by J. Nathan
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thrown off by everything I’d learned about him recently. First, I find out he doesn’t sleep with all the groupies I thought he did, and now this? Who was Treyton Collins if not a manwhore with no regard for anyone but himself? I guess I didn’t really know.
What I did know was what it felt like to be unwanted by someone who was supposed to love and care for you. I don’t think Trey realized how lucky he was. His birth mother was out of his life once he was adopted. My father still existed. Seeing him once a month after my mother passed away—and him taking calls from clients the entire time and allowing a nanny to raise me, repeatedly reminded that he didn’t want me.
But one day I’d be running his company. And I’d be nothing like him. I’d be a hell of a boss. I’d be present for my family. I’d be a loving and caring wife to my husband, and I’d be a damn good mother to my children who I’d lavish with attention.
Falling back asleep after Trey’s revelations was a futile endeavor. I sat for a long time with nothing but my thoughts. And what I came to realize was Trey and my similarities were beginning to outweigh our differences.
CHAPTER NINE
Brielle
We arrived in Hungary at three in the morning on the eve of the four-day music festival the band was performing at. Everything had been dark and quiet when the three tour buses we’d be using for the next leg of the tour pulled into the vast artists’ parking lot. Now, the following morning, in broad daylight, the buzz in the backstage parking lot was off the charts. Tour buses stretched for what seemed like miles. Canopies and tents provided shade at the sides of the buses and filled the entire parking lot. The smoke of grilling meats filled the air as performers, their families, friends, and roadies mingled while bands played on the main concert stage for over one hundred thousand concertgoers.
Out the bus window BJ and I were sharing, I’d seen the guys, Aubrey, and Reggie take off earlier to mingle with other bands.
I took my time, showering and getting ready on the bus. I dried my hair, wondering if I should leave it down. Trey’s compliment, combined with his honesty about his past, sent me right off balance. And as much as I liked being complimented, I didn’t want to lose my edge. Lose the respect I earned by dressing the part.
I reached for my glasses from the sink and brought them to my eyes, pausing before putting them on. This weekend was about having fun. The band wasn’t performing until the following night, so I wasn’t on duty the entire time. I could mingle and meet possible clients.
I lowered my glasses to the sink and stepped back, assessing myself in the floor-length mirror. My torn skinny jeans and black Savage Beasts T-shirt was quite reserved for what most wore at this type of event. And from what I could see out the window, skin was in.
I slipped on some flats and headed off the bus. A soft August breeze greeted me as I joined BJ who sat in a chair under our bus’s awning.
“Wow. Look at you,” he said. “I almost didn’t recognize you.”
I sat in the seat beside him. “It’s my day off.”
He laughed. “You never take a day off.”
He was right. I pulled out my phone and checked my email as well as the popular media sources. Flow Houz’s gun charges had been dropped due to a mistake made by the police officers who arrested him. So not only did he have one hell of a publicist, he also had a killer legal team.
Once he’d been freed of charges, I released a press release citing a robbery and hold up Flow found himself in as a teenager as the reason for him carrying a weapon. In the end, Flow came out looking like the victim who was just trying to protect himself from enduring a crime like the one he suffered as a teen. Could you blame him?
Flow and I had spoken via video call to flush out all the details, and we’d arranged to meet in person this weekend. Some of his friends were performing and planned to bring him on stage to do a quick rap that I’d been told would bring down the house—pun definitely not intended. The PR from that cameo would be amazing for his budding career. And since we arranged to meet, my father couldn’t force me to come home yet.
“Look who came out of the library,” Z said.
I glanced up from my phone.
Z and Aubrey stood in front of me. Z wore his signature smirk. And Aubrey of course looked spot-on in her cowboy boots, cutoffs, Savage Beasts tank top, and massive engagement ring showing everyone she was taken.
“Yup. They gave me a day off.” I gave Z my own smirk.
Aubrey assessed my casual clothes. “You look good.”
