That stung a little.
It’s not that I wanted a bunch of guys fighting over me, but I wanted to be wanted. I wanted the same kind of attention that he received from the female fans.
And hell, I wanted to hookup even if it meant being with a total stranger.
The only person I had ever been with was currently on this bus.
Of course, our relationship was strictly for fun. We didn’t make a good couple. We had tried for a week, but we were just too different, and it didn’t help that I was secretly in love with someone else.
Marshal and Micah were unaware that I had slept with Russell or that when things would get lonely, I would find myself in his arms again.
Russell kept me from losing myself. He was my rock.
“Do you know what he’s going to make you wear?” Marshal questions after a few moments of silence.
“No, but I get the final say in what I end up wearing,” I reply.
He nods. “Good. We don’t want him dressing you like a groupie.”
I nod and then yawn abruptly.
“You should try to sleep some more.” Marshal insists.
“You should too,” I stress.
He grunts in response before turning his attention back to my guitar.
Without another word, I move back to my bed before climbing under the covers. I close my eyes and then quickly drift off moments later.
Chapter 3
“Wake up, guys,” Mickie calls out as he moves through the bus. “It’s time to get ready for tonight. We’ve got a lot to cover before you play.”
I groan along with Micah, Marshal, and Russell.
Mickie stops next to my bed. “I need you in the building in ten to go over your options for what to wear tonight.”
“Do I really have to?” I pout.
“You agreed to it last night.” He replies. “You can’t back out now.”
“Of course, I can’t.” I breathe out before moving to sit on the edge of my bed.
“I’ll be outside to lead you in once you’re ready.” Mickie then states before walking away.
I nod and then scrub my hands over my face before standing up.
“Do you want us to help you pick something out?” Russell questions as he watches me from his bed.
“I can do it on my own.” I insist.
He nods and then reaches his hand out to touch mine.
“Later?” He whispers cryptically.
He wanted some intimate time alone. I could see it in his eyes, and honestly, I needed it too. I needed to feel loved even for a few minutes.
“If we have time…” I reply before moving away from him.
I slip on a pair of shoes and then pull my hair back before exiting the bus. I whimper and shield my eyes as the sun nearly blinds me.
I glance at Mickie in question as a man dressed in all black moves to my side.
“Chloe, this is Mitch. He’s going to be your personal bodyguard. Since you’re becoming more popular, it’s time that we take your safety into consideration.” Mickie explains. “I don’t want you going anywhere without him close by, okay.”
“Oh…” I breathe out before nodding. “Okay.”
“Alright, now that that’s out of the way, we can work on your outfit.” Mickie pushes.
I nod again and then follow him as he begins walking towards the tall building that we would be performing in later. We walk through a backdoor and then down a short hall before walking into a room filled with racks of clothing and two girls standing next to them.
Mickie stops and then turns to face me. “I want you to pick out what you’d be most comfortable in. I had the girls pick out the best outfits that would match the guys.”
I nod and then nervously bite my bottom lip before moving towards the first rack of clothes.
As I search through them, I quickly recognize a trend. The tops were nothing more than corsets, and the pants were torn and had chains that matched Russell’s outfits.
Sighing softly, I stop at a purple corset that looked more like a tank top than an actual corset. I pull it off of the rack and then find a pair of black pants that had a matching purple ribbon holding together the sides.
“That is the perfect outfit,” Mickie states happily while clapping his hands together. “Now, try it on so we can see how you look.”
I inwardly groan but move behind a makeshift wall.
Moving quickly, I strip down and then pull the outfit on. Oddly enough, I felt comfortable with it on. The corset was beautiful and fit my body like a glove.
Running my hands over my pants, I step out from behind the wall for Mickie to see.
“Holy shit…” He blurts.
He then shakes his head before raising his brow. “Do you like it?”
Glancing down, I nod my head. “I do.”
“Awesome, now we’ve got to do your hair to match,” Mickie announces. “I’ll have the girls get these same clothes in different colors so you can wear a different one each night.”
He then waves for me to follow him again.
We move to the other side of the room where an older woman motions for me to sit down in a chair.
She wordlessly pulls my hair tie out of my hair before running her fingers through it.
“I think we’ll keep the length and add some purple highlights to match the outfit. I’ll do a few braids with ribbons, so we’ll be able to change them out easily with each outfit.” The woman explains.
“Work your magic, Mabel,” Mickie replies before patting my arm. “I’ll be back as soon as she’s finished, and we’ll get dinner.”
I nod and then close my eyes as Mabel begins brushing my hair.
****
“Sweetie, you can open your eyes,” Mabel announces. “I’m finished.”
I open my eyes and stare at my reflection as she holds up a mirror in front of me. I touch the purple streaks while smiling. It was awesome.
“What do you think?” Mabel asks nervously.
“I love it,” I answer honestly.
She bounces on her heels. “Thank you.”
