When the first few notes played, Ashton thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head. He couldn't believe she would try such a risky song.
Spend all your time waiting
For that second chance
For a break that would make it okay
There's always some reason
To feel not good enough
And it's hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction
In the arms of the angel
Fly away from here
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you feel
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You're in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort here
You're in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort here
He couldn't believe it! He sat in awe... she had just pulled it off. The song was flawless.
Kaylee was surprised too, to say the least. Even in her own ears, that song didn't sound too bad. The applause she received shook her out of her thoughts, and sent her down to the table, into the waiting arms of Ashton.
"You know, you just made it nearly impossible for me to win," he whispered in her ear, as he held her in a tight embrace.
Kaylee shook her head and lightly pushed him away. "Knock 'em dead!" she said, pointing to the stage.
Ashton got up and sang his favorite Lenny Kravitz song, 'Are You Gonna Go My Way'. He used up the last of his energy, just having fun, since there was no way he could win the contest now...not that he really wanted to in the first place, but he didn't think it would be such a blowout.
After he was done, he went to the table, where people were coming to drop off their votes left and right. Each person who dropped off a vote got their wooden nickel for their free drink. Jayden and Colton tallied the votes, while Ashton and Kaylee tried to get their energy back, and Noah and Janis sat talking.
"Wow, I didn't think it would be this close," Jayden told the table, a sad look on his face. "You're not going to believe this, but Ashton won by three votes." He looked around the table nervously.
None of the guys knew what to say. Even Kaylee looked a little upset by the results. "Wait, I didn't vote," Ashton said. "I vote for Kaylee. 'Angel' blew me away. I couldn't compete with that."
"I agree," Noah said. "Sorry man, but she did kill that song. My vote is for Kaylee too."
Jayden wrote their two votes down and added one for himself. "Kaylee gets my vote too."
"Me too," Colton said, telling Jayden to write in another vote for her.
"Girl, you won it hands down," Janis said, adding another vote for Kaylee.
"Well, looks like you are the newest member of Miles of Pleasure, sweetheart," Ashton told her, kissing her temple as he put his arm around her.
Chapter 24
Once the deal was sealed and Kaylee was the newest member of Miles of Pleasure, they realized that Janis's name was being called to the stage. She blushed but went for the stage quickly and pulled Noah along with her.
"What're you doing?" he asked her when they got to the stage.
"We're going to sing a song," Janis told him, as it was clearly obvious. "I think it's time to loosen up a little."
Noah looked at her as though she was crazy, but went to the stage anyway. The first few notes of the song played, and he looked over to Janis and laughed. Who'd have thought she would have picked a Sonny and Cher song? They shared verse for verse through 'I Got You Babe', laughing the whole time. He had to give it up for Janis, she sure knew how to break the ice.
After their song, the tension had melted between them and the nerves were steadied. There was no longer the awkwardness of a first date. Instead it was a fun and relaxing night, where they each enjoyed the other's company.
Not long after the duet, the group left the karaoke bar in search of a club where they could really let loose. They all packed back into the limo and went to one of the most popular clubs in the city.
Once there, Noah and Janis secluded themselves in a semi-private booth where they could get to know each other a little better. The rest of them hit the floor, dancing to let off some steam, and also to celebrate their newest member. It was a night that they all needed, knowing how crazy their lives were about to get.
The next morning, no one was surprised to see Janis sitting in the hotel restaurant next to Noah, eating breakfast. Even though they both claimed that nothing happened, that they were just up all night talking, no one really believed it. Either way, Noah had found someone he connected with, who understood his obligation to the band. He also found someone who had been given the band's 'Seal of Approval'. After the whole ordeal with Brittany, it was important for him to have the band behind him.
Noah and Janis parted that morning with an agreement that he would call whenever he was in or near the city, and she would try to get out and see them on tour when she could take a break from her job. Both of them separated with stars in their eyes, counting their blessings and thanking whichever higher power brought them together.
The next few weeks passed by in a blur. When they weren't doing promotional appearances, they were rehearsing. The guys had been right; Kaylee fit into each song perfectly. She had quickly learned her part in all the songs, and also adjusted quite well to all the new attention she was receiving. It wasn't easy to be thrown into the spotlight of an already successful band, but she handled it like a pro...at least on the outside. Inside, she was a bundle of nerves, second guessing everything in her life.
Everything except Ashton, of course.
The big day finally came: their first concert. They were playing to a sold out crowd, and the mere thought of that was enough to make Kaylee's insides churn. She just hoped she'd be able to hold it together through their set and not screw it up. She felt like she had completely blanked on every song that they were about to perform, and almost refused to go out on stage.
Ashton noticed her nervousness and pulled her aside. "I know this is a big night for you, so take a few deep breaths and try to relax. Just remember, we're all in this together. How could you ask for more support than the four guys you'll be sharing the stage with?" he asked, flashing her his famous smile. "I'll be right by your side out there; don't forget that."
