Miles of Pleasure (11 page)

"Tonight, we're presenting the award for Best New Group, and for the first time, the winner has been picked by the fans. For the past week, MTV has accepted your votes and let you pick this year's Best New Group. And the nominations are..."

The screens came alive, showing the videos of all the nominees. Ashton and the rest of the guys smiled broadly as their video came up. The cameras moved into position, pointing directly at them to get a good reaction shot.

Finally, all attention went back to the presenters. "And the winner is..." One of them opened up the envelope slowly. "That's great, I love these guys," he said, more to himself than anyone else.

"MILES OF PLEASURE!"

The shock of hearing the name didn't register at first. The crowd went wild, but no one in Miles of Pleasure moved. The group in front of them turned around and stood to shake their hands, and the producer waved frantically, trying to get them moving.

"It's you!" Kaylee said, fighting back the tears and smiling so hard she felt as though her face would crack. "Ashton, it's you!"

In a delayed reaction, the group finally stood and hugged one another. Their dazed eyes told the story. None of them had expected to win, but here it was, and now they were going up on the stage - it was so surreal that each of the men thought they might be dreaming.

Ashton turned to Kaylee when she stood up, and did the one thing she didn't expect - he pulled her in for a deep kiss. She was shocked by the suddenness of it, but the surprise of his lips against hers and his hand against the small of her back. Before she could properly react, he backed away and let out a shout of joy.

He looked into her eyes for a tender moment, but the producer was still waving and the crowd was cheering. He smiled at her one last time before heading down the aisle.

Kaylee hugged each of the guys as they passed her. Noah was the last one. He pulled her tight and lifted her in the air. "I saw that," he whispered in her ear, then ran to join the rest of the guys.

She sank back into her chair, a little embarrassed by the kiss, but she couldn't think it through right now - there was an award to be accepted! She was so ecstatic and proud of her boys.

The guys all gathered around the microphone. "Wow, this is great! We didn't prepare a speech, because honestly, we NEVER thought we'd be up here," Noah told everyone. He looked at the little moon man statuette, holding it tight in his hands.

"First, we need to thank our fans. You're the ones who put us here, and you're the ones who keep us going day to day. Next, we need to thank all our friends and family, everyone who has supported us since day one," Noah went on. He looked to the other guys for help, as he got caught up in the moment.

"All the production crew, Jayden, Cody, the guys at the recording studio, our record company..." Jayden added.

"And most importantly, a special thanks to my sister Kaylee. Thank you so much for always keeping us in line, and for being there whenever we need you," Noah announced.

"We love you Kaylee!" Jayden and Colton yelled together.

Ashton took the mic then. "Thanks for being my sparring partner, as well as my teddy bear." He looked out to the crowd and spotted Kaylee.

That did it. The tears started, the kind of good tears that she would never try to hide. She blew a kiss at all of them. The music came on to usher them off stage, but before they moved, they saw their biggest fan give them a standing ovation. Kaylee stood, with tears pouring from her eyes, clapping like there was no tomorrow. Her heart swelled, knowing how deserving the band was. She had been there through all the shows - the crappy ones and the great ones - all the long hours on the road, the interviews and the press and the occasional problems. She had seen it all, and she knew that ninety percent of stardom is serious work. That hard work had finally paid off, and she couldn't be happier for them.

Kaylee sat back down and watched the rest of the show. During commercial breaks, people would stop by to pat her on the shoulder and congratulate her and "her boys." She knew those boys were backstage in front of a bevy of cameras.

The guys made it back to their seats just as the show was ending. Ashton immediately took her hand as she sat down. They were all so euphoric that it was as though their bodies were filled with electricity; nobody wanted to sit. There was a lot of fidgeting until the show was over. After the cameras stopped rolling, they were finally able to get out of their seats and head to the front lobby.

Once there, Kaylee hugged all the guys again, telling them all how proud she was of them.

She went and talked to Colton and Jayden's dates as the three of them faded into the background. The women watched as different singers and actors came over and congratulated the band, giving them their moment of glory. Of course, Brittany stood right by Noah, making sure she was both seen and heard by everyone who stopped by.

Neither of the other two girls seemed to like Brittany much. They got along well with Kaylee though. They kept themselves entertained as the guys basked in the joy of the night. Ashton kept motioning for Kaylee to stand next to him, but each time, she smiled and shook her head.

The guys were able to meet some of their idols, the bands that they patterned their music after. It gave them an unbelievable high, something that no drug could ever match.

Ashton had enough of Kaylee holding up the wall, and went over to her. In one swift movement, he wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up and spun her around. Kaylee tossed her head back and laughed, feeling so carefree and happy.

An hour later they were back in the limo, heading to the post-party that their record company was throwing for the newly-minted winners. Ashton had his hand back in Kaylee's as they talked about all the famous people they had met that night.

At the party, the champagne was endless as the eight of them celebrated the success of the band. No one's glass was ever empty, and they were all plastered at the end of the night. It seemed a fitting, carefree way to end a night that had gone impossibly well - both professionally and personally.

T
he next day, Kaylee woke to a relentless pounding in her head. She rolled over in bed, moving very carefully, hoping that if she moved her head to a different spot on the pillow, it wouldn't hurt so much.

She lay there for a long moment with her head hurting too much to think. But slowly awareness arrived, and with it came memories. Her mind started to picture everything that happened the night before, Ashton kissing her, touching her, making her feel like no man ever had before.

Kaylee groaned aloud. "No..."

