by Zane Morrow
We didn’t talk and she would still shoot me looks of dislike, especially when I referred to her as ‘Princess.’ Zeke was the only one that talked to her regularly. I noticed them talking together a lot actually. I didn’t like it for some reason, but who was I to say anything? Zeke didn’t party and neither did Lydia, so I chalked it up to the two lame-os hanging out together since everyone else was fucking or drinking or getting high.
I wasn’t an early riser - at all. Early for me meant before noon. The weeks of partying hard had gotten to me and I slept all day while we were on the road. I wasn’t used to so much sleep, and woke up around seven the next morning. I tried to go back to sleep, but the rich smell of coffee filled the air, and after tossing and turning some, I finally decided to get up.
I was surprised to find Lydia sitting at the table with a steaming mug and her laptop. Her long auburn hair was up in one of those messy buns girls always wore. She was minus make up and was wearing some Victoria Secret Pink grey sweatpants and a white camisole. Cordless headphones were over her ears and she was slightly bopping her head along to whatever she was listening to. She looked fucking hot.
She always looked hot walking around dressed up at our shows.
I cleared my throat and walked over to the coffee maker.
“Good morning,” she muttered, her eyes never leaving her laptop.
“Morning.” I poured myself a cup and sat down on the recliner near her. I got my phone out and checked my mail and social media, the sound of her fingers traveling over the keys of the keyboard the only sound on the bus.
She paused and took her headphones out of her ears before getting up to pour herself another cup of coffee. I leaned over to peek at her computer.
“What are you listening to?”
“Nothing,” she replied quickly. She put the creamer back into the fridge and scrambled back to her computer, but not before I was able to reach it and move it so I could get a better look.
“You’re listening to us?” I sat back down and she slammed her computer shut as she gave me a dirty look. “Don’t you get enough of us every night?”
“I like your early stuff.” She plopped back down at the table and took a sip of her coffee.
“Me too,” I replied with a sigh.
“Why the change?”
I should be angry with her for being so nosy, but she struck a nerve. “I’m not sure. Too many people wanting us to write to a formula they deemed successful? Writer’s block?”
“You write all your own music, right?”
“We did. This last album we had some help.” I didn’t want to admit I didn’t write a word on the album. I tried, but I was usually too drunk to come up with anything.
I watched her walk over and sit on the recliner across from me. She was so cute as she tucked a leg under her and brought a knee up to her chest.
“I see.” She tilted her head at me. “Is that why you drink so much?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you drink so much because you are frustrated with your writer’s block and the fact that the band isn’t playing what you want them to?”
I sipped my coffee, avoiding answering her. I never thought about it, but she was probably right. “Maybe,” I admitted.
“Holy shit, what are you doing up?”
I turned around to find Zeke standing there, ruining the quiet moment Lydia and I were sharing. Asshole. I noticed the way she lit up when she saw him. Was there something going on between the two of them? She didn’t look at me that way when I walked into the room.
“I couldn’t sleep anymore after sleeping all day yesterday,” I muttered. “I’m not used to so much sleep.”
He poured himself a mug of coffee and sat down at the table. “Mmm...She makes the best coffee,” he said after taking a sip. He winked at Lydia and she giggled. Gag me.
“I’m going back to bed,” I stood up and dumped the rest of my coffee in the sink. I didn’t need to sit and watch the two of them flirt.
I climbed into my bunk and tossed and turned for a bit while I listened to them both talk and laugh. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but they were definitely having a good time. I fished my headphones out from under my pillow and shoved them on my head. I found the first playlist on my phone and hit ‘play’ - anything to drowned out the sound of those two.
I managed to fall back asleep until we made it to the venue we were playing at tonight. The bus was already empty, so I showered and dressed in my signature jeans and an old Gun and Roses t-shirt. I went in search of a beer and some ladies.
I had no idea what city we were in, but it was freezing on the walk from the bus to the arena. I made my way to the bar set up in the corner and grabbed a beer. I took a long swing, savoring the way the cold liquid traveled down my throat. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and scanned the room.
There was a flurry of activity as usual with all of the pieces of our show coming together for later tonight. I didn’t find any groupies there yet, but I did see Zeke and Lydia hanging out on a couch together, looking cozy. I rolled my eyes and downed the rest of my beer before motioning for another one.
I took my beer and found a spot in the corner to sulk. I needed to get laid.
“Why do you look so pissed off at the world?” Zeke asking, sitting down next to me.
“Done talking to your new girlfriend?” I nodded towards Lydia who was now sitting on the couch all alone, talking on her phone.
“Seriously? She’s not my girlfriend. We’ve gotten to be friends, that’s it. We have a lot in common and she’s easy to talk to. You should try it sometime instead of being such a dick to her.”
“Whatever. We were talking this morning.” I had no idea why, but I was relieved to find out Zeke had no interest in Lydia. I sure as hell didn’t want her, but if my best friend was into her, that would be total betrayal. He’d be sleeping with the enemy!
