by Thomas, C. M
But now I felt like I was trapped. Sure, I had left Colorado Springs, but how could I be sure that I would never hear from “D” again? Colorado Springs was my home. At some point I wanted to go back, but for now, I was here with Kylie until summer break. I was going to live in the moment, not caring about what the future brought. Almost asleep, I got a text from Kylie.
Kylie: Just talked to the band. They want to meet you, so they will be joining us for breakfast in the morning.
Me: Why?
Kylie: They want to meet the famous Anna.
Me: Famous? Come on, sis!
Kylie: I might have been talking about you a lot.
Me: Jeez, sis, I’m not that interesting!
Kylie: Lighten up! You’re supposed to be the fun sister.
She was right, why did this bother me so much? Usually, it was Kylie who was shy and didn’t want to meet new people. Of course, that had changed since she got this job; she was so much more open and smiling than she used to be.
Me: Fine. I’m just tired. It will be fun, I’m sure.
Kylie: Get some sleep, night!
Me: Night.
The next morning, I woke up to someone hammering at the door. My body was on high alert instantly. I covered up my body with the sheets and tried to stay calm, to breathe normally. Who would keep hammering on a door like that? I looked over at the clock on the nightstand. Five a.m.? I stepped out of bed, but I didn’t move to the door. It was like my feet were glued to the floor.
“Who is it?” I asked. My voice was so low that I didn’t even think the person on the other side could hear me. More noise from the hallway, and suddenly I could hear Kylie yell.
“Zane, what the hell are you doing? That’s my sister’s room.” A stumble against the door and then silence. So, it was Zane, the drummer in Deep C, trying to knock my door down.
Kylie had told me a lot about the band. Zane was the one who always annoyed her; he was always getting into trouble or some mess in the tabloids that she and the band’s publicist then had to sort out. Then there was Caleb, the lead singer of the band, and he also played guitar. He was the lead guitarist of the band. From what Kylie had told me, he was a lot like Zane, but also had an attitude that sometimes drove my sister mad. Liam was Caleb and Zane’s brother, and played the bass. He was the caring one, at least that’s what Kylie had told me. The last member of the band was Cole; he played the guitar and was Zane’s best friend. Cole was the band’s rhythm guitarist.
I knew a lot about these guys, probably also some things that I shouldn’t know. But Kylie trusted me not to say anything, and that what she had told me in private would stay private. And of course, why would I tell? I didn’t want Kylie to lose her job.
I smiled, thinking of just how angry Kylie must be right now. I could hear Zane walk away while answering Kylie.
“Sorry, Ky, thought that was your room.” Why would he want to get in my sister’s room at this hour? Kylie was still yelling. Apparently, she had learned that as well. I didn’t remember ever hearing her yell. Even arguing with me when we were kids, she would keep her voice calm and on a normal tone. Me? I would scream, shout, and yell just to win the argument. Like I said, before the attack, I was a bit loud.
“You know that’s not my room, Zane. We have been living here three days now.” I could hear him mumble something to answer Kylie. A moment later a door slammed, and there were footsteps in front of my door again. I heard a low knocking on my door followed by Kylie’s voice.
“Anna, are you awake?” she whispered, like she hoped I hadn’t been woken up by the noise.
“Yes, I’m fine, but I’m going back to sleep now.” I almost couldn’t speak because my heart was pumping like a maniac in my chest. It almost felt like my heart was jumping out of my chest. I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down.
“Yes, Anna, go back to sleep. I’m sorry he woke you up.” Kylie walked away from my door again.
I didn’t know how long I stood there, beside the bed, after Kylie left. It was like I was a statue. My body was frozen in place. What was happening to me? I knew “D” was not here, or I hoped he wasn’t. Besides, it would not be his MO to make noise. That would just make people notice him, and clearly, he didn’t want that.
