by Cat Mason
“I’ll text Cam. She’ll want to know about this.” Mack interrupts, his thumbs flying across his phone. “Maybe the label can get the site shut down.”
“I doubt it. The dirtier the news, the bigger the draw.” I reply, forcing myself to dig into my food.
Hunter sits my phone on the table, looking around the diner. “How about I race you Jazzie, huh?” He asks, making her giggle. “Let’s see who can finish first.”
“I’ll beat you Hunter.” She taunts him around a mouth full of bacon.
“Once you’re done Mack, go pay up; the sooner we get out of here, the better. I don’t wanna stay in one place too long.” He explains to Mack and me.
All of us quietly finish our food, except Jasmine. She damn near leaps off the chair to announce to everyone in the diner that she beat everyone at the table. Pulling our hoods up, and donning our sunglasses again; we sneak out to the ‘Burban once Mack settles the bill.
Hunter, who hasn’t taken his eyes from his phone since he finished eating, decides it’s not smart to hit the mall with all the possibilities for a crowd. Instead, he instructs Mack to drive to a smaller store on the other side of town. The minute we walk into the store, he looks at me. “We’ve gotta be outta here in less than an hour.” Picking up Jasmine, Hunter puts her in the back of the cart. “Hang on Princess, let’s fill a cart. The faster we do this, the sooner you can eat more of Daisy’s cookies.” He says, taking off toward girls’ clothing.
Between Hunter, Mack, and myself we have the cart stocked with more than enough for a couple little girls. Add the fact that Hunter let Jazzie grab as we went, I was putting back things she couldn’t fit in, or would never use, when she wasn’t looking. Watching the two of them laugh together has my earlier fear and sadness melting away. He’s so good with her; it just comes easily. When he doesn’t think I’m looking, he scans the store like Mack does. Being sure to keep plenty of distance from anyone who stares at us too long.
“Stack it all up so she can scan it, Jazzie.” Hunter says, grabbing a handful of pink and tossing it to the cashier.
“Are you?” The cashier, who probably isn’t old enough to buy a beer, gasps. “You’re Hunter aren’t you? Can I have your autograph?”
Looking around frantically, he leans in and whispers. “Yeah, if you cash all this out quick, I’ll do whatever you want.”
“She’s cute.” She replies, looking at Jazzie after handing Mack and I some bags. “Yours?”
Hunter nods, the grin spreading across his face. “Yeah.”
Wrapping his arm around her, he lifts Jasmine from the cart. Instantly, she wraps her legs around his waist and rests her head on his shoulder. “She looks sleepy Hunter.” I murmur, pushing the hair out of her face.
Mack swipes a card through, paying for everything while Hunter autographs the girl’s phone case. After handing Jasmine to me, he even takes a picture with cashier. Mack leads us out the front door into a disaster. The parking lot is swarming with photographers unloading from their vans, all running toward us.
“Why are you keeping your mistress and child a secret Hunter?” A woman yells, flash bulbs going off like crazy all around us. “Why didn’t you get married in Vegas?”
“How do you feel about Hunter’s exploits on tour?” A man yells at me. “The fighting, partying every night, the dozens of women both on and off the bus? They’ve even been known to pass them around, right Hunter?”
My eyes fly up to Hunter, who goes pale. “Mack get them to the ‘Burban, now.” He snaps out. Leaning down, he kisses my cheek. “Tell Mack to lose whatever lenses, hang back with you, park somewhere and wait for me.” Then he’s gone from my side.
Most of the crowd disperses, which let’s us make a run for it while most go after Hunter. He hauls ass through the parking lot, disappearing around the corner. “Where the hell is he going?” Mack mumbles, shaking his head once we reach the vehicle.
I explain Hunter’s plan while buckling a tearful Jasmine into her seat. I smile down at her, hoping to reassure her that everything is okay. She gives me a grin in return, her eyes drooping sleepily again. Once Mack throws the bags onto the floor, he flies out of the parking space away from the few cameras that remain.
My phone goes off with alerting me to a text. You and Jazzie ok?
Yes. I reply. Texting back and forth with Hunter, I watch the headlights out the back window. Giving him updates on where we are while Mack attempts to ditch our fan club.
“Mack, he says he’s ducked into a store. Once we lose the vultures, park in the back. I’ll text him and let him know when it’s safe.”
