Rock Gods: Baden

by Brandy Munroe

  ReInVented had four band members. That allowed for each of us to have larger size bunks instead of the usual six singles. Each had a thick privacy curtain. At the end was a set of two single bunks. One for the driver who slept while we were performing and one for whoever our new manager was going to be.

  After years of traveling as our manager, Shelby decided it was time for her to stay put. Her husband was a graphic designer and was also employed by Bentley. I was happy for Shelby that she had found her happily ever after.

  The Divine Chrysalis and Brackish bus had six single size bunks. Like ours, each had a privacy curtain.

  Those were the only differences between the buses. Our fully functioning kitchen and decent sized living room were large enough that no one should be tripping over each other. The only downside to living on a tour bus was the minuscule bathrooms. The shower stall was large enough to fit one average size human. Giving my six foot two height and muscular frame, it was going to be a challenge to get myself in and out of it.

  Shower sex on tour was definitely off the menu. At least not until we settled into a hotel for the night.

  The luxury was going to be new for us. Our old label cut corners wherever they could. If the venue allowed the bus to stay on the lot overnight, we didn’t get hotel accommodation. Even the ones they did procure were nothing short of roach motels. There were times we chose to sleep on the tour bus instead of the room the label booked.

  Having gone through all that bullshit, Theo had a better perspective as to how to treat his talent. It didn’t matter that Get Bent could fill stadiums; ReInVented and Bentley Records were babies in an industry that thrived on momentum and popularity.

  At the moment, Divine Chrysalis was kicking ass in the momentum category. I was proud to have had a hand in bringing them to fruition. They were where we had been four years ago. The ride was just beginning for them.

  The girls finished off the first set with Fun, much like they did last night. According to the setlist, Burn was going to kick off the second half of their performance. Having been in their shoes, I knew how hot the stage lights could be. I had the waitress deliver bottles of water for each of the girls as they kicked off with the last song of the first set.

  Crystal introduced each of the band members and thanked the audience for coming. She encouraged them to post any footage they had from the night's performance to any and all social media groups.

  This route was either going to turn into the best decision of the band's career or the worst, depending on the internet trolls whose sole purpose was to create chaos in cyberspace. There was no way around it. They would come out to play. The impact they would have on the band's success was not something any of us could predict.

  With Jackson’s team ready for action, we could only hope they would be able to put a positive spin on any negative feedback that was bound to come our way. No one ever got off without at least one bad review.

  How the girls handled it was going to be a glimpse into how well they’d survive the real bomb that was about to explode.

  I still had many unanswered questions from this afternoon's revelation.

  How much did Crystal tell the other girls about the impending scandal? I was sure Ashley and Amber would be apprised of the situation. They were Crystal’s cousins. With Jade’s own past with drug and alcohol addiction, she would have no issue standing behind Crystal. Jade understood how the press would twist and distort facts to make the story salacious enough to be deemed newsworthy.

  Sapphire, on the other hand, might not want to be associated with another scandal after her experience with Ruby Red.

  I didn't want to assume that Crystal was proactive and told everyone what to expect. After all, she hadn’t told me, and Theo assigned me as their mentor. I, of all people, should have been told from the beginning.

  Theo had mentioned that Crystal had family issues that were not his to tell. The scandal went beyond family secrets. It had the potential to taint anyone close to Crystal.

  And I had become as close to Crystal as anyone could.

  If my instincts were correct, I was the first relationship she’d been in since the scandal.

  Her last one was with the asshole who set her up and sent her on a path that would have destroyed most.

  She was putting her trust in me that I could be the kind of man who would stand beside her in the good times and the bad.

  I hope to god that I didn’t turn out to be the biggest disappointment of her life.

  Chapter 30

  Crystal

  I woke Monday morning, ready for the grueling day ahead. Theo had insisted we put Fun and Burn on the already finished album. By the fans’ reaction to last weekend’s performance, I should have expected the demand.

  Baden was disappointed I chose to spend the night in my bed, alone. I needed a full night’s sleep if I was expected to return to the studio bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. If I had stayed at the McMansion, there would have been lots of time in bed, but very little sleep.

  The girls had left earlier to lay down the essential tracks before my presence was required for any vocals that would be added later.

  I detoured through Tranquility specifically so I could stop at the town’s small, trendy cafe on Main street. They made the best mocha lattes I had ever tasted. From a born and bred New Yorker, that was saying a lot.

  It had become commonplace that if someone was going in the opposite direction to pick up a specialty coffee from Athens’s Coffee Shop, you better be returning with your arms full.

  This morning was no exception.

  I was happy to see Maddox pull in behind me on his Harley.

  “Hey, perfect timing,” I pointed to the take out trays sitting on the floorboard of the passenger side of the vehicle.

  “As long as one of those is for Kitt,” he grinned sheepishly.

  “Did you think anyone would be crazy enough to go to Athena’s and not bring something back for Kitt?” I smirked as I grabbed the bag of pastries sitting on the seat.

