Hot Southern Mess (Hide Your Crazy) (12 page)

“Sorry; the girl at the front desk took forever,” I tried to apologize, making sure there was at least some sympathy in my voice. It wasn’t that I didn’t like Stephanie, in reality she was a great boss. But for some reason, I really didn’t care for anyone’s attitude tonight. Maybe it was the empowering girl anthems that kept playing on the radio during the drive over here. Or maybe, I just needed a beer.

“I’ll see you at the hotel in Flagstaff tomorrow afternoon. Make sure they don’t leave anyone behind please,” Stephanie said, climbing into
the Lexus and immediately checked her lipstick in the side mirror.

“Got it;
have a safe drive.”

“Maybe we can spend a little
time in the spa tomorrow night; you look like you could use a break,” Stephanie said with a half-smile.

“That sounds great,” I managed to choke out. Obviously
, I knew what she thought of my appearance tonight. Great.

Realizing that there was no taming the beast that my hair had transformed in, I wandered back stage to check in with Tiny and see how much longer the guys needed before we rolled out. Passing some groupies as I walked down the hallway, I could hear their snickers at my appearance.

“Sorry ladies, I’m here to do a job, not bang
ing the band. No need to get catty,” I tossed over my shoulder. Apparently, their mother never taught them to keep their legs closed.

“Hey Tiny, how much longer do they need?” I called out as I approached the dressing rooms.

“PD has already made it on their bus, and the only one we are waiting on now is Reid.”

Sighing, I reached for the handle to the dressing room.

“You might want to wait,” Tiny stated, hinting to what was happening in the room.

Nothing fueled my now irritated mood more than hearing that Reid was in that room probably banging some stupid groupie. Why I even entertained the thought that he was different was just stupid of me. Tossing the door open, I quickly scanned the room and found the assailants sitting on the couch in the far corner. Well, one of them was sitting, the other bouncing.

“Reid,
wrap it up, clean it off, and let’s go.” There was no hiding the pissed off tone to my voice. This man didn’t need to get his dick wet at every damn stop.

The dark haired bimbo looked back and glared at me, like I was interrupting something classy and romantic.

“Please, Sweetheart, you are nothing but a number. Now, I’m tired and I want to go.”

Reid forced the girl off his lap and quickly stood to gather his pants. If I had half the sense in me I would have turned and not looked at his glory. But nope, I did what any fan girl would have don
e; I looked and totally took full advantage of the situation.

Reid quickly closed the gap between us and narrowed his eyes. I could tell he was angry, but really I was just doing my job.

“You work for me, got it? Just because Stephanie employs you, I am the reason you get paid. So if I want to fuck some chick after the show I’m going to do just that. I call the shots, not you. Just because we have this weird connection going on between us doesn’t make you the boss.”

Reid’s arm bumped my shoulder as he fumed by, causing me to lose my balance and stumble.

“And yes, Sweetheart, he was that good,” the dark haired skank raved as she walked past me too.

I should have been pissed
that he came after me that way. No one ever spoke to me in that tone again, and I wasn’t about to let some arrogant rock star treat me that way. But the only thing that played out in my head was that he ‘claimed’ we had a connection. Yep, stick a fork in me, I’m done.

Chapter 12 Hotel showers are what dreams are made of.

Hanging out
with the band Political Downfall was surprisingly easy. There were no sexual comments made during the session, and oddly to say the least, I could see myself becoming friends with these guys. It was just a chill night, playing some amazing music, and great conversation. I’ve always kind of been a loner in a sense that people’s companionship didn’t really intrigue me. I could count on my hand the number of times I’ve thought of someone as my friend, and not just an acquaintance who I was forced to talk with when they were around. But these guys were different, and hanging out on their bus didn’t cause me to freak out and run away.

Brantley didn’t force himself upon me either, which was refreshing to say the least. I tend to attract either other socially awkward kind of guys
, or the ones who are full force, balls to the wall kind of types. Other than our little moment the other night, he was an absolute gentleman. Not saying that the other night was a bad thing, considering I love a good romp when the time calls for it. He genuinely tried to start a friendship with me first, and that scored massive points in my book. He didn’t try and woo me with his up and coming rock star status, nor did I hear anything come out of his mouth that I didn’t believe to be true.

I wasn’t a one trick pony, and there were no armbands sold to enjoy this ride. My pants weren’t going to drop for some lame pickup line that has been used millions of times on stupid girls. Nope, I was the daughter of southern royalty. I may not act like it all the time, but there was still a little class left in this body of mine. If he wanted to get anywhere with me, he was going to have to work at it. My mind was t
elling me this was a good thing; my stupid body just needed to catch up.

