Chapter 23
TWENTY-THREE
FIVE DAYS LATER
I did my best to reach out to my old clients and thank them, apologizing for the shift in primary provider, but I never got a response. From anyone.
My partner, Hannah, who owns half of The Social Buzz , hasn’t responded to me either.
It’s getting weird, but I assume she heard that On The Edge is now one of our clients and is fielding other potential clients.
We are a decent sized business, obviously since I’m able to do this full time and make a sufficient living, but not quite at this major rockstar level that’s been brought to us.
At least we weren’t.
I’m still pissed off that Reis did this, but I can’t look this career-changing gift in the mouth. For the sake of the business, we can’t turn it down.
The guys came home from the first meeting with Louis, all with various degrees of annoyance or anger on their faces, but didn’t want to talk about it.
I didn’t pry, it’s none of my business. If they wanted to tell me, they would.
But we spent the rest of that day in their studio, where I got serenaded over and over. Each time, making me blush like crazy.
I wouldn’t mind doing it again. And honestly, I could at any moment. They’ve been in the studio basically non-stop for the last week preparing for the tour. Adam said that this short of a tour wasn’t uncommon, but it was intense as fuck.
Truth be told, I’ve never been overseas, so I’m nervous. But I don’t want to be separated from them so soon after figuring out what we mean to each other. It’d be like a cruel test that I’m not ready to even consider taking.
After I told them I would go with them, it was Adam’s turn for me to stay the night with him and he showed me just how excited he was that I was coming with them. All. Night. Long.
Thank fuck they have thick walls because that man made me scream. I tried not to look too proud when he walked out the next morning with a few very visible hickeys decorating his neck and a fresh set of scratches down his back.
Today’s the day we’re going to London, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t like a kid on Christmas. The guys got me a suitcase and somehow expedited a passport for me within five days. Money really does talk.
I’ve been hard at work getting all their socials in a line and organized so everyone in the UK knows On The Edge is coming. I’ve been tracking the data from when I took over and each account’s engagement is up by five percent. It’s small, but it’s definite proof of growth.
“Come on, guys!” I yell through the apartment. “We don’t want to miss our flight!”
“Mel, baby,” Reis comes walking towards me in grey sweats–grey fucking sweatpants, God’s gift to women–and a backward baseball cap with aviators hanging from the collar of his T-shirt, dragging a suitcase behind him. “We own the plane; they aren’t leaving without us.”
“Just because you own the plane doesn’t mean you get to be rude about other people's time,” I sigh, looking down at my watch. “Seriously, we have fifteen minutes before we have to be in the car. Adam, Markus, Kai, move your asses!”
Reis laughs heartily, the sound soothing my anxiety. He comes over, and pulls me in his arms for a big hug, lifting me off the ground.
“It’s okay, I promise,” he says softly, kissing my cheek. “We will make it worth everyone’s while, okay?”
“Don’t you start that with me, Reis Mathers.
I seem to remember someone throwing a temper tantrum in the 10 th grade because our geometry teacher was twenty minutes late.
You went on, and on, and on, about how rude and disrespectful it was.
” I cross my arms over my chest and look up at him with a glint of mischievousness in my eye. “What changed?”
Reis opens his mouth, but Kai answers.
“If the teacher had paid us an extra $100 for every five minutes he was late, we all would’ve been very cool with it.” Kai shrugs his leather jacket over his shoulders, pulling his backpack over his shoulder when he’s done. “Why are you screaming at us like a drill sergeant?”
“Very true. On both counts,” Reis says with raised eyebrows, pointing to Kai and nodding, before looking back at me.
“Don’t,” I drop my shoulders and let my head fall back. “Do not start this whole ‘I’m rich so I can do whatever I want’ bullshit.”
“But we are rich and can do whatever we want,” Markus sighs tiredly, and walks in rolling his own suitcase with a denim jacket in hand. “It’s too early.”
Rolling my eyes, I check that I have my passport, drivers license, and my bank card on me.
“What’s that?” Markus looks over at my little document organizer I’ve put in my cross-body bag. They’re going to give me a lot of shit for this. I know it.
But it makes me feel better, so fuck ‘em.
“An organizer,” I say shortly, tucking it back into my bag and not backing down, keeping my head held high. “What of it?”
“Nothing, nothing,” Markus says, holding his hands up in surrender. “You know that we have everything taken care of, right?”
