by Thomas, C. M
“I’m going to see if Marco is up. I would really like you to meet him, Anna.” Kylie blushed just a little. For the last few months, she and one of our security guys had been dating. In the beginning, I thought they thought they could keep it a secret, but Kylie didn’t have a good poker face.
“Yes, the hot man in your bed. Maybe that’s why you were so angry with me this morning. Was I interrupting you guys?” I smiled at her.
“Shut up, Zane! Marco was on duty when you banged at Anna’s door, you idiot!” Oops, I got her mad again. She didn’t like talking about her personal life.
Anna got up and walked out of the room with Kylie. She didn’t say anything, just waved before she walked out of the room.
“Man, that’s a sweet ass.” Cole was drooling while looking at Anna’s petite ass. I couldn’t agree more with him. But he had no right to look at her ass, so before I knew it, I snapped at him.
“Don’t look at her like that, do you want Kylie to kill you?” I might have sounded like a jealous boyfriend right now, but I was angry that he talked that way about her. What the hell is it with this woman? I don’t even know her!
“Easy, tiger, just looking.” Cole held his hands up in the air while laughing.
I needed to keep my shit together. How could I feel this strongly about a girl—woman—I’d just met? Usually, I didn’t care about comments like that. What was it about Anna that made me want to punch my best friend in the face every time he looked at her like she was his next meal? I didn’t do relationships, or a second time for that matter. Only one time, that was it. I didn’t need the complications that came with having a girl around for more than just a night of fun and sex. But I wanted to get to know Anna. I wanted to fuck her too, sure. But it was more than that—I wanted to know the woman behind the beautiful body. Could I want more than one night? No, no way that was going to happen. Shit, this is going to be two long months.
Chapter 3:
Anna
“So, that was Deep C, hmm?” I looked at Kylie while we walked to the elevator.
“Yes, sorry about Zane. Just ignore him.” She smiled.
That was going to be hard. The man was pure muscle, tattooed, and just gorgeous. He had messy black hair I just wanted to run my fingers through. His eyes were mesmerizing. They were the type of brown eyes that were like dark chocolate with splashes of hazelnut. His face was strong, defined, and his features were perfect. He had the type of playful smile that made me blush. I didn’t usually blush, but looking at Zane, I did. I was blushing now, just thinking of him. His skin was tanned, and his gorgeous body had ripped muscles across every part. How could I ignore that?
“It was not that bad, just a typical bad boy.” Kylie didn’t say anything, but sent me a look that said, yeah right, Anna. I ignored her look and kept daydreaming about the beautiful drummer. The moment I saw him, I felt a connection I’d never felt before. I wanted to get to know him. To get behind the facade he had on. Because I knew there was more to him than what he let the public know. There had to be, right?
Stop, Anna. He’s nothing like the man you need. He is arrogant, flirty and a musician. There can come no good out of dreaming about him. Besides, he is totally out of your league anyway.
“I will go see if Marco is awake. If not, I will come to your room, is that okay?” Kylie stopped by the door to their hotel room.
“Yes, that’s fine. You don’t have to wake him; I can meet him later. Let the man get some sleep.” I started walking down the hall to my room.
“I will be right back, Anna. See you in a minute.” Kylie walked into their hotel room, and I started walking down the hall to my room.
“Anna, wait. Marco is awake. You can come meet him now if you want,” Kylie yelled at me. I turned around and walked back to her. Since when did Kylie start yelling so much? She was always the quiet one of the two of us. Maybe being a PA for a rock band took a lot of yelling. I smiled at that. I think I like the new Kylie.
“Easy, sis, no need to be yelling like that. I’m just a few feet away.” I grinned at her. Kylie walked into their room, and I followed. Inside, on the couch, sat a man even more muscled than Zane. When he stood, I almost took a step back. He looked intimidating, not warm and flirty like Zane. Come on, Anna. This is your sister’s boyfriend, not some stranger who wants to hurt you. He is a bodyguard; he has to look intimidating. I walked over to Marco and gave him my hand.