Slowly, my body started to relax, and I got back to bed. But sleep was not an option. My head was full of thoughts, fearful thoughts. How would I ever escape this feeling, and what was this feeling? I knew I was scared, but it was more than that. It was like I sometimes stood beside my body looking at it like it was a stranger. Something was happening to me, and I really didn’t like it.
After a long shower, I grabbed one of my suitcases and got some clothes. It was time to meet the band. Strangely, I hadn’t met them before, even though my sister had worked for them for the last three years. This was the first time since Kylie got the job that I was visiting her. She was always the one who came back home to our parents and me.
I was excited and terrified at the same time. I knew that they wouldn’t hurt me, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of terror. It had been a part of me since the attack. Every time I had to meet people, I felt afraid. And these were people I’d never met before, even though I felt like I knew them after hearing all the stories Kylie told me about them.
I walked over to the door. Here goes nothing.
Chapter 2:
Zane
“What the hell was that this morning?” Kylie yelled the moment I entered the meeting room. As always, I was the last to arrive. I was still on time; the others just seemed to forget that, because they were always early.
“Sorry, I was having a minor problem in my room.” I grinned. I walked over to get some coffee. It was way too early for her to yell like that. When she started working for us, she didn’t yell; she was a really quiet girl. That had completely changed over the last three years.
“Oh my God, and you thought I would help you with that?” she snarled. Her eyes were narrowed and focused solely on me. Next time, I might not wake her up, or maybe I should just ask Dax, our head of security, instead.
“Relax, Ky—I will not bother your sister in the morning again.” I walked over to the table with my coffee. Kylie looked like she wanted to twist my balls, but at least she smiled when Cole stood up and walked over to her and hugged her.
“Don’t let Zane bother you. You know he has problems getting the ladies out when he is done with them,” he said to her. At the same time, he grinned at me. That ass. Okay, he was my best friend and had been since we were five, but still, no need to rub it in my face.
“Shut the fuck up, ass!” Now I was grumpy. Seriously, though, that girl last night, she really was something else. After I had given her three orgasms, I told her to leave while I took a shower. But no, she was still naked on the bed when I came out of the bathroom. All I wanted to do was to sleep—alone! God, she really didn’t want to go, and Kylie wasn’t answering her phone, so that was why I was barking at the wrong door this morning. At least the girl took a hint when Kylie began yelling in the hallway. I really should be more careful with my choice of women. Apparently, not everyone understood that when I said one fuck, I meant one fuck, not cuddling afterward.
“So today you guys have the interview with the local radio station at eleven, then after lunch, we have the meeting with Tristan at one thirty. He is only in town today, so let’s try to behave, right, Zane?” Kylie looked over at me. Just because I maybe yelled a little too much last time we had a meeting with Tristan, our manager, didn’t mean I would do that every time.
“Of course, Ky. I always behave,” I said, winking at her. She sighed and continued with our schedule for today. Twenty minutes later, she was done. I hadn’t listened to the rest of what she said, but I was sure she would have a say or two if I missed something important.
“So, when do we get to meet the famous Anna?” Liam asked Kylie. W
e were sitting at the table waiting for breakfast to arrive. I looked around the table, at my brothers. Liam was my youngest brother. Caleb, my other younger brother, was also in the band. And my best friend, Cole, was the last member of our band. He was like a brother to me. Back home, we had two sisters: Amy and Gia. Amy was Liam’s twin. Those two were always close.
Gia was the baby in the family. She has us all around her little finger, especially me. She was always my favorite, but don’t tell the others that. But we just had some connection that I didn’t have with my other siblings. We were all close, but Gia and I were even closer.
“She will join us for breakfast in five minutes—that is, if Zane didn’t scare her to death this morning.” The sarcasm in her voice was evident. She still hadn’t forgotten this morning. And knowing Kylie, she wouldn’t let it go that easily.
“Come on, a little knocking at the door should not scare her.” I laughed. She looked at me with narrowed eyes and sent daggers at me like she was this close to killing me. God, I hoped her sister had a better sense of humor.
