Emily
I’ve been gone almost a week after having spent only three days with the band and crew, but they welcome me back like family. Even more than that. They welcome my family like family. I arrive to find that the empty room has been made up for the nurse, a cute redhead that fell in love with Ben at first sight, Carrie. Cadence has also moved to the guys’ bus to bunk with Sebastian, and given her room up for Ben.
When Ben is taken into his room, I think he’s going to faint from excitement. They’ve decorated his room in Transformers bed sheets and posters on the wall. And there are a Transformers toothbrush and a towel waiting for him in the bathroom, and Transformers DVDs lined all along the shelf in the living room. It is going to be impossible get him to go home.
Having Ben here is a welcome distraction, though.
After last night and the unexpected direction our text conversation went, I’m not sure that Brad and I should be left alone. Ever.
I don’t know what came over me. One minute I was lying there, hugging the phone to my chest, so glad to hear from him. The next I’m closing my eyes, picturing him lying there, stroking his hard cock, wishing his hands were on me, his fingers sliding into me, instead of my own.
Even after he’d stopped responding, I continued, my orgasm building as I remembered the way he touched me. How his fingers slid into me eight years ago, driving deeper and deeper while his thumb caressed my clit, my back arching, and him catching my nipple in his mouth.
I wanted him so bad if he’d been there I’d have begged …begged him to fuck me, begged him to release the orgasm building through my body. As it was, I came pretty hard anyway, imagining his mouth catching my climax, his tongue strumming against my pussy, extending the pleasure.
Yeah.
Brad and I should definitely not be left alone.
There’s a knock on my door and I clear my throat before I answer. “Yeah?”
“We’re ready to go out to dinner, probably just across the road at the pizza place, since Ben will most probably like something there. Is that okay?” Cadence asks.
“It’s…guys, you don’t have to worry about Ben. Don’t make any extra effort; he’ll be fine. I don’t want him to get in anyone’s way.”
“Are you kidding? We all adore him. You’re going to have to keep an eye on him or else one of us is going to adopt him.”
I don’t know if it’s true. But it’s awfully nice of them to say.
I knock on the wall adjoining our rooms.
“Come on, Buster, pizza for dinner!”
“YAY! Do you think they have ice cream as well?”
***
The next few days are an absolute blur. The Birmingham leg has the band doing four thirty-minute shows, eight radio interviews, and two mall signings and meet and greets. Between following the guys, writing a short column for Phil about the tour, and looking after Ben, there’s barely time to breathe let alone have any less-than-platonic thoughts about Brad.
But that doesn’t stop my entire body from burning hot whenever he’s around.
The days start early. Morning breakfast listeners up early for the drive into work have proven to be the band’s target audience and for three days in a row, we’re up before 6 a. m. The nanny has proven to be a godsend and Ben adores her which makes leaving him with her easier for me, so he gets to sleep in until we meet up with him somewhere for a quick lunch.
“THEY LOVE IT!” I yell as we’re shoveling fish and chips and salad before rushing off to another radio interview on a drive time show.
“What? Who loves what?” Brad asks, through his mouthful of fish.
“My column. Phil says the response has been really positive! It’s gotten three times as many views as any of the other articles today, and he’s already received calls from about three other publications to commission the entire series.”
“Did you post a picture of us?” Brad wonders.
“Of course.”
“Well, duh, that’s why!”
“Oh hush!” I throw a chip at him and it bounces off the tip of his nose.
“Just kidding, it really was great. We all told you so last night.”
“I dunno, could you have left out the part about my spending thirty minutes in Sephora?” Jez whines.
“No.” I grin and shove a chip into my mouth. I’m so happy.
“Then, yes, it’s still a great piece,” he concedes and gives me a cheeky wink.
I sink back into my seat, shaking from the excitement…and in some part, relief. I had invested everything in this, dropped all other writing work, dragged my wounded son along on tour, and sacrificed my sanity following my teen love around for a month. Knowing that it might have really been worth it feels like a giant two-ton weight has come falling off my shoulders.
I pull Ben into a hug and he growls a little in protest. “M-om, I’m eating. And everyone’s watching.”
“Let them watch, ’cause now they’re going to see this!” I lean over and give him a big kiss on the cheek, wiping off the lipstick mark I leave behind.
“Ewwwww!”
“You’re a lucky boy, Benny. I’d love to have a lipstick mark like that on my cheek!” Brad teases Ben.
“You can. You just have to get Mommy to love you like she loves me.”
“Got it, kiddo, I’ll keep that tip in mind.”
***
On the third and last day in Birmingham, the guys have a special concert at the chamber concert hall lined up. Dennis arranges a mid-morning rehearsal so the guys can practice some of the pieces they haven’t played for a while off the new album. We all meet up at the rehearsal studio after a quick breakfast, and it’s clear that everyone’s feeling a little tired from the last few days.
After the first few songs, Marius puts his viola down and lies down flat on the floor.
“Can I sit this one out?” he begs.
“Lay this one out more like it,” Jez quips.
“Me too,” Brad says and falls down on the ground almost on top of Marius. “Let’s make it a cello-only song!”
“Make that a cello solo piece,” Jez adds as he joins the pile of male musicians building up on the studio floor.
“Fine by me,” Sebastian grins. He picks up his cello and plays a quick scale. Then bows and grins, holding his arms up waiting for applause.
“It’s a good thing he’s good in bed; his cello playing’s becoming somewhat questionable,” Cadence says to the mock offense of her fiance, and the amusement of everyone else.
“What does that mean?” Ben suddenly asks from his corner where he’s behind his iPad.