Page 7 of Bassist With Benefits
“Deal.” Cam tugged Brandon closer by his belt loops and kissed him so hard that he almost knocked Brandon over, and then they both walked away.
Alan weaved through the crowd in search of Jeremy, but the guy didn’t appear to be in the room.
“Everything alright? Feeling better now?” Felix asked, coming up beside Alan.
“Yeah. Just fucking dandy.” He probably shouldn’t be sarcastic to the band’s manager, but he had reached his limit tonight. He was on edge and ready to snap.
“What are you on? Coke? Pills?”
“I’m not on anything.” He wasn’t even drunk anymore.
“Why don’t you call it a night? It’s late.”
Alan shook Felix’s hand off his arm. “It’s a party, Felix. Everyone’s having a good time.”
“You don’t look like you’re having a good time. The rest of the guys are behind closed doors and probably won’t resurface tonight. Why don’t you pick someone?” He fanned his hand in front of the crowd in the living room. “Take a guy to your room, and don’t come out until tomorrow morning.”
Alan opened his mouth, and then paused over Felix’s statement. “What do you mean everyone’s behind closed doors?”
“Brandon went to his suite with Cam. Derek and Jeremy both went to their own rooms.”
“With guys?”
“No. With girls.” Felix rolled his eyes. “Of course with guys. What’s wrong with you tonight?”
“Nothing. I’m done. You’re right. It’s late. Time to turn in.” He didn’t know why the idea of Jeremy taking a guy to his room pissed him off so much, but it did. Maybe because he was freaked out, and Jeremy wasn’t bothered by what had happened. He marched toward the bar and grabbed the bottle of Jack Daniels. He needed a fucking drink, but all the alcohol in the world wouldn’t make him forget what had happened with Jeremy or stop him from wondering what the hell it meant.
CHAPTER THREE
“Oh, God,” Jeremy croaked. Last night flashed into his head the second he opened his eyes. For a brief moment he latched onto the idea that it may have only been a bad dream, but his better judgment overrode the feeble hope. There was no denying what had happened. He had given his best friend a blowjob in a darkened room. “Fuuuck.”
His phone signaled a series of messages that he was trying to ignore. He knew they were from Felix, and he wasn’t in the mood to deal with whatever crisis the band’s manager was freaking out about now. But… what if the messages were from Alan? Jeremy bolted to a sitting position. He rubbed the back of his neck and rolled his shoulders. It was suddenly too hot in the room and he kicked the covers off. He wasn’t ready to talk to Alan either.
When a beep announced another message, Jeremy hung his head into his chest and resigned to answer the messages no matter who they were from. He retrieved his phone from the nightstand and scrolled through the text alerts. They were all from Felix, who was waiting in the living room, about an interview with Twin Media that was taking place in an hour.
“I’m up,” Jeremy texted back. He rolled out of bed, swallowed two aspirins, and jumped into the shower. The cool water cleared his head, but not the nervous tick in his gut. He had no idea what he was supposed to say to Alan or if his friend was still pissed off. He dressed and sat on the edge of the bed while he tried to figure out how to move forward without revealing how he truly felt about his best friend. Or maybe he should just finally confess and open his heart. He pondered the thought. And the outcome. Fear and apprehension made him hang his head into his chest and his shoulders slump, and he let out a frustrated breath.
Felix knocked on the door. “We’re waiting. Do I have to come in and get you?”
Jeremy creaked open the bedroom door, letting in the voices of his bandmates from the living room, and he listened to Alan’s conversation with Derek. Alan sounded off, not his usual boisterous self, obviously still upset by last night’s events. The edge in Alan’s voice, the stilted answers, and the low tone of his voice, sent a nervous trickle of heat across the back of Jeremy’s neck.
“Is there a problem?” Felix asked when Jeremy made no move to exit the bedroom.
“No. I was just taking a shit.”
“You guys have more bowel movements than an infant. Let’s go. Breakfast and coffee is in Brandon’s suite.”
“There he is!” Derek announced, way too loud. “I thought we were gonna have to call the paramedics.”
Jeremy ignored Derek and locked eyes with Alan. He froze, mid step, but quickly recovered and continued through the suite.
Alan hurried toward the door, following Derek, as if he couldn’t get out of the suite fast enough. They got held up when Derek abruptly stopped in the doorway and had to backtrack into the suite because he forgot his phone, and Jeremy bumped into Alan’s back. It made his heart race and he sucked in a deep breath. “Sorry,” he murmured.
“It’s OK.”
The formality was odd. No one said, “excuse me” or “no problem.” If one of them accidentally bumped into the other, they got shoved back. Everything was off kilter.
Alan didn’t make eye contact, only kept his gaze lowered at some point near the floor as he spoke. “I heard you had company last night. I hope you’re not leaving a stranger in the suite alone.”
