Love on the Rocks (Love on Tour #1) (9 page)

10

I woke up to a loud banging sound.

“Son of a bitch,” Sean said, as he rolled onto his back, releasing me from the tight cuddle I’d been in. “Mike is that you, you asshole?” He shouted.

“Yeah,” Mike called, from behind the door. “I told you last night we have a conference call this morning. We’re gonna take it on the bus while we roll.”

“Fuck off,” Sean said, rolling back over and pulling me flush against his chest again.

“Okay, man. Consider this your warning. I have a key to this cabin. I will bust in there. I don’t know what Baby’s wearing, but whatever it is, I’ll see it.”

I was wearing the same jean shorts and t-shirt I’d had on the night before, that’s what I was wearing. And what would Mike care anyway? But for some reason this bizarre threat seemed to motivate Sean.

He rolled back over. “How long do I have?”

“Ten minutes. No time for a shower.”

“Really?” I griped.

Mike must have heard me because he called out, “Baby can shower.  We’ll wait to roll until she’s on the bus. But you gotta be on that call Sean.”

“Fuck.” Sean sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. I noticed that he was wearing only his boxer shorts.

I sat up too, and was pleasantly surprised to find that I did not have a headache. But Sean was holding his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes, and groaning. He, on the other hand, was not in good shape.

“Coffee?” I asked.

“Please.”

I walked over to the kitchenette and watched as Sean dragged himself off the bed and over to his bag.

“Hungover?”

“Yes, I should have drank the water and taken the aspirin like I made you do last night.”

“Hmmm, I was under the impression that you weren’t drunk last night.”

Sean grabbed his clothes and headed for the bathroom with them fisted in one hand. As he passed by me he said, “I got drunk after you went to bed.” Then he closed the bathroom door behind him.

I was left wondering, what happened with the tiny dancer?

****

When I boarded the bus about forty minutes after Mike’s rude awakening all three men were engaged in a conference call along with, much to my dismay, Oliver. There was no room at the table for me. So I threw my bag in the back, grabbed my travel mug, which I’d just filled up with fresh coffee, and plopped down on the couch that sat directly behind Tony.

I hadn’t ever sat in this seat before, and I was pleased to find it quite comfy. I curled up at one end and pulled out my phone. The bus started rolling.

The conference call finally ended an hour later. Oliver went to the back of the bus and pulled out his laptop. Mike crashed out on the bed. Henry stayed in the booth, but propped his feet up on my couch, his long legs stretching across the aisle.

Sean got out of the booth, too, and stretched. “How about some music, Tony?” he suggested.

“My playlist, please,” I said, trying to look cute.

Henry groaned, but Sean smiled at me. “Of course.”

“You asked for it,” Tony mumbled.

Sean walked over to my couch. As if I were a small dog, he lifted me out of the corner of the couch, settled there himself, and placed me back down between his legs. The entire process took absolutely no effort on my part.

My playlist started, and I felt utterly content.

“Neil Diamond, really?” Henry commented.

“Hey, Neil Diamond is the greatest song writer,
ever
,” I said vehemently.

Henry rolled his eyes.

“You have to admit Hank, the man has class,” Sean said.

And I fell a little more in love with him.

“I tell you what,” I said, “if a man wanted to get into my pants, he’d sing me some Diamond.”

That got their attention. Henry sat up and leaned toward me, his eyes wide. Sean sat up a little straighter, taking me with him.

“Are you serious?” Sean asked.

Nervous, I amended my statement. “On stage.”

Henry laughed and sat back, placing his feet back on my couch. “Sounds like a challenge, Sean.”

“Hmmm,” was all Sean said.

We were quiet until the next song on my playlist came on.

“REO Speedwagon, really?”

“Shut up, Henry, and get a musical education.”

****

When Mike emerged from the back of the bus he wanted to know how many people I was planning to bring to the Denver concert. So while Henry napped and Sean read his book, I was busy texting and messaging all the people I knew at Rocky Mountain National Park, who in turn were inviting all the people they knew. In the end, I had fourteen names to give to Mike. I was reading them off when I made a mistake.

“Oh, and Kevin Gunderson,” I said. But I must have flinched because Henry, who was now wide awake and staring at me, dropped his jaw.

“And who’s Kevin?”

“Yeah, who’s Kevin?” Sean asked, putting his book down.

“Just a guy I know. What’s the big deal?”

“Know how?” Henry asked, a dangerous glint in his eye.

I sighed. “We used to work at Yellowstone together, now he’s permanent at Rocky Mountain, just like my friend Melanie.”

“And when he was at Yellowstone, you two dated?” Henry asked.

I sighed again. “Kind of.”

“Kind of. What does that mean?”

“Henry, you pain in the ass.”

“Answer the question, Baby,” he pressed.

