“Then you should try to use that as leverage. Ask for some stuff you want. Get something in writing that will let you release some of your own songs.”
“Mm-hmm.” Lucas didn’t sound convinced, so Brandon let it go.
“Maybe you could release the record under the name ‘Franklin Thomas.’”
Lucas snorted. “The musical stylings of a former librarian porn star.”
They both cracked up laughing.
Chapter Six
TWO HOURS and forty minutes after leaving Cedar Point, they pulled into Columbus. They barely had enough time to drop their stuff off at the Hilton Lucas had booked them into downtown before they needed to head up High Street to the campus area.
As soon as they walked in the front doors, Lucas saw his brother, Jordan, waiting on them. He dropped his bag and almost ran to the average-looking young man in an Ohio State T-shirt. They embraced for a long time, and Brandon was pretty sure he caught Lucas wiping away a tear, though he covered the emotion well by immediately catching Jordan in a one-arm choke hold and messing up the boy’s hair by giving him a noogie. Jordan easily broke away and started beating on Lucas’s chest. The two roughhoused a bit more before coming in for another bro-hug with slaps on the back.
Brandon stayed a few feet away to give the brothers a bit of privacy for their reunion. Lucas, his arm still draped over Jordan’s shoulder, brought the boy over to make introductions.
“Jordan, this is my awesome road mate and chauffeur, Brandon Harris. Brandon, this is my little brother, Jordan.”
Brandon and Jordan shook hands. “Nice to meet you, Jordan,” Brandon said.
“My sympathies, for having to travel with this one,” Jordan said.
“Hey,” Lucas protested. “I have been the perfect travel companion.”
Jordan laughed. “Yeah, I’ll bet. I remember that family trip to Brighton when we were eight. We had to stop every ten kilometers for you to either go to the bathroom or get something to eat.”
“I was a growing boy!”
Brandon smirked and leaned over to Jordan. “He’s still a growing boy.”
“Harris, you’re a rat!”
Both Jordan and Brandon laughed all the way to the elevators.
ONCE THEY had left their bags in their room, Jordan drove them up the street to a Barnes & Noble that essentially doubled as the campus bookstore.
“Okay, first we have to get you outfitted, especially if you want to blend in with the other football fans,” Jordan said.
Lucas had on his shades and Cedar Point hat, which got replaced with a bright red hat with the block O Ohio State logo. Then Jordan picked out a red T-shirt that said “Ohio State Buckeyes.” They even made Brandon get a shirt, though he opted for a plain gray tee that simply said “Ohio State” on it. Jordan looked them both over and gave the thumbs-up.
“Now you look like college students.”
Lucas paused to consider himself in the mirror. “Is that because there is a marijuana leaf on my shirt? And what the bloody hell is a buckeye anyway? Is it hallucinogenic, like a mushroom?”
Jordan and Brandon both cracked up laughing.
“That’s not a marijuana leaf, it’s a buckeye tree leaf,” Jordan said.
“And a buckeye is the state nut of Ohio,” Brandon added.
“So the state university adopted it as a nickname as well. Any of the sports teams and anyone—students, alumni, etc.—associated with Ohio State is called a Buckeye,” Jordan said as he placed a string necklace of buckeye nuts around Lucas’s neck.
Lucas rolled one of the buckeyes around in his fingers, considering it carefully. He placed one between his teeth and tried to bite down. “Ow-mmph.”
Brandon turned around and saw what he was doing and tugged on Lucas’s arm, getting the nut out of his mouth. “You can’t eat them that way. You have to take them out of the shell and roast them, like a chestnut.” He reached over to a display of chocolate nearby and handed a small box to Lucas. “Here, this is the chocolate version. Eat these.”
Lucas’s eyes lit up as he scanned the box. “Oooh! Chocolate! And peanut butter!” He ripped open the wrapping and had one in his mouth before they even made it up to the checkout counter. “Owf mahf Gawf!” he said while chewing the delectable candy. “These are so good! Way better than those Reese’s things!”
