Accidental Groupie: A Sweet Lesbian Romance

by Mia Archer

  Crap. I was disappointed when she said she wanted to go to the meet and greet, but at the same time going back to her tour bus felt like one hell of a step that might be going too far in the opposite direction.

  I could worry about that later though. The meet and greet sounded like a good idea now that I was coming down from that moment when I would’ve done anything and the more rational part of me was reasserting itself once more.

  Yeah, I really needed a breather to figure out what the hell it was that had me losing control every time I looked at her. Before I really lost control and did something crazy!

  I smiled and reached out to take the hand she offered. I couldn't believe I was doing this. I told myself that all I was doing was following her, having a little bit of fun. Having a little adventure that I could think about for the rest of my life.

  I told myself that's all it was, but I had a feeling that so much more was happening here. That I was pretending I was in charge even as things were spiraling out of my control.

  Despite those worries I let her lead me back to the meet and greet and whatever might be waiting beyond that.

  12: Meet and Greet

  Meet and greets. They were a necessary evil in the business, especially in a post-file sharing world where people didn’t think music was worth anything and meeting the band or seeing them live had become the product while the music was more of a loss leader.

  It was a damned screwed up system that made me wish we’d hit it big in the days when music still sold like hotcakes and the money flowed right along with it.

  But it didn’t. Especially not these days and extra especially not for a group whose biggest hits were a decade in the past. No, pressing flesh with the fans was where the real money was made on these tours.

  I glanced across the room to where Jessica stood with her friend. Gareth brought her straight into the meet and greet which I supposed was a good sign. At least he hadn’t decided to blow the whole thing off like he had at past meet and greets. Not that I would begrudge him doing that. I know I wanted to take Jessica out to my bus right now and fuck the consequences.

  The “meet and greet room” was actually just the greenroom repurposed for moving fans in and out on a conveyor line. Definitely not one of the better setups we’d had for these things. With four of us and all the fans moving in and out and security on top of that it was tight quarters.

  A line of fans, mostly women, ran around the edge of the room and out into the hallway beyond. All of them looked ecstatic, but that was about par for the course at these things. As always I plastered on a smile and remembered that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity they’d paid extra for even if for me it was just Tuesday, or whatever the fuck day it was. They tended to run together on tour with none of the usual markers to let me know the day or time.

  So as much as I wanted to throw Jessica over my shoulder and take her back to the tour bus I kept that smile on my face as I met each fan in turn and signed something for them. Every meeting was the same. They squealed, gave me a hug or a handshake, and then security inevitably had to move them along.

  I glanced over to Jessica to see how she was taking the girls getting up close and personal with me, but there was an unreadable expression there. Damn. She was so beautiful. I couldn’t help but think about how much I wanted her to be the one pressing up against me as I…

  No. I chased those thoughts away and concentrated on work and not on how delicious Jessica looked in that tight outfit that showed off every hot curve of her body. I definitely wasn’t imagining what it would be like to lean over her, to run my tongue over that body. To taste her.

  I shook myself free from those thoughts again. Damn.

  The meet and greet seemed to stretch into eternity, but eventually the long line of women waiting to press flesh and get a picture and a quick autograph were gone. Talk about an eternity that went by in a blink! Finally it was time to get away from this green room and have a little bit of fun with Jessica. Maybe take her for a tour of the bus.

  Not that I thought she was the kind of girl who’d necessarily fall for that old line, but it was worth a shot. There was just something about that girl that got me all twisted up inside and I wanted to know more about her even if I didn’t get to know more about her in the traditional sense that I got to know a girl when I invited her back to my tour bus.

  It was a testament to how interested I was that I’d take conversation or copulation.

  I licked my lips and looked at Jessica, wondering what kind of fun was I going to have tonight. Only before I could say anything Talia was there with a hand on my arm. Because it was Talia I didn’t immediately pull away, but I was annoyed that she was keeping me from Jessica.

  “Not so fast there lovergirl,” she said. “You know we still have work to do.”

  Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and realized Gareth was trying to sneak out with Jessica’s friend Alice. My eyes narrowed and Talia followed my gaze. As intended. If I was stuck doing more business then Gareth had to come too.

  “Hey Gareth! Not so fast there!”

  Gareth froze right at the door and squeezed his eyes shut. The horny bastard knew what was coming and he was trying to sneak out early. Just like him to try and shirk his responsibility, though that was a move I’d pulled plenty of times way back when.

  “After party buddy,” Talia said. “Time to schmooze!”

  “Fine, let me see if Jessica is up for the after party,” I grumbled.

  Talia grinned. “Going to a rock and roll after party with the great Ivy Thompson, lead singer of her favorite band? I’m sure she’s going to jump at that.”

  I didn’t bother to correct her. It would take too much time to explain how incredibly wrong she was, and I didn’t want to get into that now. What I really wanted was some alone time with Jessica, but once again it seemed work was going to keep me from what I really wanted to do.

  Damn pop star lifestyle getting in the way of a simple date. On a tour bus. Behind a massive arena. Where I’d just finished a massive concert in front of a crowd of thousands of screaming women.

