His Number One Fan (4 page)

I stop in the doorway of the kitchen watching Nyla go through the refrigerator. The shirt she was wearing was currently exposing her right shoulder. She was reaching in the refrigerator, rummaging through whatever she was looking for.

She closes the refrigerator and turns around, and our eyes meet.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” She asks me.

“Yeah man why are you looking at her like that?”

I turn around and I see Evan smiling at me. He walks around me and takes a seat on one of the bar stools at the island counter.

“Good morning Nyla.” He says.

“Good morning Evan. Are you hungry?”

“Starving.” He responds.

Ignoring him and her question, I walk around the kitchen island, until I’m standing in front of her.

“What are you cooking? It smells good.”

“Well. While you still sleeping, I borrowed your car and went to the store to get what I needed to make your favorite. Strawberry pancakes. I hope they come out right.” She smiles up at me.

Grabbing her hand, I pull her closer to my body and into a hug. “You didn't have to do that. You're the best.” I say before kissing the top of her head.

“Are you hungry?” She asks me, then pulls away and walks over to the stove.

I walk around the island and I take a seat on the stool beside Evan.

“Actually I am.”

“Okay, everything will be ready soon.” She says.

She turns around and begins pouring pancake batter in the skillet. She reaches for the spatula and stands there for a moment, before flipping the pancake over.

“Don't you have somewhere to be?” I ask turning my attention to Evan.

“Chill dude. I just want some pancakes and I'll be out your way. Nyla is it alright if I have some of your pancakes?” He asks, totally insinuating something else.

“Of course Evan. There's plenty. Matter of fact there will be enough to refrigerate for later.”

“Well I can't wait to taste them.” Evan says enunciating the word taste a little too much.

“If you don't shut the fuck up.” I say low enough for Evan to hear.

“Okay man. I'm just playing.” He laughs. “So Nyla do you have a boyfriend?”

Shaking my head, I turn my attention to Nyla, because I was on the verge of knocking his ass off the stool.              

Turning around, she places a plate full of pancakes in front of me and Evan.

“No I'm single.”

“Really? Why is that?”

“I date, but I just haven't found someone special enough to share my time with.”

“Well maybe I'm special enough.” He responds.

“Evan.” I say his name in warning.

“Okay fine.” He says with a mouth full of pancakes. “The food is delicious by the way Nyla.” He says picking his plate up. “I'll be in the basement if you guys need me.”

He leaves and Nyla takes his seat beside me with a plate of her own pancakes.

“How are they?”

“Damn girl these are really good.” I respond with a mouth full.

“I'm glad you like them.”

“You did your thang.” I agreed.

We sit there eating in silence until both of our plates are empty.

“That was so good. I am so stuffed. You mind helping me load the dishwasher?” She asks me.

“Actually I have to get going. I've got to meet with Sierra. We have a couple of things to go over about tonight.”

She gathers our plates and takes them to the sink to rinse them off.

“Are we riding to the club together tonight?” She asks me.

“I've got to leave here a little early before everyone starts showing up. So I'll leave my keys here with you.”

“Okay, cool. I can't wait to hear you guys play tonight. Are you excited?”

“I'm not trying to sound cocky but this is nothing new to me.”

“Maybe that will change once you start

performing in front of larger crowds.”

“Maybe.”

“You'll see.”

“I'll see you later Nyla. Thanks for breakfast. It was really good.”

I walk around the counter and I kiss her on the forehead. Then I grab my keys and head out the door passing Mason on the way out.

Singing the lyrics to one of Wildfire's songs I had memorized from my plane ride yesterday, I place the last dish into the dishwasher.  Reaching under the sink I grab the detergent and I pour it into the dispenser and I close the door and press start. I grab the plate of uneaten pancakes and I turn around and almost drop them when I see Mason standing there looking at me with an amused look on his gorgeous face.

I place the plate down on the counter and I look up at Mason.

“How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough to hear that awesome finale to our song. You have a nice voice by the way.” He says with a smile on his face.

“Whatever. I thought I was the only one here.” I say while looking into his unusual light gray eyes.

“Nope. It looks like it's just you and me.” He says staring at my lips. Are these for me?” He asks now looking down at the plate of pancakes.

“Yeah if you want them. I was getting ready to put them in the refrigerator.”

