Believed (My Misery Muse)

by Betzold, Brei

  I tried hard not to flinch from the unknown touch but when I looked over and found tattooed boy standing there with confused look on his face I knew I hadn’t succeeded. “Yes?” I asked trying to sound casual as my heart tried to beat out of my chest.

  “Vegas, huh?”

  I nodded.

  “Business or pleasure?”

  I thought about that for a moment. “Not sure actually.”

  “How do you not know? It’s Vegas.”

  “Going to meet up with some friends.”

  “Want to meet up with me while you’re there?” he asked wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

  “Sorry, we won’t be there for long.”

  He sighed. “Worth a try.”

  I finally made it up to the desk, collected my boarding pass, and went to find my seat on the plane. Once I was seated, I pulled out my sketchpad, popped in my ear buds, and went back to work. Before I knew it, the air attendant, or whatever they called themselves, was tapping me on the shoulder and I nearly screamed. I looked up quickly and noticed that most everyone had already gotten off the plane. I pulled my bag from the overhead compartment and walked out heading to baggage claim where someone was supposed to meet me.

  Sam

  “Lo,” I mumbled into the phone that had once again woken me up.

  “Are you sleeping?”

  I grunted an affirmative.

  “Bro, it’s like two o’clock.”

  “I was up late,” I grumbled. “What do you want?”

  “Just calling to tell you Jules is on the plane heading your way.”

  “Mmm kay.”

  He let out a deep sigh and I knew I wouldn’t be getting any more sleep so I sat up once again hitting my head on the bunk above me. “What’s wrong, Maximillian?”

  “Nothing, Sampson.”

  I growled at the childhood nickname Max had used. “It’s going to be like that, huh?”

  “You started it.”

  I let out a low chuckle. “Fine, I’ll stop, now what’s going on?”

  “Just worried about her.”

  I let out a deep sigh of my own. “I know.”

  “You’ll watch out for her. right?”

  “Of course we will.”

  “Who’s picking her up at the airport?”

  I lay back down and looked up at the photos I’d put up above me. “Our P.A. Ian is picking her up.”

  “Since when do you have a personal assistant?”

  “Since the label wanted someone here to spy on us, but they say it’s because our manager isn’t here.”

  Max laughed. “How rough are you being on this guy?”

  I shrugged then realized he couldn’t see it. “We’re ignoring him, which is pissing him off. We give him menial jobs to do. I think X took him to a strip club last night.”

  “Why is that a bad thing? X is fun at titty bars.”

  “Ian’s gay.”

  Max laughed loudly. “Oh god,” he gasped out, “that had to be hell on the guy.”

  “Knowing X, I’m sure he had an eye opening experience.”

  “Knowing X, I’m sure he had a few lap dances while X tormented him on not getting it up.”

  “Probably, but it’s Xavier. He’s not taking it too well that the label that we’re leaving is spying on us like this.”

  “Keep her out of trouble,” he murmured but I knew he was really saying keep her out of X’s bed.

  “She knows too much to go there.”

  “I hope so.”

  “How’s Dad?”

  “He got a new home healthcare nurse.”

  “I know, I hired her.”

  “I know,” I could hear the smirk in his voice, “Mom is pissed.”

  “She’ll get over it. She needs help, she can’t take care of him by herself anymore.”

  “You’re right, she can’t, but she doesn’t see it that way.”

  “Once she gets used to having help she’ll realize it’s for the best. I wanted to hire round the clock care but didn’t want to push it too much.”

  “Good plan, since having someone come in five nights a week set her off on a rampage, I don’t want to imagine having someone there twenty-four hours a day would do. She still believes that he’ll pull through this.”

  I stared up at the photo of my parents before this all began. “I wish he would, but in all reality, he’s not going to.”

  “Yeah,” Max said softly.

  I cleared my throat. “Let me know how the new nurse works out. I will get her more help once she gets used to the idea.”

  “I’ll let you know, the nurse is a real sweetheart by the way. Dad likes her a lot.”

  I smiled. “I’m glad, if Dad likes her Mom will come around quicker.”

  “Jules knows.”

  “Of course she does,” I muttered.

  “I take it you still haven’t told the guys?”

  “I will after the tour is over,” I said thinking about how hard that conversation is going to be. Especially when it comes to Xavier.

  “I get it, I won’t say anything.”

  “Does Devi know?”

  “She does, but she’s going to let you tell them. She understands, she found out and has been helping Mom with what she can.”

  I grinned. “That has to be interesting to watch.”

  “Oh it is. I think Devi may be slightly more stubborn than Mom.”

  “I’d believe that.” Smiling thinking about Seth’s wife, she’s always gotten her way.

  “I need to go, my shift starts soon.”

  “I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “Can you text me when she gets there, I just need to make sure she’s safe.”

  “Yeah, little brother, I will.”

  “Thanks,” he said quietly then hung up.

  I flung my arm over eyes and sighed, five more weeks and this will be over and I’ll be back home.

