“Trust me, boys, we are probably the only guys that will be here,” Reeves said with a laugh. Andrew and Jayden both looked at him confused, so he continued, “My Sky has a bit of a crush on this dude. I swear she makes me take her to see him whenever he’s in town which can be several times a year if he’s promoting an album. Generally speaking, there are mostly women in the audience. It’s not that he is bad in any way. His music is cool, but yeah, usually women and the few men, like us, who get dragged to it.”
“Jayden, you don’t know who you’re seeing? Aren’t these YOUR tickets?” Andrew asked, not sure if he should be amused or agitated.
“My dad Liam bought these tickets. He loves all these indie rocker singer songwriter dudes. He has great taste in music and has been right on with a lot of up and comers that later become big so usually my dad and I just go with the flow. He got the tickets and when I told Callie she flipped out so I figured he couldn’t be that bad,” he answered quickly.
“Well, this ought to be interesting,” Andrew said under his breath.
“I’m Logan Reeves, by the way,” Reeves said, reaching his hand out to Jayden.
“Jayden Bennett,” Jayden replied shaking his hand.
“Any relation to...” Reeves didn’t finish because Jayden grinned and nodded his head. “No shit, really?”
Jayden nodded again. He was used to people recognizing his name. The three men stayed on the patio and drank a few beers until they saw a gentleman dressed in casual clothes, jeans and t-shirt with a black hat, set a guitar case down near the entrance. He began talking to several people who looked like they were in charge. Reeves nodded in the man’s direction letting Jayden and Andrew know that was him.
Meanwhile, Callie and Madison were still snickering about how Jayden shot up from the couch and made a mad dash out of the living room. Secretly, Madison was glad because she was dying to talk to Ms. Chase. Skylar sat quietly, not doing anything to draw attention to herself. She knew if she did that then people wouldn’t be sure it was her and she could usually enjoy herself in peace. Although she was a celebrity, she was fierce about protecting her privacy. The organizers of this event assured her this would be a private affair. So far she had not seen anyone take her picture but the brunette sitting on the couch kept watching her. Skylar was enjoying the conversation the girls were having and how uncomfortable the tiny girl’s beau seemed to be. When he had jumped up, both girls giggled profusely and Skylar quirked her lips into a smile.
“Ms. Chase, I just want to tell you that I really enjoy your work and that you are more beautiful in person than on the screen. A true vision,” Madison whispered appreciatively to her.
Skylar smiled. “Thank you, that’s very sweet. Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
Madison shook her head. “No, please, go right ahead.”
“The man you are with...” Skylar paused trying to decide the most delicate way to ask if he had ever been in prison.
Skylar suspected she knew who the girl’s boyfriend was. Logan had regularly talked of a man in prison and the difficult time he had. He reminded Logan of his brother Johnny but this other prisoner had been able to fight back.
“Ms. Chase?” Madison asked. Skylar looked conflicted and that confused Madison immensely.
“Oh, never mind. It’s none of my business. I’m sorry,” Skylar stated flustered.
Madison furrowed her brows and then a thought came to her. “Does your husband work for the Department of Corrections?”
Skylar leaned back and cocked her head slightly to the side before finally nodding. Madison leaned back as well, the puzzle finally fitting together. Andrew drew those pictures of her because Logan was a guard at the prison he was in.
“Has he ever mentioned a man named Andrew Harrison?” Madison inquired.
“He doesn’t generally bring his work home, but there was one person he tried to look out for as best as he could. He said he had a good heart; that he wasn’t meant for prison. He talked about him all the time. One day he asked me what he could do for him that wouldn’t be over the top and I suggested getting him some art materials since Logan had mentioned he doodled a lot. In his position, they couldn’t be friends but I often wondered if they would have been under different circumstances.”
Madison had tears streaking her face. At the moment, she didn’t care about her makeup; all she cared about was that there had been someone inside prison who had looked out for him, someone who cared about him. That thought alone brought her tremendous joy.
“Logan was surprised to see him here,” Skylar said, handing Madison a napkin and a compact.
“His drawings of you are breathtaking,” Madison sniffled.
“Drawings? I wasn’t aware he made more than the one I was given.”
Madison nodded. “There were at least ten different pictures in his sketch book. The one your husband selected, it was exquisite in its smaller version. I would have loved to have seen the finished product.”
“I have had many compliments on it. People want to know who the artist is. Obviously we couldn’t say anything because Logan shouldn’t have asked him to do it.” She sighed; wishing things weren’t as complicated as they were. “Andrew is quite good.”
Madison nodded and then turned to follow Skylar’s eyes which were looking down the hall. In strode the three men, laughing. Logan immediately kissed Skylar and sat down next to her, making her giggle as he swooped her onto this lap. Jayden wrapped Callie in a hug and as Andrew sat down his brows furrowed in concern. His thumbs gently wiped under Madison’s eyes.
“Why are you crying?”
“It’s nothing, baby,” she said with a smile. “They were happy tears.”
