by Clara Bayard
“Well now they want him. And in a hurry or he’ll miss soundcheck. Don’t give them more than thirty minutes.”
“All right.” I looked at Dex sadly. “I’ll let him know.”
“Good. And if he’s hung over, give him a shot. I need him friendly.”
“Of course, Ryan. I’ll take care of it.”
“Yes.”
“Is there anything else? Do you want me to head over to the venue?”
“No. You stay with him. For whatever reason he listens to you. Keep him focused and in line.”
“Yes, okay.” I hated him talking about Dex like that, as if he was some unruly child, but I couldn’t defend him. Standing up to Ryan was a surefire way to get us caught.
I was about to ask if he needed anything else, but he’d already hung up. I sighed and ended the call.
“Duty calls?” Dex asked.
“For both of us, I’m sorry to say.”
“What is it?”
“Interview. Last minute change.”
He rolled his eyes. “Print or video?”
“Just print. But they want you right now. Can’t say I blame them. I feel the same way.”
Dex arched an eyebrow. “Naughty sex-kitten. That’s what you are.”
I smiled and kissed him lightly. “Come on. Let’s at least fix your hair a little. The rest of your sloppy appearance works for your party-boy image.”
“You’ll pay for that comment, Becca.”
I licked my lips and looked into his eyes. “Looking forward to it.”
He groaned and let me drag him into the bathroom.
Chapter Six
It was really awkward to sit nearby while Dex recorded an interview, but I was determined to find some way to do my job well, distracted as I might be. In the quiet meeting room far from the noise of the hotel lobby, all I could do was sit there and be quiet as he charmed the woman from the radio station. She was tall and skinny with blond hair, but it was brassy and too long. I suspected extensions, hoping she hadn’t fried her own locks to achieve the hard ringlets framing her face.
“So Dex,” she continued, leaning in a little to make sure her digital recorder caught everything. “Is this your first visit to Glasgow?”
“Yeah. Just got in actually so I’ve not seen anything but the airport and this hotel. But so far I’m a big fan.” He winked and she grinned wide.
I rolled my eyes.
“Well I hope you’ll get to see more of our fair city.”
“Me too. I’ve heard there are wicked pubs here. Can’t wait to check a few of those out.”
“Ha ha,” she said. Actually said the words instead of laughing. “Does that mean your reputation is correct? Are you the wild one of the band?”
“I don’t know about that. I like to have a good time. We all do. That’s why we’re in a band instead of getting real jobs.”
“I bet your fans think your job is quite real. Dream Defiled is all the rage over in the States. Tell me, why come over here now?”
“We want all the fans to get a chance to come see us live. I’d go to every city in the world if I could. It’s a thank you to everyone who is buying our albums. And there’s nothing like a live rock show.”
“Too true. Now, let’s go back a little. We all know the phenomenon of Dream Defiled now, but tell us how you began. Who put the band together, and more importantly, who came up with the name?”
Dex chuckled. “Joe and I met in Los Angeles. I’d been kicked out of my previous band and was bumming around trying to find anyone to let me sit in.”
“Kicked out? What did you do?”
“Nothing. Which was the problem. I wasn’t serious about music back then. I just thought I could be lazy and rude and selfish and my talent would get me through.”
“That must have been difficult.”
“Yes. But now I’m quite glad it happened. It made me grow up a bit. Open my eyes to those around me. It led me to being here now, happier than I’ve ever been.” At that he looked over at me and something squeezed at my heart.
“There’s a lesson for rockers to be out there, right?”
“Yes,” he said, clearing his throat. “This is the best job in the world, but you do have to put in the work.”
“Great. Go on…”
I could tell she wasn’t at all interested in hearing about his work ethic.
“Well, one night I was at a club, drinking, not playing. Ran into Joe and some of his buddies. He was doing an after-hours show on his own, but not ‘feeling it’ as he would say. We had a few together and decided to jam, see how it went.”
“And it went well, I suppose.”
Dex laughed and sat back in his chair, clearly enjoying the memory. “Actually, no. We were both too pissed to be of any use at all. But the embarrassment made us want to try again. So we met up later that week and tried stuff out on each other. He sang a couple things he’d been working on and I played a few songs I’d been messing about with. Turned out our styles fit and so we decided to put a band together. It took some time to find the right guys, though. We went through five drummers that first year, I think.”
I wondered why in the world they’d settled on Rick, given his heinous attitude, but Dex didn’t mention that. He might have hated interviews, but he was really good at them. Warm and engaging. Not as outgoing as Joe, but thoughtful in a friendly way. I knew most of the things he was saying and still found myself interested.
“Once we had our guys, we needed a name. Anyone in the business can tell you it’s really tough. You want something memorable that represents you, but not something ten other bands in the city are using.”
“So, Dream Defiled?”
“Mainly my idea. Joe and I were working on lyrics. To a song that eventually turned into Full Dark, but it was really different then. Now the chorus is, ‘Take more, drink more, see more, be more’. But what we had then was something like ‘Take your dream and make it scream.’
