I glance at the digital clock on the bedside table. There isn’t much time to finish dressing and I wonder where has the time gone. I think of how Erick arranged a car service to carry Shelby and me to and from our outing. It’s sweet of him to always have Shelby’s best interests at heart, even when he travels out of town on business trips. Shelby is lucky to have such a good guy in her life who not only says he loves her but proves it on the daily. I am waiting for Shelby to tell me that she is engaged and is going to marry this dude.
I can hear the doorbell chiming through my newly-furnished apartment. I slip my feet into my four-inch heel boot shoes and quickly spritz on some perfume before going to answer the door.
Shelby stands in the doorway with her blond hair bone straight with a part down the middle. Her hair frames her artfully, made-up face, which causes her eyes to sparkle like a lighted Christmas tree.
“You look magnificent, Noelle,” she says, stepping into my apartment.
She gives me a hug and a quick peck on the cheek. I return her greeting.
“Thank you. You look gorgeous yourself,” I say, noting how her metallic, blue mini dress fits her to perfection. “Girl, those thigh boots are to die for,” I add as I look around for my purse.
I spot it on the couch where I put it earlier. I grab my keys as well as my cell phone and slide them into my purse. I then grab my leather jacket that matches my outfit before we head out the door. The driver of the car service is waiting patiently for us in the cold, night air beside the back passenger doors to allow us entrance.
A few snowflakes are falling on my head as I wait for Shelby to get in the car first. We both thank the driver for his courtesy before he closes the passenger side door and goes around to the driver’s side to get behind the wheel. He checks to make sure traffic is clear before he merges onto the roadway.
Shelby reaches towards a hidden compartment in the car and slides a door back to reveal small bottles of water. “I wish this were alcohol,” she says before untwisting the cap on the bottle to take a swig.
“I bet you do,” I say to her with a smirk on my lips.
“Here, you want a bottle?” she says as she hands me a bottle of water from the compartment.
“Thanks.” I twist off the cap and take a small sip from the bottle. “Refreshing!” I say and then laugh.
Shelby joins in on the laughter before she speaks. “I feel bad that you won’t go with me and Erick to his parents’ house for Thanksgiving,” Shelby says as she takes a sip from her water bottle.
“Think of tonight as our pre-Thanksgiving celebration. I will be fine alone this year. I promise,” I try to convince her. I don’t want her to feel sympathy for me either, so I fix a bright smile to my lips.
“It just won’t be the same without you.”
“Stop it, girl. Once you and Erick get with his family, you will hardly miss me.”
“That is a false statement. Of course I will miss my best friend in the entire world.”
I laugh at Shelby’s dramatics. We talked so much that I am pleasantly surprised when our smooth ride comes to an end.
We arrive at the venue. The gigantic complex building is packed with lines of people ready to take their seats.
The driver stops at a less crowded side of the complex to let us out.
“I thought we were going to be waiting in line with the rest of the concert goers,” I say to Shelby.
“Aren’t you lucky that you have a best friend with connections,” she laughs aloud at my comment.
“My dad got these tickets for me,” Shelby reveals. “He does business with Mr. Cunningham, who is over the city events committee. He signs off on the entertainment that is brought to the city. He gets first dibs on all the tickets. I’m just thankful that he and my dad are such great friends, and he knows how much I love a good rock concert. He gave me these amazing tickets as well as backstage passes for tonight,” she says, patting the clutch purse she holds in her hand like she has struck gold.
“Wow, your dad has always been amazing. You are so lucky to have Mr. and Mrs. Munroe as parents,” I say, feeling nostalgic.
“Pep up, girly. My parents love you like I do. You already know that they will do anything for you if you ask them to,” she says, peering into my eyes. “There will be no sadness tonight about things that happened in the past. Tonight is our night to let loose and have fun, fun, fun.”
“Well, you better not forget about Erick and have too much fun without him,” I warn her with a laugh. “I will have to thank him for our transportation,” I add.
“There is no way that I can forget about that hunky man of mine,” she states as we arrive at the ticket window, and she hands over two tickets for us to enter through the side door.
Once inside, we find our front row seats. I can’t believe how close we are to the stage. I will be front and center at my first rock concert ever. I take my best friend’s advice and shelve my troublesome thoughts about the past into the furthest recesses of my mind.
The complex quickly fills up with fans as well as some groupies, I am sure. Shelby nudges my arm to get my attention as I look around the building.
“What?”
“I am going back out to the bar we passed by on our way in to get me a mixed drink. Do you want anything?”
I shake my head no because I don’t want to have to get up and pee in the middle of the concert. “I will walk with you,” I offer.
“No, stay here. I will be back soon.” She stands and walks off in the direction we came in.
The crowd of fans are loud and revving up in anticipation for the concert to start. Their excitement must be contagious because suddenly, I was getting antsy for the concert to begin as well. Shelby returns and settles beside me with a large, mixed, fruity drink in a clear, plastic cup. She begins sipping from a red straw sticking out of the cup.
“This drink is delicious.”
“I bet it is.”
A sudden hush comes over the crowd as the lights dim, and the announcer comes out onto the stage.