They were all staring at me now, even Tony in the rearview mirror.

“Yeah, I guess you could say we dated. But it was only while we were at the same place. There was no expectation of it continuing afterward.”

“And if you were to be in the same place again, would there be an expectation that you two would knock boots?”

I glared at Henry. “I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that it’s offensive.”

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Henry said.

“That was not a yes,” I said defiantly.

Fortunately, Henry was distracted by Oliver, who was making his way to the front of the bus. He came to a stop in the aisle and stared down at Sean and I cuddled up on the couch.

“I thought you said she wasn’t a groupie,” Oliver said to Henry.

“She’s not,” Sean said forcefully.

Oliver stared at me for a few beats, then shrugged and went back to the kitchen area to find coffee.

I pulled myself out of Sean’s embrace and sat up to face him. “That reminds me,” I said in a low voice. “Since I’m getting grilled about my love life, I was curious about last night.”

I felt like a tool asking. I held to my belief that technically this was none of my business, but I no longer cared. After all, Sean and Henry didn’t seem to think there were any boundaries in asking about my ex.  What’s more, if Sean had sex with some girl and then cuddled up to me afterward, I was pretty sure I was going to be pissed off.

Sean smiled. “I told you. After you went to sleep I got drunk.”

“Where?”

“At the campfire.”

“With whom?”

“Is it really ‘whom’ instead of ‘who?’ I never could get that straight,” Henry interjected.

“Shut up, Henry.”

He laughed at me, but stayed quiet. I turned back to Sean, who was still grinning.

“Mike,” he answered.

“Mike? Just Mike?”

Sean laughed. “Yep. Just Mike. The rest of the party broke up not long after you left. It was Mike and me, and one other.”

“One other?”

Henry laughed aloud again, clearly anticipating whatever Sean was going to say. I was getting more and more pissed off.

“My raging hard on,” Sean said.

I slapped him hard on the chest, though he barely seemed to notice, while both he and Henry laughed their asses off. It took a while before I let him pull me back into a cuddle.

****

The closer we got to Rocky Mountain National Park, the more nervous I became. I still hadn’t made my life changing decision. Was I going to stay, or was I going to go? If I decided not to continue on this tour, it was likely that this might be the last time I was alone with Henry and Sean. I would go to the concert no matter what, but I might go back home with Melanie at the end of the night.

A lot of people at the park were expecting us, so we didn’t have any trouble getting through the entrance gate and into the housing area. When we pulled the bus up in front of Melanie’s apartment, a crowd of people gathered. I saw Melanie, and her roommate Claire. I also noticed a couple that I had worked with in Death Valley once, Jennifer and Tom. And of course, as luck would have it, my ex-boyfriend/fling/whatever-you-want-to-call-him, Kevin, was there.

When I got off the bus, followed closely by Henry and Mike, a lot of jaws dropped. But I was looking at Kevin, who was frozen to the spot about fifteen yards away. I knew he was huge fan.

Melanie ran to me. I hugged her. “This is so wild,” she whispered.

“Tell me about it,” I said.

When I let go of Melanie I stumbled into Henry, who was right behind me. “Who’s your friend, Baby?”

“Baby?” Melanie asked. But she didn’t pursue it, because she looked up at Henry and her mouth parted, her eyes glazed.

“Melanie, this is Henry, I mean Hank Tolk.”

“Hi, Hank.” She said,

Melanie’s roommate Claire was at her side, the same expression on her face, “Hi,” she whispered.

“Hi, Baby’s hot friends,” Henry said.

I rolled my eyes.

“Baby,” I heard Sean’s voice coming from behind me. I whipped around to see him standing alone by the bus door.

I walked over to him. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said weakly.

“I will see you tomorrow, right?” he asked. And I realized that Sean Rush was unsure of himself.

I melted. “Yeah, you will.”

“Okay,” he said quietly.

Then he pulled me into a tight hug, let me go, and immediately escaped to the bus. Henry was right behind me, making his way back to the bus, too. He scooped me up in a big bear hug before boarding. Mike kissed my cheek and reminded me that he’d be coming to get me and my friends the following night.

And then they were gone.

11

Chaos erupted. Everyone there, most of them complete strangers to me, wanted to know what I was doing on Sean Rush and Hank Tolk’s tour bus.

Melanie came to my rescue. “Everyone, shut up! We will be at the pub at 8pm tonight. Until then, we are going in my apartment and there is a big ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door. Understood?”

This seemed to work well. Everyone went their separate ways, except for Kevin, who approached us as we made it to the porch.

“Dani, it’s good to see you,” he said, giving me a one-armed hug.

“Good to see you, too, Kevin.”

“Yeah, great. But you’re not invited in either, Kevin,” Melanie said. She grabbed my arm and escorted me through the doorway.