“Thanks.” I tried not to sound as grateful as I felt. Apparently, I was starved for attention.
Aubrey glanced to Z. “Go back and find the guys. Brielle and I are gonna go score ourselves some drinks.”
Z’s eyes nearly burst from their sockets. One, because she was telling him to get lost. And two, she wanted to hang out with me—the one who tried to break them up because their relationship would be bad for publicity.
I didn’t blame him. I was just as stunned as him. Maybe she needed some female companionship too.
“Fine,” he said with skeptical eyes. “But keep your phone handy just in case I need to find you.”
She planted a kiss on his lips. “Don’t let any groupies touch your ass.”
His head dropped back and he laughed, the raspy sound bringing a huge smile to her face. “I won’t if you won’t.”
She laughed.
“I’ll find you in a bit,” he said, before turning and searching the crowded area for Trey, Camden, and Marcus.
“I hope you like Jell-O shots because Lucid Dreams is serving them,” Aubrey said as we made our way into the crowd.
“Jell-O shots? I haven’t had those since college.”
“Yeah, well, I’m still technically in college, so…” Aubrey shrugged.
Shit. “I’m not knocking them,” I backpedaled, trying to fix what I’d said. “I love them. They bring back good memories.”
She smiled. “Relax. I knew what you meant.”
It would’ve been just my luck to ruin the day before it even started.
We walked through the crowd, making our way over to a group of tour buses with skull logos on the sides.
“Oi, ladies,” a guy with a mohawk called with a full blown British accent.
Aubrey glanced to me, amused.
“Hey,” I said, greeting him at the tiki bar he and his band had set up.
“I’m Noah.” He eyed me up and down. “And who might you be, love?”
“Brielle. And this Aubrey.”
“Pleasure,” he said. “So, what’ll it be, loves?”
“What are you serving?” Aubrey asked.
“Only the finest Jell-O shots on this side of the pond,” he assured us, holding out two small plastic cups with red Jell-O inside. We reached for the shots, but he pulled them back. “Not until you tell me your favorite band.”
I glanced down at my Savage Beasts T-shirt.
His head fell back. “Seriously?” He glanced to Aubrey. “I knew you looked familiar. You’re Z’s girl.”
“Guilty,” she said.
Noah’s eyes cut to mine. “Then who are you, love? Treyton’s girl?”
Laughter burst out of Aubrey. “Brielle and Treyton? Yeah right.”
I laughed too. Treyton and anyone other than a one-night stand was comical.
Noah handed us the Jell-O shots, and the three of us tipped back our heads and swallowed them.
“Mmmm,” I said, not meaning to say it aloud, but the slimy texture brought me right back to my college days. I missed the feeling of being so young and free.
“You gonna catch our set tomorrow?” Noah asked.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” I said.
He pulled out more shots. “Another round.” He handed them to us then held his up. “To new friends.”
We tapped our shots to his. Aubrey pulled out her phone and snapped a selfie of the three of us before we said, “To new friends.” W
e tipped back our shots and swallowed.
The word friends created an unexpected cavern in my chest. All my college friends were scattered around the country, and we’d lost touch after graduation since work consumed all my time. And, my colleagues at the office were just co-workers. We were cordial for business’ sake, but otherwise they weren’t people I considered friends.
Usually, the knowledge that I didn’t have many people I called friends didn’t bother me. But for some reason, in this atmosphere, with so many people having fun and enjoying each other’s company, I felt the void.
“You be sure to tell Z I took care of you two,” Noah said as we stepped away from the tiki bar.
“Deal,” Aubrey assured him.
“Thanks for the shots,” Aubrey and I said as we twisted around.
Aubrey leaned into me as we walked. “My friend Eliza is gonna die when she sees that picture. She loves Lucid Dreams.”
I laughed, knowing how cool it was in the beginning to meet famous people. The excitement wore off once you realized they were just normal people who had super cool jobs.
