Chapter 23
Harper
“Um, Harper?”
I turned when Alice said my name uncertainly behind me. A lot of people had been surprised when I’d hired the young, willowy brunette as the group’s new drum tech. But she’d dropped out from Julliard and had the skills and clearly needed the money. I might’ve seen a little of me in her, and I’ve always been a sucker for a talented sister in need.
“Hey, Alice. What’s going on?”
“I, uh, have a sensitive subject I need to talk to you about.”
The guys were still performing their encore, pyrotechnics exploding all around the stage, but I felt all the euphoria of the moment drain from me at the look on Alice’s face. Shit. “Oh. Okay, let’s go find a vacant meeting room. Do you need any medical attention?”
Alice was a tough chick, but I knew the kind of disgusting things men assumed they could get away with while on the road. I’d fired more than my share of the assholes.
“Oh. No. No, it’s nothing like that.” Alice kept pace with me while I searched the heaving corridor for an empty spot to have whatever serious discussion Alice needed to get off her chest. “But it’s not something you want anyone to overhear.”
My mind raced, but I couldn’t piece together her cryptic hints. If it wasn’t a roadie, was it Noah? He’d always been so cheerful and open. Girls loved his golden retriever attitude. Had he pulled something with Alice? Taken a silly joke too far? Shit.
Finally finding a large, empty closet, I gestured for her to enter then closed the door behind us. “All right. Spill. What’s going on?”
Alice shifted her weight and shook her head. “It’s, uh, it’s bad.” Her face flushed as she stared at her shoes for a second. Then clearing her throat, she squared her shoulders and faced me. “While I was going through the equipment and packing up, I found someone’s drug stash.”
I closed my eyes and cursed.
And Alice babbled on, “It’s not mine. I’m willing to do whatever drug testing you need to do. But it’s, uh, bad. The usual blunts and rolling paraphernalia, but also some vials of white powder.”
“Fuck. Show me.”
Alice cringed then headed for the door. I followed her through the twisty corridors to the large room where we’d housed the instruments. Guitars, microphones, and a few drums littered the space. Alice headed for the boxes in the far corner. She opened one and pulled out a bunch of packing material then gestured for me to come over.
My heart pounding in my ears, I approached the box.
And sure enough, there in the bottom of the box inside the inverted drum were the paraphernalia she’d described, including three vials of white powder.
“Shit.”
My mind raced. This wasn’t the first time we’d found contraband on the road. But it was the first time I was the sole person responsible for the tour when it’d happened.
Dammit.
And there were so many people it could’ve been. Alice. Noah. Kelly’s drummer, Ian. So many countless roadies and crew members who all had access to the space. Security. Venue employees. My head started to pound.
“Right. Was there anyone in the room or the vicinity that you recognized?”
Alice shrugged. “I ran into Grady in the hallway on the way here. But the room was empty while I was organizing gear.”
I mentally added Jesse’s bass tech to my list of suspects. “Okay. I need you to go through all your gear and make sure there aren’t any other surprises. We’re supposed to ship to England tomorrow and that means customs checks. The last fucking thing we need is for them to find more. Or shit, anything.” I picked my way through the mess of boxes to the door. “And I’ll call the other techs and get them in here to run the same checks on their gear.”
I toggled my headset on. “Marisol. Come in, Marisol.”
“Here. What do you need, cap?”
“Page all the instrument techs and have them—”
I broke off as Noah slid into the room. He visibly jolted when he spotted me in front of him. His eyes darted straight to Alice kneeling over the suspected box in the corner. Fear flashed in his eyes before he straightened and tried to look unaffected.
My heart sank all the way to my toes.
“Cap? You there?” Marisol’s voice broke through my impending dread. “I didn’t get all that. Where do you want the instrument techs to report?”
“Belay that. I think I have everything I need here. Tell Xander that I’m busy right now, and I’ll see him back at the house.”
“Copy.”
I keyed off the mic and stared at the person in front of me who’d been a friend for so long. “Why?”
Noah blinked lazily and slouched against the wall. “Why what?”
“You know exactly what. Do you have any idea how much trouble we would be in if customs found your stash? How much trouble I would be in? I’m the person in charge. I’d be the one pulled in for questioning. I’d be the one with their ass on the line. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
All the fake levity fell away as the expression in his eyes hardened. “I don’t know the fuck you’re talking about. And I resent the hell out of the way you’re speaking to me. I just came in here looking for Diego. Someone said they saw him in here earlier. If you found a stash, it ain’t mine.”
I felt a niggle of doubt, but I knew Noah was responsible for the drugs. Did he think I didn’t notice his tremors and bloodshot eyes? How he’d been so tired and lethargic lately, and then suddenly all keyed up? This wasn’t my first rodeo. I knew exactly what was going on.
