Beats of Life (Perception Book 5) (5 page)

“Beautiful caramel babies,” Melanie sighs softly, causing both me and Emily to giggle softly.

Slater

By the time I make it back out into the VIP section, all of the band members are back sitting in the red leather booths and I’m thoroughly satisfied. I never had any problems hooking up with women before I was famous, but now the women are endless. It is at times a little too easy. I could just snap my fingers and I would have several companions instantly vying for my attention.

As I make my way back to the booths, I ensure my zipper on my jeans is up. When my gaze lifts, the first set of eyes I notice belong to Kylie. Her hazel eyes are lowered down looking at the crutch of my jeans before they flick over to the waitress that has just followed me out the bathroom. The waitress’s lipstick is no longer existent and her hair is ruffled from the tight grip I had on her hair to ensure she gave head the way I liked it. I could have fucked her in the bathroom, but neither of us had any protection, and I’m sure as hell not going down the parenthood path like Noah and Nick. I don’t care if the chick assures me she is on the pill, I will not have sex without a condom.

When Kylie’s eyes eventually return to mine, I see a small gathering of tears forming in them, making me hesitate in joining my bandmates. I’ve always been a sucker for tears, but this is the first time I have seen them form in Kylie’s eyes in years.

No stuff that, that is my band, they are my friends and I’m not the one that did anything wrong. She is the one intruding on my turf now and if anyone should be made to feel uncomfortable it should be her. I make a beeline for Marcus while signalling to the waitress to bring me another whiskey.

“Who invited her?” I question the instant I plop down next to Marcus. His confused eyes turn to look at me before he responds, “Who?” like he doesn’t have a clue who I’m talking about. I motion my head towards Kylie and her blonde friend.

“All I know is that Emily invited them into the VIP section,” he informs, his green eyes flicking between mine. “I’m the blonde’s baby daddy,” he informs seriously. Now I’m the one appearing confused. It is only when Marcus smiles while waggling his eyebrows do I realize that he is joking.

When I turn my gaze to the blonde, she appears deep in conversation with Emily and Kylie, but her eyes constantly dart back to look at Marcus.

“Are you at least going to tap that?” I ask, accepting the glass of whiskey from the waitress, noticing that her lipstick has been replaced and her hair has been brushed.

Marcus doesn’t answer my question, but he has a small smirk on his face like he is considering the idea. I wink at the waitress to thank her for the beverage, triggering her to lick her swollen lips. When I return my gaze to Kylie, I notice that her eyes are no longer filled with tears, but they are narrowed angrily. I give her the same wink I had just given the waitress and she angrily rolls her eyes before standing from the red leather booth to make her way to the bar with her blonde friend closely behind.

I can’t help but run my eyes over her tight body. Kylie’s hair is a lot shorter than it was when we were dating. Her normal wavy mousy brown hair has been replaced with a rich chocolate coloring and sits a few inches past her chin. Her face is heavily coated in make-up, hiding all of her freckles. She is wearing a tight black strapless dress that seems a little out of the ordinary for her. But when I look down at her feet, I realize that the normal Kylie is still hiding under there somewhere because she is wearing cropped black cowboy boots.

Her and her friend seem to be having a heated discussion and the blonde’s eyes and hands keeps motioning towards me. Kylie crosses her arms, pushing her breasts up higher in her dress, and I’m not the only one that notices, the bartender’s eyes zoom straight onto her cleavage. When he notices that I’m shotting daggers at him, he quickly scurries away to take orders from other patrons. 

I can’t hear what Kylie is saying, but her friend huffs loudly before storming down the wooden stairs. Kylie takes in several deep breaths before she slowly makes her way back to Emily and Jenni. She says a few words to them before moving over to me and Marcus.

“It was nice seeing you both again,” she informs quietly. The twang of her voice less noticeable compared to when I first met her.

Marcus stands from the booth and gives her a friendly hug. I stay sitting in the booth, my gaze seeking anything but hers. Marcus’s eyes dart down to me and he slightly nods his head to Kylie, trying to convince me to say goodbye. I shake my head softly and turn my gaze back down to the dance floor below. Even though Kylie brushes it away quickly, I couldn’t miss the tear that slide down her face. Feeling bad because I’ve made her cry, my eyes slowly lift to look into her sad and tormented eyes. She offers me a small smile before she spins on her heels and makes her way swiftly down the stairs.

Jenni must have noticed Kylie’s tears as the instant she left as she looks over at me and her face is marred with confusion. Nick defuses her angry glare by running the back of his hand down her cheek. I plan on spending the rest of the night enjoying the company of my friends and the unlimited alcohol while trying my hardest to forget about a girl I hope to never see again. It would have been a lot easier if Jenni didn’t come and sit next to me.

