"Huh?" was the only thing she could think of.
"Well, you're pretty classy, and they don't want me making a fool of the band's name. So I figured you'd do pretty well to keep me out of trouble," Ashton told her.
Well, at least he's honest. She wasn't sure whether she should be offended or not.
"And you're really beautiful," he said. "You...well, you look the part."
"I look the part," she echoed.
"Yeah. You're...well, anyway. Would you go with me?"
Kaylee took a deep breath. Was this really happening? "I don't know how well it would go if we went together. We'd just end up fighting the whole night. Besides, I thought you had a stable of women that you could pick from."
Ashton smiled. "Yeah, that's true, I do have a bunch of women to choose from." His eyes glazed over, as if he was lost in thought. He was mentally flipping through the women he'd been with lately. Sure, they were pretty hot, but he couldn't think of a single one who he would be proud to be walking next to. All they were good for was one thing, and it wasn't to be on his arm in public, and especially not on television.
Kaylee asked, "If you have so many to choose from, then why me?"
"Because I can't see bringing any other woman."
Kaylee thought for a brief moment she saw some sort of spark in his eye when he said that, but it was gone in an instant. When he realized what he said, he immediately fumbled with his words. "All they would want is to be in the spotlight. This is my night, not theirs. I need someone who will let me bask in the limelight without trying to steal my thunder."
"Well, I'm not so sure..."
"Please?"
Kaylee sighed. She really wanted to be with them that night, but she didn't want to go out of pity.
"Are you sure you aren't asking me just because you feel bad that I can't go?" she asked. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she laughed. This was Ashton she was talking to, a guy who didn't do anything nice out of pity. If it had been Colton or Jayden, even her brother, then she would know it was a 'pity date'. But she knew better coming from Ashton.
"I really want you to go," he said again. "Please?"
"Fine, I'll go."
Her abrupt change of heart caught Ashton off guard. He stared at her for a moment before he smiled again, relaxing into the news.
"Cool!" he said and stood up. "I'm going back to bed now." Ashton walked back to the bunk area, and stopped just before he got to the hallway. He turned around slowly, looking back to where Kaylee was sitting. "Thanks," he said softly, and disappeared into the bunks.
Kaylee smiled for the first time in days. She told herself she was only excited because she was getting to go to the music awards, not because she was going with Ashton. She was excited about the pretty dress and the high heels and the hair done up in a gorgeous upsweep. She was excited about the cameras and the stars on the red carpet and all the new things she would see there. She was downright thrilled to be able to say she was able to see a little part of music history. It had everything to do with that and nothing to do with Ashton.
She was determined to convince herself of that.
The night of the awards ceremony, Kaylee rushed around her hotel room. She had only another 15 minutes before they had to leave for the show, and she wasn't nearly ready. She was trying to put the finishing touches on her hair, but there were a few strands that just wouldn't cooperate. She had sprung for a professional hairstylist to take care of it for her, but that was hours ago, and the strands were doing weird things. Her hands were shaking so much that she could barely hold the bottle of hair spray while pumping the nozzle at the same time.
Hair and makeup finally done, only dressing to go. Five minutes and counting. She pulled the first pair of thigh high stockings out of the package, and while pulling them up, she put her index finger clear through the nylon material, causing a big hole.
Cursing, she pulled out her backup pair. Good thing she had thought ahead. Very carefully this time, she pulled them up her legs, straightening the seam in the back as she went. She clipped the stockings to her garters, then pulled on her layered chiffon skirt, followed by her matching layered chiffon tank.
She fastened her necklace and put her earrings in. She slipped her shoes onto her feet, and walked to the full length mirror. She stared at her reflection; all dolled up like this, she almost looked as though she belonged on a red carpet. She hoped she would be as pretty as some of the girls that Ashton could have taken to the show. Kaylee checked the clock and was thankful that Ashton was a few minutes late.
As if on cue, there was a knock on her door. She grabbed her perfume from the counter and sprayed a light mist in front of her, then walked through it. She put the bottle back on the counter and reached for her purse. She looked in the mirror one more time, staring at her hair, then her lips, then her outfit. She wanted to fuss over it all night, but she had done all she could do...she would just have to hope that Ashton liked the way she looked.
When she got to the door, she took a deep breath before turning the handle. The door opened wide, and she was glad she had taken that breath a few seconds ago. Seeing Ashton took her breath away. His blond tipped hair was spiked and gelled to perfection, giving a whole new meaning to the messy, bed head look. His gray satin-like shirt flowed over every ripple of his muscled body, and his black pants fit him to perfection.
When Ashton saw Kaylee, he was stunned. She looked phenomenal in her deep purple outfit. She looked like Kaylee, but at the same time, like an entirely different woman - like a grown-up and sophisticated version of the girl he thought he knew. In that moment, he knew he had been right in asking her to be his date.
He had to clear his throat a few times before finding his voice. "Ready to go?"
"Absolutely. Are you ready?" she asked.
Ashton knew that she meant more than she asked. She looked right into his eyes, almost daring him to look away. They stared at one another for a moment, and then the moment became too long, and then the gravity of the situation became clear. This wasn't just another night with a piece of eye candy on his arm. This was a night with Kaylee, and she was so much more than all those other women who had sailed through his life for a night or two.
