Craving Talon (23 page)

I sit down on the bed in my bathrobe. “I mean that whatever he gave me was like a paralytic. I was conscious of mind, slow, and sluggish yes, but I could comprehend who and where I was. But I had no strength, no ability to fight back against him. I’d tell my limbs to move and they’d do no such thing. That is the only part about this whole thing that bothers me.”
 

“But he saw you naked,” Talon says and I know he’s having a really hard time handling this.
 

I look at him. “Being naked doesn’t bother me, Talon. It’s never been an issue for me. I’ve been to enough nightclubs and private celebrity parties where I’ve had my boobs grabbed more than a few times. Sweetheart, trust me. I’m going to be okay.”
 

He comes to kneel in front of me, wrapping his arms around my waist, resting his head in my lap up against my belly. “I will never forgive myself if anything like this ever happens again.”
 

I stroke my fingers through his hair to comfort him. The irony of the girl who was attacked comforting her boyfriend is not lost on me. Kyle comes to sit behind me, bringing his legs to my sides so that my back is pressed up against him. Though I know he doesn’t intend for me to feel it, I can feel his erection against my backside.
 

His arms wrap around me, coming to rest on Talon’s shoulders, his thumbs rubbing and comforting Talon. He’s going to blame himself for this for a very long time.
 

“You mean so fucking much to me. I don’t know what I would do without you,” Talon says, his arms coming tighter around my waist. I start to cry. His pain is hard to bear and I slump back against Kyle.
 

“I got you,” he whispers. “We got you. We will never let you go.”
 

And like the floodgates being lifted, everything that happened comes washing over me, drowning me in a sea of tears, sadness, heartache and love. I love these two men and their pain is breaking my heart. Kyle rests his head on my shoulder, holding me and Talon tighter to him and I feel a warm wet tear escape his eye, hitting my collar bone and sliding down. I watch it as it falls between my breasts and down my body.
 

Every raw emotion I could possibly feel consumes me and I cry until my eyes dry out and I fall into a deep sleep cradled in their arms.

By noon, I was cleared by the cops. I was still exhausted but glad it was over. Apparently Eddie confessed to the assault, but given the circumstances, an attempted rape charge wouldn’t stand up. So, he pled to a deal with the prosecutor. By late Sunday we were in New Orleans. I’d only slept in short sprints between talking to the detective and getting settled back on the bus, so when we got to NOLA, I ended up crashing in our hotel room for the night.
 

Talon and Kyle never left my side the entire time, which I was thankful for. Talon is still beating himself up over the fact that he knew something was off when I went to the bathroom. I told him that I honestly just felt sick, like I was going to throw up, and that I had no idea that I’d been drugged. Despite my best efforts, he still worries.
 

We spent all day Monday in bed watching TV, ordering room service and being lazy pigs eating everything in sight. By the end of Monday, things were starting to get back to normal. My headache finally went away and the bruise on my cheek was already starting to turn yellow and green.
 

We spent Tuesday walking around the French Quarter with Dex, Peacock and Mouse. The security detail was always in close proximity. I didn’t drink any alcohol, which being in New Orleans is kind of a must, but most of my beverages came in sealed plastic bottles. Again, it was over the top, but I wasn’t going to argue. I was feeling better come Wednesday but Talon asked me to not perform. When I asked him why, he said that he didn’t want to put the extra pressure on me right now. Then he touched my cheek with soft fingers. I kissed his palm and agreed to stay backstage.
 

To avoid the issue while he was on stage, the band cut ‘Your Eyes’ from their set list. After the concert, Talon invited a couple of reporters into the greenroom before the VIPs were allowed in. He stood next to me and Kyle as we answered questions about how I was doing and when I would be back on stage. Talon said possibly Oklahoma City but at the latest definitely Kansas City.
 

When we weren’t wandering the Quarter, or watching bad TV, Talon and I rehearsed the crap out of ‘To Be Free’. I couldn’t deny him anything with the light in his eyes anytime he brought it up.
 

When we got to Oklahoma City I wasn’t feeling very good. I don’t know if it was nerves or something else entirely, but Talon didn’t let me back on stage. Told me to save it for Kansas and my mom. I couldn’t argue with that.
 

Though our relationship as a threesome has blossomed dramatically since Dallas, those three little words haven’t been exchanged and I’m starting to understand why. They don’t hold a candle to the depth of emotion I feel when it comes to my big man and my cowboy. ‘I love you’ is trivial in comparison.
 

Cami has been hard at work, earning her paycheck in dealing with the press surrounding my attack which only seems to be growing. The fact that the rape charges didn’t stick against Eddie had my panties in a bunch, but compliments of my new celebrity status, Eddie’s picture was featured in just about every news outlet out there and over the course of the last week, several girls have come forward pointing fingers at Eddie as their attacker and rapist. It’s a fair trade if you ask me.
 

As far as I’m concerned, emotionally, I’m fine. It honestly feels like a bad dream that disappeared the moment I woke up and I think the boys are finally starting to understand that and I’m more than thankful for it.
 

