5 Nights (Sinful Delights Romance - Boxed Set) (74 page)

"Girl you better give those chops a break before we arrive, I think you do sound checks and stuff once you get there."  Rachel had overheard some of the people at the studio mention that sound testing was different for every venue earlier in the week.

"Heck I should just hire you to be my personal assistant," Ang half-joked, thinking how easily Rachel was picking up on all this stuff.

"I love you, but I don't think living on a bus for months on end is really for me honey."  She didn't mind doing this one tour with her best friend, but she liked her feet planted firmly in one place.  She'd done enough running when she was escaping her ex-husband.

Angela had forgotten for a moment how much Rach hated traveling and felt a twinge of guilt.  Her ex had been a raving lunatic that beat the hell out of her on a daily basis until she
finally had the nerve to leave him.  Leaving hadn't been enough to get him to leave her alone.  She recalled with horror the story of how Rachel had moved from city to city as he chased her down, threatening her life until he finally had beaten her so bad, the police had put him away for a few months.

Thankfully, and she knew it was probably wrong to feel this way, the man had gotten himself killed in a bar fight after his release six years ago.  If the man hadn't have ended up that way, she would have probably never met Rachel, and she couldn't feel any guilt for his murder when he'd tried to attack another woman in the bathroom.

The woman he'd attacked had a boyfriend who packed a gun, and was known to run with one of the roughest biker gangs in New Jersey.  He'd chosen the wrong woman to go after, and Angela knew that it could have very well been Rachel lying dead in that club if the man hadn't been stopped.  Franco had destroyed her best friend's life for years, and as bad as she felt for thinking it, he got exactly what he deserved in the end. "I'm really sorry that I didn't think about pulling you along with me on this trip, Rach."

"Are you kidding me?" Rachel gave a wink and a grin.  "I may hate travelling hon, but I wouldn't miss this for anything.  I just don't want to do it on a full time basis."  It had been hard enough pulling herself out of New Jersey to move in with Angela, but being constantly on the road, she couldn't do that again, ever.  There was a lot to be said about staying put, she thought to herself.  She only hoped that no more moves were
in their future.  Those two years running from Franco had given her a great love of stability.

"I can't tell you how happy I am to have you with me this time, but I understand.  Besides we wouldn't want our new house to fall in while I'm on the road." Grinning, she couldn't help but be thankful for the incredible gifts life had thrown at her lately.

"Don't worry, while you're out there singing your heart out, I'll make sure it gets all the loving care it needs."  The thought of living the rest of her life out in their new cabin was an idea she could definitely get accustomed too.

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation, and Angela noticed the bus had stopped for the first time.  Opening up the door, she smiled at Lenny.  "Are we here?"

"We are, and you won't believe the crowd we had to go through." This was a security guards nightmare, he thought as they'd made it past the screaming fans outside.  Thankfully, the bus was now safely encased in the building.  "We shouldn't have any problems now, and unless you need to freshen up that other security team wants to get you in the auditorium."

Angela looked over at Rachel, "Are you good to go?"  She wanted to see what this stage was like, but needed to make sure Rachel was ready.

"All good here," she wondered if she should stay behind while Ang did the sound checks, but that wasn't an option as her best friend grabbed her hand and pulled her out after Lenny and the security team.

The auditorium was huge, Angela noted with wide eyes, as they walked up on stage past the crew working to get things
ready for tonight.  She smiled as the lead singer from Desolite walked over and held out his hand.  He was even more gorgeous in person, she thought as her eyes took in his tall lanky form with a head full of chestnut hair, and those mesmerizing green eyes that all the girls swooned over.

"Hey there Angel, nice to meet you, I'm Marcus." He took her hand and shook it warmly.  She was indeed a doll, he thought, and couldn't wait to hear the voice that the label claimed sounded like a haunted angel.  He hadn't been given her demos and knew this was her first real stage performance.

"Nice to meet you Marcus, this is my best friend Rachel," he seemed like a nice guy, she thought in astonishment.  She'd just assumed he'd be stuck up with all the fame that preceded him.  She fought back a laugh as Rachel blushed heatedly, having never seen her serious friend embarrassed before.

"Very nice to meet you Rachel, I hope you enjoy the show tonight," there was something about this woman that really appealed to him.  Maybe it was the fact that she wasn't as young as the teeny boppers that usually flocked to his show.  He shook her hand as well, and gave a warm smile.  He'd guess her age to be around twenty-seven or so.

Rachel was more than a little flustered at the attention this gorgeous man was giving her.  She'd always thought he was attractive in his videos and talk show interviews, but in person he was simply amazing.  Blushing deeply, she smiled and felt her hand tingle as they shook.  "I'm sure I will."  She wished she'd taken the time to fix her appearance now.  Dressed in a pair of denim shorts and a t-shirt, she'd put on no makeup and had her curly black hair pulled up in a ponytail.

"I think the crew is ready for your mic check Angel," Marcus smiled encouragingly, "maybe your friend would like to join me at the sound station so we can see how the acoustics are working?" Keeping his eyes on Rachel, he was interested in getting to know her better.

Angela could see the instant attraction between the two, and grinned.  "I'm sure she'd love that," knowing Rachel wasn't one for flirting, she decided this trip might be interesting for her after all.

Rachel gave her best friend a panicked look before walking off the stage with the rock star.  She definitely was in way over her head with this man, she thought, and Angela was going to pay for encouraging him, she decided with a shake of her head.

It took almost half an hour to get the sound adjusted, and Angela knew that she'd never take for granted the ease in which they made this look again.  She was pleasantly surprised to see three monitors with the lyrics to her songs at different parts of the stage, and knew forgetting the words wouldn't be a problem tonight.

