I grinned. “They’re here with me, isn’t that obvious?”
“Good point. Hey, do you want to grab that bite to eat sometime this week? Assuming we’re both still around after tomorrow, that is.”
The girls nodded frantically at me, and I plastered a smile on. “Um, sure. Let me get back to you on when I’m free.”
“Great! Good luck tonight.” He saluted my friends. “Ladies, have fun.”
He walked off, and the girls checked him out from behind. “Holy hotness,” Julie said, with a low whistle.
“He seems to like you,” Carla said to me. “He asked you out in front of your friends—that’s pretty bold.”
“I know. He’s cute and nice but…” I shrugged. “He just doesn’t do it for me.”
“How is that possible?” Julie asked.
Carla set her hand lightly on my arm. “Maybe you’re so focused on Jared that you’re ignoring the guy practically throwing himself at your feet.”
“I’m not—” I started to protest. Was she really giving me guy advice when she was still with Daryl? I took a deep breath and started again. “Sean’s just not my type, that’s all.”
“He’s exactly your type, and he seems like the perfect guy to help you forget Jared,” Julie said.
“You’re the one who told me to go after Jared in the first place!” I blurted out, and then I glanced around quickly, hoping no one had heard me. Here they were, teaming up against me again. I loved my friends, but not the way they always wanted to run my life for me. I’d definitely not missed this over the last few weeks.
“Yeah, at the party. But you’ve known him for weeks, and if he hasn’t seen how amazing you are by now, he’s hopeless.”
“But—” I bit my lip. I couldn’t very well tell them the truth about Jared now. They’d just say he was going to hurt me, that this was only going to end badly, and a dozen other things I knew in my head but didn’t want to hear in my heart. “Let’s just drop this, okay?”
Carla gave me a pitying look. “We just don’t want you to get your heart broken, that’s all.”
I assured the girls I wasn’t interested in Jared and resumed the tour, but I didn’t think they believed me. And a nagging feeling in my gut told me they were probably right about him. This thing between us could only end badly, but when I was alone with him, I didn’t care.
* * *
For this week’s show, some of the other bands had completely embraced the “Neon ‘90s” theme, but we’d decided to go in a different direction, with all white outfits for the guys and a short white dress and matching boots for me. The makeup people had gone a little overboard though, and my eyes were watering so much I darted into the bathroom to check them. I set my glasses on the counter just as Lacey walked out of the stall behind me.
“Nice dress,” she said, in a tone that implied she meant the opposite. She wore a sparkly hot pink dress with a neon green cowboy hat and matching boots, so she wasn’t really one to talk.
I dabbed at my eyes with a paper towel, but stayed silent. The producers loved to parade her around like she was some sort of Disney princess, and on the Internet, her band Fairy Lights was already an early favorite for the win. The only other band with as much attention was ours, but I suspected that was due to Jared’s sex appeal more than anything.
“Don’t think I’m not on to your little game,” she said with her strong Southern accent. “Winning the audience over with your ‘fall’ and all those lies about how you and Jared aren’t seeing each other. Soon all of America will know what you’re doing.”
I blinked at her. Was she threatening us? “I’m sorry?”
“I’m going to win this thing. You’d best be staying out of my way.”
She left the bathroom before I could come up with a witty comeback. I didn’t know what that was about or why she suddenly had such a problem with us. Was it because we were potentially her band’s biggest competitors? Or because I’d seen Jared shoot her down in the elevator? Whatever, I couldn’t afford to let her get into my head before I got on stage.
I reached for my glasses, but they were gone. I checked the floor and then looked in all the stalls, in the sinks, even in the trash and the toilets, but my glasses had disappeared.
No, not disappeared. Lacey must have taken them.
I ran out of the bathroom to go after her and crashed into Jared. “Hey, it’s almost time for our set.” His eyes swept over my face. “What’s wrong?”