“Ladies, gentlemen, fans, groupies, and stalkers alike,” the announcer speaks into the microphone as he tries to be comical. “I want you to welcome and give a round of standing applause for Beau Barringer and the Hot Pack Band.”
The applause and the screams are deafening. I can actually feel the building vibrating from the noise. I look around me in bemusement at the excitement pouring from every individual in attendance, which includes my best friend Shelby.
She jumps up and down beside me in unrestrained excitement. She grabs my arm as a curtain lifts, and a band begins to play. The music is soulful and sounds good to my ears. The crowd becomes hushed once again as smoke appears out of nowhere. A stage suddenly comes up out of the floor.
A tall, lone figure in all black appears with his back turned to the crowd.
“That’s Beau Barringer!” Shelby screams loudly in my ear.
I shrink away from the deafening sound of Shelby’s loud voice. I look over at her, and she has a smile a mile wide stretched across her lovely face. I can’t wait to get a look at this Beau Barringer.
I want to see what all of the hoopla is really about. My music usually leans towards the R&B variety. My music playlist consists of Usher, Drake, Beyoncé and Rihanna. The band stops playing except for the lady drummer, who plays low beats.
I have to respect this lady drummer for holding her own in this rock band of men. Suddenly, music comes from the faceless rock star’s guitar that he has strapped to his shoulder. He plays a soulful tune for a few seconds before the figure in all black turns around and faces the crowd.
“I love you, Beau Barringer,” some unknown voice cries out.
“I love you too,” the all-too-familiar voice replies from the stage before it breaks out into song.
Chills go down my spine as I peer at the dimly lit stage. Suddenly, a spotlight hits Beau Barringer dead in the face. A surprised gasp slips past my lips, and my eyes widen in shock. No!
My mind screams out, but no words escape my mouth.
This is some kind of nightmare. I pinch myself to wake up.
“I told you Beau Barringer is to die for, didn’t I?” Shelby says as she nudges me continuously.
I look at her without saying anything as she continues to stare at Beau Barringer with a starstruck look on her face like all of his other fans. I look back at the stage and blink hard. This Beau Barringer has to be a look-a-like for my Barry. That has to be it.
Wait, where did the words my Barry come from? Meeting Barry and the things we did together are like a mystical dream to me. This man performing in front of me can’t be the same Barry that I spent the weekend with a couple of weeks ago. Impossible.
Beau Barringer and his band finish one song and go into the next without missing a beat. I become mesmerized by Beau’s movements as he gyrates across the stage. He definitely has the crowd eating out of his hands, including Shelby who seems to be drooling at the mouth.
My heart beats faster as I sit down on the soft, cushiony seat with a plop. I can feel a flush coming to my face and goose bumps appear on my arms. If it wasn’t for my pregnancy, I would have taken the mixed drink from Shelby’s hand and guzzled it down until it is was gone. Then, and only then, would clarity come to me once again.
If Barry is really Beau Barringer, then why did he lie to me about who he really is? Why did he have sex with me on the pretense of being someone who he is not? I begin to fume to myself. How dare he take my body as if he owns it and not trust me enough to tell me his true identity.
This Beau Barringer is no better than Victor Wallace. If I ever come in contact with Barry or Beau Barringer, I will have more than a few words for him. My anger begins to grow by the moment.
I can see his eyes skimming over the crowd as he performs. I know he will never see me as I glare at him with an angry twist to my mouth. Shelby is so into the performance that she has no idea of the turmoil that boils and rages on the inside of me.
I say nothing to her to thwart her enjoyment of the concert. My chance will come soon because I remember that Shelby has backstage passes after the concert. I breathe in deeply to bide my time because soon Beau Barringer will feel the wrath of me, Noelle Winters. He will most definitely feel my chill soon enough.
*
Shelby and I walk into the brightly lit room where the chosen fans have the pleasure of meeting and interacting with Beau Barringer and the rest of his band. Shelby shows excitement as we look around at several tables arranged with food. There are several waiters with trays in their hands passing out drinks. There is also a wet bar available for the already tipsy crowd.
My eyes wander around the room looking for Beau. He is settled on a big, plush, leather sofa with two stunning women on each side of him. I feel my heart drop to the floor as I take in how he interacts with these two women who look like they could be models.
One woman has long, bone-straight, black hair. She seems to be oriental with her slanted eyes. The other woman is just the opposite of the black-haired woman. This one has blond hair with dark streaks running through her wavy tresses.
A cigarette dangles from Beau’s lips. The woman with the blond hair takes the cigarette from Beau’s mouth and brings the cigarette to her red painted lips to take a drag. My blood begins to boil with jealousy at the intimacy of the scene.
“Noelle, what is wrong with you? I have been trying to get your attention for the last two minutes,” Shelby’s eyes are filled with concern by the time I finally give her my full attention.
My mouth opens and closes, but no words come out. I feel an onslaught of dizziness come over me. I grasp Shelby’s arm before my eyes close and everything goes blank. I can hear Shelby as if she is far away calling for someone to help her.
