by Thia Finn
“Yeah, I think you’re probably right about that. I just want it over with now. She kept this fucked up since I first hit the road and I’m through with it. I’m ready to have a life again.”
“Well, let me get this ball rolling, and I’ll let you know what’s happening every step of the way. From now on, you should try to have some fun and enjoy the rest of the tour the way you should be.” They moved toward the door, and she patted him on the back, wanting the contact with him to be comforting, reassuring.
When he felt her light touch on his back, he stopped in the doorway, turning to her. His abrupt turn caused her to stumble into him, but he caught her with both hands. “Sorry, Peri. I didn’t mean to...” She stared at him when an electric jolt arced between them knowing from the look he gave her that he felt it, also. He immediately let her go so she stepped back never taking her eyes off his. She waited for him to say something but it never came. Maybe he was as speechless as her.
Peri couldn’t take her eyes off him. She knew this was wrong. He was in a vulnerable place and had a head full of emotions he needed to deal with, but she didn’t want to think about that when right in front of her stood a hot mess of a man. His strong shoulders filled the doorway, the edges of his colored tats visible under the sleeves of his tight t-shirt. The way his shoulder-length hair hung around his face looked perfect for tugging on during a long, slow kiss. His lips were just right for running her tongue over and biting on before sucking them into her mouth.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, where did these thoughts come from? I can’t think these things! I am the manager; I have to manage this band and him; I need to stay in control…
She took two steps back into the room. “Uh, yeah, so I’ll get started on all of this immediately. You should go to the wings and watch Steel for a while with Chan and KeeMac. I believe Carter is there, too. Their show is awesome, and I don’t think you’ve seen them perform in a while.” For some reason, Peri couldn’t stop the word vomit whenever she was uneasy and had to force her jaw to shut to keep it from snowballing.
Ryan smirked at her as he turned away. She was flustered by the contact and she wondered if he realized it. Peri didn’t even know how she felt about it. He finally glanced at her once again, nodded and walked away.
He returned to the wings and joined the others having drinks backstage. This band could bring down the house, and they were working on doing just that again tonight, with the members of AD watching. Their music could be harsh and gritty, but then they could turn it around and play something that would make their guitars sing. The audience loved all of it.
Beautiful women jammed against the stage front caught Carter’s attention, and he decided then he would have at least one of them, if not more. Before Steel finished their set, he had one arm wrapped around a supermodel type with long legs and long blonde hair, another girl that was her mirror image, on his other side. “Ladies, let’s go back to the bus and I’ll give you a private tour. Then maybe y’all can give me a private tour.” The two women laughed at his comments while Chandler rolled her eyes.
“Guess we’ll be buying new sheets before I climb back in that bed,” she said to KeeMac. He watched Carter walk away with the women already rubbing their hands under his t-shirt across his toned back.
“Yeah, I’m not fond of the idea of sleeping there anytime soon either but I think we can have some real fucking togetherness in your bunk. As a matter of fact, I can think of all kinds of positions…”
She cut him off with a kiss that was supposed to shut him up because others were standing within earshot but he took over the kiss, turning it into something she would be thinking about all the way back to their bunk. He pulled back, staring down into aqua eyes with now-dilated pupils, her breathing harsh like she’d run a 200-meter dash. Not a single word more was said between the two lovers. He pulled her down the steps and toward the doorway leading outside, moving faster with each step. Chandler couldn’t keep up with him, so he turned and scooped her up over his shoulder.
“I want you right now, babe.” She slid her hands into his tight leather pants and grabbed his firm butt cheeks, silently consenting to what he was implying.
“Then you better run faster.” She laughed when he groaned, knowing what her intimate touches of the defined muscles of his fine ass were doing to his self-control.
Steel came off the stage a few songs later, and Ryder noticed Ryan standing there watching the women still clinging to the front of the stage screaming their names before their encore.
