Hot Southern Mess (Hide Your Crazy)

by Hardenbrook, T. A.

  “Whatever he did, I’m sure he deserved it,” Megan joked, making me realize what my body had been doing.

  “Oops.” I giggled quietly. That man deserved everything the world dished out at him. “So, I have a bunk on the crew bus that you can take.”

  “I don’t want to take your spot, Molly; I can just sleep on the couches.”

  “No, it’s really okay. I’ll catch a ride with the guys. Their couches are way more comfortable than the ones they have on the crew bus,” I said with a smile. Besides, I doubt if I would really sleep tonight anyway. There was too much going through my mind tonight, that sleeping would be damn near impossible.

  “Are you sure; I really don’t mind?” Megan asked again.

  “Really, not a problem. Thanks for all the help tonight,” I called out while walking over to BL’s bus.

  “Thanks,” Megan shouted before I jumped on the bus. I flashed a quick smile and waved before ducking through the door. Climbing up the couple steps into the lounge area, I was suddenly taken back with three sets of eyes staring at me.

  “What?” I questioned, as my eyes darted around at the three of them sitting there.

  “We are wondering what in the hell we walked in on earlier?” Brody laughed.

  “Nothing that I couldn’t have handled on my own.” I shrugged, claiming the seat next to Ryder.

  “Well, that was obvious by your Jackie Chan moves you busted out on Brantley, but can you tell me why dipshit back there got all alpha male and possessive?”

  “I don’t know what you are talking about,” I lied. There was no way I was giving up that I had slept with both of the leading front men on this tour. They already knew something was going on with Brantley, and hopefully all the drugs the others had done fried their brains enough that they didn’t notice what went on with Reid.

  “Don’t give me that shit. I know Reid has wanted in your panties since meeting you at Stephanie’s office,” Brody announced, kicking his feet up into my lap.

  “Boy, you must have a death wish; get your nasty feet off me.”

  Brody just laughed and moved his feet off my legs. Reaching behind him, he grabbed a spare guitar and handed it over.

  “Here, take all your rage out on this beast.”

  “You want me to smash it?”

  “No, karate kid, play.” Brody smirked, leaning back against the couch once again.

  I pondered for a couple seconds on what to play, and settled on an acoustic version of Paramore’s Decode. The words came bursting out of my mouth, like I had been dying to sing all day. The lyrics played into so much emotion of today’s events, and vocalizing them tonight was another form of therapy to mend my damaged soul.

  I didn’t even realize that tears were rolling down my cheeks, until I sung the last note. It’s amazing how freeing I felt after picking up the guitar. It makes you remember that the simple things in life create the most joy. Love wasn’t something that was reliable; however, music was something that would always be there for me. Ryder nudged my shoulder for the guitar, and I quickly passed it over, wiping the remaining tears off my face once my hands were free.

  Ryder began to pick out the melody for Incubus’s Drive. I found myself being lost once again in the soft melodies of another amazing song. Tonight couldn’t have ended any better if I had a fairy godmother, and finally met prince charming. I wasn’t Cinderella, hoping for the glass slipper to fit. Who needed the damn shoe, when walking on my bare feet gave me such pleasure in being alone? Once again, my mouth opened to let the lyrics spill out, filling the bus with the emotions I was carrying with me tonight.

  Chapter 22: Love can be a real evil bitch.

  The guys and I played for hours, and not once did Reid make an appearance. I really didn’t understand him. One minute he was all for being just friends, and the next second he wanted in my pants. Then, there were the times when I didn’t even seem to exist in his world. Not even the slightest of blips on his internal radar. It’s a good thing that I’m not super emotional; because it would be like dating a lesbian on her period all the damn time. Well, I didn’t use to be super emotional; what in the hell happened to me?

  Figuring Reid out was like playing the game Clue; each and every time we came in contact, it was a completely different person with a totally random mood. My normal guess of Professor Plum in the Study, with the pipe would be wrong, each and every damn time.

