The Bass

by Moira Callahan

  Chapter Two

  Shade was up too early Friday morning. He’d slept like shit the night before. The memory from his phone conversation with Cateline kept circling in his head repeatedly. She’d sounded unlike the person he’d known and practically mounted on a pedestal in his head. The woman on the phone had sounded broken in some way.

  The thought that his Cat had been hurt in anyway made Shade see red. For him that meant a trip down to his gym to beat on the heavy bag hanging from the steel beams. Given his hands were his meal ticket, Shade carefully wrapped them to avoid damage before he went at the bag. A couple played until they burned through the energy, others ran laps around the compound, and while that occasionally worked for him, this morning he needed to beat up something which meant the heavy bag in his basement.

  The only good thing his father had done after tearing Shade away from his life in Phoenix was putting his son into mixed martial arts. The instructor had taught Shade to let his anger go, to never take it into a fight. It was about being able to bring his focus to a laser sharp point. To calculate, to watch for openings, and to strike when an opportunity presented itself. While Shade hadn’t ever stepped into the ring at competition levels, he still kept up the training, and used that focus he’d learned on the mats in his real life.

  Music was another release for him, but only for certain moods. Running his taped hands over the bag Shade, let out a breath before assuming his stance. A moment to go through his mental checklist to ensure he wouldn’t hurt himself, he began to strike and kick the bag. He had to vent the dark energy that was his anger before Cat came over.

  She knew he had a temper, though Shade had been careful never to let her see him explode. As a young boy, he’d protected the young girl she’d been. Much smaller, and more delicate than he’d been, Shade had taken on the role without thought.

  Cat was his to look after. Not that he’d apparently done all that great a job. But distance, and his wild-ass career hadn’t made it easy. Time slipped by too quickly. It felt like only yesterday he’d spotted her in the nurse’s office. She’d had tears drying on her cheeks, her chin was bloody, swollen, and bruising something fierce. This tiny little creature peering up at him with those huge golden eyes, and he’d been lost.

  She hadn’t changed all that much, except to turn into a beautiful woman. Her mother’s Japanese heritage gave Cat amazing bone structure and when combined with her father’s Swedish roots, it provided a unique melding making her stunningly beautiful. All her coloring came from her mother. The same with her height. One thing he knew had dismayed her in her teen years was not gaining some of her father’s six foot four height instead topping out at five foot five like her mother.

  One fact that had surprised him was she’d kept all her hair. When she’d been young, her mother had braided it on a daily basis. As a teen, Cateline had spoken often about cutting it all off. Another question for him to pose to her among the dozens whirling in his head. Shade needed to know everything about her. The biggest questions were when she’d moved to L.A., and why she’d never contacted him.

  Her name was on the legitimate contacts list he’d given Christine when they’d signed with her agency, Franks Management Inc. Cateline must have known his dream had come true. He had to know why she never reached out. Christine would have told him immediately if she had. No way in hell would their manager keep from telling him something as important, and he’d made sure she’d understood how important Cateline’s call would be.

  Shade wouldn’t pretend he’d been a monk over the last twenty years. It would have been dishonest. He’d had sex, he couldn’t lie about that, but they’d always been one-night stands. For a time it had been about soaking in the adulation from the fans. Letting them have sex with a Victorious band member as they rose to fame. Then it was to fill the occasional void he felt on the road. But that had trickled off to nearly nothing. Chase and Mark both still had their flings after a concert, but Shade wasn’t feeling the need to fuck every woman in sight any longer.

  Maybe it had something to do with Lance hooking up with the journalist who had written the article about the band, and was now working on their autobiography. Maybe Shade had finally grown up. But he wanted more from life than random faceless and nameless women who were in his bed for a couple hours before he was alone again. He wanted someone all his own.

  Whenever he thought about it the only person he could and had ever been able to picture was Cateline. They’d connected in their youth, the bond only growing stronger as they’d grown up. Before the move he’d thought they’d go through high school, and possibly college together, but every dream he’d had was shattered in a moment.

  Drilling his fists into the bag, Shade let loose the anger he had toward his father. To this day Shade didn’t speak to the man. When Kyle had moved him away from Phoenix, the man had said it was for the best. Nothing but a lie it turned out. Kyle had been offered a better paying position, and he’d wanted to get out from under his dead wife’s haunting memories. Hell. the man had gotten remarried the same year they’d moved out to L.A., something else Shade couldn’t forgive the bastard for.

  The moment Shade had graduated high school, he’d moved out. His father continually attempted to make contact with him, but Shade hadn’t wanted to hear it. He knew he wasn’t fully rational about the past, or about his father’s decision. Shade was willing to live with that and any unresolved issues Kyle might have with him.

  He smacked his palms to the bag to stop the swing as he fought for a breath, pushing it in and out rapidly. Swiping his arm across his forehead, he removed the sweat threatening his eyes, and forced his breathing to slow. What Shade would never forgive Kyle for was the pain Cateline had felt. He could still see her crying, held by her father, and screaming for him not to go while Kyle pulled their car away from the only home Shade had ever known.

