“Katinka took away women from you?” His lip quirked up in amusement at the news. I nodded my head and gave a chuckle of my own. “Yes, she will not let me near a woman unless I plan to make her my wife.”
His loud baritone laugh filled the room. He released me to wipe the tears from his eyes. “She has your balls in her bag with Tosha’s.” He laughed even louder.
I couldn’t help but join in. I got off my knees and collapsed in the chair beside him. “You laugh now, old man. But one day you will know how it feels.” This caused him to laugh even louder.
“Damon, I am 78 years old and have been married for 60 years, I haven’t had my balls since I met Mother.” I couldn’t help but laugh. He was right. Diana had him by the balls, but he was happy and I knew he loved her more than anything.
“I am with Katinka, It is time you found a woman and settled down. You have tried enough of them to know exactly what you want. There is no more need to sample from the menu.” His words sobering me up.
“I know, I am trying, I promise. I have made a vow to Tink and I do not plan to break it.”
“Well, now that we know what’s going on. I can mark those amounts as charitable donations which should help you with your taxes.” Melvin’s no-nonsense tone drew my attention.
“I didn’t do it because of the deduction’s I would receive. I did them because I wanted to.” I was taken aback by his assumption.
“Damon, I don’t care why you did it. I am simply stating the fact. They will be calculated toward your taxes as charitable donations. End of discussion. Now do you have any other questions for me?”
I shook my head. Questions? No. Did I want to throttle him? Yes. But I knew that would do me no good. I turned to Igor. “Do you need anything else of me?”
“Net, ,al’chil no, boy. Go home and find a good woman. That is all I want from you. If you need a stamp of approval, bring them by the Mother and Katinka. They have good intuition. And don’t forget Mother Anna. She has a good eye.” He winked at me and stood to leave. I stood with him and followed him out. It looked like everyone wanted me to settle down. Maybe they were right. I just didn’t know where to start. Where does one go to find a woman that he planned to keep for life?
Chapter Six
The guys were really pushing it tonight. I knew they brought me out to flaunt the fact that they would flirt and bang anyone they wanted. We were all out at a local back having drinks sans Tosha and Katinka. Though I couldn’t figure out why Nik had bothered to come. He stayed on his phone the entire night chatting with Evie.
I watched as Ivan slunk off with a blond that had been hanging on his arm since he left to grab a beer. I secretly hoped Katinka would nail him down as well. The fucker deserved it.
“G, where is your woman tonight?” I asked noticing he was solo. I knew he was planning on getting married soon. I expected for him to be glued to his fiancé considering he had been gone for the better part of a year on tour.
“She is running late, she had a thing with some of her girlfriends earlier. Some sort of girl’s day they had planned.” I nodded in understanding.
“Well, I can’t wait to meet the woman who can tolerate your ornery ass.” I razzed.
“Don’t be hatin’ on me cause you’re not getting laid. You’re jealous all this big sexiness gets to go home and put the smack down while you’re over there playing tidily winks Hans solo style.” Her chuckled and tipped his beer toward me.
I casually flipped him the bird. Nik shot up from his seat and ran out of the bar like the devil was on his heels. I shot him a quick text to see if everything was good. I thought about going after him but figured he was just getting a call from Evie and didn’t want her to know he was out at a bar. A few minutes later my phone vibrated to life with a text from him letting me know he was fine, that he just went home.
The man had been acting strange since we got back to the states. I made a mental note to talk to him about it later. Tonight I just wanted a distraction.
“So what do you guys have going on after you leave here?” I asked Shep and the guys.
“LA for some bullshit PR, and then from there we are doing a festival tour. Man, I’m just tired of constantly running. It would be nice to just have some downtime. We make enough money to buy the world but never have the time to spend it.” I had to agree, that’s how we had been for the past sixteen years.
“Man, I would love to say it gets better, but we have been doing it for sixteen years and honestly, it doesn’t.” I gave a slight shrug of an apology.
