When Crystal emerged from the bathroom, I was blown away. I’d seen her in her stage costumes, casual attire, sexy lingerie and even in a bikini. Still, this Crystal, the one looking classy and alluring, took my breath away.
She paired the elegant sheath dress with basic black pumps. A single strand of pearls circled her delicate neck. Her hair was pinned up in a french twist, and her beautiful face was free of all the heavy makeup required for the stage.
No, this Crystal carried herself with grace, poise, and confidence, with a hint of seductress. The combination had my cock hardening in my well-fitted trousers. If we did not leave immediately, we might not make it out of the room.
That would in no way prove to Crystal I could restrain myself around her.
I called an Uber to take us to the restaurant. I did not want to chance getting lost and have us arriving late for our performance tonight.
A flash of jealousy and a hint of pride rested in my chest at the number of heads that turned in Crystal’s direction as the host ushered us to our table.
Like the gentleman Mom drilled into my head, I pulled Crystal’s chair out for her and tucked it in before taking mine.
Her radiance glowed, and I puffed my chest with pride that this beautiful woman was my date for the evening. In the short time we had been together, our dates had been casual. Beer, pizza and a movie at the McMansion. Or quiet, lazy days by the pool. Nothing as fancy or romantic as the one I took her on tonight.
“We could have gone to the restaurant at the hotel,” Crystal declared, shyly sneaking glances my way.
“I was hoping to get one-on-one time with you. I didn’t want to risk getting interrupted,” I explained. I knew if we ate at the hotel, there was a very good chance of someone joining us. The entire crew was lurking about. There was zero chance of privacy there.
She reached across the table and placed her warm hand over mine. “This is very nice, thank you.”
The waiter introduced himself, handed us our menus and proceeded to rattle off the specials of the day. We ordered our drinks.
“Everything sounds delicious; however, I don’t want to be uncomfortable for the show tonight. Maybe I should get a salad.” Crystal’s voice was quiet as if she were talking to herself.
“The petite filet is phenomenal, and you can have it with a side salad instead of a heavy starch.” The last time I was here, that was what my date had ordered. I was not going to let that bit of information slip out.
“That sounds amazing. I have not had a good steak since the BBQ at the McMansion.” Her stomach growled on cue, which made us both laugh.
The evening had progressed as I had hoped. Conversations with Crystal had always come naturally. Our shared interest and dry sense of humor kept things interesting. The only thing that could have made this date better was if we were able to indulge and share a bottle of wine. Knowing we both had performances tonight held us back.
I checked the time. I didn’t want to rush our date. However, we could not be late getting to the arena, either. We had a couple of hours before we had to make an appearance. I believed Crystal assumed I planned on taking her back to the hotel for a quick fuck before then.
That was not the case.
We ordered coffee and dessert, and I knew that if I wanted to get to the bottom of her apprehension, now was my chance.
“You’ve been a little quiet since Detroit. Have I done something to upset you?” I was careful not to sound accusatory towards her and focused the blame on myself. If there was any blame.
She finished the bite of the dessert that was in her mouth, placed her fork on her plate and pushed it toward the middle of the table. She let out a huffed sigh. “Is this because I won’t let you on the Divine Chrysalis bus?”
“No, Crystal, this is not about the bus; okay, maybe a little,” I confessed. “These past weeks since our stay in Detroit I’ve noticed you pulling back on the PDA.” I thought hard about my next statement, it could not come off sounding judgmental.
“This conversation is not about the lack of sex in our relationship. At the risk of sounding like a chick, it’s about too much sex and not enough cuddling.” Christ, that sounded lame out loud.
Her bold laugh echoed, and I was sure every head in the restaurant turned our way.
Crystal sat back comfortably in her chair. “I’ve missed the cuddling as well, Baden.” She closed her eyes for a few moments and took a deep breath. “I’m overwhelmed by the end of the day, and I need time alone to decompress. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to be with you,” she quickly added. “That small bed—that’s my space. A place that belongs to me in a situation that does not allow for a lot of privacy.”
