I move my eyes to him and lift an eyebrow. “What about him?”
“Well, from what I’m reading, he got drunk, tried fighting someone in the bar, grabbed the hand of the nearest girl, and left. Only that girl has a boyfriend, and he is livid, as you can imagine.”
I close my eyes and sigh. “Fucking hell.”
“What?” Kegan says.
I open my eyes and pin him in my angry stare. “I’ll get it cleaned up as fast as I can.”
“You better,” she says, and hangs up.
I toss my phone down and cover my face, groaning in frustration.
“What happened?” Lane asks.
“Is it that bad?” Comes from Remi.
“Lorelei, what the fuck?” Kegan says.
I stand up and cross my arms. A bit surprised that Kegan actually used my real name. “It is that bad, Remi.” I lean against the table and shake my head. “Did no one see Kegan attempting to fight at the bar? Did no one realize the girl he chose to bring back to the bus had a boyfriend that he pulled her away from?”
I step in front of Kegan and he pushes his sunglasses up. For a split second, I see regret, but it is quickly covered by his carefree look. “If you can’t handle your alcohol, don’t fucking drink. You’re looking like a fool this morning. You’re looking like a man who doesn’t care about women or relationships. You’re looking like someone who will never get any respect.”
I step away from them to make my coffee and I hear them whispering.
“I fucking told you it was going to go bad,” Remi says.
“When was that, asshole? When you were five shots deep and crying about missing Olivia?” Lane hisses.
“No, that was when he was wandering around looking for his dick that Olivia kept back in New York,” Everett says, laughing.
“She wasn’t even a good lay,” Kegan says.
I give a humorless laugh as I turn around. “That’s your main concern, Kegan? You need to get your priorities straight if you want to maintain the success you have, otherwise you’ll be a has been before being a star.”
I walk away to get my computer and when I come back, they are all quiet. I don’t say anything, I get to work on fixing the mess he’s caused. I need to make sure to cover this story with the concert tomorrow night and turn around whatever it is that has been said. I’m good at it, I know I can do it, but I’m pissed I need to.
“No drinking tonight. No leaving this bus,” I say, never taking my eyes away from my computer.
“Relax, angel. We know how it’s done,” Kegan says.
I briefly close my eyes and turn my head toward him. “You don’t know how it’s done. You know how to make a fucking mess, but you have no idea how difficult and complicated it is to clean it up. You’re selfish and that doesn’t work when there are four of you.”
“Watch it! You know nothing about me or us,” he hisses.
“Who’s fault is that?” I ask, turning back to fixing his mess.
I’m lying in my bunk starving. After I cleaned up Kegan’s mess and got a call from Jennifer telling me how amazing I am, the guys all went back to sleep. They’ve ignored me ever since. I’ve listened to them talking and laughing, while I feel trapped in my tiny bunk. I might be able to clean up the mess, but they’ll never allow me to be even friends with them. It’s lonely, but I can’t pull myself to go out and face them again. Being ignored is worse than fighting with them. At least there are words exchanged.
My stomach growls and I sigh. I need food.
“Lorelei?” Lane asks.
“Yeah?”
“Can I open your curtain?”
I laugh as I push it open. “What’s up?”
“We’re gonna get pizza, do you like any toppings?”
My stomach growls again and I feel myself blush.
“Damn, hungry?” he asks, laughing.
“Starving and no, I’ll eat whatever you guys like,” I say.
He looks at me for a minute before pulling my blanket off. “Come on, you aren’t hiding back here all night.”
“You gonna be an asshole?” I ask, grinning.
“I’m naturally an asshole, but I promise I won’t be a prick.”
We both laugh and I feel like I might have finally started to win them over. Or, at least, Lane. He seems to be the sweet one. The one that cares the most.
“Okay,” I say, hopping off the bed.
We walk out and the other three are talking until they notice me. I sit at the table and look out the window. “Don’t stop on my account,” I say, keeping my gaze on the scenery passing by in a blur.
“Where are you from, Lorelei?” Everett asks.
I turn my head and all four of them are looking at me. I laugh as I roll my eyes. “Is this your way of saying you are all sorry for treating me like shit for the last week?”
“Not at all, we’re just curious,” Kegan says.
Sure, boss man, whatever you say.
“I’m from Chicago,” I say.
“Cool, got a boyfriend?” Lane asks.
I laugh, shaking my head. “No.”
“Why?” Kegan asks, his dark eyes bouncing between mine.
“Why don’t you have a girlfriend?” I reply.
“Damn,” Remi says, laughing. “She turned that shit fast.”
Kegan shows me the first genuine smile and I return it. “Touché,” he says.
“How old are you?” Everett asks.
“Twenty-five.”
“No shit, me, too,” he says, excitedly.
I laugh as I turn my body to face them. “I know.”
“You do?” he asks, surprised.
“Well, yeah. I had to do research before starting the position. I couldn’t walk onto this bus and know nothing,” I say, shrugging.
“What kind of research?” Kegan asks, crossing his arms.
I tap my chin, looking up at the ceiling. “Sex tapes,” I whisper.
“What the fuck?”
“From where?”
“Whose?”
