by Meghan Quinn
They were in New York for a couple of days and the label made some time to meet up with them in person, discuss where the album was in the process and come up with publicity tactics. Maisy wasn’t too thrilled about the upcoming interviews she was going to have to do, since she was terrible at trying to find the proper words to say during an interview, but she would do anything to help out the band.
It was already decided amongst Twisted Perfection that Kaid was going to be the one who did all the talking; he had a knack for it. Willow and Maisy were going to sit back and relax while Kaid took all the glory; they didn’t mind one bit.
Rook groaned. “I guess I’ll go work out then.”
They were able to score a nice hotel, thanks to the label, so they had access to a lot of amenities the tour bus didn’t provide. For one, giant beds and two, an amazing gym. Thanks to Shattered Souls gym rat dedication, Twisted Perfection found themselves working out as well and reaping the rewards from it, especially Willow; she was looking hotter every day. Like Jessica Simpson’s swimsuit body during Dukes of Hazard hot.
Maisy gripped his arms and frowned. “Yeah, might be a good idea. You feel a little flabby.”
Shock registered across Rook’s face before he realized Maisy was only joking. “You’re in trouble now!”
Rook picked her up by the waist and flung her on the bed. He straddled her body with his and hovered just above her. He flexed his muscles, his oh-so-glorious muscles and looked down at himself.
“I think flabby is the wrong word. Care to try again?” he said while flexing his pecs up and down.
Trying not to laugh, she shook her head no.
“Have it your way.” He brought his hand to where her leg met her hip and tickled her. It was by far the most ticklish spot she had on her body and he knew it. If she had a full bladder she would have peed her pants for sure. She squirmed laughing out loud, trying to free herself, but she couldn’t under his strong grip.
“Alright, alright. You’re an Adonis, you’re bigger than The Rock, you’re a modern day muscular marvel.”
Rook stopped and kissed her nose. “That’s better. Now get out of here before I make you into a woman.”
Maisy quirked an eyebrow at him. “Really? You’re not going to use that one often, are you?”
He laughed to himself. “Just saying.”
“Yeah, well don’t.” She kissed him on the lips, got off the bed, and went to grab her jacket.
When she turned around to say bye, he was lying in the sheets with his elbow propped up on the bed. He was gorgeous. Completely and utterly gorgeous. His dirty blonde hair was all messed up from sleeping, he was shirtless and his sweats hung low on his hips. She licked her lips while she looked him up and down. Damn, she was one lucky girl.
“That look you’re giving me is telling me you want to stay.”
“I do, but I know I can’t. I’ll see you later.”
“Date night, babe. Don’t forget.”
“How could I?” she said with a wink, as she walked away.
Rook had a date planned for them tonight that Maisy was looking forward to. They’d been traveling quite a bit and didn’t have much time to rest, so it was nice to have a night off in the city. She planned on making the most of their night together. Quinn hooked her up with an amazing lingerie ensemble that made her all hot and bothered just looking at it. She was nervous as hell to finally give herself over to Rook, but she knew it was time. She wanted him fully and she wanted to fully give herself over to him.
Willow embarrassingly gave her pointers on how to make a man cry when in bed which seemed a little extreme to Maisy, but some of the things Willow said did seem like they would do the trick. She would see how it went the first time and maybe later use some of Willow’s obscene tips.
A town car took the band to a building in the middle of New York that was taller than Maisy could ever imagine. One good thing about being on the road was she was able to see America for the first time. She took pictures in corn fields, sat in the world’s largest rocking chair, saw trees and bare land and saw cities that were surprisingly not weighed down by smog. She felt so incredibly blessed. The only thing better than the opportunity to travel around, was that she was able to do it with Rook, telling her his little known facts of where they were.
“You ready for this?” Kaid said, as they walked into the building.
“Yeah, remember you’re doing the talking.”
“I got it covered, kid,” Kaid said, while holding the door open for both Maisy and Willow.
