job, she initially shook her head, until it eventually turned into a nod. Kylie was always so proud and I could see how hard it was for her to admit that she was struggling. When I told her she was starting tomorrow morning her friend screamed that loud I think I sustained permanent hearing damage. She practically tackled Kylie to the ground and the sounds of them giggling was the last thing I heard before I closed their hotel room door.

Kylie has been working with Emily for the past three days but I’ve barely seen her. It isn’t that I’m trying to avoid her, but other than doing press conferences and meet and greets at the end of the shows, I don’t have that much interaction with Emily, which means I hardly see Kylie. Half of me wants to ask her why she took the cowards way out and vanished without even saying goodbye, where the other half tries to pretend that it doesn’t give a fucking shit.

****

Once I have finished having a shower, I walk out of the bathroom to grab a spare pair of jeans in my dressing room. Marcus’s eyes dart up from looking at some music sheets in his hand when he hears me enter. Marcus is a musical genius, he can take Noah’s lyrics and turn them into some of the most kick ass songs you have ever heard. He plays the bass guitar, but his real passion is the technical side of music. His passion is that strong that he is now the producer on all of ‘Rise Up’s’ albums.

“Me and you, strip club tonight,” I inform. Marcus instantly shakes his head, his face a cross between mortified and disgusted. I instantly nod my head, my face showing him that I’m not taking no for answer. His eyes flick over to the side of the room and when I follow his gaze, I notice Kylie sitting on a small blue chair in the corner. Her eyes are firmly planted on some documents in front of her, but I can tell by the look on her face that she heard what I said.

I turn my gaze back to Marcus. “Be ready by ten,” I instruct, dropping my towel to place on my jeans commando style. Kylie’s eyes flick up from the document she is reading the instant my towel lands on the floor, clearly showing that she still has some interests in certain parts of my body.

“Unless there is someone here willing to give me some action?” I question cockily, my gaze turning to seek hers again. Her eyes dart up from my jeans that I have just finished buttoning to look into my eyes. She lightly licks her bottom lip and her eyes leisurely roam over my face and torso. I can’t miss the look of lust in her eyes.

“Not good enough to say goodbye to, but good enough to fuck,” I say angrily, staring directly into her lust filled eyes. Her perusal of my body instantly halts and her eyes dart down to look back at the document in her hands. She doesn’t even attempt to take a little nibble at the bait I just threw out.

“Have your ass in the limo by ten Marcus or I’ll come and find you,” I instruct before heading back into the bathroom to finish getting ready.

Strippers on tap, sounds like a great way to get Kylie out of my head.

Kylie

The past three days that I’ve been working with Emily have been so surreal. I have already learnt so much about the industry and I’ve been able to utilize some of my university studies. Emily took me right under her wing and even though I’m technically supposed to be her assistant, she is treating me as if I am her equal. She even allowed me to write up the press release about the bands upcoming concert in Los Angeles.

For the first three days, I only saw Slater in passing. Most of the time he seemed preoccupied with other stuff to pay me any attention, but today I could feel his intense heated gaze roaming over my body. I smiled at him and waved hesitantly. He didn’t smile or wave back. The blonde guy standing next to him grinned and winked at me, triggering my eyes to instantly return to Emily. Don’t get me wrong, the blonde is cute. He has a similar body type to Slater, a well formed muscular physic. His blonde hair is short on top, he has lips that would put Mick Jagger’s to shame and his eyes are blue in color. But I’m not looking for any type of relationship at the moment, let alone one with a guy that looks like he wants to eat me alive.

Emily is in the process of giving me a rundown on the routine she normally enforces on concert days. Before going on stage tomorrow, the band will talk to the press backstage. They will then complete a two-hour concert after their supporting act ‘Big Halo’ has finished a half hour set. The band then has a one hour break to recuperate before the fan meet and greet commences. She is explaining how the fans will line up at the side of the stage and she wants me to be responsible for ensuring that only the backstage pass holders are given access past this point.

“Don’t panic though, you will have two security guys with you at all times,” she informs when she notices my concerned expression on my face. I was in the process of trying to work out how I was going to stop ‘Rise Up’s’ persistent fans from just barging past me. When Emily notices the relieved look at my face she giggles softly.