“See you later?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Kevin said. “See you at the pub tonight.”

Then Melanie shut the door in his face and turned to me. “Spill.”

I took my time setting down my bag and looking around their tiny apartment. The kitchen melded seamlessly into the living area. A small round table separated the two spaces. The living room held a couch and two chairs, along with a coffee table and small metal cart that held a TV, DVD player, and a handful of books. The bathroom and both bedrooms opened off a short hallway that led in the opposite direction.

“You must be Claire. So awesome to finally meet you.”

While I was dinking around, Melanie was pulling three hard ciders out of the frig and opening them. She handed me one.

“Cut the crap. Sit down and spill,” she commanded.

I looked to Claire for help. She took a bottle and plopped down on the couch. “Hey, I’m all for pleasantries, but I’m with Mel. I gotta hear this.”

I sank into an uncomfortable chair and put my feet on the edge of the coffee table. I took a long swig from the bottle.

“Seriously, start from the beginning.” Melanie said. “You told me in your e-mail that you met them in a diner somewhere. What happened after that?”

I shrugged. “They offered me a ride and I took it.”

“How long ago was this?” Claire asked.

“Um, two weeks now, a little over.”

“So you’ve been riding around with them for two weeks?”

I nodded.

“And which one of those yummy men did you hook up with?” Melanie asked.

I gave her my best disappointed look. “Now why does it have to be like that?”

“What are you a nun?” Claire asked. “Why wouldn’t you?”

“Come on, don’t be coy, Dani,” Melanie coaxed.

“Actually, I haven’t slept with anyone, yet.”

“Yet?”

“It’s complicated.”

Melanie and Claire both leaned forward. “We’re listening.”

****

A couple hours later we were still going in circles.

“So let me get this straight,” Melanie said, as we walked to the pub that evening. “You have been sleeping in the same bed with Sean Rush for what, four nights now?”

“Three,” I corrected her. “I don’t remember the first night, so I can’t be sure we actually slept in the same bed.”

“Whatever, three. And you haven’t had sex. At all. No hanky panky.”

“None.”

“And now you are trying to decide whether or not to have sex with him?”

I nodded. “We’ve been through this.”

“Yes, but it’s so confusing,” Claire said. “Because if it was me, I would have
fucked his brains out
already.”

I sighed. “I kinda tried last night.”

“It’s sweet that he wouldn’t do it because you were drunk,” Claire said.

“It’s not just sweet. It’s more than that,” Melanie said. “And it’s one more reason why, instead of contemplating staying here with me after the concert tomorrow, you should be contemplating
fucking his brains out
.”

“Okay, here’s the problem,” I said, stopping outside the Pub, so we could have this conversation before being inundated with everyone else, including Kevin. “I think that if I just have a fling with him it’s gonna leave me… hurt.”

“Oh my God, you’re in love with a rock star!” Melanie exclaimed.

“Yeah, I think maybe I am.”

“Shit,” was all Claire said in response.

****

I regaled the employees of Rocky Mountain National Park with the story of my two weeks with Chrome and Bantham, while leaving out a lot of the important details.

Kevin didn’t ask a lot of questions. He just listened to my story and to the answers I gave to other people. I was a little surprised because I knew he was a huge fan of Sean’s music. So when he pulled up beside me on the walk back to Melanie’s apartment and asked me to hang back with him, I was ready to answer questions about the concerts, the music, and even the man.

Instead, Kevin wanted to talk about us. “What’s it been Dani, almost a year?”

“About that, I guess.”

“I remember that when the season ended at Yellowstone, we said that if you weren’t dating and I wasn’t dating when we met up again…”

“Yeah, I guess we did say that.”

He nodded. “I’m not seeing anyone right now.”

I stopped walking and looked up at him in the moonlight. “Kevin, I can’t right now.”

“So you
are
dating someone on the tour.”

“Not exactly.”

“You’re sleeping with someone on the tour?”

It did not escape my attention that he said ‘someone on the tour’ as opposed to Sean or Hank.

“I’m thinking about it.”

“I see, so you have a thing for someone?”

“Why do you say ‘someone’ like that?” I asked, feeling a little irritated.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Who is it? A band member?” His face lit up at this suggestion.

“Well, you could probably figure it out if you tried, Kevin. I arrived here on Sean and Henry’s bus.” I started walking again.

Kevin caught up to me. “Yeah, so, who rides on that bus?”

“Only Henry – ” I began.

Kevin interrupted me, “You mean Hank Tolk, right?”

“Yes, I mean Hank. I call him Henry.”

“Dani, is there anyone else in the whole world that calls him that?”

“His mother,” I retorted.

“Who else is on the bus?”

“Sean, Mike, their assistant, you saw him, and Tony the bus driver. Oliver, the tour manager, was on there today, but he doesn’t usually ride on the bus.”