  Yeah, the simple life and all that.

  I figured I’d open with something nice and direct when I got over to Jessica.

  "So are you going to come to the after party with me?"

  "After party? What's that?"

  I grinned and decided the smartass approach was the best in these circumstances. She seemed like the kind of girl who would appreciate that approach.

  "Well it's a party we have, and it's sort of after the concert so we settled on that name…"

  Jessica grinned and smacked my arm. I felt a tingle where her hand made contact. I loved it when she touched me, even if it was to give me a playful smack.

  "Smartass," she said. "I meant where is it? Who's going to be there? Is this a real rock 'n roll after party with drugs and booze?"

  I held my hands up and smiled. Maybe this would’ve been that sort of party ten years ago, but now that half the group was married and the other half were too old for that shit anyways there was none of that crap. We weren’t young enough that we could burn the candle at both ends like that and still be functional for shows like back in the day.

  "Nothing like that. Maybe some booze, but definitely no drugs. It's just a gathering we have after every concert for our friends and some of our biggest fans. It's a nice way to unwind."

  Jessica cocked an eyebrow and fixed me with a playful smile. "Some of your biggest fans, huh? So what makes you think I'd be welcome there?"

  "Fair enough," I said. "I take it the concert and my serenade didn't improve your opinion of the band or our music?"

  Jessica moved in closer. Reached up and straightened out a part of my shirt that didn't need straightening out, but at this point I’d take any excuse to have close contact with her so I wasn’t exactly complaining. And damn was that close contact fucking delicious.

  "Let's just say I'm
a fan of certain bodies in the band even if I'm not exactly a huge fan of the band's entire body of work."

  “Well maybe you’ll get to see more of that body later if you play your cards right,” I said.

  Jessica rolled her eyes. “So do lines like that actually work on groupies or something? Because you’re going to have to try harder with me since I’m not dazzled by the whole rock star thing.”

  I moved a hand to the small of her back. It felt nice resting my hand there. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It seemed to be doing something for Jessica as well judging from the way her eyes squeezed shut and her lips quirked up in a goofy grin.

  "Okay, I guess I could go to the after party and have some fun," she said.

  "Sounds great," I said. "I'd like to have some fun with you."

  Either she didn’t pick up on the double meaning or she decided to ignore it. Pity.

  "So where is this party?"

  "Well it turns out this arena has one hell of a nice lounge up top that gives you a nice view of the whole place…"

  I used my hand on the small of her back to guide her away from the small green room and off to this lounge I’d only heard about as we were finishing up the show. Apparently all the true amenities were waiting for us up there rather than in the green room which was meant for fans, and no one had bothered to tell us. Not the best run venue we’d ever been to, let me tell you.

  The lounge was really fucking impressive. It was the first impressive thing I’d seen since we got to the arena considering how they forgot to tell us about this place and left us with that crappy excuse for a green room. They called it the Quarterback Lounge. I suppose that was because this was normally a football stadium in addition to being a concert venue for acts who were big enough to warrant booking the place.

  The lounge did indeed have a very nice view of the concert floor down below. Though I suppose usually when people were up here spectating it would be a view of the football field down below. I never had time to watch football so I really wouldn't know.

  There was also a giant window on the opposite end that had a nice view of the skyline. All in all it was a pretty damn impressive experience even if you weren't the kind of person to be wowed by a football stadium, and I’d been in plenty of football stadiums over the years.

  "So then she keeps staring at me like she's expecting something," Jessica said.

  Jessica was giggly. I figured it was a combination of standing next to Ivy Thompson for most of the night, much to the chagrin of the wannabe groupies I saw giving us a wide berth which was just another advantage of having her around as far as I was concerned, and the alcohol in her hand.

  Okay, so maybe it had more to do with the alcohol than with standing next to me, but a girl could dream. She’d been surprised to find out the stuff was free. Or at least it was free for party attendees. I'm sure we were paying for it somewhere down the line.

  "And I'm expecting her to recognize me any minute, but she just keeps looking at me like I'm some sort of crazy woman!" I continued, picking up where she left off.

  "Okay, so I was looking at her like she was a hot crazy woman," Jessica said. "But still. The way she stared at me was kind of weird."

  "It's at that point I realize I've run into the one girl within a ten mile radius of the stadium who has absolutely no idea who I was. It was actually kind of refreshing and funny," I said.

  Alice shook her head and rolled her eyes. She reached out and poked Jessica in the chest. My eyes followed that motion and lingered for just a moment on Jessica’s chest. Jessica noticed me noticing her friend’s finger between her tits and blushed. Damn that outfit was so hot! After talking with them for a bit I understood that I owed that outfit to Alice, and boy was I glad she talked Jessica into dressing up a little sexier than she'd originally intended. That was a body that begged to be shown off!

  "I can’t believe you Jessica!” Alice exploded. “How many times did I expose you to their album covers? How many times did I show you pictures of the band? Their poster was hanging over my bed where we'd have sleepovers every other weekend! I'm so disappointed in you! I can't believe you're my friend. I'm so embarrassed that you didn't recognize Ivy!"

