Page 33 of Bassist With Benefits
Brandon plopped into one of the captain’s chairs at the table on the opposite wall of the bus with a gluttonous grin, waiting for his breakfast.
Cam dropped two plates on the table and took the seat across from Brandon. “Where’s Derek?”
“Derek!” Brandon called. “Breakfast!”
The dog came running in and sat next to Cam, wagging her tail.
“Morning, girl. I made you a plate.” Cam started to rise from his seat, but Brandon stopped him.
“I got it. Sit. You made us food. I can feed the dog.”
The eggs were fluffy and cheesy and Alan shoveled them into his mouth. “Mmm. Brandon’s a lucky guy. Do you cook like this all the time, Cam?”
“Not all the time. But I know how Brandon loves to gorge on dairy products.”
“Don’t let him kid you,” Brandon said, slipping back in the chair across from Cam. “He loves to make these weird healthy meals, which actually taste damn good.”
Derek stumbled in from the back of the bus, clearly hung over with dark circles under his eyes. He tried to tame his messy hair by running his fingers through it and pulled out a small green leaf. “What the fuck is this?”
Cam took it from Derek and brought it to his nose. “It’s kale.” Cam narrowed his eyes at Brandon, feigning anger. “You gave my kale to Brandy again, didn’t you? You know she loves to shred it to pieces.”
“I didn’t touch it.” Brandon held up his hand like a boy scout. “I swear. Not after last time when it caused havoc on her digestive system.”
Alan’s head snapped toward Jeremy and they both let out a small laugh. The last thing they needed was to be trapped on a tour bus with a gassy Labrador Retriever.
Derek released a loud yawn. “I need coffee.”
“Got a cup right here for you.” Alan pointed to the extra place setting next to him. “Have a seat.”
The bus hit a bump in the road, and Derek fell into the booth. His nose hit Alan right in the shoulder. “Uck!” He sniffed at Alan’s T-shirt. “You reek of sweat and musky sex. What the fuck went on in the back bedroom last night?”
Alan locked eyes with Jeremy. Memories of their lovemaking heated his body red hot. “Just the usual craziness,” he answered, still focused on Jeremy.
A smile peeked out from the corner of Jeremy’s mouth. “Justthe usual craziness?” His eyes dropped to his coffee for a second before they met Alan’s gaze again with a sexy, knowing glint. “It got pretty fucking out of control in there if you ask me.”
CHAPTER TEN
The curtain fell to 18,000 screaming fans at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Alan was first to cross the stage and jumped onto the drum riser, causing a loud roar from the fans. There was a camera set up behind him, courtesy of Twin Media. It would capture the show from Alan’s perspective, and he knew it was going to add a never-before seen dimension to the concert footage in the rockumentary. There was nothing like taking it all in from the back of the stage, and now the world would experience the show as Alan saw it.
A new round of screams punctuated the air as Jeremy and Derek crossed the stage. Alan’s feet tapped on the floor, antsy to pound on his twin bass drums. He took a pair of sticks from the stick bag and caressed them between his fingers. Just holding them in his hand sent a chill up his arm. He held them high over his head as he waited for Brandon to make an entrance, ready to count off the first song.
Finally, Bulletproof’s lead singer ran on stage to a wave of cheers. Brandon pointed to the ceiling in the center of the arena, and a mortar went off with a loud boom, lighting the audience with a flash of white. Brandon turned toward Alan and gave a slight nod to indicate that he was ready.
Alan struck his sticks together and counted off the start ofAK-47which opened the set. Engrossed in the beat of the drum and the rhythm of the music, Alan played song after song as if immersed in a world of his own. During the short breaks when Brandon engaged the crowd, Alan counted off beats in his head until the moment returned when his sticks and drums met once again.
When Brandon left the stage, and the bass and guitar died down, it was Alan’s time to shine. He seamlessly rolled into his drum solo. Sweat dripped from his forehead, leaving a wet trail down his cheek. Naked from the waist up, a thin sheen of perspiration covered his overheated flesh. He slammed his sticks into his snare, oblivious to the heat as the thunder from his Pearl kit filled his ears. Each time his sticks hit the drum skin, it pulsed into his chest. His ears reverberated. His heart beat louder with each kick to his bass drum until they were one and the same. The thud of his kick drum was his lifeline. It pumped the blood through his veins. His arms were like lead weights, but the sound of the music pushed him to hit the drums harder with each beat. The splash from the cymbals danced in his ears like glass shattering. The lights reflected off the shiny gold disc like a bright star. It was a beacon that called to Alan and his spirit tumbled into another world.
He remembered the camera behind him and flashed an open-mouthed smile into the lens. He twirled his stick through his fingers, as nimble as a surgeon, and then threw it up in the air. As it somersaulted back down to him, he winked into the camera, then caught the stick and struck the crash cymbal.
A figure cast a shadow across his toms. It was Jeremy standing next to him on the riser, wearing a quirky smile. Alan had no idea why his friend was suddenly next to him, and it sent a little flutter of excitement through him. He slowed the roll of his sticks on the snare and alternated punching his bass drums with his feet while dusting the cymbals. “You want something, bruh?”
Jeremy snarled his lip, jutted his hips forward and plucked out a low rumble on the bass.
“You’re challenging me?” Alan asked, surprised at the bold move and letting out an amused chuckle.
“Damn straight.”
Alan’s microphone was able to pick up his voice but Jeremy was silent to the audience. It didn’t matter, though, because the fans understood that an unprecedented head-to-head combat between the two rhythm makers of the band was about to go down, and they screamed with anticipation.