Kevin stopped me again on the sidewalk and grabbed me by the shoulders, turning me toward him. He searched my face.

“Please, Dani, please tell me you haven’t fallen for Hank Tolk.”

“No I haven’t! Henry is my friend, my good friend. Hell, he’s more like a big brother to me.”

I wrenched myself out of his grasp and kept walking. I could see the apartment building. I was looking forward to the end of this conversation. He followed me in silence for a few minutes.

“It’s that Mike guy, isn’t it?”

I didn’t bother to respond. He took my silence as an affirmation.

“So, I guess since you’re really into him, you won’t consider staying the night with me?” He had the nerve to ask.

We had reached the apartment building now and I was quickly approaching Melanie’s. I turned to him. “Sorry, Kev. Not this time.”

I kissed him on the cheek and escaped into the apartment.

****

I was lying on the couch in the darkened living room. Claire and Melanie were both asleep in their rooms. I was trying to sleep, but failing miserably. My mind was running in circles.

My phone vibrated, just once, indicating a text message. It was from Sean.
I can’t sleep. What are you doing?

I wrote back.
Trying to sleep.

Are you alone?

So he was jealous. My heart constricted. God, I was in deep.
Yep. You?

Nope.

I sat up in alarm. But before I could respond, a second text came in.
Mike fell asleep on the couch while we were watching the ball game. So, no, I’m not alone.

You’re a wiseass,
I replied.

See you tomorrow?

He was being unsure again. It was very charming.
Yes. I promise.

Goodnight.

My stomach was in knots. I’d promised to see him tomorrow, but nothing else. I knew now that there was a lot more at stake than sex. I had fallen for Sean Rush. I couldn’t imagine anything more unlikely or more dangerous than falling in love with a rock star. History was full of warning signs about this very thing. I was an idiot.

Unable to sleep, I pulled my coat on over my pajamas and stepped out into the chilly Colorado air. The sky was filled with a billion bright stars. I found a picnic table not far from the apartment door and lay down to look up at them.

“Can’t sleep?” A deep female voice said.

I sat up and tried to locate the source. I could see the glow of the cigarette before I could see the profile of a middle-aged woman walking slowly toward my picnic table.

“Hi.”

“Hi. I’m Sadie,” the woman said, holding out her hand.

“Dani. I’m visiting Melanie and Claire,” I told her, as I shook it.

Sadie sat down on the tabletop. “Cigarette?”

“Please.”

She handed one over and lit it for me. I took a deep drag. It reminded me of when I’d made Mike get me a cigarette at that second concert, and I smoked it out on the loading dock. I remembered feeling wired and keyed up, but unable to explain to myself why. It was right after I heard Sean sing, just for me. I realized that all this mess really began that night.

“You a parkie?” Sadie asked.

“Yeah, but I’m off right now, between seasons.”

“Traveling?”

“Yeah.”

“Anywhere interesting?”

“Lots of places. I’ve been on tour with a rock band actually.”

“Really? Like a groupie or something?”

“No. Not like that. I met these guys randomly in a diner in Nevada.”

“Oh my God! You’re the girl touring with Chrome and Bantham. A friend of mine got me on the list for the show tomorrow.”

“Oh, yeah, I remember your name now. You’re a fan?”

“I think Sean Rush’s voice is to die for,” she said.

“Me too,” I sighed.

“So, what a wild ride you’re on, hey?”

“Definitely a wild ride.” And suddenly I had the urge to spill my guts to this stranger. “There’s a guy on the tour, and I’m really into him, but I’m worried about where it’s going,” I told her.

“Hmmm. Been there,” Sadie said thoughtfully.

I could see her better now that my eyes were adjusting to the darkness. She was a beautiful woman, maybe a little rough, but beautiful. Her hair was pulled back in a short ponytail with lots of escaped wisps.

There was something so copasetic about telling my secrets in the dark to someone I didn’t even know. I couldn’t stop myself. “I haven’t slept with him yet. I think I’m in love with him. I don’t know what the hell to do.”

“Ya know the trouble with women? We are constantly analyzing everything. Men don’t do that. Men just go with the flow. If they want to sleep with somebody and they think that she wants to sleep with them, they do. If they don’t, they don’t. If he’s a good guy and he’s unsure about what she wants, he waits for a signal. But the thing is, they could wait forever for a woman to actually make up her mind.”

“Sounds about right.”

“I once took so much time going back and forth over whether or not I wanted to risk a fling with a guy, I lost my chance altogether.” She took a drag from her cigarette. “I still regret that one.”

“So how do you go about not over thinking it?”

Sadie looked at me. “You leave it up to fate. Just go along and see what happens. If you wind up in bed, you wind up in bed.”

“And if I get my heart broken?”

Sadie shrugged. “Beats not getting your heart broken.”