“The original idea was how you make dreams happen. The work it takes amidst the partying.” He chuckled. “We ditched the work part, eventually. But anyway, we were going round and round about it. And I kept thinking about this idea of dirtying a dream. Like when you have one as a kid it’s pure and clean. Whatever you want from life, it’s pristine, something shining in the future to look forward to. But when you grow up and actually try to get what you want, it always gets dirty. Your dream is defiled.
“But it isn’t a bad thing, really. It means more when you know what it takes to get it. Everything good is worth working for. And the harder it is to get, the more rewarding when you do.”
The woman was staring at him with rapt attention. It took her a second to even notice he’d stopped talking.
“S-so,” she stuttered, “Now you have defiled your dream. Do you still feel that way? Is it more rewarding?”
“Damn right.” He looked over at me again. “I hear some say achieving your dreams is empty, hollow for them. But I think they must not really want those things. I’ve got everything I have ever wanted and it’s better than I ever dared to hope.”
I blushed and smiled; glad the woman couldn’t see me from her position. I was sure my bursting heart was clear all over my face, but there was no way to stop it. Dex was being so open and honest. Every time I thought he’d done the most perfect, amazing thing, he managed to outdo himself.
“That is a lovely story, Dex. Thank you for sharing it with us. Next let’s move on to talk about the new album. Your first one is still selling well. Why the rush to get new material out?”
“We love recording. Just us blokes locked away for a few months in a studio, laying down tracks is amazing. A great way to spend time between tours. So when we got signed to a new label they wanted something quickly and we were happy to oblige.”
“I’m sure all of your fans appreciate that. Does it mean you’re already working on the next one?”
He laughed. “Well we’re rather busy right now. But Joe and I ar
e always writing. Might just be a hook or a short something we file away, but, yeah. Always writing.”
“Can you give us an exclusive? What’s the last thing you wrote?”
“Well, I can’t say much. As you may recall, Joe got in a spot of trouble last time playing a song in public before it was finished. But I can tell you there’s something working itself out in my head the last few days.”
“Inspired by your trip to the UK, I hope.”
“Partly.”
“We’re not getting anything out of you, are we?”
“Nope.”
“All right, then. Let’s talk about a song that is already released. The first single from the new album is doing very well on the charts worldwide, and getting a ton of downloads. What’s the story behind Always Greener?”
“Well, it was actually the last track we recorded for the album. I think Joe wrote it over a weekend. He went off somewhere with his girl and came back with a song. You’ll have to ask him about the details. I’m rather happy to not know.” He laughed.
I smiled and glanced down at my phone. There were five new emails from Ryan and with a sigh I scrolled through them. Reminders about the interview, some things he needed me to bring over to the venue before the show, small schedule adjustments, nothing too difficult.
Annoyed that I couldn’t give Dex my full attention, I replied to a few and then stepped away to make a call, gesturing that I’d be right back. Dex nodded and went back to charming the woman and her listeners.
*
Sadly, the interview went too long and there was no time for us to be alone before the show. Once Dex was finished, we both retired to our separate rooms to change. I donned my unofficial show day uniform. Black pants and shirt, hair in a bun. Some of the other crew wore band t-shirts, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Just felt cheesy to me.
I called Dex and made sure he would be ready to head over to the club with the rest of the guys, before grabbing a cab over myself early to check in with the club manager. There were the usual small disasters waiting for me, but nothing that could spoil my mood. I felt like I was floating a few inches off the ground, untouchable by the petty annoyances of my job.
In the back of my mind I counted the minutes until Dex would arrive for soundcheck, and then the hours until the show was over. Would I go to his room or invite him to mine? What if someone saw us sneaking down the hallway? I’d need to figure out a way to prevent that for the rest of the tour. Get rooms on different floors or at least not all in a row. Being lined up was convenient for getting everyone in and out quickly, but made late night trysts difficult.
I giggled at the idea of secretly sneaking around with Dex. Silly, but kind of sexy, too. All of the people I talked to had no idea how I’d spent the night before. They could never know. It appealed to my love of privacy, knowing we had to keep us a secret. Besides, no one could make rude comments or judge us if they had no idea there was an ‘us.’
The club’s manager, Ross, looked at me strangely. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, sorry. Just ignore me.”
He smiled. “I must say, you’re quite a bit more friendly than your boss. Glad to be working with you.”
“Thanks. The place is great. I’m glad we’re here for two nights. The band is going to love playing here.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“How long have you been working here?”
“Almost ten years now.”
“Wow, you must know the place with your eyes closed.”
“Indeed.” He ushered me backstage to examine the dressing rooms. “We assigned them one big room, I hope that’s okay. With three acts tonight we’re a little tight on space.”
“That’s fine. My guys aren’t divas. They’d be just as happy with a couch and sink in a corner of the hallway, I bet.”
“Nice to hear, but I’ll warn you, it’ll change. Some will get too used to being treated like royalty. Keep an eye on that.”
“I will.” I ran down my list and checked a few things off. “Oh, did you get in touch with our security guy? He’s coming over with the band, but wants to go over the layout of the club. He had a few concerns.”
Ross nodded. “Talked to him right before you came in. I’ll have one of my guys help him out.”
“Great. Well, I think that’s it for now.”
