Chapter 23
Ella and I spent the next day holed up in her room, playing, kissing. After we used our last condom, I had to call the concierge for more. They were discretely delivered under a room service dome.
She ignored her phone. I’d left mine in my room, so I didn’t know or care who’d been trying to get ahold of me. I didn’t have to report to the lobby until five. I was happy to eat, fuck, and laugh with Ella.
Of course, our happy sex bubble burst with the return of reality. I’d snuck out of her room and escaped to mine to get ready for the concert. It was fucking annoying that we were running around like teenagers behind her brother’s back, but since he’d acted like an ass last night and still had all the tabloid rumors hanging over him and Shay, it definitely wasn’t time to tell him about me and Ella.
Knowing I’d have to change again when we got to the venue, I pulled on a tee and jeans and grabbed my phone. I had sixty-four unread texts and twelve missed phone calls. Awesome. I shoved my phone in my back pocket, grabbed my bag, and headed out.
Where I slammed into Chase, who stood there with his hand raised like he was gonna knock.
“What the fuck is going on with you?” he barked. “I texted and called both your phone and your room, and you never answered. I was about to call the front desk to perform a wellness check. Where the fuck have you been?”
“Didn’t know I had to report to you, Dad.” I shouldered past him and stalked down the hall.
“Come on, man. Don’t give me shit. Please. I’ve already been read the riot act by my wife, Wes, and Harper too. It’s already been a shitty day that I just want to get through.”
“Pretty sure your day will get better once you apologize to Ella.”
Chase grumbled something under his breath as he stabbed at the elevator call button.
Not in the mood to deal with his attitude, I slouched against the wall and ignored him.
“It’s just bullshit,” he burst out, unable to handle the silence.
“You’re right. It is. Total bullshit that her brother would say that shit to her after how hard she’s worked.”
A muscle flexed in Chase’s jaw as he glared at me.
This time he let our strained silence ride as we waited for the elevator. And after it arrived, the whole way to the ground floor.
We met up with the guys at the side entrance, and I looked around discreetly for Ella. But she wasn’t anywhere in the lobby.
I sent a searching look Noah’s way, but the space cadet just blinked back at me.
Annoyed, I finally asked, “Where are the girls?”
Xander’s eyes darted to where Chase was pouting next to me before he answered. “They headed over to the venue before us. Took the car while we were waiting for you two. Security is sending another one.”
“Ella didn’t want to ride with dipshit,” Noah added gleefully.
“It’s bullshit!” Chase exploded again. “Now she’s got my wife all pissed off at me, too. I already apologized. What more does she want?”
Noah cackled. “Dude, texting doesn’t count. Everyone knows that.”
“And it wasn’t even a heartfelt text.” Xander snickered. “You didn’t even spell out sorry.”
“What?” I turned to my best friend, incredulously. “Seriously, Chase? It’s not even that hard. Predictive text fills it in for you.”
“Not to mention spell check.” Xander snorted. “Pretty sure you have to override it in the first place. Still can’t believe you tried to do it in text though. That’s some weak ass shit.”
“I can’t fucking believe all you guys are on her side. Especially you.” Chase punched my shoulder. “You’re supposed to be my friend, dude. I mean, come on. You know what a fuckup Ella is and has been since, what? Middle school at least. Right, man?”
“Are you fucking serious?” I clenched my jaw and stared at my feet. It took everything inside me to keep me from just decking him. “Ella is a grown adult. She’s not some dumb kid anymore. Sure, it might’ve taken her a minute to figure out what she wanted to do with her life, but so what? Do you know how many people are on their second or third career at our age? Do you know how fucking lucky we are that we made it? And now that Ella is finally doing something she loves—and that she’s fucking awesome at—you gotta act like an asshole who handed her accomplishments to her?”
Now it was Chase’s turn to stare at his boots. He sure as shit didn’t have the backbone to meet any of our gazes.
I glared at him even though he wouldn’t see it. “And then you have the audacity to try to apologize to her with a stupid, misspelled text? Fuck that, and fuck you.”
Chase’s head jerked up and blinked at me like he was the injured party.
I stared him down, and when he didn’t have anything to say, I turned and walked out the door and to the waiting car.
Given how primed I was for a fight, it was the wrong time for Rowan to corner me.
“Jesse!” Rowan shouted through the craziness of the main greenroom. “We need you in wardrobe!”
Still, I was a professional—mostly—so I excused myself from my conversation with a local reporter and headed that way.
