“Isn’t that a question for Edwin?” Who, if he had any sense at all would run. My kids were going to be a handful. More than that...I couldn’t begin to fathom.
“Hey, will you take three more kids for double the money?” he called back to Edwin who had just reached the bottom step.
That was one way to do it.
“Double the money, and they all get tutoring at the same time,” he called back not even two seconds later. Did he not just hear five kids? Five.
“Done.”
This tour just kept getting more and more interesting as the day wore on.
Chapter Seven
Edwin
As I stood at the foot of the bus steps saying yes to watching five kids for four months because I was so going to need all the money I could get when I was out of the work force with my new baby, the sane part of my brain was running around inside my head protesting that I had no experience and would be incredibly lucky to manage two active little guys much less five children.
“Edwin, the man who just offered you all the cash to wrangle his three monsters—no offense, Rich—is Freddie and this is his mate Rich.”
“Hi, we spoke on the phone but haven’t met in person.” I held my hand out and shook Freddie’s, but Rich took a step back so I didn’t offer. Some people didn’t like strangers touching them. Kind of like how I felt at the end of an evening of gropers who broke all the lap-dance rules. They figured a big tip made up for the fingerprints all over me that I spent hours showering off. Even if they didn’t show, I could feel them. “Nice to meet you both.”
“Thanks for agreeing, Edwin.” Freddie seemed to speak for them both. “Rich is coming along for the tour but one of his clients needed his services to prepare financial documents for a new investor, so he’ll be working as hard as we will.”
I frowned, not wanting to ask questions, but the quiet guy offered a friendly but shy smile. “I’m an accountant. But the kids know that if they don’t behave, you’ll be letting whichever of us is at hand know. Right?”
A trio of nodding heads greeted his words, and the eldest, a boy said, “I’m JR, and I’m nine.” He waved to the other boy. “This is Brent, and he’s seven.”
Before he could continue, the youngest stepped forward and gave me a curtsy. My eyes nearly bugged out, but since she wore a purple princess dress with a flared netting skirt and a small, slightly askew rhinestone tiara, the gesture made sense.
I couldn’t suppress a smile. “And, princess, what is your name?”
She reached up to straighten her tiara before giving me a regal nod. “I am Lady Sarah, and I am five.”
Just then a crowd of mostly guys and a few women poured out of the cabin, carrying luggage, instruments, cables and other equipment, and a dozen or more canvas grocery bags. They parted to pass us as if our little group was an island in a stream, headed toward all the storage portals on the hulking vehicle. They were all about their own business, and I figured I’d meet them later, but one in particular broke away from the rest. He held only a guitar case and wore a friendly smile. “Judson! Freddie said he’d talked you out of self-imposed retirement, but I told him I wouldn’t believe it until I saw you. Also, didn’t you say you weren’t going to come up that road again, not for love or money?”
My new boss looked uncomfortable for a moment then said, “I don’t suppose you have a helicopter up here I can use to avoid the road going down?”
“Uncle Simon!” Bowie and Jagger, who’d so far shown interest only in the other kids’ bikes, an issue their dad was going to have to address sooner rather than later, leapt on the leader of the biggest rock band in the country, maybe the world.
He passed the guitar case off to a passing roadie and caught the twins up in his arms. “Here are my godsons. Only for you two would I give up my private room and sleep in a crew bunk.”
They hugged him so tight they must have been cutting off his circulation but he didn’t seem to mind, just gave them an extra squeeze before setting them down on the ground. “So, you and Freddie’s kids can ride your bikes around some of the biggest stadiums in the country. Won’t that be great?”
Bowie beckoned him to bend down and whispered in his ear. Simon scowled. “Really? Well, let’s get this bus loaded. We have to make a quick stop before we head for our first show.” He fixed a glare on Judson. “Somebody goofed.”
The little fink turned to his brother and whispered again, and they flashed a triumphant grin at their dad and rose on tiptoe. Their godfather bent to accept a sweet kiss on each cheek before striding off to climb onto the bus.
I suppressed a smile with difficulty. Hopefully once we got under way, the godfather would be too busy to spoil the boys, but if not, we’d have to deal with that as it happened. And I couldn’t be sorry they’d have bikes. Some of the venues were not convenient for anything fun for kids and if they could ride themselves into exhaustion, everyone would have a better time. Even the Lady Sarah had a purple bike with an iridescent basket on the front emblazoned with her name and title.
Once everything was stowed aboard the bus, we all boarded and everyone found somewhere to sit. It had seemed so roomy before but with everyone and what they’d dragged on with them, it was more than a little crowded. As in, add two chickens and a pig and you had a country bus going from village to village in some backwater country.
So far, they were all cheerful, some already playing cards, others playing on their phones, and a few making their way to the bunks to crash out. I found an open spot on one of the couches and Judson dropped to sit next to me. There was room for maybe one and a half people, so his body from hip through thigh was pressed tight against mine, and I broke out in a sweat.
“Hey, Judson. Good to be on the road, I guess.” I had one eye on the five kids all huddled together around a table, playing a board game. They seemed happy and well-behaved so I was probably doing my job.