After a few minutes of circling the block to make sure we aren’t being followed, Mack parks behind the store on the end. We’re here. I text, but get no reply.
After a few minutes the back door opens to a store called ‘Take Me Home’ and out walks Hunter carrying bags. A blushing woman follows him out, carrying some metal cage looking thing. “What the hell is that for Hunter?” I ask, when Mack jumps out to help him load it into the back.
“Gotta have somethin’ for it to sleep in.” He says, as if that explains it.
“I know you’re not expecting your daughter to sleep in that damn thing!” I exclaim, sitting up in the seat.
Hunter thanks the woman before climbing into the front seat. “Oh, Tiger Lily, calm your tits.” He says, laughing at me. Reaching up, I slap him hard in the side. A loud yelp echoes through the cab of the vehicle making us all jump.
“Oh my God, honey.” I gasp. “What the hell was that?”
Hunter pulls his hoodie up over his head, cradling it in his lap. “Fuck Chase, be careful. Now you’ve hurt my wiener!”
“Oh please,” I huff, rolling my eyes. “You’re not that well-endowed, ass.”
“Aw come on, it’s okay.” He coos and I am tempted to smack him again. “Don’t be scared of Chase. She’s usually not so abusive.”
Tapping the interior light on, I lean up; taking in the scene before me. “Oh my God! It’s…it’s…”
“My wiener…dog.” He says when Mack laughs loudly. “Wanna touch it?” Hunter asks, smiling at me wickedly. “Come on Tiger Lily, ask if you can touch my wiener.”
The little brown ball of fur barks playfully. “Is that a puppy?” Jasmine squeals, perking up in her seat. “I want it, I want it!”
Hunter carefully scoops up his hoodie with the dog in it. Reaching back, he plops it in Jasmine’s lap. “Better name him.”
“He’s itty bitsy.” Jazzie says, hugging him to her.
“Bacon Bits.” Hunter says, with a laugh. “Bits for short.”
The puppy licks Jasmine’s face making her giggle, before flopping down in her lap. “Hunter that was sweet.”
Hunter shrugs, “Kid asked if we had a puppy. Bet money Bits will be easier to clean up after than Mack.” Mack glares at Hunter, unfazed Hunter goes on. “Besides, I got a new shirt to go with him.”
Hunter turns in his seat so that I can read ‘Are you looking at my wiener?’ written across his chest with a picture of a dachshund. Doubling over, I can’t help but laugh hysterically, causing Bits to bark at me for disturbing his nap. “I’m starting to wonder if it was the whiskey makin’ you sweet last night or if it’s just you being you.” I say, and a rare thing happens, Hunter Chesterfield blushes.
“Don’t give away my secret Tiger Lily. It lessens the cool factor I got workin’ for me.” He says winking at me before turning around.
“Not sharin’ that with anyone. I want it all for me.” I reply leaning back in the seat. We ride back to the house in silence while Hunter’s wiener snores loudly beside me.
Bringing A Tiger To A Cat Fight
Hunter
Pulling up in front of the house, Mack and I grab the bags while Chase helps Jazzie carry the pup. Growing up, Aiden and I never had a pet; so this is new for me too. The minute I realized the store I ducked into was a pet shop, I turned into a damn kid. The shirts hanging up beside the kennels were a t
otal bonus too. The best thing I’ve seen all night was the way Jazzie’s eyes lit up when I handed her Bits.
Balancing the bags, I fling open the door. “Alright everyone, get the hell in here and come hold my wiener.” I shout, tossing the bags to the table in the entry way.
“That website is bad enough Hunter, I swear if you end up naked online.” Cam shouts barreling into the room.
The dog jumps from Jazzie’s arms, landing to the wood floor. His paws go spastic and he slides through the entry way just as Daisy and Gray come into the room. “Careful not to trip over my wiener guys.”
Daisy starts laughing, followed by Grayson and Cam. “It’s so tiny!” She squeals.
“That’s not the first time someone said you’ve got a tiny wiener, is it Hunter?” Mack laughs.
“Har har Asshole.” I chuckle. “Full of jokes tonight aren’t we ‘Silver Shagger’.” I toss out, making him hang his head.
“Isn’t she cute?” Daisy coos, picking up Bits.
