by TM Watkins
When he opened the email, Sam was surprised to see something from Lilly. He hadn’t heard from her since the day they’d left Glasgow. She hadn’t even emailed him about the issues with the rider changes.
Always optimistic, Sam opened the email.
Sam,
How are you? How’s the competition going? I hope you’re kicking their asses!
I know it’s rather random, but I’d like to see you again. I know you said that you’d be in the UK again briefly, if I came to London is there a chance that we could catch up?
Let me know, Lilly.
Sam sighed, wishing that she’d emailed him earlier than this. Clicking on the reply button, he began to type and wondered why she wanted to see him again. Their few days together had been fun, but he didn’t think that she was that interested in him. Maybe he was wrong.
Lilly,
I’m doing well, how are you? The competition is going well. I try my best, but I’m sure that one of them will beat me. Sadly, I’m writing this on the jet, flying out of Heathrow. If I’d gotten this a few days earlier, we could have arranged something.
The schedule is tight but if you can make it to Europe then maybe we can meet up. Let me know what you think.
Sam.
Sending the email, Sam tried to continue with his work but found the wait for the return email to be extremely distracting. He couldn’t concentrate, and he was desperate to know why Lilly had contacted him. Unable to take it any longer, he opened the email again and responded.
Lilly,
I have to know, why do you want to see me?
Sam.
Almost instantly, Lilly replied.
Because I like you and because I want to see you again. When will you be in Paris?
Sam knew that they’d be in Paris for a few days, he opened the tour itinerary and sent Lilly the dates.
I can’t make that. Are you coming back to the UK?
“Sam,”
He looked up, closing the lid of his laptop.
“Yes, Jerry?”
Jerry leaned on the headrest of the seat in front of Sam. He looked frustrated.
“We have confirmation from the hotels about the minibars?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And the riders?”
“Of course.”
He paused, hesitant in how to approach Sam with the thoughts in his mind.
“El and I have been discussing Christmas, returning to the US and of course, Curtis.”
“Oh,” Sam said softly.
That was something that he hadn’t thought of. They’d all be returning to their families, and Curtis would return to his little apartment with his demons for company. Maybe he might go to his parents for Christmas, maybe he might spend the day drinking somewhere. The thought of it made Sam’s stomach turn.
“We, as El and I have decided that we’re spending Christmas in Germany and we’re going to tell Curtis that he has to stay with us. We’re inviting our kids over to join us so if you want to stay, then you can invite your folks along, that’s fine with us.”
“That’s uh, mighty kind of you Jerry. I’m sure that my parents would love it. What about the others?”
“We’ll be having a conversation about that in a few minutes, just waiting for Curtis to finish his session. I just wanted you to know that the invitation extends to you as well.”
Sam smiled, nodding as Jerry lifted off the back of the seat. Christmas was a few months away, but it meant that they would be in the one place for a short while. It might be enough for Lilly to get there, that is if she gets holidays.
When Jerry walked away, Sam opened the laptop again and found an email waiting for him.
I might be able to get to Europe while the center is closed for Christmas, but I will only have from the twenty-fourth to the twenty-seventh, I have to be back for a New Year’s function at the center.
Sam smiled and replied to the email, telling her that he’d be in Germany for the Christmas break.
Jerry called for everyone’s attention, Sam shut his laptop again and set it aside. Standing in front of everyone, Jerry looked at Curtis as he sat down beside Austin. Curtis appeared to be getting better. His face was brighter, he looked alert and dressed in clothes that were clean and tidy. Curtis wasn’t a slob, but there were times when he’d seen Sam order him out of what he was wearing and into something more appropriate.
It had only been a couple of weeks but Jerry was happy, the outlook was bright. Curtis wasn’t slurring his words, and his overall demeanor had improved.
“El and I have decided to stay in Germany over the Christmas break. The boys are coming over, and we’d love for you to join us. Curtis, don’t take offense but you’re not going home.”
Everyone looked at Curtis who quietly nodded.
“It’s for the best son, you’re only just learning self-control and to let you return to what could be a potential risk would be negligent on our part. We are your family, we are the ones that want the best for you. Do you understand that Curtis?”
“Yeah.”
Sam quietly breathed out with relief. Curtis was accepting of the changes, something that Sam didn’t think would happen.
“You are welcome to invite your families and siblings. Curtis, the invitation extends to your family as well but if they start anything, fists are going to fly, and asses are going to be kicked.”
“I won’t be inviting them regardless.” Curtis murmured. “Don’t want them ruining it and we all know that they will.”
There was a lot of agreement, Sam said nothing. He was looking forward to seeing his parents again and felt sorry for Curtis. He probably missed them like crazy and to be faced with such rejection, it would be crushing.
With the mini meeting over, Sam returned to his emails. There was another email waiting for him.
I can make that. Send me the details, and I’ll make the bookings.
Sending the details to her, Sam added that if she wanted to save money, she could stay in his room. He also added that it was up to her and that there was no pressure or presumption that he’d be getting sex.
