by TM Watkins
But Austin had something over the rest of them that they could never compete with, he was the front man. Girls always swooned over the front man. As the bass player, he was relegated to the back, behind the two guitarists that were cheeky and comical and the drummer that had rippling muscles.
They'd agreed to go again this tour, and Fraser was determined that he wasn't going to be trumped by the pretty boy singer. He was already tied with Aus, all he had to do was keep watch and keep quiet. It was easy, he would win this time.
Fraser looked at Curtis who was passed out on the seat, the belt buckle still done up. For some reason, Curtis didn’t participate in the competition and offered no reason as to why. He’d seen Curtis talking to women but as for hard evidence that he was getting laid? Nothing. Women came out of his room of a morning, but that meant nothing. He’d heard what Curtis said to Sam earlier. Curtis was lonely.
It wasn’t surprising to Fraser, he knew how lonely life on the road was. Their lives weren’t that different, just a few little details that set them apart. His parents were dead, Curtis’s parents might as well be considering the way they treated him. They both had assholes for brothers who didn’t deserve the attention that they’d gotten from their parents.
Fraser frowned at the thought of his brother. He hoped that he was rotting in his jail cell. The thoughts of that waste of space just added to the abysmal start to this day.
Jaxon's eyes darted to the lumbering brute that was his friend, he didn't seem pleased at all. Considering that the whole plane had heard the effort, he could understand why.
“Mister Ryan, I really do not need to see your conquests.”
Jaxon turned back to him, noting that there was no usual flush of embarrassment on pokey's cheeks.
“Aw pokey you do, you know. We're going again this year, and we want you to be a part of it. All you got to do is screw lots of women and be the highest number at the end of the tour.”
“I have a girlfriend,” Sam muttered.
“Was that the woman in your bed last night pokey? You should have said, we could have dropped her home.”
Sam's eyes darted out the window, that was two that had caught him now. He thought that he might as well give up the charade that was his fidelity and go with the flow.
“Alright Mister Ryan, I will join in your stupid little game.”
“Woohoo!” Jaxon shouted as he stood from his seat and turned to the other band members “Pokey's playing the game boys!”
There was a round of chuckles and Sam wanted to shrink into the leather seat, wishing to hide from the pure shame of it all.
Jaxon thumped himself back into the seat and flicked over to the next beauty that had graced his bed.
“So, this is all you need, one picture with the date on their torso and the used condom in her hand. Has to be open, you can't go tying it off. Otherwise, you might be cheating.”
“How would it be cheating if there is a naked woman on my bed?”
Jaxon lifted his gaze to pokey, seriousness washing over his face.
“Just a rule pokey, I didn't make it up.”
Sam nodded and left it at that, there was something about serious Jaxon that always made him concerned. Under the mask of the clown was a person that was still hurting from being abandoned by his mother. His saving grace was his father who found him living in pitiful conditions with the maternal aunt, his drugged-out mother had disappeared.
Sam didn't want to contemplate the kind of mother that would abandon a child to another and in worse conditions than he was already living in. It was likely that she had her reasons and maybe she thought that the aunt could give him a better life. But she did it, and though it seemed like a dire situation, good had sprung from it. His father found Jaxon, brought him to Las Vegas and changed his world for the better.
Jaxon flicked the long mop of blonde to one side, shaved over the sides of his head and down a straight line to the base of his neck. Sam often saw the anxious side of Jaxon when he ran both hands along the lengths of hair and pulled them straight back over his head. But this gesture was casual and laid back, happy with things in his world.
The stewardess was trying to make herself look useful, and Sam wasn't fooled. He'd heard the muffled moans, he'd seen that she was missing along with Fraser. And he wasn't an idiot to believe that Jaxon really wanted to show him dozens of sordid images of women. He was too tired to care, preferring to have a few hours of sleep before landing.
“Mister Ryan, your attempts at keeping me occupied while the restroom was in use was valiant and well done. You are free to go about as you please and do not need to pretend that you weren't part of the ruse.”
“Well done pokey.” He said as he leaned over. “You know, if you didn't go and interrupt, I wouldn't have to keep you occupied.”
“I will take that into consideration.”
Jaxon's eyes narrowed with a playful grin. “You do that pokey, you do just that.”
Chapter 5
Austin stared out the window of his London hotel room, the view of the bustling city was enticing. The sky was the brightest blue he'd ever seen, he didn't think it was possible that a different country could have a better looking sky, but it seemed that way. Maybe it was just his outlook on his life at the moment. Maybe things seemed good because he had a positive frame of mind.
He wanted out of the hotel, he wanted to play tourist. To search through the streets and find an odd little shop to explore. To find a street vendor and sample the local food. But he couldn't just walk out and play tourist no matter how much he really wanted to.
Austin couldn't sleep, having found a few hours on the plane he was now wide awake. The concert for tonight was a couple of hours away, and he wondered if he could convince Sam to let him do one thing.
One little tourist thing. But what?
