The Loneliest Tour (14 page)

“
Frankie
’
s a good guy,
”
Jett said.
“
He put up with a lot of shit
from us. His wife passed away a few years ago. Something with her liver. Really
sad. They were actually thinking about selling the place and retiring together.
Now he
’
s going to do this
until he dies. His tribute to her.
”

“
That
’
s heartbreaking.
”

“
That
’
s why you don
’
t fuck around in life I guess,
”
Jett said boldly.
“
You see something and you take
it.
”

“
Is
this like a lecture of how I shouldn
’
t
be on tour with Crutch Fail?
”

Jett laughed.
“
No. If you left the tour, I
wouldn
’
t have the chance to
see you. But, I will say this. Don
’
t
take hell from them at all. Do what your heart is telling you.
”

“
Jett,
if I did that, I
’
d be in
New York City. That was the plan. The dream. And it just didn
’
t happen.
”

“
Why?
”

“
That
’
s a long story.
”

“
I
’
ve got time.
”

Masie shook her head.
“
Not right now. I hate talking
about that stuff.
”

“
Okay.
Well, you know tons about me.
”

“
I
’
m a dancer,
”
Masie said.
“
I
’
ve
done it since I was kid. I used to live an hour south of here. Little town
called Cressmen.
”

“
I
’
ve heard of it.
”

“
Typical
town,
”
she said.
“
I grabbed a job on a whim at a
dance studio. For kids.
”

“
Wait,
”
Jett said.
“
You teach dance to kids?
”

“
Yeah.
Not a glamorous thing, I know.
”

“
But
it
’
s something.
”

“
So
is dancing for Crutch Fail.
”

“
Because
you want to meet Portis.
”

“
Exactly.
”

“
None
of the guys introduced you yet?
”

“
No,
”
Masie said.
“
And I
’
m not playing games.
”

“
What
do you mean?
”

“
You
know exactly what I mean.
Scratch my back and I
’
ll scratch yours
…
”

Jett raised an eyebrow.
“
Please tell me Colin said that
to you.
”

“
Yes
he did.
”

“
What
an idiot.
”

“
Agreed.
”

Jett growled.
“
Well, if you want to meet
Portis, I
’
ll let you meet
him. But I can tell you this. He
’
s
a jackass.
”

“
I
’
m sure he is. But he knows
people. Other artists. Managers. Touring companies.
”

“
Is
that what you want, Masie?
”
Jett asked.
“
I mean, to be
on a tour with a band or musical act?
”

“
Are
you going to judge me for it?
”

Jett reached across the table for
her hand.
“
Of course not. I
’
m asking because I want to know
what would make you happy.
”

“
When
I figure it out, I
’
ll let
you know.
”

“
Deal.
”

Frankie was at the table with a
pizza pie and a pitcher of beer.

“
Beer
okay?
”
Jett asked.

“
Perfect.
”

“
You
’
re really turning me on with
this,
”
Jett blurted out.

“
Oh?
”
Masie asked, her cheeks
flushing.

“
You
like to drink a cold beer and eat a hot pizza.
”

“
Who
wouldn
’
t?
”

“
I
don
’
t know
…
a dancer or woman worried about
her figure.
”

“
Please,
”
Masie said.
“
I
’
ve
made my peace there.
”

“
What
does that mean?
”

“
Look
at me.
”

“
Trust
me, I
’
ve been.
”
Jett grinned.

Masie gasped.
“
Oh, yeah. What I mean is
…
I
’
m
not naturally skinny. I can
’
t
control it. I
’
ve hated
myself for it. I
’
ve
probably been skipped over for jobs because of it. But I can
’
t do anything about it.
”

Jett leaned over the table and
purposely looked at Masie
’
s
body.
“
Nah, nothing wrong
to me.
”

He then watched her try to wrestle
away a smile.

They ate and left the pizza joint.
On the way out, Jett hugged Frankie, thanking him for the help to shut the
place down.

Outside, the night was cool. Jett
saw Masie shiver. He quickly put an arm around her, pulling her close. They
stutter stepped a little, walking toward the pier. Masie was comforting for
some reason.

