The Roadie

  Part 3

  Tate Bull

  Copyright © 2024 Tate Bull

  All rights reserved

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  Printed in the United States of America

  Chapter 1

  It’s a Tuesday morning and I’m sitting on my porch, staring out at the mountains as the sun rises over their snow-capped peaks and enjoying the cool, early autumn breeze as it skims across my skin.

  Why the fuck am I here?

  The question sits in my head like an unwanted guest and I have to remind myself that I needed a break, that the stress was getting to be too much and that I was about to fall back into habits that I desperately need to avoid if I want to stay clean.

  I miss the girls. I miss them so much that it hurts. I know I needed to get away, but I wish to God they were here with me right now.

  I close my eyes and breathe deeply, then exhale and repeat- practicing the exercises I learned during therapy. Somewhere in the back of my mind I hear the phone ring and I attempt to push it out, to let it go, but my curiosity gets the better of me and I race inside. It’s an unknown number, but I answer anyway.

  ‘What? Uh, sorry- hello?’

  ‘Is this Jas Cordrey?’ A gruff voice greets me and I have no idea who it could be.

  ‘Yeah. Who is this?’ There’s a pause on the other end and I hear typing on a keyboard.

  ‘This is Lew Murphy, you got in touch with me a week ago about some music group.’

  Oh shit, it’s the lawyer.

  ‘Yeah, hi Mr Murphy, uh- Lew?’

  ‘Lew’s fine. What’s the problem?’ This guy sounds like he’s been smoking two packs a day since 1963 and I hope that means he’s been practicing law for a while, too. I try to sort the situation out in my mind before getting into the lengthy story.

  ‘I’ve been touring with a music group, the LaLa Girls…’

  ‘Never heard of them.’ Lew cuts me off and I lose my train of thought.

  ‘Yeah, well, neither had I until a few weeks ago, but I think we’re the only ones.’ I reply and Lew scoffs, clearly ready for me to get to the point already. ‘Anyway, I’m calling you because I have some suspicions about what’s going on with their manager.’

  I go into what I know about their situation, telling him about how they appear to be broke and how their tour manager has come into a lot of money recently. He’s quiet except for the sound of a pencil scratching against paper and I hope I’m not coming off like some sort of lunatic.

  ‘Unfortunately, this happens a lot- more than I can tell you.’ His gravelly voice comes to life and I hope he’s willing to help me out. ‘I can look into it for you. That Ezra guy sounds familiar, but I don’t know him personally. It’s going to cost you, though. I’m not running a charity organization here.’

  ‘Yeah, I can cover the cost of the initial investigation. If anything serious turns up, we can discuss it further.’ I can’t believe that I’m about to give this guy my money and risk never being able to work in this industry again, but it’s a gamble I’m willing to take.

  The girls deserve better.

  ‘Ok, Jas, my secretary will be in touch with the fee structure and I’ll call you in about a week with an update on what I find.’

  ‘Thanks, Lew- it was good talking to you.’ I hang up and exhale, my pulse pounding in my ears as what I’m doing sinks in. I plug the phone back in to charge and grab another cup of coffee, as I try to shake off the melancholy that’s consumed me since I left the girls in LA. The first half of the tour ended up being a complete and total success and Steve and Ezra gave me all the credit for that. But knowing that it was all coming to an end was torture and by the time I got back here, I was a mess.

  I shake my head in an attempt to dislodge the worry and pull myself back into the present. I pour myself another cup of coffee and stare out of the window at the mountains in the distance.

  Just when I start to relax, I hear a car door slam, then another and I wonder who it could be. I’m not expecting anyone and the house is too isolated to get random visitors.

  I walk outside and as soon as I see who it is, excitement rages through me like bulls in a stampede.

  Chapter 2

  ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ I shout, completely stunned, as Serena rushes to give me a kiss. She drops her duffel bag on the ground as she wraps her arms around me and everything suddenly seems alright. Zoe is staring at us jealously and I pull her close. Kat hangs back and gives me a shy smile as she waves. It’s so weird to see them here, but I’m thrilled and I grab their bags and motion for them to follow me.