Chapter 8
Beau
I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight
Peaches and Daria are getting a little too close for my comfort as I try to relax on the sofa after my hair-raising performance on stage tonight. Peaches leans in and her too-sweet-smelling perfume is overwhelming and nauseating to my senses.
I turn my face away from her just in time for her red, painted lips to land on my cheek instead of my mouth, but my move of avoidance only cost me to come into contact with Daria’s lips, which were ready to assault mine.
All I can think of is Noelle Winters and the sweet taste of her lips. In the past, I would have enjoyed being sandwiched between two beautiful women. This was a time before Noelle entered my life like a surprising snow storm to ruin me for all other women.
I can feel Peaches’ double D-sized implants against my back as she presses up against my back. “Let’s go to the back suite,” she whispers against my ear. I can feel the warmth of her breath against my ear just as I hear the faint cry for help in the crowded, noisy room. The cry is faint, but it penetrates clearly to my ears.
I tear my lips away from Daria and wedge myself from between the two as I stand. I look around the large room just in time to see a woman with a glorious head of natural curls fall into the arms of a blond-headed woman by her side.
The body of the falling woman instantly hits a cord inside of me, which causes me to react instantly. Although I can’t clearly see her face because most of her hair is covering it, there is an instant recognition in the very pit of my stomach.
“Hey, where are you going?” I can hear Peaches call out to my back as I hurry across the room to aid the woman who has fainted.
By the time I make it across the room, several people are standing around her in the way, and I shove them aside as I fall down to my knees to assist.
“Help my friend,” the blond-headed woman says.
I quickly look into her tear-filled, blue eyes which show only concern.
“Stand back,” I order everyone. “Give this woman some air.”
I brush her hair aside to reveal her face. My heart stops before it erratically starts to beat again.
“Noelle,” I gasp. Her name easily slips from my lips as I look down at my beautiful angel.
I assess that she is breathing normally, and I check her pulse. I lift her head onto my lap and gently tap her cheeks to get a response from her. Her brown eyes slowly open to meet my stare.
“Barry,” she says as her eyes fill with confusion.
“It’s me, baby,” I say softly to her.
“Here, Beau, take this,” Laney kneels down beside me with a bottle of water.
“Thank God, Noelle. You scared me to death,” her friend cries.
“What happened, Shelby?” Noelle finally tears her gaze from mine to look at her concerned friend.
“You fainted,” Shelby says as I take the open bottle of water from Laney and help raise Noelle into a sitting positon to give her a small sip of the water.
“I’m all right,” Noelle says as she tries to stand up.
“No you are not. Something could be wrong with the baby, and you need to be checked out by a doctor,” Shelby argues.
“I haven’t eaten since lunch time today at work. Missing a meal probably affected me in some way. Just take me home, and I will eat something and go to bed.”
“You know better than that, Noelle,” I say gruffly, looking into her beautiful face in concern. I take in her thick, shiny lips coated with some kind of slick gloss. I just want to take her into my strong arms and kiss her and love her until I can make her mine once again. “You must take care of yourself and this little miracle you are carrying,” my hands slide down possessively across her stomach as if the baby she is carrying is my own.
“Wait a minute. How do the two of you know each other?” Shelby looks from Noelle to me with a look of confusion.
“We will talk later, Shelby. I promise,” Noelle replies. “But right now, all I want to do is get out of here. I have embarrassed myself enough for the night by fainting in a room full of people.” An embarrassing flush spreads across her high cheek bones.
Shelby continues to look between the two of us with s
urprise and confusion. She stands and reaches out a helping hand to her friend to help her to stand on her feet, but before Noelle can react, I hand the water bottle back to an unusually quiet Laney and lift Noelle easily into my arms before standing.
“I will see that Noelle gets home with no problem at all,” I state.
“No! Shelby will see I get home safely,” Noelle replies in a voice of panic.
“Noelle is right, we came together, and we will leave together,” her friend says in a protective tone.
Noelle has entered my life again like an unexpected storm. There is no way in hell that I will let her out of my sight tonight. If I have to kidnap her, then so be it.
“Noelle is in great hands. I promise you that nothing will happen to your friend, if this is what causes you to worry. Stay here and enjoy yourself. I will have someone to see you safely to your destination whenever you are ready to leave,” I say to Shelby.
“Noelle and I already have a driver to see us safely home. Put her down, please,” Shelby begs.
“Like I said before, I will see her safely home,” I reply before stalking off.
“Beau Barringer, I don’t care who you are, but you better let my friend go,” Shelby says, running behind me as I carry her friend off towards a private elevator that will carry us down to a private garage.
“Thump.” Something solid hits me on my back. I swivel around with Noelle in my arms. Her arms are loosely clasped around my neck.
“I will hit you with something harder than my clutch next time if you don’t let my friend go.”
The fierce protection Noelle’s friend has for her is admirable, but I have no time for entertaining her friend. I look around for the men in black who are littered throughout the room for security. I nod once, and one of them stalks over to stand between us.
“See that this lady gets everything she needs and make sure she gets to her ride safely when she gets ready to leave.”
Noelle's Rock: A BWWM Holiday Romance Page 5