  That was why he refused to speak to the man, sent all the letters and gifts back unopened, and would never talk to him in the future. Shade might have been willing to get over it had he been the only one affected. Hurting Cat, though, was unforgivable.

  The lights flashed twice in the basement. Glancing up he heard the peal from the doorbell upstairs. Since he usually had music going full blast when he worked out he’d set the lights to flash when someone rang the doorbell to catch his attention. He knew who it was, given the time.

  Muttering under his breath, he snatched a towel off the pile, and headed up the stairs two at a time. He threw the door open to find Jeremy standing there with his arms crossed. “I know, I know,” he grumbled. Turning, he left the door open for his friend while he went into the kitchen to duck his head under the tap. He turned the water on cool and took a dozen gulps straight from the tap before he let it run over his face and head.

  Once he turned the water off, he let himself drip for a moment before swiping the towel over his head. He needed a shower, but he had a feeling that would have to wait.

  “The guys are getting snarly and want to know when we’re eating,” Jeremy said behind him.

  Shade turned to find the other man leaning against the fridge. “Which means I don’t have time for a shower.”

  “Not unless you want them to potentially murder you, and stuff your body some place inconvenient. Since you have a guest coming out tonight that might put a crimp in your plans.”

  Snorting at that less than subtle hint for information, Shade started to pull the wrappings off his hands. “Smooth, bro. But you’re going to have to do a lot better than that. Let me throw on a dry shirt at least, and we can head over.”

  Breakfast at Jeremy’s when they were home was tradition. Most meals were actually held at the other man’s place. Not always, but often. Jeremy grew up with people coming and going during meals. Having a large crowd at the table wasn’t a bother for him, and the band tended to naturally gravitate to his home. He seemed to like it, and on the off days when he was in his own moods, they switched it up to someone else’s place.


  “You definitely should change shirts. Maybe put on some pants, too.”

  Shade narrowed his gaze on his friend, and waited for the rest.

  Jeremy batted his lashes and grinned. “Lance doesn’t need you showing off your junk around Jennifer.”

  And there it was. “First off, I don’t show my junk off to anyone. Secondly, if you guys have been seeing it, ew! You perverts. That is beyond wrong. I don’t know where to begin with trying to express my disgust.”

  He jogged up the stairs, leaving the singer howling his ass off. He’d damn well put pants on, for Jennifer, because he actually liked the woman. “I’m only putting pants on to keep her from realizing she could have had better,” he called out. Which sent Jeremy into more hysterics.

  He loved his friends, and they were all seriously twisted.

  Chapter Three

  Cateline drew her car to a stop before the large, slightly ominous gates leading into Victorious’s compound. Rolling her window down, she dug out her driver’s licence to hand over to the approaching guard. When she’d called to let him know she was on her way, Shade had warned her she would need to show ID.

  She was grateful the last picture the DMV had taken didn’t make her look like she belonged on America’s Most Wanted. She’d had to fight hard to get a new picture taken, and had gotten lucky when the gal at the DMV had been sympathetic.

  The guard took the ID, and checked on the list before comparing her licence picture to her face. He finally gave the card back, and then nodded to someone she couldn’t see. “Straight up the lane, and park in any available spot. Mr. Benson will meet you in the lot. Have a lovely evening ma’am.”

  “Thank you,” she said. Tucking her licence away, Cat rolled the window up while she waited on the gates to slide open. When she had room, she pulled forward slowly. Unable to help herself, she watched the gates slide shut behind her with a discernable clang.

  The sound sent a chill down her spine. She didn’t know why she was jumpy. This was Shade. The boy she’d loved grown into a man. A man she didn’t know. Shaking off that insidious little voice in her head, she eased along the path between the trees to the parking lot. She pulled into the first available spot, and parked.

  After wiping her sweaty palms to her slacks she climbed out. And nearly came out of her skin. “For the love… Fucking hell, Shade.” Cateline pressed a hand over her thundering heart in an attempt to keep it in her chest.

  “Sorry, I thought you saw me.” He didn’t look sorry in the least, the smug little shit.

  So she did what she’d always done when he’d given her that look, and smacked his arm. Only it hurt a lot more now than it had back in the day. “Damn it. Are you wearing body armor under that shirt?” If that was muscle she might have to revise her fantasies a bit.

  Shaking his head at her, Shade took her hand in his and rubbed his thumbs to her stinging palm. “Nope, all me. Come on, let me get you over to my place, and I’ll get you a drink to help soothe the pain away. Though you deserve it for hitting me.”

  She narrowed her gaze on him. “You deserved to be smacked for scaring the pants off me. That was not very nice, Shade.”

  “I know, but I couldn’t resist.” He grabbed her bag from the back seat before looping his arm through hers. “It’s a short walk from here. You going to be okay in those shoes?”

  Cateline looked down at her heels. They were only three inches, but she needed them since she was damned short. “I walk in these all day, every day. I’ll be fine.” She would be kicking them off at the first opportunity she had available, but he didn’t need to know that.

  “Good enough, let’s roll.”