They got the beginning of the pier
and Jett stopped and turned Masie, putting her against a light pole. The light
shined down right on them. He stood in front of her, touching her face.

“
Where
’
s the demon?
”
he whispered.

“
What?
”

“
Inside.
Where is it? What is it?
”

“
What
are you talking about?
”

“
There
’
s something in there. It
’
s keeping you guarded. It
’
s keeping you driving me crazy,
sweetheart. I want to know. No matter what. I
’
ll
never judge you for it.
”

“
Oh,
Jett
…”
Masie put her hands
to his chest. She bit her bottom lip.
“
It
’
s not that easy.
”

“
Yes
it is. It
’
s just words.
Coming from your mouth.
”

“
We
have to tour together.
”

“
Different
bands.
”

“
Still.
What am I supposed to do? Open up to you and trust you? And then watch you on
the road? Doing your thing.
”

“
What
exactly is
my thing
?
”

“
The
rockstar thing. Women. Excess.
”

“
Pills?
”

“
I
didn
’
t say that.
”

Jett gritted his teeth.
“
You want to know something?
”

“
Sure.
”

“
There
was a woman in my bed in the hotel when I woke up today. You know what? She
wanted me and I didn
’
t want
her. Even though I got a little too drunk
…
I didn
’
t want her. I didn
’
t touch her. I didn
’
t try anything. That
’
s your fault.
”

“
Thanks
for the blame. You don
’
t
have to be like that because of me. You do whatever you want.
”

Masie turned and Jett pressed
himself harder to her body, keeping her in place.
“
I
’
m
looking at exactly what I want, Masie.
”

Masie let out a deep sigh.

Jett inched down and his lips
flirted with hers.

That
’
s
when Jett
’
s cell started to
ring. A few seconds later, Masie
’
s
started to ring.

Of course, it had to be Portis
calling. And, of course, for Masie, it had to be something to do with Crutch
Fail.

The night, the date, it was over
now.

No.

Jett stopped Masie at the car
before they got back inside.

“
Raincheck
on this,
”
he whispered.
“
We
’
re
going to walk that pier together. I
’
m
not going to stop coming after you.
”

“
That
’
s kind of bold to say. Maybe a
little creepy.
”

“
It
would only be creepy if you didn
’
t
want it.
”

Masie
’
s
mouth fell open.

Jett leaned in and kissed her
cheek.

Next time, sweetheart. You won
’
t get away next time.

A new record company. A new album.
An arrest. Public humiliation. A pending tour. All of which Jett could barely
juggle. The last thing he needed right now was feelings for a woman.

Too late.

(9)

Portis sat with his hands folded in
a leather chair, gently rocking. The sound engineer had his hands flying around
the board, obviously nervous as hell by the presence of Portis. Through the
speakers blasted the new Willow Son song in its amazing glory and true rock n
’
roll grit sound. No sound
effects needed. No additional song writers to perfect the lyrics. And
definitely no need to layer the sound of the band over and over to make it
sound tighter.

This was real, raw music. Like the
way it was meant to be written, recorded, and experienced. That was one thing
Willow Son took pride in. The fans who heard the songs on the radio would heard
the same song live. And it would sound the damn same unless the band changed it
up on purpose.

Willow Son sat on a long leather
couch at the back of the room. Harry stood, pacing back and forth like a caged
animal.

This was yet another part of Portis
that pissed Jett off. How he flaunted his power, making sure everyone was
uncomfortable. Jett wasn
’
t
uncomfortable. Just pissed off. Pissed off that Portis called an emergency
meeting late last night to talk about new material and the tour dates. Granted,
the meeting was needed and was very exciting, but not quite as exciting as Jett
holding Masie against the light post at the dock, kissing her.

He never wanted to know about a
woman like this before. Masie was crazy beautiful, but something dark rested
inside her. And maybe that would have scared other men, but it drove Jett wild.
He had his own darkness, so he understood it.

The Willow Son song faded out on
the speakers.

Portis slowly turned in his chair,
his hands still folded. Slowly, he looked at each band member. Jett rolled his
eyes and sighed. Colby whacked his knee to get him to stop.

But Jett was done with the damn
day.