  I knew he had been the one to start the so-called coffee runs in the first place. His girlfriend Kitt was addicted to caffeine. I gave him the name of a website that sold caffeine mints. I suggested he get her a case for her birthday that was fast approaching.

  Another thing that was catching up with us was the tour. Divine Chrysalis had one more live show. Then the end of the summer charity festival was going to kick off the first half of our tour. We had to get Fun and Burn tracked this week.

  That meant long days and, if needed, even longer nights.

  I didn’t know what that was going to mean for the budding relationship between Baden and I. He was outwardly affectionate and not ashamed of PDA. His sexual appetite was second to mine. We’d be putting every unoccupied room to good use throughout the next couple of weeks. I stocked travel size wipes in my purse for such spontaneous occasions.

  Maddox having both his hands full, I pulled on the heavy metal door to Bentley Records. As far as studios go, this one was top notch. Theo had done a lot of remodeling of the old building when he took over as head of Bentley Records.

  The lobby was brightly lit. Soft, comfortable leather sofas were strewn about. Gone was the typical dark massive wood desk with a receptionist with fake boobs and big lips ready to stop any riff-raff from bothering the executives.

  The first thing you saw when you entered the building was Theo’s office. The glass front allowed everyone to see every inch of his surroundings. The back wall was also glass that looked out into a courtyard.

  Good thing my back was facing the lobby during my sexual encounter on Theo’s desk.

  The entire first floor of the North side of the building was set up as a carbon copy of Theo’s office. There were no delusions of any backroom favors happening in this building. Each office was transparent as the next.

  On the South side were the recording studios, and several conference rooms. As well as the room Kitt set up as a classroom. Her title was direct
or of special projects.

  She explained that she had started as a mentor to Maddox to assist him in completing his GED. Once she was able to set up a conducive study environment, she was able to facilitate any of the Bentley talents who were interested in doing the same.

  She was completing her Master’s degree, and her thesis coincided with her job at Bentley. I confided in her that I had obtained my teaching degree and would be willing to offer any assistance I could.

  I also attempted to recruit her to help me convince Ashley and Amber it would be to their benefit to obtain a GED. I teased that perhaps she could come on tour as Divine Chrysalis’ personal tutor.

  She gave me a weak smile while she explained she had to do one last field study to complete her Masters. The subject matter had yet to be discussed with her professor. As much as she would have loved to come on tour with us and spend more time with Maddox, it didn’t appear to be in the cards.

  This was going to be my first major tour. I was going to learn what it was like to live on the road. I was one of the fortunate ones to have family in the band traveling alongside me. I would also have the support of my boyfriend.

  At least, I would for this tour. There was no guarantee that both ReInVented and Divine Chrysalis would perform together on every tour Bentley Records would set up in the future.

  It would more than likely be the opposite. Fans did not want to see the same show year after year. If all went according to plan, by the end of this tour Divine Chrysalis would be the headliner with two up and comers as support. The same could be said for Brackish. They were not new to the industry; however, they were an unknown indie band before teaming up with ReInVented.

  By rights, Brackish should be sandwiched between us and ReInVented. I had to wonder if the only reason Theo switched us out was that we were an all-female group. The aesthetic and placement of each band were as important as the popularity and fan base.

  Brackish’s fan base was more of a headbanger crowd, not the rock and roll diehards that Divine Chrysalis or ReInVented would attract. In that aspect, it made sense to put them up first.

  Once this tour was over, we would be expected to push out another album. Six months on tour, six months working on the new album. That would give Baden and I a year together before any major decisions had to be made.

  That was if we were still a couple after that year.

  Could our relationship survive when our careers dictated where we went and who we went with? It was going to be difficult enough watching groupies throw themselves at Baden in my presence. However, seeing these images in tabloids and not knowing the hows or whys could be destructive to any long-distance relationship.

  Did I want to reinvest my heart again only to have it ripped out like the last time?

  Baden was not Andrew. Baden had gone through the groupie stage and had outgrown it. Andrew and I were young and inexperienced when we went off to college. The bitterness of his betrayal would always linger. However, the ache for the life I thought I would live no longer existed.

  Was I looking for problems that didn’t exist to avoid having to go through that heartbreak again? Maybe I should set ground rules. Take this year to get to know Baden in more than the biblical sense.

  I loved his sense of humor. The loyalty he showed his brother and his bandmates. The patience he’d displayed during our mentorship and the understanding and acceptance of my past.

  I guess the only question left was could I fall in love again?

  Chapter 31

  Baden

  I called it an early day when the girls nailed their individual tracks with only a couple of takes. Pairing the tracks went much the same. Fun was going to be finished by tomorrow if the group session was as successful as today’s endeavor. I thought it would be a good idea to let the girls get some rest before trying to lay down the final version of the song.

  Each track would be overlaid to create depth and enhance the sound of the marketable copy. We recorded the song with Sapphire taking the lead and then again with Crystal.

  The lower register of Sapphire’s voice gave the song more definition than when Crystal sang it. I decided that in tomorrow's sessions, Sapphire would take the lead with Crystal signing backup.