  Chapter 4

  Jules

  I finally found a guy holding a piece of what looked like a pizza box with my name scrawled across it. I cocked my head and looked the guy over, he was wearing khaki pants with a baby pink polo tucked in and loafers. I was trying to figure out how he fit with the guys. He was wearing Buddy Holly glasses granted, but that was the only thing I could find on his body that even resembled rock ‘n’ roll. It was like a which one of these is not like the other moments, I shrugged my shoulders and walked up to the guy. He had to be around my ripe old age of twenty-one, younger than the guys in the band, and obviously gay with his rainbow lapel pin proudly displayed.

  “Hey,” I said brightly.

  He looked me over from head to foot and rolled his eyes. “Jules?”

  “That’d be me.”

  “Great, another one,” he muttered under his breath.

  “Another what?” I asked sweetly.

  He just shook his head. “Luggage?”

  “Probably still on the conveyor belts,” I told him then walked over to search for my three duffel bags.

  I easily found all three of them and grabbed them before turning and walking back over to the unknown guy.

  He blanched when he saw my bags. “Why do you have three bags?”

  “Dunno, didn’t pack them.”

  “Who packed then?” he asked quietly.

  I smiled. “Devi.”

  I tilted my head and watched him get even angrier, I was waiting for his head to pop off or steam to flow from his ears. It was entertaining as hell, and I knew whoever he was X tortured mercilessly.

  “There is a rule,” he ground out, “one bag per person on the bus.”

  “Well considering almost two of these bags are not for me I followed those rules, by the way who are you?”

  “Who are they for then?” he snapped.

  I blinked and stared at him. “Who are you?”

  He straightened his spine and looked at me haughtily. “I’m Ian, their personal assistant.”

  I sighed. “Of course you are.”

  �
�I don’t know who you are or which one you’re fucking, but I earned my place with this band,” he growled. “Don’t think because you’re sucking one of their cocks that I’ll become your servant.”

  I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. I laughed so hard I dropped the bags and bent over trying to breathe. He stood there sputtering but I couldn’t stop. With the crazy shit going on with my life, and being sent out here like an errant child, this guy thought I was fucking one of them. Oh how far he was from the truth.

  I finally stood up and wiped my eyes of the tears that had gathered. “Let’s go,” I said still chuckling.

  I grabbed the bags and walked out the door away from the sound of clanging slot machines, tourists, and suits running around on business. I wanted to get to the bus so I could be settled before having to deal with the guys.

  I followed him to the SUV and tossed my bags into the backseat, so much for chivalry and all that shit, and then climbed into the passenger seat. He sat there staring straight ahead for a moment before turning his eyes my direction.

  “You never told me which one you’re sleeping with,” he said snidely.

  I scratched my head and looked at him blankly not answering his question. I didn’t get this guy, I mean yeah the guys could be pricks when they wanted to be, but something had caused a bug to crawl up his ass. There had to be a story here, no one was this much of a douche, right? At least not for no reason.

  “So what do you do for the guys?”

  “I told you I’m their personal assistant,” he snapped.

  “I get that, but what do you actually do?”

  He sighed and looked me up and down then sneered. “Whatever they need me to do.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, because that slims it down.” I shook my head and looked out the window. I watched Las Vegas in the daytime stream by, it looked vastly different from the nighttime version I remembered. Though the last time I was in Vegas, I wasn’t exactly awake during daytime hours, it was a learning experience. The families that walked through the different attractions and men in suits that power walked around them were out in droves. The city had a different vibe during the day than at night.

  “Where are we staying?” I asked Ian.

  “The MGM Grand.”

  “Not the bus?”

  “Uh no, since the concert tomorrow night is at the MGM Grand Garden Arena it doesn’t make sense.”

  “The concerts tomorrow?”

  He nodded. “Did you not even look at the schedule?”

  I shrugged. “No time.” I sat back and looked back over the strip, thinking whose dumb idea was it to give X and Eli a night in Vegas.

  Sam

  “Whose fucking idea was it to give Xavier and Eli a night in Vegas?” I growled while looking around the empty suite once more before sitting down on the couch.

  “Didn’t you make the schedule?” Seth said sounding part pissed and part amused.

  “No, the original yes but the label did this one since it’s a reschedule.”

  “I take it you didn’t have us spending a night and day in Vegas?”

  I rolled my head over and looked at my friend. “Uh fuck no, I had us hitting the city then driving out the same night.”

  He nodded. “Nothing we can do now, especially since we can’t find the idiots.”

  “They are going to end up on TMZ half-naked in a water fountain with strippers,” I groaned and rubbed my face with my hands.

  Seth started laughing. “That is a possibility, but as long as neither of them get married or arrested, we can deal with the rest.”

  I groaned. “Don’t mention marriage, god, they couldn’t be that stupid, could they?”

  We looked at each other and both reached for our cell phones quickly calling the security guys I had on X and Eli giving very explicit directions while Seth once again tried their cells to find out where they were.

  “They’re still not answering,” Seth grumbled. I held out a finger while I continued talking to Coop, one of our bodyguards.

