I Saw You (19 page)

“Of course. Only fair.”

“My patience and trust come with an expiration date. It’s on
you
how long they each last, and just how much I will take. Walking away is always an option.”

“You won’t.” Not a choice in my book.

“We’ll see.”

“I like where you
are going with this.” Cris picked up his acoustic guitar from the floor by our feet and strummed a few chords. While an amazing drummer, the man played several instruments. Filled in when someone couldn’t make it to the studio and we needed to lay the track down.

“Couldn’t get this out of my head.” And wasn’t that the truth. It’d been two days since my talk with Slim over Skype, and things were a bit strained. I got it. I did. The situation she’d been thrown in the middle of wasn’t easy.

I’d be a complete hypocrite if I said I would understand had the shoes been reversed. I’m aware of how much of an asshole that made me. Wasn’t denying it either, but walking away wasn’t an option no matter what bullshit she spewed.

Nodding, Cris grabbed a pencil off the small coffee table between us and wrote something down on the music sheet. “While the melody isn’t our norm, it works, Chester. Different, yet the guitar solo you added after this hook,” he said, pointing at the specific break in the song, “gives it that edge that fits our style. Just another reason for the chicks to swoon over your dick.”

“Crass bitch,” I muttered, moving my own guitar aside to reach over to smack the back of his head. “Not interested in other chicks wanting my dick…just one, and she’s pissed.”

Rubbing the small beard on his chin, he glared at me. “What’d you do now?”

Why did everyone assume it was my fault?

“Because it usually is,” he answered my unspoken question, and I raised a brow. “This mess has your name attached to Ashley written all over it. There has been no talk of the pending breakup. Or how it will be handled within the group and outside media. Not a word. Will she continue working for you afterward?” His voce grew loud as he ticked off the list of shit I needed to handle. “Prolonging this isn’t helping anyone, Cheetos. Get it done.”

“Arianna and me, we talked a few days ago and she’s willing to wait me out. I’ll be seeing her while I try to make the breakup painless for Ashley. She deserves that much, don’t you think?” Fuck me for trying to please everyone.

“Painless, or are you playing into her games?”

My mouth opened, the nasty reply sitting on the tip of my tongue, when security buzzed the room.

Walking over to the wall panel near the room’s door, I pressed the downstairs office button. “Yo!” I called out through the intercom.

“Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Greene,” Mike answered; he’d refuse to go home while we worked all night. “There’s a delivery here for you from a local café, breakfast for everyone. Do I accept?”

Releasing the button, I turned to look at Cris. “Did you order something?”

“Not me.” He shook his head and placed the guitar down. “But fuck, if that doesn’t sound good. I’m starving, and you are a slave driver, dick.”

Holding it down again, I spoke while glaring at my drummer. “Any note on who it’s from?”

“Yes, it’s from someone named…” I heard the rustle of paper and then his low chuckle. “Slim.”

“And there he goes,” I heard from somewhere behind me while I tore out of the room and down two floors below. Didn’t take the elevator down. Nope. Taking the stairs two at a time, I rushed below and threw open the reception door with a bang.

“Where?” I asked an amused Mike. Yet the man never got a chance to answer, didn’t have to. Not when I glanced down at the mountain of take-out containers atop the desk beside him.

“What?” That girl was insane. There wasn’t an inch of space atop the wooden structure that wasn’t covered. Then you had the smell. Jesus. H. Crist. The food smelled so fucking good, my stomach rumbled.

“Holy shit…” Cris stopped short, eyeing the spread as if he were a teenage kid seeing a naked pair of tits for the first time. “You,” he said while pointing at me. “Need to call her and fix the mess with Ashley. That girl doesn’t deserve to be placed in the fucked-up middle of your situation.” With that he turned and grabbed a few Styrofoam containers, not bothering to see what was inside.

He marched toward the elevator and stopped only to flip me off before disappearing behind the now closed door.

“Hey, Chester?”

Turning to face Mike, I raised a brow and waited. “What?”

“What he said.”

“Fuck you all,” I grumbled, pushing past him and toward the front door. “Be back in a bit.”

“You going far?” he called out after me, always worried about our safety.

Something clicked in my head then, and I had to turn and ask, “Where the fuck were you that nigh at Lujuria? When Arianna and Ash got into it?” He’d been at the awards show with us. We’d seen him on our way into the club, but was MIA during the fight. Weird.