I was starting to understand where she was coming from. She was right. There were very few minutes of solitude on any given day. The few we did have she spent with me locked in a closet fucking.
By the time we finished our obligations with interviews, meet and greets, and after-parties, we’d pour ourselves into bed around two am. Sleeping on a moving bus took some getting used to. I doubted Crystal’s body had adjusted to her new living environment. Then we were up for an appearance at early morning talk shows. It was no wonder she was hoarding that small bit of sanctuary.
I felt like an insecure cad for pushing the subject. She was not second-guessing our relationship. She was merely trying to navigate her way through her new living situation. As I had initially suspected, she was going through the growing pains of becoming an up and coming rock star.
When Get Bent went on its first tour, we were young, and it was party time all day, every day. If we slept, it was only because we had passed out. After two years on the road, we had learned to sleep anywhere. Couches, armchairs and hotel room floors, because some of the ones we stayed in had us all crammed in one room with a double bed.
“I care about you a lot, Crystal, and I will respect your wishes, and I will not attempt to take what little peace you find for yourself.” She was smiling at my concessions. “That doesn't mean I won’t be asking you to join me in my bed on my bus on occasion.” I gave her my smoldering stare that I knew sent shivers down her spine.
I watched her pupils dilate at my proposition. Her breath hitched, and her pink tongue wet her lips. Maybe getting Crystal to compromise was not going to be as big a challenge as I had predicted.
Chapter 38
Crystal
We were more than halfway through our North American tour. Thanksgiving weekend had us booked to play the Rogers Center in Toronto, Canada. We found ourselves in the lavish ballroom of the Four Seasons celebrating Thanksgiving with our Bentley family.
My cheerful attempt to enjoy today’s festivities without letting on that I was missing my family fell short. Baden had become accustomed to how my moods affected my body language.
I was slowly adjusting to my new lifestyle. Up early, getting to bed late, and despite those few short breaks in between our hectic schedule, Baden and I had managed to cultivate our relationship.
Gone were the frenzied fucks on the fly. Instead, we took coffee breaks and talked about the frustrations of the day. Sexy fun times were reserved for when we could appreciate the emotional connection while making love.
Last night the girls and I had a serious discussion about our sleeping arrangements. Jade told us she was moving to the Brackish bus. She giggled as she announced that she and Kestrel were shacking up. With Emily growing bigger with her pregnancy, Sapphire admitted to wanting to spend more time with her in the RV that served as Emily’s and David’s home on the road.
The bus was going to seem empty with only three people living in it. There would be plenty of room should I decide to ask Baden to join me. Ashley and Amber would have to be okay with having a half-dressed hot rockstar sharing their living accommodations. It wasn’t as if he was going to ask them to join us. That was more Maddox’s style before Kitt.
With the addition of Kitt and Anita, everyone must have felt like sardines packed together. I wou
ld be doing a friend a favor by asking Baden to join us on our bus. Who the fuck was I trying to fool? The motivation for making the offer was due to my own selfishness.
I was falling in love with Baden Dogger, and I had to evaluate my reasons for keeping him at arm's length. Having him here would be equivalent to moving in together. Why was I hesitant to commit?
Yes, I had my heart broken a long time ago. I had thought that I had gotten past the hurt. No, I was past the pain. I grew up with two loving parents and knew how special it was to be committed to your person.
Baden had witnessed the same with his parents.
We had great role models and knew the possibility was out there.
Of course, they lived their lives much differently than Baden and I. Things were great now. What happens next year when we would be apart for months at a time? If he was balking now about being apart and we saw each other every day, how would he act when I was thousands of miles away?
If I could hold a piece of my heart back, if this blew up in our faces; I wouldn’t be stressed out and could live in the moment. Unfortunately, I was not wired that way. Had this thing between us remained nothing more than fuck buddies, I would not hesitate to ask Baden to spend every night in my bed.