“Oh, Mickie wanted you to join them on stage.” She then states. “It took a little longer to get your hair done than I thought it would, but it was worth it.”
“Did I fall asleep?” I ask.
She nods. “You did.”
Sighing softly, I raise my hand to touch my face, but she stops me before I can.
“I did your makeup since you were asleep.” She states gently.
“Oh, I didn’t even realize,” I reply.
Before I can say anything else, the bodyguard holds out a bag in front of me. I take it and then look inside.
The scent of freshly cooked chicken greets me.
In an instant, my stomach groans with hunger. I grab a strip of chicken out and then begin eating as we leave Mabel behind.
A few minutes later, music fills the air as we move closer to the stage area.
The bodyguard leads me through the back and then stops before motioning me to continue. I walk down the short hall and then stop at the steps leading to the stage. I watch as Micah taps the drums lightly while Russell does his own thing with the bass guitar, and Marshal sings without paying any attention to the music being played behind him.
After a moment, I take another bite from my chicken strip and then move forward.
Micah is the first to notice me. His jaw drops as one of his sticks fall to the floor. Seconds later, Russell turns to look. His eyes widen with surprise as he breathes out a long string of curses.
Last but not least, Marshal stops singing to look back at Micah and Russell in question.
When his attention falls on me, he curses. “Hell, no; there’s no way that Mickie is making you wear that on stage tonight.”
He then points towards the stairs. “Go change, Chloe. I’ll talk to him.”
I raise my brow. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“You look like a hooker.” He states harshly.<
br />
“Seriously, Marshal?” Russell snaps. “I think she looks amazing.”
“She’s hot as hell.” Micah chimes in.
“You don’t even look comfortable,” Marshal argues.
“Well, I am, and I picked it out, so I’m not going to change,” I reply before looking down at myself. “I like the way that I look. I didn’t think that I would at first, but I actually feel powerful.”
“Just give it up, Marshal,” Russell states as he moves closer to me.
Marshal grunts in response while shaking his head. “Whatever, but don’t come crying to me when Mickie demands that you start wearing less than what you’re wearing now.”
“Once you give in, there’s no turning back.” He adds.
It would never come to that because I wouldn’t allow it. I would put my foot down if it came to it, and anyway, I didn’t think that Mickie would do that to me.
“You look beautiful.” Russell insists as he stops in front of me.
I smile and then take another bite of my chicken. Russell grins and then grabs my wrist before eating the rest of the strip out of my hand.
Laughing lightly, I grab another piece from my bag before holding it out to him.
“Toss me a piece.” Micah pleads.
Russell takes his piece before taking a few steps back. I reach into my bag again and pull out another strip before tossing it towards Micah.
Once he catches it, I turn towards Marshal.
He ignores me while focusing his attention on a piece of paper in his hands.
Sighing softly, I move towards him while reaching into my bag again. I pull out a piece and then stop next to Marshal.
I clear my throat to gain his attention.
He finally looks at me with a raised brow.
“I’m not some helpless girl, Marshal. No one is going to make me do something that I don’t want to do.” I state.
He nods once. “I know, but this career is risky for a girl like you.”
“That’s why I have you, Micah, and Russell. You three will keep me safe. We’re family, remember?” I reply.
“How could I forget?” He sighs.
I grin and hold up the chicken. “Now, shut up and eat the damned chicken like everyone else.”
“That’s not going to make me change my mind about the outfit.” Marshal stresses.
“Do you at least like my hair?” I ask while holding the chicken just out of his reach.
He nods and then reaches his hand up to finger a lock of the purple. “I do like the hair.”
For a moment, I get lost in his eyes. I always seemed to get like this every time he even touched me in more than a friendly way.
The way he was looking at me now was more than friendly.
He looked hungry.
As he opens his mouth to speak, more than likely to ruin the moment, I shove the piece of chicken into his mouth and then walk away.
Russell and Micah laugh loudly as I take my spot on stage and then grab my guitar. I grab another piece of chicken and take a bite before placing the bag onto the floor.
Everyone becomes serious as Micah taps his sticks together.
“One…two…three…four…” He calls out before we begin playing together.
After a few minutes, Marshal begins singing while glancing in my direction.
Halfway through the song, Mickie walks on stage while clapping his hands.
We quickly stop playing and turn our attention to him.
“That was fantastic.” Mickie states before continuing. “We’re going to have a packed house tonight, so I want the four of you to sell it. This will be the largest crowd since we started.”
He then turns to me. “The fans are going to love your new look, Chloe.”
“I’m going to have a photographer on stage tonight to take some candid pictures of you.” He then announces. “We’re going to replace the old photos on the website and all social media sites.”
“Is that really necessary?” I ask.
“You know it is, Chloe,” Mickie replies.
Of course, it was. It was all part of this life, and I had to accept it, but that didn’t mean that I wouldn’t give Mickie a rough time along the way.