  After I hung up, I glanced over at Seth. “They’re at the Caesar playing poker. Coop’s already put tracking devices on them, and he knows not to let the dumbasses get married. Regardless of what a great idea it sounds to them at the time.”

  I leaned back into the couch and looked out the floor to ceiling windows at the Las Vegas strip. I let my mind wander over various things I needed to do before tomorrow’s show. I knew I should get up and make some calls. I had a list of things to do. Instead, I felt my eyes start to droop and just gave into a short nap. Sleeping on a tour bus sucked, and the thought of sleeping while not moving sounded like a great plan to me.

  Chapter 5

  Jules

  I walked into the MGM Grand and stopped, it took my brain a moment to catch up with my eyes. The typical gaudy, ostentatious décor that is expected from Vegas smacked me upside my head. When I finally adjusted, I took in the gold trimmed everything, plush red carpeting around a large gold statue of a lion. It was just very gold, even down to the marble floors. I followed the sound of slot machines to the gambling floor off to the side, where more red carpet and gold awaited me. I shook myself out of the sight of over the top and looked over to find Ian smirking at me.

  “First time in Vegas?”

  “Nope, just first time at MGM.”

  “Where did you stay last time?”

  “Bellagio.”

  He nodded. “That’s a nice place.”

  “It was, but it was similar to this with just too much.”

  “It’s Vegas,” was all he said and then walked off. I followed him to the elevators. When we finally got on, he swiped a card and pressed the button for the top floor. I leaned against the elevator wall and closed my eyes. I had to remind myself that I had agreed to this, even though I didn’t want to be here.

  I got off the elevator into a huge foyer that continued the gold and red theme; I was hoping that it was toned down in the room. Ian walked to a huge set of double doors, swiped his key card, and walked in. I realized I was no longer in Texas where men did simple things like hold doors open for women because it was taught to them at a young age. I quickly grabbed the closing door before I was locked out and walked into a living room that would fit my entire old apartment in.

  Don’t get me wrong I’ve been friends with Devi for over five years now, I’ve seen stuff like this before. It’s just that I never got used to it, I couldn’t understand why someone would need this amount of space. Hell even Devi and Seth with their house full of people didn’t have a living room as large of this, and this was a hotel.

  I walked farther in the room where I eventually spotted Sam sleeping sitting up on one of the couches. Seth sat on a couch across from him with a laptop. I smiled at seeing familiar faces, the day of traveling had made me anxious. It’s not that I thought Beau would have followed me here, hell he couldn’t afford it, but I’ve gotten so used to having to watch out for him that the busy airports were hell on me. So seeing two people that I knew was a relief, even if he had followed me here he would never come near me around them. He was too much of a pussy to start anything unless you were a female alone and he knew he could overpower you.

  I quietly walked over to the couch so I wouldn’t wake Sam and sat down beside Seth. “Hey,” I whispered.

  He jerked his head my direction and frowned. “When did you get here?”

  I shrugged. “Just now.” I looked over to where Sam slept quietly. He looked so much younger while he slept, more like his brother, Max. You could actually see the stress and responsibilities removed from his face when he was like this. Sam had always been gorgeous with his rumpled blonde hair and clear blue eyes, but now he seemed more cherub than rock musician.

  “Where’s Ian?”

  “Don’t know, don’t care. Your P.A. has some issues.”

  “We know, he’s a spy by the way.”

  I nodded and looked over at Seth and grinned. “How’s that working out for him?”

 
; Seth smiled back. “Not well.”

  “Oh I have something for you.” I pulled my messenger bag off my shoulder and dug into it looking for the envelope from Devi. “Here,” I said giving it to him, “it’s from your wife.”

  He took it from me opening it, and I went back to looking at Sam. Out of all the guys, he’d always been the one that appealed to me the most. Don’t get me wrong all of them are gorgeous, but Sam had this almost American good boy look meets rocker that was different. It intrigued me, I knew he turned down a football scholarship to play music and I could see him on a football field surrounded by cheerleaders drooling after him. Though at other times with his guitar on his lap his eyes closed in repose, he looked like the rock star he was. He was a dichotomy, a breathtaking one, especially when he awarded you with one of those rare smiles. I frowned though at what he must be going through right now. He was here with his band while also trying to deal with his father’s illness. He hadn’t wanted to tell the guys about it yet especially since Seth and X looked at Sam’s dad as their own. I didn’t know how he was handling being away right now, if I’d been lucky enough to have a dad like his I don’t think anything would have kept me away.

  Seth elbowed me in the ribs and I tore my gaze away from Sam to Seth who was giving me a look. I just shrugged and looked at the picture he was holding.

  “Thing one and Thing two?”

  “Yeah,” he said smiling like the Cheshire cat.

  “They are two very beautiful blobs,” I told him looking over the sonogram. “You excited?”

  He nodded looking at a different picture from the envelope. “I am very excited, if I could talk her into it, I’d want to have a house full of kids.”

  I looked over at Seth. “Isn’t four a house full?”

  “Not even close.”

  “She may actually castrate you this time.”

  He laughed while still staring at the picture. “It’d be worth it, she’s gorgeous when she’s pregnant.”