by Claire Adams
“Nalia.”
“Yes?” I spun around to face Owen.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his forehead wrinkled together in concern.
“Just making sure you guys are being taken care of. That's my job, remember?” I smiled nervously, suddenly worried I’d done something wrong.
“Look, everything is perfect. We're here, we're relaxed, everything has been taken care of, we're all on schedule. There's nothing to worry about right now, nothing at all. Stop stressing out and come sit down and eat with us,” he insisted, pulling out a chair.
“But the-”
“But nothing. Nalia, you’re doing an amazing job. Seriously, everything is more organized and on schedule than on any other tour we've ever done. We've never been this tight and prepared. Sit down. Emails and calls can wait till after you have some lunch.”
I hesitated, and that’s when Talon led the guys in chanting my name until I finally sat down, my face crimson from embarrassment. All of them cheered as I took a seat. Talon then leaned over and put an arm around me.
“That’s our girl!” Talon started. “Come on, I know you've set yourself up in this 'mom' role and you're concerned with making sure everything happens exactly where and when it's supposed to happen—and believe me, we seriously do appreciate it—but, Nalia, you need to enjoy yourself, too. You’ve been working hard at this, and you deserve to at least sit down and enjoy a meal. You're human, just like us, not a robot or some shit, and we totally don't expect you to be a machine all the time. So, relax for a while, forget about all that stuff, and let's just have a nice meal,” he said.
I smiled and Owen laughed, passing me a menu. I’d never felt so at home in a job than that moment. If it wasn’t where I belonged, then I didn’t know where that would be.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Owen
I hadn’t felt so great in a long time. I'd forgotten how much I used to love touring, and with Nalia keeping everything on schedule, it was even better than I remembered. And now, with things running more smoothly than they ever had before and with almost no administrative details to worry about because Nalia was doing such a bang up job covering all of that stuff, I could focus purely on the music. I was already in the mindset that this might turn out to be the best tour we'd ever played.
I looked out over the empty hall smiling, just imagining the stadium outside filled up with the crowd we expected. This was going to be a big one, and I was determined to give every single fan who had bought a ticket a show that they'd remember for the rest of their lives.
“You guys ready?” I looked back at the others and asked.
“Hell yeah!” Jeremiah smiled as he strapped on his guitar. “I've never been more ready. Let's tear the roof off this place!”
“One, two, three, four,” Talon counted off then started on the drums. Jeremiah, Jay, and Nate started in on guitars and bass, then I started in on vocals. I caught Nalia watching from backstage and smiled at her as I sang.
A reserved smile spread over her pink lips. I hoped she was getting into the music and admiring my performance as we rehearsed, but I figured it was more likely that she was probably going over the next ten tasks she had to get done in her head.
We went through the entire set of songs with no issues. A flawless rehearsal. We were on a roll, flying on adrenaline, pure energy, and passion. Everyone was in good spirits and ready to go, and I just knew we were gonna rock hard tonight. After we finished, I headed toward the side stage with Talon, and we both peeked out at the growing crowd.
“This is going to be another great fucking show,” Talon smiled, checking out the crowd. “Damn, bro, there are quite a few sexy ladies out there, eh? This is totally my vibe. Still the best job in the world, dude. The best job on earth!” he nudged my side.
I only shrugged.
“I’m going to find Nalia, see if she’s got everything under control,” I said, clearing my throat.
Talon grinned mischievously. “Riiiiight.”
I smiled at him and walked off, heading backstage in search of her. I found her alone in the dressing room checking over the catering and ensuring everything was just as it needed to be. She really had a great eye for detail and was a bit of a perfectionist.
“Hey, beautiful.” I came up behind her and put my arms around her waist.
“Owen.”
I could hear the smile in her voice as I leaned down and kissed her neck. I spun her around to face me and backed her up against the wall.
“Did you need something?” she asked, blinking up at me. I kissed her lips gently, then a bit more hungrily, tugging at her bottom lip. She uttered a soft whimper against my mouth as she kissed me back, her body pressing against mine.
“Promise me you'll spend the night with me tonight,” I whispered, nuzzling my nose against hers.
“But you’ll be busy tonight. You’ve got meet and greets, signings, another after party-”
I kissed her again to cut her off, easing my hips up against her, letting her feel how much I wanted her. “Please, Nalia. I don’t care—just promise me. I just want to spend some time with you. You're the only thing I want to focus on after the show tonight.”
She smiled up at me, once more with that hesitant look in her eyes. “Okay. I promise. I’m all yours tonight,” she whispered back.
Once more, I joined my lips to hers, happy despite her hesitance. I didn't want to give her any reason whatsoever to doubt me later. I brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear as I studied her, wondering what was going on behind those beautiful eyes of hers. Her cheeks flushed a little as my fingertips brushed her skin, and she looked down, pulling away from me.
“I should get back to work,” she said before I could pull her back to me. “I’ve got a few more things need to take care of before you guys hit the stage.”