The checkout girl gave Lucas a strange look while she rang up their purchases. When he darted back to the candy display to grab three more boxes, the girl glanced at Brandon, who just shrugged.
“He’s not from around here,” Brandon offered in explanation.
THEY HEADED straight to the game next since it was almost time for kickoff. The stands were packed. Jordan explained to Lucas that this was the first game of the season, and the opposing team, the Bowling Green State Falcons, was from Northwestern Ohio, so there were a lot of fans from Bowling Green in attendance.
“But pretty much every game is a capacity crowd like this. Ohio State football is like a religion in central Ohio.”
When the roar of the crowd went up as the Ohio State Buckeyes took the field, Lucas put his hands over his ears. When the team scored their first touchdown and the fans around him yelled and screamed, he scooted closer to Brandon, who gave him an amused look.
“Everything okay?”
“The big guy next to me with the red-and-gray painted face is a little scary, but um, yeah everything’s fine.”
Brandon chuckled. “Have you ever been to an American football game before?”
“Well, yes, I was invited to the Super Bowl last year, but I was at a party in a luxury box. I didn’t pay much attention to the game itself.”
“O-H!”
“I-O!” yelled Brandon and Jordan and everyone else in their section. The “O-H” had been called out by a whole group of fans several rows down from where they were sitting.
After a few more rounds of the call-and-response chant, Brandon looked over at Lucas, who was staring at everyone in puzzlement. He was mouthing the letters repeatedly, and Brandon could see the frown creases go away on Lucas’s face when he finally got it.
“I was going to ask how everyone knew what to answer, but I get it now. Spelling out Ohio…. Cute, I guess. Is this another Ohio State thing?”
Brandon cocked his head in thought. “I think so. Although I’m pretty sure you could go anywhere in the state and people would answer.”
AT THE end of the first quarter, Lucas lost interest and left to search out the concessions. He came back twenty minutes later with a box of food—nachos, hot dogs, popcorn, and beers, some of which he had spilled on himself as he made his way back up to their seats.
“Food… naturally,” Brandon said with a shake of his head.
Lucas didn’t say a word, just shoved a hot dog into Brandon’s hand. “Shut it, Harris.”
AT HALFTIME, Lucas was going to leave again, but Jordan told him he needed to stay.
“The marching band’s halftime shows are always the best. Just watch.”
Lucas sighed. They were high enough in the stands to have a good view of the entire field. As the band marched on the field, Lucas watched with more interest.
“They’re like little ants… all marching in unison!” he said to Brandon. His eyes widened as he watched them move together and apart, forming shapes that looked like stick figure people.
“They’re celebrating the band’s fiftieth anniversary, and some of the important members of the band over the years with a picture theme. A lot of alumni members of the band are back today too. Just wait, though, it gets better,” Jordan told them.
Next the band spelled out “TBDBITL 50,” in honor of the fiftieth anniversary.
Lucas leaned over to speak in Brandon’s ear. “What is TBDBITL?”
“It stands for ‘The Best Damn Band In The Land.’”
Lucas raised an eyebrow. “Cocky, aren’t they?”
“Well, they are pretty well-known for their halftime shows.”
&nbs
p; The band continued its marching routines, forming “Ohio State” and a canon with a real blast, noise, and smoke. And for the finale, as always, the band ended the show with its famous Script Ohio, this time doing four versions at once on each side of the field.
“Holy crap!” Lucas exclaimed. “All right, they really are the best damn band in the land.”
WHEN THE game was finally over, they headed back to Jordan’s house. He rented a house off Lane Avenue, not far from campus, with three other roommates. The roommates had stayed home to watch the game with their friends, so by the time Jordan, Brandon, and Lucas got there, a full party was going on. Pizza, wings, nachos, chips, and pretzels filled the kitchen, and Lucas automatically headed there first. There were also cases of beer everywhere.
Jordan told them to grab some food and beer and come upstairs to his bedroom. It would be quieter up there. Brandon told Lucas and Jordan to go on ahead. He was going to hang out downstairs.