  I haven’t seen them since their last show in LA and I’m pretty sure no one knows my address. As I pile their bags in the kitchen, I take the opportunity to get a good look at them. Serena’s blonde hair is in a high ponytail and as she walks around the cabin, my eyes won’t stop following her perfect ass. Kat smiles and looks more at home in her worn jeans and flannel shirt that’s unbuttoned low enough that her impressive cleavage is on full display.

  ‘We missed you, of course.’ Zoe says before giving me the most incredible kiss and sitting down at the kitchen table. She looks completely out of place here in a low cut black minidress and black combat boots and my heart races as she locks her eyes on me and licks her lips suggestively. Memories of the last time we were together flash through my mind and I can feel myself getting hard.

  ‘You didn’t even say goodbye.’ Kat’s voice is sad, and I wrap my arms around her and give her a hug. Over the last week that we were together, we bonded and even though I’m physically closer to Serena and Zoe, I love them all equally.

  ‘I feel terrible about that. Something came up and I had to rush back.’ The thing that came up was that Steve threatened to fire me if I got photographed in a compromising position with any of them again. We agreed I should head back to Montana for the break and let things cool down.

  Because the first leg of the tour went so well, they’re rescheduling with larger venues and our two-week hiatus has been stretched into a month. It was killing me not being with them, but I hope like hell that I don’t get in trouble for all three of them being here now.

  ‘Did you let anyone know that you’re here?’ I ask and Serena’s mouth curls into a sly smile.

  ‘I told Ezra that we were attending a yoga and detox retreat in Idaho.’ She rolls her eyes as she laughs and I cross my arms in front of my chest and smile as I look at the three of them seated around my kitchen table. I thought about calling them so many times, but I didn’t want to rock the boat.

  ‘So what do you think of my mountain retreat?’ I motion around me and can tell that they’re not impressed.

  ‘It’s…nice…’ Zoe says cautiously as she grimaces and I frown.

  ‘I like it.’ Kat says as she smiles warmly and out of the three of them, she looks the most relaxed. Serena glares at her and she shrugs. ‘What? I can totally see myself chilling out here.’

  ‘Thank you, Kat.’ I say. She beams and I continue. ‘I need you guys to keep a low profile, alright? The last thing I want is for Steve or Ezra finding out where you really are. They’ll fire me like that.’ I snap my fingers and look each of them in the eye as they nod. ‘Ok, good. I was just going down to the river to catch some dinner. Would any of you like to join me?’

  Serena and Zoe narrow their eyes at the thought, but Kat pops up out of her seat and walks towards me with her hands in the pockets of her worn jeans.

  ‘I’ve always wanted to learn how to fish.’

  ‘Ok, let’s go.’ I say as I motion for her to follow me and we walk outside to get the gear. Even though we got to know each other better over the last week of the tour, she still has a few walls up and I never wanted to intrude. She’ll open up if she feels like it and I’m not going to push the issue. She follows me to the shed and we chat about what she’s been doing on the break so far.

  I grab the equipment and hand her Lisa’s old waders. She never enjoyed fishing, but gave it a try and I appreciated that. The longer we’re apart, the more I realize that my ex-wife was a good woman- she just needed more than I could give her. I push the thought out of my mind and concentrate on the present as we load up the truck and drive out of my long driveway.

  My favorite fishing spot is only ten minutes away and once we arrive, I place everything on the riverbank and help Kat get suited up. Generally I’m alone when I fish, but having her here makes me happy. I help her wade into the fast moving water and when she slips; I grab her. Once she’s stable, I return to get the rest of the gear.

  ‘What do you think?’ I ask. She seems to have gotten the hang of standing in the rushing water and I’m surprised how well she’s taking to it.

  ‘It’s gorgeous out here.’ Even though she’s quieter than Zoe and Serena, there’s something calming about her and I’m happy that we’re finally spending some time together.

