Page 13 of The Hot Shot

Walker.

The guy who I still couldn’t forget about and the one I had sneaked away from in the middle of the night. He was at the forefront of my mind constantly. I couldn’t just let him go and I was starting to wonder why.

“Sorry, man.” Jace slapped my back, making me jolt away from my thoughts. “Let’s go.”

“Nope. I’ve waited long enough,” I said, crossing my arms in frustration. The one hour that Jace had promised had turned into nearly two and I’d done well, biting my tongue and not pulling him away from Chelsea or storming out of the place myself. I felt like I’d been made to be a fool as many regulars passed by and nodded at me, wondering why I was just waiting around. “Jace…”

“Okay.” Jace waited until we were alone and then he grinned, pulling something out of his pocket and handing it to me. “I know I’ve been a pain lately, especially with the business here.” I nodded, taking the two tickets out of his hand and turning them over. He had been a pain in my ass signing me up to the bikeathon and with the constant need to be around Chelsea. I couldn’t deny that even if he did state it was business only and that flirting was all part of the cause. “I wanted to get you tickets to something you’d like.”

I read the tickets in my hands and smiled.

North Avenue Live - Live Band Night - Friday at 9pm.

“You know exactly how to get yourself back into my good books, don’t you?” I chuckled, wrapping my arm around his shoulder and escorting him to the exit. I could never resist the way the sounds of a live band came together and produced a shockwave that hit deep in the middle of my chest. It didn’t matter if it was a sweet, soft melody or a rock anthem, music was a secret pleasure I’d loved since I was a kid and had never left my side, like an old friend. “I’ll take it that you’re free on Friday, then?”

“Of course. Why do you think I’ve got two tickets? I’ve been desperate to head back to Hardin Poltin’s place since the launch night and check out all the women that croon around those singers. You know they’re like a magnet for attracting pussy.” Jace sniggered and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at his bluntness.

“And that’s the brother I know oh so well,” I mocked.

“You wouldn’t have it any other way.” Jace snatched one of the tickets from my hand and curled his lip, sliding it back into his pocket as I put mine away for safekeeping. “All we have to do now is finish the week without ruining everything.”

Why did I feel that Jace saying those words to me was going to be a hell of a lot easier than making sure that I didn’t actually implement the damn actions? One thing was for certain. Brendan Rightside knew exactly how to rile me up and not in a good way.

CHAPTER TEN

WALKER

“Will you quit pacing around this room and just stop for five minutes?” Dee snapped at me, lifting her brow before I threw my hands into the air with frustration. I looked up at the ceiling in my apartment, trying to calm myself. “You’re going to give me a migraine if you don’t calm down and relax.”

Dee walked up to me without a care in the world that I was standing here with just my gray lounge pants hanging from my waist and my naked torso bare to her eyes. It was as if I’d just rolled out of bed with my short dark hair tangled and I knew that if I looked at myself in the mirror, the sparkle from my normally vivid green eyes would be dull and lifeless. I was lost within a tirade of pain that I’d be a failure and that tonight’s gig at North Avenue Live would crash and burn so badly that I’d need to be escorted from the bar for my safety from the lack of support from the crowd.

“You need to snap out of this!” she announced, swaggering towards me. She grabbed the towel that was hung up on the back of the door and threw it at my head. “I think it’s time you get in that shower and start to get ready…” She looked around at the state of the place and I just shook my head, unsure what the hell I could say at the state of this place. I’d let myself go as I focused on writing fresh music, strumming a new beat and practicing at every spare given hour, trying to put together the best set for the night possible. “Shoo. I’ll try and do something with this.” She sighed before heading over to the trash can and dragged the whole thing into the center while I stared open-mouthed at her. “Walker, move.”

“Dee!”

“Just don’t,” she said sternly. “Time is ticking. You have two hours before you need to arrive and Kye and Remmy are due in twenty minutes for last minute rehearsals. I don’t have any time left to spare you and that talented voice of yours,” she replied as she grabbed the empty takeaway cartons and began to separate the piles into recycling and garbage. “I’ll need every second. I expect you out and ready in…” She paused and flicked her wrist upwards, mentally taking note of the time. “Nine minutes. Fuck! Nine minutes, Walker. Now go!”