  It was the way they practiced and sang it live. I wasn’t going to mess with that. Their original version was the way the song should be sung.

  I wasn’t going to make the same mistake with Sapphire and Jade that Ruby Red and their previous manager had. The song was made for the unique dark tone of Sapphire’s vocals. Add in the hotness factor of Crystal strapped to her pink Strat, every man from here to Timbuktu was going to be buying tickets to see that.

  Crystal and I were sitting under one of the wooden structures in the courtyard behind the Bentley Record building. I suggested we get some air after being cooped up in the studio for most of the day. The late afternoon sun could be brutal this time of year. I was enjoying the shade provided by the pergola.

  “Back up the fucking truck, you expect me to what?” This wasn’t how I expected this conversation to start. “You’re suggesting we don’t have sex during the tour.” I was dumbfounded. I finally got Crystal to agree to be my girlfriend, and now she was suggesting something as ridiculous as this.

  “Wow, that’s what you got out of that request,” she laughed.

  I didn’t know why she thought a sexless relationship was so fucking funny. I stood and crossed my arms in disapproval. There was no way I was going to be able to keep my hands off Crystal’s amazing body.

  Could I go without sex? Absolutely. However, I was a very sexual person. I believed Crystal to be as well. Fuck, this entire thing started because of our love of sex. After spending time with each other, we both realized that there was more than a physical connection between us. It was why I fought as hard as I did to get her to agree to a relationship.

  “I didn’t say we’d stop having sex, Baden. I said we would not be sleeping together on the tour buses,” she reminded me of her earlier statement. “How does that equate to us not having sex?” She continued to be amused by my confusion.

  “If we are not having sex on the tour buses between shows, then when are we supposed to be having sex?” I challenged her.

  She expelled an exaggerated huff. “We can still share a hotel room. And then there’s always that obligatory stress relief after the show backstage. We just have to be,” she paused, careful about how to word what she was thinking, “creative,” she finished.

  “Creative?” I processed her words carefully. “This isn’t some ploy to try to hide our relationship, is it?” Now I was becoming annoyed. We had come so far. I let her out of my sight for one night, and she seemed to be backpedaling.

  “What? Fuck no,” she was quick to respond. She jumped to her feet and wrapped her hands behind my neck and pulled me in for a soul-searing kiss. “Does that feel like I am trying to put you back in the closet?” She laughed “Literally since we fucked in every closet at Bentley.”

  “Well,” I shrugged and glanced around at our surroundings. “We are in the back of the studio alone where no one can see us.”

  Instead of being angry at my accusation, she pushed my chest and laughed at me again.

  “I’m not trying to hide our relationship, and I am not saying we can’t have sex. All I am asking is that for the first half of the tour we travel in our respective tour buses with our bands to strengthen those relationships.”

  It wasn’t the first time she had mentioned wanting to create a stronger bond with the girls in Divine Chrysalis. This had never been an issue with our previous band Get Bent. By the time we did our first tour, we had been playing together for years. With Theo gone, the addition of Bash, the name change and rebranding; It wouldn’t hurt ReInVented to spend some quality time bonding.

  “How about when the buses are on the road from one place to the other, we travel with our respective band members. When the buses are parked or not moving, we treat them no differently than if
we were staying in a hotel?” To me, it was a reasonable solution to the no sex on the tour bus dilemma.

  “Oh my god, we haven’t even stepped foot on the buses, and you’re already finding a way to break the rules.” She poked her finger into my chest.

  “Not break, bend a little,” I interpreted.

  She laughed joyfully. “Okay, I guess that would be no different than if we were staying at a hotel,” she conceded. “When the buses are traveling from point A to point B, we remain on our own buses. When the buses are parked for the day—not pit stops, not lunch break, but at our predetermined location for the evening—I could be tempted to engage in a little physical activity.”

  I pulled her close to grind my pelvis against her pussy.

  “How about now? Could you be tempted into a little physical activity?” I asked before claiming her mouth with all the passion I possessed.

  Her desire for me was just as strong. Our tongues collided and fueled my appetite. All my years of experience as the dominant in the bedroom melted away with Crystal’s touch. It was no longer essential that I be in control.

  It was clear from the beginning of our time together that this was going to be an equal partnership. There would be give, and take. Push and pull. Neither I nor Crystal would be the lesser in all aspects of our lives.

  She was the first woman who challenged me sexually, mentally and creatively.

  “I missed you last night,” I confessed when we unleashed our mouths long enough to take a breath.

  “I thought I would sleep better if you weren’t there.” She lowered her eyes. “I knew if we shared a bed, we might not get any sleep.”

  It was my turn to laugh. “I think we can spend a night together where we are not tearing each other's clothes off, Crystal.”

  “Are you sure?” She had a wicked smirk ghosting her lips.

  “Spend the night with me and find out,” I requested.

  “Did you or did you not ask me a mere few seconds ago if I could be tempted into a little physical activity?” She crossed her arms defensively.