He pulled her close to him as Miles Rayford came out with his guitar and a bottle of Jameson. Madison snickered and wondered if he was really going to just take swigs from that big bottle in between songs. It turned out that he didn’t, opting for a beer instead. Miles played several songs, some were old, and some were new ones that Madison hadn’t heard before. Of course they were all new to Andrew but he enjoyed listening to Madison singing along more than anything. As the night progressed, Miles asked for requests. Madison immediately shouted out the name of a song that Andrew didn’t know.
She smiled at him and mouthed that it was her favorite. He watched as she softly sang the lyrics to the song, squeezing his hand at various points. He was overwhelmed with feelings; he could hear Miles Rayford singing with passion in the background, yet all he could focus on was Madison. Her soft lips moving to the words, telling him that she would always be there for him, that he wasn’t alone anymore. Her voice and the words she was singing penetrated him to his core and the minute the song ended he grasped her face in his hands and kissed her, long and hard, forgetting for a moment that they were surrounded by a group of people.
“Well, I’ve never had that kind of response to one of my songs. Maybe I should play that again,” Miles said in his beautiful British accent.
Andrew rested his forehead against Madison’s, trying to catch his breath. Madison kissed him tenderly on his lips and then nestled herself right next to his side. They enjoyed the rest of the show, laughing at the jokes Miles told and enjoying the music. When it was over, they were told they could get autographs in the dining room where items were being sold. Madison jumped up excitedly, wanting to be the first in line to get Miles' signature and get a photo taken with him. She snatched Andrew’s hand and practically jerked him down the hall. Andrew was flabbergasted at how quickly she could move in her heels but he followed her willingly.
“Do you want an autograph, Helios?” she asked to which Andrew shook his head. “Will you take a picture of me and Miles?”
He sighed. “Yeah, sure.”
When Miles had settled in, he glanced up to her, waiting for her to approach him. Madison smiled and grabbed a few items on the table including his current EP and the album that had the song on it that she loved so much. She wanted Andrew to have it.
“What’s your name?” Miles asked as Madison handed him the CD.
“Madison,” she answered somewhat star struck.
“That's a lovely name,” he said with a smile.
“Thank you.” Madison watched him sign her CD’s. “I saw you in New York earlier this year. You were great but I liked how this was set up. It was really personal.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” he said casually and then added. “You know I live in New York.”
Madison grinned because she already knew that but didn’t want to tell him that because she didn’t want him to think she was some kind of stalker.
“Me too,” she added.
“Really?” he replied with a genuine smile. “The other day one of my mates took me to this place on Bleecker Street...”
“Oh My God! Johns, right?” Madison said touching his arm.
He started laughing. “Yeah, that’s it. Best...”
“... brick oven pizza in New York,” Madison said finishing his sentence.
They started laughing and talking about food and other places in New York they had both been to while a line started to form. Madison was thrilled to find another pizza connoisseur. It was her guilty pleasure. Andrew, on the other hand, was seething. Not only did he feel this guy was flirting with her, it seemed like she was enjoying it. Finally, he set his hand on the counter, hard, causing them both to jump slightly. Madison looked at him and could see that his eyes were dark and his jaw was locked, his perfect lips were in a tight line and he emitted a lethality that was inherently frightening.
“I think you have taken up enough of his time,” Andrew said, motioning his head towards the line of people waiting.
“Thank you, Miles,” Madison said grabbing her things.
“You don’t want a picture?” he asked and Madison turned quickly to Andrew who pinched his eyes shut. Callie who was standing next in line snatched the phone out of Andrew’s hand while motioning to Jayden to take Andrew outside.
“Madison, it’s alright,” she said holding up Madison’s phone.
Madison moved her eyes away from Andrew’s retreating figure and sighed. Callie took her picture and then Madison took Callie’s. She stepped aside and watched as Andrew paced on the patio. She could tell that Jayden was talking to him as his hands were moving animatedly. Madison handed Callie the phone and then walked slowly out onto the patio. Andrew immediately sensed her presence and turned right away. When he saw her sad and worried face he rushed to her and held her tightly.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”
“No, you shouldn’t have. You need to trust me around other men.”
“I... I don’t trust them,” he mumbled into her hair.
She let out an exaggerated sigh before running her hands up and down his back and resting them on his lower back. She held him close to her as his hands worked themselves into her hair. He kissed the top of her head and lifted her up, stumbling down the steps of the patio. He looked around and veered to the right, towards the side of the house.
“Where are you taking me, to your caveman lair?”
He tried to laugh. “I suppose I deserved that one.”
Madison looked around and giggled. “I don’t want to have sex out here, Helios. It’s dirty and I’ll ruin my clothes.”
He plopped her down and leaned her against the side of the building. His fingers traced along her cleavage and down the buttons on her shirt. He started kissing along her neck, working his way towards her breasts. She wanted to be angry with him but a part of her understood why he felt unsure of himself. She was positive she was his first girlfriend, and being so, he had no idea what was okay and what clearly wasn’t. She also presumed that he was so used to fighting for everything that he expected to fight for her as well. She brought her hand to his hair, letting her fingers entwine in his chaotic locks.