“I was there keeping an eye.” Looking up mid bite, he gave me a shrug. “Situation was contained, and I observed.”

“Contained my ass.” Because fuck, if I hadn’t pulled Ashley away from Slim, my girl would’ve…

“No one was attacking you.” His answer was so matter-of-fact that I second guessed myself for a minute. “As long as you are safe, all is good.”

“For future reference, you protect Arianna as if it were me.”

“Chester, you and I both know that woman was never in danger.” Fucker had a point, and I nodded in acceptance. “But if it eases your mind, I know.” Digging back into his food, he waved me off with a hand. “Go call her and say thank you from all of us.”

“Again, fuck you.”

“Call.”

Pushing the door open, the warm sunrays hit my face. Bright, the day was gorgeous and the salt air crisp. One thing I loved about this place was how close I was to the water. As most Floridians, I believed in the Salt Life saying.

Nothing like the water—the natural beauty.

Phone in hand, I walked a little ways down from the studio. The land it was built on was private property, owned by us, and no one else had the means to get inside the gated structure.

Scrolling down my contacts, I found hers and pressed dial. Immediately a ring-back tone met my ears, and I laughed. Motherfucking Christ, this girl.

A song from the ‘90s came through the line. Popular in its time, it spoke about a conceited man and his strange belief that he was too sexy for it all.

“Yolo,” Arianna’s breathless voice came through the line followed by a small yelp. “Who put this box here!” she yelled out, and I had to pull the phone away from my ear. “Jesus ,that hurt.”

While my brain understood that her moan was one of pain, the noise still settled on the tip of my dick. Just a few words, and I was already throbbing behind the enclosure of my button fly.

“You okay there, Slim?” Gruff, my tone matched her pained hitch. This one, though, wasn’t from pain; I’d heard the same desperate sound come from the back of her throat while I had her pinned beneath me. Body writhing. Sweaty. Coming around my cock.

“Yeah,” she whispered into the line; the noise level around her dropped. “You just caught me off guard.”

“Is that a good thing?” At the edge of the property there was a small cliff that overlooked the shoreline a few miles down.  Just an old rock formation that more than once, I used to sit and think on. “Am I interrupting?” Taking a seat, I closed my eyes and waited for her response.

“Never,” Slim vowed and I smiled, both enjoying her conviction and the soft breeze on my skin. “Am I to guess you received my surprise?”

“I did.”

“And? You’re killing me here.”

“You are perfect.” What the fuck else could I say? Things weren’t easy for us at the moment, but her gesture proved it was more than worth every headache. I’d face anything for this woman.

“Far from, but thank you for the compliment.”  Her giggle came through the line just as I heard the soft click of a door from her end. “That was nothing more than an olive branch from me. After talking to a friend and then thinking things through, I’ve decided to back off on the demands. You had this situation before I came into the picture and deserve space to figure it out.”

“Space?” I spat the word, tasted like acid on my tongue. “I don’t want space, Arianna. None.”

“Not in that sense. You’re misunderstanding me, Chester.”

“Then help me understand, sweet girl,” I pled.

“Just means that I’m here and will give you the time you asked for to get things settled.” Slim took in a deep breath and then let it out slowly. “I’m going to put my trust in you, Mr. Greene. Let you handle the situation as you best see fit. Just keep in mind that while I am choosing of my own free will to be patient, I am no doormat.”

“Understood.” Running a hand through my hair, I pulled back the long locks. “So, getting back to what matters most. Life or death situation here…” she laughed and the last bit of tension between us melted away “…when can I see you again? Naked this time?”

“Tonight? Skype?” Low, her tone came out sultry, full of the need I was drowning in. However, what made my heart skip a pussy beat was the hope in her voice. “Miss you.”

“Fuck, I miss you too. It’s a date.”

“Don’t keep me waiting, handsome.” With that, she hung up and I stayed on that cliff wearing a cheesy motherfucking grin.

Tonight I’d see her gorgeous face.

Maybe watch her play with that pretty pink clit while I stroked my cock.

Come while watching her soak her sheets below.

Fuck, yes, it was a date.

I Saw You...

Please don’t kill me. I have to cancel tonight. ~Slim

Not what I wanted to hear. Fingers flying across the screen, I typed out a message asking why. Didn’t get to send it before another came in. Two consecutive beeps.