Sam knew that the competition stopped for Christmas break. He’d spend the few days resting and enjoying the comforts of a hotel at Christmas time. It was likely to be a good break, filled with sumptuous and healthy food rather than the rubbish that he’d been living on the past few months.
He thought about the gifts that he’d collected along the way, little things to give to his parents. Was it a good idea to get something for Lilly? He didn’t want to assume anything about what would happen, but she was going to be meeting up with him at Christmas time.
Panic began to set in. What should he get her? That is if he got her something. He had to. If she turned up with a gift and he had nothing, he’d look like an idiot. In his mind, Sam decided that he’d get her something small, maybe a necklace or similar. He could hide it somewhere, and if she produced a gift, then he could drag it out for her. If not then he’d take it home and give it to his mom for her birthday.
Lilly didn’t reply for some time, Sam didn’t notice because he became distracted by other emails that had come in from various places that wanted to do interviews. These were all last minute requests, the other places had sent their requests when the official dates were released. Returning all of the emails, Sam offered them various dates and times. Not all requests were met easily but provided that they were flexible, Sam could get them in. This was the price that they paid, and if they didn’t like it, then it was tough luck.
Sam smiled when he saw the email come in from Lilly, he opened it with an eagerness that he’d never felt before.
I’ve booked the flight, and your offer of the room is very generous, I look forward to snuggling into you again. See you in a few months.
xxLilly.
Jaxon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the smiling pokey, wondering what was making him so happy.
“What do you make of that?” He whispered to Fraser.
Frase
r looked at Sam, seeing the smile. It wasn’t an odd thing for Sam to smile but he never smiled when he looked at his laptop. It was nothing but work and dealing with the mess that came from five rock gods. Between the emails from hotels complaining about their trashed rooms to groupies emailing scandalous images in the hope of getting their attention, Sam’s days were filled with frowning at the computer.
“It’s strange,” Fraser whispered back. “Maybe he’s hitting up some of those groupies. Can we trust the system?”
“Nah man, that’s not his style. You know him, he’s a good boy.”
“Unlike us?”
Jaxon sniggered, nodding profusely. Fraser moved onto his side, glancing at Sam one last time. Distracted, the way that Fraser liked pokey to be.
“Where do you think he’s at with the numbers?”
“Dunno. Every time I ask, he always avoids answering me.”
“We need to get his phone off him.”
Jaxon scoffed, rolling his eyes.
“Yeah, good luck with that one. He’s so protective of it after we found that first girl. Did you know that she’s ditched him?”
“Nuh. Crazy girl, pokey’s like a god in the sack, apparently.”
Jaxon frowned at Fraser.
“Where did you hear that?”
“Some chick I banged in the UK. Said she’d go back to that table for seconds.”
He turned and looked at Sam, wondering if it was possible.
“Maybe she was just yanking your chain, Fras.”
“Seriously? Have you seen the pink monster?”
“Just because you’ve got the goods doesn’t mean you know how to use it.”
“I’m going to ignore that statement because I’m pretty damned sure that the legion of women that I’ve fucked would say differently. Now, the phone. I want numbers, I want to know where he really sits.”
Jaxon shrugged as he turned back to Fraser.
“Can’t get him drunk anymore, we could try and separate him from the bag.”
“Nuh, it’s always in his pocket.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I searched his bag when he was banging that chick at the lounge.”
Jaxon glared at Fraser.
“He banged some chick at the airport?” He hissed under his breath.
“Dude, you need to open your eyes. No wonder you’ve got no idea of his real number.”
“So, how do you know what he was up to?”
Fraser shrugged, shifting in his seat.
“Because I watched him pay the barman for a free drink, I saw the barman talking to the chick on the other side of the bar. She walked off, and I moved to the archway to the corridor and saw them entering the women’s bathroom. While he was distracted, I searched for his phone. It’s not in his bag.”
Jaxon huffed, he remembered seeing Fraser rifling through pokeys bag, but he didn’t think much of it. Sam always had chewing gum in his bag and said that they could help themselves whenever they wanted. Jaxon assumed that Fraser needed to unblock his ears.
“Of course it’s not. He’d have to take the picture.”
“Yeah but you know that he’s protective of it.”
Getting access to Sam’s phone was going to be difficult but Jaxon always liked a challenge. One way or another, he’d get it.
Chapter 17
Sam smiled as he pressed the screen, taking a photo. This pretty lady was thin and pale, the red lipstick on her body seemed almost harsh against the milky white. But she was beautiful. The long black hair flowed down her chest, curling around the perky breasts. There wasn’t much of them, but Sam was okay with that. This wasn’t about play time, this was about adding another beauty to his list.
Slipping the phone into his pocket, he held out a few tissues to the woman.
“Thank you, my dear. Now as for your reward for your silence, who do you want to play with later this evening?”
“Evan.” She gushed. “He’s so dreamy.”
Gritting a smile, Sam nodded.
“Alright, Evan it is. Remember, silence.”
She nodded, wiping the lipstick off her body. Once she was dressed, Sam guided her into the area set aside for the fans to meet with the band after the performance. A few people were mingling, but at the moment, most of the people were still upstairs, listening to the music.
