Out of Control (Losing Control Series Book 2) (4 page)

Chapter 6

When I went into the motorhome I didn’t see anyone right away, but then Vince walked out of the back room that Jo and Brittany shared.

“Oh, hey,” I said, looking around for Jo.

“Hellooo, Gia,” he said in a way that made me feel uncomfortable. “Don’t you look all hot and bothered this morning?” He was looking me up and down like a dog in heat.

“Where’s Jo?” I asked, trying to hide the nervousness in my voice.

“She’s sleeping. Why? Are you scared to be alone with me?” He laughed.

“No, should I be?” My heart was beating fast. In my head I was going through all the things I’d heard about self-defense and protecting yourself from someone much bigger than you.

He laughed again. “No, I’m very gentle, like a gentle giant.” He stepped forward so he was as close as he could be without actually touching me.

“I think you should go now,” I said. As I turned to open the door, he grabbed my arm.

“I know you spent the night with Ethan last night, but that’s okay. He and I have shared women before. I certainly don’t mind his sloppy seconds.” Then he grabbed my ass! “No panties? Fuck, that’s hot!”

“If you touch me again, you’ll be sorry!” I said. Now I was pissed.
Who the hell did he think he was?

He could tell I wasn’t into his freaky shit so he stopped smiling. “Gia, I’m sorry. I was getting a vibe from you last night when Ethan introduced us. Most of the women who come up here for the weekend that act and dress like you do are usually up for a good time. No harm done, but you shouldn’t put out those kinds of signals if you don’t want to play.” He was stern, like he was scolding me. He started putting his shoes on.

“I—I’m sorry,” I said.
What?
It just came out. Vince made me feel guilty like I did something to provoke this.
Did I?
I tried to think back to when I met him.

“Don’t worry. I won’t say anything to Ethan.” He left.

What the fuck just happened?!

I remembered Vince giving me a weird feeling when I met him.
Did I flirt with him or look at him suggestively while I was dancing or something?
No, I was completely into Ethan all night, so Vince had to have mistakenly assumed something. What did he mean by ‘He and I have shared women before’? Do they hook up with different women every week-end and pass them around like candy?

All of a sudden I felt betrayed.
Was I just another notch on Ethan’s bedpost? Did he seduce women like me all the time, making them think they were really special? No, he told me about the first time he saw me and I remembered that day. He told me about some of the other times he’d seen me, they were real. He gave me what I wanted this weekend—he gained my trust and I gave him a part of me which was very personal and private.

I sat down and tried to remember everything. I tried to make sense of it all. I decided I needed to tell Ethan. He needed to know what Vince said and did to me. It didn’t matter what Ethan’s intentions with me were. He should know how his employees treat people.

“Hey, Gia! How was your night?” Jo came out of the back room. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. How was your night?” I didn’t know if I should tell her the guy she’d just spent the night with was a fucking asshole.

“It was fantastic!” She plopped down next to me. “Vince was a lot of fun, and Gia, he gave me an orgasm! That doesn’t happen very often. I feel like a new woman!” She was really thrilled. There was no way I was going to take that away from her. There was no point in telling her, unless…

“Are you going to see him again?” I asked, praying she would say no.

“I doubt it,” she shrugged. “It was just a fun night with an orgasmic ending. I don’t have the time for a long distance relationship, plus Vince isn’t really the kind of guy I’d pick for a serious boyfriend.”

Thank goodness!

“Gia, I hate to brag, but I think I rocked his world with some of my moves last night, too.” She was smiling.
Yeah, I definitely won’t be telling her about my run in with Vince.
I had to let her have her happy ending.

“I’ll bet you did,” I told her. “He was going out when I came in and he looked pretty happy.” It was a lie, but he did laugh a few times.

We heard voices outside, the door swung open and Brittany stumbled in. She was laughing and practically fell down on the couch between Jo and me.

“You’re still drunk!” Jo said, laughing.

“Yeah, I’m drunk. Marcus and I have been up all night. He’s a riot!” Brittany said. “I’m gonna have to pass on the concerts today. I need to sleep. Have fun!” And with that she made her way back to her and Jo’s room.

“So, tell me about Ethan!” Jo said excitedly.

“He’s really something,” I told her. “I got exactly what I wanted this weekend and more.” I smiled as I thought of our sexual encounters.

“Wow! From the look on your face I’m not the only one who had the big O. That’s awesome, Gia! I know how much you needed to live a little.” She gave me a hug. She knew more than anyone what I’d gone through with Lex. Since she lived next door, she was around every day. I told Dana everything, but Jo actually witnessed a lot of it and she could almost feel my pain because she was so close.

“Is Ethan meeting us today?” she asked.

“Yes. He had a meeting this morning. Hey, Trey was going to that meeting, too. Any word from Dana?”

We both grabbed our phones. Neither of us had any messages, so I texted her.

R u still alive?

Jo got up and put some coffee on.
Good, Ethan may be a master at a lot of things, but making coffee isn’t one of them.
I smiled just thinking about him. But then Vince’s stupid comments clouded me. I didn’t know what to believe. My phone beeped.

And kickin’!
Dana texted back.

My phone rang, it was Dana. “Alive
and
kickin’, that’s pretty good,” I said.

“I know, right?” she said and she sounded quite pleased. “Trey went to a meeting. I wanted to stay in bed so he said he’d be back in an hour. I think I’ll just shower here and meet you at the concert. How’d your night go?”

“It was really great. We’ll have a lot to talk about later. Text me when you head over and we’ll meet you.”

“Okay. Is Ethan coming?” She sounded hopeful.

“Yes, and Jo, but Brittany just came in. She and Marcus stayed up partying all night so she said she was skipping the concerts and went to bed.”

