Warlord Metal (9 page)

"You could have it all,

my empire of dirt.

I will let you down.

I will make you hurt."

His voice softened again, in direct contrast with the music backing him.

"If I could start again

a millions miles away,

I would keep my Self.

I would find a way."

He hung on to the final note as the music reached a peak and came down in a crash of sound and light.

There was silence for a split second before the crowd erupted in cheers and applause.

"Thank you, Seattle!" Atkins waved at the audience with a wide grin. Everyone took their bows and trotted off stage. Behind them, the MC - a local radio disc jockey - came out.

"And that was Warlord, folks! Damn! Can those Portlanders rock or what?!" The crowd erupted loudly in agreement and he went on to introduce the next band.

"That was great!" Sonny exclaimed as the band members approached her. She stepped into her brother's arms and hugged him before turning to the rest. "That song is really fantastic, Jordan!"

The redhead's mouth quirked in a grin. "Thanks," she said in an off handed manner.

The teenager thought she saw a flash of real pleasure at the compliment, despite the superior air the woman was giving off. You might act like you're all that, but I think I'm beginning to see past it. "Well, now what?"

"We gotta get my kit and our gear packed up," Middlestead said, his dark blue eyes still sparkling with the excitement of being onstage.

"Yeah," Hampton agreed. "Gotta gig in Salem tomorrow night. We wanna leave early in the morning." The shorter man looked pointedly at the two guitarists.

Jordan smirked and Atkins looked offended.

"What?!" he demanded.

The redhead slapped him in the belly with the back of her hand. "He means we have to stay in the motel tonight."

"Aw, Max! C'mon, man!" the tall man groaned. "There's this girl out front who's been ogling me all night."

"There's always a girl, Lando," Sonny piped up. She flushed a little at the snicker from the smaller woman.

Atkins said, "Well, yeah. I know that! But, this one -"

"...is going to be without the benefits of your attentions tonight," Hampton ordered. "Or we're leaving your ass here when you don't show up in the morning."

The tall man seriously appeared to be considering his chances of partying all night and still making it to the motel in the morning. And then whether or not it made a difference if he didn't make it in time. And what other options he had for getting to Salem for tomorrow's performance.

Jordan rolled her emerald eyes. With surprising strength, she reached up, hooked her hand in Atkins' collar and pulled the man down to her level. A quick whisper in his ear and then she let him go, staring into his eyes intently.

He blinked at her for a second. And then a grin broke out on his face. "Okay. Okay, yeah," he straightened and looked at the bassist. "No problem. I'll be a good boy tonight."

A startled look crossed Hampton's face before he shot a suspicious look at the drummer, who shrugged. "Okay. Let's get the gear and pack it up then."

It was a few minutes of work, the sounds of another band playing on the stage nearby, before Sonny could corner the redhead. "What'd you tell Lando?" she asked, glancing quickly around to make sure they were out of earshot.

Jordan shrugged. With a slight grin, she said, "I just reminded him of all those bodacious California girls that would miss his... expertise."

The dark teenager chortled as she helped pack up her brother's drum kit.

Jordan tossed her keys on the desktop and settled her guitar case in the corner. The teenager followed her into the room, shutting and locking the door behind her before throwing herself onto one of the double beds.

"I'm so tired," Sonny grumbled. "But if we're gonna be in the van together for three or four hours, I'd better get a shower tonight."

"I know that's right," the guitarist teased, a look if distaste on her face. She switched on the beat up television and, as she flipped through the channels, a pillow sailed through the air.

Sonny watched as it connected solidly with Jordan's shoulder and side. The woman froze for a second and then scooped it up, turning to the teenager on the bed with a feral smile. Oops.

"Little girl wants to play," Jordan purred. She stalked the dark girl, detouring long enough to retrieve a second pillow from her own bed.

Sonny sat up straighter and grabbed her second pillow, holding it in a threatening manner over her head. She giggled in nervous anticipation, wondering if she should make a break for the bathroom or not.