Ducking into our greenroom, I noticed the absence of Chase and Ella. I wondered where Ella was, but I didn’t give a shit about Chase. I was just fucking glad he wasn’t here.
“Here.” Rowan pressed a hand against my chest and ran her fingernails over my body like she was measuring me without tape—or professionalism. Really, she was feeling me up—and pissing me off. “I have a few more old school rocker tees if you’re feeling like you want to rip something off.” She turned and grabbed a shirt, holding it up against my body. “Remember when you did that with my panties? Although they were pretty skimpy to begin with, so it didn’t take much effort to rip them. But it got me so hot.”
Someone gasped behind us, and I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
“Oops.” Rowan gave the fakest laugh I’d ever heard. “Sorry. I thought we were alone.”
Ella’s eyes darted from Rowan to me. “I can leave if you need some privacy.”
“Ye—” Rowan started to say when I cut her off.
“No, we’re good. Rowan was just pulling clothes for me then leaving. Right?” I sent her my no-nonsense glare. I was done with her bullshit.
“No.” Rowan shook her head and sent me a mulish glare. “I need a few measurements, so I can order more shirts for you. You keep ripping them up on stage, and I’m running out of inventory.”
“Then stop putting me in shit that affects the way I do my job.” I drove my fingers through my hair in frustration. “The cutouts got in my way, and the rivets on that last shirt fucked up my playing.”
Rowan’s glare darkened. “Actually, it was the belt.”
“I don’t give a shit. You picked out the belt, too. Do better.” I stabbed a finger at her, beyond done with her bullshit. “And if I have to tell you one more time to act like a professional, for Christ’s sake, we’re gonna have serious problems. You don’t get to touch me like that. It’s not part of your job, and you’re a bitch for trying it.”
Her face bright red, Rowan darted a look around the room. We had the attention of the entire band, who’d apparently entered the room at some point. She sent a glare my way then ran out.
But I still heard the way her breath hitched as she left.
And I felt like an ass.
“Not cool, man.” Xander shook his head.
I glared back at him. “She should act like a fucking professional.”
“You mean like you are?” Noah asked with raised eyebrows.
Xander crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s the price you pay when you stick your dick in the company ink. You end it when they get clingy, and then we’re on the hook when we get hit with a fucking lawsuit.”
Fuck. I’d never thought about Rowan suing me.
Or maybe she was the texter trying to extort me? Cut out the lawyer’s fee and keep all the money to herself?
“So I’m just supposed to put up with her bullshit? Let her feel me up every time I need a wardrobe change?”
“No, you’re not supposed to screw them to begin with.” Xander shook his head.
“I don’t have a fucking time machine. I can’t go back and unscrew her.”
The door slammed on the other side of the room.
Ella was gone.
Noah sent me a concerned look. Xander just looked disappointed with a tinge of anger because I’d put the band in a tough spot.
And Chase was pissed.
All the blood drained from my head.
He knew.
“What the fuck, Jesse?” Chase yelled. “Are you trying to make my life harder for me? I already had to smooth things over with El, and now you’ve got her all riled up again. It’s like you’re trying to screw me.”
Noah gagged, then had to bend over because he was laughing so hard.
Chase turned to him. “What the fuck is your malfunction?”
Noah just laughed harder.
After a moment, Chase shook his head and stomped off.
I grabbed my clothes and headed for the bathroom. Everyone and anyone could fuck off.
A little later in the greenroom, my eyes skimmed the crowd. There were the usual fangirls, hard core enthusiasts, reporters, and local celebrities. The opening band seemed to be holding their shit together. The guys were giving me a wide berth, but I didn’t give a shit. I wasn’t in the wrong. Rowan shouldn’t be able to put her hands on me whenever she wanted because we used to fuck. Then Xander’s warning came back to me. Lawsuits. Which would no doubt lead to more tabloid headlines, and Tyler coming down on me. Fuck. Okay, maybe I was a little bit in the wrong.
My eyes finally found Ella on the other side of the room, staring at me with hungry eyes. But the second we made eye contact, she looked away and fiddled with her camera. I could see the hurt in her eyes anyway.
Fuck.
A sharp whistle pierced the rumble of the crowd and my inner turmoil.
“Oi!” Chase yelled, standing on the sofa. “If everyone would grab a shot at the bar, we’ll kick it off.”
The murmur of the crowd picked up again as they moved en masse toward the bars at the end of the room. I cut through them and over to the sofas where the band was congregating.