“A couple of grunts and then storming off to your bunk aren’t talking, asshole. You know, she’s not having any more fun with this than you are. She’s only doing her job.”
I didn’t say anything. I didn’t really care about she felt. She was the one person who could take this all away from me and ruin my dream. She wasn’t getting any slack from me. She’d probably nail me to the wall in a heartbeat if she could if it meant furthering her own career.
I leaned back against the wall and sighed. “I need to get laid, man.” I was done talking about Lydia. “I need to let off some steam before the show tonight. It’s been too long.”
Zeke shook his head, but pulled out his phone from his back pocket. “Me too. Let me make some calls.”
He got up and I looked over at Lydia again while I drank my beer. She turned around and our eyes met for a minute. The corners of her mouth started to turn up and I looked away before she could smile at me. No matter what, we would not be friends. It sounded dramatic, but she was my enemy; someone out to get me if I let her.
“Let’s go to the bus,” Zeke returned and grabbed my elbow to help me up. “Some ladies should be there shortly.”
We went outside and sure enough, there were four beautiful blondes waiting for us. I had no idea how Zeke worked so fast, but I didn’t care. I held out my arms and two of them immediately came to me. We got onto the bus, and it wasn’t long before I was forgetting about the auburn record executive that haunted me.
6
Lydia
I was tired. Six weeks on the road was exhausting. I was used to working twelve hour days in the office, but for some reason, this was worse. Thankfully, it was getting easier to sleep on the bus, but the late nights were killing me. I wasn’t used to them and I couldn’t sleep much later than eight AM. I needed a break.
Thankfully, we were about to take one. Next on the schedule was Chicago. We arrived four days early and were there for two shows. Instead of sleeping on the bus all that time, the record label got us hotel rooms for the next six nights. I was so excited to sleep in a rea
l bed again and take a bubble bath. That was first on my agenda.
We got a break from the road, but in my case, I was now on high alert as far as Damien and his behavior was concerned. The last time the band was on a break, Damien had his incident in Vegas. I’d received numerous emails, texts, and phone calls from various levels of management at the label to not let the lead singer out of my sight.
The bus pulled into the hotel and we exited. There was a ton of press waiting for us. They took pictures as we entered the building. The band didn’t even bat an eyelash at them, but I was nervous. We managed to avoid the press the first six weeks, or at least I had. They must have viewed me as another person who worked on the tour. This time I was seen right with the band. How long before there was speculation I was one of their girlfriends?
Zeke and I stood together in the lobby waiting for the tour manager to get us checked in. We were both eyeing Damien who was now in the corner, signing autographs and taking selfies with girls who were probably too young to even drink.
I was a fool to think these days in Chicago would be a break.
“I’ll help you keep an eye on him, I promise,” Zeke said softly as we observed the circus in front of us.
“Thanks,” I muttered and smiled at him gratefully.
The manager came over with our room keys and we went to our rooms. Just as expected, Damien didn’t go alone. He had four of the girls with him. I almost puked on the elevator ride with them flirting and making suggestive comments. Damien kept looking at me to make sure I heard every lewd remark. It was like he was trying to piss me off.
The elevator arrived at our floor and I almost groaned out loud when I saw my room was right next to Damien’s. I get why they did that - so I could be close enough to keep an eye on him, but I prayed the walls were thick and I wouldn’t hear his antics with the ladies.
Of course, I couldn’t be that lucky. It wasn’t long before I heard the moans coming from next door. I groaned in frustration and fished my headphones out of my laptop bag. I shoved them on my head and flopped back on the bed. I turned on some music and had to turn it up all the way to drown them out.
I eventually fell asleep and when I woke up, it was dark in my room. I check the time and freaked out; it was almost ten at night. The band had plans to go out to a club that night and I was supposed to be there. They’d left hours ago. I was so going to get fired if I didn’t get there before Damien got out of hand.
There was no time for a shower, so I found my black dress and heels at the bottom of my suitcase. I quickly discarded my sweatshirt and yoga pants and shimmied into it. I threw my hair back into a high ponytail and applied some make up. I grabbed my purse and room key and headed out of my room.
I checked my phone and my heart started to pound in my chest when I saw I had a text from Mr. Ryan asking how the night was going so far. It was sent over an hour ago. I also had a few missed calls. I must have been dead to the world when I was asleep if I didn’t hear my phone ring.
Once I got there and found out everything was fine, I would text him back to let him know there was nothing going on and I had bad reception. Zeke was supposed to be out with the band; he said he’d keep an eye on him for me. He liked the ladies though; what if he was off getting laid? Damien could literally be anywhere, doing anything.
The doorman of the hotel hailed me a cab. I told him the name of the club I was going to and nervously tapped my foot on the floor while he drove there. I texted Zeke, but he didn’t answer, causing the butterflies in my stomach to go into overdrive. I threw him a few twenty dollar bills when the cab driver arrived at the club and told him to keep the change. I had to find Damien - now.
