by Emjay Soren
He gets this nervous tone and Noah isn’t the nervous type.
“There’s things that I don’t discuss. I don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks about my stance on it, it is what it is. That being said though I know that it’s time I lay some cards on the table so maybe you can understand my disfunction.”
I sigh… I don’t know how to make this not about anything but the drug use because I know he is fucked up over shit from his past.
“I wont write you an excuse so you get a free pass Noah. This isn’t smoking weed or a few bumps of coke on New Years Eve. This is some dark shit I can’t get on board with.”
“Dude you think I don’t know that? I am hanging on by a fucking thread right now Chad. Coming at me with judgement will make me walk. You wanna get off the soapbox for two seconds I can try to explain it.”
Oh, he wants to walk? Fuckin bye!
“My soapbox? I am so sick of your shit the last month. You fuckin talk down to me, accuse me of some truly rude things where Carrie is involved and go off the deep end without a clue or a sign to fucking pull you out? You want to walk, go I wont stop you but don’t fucking threaten me with it. I may not want to replace you but will if you force my hand.” I am mad as hell and it’s at a tipping point.
Then he laughs, like the fucking Joker. “You think I want an excuse or a pass… Chad you can’t fathom what I’m dealing with so don’t try to fill my shoes. I’ll talk to you but I wont beg or be put down.”
“Noah…” I say and I know I sound defeated. “I am not trying to make you feel like shit. I am sick of cryptic shit and I am more confused now than I have ever been. You want support, you get it but you cannot keep us in the dark when you get an urge to scratch that nasty itch. Nobody can help you if you don’t let anyone know where your head is at.”
He is silent for a few beats and I back in to my garage so I can load up, keeping him on my Bluetooth.
“I get it.” He finally says and for now we are at an impasse.
“Ok. Let’s talk the four of us after the show. We don’t need this kind of upset before a gig. Let’s hit the warehouse get a few sets in before the Aloha house.”
“Good deal.” He replies. “Chad?”
I hear the catch in his voice and disconnect the Bluetooth. Something in his voice tells me this should not be heard in my front yard.
“Yeah?”
“Some of what I have to say… might make you feel different where Carrie is concerned…”
I interrupt him knowing he is trying to do the right thing. “Nothing will change my opinion of Carrie, Noah. Whatever it is I’ll be okay with it.”
“Cool.” He says and ends the call before I can say anything else.
What I did know was confusing. Somehow it would come to a head tonight and at this point I am expecting him to tell me they were abducted by aliens or some shit.
Regardless, I had no idea what the secret is and for the first time since meeting the Becketts…I’m not sure I want to know.
Chapter Eight
Carrie
The Aloha House was holding a show for Hometown Heroes and I was ecstatic to see Thick as Thieves live for the first time. I was shocked by the turnout. The place was packed. I had my two best friends with me, Candy and Cassa and a mutual friend of mine and Chads’ from work, Celeste. Cassa’s brother Mike and his high school sweetheart turned wife, Roni, sat at the table beside us.
We waited for the band to take the stage. I sipped on my illegal beer in an Aloha House plastic cup. I was the last of our group to turn twenty-one, though my birthday was just around the corner. There was no way though, that I was going to be able to watch this show without a little mood enhancement. I was under strict orders from Noah that I was not allowed to take a drink from anyone other than himself or Chad directly, and that I was never to leave the table alone.
So there I sat watching my man set up amps and doing mic checks. Damn he was hot. It was different to see him in this light. He was so serious as he checked all the mics and tested the amps. His focus was completely on his passion for the music and the performance and it was sexy as hell.