They had to wait in a modern and very swanky waiting room, but were quickly whisked to the back where some representatives from the label were waiting for them.
“Rob Hanson,” said a man with dark hair and sad looking grey eyes, as he held out his hand. Maisy had never met him before, but he was accompanied by Derek from the label, who they had to perform for before they were booked for the tour. “I’m the president of the label. It’s great to finally meet you all. Derek has talked non-stop about your potential and I have to say, he’s right. I just got done listening to your album and I’ve got to say, you three are something special. We owe the boys from Shattered Souls a lot for snagging you before anyone else could."
“We owe them a lot,” Kaid said, while shaking Rob’s hand.
“Please sit down.” Rob gestured to the chairs. “I’m sure you three are anxious to hear about when the release date for your album will be.” They all nodded their heads. “Well, we are going to drop the first single tomorrow to all the major radio stations. We’re going with the Shattered Souls cover, we really think it will explode around the country.”
“We agree,” Kaid said. His knee was bouncing up and down as he talked to Rob. It was his nervous tendency which made Maisy feel a little guilty for putting him in the hot seat, but she was secretly happy about it because words weren’t currently forming in her head.
“Good. We have some interviews set up for you around the country as you travel from city to city. Pete will manage those. As for the album, we’re giving your single three weeks to make a splash and then we’re going to drop the CD. We want to create a good amount of buzz before we release it. Normally, we would give the single a little more time to create more buzz, but since you’re on tour, we want to be able to move the process along and get your CD’s to the different venues for purchase so you can sign them as well. How’s that sound?”
Maisy just nodded and smiled. It was all just too surreal for her brain to comprehend. Radio interviews, singles, CDs, autographs? When did her life change so fast?
Kaid touched upon some details with the label, but Maisy was barely able to understand anything that they were saying because her mind was swirling around the fact that they were going to have an album out to the public in three weeks. Three fucking weeks!
Maisy didn’t remember shaking hands goodbye with Rob and Derek, nor did she remember the ride back to the hotel. When she reached the room she shared with Rook, she charged in, threw her purse on the ground and searched the suite for her man.
“Rook?”
“In here, boo,” Rook called from the bathroom.
She ran into the bathroom and threw her body at him. He caught her in midair as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She kissed him all over his face as he laughed at her light and energetic mood.
“I’m guessing the meeting went well,” he said in-between kisses.
“We have an album!”
He laughed. “We knew that, babe.”
“I know, but it’s so real now. It will be released in three weeks and our first single drops tomorrow. I’m so excited!”
“I can tell. Congrats baby. You guys deserve it. You guys are really good.”
Maisy got down and went to her suitcase to get ready for their date.
“Interesting, I remember you distinctly saying that we were only decent.”
Rook grew serious as he walked toward her. He pinned her against the wall and held her fac
e with his hands.
“You know that’s not how I really feel. I was being a giant ass. I couldn’t handle being around you because all I wanted was you in my arms. I was scared so I decided to push you away. The first time I ever saw you play on stage, I was mesmerized. I knew you guys were going to be something special and you are.”
“Promise?”
“Promise, boo.”
“I can’t tell you how that makes me feel. For the longest time, even though I hated you, I wanted your approval. That’s all I wanted.”
“You have it. I’m your number one fan.”
Maisy kissed him and then moved to grab her clothes. “I have to change if we’re ever going to go on our date.”
Rook stepped aside and went back into the bathroom to finish styling his hair, if that’s what he wanted to call it. He just pushed some product around in it, pulled his hair out in different directions to give him a bad ass look and called it a day. It was so easy for men, it was unfair.
“I’m going to go make sure the guys don’t need anything from me before we leave. I know we have to sign a few things for the fan club so I’ll give you time to yourself to get ready.”
“Sounds good.”
“Be back in a bit.” Rook waved bye like a little school boy as he left their hotel room.