“Nice to meet you, Marco. I’m Anna.” I smiled at him and looked over at Kylie, who now stood beside him. She looked in love. It was like she didn’t even saw me smiling at her.
“Nice to finally put a face on the famous Anna,” Marco replied. His voice was deep, the kind of voice that would make everyone in a room go quiet if he raised it.
“I see it’s not just the band who thinks I’m famous. Kylie talks too much.” I shook my head and grinned.
“You’re my baby sister. I have a right to talk about you and be proud of you,” she replied, still not taking her eyes from Marco.
“I’m not a baby!” I really hated when she called me “baby” sister, and she knew that. She grinned at me.
“I know. I just love to see your face when I call you that.”
Marco sat down on the couch and moved Kylie to his lap. I sat on one of the chairs.
“How long will you be with us on tour?” Marco asked, looking at me.
“She’s going with us until we go on summer break,” Kylie replied before I even had a chance to answer.
“I thought you had a job back in Colorado Springs?” Marco looked over at me.
“I did, but I quit last week. I think I just need a break, so this is my break— joining you on tour,” I replied before Kylie continued talking to me.
“Yes, apparently she doesn’t want to be the assistant’s assistant anymore. But I think she is hiding something else. I just can’t get her to talk about it.” Kylie looked at me, but clearly, she was talking to Marco.
“Let her be, sweetheart. Maybe she just needs a break. We all do sometimes.” Marco smiled at me.
“Thank you, Marco,” I said before I continued. “And there is no other reason, I told you that already. Can’t you just be happy I’m here, and that we are going to spend some time together? It has been so long since we saw each other for more than a couple of days.”
“Of course I’m happy you are here. I just want to be sure you’re okay. And if there is anything you want to talk about, know that I’m here for you,” Kylie said, and then she came over to hug me.
“We both are,” Marco added. We talked about random stuff. It was nice to see Kylie this happy and so in love. I wished I had that. Someone to love and who loved me back. Maybe a certain drummer. Stop. I couldn’t think like that. Zane was a man-whore. If just half of the stories Kylie told me about him were true, he was not the guy for me. But he intrigued me. And not only his hot body, but also the man behind that body.
“I have to get ready for work,” Marco told Kylie.
“I will just go to my room so you two can have some privacy.” I got up from the chair and walked over to the door.
“You don’t have to leave, Anna,” Marco said, and Kylie added, “You can stay, you know.”
“I know, but I’m still tired from yesterday, and someone was banging on my door early this morning, if you remember.” I smiled at them.
“Don’t remind me. I am sorry he did that, Anna. I will come see you before I go with the band.”
I gave Kylie a small hug before I left the room.
Back in my hotel room, I wondered how I ended up here. Looking back over the last year, I finished my degree and was sure that at this point, I would have my dream job as a PA in one of the big companies in Denver. It had always been a dream of mine to move to Denver, though not because I didn’t love living in Colorado Springs. I just saw more opportunities in Denver. But here I
was, in a hotel room in Seattle, on tour with a rock band. Jeez, how did that happen?
I turned on my computer to check my email. My now former boss was going to send some papers I needed to sign, so I had to send him the address of the hotel.
When I opened my inbox, there was one email from an unknown sender. As stupid as I was, I opened it. A chill ran down my spine when I saw who it was from.
I will find you, sweet Anna. Do you think I will stop looking just because you quit your job and disappeared? I have wanted you since the very first time we met. And we will be together, just wait and see.
- D.
I tried to catch my breath, but no matter how hard I tried, my heart was pounding in my chest. I began to sweat, and my whole body seemed to have a life of its own. What was happening to me? I felt a strong pain in my chest. Shit, am I having a heart attack? I had more and more trouble breathing. I needed fresh air now.