“What happened between you and Kylie?” she questions without any hesitation, forcing me to flop back harshly in the booth with a mighty long groan. I quickly signal to the waiter that I need another whiskey, triggering Jenni to giggle softly before she leans her head down against my shoulder.

“I really liked her,” she informs softly, her breath tickling my unshaven jawline.

“You weren’t the only one,” I reply quietly. I loved Kylie, she was the first girlfriend I had since Nikki, but I was left completely guttered after her. She was all the convincing I needed that relationships aren’t for me and I never intend on being in one ever again.

“She told me how you wouldn’t get up and boot scoot with her,” Jenni informs giggling softly. “I’ve seen you dance, you could have totally worked it,” she continues, making me chuckle softly.

I was mortified when Kylie motioned for me to join her on the dance floor that day. They were not dancing, they were line dancing, like full on cowboy shit. I was getting enough odd looks as it was sitting at the bar, imagine how out of place I would have looked in the middle of the dance floor?

“That’s not the type of tapping boots I like doing,” I reply making Jenni giggle softly. I don’t even need to look at her to know that her cheeks will be turning pink.

When Jenni yawns, my eyes flick down to my watch and I’m surprised to see it is nearly one am. I nudge her with my shoulder, causing her light blue eyes to look up into mine. Yep, she has the exact same eyes my little sister had. Just staring at them makes me think I’m looking into Serena’s eyes.

Serena and I were only eleven months apart. When mom would take us into town, people would often mistake us for twins. We didn’t have the sibling rivalry that everyone else seems to experience. She was my very best friend in the world and I miss her every single day. When Jenni notices the sullen look on my face, she leans her head back down onto my shoulder. She knows all about Serena, I had told her about her after she came and spoke to me about her relationship with Nick. People use to think my relationship with Jenni was odd, even Kylie herself at one stage became jealous. But they soon realize that I treat Jenni as if she is my sister, nothing more. I know she isn’t Serena, but I can’t help but treat her like she is.

“Why were you running to the bathroom before?” I question concerned. She looks okay now, but she didn’t look that crash hot before. This time when her eyes flick up, her cheeks are bright pink in color. Her eyes dart over to look at Nick, he smirks and winks at her before nodding his head.

“I think I’m pregnant,” she informs, biting down on her bottom lip.

“Again,” I reply mortified, triggering her to nod her head excitedly. “Didn’t you learn after the first one?” I continue, forcing her bottom lip to drop and her eyes to narrow.

“I’m just joking, congratulations,” I offer sincerely. I was only joking. Jasper is adorable and one of the best little kids you could ever met, solely because he has his mother’s personality, thank fuck.

Nick must have shared the news with Emily and Noah at the same time Jenni was telling me, because Emily squealed loudly before she rushed towards Jenni and engulfed her in a huge hug that caused them both to crash into the booth, spilling my glass of whiskey all over my jeans.

Great, now tomorrow headlines are going to scream ‘Rise Up drummer Slater Scott pisses his pants’ or something along those lines.

Kylie

When Melanie and I follow Emily to the VIP section of the nightclub, I am fully expecting to cop the wrath of an angry Slater, so I am surprised when he is nowhere in sight. Our small group is soon joined by Jenni, Nick and Marcus and the conversation flows freely. It reminds me so much of the night we all spent together at the cabin, although Jenni and Nick seem to get on a lot more now than they did back then. Emily’s interest became peaked when I mentioned that I had just finished my studies in media relations and was currently looking for an internship. Her eager and excited eyes darted to Noah and they talked for several minutes in hushed whispers while I continued talking to Jenni and Nick. Melanie’s focus remained solely on silently stalking Marcus.

“Do you have the ability to travel?” Emily questions, interrupting Jenni from telling me the story of when Jasper took his first steps.

“She sure does, our lease expired last month,” Melanie answers for me. Our lease didn’t really expire; we just can’t afford to pay our rent anymore. So Melanie is moving back to San Jose with her parents and I’m going back to my family ranch with my tail firmly planted between my legs.

“I could really use an assistant on this tour,” Emily informs hesitantly, her light brown eyes flicking between Melanie and I. Melanie grabs my hand and squeezes it tight as my pulse quickens. “I know it isn’t anything glamourous, but until you find something else it could help us both out,” Emily offers kindly with a small smile on her face.

My confused and excited eyes flick between Emily and Noah. The last I heard Emily was a student at college like I was, so why would she require an assistant? When I eventually work up the courage to say that to Emily, Noah chuckles softly and Emily smiles politely.

“I’m the publicist for ‘Rise Up’ and ‘Big Halo’ at the moment but Cormack is wanting to add even more groups to my already full schedule. With you on board I would be able to look at taking on some more clientele,” she informs, triggering Melanie to squeal loudly that she startles me.