We arrived at the hotel
in the late afternoon, and I was desperate for a real shower. I had yet to spend more than ten minutes getting ready and I just wanted an hour of uninterrupted bliss. Stephanie met us down in the lobby and passed out room keys, and quickly went over tomorrow’s press junket before the guys were free for the night.

“Stephanie, is there anything you need done tonight?” I asked before heading off to my glorious quiet room.

“Nope, enjoy your night and be ready to go by seven tomorrow. I need your help with the radio promos in the morning,” Stephanie replied, immediately punching something into her cell phone and bringing it up to her ear. That woman was always on the phone.

I was totally giddy at the thought of having some time to myself. I agreed to have dinner with Brantley later this evening, but I s
till had several hours all alone. Skipping to the elevator door, I couldn’t wipe the stupid smile off my face; this chick was taking a nice, long, seriously hot bath. And the best part about it, I was going to be alone. It really was the simple things in life that amused me.

I’m not sure how long I was actually in the tub, but my skin was a total shriveled mess when I emerged. Now, I normally don’t make a big deal out of my grooming
habits, but being able to shave my legs and other unmentionables without having to shove my body at some weird angle due to the shower being so small, was like eating a whole damn pie on Thanksgiving; totally satisfying.

Taking my time to get ready, I relished in the silence that surrounded me. Back home all I had was my music and silence. Now my life was filled with commotion and
noise; such an amazing change in a short amount of time.  Drying my hair and tugging the flat iron through some pieces, I finished it off with a shine spray and started on my makeup. Nothing fancy tonight, just some simple eyeliner and mascara for dinner. Sure, I was heading out with a famous band, but that didn’t mean I needed to change who I was comfortable with.

I stood next to the bed, contemplating on what I was going to wear when my phone rang.
Suddenly my stomach plummeted and my mood instantly soured.

“
Well, if it isn’t my favorite sister,” my voice dripped with sarcasm and hate. I had heard all the lectures I needed from Mom and Dad, that dealing with her bullshit today wasn’t high on my priority list.

“L
ook who finally answered,” my sister snarled, the tone of her voice ice cold and bitchy.

“Yep, apparently I had a momentary lapse of
judgment and didn’t look at the screen before answering.”

“Well you need to come home. Mom has this big charity thing for some sick kids or something like that this weekend
, that we need you need to attend. I told them you really didn’t matter, but apparently everyone is expecting you at the function.”

“First
, you don’t even have a fucking clue what this function is. Second, if Mom really cared she would have called me herself. And third, I have a job now. You do know what a job is, right sissy?” There was no hiding my disgust for my selfish sister now. Once again, this charity fundraiser was all about the status. For all I knew, there really wasn’t a sick kid organization that they would be donating to, but making themselves look good for the others in the shitty ass money driven town.

“
It’s your family, Molly; have you already forgotten where you came from?” My sister questioned, letting the silence fill the line, just waiting for a fighting comment back.

“I will always know where I came from, doesn’t mean I want to still be there. I’ve got dinner plans tonight, so I guess I’ll talk to you later.” I wasn’t going to play their game
; they just wanted a reaction from me and I refused to give it to them.

“Well you might want to call and check on your c
ar, just a little loving advice.” Rebecca laughed, sending chills down my spine.

I didn’t even give her the opportunity to say goodbye, just quickly ended the call and went directly into my contacts to search for the storage
unit’s number. A knock on the door startled me as I hit the connect button, silently praying that my sister was a lying sack of shit.

Flinging the door open, I bit down hard on my lip to try and release some of the tension in these
aggravating seconds waiting for someone on the other line to pick up the damn phone.

Brantley stood out in the hallway, looking absolutely panty dropping hot, and here I was in a ratty old t-shirt and boxers. Totally not the look I was going for, but when life seems to drop a damn atomic bomb on your shoulders you basically man up and deal with it. Offering him a meek smile then mouthing the words ‘come in and one sec,’ I quickly scampered back into the main area of the small hotel room.

“Oh thank god someone is there, yeah hi
, I’m calling to check on my baby,” I gushed in a panic. I glanced over at Brantley who looked almost green standing in the small hallway, totally fidgeting with the hem of his long sleeve button up.

“Yes, I just got a call from a family member saying I need to call and check. What is going on?”

Brantley motioned that he was going to go when I held my hand up for him to wait; hopefully this would only take a couple more seconds to make sure everything kosher.

“They WHAT?
Are you fucking kidding me? Why in the world would you let someone just come pick her up? Out of all the idiotic things that could have possibly happened this takes the god damn cake,” I screamed, pacing back and forth next to the bed. Who in their right mind would let someone come and take my baby out of storage? This was absolutely ludicrous! I listened to the poor man on the other line stumble over his words, trying to explain the situation to an obviously pissed off woman.