“Yeah, I know. But a man has to wish for something right?”
“You got that right.”
A petite brunette dressed like a schoolmarm walked up and wrapped her arms around G. She was dressed in a long-sleeved black dress that came down mid-calf. A white collar poked out of the top and white cuffs in the sleeves. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun. She wore minimal makeup but still looked stunning. I watched slack-jawed as G wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap.
“Guys, this is Elizabeth. Elizabeth, these are the guys we were on tour with.” He pointed each of us out as he introduced us. Elizabeth gave a short nod by way of hello. I was surprised to see G with her. She was beautiful, don’t get me wrong. I just always assumed any woman that was able to pin him down would be more along the hard core rocker sense. Not the quiet ultra conservative type.
G himself was built like a fucking refrigerator, a solid wall of tattooed muscle. He had long black hair that he wore down around his shoulders. His typical attire was ripped up jeans and a black wife beater. He had piercings in his nipples, don’t ask me how I know, His lip and eyebrows and gauged ears the size of quarters. He was loud and boisterous with a heart of gold.
After getting over my shock, I realized that G was introducing us to the women that accompanied Elizabeth. Three women stood to the side. They were all dressed conservatively and looked slightly terrified of us men surrounding the table.
Having come to my senses I smacked Kiev up-side the head. “Get up,” his eyes squinted in confusion. I nodded my head toward the women. Quickly catching on he stood and grabbed Ryan by the ear, leading him up from his seat.
I stepped back and motioned toward the three empty seats. “Ladies, please have a seat.” I watched as they silently communicated between one another, contemplating whether it was safe or not to sit at the table with us.
“I promise, we don’t bite.” I gave them what I thought was a reassuring smile.
The women were gorgeous, from what I could see of them. Allison had shoulder length blonde hair that was cut into a crisp bob. Her eyes were a pale baby blue that gave her a wholesome good ‘old girl look. She was wearing a knee-length cream-colored tea dress and matching kitten heels. Her skin was bronze enough that the color didn’t wash her out.
Emily had long auburn hair that came down to her waist. Her eyes were hazel. The irises were a dark green and amber closer to the pupil. She was wearing an emerald green sweater dress that came to her knees as well with a pair of brown boots. I pulled the chair out for her to sit. Her coconut and lilac shampoo infiltrated my nostrils causing me to swallow a groan. She was easily a knockout.
The last girl to come have a seat was Natalie. She had long black hair that met the middle of her back and sky blue eyes framed by thick black lashed. She was wearing black slacks and a deep red sweater. Her feet were clad in conservative heels. I watched as heat colored her pale cheeks when she brushed by me on her way to the last empty chair. I held back a smirk. Yeah, she was into me.
Kiev and Ryan brought three extra chairs for us to sit in. I noticed the table had gone silent and it was unnerving. We all came out to have fun. It was time to quit pussyfooting around and get straight to the fun.
“Ladies, can I get you a drink?”
Finally, smiles. The ladies gave me their drink order which I passed on to our waitress as she was walking by.
“So, when is this wedding we keep hearing
about?” I asked Elizabeth. She looked startled for a moment before recovering.
“It’s in two weeks.” Her eyes shot up to G in question. She simply smiled at her and gave a small chuckle. “Gerald told you all about the wedding?” She asked timidly.
I scoffed. “That’s one way to put it. Honestly, the man wouldn’t shut up about it.” This won me a smile. I didn’t know G was getting married until about a week ago but I wasn’t about to put him in the doghouse. He was my brother after all.
G gave me a look of gratitude. I knew he was sweating bullets when she asked. I don’t know if he was trying to keep it a secret or if he was afraid of what we would think of his soon to be wife. It didn’t matter, family was family.
“If he talked about it so much, how come you didn’t know the date?” Elizabeth’s question caught me off guard. I saw sweat begin to break out across G’s forehead. I had to think fast.