“That’s bullshit, and you know it. I saw your face when you came in here. You know exactly what we found and where. It’s my name on all the invoices and transport docs. I signed on to be responsible for all the people here and the gear. My ass is on the line here, Noah. What the fuck?” I had to pause and take a few breaths to calm down. I was so fucking pissed. Sure, this had happened in the past, but it had always been some dipshit roadie. Never someone I knew and trusted. That Noah would pull this shit while we were abroad had me fucking livid. I know, I know , I needed to calm down and speak with him calmly, try to get him some help.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t capable of that at the moment. Not when Noah was just standing there giving me that vacant stare. A fine tremor shook his hand as he finger-combed his blond hair.
“Do you seriously have nothing to say to me?” I clenched my jaw to stop myself from saying something unforgiveable. So much anger was bubbling under the surface.
“I don’t know what you want me to say. Whatever you found isn’t mine, and you can’t prove it is.” He stared back at me placidly like we were talking about dirty dishes and not several thousand dollars’ worth of drugs. “I just came in here looking for Diego like I said.”
“Get the fuck out of my sight.” I stared him down until he finally shrugged and turned to leave. “Wait!” I hollered then continued without even waiting for him to turn back around. “There better not be any shit in any other kit or luggage. I will not be doing prison time for you.”
Noah swung back around and pointed a finger in my face. “You better watch how you’re talking to me. I’m the fucking client here. You don’t talk to me that way.”
“When it comes to my livelihood and my fucking reputation, I’ll talk to you how you fucking deserve. Now you better get the fuck out of here before I call security on your ass.”
“Actually that’d help me since— like I said —I’m looking for Diego.” Noah gave me this angry stare that would’ve made me wilt, but for the fact that I was so goddamn pissed off.
I keyed the mic on my headset. “Marisol, I need security to my location. At least three guys. Do not send Diego.”
Noah tossed me a disgusted smirk before slamming through the door.
“What’s your location, Harper?”
I took a deep, shuddering breath before I answered her. “Cancel security. Threat is under control. Code green.”
“Copy that.”
A clattering of boxes had me swinging around ready to fight. But I only found Alice standing with her gear, giving me a sheepish smile.
I sighed. “Right. Sorry, Alice. I forgot you were here.” I took a few more breaths, trying to calm my racing heart. So much anger and disappointment still cursed through me. “Uh, about that whole scene—”
“Forgotten.”
I shook my head. “I don’t want you to forget anything. I want you to go through every piece of drum kit yourself and verify they’re clear. And you’re going to have to do that every time we ship. I’ll stick around and help tonight, and it’ll be either me or Marisol lending a hand in the future.”
Alice nodded determinedly, her expression serious.
“I don’t have to tell you this is a delicate situation.” I went on, “To date, the only people in the know are you, me, and Noah. And in a few minutes, Marisol. It better stay that way. You’ve signed an NDA. We can and will make sure that you abide by it or pay the penalty in your contract. And trust me; no one wants that to happen. Especially you.”
Alice gave me that same stoic stare that Noah had earlier. Only this time there were no body tremors or bloodshot eyes. “I hear you. I’ll get started.”
“I have a few phone calls to make, then I’ll be back to lend a hand.”
Alice nodded, already hard at work, arranging her kit.
I stepped out into the chaotic hall and headed for the storage closet Alice and I had ducked into only a few minutes ago.
“Oh!” I opened the door to reveal Jesse and Ella wrapped up in each other’s arms. Making out. “Sorry. As you were.”
I closed the door and fought against the hysterical laughter burning my chest. Everything was upside down. My good friend was a druggie, and a committed couple felt the need to get it on in a storage room and not the lovely, private house I’d booked for the band.
Nothing to see here.
I fast walked down the hall to an empty meeting room about a mile away. Tears burned my eyes as I sagged against the closed door.
I didn’t know how to navigate this. If it’d been a roadie, he would’ve been fired without a second thought. But the tour couldn’t happen without Noah. He wasn’t replaceable. Hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars depended on what I did next.
But there was only one thing to do next.
I picked up my phone and called Wes.
“Hey Wes. We’ve got a problem.”
* * *
When I finally rolled into my bedroom, it was nearing four in the morning. I’d been on the phone to Wes and Tyler—how I ever found that man attractive was a mystery to me. Tyler had been a grade-A douche. While I’d advocated treatment and canceling the rest of the tour, he’d talked about lawsuits and loss of revenue. At the end of the whole debacle, I’d been outvoted. The tour would go on.
All I could do was watch Noah self-destruct.
My hands were literally tied. I couldn’t even give Noah a drug test to prove my suspicions. As Tyler had so helpfully pointed out—the drugs could’ve belonged to anyone. Too many people had access. And at the end of the day, my suspicions didn’t matter for shit. While the rest of the crew had signed a contract that detailed mandatory drug tests, the band hadn’t.
