Page 16 of The Roadie
She took his hand and led him toward Immortal Angel’s colossal tour bus. “Let me give you the grand tour.”
It was the most amazing thing he’d ever seen. The first floor was spacious, even with the two slide-outs tucked inside the walls of the bus. He glanced down at the floor as he stepped across its surface. It was hardwood. The modern rounded couches and captain’s chairs smelled of rich leather. There were built-in tables and storage cabinets made of fine cherrywood. Electronics, giant TV screens and video game consoles were everywhere. The kitchen area was huge. It had a giant refrigerator with stainless steel appliances. The main bathroom was ridiculous. There were two bedrooms on the first level, one with its own private bath.
Tucked in a corner was a small office with a couch. “This is where we’ll be staying,” Kira explained. “It’s not very fancy. Really just an extra space. But the couch converts to a full-size bed.”
“It’s perfect.” He pulled her closer. “We can snuggle.”
She smiled and stole a kiss before she led him to a winding staircase that brought them to the second floor, which was unheard of on a tour bus. A playroom sat at the top of the stairway, filled with enough toys so it looked like Christmas morning. “What’s all this?”
“We travel with my nephew and the Blade-Garcia kids, Lucas and Tessa. Didn’t you know that?”
He was going to be on a tour bus with families and small children. Not exactly what he had envisioned about spending nights on the road with Kira.
She scolded him with her finger. “I know what you’re thinking. We’ll have plenty of nightly stays at hotels while on the road.”
He put his hand to his chest and feigned innocence, but he knew his hungry eyes betrayed him. “I’m not thinking anything.”
She tugged his arm. “Come on. Let me finish the tour before Audra corrals everyone on board to leave.”
Three additional bedrooms and two more bathrooms occupied the rest of the second floor. One of the bedrooms was massive, with an incredible bathroom, and he suspected that this space belonged to the famous polyamorous couple – or throuple, as the media liked to call them. One of the other bedrooms had bunk beds, presumably for the kids. The other had two small twin beds and a futon, along with another bathroom.
Brett had seen some plush digs working for Bulletproof over the years, but he had never seen anything even remotely like this. “You really ride in style.” He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her close and kissed her with everything he had.
She let out that soft little moan that drove him crazy, and he felt his insides stir. Voices coming from the floor below quickly extinguished his rioting hormones as he heard people starting to board the bus. He recognized Audra’s voice right away. Then Jessi Blade, who he had spoken to for five minutes once. The third voice, filled with attitude and snarky comebacks, obviously belonged to Alyssa Diamond, the wife of Immortal Angel’s bass player. He was looking forward to meeting her.
Seconds later, the three women were on the top level of the tour bus, overnight bags slung over their shoulders. They stopped as soon as they saw Brett and Kira with their arms around one another on the far side of the playroom. Audra and Jessi each let out a dreamy sigh and stared at them. Alyssa, true to form, displayed a devilish grin and gave Kira a high five. “You’re here for fifteen minutes, and you already scored a guy. It’s about time you have some fun.”
Kira arched her brows. “I intend to. This is Brett. Brett, this is Alyssa Diamond, Jessi Blade, and you know my sister.”
“Welcome aboard the crazy train,” Alyssa said, as she flipped her long black hair over her shoulder and then tossed her bag onto the couch.
Jessi shook Brett’s hand. “It’s nice to formally meet you. We spoke in Vegas a few months ago when I arranged for a surprise birthday cake to be wheeled on stage for my husband, Tommy Blade.”
She said it as if he didn’t remember her. There’s no way in hell anyone could ever forget this woman’s presence. Her hot pink hair and flashy clothing made heads turn. She was a top fashion designer in the rock and roll industry and a celebrity in her own right. “Of course, I remember. It’s nice to see you again. That was some show.”
“It was incredible. Did you see my son play on stage?”
“No. I didn’t. I got called away. I’m sorry I missed it.”
“I swear that boy’s talent doubles every day,” Jessi boasted. “I hope you don’t mind loud rambunctious kids who play music at all hours of the day and night.”
“Of course not.” In truth, it scared the hell out of Brett. He loved kids, but he’d never spent any significant amount of time with any children, and he didn’t know what to expect.
An alarm went off on Audra’s phone. “Boarding time! We’re out of here in ten minutes,” she announced, as she ran downstairs, presumably to gather everyone onto the bus.
“I got to let my team know that I’m riding with you,” Brett told Kira. He cupped her face in his hands and placed a very soft kiss on her lips. It was gentle, although he wanted it to be hard, but he didn’t want to embarrass her in front of her friends or seem rude or vulgar. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Better hurry or Audra will instruct the driver to leave without you!” she called after him, as he ran down the stairs.
He hurried over to the other set of buses and found the rest of the road crew. It was his first day on the job, and he only met them an hour ago. He didn’t want them to think he was getting special treatment because of Kira, although, in reality, he was. He explained his situation to the guys and told them that if they had a problem, he’d decline the offer to ride along with Immortal Angel. Above all, he was a roadie and proud to ride with the crew.
No one, including the road manager, gave him a hard time. Quite the opposite actually. They were a little humbled at his humility, and he received a few pats on the back. He gave them each a bro-shake, then he jumped onto the bus to grab his overnight bag and returned to Immortal Angel’s oversize touring vehicle.
As soon as he was inside, the doors closed behind him and the engine came to life. By the time he stepped into the first compartment, which was the massive living area, they were already on the road.
Brett stopped mid-stride as he stared into the stone-cold faces of all four members of Immortal Angel. It was a vastly different reception than the one he received from their wives upstairs not long ago. Four sets of eyes impaled him with a hard stare, wondering who the hell he was and why he was on their tour bus.
“Can we help you?” Angel, the legendary lead singer, asked.