“Oh Helios, what am I going to do with you?” she whispered.
~*~
After the show, the four had wanted to get something to eat and had wandered aimlessly in town, realizing that everything closed at 8:00 p.m. This had thrown Madison off completely. Having lived in New York for a greater part of her life, she couldn’t understand how nothing was open. In New York, one could always find a diner serving food at any given hour. Madison now sat in one of the comfortable chairs outside the resort's restaurant. There was a man singing in the bar to a group of drunken party goers who were now swaying to his rendition of Jim Croce’s Time in a Bottle, and in stark contrast, loud music was booming from inside the main restaurant where there was a wedding reception going on. Andrew and Jayden were currently arguing with the poor man inside the bar, trying to determine what food was available.
Madison rested her elbow on the arm of the chair and placed her forehead on her hand thinking about the night. Andrew’s jealousy and need to fight was getting to be a little too much for her. How was she supposed to avoid contact with other men? She couldn’t be with Andrew at all times and at some point she would need to work again. There would clearly be men in any office she worked at. Would he always respond this way? Would his first impulse always be to beat someone up? She felt hands on her knees and turned to see Andrew kneeling in front of her. He wore a distraught expression on his face.
“Madison, are you still angry at me?” he asked with great concern.
Madison cupped his face lovingly and kissed him softly on the lips. “What’s the word on food, baby?” she asked, avoiding his question because she really wasn’t sure how she felt at the moment.
He watched her hesitantly before speaking. “The only thing available is the bar menu, which isn’t a lot. I brought a menu out so you could look at it.”
“Is there room for us to eat in there?” she asked, glancing at the bar.
He shook his head. “They said the dining section was closed and they would need to contact the manager to see if we could sit in there but I don’t know, it’s really loud and there are a lot of drunken assholes around. What do you want to do?”
Madison continued to look towards the bar. She didn’t really want to be in there but then she also was not prepared to talk to Andrew about what happened at the concert. She pushed a stray hair behind her ear and turned to Andrew. He clearly looked distressed and it was obvious that he wasn’t sure how to interpret her behavior.
“Okay, well let’s order room service and go up to our suite.” Madison turned to Callie and Jayden. “We are just going to order room service. Should we meet for breakfast?”
“That sounds good, Madison. We are going to do the same thing,” Jayden said, eyeing the two of them speculatively.
Madison offered Andrew a small smile before taking the menu he had brought out. She skimmed through it before deciding.
“I’ll have a Diet Coke and the Filet Mignon Quesadilla. Just go to the bar and order for us there, baby,” she said, handing the menu to Andrew, “Be sure to give them our suite number to deliver it to.”
He kissed her, feeling that there was something off. He knew he had messed up earlier. He had gotten carried away. Jayden had ripped him a new one on the patio and told him that what he had done wasn’t cool and that Madison had every right to be upset with him. He had been in the middle of telling him how to fix it when Madison had walked out on the patio. Andrew had done the first thing that came to his mind which was to please her but he sensed that it was just a temporary fix. Now he was desperate to figure out what he needed to do to make it right.
“I love you,” he finally whispered against her lips.
“I love you too, Andrew.”
“I’m really sorry for what happened at the show,” he said remorsefully.
“I know,” she said with a sigh. “We can talk about it later. Now feed me before I turn into a bitch.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Andrew said with a smile, relieved at her snarky comment, thinking that maybe he didn’t mess up as bad as he thought he had. “I’ll be right back,” he said, jump
ing to his feet and heading into the bar to place their order.
26WORRISOME
The ride home the next day had been solemn. It seemed as if they were all dealing with the stark reality that court was the next day. No one knew what to say. Callie had done her best to initiate small talk throughout the two hour drive but Madison was lost in her own thoughts as fear about tomorrow gripped her. Andrew could not avoid the inevitable. As good as he knew Mr. Bennett was, he wasn’t sure it would be enough to overturn the word of a senator’s son. He was tired, as well, as he and Madison had made love all night so neither got very much sleep. He had been so restless and unsure of what would happen that it had caused a serious bout of insomnia. As the foursome pulled up to the Bennett’s home, Madison let out a sigh and turned to Callie and Jayden.
“Thanks for everything, guys. This weekend was amazing,” Madison said sincerely.
“You’re welcome,” Jayden replied as he opened the door. He then tapped Andrew on the shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Andrew turned with a startled expression on his face. “You’re coming to court?”
Jayden smiled. “Of course I am. You’re my friend and I want to be there. We both do,” he said squeezing Callie’s hand. “Unless you don’t want us to go.”
“No, I’d like you both to be there,” Andrew said, grabbing Madison’s hand in his. “The more support we have the better. Thanks.”
After retrieving their bags and finishing their goodbyes, Madison pulled away from the driveway and headed towards Andrew’s home. She felt apprehensive as she nervously chewed on her bottom lip. She glanced at him and saw him looking out the window, his forehead showing evidence of his concern.
“You’re spending the night with me, right?” Madison asked timidly.
“I want to,” he said turning to face her.
Helios Awakened (The Helios Chronicles #1) Page 25