Water line in building broke and it’s a hot mess. My club is trashed. ~Slim

I’m wet and not the good kind. ~Slim

An attached file came through, and I clicked on it. My poor girl, soaked from head to toe, looked into the camera with a juicy pout on her lips. Behind her, I could see water splashing up from the ground. There was nothing she could do but stay there, make sure the plumbers did their job, and help clean up the problem.

I’d rather be home seeing your sexy face and hearing you whisper absolutely filthy things to me. *pouts* ~Slim

Sorry, sweet girl. Promise to make it up to you. ;) Be as dirty as you want me to be. ~Cheesy

Tossing the phone beside me on the bed, I looked around and frowned. I was alone. Bored. And in need of a fucking distraction to erase the previous mentioned.

My phone beeped again.

Meet us down at Sparx for a few beers? ~Tex

Salvation. It was either that, or hop on a plane to hunt my girl down. Not that it didn’t sound appealing, but I understood responsibility. Didn’t like it, but had to accept.

Who’s going? ~Chester

Everyone. You coming or not? ~Tex

Typing out a quick
yes
to the ass, I jumped out of the bed and walked straight toward the closet. Inside I grabbed a pair of old jeans—ripped at the knee and faded—with a white V-neck short-sleeved shirt, no belt, and my old pair of Docs.

Dressed, with my phone and keys in hand, I walked out and headed straight for my bike. The bar wasn’t that far away, and if I were to be trashed by the end of the night, I’d leave it there with no worries. The owner knew us, was a huge fan.

Revving the engine of my Harley, I sat back for a second and pulled out my phone. Sent a quick message to my girl:

Heading out with the guys for beers, call you in the morn. ~Cheesy

At the very least she’d understand that one of us could have a semi-nice night.

Have fun, babe. Call you later. *smooch* ~Slim

Night, love. ~Cheesy

“Did the warden
let you out on good behavior?” Tex deadpanned as I slid into the booth they were in. Lately, there was something a bit off about him. We needed to talk, but without the audience.

“Something like that.” Simple reply for an asshole-like greeting. A beer was placed in front of me by our usual waitress. Pushing fifty and still popular as ever, Doris was what you would consider a sweet ball buster—a favorite here amongst the loyal clientele. This older-than-dirt watering hole just wouldn’t be the same without her. “Thanks, babe.”

At my wink she blushed. “What a charmer.” Then, with more sass than most of the women I came in contact with, she smacked me on the shoulder. It was our thing. “Can’t behave to save his life,” she muttered under her breath while walking away, her cheeks blooming the entire way over to the table who’d shouted out for her.

Turning back to face my friends, I set my hard eyes on Tex. “Something on your mind, man?”

“No,” he answered too quickly, and I raised a brow. “Nothing I want to get into now, anyways. Another day maybe, but not now.” Not buying it. The other two were wrapped up in a mixed martial arts fight playing over the giant screen ahead to notice the exchange.

“If you say so.” Tipping my beer back, I took a deep pull. “What’s up with the impromptu meeting?”

Thankful I’d dropped it for now, he let out a sigh. “Brian wanted to discuss a few things with everyone. Asked me to round everyone up.”

“Okay. About what?”

This time, it was Cris who answered. “Media storm’s a coming.”

“Again? About what? Over who?”

“The two women you’re currently dating,” the man himself piped up from beside me. When the fuck had he arrived?

Brian placed a manila envelope atop the wooden table and pushed it my way. “You are officially being sued by the man you throttled outside of the studio a few weeks’ back. Not that it would stick, especially since there’s already a video circulating on the events. It shows his fault in the altercation. You put your hands on him, but he began the mess. He touched you first.”

“When did that happen? I don’t remember him touching me at all.” Opening the envelope’s flap, I pulled out the court documents inside.

Assault and Battery.

Harassment.

Threats.

Those were the words that popped out at me while I read his bullshit report.

“Answer him, Brian?” Rick placed his forearms over the wooden top and leaned forward. Long gone were the smiles from when I arrived. “How in the fuck do we kill this shit? We were harassed—touched more than once while cameras were pushed in our faces. They were trespassing on private property. We own the entire lot, and they rushed inside the moment our driver arrived.”

I hadn’t thought of that.

“Relax.” Brian smiled, his finger in the air waving and catching Doris’s attention. “He won’t get shit.”

