The Man You Need (Love on Tour #4) (3 page)

Jack walked over to me and reached out his hand. “Jack Kliner, nice to meet you, Stacey.”

His handshake was firm, and his hands were just the right amount of rough.

“Hi, Jack.”

“I hear you’re going to be coming with us.”

I nodded and tried not to drool.

Jack stepped back into the center of the kitchen and looked at Sean, who was leaning against the island beside Baby. “I think I made an error,” he said.

“Oh, yeah?”

“I’ve been doing this for a while.” I wondered about his definition of ‘a while.’ He didn’t look much older than me. “And I have a system.” Of course he did. A stuffed shirt like that, he was probably as anal as Sam. “You see, I always meet with the two acts separately. That way I can determine if there are any issues, personality conflicts, stuff like that.”

Sean laughed. I almost did, too. It was silly to meet with Sean and Hank separately. They had a ridiculous bromance. There were no secrets or hard feelings between them. And their wives had been best friends since college. In fact, Hank met Bell because Baby brought her along on a tour a few years back. The four of them were like a family onto themselves. Hell, Sean and Baby had even named their kid for Hank.

“Yeah,” Jack said, rubbing a hand behind his neck. “I realize now that it won’t be an issue. Hank said that the only problem you two ever have is when he’s being an asshole.”

Sean laughed harder. “Yep. That’s about right.”

“So I should have just met with you all at the same time, but,” he shrugged, “I’ve already been to their house, and I’m here now.”

“I think you’ll find this tour different from the ones you’ve managed in the past in a lot of ways,” Baby said.

“I think you’re right. And, of course, I’ve never had a baby along.” He glanced at Henry, who was, amazingly, still eating.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be a piece of cake compared to your last two acts,” Sean said, grinning. It made me wonder who the last two acts had been.

Jack reached into his bag and pulled out two books. They were leather-bound, and about the size of a novel. I could see the one on top had ‘Baby’ engraved beautifully on the cover. He handed it to her. “Here’s the tour schedule.” Then he walked to me and handed me the other one. “Sorry, Stacey, you were a last minute addition,” he said, as he handed me a book that said ‘extra’ on the front.

That was me. I was extra baggage being dragged along by my brother.

“Where’s Sean’s?” I asked.

“Oh, I already gave it to Mike.”

“Good man,” Sean said.

My little brother was a smart, overly organized geek. My big brother was incredibly talented and a little absent-minded. My dad always figured it was because Sean was too busy thinking about the things that were important to him to be bothered with the mundane. I was somewhere in the middle, which was the story of my life.

Fortunately for Sean, he had Mike and Baby. Baby took care of him in all the ways he needed in his personal life, and Mike was his right-hand man. Mike was now Sean and Hank’s publicist, but he’d spent years before that as Sean’s personal assistant, and he couldn’t seem to break the habit.

“I’ve tried to anticipate all of Henry’s needs in the schedule as well,” Jack said.

“That’s pretty much impossible.” Baby smiled. “And he won’t be with us the whole time.”

“Yes, I spoke to Mike in detail about the two weeks Henry will be with his grandparents. I think that’s all covered in there.”

“I love it when people organize my life for me,” Sean said, smiling. “Anything else?”

“Well, normally, I’d ask you if you have any issues with your opening act at this point. But I guess that’s pointless.”

“Indeed,” Sean said. “So, um, Jack, let’s talk for a minute.”

Sean walked Jack out of the kitchen. I could see them turn left and head down the hall that held the office he and Baby shared.

I turned to Baby. “What’s that about?”

Her eyebrows scrunched up. “I have no idea.”

That was weird. Baby always knew what Sean was up to.

3

This was just ridiculous. There was an entire bus full of hot band members behind us and I was stuck here, wedged between Hank and the window in the booth at the front of the bus, playing cards with him, Mike and Bell. My nephew was having a fit on the couch across the aisle while Baby tried to comfort him. Tony, the bus driver, was wearing headphones to drown out the sound of Henry’s screams, which I was pretty sure was not safe. Jack was working on his laptop in the rear of the bus. This was so not the rock tour I had planned to have when I was hot and heavy in my brother’s bathroom with Evan Light last week.

“I’ll play for him,” Sean said. He grabbed the guitar that sat on a stand bolted to the wall beside where Jack was, and walked over to Baby and Henry.

Baby sighed. “It’s worth a try. Nothing else is working.”

Sean sat down on the couch beside them and started to strum the guitar.

“If you’re going to play that song, you need help,” Hank said, grinning.

“Agreed,” Sean said, not looking up from his son.