“I'm starving.”

“Here let me heat them up for you.”

I grab the plate and I put it into the microwave.

“I hope you're not allergic to strawberries.”

“I'm not allergic to anything.”

“Good. Then I hope you enjoy the pancakes.”

“I'm sure I will.”

I turn around waiting on the microwave to stop. I could still feel his eyes on me. When the microwave chimes I put the warm plate of pancakes along with the syrup, and a fork in front of Mason.

He picks up the fork and dives in without putting syrup on them. He closes his eyes and moans. The sound alone sends a chill down my spine. He opens his eyes and continues chewing.

“These are really good Nyla. I'm not going to lie. Sharing a house full of men. You find days when you don't get a good home cooked meal. Where did you learn how to make these?”

“Caleb's mom. Those are his favorite.” I say pointing at his plate.

“Well they're now mine.” He says digging his fork in for more. “No syrup needed.” He says before stuffing his mouth again.

“I'm glad you like them.” I respond with my eyes trained on his mouth. “So what are your plans for today?”

“As soon as I'm done eating. I'm heading back to my shop to finish working on my sister's car.”

“Are you a mechanic?”

“Something like that. I work on cars from time to time to bring in some extra cash, when we're not performing at the club. My grandma doesn't work right now, but she gets a monthly disability check from the government that isn't enough to take care of half our bills, plus I had to find a way to pay for tuition fees that my sister's grants and student loans wouldn't cover. So when someone needs work done on their car, motorcycle, or whatever. They usually bring it to me.”

“Really? So where's your shop located?”

“It sits on my grandma's property behind her house. Maybe I'll show it to you some time.”

“I would like that.” I stand there looking at him longer then I should. “Well I have some more unpacking to do. Is there anything else I can get for you? Milk, water, or coffee?”

“No. But thank you.”

“You're welcome.”

I push away from the counter and I make my way to my room.

*  *  *

I pull Caleb's Camaro into the parking spot and turn the engine off. I was already running late, because I couldn't find the club.  After pulling over on the side of the road, I pulled out my phone and looked at the directions that Caleb sent to me earlier to find that I punched the address into the GPS wrong. With a deep sigh I get out of the car, and I close the door behind me.

Pulling at the hem of my blue bandage dress down a little, I quickly walk across the parking lot, careful not to twist my ankle in these high ass heels. I really wanted to look good tonight for Wildfire's last performance. So I ended up going to the mall and bought a new dress and heels that were now starting to hurt my feet.

Caleb told me to let the bouncer on duty know who I was when I got here, and they would let me in with no problem. Walking to the front of the club, I see a bouncer dressed in all black holding a clip board. There was a group of people standing in front of him, waiting for a chance to get inside the club.

“Hey excuse me.”

The bouncer looks up from his clip board and looks at me.

“You must be Nyla.” He says. “Caleb told me that you were on your way. He told me to tell you to go straight to the bar and ask for Sierra, and she'll take care of you.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem sweetheart.”

He opens the door for me, and I walk in.

The moment I step in the club, the sounds of an electric guitar, drums, and people screaming fill the room. My attention is immediately drawn to a strong sexy raspy voice echoing throughout the club. My eyes begin to search the room, looking for the owner of the voice, when they finally land on Mason. He's standing behind the microphone with his eyes closed, grasping it while letting the lyrics flow through his lips. Every emotion he was feeling came flowing.

Women were screaming his name, demanding his attention, while the men stood in awe wishing they could be him. I stood still not wanting to move, afraid that I would miss the message he was trying to get across in the lyrics. I'd never been a fan of rock music, but then again I really didn't have a favorite genre either. If it was good to me I listened to it, and Wildfire was good.

He stops singing and pulls away from the mic. He picks up an acoustic guitar sitting on its stand nearby and starts playing it with so much grace. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. Seeing him perform gave me an amazing feeling. I've always relied on video clips and audio snippets Caleb sent to me by text of Mason's musical talent, and now I'm able to experience it live.

Everything about Mason oozed sex appeal from his tousled black hair, all the way down to his exposed neck, arms and legs, that showed off his different tats, to the way he worked the crowd. Flirting with every male or female he came in contact with. He didn't discriminate.

