Total Control (11 page)

I walked toward Jo and Dana, who were waiting for me with open arms. I turned and looked back at Ethan one last time. He smiled and winked at me. I smiled back, turned, and found some comfort in the arms of my friends.

“I know it’s hard
,” Dana said, “but you’ve finally found something worth forgiving yourself for and you’re going to find the happiness you deserve.”

We got through security and were soon boarded and taxiing down the runway. As we lifted into the sky I
gave a sigh of relief. I was on my way.

Chapter 10

Ethan

As I watched Gia walk toward her friends I felt so many different emotions. Sadness, optimism, fear, love. She turned and looked at me. I gave her a wink and a smile. She smiled back. She was beautiful. I watched as her friends took over and comforted her. I knew she was in good hands.

I listened to Hank all the way back to her place. I wished I would’ve known of her love for his music so I could’ve put it on her playlist. I locked Frank and hopped in my truck to head home. I had to sit for a minute. For some reason I reached in the glove box and got a cigarette. I was
lonely already and realized that it was going to be one long month.

I was making mental notes all the way home of the things I wanted to
do for Gia before she came back. It made me feel better and I knew if I kept busy, I’d get through the separation a lot easier. When I got home I immediately wrote down all of the things I’d thought of in the truck.

The Lock was filling up fast. I knew we wouldn’t be as full as
the last weekend, but I still expected a pretty decent turn out. I called Trey to see how everything was and he seemed relieved to have me back home for a while.

“Thanks for taking care of eve
rything while I was in the city,” I told him.

“Of course,” he said. “I hope everything goes good for Gia in California. Hey, man, if you don’t feel like working tonight, I got it.”

“Actually, I’m looking forward to keeping busy, but thanks. Why don’t you swing by in a couple of hours and we’ll do rounds.”

“Sounds good! See ya then.”

I made something to eat, looked over my list of things to do, and made some phone calls. I’d come out of my somber mood by then and even felt some excitement about the next month. I got on the internet and checked on some show dates and cities for a couple bands I wanted to take Gia to see. While I was researching, I got curious about which concert the girls were going to see Saturday night. There were a few in that area, so I didn’t get an answer.

“Hi
, Rose,” I answered when my cell rang.

“Ethan, how are you?”

“Good, thanks. What’s up?”

“I got a call from a Bridget Evans. She wants four VIP passes for next weekend. She says yo
u authorized it.”

“Yes, Rose, it’s okay.”

“All right, that’s it. How’s Gia? Is she here for the weekend?”
I wish.

“No. She’s in California for the next month.” I’m sure I sounded pathetic.

“Oh, sorry, dear.”

“Me too.
Rose, could I come over in the morning and pick your brain about some things?” I wanted her input on my surprises for Gia.

“Of course! Anytime!” She was excited to help.

“Thanks, Rose. Talk to you soon.”

I wasn’t going to give Rose all the details on Gia, but I knew she’d be sensitive to Gia’s miscarriages and could help me help her.

Trey showed up and we headed over to the arena. Everything looked great. There was a smaller crowd than the last weekend, but it was actually fuller than I’d anticipated. We decided to do rounds together and got started up at the VIP bar.

“Hey, guys!” Gwen
seemed happy to see us.

“Hey, Gwen. Need anything?” I asked.

“Nope. We’re all set here. I’ve got Misty with me tonight and we’re gonna kick some ass! Right, Misty?” She looked over her shoulder and Misty gave her a thumbs up.

Trey and I smiled. “Okay then, thanks
, girls.” We headed back to the stairway. I glanced over at my office door and pictured Gia in there on my desk. She was wearing her thigh high boots, mini skirt, and tight shirt, and she was looking into my eyes. I was missing her.

My phone vibrated. It was Hotness! “I was just
thinking about you,” I answered.

“Really? What, exactly, were you thinking?” I could tell she was smiling.

“You were on my desk, gazing into my eyes, and looking as sexy as ever. I miss you.”

“I miss you, too. We just got here and are waiting for our luggage.
I’ll call you later, when we get settled in our hotel. I just wanted to let you know we made it.”

“I’ll be waiting,” I said.

Trey got a text from Dana, and as he texted back, we headed to the next bar. We helped get a few minor things straightened out as we moved along from bar to bar. When we reached the last one, I realized I hadn’t seen Shelley at all.

“Did you hear anything about Shelley taking the night off?” I asked Trey.

He shook his head. “No. Maybe she’s helping out somewhere else.”

“Maybe,” I said
, but doubted it. If she was working, then she needed to be in one of the bars. I was sure Rose wouldn’t have sent one of the best bartenders to a t-shirt shop or eatery. I called Rose and she said Shelley should be in one of the big bars. She wasn’t.

I told Trey about seeing her leave Vince’s the other morning after I’d talked to him about Gia. I also told him that I was going to fire Vince Sunday after the last show.

“No shit? Well, good riddance!” Trey said. “You gave him a chance to come clean, and you warned him about the consequences, so he fuckin’ asked for it.”

“Yeah, well, I have a feeling he isn’t going to
see it that way.” I wondered about the backlash from Vince.

“Don’t worry about that, man. Do you have a replacement yet?”

“I’ve made a few phone calls, so we’ll see. It shouldn’t be a problem, there are a lot of qualified people out there looking for an opportunity like this,” I told him.

“Where are we headed?” Trey just noticed we were on a mission to get somewhere.

“Backstage.” I had to see if my suspicions were right.

