Private Affair (The Private Series) (19 page)

Tony finally laughs and assures her that we can in fact talk about him just as long as he’s not in ears distance. I feel my phone buzz in my pocket and I let Tony and Jennifer talk.

“Hey babe,” I answer my phone.

I hear a sigh on the other end, “Hey yourself, how is my amazingly sexy fiancé doing? Everyone behaving?” Ben greets me on the other end and his words cause my knees to weaken.

I shuffle my feet as I look down at them, “Yes, and by everyone do you mean Tony? I told you, you have nothing to worry about.”

“I will always worry about losing you Tess.”

“I know and I appreciate your concern, but it’s not needed. Besides I am pretty sure I see Jennifer making a move. She already seems to be distracting him,” I giggle.

Ben chuckles, “That doesn’t surprise me, Jennifer has a bit of a reputation.”

“Ah, so is she the female you?” I laugh at my thought.

“I suppose you could say that,” his voice not as light this time.

I scrunch my eyebrows, “I didn’t mean it like that Ben, I didn’t…”

We sigh at the same moment, “I know Punky. So, how’s the stop tonight going so far?”

I smile at the thought of my first show on tour, “good, about to head to the floor as Tony goes on.” I look at my watch, shit! “Hey Ben I gotta get going or I am going to miss the opening.”

“Call me later, I love you.”

“I love you too Ben.”

I miss Ben already, but I am stoked about this experience that has been practically handed to me. I make my way to the side stage where I find Tony rocking from foot to foot, while holding an electric guitar. “You got this!” I assure him, or try to at least.

“It’s weird, you know?”

I shake my head, because I really don’t, “You do this all the time.”

“I played a few small shows, local shows. I have never opened for a popular band, where people are here to see them, not me. What if they fucking hate me and my songs?”

I step closer to him and I put a hand on his arm, he looks down at my simple touch and I see him relax slightly. He tilts his head to look at me, “Once they hear you, they are going to love you…” Okay, this is getting a little awkward. “I mean what girl won’t be knocking on the tour bus doors looking to lay Tony Towers?” I laugh.

His blue eyes have their sparkle back and I see a heated glance and he reminds me of when Loki is about to get into some trouble in the Marvel movies. I snap his picture capturing the mischievous Tony, he has so many sides and I can’t wait to see them all.

This is the first time in weeks that my bed is empty. I tried lying there, hell, I even decide to read to pass the time, until Tess calls me back tonight. Of course I don’t have any books of my own, so I grabbed one of the many that Tess has on the shelf in here. I picked one up called Forbidden Forever and started right away.

It’s now just after midnight and I am a chapter away from finishing Chance and Laney’s story. Fuck me, this shit is hot. Now not only do I feel the need to keep reading, but I have a stiff dick and no Tess. No fair.

I hope everything is alright, I mean I know shows run late, but still.

One a.m. and I am sitting at the kitchen counter, contemplating if I want to have a cup of coffee, it’s not as much fun without Tess… My phone chimes with a text message, when I eagerly pick it up to see a message from Nicole. What the fuck. I moan and rub my face, what the fuck does she want, I told her to not contact me ever again. This is really getting old and frankly pissing me off to no end.

I debate on opening the message at all. I click it. I am greeted with an image of Tess and Tony back stage with his arm around her. My first reaction is to hop a plane and find out why he is touching her, but then my reasoning kicks in. She considers him a friend. She even admitted one time that she has better friendships with guys in the past than women. They are probably just celebrating the first show. Now, why is Nicole stalking them enough to save and send me the photo?

I text her back:
Nock it the fuck off Nicole. Enough’s enough. Grow up.

I delete the message and the photo. I don’t need a reminder that she’s off for a month with another guy.

That’s it, I decide to call her.

“Hey you!” She answers.

“It’s after one, why didn’t you call me earlier?” Shit jumping on her probably isn’t going to go over well, but knowing that her and Tony are probably all over the internet, doesn’t help the nerves either.

“Sorry, the show didn’t get over until almost twelve-thirty and then there was a big party after that I am still at and photographing. It’s called work.”

Yeah, but this one I saw was taken on a phone and not a professional camera. I can feel my blood pumping and I know I need to calm the fuck down, before I mess something up. But I need to know, “But I see you had time to do a selfie with the punk.”

Shit.

“What?” She sounds caught off guard. “What picture?”

“I saw a photo of you and Towers. It looked like he was getting a little close.” I have to grit my teeth to prevent myself from spitting out what I really want to say.