“You’ve got my number if you need anything and my assistant manager will be here all night at your disposal.”
I smiled and bid him farewell. Man was this job easier when I was in a good mood. I headed downstairs to see how the load-in was going and saw everything was under control. Feeling restless, I went backstage again and grabbed a bottle of water from the dressing room, but didn’t drink it. Instead I twisted and untwisted the cap just to have something to do with my hands.
All of that was soon forgotten when my phone rang. It was Ryan with a fresh emergency. The passes that had been messengered over to the hotel were missing. Which meant half of our crew wouldn’t be let into the venue, and possibly that random strangers could have access to everywhere in the club. And just like that I was off and running again, finally fully distracted. By the time we cleaned up that mess the guys arrived and were in the middle of their soundcheck.
I sighed with relief and joined Steve, the guitar tech, in front of the stage. “How’s it going?”
“Not bad. Joe needs a restring, again. Hell if I know what that kid is doing to that guitar.”
“Did you ask him?”
“He says nothing. But it don’t make any sense.”
“Any other problems?”
“Nah.” He looked over at me. “Is it me, or is something up with Dex?”
I blanched. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I figured with all that stuff with his family he’d be in a bad place. But he’s fricking giddy up there. And stone-cold sober, too. Just isn’t like him.”
I shrugged. “No idea. Um…I’m gonna head in back. Give a shout over the headset if you need anything.”
“Got it. See ya later.”
It was really hard not to run away from him, but I managed to move at a normal pace. I was backstage basically hiding from everyone when the soundcheck ended. The guys crammed into the dressing room to hang out and I followed reluctantly.
“Nice place,” Joe said, smiling.
“Sorry, guys. But you knew this tour was going to be smaller than the last one back home. That means smaller clubs and tiny rooms.”
“Aw, we don’t really care. This’ll foster a little band togetherness.” He grinned again, the lopsided expression that made even my heart race a little.
“Oi, speak for yourself,” Dex piped in from behind me, his closeness obliterating any reaction I might have had to Joe.
I turned around, trying to control my face. “Be nice, Dex. You’re gonna spend the whole time up in the VIP section drinking anyway.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Is that right?”
“Don’t you always?”
“I don’t always anything. I’m an unpredictable man.”
“Uh-huh. Want me to show you the way from back here?”
He nodded. “Sure. But just in case.”
Everyone laughed and I breathed a sigh of relief. I could act normally in front of the rest of the guys. Maybe this would actually work.
“Anyone else want the tour?”
No one did, so Dex followed me out of the room. We climbed a set of stairs and went through a fire door up to a dimly lit catwalk that I’d been shown earlier. I was halfway across, glancing down at the stage below when he stopped me with a hand on my arm.
“Becca, wait.”
“What is it? Are you okay?”
“Fine. I just wanted to talk to you alone for a minute.”
“Okay.”
“I spoke with my Aunt Karen a bit ago. My father is still hanging in there.”
“Good. I’m glad. You’ll keep me posted?”
“Of course. I, uh, I should t
hank you again.”
“Dex,” I whispered, putting my hand on the side of his face. “You never have to thank me for anything.”
He smiled down at me. “No? But you didn’t know how I was planning to thank you.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Is it some way that’s going to get me fired from my job?”
“Perhaps. Willing to risk it?”
“For you? I’m willing to risk anything.”
He growled and grabbed me, slamming his mouth over mine in a kiss that I felt from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. He hadn’t shaved and his stubble tickled my chin. I grabbed two handfuls of his hair and pressed hard against his body. The temperature rose a good fifty degrees and my core flared to life, sending out waves of desire.
“We can’t,” I muttered.
“We are,” he replied, cupping my hips and pushing me against the wall.
I moaned and ran one hand down the length of his strong back. I could feel the muscles shifting and bunching under my fingers as he responded to my touch.
Dex trailed kisses down my neck and sucked at my throat over my thudding pulse point, right above the neck of my shirt.
“Don’t you dare give me a hickey,” I warned.
“Mm, I should.” He sucked harder. “Mark you as mine.”
My knees almost buckled at the idea. These little hints of him being possessive were a huge turn on for me. Surprisingly so, but still. “You can, but not there. Somewhere no one will see.”
He chuckled. “If I have my pick of places, it’s going to involve you getting naked up here.”
I slapped at his arm and buried my face against his chest, hugging him tight. “Behave.”
“Never.” He kissed the top of my head and then tilted my chin up. “How about a compromise?”
“Maybe.”
“Trust me. For ten seconds.”
I glanced across the catwalk quickly and nodded. “Hurry.”
Dex dropped to his knees and his fingers were at the front of my pants in a flash.
“Hey!” I said a little too loudly.
“Shh. Trust me.” He opened my fly and pulled my pants down about an inch. His mouth covered my belly button and he kissed it before sliding over to my upper hip. He licked and nibbled the spot, and then sucked. Hard. It was just a random strip of flesh, but the sensation shot right through me and I sagged back against the wall. He pulled deeply with enough suction that I could feel the mark forming. I sighed and closed my eyes, but just as fast as it had begun, it was over.