As we turned the corner at the end of the alley, I got my answer. There were Shelley and Vince
, making out like animals. They didn’t even notice Trey and I standing there watching them.

I cleared my throat. “I hate to interrupt, but since you’re both on my time, I figure it’s al
l right.”

Shelley about jumped out of her skin, but Vince t
ried to play it cool. They turned to face us. “Ethan, sorry, we were just—”

“Shelley, I don’
t care,” I interrupted again. “You need to get to work, consider this your last warning.” She took off.

“Hey, man, take it easy on her. Just because you’re having a hard time keeping your woman in line, it doesn’t m
ean you need to come after mine,” Vince said.

“Mike, could you meet me backstage, eastside? Bring a couple guys if you c
an spare them for about an hour,” I said into my walkie.

“What the hell is this?” Vince asked.

“You’re fired. You’ve got one hour to get your shit and get off my property,” I told him calmly.

“What the fuck for? Oh, both of your girlfriends want me and you can’t handle it, is that it?” He was smiling.

“Shelley is not, nor has ever been, my girlfriend. As for Gia, you totally disgust her, so I’m not the least bit worried about her wanting you.” I was proud of how calm I was.

“You can’t fire me for no reason! I’ll sue your ass and own this place!” He was pissed.

Mike and two more security came around the corner. “Vince is no longer employed here,” I told them. “He has one hour to pack his belongings and get off the property.”

“Yes, sir,
” Mike said and they all three nodded at me.

“You’re a fucking asshole!” Vince yelled at me. “This place is gonna be fucked without me!” He laughed like a hyena.

Trey and I turned to walk away. Vince was infuriated that I was so calm and he wanted me to join him in his temper tantrum. He knew how to push my buttons and he wasn’t letting up until he was satisfied he’d gotten to me.

“Watch out for that one you’re bedding,” h
e said. My blood immediately started to boil. “My buddy Jason says she gives one hell of a blow job, but she won’t spread her legs because her ex fucked her up so bad.” I stopped in my tracks. “What a little cock tease! I heard that’s what she did with Rick in the VIP bar, too. Then you go and have the poor guy kicked out for dancing with her! When did you turn into such a pussy whipped…pussy?” I went after him. The two security guys grabbed me.

“He’s not worth it!” Mike told me. I knew he was right, but I was about to explode.

Just then, wham! Vince sucker punched me and I went down. When I opened my eyes, Trey was slapping my face.

“Welcome back, Rocky,” he laughed. “When you’re done lying around, we’ve got work to do.”

“I’m glad you’re getting a kick out of this,” I told him. “Where is he?”

“Mike tackled him and they dragged him out of here. We were pretty sure you’d be pressing charges against him, so he’s probably getting loaded into the back of a car as we speak. Shit, he had some p
ower behind that punch!”

I was on my feet by then and brushed off my clothes. “
Yeah, I’m gonna be feeling that for a few days.” I was still a little fuzzy.

“C’mon, let’s get you
over to your place.” We walked along the back way so I didn’t have to maneuver through the crowd. Just as we got there, both of our cell phones beeped. The girls had sent us a picture of themselves in their hotel lobby. Trey called Dana and I called Gia.

“Thanks for the picture. Now I want one with just
you in it.” I wanted to see her beautiful face every day.

“I cannot believe we didn’t
take a picture of ourselves!” She sounded sad. “How can I go a whole month without a picture of you? Please send me one!”

“Of course,
” I told her. “By the way, clothing is optional on the one you send me.”

She laughed. “Same here. How’s the night going? Are you busy?”

“Well,” I chuckled, “Trey and I did rounds, the place is pretty busy, I fired Vince, he knocked me out, and we just got back to my place.”

She gasped
. “What? Oh my god, are you okay?”

I told her most of the story. I left out the personal stuff about her that Vince somehow knew.
I was getting fired up just thinking about it.

“Ethan,
I’m sorry. I feel responsible for that! I wish I were there to take care of you!”

“It’s not your fault. Besides, I’d take a punch for you any day.” I meant it, too.

“You’re my hero, baby,” she said quietly. “Thank you for being my hero.”

She made me feel
like her hero at that moment. “You’re welcome. Maybe next time I’ll get a punch in before I’m flat out on the ground.” I laughed.

“Well, when you get sucker punched
, there’s not much you can do about it. He’s got some serious issues, doesn’t he?”

“Yes, he does. I wish I would’ve gotten rid of him a long time ago. I’m sorry for what he did to you.”

“I know you are, but he’s gone now, so forget about it. Let’s not tell Jo about all this, okay?”

I’d forgotten about her having sp
ent the night with Vince. “Okay,” I said.

“We’re headed to dinner
; I’ll call you when we get back if you want.”

“I want,
” I told her.

“Try to stay out of trouble
, and don’t forget to send me a pic!”

“You got it. Have fun and be careful.”

After we hung up, I turned my camera on myself and took a picture. The top of my cheek and my eye were pretty swollen and red, but not black and blue yet. I captioned it, ‘Your hero?’ and sent it. I immediately received a text back.

My god! Ur still the sexiest man ever! Thanx!

Then she sent me a gorgeous picture of herself and I made it my wallpaper. I stared at it for quite some time and wondered how I’d gotten so lucky.

I called Shane. H
e worked backstage pretty closely with Vince, and filled him in on what had happened. I asked him if I could leave him in charge until I found a new Entertainment Manager and he was happy to help out. I told him to call either Trey or I if he needed help tonight.

“I think you should take it easy tonight
,” Trey said. “I’ve got this.”