Chapter Ten
We arrive at Madison Square Garden and are ushered into our respective dressing rooms. Apparently, it’s the same everywhere they travel. The guys like to focus before they go on stage, and the girls are a distraction, so they’re separated.
Anna walks up behind me and folds her arm in with mine. I turn to her and smile. “So, what was with Colt’s ‘you can’t wear that’ overprotective bullshit? I’ve never seen him act like that toward anyone before,” she says, raising an eyebrow as we sit on the white leather sofa.
I shrug. “No idea. It caught me off guard, too. He said he didn’t want any other guy to look at me dressed like that because they’d want me.
It’s all a bit bizarre and wild because no one would want me when there are Slayettes everywhere.
I was startled by his reaction and his desire to make me change clothes.
So much so, I didn’t question it, but now, I can’t help but think how ridiculous it was. ”
“Yeah, tell me about it. But he is right about one thing… the way you were dressed, guys would’ve wanted you. So, if he’s worried about that, he must have it bad,” Anna exclaims.
Sia brings us champagne in fluted glasses. “Cheers, slags and sluts,” she exclaims, and I take the flute from her.
“Cheers,” Anna and I both say.
“So, Colter has his dick in a spin about you, hey, Dee?” Sia questions while she sits next to me.
“Pardon?”
Sia and Anna both laugh.
“You’re hilarious. Pardon? The way you say that makes you sound so posh,” Anna says.
Sia laughs, and I can’t help rolling my eyes.
“He has his dick in a spin. You know, he’s all twisted up about you.
You really have affected him, Dee. The way he looks at you, well, he’s never looked at any of us that way.
Well, of course, he wouldn’t look at Anna and me that way, but Jessi, Kira, Steph, and Rach have all been with him, and none of them has the effect that you do on him. ”
I cringe at the mention of four other girls in the room that Colt’s slept with. Obviously, I knew he had been with some of them, but knowing exactly who makes my skin crawl. I clear my throat and half-smile.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything about the other girls. That’s probably too much information for our Little Bean to handle. It seems you’re as taken by our Colter as he is with you.”
I tilt my head in curiosity. “How do you know?”
“Because a little ping of jealousy that just crossed over your face told me everything about how you feel about Colt,” Sia replies.
“I like him, I do—”
“But?” Anna interrupts.
“He said he doesn’t do the boyfriend thing but that we’re exclusive. I don’t think I’m enough for him,” I babble.
“You’re right. Colt needs a bad-arse sexual woman, not a tight-arse prissy little chick like you,” Jessi grumbles, drawing my attention to her. And in a way, I know she’s right, but I am going to prove her wrong.
“And by a bad arse sexual woman, you mean a skanky arse bicycle?” I reply, surprising myself.
“Bicycle? What kind of stupid insult is that?”
“It means… everyone’s had a ride, Jessi,” I say.
Anna and Sia laugh. Really laugh. But Jessi glares at me like heaven and hell just collided, and then she walks out of the room in a huff.
“Holy fuck, Dee, now that’s what I call a mic drop. That shit was fucking epic,” Anna exclaims.
“Little Bean, you’re definitely sprouting. I’m proud of you.” Sia stands and walks out of the room.
“I feel bad. I shouldn’t have said that to Jessi,” I tell Anna.
“Are you kidding me? She’s a bitch, and she deserved to be put in her place. I just wish Colt were here to see it. It probably would’ve made him hard watching that little catfight,” she says with a smile.
I let out a slight giggle, taking another sip of my champagne.
There’s a quick knock, and I see Colt peep his head around the door. His eyes flick around the room until he spots me.
“Hey, Sladenator. What the hell are you doing here? Isn’t that breaking tradition?” Kira asks as he walks in.
“Yeah, but rules are meant to be broken?” he answers, walking over to me with a massive grin. “Dee, Anna, can I have a word?” Colt asks as he gestures for us to head out into the hall. I nod, and we stand, walking out with Colt, his hand on the small of my back.
I think that maybe jealous Jessi has gone and told on me like the schoolgirl bitch she is, but once outside, Colt takes my hand in his and walks us down to the band’s room.
“Colt, what’s going on?” Anna asks.
“We have something we wanna ask you, ladies.”
“We?” I question.
“Yeah, Dingo, Johnny, and me,” he replies as we enter their room.
Sia’s already there and sitting on Dingo’s lap, and when we walk in, Anna goes over to Johnny, who’s strumming his bass guitar quietly on the couch.