“Yes, I know. Can I be prepared for a new experience though? I’d rather have all my stuff so if I want to go shopping, or go get a drink, I can.”
“It’s funny to me that you think that we’d ever let you leave our sight or that you’d need your own money if you wanted to go do something. You won’t need anything from now on. We’ve got you, baby.” Reis smirks and Kai nods. Oh god, they’re going to be so protective, aren’t they?
I nearly groan, but the possessive look in Markus' eye mixed with the way Kai bites his lower lip as he gives me a heated look, and Reis smirking at me in a knowing way… Yeah, I’ll let them take care of me if it makes them keep looking at me like that.
Adam walks in, yawning loudly and shaking out his wet hair. “Why do we have to leave so early?” He groans, dropping his bag to the ground and basically falling into me, his forehead on my shoulder.
“Come on, come on!” I laugh loudly, shake my head, and snap out of my lust-filled haze. Pushing Adam back to standing, he pouts adorably. “Let’s go, let’s go!”
Reis smirks, watching my excitement with a fond look in his eyes. He slings his arm over my shoulder, I’m enveloped in the clean, warm smell of Reisyn that instantly makes me feel better. He presses a kiss to the top of my head and steers me towards the front door.
“You’re going to have such a great time. I’ll make sure of it,” he whispers, pulling me into him and kissing my forehead.
The engines on the familiar jet were deafening as we approached the stairs pulled down from the side of the plane.
A stewardess stands at the top, waiting patiently for us to arrive.
I immediately feel embarrassed and underdressed.
She stands there beautifully, dressed to the 9’s in her uniform, perfect hair and makeup.
I got dressed, but I’m definitely more laid-back; flared black jeans with a white crop-top and an oversized black zip-up hoodie that’s open and falling off my shoulders. My black hair falls down my back in a thick braid, and given the early hour, I decided to forgo makeup.
I’m trying not to kick myself for it now.
“Good morning!” She says cheerfully, looking right at the guys without sparing me a glance. They all nod, pushing past her, ducking their heads to fit onto the plane. Reis is the last one on, pushing my lower back gently to follow Kai.
“Go on, baby girl,” he says softly and Kai reaches back for me, taking my hand in his and pulling me against him so there’s no turning around.
Climbing into the jet, I can feel the stewardess staring me down. She’s sizing me up and trying to figure out how much of a threat I am to her. I narrow my eyes and my nostrils flare.
She wants my men. Of course she does, everyone does.
But they’re mine.
Straightening my spine as she glares, I stare right back at her, tilting my head. Silently challenging her to do or say something.
“Good morning, ma’am.” Sarah, as her name tag reads, greets me finally with a dead-panned expression and a fake-as-fuck smile. “If you need anything, please let me know.”
Translation; Don’t fucking talk to me, you bitch.
“Thank you.” I nod with a knowing, equally fake smile. With that, I lean closer into Kai’s back and hold Reis' hand behind me. If the subtle widening of her eyes tells me anything, it’s that she’s seething with jealousy. I would be too if the roles were reversed.
I’m also staking my claim. They’re mine, cunt-face. Get over it.
Reis' chest presses against my back as I’m stalling in the small walkway.
“Find a spot, love,” he says loudly–loud enough that there’s no way Sarah didn’t hear it–and he pushes me forward slightly, just as Markus calls out, “Next to me, Mel!”
I smile at his sing-song call, and nod to him, but Kai won’t let me move yet.
“No, no, by me.” He holds my hand tightly.
“Guys, we can take turns.” Adam rolls his eyes as he buckles himself into the first seat facing the back of the airplane.
They’ve got a grouping of four chairs around a table and across the aisle are two seats facing each other.
A little further back are two benches that are at least six feet long facing each other.
They have a heavy-looking curtain in the middle of the plane, giving a separation between the seating area and the benches.
Why would they need that? I’m not sure.
Not being drugged this time, I can actually properly take in how beautiful this space is.
It’s clean and fancy, but they all walk in like it’s a second apartment to them.
Adam reaches into the side compartment and pulls out a pillow, stuffing it over his shoulder to go back to sleep.
Markus is grabbing some things out of his backpack, preparing himself for the long flight while Reis steps up front to talk with the Captain.
Sarah’s milling about fiddling with things, signing paperwork with the person on the ground before sealing us in this small metal tube. What the hell am I doing?