Kyle is doing amazing. Oklahoma City was hard for him because he knew his mom was so close. Kyle fought with himself most of the day about going and seeing his mother. Once it got to the point that he really didn’t have time because the show was about to start, it was like a light switch flipped and he was perfectly fine. Without meaning to, mine and Talon’s red carpet appearance at that bar, combined with the attack pushed all the Dan, Kyle and me triangle bullshit aside.

Now we are arriving in Kansas City and I get to see my mom in just a little while. I called her as soon as I could on Sunday, filling her in on all the details of what happened. She was freaked out of course, but she understood and didn’t press when I told her I was honestly fine.
 

We arrive in KC around seven-thirty in the morning, which is great because I’ve made plans with my mom. Talon and Kyle were about to blow a gasket because I told them that I wanted to have lunch with her alone. Ironically, it’s not the fact that it’s my mom, it’s because I’m leaving their side. Rusty and Beck, however, are another story. The excuse they used was the fact that I’m a celebrity now too and I need protection. I laughed, but agreed.
 

So here we are, in the car, Beck and Rusty are upfront, Beck is behind the wheel and we are on our way to meet my mother. We decided to meet at the restaurant, which is fine because it’s attached to the mall where we plan to go shopping afterward.
 

When I arrive, I spot her in the back corner. Her eyes widen when she notices my two companions but the worry fades when she smiles wide. I go walking through the restaurant as quickly as my legs will carry me and she wraps me up in the biggest, warmest, most comforting hug I’ve had in a long time.
 

“Oh Addie, I’ve missed you so much,” she says, pulling back to have a look at me. “And purple hair?” She laughs.
 

I forgot to mention that part. In New Orleans, in a moment of rage over what happened, I decided that it was time to change, so I brought out the purple and went to town.
 

“Some things never change.” I laugh and we sit down.
 

“So how are you?” she asks. My mom is in her early fifties, very young with short black hair and glasses. I look a lot like her, except I enjoy the longer hair and, knock on wood, don’t have the glasses just yet.
 

We talk all through lunch about everything. About the band, about what’s happening with me and my whole new singing career thing and then we get down to the brass tacks of Talon and Kyle. I’ve talked about them a lot since Dallas because mom and I have been talking nearly every day.
 

“Honestly mom, they are two of the most gracious, loving, caring, honest guys I’ve ever met.”
 

“Addison Lynae, are you dating both these guys?”
 

The question is not something I expected and it throws me for a loop. I sit there dumbstruck for a moment. She just stares at me, but she isn’t angry. She’s intrigued.
 

“Yeah mom, I am.”
 

She kind of sits back, looking at me. “Huh, how does that work exactly?”
 

I smile and without giving away too many details, I fill her in on the three of us. My mom has always been open minded about a lot of things so I’m not surprised when she says, “Well, as long as they take care of my baby girl, then that’s all I care about. You always have been high maintenance, no wonder you need two men to take care of you.”
 

“Mom!” I nearly shout. “I am not high maintenance.” I catch Beck snicker and I bust out laughing. “Okay okay, maybe I am a little high maintenance.”
 

My mom laughs. “I can’t wait to meet them,” she says with a smile as we finish up our lunch.
 

Just as we’re about to leave the restaurant, my phone rings. It’s a number I don’t recognize, so I answer with caution. “Hello?”
 

“Hello Ms. Beltrand. My name is Analese and I’m calling from Bank of California.”
 

“Hi Analese, what can I do for you?”
 

“I’m sorry to bother you, but there has been a rather large transaction on your account that we just need to verify with you.”
 

“Okay, I haven’t used my account much.”
 

“Oh, this is actually a deposit. We received a transfer in of over one point one million dollars.” My legs go weak. “From Bold International, Inc. I see here that you have regular deposits from them, but never of this size.”
 

“Uh, yeah, that’s correct.”
 

“Oh, wonderful. Well, then I will just make some notes here, and send you on your way. Thank you so much for taking the time to verify that with us and might I recommend coming by the bank to discuss alternative banking and investing options.”
 

“Uh, sure, but I won’t be back in town for about eight weeks. So I will come by then. Thank you, Analese, for your time.”
 

“Oh absolutely, just looking out for our customers. Have a wonderful day, Ms. Beltrand.”
 

“Thanks.” I think. I hang up my phone and just sit there. My mom is hovering over me and I can see Beck and Rusty much closer than they need to be.
 

“Honey, is everything all right?”
 

“I…I think so.”

“Who was that on the phone?” she asks, still concerned.
 

“That was my bank back in California. They were calling to confirm some activity on my account.”
 

“Oh dear, is everything okay?”
 

I look up at her and smile. “Everything is beyond perfect, mom, really.”
 

She looks at me, puzzled. I look to Beck and Rusty then back to my mom. “Mom, I think we should go back to the house.”
 

“What about shopping?”
 

I smile at her. “We will go shopping another time. I need to discuss the phone call with you privately.”
 

“Well, why don’t we just go back to the car? I’m sure these two muscle men can wait outside. I really want to take you shopping.”
 

I smile, “No, mom, it’s my turn to take you shopping.”