“The fans aren’t the ones you need to be worried about,” she informs gently. “It’s the groupies that are the most concerning,” she continues, screwing up her pointed little nose, causing me to giggle softly.

My heart melts when I follow Emily back into Noah’s dressing room. Noah is asleep on a large sofa in the middle of the room and their daughter Maddie is snuggled in close on his chest, her little snores only just audible. Maddie is only eleven months old, but there is no stopping her. She can already walk and has all of the band members and the crew wrapped tightly around her little finger. Emily and Noah travel with a nanny but they are very hands on parents to their adorable little girl. I think I have seen Maddie more with Noah and Emily than her nanny the past three days, or should I call him a Manny since he is a male nanny?

Noah’s eyes pop open the instant Emily moves over towards him. He smiles brightly at her as she gently removes Maddie from his chest and places her into the crib that is set up next to the sofa. Once Maddie snuggles into her little pink bunny, Noah pulls Emily down onto the sofa that she ends up being straddled on his lap. I quickly and a little awkwardly divert my eyes, triggering Noah to chuckle softly.

“I’m just going to…umm…go,” I mumble, quickly dashing out of their room. I close the dressing room door as the sounds of Emily’s giggles echo around their large dressing room.

I have learnt pretty quickly the past three days that things in the entertainment industry are a little different than a standard nine to five office job. Here, there is no real routine during the day. If Emily needs me, she texts me. Other than that, I have a good amount of free time. Emily explained that most of my work will be completed during the nights when the band is performing on stage. I will assist in setting up the press room, the meet and greet areas and I will make sure the dressing rooms are supplied with anything the band members request.

I was surprised when Emily first handed me the list of the band members requirements. Most were just standard items like bottles of water, crisps and baby nappies, but one list was a little more extravagant. Some of the items listed I hadn’t even heard of before. Deciding that I probably have a little bit of time before Emily needs me again, I decide to go and ask Marcus what the items on his list are, so I can ensure they will be delivered before he goes on stage tomorrow night.

Upon entering Marcus’s dressing room, I hear the sound of a shower running in the bathroom.

“Did you want me to come back later?” I question, as Marcus moves over towards a desk in the middle of the room. I had just diverted my eyes from one uncomfortable situation and I really don’t want another one if he has a girl waiting for him in the shower.

He smiles brightly before responding, “No it’s fine, what do you need to ask me?” he queries, motioning for me to sit on the little blue chair in the corner of the room.

“Emily gave me the list of supplies you require before tomorrow night and there are a few items on the list I haven’t heard of before,” I advise, moving towards the chair. Marcus stops ruffling through the papers and his entrancing green eyes turn to face me. I’m surprised and a little curious when his eyes slowly roam over my face, before they leisurely glide over my body. When he hears the shower turn off in the bathroom, his eyes quickly dart back to the music sheet in his hand.

“What items haven’t you heard of before?” he asks, his voice sounding deeper than it was previously.

Just as I am about to read the first item of the list, Slater comes strolling into the room with a small white towel wrapped around his hips. My pulse quickens and my pussy tingles when my eyes leisurely roam over his masterpiece of a body. I suddenly feel envious of all the small water droplets that are freely running over his perfectly crafted torso.

“Me and you, strip club tonight,” he informs, looking directly at Marcus, unaware that I am in the room. Well I hope he is unaware, as those words created an instant stabbing pain in the middle of my chest. Marcus instantly shakes his head, triggering Slater to rapidly nod his. When Marcus’s eyes dart over towards mine, I quickly divert my eyes back down, pretending to scrutinize the document in front of me. I don’t need to look up to know that Slater’s eyes are watching me.

“Be ready by ten,” he instructs firmly before dropping the towel off his hips. I don’t care if you are one hundred years old and have one foot already in the grave, when you have a male specimen like Slater standing directly in front of you naked, you’re going to look. Even if he isn’t your type, you are going to look and my eyes did what any other eyes would have done in this situation, they looked and they devoured every delicious inch of him.

