Hot Southern Mess (Hide Your Crazy) (20 page)

“Oh sorry
, Molly, let me introduce you to my wife. Ashley, this is Molly, our Assistant Manager,” Brantley spoke in a calm voice.

All I could do was nod my head as I watched the blonde exten
d her hand out to me and giggle.

“Nice to meet you
, Molly,” she greeted with a southern drawl.

“Um……………
” my words struggled to form. I silently prayed not to break down right here on the tarmac. I couldn’t let him see how this affected me, how my already broken heart just combusted into dust on the floor.

“Molly Anne, we need to go,” Reid’s voice came from behind me, gently grabbing my wrist and pulling me to the waiting car door.

“Okay,” I finally managed to say, still confused as to what really just happened.

“Come on B
aby,” Brantley cooed to his apparent wife, pulling her to another waiting car.

I watched as the two of them disappeared into the other car, and then quietly slipped into
the front seat of the other vehicle. Shutting the door, I waited for the driver to finish loading the luggage and silently let the tears fall down my cheeks. This is why I didn’t do love.

Chapter 20
: Oh hello. I forgot to tell you, I AM MARRIED!!!

I silently cried in the front seat of the car all the way to the hotel. Tears no longer fell from my eyes as I managed to gain composure on the outside; however I was a complete and utter mess on the inside. I had a job to do, and couldn’t let this effect my performance. The world wouldn’t stop for my damaged heart, nor would my job wait while I tried to fix the broken pieces.

Pulling the visor down in the car, I flipped open the mirror, bracing myself for the horrid visual I was about to witness. “Just as I thought,” I grumbled out loud, wiping the mascara smears out from under my eyes.
I looked like a damn raccoon that had been hit on the side of the road. My eyes were red and puffy; my cheeks were tinted black from wiping away the black tears that fell down my face. Someone just needed to scoop me up and bury me.

The door opened suddenly and Reid’s hand was once again offered in comfort.

“You ready, Molly Anne?”

Taking one last glance in the mirror, I quickly brushed off my cheeks again and gently took Reid’s waiting hand.

“Thank you,” I whispered, stepping out of the car.

“Not a problem
, Love.”

All I wanted to do was throw something sharp and pointy at Brantley right now. Then, I wanted to turn and shout obscenities at Reid for being so damn two sided. How in the world could my life get so complicated after one tall, big
boobed blonde showed up unexpectedly? I dealt with women like that all the time; just never thought it would be with the man I had started to have feelings for, and apparently knew nothing about.

Most of the guys had already entered the back of the hotel, and it was just a few stragglers
left out in the service entrance; Tiny, Reid, and I.

“Did you know?” I quietly asked Reid, reaching for the door handle.

“Yes.”

“And you didn’t say anything?” My blood began to boil just knowing that this man knew that Brantley was married. He k
new I was going out with him last night and didn’t say a damn thing about it.

“
It wasn’t my place, Molly Anne,” Reid whispered while walking through the kitchen.

“Whatever Reid,” I seethed. If he was messing around with someone that I knew was married, I would have said something. Come to think about it, pr
obably half the women he dabbled with are of the married variety. What a douche waffle.

We stepped in
to a conference room, where the rest of the guys were waiting for their hotel keys. I thanked the waiting desk clerk for handing me the room packets, and started passing them out to the men.

“Is your guest staying with us long?” I asked Brantley calmly. There was no reason to start a damn fight right here with an audience.

“Ashley, Babe, how long do you plan on staying?”

“Just for the night
, Honey, I have to get back to the baby tomorrow,”

Oh just fucking great. I had slept with a man that was not only married, but had a baby as well. Pretty sure I was going to hell. I’ll be damned if that just didn’t confirm my reservation right there.

I smiled at the happy, stupid couple, and handed over the room key. There was no apologetic look in Brantley’s eyes; something that I just couldn’t believe from the man that was basically perfect for me before this little incident.

“Reid, Brody,
Tysen, and Ryder?” I called out before the guys left for their rooms. “You four have a radio interview with KXZZ tomorrow morning at seven-thirty. I’ll send a wakeup call at six. Does that work for you?”