“See something you like out there, Ryan?” Ryder’s smile made his eyes dance. Sure he was older than the guys in AD, but he wasn’t dead. Seeing beautiful women throw themselves at him night-after-night had grown old years ago, and he had learned to be far more discriminating in his choosing. But he hadn’t forgotten what it was like to be a young, single guy on the road.
“Yeah, too many somethings.”
“All you have to do is point one out to security. They will pull her out of the crowd and taken to the meet-and-greet room before you can get there.” Ryder heard all about the problems that Ryan had going on from Peri earlier in the day. “You know what they say, boy. The best way to get over one is to get another one under ya’.”
“Is that right? Well, then, I guess I can’t make a liar out of the ‘theys’ then, can I?” The two men laughed until Ryan turned around and found a beautiful woman with long brown curls floating around a gorgeous face and chocolate brown eyes. He pointed her out to the security guys, and they pulled her willingly out of the crowd.
He knew if he was going to do this, he might as well get it over with, even if that was the wrong way to look at it, but he didn’t know any other way to move on. He would lose himself inside of a stranger tonight and maybe every night if it went well. It wasn’t his usual way, but his usual way had fucked him over, so maybe a different approach was necessary.
Peri followed everyone into the meet-and-greet when the band and their entourage starting pouring into the room. The roadies had work to do so they had to say goodbye to their guests and leave. The first thing she saw was Ryan wrapped around a rail thin, dark-haired girl. She guessed that would be the flavor-of-the-night for him. She hadn’t known him with anyone other than Krissy, who was always on a diet to keep her body trim. Peri figured out quickly that Ryan had a look that he seemed to desire.
Peri was anything but rail thin, and she was fine with that. She loved the curvaceous pin-up style from the ‘40s and ‘50s and would never change that for anyone. When she took the job, she added some more professional pieces to her wardrobe, but her jet black hair, red lips, and curves were her signature look that exemplified who she was, no matter what society said was the definition of beauty. Her small, cinched waist accentuated by slim-fitting clothes, hugged her hips and more than ample breasts was her style, and to hell with what others thought. She liked her tattoos that covered several areas of her body even if others didn’t. She rocked the look and wore it proudly. Maybe someday she would find someone who appreciated them appropriately, but at that moment, she couldn’t help but feel a small twinge of loneliness as she watched everyone else pairing off.
She should be glad to see Ryan moving on and trying to have a good time. She wasn’t the one for him. She had a job to do with Assured Distraction, and she was determined to do it to the best of her abilities. She didn’t simply want to keep this job; she wanted to blow their expectations out of the water. She knew there was an attraction between her and Ryan on some level, but she needed to tuck that attraction away and forget about it. She would do that, and she would concentrate on her job while he concentrated on learning to be single again.
Ryan’s sexcapades at the next several tour stops rivaled anything Carter and Gunner had ever attempted. As they pulled into the parking lot of one of the nicer hotels in Paris, the group breathed a collective sigh, thrilled to get a few nights off the bus for a change. The consensus was that the close quarters they shared, especially w
ith Carter, Gunner, and now Ryan, by bringing women on the bus with an increasingly competitive frequency, meant everyone was in everyone else’s business nightly. Peri and Chandler were still surprised at how aggressive the groupies could be, and at how the men treated them. These women would do anything they asked simply for the opportunity to say they had boned a rock star.
Paris, la ville de l’amour, as the popular city motto reads, was a spot the band looked forward to spending time visiting. The single and coupled members of AD alike seemed determined to find out why the city had earned the title. After checking into the hotel, the group easily found their rooms. This stop was one Peri wanted to see the sights on, but she didn’t want to be the third wheel to Chandler and KeeMac. The others seemed determined to make a visit to the famous red light district in the 18th Arrondissement. Peri didn’t want to visit that particular area, but she was looking forward to other sights in the 18th. Moulin Rouge and taking the tram up the hill where all the artists worked outside in the district of Montmartre was an iconic location on her list of must-visits. The idea of sitting at one of the sidewalk cafés to enjoy the afternoon watching the artists and shoppers topped the list.