Lucas gave him a worried look as he looked around. “Are you sure, mate? It might be safer upstairs.”
“Nah, I’ll be fine. I have been to a few college parties before.” Brandon smiled what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He wanted to give Lucas and Jordan some time alone together.
After the other two went upstairs, Brandon grabbed a beer and a plate of food and eventually ended up outside on the tiny back porch. Because it was so small, people weren’t hanging out there, so he actually had some privacy.
As he ate, he checked his phone to find he had a voice mail and a text from Madeline, all from the last hour.
He read the text first.
Brandon, where the hell are you? And where is Lucas Black?
Oh shit.
He listened to the voice mail next. It was a little more detailed.
“Brandon, this is Madeline. I was away this weekend and just came home to a hundred messages from Lucas Black’s tour manager and his father. Apparently Lucas has disappeared and they say you were the last person to see him after his concert Thursday night. No one knows what happened to either of you. What the fuck is going on? Please tell me you have nothing to do with this that will cause problems for the museum. Call me back immediately.”
In the message she tried to maintain a professional demeanor, but the tension and anger in her voice seeped out. His stomach sank. Dammit, he hoped he wouldn’t lose his job over this. Not knowing how to respond, he ignored both messages for now.
A COUPLE of hours later, he felt a nudge to his side. He jumped and realized he’d dozed off, leaning against the wooden railing. Lucas sat down on the porch next to him.
“Wake up, Harris. I wondered where you’d got to. I was a little nervous when I couldn’t find you anywhere inside. Finally I heard someone mention a drunk dude passed out back here so I decided to check.”
Brandon stretched and stifled a yawn. “I had one beer. Not drunk.”
Lucas laughed. “So why didn’t you come upstairs and hang out with us?”
“I wanted to give you and Jordan some privacy. Did you two have a good visit?”
Lucas got a wistful but genuinely happy look on his face. “Yeah, yeah we did. It was really good. He’s happy here and doing well.” Lucas scratched his head. “Or at least I think he’s doing well…. He’s majoring in engineering and started explaining what he was learning in one of his classes…. I had to stop him. I was getting a headache. But he’s got a 3.9 grade point average. That’s good, right?”
Brandon looked impressed. “That’s very good. Smart kid.”
“Yeah. He thanked me for helping him. He wants to pay me back someday, but I refused. I got more money than I need in ten lifetimes. I’m glad I could help. His mum’s on like her fourth marriage—his dad was number one, my dad was number two, so there’s been two more since.” Lucas shook his head. “Parents should have to be qualified or licensed or something before they spawn.” There was a bitter edge to his voice, and Brandon knew he wasn’t only talking about Jordan’s mom. He’d have to make sure he gave his mom and dad a big hug when—if—he finally got to see them this weekend. He had definitely won the parent lottery.
“Hey, you ready to get out of here, mate? I found out Halsey is playing tonight at some place called the Newport. Jordan says it’s real close by. You wanna go?”
“Oh, she’s cool! Yeah, I’d like to see her.”
“She was going to open for me this tour, but then she dropped out to do her own tour.”
Lucas started to get up, but Brandon stopped him.
“I’ve got one little problem, though.” Brandon showed Lucas the text and the voice mail from Madeline.
“Did you respond?” Lucas asked.
“No! I didn’t know what to tell her.”
“Okay, well, you are now.” Lucas typed something into Brandon’s phone, and then Brandon heard the swish noise alerting that a message had been sent. Lucas handed Brandon back his phone, and he read the text Lucas had written.
Sorry Madeline, I’m home in Cincinnati. Drove here after the show, haven’t seen Lucas Black since that night.
Lucas patted Brandon on the shoulder. “All righty, then, let’s get out of here!”
Chapter Seven
THEY STILL had a couple of hours before the show, so they headed back to the hotel for quick showers and a change of clothes. Lucas still smelled like beer from spilling it on himself at the game.
When Lucas came out of the bathroom, Brandon lost his breath for a moment. Lucas wore a tight black T-shirt and dark-rinse, form-fitting jeans that looked like they were tailored perfectly for his long, lean legs. He wore the fake glasses, which only made him look even hotter.