She wasn't going to think of any of those things. Nothing really happened, and she didn't want anything to happen. Did she? Kaylee didn't like Ashton, there was no way. No way! He tormented her constantly, picking at her last nerve until she nearly blew up.

But why had they kissed so much the night before, and had so much fun the whole evening? Why did she enjoy the feel of his skin against her skin, his lips on her lips? Why was he invading her thoughts more and more each day?

In the unvarnished light of a serious hangover, Kaylee realized that she was starting to have serious feelings for Ashton. Feelings that were best put aside. After all, a man like that couldn't really change, could he? He was too set in his partying ways.

But still...

"Impossible," she murmured.

There was no way that she was ever going to have any feelings for Ashton besides pure and utter dislike. She was never going to feel all warm and cuddly for him; it just wasn't possible. They weren't even friends, how could they ever be anything more? Just because he had made last night feel like a fairy tale didn't mean anything. Surely he made every woman feel that way. She had seen the way women looked at him when his attention was focused their way - that starry look in their eyes said it all.

She was justlonely, plain and simple. She missed the closeness of a man. She missed the intimate moments, the stolen glances, the soft touches. Companionship, that was all she needed, and Ashton wasn't going to be the one to fill that need.

But why was she trying so hard to convince herself that it was nothing more than that?

Kaylee sat up in bed and groaned in pain, then laid right back down. She contemplated things for a little while longer, praying that the pounding in her head would go away. When she felt as though she could walk without her head exploding, she got out of bed slowly and pulled on a pair of faded jeans and a worn out sweatshirt. There was someone she needed to see, and something she needed to do.

But before she did that, she needed aspirin. Lots of it. She found a bottle of ibuprofen in her bag. "It'll do," she said as she swallowed two, considered, and then swallowed two more. She grabbed her key card and left her room, taking the stairs to the floor below hers.

Kaylee rapped on the door, fast and loud, even though it made her head pound harder. She waited for a second, got no answer, and she rapped on it again. A muted "I'm coming, I'm coming," was heard from inside.

The door opened to show a cute young man wearing boxers and sporting a rather wild case of bed-head. "Kaylee? What are you doing here?" he asked, and quickly grabbed his keycard and slipped into the hall, shutting the door behind him.

Kaylee didn't say anything, but instead grabbed his face softly in her hands and attached her lips to his. At first Brandon was surprised, but as the kiss deepened, he began to relax and really get into it. He definitely got into it - the evidence of that was clear through his thin boxers.

When Kaylee backed away, they were both panting hard, trying to catch their breath. "What was that for?" he asked, more than a little confused.

"Are you complaining?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at him.

"What? No! I just thought that you...that we...Does this mean what I think it means?" He was at a loss for words.

Kaylee nodded her head. "I'd like to give it another try. That is, as long as you still want to?"

Brandon kissed her softly. "I'd like that more than anything. Can I take you to dinner tonight?"

"Yeah, I'd like that." Kaylee told him. "Pick me up at 7:00?" When Brandon nodded, Kaylee replied softly, "See you later, then."

Brandon watched her walk away and disappear into the stairwell. He felt some hope that they were going to finally overcome the past. He strolled back into his room, feeling like he was walking on air.

When he reached the bed, he shook the shoulder of the woman lying there. "Get up, and get out please," he said in an assertive voice.

The well-used woman looked up at him. "But you said we could spend the day together in bed!" The woman blinked up at him, getting her bearings. "I was hoping you'd be ready for some more..." Her hand snaked up into his boxers.

Brandon snapped, "No, I'm done. Get your clothes and go." Then, as an afterthought he added, "Please," a command more than a request.

The woman got up out of bed, pulling the sheet with her. She muttered under her breath while she was getting dressed. Brandon watched her as she did it, no longer interested in anything she had to offer.

"I didn't want any more of your little dick anyway. I barely knew you were inside me." She tossed the words at him out of spite as she left his room, slamming the door.

All Brandon could do was flip off the door that she had just walked through, even though the woman wouldn't know he had done it. He didn't care. He was getting Kaylee back! He lay in bed for a few minutes, planning out their night. With any luck, by the end of the night, she'd be head over heels for him again.

The day seemed to crawl by. Brandon tried to stay busy, but the entire band was taking a day off, and nobody wanted to talk to him. In fact, most of them were busy until dinnertime nursing their hangovers. Kaylee hung out in her room, sleeping on and off, then dozing in one of her rare bubble baths. When Brandon showed up at her door right on time, she was more than ready for their date.

After a romantic night of dinner and a moonlit stroll, Brandon brought Kaylee back to her room. He knew that he couldn't push her too far yet, so he had to keep everything fairly innocent. He leaned down to give her a goodnight kiss, a simple PG kiss, but Kaylee had other ideas. As she ran her fingers through his hair, she deepened the kiss, tangling her tongue with his.

Brandon moaned as her kiss spread excitement throughout his body. He wanted her - now. He wanted her right here, right now, without any regard to who might see. It was a moment of pure bliss that was suddenly shattered by a passing intruder.

"Mmm, she sure is a good kisser, huh?" Ashton asked, when he stumbled upon the couple making out as he left his room. "Don't you just love that thing she does with her tongue? Hell, that even gets
me
weak in the knees. You'd never know she was still a virgin with the expertise she shows."

"Ashton!" Kaylee yelled, stunned.

Brandon looked to Kaylee for answers, and found her bowing her head, and shaking it softly. Her face was glowing red. She couldn't meet Ashton's eyes - she wanted to melt into the floor and disappear. She was both embarrassed and angry.