“Well, to be honest, the day we got into town our sister went into labor and everything went out the window from there. One look in that little girl’s eyes and everything else was toast.” I swear I could hear the ladies ovaries swelling with lust after that statement.
A look of awe came over Elizabeth’s face. “How many siblings do you have?” She asked with genuine curiosity.
I smiled up at her. “Ten.” Her mouth formed an ‘oh’.
“Your parents must have really been in love to have that many children.” I gave a small laugh and shook my head.
“Well, my parents only had me. But see these guys.” I motioned to the guys around the table. “These are my brothers. I have a couple more brothers at home and my sister.” Elizabeth looked confused to I explained further.
“I have five other band mates, we have known each other since the day we were born and grew up together, and I consider them family, brothers and Katinka my sister. G, Kevin, Ryan, Shep, and Evan. They are my brothers. Blood doesn’t mean anything to me. It’s what’s in their heart.” Elizabeth thought about what I said and after a moment nodded her approval. “That is so sweet, Damon.” I shot her a wink.
“So tell us about you ladies. We are all eager to get to know you.”
Elizabeth perked up and clapped her hands excitedly.
“Allison is a school teacher, She is recently single and an absolutely amazing cook. Aren’t you Allison?” Allison blushed and ducked her head refusing to answer having been put on the spot. I could already see that Elizabeth thought to turn this into a potential speed date. She was definitely one of those women that were always trying to set her friends up on dates. Ordinarily, I would have run from such type of woman. Today, well I think she may be my new best friend.
“Emily, she is a superb nurse down at the hospital. She has such a huge heart. She works with children who have been injured. It truly is her calling.” Elizabeth looked at her adoringly. I couldn’t help but smile. Emily was truly gorgeous.
“Now, Natalie here. She is an artist. She has her artwork displayed all over the city. You should really see it. She is splendid.” Natalie picked up her glass of wine and hid her face behind it. She was gorgeous even when she blushed.
“And what about you, Elizabeth? What do you do?” Elizabeth smiled even wider. “Well, isn’t it obvious? I’m a school teacher.” Elizabeth gave a warm laugh.
“You see, we all got off work and decided to go get some shopping done and then rushed over here to meet you all. We haven’t yet had the chance to change. I’m quite sure you first thought us all a bunch of stuck up prudes.” Natalie gasped. “Elizabeth, really now?” Elizabeth gave her a look that quickly stopped Natalie from speaking further.
“Anyhow,” Elizabeth continued, “We are not a gaggle of prudes. We just simply came straight from work and shopping.” All of the guys around the table laughed. Happy the tension had broken and that the ladies were engaging. Well, at least Elizabeth was engaging.
I turned to Allison, giving her my full attention. I saw Elizabeth light up with delight out of the corner of my eye. “Allison, please, tell us all how you ladies met.”
Allison’s eyes grew as wide as saucers. She licked her thin lips before speaking. I felt heat rush to my loins. “Really, we all met in grade school if I’m not mistaken. It was in our early years. We just continued to be friends until college and then next thing you know we are the bests of friends. Nearly inseparable to be honest.” I gave her an encouraging smile.
Kevin nearly tripped over himself trying to get her attention. I watched as the two walked hand in hand to the dance floor. I had been watching him since the ladies entered the bar. He hadn’t been able to take his eyes off of her. I knew he just needed a little prodding.
I felt eyes on me and turned to see Natalie staring at me. She gave a small smile. “So where is your sister now?” She asked.
I knew what she was doing. She was looking for holes in my story, trying to see how earnest I was. I shot her a cocky smile.
“She and her husband, my other brother, are at home with their baby.”
She cocked an eyebrow at me.
“Your brother and sister married? Isn’t that illegal?”
I gave a small laugh.
“They are not related by blood. So, no.”
“What did they have?”
Now she really had my attention. I could talk about Karina all day long. I smiled brightly and pulled out my phone.
I unlocked the phone and quickly opened my photo gallery. I thrust the phone into her hands and began to explain all of the pictures.”