I watched as Hank got up and walked toward the back of the bus. I had only seen one guitar in here, so I was surprised when he pulled another acoustic out of the closet. He sat back down at the edge of the booth, across from where Henry was squirming and screaming in Baby’s lap, and joined Sean.

They played in perfect harmony. It was like second nature to them. It was funny, because even though Sean and Hank each had their own careers, their own albums, and played their own style of the same genre of music, they worked together so well. It was why their encores were always the highlight of the show. Regardless of which one of them was opening or which one was headlining, they always did a joint encore of at least four songs. That was the part of the show that fans and critics alike said was the best. It was why no one ever left a Tolk/Rush show early.

Sean started to sing quietly. Everyone on the bus, except Tony, was paying attention now, even little Henry. He stopped crying and watched his father in rapt attention. Jack put his laptop aside and sat back, angling toward them to watch.

I felt like I was a kid again, sitting in my parents’ basement, watching Sean play. My whole family would gather just like this. At first it would be just Sam and me. A few songs in, my dad would wander down. When Grandpa was staying with us, he would always show up, too. Grandpa would pick me up and put me in his lap. We would sit there quietly, listening. My mother, who didn’t like that Sean was into rock music because she was worried that it would lead to drugs and slutty girls, would undoubtedly show up, too. She would stand in the corner of the room, and despite her crossed arms and puckered brow, I could tell that she was happy, just like the rest of us.

Sitting there on that bus filled with music and people who loved each other, I wanted to be restless. I wanted to be bored. But I just couldn’t be.

****

Alonso was about the hottest thing I’d seen since the old Hank Tolk. He’d been Hank’s bass player for several years now, and since I always saw at least one of Hank and Sean’s shows every time they toured, I’d been around Alonso before. I’d long thought he was a conquest I should have. But he paid absolutely no attention to me. He basically acted as if I didn’t exist. It was hard on my ego. I mean, this guy was a huge player. He was constantly messing with women who were considerably less classy than me.

I didn’t usually have trouble attracting men. With the exception of short men, who were intimidated by my stature, I did pretty well. I had long black hair that hung straight, nearly to my waist. It matched Sean and Sam’s hair exactly, so I always tried to keep mine just a little longer. My eyes were a very dark brown. My skin was pale white, but had a natural glow to it. My body was fairly well put together, too, proportionate, anyway. I was happy with it.

Unlike my sister-in-law, Baby, I had good taste in clothes. Bell and I went shopping together. We were of the same mind about fashion. Neither of us dressed slutty, just a touch provocative. Tonight was a perfect example. It was the first show of the tour, we were in Las Vegas, and I fit right in. I was wearing a pair of well-fitting black shorts, a snug silk tank top and a drapey little blouse that accentuated my curves. I never wore heels because I didn’t want to be even taller, but I had on a pair of strappy sandals that showed off my long, perfectly painted toes. I was feeling confident and sexy. So tonight, I was going after Alonso.

When Hank finished his set, his band went back to their green room. At venues like this, Sean and Hank each had their own green room, but their bands each had one room to share among the three guys. Hank always made his band members go on stage sober. But they were done for the night now, and I knew that there’d be a party in their room. So I followed the three of them quietly down the hall. I watched as they stopped and retrieved a cooler full of beer from the loading dock, gathered a handful of groupies waiting near the back door, and went into the little room reserved for them.

I slipped in just as Hank’s drummer, Tommy, was shutting the door. “Stacey,” he said, looking surprised, and a little alarmed.

“Hey, Tommy,” I said casually.

I walked into the room like I owned the place. Greg was pulling beers out of the cooler he’d just set on the table. Alonso sat on a folding chair, a trashy blonde by his side. Three more women were in various locations around the room. They all looked up at me.

The expressions on the faces of the women were ones I’d seen many times. Two of them looked at me in awe. I was used to this. My brother was not only famous, he was also the object of desire for millions of women around the world. A lot of girls saw me as their gateway to getting into his pants. I found it pretty gross, especially when they talked about it in front of me. The other two looked at me like I was the competition. Which was true, because I was.

The men, on the other hand, looked downright scared. They stared at me with wide eyes. I was off limits. To be caught with me, especially pants down, meant maybe getting fired, but certainly getting an ass-kicking. It didn’t matter if it was Sean or Hank who caught them, because either way, the result would be the same.

I sidled over to the table and grabbed a beer from the cooler. I pulled the top off with the bottle opener, or as Hank called it, the ‘church key,’ and took a long swig. Then, with the beer in one hand, I walked over to where Alonso sat. He stared up at me.