She started laughing. “That doesn’t surprise me. Good for her! She found someone who could keep up with her for one night! I’ll talk to you soon, sweetie!” We hung up.

I told Jo the plan and she asked if I wanted Bailey’s in my coffee.

“Sure, why not?” I said. “I think I’ll sit outside and drink it while you shower, but I’m gonna walk over to the c-store and get some cigarettes first.”

“Okay, see ya in a bit.” She took her coffee into the bathroom.

I put some shorts on and headed to the c-store. It was only a half a block from our spot, which was handy. When I got there I decided I’d buy a tank top to wear today. Ethan would like it. It said “I” and then it had one of those little red hearts, “to Rock at The Lock.” Now that I knew the owner, it seemed only natural for me to buy one.

While I was on my way to the cashier, I noticed an article on the wall with Ethan’s picture on it. I walked over to it.

“Ethan Lockwood, owner and operator of Wood Campground and The Lock proves that hard work and determination pays off as he reveals his summer line-up. Concerts include some of the most popular must-see bands and sell-out crowds are expected.” I kept reading, it told how Ethan’s grandpa started Wood Campground and this little c-store thirty-some years ago and how Ethan bought it back and turned it into what it was today. It also talked about the hard times and how no one thought it would ever make money, but Ethan was expected to make a hefty profit this year.
Good for him.
I felt really proud of him. Then I read something that Ethan said in an interview, “I owe a lot of gratitude to my entertainment manager, Vince Delgotti. Without him we wouldn’t have been able to book some of these big names. He knows the in’s and out’s of that aspect of the business better than anyone I know.”

I slowly walked up to the cashier and paid for my tank top, Marlboros, and gum, then headed back to the motorhome in a daze.

I went in and put an extra shot in my coffee and then found a place in the sun to sit and think. I lit a cigarette and leaned my head back to feel the heat on my face. I thought about the facts and came to a couple of obvious conclusions.

First, I came up here on a mission. I had a total blast, the best sex I’d ever had, and learned some things about myself. Mission accomplished plus some.

Second, I met a great guy. He gave me what I wanted and I gave him what he wanted and it was perfect. Bonus.

This, all around me, was Ethan’s life. He lived it every day and had for almost twenty years.
Who was I to come up here and take all that he had so willingly given to me and then disrupt his flow by telling him that his friend made a pass at me? Really, that would be ridiculous!

I felt better. I was going to head in and shower, forget about Vince, and enjoy the rest of the weekend with my friends, old and new.

As I was about to go in the camper, Ethan pulled up. “Hi, beautiful.”

I walked over to the truck. “Hi, yourself.”

“I just finished at the meeting and went to call you to make a plan and realized that we still hadn’t exchanged numbers.” He held up his phone.

I took it from him and handed him mine. I put my number in under “Hotness” just because I liked it when he’d called me that a few times.

“I haven’t showered yet, either, so maybe like an hour or so?” I asked him.

“I have to wait a whole hour to see you again?” He was smiling.

I didn’t want to wait an hour to see him, either. “Yes, or maybe forty-five minutes.” I smiled back.

“I’ll be back to get you. Have you eaten?” He asked.

I shook my head no and held up my coffee cup.

“I’d like to have lunch with you when I come get you. Do you mind if we miss the first half hour or so of the opening concert?”
He was so considerate. There was no way that he knew what Vince was really like.

“I love how you always think of my needs and consider my feelings, thank you. And yes, that would be really nice.” I had to say it. I knew I’d regret not telling him how great he was when I was all alone back in the city.

“I love how you notice when I do those things. You’re welcome, Gia. You need to get used to someone treating you the way you deserve to be treated and then
expect
it, don’t settle for anything less. I’ll see you in…” he looked at his watch, “forty-two minutes.” He winked at me and drove off.

I
better hurry.
I had a date with an amazing guy and nothing was going to take away from what could be the last hours I had with him. I needed to make the most of it and I knew that it could be really, really fantastic.

It felt so good to be in the shower.
I could almost feel Ethan’s fingers on my skin.
Who would’ve known someone could make me feel that way?
Not me. I would’ve never believed it if I hadn’t experienced it firsthand. He was one-of-a-kind and I wasn’t going to let anything stop me from making sure he knew that before I left today. Not even Vince. I put that completely out of my mind.

I was going for a different look today. I put my makeup on but with a fresher, more natural look than I had the last two days. I blow-dried my hair and then pulled it back into a neat, sexy pony-tail, making sure to leave a couple wisps around my face and down my back. I decided to wear my new jean shorts and the tank top I bought this morning. I was also taking Ethan’s advice and dressing in comfortable shoes today, so I grabbed my flip-flops.

“Wow, you look hot,” Jo said as I came out of the little bathroom.

“Thanks, so do you!” I told her and she did. She was wearing shorts and a tank also. But her hair and makeup were rocked out more than mine. She looked different, but in a good way.
Must’ve been the orgasm.

“How about a drink? We’ve got ten minutes before Ethan gets here,” she said.

“Sounds good, I think I’ll just have wine.” I took out some glasses. “How about you?”

“Wine sounds great,” she said. I poured two glasses.

“To one hell of a weekend,” Jo said and we clinked glasses.

“Amen, sista,” I added.

We grabbed what we wanted to take with us and checked on Brittany, then we went outside to drink our wine and wait for Ethan.

I lit a cigarette and called Dana. We made a plan to meet at the gate shortly. I told her Ethan and I were going to have lunch but we’d meet them first. I didn’t want Jo to feel like a third wheel. Plus, she was excited about the opening band and I knew she wouldn’t want to miss any of it.