This went beyond physical release. Our relationship was the kind that expected the happily ever after. Baden would be expecting me to move into the McMansion when we returned. And I had no doubt we would be happy.
Until it came time to leave for our next tour. There was no way around that fact. If either ReInVented or Divine Chrysalis wanted to stay on top, we would have to do a six to eight-month tour after the release of our second album.
Unless Bentley Records decided not to sign us to another contract. I could be jumping the gun, but with the results Divine Chrysalis were producing, Theo would be a fool not to try to keep us on the Bentley roster.
With all the thoughts swirling around in my brain, I was exhausted from lack of sleep by the time we arrived at our latest destination.
Thank god Theo gave us the day off to celebrate Thanksgiving. This would be our most extended stopover to date. Performances were scheduled for Friday and Saturday. Sunday was our usual day off, and Anita organized a group tour of Ripley's Aquarium.
Then it would be back on the buses and off to our next destination.
This was the first Thanksgiving in twenty-five years that I had not spent at home, but knowing I would be home for Christmas made up for it. Being exposed to the industry for years, I had a good understanding of how big a deal it was for Theo to give us those ten days off.
Baden had told me that the two years Get Bent spent on the road with their old label, they considered themselves lucky to have one day off every three weeks. Theo made a promise never to forget the unfair way bands were treated and vowed to do better.
The festivities began to wind down, and everyone was stuffed full of turkey with all the trimmings. I was ready to go into a food coma. The food was better than the meal we had on the run or attempted in the small kitchen of the tour bus. It wasn’t as good as my mother’s, but then, nothing beats a home-cooked meal from Mom.
“You look like you’re ready to fall asleep standing up,” Baden whispered in my ear as he cocooned me with his warmth.
I turned in his arms, wrapped myself around his waist and stared into his soft grey eyes, full of concern for my well being. He was everything I could have asked for in a partner. Intelligent, kind, thoughtful, and funny. Not to mention hot as hell. Muscular, and lean in all the right places. Yes, he could be cocky, immature, and arrogant at times, but that only added to his appeal. It proved he wasn’t flawless. He was as human and as fallible as the rest of us.
“I think I’m ready to call it a night.” I gave him a quick peck on the lips. “Let’s say our goodbyes and let everyone know not to come looking for us when they decide whose room they are using to party.”
That was the one constant on this tour. Someone would host a party. If I had not been a part of a couple, I would have most likely partaken in the events. I was surprised Ashley and Amber did not indulge as much as the rest of the singles. I had to imagine their upbringing played a significant role in their decision to stay away from the temptation, seeing the path Keith had taken because he was not aware of his limits. As a family, we all took notice to exert self-control.
After saying our goodbyes, Baden and I headed off to the private elevator that would take us to our room. I asked Baden if he had been supplementing for the room upgrades that we had been afforded in each of the hotels we stayed in. He confessed he had because I deserve nothing but the best.
“Maddox does the same thing for Kitt,” he told me. “Maddox, Theo, Adam and I have spent enough time in sleazy run-down motel rooms to last us a lifetime. I understand that Theo has made sure all our accommodations are better than what we have experienced; however, I want more for us. I look forward to the Jacuzzi tub that fits both of us. Room service 24/7 has become a requirement for my needs. The king-sized bed with pristine cotton sheets fit for a rock star is everything I’ve dreamed of as a kid. This is as much for me as it is for you.”
“I wasn’t criticizing, Baden. The hotels Theo picked out are all above grade. I have to wonder if Bentley is making any money off us with the expenses that we incur.” It was a legitimate question. Would we be as fortunate on the next leg of the tour?
“I’ve been working with Theo on the business end of things. I was amazed at how much profit comes from a tour. It’s not simply about the ticket and album sales. We have sold out of merchandise at each of our shows. Hotels are calling him begging to have us stay with them. The exposure of having us will increase their business.” The elevator stopped on our floor, and Baden took my hand and led us to our room.
