6. Chapter Six
Chapter Six
“Princess, are you decent?” Cavalari asked as he knocked on the partially opened door to Bronx’s bedroom.
“I’ve been up for hours, jackass,” Bronx hollered at the door. He was sitting on his bed strumming a beat on an acoustic guitar he kept in a stand in his room for composing sessions.
“That’s a less than truthful statement,” Cavalari stated and gave the door a shove to make it swing wide open.
“Is that so?” Bronx asked. “And how would you know that? Were you in here all swoony watching me sleep again like a creeper?”
“I was up here a little while ago to make sure you were alive and you were still sprawled across your bed snoring,” Cavalari said and then chuckled as he shook his head like he was remembering the visual that greeted him.
“I do not snore,” Bronx grumbled.
“If you say so,” Cavalari disagreed. “Maybe next time I’ll have to record the evidence on my phone to prove you’re wrong.”
Bronx scowleded at Cavalari across the room.
“I wouldn’t advise you do something like that,” Bronx stated with firmness.
“Read your damn contract and find where it says recording or photographing any one of us without written consent is in direct violation of the terms to our working agreement and the NDA you signed on the day you were hired. It would be a crying shame if you lost your job over a technicality like that one.”
“Chill the fuck out, Bronx. I was joking,” Cavalari said.
“I take my privacy very serious,” Bronx said. “It’s not a subject I joke about—ever.”
“I’ll remember your privacy clause for future reference,” Cavalari said.
He squared his broad shoulders and turned to leave the room but stopped to look at Bronx over his shoulder.
“By the way, I’m sure any gay man would love seeing your ass first thing in the morning.
” His comment was obviously an observation to the fact Bronx slept naked and Cavalari had found him sleeping au natural just a few hours earlier—apparently with his butt pointed toward the heavens.
“Are you including yourself in that last statement?” Bronx asked with sarcasm.
“I’m not following what you’re attempting to imply,” Cavalari stated while fully facing Bronx again with his hands planted on his narrow hips.
“You said ‘any gay man would love seeing my ass’ and I was asking if you were including yourself in the gay men demographic?” Bronx questioned with a raised brow.
He knew he was messing with Cavalari but it was too much fun to pass up.
Pitching barbs at Cavalari was his new favorite pastime and, as far as he was concerned, it was as American as major league baseball during the summer months.
“You know I’m straight,” Cavalari balked and then made a scoffing sound under his breath.
“Do I?” Bronx asked as he carefully laid his Gibson acoustic guitar on top of his bed. “Has that information been documented as fact somewhere? And if so, where might I find the paperwork to read? Not to mention, our personal history begs to differ with your claim of being straight.”
“Listen, I came up here to remind you we’re leaving for Dagger’s in about forty minutes,” Cavalari explained. “You’d be wise to get ready and be downstairs ASAP so we can get there on time.”
“Yes, Dad,” Bronx chided. “I’m all over it.
” Bronx pushed off the bed and set his guitar back in its stand.
He crossed the room wearing only the boxer briefs he’d pulled on earlier then stepped in front of his dresser to pull out a clean white t-shirt with the quote “Bad Ass Bass Player” on the front of it, and a pair of beige cargo shorts.
A few seconds later he was dressed and spun around to face Cavalari.
“All right. I’m ready to leave,” he announced but Cavalari had already left his room.
Fucker.
Bronx hit the bathroom one more time and then crossed his room to leave.
He slipped into a pair of flip-flops by the bedroom door and left to head downstairs.
A quick glance around the rooms he walked through on his way to the kitchen told him he was alone to enjoy his breakfast in peace.
He removed a package of bagels from the refrigerator and a container of cream cheese and prepared his meal.
Once the bagel was toasting, he filled a big travel mug of coffee and added a tiny bit of sugar to dumb-down the bitterness of the almost black brew.
Bronx had the bagel half-scarfed down when Cavalari appeared in the open glass slider.
“When you’re done eating, I’ll be waiting next to the Suburban,” Cavalari said coldly.
