by Amity Cross
“I sure did.”
They laughed, and another picture came up on the screen behind them. It was a photograph of me on my own where I’d posed just like Harry taught me.
“The Style Insider is giving her a nine out of ten for this rock chic number and we think it’s totally vamp,” the woman said. “Are you going to the concert in LA next week, Mario?”
“You bet. I’ve already got my ticket.”
“What are you watching?” Sebastian asked, snatching my tablet out of my hands.
“Nothing!” I grabbed for it before he could see I was watching videos from gossip sites, but he held it out of reach.
“You’re watching this stuff?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’ll rot your brain, Juni. They turn with the flick of a switch.”
“They’re talking about me,” I said. “Me.”
“Yeah, and tomorrow they’ll find something that’ll tear you down.”
I sighed and twisted, scanning the airport lounge. I’d rarely been on a plane, let alone past the desk at one of these flashy kickback stations. There was a fully stocked bar and café, complete with ample seating to watch the planes take off and land on the runway and spa facilities with showers. Considering we were about to get on a fourteen-hour flight—that I assumed was going to be hell in a tin can—it was heaven.
The whole celebrity airport thing was a real eye-opener. We didn’t have to line up with all the other passengers at check-in or security, and we’d even been pre-cleared for US customs in what felt like a specialised private ribbon cutting ceremony. When we got to the other side, all we had to do was walk off the plane and get into the car which would take us to the hotel.
Lifting my gaze, I saw a smartly dressed businessman approach us. He looked nervous, which was a complete juxtaposition. Nerves and high-powered boardrooms didn’t mix—just like oil and water.
“Mr. Hale? I’m sorry to bother you, but my son’s a huge fan. I was wondering…” He held out a coaster and an expensive looking pen. “Would you mind signing an autograph for him? I’d be dad of the year if I brought this home for him.”
I raised my eyebrows, puzzling over the influence a rock star seemed to have over a successful, high-flying corporate type. It was a curious thing to watch.
“Sure thing,” Sebastian replied, taking the coaster. “What’s his name?”
Smiling, I deflected my attention onto the lounge and scowled when I spotted Josh flirting with the perfect blonde attendant at the door. He was such a manwhore it made me sick. I’d never understood the attraction to sleeping around with all that emotional detachment. It wasn’t until Sebastian that I’d found a guy who could give me an orgasm, and I had a feeling it was the ‘more’ part of our attraction that made it so. I was my mother’s daughter, quick to love and when I did…fuck, it was all or nothing. One-night stands didn’t mesh with my core programming.
Four months in America with anywhere from two to four concerts a week, and hardly any downtime in between. That was a lot of partying, a lot of travelling, and a great deal of revolving doors. I wouldn’t be surprised if Josh’s cock shrivelled up and fell off before the end, but I supposed he’d built up a lot of stamina.
Glancing at Sebastian, I wondered why it bothered me so much. I wasn’t in a relationship with his best mate. Maybe it was because Sebastian led that kind of life before he met me? Ugh, I was overthinking again.
I took out my phone to distract myself as Sebastian chatted with the businessman, double-checking the settings. Vanessa had told me data roaming was killer in the US. My boyfriend might be rich, but I still had to pay my phone bill.
Sebastian nudged my arm. “What are you doing?” He pressed his finger against the furrow between my eyebrows.
“I don’t want to get charged for data roaming,” I complained.
“Stop worrying and look up. Fuck the phone bill.”
Putting my phone down, I looked up. Josh was still flirting, and Damon and Nate were doing shots at the bar like the rock stars they were. Sebastian, on the other hand, was mellowed out beside me, seemingly content to just be with me.
“You’re going on your first overseas adventure,” he continued, pressing a kiss on my cheek.
“What am I supposed to do?” I asked. “I mean, while you’re out fulfilling your rock god duties, am I supposed to follow the trail of screaming women to catch a glimpse of you?”