At first, he just looked shocked. But then his eyes wandered down over my body, very slowly, and back up again. I smiled. Then, I sat right down on his lap.

“Hey, Alonso,” I said in my lowest, sexiest voice.

“Hi, Stacey.”

I knew I had to make him forget that my brother even existed. So I took another pull on my beer. I threw my head back and thrust my chest out. When I looked back at him, I knew it had worked.

“Good show tonight.”

“Thanks.”

The room was insanely quiet. I knew they were all watching us. So, I did what I do best, I acted. I pretended that they weren’t there, and went on with the show.

“You know, I’ve had a thing for you for years.” I put my beer down on the floor and placed my hands on his chest. “Did you know that?”

He shook his head.

“But I could never get your attention, Alonso. Why is that?” I took one hand off his chest and used it to throw my hair back over my shoulder.

“Because he doesn’t want to get his ass kicked,” Greg said from behind me.

I ignored Greg and put my finger on Alonso’s lower lip. I traced back and forth lightly. “Don’t you find me attractive?”

“Yeah, Stacey, I do. I think you’re very hot.” He was watching me so closely now.

I leaned down and kissed him, very gently, very chastely. But I lingered. And soon, he put his hand on the back of my head and pulled me to him. He opened his mouth. I opened mine. His tongue probed. It wasn’t the greatest kiss in the world, but it wasn’t drunk and sloppy either.

“You are out of your fucking mind,” I heard Tommy say from across the room.

Alonso wasn’t paying any attention. The hand that wasn’t behind my head was making its way up my stomach, under my shirt.

I pulled back. “Let’s get out of here and go somewhere more private.”

He didn’t hesitate. As soon as I got off his lap, he stood up and followed me to the door.

“Your funeral,” I heard Greg say as we walked out the door.

I pulled Alonso into the room across the hall. It was the room Sean’s band used. They were on stage with my brother now. I could hear the music drifting through the arena.

“This is a terrible idea,” I heard Alonso say under his breath, as he pushed me up against the wall next to the door.

We stood there, kissing. His hands were on my breasts. Mine were on his ass. That’s when I heard someone clear their throat.

4

We both stopped and turned. There was Jack, sitting on a folding chair at the far end of the room, with a laptop propped on his knees.

“Jack!” Alonso exclaimed, releasing me quickly. Then he took a deep breath. “What’s up? I thought you would be watching the show.” The quiver in his voice contrasted with his casual words.

“Had a couple quick e-mails to send,” Jack said, just as casually. “Thought I’d try to squeeze it in between sets.”

Alonso moved away from me and toward Jack. “Um, so, you… uh…”

“Didn’t see anything. Me? No.”

Alonso let out a breath. “Thanks, man.”

“Hey, don’t thank me.” Jack stood up, folding the laptop together and holding it in one hand. “My life is a hell of a lot easier when there’s no drama. I prefer not to try to get people in trouble with the boss.” He looked at me. “Unlike some people.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Stacey, I’ll see you later,” Alonso said, heading out the door. It was clear that I was not invited back into the other room.

I glared at Jack. “Do you know how long I’ve been trying to get that guy’s attention?” I said, annoyed. “And you went ahead and ruined it.”

Jack placed the laptop on a nearby table and took a step toward me, fire in his eyes. “Is this how you get your kicks? Ruining people’s careers?”

I rolled my eyes again. “No one was going to know.”

He ignored this. “You think it’s fun to fuck with Alonso and his music, or me and my life?” He was definitely pissed.

“And how, exactly, was I fucking with your life?”

“Sean asked me to keep you from screwing around with players. And what do you do? The first freaking concert, you try to seduce the biggest manwhore you can find.”

I was shocked, but I sure as shit didn’t know why. “My brother asked you to be my chastity belt?”

“Yeah, I’m supposed to keep your legs closed. It looks like it’ll be a harder job than I’d originally anticipated.”

“Why the hell would you agree to that? That’s not in your job description. Why didn’t you tell him to fuck off?”

I’d made him really mad now. His brows slammed together and he leaned over me. “Maybe that’s how you see it, Princess. Maybe you can just tell Sean to fuck off. In your self-centered world, that probably makes a whole lot of sense. But I’ve been doing this job for nearly ten years. I’ve worked with a lot of bands. None of them had an ounce of the talent Sean and Hank both possess. This is an amazing opportunity for me and I am not going to throw it away because you want to get laid by a rocker!”

