Chapter 13
Trust – believing your bandmate even when the naked woman is still in the room
Gibson
I strum my guitar as Cash sings and weaves his magic over the crowd. They sing along and sway with the music as he reaches the end of our hit song Resurrect.
I”ve learned from my mistakes,
I”ve grown,
And I”ll fight for your love,
I”ve always known,
You”re the one I need,
The missing piece of me,
I”m determined to make you see.
I”m gonna win you back,
Prove my love is sincere,
Every moment,
I”ll treasure and protect,
With you, I”ll resurrect.
As soon as the last note is played, the crowd explodes. I pull out one of my in-ears to listen to the cheers and catcalls and clapping. Nothing gives me a bigger high than the crowd during a concert.
“Good night, Seattle!”
That’s my cue. I set my guitar in its rack on the stage before throwing up the devil’s horns with both hands and rushing off stage. Jett follows me. Then Fender, Dylan, and finally Cash.
Cash isn’t even off the stage before the crowd starts yelling for an encore. We played two hours and I’m soaked in sweat, but I’m pumped up and ready to give them more.
I stroll to our dressing room. Aurora glances up from her phone to nod at me. She frowns at Jett who gives her the finger as soon as she drops her gaze. Those two need to get a room already. An explosion is imminent.
I whip off my t-shirt and throw it on the ground before reaching for a new one. I down a bottle of water as I wait for the rest of the band to put on clean t-shirts.
“How many songs will you play for the encore?” Aurora asks Cash.
“Two.”
She scowls. “Five.”
He sighs. “This is our last concert. I’m ready to go home.”
“You’re not going anywhere until tomorrow morning anyway. You have a meet and greet after this.”
Now it’s Cash’s turn to scowl. “Fine, five songs.”
I clap my hands together. “Let’s go!”
Jett wraps an arm around my shoulders. “At least one of our bandmates can have a girlfriend and still want to play music.”
“I want to play music,” Dylan says. “But I also want to get home to Ginny.”
“I miss Leia and Isla,” Fender grumbles.
“Isla sent me a picture of her and Princess.” Jett digs his phone out of his bag to show everyone the picture of the little girl with the dog Fender bought her.
Fender snatches the phone from him. “Why is she sending you pictures?”
Jett snatches his phone back. “We’re friends.”
“I thought you hated children,” Aurora says.
He glares at her. “No, just immature women.”
She growls and stomps toward him. Dylan steps in her way. “He’s riling you up for fun.”
She lets out a breath and retreats. “I’m okay.”
“You’re an asshole,” I tell Jett.
“Don’t be a sore loser.”
I don’t give a shit about the bet we had. I don’t care about sleeping with a gazillion women. I only want one woman in my bed – Mercy. But I will never sleep with her. She needs a man who knows how to treat her, who will covet her for the prize she is. I am not the man for her. I don’t know how to do those things.
“Let’s go,” Cash hollers.
Despite Cash’s grumbling about how long the encore should be, we play seven songs before he signals for us to wrap it up.
I rush off stage with the rest of the band following me. My body is humming, full of energy and adrenaline. I could fly without an airplane right now.
I bounce toward the bar set up in the corner of the dressing room but I don’t reach for a beer. I don’t need a beer. A coke is fine.
“Meet and greet in five minutes,” Aurora shouts.
I lift my t-shirt and sniff it. “I need a shower.”
“Make it quick.”
I salute her. “Yes, ma’am. Whatever you say, ma’am.”
She rolls her eyes and I chuckle. Aurora doesn’t take any of our shit.
I grab my bag and make my way to the showers. I strip and step under the water. My cock is hard from the excitement of the concert. I debate giving myself a hand job but decide I don’t have time. I step out of the shower but freeze when I realize I’m not alone.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I ask the woman.
In response, she begins to strip off her clothes. She throws her t-shirt on the floor and is left in a shiny pink bra that does nothing to conceal the size of her breasts.
“Whoa!” I hold up my hands and back away. “Not interested.”
“There’s no need to play hard to get. All the fans know you’re always interested in sex with a new woman.” She opens up her arms. “Here I am.”
“Things have changed.” I point to the door. “Please leave.”