"Girl, you look amazing tonight.” Candy said as she slammed yet another shot of tequila. I had wanted to dress low key because the Aloha House wasn’t a glamorous club, but I was a girl. I wore my tightest skinny jeans in a worn out blue with my to-die-for red stilettos. They, like most of my clothes, were knock offs, I think these were Jimmy Shoes. I wore a black halter top with a high collar and a deep cut V neck in the front. My blonde hair was pulled up in a messy knot and all the loose strands hung around my face and neck and made me feel impossibly sexy. A few bangles embossed in various bling, and black smoky eyes topped off the look. I was trying to pull off the ‘my boyfriend is in the band’ look and hoped I succeeded.
I had become a woman who dresses to seduce a man, only I was seducing him for a measly kiss. I have never dressed for someone else before and I hoped I didn’t disappoint. I felt fantastically sexy regardless.
“I hope you’re right, Candy.” I smiled and sipped my beer and looked around for my man, who was walking to the main entrance when Noah walked in.
They didn’t seem to be in a heated conversation, and I hoped that Chad would wait until the end of the show to confront him about last night. They spoke a few more minutes and then together walked behind the stage.
“Ohmigod girl, did you see Chad? I am going home with him tonight if I have to beg.” I heard the girl beside me say. I was both shocked and appalled.
“I’ll take a piece of Shamus or Cal if I can’t get Noah, but I know those piercings of his are guaranteed to rock my world.” The second girl said, just as trashy as the first.
Was this really how women behaved themselves, how they talked? If so, then I was way out of my league with Chad. I know this was my first show, and I knew they had a large following of desperate women, but this was a bit over the top. I listened to these women chatter on about a million different things they would do to my brother and my man, all the while bile rising in my throat.
Candy must have heard them too because her happy smile turned to ice in seconds.
“You get him girl.” The girl seeking Chad laughed.
“No, she won’t.” Candy said loud enough for the skankets to hear.
“Excuse me?” The girls both looked at Candy.
“You heard me. And I’m telling you, that neither of them is taking you home. Noah is going with me tonight, and Chad doesn’t want to experience yet another fangirl.” That was Candy, bitch extraordinaire.
“Well, honey.” The cheapest looking one of the two said. Her hair was frizzy and not tamed at all and the red was total bottle job. Her makeup was too heavy and her clothes a size too small. She was the embodiment of the term fangirl. “How about we let Noah decide if he wants a stuck up cold bitch or a good fucking time.”
I swear I have never experienced such disdain for two women in my entire life.
“I know Noah Becket pretty well, and I’m pretty sure that he’ll choose Candy every time, especially if you’re the only other option. Noah may think with his dick, but he has class and charm on his side, and those are qualities you and your equally disgusting friend lack.” I said my piece and then turned from the scowls they were both throwing at me.
“Who the fuck do you think you are, whore?” The girl’s friend asked with a shocking level of hatred for me and the truth I spoke. She was a little heavier than her friend, but appeared to be wearing the same size clothing. Her blonde hair was brassy from too many bleach jobs and there were large chunky black streaks over the crown of her head. Her eye makeup was heavy, but not awful, and her cherry red lips destroyed any promise that her eyes offered. This woman lacked self confidence and panache, and reeked of desperation. She made me sick in a heartbreaking sort of way.
“That would be my baby sister, and that sexy ass next to her is right. I am going home with her tonight.” Noah said matter of fact as he walked up to Can
dy and shoved his tongue down her throat.
The girls’ faces registered shock, but neither one said a word and quickly got up and moved to the opposite side of the bar. Two down, only one hundred and fifty or so more to go.
“Did you go see Chad?" Celeste asked, cringing as she took a sip of her beer. Celeste had always been a bit of a follower when it came to the band, but I liked her when her guard was down. She was sarcastic in a funny way, not rude by any means, and she was genuinely nice to me. Others however like Candy and Cassa she didn’t really...vibe with. Knowing she was a friend of Chad’s I was deliberate in making sure she felt welcome.
"No, I didn’t want to make him nervous." I didn’t know if that was true or if I was still trying to get used to Chad and I being a topic of conversation in general. We had decided the night before to make our thing monogamous. My mind drifted to the conversation from early this morning when we were drifting to sleep in the boathouse curled around one another.