Maisy knew she was head over heels for the man and that it was going to be a rough road ahead, but it was worth it. When he was sober and not bogged down with his past, he was beyond amazing. She had never been happier. Her life was really making a turn for the best. She was blessed and she knew she would be thankful every day for how her life had changed so much.
Chapter 12
Rook knocked on Grey’s hotel room door so he could wrap up their fan club signings before he took his girl out on the town. He was excited to show Maisy the city. Watching her experience new things was refreshing. She appreciated everything around them and it made him realize how much he took for granted. It was depressing to think that he wasted so much time of his life sulking about his past and trying to mend it with alcohol and drugs.
“Hey,” Grey said, as he answered the door. “Come in, we’re almost done. We just need you to finish up some signatures before we hand everything over to Pete to ship out.”
“Did you leave enough room for me to sign? Your bubbly girl autograph always takes up all the space.”
Laughing at the way Grey flipped him off, Rook walked into the main living area of the suite and found the rest of the guys sitting on the couch with pictures scattered all over the coffee table. Landon had his thick rimmed glasses perched on the end of his nose while he smoked a pipe, Cruz was sitting in a big chair with a beer in his hand and a giant barbeque stain on his white shirt without a care in the world and Grey smelled like he hadn’t seen a shower in a couple of days.
“Not keeping your standards up, I see. Seriously Grey, you smell like wet shit and Landon what’s with the pipe? When did you turn eighty?”
“It adds to my sophistication factor,” Landon said, while taking a puff on his pipe.
“More like douche factor,” Cruz said, while taking a swig of his beer.
“Like you can talk,” Landon countered. “You’re a fucking slob when you eat. Its repulsive to be next to you while you massacre your meals.”
Cruz shrugged as he tossed a pen at Rook. “Get to work dickhead. We have to get these to Pete in an hour.”
“I don’t plan on being here for an hour, so we better get this shit done.”
“Hot date?” Landon asked, as he puffed on his pipe, again.
Rook didn’t want to respond to his friend who seriously looked like a massive idiot, but he was too busy thinking about his date with Maisy to actually care that much.
“Yeah.”
All the guys looked at each other as if they were missing something that Rook said. Landon spoke for all of them, “Care to elaborate?”
“Not really.”
“Please tell me it’s with Maisy,” Grey stated.
“Jesus, of course it’s with Maisy.”
“It’s about time you guys started getting more serious. I’ve been worried sick about whether or not you guys were going to get together. I can finally sleep at night knowing you two fucked up souls will finally have happily ever after,” Cruz said sarcastically.
Cruz loved pushing Rook’s buttons. Thankfully, Rook wasn’t under the influence and could recognize what Cruz was trying to do. Instead of flying off the deep end and raising his fist to Cruz once again, he shot him a warning look.
“Watch it, Cruz.”
Cruz was about to open his mouth when Grey stopped him. “Cruz just sit back and shut the fuck up. Stop causing drama for one damn night.”
“Life would be so boring without it. You fuck her yet?” Cruz asked, while finishing the rest of his beer.
Rook didn’t pay attention to what Cruz was saying, instead he continued to sign all the pictures and memorabilia they were sending to their fans, so he could get the hell out of the room and get back to Maisy.
“I bet her pussy is so tight it will eat your dick alive. Damn, what I wouldn’t give to tap that ass. I’d slap my dick around to her face at least once a night. I’m just waiting for you to fuck it up with her, so I can swoop in and bury myself balls deep in that sweet cunt of hers.”
Rook tossed the coffee table to the side and lunged at Cruz, who once again was laughing. Landon tossed his pipe to the side and grabbed Rook by the shoulders before he could destroy Cruz’s face.
“You fucking dickhead. Stay the hell away from Maisy. I swear to God, if I see you go near her, even breathe near her, I will rip your dick off so fast and shove it up your ass, you won’t even have time to think about how fucked up it is that you’re fucking your own asshole.”