  ‘I love it.’ I confess as I cast. ‘I grew up in New Jersey, in one of the old factory towns, and never imagined that I could live in a place like this. Then I visited a frien d who had a ranch here about twenty years ago and fell in love, but was too wrapped up in other bullshit to make the move. When I finished treatment, I realized that this is exactly what I needed.’

  ‘I grew up in Kentucky, so I’ve always loved the outdoors.’ She says and I’m surprised. I just assumed that they were all from LA. ‘My parents moved the family to Los Angeles when they realized I could sing.’ She looks off into the distance and I see the tip of her rod bend.

  ‘I think you’ve hooked something. Reel it slowly, it’s going to fight you.’ I tuck my rod into my belt and grab the net, watching as she slowly reels in her catch. ‘It looks like a big one.’ I hear the line pull and watch her as she manages to get it close enough for me to net it.

  ‘Wow, this thing is huge.’ I say, genuinely impressed. I throw the large trout into the creel and we continue for another hour, catching three more- plenty for dinner. We wade carefully out of the raging river and I leave the creel in the water as I help her get the waders off. She plops down on the grass and I sit next to her as the sun hovers over the mountains and casts an orange haze over the landscape.

  ‘When we first got to LA, they found this guy to be my manager.’ She says, unprompted as we settle into the wild grass. ‘He introduced me to Zoe and Serena and that’s how the group got started. We were only seventeen, so our parents were involved, but my mom…’ Her voice trails off and I can tell that she’s having trouble. I remember what Steve told me about her past and wonder if the guy she’s talking about was the asshole that took advantage of her.

  ‘You don’t have to tell me, Kat.’ I say as she leans against me and I wrap my arm around her protectively.

  ‘No, I feel safe with you, Jas. I want you to know that.’ We lay down and she rests her head against my chest. ‘He touched me, you know, and I didn’t want him to, but my mom told me to go along with it, that it would be good for my career.’

  ‘Jesus, Kat.’ I can feel my heart breaking for her as I stroke her hair. ‘Did you report him to the police?’

  ‘No, he never…’ Her voice trails off again and I wait for her to continue, even though I wish I could smash the guy’s face in for doing that to her. ‘Zoe’s mom found out what was going on and confronted him. Luckily we hadn’t signed a contract, and we found Ezra and he got us our record deal and you know the rest.’

  Unfortunately, I do. Time to change the subject.

  ‘We did great today.’ The sun sinks closer to the mountains and I stare at her for a few seconds. She looks so gorgeous and I remember the kiss from a few weeks ago.

  ‘Why are you so standoffish with me?’ She asks.

  ‘What do you mean?’ I know exactly what she means, but I don’t want to push her into anything she’s not ready for.

  ‘You and Serena and Zoe are… close, but you never act like you want to be with me.’ A hurt expression fills her eyes and I realize that I have been keeping her at arm’s distance.

  ‘Well, Steve told me about what happened to you and I didn’t want you to feel any pressure.’ I lay on my back and look at the darkening sky as the stars emerge. She reaches out and brushes her finger across my stubble and I wonder what she’s thinking.

  ‘It doesn’t mean that I don’t want to be close to anyone, Jas.’ She bites her lip as she stares down at me. ‘I think it means that I need someone who understands.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Kat. I wish I had known. You were just so distant and acted like you preferred to be on your own.’ She leans down and brushes her lips against mine and I can feel myself wanting her so badly, but I can’t stand the thought of hurting her. Her hand pushes down my chest and towards my crotch and I wonder how far she wants to take this.

  ‘When I saw you fucking Zoe, it was really hot.’ She murmurs as she releases the top button of my jeans. ‘I want you to do that to me.’ She slides her hand inside my fly and hesitantly wraps her fingers around my cock.

  ‘Are you sure? I mean, here?’ It’s almost dark and the air is cool and damp and I want her to feel safe and cared for, not fucked on the grass like some kind of animal.