As if reading her mind, the redhead changed course to get between the girl and the exits. Sonny scrambled off the bed and backed away, holding her pillow out in front of her.

"N... now, Jordan," she warned, trying to be serious and failing miserably. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for and a mistake. I didn't me-" and the back of her leg hit the second bed. She stumbled, reaching a hand down to regain her balance.

And that was all the redhead needed. With no sound, she leapt forward and began pummeling the taller girl with the pillows she welded. There was a loud squawking as Sonny took the abuse for a few seconds. It wasn't long, however, before she used her longer reach to her advantage and began scoring as many hits on the woman as she was getting.

Jordan lost one pillow in the fight. It ultimately came down to the two of them standing over the bed and pounding on each other, swinging their pillows like baseball bats. Realizing that this could go on all night or until a pillow exploded, the redhead made the choice to escalate matters.

The teenager brought her pillow around, a huge grin on her face. She saw her roommate lift her arms and toss her own weapon behind her. Unable to stop her swing, the pillow she held connected with the woman's ribs. And then Jordan dropped her arms, effectively pinning the pillow against her body.

There was a scuffle, a bit of a tug of war. When Sonny felt the pillow give way a little, she hastily released it, not wanting feathers all over the place. Not to mention explaining to her brother what had happened. The redhead took a step back to keep her balance, took the pillow from under her arm and tossed it behind her, as well. And then Jordan launched herself across the bed.

Suddenly, the dark girl found herself on her back on her own bed, the older woman straddling her hips and tickling her mercilessly. She laughed hysterically, trying to wriggle away but unable. So, she attacked in kind, giving as good as she got.

Jordan laughed as the two of them wrestled around. Just what the doctor ordered. A little roughhousing to release the jitters. But, as things progressed, she began to feel other things as well. She ignored the voices, living in the moment of laughter and warmth and closeness. The sudden urge to caress the belly under her with more than her hands brought her to her senses.

Gotta get outta this! After living with the girl for over two years, she knew how to bring a screeching halt to any of the little flirting sessions that had reared their ugly heads along the way. The redhead slowly allowed Sonny to gain the upper hand.

"Hah!" the teenager grinned. She finally had her opponent pinned on the mattress, straddling her hips and holding her hands above her head. "I've gotcha now!"

Jordan's body suddenly lost its fight, no longer struggling against the dark girl. Her emerald eyes became hooded and she said in a sultry voice, "Whatcha gonna do with me?"

Sonny's heart pounded and she flushed at the immediate image the redhead's voice brought up. Damn it! Get a grip, girl! Not willing to concede so easily, she tossed her dark hair to one side and said with great courage, "I don't know. Maybe I should spank you for attacking me like that."

Eyes flashed and the teenager barely got her mouth open to yell before she found herself back on the bed, Jordan pinning her down in much the same way as she'd been moments before. The redhead leaned close, staring into pale blue ice. Their breath mingled and the dark girl swallowed, half in fear and half in hope.

"Maybe I should spank you for your insolence." An eyebrow was raised in appraisal. Yes! Do it! Jordan shook her head, clearing it of the erotic image - red cheeks, tender flesh, wet and willing. She sat up and released the teenager, a cool grin plastered on her face. "Go take your shower, squirt."

Sonny swallowed hard, slowly sitting up. She watched Jordan wander back over to the television and return to flipping through the channels.

Jan 3, 2001

Well, tomorrow we leave Medford, Oregon and head into California. It's been snowing in the mountains nearby, so it'll be rough going at this time of year. But so far, so good. Both the Honda and Max's van are still plugging away - no mechanical problems. (Knock on wood!)

We spent the week through Christmas at home. It was pretty nice. I got to see Shelly and Lamont and some other friends. Tinker was pretty happy to see us, too. Well, after she spent a day and a half being standoffish and 'punishing' me for being gone so long! Cats can be so fickle! I am glad that Shelly has been keeping an eye on her, though.