I stumbled up from the chair and walked over to one of the windows. I was really dizzy, so I must have looked like a drunk trying to walk a straight line. I got to the window and somehow managed to open it. The fresh air filled my lungs, and my breathing slowly became more normal. After what seemed like hours, I was breathing normally again. My shirt was wet with sweat, and I needed a shower right about now. At that moment, my phone beeped. I walked over to see that Kylie had sent me a text.
Kylie: I need to go with the band in fifteen minutes, do you want to come with us?
Me: No, thanks, I don’t feel well, so I think I will try to get some sleep.
I hoped she wouldn’t get worried. But of course, less than two seconds later I heard a knock on my door. When I opened it, Kylie walked straight into my room.
“What happened? You were fine when I saw you twenty minutes ago.” She looked me in the eyes and then down my body. “God, you look like you just ran a marathon.” I walked over to the end of the bed and sat down.
“I feel like that, too. Maybe I have a fever. I don’t know.” Kylie walked over and took a seat beside me.
“Try to get some sleep. I will come back as fast as I can, but the band has a radio interview, and I have to go with them.” She took my hand. “Give me your phone. I will add the contact info for Dax, our head of security. If you need something, call him!” I gave her my phone.
“That’s not necessary. I will just sleep it off. You don’t have to worry about me,” I said. Kylie handed me back my phone.
“I am worried. As I said, call him if you need anything. Marco is with the band and me, but I know Dax is working from his room until we get back. I have to go; I will text when I’m back at the hotel. We have another meeting after the interview, so I don’t know when I will be back.” She started walking to the door, but paused as she said, “And call or text me if you get any worse, okay?” She looked back at me.
“Sure. But I’m going to be fine!” After Kylie closed the door, I lay back on the bed. This was bad. I didn’t know how I could keep this a secret from her. I hated lying in general, but to Kylie, it was worse. I’d always told her the truth, even when I didn’t want to. I just hoped this would go away before she found out on her own.
After a quick shower, I was back in bed. How did “D” get my email address? I was stupid to think that just because I left my work and home, that he would stop stalking me. Maybe it was time to call the police? Just the thought of involving the police gave me a chill down my spine. What if they didn’t believe me, or worse, if they just didn’t care? No, going to the police was not an option. I tried to steady my breathing. It kept being erratic, and I didn’t know why.
I started to panic. What if something was wrong with me? Maybe I was sick. For the next hour or so I just tried to breathe steadily, and finally my body started to become normal again.
I was so tired, so I tried to get some sleep, but my thoughts kept diving back to the smoking-hot drummer from this morning. Zane Camden was every girl’s dream if you wanted a one-night stand.
I didn’t do that. I was not going to be one of his groupies. But why did he have to be so hot? Just thinking of him made me wet. Anna, keep it together, you don’t need this in your life right now. Maybe being on tour wasn’t the best vacation I could have thought of. But I did miss Kylie, and that’s why I was here, not to hook up with some hot drummer. These were going to be two long months!
Chapter 4:
Zane
I was the last to join the band down in the lobby at our hotel. I could see Kylie looking up from her iPad. She was ready to get going.
“Sorry, just had to do my hair.” I grinned as I approach the group. Caleb let out a sigh and started walking. Caleb looked a lot like me; we both had black hair and brown eyes. Caleb was taller than me and even more solidly built than me. We both did a lot of weightlifting, which was why we both had a very muscular body. It helped me to have a fit body when we performed and traveled so much. I didn’t get tired easily, and that was a good thing because we didn’t have many breaks or get to sleep until noon if that was what we wanted.
Liam had black hair and green eyes, just like our father. He was not as straightforward as Caleb and me, but still, we all looked and acted a lot alike. Liam was the kind brother—not to say that Caleb and I aren’t kind. But Liam was different; he was just more sensitive than Caleb and me. Cole, on the other hand, had dirty blond hair and blue eyes. His body structure was much like mine. So was his personality.