We made our way through groups of people playing cornhole and Can Jam as alt-rock carried over from the main stage. Aubrey joined in on a game of cornhole while I tried to get the Frisbee in the can in Can Jam. When the people playing realized I wasn’t any good, they let me off the hook with a beer. I watched Aubrey sink beanbag after beanbag in her game, before we took off to see more sights.
“Aubrey,” Z called from somewhere nearby.
We both stopped, searching the crowd until we spotted him sitting on top of a picnic table surrounded by a bunch of guys and girls in beach chairs. We made our way over. Someone handed him a couple beers. He handed one to Aubrey who hopped up on the table beside him.
I reached for mine, but Z pulled it back an inch. “If I give you this, you have to promise me there is no work talk this weekend.”
“Fine.” I reached for it but he pulled it back again.
“You have to agree to let loose and have fun for once in your life.”
I wanted to argue that I knew how to have fun, but the last five years had proven I never had fun, especially when work was involved. And Savage Beasts was work for me. “Fine.”
He stifled a smile as he handed me the beer. The softening around his eyes told me he and I might just be okay again one day. I hated that I’d disappointed him. That my PR stunt caused him and Aubrey such grief. But I couldn’t undo it now. I could only move forward and show them I was sorry.
I cracked open my beer and stepped away from them. The sun had begun to creep toward the horizon as I took in the scene around us. It was a giant tailgate party with some of the biggest bands and singers on the planet living it up in a parking lot. I didn’t get star struck easily. But it was still so damn cool to have this many famous acts in one place.
A group of guys partying beside us played beer pong under their tent.
Something inside me—likely the liquor—urged me toward them. “You need another player?” I asked.
They welcomed me over, introducing themselves as the British rock band Tri-Fold. One of them handed me the ping-pong ball. I lined it up with one of the cups and released it in a perfect arc. Swish. It dropped into the cup.
The guy next to me slapped my hand. A rush of laughter erupted from deep inside me. I felt foolish for being happy over something so stupid, but these days, happiness was hard to come by. I’d take it where I could get it.
The next hour went by in a blur. Aubrey had come by to check on me, but I assured her I was fine, playing too many games and drinking way too much beer. I threw caution to the wind—something I hadn’t done in a long time. And as much fun as I was having, I knew I needed to stop drinking or I’d be puking the rest of the night. “I’m gonna take a break,” I told my new friends, moving unsteadily to the edge of the tent.
A pair of big hands landed on my hips from behind.
I stilled.
A hard chest pressed to my back and lips moved beside my ear. “Having fun?” Trey asked, his lips brushing my earlobe.
A shiver rushed through my body. “Yes.”
“I didn’t know you were so good at beer pong.”
I swallowed down my sudden nervousness. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
He chuckled, the vibration moving against my back. “What do you think all my questions have been about? I wanna know you better, Brie.”
My heart thumped in my chest, loving the way his nickname for me rolled off his tongue as smooth as whiskey. But, if he’d just been trying to steady me on my feet, why were his hands still on my hips? And why did his body pressed to mine feel so right? And why in the world did he smell so damn good?
“What are you afraid of?” he whispered.
“I’m not afraid,” I said, trying to even out the quiver in my voice.
“Bullshit.”
Oh yeah? “Stop trying to keep me here to win a bet.” Ha! I’m not so oblivious after all.
“I don’t care about some stupid bet,” he clipped.
I was drunk, but the certainty in his response mixed with the feel of his hands on me did crazy things to my brain. I was lonely and starved for a man’s attention.
“Treyton?” a female called.
His hands dropped from my hips and he stepped away from me. The lack of contact left me feeling painstakingly bereft.
Dammit.
“Hey, Lacey,” he said, the flirty timbre in his voice giving no indication that his hands were just on my body.
I gathered my wits about me and twisted around.
Reality was a sobering thing. Trey’s hands, the one’s that seconds before were groping my hips, were now wrapped around Lacey’s waist and resting on her ass as she gazed up at him.
Ugh. So much for not sleeping with every girl he’s with.