I stepped inside the gorgeous suite that took my breath away. Candles had been arranged around a heart-shaped tub that sat in the middle of the room. The gigantic bed was covered in rose petals, and the white satin comforter looked like a cloud. The patio door against the far wall opened up to a deck that overlooked the city. I could see the CN Tower.
“If I didn’t know any better, Baden, I would think you booked the honeymoon suite,” I teased him. The look he gave me suggested that he had done just that. “Baden,” I gasped, “did you book us the honeymoon suite?”
“I did.” He held no shame in his statement. What in the hell was he thinking?
“It was the only room left that had a tub big enough for the both of us. We were not the only celebrities booked this weekend. There are four major bands in town. There were no other rooms available when I called to upgrade.” He shrugged like this was the logical course of action given the circumstances. “It’s only for tonight,” he explained. “One of the groups will be checking out tomorrow. They reserved most of the top floor and all the rooms with Jacuzzis. I secured one of the rooms for us. We can check in after three tomorrow. We have to be out of this room by noon. It’s booked for the rest of the weekend.”
“I’m sure Maddox and Kitt would be okay with us leaving our stuff in their room for a few hours,” I reasoned. My head was still trying to wrap itself around the fact that Baden booked us the honeymoon suite. His explanation was almost too plausible. Was it as simple as he required a giant tub? God, I hope so. Maybe I was reading too much into his kind gesture.
“Since you went to so much trouble to get us a big tub,” I began to unbutton my shirt, “it would be a shame not to take advantage of it.” I tossed my shirt at him. It landed on his face, and I couldn’t suppress the giddiness that was building inside me.
I was happy. Truly and genuinely happy. Baden Dogger made me happy.
It didn’t take us long to undress each other and find bliss in the hot bath. I sat against Baden’s hard chest and rested my head on his shoulder. I closed my eyes and relaxed as his soothing voice sang to me. I had not heard this song before. It was a melody about love and hope.
“Is this something ReInVented is working o
n?” I was curious about the origins of the song. It did not sound like something the hard rock band would produce.
“No, it’s something I had been fooling around with, do you like it?” His voice cracked as if my approval meant the world to him.
“It has a nice melody. The words could use a little tweaking if you intend to turn this into another ReInVented song.” Baden and I did not play games. Baden knew me well enough to know I would not lie to him. Not even to spare his feelings.
“I thought it could be a duet, something not as hard as we play,” he whispered against my ear. There are times that I believed I could come with the sound of his raspy voice in my ear alone. I shuddered and let out a content sigh.
He chuckled, knowing the effect he had on my body. Cue the goosebumps and the protruding nipples.
“Who did you write this for? Are you thinking about branching out into songwriting?” Why else would Baden Dogger be writing love songs? Why was Baden writing songs, period? It was common knowledge that Theo and Adam wrote the majority of Get Bent’s songs. Even ReInVented’s current album was a collaboration between Theo and Adam.
“I wrote it for us, Crystal.”
I stopped breathing.
“I want us to sing it and use it on both of our next albums. I want you to help me perfect it.” He sincerely wanted us to do this together.
“Baden, I’m not any better at songwriting than you are. You know that was why Theo brought Sapphire and Emily on board.” Okay, some of the songs on the album were mine, but even those had to get the once over before we went into the studio with them.
“That doesn’t mean we can’t try.” He nipped at my ear and scraped his teeth down my neck. He was trying to distract me and keep me from getting into my head before I gave his proposal any real consideration.
“We can try,” I gave in. What harm could it do? We could attempt to compose a love song. If it needed to be revamped by others who were better at this than us, then we would cross that bridge when the time came. It might be refreshing to work with Baden on a creative level. We had fun while working in the studio. It reasoned that we could make beautiful music together.
Rock Gods: Baden Page 20