“So, ah… what’s this about, guys?” Anna asks as I stand next to Colt, holding his hand.
“We decided, seeing as it’s our first night in a new country, we thought we’d start a new tradition,” Johnny says.
I look at Anna, and she shrugs.
“We have nothing but the utmost respect for our partners, so we want you to be with us as close as possible when we play tonight,” Colt says.
“I’m not coming on stage with you, Colt. No way,” I reply, and the guys chuckle.
“No, not on stage, but we want you in the wings of the stage so we can get to you as soon as we finish playing. You’re my muse, and I need to be able to see you and not have to worry about the crowd and how rowdy or rough they might get around you,” Colt advises, looking directly at me.
“That goes for you two as well.” He looks at Anna and Sia.
“We want you in the wings with Dee because you both mean so much to us that we don’t want anything to happen to any of you. ”
“But what about the rest of the Slayettes?” Sia asks.
“They can go to the front of the stage as usual. We want you three to be safe. We don’t know what the crowd will be like out there tonight, and we don’t want to risk any issues,” Dingo states, saying the most sensible thing I think I’ve ever heard him say, not that he actually says anything sensible normally.
“Okay,” I mumble, and Anna nods, then leans in to kiss Johnny.
“Good,” Colt says, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
“What does Hux think of this new tradition?” Sia asks.
Colt shakes his head as I realize he’s not in the room.
“He’s pissed because he’s single,” Dingo adds.
I guess that means the exclusive thing cancels out Colt being single. I still don’t get how he can say he’s not my boyfriend, yet still not single.
How does that even work?
I unwittingly shake my head and scrunch my brows.
“What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?” Colt leans down, whispering in my ear, his breath floating over my skin.
“Just shocked I’m here,” I reply.
“Why would I want you anywhere else, baby?”
Huxley walks back in with five other guys.
“Hey, Jared, you all right, yeah?” Colt asks as he high-fives the lead singer of their opening band, Dragon’s Lair. I remember them from the concert in London, although I haven’t met them officially.
“Who’s this pretty young thing?” Jared asks, walking over to me and raising his brows insinuatingly.
“No way, mate, she’s mine,” Colt reveals, halting Jared in his tracks with a hand to the chest, and I edge a little closer to Colt, feeling uncomfortable.
There’s something about Jared that makes me uneasy. He’s looking at me like I’m a piece of meat he’s about to devour, and I don’t like it one little bit.
Another person from Dragon’s Lair walks over, slaps Colt on the back, and pulls him in for a manly hug. “Hey, fucker,” the guy says, making Colt laugh.
“Brad,” Colt replies.
“So, this must be Dee, right?” Brad asks.
I nod, feeling somewhat intimidated by being in a room with all of this rock royalty.
“Well, you’re right, Colt. She’s definitely a stunner. Nice to see you’re finally settling down, you man whore.”
“I’m not a man whore, and I’m not settling down. Just putting all my time into one instead of many,” Colt replies, and they both laugh.
I let go of Colt’s hand immediately. What the fuck!
Biting my bottom lip while they carry on a conversation, I tune them out and head over to the couch at the back of the room.
Colt doesn’t even notice I’ve walked away.
Everyone’s so happy and cheerful waiting for the concert to start that I fade into the background, exactly where I want to be right now.
That little comment has gotten a rise out of me.
I want to say something, but I know now is not the time.
So I wrap my arms around myself once again.
It’s something I seem to do for comfort when I feel unsettled.
My feelings for Colt are growing daily, but the idea that Colt’s just putting his time with one instead of many doesn’t make me feel that good about myself.
It makes me realize that when he’s sick of me, I’ll merely be another slutty Slayette who’s been with him.
One more notch on the bedpost, as they say.
Lost in my thoughts, I feel the cushion dip beside me and turn to see Jared leaning back on the couch, stretching and resting his arm behind me.
Yeah, subtle, Jared. Real subtle!
“So Dee, I can’t help but notice you have a thing for lead singers,” he says, and without thinking, my lip curls up in disgust.
“Not singers… singer. Just one. His name’s Colt, and he’s standing right over there,” I reply, tipping my head in Colt’s direction.
“Right, well… when he’s had his fill, let me know. I’m more than willing to take care of you, and I won’t sleep around behind your back like he will,” he says.
Would Colt do that?
After everything he’s said about not letting anyone touch me except for him? I thought I made myself extremely clear that the same rules apply to him.