He was now making his way back to the mic, and when he does, he closes his eyes briefly again and begins rocking back and forth, allowing the music to take over him. Before singing the next verse of the song, he opens his eyes and they lock with mine. From that single moment alone, I became his number one fan.

I stand there getting lost in his gray eyes. His eyes never once turned away from mine, while he continued to sing verse after verse. My eyes linger down to his lips and I watch the lyrics to their rendition of
The Crow & The Butterfly
slip through his lips as if the song was made for him. He took control of the song and made it his own.  My eyes linger back up his to find they were still on me.
Was he singing to me?
The club was packed, so it could be anyone around me that he was looking at. I chance a glance at my surroundings and see everyone's attention on the stage.
Yeah it could be anyone.
I think to myself. I turn my attention back to the stage and my eyes meet once again with Mason's. This time he has a sexy smirk on his face. He winks in my direction and before directing his attention to the other screaming fans around him.  Not wanting to leave my spot, I eventually tear my gaze away from him, and I make my way to the bar, taking a seat on the bar stool.

“What can I get for you beautiful?”

My attention falls on a pair of blue eyes belonging to a female that looked to be in her early thirties with shoulder length red hair.

“I'm looking for Sierra.” I shout over the music.

“You're talking to her.” She says leaning on the counter.

“I'm Nyla. Caleb’s friend. I was told to ask for you.”

Sierra stands there looking at me for a moment, sizing me up. She hops on the bar and swings her legs around and hops down and stands beside me.

“Let’s go Doll Face.”

Doll Face?

I follow behind Sierra, looking around her at the stage to find Mason working the crowd once again, now shirtless showing off his lean muscles and tatted skin. As we get closer, my eyes slowly travel down the length of his sweaty body, noticing the way his jeans clung to his narrow hips, showing off his V cut and well defined abs.

“Is this your first time hearing Wildfire perform live?” Sierra yells.

“Yes.” I shout back unable to tear my eyes away from Mason.

We continue to walk to the front stopping at a booth near the stage.

Sierra turns around and looks at me.

“Caleb wants you to sit right here. Can I get you something to drink?”

“Can I get a Cola?”

“Coming right up Doll Face.”

She turns around and walks back to the bar.

My attention goes back to the stage, and I catch Mason staring at me.  He hops off the stage and begins making his way through the crowd. Females were reaching out touching him and pulling on him, only to be pulled back by the bouncers standing close by. He's making his way in my direction when a female with long blonde hair steps out in front of him. She pulls his face to hers, pulling his attention away from me and kisses him. Eventually she pulls away and rubs her thumb against his lips to remove any lipstick she left behind. They stand there for a minute looking at each other until Mason looks up and his eyes lock with mine. The blonde turns around and looks at me. She turns back around and turns his face back to hers. She places another kiss to his lips, then turns around and begins grinding her ass against him. The club gets loud from the show being put on in front of them. Mason places his hands on her hips and starts matching her movements. She leans forward causing her skirt to ride up on her thighs, giving him better access to whatever was under her skirt. Was she wearing underwear? I'm sure he knew.

Sierra returns with my drink and places it on the table. “Here you go Doll Face. Can I get you anything else?”

I tear my gaze away from Mason and up to Sierra.

“No. Thanks Sierra.  Can you point me in the direction to the bathroom?”

“Sure they're right over there in the far corner.” She says pointing behind me.

“Thanks.”

I turn around, but before I can move any further a hand grabs a hold of mine. I turn around and I see Caleb standing there with a smile on his face.

The music starts to pick up and I look up and see Evan taking over the stage with Jax beating hard on his drums, while Jeremy played the hell out of his electric guitar.  Evan stands in the middle of the stage and removes his shirt. Throwing it into the crowd, then he starts singing
Lollipop
.

Caleb tugs on my hand, bringing my attention back to him.  He turns around and walks us closer to the stage. He pulls me closer to his body then he places my arms around his neck, and wraps his arms around my waist.

“You look really beautiful tonight.” He says in my ear.

“Thank you. This is a big night for you guys, and I wanted to look nice.”

“Well you look better than nice. You know you're wearing my favorite color right?” He says running his hand along my bare back, from where the dress dipped low in the back, exposing practically my whole back. “I wanted to apologize to you for this morning. I hope I didn't come off as being rude. I just had a lot to do today before tonight.”