  I don’t even remember what time the guys went back to their bunks, or when I finally passed out on the couch. But, I did realize that waking up this morning I was not in the same location I fell asleep last night. Riddle me that, Batman. Did I sleep walk?

  Normally, my skin stuck to the leather of the couches. This morning, I awoke to the softest sheets my skin had felt in the longest of time. Opening my eyes, I almost had to do a double take on my location. The walls were white, but the curtains black. The bedding carried the same trend of white and black, and a large mirror was attached to the wall behind the bed. Nope, this definitely wasn’t the couch.

  I didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to realize I was back in Reid’s room. Now the only puzzle I needed to solve was how I got in this bed?

  “Morning,” Reid grumbled, rolling over to face me in the large bed.

  Obviously, he knew I was there, so that part of the mystery was solved. I still had all my clothes on, and I wasn’t drunk last night; so no excitement happened back here.

  “I carried you back after you fell asleep,” Reid commented, letting the corners of his lips turn upward.

  That little reaction on his face was like a punch in the gut and a smack in the head all at the same time. I loved the fact that he cared about me; however knew damn well it was a Jekyll and Hyde kind of move. Once again, the thoughtful Reid had made an appearance. Now, I only had to look out of the backlash of jerkface Reid to make his moment known. Lord knew they never seemed too far apart from each other.

  “I was fine on the couch.” I yawned, sitting up and stretching my arms above my head.

  “I realized that. Ever think I did it for myself and not you?”

  “You do everything for yourself, Reid. It’s the Reid is a God world, and I just work in it.”

  “Why are you so negative?” Reid’s brows scrunched as he gazed at me.

  “Because I’m a realist Reid. Life wasn’t about fairy tale endings. Simple as that.” I shrugged, climbing out of the amazingly comfortable bed. For once my head did the talking, making my heart stay silent during the slight argument.

  “Seriously, Molly Anne, you need to ease up. I like being around you; you’re good for me.”

  “You don’t want me, Reid. You like the idea of me. Having someone around when you need it, a booty call that is mobile for you. There is never going to be a woman that captures your attention for longer than three seconds.” I rolled my eyes and headed for the door. Hearing his bullshit this early in the morning was too much for my ears. Sure, it seemed like a great proposal; I was good for him. But the reality of it all was too easy to see. I was an easy catch, a willing victim if a label needed to be stated. Maybe somewhere in that messed up head of his, he wanted stability; someone to spend some time with someone to share his experiences and come home to at the end of the day. But after that novelty wore off, I would just be left standing there, alone once again. This might be a man’s world, but I refused to let someone like him use me.

  “Why are you so stubborn, Molly Anne?”

  “Because of men like you, Reid. My entire life I was forced to be something I was not. The one time I thought someone wanted me for who I was, reality slapped me back in the face. Not every story has a happy ending, Reid. As much as I would like for you to be my prince charming, I know the end result of that fairy-tale. Prince Charming doesn’t rescue me from a wicked witch, my evil stepsisters still cause havoc in my life, and no cuddly woodland creatures are going to make me a damn dress. My Fairy Godmother doesn’t exist. The only way any of that was going to get done, is i
f I did it myself. The only person I can rely on is me, and I’ve already accepted that ending.”

  I opened the small door and stepped out before he could make a sound. I didn’t want to hear his excuses; all males had the same ones genetically programmed into their brains. Sure, I might sound like a cold hearted snake; but it’s what I had to do to protect myself from men like him.

  “Walk of shame this morning, Molly?” Brody snickered, his eyes glued to the television screen.

  “For starters, I’m never ashamed of doing the deed. The only people who don’t do it are priests and nuns; maybe the prudes too. But for your information, I was only sleeping. Reid was a gentleman who offered up his comfortable bed to a lady. Unlike you slugs that crawl back to your bunks each night and leave me sleeping on the couch.”

