Encore (The Black Eagles Series Book 2) (21 page)

              ‘You’re staying?’

              Melissa kissed him, giving her answer. ‘Sorry for doing that. Can we call it a minor breakdown? I just lost it for a second. And don’t blame Robbie. It wasn’t his fault. I gave him the slip.’

              Luke’s eyes narrowed; he clearly did not agree. He paid him to protect her, so if she could disappear on him, what was to stop Amber getting past him. Although it was just one mistake and Robbie had been really good up until that point. Melissa had been determined and very cunning. She had used the old going to the ladies cover up, and jumped through a window. Robbie’s job wasn’t to escort her into the toilet. So maybe he could let it go, just this once.

              A light tap on the door broke up their heart to heart. Luke opened it and stood aside to let Saskia in. ‘Now, Lissa, honey, I don’t care how mad you are with me, it was a bloody stupid, ridiculous idea and I wasn’t going to sit back and allow it.’ There was no apology in her tone. She had called Luke before Melissa was even in the taxi. He had just finished his interview and was about to head off with Dale to go guitar shopping. It hadn’t taken him long to get home.

              ‘You promised!’

              ‘No. You told me and I didn’t give you an answer.’

              Melissa knew she was right. ‘I’m not angry. Thanks. You stopped me from making a big mistake. I just snapped.’

              Saskia removed her coat, and dropped it along with her bag on the sofa. ‘We all have those moments. I’ve had plenty. You’ve come to your senses?’ Luke kissing her and smiling gave her the answer. ‘Good. I’ve a bottle of wine with my name on it. And I want to drink it.’

              Melissa went to get some glasses, giving Luke a few minutes with Saskia. ‘Thank you. I made it back barely on time,’ he said.

              Saskia hugged him, and told him she was rooting for them. She wouldn’t let that evil girl break them again. ‘You know Sonny and I adore you two. We’ll always be here for you. But she’s struggling. Take it from someone who knows where she is at the moment. You have band stuff, something to keep you focused. She doesn’t have that. When you’re working she sits here, worrying, and it’s lonely, Luke. It can be really lonely.

              Luke knew that but didn’t know how to fix it. She wouldn’t budge on the offers she was getting for work. ‘I want her to have her own life. But I can’t force her to do things she doesn’t feel comfortable with. She needs someone she trusts to help her, and that isn’t me.’

              Saskia knew what he was asking, and she was ready to come out of retirement. She had been an agent years back, had had a string of A-list clients, but it had been fifteen years since she’d represented anyone. ‘Leave it to me,’ she said with a wink as Melissa returned.

              ‘Luke, you had guitars to buy, go buy them,’ Saskia ordered. Luke looked worried still, but Melissa assured him her mad moment had passed. He kissed her before leaving, giving Saskia one last look that meant don’t let her leave.

              ‘Right, young lady, me and you need a chat.’ Saskia opened the bottle of wine. ‘That boy loves you, and you’re very lucky to have such devotion, considering what he does and the stigma attached to it.’ Saskia spoke like a woman who was fully experienced in this world.

              ‘I know. So any suggestions for getting rid of crazy stalkers?’

              ‘Thankfully I never had to deal with this kind of situation. You remind me and Sonny of ourselves when we were your age. For the most part. Sonny wasn’t such a good boy.’

              Melissa noticed she sounded sad. ‘Oh. Really?’

              Saskia looked at Melissa. Her smile turned to a frown and then back to a smile. She made a comment about it being in the past and she doubted her story was of any interest to her younger prodigy.

              ‘Are you kidding? I would love to hear your story from your own mouth.’ Melissa had read about them over the years and now she wondered just how much of it was true.