Scanning the landscape, the bright white wheel caught his eye. A wry smile twitched across his lips, and he turned to the room, collecting his things and set out to search for his overprotective assistant.
When he opened the door, Austin saw Sam in the corridor with Dominic and Joe. Their faces were ones of complete distaste, in front of them were two young women.
“Oh my god.” One squealed.
“Austin!” The other shrieked.
Austin wondered if he could have timed that any better. He loved the fans, but in such a setting it wasn't ideal. This was their sanctuary, when they invited people here it was okay but when they found their own way it was different. They'd broken through the hotel security measures and made it onto the locked floor.
Joe and Dominic hauled the women in maid’s outfits to their feet and dragged them to the service elevator. They were no match for the two guards, but still, they tried.
“Tell them it's okay.” The squealer yelled out from the other end of the corridor.
“I can't, you broke the rules.”
“That she did,” Sam said distastefully. “You look like a man on a mission Mister Gibson.”
Austin turned from the view of the closed elevator doors to Sam, the man that could grant or deny his tourist wishes.
“I want to go and see the London Eye.”
“You are going to your concert in a few hours, don't you think you should be resting?”
“Did that on the plane, too awake. Want to do this, please daddy?”
Austin pouted with big sad eyes, waiting for Sam to cave. With a huff and a roll of the eyes, Sam relented.
“Find a guard, and you are to be back no later than six pm, and that's London time Austin.”
“Already done,” Aus said as he waggled his phone at him.
Aus waited by the elevator for Dominic and Joe to return, the other guards he didn't know where they were. These two were always around, always by their sides and he knew them better than the others.
Jack exited the elevator when the doors opened.
“Mister Gibson, is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I was just waiting for
a guard so that I could go to the London Eye.”
“Okay, I can take you if you want.”
Austin nodded, any other choices were clearly busy.
“Great. I'll grab some things and let Mister Easton know.”
He wandered off as Austin leaned on the wall. Jack hadn't been with them long, about six months now. He seemed reasonable, but Austin hadn't really gotten to know him. Jack was often watching over their possessions rather than their bodies.
A few minutes later they were on their way, the town car meandering through the London traffic. Austin's eyes widened as they turned onto the street, glimpses of the white flashing at him. The vehicle slowed beside a group of people, Austin was grateful that they were a little older and that it was likely that they wouldn't recognize him. Jack had come out of his room with the obligatory cap and glasses for Austin, much to his disgust. He hated hiding, but he had no choice, especially if he wanted to play tourist for an hour.
“Looks like we have to walk from here Mister Gibson,” Jack said as he leaned through the gap from the passenger seat.
“Sure thing Jack.” Austin smiled brightly at him.
The driver opened the door, almost making a spectacle out of it. Already they were being watched, considering that he had a man following him that looked Stallone, and Schwarzenegger had a kid and popped out Jack.
Yes, who he was and what Jack was, was incredibly obvious. People watched, people whispered. Austin tried to ignore them by soaking in the surrounds, trying to enjoy his hour of freedom. To one side was a line of trees, beyond them was a park with beautiful green grass. The other side was a line of buildings. None of it really mattered, what he wanted was dead ahead.
A circle of white towered over him, filling him with a thrill that he'd never had before.
Standing in front of thousands of screaming fans was nothing compared to the amount of happiness found in a moment of freedom. Austin was happy to wait in the line even if he could flash his identity around and get instant access.
That wasn't the way he did things.
Slowly he made his way to the front of the line, the whole time Jack was nervously watching his watch. They were going to be cutting it fine.
“Relax, we can always go straight to the venue if we're running late.”
Jack nodded but not happy at the situation.
“Got to do it today man, tomorrow we're on the road, and there won't be time for it.”
“Of course, Mister Gibson.”
The attendant ushered them into the capsule and then to the line that had increased significantly. Austin knew why.
“Excuse me, sir, would you mind if other people joined you?”
Austin looked at the growing crowd, there were a lot of females, and he didn't want to be trapped with them. He wanted peace and quiet. Then he saw the middle-aged couple with two teen children.
“Yeah, send the family in.”
The man nodded and ushered the extras into the capsule, closing the door and encasing Austin away from the frustrated crowd.
“Are you famous?” The boy asked.
“Peter!” His father scolded. “Mind your manners.”
“It's alright.” Austin smiled as he spoke, removing the cap and glasses now that they were moving. “Just a little.”
Peter's eyes looked from the man to the other fellow, his guard.
“Are you a police officer?”
“Security guard.”
Austin turned to the view, ignoring the kid's gushing at how cool it must be to have a job like Jack's. He knew it wasn't. It was a hard life away from loved ones for long stretches of time. Sure, Jack got a free trip around the world, but it wasn't the same as a vacation. Not when he'd have to fight crowds and keep the groupies at bay. Long hours with minimal sleep, a pitiful diet that consisted of whatever could be found on the table in the green room.
His eyes turned to the mother and daughter, both with strands of long brown hair. The mother had hers into a ponytail, the daughter in a long plait. Bright brown eyes looked up at him, cautious of the man before her.