Lucas paused in the mirror outside the bathroom and ran his hands through his wavy chin-length hair. He had such beautiful hair, Brandon wished he would leave it as is, but instead Lucas pulled a black beanie out of his duffel bag and put it on, leaving only the ends of his hair peeking out. Appearing satisfied, he grabbed his wallet and his phone and looked at Brandon.
Brandon was wearing a dark gray fitted button-down shirt, with the sleeves rolled up, and jeans. All normal attire for him, but he certainly didn’t look as good as Lucas did. Lucas, however, gave Brandon a slow up and down, and he almost swore there was a predatory look in the rock star’s eyes.
In the next instant, however, it was gone and Lucas had turned toward the door. “Let’s go find something to eat. I’m—”
“Starving, I know,” Brandon finished for him.
THERE WAS an Italian restaurant—Martini Modern Italian—just up the block from the Hilton so they chose that, since it was close. As with the restaurant at Cedar Point, this place was a bit upscale for Brandon, but this time he actually appreciated it. They hadn’t eaten anything but hot dogs and pizza and nachos all day, and he was looking forward to a real meal.
Brandon ordered the chicken carbonara, and Lucas, the pennette alla vodka, with a bruschetta appetizer for both of them. He also ordered each of them a glass of red wine.
The food was the best Italian Brandon had eaten in a very long time, and they both devoured what was on their plates.
When their waiter inquired about dessert, Brandon declined, as he was already too full. Not to mention that he felt he had already spent too much of Lucas’s money on the expensive meal. Lucas, however, did not hesitate at all. He ordered a piece of tiramisu and two forks, so they could share.
“Two forks?” Brandon asked slowly.
“Oh come on, Harris. We’ve been together twenty-four seven for two days. If you had hoof-and-mouth disease or something, I think I’d have caught it by now. And vice versa. Have you had all your shots?”
This made Brandon chuckle. “Yes, I have had my shots… I think. I was a baby, so I don’t really remember.”
Lucas rolled his eyes. “Great. I’ll have to call your mum first and ask her before I let you touch my tiramisu.”
The dessert, like the rest of the meal, was fabulous. Lucas dived right in with the first bite, slidi
ng the fork filled with cream between his beautiful lips and closing his eyes as he moaned from the taste.
Brandon sat there, frozen, just staring. His only body part capable of moving was—naturally—his cock, as it fought the confines of his jeans. Thank God he was sitting down with a napkin on his lap.
“Bloody hell, that’s good,” Lucas murmured. He opened his eyes to see Brandon hadn’t tried any yet. “Harris, you have to try this.” He took the second fork, scooped up a bite, and held it across the table to Brandon.
Brandon’s mouth went dry until he realized Lucas wasn’t actually going to feed the bite to him. He tried to steady his hand as he reached for the fork. Their fingertips brushed and Brandon felt something electric pass between their skins.
He managed to get the fork into his mouth, whereby he was momentarily distracted by the sweet creamy dessert as it slid across his taste buds.
“Oh my God. You were right. This is divine.” He looked across the table to see Lucas biting his lip. One of Lucas’s hands was hidden beneath the table. Lucas smiled and cleared his throat, reaching for his wine glass. He drained what little was left and signaled to the waiter for another. Brandon took another glass too, even though he generally wasn’t much of a wine drinker.
AS THEY left the restaurant, Brandon’s phone buzzed, so he stopped to check it. It was a response from Madeline to Lucas’s text.
Okay. I’ll let his people know, at least this should get them off our backs. Thanks, See you Tues.
“Ah-hah-hah!” Lucas fist-pumped the air with glee and threw his arm around Brandon, pulling him close. “See, we did it! They still don’t know where I am, and you still have a job.”
Brandon’s mouth was right at the level of Lucas’s neck and jaw. He had never been this close to him, and he smelled amazing. Two more inches and Brandon could lick that perfect jaw….
Runaway Rock Star Page 7
