Wicked End (5 page)

Scott rolled his eyes. “Funny.” Austin had left their place before he woke up. “He told me he was meeting you like an hour ago.”

“I guess he found a
new
lover.” Jake saw shock register on Scott’s face and burst out laughing.

Holding in an angry comeback, Scott whipped out his phone to text Austin. Then he saw the missed call and sighed. Austin had tried to call. He took a calming breath then called his voicemail.

“Hey, sorry, Scott,” Austin’s deep voice came though the speaker. “You were sleeping, and Gene needed me to take him to school. He missed the bus. You know how much I want him to graduate. Anyway, he likes to show off that I’m his big brother and driving to school in a Challenger gets the girls interested. I like being his hero some days.” A car door slammed. “I won’t be too late, just wanted to let you know.”

Scott put his phone away. He was happy Austin’s mom moved to California. After Austin’s father died, she was lost. Fifteen-year-old Gene’s grades suffered. Everything changed when Austin bought her a house and took his much younger brother under his wing. It made Scott proud of him. He wished he was close to his family, but Austin’s mom treated him like a son too.

He and Austin were roommates for the past five years. They had bought a house the year before in Laguna Beach, right off the Pacific Ocean. It was a huge four-bedroom home. They held band parties there sometimes. Each of them had their own master bedroom on opposite ends of the house. Austin’s family also spent a lot of time there.

“Chico’s almost here. He stopped to fill the cooler.” Jake announced. “I told him to get you orange soda this time.”

The last time they prepared for a tour, Scott drank beer all day. Normally, that would be fine, but it had been a hot day, and he didn’t eat anything. The whole trip to Texas, he was sick as a dog.

“Thanks, man.” Scott nodded at Jake. He was an ass most of the time, but it was small gestures like that, that made him an OK guy. “Austin’ll be here soon. He had to take Gene to school.”

Jake rolled a speaker into the hallway. “Cool.” They heard the air brakes of a truck. “Sounds like Mike and Jesse’s here.” He looked down the hall then an evil grin spread across his face. “Brandon’s bringing Tink. That hurricane hit her town.” He licked his lips. “I told him she can only stay on the bus if we all get to fuck her.”

“Why the fuck did you do that?” Scott roared, annoyed that he forced Brandon into it. “You know how he is with her.” She was the only woman he had ever seen Brandon fuss over.

Closing his eyes and imagining making Mackenzie ride his cock, Jake replied, “We got rules, and he wants to break ’em. He has to pay the consequences.” He laughed. “We all know you wanna fuck her. You can’t deny it.”

Scott turned away, not wanting Jake to see his cock stiffening. He had a slight crush on Brandon’s girl, which he managed to hide for years. Every time they met, their eyes lingered on each other longer than they should. He had always wondered if she would be into him if Brandon were out of the picture.

“Hey, hot stuff!” Austin shouted as he walked towards them. He smiled at Scott as he spied the bulge in his jeans. “Happy to see me, huh?”

Blushing deeply, Scott looked down. “I… uh… um…” He was at a loss for words.

“Austin, dude—you won’t believe who’s gonna entertain us on the trip up there.” Jake didn’t hide his own hard-on. “Tink’s gonna spread her legs for all of us.”

Once on the plane, Brandon glanced down the aisle at Mackenzie. She was about 10 rows from him, in the first class section. He had switched seats with her. He didn’t want her cramped for six hours or so. The seat he was in had been the very last on the flight.

Mackenzie turned back and smiled at Brandon, glad that her plans had changed. She had hoped she could hold his hand on the trip, but seeing him would have to do. Nervously, she gripped the armrest. She still hated flying.

As soon as the seat belt sign went off, Brandon got up and made his way to Mackenzie. He looked at the teenager sitting next to her. “Hey, kid, wanna make some money?”

The young man looked at him. “How?”

“Switch seats with me.”

“Where you sitting?” The kid’s eyes opened wide with curiosity.

“Row 15.” Brandon smiled. “Aisle seat.”

The frown on the teen’s face gave away his disappointment. “Nah, I’m good.”

Brandon took off his hat and glasses. “Do you know who I am?”

“Uh…” The expression on the young man’s face changed. “Oh, shit, you’re…”

With a shake of Brandon’s head, the teen was quiet. “Would you do it for an autograph?”