“How can you be so sure?” I asked, mimicking Rick’s position. Leaning forward, I spoke low. Anger brewed within me at an alarming rate. “I could give two flying fucks about the money, Brian, but I won’t allow assholes like him to talk about—”

“He won’t.” Ashley’s voice came from behind me a second before she took her spot beside me. Her eyes met mine, sad and worried over the shit we’d argued about a few days back.

“Someone came forward with a video that clearly shows the photog grabbing the end of your jacket as you were walking past. You might not have felt the tug, but it’s there. The media/entertainment sites have been showing the clip every chance they get. Of course, they all side with you and can’t understand why the man would both physically and verbally attack you.”

“In other words,” Tex piped in, his eyes set on Ashley’s face with a look of contempt. Pissed off at her for some reason I wasn’t aware of, he was one unleashed attitude away from getting his teeth knocked the fuck out. “Chester can claim self-defense and the charges would be dropped?”

“Exactly.” Brian clapped his hands. Doris came by the table then to drop off another round for us. The only one who didn’t reach out for a drink was the girl sitting next to me.

Olive branch
.

Pushing a bottle toward her, I smiled and shrugged a shoulder. “You look thirsty.”

“Thanks.” Ashley smiled and then her eyes watered. “I’ll be back,” she whispered low, a stray tear falling from her eye. She wiped it away before the others noticed. “Please.”

Standing up, I held a hand out to help her, which she refused. Almost running, she made her way across the bar and toward the restroom.

Beside me, Brian stood watching the same thing I just did. “Fix that,” he urged, and I raised a brow. The fucker never got involved with any of our private lives. Understood the words
off limits
, or so I thought.

“Working on it.” Setting my bottle atop the table, I made to walk in the direction she left, but Brian’s hand on my shoulder made me pause. “What?” I snapped, annoyed with his meddling.

“United front, Chester.” He spoke low, his head tilted in the direction my best friend had gone. “We need a united front.”

“I can’t…there’s someone else.”

“Just until shit settles down.”

“What you’re asking me isn’t fair. I’ll end things slow—”

“This is about more than just you.” Bringing a hand up, he swiped it down his face roughly. “You four are in the middle of recording your next album. You won a prestigious award. People are knocking down my doors—literally; to work with you…the band doesn’t need a nasty breakup at the moment to cloud everything you’ve been building for years.”

None of that shit made a lick of difference, and he knew it.

“So, let me get this straight. I’m supposed to stay with her so our band can continue to flourish?” Yeah, he didn’t miss the sarcasm there. Dumb fuck. “Who I stick my cock into is more important than my music?”

“No! Fuck, Chester…not at all.”

“Then what,” I growled out, standing nose to nose. “Am I to become a fucking puppet?”

Taking a step back, he shook his head. “You know that’s not how I work. All I wanted was time to plan ahead. People love the idea of you two together.”

“And they will love Slim more once they see how happy I am.”

“You love her?” Behind us the boys grew quiet.

“Getting there.” I wasn’t offering anything else. Fuck him. The one person who should hear those words was Arianna when the time came. Not my manager or friends. “I’ll handle the situation with care. Promised Ash I wouldn’t embarrass her, and Arianna understands that.” Cris snorted, but I chose to ignore him. “They both deserve things to be handled with respect and understanding. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

No one said a word as I walked away. Once out of earshot, who knows what the bastards would say. Truth be told, I didn’t give a shit either way.

On the way to the bathroom, I was stopped by a fan. Female. Red head. Drunk.

“God, you’re hot,” she purred, her long fingernails trailing down my arm. Made me shudder in disgust.

Picking her hand up, I gently pushed it off before turning away. “Thank you,” I said through a forced smile. Tried to be polite. Tried so fucking hard to not say what was really on my mind, but then she grabbed me.

“Where you off to, handsome? Buy a girl a drink.” Not a request. More like a demand, and all because she was offering her more than likely used-up pussy. “Let’s get to know each other.”

“First, I have a girl.” Lifting her hand off for the second time, I took a step back and let it drop to her side. “And second, don’t touch me,” I growled low, my upper lip curling at the corner. “I’m not a puppet. No one pulls my strings.”

Most people would be offended by the harsh tone I used, but this chick’s eyes rolled back into her head. The woman moaned and tried to come closer. Her hand reached out to touch me, but I sidestepped her and she stumbled forward.