“It will be once we get on the highway.” I knew he referred to the twisty road I was trying not to think about. I was sitting on a sofa that faced toward the cliff rather than the edge...half the time. “Listen, about Simon. He is a really fun godfather, and the guys adore him, but let me know if he does anything to dilute your authority.”
“Dilute my authority?” I was confused, although I probably shouldn’t have been. My cock twitching at the bodily contact wasn’t helping.
“You know, if you say eat your veggies, and Simon says they can have cake instead...tell me. He’s my boss but also one of my oldest friends and I can take him aside privately and talk to him. We don’t want to confront him in front of everyone.”
“I’d never have done that,” I protested, horrified at the thought. “But I will do exactly as you asked. Probably you’ll all be working so much we won’t even see him.”
“Probably.” He gave my thigh right above my knee a friendly squeeze. “Speaking of Simon says...he’s waiting to go over some things with me, so I’ll leave you to it. Glad you came with us, Edwin. I think you’re going to work out great.”
He stood and walked to another conversation area where he joined Simon and Freddie and a couple others while I tried to think of non-sexy things enough to be able to stand up and do my job.
Chapter Eight
Judson
Two days on the bus and we’d just about reached out first venue. As much as I loved being on the road, two days in a row with five kids and an entire entourage was just a bit too much people time for me, and from the looks on everyone’s face, I wasn’t alone in that sentiment.
The time had been good for us though. We got to know each other again as a working crew, and Edwin and the kids got to get a feel for each other. It wasn’t easy going into the world of being on tour, and adding to that, being responsible for not two but five kids had to be overwhelming even if he did have parental support the entire time. Except maybe that made it harder for him to get his feet wet like someone was watching over his shoulder.
And I was watching
but not the things I should be. I watched the bounce of his ass as we hit a pothole as he walked past me. I watched the way his pupils dilated slightly as he was about to play a draw four in UNO. I watched the way he held his belly from time to time as if unaware he was even doing so. Oh yeah, I was watching, and I shouldn’t be. He was the manny and pregnant with another alpha’s baby and off-limits as much as my body hated that notion.
I’d been wanting to ask him about everything, but we were never alone, and that would probably be the one thing that kept me behaving when it came to my sexy omega dancer.
“Stopping for lunch in five minutes. There’s no place near the arena, and last time I ate their food, I got the runs.” At least that was what it sounded like coming through the speaker. Our friend BJ had never been one to mince words. Probably why she fit in so well.
“I want the toy meal.” Jagger placed his order as if that was how it ever worked. “And apple juice.” And only that because he knew I would turn down his plea for soda in a heartbeat.
“What makes you think we are going to a place with toys?” Edwin asked as he collected the Monopoly pieces off the board, the game forgotten once food had been announced.
“They have princess jewels this time.” Sarah smiled brightly. “I want the ruby, but you have to take what they have and don’t throw a fit.” She sounded none too pleased about the last part.
“Which is hard.” Edwin affirmed her feelings like a pro. “I hope they have your ruby next time we go to a place with a toy. It might not be today.” Damn, he was good.
“There will be a toy,” Simon piped in. “If there is a Mickies anywhere near a venue, we always stop there first. They, quote, have the best sweet tea.” And there you have it. We were on a Mickie D’s national tour. At least I knew the kids would eat. Although, I didn’t think that variety of fast food was the very best for a pregnant omega.
“I don’t want the jewels,” Bowie pouted.
“Duh.” JR rolled his eyes.” Get the boy toy, then.”
“Hey, Dad says there is no such thing as a boy or girl toy, just options.” Sarah wrinkled her little nose as she scolded her older brother.
“She’s right,” Brent quickly sided with her. “Remember the time we both wanted vampire dolls?”
“Action figures, and that’s different,” JR protested.
“People can like whatever they want, but no one is going to get to choose anything if they don’t help me finish boxing up this game before we stop, and by my watch it is about one minute from now.” Edwin’s threat had them all separating fake paper money and little houses.
With them occupied, he slid out from his seat and sat beside me. “So,” he whispered, “how does the food thing work when we aren’t on a bus or with a food service?”
It took me a second to figure out what he was really asking. Money. He wanted to know how to pay for all the mouths that needed feeding or possibly even how to feed himself. In either case, I was glad he felt comfortable enough to ask.
“Hey, Freddie, do we have our expense cards yet?” I called because meals were part of my contract, too.
“Oh shit. Sorry, man. I forgot about that.” He stepped close as the bus stopped, the kids now randomly throwing the pieces into the box and calling it good enough. At least they were working together and not causing a ruckus. “Here you guys go. The ones with your names should be here by now, but they aren’t. Hopefully they will be waiting at the hotel.”
He handed each of us a prepaid credit card.
“This will have to do until the real ones come. All meals and any activities you do with the kids go on that.”
“Thanks.” Edwin took out his wallet and slipped it inside.
“Let’s get everyone fed. Ideally, we will be at the venue with enough time for the kids to get some energy out. The tutor is meeting us there since their hometown is not but a half hour from the city, and pretty soon the young people’s board-game-filled days are going to be more mathematics than Chutes and Ladders.” Freddie had a saying, “no problem,” and had therefor played enough Chutes and Ladders with Sarah in the past two days for five lifetimes. But, every time she asked, he agreed, so it was hard to feel bad for the guy.