“So, you
’re telling me that they came in to retrieve it, and you just let them? I don’t give a fuck that his name was on the papers; seriously I don’t know what to do now.” Actually, I knew what exactly I needed to do; call my damn father and figure out why in the hell he wanted my damn car. “I’ve got to figure this out now, but I will be calling back to deal with you guys. Mark my words: this isn’t the end of hearing from me,” I threatened, smashing the end call button and tossing my cell on the bed. Tears instantly pooled in my eyes and my lip started to tremble, knowing an imminent breakdown was about to happen.

“I don’t know what’s going on
, Molly, but is there anything I can do to help?” Brantley’s words were sincere as he closed the gap between us, offering his arms out to take me into his grasp.

I stepped willing into his frame, tightly wrapping my arm
s around his waist, and buried my face into his chest. I didn’t normally express those kinds of emotions. I prided myself on being a strong woman; someone who could handle the situations life threw at me. Considering only a few years ago, I felt so dependent on a man that I didn’t know what side was up and what was down. So, the fact that I sat there sobbing in this man’s arms, was a shock to my system, something I wasn’t ready to let him see just yet.

“I’m so sorry, this just came as a total shock for me,” I whispered, bringing my hand up to wipe away the tears that were falling down my cheeks.

“Don’t worry about it
, Molly. So, it’s about your daughter?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle and pull away from his arms. This man thought I had a kid. My car w
as more like a lesbian lover than my kid, but oh my gosh, I see how my words could have been construed totally different. Laughter tore through the air, as I continued to try and make sense of this serious problem.

Brantley just gave me a puzzled look, cocking his beautiful head to the side.

“I don’t have a kid, Brantley; it’s my car. Apparently, my father believes it shouldn’t be in Seattle,” I managed to spit out in-between giggling fits.

A relief washed over his face and the creases in his brows eased up from the apparent tension he had carried through that conversation. “Car?” he questioned.

“Yes, my ‘65 Mustang. I left her stored at a unit in Seattle before we left, and apparently my father took her out and has her lord only knows where.”

“I really thought you had a kid…………not that it would matter, but shit
, Molly. You scared the piss right out of me there,” Brantley commented, sitting himself on the tall soft bed.

“
Nope, no kid,” I said calmly, taking a seat next to him.

“So, what are you going to do?”

“Well nothing, right now. It’s not like I don’t know the person who took her, and I need to collect my thoughts before dealing with that train wreck. So…………… dinner?” I ask with a smile, silently praying he didn’t bounce from the minor freak out he just witnessed.

“Of course,” h
e replied, showing off that grin that made me weak in the knees and wet in the pants.

Standing, I pull
ed on his arm and yanked him off the bed. Reaching up on my tiptoes, I placed a soft kiss on his cheek and pushed him away. “Go, I need to get dressed.”

Brantley grinned and licked his lips. It was scary how comfortable I was with this man around my personal space.

Brantley took my hand and interlocked our fingers as we stepped out of the elevator. It took me by complete surprise when he made that move, but I didn’t pull away. There was something calming and reassuring when I was with him, something that couldn’t be simply explained in words just yet.

“So,
I have reservations at The Que; sound okay?” Brantley mentioned, squeezing my hand and looking directly in the eyes.

“Sure, I
’m game for just about anything.” I smiled back, silently cursing the damn butterflies in my stomach to settle down before I poisoned them with some intoxicating beverage.

Brantley nodded to the concierge standing at the desk and guided me to the door.

“Molly Anne?” Reid’s voice came from behind me.

Suddenly my heart stopped and my mouth went drier
than the Mojave desert. I glanced behind me to see Reid and the other guys from Black Laden walking out in the large lobby, followed closely by security and Tiny.

“Hi,” I
waved with my free hand, keeping a tight lock with my other hand in Brantley’s. Reid’s eyes immediately went to my other hand, noticing the tangled fingers and close contact we were sharing. His eyes turned dark and a pained expression splashed across his face.

“Are you guys leaving?” Brody asked, coming up and wrapping an arm around my shoulders, breaking the hold I had with Brantley.

“Yeah, we were just going to grab a bite to eat,” Brantley replied, the tension in his voice evident.

“Thought you were coming with us
, Molly?” Brody winked, letting a sly smile spread across his smug little face. I had completely forgotten I had made plans with the guys for dinner when I accepted the invitation with Brantley. Did Reid really expect me to still come at his beck and call when he had girls coming out of his dressing room more than revolving doors opened at Macy’s.

“Sorry
guys, must have slipped my mind,” I offered, shrugging Brody’s arm off my body. I glanced over at Reid and noticed him looking at the ground. Why in the world was this uber confident, borderline cocky, and narcissistic rock star looking like I ran over his dog?