Kaylee nodded her head, her mouth too dry to speak. When they were announced to the stage, Kaylee slowly made her way to her mark. She strapped on her guitar and signaled to Ashton that she was ready. She liked the fact that the lights were too bright to see most of the crowd; it gave her the impression that she was being watched by only a few rows, not by thousands of people.
He winked at her and gave Jayden the nod that they were all ready. Jayden counted off the start on his drum sticks, and as soon as the music started, Kaylee's nervousness melted away. Everything was just as they had practiced, if not better, because they were all more juiced up being in front of such a huge crowd. She couldn't believe the feeling it gave her, and nerves aside, she realized that she was already addicted.
Their set seemed to end all too quickly, even with two encores. The first one waiting for her with open arms was Ashton.
"What the hell were you so nervous for? You made the rest of us look like amateurs," he smiled at her.
"You rocked out there, Sis," Noah told her, pulling her out of Ashton's embrace and into his own.
"Killer!" Jayden told her, ruffling her hair as he walked by her.
"Bitchin'," Colton winked at her.
Kaylee was embarrassed by all of the attention. "I couldn't have done any of that without all your help guys. I never thought it would be like that, and if you hadn't all pressured me, I would never have been able to feel that rush," she told them all, feeling as if she was about to cry. She took a few deep breaths.
"Thanks for believing in me," she said with a shaky voice. She wanted to say much more to all of them, but it was such an emotional time for her that she just left
it at that.
"I do believe it's time to party!" Colton yelled, entering the green room where a big buffet table and bar awaited them, along with a few select fans.
"I think it's time to initiate our newest member," Jayden said, bringing a funnel out from behind the bar.
"No way guys! I am not doing funnels. I prefer to spend my nights in bed, rather than hugging the toilet," Kaylee said, backing away from them.
"Mmm...I prefer you in bed too," Ashton told her, wagging his eyebrows and grabbing her around the waist. They both laughed before they met in a sultry kiss.
The room started to fill up. Miles of Pleasure's fans were everywhere. Somehow, Ashton and Kaylee got separated, much to their displeasure. Kaylee figured she'd find him a little later, and just enjoyed meeting some of her fans. She couldn't believe it. It had only been one show, and she already had fans!
It seemed like a surreal night for Kaylee. People were actually standing in line, waiting to talk to her and get her autograph. At first she was a little uncomfortable with all the attention, but after a while, the shyness left and the enjoyment set in.
Unfortunately, that enjoyment was short-lived.
Kaylee looked around the room, trying to find her boyfriend. She thought he would have come to rescue her by then, but she hadn't seen him at all. Her curiosity got the best of her, and she went in search of him. She walked through the whole room, but wasn't able to find him. Confused, she turned around to search again. At that moment, she saw something that made her heart drop to her stomach.
She was across the room in no time, grabbing the woman by her curly red hair, effectively pulling her lips from Ashton's. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" she yelled, both at Ashton and the woman who was kissing him.
Ashton retorted, "Kaylee, it's not what you think." He pleaded with her, taking her free hand in his, and trying to get her other hand out of the woman's hair. She had quite a grip, so it was hard to free her hand. "She kissed me and I was trying to push her off."
"Whatever. You wanted it, handsome. Your mouth may have said no, but your eyes were saying yes, oh yes," the redhead purred, making Kaylee yank her hands out of Ashton's grasp. Kaylee then turned and ran out of the green room, pushing all the people in her path out of her way.
"You're delusional. Just get lost," Ashton told her as he watched the woman he loved disappear through the crowd. It only took a moment before instinct kicked in and he took off running after her.
Once outside the door, he stopped and looked both ways. He had no idea where she went, but he knew he had to find her. Off in the distance, he heard a door slam, so he ran in that direction. He called her name a few times, but never received a reply. At the end of the hall was a big white exit door, and he took the chance that she had gone outside to get some air.
Ashton opened the door quietly, and put a large rock between the wall and the door, so that they didn't get locked out. He saw her standing not far from him, her back facing in his direction, and her shoulders shaking. Slowly, he walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Just leave me alone," she sobbed. "I should have known that you couldn't stay faithful to me."
Ashton grabbed both of her shoulders and turned her around. "Kaylee, I swear to you, she came on to me. She kissed me! And I was trying to get away from her. You can't honestly believe that I would kiss another woman. I love you."
His eyes searched hers, hoping to find understanding, hoping to see that she believed him.
"I don't know what to believe anymore," she told him, feeling utterly defeated. "I don't want to feel like this, constantly worried that you're going to cheat on me. I hate feeling like I have to babysit you, like if I leave your side something is going to happen. I'm always afraid of what I'm going to find when I come back, and this just proves my point."
"Then don't worry about it. It's that simple," he pleaded with her. "Trust me, learn to trust me. There's only one person I want, only one person I love." He bent his head to look her in the eyes, and was so hurt to see doubt looking back at him.
"I know you love me, but look at some of those girls in there, Ashton! Why would you want me when you could have them? They're beautiful! Half of them are probably models for God's sake!" The tears rolled from her eyes. "I'm nothing compared to them."