Wow. There was something about his anger and forcefulness that made me pause. This was not the same man who had stood in my brother’s kitchen in slacks and a tidy collared shirt a few days ago.

I had no idea how to respond to this. I just stared at him. Suddenly, he relaxed. His eyebrows sat back down on his face, his arms came unfolded. “Don’t you want to watch the show?”

What? My head was spinning. How did we go from screaming at each other to this?

“I’ve never actually seen Sean and Hank perform in person.”

“Why not? You’re obviously a big fan.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “I am. But I was always out with other bands when they toured, and I missed my chances. Hank’s show was amazing. It’s like every little thing he does is perfectly calculated to elicit the exact right response from the crowd. The man is a master.”

This was weird. We were discussing the nuances of the show now? I internally shrugged and went with the flow. “Well, Sean’s is completely different.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, it’s like he’s possessed or something when he goes on stage. Like someone else takes over his body. It’s spooky.”

Jack looked toward the door. The sound of guitars and drums beating out a heavy tune could be heard wafting down the hall.

“Well, let’s check it out, shall we?”

Then, as if were old buddies, instead of adversarial strangers, Jack threw an arm casually around my shoulders and walked with me toward the stage.

There was a line of folding chairs back there. Mike, Bell and Hank sat on one side of Baby. On her other side were two empty chairs. When Baby saw me she patted the seat beside her. I sat down. But instead of taking the empty chair to my right, Jack remained standing.

I watched the man on stage. Instead of the neat ponytail he always wore, his hair was down. It flew wildly across his back and shoulders. Unlike the acoustic guitar he quietly strummed while playing for his wife and son, he held a bright red electric one. It was strapped across his torso and his fingers flew across it. Instead of the quiet singing I was so accustomed to, he was using his powerful diaphragm to push air through his deep, smooth voice at the speed of light. He was singing the same lyrics he had written on a notepad while lounging on his couch, his baby boy tucked into his arm. But here they were forceful, powerful, dark, and gritty. This was Sean on stage. Even in his music videos he wasn’t like this. He was uncomfortable in front of the camera, and in truth, most of his videos showed very little of him. This had to be witnessed in person to be truly understood.

I’d seen Sean like this dozens of time, but Jack hadn’t. I turned around to look at him. He was watching, clearly in awe. His mouth had dropped open. His eyes were wide. Jack had just caught his first glimpse of what he’d really gotten himself into. Sean was the chance to propel Jack’s career into space.

****

After the show we rushed from the back door to the bus, avoiding the crowds of people attracted to the monstrous vehicle. I took up the rear of our group, allowing Sean and Hank to get into the bus before they were swamped with fans. Jack was right behind me. So when we got on the bus all available seating was taken except for the spot on the couch beside Jack.

I was still trying to decide if I should be pissed off at this guy. I mean, his
job
was to keep me from getting laid. What the hell was that? Of course, that was ultimately Sean’s fault. But I didn’t blame Sean for it. He’d always been this way. And I was maybe a little blind when it came to Sean. Like my mother, I operated under the belief that Sean was perfect and anything imperfect in his life must be someone else’s fault. So, back in that green room, I’d immediately laid my anger on Jack. He was the one who’d agreed to Sean’s stupid scheme anyway.

But I didn’t know this guy, he didn’t know me, and he’d just been trying to impress his new boss by agreeing to this asinine plan to keep me celibate. I was stuck with Jack for the next two months. And I needed him to lay off so I could do what I wanted, like a real adult.

Ultimately, I figured it would benefit me more if I was friendly to him. So when the bus started rolling, I made small talk. “So…”

He looked up from his phone and smiled at me. God, he was stupid hot.

“How’d you like the show?”

“Fucking amazing!” I was still a little surprised at his casual swearing. I mean everything about Jack screamed ‘professional’ except for that dirty mouth. “And it was just like you said it would be.” His eyes got wide. I knew he wouldn’t repeat what I said about Sean’s performance with the man himself just a few feet away, but that’s what he was thinking about. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”

I grinned and folded my arms over my chest. “Told you.”

“Are you a pretty big connoisseur of music, Stacey?”

“As much as most people, I guess. I have my favorites, and I keep up with new music coming out.”

“Who’s your favorite?”

“Of all time?”

“Yeah?”

“Uh. That’s tough.”

“Okay, other than Sean or Hank.”

“Any era?”

“Of all time.”

“Don’t laugh.”

“Laugh. Why would I laugh? There is no wrong answer to that question. It’s music. A person’s musical taste is as individual as fingerprints.”

“Okay. Elvis.”

“Really?” He said with surprise.