“Umm, okay.” I was left a little speechless as I watched her go. Something was off, and to tell the truth, it had seemed to be off for days. I didn’t feel like she was being completely upfront with me about something, and it wasn't sitting right. Maybe she was protecting herself. If so, that was a good thing, right? She didn’t want to get too attached. After all, we had both agreed on that being one of the conditions.
I had assured her I didn’t want to become too attached to her, either. Or, so I thought. Lately, I’d caught myself wondering what life would be like with Nalia. And watching her walk out of the room with that look on her face had me thinking about other things.
Not just sex with her, but settling down, having someone close, someone I could be with for...well, forever. The idea of it was kind of scary to think about but also very comforting at the same time. And as scary as it was, I could honestly say I didn't want anyone else, just her. No one had ever made me think about those things. Until now, at least.
I was still in a daze when the guys came into the room to grab something to eat. I tried to get my mind off of her as they arrived.
“Doing all right?” Talon asked, grabbing a plate of food.
“Yeah, just thinking about the show,” I lied.
“I’m sure it’s going to be great. We totally killed it in rehearsal, so, I imagine it's gonna be just as kick-ass when we actually hit the stage.” He patted my shoulder then sat down next to me. “Not going to eat, bro?”
“I will in a bit.” I looked over at the food, not feeling too hungry.
“Too busy thinking about Nalia?” he whispered so the others didn’t hear him. I only shrugged. He could read me better than anyone. “For what it’s worth, I think you two are good for each other. Just don’t fuck things up while we’re on tour,” Talon winked.
I sure as hell didn’t plan to, and that was the truth.
I left without eating much, then went and changed for the show, and finally headed out of the dressing room while the opening band was playing to check them out. The crowd was huge, thrumming with energy. It brought a smile to my face and lifted my mood as thoughts of Nalia began fading into
the back of my mind. It was getting close to show time, and I needed to get in the right mindset to perform.
The opening band finished, and we high-fived them as they came off stage, having a couple beers with them while the crew set up the stage for us. When it was time for Bleeding Heart to take the stage, we converged into our usual huddle, putting hands into the middle like we were on a football team before shouting “Bleeding Heart” to pump us up. It was a little juvenile, but it had been our routine since our first live gig.
When we ran out on stage, the crowd erupted in a thunderous roar of cheers and applause. As the wave of sound hit me, an electric rush flooded through me. Every time I stepped on stage, it was still surreal to see people cheering for us, even after all the years we’d performed. It never got old. Never. It always felt like it had the very first time.
“How’s everyone doing tonight?” I shouted into the microphone. The crowd roared in response, and my smile grew. “Are you ready to do this? Are you ready to rock this place down to its foundations, tear every brick out, and burn it to the ground?”
Even louder cheers came in response, and I nodded at Talon. He slammed on the drums and headed straight into our first song, and I watched the crowd morph into a sea of swaying bodies as I began to sing.
I got lost in the music, forgetting everything else at that moment. For that brief segment of time, everything was perfect. Absolutely perfect.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Nalia
The guys came off the stage steaming from the heat of their performance and covered in sweat. I ushered them into the dressing room to freshen up before their meet and greet. Once again, they had pulled off a killer set. The crowd had been so fanatical that they had played three encores before finally leaving the stage.
Owen grinned at me as he passed and blew me a kiss, causing those stupid, silly butterflies in my stomach to swarm in a frenzy. Before I could even realize what I was doing, I gave him a flirty wink in response.
I waited outside of the dressing room for them and watched all the fans that had won a backstage meet and greet as they headed for the area set up for them. I tried to stop myself, but I couldn’t keep from eyeing them up and down.
A lot of them were women, and almost all of those women were dressed rather revealingly in halter tops, micro-minis, and clothing that revealed more of their bodies than most swimsuits would have. There were midriffs showing at every turn, plenty of cleavage, legs exposed almost all the way up to the point where you could see panties, and of course, pierced belly buttons and tattoos. To say that I wasn’t thrilled about these girls possibly throwing themselves all over Owen was an understatement.
Relax. They’re just fans, and he already said he wanted to spend the night with you. Talon and the other guys will be all over these groupies. Not Owen. He's not like that, and he's only got eyes for you. He's said it himself more times than you can count, Nalia. So, just breathe. You don't have anything to worry about.
It was easy enough to tell myself all of that, but when the guys came out, and I saw panties and bras go flying and girls begging to have their tits and asses signed, it was much harder to swallow my own advice.
This is how a rock band tour goes. Owen warned you that this is how it would be, and Talon has told you plenty of stories about the crazy things fans did on previous tours, I reminded myself.
Still, I ended up excusing myself and heading to the bathroom. I just couldn't take being around all the scantily-clad, turned-on groupies and watching them do everything they could to get their grubby, little paws all over Owen.
I felt panicky, nervous for some reason. I splashed a little water on my face and took a few deep breaths to calm myself. I knew coming into this job that this was how some fans acted, especially around attractive rock stars, and these guys were certainly that and more.
