Deep Rocked

Deep Rocked

By Clara Bayard

Roced Series, #5

Copyright© 2013 by Clara Bayard

www.ClaraBayard.com

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All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Chapter One

If I was making a list of the worst possible places to have an emotional breakdown, on a bus full of guys I work with, including the one who
is
one of the causes of said breakdown would be pretty high on the list. Right above “at a birthday party” and below “on national television” I think. But, regardless of how bad I knew it would look, break down is exactly what I did. The first hour was torture. The second was agony. And after three trips to the bathroom to cry, I was ready to just ask the driver to leave me on the side of the highway. I’d been unable to work and was rude to Liss for no good reason. All in all I was miserable and angry with Dex and myself about it.

As if I wasn’t feeling bad enough, Dex finally looked my way and ambled over, all casual sexiness, and sprawled out next to me on one of the bench seats. My first instinct was to throw my arms around his neck and sob. My second was to slap him in the face and curse his name. My third, and what I went with, was to pretend I didn’t see him, returning the favor. Immature, but surprisingly satisfying.

But, of course, he had to ruin it all by being charming and silly. “Wanna help me kick Matthew’s arse?”

I glared. “I have no interest in playing video games. I’m working, remember?”

He shrugged and flashed one of those heart-melting smiles. “Isn’t killing it on Xbox part of your job description?”

I rolled my eyes and bit back a laugh. “No. But you have fun.”

Dex cocked his head to the side and stared at me intently. He put his hand on mine and frowned. “What’s wrong, Becca?”

“Nothing. Everything’s wonderful. We’re actually on schedule. We might even get in with time for me to visit the venue today.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

I moved my hand and crossed my legs away from him. “Like I said, everything is fine. You can go back to playing with your friends again.”

He opened his mouth to speak again, but Ryan trundled over, interrupting. “Dex, do you need something?”

Dex shook his head. “No. Just having a chat with Becca.”

“Well, if you don’t mind, we have things to discuss.” Ryan dropped a pile of papers in front of me. “Contracts.”

Dex stood up and brushed his hair back. “Okay. Catch you later, love.”

I nodded and turned my attention back to my boss. “What’s up, Ryan?”

He sat down and shook his head. “Don’t let them bother you, Rebecca.”

I cringed at his habit of always referring to me by my whole first name. “It was no bother.”

“You have to remember what I told you. They’re like children. In constant need of attention and praise. But you’re not required to give in to every whim. Be pleasant and retain a professional distance.”

“Yes, of course. Thank you.” My mind went back to the night before. Dex and I in bed. His hands on me. His lips on me. The things we’d opened up to each other about. The secret I’d shared. It was all a mistake. Ryan was right. Professional distance would help me survive this trip without any further humiliation. But deep in my heart, I was aching. How could Dex act like everything was the same?

I looked down at my dress, the one I’d so carefully selected to look my best for him. What a waste that was. I felt like an absolute idiot. One night together and I was obsessed and so pleased with myself.
Stupid, stupid, stupid
.

Thankfully Ryan didn’t notice the tears threatening to fall from my eyes. He plowed forward with work talk long enough for me to compose myself. And then the busywork of comparing contract changes was enough of a distraction that I could pretend to forget about Dex. For a few minutes, at least.

At some point I noticed the bus was driving slower than it should have been. I noted the fact, but didn’t really think much about it. As usual, Ryan had left me with a big task and very little instruction. He claimed it was a sign of trust in my abilities, but I thought it was just his irritation at having to perform – or in this case, delegate – tasks he thought he was too good for. It was annoying and frustrating, but I reminded myself of the checks that would be deposited into my account, covering my father’s medical bills and my old debts, and the work became a little more enjoyable.

Just as I was wrapping up my review of the last agreement, the bus swerved out of its lane and onto the shoulder of the highway, or whatever they called them here. Motorway, maybe.

“Sorry, folks,” the driver called out. “Little technical problem.”

I looked over at Ryan, but he was engrossed in a telephone call and didn’t seem to even notice we weren’t moving anymore. Everyone else was curious, but casual. So I hopped up, smoothed down the front of my dress and followed the driver off the bus.

“What’s up, Tony?” I asked.

He leaned against the side of the bus and smiled. “Nothing too serious, I don’t think, Miss.”

“Please, call me ‘Becca’.”

He nodded and the weak sunlight glinted off the top of his balding head. “All right, then.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“No. I’ll be having a look and if I can’t fix the problem we can call for assistance.”

I looked around. “Where are we, anyway?”

“Not far outside of Manchester, Miss-er, Becca.”

“Okay. Well, I’m going to go back in and update everyone. Yell if you need anything.”

He chuckled. “Send one of the crew boys out to lend a hand. You’re too little and I’d hate to ruin your pretty dress.”

I blushed and smiled. The clipped tones of his words did nothing to hide the kindness in him and I wished he could stay with us the whole tour instead of just the UK bus leg.

Climbing back up onto the bus, I saw no one had moved and shook my head. Obviously no one but me was worried about the schedule. I went over to Red, the tour’s bodyguard, and asked him to go help Tony with the bus. He agreed and shambled off, like a moving mountain.

Then I stepped over to where Ryan sat. He was still on the phone, but made a gesture indicating I could speak. “Ryan, I spoke to the driver about the bus breaking down.”

“Good. How long are we stuck here?”

“He doesn’t know yet. I’ll get an update as soon as possible. But, we left ahead of schedule, so a little time won’t be a huge problem.”