A bar employee came toward us then, his eyes narrowed at the woman who still couldn’t find her balance. “Everything all right, sir?” he asked, taking a stance between her body and mine.

“Yes, just an overzealous fan.” Making a Vanna White motion, I rolled my eyes. “Claims to need another drink.”

Sarcasm at its finest.

The guy took the hint and turned to address the obviously drunk chick. “I think you’ve had enough, ma’am. Let’s get you some water.”

“Don’t wanna.” She pouted those over-glossed lips at me while fluttering her lashes. One of those said lashes was hanging on by a mere thread. Literally, by the one lash in the left-hand corner that refused to let go. “My Chester’s buying me a drink. Right, baby?”

A snort came from in front of me; the bar’s employee was trying so hard not to laugh. Fuck, even I had to contain the chuckle that wanted to escape. Delusional woman.

“No, I wasn’t.” That sobered her up; she didn’t like my reply. “But, I’ll be gracious enough and ask that they make you a coffee. Sober you up a bit before placing you inside a cab.”

“On it, sir.” Drunk woman tried to open her mouth and argue, but one glare from the employee quieted her down. “Your party left and explained that you would settle the tab.”

Those motherfuckers could’ve waited at the very least.
“Thank you, and I will.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw him grab onto her arm and that was my cue. With long strides, I finished walking across the room into the small corridor that led to the bathrooms. Didn’t stop until I reached the ladies’ restroom where my best friend was.

Just outside the opening, with her head leaned up against the wall, she stood. Looked upset, and guilt gnawed at my gut.

“Ash,” I began, placing my hand on her shoulder. I squeezed down the tiniest bit, and she shuddered. “What’s wrong, babe.”

Shaking her head from side to side, she looked down at her shoes. “Not feeling well.”

“Look at me.” Another shake of her head, but I wasn’t going to continue playing this guessing game. Shit was fucked, I knew that, but I also expected to make it right. For everyone involved. Tipping her face up with a finger under her chin, I gave her a soft smile. “You can do better than that. Talk to me, please.”

A shuddering breath left her then, and she launched herself at me. Grasped my shirt in her small hands and pulled me close. I’d never seen her like that. As if she thought I’d disappear if she didn’t hold on.

Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled her in and placed her head under my chin. Rocked her a little until the sobs quieted down and what was left became a low sniffle. Sad eyes looked up at me, and I felt like an asshole.

This was my best friend.

The one person who’d always had my back when shit got ugly.

“Please talk to me.” Keeping my voice low, I ran a comforting hand up her back. “What can I do?”

“I’m losing my best friend.” Another round of tears escaped, and I reached up to wipe her eyes.

“Not going anywhere, babe.” Arianna would understand; once things were all said and done, they’d become close friends. I was sure of that. “But we do need to separate the roles here. It’s confused us in a sense. Don’t want to hurt you.”

“Why?”

Tilting my head to the side, I raised a brow in question. “Why
what
?”

“Why now? Everything was so simple…” Ashley trailed off, and I got the gist of it. Understood that she’d hoped for the more we’d never have.

“Because she’s what I want and need—I fell for her, Ash. Someday you’ll find someone. Fall on your ass, and lay there on that cold ground not understanding which way is up.” Pushing a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear, I kissed her cheek. “Then, and only then, will you understand that the pull is undeniable.  Unstoppable. Uncontrollable. You can’t fight what life hands you on a silver platter. Fate is a bitch, but also giving. Arianna is just that, my gift.”

“What about me?” The hand on my shirt tightened, and the material groaned under the stress.

“You…” I hugged her to me and spoke into the crown of her head “…are my best friend. Sister. Nothing will change that.” Pulling back enough to look down into her eyes, I smiled and she reciprocated. “Now, let’s get plastered.”

She gave me a watery giggle, and the tension dropped—lessened a bit between us. “Tequila?”

“Ughh,” I groaned, remembering the last time we did. “That shit hurts the next day.”

“Too old to hang?” she jested, and my eyes narrowed.

“Old man, my ass.” In one fell swoop, I had her thrown over my shoulder while I marched toward the bar. She laughed the entire way—so did the people we passed. Shit was catcalled and flashes of cameras seen.

It was just like old times. A little bit of the norm I’d been missing.