I’d forgotten about the tutor and was relieved to know that someone would be there to share Edwin’s load throughout the long hours we put in at each stop. He could handle it. Absolutely. But he was growing a human, and that required sleep, something not overly abundant in this lifestyle unless you made it a priority. Having the tutor was going to be good for all of us.
Who knew, maybe I’d even be able to get some alone time with Edwin and find out all the questions bubbling up inside me. Who was his baby’s sperm donor, and why wasn’t he there for the omega he filled with a child? And, more importantly, where was he? Because I had a feeling he needed his ass kicked for leaving Edwin in the precarious position of working on a rock and roll tour as he grew a human.
And then there was the part of me that asked the most inappropriate of questions like, would he like to have me swallow his length, or did he prefer to come as I filled him with my knot? Maybe my curiosity was best not explored. No maybe about it. I needed to keep all of that to myself. If only it were that easy.
Chapter Nine
Edwin
The stop at Micky D’s was uneventful except for squeals of delight when a certain young lady got a ruby in her meal. To my amazement, several of the crew also got kid meals and passed their wins along. We did have an almost issue when we didn’t have time to let them play in the indoor playground, but a reminder of the wonders awaiting them for bike riding—shiny new bikes for the twins—at the stadium had them boarding with minimal argument. Especially when Judson pointed out that if we wasted anymore time, they might not get to unload the bikes at all.
The stadium was surrounded by open fields, and this was one of the few stops where there wouldn’t even be one night in a hotel to break up the trip. Also, there was no place close to take the kids, making me very, very grateful for the bikes.
We pulled up to the arena and a huge door opened, allowing BJ to drive right inside and down a ramp to a huge, high-ceilinged open area. There were two semis already parked and being unloaded by a swarm of men wearing dark-blue jumpsuits and a smattering of others in jeans and tanks or T-shirts who were directing them. I assumed the latter were actual band employees, the others venue staff. A number of forklifts and other sorts of motorized equipment were in play and as we disembarked, some of the people and equipment broke away to surround the bus and stat to unload.
I stood off to the side with the five kids, wondering what to do, but after a few minutes a man in a suit approached us. “I understand you are the VIP group I’ve been assigned to.” His British accent seemed out of place here but it did go with the suit.
I startled. “VIPs? I think you want the band…”
“Nope, one manny, four handsome young gentlemen, and a young lady.”
“Lady Sarah,” piped up the young lady in question, giving her trademark curtsy.
The concierge or whatever he was bowed at the waist. “A pleasure, milady. I am Mr. Reeves, and I am to guide you and your bicycles”—he waved toward where the bikes had magically appeared and stood in a line off to the side—“to the best places in the stadium for riding. A catered meal will be served in a couple of hours. I hope that is acceptable?”
The children’s beaming faces answered for me and soon we were riding in something like a large golf cart, the bicycles on a little trailer towed behind us. He escorted us to one of the highest levels, where the children were able to ride the hallway all the way around as we waited in one of the amazing boxes where drinks had already been set out, as well as plates and silverware for our meal later. A popcorn machine was working away and I accepted a bag from the server and moved to the front of the box where I could see the bikers pass at the door of each section. I didn’t have a bicycle to keep up with them and considered that if there was room on the bu
s, perhaps I needed one. They were a quintet of avid riders. The server asked my drink preference and brought me an iced Coke then disappeared, and I stretched out my legs in front of me, feeling how tired I was in their aches. “It’s very kind of you, Mr. Reeve, to…”
I looked around but the man was gone, somehow magically replaced by the very handsome face and tight body of my employer. “I think he is following the kids in that golf cart thing.”
“Oh.” I smacked my forehead. “I was thinking I would ask to get a bike for me when the opportunity arose but never considered I could follow them that way.” I started to stand. “I’d better go catch them on the next round.”
Judson approached and rested a hand on my shoulder. “They’re fine. Mr. Reeve is having a wonderful time and it gives you a few minutes to relax. Drink your soda and sit. You’ve done an extraordinary job so far, and I wanted to make sure and tell you so.”
I sank back into the comfortable chair and did as he suggested. “I didn’t realize how tired I was until I sat down here.” I yawned. “They’re great kids, all of them, but…”
“Yeah, but they are little energy vampires. Just my two take everything I’ve got. You’re dealing with five and a pregnancy. Please tell me if it gets to be too much because your little one’s well-being is important, too. You’re going to love being a dad.”
“Yeah.” I didn’t say anything about the thoughts that chased each other through my mind when I lay in bed at night, when I lay in the bunk on the bus. What kind of a father could I make? I danced naked, writhed in the laps of men who called it dancing, for tips. Could that kind of omega be a good father? Sure, I was doing okay, probably, as a many, but the ultimate responsibility still lay with their dads. They had all the money and resources...they would have opportunities, go to good colleges, go on amazing vacations and… And what did I have to offer? A studio apartment and no money for child care? Anything extra still had to go to my grandfather whose health was getting worse not better.
A Bundle of Mannies Page 37