“How long will she be with us, Kylie?” Caleb tried to get her attention so she didn’t kill me.
“I think until we go on summer break.” Kylie smiled back at Caleb. So, him you can smile at. Kylie and I were very close; I was the only one who called her “Ky.” I only used her full name when I needed to make sure she got that there was no point arguing with me. I saw her more as a friend than our PA. And I knew she saw me more as a friend than her employer, too. Which might be why I could piss her off like that. I didn’t think she would talk like that to other employers. Us, though, she told us all what she thought. And if any of us did something to piss her off, she would be the first to let us know. Which was why she still worked for us after almost three years. She got us. Understood that we would always be four guys who liked to joke, have fun, and sometimes forgot that we actually were famous.
“Doesn’t she have a job?” Maybe I should have just kept my mouth shut, because Kylie looked back at me with her evil eyes. Or as evil as her eyes could get. I knew she loved us, and she could never be mad at us for long. Not in the past, anyway. Right now, I wasn’t so sure. I knew her sister meant a lot to her, and she would do anything to keep her safe. Not that I would do anything to her sister. It was just some knocking on the door. Not that big of a deal, right?
“No, she told me yesterday that she quit last week, I don’t know why.” She looked concerned, but a moment later her angry face was back on. “And all of you, hands off her! I don’t want my sister to be one of many, understand, Zane?!” God, she really didn’t like me this morning. Who did she think I was? A man-whore? Yeah, okay, maybe sometimes. But if her sister was like Kylie, then there would be no problem. Not that Kylie wasn’t attractive, but she was more a sister than anything else.
“Easy, tiger. No need to get so fired up. If she’s anything like you, I will see her as a sister.” I winked at her.
“Shut up, Zane.” She grinned back at me. See, that was much better.
Moments later, a small knock came from the door. Kylie got up and walked to the door.
“Anna, glad you are here. The boys get grumpy when they are hungry.” Kylie looked back over her shoulder and smiled at us. Liam was the first to get up from his seat. He was always the gentleman between the four of us.
“It’s nice to meet you, Anna, hope you will have a good time with us.” He smiled at her and shook her hand.
“Nice to meet you too.” Her voice was unique, not at all like Kylie’s. More sensitive. Could a voice be delicate? God, what kind of thought is that? Anna was still in the doorway and Kylie was blocking my view. Cole and Caleb both got up from their chairs and walked over to Anna.
“Welcome, Anna. Just tell us to shut up if we are jerks,” Cole said while he gave her a small hug. He was a hugger.
“Talk for yourself, jerk—I’m a gentleman.” Caleb gave Cole a small slap on the back of his head.
“Guys, behave, please!” Kylie snarled. She really didn’t approve of the boys flirting with her sister. She looked back over her shoulder at me.
“Are you just going to sit there? You owe her an apology for this morning,” Kylie said while she stepped back, so I got a clear view of Anna.
Wow, she was not at all like her sister. Her golden blonde hair curled down over her shoulders, framing her beautiful ivory face. She had high cheekbones, small dimples when she smiled, and her eyes…wow. Deep blue-green-colored eyes, a little like the ocean on a stormy day. Green with shades of blue and silver. I’d never seen eyes like that. This might be a problem. I could feel my cock harden in my pants. Shit, she is gorgeous. She walked inside at the same time I got up to meet her.
OMG, her legs. She should definitely not have heels on; that would kill me and maybe at the same time give me a permanent hard-on. She was dressed in very short shorts, a black tank top, and slippers. Her outfit fit her body perfectly. Even though she was dressed very casually, she was dressed to kill all mankind. I couldn’t be the only one she was having this effect on, right?