“You’re supposed to have a fucking good time and do whatever the hell you want,” he replied with a grin. “I’m the one who’s gotta work.”
“Yeah, you do.” I poked him in the ribs and he flinched, grabbing for my hand.
“It’s a trip,” he went on, tugging me against his side. “I know there’ll be lots of times I’ll have to leave you on your own, but I don’t expect you to wait around, okay? Go out, see the sights, go shopping, go for lunch. Whatever you want to do. Anything you need, just let Harry know.”
“Harry’s coming too?”
“Yeah. A perk of the job, I guess. I told him to expect your calls. Anything you need, he’ll get it.” He leaned away and fumbled in his leather bag, pulling out a little white envelope. “Oh, before I forget, take this.”
“What’s this?”
I peeked inside, expecting to find a rock star girlfriend etiquette list, written by Vix, but instead, I saw an official looking letter from a bank with a card attached to the paper.
I stared at it, not knowing what to do, let alone say. It was black. Blacker than a black hole kind of black. Black credit cards meant exclusive and rich, right? I began to have nightmares about losing it and I glanced at Sebastian, who was looking rather amused at my reaction.
“You’re giving me a credit card?” I whispered.
“How else are you going to pay for your mocha-chino late with extra foam and shot of vanilla?”
“I don’t drink mocha—” He laughed and I shook my head. “You’re taking the piss!”
“Just a little.”
“I can’t take this,” I argued. “I’ve got the money from The Page Break.”
“That’s your mother’s money. I can’t ask you to spend it all.”
“But…” My mouth flapped uselessly. I didn’t want him or anyone else to think I was gold digging.
“Seriously, I asked you to come so it’s my shout, okay?” He took the card out of my hand and reached into my bag. Finding the inside zipper pocket, he opened it up and slipped the card inside, then made sure it was closed. “It’s not about the money, Juni. I barely spend anything anymore. Now I can use it to make sure my girl has a good time while we’re out on tour.”
“Are you sure? I mean, I don’t really need anything.”
“Juniper, while you’re with me, you don’t have to worry about anything, okay?”
I still didn’t want to believe it. A few weeks ago, I was forced to eat instant noodles seven nights a week and if I could get a packet of frozen peas to add to the mix, I was living the highlife. Now Sebastian was handing me a black credit card like it was nothing, but it was far from nothing. He trusted me with his money. He trusted me and that was worth more than all the money in the world.
Sebastian seemed to pick up my thoughts and cupped my cheek in his hand. His mouth found mine and we kissed, his tongue demanding entrance. His taste was more intoxicating than usual, and I found myself contemplating the mile-high club when we got onto the plane. First-class bathrooms had to be bigger than the shoeboxes in economy, right?
A cough broke us apart and I looked up to see Vix glaring down at us.
“We’re being called for boarding,” she said, giving me some of her expert side-eye.
“Good. Let’s go then.” Sebastian turned to me. “Got everything?”
I nodded and rose to my feet, following them out of the lounge to where a pair of armed security guards were waiting.
“What are they for?” I asked, giving them the once-over. “Is it protection for you, or to stop you from causing your particular brand
of chaos?”
“Escort,” Sebastian stated with a lopsided grin. “Sometimes we need protection too, you know.”
“Does this happen everywhere?”
“Just in the places we’re flying commercial. We have to go through the terminal.” He took my hand and squeezed as we started our strange procession to the gate. “There was this one time in Tokyo where we were mobbed by a horde of screaming Japanese women.”
“Yeah, we had to run, or we would’ve been suffocated under a pile of pussy,” Josh said, leaning into my space. “But there’s worse ways to go, I suppose.”
“You have a problem,” I retorted, twisting so my bag bashed into his side.
“Ow,” he complained. “You still sore about the party?”
“Let’s just say women don’t usually like to hear about men’s opinions on another woman’s pussy.”
Sebastian laughed as Josh rubbed his thigh.
“What did I tell you about her balls?” he grumbled.