“True. Make sure everyone is happy, okay? I don’t want the guys getting cranky.”

I nodded. “Sure.” But by the time I finished the word, he’d turned his seat facing the window and was muttering into his headset again.

With a sigh I went back to where the rest of our group was sitting. “Guys, as you probably noticed, the bus is having some issues. We should be back on the road soon. In the meantime, does anyone need or want anything?”

Joe, the magnetic lead singer, ignored me. He was wrapped in a tight embrace with his girlfriend, Liss. Not for the first time, I watched their closeness with a pang of jealousy.

Dex and Matthew were still playing video games, but both took a second to shake their heads.

Rick, of course, glowered at me like it was my fault the bus broke down. “What are you, a stewardess now?”

“No, just trying to help out.”

“Yeah, well, the only help we need is getting this hunk of junk moving again. Unless you’re gonna get behind it and push, give it a rest already.”

I took a deep breath. He was such a jerk to everyone for no reason. But this was not the time to get into an argument with him, so I ignored the comment and turned to check on the rest of the passengers.

But before I could open my mouth, he came at me again.

“Seriously. Why don’t you fuck off? Go make a phone call or read a spreadsheet. I’m sick of being surrounded by a bunch of up-tight suits.”

My eyes widened. I had no idea what had crawled up his ass and died, and didn’t much care. It was ridiculous that he got away with acting like that. “Rick, everyone. Just relax. We’ll be off soon.”

“More blah, blah, blah bullshit. Why-”

He was interrupted by Dex, who’d abandoned his game to stand between us. I could barely see Rick around his broad shoulders. “What’s your bloody problem with Becca?” he asked, voice hard and low.

“Mind your business, man,” Rick spat back.

Dex stepped forward, crowding the other man against the plush seat. “Your shitty attitude is my business.”

I rushed over and out my hand on his arm, though his instinctive defense of me was surprising and sent a warm thrill through my body. “Dex, stop. It’s fine. I’m fine.” His skin was hot under my fingers and his muscles tense.

He barely glanced at me before returning his attention to the surly drummer. “You want to be a right bastard to us? Fine. We can deal. But Becca’s just doing her job. Leave her out of it.”

Now Rick stood, and for the first time, I realized just how huge he was. Dex was well over six feet tall, but Rick towered over him. “What the fuck? Who do you think you are? Some boy scout too, now? I’ll say whatever the fuck I want to whoever I want. And you’re not going to do shit about it.”

The two men were close enough to be slow-dancing, but the scene was anything but romantic. A wave of panic started to rise in me. I had to find a way to diffuse the situation, somehow.

“Guys, come on. Can we just all settle down?”

They ignored me, jaws locked with anger. It became clear to me that this confrontation had been a long time coming, and had nothing to do with Dex taking offense to the way Rick spoke to me.

Every muscle in Dex’s back clenched visibly under his tight t-shirt. Normally it would have been an alluring view, but all I could think about was how much trouble we’d all be in if there was a fight.

From growing up around musicians, I knew bands were notoriously mercurial. Between artistic temperaments, egos, lack of sleep, hard partying and spending too much time together, most bands were constantly teetering on disaster. Now, with Dream Defiled reaching a new level of fame and success, everyone was on edge, working on getting used to all the changes. And one argument could mean the end of everything.

But more than my concern about the band was my worry about Dex. Rick had a reputation for being a brawler. Brutal and quick, his boxing background and massive size made him a dangerous adversary. And I couldn’t even begin to handle the idea of Dex getting hurt.

With all of that swirling in my brain, even though I was still mad at him, I gripped both of his arms and turned him around to face me. At first it was like trying to move a solid marble statue. But as his face turned towards me, he softened. Whether it was the look of panic on my face or just a lowering of the testosterone level, he came around willingly.

“Dex. Don’t do this. Don’t let him bait you.”

He nodded and took a deep breath. His hands circled my elbows so we were holding each other, literally, at arm’s length. It was intensely intimate in a way I couldn’t quite understand.

“Sorry, love. Bad day is all. I’m fine.”

Rick made some kind of derisive noise, but I didn’t pay him any attention. My eyes and my thoughts were only on Dex. But our moment was interrupted by Matthew. He came over and put his hand on Dex’s shoulder.

“Why don’t we go outside and stretch our legs?” he asked quietly, calmly. Even after spending almost every waking moment with the guys, it still startled me to hear his voice. Shy to the point of being reclusive, I still hadn’t figured out why Matthew was in a rock band. Every moment in public seemed like torture for him. In fact, the only time he seemed comfortable was on stage. Tucked away by equipment in a corner, he played with his eyes shut, like the crowd didn’t exist.

Whatever his motivations, he was able to get Dex to hear him, too. The tension in his strong arms slowly eased until his hands left my skin. I nodded slightly and let go of him, turning to head back to my seat, still a little shaky.

As the two men passed me, I saw Dex pull a flask out of his pocket. I sighed, but didn’t say anything. It wasn’t my place or my business. And, to be honest, I couldn’t blame him for wanting a drink. I could’ve used one myself.

In the midst of all the drama, I’d almost forgotten why we were sitting there. Ryan, who’d left the bus at some point, climbed back up the stairs and motioned me over. I went, smoothing back my hair.

“Yes?”

“Bad news,” he said. “There’s a cracked…something on the bus. The driver says it needs to go to a garage for fixing.”

I frowned. “Okay. So, we need another bus as soon as possible, or maybe cars to take the guys on to Glasgow. The equipment can wait until the bus is fixed, right?”