              Saskia sipped her wine and laughed. ‘You have no idea how much you remind me of me. Kinda’, but I’m also a little like Megan.’ The comment threw Melissa as it was such a strange thing to say. ‘It’s been a long time since I’ve had anyone I trust enough to talk to about me and Sonny. The only person I could turn to was Derrick and he’s long gone. God rest his soul. ’               Derrick had died just weeks after the band quit back in the 80s having found it harder to adapt to living a normal life. Drink had overcome him in the end, but driving a car after putting away an entire bar had been his ultimate demise.

              Melissa felt honoured to hear such an icon say that to her and she promised Saskia that she would never tell a soul.

              ‘I was accused of sleeping with all of Jag – lagged, because I was so close to them just as you are to Luke’s boys.’ She explained how she was the only one who could calm him down. They would call her when he was out of control, although Sonny was much harder to control than Luke. He was the stereotypical rock star. Drugs, booze and women, even at times forgetting about her when he went on a bender. Saskia fought to keep him despite her heartache because she was one of those girls who were convinced she could change him, and eventually she did.

              ‘But you were dating all those famous men. Didn’t one of them deserve you more, treat you better?’ Melissa asked.

              Saskia threw her head back and laughed loudly. ‘Melissa, you of all people should understand the media. It was all nonsense. Sonny has always been my one and only, hence why I am also like Megan, more than you think.’ Melissa sat open mouthed at this revelation.               Saskia smiled at the memory of meeting her husband for the first time as it flickered in her mind, The Hanging Tree 3rd March 1969 11.53pm. She had bumped into him after their gig, spilling his beer everywhere and had run out of the venue, mortified. She had been dragged out to her first ever gig by her cousin not knowing how that night would change her life forever. Her cousin could talk her way into anywhere, and they had somehow managed to get backstage. Sonny Lee, the man on every girls’ wall followed her out laughing even though his shirt was soaked. Saskia stood apologising over and over for a good five minutes while trying to dry his shirt with a paper towel. The people around them stood opened mouthed as the famous rock star spent the rest of the night with her, ignoring every other girl, when he would normally chat up several.

              It didn’t take long for him to completely change her, for the better in her eyes. But not everyone was happy about her choice. Her dad had never liked Sonny for no other reason than he wasn’t a doctor or a lawyer. But after just a few weeks of being with him she knew where her heart belonged. Sonny gave her the freedom to be herself, show the world her beauty instead of being dragged down by society, and she regretted none of it. Saskia was shy and withdrawn, didn’t rate herself or even consider any man to be interested in her, let alone someone like him. She had even been convinced after that night, even after he had kissed her, the most earth moving moment in her life, that she wouldn’t see him again.

              That night, she had been all ready to go home. The band were about to leave on the next stop on tour. She had enjoyed what she thought was a brief encounter with Sonny, and that was that. She’d waved as she walked past them smoking by the door. He’d moved quickly, grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

              ‘Saskia Morris, have you forgotten something?’ he’d said.

              ‘No, I don’t think so,’ she’d responded.

              ‘Oh, I think you have.’ Then his lips were on hers and she had stood paralysed on the spot.

              Shit. I don’t know how to kiss, Saskia had thought for the first few seconds. But he made it easy, and before she knew it she was kissing him back. It seemed to last a lifetime, and then he was gone. She’d thought it would come to nothing, but he’d called her next day and begged her to come to see him. She had caught the train to Liverpool, nervous and still believing this would go nowhere. It hadn’t stopped her. Her mind was telling her to go home but her heart dragged her onto that train and she made the journey, arriving an hour before they took the stage.

              She had been about to join the queue like everyone else attending, when a guy walked towards her. ‘Are you Saskia Morris?’ She had shyly nodded and he had smiled and said, ‘You don’t have to queue with the rest of this lot. Come with me. Sonny’s expecting you.’

              She was taken backstage and led to a room, not as lavish as you get these days. Sonny was sat feet up on a table, fag in mouth and bantering with his bass player about football. She could remember it as clear as day. Sonny, a West Ham fan, and his bass player, Derrick, a Millwall fan. They were an interesting mix, explosive sometimes, but they were allies on the stage. Derrick had spotted her first and whistled. ‘Oh, here she is, the lovely Saskia. How are ya, darling?’ he’d said warmly and winked at her.