Thank God she didn’t have heels on, as that would have made her legs even more beautiful. I swallowed and looked her in the eyes again. Her gorgeous eyes. I could get lost in those eyes. Wait, what? Never had I looked at a girl for more than just sex. I might need some sleep. I wasn’t thinking clearly this morning. That must be it, right? I couldn’t think of this girl like that. Any other girl, but not Kylie’s sister. Keep your shit together, Zane, I told myself.
“Nice to meet you, Anna, and sorry about this morning.” I smiled and winked at her. I must have made her nervous, because her beautiful face got a little pink when she looked up at me. She was a beauty, that girl.
“It’s okay.” She smiled nervously before turning. “It’s nice to meet you all. I hope it’s okay that I join my sister the next few months.” Cole was the first to answer.
“Of course, you’re always welcome, and if you have any problems, just come to me.” He winked back at her. I sent him a hard look. What was wrong with me? Normally it didn’t bother me when Cole flirted with women in front of me, and he was a flirt, that man, just like me. So, what was it about her that made me want to punch him in the face each time he looked at her?
While we ate breakfast, Anna didn’t make any conversation, and she didn’t eat that much either. She sat quietly between Kylie and Caleb and looked down at her almost full plate.
“You’re not hungry?” Kylie looked at Anna and gave her a small pat on the shoulder.
“No, not really.” Anna didn’t even look up when she talked to her sister. What was wrong with her? From the stories Kylie told us, Anna was the social one of the two sisters. But the woman sitting in front of me now was anything but social. She seemed to want to be anywhere but here with us. Caleb tried to get her talking.
“Kylie told us that you quit your job last week, are you going back to school?” We all knew that at some point Kylie would go back to law school, so maybe that was what Anna wanted to do.
Anna finally looked up from her plate. There was something about her like she was hurt. In pain, perhaps? I didn’t know, but I really wanted to get to know her. Even though I knew that was a bad idea. I wanted to know why she looked so afraid. Like someone was going to hurt her, or maybe someone already had? She was a mystery I would like to solve.
“No, I just needed some time away from home, and I didn’t want to be the assistant’s assistant,” she said.
“That I can understand. Are you planning on going back to school at some point in the future?” Liam asked her.
Anna blushed a little. She clearly didn’t want to be the topic of this conversation. It was all over her face—she didn’t want the attention. You could see her body tense, and that she just wanted to go back into that small bubble she was in before they started asking her questions.
I thought back to the things Ky
lie had told us about Anna. That she was the rebel younger sister, doing everything to piss their parents off. Sneaking out to meet friends. The woman in front of me looked more like a small mouse ready to go back into the small hole in the wall. Something must have happened to her. I remembered Kylie told us that over Christmas break, Anna convinced her to go to some college party. The biggest on campus. Something must have changed her since then. And it had only been four months. Did someone hurt her? I don’t remember Kylie talking about Anna having a boyfriend. She was too busy with school and work. What happened to the girl in front of me?
“No, I think I’m done with school. That’s Kylie who still wants to go back and get her master’s degree, not me.” Anna smiled.
“I’m not going back to school anytime soon, but dad is happy when I say that this is not what I will be doing for the rest of my life, so for now he thinks I will go back,” Kylie said before Anna interrupted her.
“I know you will go back. That’s what you always talked about. But don’t go back to school to please Dad.” I couldn’t agree more with that. As long as Kylie was happy, her father should be too.
“I’m not doing it for Dad!” Kylie snapped. It was nice to know that it wasn’t just me she got angry at. Although I didn’t get why she snapped at Anna, because Anna was right: Kylie should only go back to school if she wanted to, not because her dad wanted her to go.
“Sorry, sis, but I just know how much pressure he puts on us. I just don’t care, though I know you do.” Anna smiled back at her sister. Her smile was beautiful. Her eyes smiled too. Could eyes smile? What kind of question is that? Anna was messing with my thoughts. I didn’t think I’d ever had this sort of connection with a woman. And definitely not someone I’d just met.
Kylie cleared her throat, interrupting my thoughts. She got up from the chair.
