Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 294(@200wpm)___ 235(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 294(@200wpm)___ 235(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
I give him the name, wondering why this guy cares so much about so many little details.
“Nice place,” he says, moving in even closer. “They have a good lounge there.”
I nod as I watch Jordan, Colin, Owen, and Zane, and I try not to think about how many women will be touching them when it’s time for them to pose for pictures.
“Maybe I could buy you a drink?” the manager says, moving closer still, his arm brushing against my chest. “Or we could go up to your room.”
What? Oh! Shit! Only half paying attention, I didn’t see this coming. If I had, I’d have derailed the conversation before it got to this point.
“Oh no, no, I’m sorry.” The idea of spending time with another man feels incredibly wrong.
“You sure?” There’s irritation edging into his tone, but he hasn’t completely ruled me a lost cause yet.
I take a giant step back from him, not wanting to get into a situation like I did in the bar the other night. “I need to be ready when the dancers come off stage,” I tell him. “They’ll need water.”
“Sure,” he grunts, and I’m relieved when he doesn’t press further.
The water excuse was a big old lie, of course, and I don’t particularly want to be around the men while fans are hanging all over them. I don’t dare go to their dressing room, either. Instead, I wait for a few minutes in the lobby, until I start to worry that the club manager will appear. As a courtesy, I should say goodbye to the man before we leave, but I’m not going to risk it. He’ll either be pissed or he’ll feel awkward, so I’m going to spare us both the discomfort.
Toad’s out by the van, so I kill time with her, grateful for the cool night air. Ordinarily, I’d say it was refreshing, but it’s going to take a lot more than fresh air to clear my head tonight.
I’m ready for the irritated looks when the men finally come out, but I’m not prepared for the hurt ones. I avoid their eyes as much as possible, and when we arrive at the hotel, I make a hasty exit from the van, telling everyone that I’ll see them tomorrow morning.
I’m prepared for the knock on the door of my room when it comes. It’s all four of them, wanting to talk, but I send them away, telling them I need to sleep, which is true. I won’t keep avoiding them forever, but tonight I need to rest.
Despite my emotional fatigue, it takes an eternity for me to fall asleep.
34
BRITTANY
The silence that fills the van on our way back to Four Points is painful.
Everything is painful, actually. My head aches, my back aches, and above all, my heart aches.
What a mistake this has all been. What a complete fuckup.
What a reckless, weird, and wonderful time this tour has been.
I shift in my seat, trying to get comfortable, trying to disappear from the men’s gazes, and I pray for sleep to put me out of my misery, but it refuses.
All four Stanton brothers and Jade are on hand when we return to our home base in the afternoon.
Dodge slides open the door before any of us have a chance. “Welcome back! How did everything go?”
I instantly get the idea that he’ll be able to see all of our infractions written all over our faces, so I very purposefully put on the brightest look I can manage. I probably look manic.
“It was great. Everything went smoothly,” I assure him before looking to the men for backup. They chorus in with their agreement.
“We’ve been getting good reports,” Chase says, slapping each man on the back as they exit the van.
“Good, I’m glad to hear that,” I say.
“Want to debrief?” Maddox suggests, looking between me and Chase.
“I’m sure they’re tired,” Chase says. “They look tired. Do we need to build more downtime into the schedule for the next tour?” Before I can answer, he says, “Don’t worry about it now. We can talk about that tomorrow when we meet.”
Chase confirms a meeting time with me, and after unpacking the van, we’re all dismissed to go home and get some rest. My car is parked near the others’. It looks like Jordan and Colin came in the same car; Zane and Owen are nearby, too.
“See you soon, Brittany,” Owen says, giving me a nod and a long look.
The others don’t speak, but their looks are meaningful, too. The Stantons aren’t far away, and I’m grateful, because I’m still exhausted. I don’t know how much sleep I’m going to need before I’m ready to talk to them again.
Maybe it will all just fade away. “What happens on tour, stays on tour,” as Owen once said.
I push myself through a late morning workout, following along to a video in my living room, hoping it will clear my head. Sleep, exercise, shower, food. None of it has much effect.