“Her name is Karina. She is a week old today. She is the love of my life.”
Natalie swiped through the pictures on my phone. I had taken hundreds of pictures of Karina over the past week. She is the absolute light of my existence.
“She truly is a beautiful baby. Who is this woman here?” She asked pointing to a picture of Katinka.
“That’s my sister, Katinka. I swiped to the next picture. That is Katinka’s husband Tosha.”
A small smile played on her lips. I knew what she was looking for. She was looking for signs of a woman in my life and trying to determine if I was worth talking to. I couldn’t blame her. It amused me to watch her in her attempt to snoop.
“You have loads of pictures of her. Who are these people?” She had stopped on the picture I had taken of Ivan and Kiev’s mom’s embracing Tosha. I smiled at the memory.
“That one there is Ivan’s mom and the other woman is Kiev’s mom,” I told her, pointing them out. I gave her a smug grin.
“You all really are like family, aren’t you?”
I nodded my answer. “Our parents were all best friends since primary school. They moved to the states together and had babies at the same time. Katinka was the surprise child. Her brother Nik was just here but left to head back home.”
She nodded her approval. You have very interesting pictures on your phone. What are these? She had made it to the pictures of our family gathering. I spent the evening explaining to her all of the people in the pictures and describing them. As well as, some of the pictures I had taken of the landmarks I had seen while on tour. If she was looking for women she was going to have a hard time finding them. I never took a picture of a woman I wasn’t related to. I never wanted or needed a memory of another woman in my life. When they all came and went in such a blur, what would be the point?
Finally reaching the end of the photos, she handed me my phone back. “You have a very interesting life, Damon.” I smiled, “Thank you.”
“Why don’t you drive me home? I’m exhausted and I rode with Allison. She is wrapped around Kevin and I hate to interrupt their long over and due reunion.”
I gave her a questioning look. “What do you mean?”
“Drive me home and I’ll tell you.” I had no choice but to give in. I said good night to the guys and led Natalie to my Truck. She gave it a cursory glance and shrugged. I knew I have her curiosity piqued but she remained silent.
“So spill the beans on Kevin and
Allison.” I adjusted the music to a low hum in the background and turned the heat on.
“Well, they had been dancing around dating since just before he left the states. I just didn’t know if they would be able to make a go of it. Being with someone that is always traveling is hard. You never know if they are cheating on you or if they will just forget about you.”
“Same can be said about the other half that is at home. When we are away on tour we never know if we still have someone waiting for us or if they had simply moved on.” She seemed to give my words a thought and let it sink in. “Trust is everything.” She said with finality. “I couldn’t agree more.”
“So when did Kevin and Allison meet?” I asked, hoping for answers that would keep Kevin alive.
“Oh, they met a week before they left the country. The guys flew home the show before last and said their goodbyes. We all went with Elizabeth for emotional encouragement. That’s when we met Kevin and the rest of the guys. I think Shep and Emily have a thing but they are still in denial. It started at the time they met as well. They guys just seem to be at a loss for how to approach the ladies and visa-verse.”
I couldn’t completely understand that. It was hard to settle down with so many unknowns. I shared my concerns with Natalie as we drove to her apartment.
“So, tell me, Damon. Why haven’t you settled down?” I swallowed the lump in my throat. It was time to go for broke.
“Honestly, I didn’t want to settle down. The thought of settling down with a woman that my mother didn’t approve of was too much for me to take. She passed away and so it’s not like I will ever get that approval. Recently I had made a promise against my will. I am celibate until I do find the woman that I want to settle down with. I have an amazing sister and two equally amazing pseudo mothers that will be helping my mother out when I do think I found the woman of my dreams.”
Her dainty hand wrapped around my bicep as she cooed over me. Wow, why did women get so weepy eyes over this kind of talk? “So she cut you off, huh?” I gave a tight laugh. “Yeah, you can say that.”
Rocking Away: A Heavy Metal Romance (Slava Pasha Book 3) Page 8