After all the sound checks, Lenny led them through an underground tunnel that ended up in a hotel.  Both Angela and Rachel were amazed that such a thing existed, and it explained how the performers were able to make it through the crowds unseen.  She wasn't sure who was more excited that they weren't sleeping on the bus, but the rooms they were given bordered on incredible. 

"Have you ever seen anything like this?" Rachel asked as they were left in the penthouse suite of the hotel.  It had a full living room, kitchen, and two separate bedrooms, and not to mention one of the most luxurious bathrooms she'd ever seen.

"Nope, and I'm wondering when I'm going to wake up and find out this is all just a dream," she laughed, plopping down on the oversized couch and found the remote for the large screened television.

"So this is how the other half lives, I guess," Rachel sat down on the couch with her best friend, remembering how she'd thrown her and Marcus together.  "Don't think I've forgiven you for that little stunt you pulled missy!" She giggled.

"It's not my fault the guy was eating you up with his eyes, I had to help him out."  She laughed back, knowing exactly what she was talking about.

"The man has women throwing themselves at his feet, I'm sure he was just playing with me."  Although she had to admit, his conversation had seemed sincere and he was really unlike the image she had in her head of him before.  She couldn't recall blushing that much since she was a teenager.

"Maybe he wants a real woman and not some groupie who only likes him for what he does." She winked, and turned on the television. "I've always told you how gorgeous you are Rach, give yourself a little credit."  It was true, Rachel could have been a supermodel with her dark hair, kick ass body, and heartwarming smile.

"I'm nobody's booty call honey, and I don't see a man like that being willing to settle down."  She didn't really know the man, and even though he was extremely handsome, he was a rock n roll god, not someone who wanted to play house.  She wanted the real deal.

"How long has it been since you had a date?" She was just joking with her friend, but she knew in the last two years she hadn't been out with anyone.

"I know how guys think honey, and I'm happier hanging out with my best friend." She really didn't want to give her opinion on the male species.  Both she and Angela had suffered enough in their lives, and this was a conversation she didn't want to have.

"Well I'm glad you like hanging out with me, I just don't want you to think you can't have your own life."  Rachel had given up a lot to take care of her over the years, and she often felt guilty about her taking on the responsibility that should have been her own mothers.

"I've never regretted having you in my life Ang, even though I'm only six years older than you, it's been like having the little sister I wish I could have had."  They didn't talk about this much, and she wanted her best friend to know that she'd given more to her life than she could have ever hoped for after Franco.

Impulsively, she reached over and hugged Rachel.  "I don't know how I would have made it without you Rach." She meant that with every fiber of her being.  This woman had given her the chance to be whole again, and she would never forget that.

Hugging her back, tears filled her eyes.  "You saved me too honey."  She really meant that, before Angela had walked into her life she'd just been existing.  Ang gave her a reason to keep going, and something to look forward to every day of her life.  It was ironic how helping someone through their pain, helped heal her own broken heart.

After several moments, they both laughed, and Rachel stood up first. "I don't know about you, but I'm freaking starved!"

"I could definitely eat," Angela grinned self-consciously.  They rarely had moments like this.  They'd always focused on making it through each day before, and now they had everything they needed without worries.  "I'm sure there's a phone book in one of the drawers, you want to order Chinese?"

They demolished the food when it arrived, and just enjoyed living in the luxurious room until Lenny arrived alerting them it was time to get ready for her performance.  She was so nervous as her new team prepared her hair and makeup that she gave little thought to the outrageous costume they'd dressed her in.

Rachel's eyes widened as she watched her friend become transformed from the sweet little young lady next door into a sexy diva. She whistled in appreciation.  "Holy hell you look hot," Rachel grinned, taking in the barely there short mini dress that wrapped her friend's curves like a second skin.

Staring back in the full length mirror she was amazed at her transformation.  Her long blond hair was artfully styled to fall down her back, her makeup made her look almost ethereal in appearance with the soft glow of radiance. The dress almost looked shear in its white gauzy material, but she knew it was just an illusion.  She looked like she belonged on the cover of a magazine, and could only gasp out loud.

"You're on in ten minutes Ms. Storm, the production assistant informed her with a genuine smile."

Oh hell, she thought, this is it.  Her nerves were shot as she gave a quick hug to Rachel before being led just off stage.  When the band and dancers began their cue, she knew she was going to hurl before getting out the first notes.  Then a miracle occurred, with her knees shaking she made her way out on that stage and the music filled her soul.  It was a haunting melody about love and loss, and she became immersed in the fantasy of it tall.

The roaring crowd shouting her name as the number came to an end almost seemed surreal.  Moving into the next song, it felt like she'd been meant to do this since the day she was born.  When it was over she was on such an adrenaline high, she knew this had to be something she did for the rest of her life.

"You were so freaking incredible Angela," Rachel hugged her tightly as she came off stage, amazed at how collected her friend seemed to be.  If she'd have been in her shoes she would have probably just froze completely.

"That was singularly the most exciting moment of my entire life," Angela laughed softly.  She'd been amazed that all the nervousness had disappeared the minute she'd opened her mouth to sing.  It was almost like someone else took over her body, it felt so natural.

Dozens of new fans were trying to push their way toward her and Lenny quickly guided her and Rachel back to the dressing room.  A table full of all her favorite snacks were lined up there as well as flowers from Nolan.  She was so excited about the performance that even thinking about him didn't put a damper on her mood for a change.

"Angela you have to let me know if you want to meet any of your new fans," he had been blown away by her beautiful singing and felt proud to consider her a friend.

"They want to meet me?" She was blown away that people actually thought she was good enough to want to talk to her.