And the last kick in the ass was the threat reminder that I couldn’t speak to anyone about this.
Alice wasn’t the only one who’d signed an NDA.
I all but collapsed as I climbed into bed next to a sleeping Xander. I tried to stick to my side of the bed, but I couldn’t ignore the allure of cuddling against my large, burly boyfriend.
He grumbled in his sleep but still pulled me into his arms. A few seconds later, his soft snores rumbled around me as he fell back asleep without a word being spoken.
I cuddled up to his naked chest and let his unconscious comfort lull me to sleep.
Hours later, but not enough hours later, I woke up to the sensation of someone teasing my nipples. I cracked my eyelids open enough to take in the sunlight rudely streaming into the room. A breath later, I felt Xander’s erection poking me in the back as his fingers plucked at my aching nipple.
“Someone woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning,” I grumbled. “Didn’t expect to be prodded with your tail though.”
“Aw, is my girl grumpy this morning?” His voice rumbled in my ear as he continued to torment my poor, aching nipples.
I moaned. Damn, he had such talented fingers. “You do realize I crawled into bed like four hours ago, right?”
“Mmmm.”
I shivered as he practically purred in my ear, all deep and growly. My sex clenched in answer.
“Maybe there’s something I can do to make that up to you…”
And then Xander was sliding down my body. He rolled me onto my back and gently nudged my thighs apart. Wedging his shoulders between my legs, his breath fanned over my center, and I shivered. His fingers gently caressed the lips of my sex. Softly. Gently. Never dipping inside. Just this tender teasing touch that had me arching into him in seconds.
“Geez, Xan. Ugh.” I groaned as his fingertip found my clit and an electric shock sparked through my body. “Your talents are totally wasted onstage.”
He laughed against my sex, and the combination of the sound and sensation of his breath made my body quake. “Xander Lang, gigolo extraordinaire. Kinda has a nice ring to it.”
I arched into his seeking tongue as he flicked it over my aching clit. “You’d make a goddamn fortune.”
“It’s not too late.” He slowly pressed a finger inside me while he flicked his tongue over and around my clit. There was a smile in his voice when he spoke again, and I felt the vibration of his words inside me. “Do you really think I have what it takes?”
I wasn’t capable of speaking at the moment. He kept thrusting his finger inside me, pressing against the front wall of my pussy with this tap, tap, tap rhythm. Then his lips and tongue went to work.
My fingers burrowed in his hair as I strained toward my orgasm. I could feel it, just beyond my reach. All my muscles tensed as I felt it building.
“Come on, angel. I’ve got you. I can’t wait to see you all laid out like this at the club. A crowd on the other side of the mirror. Wishing they were touching you. Wanting to be with you. Jealous that I’m the lucky prick who gets to feel you come all over my dick.”
I moaned at the mental image he’d described. It was so fucking hot. I never thought of myself as an exhibitionist, but I hadn’t minded when the other couple had watched me. If anything it’d made me wetter. Hotter. Feel so much sexier.
Just like his words were doing now.
“You like that, angel? You want them to watch you? Wish they could feel this dripping pussy clenching on their fingers. Watching those gorgeous tits of yours bounce as you ride me? Fuck, you look like a warrior princess all determined and so fucking luscious. You gonna take my cock in a minute? Or do you need it now?”
“Now! I want—I want you inside me, Xander!”
“You come for me right now and you’ll have me, angel. I wanna feel this pussy grip my fingers. You’re so fucking close, baby. I got you.”
I screamed as I came. So hard. So suddenly. All over Xander’s thrusting fingers. Wave after wave of pleasure slammed through my body until I had to roll away from his teasing touch. The sadist loved to torture me through my orgasms, making them last longer and hit harder by sparking all my sensitive spots.
When I could finally function again, I blinked up at him blearily. “Oh yeah. You totally missed your calling.”
He calmly rolled a condom down his very impressive erection that I hadn’t had any time playing with. “I don’t know. I’m feeling kinda lazy now.” Xander carefully flopped onto his back next to me, keeping one hand on his condom clad dick. “I think you need to pull your own weight now. Give me that little show I teased you with earlier.”
I raised an eyebrow. Was he seriously trying to goad me into riding him?
Like that was a challenge.
I threw a leg over his hips and carefully lined myself up with his condom clad dick. “Good morning,” I murmured as I slowly sank down onto him. His piercing pressed into my sensitive flesh and made my eyes cross.
Xander grinned up at me. I balanced myself with a hand on his chest as I leaned down to kiss him.
“Good morning, angel,” he murmured against my lips.
It was official. Xander Lang was the only way to wake up in the morning.