  Cat shifted until she was the one with her arm hooked through his. It provided her the opportunity to check out the new, more muscular Shade Benson a little. At least his arm. She knew he’d beefed up given she’d seen him live on stage not that long ago. But she actually hadn’t been paying all that much attention to his body at the time. Cat had been a little more focused on his face, cataloguing all the little changes she’d noticed and the passion he showed while playing.

  Cateline didn’t attempt to make conversation while they walked. She was much more interested in checking out the compound. Like many who followed the band, she’d heard a bit about the place. There were no pictures beyond a few fuzzy images from through the gates, or over the fences. Long lens shots from the helicopters couldn’t get through and showed next to nothing. The men had planned well for such things from what she could see. They’d left the older trees trimmed up the trunk to not clog the views from the windows while leaving a heavy canopy to prevent aerial pictures.

  Shade moved slowly, likely to allow her to gawk as they went. She was thankful for that. The last thing she needed to do was twist an ankle. She’d never live it down if she did it while he was watching, especially after he’d questioned her footwear choice.

  There were seven houses total. Five she knew belonged to the band members, and if the rumors were true, the other two were guest houses for when their family members came to visit. Those who had family that was. All the houses faced the same wide asphalt path and backed up to the high fence that circled the land they owned.

  “This place is amazing,” she told him when he stopped before a walkway. “It vaguely feels like a gated community. Which I suppose it is when you think about it.”

  Shade grinned, and gave a shrug. “Pretty much how we wanted it to feel. We all need our own space when we’re not touring to do our own shit. This way we’re all close enough to work when someone gets hit by the muse, but can still lead our own lives.”

  Cateline stepped through the front door into his home and stopped. “Wow,” she whispered. She couldn’t seem to decide where to look first.

  The house had an open floor plan which circled around a wide staircase leading to the second floor. Right above the entry was a skylight two stories up, providing beautiful natural lighting to the space. Dark hardwood floors flowed throughout the main floor, and carried up the stair treads. Shaking her head, she took another couple steps in.

  The living room to her right had windows for one wall with gauzy blinds still lowered to mute the day’s blinding sunlight with heavy drapery tied back on either side framing it. Large comfortable furniture filled the room that centered on a fireplace with polished stone surround over which a big screen TV hung currently showing an ocean view. Beyond that appeared to be a dining area.

  Turning the other way she found numerous green plants, and a desk tucked near a window. She let Shade pull her jacket off as she started to wander through to touch a few flowering plants that caught her eye. “How do you keep it all alive when you’re away?”

  “There’s always security on the property, and they come in to check on things and water the plants. They have warned me to stop getting them, though. Apparently they fear we’ll come back one day and I’ll find this room enveloped. It’s fine by me, I like having the green indoors.”

  So did Cateline. She had to have a couple plants no matter where she was. She’d smuggled in a couple to her office space. Simon had noticed, but he hadn’t said anything yet about her attempt to bring life to the austere office space. One day soon Cat figured he’d pipe up.

  Pausing near a large reading chair she smiled. Shade always had loved to read. That he’d made himself a nook surrounded by nature didn’t surprise her in the least. It was a cozy spot with a chair large enough for two.

  She shook off where her mind seemed determined to lead her and continued through the green space into the next area. Which turned out to be an in kitchen eating area. The kitchen itself was massive with a door through to the dining room. There was also a small hallway that she guessed held laundry, and likely a half bath for guests to use.

  Cateline moved to the door that led from the kitchen, and stared out at his large back yard. Heat at her back warned her Shade was close. She wasn’t surprised when he reached around to open the door. “Go on out,” he told h
er.

  With a quick look up at him she stepped out onto the deck. It was a large area with seating, a dining table, and the prerequisite barbecue area that appeared to have everything an outdoor kitchen needed. Taking the three steps down off the deck, she looked around and smiled. It was extremely green with brightly colored flowering bushes providing splashes here and there to break up the monotony. The air was warm, but not hot. The tree canopy overhead filtered the light and heat to keep the area at a comfortable temperature.

  “This is an amazing place you have, Shade.” Standing out there, it was easy to forget she was in Los Angeles, well the outskirts technically. She knew there were neighbors somewhere beyond the thick brush that covered the wall surrounding the property, but even they seemed far away in the quiet.

  “We did rather well I like to think. My biggest thing was having someplace quiet when I needed to decompress.”

  “You definitely have that here. You can’t hear anything but the birds chirping, and the occasional bee zipping around.”

  “I’ve been considering putting in a little fountain. Nothing huge, but a little something to add another layer to the area. But I’ve been procrastinating about it since I’m not sure if it’s what I want deep down.”

  There was something in his voice that made her turn to look up at him. Licking her suddenly dry lips, Cateline fought for her next breath. “Is there something you want more than anything else?” She couldn’t believe she’d blurted out that potentially loaded question.

  His hand came up to trace a finger down her cheek. “Maybe.”

  Not exactly the answer she wanted. Cat wasn’t ready to push for more yet. Instead she let her gaze drop to his t-shirt covered chest. Clearing her throat, she shifted her weight. “Do you have someplace I could change? I hate to be an ungrateful houseguest, but if I don’t get these nylons off in about ten seconds I may have to throw a fit.”