“Lacey stole my glasses. I can’t see anything. I can’t play. We have to find her, we have to delay the show, we—”
“Slow down.” Jared placed his hands on my elbows, holding me steady. “Are you sure she took them?”
“She was the only one in the bathroom with me, and I had them when I went in, and I’ve looked everywhere but they’re gone.” I closed my eyes to stop the hallway spinning around me. I couldn’t deal with this right now, not when we were about to go on stage. Not when my friends were in the audience, ready to cheer me on. Not when our entire future rode on how we did tonight. “I’m going to kill that sparkly cowgirl.”
“We’ll tell the producers and they’ll deal with her. For now, do you have another set of glasses or contacts you can use?”
“Back at the hotel, but we don’t have time to get them.”
“How bad is it without your glasses?”
“Um, bad. I can barely see anything.” I covered my face with my hands, trying not to cry. I didn’t need my eyeliner to be even more of a mess than it was. “This is a disaster.”
He pulled me into his arms and kissed the top of my head. “It’s not that bad. You don’t even need to see to play the guitar. You could do it blindfolded. And maybe it’ll be better if you don’t walk around the stage. Less chance of falling off, right?”
“Very funny.” But his calm demeanor was helping a little, and his words made me think. He was right; I didn’t need to see. Maybe I could play the guitar blindfolded. “I have an idea.”
* * *
When our stage turned, I was already standing in place, my guitar hanging from my shoulder, my pick clutched in my fingers. I couldn’t see anything—not the rest of the band, not the audience, not even my guitar or the mic right in front of me. All I could make out were the lights shining on us, tinted red from the strip of fabric across my eyes. Hector had a matching one across his mouth, Kyle had one covering his ears, and to make our group complete, Jared had one tied around his neck. The red was a sharp contrast to our white outfits, and hopefully got across the Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil message we were going for.
The audience cheered as we rotated in front of them, and my nerves kicked up to high alert at all the sounds without the visuals to accompany them. As Kyle began, I thought my skin might jump right off me, and I prayed I could pull this off. What if I was wrong and I couldn’t actually play blindfolded? In theory it didn’t seem too hard, but I’d never actually tried before. I was doing it for the first time in front of a huge crowd, plus everyone watching live on TV.
But once I started, my fingers knew what to do. I forgot seeing and focused on hearing, feeling, being. On Hector’s steady beat and Jared’s baseline vibrating through my bones. On Kyle’s clear tones tying it all together. Our version of “Enjoy the Silence” sounded like we’d dipped the original in black ink and razorblades, and Jared’s voice was perfect for it. And with nothing in the world except me and the music, I could easily imagine he was singing the words only to me.
When the song ended, his arm took mine to help me move across the stage to the center. I pushed my blindfold back, grateful for his help since everything around me was a blurred mess of faces and lights. By the roar of the crowd, I could tell the audience loved our version, and I knew Julie and Carla were somewhere out there, cheering me on. The mentors praised our unique take on the song and on our interesting performance, and I hoped Lacey was watching this moment. Suck it, cowgirl.
The stage turned for the next ban
d, and as soon as we were backstage, they wanted us to do an interview right away. On the way to the interview area, I stopped to ask producer Steve if they’d found my glasses yet.
“No, but we’re on it.” He had a rapid no-nonsense way of talking. “Don’t worry. Let us handle this, and we’ll get your glasses back to you in no time.” He checked his massive shiny watch. “Now if you could just hurry to your interview, that’d be great. Ray has to be back on stage in six minutes.”
Thanks for being no help at all, Steve. I rejoined the band, and we were hustled over to speak with Ray.
“That was a fun performance,” Ray said. “And what a statement! Dan said it wasn’t his idea—whose was it?”
“It was Maddie’s,” Jared said, leaning into the mic. “Her glasses vanished right before we went on, and she came up with this solution.”
“Talk about quick thinking.” Ray shoved the mic in my face. “We’ve never had anyone play guitar blindfolded on the show before.”