"I'm nervous, but I'm ready," he said.
He was charmed by the way she blushed. He held his elbow out to her, which she took right away. They walked to the elevator together, and when they got there, they both looked at their reflection in the floor to ceiling mirrors that made up the elevator doors. For the first time, they saw themselves as a 'couple'.
He knew instantly that he liked what he saw. The realization of that should have frightened him a bit, but he was surprised to find that it didn't bother him at all. What he had said to her was true - he really was ready. Nervous, but ready. He knew that this was his chance to show Kaylee that he could be the man she had been looking for. He knew that he had to give this 'date' everything that he had, to show her that they could be good together.
A few months ago, if someone had told Ashton that he would be feeling like this right now, he would have said they were crazy. But tonight, he just wondered why it had taken him so long to see that being with Kaylee could be the most right thing in the world.
Kaylee, on the other hand, started to freak a little bit. Sure they looked great together, but was what she saw in the mirror an actual portrayal, or was it all smoke and mirrors? She couldn't shake the fact that Ashton was a playboy who really lived up to his reputation. She had tried not to wonder about how many women he had dated, or slept with, or otherwise engaged in ways she didn't want to think about.
But standing there looking at the two of them, she realized that things do change, and maybe things were changing now, even as she looked at them together. Was Ashton really the kind of man who could change his ways? And was the she kind of woman who could make him want to change?
She was determined to find out, whether it be tonight, tomorrow, or next year.
The
ding of the elevator brought them back to their moment of reality, and the doors parted, splitting up the image that they were both carefully studying. In the elevator, they clung to each other's hands, looking for support to get through the nerve-wracking night. It wasn't just the cameras and the fans that made them nervous - it was the appearance they would make, the fact that they would be together in front of all those cameras and fans.
They wanted to impress each other. As Ashton squeezed her hand, Kaylee closed her eyes and said a silent prayer that this night would be better than anything in her wildest dreams.
Chapter 9
Kaylee and ashton were the last to get to the limo that was waiting for them in front of the hotel. They got in and Kaylee looked around. She saw Jayden and Colton on the other side of the long black limousine, semi-dressed up, along with their dates. She knew that Jayden had arranged their dates, in order for them to portray the right image, since neither one had any girls who they wanted to bring. The way they talked among themselves - a little too formal and careful - said that they were all complete strangers trying to make the best of the night.
Noah's date, however, struck something in Kaylee's memory. She looked curiously at her brother, trying to remember where she had seen the girl. After a moment of serious thought, he had it - this was the same girl from the bar a few weeks ago, and even then she looked familiar, but Kaylee couldn't put her finger on where she knew her from. With all the people whom she had met on the tour, names and faces tended to blend together.
"Kaylee, you remember Brittany, right? We went out for a while in high school," Noah told her.
A moment of realization hit Kaylee hard. That was the girl! How could she have forgotten? "Yes, I remember you Brittany. How are you?"
"I'm great, thanks," she replied, obviously feeling a little awkward. "You look great, by the way."
"Thanks, so do you," Kaylee returned the compliment. Her curiosity was now at an all-time high. "So, tell me how you and Noah ended up in contact again?"
The limo began moving, giving a little jolt to all of them. Ashton reached out to steady Kaylee, who wasn't prepared for the movement.
"Well, I travel a lot for my company," Brittany said. "I'm a Business Development Manager for a largeconsulting firm. So I'm all over the country trying to persuade companies to use our services. I ran into Noah at a restaurant a couple of months ago. I wasn't sure it was him at first, but then he recognized me and we started talking. Now whenever we are in the same area, we get together and hang out," Brittany informed her.
"Wow, that's great," Kaylee said, wondering if she really felt that way. She shot Noah a look, asking clearly, why didn't you tell me? But then she thought back to the women Noah had dated, and the pieces finally clicked into place. If she remembered correctly, Brittany was the girl who turned Noah loose, thinking that he'd never make anything of himself. How ironic that she was here now, after Noah had finally done exactly what Brittany swore he would never do.
She turned to Colton and Jayden's dates and introduced herself to them. They seemed rather nice, and she hoped that Colton and Jayden would have a good time with them. They deserved some happiness.
The limo began to slow, and Kaylee looked out thewindowto see what was happening. The sides of the streets were barricaded, and there wassecurity allaround. They sat still for a few minutes, then crawled forward one spot. The cycle repeated until they were at the drop off point.
Kaylee looked at Ashton and nearly laughed. He was chewing on his lip nervously as he waited for the doors to open. It was very unusual to see him nervous, but he was definitely that and then some. She wanted to tease him, but she was nervous too, so she bit back the snarky remarks she wanted to make.
"You ready for this?" Kaylee asked instead.
Ashton turned to her. "I think so. Just smile the whole time, right?" he asked.
"You got it. Piece of cake!" Kaylee said cheerfully.