  “Don’t try and pass yourself off as a lady,” Brody joked, quickly glancing over at me with a wicked smile.

  “Whatever, Brody; I’m southern royalty,” I scoffed, flopping myself down on the opposite couch.

  “My dick is royal.”

  “I don’t doubt that comment one bit.” Shaking my head, I let out a small laugh. I tended to forget that these guys really were rock royalty. I spent so much time with them, basically playing the role of a babysitter, that I hardly looked at them as rock stars anymore. Now, Tysen and Ryder remind me of Thing 1 and 2, Brody was that annoying kid brother who you wanted to pummel, and Reid claimed the title of troubled teen that stared in all the underage girly movies. Rock stars to the public, and boys who I had to remind to change their underwear in private. I really should have my own sitcom.

  Brantley kept his interactions with me pretty basic for the next couple of days, only talking to me when needed. I tried to make sure Megan was handling most of their needs, considering I still wanted to throat punch the bastard. Nothing said I hate you quite like a good swift punch to the throat. I had a job to do, and keep for that matter. An act of violence on the opening act might be frowned upon, considering he was the singer for the band. Meh, minor details to my ultimate fantasy.

  Reid had been his usual two sided self; giving me moments of brief friendship, and then shunning me the next. I had finally come to accept that this wass what he was able to offer me. Either I took his friendship like that, or didn’t at all. Part of me wanted to say, fuck it, I don’t care. But, there was the side of me that still cared for him, in some sort of weird fucked in my head kind of way. Why I couldn’t just cut my ties and welcome the loss was confusing to me. Maybe, I was just a glutton for punishment, enjoying the daily torture being his friend did to my mind.

  Besides all the drama with the personal lives on the tour, I was doing a completely kick ass job at handling all the situations Stephanie threw at me. I was relishing in my new responsibilities and was looking forward to what the next leg of the tour had in store for me. Sure, it would be sad to going back to being the assistant to Stephanie, and saying goodbye to Megan tomorrow, but that was the plan all along. I was a newbie in this business, and had to be thankful for the opportunity I was given really early on.

  I had a few moments of downtime while BL was on stage. So naturally, I hurried back to the bus and pulled Simon out. Being so busy with the tour and both bands had given me very little free time to myself. It killed me not to be able to play Simon daily; knowing that he had to hide away in his case, was a punch to the gut for any music junkie. Playing was an easy way to release the tension, let my mind clear of any baggage, and set my soul free. Stealing this moment for myself, and letting my fingers glide effortlessly across the strings was like being in heaven. Nothing could ruin this moment………………………

  “Um…….Molly?” Megan’s voice came quivering up the stairs.

  “Fuck,” I grumbled quietly. “I’m up here,” I replied in a forced cheerful tone. All I wanted was twenty minutes to do my thing, just twenty fucking minutes.

  “I guess there is a problem with the venue tonight; something about contracted strippers?”

  “Yeah, the Halloween party is at a strip club. So what’s wrong?”

  Quickly, I placed Simon back in his prison, latching the case and sliding it under my bunk.

  “I have the club’s manager on the phone,” Megan says tentatively, holding the cell out for me to take.

  “Hi, this is Molly McGlenister,” I said into the phone, silently mouthing thank you to Megan.

  “I have people showing up at the club with wrist bands that were not sold by our venue. They are claiming the band hired them privately for dancing tonight. In the contract that Stephanie signed, it stated that our girls would be used exclusively and no outside performer except a DJ would be brought in,” the man on the other line huffed.

  “I’m very sorry, sir, for the mix up. Can you give me five minutes to sort the issue out, and I’ll give you a call right back? Is this the number to best reach you on?”

  “Yes, but you need to get this shit taken care of. My girls are not getting the short end of the stick tonight.”

  “Thank you for your patience and cooperation, sir. Just give me a couple minutes and I’m sure I’ll have a solution to our problem, thanks,” I replied, rolling my eyes and letting out a huge sigh once I ended the call. There was a problem over strippers? Seriously?