The line to get into the club was huge, but there was no way in hell I was waiting. I ran up to the front of the line and was stopped by a huge guy dressed in a black polo shirt with biceps as big as my head. He had to have been over a foot taller than me.
“You have to go to the back of the line,” he grunted, standing in front of the door.
“I have to get in there! I’m with the Demons from Hell,” I begged.
He threw his head back and laughed. “Sure you are. Do you know how many times I’ve heard that before?”
I turned away and fished around in my purse for my backstage ID. Maybe that would help. I all but dumped the entire contents of my bag on the sidewalk, but couldn’t find it. I closed my eyes in frustration; it was sitting on the table in my hotel room. Shit.
I checked my phone, but there was still no response from Zeke. I could plead my case again to the bouncer, but other than that, I was screwed. I would have to wait outside the club for them to come out and hope I caught them.
There was a tap on my shoulder. “Miss?” I turned around to find the bouncer behind me. “I may have an idea. Follow me.”
I sighed in relief and followed him around the corner of the building. It looked like he was going to sneak me in the side door. Maybe it was my lucky day.
He stopped at the door and turned to me. “I’ll let you in, but you have to do something for me.” I couldn’t see his face very well in the darkly lit alley, but he moved closer to me. A lewd smile played on his lips and my heart sank.
“What’s that?” I asked, trying not to let my voice tremble. I glanced over his shoulder but no one was coming from that direction.
He grabbed his crotch with one hand and my breast with the other. “I think a blow job would do nicely to start.”
I screamed and tried to run away, but he grabbed onto me. He pushed me hard into the wall and pinned me there. He leaned his face close to mine and I could smell the alcohol on his breath. “I like it better when they fight.”
I swallowed back the bile that threatened to come up and squirmed under his hold. It was futile though. He was about five times my size and there was no way I could fight him off.
His hand slid under my dress and he was about to grab my thong when the back door opened. He held a finger to my lips. “Hush. You know you want it.”
I didn’t dare turn my head, but I could hear the voices of a couple women and a man. The man sounded familiar. It was Damien!
I started to scream and fight against the bouncer again.
“Lydia, is that you?” Damien started rushing over. “Get your fucking hands off of her!”
The bouncer let go while I choked back a sob. “We were just having a good time,” he grumbled.
I stepped forward and kicked him hard between his legs, causing him to double over in pain. Damien looked at me in shock for a minute before slipping off his leather coat and putting it around my shoulders. I was trembling and wanted to get out of there.
“Are you okay?” He smoothed back my hair.
I nodded and swallowed a whimper. “Thank you for coming out when you did.”
“Sure,” he turned to the ladies standing there waiting for him. “We’re going to have to cut tonight short. Sorry.” They pouted in disappointment and reluctantly walked back inside. Damien made a call and came back over to me. The bouncer was still lying there on the ground.
He came back to me and put his hand on the small of my back. “Let’s go back to the hotel. Someone will take care of this.”
A couple of guys came out of the side door and Damien nodded down to the bouncer. “Take care of this piece of shit. I don’t want to see him near here again.”
Who would have ever thought that Damien Cross would be my hero?
7
Damien
I put my arm around Lydia and we left the alley. I hailed us a cab and after I’d instructed the driver to go back to our hotel, I turned my attention back to her. She was looking out the window and trembling like a leaf.
“Are you okay?” I asked softly. I could be an asshole and I liked to sleep with women, but my partners were always willing. I had no respect for jerks like that bouncer who didn’t know how to take no for an answer.
She looked over at me with tear-stained cheeks. “If you hadn’t come when you di
d…” Her voice trailed off and she shuddered.
“Don’t think about it.” I scooted closer to her and put my arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to me. We didn’t talk the rest of the ride but I stayed next to her, holding her close.
My main concern was Lydia, but I was almost gritting my teeth at how furious I was at that bouncer for laying his hands on her. I dismissed her when she said it, but what if I hadn’t come out there when I did, or at all for that matter. I wanted to beat the crap out of the guy for what he would have done to her.
Back at the hotel, I kept my arm around Lydia as we went up to our room. I walked her to her door. “Do you want me to stay with you?” I hated the thought of her upset and alone.
She paused for a minute. “You don’t have to. I would understand if you wanted to get back to those girls.”
I shook my head. “It’s fine. I’m staying with you. There will be plenty of other groupies.”
She rolled her eyes before unlocking her door and I had to laugh. Even I could admit that I sounded like a douche bag.
She threw her purse on the table. “I’m going to go take a shower. I’ll be right out.”
“Sure,” I nodded as I removed my leather coat and tossed it onto the floor. I hopped onto the bed, grabbing the TV remote. I turned it on and channel surfed while I waited for Lydia to get done. I was a little bit nervous - I wasn’t used to hanging out with a woman that didn’t want to sleep with me. I also had no idea how to deal with a blubbering emotional female. So far she seemed okay, but that could change at any time.
I needed a drink.
I called down to room service and had them bring up a bottle of whiskey. I was going to get her drunk tonight. Drinking I knew.