“What’s this about my balls?” I demanded.
“Oh, just the fact your keep bruising me with your big brass ones,” he shot back, walking ahead.
I frowned, my heart picking up the pace.
“Don’t worry about him,” Sebastian said. “He secretly loves the fight. Why do you think he keeps talking to you?”
“So I’m on the right path?” I snorted as we passed a packed waiting area where people were beginning to point at our group.
“I’ll say.”
When we’d arrived at LAX, the walk through the terminal to the waiting cars had been another eye-opening experience. It seemed people knew Beneath was landing and were waiting to meet them as they arrived. It was a miss-matched welcoming party of press, paparazzi, and adoring fans.
The guys were gracious enough to stop and sign some autographs and take selfies, and I hung back trying to look inconspicuous as I could with my flaming copper hair. When Vix ushered the band along, I was relieved when Sebastian turned to find me. With his hand in mine, we walked outside to the waiting cars and piled in.
As we drove along the highway and into the city, my nose was plastered against the window. There were fifteen-lane freeways with turnpikes and confusing on- and off-ramps, everything was on the opposite side, and I didn’t even know how anyone knew where they were going.
A Wal-mart stood out in the suburbs, and palm trees peeked up over rooftops, and it was surreal to see all the things I’d seen on American TV shows with my own eyes. Until now, everything outside Point Mambie had seemed like another reality—an alien landscape that may or may not have existed.
“She’s never been anywhere before, has she?” Damon asked, amused by the fact I probably would’ve put my head out the window like an excited labrador if I had half a chance. He’d piled into our car since there was only three—two for the band and one for management.
“Makes you kinda appreciate it more, don’t you reckon?” Sebastian asked, pushing his aviator sunglasses up his nose.
Damon grunted and went back to his phone.
“What do we do now?” I asked, gazing longingly at the sunshine. “I want to see everything.”
“We start press tomorrow, then the first concert is Thursday,” Sebastian explained. “But tonight is free.”
“Oh yeah? What do you want to do?”
“Fuck,” Damon quipped.
“Is that all you think about?” I shot at him. “You fuck so much, it’s a wonder your dick doesn’t drop off.”
Sebastian started laughing. “Oh man.”
Damon’s lips quirked and shrugged. “We’re men, and men like to fuck. And my dick is fine, thanks for asking.”
“Aren’t you tired?” I wondered.
“Nope. I slept most of the way, unlike some people.” He stared at me pointedly and I flushed, unconsciously giving away the fact that Sebastian and I had joined the infamous mile-high club…several times.
“Damon,” Sebastian warned.
He chuckled and punched out a text on his phone. “Nate owes me five hundred bucks.”
12
Juniper
I gazed out over the sea of people and couldn’t fathom the mass of bodies two-stories below. There were over seven billion people living on this planet, and about a quarter of them seemed to be crammed into a space designed for a thousand.
The first concert of Beneath’s US tour was tonight, but before they even got close to the venue, they had a meet and greet set up at a local shopping mall. I didn’t even know that was a thing, having heard about the VIP ‘experience’ packages most stars sold before and after their concerts. Sitting on a stage outside a Starbucks seemed a little beneath a multiple Grammy winning rock band. Sebastian seemed to think it was yet another punishment dished out by Vix for his disappearing act.
Fortunately, the other guys seemed to love the adoration and chaos their mere presence was causing the entire world. The parking lot looked like Armageddon was imminent, entrances to the shops were blocked by lines of waiting fans, and there wasn’t an inch of free standing space as far as the eye could see. It was wall-to-wall bodies. If a zombie apocalypse broke out at this precise moment, we’d all be fucked.
I leaned against the railing of the upper administration level of the mall, surveying the madhouse below. The powers that be gave the band their office as a makeshift green room, so we were hanging out until it was time for the band to go downstairs for their appearance. Fortunately, the above average turnout had been expected, so somehow, everyone had managed to wangle four unruly rock stars to be on time for the first time in their lives.