“Anyway, I also wanted you to know that we changed one of the opening bands. We had a special request that we couldn’t refuse.” Mickie states next.
“Who…?” Marshal pushes.
“Lucky August…” He answers.
“Why would they want to open for us?” Marshal questions.
Mickie shrugs. “I don’t know, but they’ve been changing a lot of their gigs to match with ours. It might be their tactic to ride on our new popularity, or they might be trying to take the spotlight away from us.”
“Damn it, is there anything that we can do to stop them?” Russell asks this time.
“They’re worth millions. What they want, they get.” Mickie replies.
“Either way, if you guys stay on this path, then you’ll outshine them. They have nothing special to offer like you four do. They’re onstage showmanship sucks.” Mickie insists before he motions towards me. “And they don’t have Chloe. She is going to bring you thousands of fans all on her own.”
“Everyone loves the way that Chloe and Russell dance together on stage while playing.” Mickie then states. “There are polls out there that want Chloe and Russell together as a couple.”
“Seriously…?” I blurt.
He nods. “Over sixty percent; forty percent want you with Marshal.”
“Hey, what about me…?” Micah chimes in.
“Only ten percent want you with Chloe. There’s another poll that puts you with Russell.” Mickie answers with a light laugh.
“What’s wrong with these people?” Micah grumbles.
“I don’t know; I think you two would make a hot couple.” I tease.
He shakes his head while Marshal, Mickie, and Russell laugh along with me.
Once our laughter dies down, Mickie turns his attention towards Marshal. “It would be smart to use those polls to cater to the fans. Give them what they want, or at least make them want it more.”
“You should do a song together with Chloe.” Mickie then suggests.
“I don’t sing,” I argue.
Marshal sighs while rubbing the back of his neck. “We’ll figure something out after tonight. Let’s stick to our normal routine for now.”
Mickie nods. “That’s fine; you don’t have to change anything if you don’t want to, but most of the greatest bands used those kinds of polls to their advantage.”
“And some of the greatest bands were torn apart by relationships,” Micah stresses.
“Fake it until you make it,” Russell replies with a cocky smirk.
I laugh and shake my head before leaning down to grab another piece of my chicken. I take a large bite and then sit down on the stage with my legs crossed under me.
Everyone grows silent as I slowly begin strumming my fingers over the strings of my guitar.
I close my eyes as the music just flows.
“Are you recording that?” Marshal questions softly.
“Always…” Mickie replies.
This was how some of our best songs had started, so everyone was always ready to record me as I played.
As I get lost in the music, Micah and Russell begin playing along with me.
Chapter 4
“Chloe, are you ready to go?” Mickie shouts from the other side of the door to my private room. “Lucky August is nearly done, and we need you ready to go on stage soon.”
I stand and then smooth my hands over my outfit before taking a deep breath.
Once I’m ready, I move to the door and open it.
Mickie quickly motions for me to follow him. As we walk down the hallway, Russell, Micah, and Marshal join us.
The closer we get to the stage, the faster my heart begins to beat.
Behind me, the guys bounce on their feet as they laugh with excitement.
&
nbsp; As we reach the side of the stage, the stage crew hands Russell and me our guitars. They then fit us with our earpieces and then double-check things.
I stand still while watching the band on stage.
Just like last time, their lead singer glances in my direction. His eyes widen for a brief moment before a smile spreads across his lips.
His smile disappears when Marshal moves to my side.
“What was that?” Marshal asks as he looks at me.
I shrug. “I don’t know.”
“There’s something there.” Marshal bites out. “Is this why they’re covering for us?”
“I don’t even know his name, Marshal,” I reply before turning to face him. “Why are you getting so upset?”
He doesn’t respond. Instead, he stares straight ahead.
I watch him as the music on stage comes to an end.
“Thank you, everyone.” The lead singer shouts.
Moments later, the band rushes past us. The lead singer stops next to Marshal before holding out his hand.
“You must be Marshal.” He states. “I’m Shiloh.”
Marshal shakes his hand. “Why the hell are you covering for our band?”
Shiloh snorts. “Man, you don’t beat around the bush, do you?” He pauses for a moment before continuing. “I’m a fan of your music, and I thought that working together would benefit both of our bands. We’ll pull in more fans if we work together rather than as rivals.”
It made sense, but there seemed to be more to it than that.
“Just test it out for a little while. If you don’t want to work together, then we’ll go our separate ways.” Shiloh adds.
“…And now for the band that you’ve been waiting for…here’s Cyclone Lies…” Someone announces.
Shiloh grins while slapping Marshal’s shoulder. “Have a good show.”
With that, he walks away.
Marshal takes a deep breath before glancing at me. “Are you ready to go?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I reply.
He nods and then bounces on his heels before rushing out onto the stage. Russell follows and then Micah before I join them.
Rock Me Page 2