“Everyone, grab a shot.” Harper held out a tray of shot glasses with a suspicious yellow liquid.
“What the hell is that?” Xander asked, eyeing the glass probably the same way I was.
“Lemon drops. See the sugar rim?” Harper passed a shot glass to Xander.
Noah drove his elbow into my side. “Did I ever tell you about that stripper in Albuquerque? She put this sugary smelling lotion all over her body and on her ass—”
“Here’s your shot, Noah!” Harper all but shouted then bent toward him and hissed, “What is wrong with you? There are children in here tonight.”
All our eyes darted to the professional baseball player who’d brought his ten- and twelve-year-old boys to the greenroom.
This time I drove my elbow into his side. “Seriously not cool, bro. And how about you assume from this point forward that you’ve told me every stripper story you have.”
“Well, I know for a fact that that’s not true. Because last night—”
Harper passed the last shot to Xander then hit Noah in the stomach with the tray. “Put that away for me, would you?”
“Pretty sure that’s your job,” Noah grumbled, but after another glare from Harper he danced away holding the tray.
Harper huffed a breath then held the glass in her other hand up and shouted. “Ella! Get your pretty patootie over here! This one has your name all over it!”
“Holy Christ,” Xander muttered in an aside to me. “I think Shay’s ridiculous phrases are catching on.”
I laughed. He wasn’t wrong.
“I’m good!” Ella hollered back. “I have to work.”
Noah stashed the tray then darted to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “I know for a fact that that’s not the plan tonight. We’re giving you the night off. So come on over here and have a drink with your family.”
My hackles went up when he touched her. I know he only thought about her like a brother. Like Chase assumed we all did. But still, I didn’t like the sight of him holding her. Comforting her.
That was my fucking job.
Although given the way she studiously avoided looking in my direction told me that Ella would disagree.
Fuck. Chase wasn’t the only one who had to apologize to her.
Noah and Ella joined our little group. Harper pulled Ella to her side, handed her a glass, and they bent their heads together to talk. Noah passed me his shot glass then grabbed Ella’s camera out of her hands. He danced a few steps back then darted forward and pulled the second camera from around her neck.
“Noah! Give them back!” Ella yelled.
He danced backwards, holding the cameras aloft. “Nope. You are officially off the clock. Enjoy tonight. You can get back to work tomorrow.”
“Fine. Give me my cameras back, though. They’re expensive.”
“Like I can’t afford them?” He snorted. “In fact, we should buy you new cameras. As a bonus or whatever.”
Ella huffed. “Just give them back, Noah.”
He pulled a face and shook his head. “Nope. I don’t trust you to stay away from them. Harper will hold onto them until we get to the next stop. You’re officially grounded from work.”
Ella rolled her eyes.
Chase raised his arm and hollered, “All right! Can I have everyone’s attention?”
“Shut the hell up!”
“Uh, thanks, Noah.” Chase shook his head. “We have this little tradition where we shoot a shot before every concert and toast the Tin Gods, but tonight I want to do things a little different.”
A curious rumble went through the crowd at the change.
“Tonight I want to toast my little sister, Ella Robinson, who’s been kicking ass as our social media photographer. She’s single handedly raised our online presence and has gotten her videos featured on news broadcasts all over the country. We’re gaining new fans every second because of the work that she’s doing.”
“Give her a raise!” Noah called out in an old timey barker voice.
“That’s enough from the peanut gallery.” Chase glared at Noah. “So please join me in raising a glass to my awesome sister, Ella. To Ella!”
“To Ella!” the crowd roared.
Her face burning red, Ella darted over to her brother and gave him a huge hug. He bent his head down and whispered something in her ear, and she pulled back, tipped her head up and said something back in his ear. They hugged again then Ella stepped away.
But the smile lighting up her face said everything.
She’d forgiven him.
“Speech! Speech!” Noah hollered again in that same ridiculous voice.
Ella spun around and glared at him.
Then the crowd joined him. “Speech! Speech! Speech!”
Her face flaming bright red, Ella raised her hand. “I don’t do public speeches, but thank you, Chase. I appreciate everything you said. And uh, I know you all don’t have a drink anymore, but it’s not a Tin Gods show without the tradition toast, so…” She raised her still full glass in the air and shouted, “All hail the Tin Gods!”
“Hail!” the group shouted in reply, raising their glasses or fists in the air before they cheered and clapped.
Ella downed her shot, laughed, and then wrapped her arm around her brother’s shoulders, holding him tight.
And unlike earlier with Noah, the sight made me smile.