“It was really Jared’s idea,” I said, blushing like crazy, like I always did when the focus was on me. “He said he knew I could play even if I was blindfolded, and a light bulb went off.”
“You two are a great team.” He grinned at both of us. “And it seems like there’s some chemistry there, too. The fans want to know: Is there anything between you?”
“No!” we both said, too fast.
“We’re just friends,” Jared added. My least favorite phrase these days.
Ray laughed. “That’s too bad, though you’d both break some hearts if the fans knew you were off the market.”
“Don’t worry. Jared is still available,” I said and hated myself.
When the interview was over, Hector said, “He didn’t even look at me or Kyle. All they care about is the Jared and Maddie will-they-or-won’t-they bullshit.”
“Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean for that to come up.”
“It’s not your fault,” Kyle said, shooting Hector a look. “It’s the producers trying to test us again.”
“I just wish they’d remember we’re part of the band, too.” Hector shook his head. “Forget it. I need to get some air.”
He took off down the hallway, and Jared frowned. “I should talk to him.”
“He’s pissed at you right now,” Kyle said. “I’ll handle it.”
He left us alone or as alone as we could be backstage with other bands and people who worked on the show. Jared rubbed the back of his neck, and even without my glasses, he was beautiful. I wanted to press my mouth to the stubble along his jaw and trace his tattoos with my tongue. I licked my lips and his gaze lingered on them, and I knew he was thinking along the same lines.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said, his voice husky.
“Where?” We didn’t have much time before we had to get back on stage at the end of the show, but a few minutes alone with Jared were too tempting to pass up, even if it was risky. Or maybe, because it was risky.
“Anywhere. I don’t care, as long as we’re alone.”
We sneaked out the back door, and Jared took my hand as soon as it closed. I still couldn’t see much without my glasses, but he guided me through the parking lot for the trucks with the show’s equipment until we found a secluded spot against a chain-link fence between buildings, where it was unlikely anyone would see us.
I leaned back against the fence and slipped my fingers under the red sash at his neck, using it to pull him to my mouth. He yanked my blindfold down to cover my eyes, and I gasped into his lips.
“Do you have any idea how hard it was not to kiss you on stage tonight?” he asked, as he grabbed onto the chain-link fence above me, fitting his body against mine.
He claimed my mouth with his before I could answer. With the blindfold on, my other senses exploded with Jared. The taste of his skin, slick with sweat and desire. His smell, like soap and leather and something unmistakably male. The feel of his stubble against my cheek, his hard chest pressing against my breasts. His voice as he groaned my name, like I was chocolate and he wanted to take a bite. My entire world was Jared’s lips and hands and breath and body.
“Jared, you’re making me crazy.”
“Tell me what you want,” he said against my neck.
“I want you,” I whispered. “Here. Now.”
Jared gripped my hip with one hand, the other still holding the fence. His fingers slid lower, inching down my dress and then under it, moving along my bare skin and igniting a fire within me. Without warning, he lifted one of my legs, hooking it around his body. I clutched his shoulders for support while his hand smoothed up my leg and eased between my thighs. He teased along the edge of my panties in a way that made me moan and beg for more. No more going slow. After weeks of pent-up desire, I needed him now.
When I thought I’d die if he didn’t touch me where I burned, he pushed my panties aside to slip one long finger inside me. I gasped and arched against him, but his mouth covered mine and swallowed my wordless cries. He slid his finger in and out slowly and then added another while he began to rub me with his thumb, circling my sensitive skin in a way that sent flames through me. He kissed me the entire time, his tongue matching his fingers as they darted into me, faster, harder.
Anyone could walk out and see me blindfolded against a fence and catch him fingering me, but that only made it hotter, knowing we could be discovered at any moment. Jared’s touch wound me tighter and tighter, his mouth never leaving mine as my cries grew more desperate. My fingers tensed around the sash at his neck, holding him close as he brought me to climax, my every nerve springing free. He didn’t stop touching me, and the pleasure went on for an eternity while I trembled against him. If not for the fence behind me and his body holding me up, my knees would have given out. Jared made my body weak in the best way possible.