              Sonny had turned to look at her and flicked his head in a motion that meant ‘Get out’ to his bandmates. They left and she always remembered Derrick whispering in her ear as he walked past her. ‘I hope your heart’s made of stone, love. He’s broken many.’

              ‘I’m made of strong stuff. But thanks for the advice,’ she had whispered back. Derrick had winked again. Even then, just seconds of being with them all, she felt like she belonged.

              ‘Hi,’ Sonny had said as he got up and put his cigarette out. She had blushed and looked at the floor. The famous, most handsome man she had ever seen was walking towards her. All tight jeans and leather jacket, messy blonde hair and a mouth to die for. Wasting no time, he had said nothing more but kissed her, and put his hands in places no man had ever been before. She didn’t stop him. She didn’t want to stop him. It wasn’t because of who he was, and she didn’t feel threatened or like she was expected to do it. She had felt like she had known him for months, not hours. She had wanted to, although if it hadn’t been for her stopping it when she did, they would have had sex right there. She hadn’t been ready for that and she wanted to test him just a little. He’d backed off without any fuss, smiling.

              ‘Who
are
you, Saskia Morris? You drive me mad.’

              She didn’t respond but giggled instead, going crimson. What was she doing? she’d asked herself. She wasn’t meant to be there. Her dad was expecting her home any minute: she was in a lot of trouble. The money she had used for the train was supposed to be for books for her study. Yes. A lot of trouble.

              She’d watched the band play and then they’d spent the rest of the evening getting blind drunk. Her eyes had been opened, and she’d experienced more in that one night than she had in her twenty years. She was looked after and made to feel special. Even when he took to the road he would call her when he could. Three weeks later he’d told her he loved her, they’d married after twelve months and had loved each other, hated each other, ever since. They’d caused chaos around the world and partied everyday like it was their last but even when things were bad between them it was always Sonny who would cave in first begging her to take him back.

              ‘You’re famous for sleeping with all these famous men and eventually settling down with Sonny.’

              ‘
I
never said that.
They
did. I just never corrected them and it seems the men in question didn’t mind being linked with me’

              ‘Wow, that sucks.’

              Saskia just shrugged her shoulders. It was old news and wasn’t something she ever worried about. Sonny loved her and that was all that mattered to her. But there
were
times when he made her doubt it.

              ‘Was it true about Sonny and the other women?’

              ‘Yes, but not as much as was made out. He did cheat on me a few times, but not hundreds like people think. And he always came back to me. You see it was him who couldn’t live without me and eventually he learned after I left him after yet another affair, or tour bunk up, whatever you want to call it, that I was the only person who could ever love him. I left him for eight months. Sonny ran around with some bint till she almost bled him dry.’ Saskia looked tearful and stopped talking. Melissa patted her hand and told her she didn’t need to tell her any more. ‘He was killing himself with drink and drugs. She was spending his money. Couldn’t have given a shit.’ Saskia explained how Derrick had turned up at her flat and begged her to help. She hadn’t hesitated. Hurt as she was, but hearing he could die if someone didn’t help him had made her run to him. ‘I found him at his hotel.’ She screwed her eyes together. The memory wasn’t a pleasant one. ‘Anyway, from that day until now, he’s never strayed again.’

              ‘You saved him.’

              ‘Tough love, Liss, and you know all about that.’

              Melissa had found a friend who understood and she was pleased to have Saskia in her life. ‘Did you plan to go back to him?’

              ‘Love never comes easy. It isn’t all flowers and chocolates. Did I want to leave him? No. Did I think of him every night? Yes. Until Derrick showed up I didn’t know what I wanted. Then everything changed, and my heart broke more at the thought of him dying than him and other women. That made my mind up. I would fight for him. I fought hard and I won. Your next question is how could I forgive him?’