“I’m surprised you wanted to come,” Nate said, standing beside me as I looked out over the crowd.
“It’s all part of the experience, right?”
His gaze raked over me in a thoughtful way, kinda like he was attempting to crack a puzzle rather than check out my assets.
“Yeah,” he said. “Shopping centres aren’t usually our thing, but after recording for months, you kinda forget that all this exists.”
“The fans?”
“Music comes from inside first,” he said mysteriously. He glanced at the crowd below. “Fuck, it’s hot in here.” Eloquent, yet abrasive at the same time.
I smiled and fanned myself. “Sebastian said the same thing. About the music.”
“He’s always been the smartest of the bunch. Music is technical to me—it’s just notes and shit on a page. Seb’s the one who has the words that mean something.”
“Music has feeling, too,” I said.
“Na.” Nate shook his head. “I think we’re wired differently, Juniper, and that’s cool.”
“If you’re so different, how did you guys meet?”
He shrugged and turned, propping his arse against the railing. “I answered an ad.”
“Hey.” Sebastian appeared beside us and looked over the edge at the waiting crowd below. “You aren’t telling her any scary stories, are you?”
“Me?” Nate raised his eyebrows. “I’d never give up the family secrets.”
“It’s time to go,” he said, glancing at me.
“Then let’s roll.”
Nate pushed off the railing and levelled his gaze at me. “Catch you later, Juniper.”
“Are you sure you want to be here?” Sebastian asked for the hundredth time as we walked downstairs.
“I’m sure. I want to be part of your life, and that means getting the full experience. Seeing the signing, going to the concerts, hanging out at the after-after-party, and experiencing all the mayhem in between.”
“It’s going to be boring.”
I squeezed his hand. “We’ll see.”
The stage was built in a corner of the mall so we didn’t have to walk through the public to get there. We were ushered through a service entrance, past some dumpsters and cardboard crushing machines, until we reemerged behind the platform.
“Please welcome to the main stage, the Australian rock gods themselves, Beneath!”
<
br /> “Here goes.” Sebastian made a face and his hand slipped from mine as he moved off to do his thing.
The roar was unbelievable as the band walked out onto the stage. I hung back with Harry, the entourage of management, and other record label business types, and resisted the urge to clap my hands over my ears.
As the band took their seats behind the table, I watched Sebastian fidget nervously as the MC introduced each member. He’d done this kind of thing a lot, hadn’t he? He had nothing to worry about, even after his disappearance. The fans loved him.
When the guy got to Sebastian and called out his name, the screams and catcalls were the loudest of all, confirming what I already knew. The tour was practically sold out, their surprise album was shifting copies in the hundreds of thousands, and judging by the amount of fans who wanted to meet them, Beneath were as popular as ever.
As security started letting people up to get their merchandise signed, I watched in fascination as people gushed and floundered as they met their heroes. Despite their wild ways, these men and their music touched a lot of people. The line seemed to go on forever, and equal amounts of men and women had come for their chance to see their idols in the flesh.
There were lots of boobs, too. It seemed as if every other T-shirt was either lifted up or the neck was tugged down so the guys could sign the swell of an unfamiliar breast.
The pretty blonde in front of Sebastian squealed in excitement as he dragged the tip of a black Sharpie a little too close to her nipple for my liking. She fluttered her eyelashes and leaned closer, thrusting her boobs into his line of sight. Then she tugged her bra down a little too far and her nipple popped out.
Damon stared at the bare breast, not at all shocked by what he was seeing, and when he glanced over his shoulder and saw me, all he did was shrug.
I knew there were a heap of women who’d drop everything to spend a night with Sebastian, but seeing them all lined up just waiting to bare it all for him was something else entirely. I thought I was okay with it. When he brushed off those groupies at the concert back in Melbourne, I’d had hoped it was all a thing of the past. We were together, and it would stop others from trying to muscle in. Boy was I wrong.