I didn’t need telling again, especially when my best friend was saving me from looking like a complete screw-up and failure in front of the guys. I couldn’t be without her. Dee knew exactly when and how to kick me just right in the ass to ensure that I manned up and stopped acting like the college freshman of the past who didn’t care about cleanliness. There had been times when I had been so bad that I fought to find a clean spot to lay my head down for twenty minutes before the next big exam that I hadn’t studied for the night before. Instead, I ended up partying way too hard, rolling in once the sun had cracked at dawn and still managed to scrape through with a pass. I wasn’t that guy anymore. I had responsibilities and a life to lead and Dee ensured I did that, whether I liked it or not.

I turned the shower on, taking my joggers off and threw them in the laundry basket, hoping the hot stream of water trickled through the old clanging pipes quickly. Otherwise, it would be a tepid, warm shower or at worst, ice cold, making me scream loudly at the top of my lungs. I didn’t fancy Dee running into the room in a state of panic and then in anger, purposely turning the taps on as she left just to make the water switch between scolding hot and ice cold as payback for scaring the life out of her. An angry Dee wasn’t someone you wanted to contend with.

I quickly jumped in, grateful that the temperature was manageable. I gave myself a quick once over, ensuring I took an extra few minutes to lather my cock and clean around my balls. I wished I was alone right now as letting a quick release out would do wonders for my mindset.

“Walker, come on!” Dee yelled through the door so loudly that even the sound of the water didn’t block out the noise. “I will turn the water off if you’re not out here in a second.”

“Evil woman,” I whispered, quickly wiping the suds that had gathered away and tutting at my engorged length standing proudly to attention. Damn Sebastian. “One second,” I yelled, knowing that if I didn’t announce to Dee I was on my way, then she would be walking straight in here and dragging me out by my ear, with an erection or not. It’s not like Dee cared that she didn’t see me that way but she’d certainly never let me forget it if she had to resort to such measures.

I shut off the water and ran the towel over my body, mumbling to myself thoughts about singing and notes, anything to distract the blood flow that was currently traveling to my cock. I blew out long breaths, my lip wobbling with the exertion before I grabbed my ripped jeans and inched them up my body, tucking my length inside before doing up my zip and button at the top. I secured my belt through the buckle, checking it was central before I slid my favorite grunge T-shirt over my head and opened the door.

“I was just about to come and get you,” Dee announced as I ran my fingers through my towel-dried hair and quickly gave it a scruff, hoping that it would remain in that position and dry quickly with the heat that was radiating in the room. “Much better.”

“And so is this place. Thanks Dee. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” I shucked my shoulders, nodding at her. “You’re always dragging me out of one hole too many.”

“I know but that’s what I’m here for. You’d do the same for me.” She grinned just as a knock at the door pulled us away from the emotional mood we were diving into with each other. It was as if sometimes we both needed to draw on one another’s strengths and weaknesses to make ourselves stand tall once again in the world. “I’ll let the guys in and then I want to hear a couple of these songs before I leave and get the bar set up.” She marched up to the door and braced her palm on handle as I glanced at the room and wondered how the fuck Dee had pulled off such a miracle. I needed to learn some of these magic skills that she possessed. “And anyhow, Selia needs someone to keep her in check after the other night. She’s adamant that she put the bottles of soft drinks in the cooler but I saw her place them next to the dishwasher.”

“She thinks you’re blind.” I chuckled as she opened the door. Each of the guys waved at me as they barged through, stopping to give Dee a kiss on the cheek before she swatted them away and headed in to pat my shoulder in greeting. “She won’t be letting anything slip tonight with you on the ball. That’s why I know the place is in safe hands.”

“You know Dee won’t take any shit, Walker,” Kye said in a smooth tone. “Our lass here is a stickler for control. You just concentrate on ensuring those lyrics flow exactly as we’ve been practicing all week.”

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