Manage Me (Toven's Circus #1) (13 page)

“Portland has always been a place that musicians gravitate too and it’s important to support your local music. We thought that it would be fun to get some talent up here tonight to share the stage with us. So with that said, here is A Fistful of Madness.”

The little blonde smacks her sticks together counting out the beat before she starts wailing on the drums. The two guys on bass and guitar jump in, followed by Jaden and the lanky guy. The song isn’t as tight but the crowds is loving every second as if the band was playing, and the kids on stage would never forget this night for as long as they lived.

With the song coming to an end, the singer’s eyes are glistening.  Jaden must have seen them, too, because he tosses his arm over the kids shoulder as they both scream out the final notes of the song. I grab the stack of tour shirts off the speaker and backstage lanyards then walk on stage to hand them out to the kids, who are all excitedly giving the band members hugs. After finishing, I start to make my way back off stage when Jaden grabs my hand.

“Portland! We would like to introduce you to our new tour manager. Pulling those guys up on stage to play was all her idea,” He pauses as the screaming has become so loud no one can hear anything. “And I admit, I wasn’t so sure about her at first,” he gives me a big smirking grin, eyes twinkling, and suggesting. “But she is turning out to be pretty fucking incredible.”

“Plus she is fucking hot!” Ryker pitches in causing Jaden to laugh and the male, and some female, members of the audience to yell in agreement. I feel the heat in my cheeks and my pull hands over my face in embarrassment. Jaden wraps an arm around my shoulder still laughing.

“Yeah she is,” he agrees with a chuckle and a squeeze. “Say hi to our beautiful fans, Nell!” Dropping my hands, I glare at him, and I say a quick raspy hello to the audience.

“Her voice is pretty sexy, too,” Finn chimes in. I quickly wave to the crowd, wrestle out from under Jaden’s hold, and haul my ass off stage.

Chapter 19

Jaden

The band played for another full hour before performing three encores. We would have played all night if the venue would’ve let us. Coming off stage, I’m always buzzing with energy until the adrenaline crashes and I just want to sleep. I look around for Nell but don’t know where she ran off to. I head towards the dressing room and the showers.  But another blonde is heading my way.

“Babe, that was so cool!” Emily gushes and I wince.

“Thanks. It was nice of you to come to the show tonight but I have to take a shower and meet up with my family before they head home.” I say trying to walk around her but she latches on to my arm.

“Jaden I want to talk more about our bab…”

“Shhh…fuck, someone might here you.” I whisper shout at her, and pull my hair in frustration. “I’ll meet up with you tomorrow. I’ll text you when and where.” I grind out between my clinched teeth, her face falls, and tears shimmer but at the moment I really don’t have patience for this shit.

“You don’t want to hang out with us?” She whimpers, tears falling over, and sliding down her pale cheeks.

“Us? What? No! I told you I have to meet up with my family tonight. I’ll meet up with you in the morning and we will talk.” I bite out at my wits end.

“Fine! You are a selfish child. You made this mess, now you won’t even talk to me and help me figure out what to do! Fuck you, Jaden James!” She screams and stomps off toward the exit.

“Uh, Jaden, is everything okay?” I spin around at my father’s voice, the blood rushing out of my face. Fuck I don’t want them to know anything yet. Standing together in a group is my whole damn family, all looking at me waiting for an explanation.

“That depends on how much you’re heard.” I joke trying to make light of it.

“Are you in some kind of trouble with that girl, Baby?” Asks my mom, her blue eyes large and fearful. I wince at her choice of endearment, despite her always using it with me, it’s not the best timing.

“No, everything is fine.” I lie, I hate lying and make an effort never to lie to anyone but this is for their own good for right now. “She and I hooked up before but I told her no more. I’ve started kinda seeing someone, someone I really fucking like. She didn’t like hearing that.” Not a full lie at least.

“Oh Jaden, really!? It’s about time!” My mom says throwing herself into my arms.

“Was it the hot tour manage you embarrassed on stage?” asks Rook who receives a smack in the stomach from Keesha. “What?” He asks innocently.

“You know what.” She tell him and turns to me. “It was, wasn’t it? We could see the sparks from our box.”

And fuck me, a blush washes over my face. I don’t think I have blushed since puberty but I do admitting my feelings for Nell to my family. “Yeah, that was her, she’s fucking incredible.” I say with a big goofy smile.

“Oh our Baby is in Love, Nate!” My mom shouts and again I’m frantically shushing a loud ass woman.

“Stop, I know you’re excited but she could be lurking around anywhere. And I’d like to be the one to tell her, not my mother.” Fuck, I love her. It’s fast but I don’t care. I know, I knew the second I laid eyes on her. My smile grew and my heart swells while I stand in front of my family realizing I have finally found the woman I will love for the rest of my life. I know I need to clear up the issue about Emily with her. She probably thinks I have something going on with her but I will be as honest as I can about it. I know there is so much more I need to learn about her, memories she keeps locked away about her childhood, but now that I have found her, we have the rest of our life to figure that out.

“I think he’s been struck stupid.” Cracks Rook.

“Like you were any better when you realized you were in love with your Keesha here.” My dad fires back in my defense, bringing me back to my senses.

“Yeah, Asswipe, you were floating around with hearts in your eyes for a week before you got up the balls to tell her how you felt.” I laugh.