“Come on, can we go now before the diva needs his beauty sleep?” Caleb said. I walked over and slapped my brother in the back of his head.
“I’m no diva, just don’t get why we set a meeting time, and then all off you just have to get here fifteen minutes before. I’m two minutes early, you know!”
“Good boy, now can we go?” Kylie snarled, and started to walk.
“Marco, keep your woman happy. I don’t need her to bitch at me all the time.” I walked up to the car where Marco was waiting for us to get in. I grinned at him before I got in. I saw a small smile on his face.
“Shut it. I do think it has something to do with you waking up the entire floor this morning.” Marco grinned. He had been with us for a long time, so I knew I could joke with him. I just didn’t get why it took him and Kylie so long to see that they were perfect for each other. We all saw it coming; it was no surprise when Kylie announced that they were a couple. Even though we did give her a lot of crap about it. But I was happy for them. If they could make it work and still do their jobs, I really didn’t care. I looked around in the car. Someone was missing: Anna.
“Where is your sister?” Cole asked Kylie. Apparently, I was not the only one who noticed that she wasn’t here.
“She wasn’t feeling well, so I told her to sleep until I get back. Hopefully, that will help,” Kylie answered. I sat beside Kylie, facing Cole, Liam, and Caleb.
“Is she okay? You could’ve stayed back, you know. We can do this ourselves.” Caleb looked over at Kylie.
“This is my job, and I think she’s fine. She seems stressed, so some sleep would be good for her. And you guys will just get in trouble if I don’t go with you.” Kylie was looking at me when she said the last part. I held my hands up.
“Hey, I can behave, you know.” I winked at her and continued, “And about your sister, make sure one of the guys back at the hotel checks on her.” Kylie looked at me, surprised.
“Are you worried about someone other than yourself, Zane?” She grinned, trying to make a joke. “I told Dax that Anna is sick, and I have also given Anna his number so she can call him if she gets worse. So don’t you worry your pretty head about that.”
“You just had to call him pretty!” Liam let out a sigh. I looked back at Kylie.
“For one, I do worry about other than myself, and you know it. Second, I just wanted to make sure you weren’t distracted, so don’t think I worry about your sister. I worry about you doing your job more.�
� I may have said that a little harshly, but I didn’t want them all to know that knowing Anna was at the hotel sick was messing with my head. My instincts told me to protect her, just like the feeling I had every time Gia was sick. But for some reason, the inclination is even more evident with Anna than with Gia.
I normally didn’t worry this much about people I’d just met, but with Anna, I just wanted to go back to the hotel and make sure she was okay. Apparently, I was losing my mind, because this couldn’t be normal.
I closed my eyes and tried to get my mind off Anna, but it was not working. I kept seeing her beautiful eyes in front of me, and I just wanted to get lost in those eyes. I’m sure there were a whole lot of stories in there to be unrevealed.
When we got to the radio station, it was smaller than the one we visited a couple of days ago. The walls were all black and decorated with pictures of musicians who had visited the station. We interviewed like we had done so many times before. It was getting kind of boring doing all these interviews. They were all the same. And today I couldn’t seem to concentrate on the task we were doing, not because it was boring, but because of Anna. More times than I wanted to admit, I got lost in my thoughts, and it was only when Cole gave me a small slap in the ribs that I remembered that I had to focus on the interview and not the girl I just met.
When we were done with the interview, we walked back out to the car, and I just knew that Kylie was going to be pissed at me.
“What the hell is wrong with you today, Zane?” she snarled. And there it is.
“I’m perfectly fine, Ky. I was just letting the others talk today,” I joked.
“No, you were not even answering the questions the fans asked over the phone.” She was pissed, even more than this morning. I really needed to get my head back in the game.
“Sorry, I have no other excuse than I’m tired, and that I really don’t want to keep doing all these interviews. They are boring.” I knew now was not the right time to say this, but I had thought about saying it for a while, so now it was out there.