They start yelling. I laugh again and they stop. “I’m fucking with you, damn. But if there is a sex tape floating around you might wanna get the squashed before it gets out. Anyway, basic things like your ages, what position you each have in the band, and your music. Things like that.”
“You listened to our music?” Kegan asks.
I nod, but don’t say anything.
“What? You hate it or something?” Lane asks.
“No, hell no. I actually really like it,” I say.
“What’s your favorite song?” Kegan asks.
He’s testing me to see if I really did listen to it. I can see the smirk taking over.
“I really like ‘You Broke Me’ I felt a connection to it, it was kinda emotional, but I also really liked ‘Step Back’. It’s a song that makes me want to get up and dance.”
All four of them exchange looks, and I smile.
How’s that crow taste boys?
Chapter Six
Kegan
Three pies and two hours after Lorelei tells us her favorite songs of ours, we are still awake. I’ll admit, I didn’t expect her to know any of our songs and when she did, I was shocked. It’s not easy for me to admit to being wrong, but in this instance I was.
The more we talk and get to know her, the more intrigued I become. I judged her without knowing anything about her. I convinced myself she was here to destroy our fun and bring down our reputation. Although after the fucking mess I ended up getting myself into, I was impressed how she turned the story and actually made me out to be the good guy. She knows what she's doing, I’ll give her that.
She’s also not the suit I thought she was. She’s been telling us stories of her and her friends and the crazy shit they’ve gotten into. They actually seem like chicks we wouldn’t mind hanging out with.
We’ve all shared a little about ourselves, things we like, things we hate. Our favorite drinks, how we like coffee. We told her how we started the ban
d and she told us how she’s been fighting her way to the top. It’s been fun and that’s without any alcohol.
“Be back, I need to call Olivia,” Remi says.
“Want me to tell her how you had your dick in some chick’s mouth last night?” Everett yells.
“Fuck off,” he says, going toward the bunks.
Lorelei sits quietly as we laugh, before biting her lip and looking between the three of us.
“What?” I ask.
“Did he?” she asks.
I look between Lane and Everett and laugh. “Did he get a blow job?”
“Yeah,” she asks, a blush taking over her face.
“No, he’d never cheat on his dictator,” Everett says.
We all laugh, including Lorelei. “Okay, I need the story,” she says.
“They’ve been together since high school and she used to be cool, but now all she does is question what we do, demand things from him, and look for money. I don’t think he wants to be with her, I think he feels obligated to be with her after all this time,” Everett explains.
“That’s sad,” she says.
“It’s not sad, it’s pathetic,” I say.
She shakes her head slightly and looks over her shoulder to make sure he isn’t coming back. “It is sad because he could be missing out on something amazing, but he’s settling. I’ve done it, been in a relationship that was so incredibly boring and meaningless, but felt like I should stick it out because he had the same goals I did,” she says, shrugging.
“Your goals to be given the opportunity you have now?” I ask, genuinely curious.
She nods and finishes off her water. I can tell she doesn’t want to talk about it, but damn, it makes me want to push her that much more. Not to be an asshole, just to know the story.
“So, being with someone who bores you in bed and evokes no emotions from you meant less than your job?” I ask.
She laughs and the blush creeps up her neck. “I didn’t say anything about boring in bed.”
“You didn’t need to,” I say with a wink. “It was obvious.”
“How?” she yells, before biting her lip.
The three of us laugh and Lane gets up and grabs a beer out of the fridge. “Please can we all just have one?”
She rolls her eyes playfully and nods. Lane hands us all a beer, including Lorelei. I shouldn’t care about her sex life, but I’m suddenly very interested in hearing about it, after I explain how I could tell.
I take a sip of the cold beer and smile as I look at her. “Well, when sex is good you don’t ever explain a relationship as boring or meaningless. Not to mention you didn’t get the look.”
“What look?” she asks.
“The look of remembering that one hot night you had with him,” Lane explains.
She laughs, adjusting her position. The shirt she has on keeps revealing more of her skin each time she moves. Her hair being up, showing off her neck and bare shoulder, is sexy as hell. Her blue eyes are captivating to me, seeming to want to pull me in. She makes it difficult to look away.
“There is no such look,” she says.
“Then you haven’t been with anyone good enough to make you give it,” I say, searching her eyes. “Am I right?”
She searches my eyes before something snaps and she breaks the stare. She clears her throat and looks over toward the bunk room.
“Since we’re being nice to each other now, how about you tell me exactly what you guys like or want tomorrow night. It saves me the time of getting all the information from other people,” she says, changing the subject.
You said it all without a single word, angel.
“No business tonight. We like to chill out and have fun the night before,” Lane says.
“Alright fine, sorry,” she says, sipping her beer. “Do you guys get nervous being on stage in front of all those people? I could never do it.”
“Hell no, it’s the best high there is,” Everett says.
“Agreed. Nothing could ever be better than being on stage. It’s an adrenaline rush like nothing else,” Lane explains.
I tip my beer to them and smile. “They are both right, but for me, it’s more than just that.”
“What is it?” she asks.