“It doesn’t have to mean anything more than the fact we are into each other, Carrie. If you don’t want titles I’m cool with it, but usually when you keep things monogamous, it means exclusive. I don’t give a shit about labels, just you, Carrie Girl.”
He kept telling me that and each time I liked it even more than the last. He was a persistent shit and just kept driving his point home that we should make things exclusive so that the girls at the show knew he was off limits and vice-versa with the guys.
After dealing with ho-bags one and two I could see his point.
“I’m cool with whatever Chad really.” I had said it, but it burned coming out. I was such a liar.
“Look Carrie…” He’d strummed his fingers along my ribs like I was his guitar and started singing to me. I was toast. “I’m crazy… for you baby…can’t you see…. And I’m wonderin’ … if you’re crazy…. Just like me…”
He had sung my favorite Royal Bliss song and I’d melted. The words were what I’d needed and being that I was a huge music fan, he just knew to get me on that level.
"He is your boyfriend." Celeste said, snapping me from said sexy boyfriend thoughts. She used a heavy emphasis on the boyfriend part. "He probably wants to see you."
I shrugged and wondered if she was right. I was not about to go all fangirl on him just because we found one another mutually hot. He was still Chad. If she was right it was too late, because the lights dimmed and an extremely loud bass guitar beat that was totally my brother’s style took my attention. Then I saw Chad and everything inside of me went to that girly, mushy, gooey place.
Chad was magnificent. His hair was down and fell to just the top of his shoulders. I almost forgot how beautiful he was when his hair wasn’t tucked beneath a bandana or hat. I was normally not attracted to long hair on men, I liked short close-cut hair, but on Chad it was perfect. The way he was flushed, so consumed by the music, did something to me inside and I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I had told him the night of our first date that he was intense, but what I felt watching him on that stage was pure undiluted lust.
And then he started singing. They started with a cover of Quiet Riots ‘Cum On Feel The Noize”. They completely remade it and modernized it to their sound. It was faster, harder, and Chad rocked the vocals.
I knew on the fan base alone that they were good, but to see them live in their element, they were so in tune with one another it was perfection. They moved in sync proving that the years of dedication had created a natural choreography between them. They complimented one another and captivated an entire room packed to capacity.
Chad had an entirely different vibe when he was on stage. I watched as his ego slipped in place and the venue melted in his hand. He sang and looked out over the crowd, the look in his eyes had you believing he was singing to you, for you. He was so magnificent and meant to do this, he was that good.
By the end of the opening song Chad started introducing the band, each one of the guys giving a little riff or drum beat and Noah came in with an awesome bass line. After the introductions Chad joked some with the crowd, only making them love him more, and then started into an original song of theirs.
I watched Chad hold his mic and smile through his words. The song was highly sexual and I felt my skin heat when he slid his hand down his chest while singing about the feel of hands on his body. Then his eyes fell on me. He smiled as he sang and the slight dimples in his cheeks dug in and stood out on his perfect face. He was drenched after only the few songs when a large Polynesian man brought up a tray of beers for all the guys, dropping a water next to Shame’s drum kit.
I had heard Noah when he would write songs, I knew they sang songs about sex, drugs, and rock and roll like all the rock bands did. Listening to it all put together though, and watching Chad sing about sex, had me panting and seriously turned on. It was unfair that he be that beautiful, that desired by women who were screaming his name. His talent was no match for his heart though, but together they made him toxic to me, and all thoughts of being careful faded away. He made me desperate to be reckless with him.
“So while we’re taking a breath and getting ready to rock some more, let’s get to know a few. What do ya say, Becket?” Chad asked, and the crowd went nuts, screaming how they wanted to get to know Noah. Some of the women were asking to fuck him outright.
