26. Alex
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
alex
I love my job. I love my job. I love my job.
Maybe if I keep repeating that phrase enough times this weekend, I won’t do something rash like quit, so I can keep fucking Jimmy from following Chelsi around like some goddamn stalker.
He’s been her constant companion from the moment the fucker woke up until showtime.
Somehow, he even convinced her to join the band for soundcheck earlier.
His constant presence is driving me insane.
Not like I can do much about it. I’ll be spending the entire weekend running around like a chicken with its head cut off since it’s the first weekend of the tour and Jason made the asinine decision to have us perform at a new amphitheater for the first show.
Everything that could go wrong has. If I hadn’t insisted on having the crew arrive a full day early to load in, we’d be royally screwed.
I groan, clutching my chin with frustration as I force myself to listen to the conversation happening over my headset.
It’s my goddamn job to ensure tonight goes well.
I need Jake’s first show to happen on schedule without any problems. Nights like this are usually my favorites.
There’s a heightened energy among the crew, lots of challenges to solve, and an adrenaline rush when the bossman hits the stage.
Not tonight.
All I want to do is tell the guitarist to leave Chelsi the fuck alone, then take her someplace private so I can spend the rest of the day getting to know her better. Two things I absolutely can’t do today. Or tomorrow. Or any day when I’m on tour.
“Fuck,” I yell, gripping my clipboard so tight it’s going to leave indentations in my hands.
“Everything okay?” Max asks, strolling across the stage to where I’m standing.
I don’t bother to look at him, keeping my eyes on the lighting crew as they adjust the center spotlight that’s been causing us problems all day. “It’s fine.”
“Sure sounds like it. What can I do to help?” Max asks, holding his phone in both hands like he’s about to take notes on whatever I tell him.
“Nothing.”
He sighs. “Let’s try this again. I ask you what’s wrong. You don’t lie to me, then we figure out a way I can help. The last thing any of us needs this weekend is you pissed off.”
I whip my head in his direction, staring daggers at him.
I don’t have the energy for one of the godforsaken pep talks he and Anna love to dole out.
Unless Max can give Jimmy food poisoning, making him completely unavailable during the daytime hours, only mustering enough energy to take the stage at night, then he can’t be any help to me.
“Everything. Is. Fine.” I grit my teeth, trying to temper my frustration because none of this is Max’s fault.
Hell, it’s not even Jimmy’s. It’s my stupid infatuation with Chelsi that’s making me so irrational.
Max rocks on his heels. “Okay. How about I watch the lighting crew for the next twenty minutes while you take a walk?”
I glare at Max, hating the insinuation that I’m unable to do my job effectively. Angry at myself because it’s true.
“Fuck,” I groan, dragging a hand down my face. “Fine. I’ll be back in fifteen.”
“Take as much time as you need. The first weekend on tour is always stressful for everyone. Looks like it’s finally your turn to feel the pain,” Max adds, clasping me on the shoulder before walking off to get a closer look at the lighting setup.
I lean my head back, looking at the roof, willing my racing heart to calm down, along with my rising anxiety.
There’s no logical reason why I should be worried about Chelsi hanging out with Jimmy.
She hasn’t shown any interest in him, minus the comments she’s made about hopping into his bed if she were ever extremely desperate for sex.
God, I hope those were jokes. The thought of Jimmy’s hands on her makes me sick to my stomach. Not that I have any right to feel this way. We’re just… We’re technically nothing. But I’m hoping to change that if I can get a minute alone with her.
I squeeze my eyes shut, inhaling and exhaling deeply to get myself in a better headspace before I take a long walk around the building.
Max is right about me needing a few minutes to blow off some steam.
Get my head on straight and focus on my job.
It’s been the one constant in my life for the past decade, along with the Marine Corps, and it’s not something I’m going to let myself mess up, no matter how much I want to wring Jimmy’s neck.
Once the tension from my shoulders eases, I head off the stage toward the back of the amphitheater to grab a drink and a sandwich from catering. Perhaps some food will put me in a better mood.
My mind runs through the lengthy list of items I need to check before the doors open in less than two hours. It’s going to take a miracle to get it all done in time—it almost always requires a gargantuan effort to pull everything together during the first few weeks on the road.
“You’re not even going to say hi?” Chelsi asks, stepping directly in front of me and forcing me to stop walking.
Everything around us fades. All I see is her. The way the sunlight creates an angelic glow around her chocolate-brown hair. How her cutoff shorts showcase her toned legs. The glint of the diamond stud in her nose. The sexy smirk on her face.
Is she always this gorgeous?
“Hey,” I say in a ragged breath.
“Haven’t seen you around much today.”
“Yeah. Been a little busy, trying to get everything ready. Plus, you seem to be a little preoccupied with someone.”
Chelsi chuckles as her cheeks redden. “Jimmy has been extremely hospitable. So has Shane.”
My jaw clenches, hating that two members of the band are chasing after her. How the hell am I supposed to compete with them?
I grip the edge of my clipboard tighter. “Well, I hope you’re having a good time,” I croak, bile rising in my throat as the words come out of my mouth.
She takes a step forward, placing her hand on my chest. “I’m actually here this weekend with the hope I could get to know you better.”
All of the air whooshes out of my lungs.
Did I hear her correctly?
Is this a dream? If so, no one had better wake me up anytime soon. I want to live in this alternative reality.
Her fingertips stroke my chest, sending sparks of electricity through every nerve ending in my body. “Just because I’m letting Jimmy and Shane entertain me doesn’t mean I’m interested in anything other than friendship with them.”
I swallow hard. “Is that so?”
She bats her long eyelashes as a sly grin splits her face.
“Yeah. I have my eyes on someone else. He’s kinda important around here, so I’m biding my time until he’s free.
” She traces the outline of my collarbone, turning me on more with every touch.
“Happen to know when the tour manager might have time to chat with me?”
“He’s got twenty minutes now if you’re interested in going for a walk.
” My muscles tense briefly as I wait to hear her response, praying I’m not misreading the signals.
Hoping she wants more than just one night with me, because I know, deep down, that once she ends up in my bed, I’ll never want to let her go.
Rising onto her toes, she gives me a soft kiss on the cheek, causing all the blood to rush from my head straight to my cock. If one innocent peck from her has this effect on me, I’m fucking screwed.
Chelsi stares into my eyes, then holds out her hand. “Lead the way.”
After letting out a breath I didn’t know I was holding, I reach for her hand, intertwining our fingers together as we set off, walking away from the amphitheater.
If all I get with this woman is twenty minutes, I’m not going to let a goddamn person interrupt us.