“Unless there is someone here willing to give me some action?” he questions, causing my eyes to dart up to his. My inner vixen screams at the tops of her lungs ‘Me, me, pick me!!’ My pussy is pulsing even more than my heart as my eyes roam over his face and torso while seriously considering his request. Maybe just one more time, one more night between the sheets with him may help to calm down the intense throbbing I get in between my legs every time he is in the same room as me.

When my eyes eventually return to his, his eyes narrow and he angrily declares. “Not good enough to say goodbye to, but good enough to fuck.”

There’s that cold bucket of water I needed to instantly dampen my rampant horniness. My eyes dart back down to the document in my hand, my stomach swirling in turmoil.

“Be in the limo by ten Marcus or I’ll come and find you,” Slater commands before he walks back into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him, making me jump from the loud bang that ricochets through the room.

I take in several deep breaths as Marcus moves across the room. When he notices the small gathering of tears in my eyes, he kneels down in front of me. His green eyes flick between mine, but no words escape his lips. What could he possibly say in a situation like this? I’m sure he knows what I did to Slater and I’m sure it looks like I’m a gold digging whore who decides to turn back up once he became famous, but that isn’t the case. I fell in love with Slater before he was famous and I left him just as his fame started to rise. If I only wanted him for his money, wouldn’t I have stayed back then?

“I’ll take care of this,” Marcus informs quietly, removing the piece of paper out of my hand. “Why don’t you go and have an early night. I’ll let Emily know that you’re at the hotel if she needs you,” he continues kindly. I gently nod my head, accepting his offer, an early night sounds like a godsend.

****

After tossing and turning in my hotel room bed for the past two hours, I decide to give up on my endeavour of an early night. Once I am dressed back into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, I head down to the hotel lobby in search of a warm beverage that may assist in my quest for sleep. Since it is nearly midnight the hotel lobby is deserted and only a handful of staff are milling around. I’m not surprised, only disheartened, to discover that the café located inside the hotel is closed.

“There is a twenty-four-hour coffee shop around the corner,” advises a male voice behind me. When I turn around, I spot the guy that had waved and winked at me earlier today with another guy with long brown hair. They are both holding Styrofoam coffee cups in their hands and they are both drenching wet from their shoulders up.

“I’m not that desperate for a hot chocolate,” I reply, when I notice that it is pouring rain outside.

The blonde lifts his cup to his mouth and takes a sip of his beverage, a shallow moan escaping his lips. “Are you sure, they’re good?” he informs, his tongue darting out to lick a small section of milk foam that was left on the top of his lip. When he notices my gaze staring at his lips, he smiles seductively, causing me to swallow a small lump that has suddenly formed in my throat.

“I’m sure,” I reply inaudibly. Up close this guy is a little hotter than I had first noticed. His blue eyes have little flickers of black through them and they are a lighter blue near the cornea. His eyes are entrancing and you could easily become trapped by their allure.

“How do you know Slater?” the other guy questions, instantly breaking the hypnotic trance the blonde’s eyes had started to instil on me.

Snapping back to reality, I reply, “He is an old friend,” before I commence heading back to the elevators, noticing that they both follow closely behind me.

“Hmm interesting,” he replies, hitting the button at the elevator. His eyebrows pull together closely and his mouth forms into a small frown.

Upon entering the elevator, I hit the button for the tenth floor. “What floor?” I question, since they have both followed me inside but neither has pushed a button. The brunette guy smiles largely, before the blonde leans in front of me and hits the button for the twenty second floor, allowing me the opportunity to smell his pine tree scent.

“He certainly isn’t acting like an old friend,” the brown haired guy continues with a small smirk on his face. The blonde’s eyes roam appreciatively over my body, causing a small tingling sensation to gradually build between my legs.

“Don’t be stupid Mark, they were more than friends,” states the blonde confidently, his blue eyes burning into mine. “That’s why he warned everyone to stay away from her,” he continues, forcing me to return his intense gaze as my heart rate rapidly increases.

“He doesn’t want her, but no one else can have her either,” he informs, causing my heart rate to plummet and my eyes to water.