“There you go, my dear. Help yourself to the food and drink, mingle with the other fans and stay in this area. If you leave, then I can’t guarantee that you’ll get back in.”
She nodded before wandering over to the long table filled with food and drinks.
Sam always thought it was odd that people would pay all this money to get into the concert but not actually watch it. Instead, they’d make their way to the meet and greet room, waiting and ever hopeful. It was foolish in his opinion, Sam knew that there were a few bands that would often skip this part of their night in favor of doing something more entertaining. Some would put an effort in, but it was always subpar. They never lasted long, the fans would drop them like a hot potato.
Night Fire’s rise to fame was partly due to their commitment to their fans. They always did a meet and greet, they signed things for them, posed for photos and chatted with them. It was the one thing that Sam truly admired them for.
Someone beside him cleared her throat, Sam turned and saw the diminutive woman with a shy smile.
“Hello princess.”
“Hey.” She said with a giggle. “Word is, you’re the man to see for a guaranteed good time.”
“Absolutely. Who do you want?”
Sam pulled out his notepad, the names of his conquests already written down with their preferred band members beside it. So far, he had a woman for Evan and Fraser with two possibilities lingering for Austin. Sam was yet to get into their pants but the night had only just started, the band would be on stage for another two hours. Then he had to find a conquest for Jaxon, screw her and ensure that like the others, she kept her mouth shut.
The woman said nothing, dragging Sam into the room behind them.
“Darling, you didn’t answer.”
“It’s okay. Just a quickie is fine with me.”
Sam was a little bewildered but said nothing, dropping his pants and rolling on the condom. He’d only just finished fucking Evan’s friend for tonight, and the freak in his pants was up again. Sam wondered if he would walk away from this tour an addict and unable to maintain the lifestyle once he went home. Maybe participating wasn’t a good idea.
The woman opened the buttons of her dress, naked underneath. Sam stared at the sublime body, perfectly toned skin with curves that were stunning. Pushing into her, Sam stilled for a moment, enjoying the beauty of this woman.
“You didn’t answer me, my dear,” Sam whispered in her ear as he began to flex into her body.
“I’m good for whatever.”
She was breathing heavily with each thrust, Sam slid his hand over her body, toying with those luscious breasts.
“How about… Kurt? You wanna fuck him?”
“Yes.”
The woman nodded, groaning as Sam fucked her harder. He groaned, finishing quickly. Something was wrong, and he knew that he didn’t want to be there anymore.
“Photo time?”
Sam looked at her, smiling as he nodded. Searching for his phone, he huffed with amusement as he remembered that he had two phones with him at the moment. One was his, the other belonged to Curtis. Well, it would soon. This was an attempt at getting rid of his toxic parents once and for all, a new phone. They wouldn’t know the number, and they wouldn’t hassle Curtis. Provided that he stayed away from social media where they could try and contact him, he could have his phone back. Curtis was eager for it, wanting to move forward in his life and he knew that it was done without his family.
It was his friend’s birthday, and Curtis wanted to phone him after the performance, so Sam brought the phone with him. Otherwise, it would have been left on the tour bus.
She did it, Sam couldn’t believe how foolish she was. Except, she already knew what would happen. Clearly, she’d been informed of the procedure. Sam turned the lipstick up and wrote on the woman’s body. He pulled the condom off and draped it over her thigh, taking the picture with his phone. Sam hid it under the tablet and picked up the new phone.
“There, that’s great.”
Lifting a few tissues from the box, Sam smeared the lipstick, momentarily setting the phone on the table. She didn’t see what he’d written on her body, and she didn’t care. While he was distracted, she slipped the phone into her bag.
Once they were dressed, Sam guided her out of the meet and greet area.
“What’s going on?”
“Well, you’re not a fan. Are you?”
“I am.” She protested.
“No, you’re not. I asked you if you wanted to fuck Kurt. There is no Kurt in this band. So, hand back the phone that you stole. It’s a brand new phone, and there’s nothing on it.”
Her lips pressed tight, she glanced at the door that was being guarded. Beyond the burly man was the car park and nothing more.
“You knew about the picture taking, but I said nothing about that. You’ve been told to do this, by who?”
She shifted on her feet, looking uneasily at the man.
“One of the band members. I don’t know, I came here with my little sister. She wanted an all-access pass, he gave us one each provided that I did this one little job for him.”
“What did he look like?”
“Tall, beefy kind of guy.”
Fraser.
“Said that I needed to approach you and get your phone. Best time would be when you’re distracted, suggested that somewhere quiet would be a good idea. Then he mentioned the competition and that you’d be eager to get another number up, told me what I had to do.”
“Well, sadly, you failed. Now, where were you going to meet him to give him the phone?”
“Said to be outside the gated area, he’d send one of the guards for me. You’re not going to kick us out, are you?”
“No, but you can return to the performance. Where’s your sister?”
“In the corridor, she wanted to make sure she got to meet the band.”