  ‘Why not? It’s beautiful.’ Her kisses are soft, but hesitant and I try to force myself to slow down even though every part of me wants to rip her clothes off and fuck her senseless. She sits up and unbuttons her flannel shirt and I can see that her lace bra is struggling to contain her full breasts. When she shrugs off the huge shirt and unhooks her bra, I realize I’m holding my breath.

  ‘What?’ She giggles as I smile like an idiot and rub my finger across her peachy nipple.

  ‘You’re beautiful, Kat.’ She leans down to kiss me again and her tits press against me as her body moves on top of mine. I’m so hard that it hurts, but I want her to feel comfortable and not push her too far. She’s been through a lot.

  Her hands are under my shirt and she helps me pull it off, then starts unbuttoning my jeans. I’m already rock hard and as she strokes me, she bites her lip, totally focused on what she’s doing. When she leans over and takes my dick into her warm mouth, I almost lose it.

  Her mouth and lips and tongue are my entire world right now and I tangle my hand in her thick brown hair as she swallows me. When she pulls away, she lightly kisses the tip of my cock and gives me a gorgeous smile.

  ‘What?’ I ask as she stares at me and I reach out and caress her breast, rubbing my thumb over her stiff nipple as she closes her eyes and exhales.

  ‘There’s something I need to tell you.’ She bites her lip and I see a light flush creep onto her cheeks.

  ‘What? You can tell me anything.’ I sit up and kiss her soft lips, letting her know that nothing is going to change the way I feel about her.

  ‘I’ve never, you know…’ She looks down and pulls at the grass and it takes me a minute to realize what she’s trying to tell me.

  ‘Really?’ I’m genuinely shocked. Between what she told me and being who she is, I assumed that she was as experienced as Serena and Zoe. She looks embarrassed and I put my finger under her chin and look into her eyes. ‘It’s ok, Kat. Everyone has to have a first time.’

  ‘I know, but I’m so old and Serena and Zoe always give me such a hard time about it.’

  ‘Fuck them.’ I tell her as I laugh. ‘It’s no one else’s business. We don’t have to do anything now if you don’t want to. I mean there’s a lot of other stuff we can do…’

  ‘No, I want to.’ She reaches out and touches my face. ‘I want you.’

  Jesus.

  I don’t really like having sex with virgins. Maybe I’m the only guy who’s ever confessed it, but I’m fairly certain that I’m not the only one who’s thought that way. It’s a lot of work. You’re constantly checking that they’re ok and that you’re not going too fast or it’s too rough and like a million other things. I like being with women who have experience, who know what they want and know how to make you feel good too. Kat’s a sweet girl and all, but I don’t know if I’m up for this.

  ‘Ok, wow- um…’ I think for a minute and she’s staring at me and smiling like she’s expecting the world. ‘Are you sure you don’t want to go back to the house? I have a nice bed upstairs.’

  ‘No. I want to do it here. With you.’ She pulls off the rest of her clothes and I marvel at her body, at her soft curves and small waist and the pink skin that juts out from between her legs as she lays there staring at me.

  Ok, I can do this.

  ‘Just, you know, let me know if you want me to stop, ok?’ She nods and I lean down to kiss her as I press her against the grass and kiss her breasts, lingering on her peaked nipple for a few seconds before spreading apart her thighs and kissing the soft folds. She moans and I continue.

  When I push one of my fingers inside of her, she tenses slightly, but relaxes when I lick her clit again and come up to kiss her lips. I’m rock hard and as I slide myself in, I go slowly, stopping when a look of discomfort crosses her face.

  ‘Are you alright?’ I ask and she nods as I work my way further, holding back, wanting to make sure that she enjoys her first time. She’s so wet and tight and I thrust softly, adjusting to her breathy moans as she relaxes and wraps her legs around me, pulling me close.

  ‘It feels so good.’ Her lips meet mine and I push harder and faster, not holding back until I feel her clench around me and her body shakes. I pull out, stroking myself a few more times before coming on the grass and collapsing beside her. She’s panting and smiling and when she rolls over and kisses me, I realize how lucky I am to be with someone like her.

 

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