“Fuck you, Nippledick.” Rook grumbles pulling Keesha to him like a shield.

“I think it’s wonderful.” My mom sighs, a big smile matching my own. “Bring her to dinner tomorrow, okay?”

“Planning on it. She doesn’t have a good family life, so she’s a bit skittish but I’ll get her there. Just try not to freak her out.” I tell her.

“What? We would never?” She deadpans with a mischievous smirk, it’s no wonder Nell thinks I’m trouble, it’s clearly hereditary. 

“Alright Kid, we’ll get out of your hair. Are you still staying at the house tonight?” asks Dad.

Fuck, I forgot I was going to stay with them because I miss them and don’t get to see them nearly as much as I want. I change up my plans to spend my last night in Portland with them instead of with Nell. So I nod my head and give them all hugs goodbye. Letting them know I’ll be over there later.

******************************************

I shower quickly, I’d really like to climb into Nell again before passing out but I need to find her first. I wander around backstage, figuring she’s monitoring breakdown. I find her on the stage, fitting Ryker’s guitars into their cases. She’s bent over low with her ass in the air and my cock jumps in my sweatpants. Her two round globes looks amazing in her black skinny jeans, her loose white shirt slides up, so I can just make out a tattooed red tail curling just above her ass crack. I take a second to appreciate the sight before walking up right behind her, resting my hardening cock against her. I grab hold of her hips to keep her in place when she jumps, and stands up.

“Ryker, I told you already that we are not fucking again!” she says.

With a growl, I grab her arm, jerking her around to face me. My blood instantly on fire that she would let another guy touch her.

“What the fuck did you just say?” With my jaw clenched I seethe, as I realize she is trying hard not to laugh. Glaring down at her, I give her a good shake, “Don’t say that shit. You are mine!” This causes her to let out an adorable snort of disbelief.

“You keep telling yourself that Rockstar. No one owns me, especially someone that is in a relationship with someone else, and definitely not one that thinks I am pathetic in bed.” Her eyes are now frosty, her smile gone.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” I ask truly confused. “First, you are un-fucking-believable in bed, or should I say, on my bike? And second, I am not in a relationship, who told you that?”

“Emily Snow told me, she said you told her we fucked and then laughed about it.” She bites glaring up at me.

“Emily is fucking insane, I want you to stay away from her. We have never been, or will be, in a relationship together. There was one weekend and honestly, that was too long. There is nothing between her and me. And Nell,” I grab her face between my hands so she has to look at me. “I would never laugh at the way you fuck, because that was the best fucking I have ever received. I can’t wait to have you again.” Her eyes have softened and I lean in for a kiss. I brush my tongue along her lips to get her to open for me, but she stubbornly stays closed. I lightly bite her lip making her gasp, slipping my tongue past her lips as her tongue sweeps mine, my taste buds go wild at her sweet flavor.  I lightly bite her plump bottom lip, before sucking it gently. Our breathing starts to increase, as we devour each other’s mouths.

“Whoa, wait, Jaden stop!” Nell jerks away taking several steps back. “We can’t do this, Jaden. I haven’t known you long enough to be dealing with this shit and there is the tour. I won’t have that minuscule cunt fuck up my career over some rock star that’s going to be fucking some groupie in a week when he is done with me.”

“I know we haven’t known each other long but Nell, you are different…” I really do feel like she is different but how do I explain that when we have hardly known each other a week? From the first second I saw her it was like a punch in the chest and I didn’t even know her name. But from what I have learned so far, she not the pampered princess that I was expecting. She is smart and driven. She is sexy as hell, strong, and smart. And I want her. I want her with a deeper need than I have ever wanted anyone or anything. I need to change her mind about who I really am. Sure I like to fuck around but I’ve never said that was the only thing I want. I want what my parents and brother have, I just haven’t found the woman that could be that, until Nell. Grabbing her hand in mine, I drag her behind me trying to find someplace more private. I head through a pair of doors, discovering the Portland Trail Blazers locker room. I drop her hand and pace away from her, then back, then away, then back again to just stare into her eyes, while I say what I need to.

“Look, I know you have some ill-conceived ideas about me, about what I want, or what I do. I’m a 28 year old rock star. Woman throw themselves at me and yeah, I splurge but that doesn’t mean that I don’t ever want a committed relationship. That I don’t eventually want marriage or kids. It simply means I am a 28 year old fucking rock star with a cock, that hasn’t found the right woman to make me only want her. But I like you, I like you a fucking lot, and for much more than just sex. I like how smart and caring you are. I like that you work hard for what you want and I can’t help this pull I feel for you. I’m not trying to fuck up your career, nor am I asking you to marry me. I am asking you to drop your preconceived notions about who I am and get to know me, for me.” Nell stands there, with wide eyes, and a slack jaw. Her mouth giving me dirty thoughts of what I’d rather be doing right now.

“You’re right.” She finally says surprising me.

“About which part?”

“I do have preconceived ideas about the person that you are and so far those ideas don’t add up to the person that I see before me. I hate when people judge me for who I am related to before getting to really know me. I have done that to you and I am sorry.” She steps towards me placing her palms on my chest, her eyes pleading for my forgiveness.

“I like being right.” I grab her hips tugging her into me. Nell gives me a playful glare before she leans forward and nips at my bottom lip, teasing a groan from deep in my chest.