As much as I hated that I needed to, I once again had to remind myself that Owen wasn't like that. I kept repeating to myself that it would be the other guys doing unheard of things with these girls. Not him. He would simply be polite and sign autographs for them. I pulled my makeup out of my purse and freshened up my face, then fixed my hair before walking back out.
I was beginning to feel a little better—until I saw Owen. He had two girls sitting in his lap for a picture. Both chicks had their tits out on full display, and he had his tongue sticking out toward them like he was going to lick them. Waves of something I couldn’t even describe started rippling through my body, and an uncomfortable heat flushed through my face.
I bit my lip hard and turned on my heels, heading for the back door. I needed air, and I needed it fast. Fans or not, there was no reason for him to join in like that. Then again, he had made it clear we weren’t an item...or anything, for that matter. He’d also made it clear that crazy things happened on tour. I was just an idiot for starting to care more deeply for him than I really should have.
“Nalia?” I spun around to see Talon standing outside.
“Hey, Talon, did you need something?” I plastered a smile on my face, even as tears began to rim my eyes.
“No…no, I didn’t need anything,” he said, lighting a cigarette. “I came out here to check on you.”
“On me? Why would you do that? I’m totally fine,” I assured him, trying to keep it together and put on my most hardened expression. “You should get back in there with your fans; you're going to leave a lot of them disappointed if you don't. Go on, have fun; don't worry about me.” I waved a hand, managing a laugh, even if it sounded hollow.
He sighed and put a hand on my shoulder. “I saw your face, and I think I know you well enough by now to be able to see that you’re not fine.”
I tried to laugh it off, even as more tears formed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Owen. With the two practically topless girls. You can't tell me that's not going to bother you on some level.” He stared me straight in the eyes, and the tears finally began to roll down my cheeks.
“It’s my own fault. I’m an idiot, a stupid idiot, nothing more. I actually started feeling something for him. Even after he told me….” My voice trailed off as Talon pulled me into a strong hug, and I sniffled, hugging him back.
“Look, sometimes my brother can be an idiot just like me. It's a family trait, sadly. He cares about you, too, you know. A lot. He really does, believe me. He just got caught up in joking around with the fans.”
“By trying to lick their tits? That's what you call 'just joking around?’” I looked at Talon like he was nuts.
“I’m not excusing him! Fans get crazy, and, to be honest, it’s easy to get caught up in it, but I know he wasn’t going to do anything more than just humor them by playing along. Yes, I know they pulled their tits out; they want attention from us. And yeah, a lot of them want, you know, the whole package. But most are satisfied with a smile, an autograph, and maybe a flirty touch. But trust me, he's not going to go any further than that with them because of how much he likes you.”
“I shouldn’t even be here right now. Everything is organized, and you guys don’t need me to get back to the hotel. I should just go back to my room,” I sighed.
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I don’t want to stay and watch him with….” I shrugged.
Talon gave me one more strong squeeze. “It'll be all right, I promise. I know him better than anyone. He is my brother. And, he's not going to do anything stupid. Don't worry; he's not like me in that respect,” Talon gave me a playful wink intended to reassure me. I wasn’t feeling too reassured. “Anyways, we’ll meet you back at the hotel, no worries, okay?” he added.
I nodded, feeling a little sad, disappointed, numb, and angry all rolled into one. Without another word, I headed around the building to the front to hail a cab. I finally caught one and simply headed straight up to my room when I arrived back at the hotel.
I wanted to go to sleep, but I was too agitated and upset over the situation and over the fact that I ca
red so much. Maybe Talon was right. Maybe Owen didn’t mean anything by it. Maybe he was just posing for a picture and didn’t think something like that might hurt me. Maybe, since I lied on my resume, he assumed I’d been on tour with other bands before and knew those kinds of things happened and were simply par for the course. But if I was being honest with myself, I didn’t know what to think anymore. I felt like I was unraveling, and I needed something to calm me down.
I suddenly remembered that I had passed a piano in the lobby of the hotel earlier. Without a second thought, I slipped my shoes back on and headed downstairs.
I sat down at the pristine black bench and started playing. As I did, I started to forget everything and just focused on the music.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Owen
I felt great after the meet and greet had finished, invigorated even. The show had been a spectacular success, and we had been on fire from the very first song to the final encore. Having the fans pretty much refuse to let us go off stage until they'd heard a third encore really had felt amazing. My earlier thoughts were spot on—this was definitely turning out to be one of the best tours we'd done, if not the best ever.
Even though confidence had never been something I had an issue with, it was nice to know so many women were still attracted to me. Every man needs a little ego boost now and again.
Not to mention, I had to face the facts: I was getting older, and damn if I didn’t feel less attractive in recent years. Damn ego. I mean, I'd stayed in shape, and my genes had gifted me with a full head of hair that showed no signs of thinning, and good, smooth skin that remained pretty damn youthful, but even with all of that, I'd began to feel as if I wasn't as attractive as I had been in my twenties. So, the attention from these star-struck groupies, well, it was nice in that regard.