“Oh, the photo he took of us at the end of the show? A goofy selfie? What did he post it on his page or something?” Her voice is calm and already writing off the situation.

“I don’t know if it’s on his page or not, but why did he have his arm around you?”

“Um, because we are friends.” Cut to the point. “Wait, if you didn’t see it on his page then where did you see it?”

Shit. God dammit. “Someone sent it to my phone.”

“Who?”

Fuck do I want to bring up that hag? It’s bad enough she sent me the picture and got me upset and now I am having an argument with Tess.

“Who, Ben?” She asks again in a fit.

I pinch the bridge of my nose and already regret bringing it up, but I may as well face it now. “Nicole. Nicole sent it to me.”

Now she is the quiet one. “Tess?”

“Yeah.” Clipped tone. Fuck.

I open my mouth to start to explain and before I can mutter out a single syllable, she is talking or snipping. “Why is she sending you messages? Or contacting you at all? Did she not get the mother fucking message to back the fuck off yet? What gives her the idea that we are going to end? Why does she insist on trying? Did you give her any false hope?”

“Fuck no! Why would I bloody do that? I have told her off countless times and you have witnessed that!” I have to defend this.

I hear noise in the background and Tess telling them that she would be right back, “Things are wrapping up here on my end. Give me twenty minutes and I will call you from my bunk.”

“Okay, bye baby.”

“Tess!” I hear Tony call out to me from across the room. I put my phone away after talking to Ben. I feel like shit that I didn’t realize how late it was, the first show and I am already a bad fiancé.

“Yeah?” I answer Tony, distracted with my own thoughts. He notices my bag over my shoulder.

“Leaving the party so soon?” He looks a little sad, but why? There are a flock of women around the area and I can see at least four checking him out and giving me dirty looks. I just roll my eyes, those are the same kind of girls that I have been dealing with my whole life and much of lately. Between Nicole and Jackie alone, I have had enough of girl drama.

“Yeah, I need to call Ben and start going through these photos. Fuller wants to be kept up to date, since I am new.”

He nods his head and puts his hands in his pockets. Cocking his head to the side he smiles, “Want me to walk you to the bus?”

“Nah, I’m good, but thanks,” I shoot my head in the direction of the boob twins eyeing his behind. “Looks like you can have your choice of fun here tonight.”

Tony looks in the direction I aimed at him and shyly smiles, he grabs the back of his neck, “Yeah, not my type.”

Shocked, “Really? I thought most rock stars tap any girl with a slammin’ body and who clearly doesn’t like to wear panties.”

“Well, I don’t.”

He doesn’t say anything else and I don’t know what to say to that, so I just smile and tell him, “Okay, I will see you later on the bus.”

Walking out of the small venue I am stopped by one of the girls checking out Tony, shamelessly, “Hey, are you hooking up with Tony Towers?”

I tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear, “Um, no I am the tour photographer and work with him.”

“So, do you know if he is available?” She takes sips from her red solo cup.

“Not that I am aware of,” I tell her and I walk past a smiling girl. A girl who is now on a mission I assume.

I am just about out the door when a guy I recognize from one of the other bands steps in front of me. He is totally trashed and I even notice that the button on his jeans is undone and his shirt is wrinkled above it. So gross. He attempts to put his arm around me and I can smell the booze on his breath, so strong I can smell it when he exhales from his nose. That’s bad.

“Hey babe, where are you running off to so early?” He tries to grab me again, but I dodge him.

Stepping away, “I am leaving and judging by how you look, you should consider heading out too.”

“Is that an invitation?” He licks his fingers and starts to trail down his torso.

“Disgusting! Hell no.” I gust out at the sleaze and I make a dash for the bus. This is one thing I will be leaving out in my talk with Ben tonight. If he knew that these guess were coming on to me, he would make it so I would have to come home.

I step onto the bus, plop my gear down and change into my sweats before anyone else get on the bus. Roger told us he’d be back at two a.m. to get us back on the road, so that gives me a half an hour to have a private call with Ben.

I slip into my bunk and call my sexy Brit.

“There you are,” He answers.

“Sorry it took so long, I had to get through the place and get the third degree on Tony’s relationship status.”

“Figures, he would be hooking up with groupies.”

I feel a little sad that not only did I assume the same thing that Ben had just said, but that everyone else assumes the same. “Yeah, who knows? I am not here for the sexual drama. I am here to do my job and gain a new experience. Then home to you to start our life together.”