“How about your hat?”

Knowing he needed it, Brandon shook his head. Then he reached into his pocket and started counting out hundred-dollar bills. “What if I gave you… 500 dollars?” The reaction was better to that, but he could see he needed to add a bit more. “And…” He looked around for something to write on. “Kenzie, do you got any paper?”

She searched her purse, but only found gum wrappers. Everything else was electronic. “No. Sorry.” She held out a pen she had accidentally taken from her hotel room.

He pulled out a 20 and took the pen. “What’s your name? He nodded at the excited teenager.

“Max.”

Brandon said aloud what he was writing, “To my good friend Max, can’t wait to travel with you again. Brandon Knight, Wicked End.” He looked up, “How about now?” Holding out the 20 along with the rest of the cash, he waited for the offer to register.

“Fuck yeah.” The kid covered his mouth. “Sorry for the language, ma’am.” He quickly grabbed the money and his things before scrambling to the rear section of the plane.

With a huge smile, Brandon retrieved his carry on, before settling in besides Mackenzie. “Much better.” He threw an arm around her and pulled her close. “I hope this trip turns out to be all you hope it will be.” He closed his eyes and sighed, hoping he didn’t have to deck any of his friends.

She waited a minute, unsure how to reply. Then she tipped his hat up. The sunglasses hid his eyes, but she felt his breathing change and knew he was falling asleep. She smiled and whispered, “As long as I’m with you, it’ll be an amazing adventure.”

She fingered the black crystal that hung around his neck. It had become one of his trademarks, because he never took it off. He treasured it more than anything else. She was there the day he received it, and the day he swore never to take it off again. Both days were filled with tears. She sighed and finally allowed her own eyes to drift closed, wanting to forget the pain.

Hours later, Brandon glanced down at Mackenzie sleeping on his chest. She looked so beautiful. He hoped she didn’t enjoy the deal they made with the guys too much. He knew his band was going to get more out of it than he wanted them to, for sure.

He thought about the deal. His heart was aching with just the idea of it. Reality had sunk in. He planned to follow through only because of Mackenzie’s list. He knew if he walked in on one of the guys buried in her pussy he was going to freak out. She was that important to him.
How am I gonna deal with this shit? By faking it as usual, that’s how.

When he saw the Los Angeles airport come into view, he shook her, gently. “We’re here.”

She stirred a bit then gripped his shirt hard. “Don’t leave.”

“Tink, wake up. I’m right here.”

She opened her eyes and was glad to see she was still in Brandon’s arms. She had dreamt he left her alone in Baltimore. Then she hugged him. “I can’t believe you paid that boy so we could sit together.”

He smiled and pulled her closer. “It was worth being able to hold you like this for hours.” He kissed the top of her head. “We’ll go get you some comfortable clothes. Business suits won’t work at a concert.”

“I don’t want you spending money on me.” She sighed. “I have some savings.” She had many college loans to pay back, so money was scarce most months.

Brandon took a few seconds to find the right thing to say. He rubbed her back before replying, “Let me be the hero, please. You mean a lot to me…” He cringed, wishing he had said it differently. “This way I can pick out some things I wanna see you in.”

“What like see-through tops?” She laughed, thinking he would pick out the most impractical clothes. “I just need some jeans and T-shirts.”

He loved that she had a laid-back personality. She could rock a baggie outfit and still make it look sexy to him. Most girls on the road wore too much makeup and acted so phony. Mackenzie was herself, no matter what. He just hoped they could get one provocative outfit, so the guys would be jealous. Her clothes rarely revealed how incredible her body was.

Brandon was well known at that airport, as was the rest of the band. They had an escort waiting for them at the gate that took them behind the scenes to avoid the other travelers. He always tipped exceptionally well, which helped also.

When they had retrieved their bags, Brandon tried to figure out how to go shopping without a car. He looked around the arrival ramp at all the cabs and buses. They could rent a car, but for only a few hours? That was silly. Then it came to him.

Mackenzie watched their surroundings for potential fans. It never failed for at least one person to recognize him at a place so public. She noticed more deputies on their side of the ramp. Then one of them stopped a young woman from approaching Brandon. She smiled, glad they protected him.

Brandon went up to the closest taxi and leaned in the window. “How much would it be to take us to the mall and hang around until we’re done?”