  Jessica rolled her eyes. "Hey, give me a break. Ivy here was a teenager when you showed me all that stuff. She's changed little since then. Besides, I did my best to ignore all of that whenever possible. You know this."

  "Those changes were all for the better, I hope?" I asked.

  It was so weird hearing them talk about how I’d been on posters in their bedrooms. Well, in Alice’s bedroom at least. The fact that I’d been such an important part of so many girls’ lives was something I tried not to think about too often. Particularly since I’d been a big part of a lot of girls getting up the courage to come out after the group got really popular and it turned out being a lesbian wasn’t the end of the world. At least not as far as pop culture was concerned a decade ago.

  No, best not to think about that. It was a huge weight on my shoulders, and that path led to madness. Or a raging ego. Either way it was something I tried not to think about too terribly often.

  Jessica fixed me with a steady glare that had me taking a step back.

  "You're still considered one of the hottest girls in one of the hottest bands in history," she said. "Do you really need to go fishing for compliments?"

  "Jessica!" Alice said, sounding scandalized.

  I shook my head and chuckled. "It's nice that I have you around to give me a reality check right along with your compliments."

  Gareth cleared his throat and Alice looked over to him and smiled. “Getting bored with the party?”

  “Well I was wondering what you’d think of…”

  I never did get to hear what he was wondering about because he leaned in and whispered, though I noticed that he had his eyes on mine as he whispered. Not that I needed to guess too much to figure out what he was suggesting. Something told me it was the same suggestion he made to girls at a lot of these parties. The same sort of suggestion I used to make before the Incident.

  A huge smile spread across Alice’s face at whatever he whispered, and I could make a pretty good guess what he was asking.

  “That sounds perfect!” she said, and they walked off hand in hand. Jessica followed them until they walked out the door.

  “Well that was fast,” she said. “I wonder what he said?”

  “Oh you know, the usual star stuff. Asking the girl to go back to his bus for a tour.”

  Jessica turned back to me and smiled. “Really? Does that actually work?”

  “Worked on your friend, didn’t it?”

  “Fair enough,” Jessica said.

  I figured I was never going to have a more opportune moment, so why not go for it? After all, Gareth wasn’t the only one who could give a girl the star treatment. The only problem was I had no idea if Jessica was going to go for it. She was an enigma. Completely unlike any girl I’d ever met at a concert, and because of that I was in unfamiliar territory.

  "So what would you say to a tour of my bus?"

  Even as I asked it I could feel my pulse picking up. Damn. It had been a hell of a long time since I’d felt this nervous about propositioning a girl. Still, the die was cast and now all I could do was wait for her answer and hope for the best.

  13: Tour Bus Tour

  This was it. This was a moment of truth. There was no more lying to myself about what this was. About what I was doing. I couldn't tell myself this was just a bit of innocent flirting if I was going back to her tour bus. That was crossing a line squarely into groupie territory.

  “I don’t know,” I said.

  Ivy moved in close. Her arms wrapped around me and I saw a couple of girls roll their eyes and storm off. Obviously they’d been waiting for an opportunity to swoop in and take Ivy from me. An opportunity that wasn’t going to come now.

  Eat your heart out bitches.

  “Are you sure? It’s just a tour bus. We don’
t have to do anything you don’t want to. Just spending time with you is enough for me.”

  Damn did she know just the right words to get a girl going. Of course I imagine she had lots of practice at getting girls on her bus. Still, I had a feeling she’d never used a line that started with telling a girl how much sex we weren’t going to have once we got to her bus. I had a feeling that line was just for me.

  Which is exactly how a player would make me feel.

  Every part of my body was screaming for me to say yes. Still, I wondered how far I could push her by playing hard to get. I got a thrill at playing hard to get with a woman who was widely acknowledge as one of the sexiest women in the world even ten years after she first found fame. It’s not like she was ancient or anything. The group had been young when they first hit.

  No, I got the distinct feeling that “hard to get” wasn’t a game many women played with the great sexy Ivy Thompson.

  "What if you’re just trying to get me on that bus so you can give me the same sort of tour you give every other girl? How am I going to get away from my pop star encounter with my honor intact?”

  Ivy sighed. She looked down at me and her eyes were positively hypnotizing. I could drown in those eyes.

  “I promise you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to Jessica. I’m telling the truth when I say that all I want is to spend more time with you. I need to spend more time with you even if we’re playing Go Fish.”

  Damn it. How could she do this to me? How could she make me feel so giddy, so turned on, just by being near me? I was caught in the thrill of a new crush. Add in the fact that she was a huge star, for certain definitions of “huge star” a decade ago, and it just made the feeling that much more intense. I was starting to care for this girl even if I still didn’t care for her music.

  My body was a mass of contradictions. I was shaking as though I had a chill. I was sweating as though I was running a fever. I was weak in the knees, and yet all I want to do was lean forward and use her for support. I felt so confident, so sexy, knowing Ivy Thompson wanted me. I wasn’t a fan, but a girl could appreciate beating out thousands of other girls in a competition I didn’t even know I was entering when I met her at that diner.