“She accepts,” Melanie declares loudly, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and dragging me into the booth. Her excited squeals and giggles echo throughout the capacity filled club. I have been actively seeking a job for the past six months but had not yet successfully gained employment. I am that desperate for a job, I would accept anything. This opportunity also means I won’t have to go back to the ranch.

When Melanie releases me from her excited grip, I notice Slater striding towards the booths we are sitting in. My pulse quickens even more watching him confidently stroll towards us. He finishes doing up his leather belt and then pulls up the fly on his jeans. It is only when I spot the waitress behind him tucking her shirt back in and trying to calm her fluffed hair does it suddenly dawn on me where he has been for the past thirty minutes. When his eyes lift, he looks directly at me. His face slightly pales before his head darts back to look at the waitress, confirming my suspicions. The happy expression gets wiped right off my face.

“Thank you for the offer Emily, but I have to regretfully decline.”

“What! Why?” Melanie interrupts confused, her concerned and upset eyes stare directly into mine. I grab her hand and squeeze it tightly, silently begging for her to let us finish this conversation later. Melanie’s eyes stare into mine before they flick over to Slater who has just sat down next to Marcus.

“It’s okay, I understand, but my offer stands if you change your mind,” Emily replies graciously.

“You need to think about this Kylie, this could be great for you,” Melanie pleads quickly, her eyes begging for me to reconsider my decision.

My gaze turns to seek Slater. Maybe I should go and ask if he would mind if I accepted Emily’s offer? Perhaps if he knows how bad I need this job, he may be willing to look past his hurt and anger at me. I am considering approaching him until I notice the waitress sauntering her way over to him with a glass of whiskey on a silver tray. My heart drops into my stomach when he winks at her and then I feel physically ill when he turns and winks at me in the exact same manner, clearly indicating that I am no more important to him than a random hook up. I know right then and there that I will never be able survive working alongside of him, no matter how desperately I need the job.

Melanie tries her hardest at the bar to convince me to accept Emily’s offer, but nothing she could say would make me change my mind. She huffs angrily before she storms off. I go and say goodbye to everyone and I try my hardest to put on a brave front when I approach Slater. When he refuses to say goodbye to me and I see the hurt and pain all over his face, I can’t stop the tear that falls down my face. I quickly brush it away, before making my way down the stairwell in search of Melanie.

****

The instant I walk into the overpriced and small hotel room we are staying at, I flop dramatically onto the bed, causing Melanie to giggle softly. I’m glad she has gotten over her anger at me about our earlier fight. We are only in Seattle for her and we are supposed to be having the best weekend of our life, not arguing about old boyfriends. I know she thinks she was trying to help me tonight, but she doesn’t understand what happened between Slater and I. That isn’t her fault though, I haven’t told anyone what happened. They just assume he went on to bigger and better things and left the poor country girl moping at home without him. Where in reality, it was me that left him.

****

The next morning, Melanie and I are beaming with excitement about the full day of tourist activities we have organised. The very first thing on our list is the Fifty Shades of Grey tour. Melanie and I had read the book during her latest hospital stay and we both became huge fans of the entire series. Because of our low budget, I have printed out our own maps and we are going to use public transport instead of hiring a tour company to take us around. Melanie’s smile is beaming out of her as we make our way to the elevator.

“Oh god, imagine if they’re filming on location today, we might actually see Jamie Dornan,” she squeals excitedly, hitting the elevator button. “He can be my second baby daddy, if Marcus doesn’t work out,” she continues, triggering me to giggle softly.

Seattle in May is absolutely beautiful, it was a glorious clear blue sky day and it was nice and warm with the temperature sitting at 80 degrees Fahrenheit. We visited all of the locations on our map, bar the Heathman hotel as it was a little too far off the radar. The cast were filming today too, but unfortunately for us they were filming in Vancouver and neither Melanie nor I have passports, so that adventure will have to remain on our list for another day. By the time we walk back into the hotel, we are both deliriously tired but incredible happy. Even seeing Slater standing in the elevator couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I shouldn’t have been surprised that he was staying at this hotel as it is the closest one to the stadium they’re playing at. That was one of the reasons I chose to stay at this hotel as well. Slater seems a little surprised when he first sees me, but he still holds the elevator open for us to enter. Melanie is too busy scrolling through the pictures on her phone to notice him standing in the corner of the elevator.

“Thank you,” I whisper graciously. The instant I enter the elevator I smell his delicious manly scent. I also find it surprising that he still has the slight aroma of oil, considering we are in the middle of the city. When he does a little cough, my eyes lift to discover a suspicious smirk on his face. When his eyes dart down to my body, I realize that I am leaning towards him in an attempt to get a better sniff and he has noticed. Thankfully, when the elevator dings, it opens on the floor Melanie and I are staying on. I quickly usher her out of the elevator feeling embarrassed that he busted me sniffing him, while also grateful that Melanie remains completely oblivious about everything that just happened.