“So, guys, do you think I can tag along with you on the Metro?” She hated intruding on their day, but she didn’t want to try navigating around Paris alone on her first trip there.
Gunner wiggled his eyebrows. “Sure can, Peri. We would abso-fucking-lutely love to have you join us where we are going. I’m sure we can find you a hot French lover.” He used his own vulgar portrayal of a French accent to emphasize the last few words, which made his comment sound even more ridiculous and crude. “Oh God, that’s so fucking hot. Can I watch?”
“Eww, no! I am not going to the red light district with you. I want to go to the same area of the city to sight-see, and I don’t want to try to find my way there by myself.”
“Yeah, sure. Call it whatever you want, sweetheart. We’ll never tell.” Carter chimed in with a mischievous gleam in his eye.
“Quit being disgusting, Carter. I swear, the two of you… I’m not going to hook-up with a stranger. My morals are a tad more refined than you man-whores.” She knew the only way to shut them down was to give-as-good-as-she-got of their teasing. “Unlike you three, I do want to take in the culture and see some of this beautiful City of Love. The artists have an entire district where they work and sell their paintings, and Moulin Rouge is there, too. I won’t get to go in, but I can get a picture of the front of it. Actually, I have my list of places I want to see today, so when we part ways, I’ll set out on my own to explore the rest of the district while you guys do… I-don’t-even-want-to-know.”
Ryan had been silently observing the exchange and gave the other two a questioning look, and knew they were all thinking the same thing. “Peri, you’ve never been here before, and even though we know Paris is a safe city to visit, you really shouldn’t be out on your own. Wouldn’t you feel a helluva lot better being with one of us than being alone all day?”
She could tell the guys didn’t want to give up their fun and games, but none of them seemed comfortable with her wandering around alone.
“No, no. I would never want to impose on your fun. I’m a big girl. I’m from L.A., remember? I’m great at taking care of myself, and I don’t mind exploring on my own. Go, have a good time, and I’ll see you all back at the hotel.” She tried to wave them off at the crossroads in the subway station.
Looking at Carter and Gunner, Ryan turned his back to Peri. “Hey, I’ll catch up with you pricks later. I’ll go sightseeing with Peri. Hell, I’ve never been in Paris, and she said she has all the sights lined up.”
“No, absolutely not, Ryan. I don’t want you to change your plans for me. Honestly, I’ve got this.” With the awkward exchanges they already experienced along the way, she didn’t know if she wanted to spend the day alone with Ryan. She felt the need to avoid any reoccurrence of the electricity that sparked between them when they were in close contact, and she was hesitant to find out if it was more than a fluke or something to explore further.
“Peri, hush. I’d love to see the Eiffel Tower and some of the historic places. Let’s do this.” He tipped his head to the other two and took her by the hand, pulling her toward the gate. “Which one of the trains do we need to catch?”
She walked double-time to keep up with his long legs, but she had the route already on her phone and knew where they needed to board.
All morning they had a great time together, making their way through the artsy neighborhoods, ticking off the points-of-interest on Peri’s list. By the time they reached the Eiffel Tower to the west, they were starving, so they grabbed a loaf of bread, a block of hard cheese, and a bottle of wine from a small café. They headed to the lawn with a view of the tower to relax and enjoy an impromptu picnic.
Tourists were everywhere taking pictures and enjoying the beautiful summer day, and the two laughed at people doing typical touristy things, like taking optical illusion pictures of them touching the top of the tower or trying to hold the tower in the palm of their hand. It was a perfect day in Peri’s mind.
They watched a group of tourists go by on Segway’s having fun on the machines. “Now that would be a great way to get around,” Ryan commented to her.