“I’d love to continue this,” he said, pushing up my blindfold so I could see again. “But we need to get back.”
I nodded, unable to speak, my whole body warm and fluid from what he’d done to me. I wanted to return the favor, to make him as delirious as I was, but we didn’t have time. We made our way back to the theater, and I was already counting down the minutes until we could be alone again. He’d brought me release, but instead of satisfying me, it just made me want more. I craved Jared like an addiction, and I was starting to wonder if I’d ever get enough.
SEVENTEEN
I wanted to invite Jared back to my room that night, but I had dinner with Julie and Carla after the show so we could catch up and we ended up drinking too much for them to drive back. They crashed on the extra bed in my hotel room, and I spent the night tossing and turning, partly stressing about whether our performance would be good enough to keep us on the show another week, but mostly replaying those stolen minutes against the fence with Jared.
My friends didn’t have tickets for the results show, so I returned to the theater alone the next afternoon. I’d slept in late and hadn’t spoken to the guys at all, so I had no idea what kind of reception our song was getting online. It was actually nice being oblivious; people on the Internet could be pretty damn cruel sometimes. But at the same time, it made my stress levels shoot through the roof. Had anyone liked our version of “Enjoy the Silence” or was it too different from the original? We’d picked such a classic, well-known song, and it was hard to know if people would love or hate our darker take on it.
I met the rest of the band in the lounge. Jared wore his black leather jacket again, and the wicked smile he gave me filled my head with naughty thoughts.
“Tonight,” I whispered to him as we walked to the stage. “After the show, my room.”
In response, he set his hand on my back, moving lower to rest on the curve of my butt. I sucked in a breath, heat building between my legs at his touch, but he released me before anyone saw. Or so I hoped.
We waited while Dan and Lissa finished their duo, their two distinct voices meshing surprisingly well, and then our team was rushed on stage. I held m
y breath as Ray called the names, but our band was saved first, followed by The Quiet Battles, leaving the Christian heavy metal band to be kicked off this time. Safe for another week, and now we were in the semi-finals. I never expected to get this far, and it only made me want to work even harder to make it to the finals next week.
We all ran off the stage and hugged, and when Jared’s arms wrapped around me, I had to restrain myself from kissing him in front of the other guys. It was getting harder and harder to keep up this friends-only charade in public, and I worried we were too obvious with all of our secret looks and quick touches. How could anyone miss the fire smoldering between us every time we were in the same room?
The show continued with a performance from a pop band whose song played every five minutes on the radio, followed by Team Lissa’s elimination. Naturally, Lacey and Fairy Lights were still safe. Ray talked about how sweet and wholesome she was while she ran off the stage, and I wanted to gag. I had a few choice words for the viewers about the real Lacey, not that anyone would believe me over her.
Last night, my glasses had been waiting for me on top of my guitar case at the end of the show. When I asked producer Steve, he said he’d talked to Lacey but she’d denied everything, and there was nothing he could do. I couldn’t tell if he was lying or if he thought I’d just misplaced my glasses. But I knew it was her.
Team Angel went up next, and The Static Klingons were safe, too, which meant I’d have to deal with Sean sometime this week. Instead, the punk band was kicked off her team.
Mohawk Girl and I ran into each other in the lounge after the elimination.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I can’t believe you’re going home.”
She gave a one-shouldered shrug, like it wasn’t a big deal. “It’s fine. We knew we wouldn’t win.”
“You’re not upset?”
“Not really. I’m thrilled we got this far. I mean, a punk band with mohawks and spikes? No way the producers would let us win the show. But we knew we’d get more exposure and bring in a lot of new fans, maybe even get some gigs out of it. That’s all we wanted.”
BANGED: Rock Stars, Bad Boys & Dirty Deeds Page 76