“Depends on how long,” the cabbie replied.

Brandon smirked. “How about $100 an hour to walk around with us?”

“Get in!” He waited until they were settled then asked, “Which mall?”

Brandon took a few seconds to choose one that would have the greatest variety. “Los Cerritos Center.”

“You’re the boss.”

Mackenzie leaned on Brandon’s arm. “When are you guys heading down to Florida again?”

“I think maybe the end of next month, but it might be the month after. I’ll check it out later. I think we’re gonna be there with Gasoline too. We meet up with them in mid-January. I haven’t been to Jersey in two years.”

She sighed. “You guys tour like 364 days a year.”

“It feels like it.” He laughed at her exaggeration, but they did tour most of the year.

She thought about an article she read online. “That new band Triple Threat is going with you too, right?” She had seen some sexy pictures of the guys in that band.

“Yeah.” He hid the fact that he had checked out Triple Threat’s website and loved the pictures of the bassist. She seemed like a freak too, the way they put her on display. He hoped to get to know Crystal in the carnal sort of way on the tour. “The bassist kicks ass.”

She laughed. “She has tits, is that why?”

“That helps, but no. She actually has talent too.” He imagined fucking her on the kitchenette table and two guys sucking her big breasts.
OK, maybe it was just her tits.

She punched his arm. “Stop thinking about her.” She was slightly jealous. When they were together, she tried not to think of anyone else. “Tell me more about Gasoline. I heard Dean’s a crazy fuck.” She bit her lip so he wouldn’t know she was a fan.

He thought about their singer. He was out there. “He’s a bit on the wild side, but you might like him. We’ll be meeting up with them for a free show at a military training facility in Michigan. If you’re still with us then, you’ll meet them all.”

“Yum.” She got an image of Dean Johnson, the lead singer, bending her over. She wondered if he was as sexy in person as in his pictures. He always had a look of lust in his eyes.

Brandon huffed, feigning jealousy that she was attracted to Dean. “So, it’s OK for you to do it, but not me?”

“I’m the wild one, ain’t I?” She winked at him then the cab driver who was staring in his rear view mirror. “Me, you and Dean.” She sighed, loudly. “That would be fucking hot!”

Once at the mall, the three of them traveled from store to store trying to find something Mackenzie’s style. Most of the stores Brandon dragged her to were too upscale. She was simple and refused to pay $100 for a pair of jeans. At another, lesser-known store, they had better luck.

“That’s gonna show off too much skin,” Mackenzie balked at an almost backless top with a low cut front.

Brandon grinned. “I know. I wanna see it on you.” He grabbed a skirt that had only six inches of fabric. “This too.” When she frowned he added, “The store’s empty. Who’s gonna see?”

She groaned and took the outfit in the open room fitting area along with several other items they had gathered. The first outfit was one she picked out, a short T-shirt and tight jeans. She looked in the mirror and was glad she was almost a perfect size six.

“Very nice.” Brandon admired how the pants made her ass look. Then he hugged her and ran his hands over her backside. “Perfect, love that they’re black too. You’ll fit right in.”

She pulled away from him. “We have to hurry, remember?”

He nodded and watched her disappear. Then his phone vibrated. He pulled it out and let out a loud exhale. It was Jake again. “Dude, I’ll be there soon. Relax. I just had to stop and take care of something.”

“We’re leaving at three.” Jake scowled, hating that he couldn’t manipulate Brandon like he could most others. “Don’t be late!”

Brandon shook his head. “I won’t be.” He ended the call and turned off his phone, annoyed. When he looked up, Mackenzie had on a black skirt and low-cut tank. “Damn, girl!” His gaze traveled up and down her body. Then he turned to the cab driver. “She’s hot, huh?”

“Most definitely.” He also was enjoying the view.

Mackenzie blushed. “Is this good enough for an after-party?”

“Oh yeah.” Brandon put his hands in his pockets, trying to hide his growing dick. “Perfect.”

They stood there as she tried on several more new outfits, some casual, some dressy. Brandon had chosen two pair of boots that looked great on her. He was glad they fit as well.

By the time they were almost done, his cock was straining against his pants, hard as a rock. A saleswoman had noticed and winked at him. If Mackenzie wasn’t there, he may have at least talked to her, but she was the one he wanted.