Bronx nodded acknowledgment and started to clean up any evidence he’d prepared something to keep the cook off his back then he went back to finishing his breakfast. Five minutes later, he was walking out the door that led to the back deck and the wide driveway beyond.
As soon as Cavalari saw Bronx approaching the vehicle he slipped his phone into his pocket and opened up the back door for Bronx to climb in, then hopped into the driver’s seat to start the engine.
Bronx got comfortable in the back seat then studied Cavalari in the rear-view mirror.
The man was oddly stoic and emotionless today which was unlike him.
Bronx briefly considered asking him about his behavior but decided against it in favor of enjoying the silence.
Non-verbal communication between Bronx and Cavalari was probably the best route for them to take.
The silence hanging in the vehicle right now was a gift and Bronx realized they probably should have been dealing with each other like this from the first day Cavalari joined the security team.
Bronx was kicking himself now for taking the path he’d chosen instead of doing the opposite.
“The silence is bliss, Calamari. Thank you,” Bronx said. His childishness simply couldn’t resist poking the bull one more time. He was such an idiot.
“Then why would you ruin it by flapping your lips?” Cavalari commented.
“Good point. As you were,” Bronx said and his lips curled up into a smirk.
About ten minutes later they pulled into the long driveway leading up to Dagger’s enormous estate and Cavalari parked the Suburban next to the garage.
Bronx surveyed the vehicles already here and noticed every one of his band brothers had arrived in their own vehicles—except for Bronx.
That very obvious detail wasn’t lost on Bronx and he had a pretty good idea why he was the only one traveling with his personal guard, too.
“Thanks for joining us,” Dagger remarked as he welcomed Bronx into his back yard. Cavalari followed close behind Bronx but only offered a nod of acknowledgment in Dagger’s direction.
“You said to get here at one and it’s one on the dot, so I’m on time,” Bronx defended himself.
“I wasn’t implying you were late,” Dagger said. “I was simply welcoming you to my home.”
“Why did my guard have to drive me here when everyone else came alone?” Bronx asked.
“You already know the answer to that question.”
Bronx rolled his eyes at Dagger’s comment.
He didn’t agree with the process, but Dagger was known to push people together in order for them work out their differences.
Dagger did the exact same thing with Dante and Ashton and it worked, but he sincerely doubted the same formula would work on him and Cavalari.
Bronx was usually a man of few words and greatly preferred hanging in the background but for the last few months he had spent far too much time either defending himself or overly explaining his actions and he was getting real tired of doing so.
He’d also become far too sensitive to the ongoing issues with his guard and his place in the band.
The more time he’d spent examining the hot mess that was his life from every angle, the more he realized most of the stressing points were of his own doing.
If he was going to last long-term with this band and with Cavalari as his personal guard then he needed to make some changes.
Fuck, he hated the idea of having to bend over to appease his band by accepting Cavalari.
“Thanks for hosting today,” Bronx said to Dagger.
“Of course. I’m always happy to have you guys over,” Dagger said. “Grab yourself a plate of food and take a seat. Once everyone has something to eat I’ll get a dialog started on the things we have coming up.”
“Where’s the next king of rock hiding?” Bronx asked as he walked off toward the buffet line positioned along the back edge of the deck.
“He’s sleeping and I’d like him to remain that way, so if you wake him up he’ll be yours to babysit,” Dagger explained as he walked back to his seat.
“Piece of cake,” Bronx teased and took a plate from the stack on the end of the food table. He’d barely taken a position in the barbecue line when Ashton spun around to look at him.
“Hey there. How goes the kink?” Ashton asked and then then chuckled.
“I don’t have a kink,” Bronx scoffed.
“I thought you and your smoking hot guard had a moment . . . ”
“Shut it! You two are the only ones who know about that,” Bronx said and looked around them to see where Cavalari was positioned.
He was outside with everyone else, but way off to the side of the property talking to another guard assigned to keeping Dagger’s yard secure.