“Is this a game?” Her eyes spark with challenge. “Do you want me to beg? Maybe get on the floor and crawl to you?”
“No. No. No. I want none of those things.”
She points to my still hard cock. “Your mouth says one thing. Your body says another.”
I grab a towel and wrap it around my waist. “This has nothing to do with you.”
She shrugs. “I don’t care who you’re hard for.”
Is she for real? She’d fuck me even though I’d be thinking of another woman?
“Have some self respect.” I step toward the door, but she blocks my escape.
“Oh come on.” She massages her breasts. “Don’t you want your hands on these?”
The only breasts I want my hands on belong to Mercy. I bet she enjoys it a little rough. Lucky for her, I enjoy rough, too.
The woman places her hand on my chest and I forget all about Mercy. “Do not touch me.”
“What’s the big deal? You’ve had sex with half the country by now. Why not add me to the list?”
There is no list. I never kept track of the women I slept with. I used them. Plain and simple. My stomach sours at the thought. I’m an asshole. I need to treat women better.
I grasp the woman’s wrist and pull her hand away from me.
The door flies open and Jett stomps inside. “I knew it! I knew you were cheating on Mercy.”
“I’m not cheating on Mercy,” I grit out. “I’m trying to get rid of this woman without hurting her.”
He snorts. “Sure.”
“I’m serious. Nothing happened.”
“You’re naked. She’s half-naked and nothing happened? I’m not an idiot. I know you enjoy sex after a concert.”
I sigh. Explaining myself to everyone is getting tedious.
“Nothing happened. Can you escort her out of here?”
Instead of helping, he glances over his shoulder and hollers, “Guys!”
Cash, Dylan, and Fender join us.
The woman giggles. “Yippee. I’m getting all of the Sinners tonight.”
Dylan picks up her shirt and hands it to her. “Sorry to disappoint but we’re not interested.”
“She doesn’t understand the words not interested,” I say.
Cash crosses his arms over his chest. “How about these words? Security is on their way.”
She scans the room in confusion but when no one contradicts Cash, she sighs and puts on her shirt before stomping to the door. My bandmates part so she can pass without touching them. Dylan shuts the door behind her.
I drop my towel and begin dressing.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Jett asks. “He’s cheating on Mercy. He’ll be back to drinking before long.”
I sit on the bench to put on my boots. What I don’t do is answer him. He obviously doesn’t believe me. It fucking stings he doesn’t believe me. This band is my family. It’s his family, too. But he doesn’t trust me. After all the shit we’ve been through. Where’s the trust?
I stand once I finish dressing and lift up my bag. I start for the door but Jett steps in my path.
“Aren’t you going to speak for yourself?”
I drop my bag to square off with him. “I told you several times nothing happened with that woman but you refuse to believe me. What’s the use in speaking for myself when you don’t listen?”
Dylan taps his chin as he contemplates me. “He’s got a point.”
Cash nods. “I agree.”
“He didn’t fuck her,” Fender grumbles.
Jett growls. “How do you know? Are you a clairvoyant now?”
Fender shrugs. “He was still hard and the woman was dressed.”
“But-but-but,” Jett sputters.
“I’m not ruining what I have with Mercy for some faceless fuck.”
I’m not lying. I’m not playing a part. I don’t want to ruin what I have with Mercy. I rub a hand down my face. Mercy and I aren’t a real couple. But she is my friend and I don’t want to hurt her. Whether or not we’re in a real relationship, it would hurt her if I had sex with a fan.
Cash grins. “Good. I’m glad you’re serious about Mercy.”
Dylan claps my shoulder. “She’s good for you.”
Fender grunts in agreement.
I wait for Jett to speak. For him to admit he screwed up.
“This is bullshit,” he mutters before stomping off.
Dylan squeezes my shoulder. “He doesn’t mean it. He’s just reeling because all of us are paired off and he never intends to fall in love.”
I frown. I hate lying to Jett. He’s my best friend. All the members of the band are my best friends, but I’m closest to Jett.
Maybe I should tell him the truth. What am I thinking? Jett can’t keep a secret.
Once Mercy finds a place for Mercury in a nursing home, we can break up. And then things will return to normal.
Except the band will go back to bugging me about my drinking.