After the long night, Willow Son
had to be at a radio station by noon. They announced the tour - officially -
with dates and a quick promo for Crutch Fail. That alone made Jett want to pull
his own hair out. Then they had to meet with Harry about travel plans, get to
the studio for a wrap up on the new song, and then wait for Portis.

An entire day of being busy as hell
but all Jett wanted was to get to Masie.

Portis finally stood up.

Jett stood up.

“
Jett,
”
Portis said.
“
You have somewhere else to be?
”

“
I
kind of do, actually.
”

“
Jett,
”
Colby growled as he stood.
“
Damn, man.
”

“
No,
”
Jett said.
“
Just give it straight, Portis.
We
’
re not a puppet band
like Crutch Fail. You heard the song. You know it
’
s
good. Just say it
’
s good
and what your plan is.
”

Portis smiled and nodded.
“
I like you, Jett. I like all of
you.
”
He pointed to the
soundboard.
“
That song
…
that song gives me hope. For
the band, the tour. For music itself. Mostly, for my bottom line.
”

“
We
’
re good then?
”
Harry asked.

“
Beyond
good,
”
Portis said.
“
I already knew it was going to
be a hit so I did this for you guys
…”

Portis reached into his suit and
pulled out what looked like a CD case.

“
What
’
s that?
”
Van asked.

“
Promo,
”
Portis said. He tossed the disc
to Jett.
“
It
’
s going to contain the new song.
We
’
re going to hand them
out at every Willow Son show. The cover is you guys without shirts on. Since
Jett started a trend.
”

“
Christ,
”
Jett groaned.

“
I
like it,
”
Brantley said.

“
So,
that
’
s why we had to have a
little meeting late last night,
”
Portis said.
“
Sorry if I
fucked up anyone
’
s plans.
But now that we have the tour, the dates, and the song, I can get these into a
production run. Oh, and before I go, be ready to sign about ten thousand of
these.
”

“
Are
you serious?
”
Jett asked.

“
Wait
a second,
”
Harry said.
“
I thought we talked
…”

Portis grinned.
“
Have a little faith in me, guys.
The ten thousand will be all sold exclusively online at a higher price and all
proceeds will go to the children
’
s
hospital.
”

“
Good,
”
Harry said.

“
You
set that up?
”
Jett asked
Harry.

“
Good
PR,
”
Harry said.
“
And because you guys always do
something extra like that.
”

“
Now
you just have to get ready for the tour,
”
Portis said.
“
Keep writing
though. I want to see some new stuff on the road. The more you record is the
more we can leak out and build buzz.
”

Portis then took out his phone and
stuck it against his ear. He smiled and left the room, like a force of nature.
He shut the door and the sound engineer let out a sigh.

“
That
guy kills me.
”

“
Yeah,
”
Jett said.
“
Why don
’
t you go get a coffee, man.
”

“
How
about a beer?
”
the sound
engineer said.

“
Even
better,
”
Ryker said.
“
Bring back some for us.
”

When it was just the band and
Harry, the tension melted away.

“
Portis
is smart,
”
Harry said.
“
We just have to deal with him.
”

“
I
don
’
t have time for this,
”
Jett said.
“
I have to go.
”

“
Where
are you going?
”
Van asked.

“
Out.
”

“
Where?
”
Colby asked.

Jett stood at the door, looking
back.
“
Are you asking to be
nosey, or because you think I
’
m
going to cause trouble?
”

“
Both,
”
Ryker said without care.

“
Fuck
you all then.
”

“
Jett,
”
Colby said.
“
Damn.
”

“
Look,
I
’
m meeting someone.
”

“
Oh,
I get it,
”
Brantley said.
He
’
s got eyes for that
dancer. For Crutch Fail.
”

“
Wow.
A second date,
”
Harry said.
“
That
’
s a record.
”

Jett waved a had.
“
Not a second date. Finishing the
first one. Portis screwed me over.
”

Colby shook his head.
“
Be careful, man. She
’
s going to be on tour. That
’
s kind of close to the fire.
”

“
I
don
’
t mind getting a little
burned,
”
Jett said and left
the studio.

He grinned.