“I love his voice, and his lyrics, and his hips. He was like rock and roll all wrapped up in one sexy man.”

Jack chuckled.

“You said you wouldn’t laugh.”

“I’m not laughing at your choice, I’m laughing at you.”

“Oh, that’s so much better.” I rolled my eyes. “What’s yours?”

He shrugged. “It changes from day to day, literally. Today, I suppose it’s Sean. That was a hell of a show.”

That reminded me of a question I’d been holding onto for a while. “Tell me about the last two acts you managed for.”

He looked at me quizzically.

“When we were at Sean’s house, before we left, he mentioned your last two acts. Who were they?”

Jack leaned his head back and grinned. “Oh yes.” He looked at me. “Yasquili was the last one.”

“Is that how you say it? I always had a tough time pronouncing that fucking name. So, how were they?”

“Ugh. Terrible. They were all high on something the entire time. They went through women like toilet paper, and I was left picking up the messes. But they weren’t as bad as The Killitooks.”

“Wait. That’s an all girl band, right?”

“Yeah,” he groaned.

“So, what was wrong with them? Too much Estrogen?” I asked with a smirk.

“No, they were completely incapable of being on time to
anything
. And they fucking hated me.”

“Because you were always pushing them to be places?” I guessed.

“That might have been part of it, I suppose. They said I was an asshole. In fact, that’s what they called for the entire last half of the tour. ‘Hey, Asshole, quit harassing me.’ ‘Asshole, I’m coming. Hold your horses.’ It was irritating.”

I laughed. “I bet.”

“Needless to say. I am thrilled to death to be here with Sean and Hank.”

“Oh, yeah. Nothing beats working for the world’s tamest rockers,” I said with a smirk.

“And yet, you seem to be having a good time.”

“I was until you ruined it this evening.”

He grinned at me. “I guess you’ll have to find some other way to get your kicks, Princess.”

****

“Hey, girl.”

I was shocked when I realized it was Evan Light calling me. I didn’t remembered giving him my number. I’d met him, I’d dragged him into the bathroom, Sean had showed up. But I thought it was on the way to the bathroom that he’d handed me his phone and asked me to put my number into it.

“Hi, Evan. Where are you?”

“We’re in Seattle right now. Where are you?”

“We’re in Phoenix.”

“Yeah, I looked up your tour schedule, you’re, like, going in the opposite direction as us.”

I was pretty sure he was half-drunk. I wasn’t surprised. It was one o’clock in the morning. I was in my hotel room getting ready for bed after having watched Sean and Hank’s second show of the tour. It was only midnight in Seattle. Evan must have called me right after his show.

“Yeah, I guess so,” I said.

“But we’re going to be in New York at the same time.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah, we play the same night Sean and Hank do. Different venue, though.”

I was pretty sure that while Sean and Hank were playing at a massive arena, Evan would be at some dive bar somewhere.

“Maybe you wanna come see the show?”

“Well, unfortunately, I can’t. I’m meeting up with some friends and they want to watch Sean.”

“Yeah, that’s right. You used to live in New York.”

“Yes. I still do. I think.”

“Maybe we could hook up afterward?”

‘Hook up’ was definitely the right sentiment. Evan wanted to get into my pants. And I was inclined to let him. But New York was still three weeks away.

“Tell me how your tour is going so far?”

He prattled on about the tour, how great his band was, how great he was. When I hung up with Evan, I threw my phone on the bed and sighed. The guy was a mess, a dumb mess. But chances were good I’d hook up with him in New York, anyway. We’d have crazy wild sex, maybe a couple times, before he passed out. And I wouldn’t have an orgasm, I never did.

I had a boyfriend once that had come close to making me come. I stayed with him to see if he could get it done eventually. But before I could achieve my goal, Sam punched him the face and I never saw him again. It was a bizarre incident, really. Sean was the one who punched people, or threatened to at least. Most of the time that was all it took. Sam, on the other hand, negotiated his way out of things. But when it came to me, even Mr. Charming got all alpha-male.

I essentially had four brothers, all of them over-bearing and protective. I’d had Sam and Sean all my life, then I’d picked up Hank and Mike. And now, Sean had tasked Jack with cock-blocking me, too. Between the five of them, they were nearly thirty-two feet and twelve hundred pounds of muscle and stubborn man. I was doomed.

But they didn’t understand that just like everybody else, I craved physical contact. Who didn’t? Only, I wasn’t going to have it with some geek who took me out for long walks on the beach to talk about our feelings. I got it from ‘wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am’ kind of guys. It was just easier that way.