Groupie/Rock Star Bundle (29 page)

My bigger problem was Tawnie, who claimed she
had already slept with him in San Francisco. I didn’t know if I
believed her yet, she still seemed a bit of a climber who was using
other members of the band to get close to Vanni. Sleeping her way
to the top, as it were. I got the impression that she wanted to
sleep with anyone famous, she wasn’t just after my Giovanni.
Personally I’d rather she stick to other members of the band. I
wanted Giovanni all to myself.

I knew all that other stuff he did, especially
with the skanky dancers onstage, was all for show. It was me he
wanted. I could read it in his mind.

We had a connection from the second
time we met in Las Vegas, when he saw how upset I was during the
meet and greet. He took me aside and let me cry on his shoulder
about my husband’s indiscretions, and then invited me for dinner
after the M&G was over, just us. I told him how I found out Ben
was now traveling with his assistant, and how he had decided we
needed to hold off until we had any babies – which was what I
wanted most in the world.

He gently covered my hand and said that a
father should want its child, and if my husband couldn’t provide
that for me then I was better off waiting for someone who
could.

He didn’t need to say any more. I
knew then he had decided I should be the mother of his children. I
went home and bought tickets to almost every show after that with a
credit card Ben didn’t even know I had acquired. He didn’t believe
in buying on credit, and as such we had an immaculate credit
rating. It gave me a platinum card the minute I applied.

Sure I had to pick up odd jobs here
and there, but it gave me the freedom not just to pay for my DIB
trips but excuses to take them. There were training courses, I told
Ben, to learn how to sell makeup and jewelry both in person and
online.

So far I had gone undetected, and I got the
distinct impression Ben was glad to be rid of me. He probably had
that whore of an assistant in bed with him the minute I
left.

Fine by me. I was ready to replace
him once and for all. As long as he didn’t stand in my way I would
continue to play nice.

Tawnie was thrilled when I invited her to New
York. I really didn’t want to spend any time at all in her company
but I thought it would be a good way to put her in her place. To
teach her that Vanni wanted me and not her. If I had to break her
heart, so be it. I was tired of her lies that they had a quickie
backstage after his concert.

My Giovanni didn’t do quickies. And he didn’t
sleep around. He was saving himself for me; I just had to find a
way to get rid of my husband so we could be together.

From the time she got off her plane
she was chattering incessantly about how she wanted to get him
alone this trip and spend some real quality time together. I knew I
could not let that happen, especially after I found him flirting
with her on one of his social networking sites. I knew it was all
part of his image but it really wasn’t fair to her to allow her
delusions to continue.

We would have to talk about that sometime
during this trip.

But there were other things to consider – like
that strange woman who hung out with the bassist’s girlfriend at
the first M&G in NYC. Such a weird little fat cow that looked
at my Giovanni like she could eat him whole.

And she probably wanted to.

But there was nothing even remotely attractive
about her, and my Giovanni would never want to sleep with the likes
of her. Especially when he could have me.

She must have felt threatened because she
showed up the next night with weird purple colored hair. She looked
like a fat hooker vampire. It was really quite pathetic. I almost
went over to rescue Giovanni from her but he had enough sense to
leave fairly quickly after he acknowledged her.

She never came back after that.

The next night Tawnie tried to get
him alone after she heard him tell that ugly little dancer girl
there was an unused room upstairs when they thought no one was
listening. At least that was what she told me happened. I think she
was just trying to find any reason at all he’d refuse going up to
her room. I couldn’t see my Giovanni sleeping with that white trash
that was so painted up she looked wall of human
graffiti.

She looked like a tiny witch, she
probably bewitched him. That was the only way I could explain the
quick but passionate kiss I caught them sharing when I waited for
him to leave the building that night. That kiss should have been
mine but that tramp stole it.

I guessed I’ll have to take care of
her too.

I staked my claim that following
night when he had us girls get up on the stage and dance with him.
She wasn’t the only one who had moves. The only difference is the
pole I wanted to work was Giovanni’s, not some stripper pole I bet
she had tons of experience riding.

Afterwards, at the M&G, when I
could have him mostly to myself, I let him know that I was going to
take care of it. I didn’t say it in so many words, but he didn’t
need to hear them spoken out loud anyway. He patted me on the back
and kissed my cheek. I accidentally-on-purpose brushed my hand
against his crotch as I pulled away and let him know – not in so
many words – that it would be worth the wait.

He couldn’t respond then, but I didn’t expect
him to.

He knew our time would come.

At the moment I had more pressing matters.
Tawnie had abandoned me that last night so she could leave with
some of the members of the band – Giovanni included. She didn’t
come back to the room all night long, and when she did I knew that
she had crossed our line of friendship. I knew this because for the
first time ever she would not take me into her confidence to brag
about what she had done with “our” man.

She had made the mistake of making an enemy out
of me, but a worse mistake trying to claim what was rightfully
mine.

I hope she enjoyed her night with
Giovanni.

Because it would be her last.

Los Angeles, June 2009

~Andy~

I had no idea what to expect when
the plane landed in sunny Southern California that Friday in June.
It was true that Alana had kept me up to speed on how things had
changed almost overnight for the band after my drunken confession
to an undercover reporter, but I hadn’t talked to Vanni at all
since that day he left my hotel room.

So while I knew the band, especially
Iain and Felix, were beside themselves with joy that they were
finally out from under the Carrington contract, I had no idea how
Vanni felt about it – or about me – and I was too afraid to
ask.