There was no chance he could have heard Ashton and him talking but it was just better if they avoided that particular topic of conversation all together.
“I get it,” Ashton said. “Discussion for another time.”
“Exactly,” Bronx agreed.
“Hey! Chatty Kathys, do you think you could hurry along with your food selections so we can start this meeting sometime today?” Dagger yelled at Bronx and Ashton.
“Be there in a second,” Bronx barked back.
“Jesus, I think the guy needs to get laid,” Ashton remarked. “He’s way too cranky.”
“I think sleep deprivation will do that to your brain more than lack of sex and he has a new human to thank for that,” Bronx stated.
“It’s probably a mixture of both,” Ashton said.
Bronx and Ashton filled their plates with barbecued chicken and thick, meaty ribs, potato salad, and cornbread before they ran out of room on their plates. They walked back to the long rectangular table where the other guys were seated and sat down on the bench seat on either side of Dante.
“I kept your spot warm for you, babe,” Dante nearly growled against Ashton’s neck.
“I’ve got my eyes on you two,” Dagger warned while his fork stabbed at the air in front of Dante. “Stay away from my bathrooms or there will be hell to pay.”
“What if we legit have to take a piss?” Dante questioned.
“Then you can water my shrubs right out there where I can make sure you’re not destroying my inside plumbing.”
“My, my, Dagger,” Ashton said. “You’re getting quite grouchy in your old age.”
“You think I’m old?” Dagger questioned Ashton with one brow lifted and Ashton began to stammer.
“That’s right, my friend. You better backtrack on that line of thought.
” Dagger glanced around the table at his band.
“Now, if we could get our focus onto the discussion about the shows we have coming up, that would be great.”
Bronx already knew the details Dagger was currently explaining to the others. He’d paid attention the last time they got together like this to go over the gigs leading up to the Vegas residency, so he remained quiet and kept filling his mouth with the delicious food on his plate.
“First stop is Tucson for an interview,” Dagger stated.
“Then we’ve got a media event after a brief unplugged set in Houston, a call-in interview with a radio station in Shreveport, and the two shows in New Orleans.
We’ve got some downtime scheduled in New Orleans, too.
After the shows we’ve got more promotion scheduled in ‘Bama and the Panhandle before coming back to Dallas for one show and our final stop is Vegas where we’ve got press appearances and a walk-through of our stage setup.
Once that concludes, we’ll have enough time to come home to L.A.
and pack up for the Vegas shows and then return to settle into our new Vegas accommodations. Any questions?”
“How many buses are we taking?” Dante asked.
“Three. My bus and one other for you guys, plus a separate bus for the guard team,” Dagger answered.
Bronx nearly choked on a piece of chicken when he heard he wouldn’t be traveling with Cavalari.
That was an enormous relief lifted from his shoulders.
He could handle the long hours on the road with Dante and Ashton.
Besides, he knew they’d spend the time locked away in the bedroom in the back of the bus.
That gave him the run of the rest of the bus all to himself.
“Any other questions?” Dagger asked and everyone shook their heads. “Okay, if we’re good then finish up eating and I’ll see you at the bus lot at eight in the morning on Monday. I’m going to go check on Liam. Feel free to stay and enjoy the food for as long as you like.”
“We’ve only got two more days,” Ashton said to Dante.
“That means if we’re going to use Wheland’s playroom we’ll have to do it tonight or tomorrow night,” Dante replied.
“Give him a call and see if the room is available,” Ashton suggested.
“On that note, I’ll leave you two rabbits to take care of . . . business,” Bronx said. “I’ll see you on the bus.”
Bronx watched them walk away while he finished up another piece of barbecued chicken, then stacked his plate on top of the others in the bin with dirty dishes.
His eyes darted around the yard in search of Cavalari who was nowhere to be seen, then pulled out his phone and typed out a message to his guard.
Bronx: You still here? I’m ready to leave.
Cavalari: I guess this means you didn’t choke on a chicken bone. I’ll be there in five.