I moved away from the scene, cursing myself for the momentary lapse in judgment. Any guy’s hands on my hips would’ve surely given me the same reaction.
I made my way back to my bus, my legs wobbly and my steps uneven.
“Hey,” BJ said from his seat under the bus canopy.
I attempted to walk as straight as I could so he wouldn’t know how much I had to drink.
“Have fun?” he asked as I dropped into the empty seat beside him.
I did have a good time. And I wouldn’t let the moment with Trey spoil that. “Yup.”
BJ assessed my face. “Are you drunk?”
“Why would you think I’m drunk?”
He shrugged. “You just look…different. And you smell like beer.”
I dropped my chin, sniffing my shirt. Yup. Smelled like beer.
“I’m not judging you, Brielle. I think it’s fantastic that you’re finally loosening up.”
“Finally? Let me guess. You all bet on when I’d finally loosen up too?”
“No, we didn’t.”
“Wouldn’t put it past you.”
“Brielle?”
My eyes shot up.
Aubrey stood in front of me. “Josh Temple is performing on the main stage. You wanna go check out his set with me?”
BJ snickered beside me, probably because he was unaware Aubrey and I were now besties.
“Sure,” I said, pushing myself to my feet. A wave of wooziness nearly knocked me on my ass, but I recovered. “Z doesn’t wanna see the show?”
She shook her head. “He tolerates country music, but I don’t really think it’s his thing.”
We made our way through the backstage crowd, arriving at the closed-off area beside the stage for other acts to check out the main stage without being swarmed by fans. We pushed our way as close to the stage as we could get. Aubrey instantly swayed her hips and sang along to every song Josh sang.
I didn’t follow country music, but I think I needed to start. Not only was Josh hot, he also sounded amazing. I had a feeling I’d be checking out some country playlists very soon.
Once his set ended and he m
ade his way offstage, Aubrey turned excitedly toward me. “Let’s go get a picture with him.”
I laughed, probably because hanging with her made me feel like I had when I was in college. No responsibilities. No cares. Just fun. She grabbed my arm and we wove our way through the crowd.
“Give me your phone and I’ll take the picture,” I said.
She handed me her phone, and we waited for him to come into the backstage area where we waited. He stepped into the crowded area with his bodyguard and band, wiping his face with a towel.
“Hey,” I called to him.
Josh turned our way.
“Mind if she gets a picture?” I asked.
“Not at all,” he drawled, ticking his head toward the side of him.
Aubrey moved toward him. “Great show.”
“Thanks,” he said as he wrapped his arm around her. “Sorry, I’m sweaty.”
She giggled, and I snapped a picture.
“Got it,” I said.
“You don’t want one?” Josh asked me as Aubrey stepped reluctantly out from under his arm.
“Oh, I…sure.” I moved toward him, and Aubrey grabbed her phone from me. He wrapped his arm around me, and we smiled while Aubrey snapped the picture. “Thanks,” I said, stepping away from him. “Great show out there.”
He tipped his chin toward my T-shirt. “That means a lot coming from a Savage Beasts fan.”
I laughed. “Yup. We have eclectic taste.”
Aubrey nodded, not mentioning our connection to the band. That wasn’t her style.
I gladly would’ve offered up that I was their publicist in case he was in need of a new one. My father had done that to me. He’d made me see dollar signs when I looked at artists. For so long I shut down the personal connection. But being on the road with the band, feeling like an outsider, had made me see that now. See that I needed acceptance. Needed to feel included. If not for the job, at least for me.
“I just posted our pictures,” Aubrey said as we walked back to our buses.
“Where?”
Laughter burst out of her. “Everywhere.”
* * *
I sat alone in a lawn chair outside my bus. Darkness filled the parking lot as Cankor, the night’s headliner, performed on the main stage. Savage Beasts was performing tomorrow night. But they were out there watching Cankor kill their set. As were most of the other partiers. So, people were scarce around the buses.