“His name’s Bits.” I correct her, rolling my eyes. “Seriously, would I get a girl wiener dog? It’s like you don’t even know me.”
“Well, I’m not surprised by your shirt.” Cam giggles. “Or the name Bits, for that matter. Would that be short for Dangly Bits?”
“Short for Bacon Bits. They say I’m the pervert in this group…” Looking to Grayson, I jerk my chin toward the dining room. “I’m callin’ a Shaft meeting.”
“Come again?” Grayson asks, looking at me in confusion.
I can’t help the grin on my face. “Thanks for the offer man, but you’re not my type.” Grabbing Bits from Daisy, I hand him back to Jasmine. “I gotta talk to the guys. Why don’t you and Mack take your stuff down to the basement? Chase and I’ll be down to tuck you in soon, so find some pajamas.”
Grabbing Chase’s hand I follow everyone back into the dining room where the scrabble board is set up on the table. “You’re playin’ X-rated Scrabble without me? That goes against everything Shaft stands for.” I grumble.
“Katheryn showed up, immediately dragging Henry off to the bedroom.” Daisy groans, rolling her eyes. “You can hear them in the den, so television is off limits tonight.”
“Yeah, that chick’s a screamer.” Gray agrees. I shudder, remembering that I have been more than just a witness to the screaming, up close and personal. Damn, this could be awkward.
“The game didn’t last long anyway.” Aiden defends, looking up from his laptop. “When we got the text from Mack, it disbanded to check this site out.” Angrily, he scowls down at his screen. “I can’t believe the candid shots some people have gotten. Everything goes up so quickly too.”
I walk around the table, taking the seat next to him. “See,” He continues. “This was taken, what around an hour ago? And already it has comments. This,” Aiden explains pointing to a tab on the homepage. “I’m really worried about. It’s the ‘Shaftspotter’. They’re encouraging people to tag their location when they see us out. If you’re on this alert list, it’ll automatically update you when there’s a ‘Shaft sighting’. It could be really dangerous, especially for the girls.”
“Yeah,” Cam says sitting down at the table. “It’s not just you three they’re posting about; it’s all of us.”
“None of the ladies leave here without Henry or Mack, period. We can’t afford for something to get out of hand with one of them.” Gray pipes up.
“Better yet, none of us should.” Chase corrects him. “They were all over us, so quick. It got really scary for a minute and I only imagine it getting worse.”
“We can handle it. At least here, we’re more contained.” I say, leaning back in my seat. “Tomorrow we work out a plan of action. Take the offense, instead of defense. Cam get on the phone to the label in the morning. Find out what can be done about this, if anything. Until this gets a lid on it, we play it as we always have: let Big Man take the lead.”
Taking a deep breath, I look around the room. The air becomes thick, the seriousness of the conversation making me want to run from the room. Chase’s eyes meet mine, she nods encouraging me to make the jump. “I want to write some of the lyrics … music too.” I blurt. “Just being the pretty face isn’t workin’ for me anymore.”
“Well that’s a change of subject I wasn’t expecting.” Gray blurts, blowing out a deep breath. “Been thinkin’ ‘bout this a while then, have you?”
“Who said you were pretty?” Aiden laughs.
Daisy and Cam both look to Chase, checking for shock I’m sure. But, as expected, Chase isn’t surprised in the least. This has been brewing in my head for a while and it’s time it all comes out. “I have Gray.” I reply, ignoring my brother’s smart ass comment.
“What if we say no?” Grayson asks, crossing his arms over his chest. “If we say things are good like they are, would you be satisfied with that? Or is this a deal breaker for you now?”
Looking between the two of them, I think about his question. If I were to stay on this hamster wheel for the rest of the ride, would I be satisfied? This could be the end of the band. If I lay out the ultimatum and they say no, could I just walk away from Shaft? Could they? I’d be walking away from my family. The thing is, though, Chase is right. This is important enough for me to fight for, and I won’t know until I try.
“I don’t want to, you’re my family. But I’m not here to be the sacrificial dick for the groupie pussy just because I’m not married. I need to be able to measure my accomplishments with more than empty condom wrappers.”
“So you need to do this then?” Gray asks and I nod; yes.