Wary of looking like a pervert, Austin looked away. She had to be somewhere around sixteen or seventeen, and with her parents and brother locked into the capsule with him, he didn't need to be accused of things that weren't true.
The view over London was magnificent, the sun was slowly setting on the day. Quietly grateful for taking the leap, Austin smiled and continued to enjoy the view.
“Are you from America?”
Austin turned to the young lady, her wariness still exuding. She had the sleeves of her shirt pulled over her hands, her arms crossed over her thin body.
“I am, and I'm guessing you are too.” He offered with a smile, noting that the mother was moving closer.
“I usually live in Nevada.”
Her eyes widened at the statement.
“Vegas?”
“Yeah,” Austin said with a chuckle.
“We're on vacation.” Her eyes darted to her father and her brother.
London was their pick, not hers.
“Are you on vacation too?”
“Not really.” Austin returned a little morose. “Working holiday.”
She nodded as her arms tightened over her body, the thin shirt wasn't doing anything to keep her warm.
“Are you cold?”
“It's okay.” She shrugged with a smile. “We'll be back at the hotel soon.”
Austin shook his head as he took his jacket off, dumping it onto her shoulders.
“Thanks.”
The word was barely there, softly spoken gratitude as she tightened the leather over her body.
“What do you do?”
Austin turned from his view, wondering if he now regretted the choice of occupants to join him in the capsule.
“Singer.”
He waited for the pieces to connect, she was the right age to be a screaming fangirl. But nothing came. All that he got was a nod and nothing more.
Her eyes darted to her mother who had joined her father and brother on the other side of the capsule.
“I suppose you're really famous if you need to have a guard, right?”
Austin nodded and watched as her eyes darted back to her parents.
“Sorry, I wouldn't know. Not allowed to listen to music.”
His eyes raised with shock but he said nothing.
“How long are you in London for?”
“Tonight, moving on tomorrow.”
“That's pretty harsh.” Her lips and nose twitched derisively. “So, when did you get here?”
Austin grinned at the pretty brunette.
“About an hour ago.”
Her eyes widened at him as her mouth went slack.
“Wow.” She breathed, slightly shocked.
“That's why I came out, just one little tourist thing before I move on again.”
“Why do you do it?”
Austin shrugged, his finger running along the edge of the wall as he looked at it.
“To be something amazing. Something wonderful. To give to others through my ability to entertain. Maybe my efforts might make them happy, maybe it might make their day better. It's a dream, to be so great and live a great life, it's all that I've ever wanted. Bright lights and a cheering crowd, it makes me happy.”
The capsule started the final part of its decent, slowly pulling in. Austin knew that his tourist moment was coming to an end and even though he'd spent the most of it talking to a couple of kids, he didn't care.
He turned to the last of the view, the rippling water to one side and the crowd to the other. Word had gotten out.
“Here.”
Austin turned to the young lady who was holding his jacket out.
“Thanks, I feel better now.”
“Anytime.”
He smiled and took the jacket, putting it back on. The part in her shirt showed off a gold necklace, her name as the pendant.
“Is that your name?”
A soft blush crossed her cheeks as she smiled, nodding gently.
As the door slid open the crowd started to roar his name, Jack was by his side in an instant.
“Maybe we should go first to draw the crowd away from the kids.”
“Sure, thing Jack.”
Austin turned to the young lady who was still watching him closely. Her parents held back, shocked at the view ahead of them.
“Do you dream of your future?”
She nodded, and Austin smiled.
“Then dream big and follow those dreams like I did.”
Then he stepped out into the burdening crowd that enveloped him in an instant.
Jack huffed as he tried to clear a path for Austin, girls screaming and crying out for a moment. Flashes of cameras, bits of paper and pens being thrust to them.
“We're going to have to go straight to the concert Mister Gibson.”
“Okay.”
The man smiled to himself as he pushed onward, Austin was so easy going, so easy to deal with. Compared to the other four, he was like a walk in the park.
Chapter 6
The first concert of the tour was mid-way through the set, Evan's fingertips slid along the neck of his guitar as he lazily strummed the strings. Austin was rousing the crowd like he always did. Lapping up the attention of the gorgeous frontman and of course the crazy antics of Jaxon. Evan took a moment to scan the front row of the pit. As always it was littered with lots of entertainment that he could choose from.
But that in itself was always difficult. Getting them out of the crowd without others following, not upsetting the other fans that weren't chosen. Offering nothing more than a smile he turned back to the stage.
Curtis upended a drink bottle, from the exterior it looked like water, but no one was fooled. It was a rough road to travel being the black sheep of the family, but Curtis kept moving forward even if it was done with a bottle in his hand.
With a move it along gesture from Fraser, Evan started with the next song, Silent Prayer. There was nothing religious about the song whatsoever, this was about a woman on her knees and obviously quiet because her mouth was rather full. According to Jaxon who was the composer of the song, it was a love song to an unknown woman in Ontario. Evan smiled at the thought, the word love was used rather loosely.