Ashton reached out and grabbed Kaylee's hand as the door to the limo was opened from the outside. Everyone filed out of the limo, leaving Ashton and Kaylee to get out last. He crawled out as well as possible, then turned to offer his hand to Kaylee. When she stepped out of the limousine, the reporters began hollering for attention and the lights were suddenly popping everywhere around them, almost blinding them both.
Seeing all the flash bulbs go off, and hearing all the reporters calling, Ashton froze. He forgot what he was supposed to say or do. He wasn't smiling, and he wasn't walking. He simply stood there, looking a little lost and rather scared. Kaylee gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and a wide, radiant smile. His confidence returned as he led Kaylee down the red carpet entrance.
All around them, people were yelling and asking how it felt to be nominated for an award. The red carpet was blocked off on both sides, but the reporters jostled for position, pushing in as much as they could. It felt like a corridor of madness. Microphones were shoved in their faces, and flash bulbs spotted their eyes. They stopped at a few of the well-known interviewers, and politely answered a few questions. The whole time, they were eagerly making their way to the doors of the American Airlines Arena.
The red carpet took much longer than anyone might have thought; what appeared to go by in a flash on television crawled along for over an hour on the carpet. Once inside the flash bulbs stopped, and even with everyone talking at once, it was a lot quieter than having the reporters yelling their questions.
Kaylee looked down and realized that Ashton still had his hand intertwined with hers. He hadn't let go of her the entire time, even as he talked to reporters and smiled for the cameras. For some reason, it made her smile.
The others headed to their seats, while Ashton and Kaylee stayed in the lobby for a few minutes. He didn't seem to want to go into the main room; in fact, Ashton looked pale, and Kaylee realized exactly how nervous he was. "Hey, you okay?"
"You know, I don't think I've ever been this nervous. This is such an important moment for us as a band, and for our future. I know that it's a long shot for us to win, but I am going to be disappointed if we don't. I know it's just a bunch of metal, but it's important metal." He looked around the room. "Look where we are, Kaylee. Look at all these people. We don't belong here, we are so out of our league."
"No," she said, looking around. "You're newcomers. But everyone was a newcomer at some point, right? Does that make them any less worthy?"
Ashton smiled at her and let out a deep sigh of relief. "That's exactly what I needed to hear, Kaylee."
"It's the truth, isn't it?"
His smiled broadened. "It is. Thank you."
Kaylee grinned up at him. "Time to shine, superstar. Let's go in."
His hand squeezed hers again as they walked down the aisle to their seats. Making their way to their spot, Kaylee looked at everyone in the crowd. She couldn't believe all the famous people she recognized, and it gave her a little jolt. The realization of how truly momentous this night was finally hit her. This was the big time - the real big time - and they were all a part of it.
Ashton was also humbled. He saw so many people he had idolized, and never thought he would see them in person, let alone be sitting next to them at an awards show. This was the kind of thing he had dreamed about for years. It was so unreal, as if he was dreaming.
They found their seats, and anxiously awaited the beginning of the awards. They watched the cameras move around, watched the lights flicker on and off above various parts of the stage, and watched a few of the stars walk across it to the sound of scattered applause from the audience and screams from the fans that had seats in the nosebleeds.
The opening band came on, and the crowd got pumped. Kaylee enjoyed watching, but she was distracted by the heat radiating from Ashton's hand.
They sat through presentation after presentation, performance after performance. It was exciting to watch, but the real excitement was yet to come - the award for Best New Group. The night seemed to drag as they waited for their category to be call
ed. The nervousness built and built. Ashton started biting his lip again, and Kaylee had to squeeze his hand hard to get his attention and make him stop. It was hard to concentrate on everything that was happening around them as they sat in sweet anticipation.
Finally, their moment came when the band that won the award the previous year went to the podium.
"This is it," Kaylee whispered, and Ashton smiled at her, but didn't take his eyes away from the stage.
"Tonight, we're presenting the award for Best New Group, and for the first time, the winner has been picked by the fans. For the past week, MTV has accepted your votes and let you pick this year's Best New Group. And the nominations are..."
The screens came alive, showing the videos of all the nominees. Ashton and the rest of the guys smiled broadly as their video came up. The cameras moved into position, pointing directly at them to get a good reaction shot.
Finally, all attention went back to the presenters. "And the winner is..." One of them opened up the envelope slowly. "That's great, I love these guys," he said, more to himself than anyone else.
"MILES OF PLEASURE!"
The shock of hearing the name didn't register at first. The crowd went wild, but no one in Miles of Pleasure moved. The group in front of them turned around and stood to shake their hands, and the producer waved frantically, trying to get them moving.
"It's you!" Kaylee said, fighting back the tears and smiling so hard she felt as though her face would crack. "Ashton, it's you!"
In a delayed reaction, the group finally stood and hugged one another. Their dazed eyes told the story. None of them had expected to win, but here it was, and now they were going up on the stage - it was so surreal that each of the men thought they might be dreaming.
Ashton turned to Kaylee when she stood up, and did the one thing she didn't expect - he pulled her in for a deep kiss. She was shocked by the suddenness of it, but the surprise of his lips against hers and his hand against the small of her back. Before she could properly react, he backed away and let out a shout of joy.
Miles of Pleasure Page 7