“I’ve read it’s a guy from Texas A&M that owns that company. Apparently, he hires a lot of students in the summer to come over here and be tour guides. We should have looked online at other visitor info before we got here. It would have been awesome to travel around on one of those fun things to see the sights.”
“Yeah.” Ryan looked at her for a moment. “Peri, I know I haven’t been much company so far on this trip, and I just wanted to say I’m sorry if I’ve been a pain in the ass. I especially wanted to say thank you, for your support. I never thought things would turn out like this for me.”
“You’ll be okay, Ryan. When we get back, she’ll come around.”
“Oh, hell no. I’m not going there again. I’ve seen her true colors now, and I want nothing to do with that. She couldn’t wait for me to get on the damn plane so she could dig in and take advantage of me, and now she’s preying on Hayden. The poor kid shouldn’t have to put up with her bullshit. He told me he had to lock his door to keep her out of his room at night so he can sleep. Does that sound like someone I need to be with? I mean, who the hell does that kind of shit?”
“I guess I didn’t realize it was that bad. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m not. I’m just glad I found this out before things got any more serious between us. In my mind, before all this hit the fan, I was sure she was the one for me. But hell, I couldn’t have been more wrong. I can see that now. You know, I’m not really like Carter and Gunner. I’ve never been into this one-and-done kind of life as they are. These last few days have been alright, but it’s not something I want to keep up. If being with Krissy has taught me anything, it’s that I want to find someone for a forever-life.”
“I’m sure you’ll find someone, Ryan. Just give yourself some time. You’re a rock star, with the sexy, fan-approved looks and body. Those women out there just don’t know what a catch you are yet.” She punched him lightly on the arm, wanting to make him feel a little better about his future without making it sounds like she was leading his campaign for bachelor-of-the-year. She’d meant everything said to him, but she didn’t know if she could go there with him. Yes, there was the chemistry, but she had a job to do. Being involved with one of the band members could lead to trouble.
“I don’t want those women. They are only into me for those reasons. I want someone who loves me, not my fame and looks.” He stood up looking at her. “Having this,” he indicated his overall look, “it’s important for the stage, but it doesn’t mean shit when it comes to having a real relationship.”
He took off toward the station they used to get there. Peri knew she said the wrong things to him, but she didn’t want to sound too personal when she was playing up all of h
is assets, so she stuck to the mostly superficial attributes. She knew his other qualities were a lot better recommendations than the surface ones she listed, and she felt bad that she’d upset him.
“Wait, Ryan. I didn’t mean it to sound like it did.” She ran to catch up with him, and grabbed his arm to halt his escape, and he responded, letting her swing him around to face her. “I know you are so much more than that. I saw you with Krissy. She’s a fool for letting someone like you get away.”
When she dropped her hand, he grabbed both of her upper arms and hauled her close to his body. “Do you know what I truly want, Peri?”
“Uh, well, I think I do.” She couldn’t form a clear thought with him that close, and his lips right in her line of sight, close enough to feel his breaths as he panted in thinly-veiled frustration.
He watched her for a moment, then let out a humph. “So, you think about it and when you decide, we will have that discussion.” She wasn’t sure if that was a threat or a promise, but it made her skin tingle. He released her, glancing around at the crowd of tourists everywhere. “Come on, there’s still a lot on your list I’m dying to see.” Taking her hand, he led her to the subway.
“Whoa, Ryan. I’m exhausted. We have to take a break, please.” The two had toured the Louvre, made a running trip around the Arc de Triumph, and walked through Notre Dame, stopping long enough to light a candle for deceased relatives, and then took pictures of the locks on the Pont des Arts Bridge. Peri wanted to see them before they took them down and it was scheduled to happen soon.
“Let’s get some coffee at one of these little cafés and do some people watching, first.”
“Outstanding idea. I’m worn out.” Thrilled they would be sitting, she looked for a spot.
They found a bistro table on the sidewalk outside the tiny café and shared a strawberry crepe, with strong Parisian coffee served in demitasse cups.