“Sorry,” I mumble, not missing the slight chuckle of Slater that sounds out of the now closed elevator doors.

Melanie and I spend the remainder of the night drinking cheap margarita drinks that we mixed in the wine cooler bucket in our room. We didn’t have any fancy glasses so we used the paper cups the hotel supplied in the bathroom instead. Our lack of fancy accessories didn’t dampen our night or our mood. We danced, laughed and cried the night away. It was one of the most memorable days I have ever had with her.

The next morning, I headed down to the lobby to finalise our bill. Today is our last day in Seattle and I’m trying my hardest to put on a brave front. I’ve only known Melanie for two years, but she is closer to me than even my own family and I’m going to miss her so much.

“Put thirty dollars on the AmEx, forty dollars on the MasterCard and the remainder of the balance on the Visa please,” I inform the hotel clerk. From the way her eyes narrow and she huffs in annoyance, anyone would swear I am paying the entire hotel bill in pennies.

“Oh no, put forty dollars on the AmEx,” I instruct once I double check my online balance. I only have thirty-one dollars left on my MasterCard and I don’t want to get an overdrawn fee.

“Pay her entire bill with this,” instructs a deep voice to my left that I instantly recognize as a platinum credit card is handed to the hotel clerk.

“It’s fine,” I reply, trying to snatch Slater’s credit card back out of the hotel clerks grasp. The stern middle aged clerk raises the card out of my reach and her pointed nose looks down at me as she runs his credit card through the machine, completely ignoring my request not to.

“Thank you, Sir,” she replies almost robotic like, handing Slater back his credit card and my receipt.

I don’t think I could be any more embarrassed, until I turn around and notice Emily, Noah and Marcus standing behind us. From the looks on their faces, I know that they had witnessed the whole embarrassing exchange. My eyes burn from the sudden rush of moisture that has formed in them. I mumble an incoherent “thanks,” before I quickly make my way to the elevators, not wanting them to see my tears. Just as the elevator doors are about to close, a tattooed arm forces them back open and Slater steps inside. I keep my gaze firmly planted on the elevator dashboard while I try my hardest to keep my sniffling quiet.

“Why didn’t you accept Emily’s job offer if you need the money so badly?” Slater questions, his voice sounding gravelly.

“I have money…I…just… ummm,” I stumble out, trying to think of some excuse I could give him for why I needed to use three maxed out credit card to pay my hotel bill, but my mind comes up blank. I was never any good at lying. My budget was on track until I paid for us to take a taxi to the nightclub last night and then the excessive entry fee to enter pushed my budget to its absolute limit. But I would have sold my left lung on the black market if it was the only way I was going to be able to fund this weekend with Melanie. It was our final hoorah together and I wouldn’t have missed it for anything in the world.

“Why come all the way to Seattle if you’re fucking poor?” he questions angrily, his loud voice echoing around the large interior of the elevator. His words sting my already damaged ego and I am grateful when the elevator finally arrives at my floor. I mumble a goodbye to Slater before I quickly make my way towards my hotel room, not bothering to answer his question. I have never felt the need to explain my reasoning’s to others before, so I am not going to start now.

I don’t even need to turn around to know that he is following me. If the stomping of his black boots isn’t obvious enough, the look on the elderly ladies faces that are walking down the corridor is all the indication I need.

Melanie’s eyes flick up from her suitcase when I slam the hotel room door shut and lean my back against it. My heart is racing so fast it feels like I’ve run the stairwell instead of taking the elevator. Within a mere matter of seconds, the loud sound of knocking echoes through our small hotel room. Kylie stands from packing her suitcase and walks towards me, her face marred with confusion.

“Open the door, Kylie,” Slater requests, his loud voice vibrating through the white melamine door. Melanie’s eyebrows shoot up high into her hairline and she motions for me to open the door. I briskly shake my head, my gaze turning to look at anything bar her angry eyes.

Without having time to protest, Melanie yanks me away from the door, surprising me with her strength considering she is at least ten pounds lighter than me and four inches shorter. Once she opens the door, Slater hesitantly steps into the room and his eyes dart around until he spots me hiding like a coward behind the door.

“Do you need the job?” he questions sternly, his brown eyes staring directly into mine. I initially shake my head, until I see the concerned eyes of Melanie staring at me from behind his shoulder. Her genuine concern for me marked all over her face, her blue eyes rapidly filling with tears. When she nods her head, I change the shake of my head to a sluggish nod. My ego and pride take a severe beating in the process, but at the end of the day I am in desperate need of a job.