Cruz just laughed, making Rook’s blood boil. Why the arrogant prick was his friend was beyond him. Grey grabbed Cruz by the barbeque stained shirt and escorted him out the door, while muttering something in his ear that Rook couldn’t hear.
Rook shook Landon off of him and straightened out his shirt. It was probably a good thing that Landon stopped Rook from blowing his fist through Cruz’s face because he was totally digging the shirt he had on and knew if he got to Cruz, there would be Cruz’s blood all over his shirt.
Grey returned and said, “Sorry about that. The dickhead is high and drunk. Don’t let him get to you.”
“I’m not,” Rook said, unconvincingly. He was shaking from the adrenaline running through his body. He wished that Cruz didn’t affect him as much as he did. He tried to hold back his anger, but he couldn’t take Cruz’s mouth much longer. The dickwad knew all the right buttons to push.
Both Landon and Grey raised a skeptical eyebrow, but dropped it. They sat in silence as they finished up their work, which Rook was grateful for because he was in no mood to talk to anyone. Grey finished before Landon and Rook, so he took a shower, thankfully, while Landon and Rook packaged everything up.
“You two are good together,” Landon said, in all seriousness.
“Thanks, man.”
“She’s good for you, man. I like you much better sober.”
“I like myself better too. It’s been hard. I’m not going to lie about that. I itch for the sweet burn that only Jack was able to deliver, but if that means I lose Maisy, it’s not worth it. I already have the odds stacked up against me when it comes to her. The least I can do is lay off the hard stuff to appease her.” Rook looked around and then added, “If I’m being honest, I’ve never felt more alive before. I used to numb myself with the stuff and now that it’s not in my system, I actually feel things.”
“Welcome to the world, man.”
Rook laughed. “Thanks.” He nodded toward the bathroom where Grey was and asked, “How’s he doing? It seems like things are strained between him and Quinn.”
Quinn and Grey were the epitome of love. Rook looked up to them and always wondered if he would ever have the deep love that they shared. Now th
at he was with Maisy, he could see himself actually finding that deep infatuation and love.
It was odd to see Grey and Quinn having problems. They never fought, they were never cold toward each other and they never slept in separate bunks, but in the last couple of weeks, that behavior was a steady pattern in their relationship.
“I don’t know. Willow has put a big dent in their relationship. Grey hasn’t done anything with her; I would kill him if he did, but the way he looks at her, watches her, laughs with her, I think it’s slowly eating away at Quinn. I think she might be throwing up again, man. But I don’t know how to approach her about it, or Grey for that matter. She’s thin, there are circles under her eyes and her fingernails are brittle.”
“Shit.” Rook raked his hands over his face. “I think you need to say something to Quinn. She trusts you. Maybe she needs someone to talk to.”
“Maybe.”
Grey took that moment to walk back into the room with swim trunks on, wet hair and a towel wrapped around his neck.
“Did you actually take a shower or did you just put a swimsuit on and hope that the hillbilly’s bath would get rid of your funk?” Rook asked.
“I took a shower, although I do enjoy a hillbilly bath. It’s so much easier.”
Rook pointed at Grey, “You have issues.” And then pointed at Landon, “Lose the pipe man, you look like a massive turd.” He got up from his chair and headed toward the door. “I have a beautiful woman waiting for me in the other room. I will see you boys tomorrow. Thanks for the help with Cruz. Make sure you check on him later tonight, we don’t need him drowning in his own bile.”
Landon and Grey promised to check on him, which relieved Rook. Yeah, Cruz was a giant fucknut most of the time but he was still Rook’s brother, therefore he needed to make sure Cruz was going to be okay, even if all Rook wanted to do was shove his foot so far up Cruz’s ass, it tickled his small intestine.
***
Grey was in heaven, he thought, as he shifted so his back was right against a jet. The hotel they were staying at had a private rooftop that offered a hot tub and pool. Since it was a cool night, he decided to take a dip in the hot tub and he was happy he did. He was feeling relaxed for one of the first times in a long time.