The minute Athena got wind of
Jasper’s indiscretion she pounced all over his weaknesses like a
shark that smelled blood in the water. He could have his freedom,
his lover and lovechild, but he had to release her from her
contract to keep most of his money. Not only that but she made sure
she negotiated DIB’s release from their contract, because she knew
they would pay for the betrayal.

Both Athena and DIB went westward to
Graham Baxter’s record label in Los Angeles. Going to his biggest
competitor was her final way of snubbing her ex, especially in the
industry.

But from what I heard from Jacob,
who was mercifully still speaking to me, Jasper found it worthwhile
to no longer have the albatross around his neck. He moved Lourdes
and their new son back to New York City, and quickly became the
toast of the town thanks once more to Iris’s public relations
magic.

And, of course, Jasper’s willingness
to throw tons of money at the problem until it went away didn’t
hurt. They threw parties, organized fundraisers (for children’s
charities no less) and supported local politicians to the point
that by June, most people had forgotten the scandal.

In fact, it seemed like everything
was happening as it should be happening. After Alana and Iain had
made the news of their impending parenthood public knowledge, they
received tons of gifts from well-wishers. Alana moved to the west
coast branch of her PR firm and they already had a house close to
the beach in a funky, quirky neighborhood.

Now that they had some free time, Felix was
able to go back to surfing. Even Yael was getting some sun and had
lost his undead guitarist look.

Graham had kept the boys more balanced, which
made everyone in the band happier.

It also gave them time for a personal life,
which for Vanni meant moving in with Kat in Hollywood.

That, Alana said, was still kept
under wraps, although they showed up at major Hollywood events
together. His status, on the record, was still single. Even Graham
knew that he had to keep his biggest rock star available for all
the female fans who loved him.

It didn’t mean anyone would be able to get
close to him though, especially some of us who still really did
love him.

It was that itty bitty fact that made me think
twice when Alana invited me to their June wedding on the beach. She
wanted me to stand up with her and share her special day because we
had become fast friends since the whole hullaballoo back in New
York. Unlike Vanni, who took it as a betrayal, I had unknowingly
facilitated her happy ending where she, Iain and their baby could
actually be a family. DIB was no longer the anchor keeping Jasper
afloat with a heavy workload and uncertain future.

Graham had been the total opposite of Jasper,
allowing the guys to make up their own mind about marketing, music
and touring. They knew what worked by now, and they knew what they
were willing to give up to make things happen.

So when the guys put off a tour
until the next year, to take time to get their first album under
the new label just right, Graham was supportive. There were other
things they could do to keep the brand fresh in the minds of their
fans.

In truth I was kind of nervous about seeing
Graham again too. Now that I knew Vanni was off limits, there was
really nothing to stop me from pursuing a relationship with someone
else. Not only had Graham expressed interest but he had certainly
been one of the very few (if not the only one) who had ever piqued
my interest in the past few years.

He was a good man, and I was painfully aware
those kinds of guys were in short supply.

All these players, including Kat, would be at
this shindig. And I was literally a bundle of nerves because of
it.

Both Iain and Alana picked me up
from the airport, and they looked tan and happy. She was already
putting on some baby weight, which filled out her sharpened
features and made her lovelier than I remember her ever being. I
got big hugs, including one from Iain that nearly lifted me up off
the floor. He couldn’t express how grateful he was to me, but he
did try.

Had it not been for me spilling the beans, he
didn’t even know if he would have stayed with the band. He had
other priorities now. But thanks to me he could still make his
music and have his family.

I received similar sentiments from
Yael and Felix, both of whom were tired of New York and ready for a
change, both geographically and artistically.

Vanni remained the biggest variable,
but I was too afraid to ask anyone.

By then everyone knew about our not-so-secret
affair. I think the boys were more sympathetic than anything, as
they knew just how much of a dog Vanni could be on the road. Since
they already liked me beforehand, I think some, especially Yael,
resented Vanni for playing around with my emotions when he had
other options if he truly only wanted to get laid.

But, as per usual, nothing was ever said,
although I did hear from Alana that some of the other boys were
trying their hands at lyrics and the new song, “Let Her Go if You
Can’t Treat Her Right” might have significant meaning.

Though Alana and Iain had insisted I stay with
them for the trip I opted instead for a hotel suite. I hadn’t
traveled since that horrible trip in New York, and while I was in
Los Angeles mostly for fun I felt the pressing need to do a travel
piece to make up for all the work I’d been missing.

This was especially true given
Jasper had listed me persona non grata for his entertainment
magazines, and couldn’t care less about what was going on with
DIB.

When I would fit everything into my schedule
remained to be seen. I had overbooked myself to the point of
lunacy, probably unconsciously so to keep from having free time to
pine about Vanni.

The closer it came to the first event I’d have
to see him the more nervous I got. I tried my best to smooth my
shoulder-length hair, which was now more a normal shade of dark
brown with no special colors. I was done with the rocker girl look,
and just wanted to be Andy again… if I even remembered anymore who
that was.

I went back to my five outfits, with
a couple of semi-formal dresses included in my suitcase (checked by
necessity) for the wedding events. I went back to my clunky glasses
and comfortable shoes.

I had rewound everything but my heart, which
still had Vanni’s name branded all over it. I wasn’t really sure
how to make that go back to normal. Maybe seeing him with Kat out
in the open might do the trick.