Ashton grabbed her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. "You're everything compared to them!" he told her, the anger and frustration evident in his voice. "Sure, there are some hot women in there, but they've got nothing on you."
"You can't tell me if we weren't together you wouldn't hook up with some of them," she countered.
"Maybe, but that's irrelevant. We are together, and that's not going to change any time soon, if I have anything to do with it." He looked at her and saw that she wasn't giving up.
He sighed. "Do you know that most of the women I was with before we got together, I was only with to get a rise out of you? And I hate to break it to you, but I didn't have sex with all of them. As you know, there are other ways to please someone. And I'm not saying it was only because of you, because yes, I have needs too, but you were a big reason for it. I was trying to make you jealous, trying to make you see that you had feelings for me."
He knew that line of reasoning wasn't working well with her. "I know you think I can't control my urges, but the thing is, I can. How many times did I stop us from having sex because the time wasn't right?"
"Just proves my point that you'd rather be with one of those supermodels in there. I guess I just don't excite you enough," Kaylee spat.
Ashton growled back at her "God! You're so frustrating! I love you and I think you're beautiful! You need to get over your 'poor me' act and get on with it. Do you think I liked watching all those guys all over you tonight? No, but I love you and I know you love me, and would never do anything with them. I knew that it was my bed you'd be in at the end of the night, not theirs, so I didn't let it get to me." She rolled her eyes, and that was it. His patience snapped. "If you can't trust me, then we don't have what I thought we did."
"I guess we don't. But at least we know that now, before it is too late," she said, as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Have fun with your groupies." She ran back into the building.
"Kaylee, wait!" he yelled after her. Kaylee ran down the hall and into the dressing room.
"Ashton and I just broke up," she sobbed into Colton's shoulder, nearly collapsing in his arms.
Colton looked at the girl he had been making out with on the couch. "Go get Noah for me." The girl nodded and left the room, while Colton led Kaylee to the couch to sit down, then went and got her a bottle of water. If this was true, and something they couldn't fix, then the band was really in for it.
Chapter 25
Noah ran into the room to find his sister sitting with Colton, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed. Once Noah took over and pulled his sister into a hug, Colton went in search of Ashton.
Ashton was sitting on a picnic table behind the concert venue, near where the tour buses were parked. His head hung low, and as Colton got closer, he noticed a glowing ember of something in Ashton's hand.
"Hey man, what's going on?" Colton asked, not sure if Ashton would follow the 'man code' and not want to talk about what happened, or if he needed to get it off his chest.
"Want some?" Ashton held the joint out for Colton.
"Where'd you get that?" Colton asked as he took it.
"I don't know, the security guard or something," he said, taking another hit once Colton passed it back to him. "Is she alright?" he asked, without looking at Colton.
"Not really. She's crying. What happened?"
"She saw some groupie trying to kiss me, which led to a huge fight about trust issues. I basically told her that if she can't trust me, then we can't have a relationship. She agreed and left," Ashton said, trying to keep his emotions from showing. He was trying to act tough about the situation, but Colton knew that he was just as hurt as Kaylee was.
"Dude, do you think your past is something that's easy for Kaylee to forget?" Colton asked. "I mean, if you were in her shoes, would you be able to look beyond all that?"
"The past is the past, man. I'm over all that and she should know it." Ashton was starting to get mad, but more because he felt no one was on his side, even though he also saw that Colton did have a point.
"You can't just tell her to get over it and have her automatically move on. She saw with her own eyes what a player you were. And now she's fallen in love with you, and she's scared. You're her first love, and for anyone that's scary enough, but when your first love used to be such a whore? You have to understand her fears," Colton rationalized.
"I don't have shit to worry about? Things were so much easier when I just screwed 'em and left 'em. Do you really think I wanted to fall for her? I've done everything I can to show her I've changed, but it'll never be enough for her to believe me."
He stood up and went to the tour bus, shaking his head the whole way. Once on the bus, he went straight to his bunk, lay down, and closed the curtain. He didn't feel like talking about it anymore.
Back in the dressing room, Kaylee had just finished telling Noah what happened. She had finally calmed down enough to talk, but tears were still drizzling down her face. "This was supposed to be such a happy night, and look what happened. I can't keep feeling this way after every concert. Even if it wasn't his fault, how many times can I see some groupie kissing my boyfriend and be okay with it?"
Noah was trying to be gentle, but in this case, Ashton wasn't to blame. "We all have an obligation to the band and to our fans. Without them, we wouldn't be here. You'll understand eventually, we have to do whatever we can to keep the fans happy or else they won't come to our shows, or buy our albums or our merchandise. If we piss off all our fans, there'll be no more Miles of Pleasure," he told her, knowing that she didn't see that side of it yet.
"When situations come up, like what happened with Ashton, we need to handle them very carefully. We can't just shove the person away and make a big scene. We have to be very diplomatic about it."
Miles of Pleasure Page 19