Noah laughed good naturedly. “Now, now, ladies, I’m here with a date this evening.” He said while clicking his tongue ring against his teeth driving them all the more crazy. Looking at Candy he winked and bit his lip and the crowd of women swooned.
“More for me.” Cal said into the mic and the girls went ballistic forgetting about Noah and his date for the night.
“What about you, Chad?” A woman in the front row yelled over the crowd, Chad’s mic picking it up. My heart was beating out of my chest as I wondered what he would say.
He laughed so god damn sexily I could have melted. “Nope, not tonight ladies.”
When an insane amount of boos erupted in the crowd Shame did a few kicks on the drums to rile the crowd back up.
“I know you love me, and I love you too, but I’m taken ladies.”
Holy fuck!
“Where is she?” Noah asked and laughed as he started looking in the crowd. I wanted to kill him and then hide.
The lights came down on me instantly and the entire crowd turned to stare at me. In that instant I wanted to run, I hated being judged and right now every woman in the bar was wondering what was so special about me. Good luck figuring it out, because I still had no clue why he wanted me when he had his pick. Looking at the hordes of women, I felt their stares as they plotted my death.
“There she is.” Chad said, his voice full of promise and it made me forget everything for a split second. “Damn boys, ain’t I one lucky fucker?” He asked and the men in the crowd agreed making me feel awesome.
I laughed trying to find the humor in the situation. I was finding it a bit hard, these bitches were crazy and now I was on their radar.
“Hi, baby.” He said with a wink and I melted. I mean, who wouldn’t? Besides, he was hot. All the women around me now hated me even more.
“Hi.” I said, barely loud enough to be heard. Luckily, my girls were jumping up and down in excitement for me.
He laughed again and looked back at the band. “Should I serenade my girl?”
The entire place went crazy and even the women wanted to see Chad Blake serenade me. “I guess that’s a yes.” He said and started playing the opening tune to ‘Saving Me’ by Nickelback.
“I have it on good authority that my girl loves this song, it’s not her favorite, but that one isn’t appropriate for our show.” He looked at me and winked again. “So as serenades go, it’s not the romantic type, but I still get awesome boyfriend points.” And with that he started singing me my song.
I was lost watching him sing for me. He pulled me into that place that he had me in last night. There was no crowd and no dad threatening to shatter my happiness; n
o drugged out brother or ‘my boyfriend won’t kiss me’ fears. It was me and Chad, and I was lost in him entirely.
‘Say it for me-
Say it to me-
I’ll leave this life behind me-
Say it if it’s worth saving me.
His eyes drilled into me when he sang that particular line about leaving this life behind him. When he sang that part he looked out at all his horny female fans before dropping that gaze back on me. It was the only time in the entire song that his eyes left mine. I wanted to know if he meant anything by it, but considering this song wasn’t his selection I figured I was reading too much into it.
It also made his serenade last night all the more charming. God, I was losing myself to him and it had only been just over a week since our first date. I was on my own here, Noah couldn’t protect me from falling for a known playboy and that was exactly what I was doing. I had always crushed on Chad for no other reason than he was Chad Blake and sexy to the extreme. Now he was mine and there were emotions and fears to deal with.
After the serenade they resumed the high energy vibe that came with their original music. Those songs had the women in Aloha House going crazy. I didn’t know what to do with the overwhelming jealousy. I wanted to harm these women, pull their hair through their assholes, or something just as painful and graphic, to get them to back off. I was so claiming him as mine and I now understood exactly why he said calling us an item would matter.
Chad
"What did ya think baby?" I asked after getting our gear packed up. Carrie was as cool as ever. Not coming up and trying to get attention as we broke everything down. Women swarm us at the end of shows. Used to work for me and still mostly works for Noah. Cal it always works for. Tonight I didn’t want the bother of the hang on’s. I wanted to get to my girl who patiently waited outside for me.
"Amazing." She has a huge smile as she says it and wraps her arms around me. "It makes me want to kiss you."