“How about you just stay in my room tonight
, Molly? We can just stay up all night; no need for that wakeup call,” Brody teased, thrusting his crotch in my direction.

“Did you need me to make you an appointment for that itch
, Brody? You will have some free time tomorrow morning if you want to finally get that rash on your junk checked out,” I snapped right back, rolling my eyes at the idiot.

“Fuck no.
” Brody laughed, full on grabbing his package and giving it a jiggle.

“Classy,” I mu
ttered, turning to go talk with Cooper. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Reid and some short little brunette talking against the far wall.

“Oh hell no,” I mumbled rather loudly, storming over to where they were conversing. I had just dealt with fi
nding out the man I had been pseudo dating and fucking, had a wife and child, there was no way I was going to deal with a groupie slut opening her damn legs for Reid tonight.

“Excuse me
, Reid, we have a real early morning tomorrow,” I said in a sickening sweet voice. Sure I was pissed and hurt; however there was no way this chick was going to know it. These damn women seemed to prey on emotions, using any damn trick to weasel their way into a hotel room.

“Yes;
you said that earlier, Molly Anne,” Reid replied, offering me a weird smile.

“Well, that means she, I’m sorry I never got your name
can’t stay tonight.”

“Oh, you thought I was…………..oh no,” the woman replied, quickly taking a step ba
ck from Reid. “My name is Megan; I’m your assistant for the next couple of weeks,” she smiled, thrusting her hand out to me.

I grew up in a very judgmental world. Normally, I was on the other end of the judgmental comings, thus always tried to give people the benefit of the doubt before I jumped to conclusions. This instance right here
just confirmed how much I had changed while working this job. I would have never judged a person on their appearance before going on tour with these boys. I was no better than my mother at the end of the day, and I should be ashamed of myself.

“I am so sorry.
I can’t believe I just assumed you were here for them,” I gushed, quickly grabbing her hand and giving it a firm shake. “I’m Molly, and once again completely sorry for the mix up.”

“It’s not a problem; I’m just excited for the chance to work with you all.”

This woman seemed sweet, and if I hadn’t had my head up my ass this entire time, I probably would have realized there was something different about her.
Look what stupid hot men do to my mind. I’ve turned into a raving jealous bitch, with no grounds to stand on
. Now there is a winner right there.

“Good night, Molly Anne,” Reid smiled, placing a kiss to my temple.

I nodded my head and offered a small smile back. I must really look like a psycho bitch now.

“Are you two……” Megan started to comment.

“Oh gosh no,” I interrupted. I was taking a vow of celibacy from this moment on. The only action my vagina would be seeing was with my battery operated friends.

“It just seemed like there was something between you two,” Megan stated uncomfortably, fidgeting on her feet.

“Nope, just friends,” I reassured her. Watch, I would find out that Reid was married
, too. Wouldn’t that be my damn luck?

Megan smiled and I motioned for her to follow me.

“So, this is my first time being “in charge” so to say, so if I look lost or confused, it’s probably cause I am.” I laughed, hitting the call button for the elevator. “We have an early morning tomorrow, so I’ll head to the radio station with Black Laden in the morning. Can you be responsible for Political Downfall and make sure they get to the venue by noon at the latest? You will need to confirm the car service in the morning and have them wait out back in the service entrance.”

Megan nodded while writing things down on the tablet she was carrying.

“Here is the car service number, and the guys are staying in rooms 3312-3315,” I added, handing over a business card with the digits. “Oh, and Brantley’s wife is with him, so please make sure you get her a car to wherever she needs to go.” I had to really work on my tone for that last comment, considering I wanted nothing more than to punch that woman in the face. Sure, she did nothing, and it was entirely the bastard Brantley’s doing, but it still didn’t help the jealous side of my inner demons.

Shaking my head, I handed over an extra room key to Megan.

“Thank you. Anything else you need help with tonight?”