I checked in at school. I also got a lot of my chem lab out of the way... Mr. Elliott was good enough to come in on a Saturday so we could work on it for a few hours. So, now I'm officially caught up on that aspect of my education! The rest is pretty much all finished -- I've done most of the assignments and turned them in. I took a few tests that were backed up while I was there, too.

The band is doing fantastic. Things are starting to pick up and they're actually getting people returning to their shows rather than coming to see the band they're opening for. It's pretty exciting! I know that Tom is really happy, too. This is what he's dreamed of for so long. I'm glad I was able to work things out.

Jordan's being... Jordan, I guess. About the only time she's in the motel rooms we stay in is when we're going to leave the following morning. Or to take a nap before shows. She's hardly ever here. It's worse than when we're living in Portland! I can count on a couple of girls a week at home - not every freaking night!

There's been a couple of times that she and Lando have taken over the other motel room for their orgies. Those are the nights Tom stays in my room. I don't know what Max and Lisa do. Probably sleep in his van.

I don't know what she's trying to prove. I don't know what she's searching for. I wish I did. I see some of the 'babes' she seduces and, frankly, I don't think they're all that great. They don't have what she needs. She needs a woman with intelligence, for one thing. And someone who'll give her a kick in the seat of the pants when she needs it. Someone to hold her at night. Spoil her.

Love her.

I can give that to her....

Jordan drowsed in the back of the van, the sound of the road lulling her. Normally, she'd be lounging in one of the passenger seats but somehow, in all the activity to get on their way, Sonny had ended up in the van with her.

The redhead didn't know what exactly was going on but, whatever it was, she didn't like it. It seemed that whenever the girl was in close proximity, Jordan couldn't think straight. On the nights she'd stay in the motel room, she got no sleep - preferring to stay up all hours and watch Sonny's face as she slumbered. Her fantasies more and more were consumed with imagined visions of dark hair and sky blue eyes.

Her control was slipping.

It was a rotten feeling. And so, rather than be near, Jordan had feigned a need to work on a tune. She'd used her duffel to make a backrest against all the gear and twiddled with her guitar for a time.

The woman was glad the band was heading south. It's too damned cold at night here! she groused. When she could find someone to crash with, she did. When she couldn't, she spent most of the night walking around. Doesn't make any difference, does it, Jordie? You wouldn't get any sleep in the motel, either, if you had your druthers!

All in all, it was a very unsettling feeling she had. And the more the redhead put distance between them, the more Sonny found reasons to be near. Like climbing into the van at the absolute very last minute. And the flirting - there were constant touches and innuendoes by the teenager anymore, whenever she was within reach.

So, fuck her and get it over with! You know she wants it.... What's the problem? Jordan grumbled and jammed an elbow into her duffel in an attempt to get more comfortable. The problem is, she's too close. I don't want to hurt her. I like her!

By cracking her eyes open a bit, she could see the dark girl's profile as she animatedly discussed something with Hampton in the driver's seat. She was using the brush in her hand to underscore a point in her conversation. Her voice was only a murmur mixed with the sound of the road under the wheels. A quiet little voice piped up clearly in the rare stillness of the redhead's mind. You don't have to hurt her....

Jordan drifted off to sleep, feeling warm arms envelope her and hold her, smelling the scent that was Sonny's own, feeling another heartbeat pulse in time with hers.

Sonny stepped into the motel room, closing the door behind her. Her roommate made a beeline towards the bed furthest from the door, dropping her duffel and guitar before flipping the television on and scanning the channels. As usual, the teenager thought, half in vague irritation and half in fondness. And I thought I watched too much TV!

The dark girl dropped her pack on her bed and settled her suitcase on the luggage rack. They had about three hours before they were due to meet the rest of the band for dinner. Just enough time for a shower and get my hair dry. Sonny unzipped her suitcase and began rummaging inside.

Several minutes later, a pile of clothes and toiletries in her arms, she grumbled crossly, "Where did I put my brush?"

Jordan, who had sprawled on the bed on her stomach, glanced over. "You had it in the van. Is it in your backpack?"