I don
’
t mind ge
tt
ing
set on fire at all. As long as it
’
s
Masie who does it.

**

Masie finished the last song and
stood in place, her head back, right arm up. One of the girls was supposed to
come up behind her, back to back. That
’
s
how it was supposed to end. The other two girls were on the other side of
Colin.

But Masie waited and she didn
’
t feel Gabby behind her.

Just as she was about to turn
around and see what was happening, she felt someone against her back. Then
hands around her belly. Before she could digest the situation, she felt someone
’
s cheek against hers.

“
Hey,
hot thing,
”
Colin said.

There was whiskey on his breath,
sweat on his face.

“
What
the hell are you doing?
”
Masie asked as she wiggled free.

She lunged forward and turned,
looking at the rest of Crutch Fail and the girls staring at her.

Colin clapped his hands and took a
wobbly step at her. His eyes were big and drunk. He pointed and his finger made
circles.
“
Don
’
t fight it off. We
’
re done practicing. Let me get
you a drink. And a good fuck.
”

“
Jesus,
”
Masie said.
“
Go drink some water, Colin. You
’
re wasted right now.
”

“
Rockstar!
”
Colin yelled and threw his
hands up.

He cackled and his voice carried
through the entire building.

Masie looked around the stage and
nobody gave a shit to help her. If anything, the stares from the other girls
were of hatred and jealousy. Like they wanted the attention from Colin.

Please, take it. Take it all.

The drummer, Stan, had his arm
around Ana
’
s waist, holding
her close.

Masie heard Gabby telling Josie how
she fooled around with Carson twice already in the backseat of his car.

Everyone was doing the wild hookup
thing.

Masie wanted no part of it.

Well, at least not with Crutch
Fail.

No. Nowhere.

She couldn
’
t let anything get crazy with Jett either. He was
cool to hang with and talk to. Even if things had started to get steamy once,
it wouldn
’
t happen again.

Masie managed to get to the steps
before Colin was at her again, reaching for her. He grabbed her wrist and
pulled.

“
Come
on, babe,
”
he said.
“
You know you fucking want it.
”

Masie twisted and got away. She tried
to take a step and felt Colin
’
s
fingers graze her back. It wasn
’
t
exactly a push, but enough that she stumbled down the steps. Luckily there were
only four stage steps. Even still, they were metal and on the last step, Masie
felt her footing get lost and she tumbled forward to the ground. She caught
herself with her hands but a pain shot through her left wrist.

On her hands and knees, she looked
up at Colin.

“
Right
where I want to see you,
”
he said.
“
With that ass up
in the air for me.
”

“
You
fucking pushed me,
”
Masie
said.

“
Prove
it.
”
Colin curled his lip.
“
I can
’
t wait for this tour. You can
’
t get away from me, babe. I get
what I want.
”

Masie hurried to get to her feet.
She flexed her hand and bent her wrist. It hurt but she would manage. At least
it wasn
’
t broken or
something worse. That would have been some real dumb luck to have then.

She grabbed her bag and made it out
of the building fast. There was no interest in being near Crutch Fail right
now. They were assholes. Colin was drunk. The rest of the band was probably
drinking the entire time, too. Hell, maybe even the other girls. That was one
thing Masie wouldn
’
t do. No
matter if it was a rock show or not, she wouldn
’
t
get drunk and then dance. Not when it was a job and she was getting paid.

Once she got to her apartment and
showered and changed, she had the entire night open. It wasn
’
t the greatest feeling in the
world since she had no plans. Part of her wanted to jump in the car and drive
to see Ann Marie. See the dance studio and all the little girls. They
’
d be shocked as hell to see
Masie. To them, she was the rockstar. The one who was actually dancing for real
and doing something with it. Then again, Masie wasn
’
t sure how many of the girls she had taught were
actually old enough to see the dance moves she was paid to do, or to Crutch
Fail.

Masie looked at the pink rose on
the table that Jett had brought her. She shook her head, grinning. Jett was
beyond sexy, beyond the allure of being a rockstar. He was real. Even with his
checkered past, he was real. And he owned up to it. He wasn't afraid to talk
about it and admit what he had done right and wrong.