  “What can I do?” Megan asked with caution.

  “Make sure the guys get into their cars tonight,” I replied, immediately punching Stephanie’s number on my phone.

  “Got it,” she replied, nodding her head then disappearing down the steps on the bus.

  The fact that I’m dealing with some bullshit over strippers had me completely irritated. I get that the club owner was looking out for his girls, but shit, I was sure there would be enough money tossed out for a couple more naked girls shaking their tits tonight.

  “Pick up,” I grumbled softly, rubbing my hand harshly across my eyes.

  “You have reached Stephanie Nethers with NP Management, please leave your name and contact information after the tone.”

  Well wasn’t that perfect. It really was my luck to have my boss not available to rectify the situation. So now, I had to figure out what to do about naked women dancing. Here’s a thought, make these strippers dance with their clothes on. I’m sure the other girls who got down to their birthday suits would make more bouncing their naked boobies on the stage. However, I wasn’t that naive into thinking that would really work. Why did I ever think that tonight’s party could go off without a hitch?

  I wandered back into the arena, looking for Cooper. Maybe he knew some insight with the extra strippers, considering I didn’t order them, and I really doubted that Stephanie did either.

  “Hey Tiny, have you seen Cooper?”

  “I think he is sitting up in the sound booth tonight. Said something about how the new crew wasn’t working……or something along those lines.” Tiny shrugged while looking up from his barstool.

  “Well that’s no help for me,” I rambled, silently contemplating my next move.

  “Problems?”

  “Yeah, extra strippers tonight.”

  “You mean the women Brody invited?” Tiny questioned, letting a smile crack across his face.

  “Brody was behind the stripper fiasco?”

  “He told some women during the MG tonight that they could come dance at the party tonight.”

  “I’m going to kill him,” I groaned, swiping my cell to call the guy back at the club. Now I got to explain that those girls really weren’t dancers, just skanky women who would be attending the party. Hopefully their boobies stayed in their tops tonight, however that was rather unlikely given the situation. Not only do I babysit, but I also sort out stripper problems as well. Better update my resume a.s.a.p.

  “You ready for tonight, Miss Molly?” Danielle yelled down the hallway, rolling a clothing rack out the door.

  I just laughed and shook my head. I didn’t have to work tonight when I bought my costume, but now, with Stephanie gone, the responsibility of maki
ng sure no one died or ended up in jail was solely on my shoulders.

  “I don’t think I’m going to have that much fun tonight. I have to work,” I yelled back at her.

  “Just because you are working, doesn’t mean you have to keep those legs of yours covered.”

  “Your crazy, you know that right?”

  “I have been told that a time or two. It’s one night; let your inner skank run free.”

  “See you tonight, Danielle.” I waved. The cop outfit was going to have to make an appearance on another Halloween, considering no one would take me serious in a dress that barely covered my ass. With my luck, I would be confused for one of the strippers, and fuck, I’d already dealt with that crap enough tonight.

  Chapter 23: Don’t make me use my handcuffs.

  The music was blasting and the lights were kept low, except for the stages where the women were dancing. Everyone was in costume, except the guys, and well, maybe the girls with no clothes on. The last count I took on Playboy bunnies was six, but I’m sure I had missed some somewhere. There was no shortage of alcohol tonight, considering I watched as the bar backs were constantly stocking the wells; making me wonder how drunk everyone was going to get tonight. I only had to worry about eight boys tonight, and, well, hopefully Megan was keeping contact with four of them. Brantley was permanently on my shit list, and dealing with a drunken Brantley would only end in disaster.

  I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to Megan to check on PD and making sure she stayed sober. While I waited for a response, I took one quick look at the four idiots on the couches, and wandered over to the bar for a drink.

  “Can I get a coke?”

  “Rum?” Cat woman asked with a smile.