“No
pe, just enjoy the peace and quiet. Tomorrow will be enough of a whirlwind, so savor the evening.” I laughed stepping out of the elevator on my floor. “I’ll call you in the morning, and I’m really sorry about earlier,” I apologized again.

“No worries
, Molly,” Megan chimed in with a small wave before the doors closed. Wonderful first impression I made there.

I had a decent sleep last night, and didn’t get up ass early this morning; so why in the world was I so tired tonight? All I wanted to do was strip off my clothes and crawl into bed; but I knew if I didn’t shower tonight, having enough time in the morning to get ready wasn’t going to happen.

I placed my clipboard down on the desk and did a quick visual of the room, making sure my luggage and Simon got brought to my room safely. Stripping off my sweatshirt, I tossed it on the chair and wandered into the bathroom, quickly turning the shower head on.
Shutting the door, I waited for the steam to fill the room, and then stripped off the rest of my clothes.

Standing in the shower was incredible. The hot water pelted my skin as it tumbled
down above me, turning my creamy complexion into a wonderful shade of bright red. The heat eased my tense muscles, and the silence relieved my warped mind. Being around people so much in the last couple of weeks was taxing on my sanity, so it was times like this that I relished in the solitude.

The one good thing about being in a hotel was the hot water supply. I had been standing in the shower for at least forty minutes, and the heat never seemed to waver. If only the bus had these capabilities I might actually tour for the rest of my life.

Climbing out of the heated palace, I dried my body off with the fluffiest towels my skin had ever come in contact with and ran my hands through the curly wet mess of my hair. Dropping the towel on the floor, I reached for the door and let the cool air of the room intermix with the heat I had trapped in the bathroom.

“What the fuck?” I screeched, jumping back into the bathroom and clumsily grabbing the door. “What in the world are you doing in here, Reid?”

“I just wante
d to make sure you were okay,” he mentioned, letting a naughty smirk crawl across his face.

“How did you get in here?”

“Really, Molly Anne?”

I knew exactly how he got in this room. He wandered his stupid
self down to the lobby and sweet talked the poor desk girl into giving him a key.

“I’m fine
, Reid. So you can go now.”

“Just
come talk with me,” Reid begged, patting the side of the bed next to him.

“Reid, I’m naked,” I whined, starring directly at my suitcase sitting on the floor.

“That’s okay with me,” he teased, licking his lips suggestively.

Groaning, I leaned forehead against the door, silently cursing at the situation. I heard the bed rustle, and opened my eyes to
Reid digging through my suitcase.

“Reid!”

“I was looking for panties, but I can’t find any,” he tossed over his shoulder, still arms deep rifling through my suitcase.

“You won’t find any. Will you
please get your grubby little hands out of my suitcase?” I scolded, pulling the towel tighter around my body, leaning down to push him away.

“This towel is really
soft,” Reid taunted, rubbing his hand down the side of my body.

“Reid,” I groaned, grabbing a pair of yoga pants and a tank top.

“I’m not trying to get your naked, Molly Anne, but I wouldn’t protest if you wanted to. I just came to see how you are doing after what happened earlier.”

I snorted while walking back into
the bathroom. I didn’t believe that he just wanted to talk. This was a full blooded male with a rather large penis. His brain might claim he wanted to talk, but his penis was the one who would try to carry out the action.

Stepping out of the bathroom, fully clothed, I noticed Reid had made himself comfortable on my bed with Simon sitting in his lap. Even with all my frustrations from today, seeing that man sitting on my bed instantly made me stop and breathe for a moment. How could I have ever been so blinded by what Brantley had to offer, considering it was this man sitting on my bed that held my attention?

“Nice piece of wood you have here,” Reid commented, not taking
his eyes off Simon as he strummed the twelve string tenderly.

“My grandfather gave me him
to me for my eighth birthday,” I said, climbing up on the foot of the bed.

Reid simply smiled and went
back to plucking at the strings, letting the music fill the hotel room softly. I was so attracted to the musical abilities of Reid, that the whole situation of today seemed to melt away, slipping further into the back of my mind.