I get up and sit across from her at the table. I don’t know exactly why. The sudden urge to be close to her as I tell her something so private, I guess. “When I’m on stage, that’s me. There’s no hiding, no secrets, no thinking. I’m exposed, vulnerable, liable. Being center stage is where I belong, where I long to be. It’s my oasis.”
Her eyes soften as I talk and when I’m finished, she can’t look away and neither can I. I’m being pulled into her gaze and it’s terrifying, but I can’t break the trance. I just revealed more of myself to her than I have to anyone outside of the guys. She knows it, I can tell.
She reaches her hand across the table and places it on top of mine. The warmth of it has my pulse racing, but I don’t pull away. I place my other hand on top of hers.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
I nod as she gives me a soft smile of acceptance.
“Well, Olivia approves of Lorelei,” Remi says.
It breaks whatever trance we are under and she pulls her hand away, searching my eyes. I grin and lean back with a small nod.
That’s right, angel. You are no longer the enemy.
“Oh shit, just when we were starting to like her, we need to get rid of her,” Everett says, laughing.
“Hey,” she says, looking toward him.
“Shut up, Everett,” Remi says, sitting on the couch. “She loved how you portrayed the band and focused on the tour. She especially liked how you made Kegan out to be a good guy.” I snap my head to him, and he holds his hands up. “Her words bro, not mine.”
“You serious about her?” Lorelei asks.
“Of course,” he replies.
“Huh,” she says, turning away and giving me a grin.
What the hell?
“What’s that mean?” Remi asks.
She shrugs before turning to face him. “Oh nothing. I just didn’t see the look, that’s all.”
Lane, Everett, and I force back our laughs as we look at her.
“What look?” he asks.
“The look every guy or girl for that matter, has when they are in love. You can see it shining in their eyes. I just didn’t see that, so I’m a little surprised that’s all,” she says.
He doesn’t say anything, and we continue talking. Remi however sits there in deep thought the entire time.
Holy shit, she’s good.
“Alright, I have a question,” Lorelei says, smiling. “What song is your favorite?” She makes a point to look at each of us, letting us know it’s meant for us all.
I know without even looking at them what it is, it’s our song, Loyalty. It was one of our first songs, a fan favorite, and it means the most to us. It’s about our bond, but referenced for a couple. The struggles, the downfalls, and the loyalty it takes to make it all work. It was the first song I wrote.
“Kegan,” Lane says.
I glance toward him and he nods his chin, telling me to go for it. I grin and adjust my position, so my back is leaning against the window and I rest my one arm on the back of the bench seat at the table. I begin singing and when I get to the chorus, they all chime in. We’re all singing loudly, laughing as Everett gets up to sing into his beer. I chance a peek over a Lorelei and she’s smiling so big I can see it shining in her eyes, while swaying to the song.
We finish singing and all start laughing. Lorelei looks around at each of us, her eyes shining with excitement.
“Holy shit, I’m blown away. I can’t even describe it, I’m speechless,” she says, laughing.
“Well, at least we know how to shut you up now,” Everett says.
She covers her face and shakes her head, but when she drops her hands, she locks her eyes with mine. “Seriously, your voice is amazing.”
“Thanks,” I say, gri
nning at the compliment.
She stands up and stretches, revealing a bit of her stomach. Damn, it shouldn’t get my attention like it does.
“I had fun tonight, a lot of fun. Thank you, guys, but I need to get some sleep before tomorrow.”
She talks a bit longer about how she’s honored to get a private concert, and that she’s excited to see it all tomorrow. When she finally makes her way to the bunk room, I turn to the guys.
“Well?” I ask.
Lane leans back, resting his ankle on his other leg. “I don’t know brother; she seems pretty cool.”
“I agree,” Remi says.
“Tonight was fun, but I think we need to see how tomorrow goes before we decide to accept her completely,” Everett suggests.
I nod listening to them all. They are all right. We did have fun tonight, a lot more than I expected. She was laid back and interesting. But, Everett is right. We need to see how she deals with everything that will happen tomorrow before we accept her fully.
“Agreed. Tonight proved she’s cool. Let’s see where it goes.”
We spent the afternoon doing sound checks at the stadium. It’s a huge venue and it’s sold out. It will be the biggest crowd to date, and my adrenaline is coursing through me as we get ready. I pull my favorite dark jeans out of the suitcase and pair them with a black shirt. I put some gel in my hair, allowing it to stay wild.
“Hey,” Lane says, stepping into the only bedroom.
I turn to look at him. “Hey, you good?”
He sits on the bed and sighs. “Yeah, I was just thinking about Ma being home alone.”
I sit next to him and squeeze his shoulder. “She’s not alone. I texted her just before I took a shower. She said that a couple of her friends were coming over to play some cards.”
He lifts his head and searches my face to see if I’m being honest. When he realizes I am, his carefree smile slips onto his face. “Oh well, shit. Look at her having a night of fun.”
“Yeah, she is,” I say, laughing. “She’s good, little brother. I promise you I’ve made sure of it.”
He nods as he stands up. “Thanks, Kegan.”
I shrug as I grab my boots. “Don’t need to thank me, but you can promise to get on that stage and fucking kill it.”
Loyalty: A Salvation Society Novel Page 5
