It was mind-blowing to see the connection the crowd had to the band and their music, as well as the energy running through the place. You could see it throughout the crowd as well as on each one of the guys’ faces. They sounded incredible. The crowd went crazy with each and every song, with every member of the audience seeming to know all the lyrics, and when the band finally hit the last song on their set list, the crowd was cheering their name madly for an encore.
The guys gave in to the
crowd and decided to play them one more song, and I took that cue to start getting things together for them to head back to the hotel. The show was drawing to an end, but that didn't mean my work for the evening was anywhere near done. The bus was out back waiting for them, stocked with cold water and drinks. I’d already stationed the security guys ready to escort them out of the venue to the bus and ensure that they didn't get mobbed along the way. I signaled the stage crew to be ready to start packing up their gear as soon as the band came off stage so that the guys had nothing to worry about and could head straight back to the hotel to enjoy their after party.
By the time I returned to the side of the stage, the guys were bowing. Seconds later, they were running off stage, drenched in sweat from playing under the hot stage lights and jumping around. I held up a hand, hi-fiving them as they came flying by me, and shouted for them to head out back to get on the bus. There was a pressing crowd of fans back there waiting for them, but with the help of the security guys, I managed to hustle them through, although Talon, Jay, and Jeremiah all grabbed a few girls out of the crowd to join us on the bus. I shook my head and made a mental note to place condoms on the nightstands next to their beds at their rooms back at the hotel.
The bus was packed when I finally managed to sign off with the security crew. I then had to double check with the stage and road crew that all the gear had been securely packed back on the bus. I was feeling a little run down, but pumped nonetheless, when I finally managed to get through the crowd. Owen grabbed my arm and pulled me on with him, smiling big.
“You guys were amazing!” I shouted to him over the group of people on the bus. “Wow, I mean, seriously! I may not have known much about Bleeding Heart before, but I've just been converted! I'm a fan now! Like I said, you guys were just amazing up there on stage.”
He smiled, leaned in close, and kissed my cheek.
"As were you today. We couldn’t have done this without you. Come on, it’s time to celebrate!” He handed me a drink and grinned. The real party was just about to get started.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Owen
Nalia smiled and took a sip of the drink I’d handed her. She claimed she was just doing her job when I praised her for how smoothly everything had gone, but to be honest, it was way more than that.
She wasn't just doing her job well; she was doing everything above and beyond, really going the extra mile for us. There was no way we'd have been able to pull this all off so smoothly without everything she had taken on for us. I was hugely impressed with her dedication, enthusiasm, and efficiency. I could hardly believe how incredible she was. To hell with the after party. I wanted to spend the night celebrating with her, and her alone.
“Come here.” I took the drink from her hand and put it on a cup holder, grabbed her wrist, and tugged her toward the bathroom as the bus started to move. We pushed past the guys and the horde of groupies they had pulled onto the bus with them.
“What are you doing?” she giggled as I yanked the door open and tugged her inside with me.
“This.” I heaved her against me and kissed her firmly on the lips—something I had wanted to do ever since I had seen her step into the room backstage in the little miniskirt she was wearing. After the high performing for a sold-out crowd had given me, I wanted her even more. She’d done everything, and because of all her effort, the day had gone off completely without a hitch. The woman was amazing, and I wanted her desperately.
Her lips melted into mine, and I wrapped my arms around her waist, fondling her ass before she pulled back.
“You’re making out with me in the bathroom?”
“Yeah? So? I wanted to get you all to myself,” I admitted, still breathing heavily. She smiled and leaned forward to kiss me again when someone banged on the door.
“Dude! I gotta take a leak!” Nate yelled from the other side of the door. I frowned as Nalia laughed and shook her head.
“Come on,” she said as she dragged me out of the bathroom, an act that prompted several hoots from the other guys. “Besides, I still have a few more things to take care of, and you need to mingle, not be hiding out with me. You go do your job, and let me do mine. Remember what our priorities are here, Owen. We both agreed on certain things, and we need to stick to them.”
“But what if I want to hide out with you?” I grinned.
She shook her head at me and raised an eyebrow. “Go. Mingle. Do what everyone expects you to do.” She gave me a gentle pat on the butt, then disappeared toward the front of the bus.
I did as I was I was told and hung back with the guys, even though I didn’t really want to. Talon was already doing body shots off of the stomachs of two of the girls he’d brought on the bus. He certainly wasn't one to waste any time when it came to the ladies. I shook my head and grabbed a beer, sitting down next to Jeremiah.
“Good show tonight, man.” He clinked his bottle against mine. “Nalia is amazing, man, she really is. I'm glad you found a good assistant. She's taken a huge load off of your shoulders. All the guys have been talking about how they can tell you’re way more relaxed. I know it’s because of her.”
“Yeah, she’s pretty great,” I sighed.
Jeremiah raised an eyebrow at me. “You seem rather enamored with her, too. Funny. If I remember correctly, you were the one who made us all promise that we wouldn't get involved with her, no matter what?”
I shrugged and took a swig of beer. He knew me well enough that I didn't need to respond. We finished our beers in silence as the bus headed back to the hotel.
Once there, we all piled out of the bus and headed up to the penthouse in a couple of different elevators. I lost track of Nalia in all of the chaos, even though I was doing my best to keep an eye on her. When we walked into the penthouse, however, she was already there waiting, still wearing the Bleeding Heart tank top, but having changed out of her mini skirt into a pair of yoga pants.
“You changed,” I frowned, looking down at her outfit. “You are partying with us, aren't you?”
She shook her head. “Sorry, Owen, but I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to join in. I have a few things I need to take care of, and I thought maybe it would be a good idea to give you guys some time away from the mother hen’s watchful gaze. I was just going to head to my room and get some work done.”