“Shit, Hunter, is that really how you think we all see you?” Cam asks, shock written all over her face. Poor Daisy looks hurt at my accusation too, but I can’t apologize for how I feel. All I can do is make it right. To chase the vision of myself I can see now.
“I think I’m satisfied with that answer, Gray.” Aiden says, “How about you?”
Gray nods, “Yep, sounds like he means business.”
My eyes move between Daisy and Grayson, to Cam and Chase before finally landing on Aiden. “Okay, so tomorrow morning we walk into the session with three brains instead of two.” He says, clapping me on the back.
The breath rushes from my chest, relief flooding me. “We’d never have let you walk.” Gray says shrugging. “We had to see if you’re really serious about this, that’s all. The album is too important and if you aren’t all in, we need to know now.”
“I’m all in.” I assure them, standing to my feet. Grabbing Chase’s hand, I start down the hall toward the basement door. “Going to tuck the kid in now, See ya in the mornin’.”
“Hi, Hunter. I thought I heard you come in.” Katheryn’s voice from the hall stops me. Looking up, I catch her coming out of the bathroom wearing one of Big Man’s shirts. “I hear you have a beautiful little girl.” Stepping up to us, she reaches out a hand to Chase. “I’m Katheryn, Henry’s…”
“Piece of ass.” Daisy huffs, from behind us. “You haven’t earned the right to be called anything other than a groupie piece around here. No offense to Big Man but, anyone who knows your track record with the guys so far knows you would’ve taken whoever you could get.”
“You don’t know me, bitch.” Katheryn snarls, propping a hand on her hip. “I may have started out a groupie, but I finished with Hunter loooooong before he finished with me.” Tossing her auburn hair over her shoulder, she shrugs. “Can’t help it if Henry’s just a better fit for me.”
“Huh, probably because he can parallel park the fuckin’ bus in that snatch of yours.” Chase mutters beside me.
“What was that dear?” Katheryn asks, her mouth pressing into a hard line.
“Oh nothing.” Chase shrugs, twirling her hair innocently. “I was just thinking to myself that if Henry’s the better fit for you, why are you out here with us? You should be in there with him and not tryin’ to flash your goods to men who have everything they need.” Chase steps up to Katheryn, meeting he
r toe to toe. “I’ll tell you this, dear; even though Hunter may have been balls deep in you for a minute, it wasn’t your ass makin’ him blow his load. It. Was. Me. I’m in his head, babe. Some bitches just have stayin’ power, you’re a dyin’ breed. If I were you, I’d be careful where you flap those lips.”
“You’re wrong.” Katheryn bites out.
Daisy steps closer, to Chase and me. “If that’s the case and you earn your spot, we’ll gladly apologize. Until then, I don’t even want to breathe the same air as you.”
“Baby?” Henry calls from the doorway to his room. “I wondered what was takin’ you so long.” He says, walking out in a pair of old sweat pants. Big Man assesses the situation, going rigid automatically. “What’s going on?”
“Nothin’ baby,” Katheryn chokes out, turning to Henry. “Just catching up, let’s go back to bed.”
Henry looks at Daisy, Chase and me, when Katheryn wraps her arms around his middle. “Everything go alright tonight?”
I nod. “Nothin’ that can’t wait ‘til tomorrow, Big Man.” I assure him, because I’ll be damned if we’re gonna discuss anything with an outsider in the house. Henry deserves to have someone, doesn’t mean I have to trust her right away. I’ll tell you this much, no guy immediately trusts a bitch that mumbles her name between tongue laps at your balls. If Katheryn has staying power, great; but until then, I’m going with my gut instinct. Letting her in the loop makes about as much sense as shooting darts at my condom stash.
“I don’t like this at all.” I mumble to Daisy when Henry closes the bedroom door behind him and Katheryn.
“Well, we don’t know her.” She replies.
“What I know, I don’t like.” Chase says, jerking the door open to the basement.
“Chase?” Daisy asks grabbing her arm. “I have something I need to do tomorrow. I need you and Cam to go with me.”
Chase’s eyes snap to Daisy’s, mine do too. “Is something wrong? The baby?” I ask nervously. Ever since Tad attacked Daisy months ago, we’ve been pretty much treating her like glass. Add on top of that the fact that that douche tried again to get to her and Camaron, we’ve all been pretty worried about her and the baby’s well-being.
