Effortless (Thoughtless #2)(53)
Author: S.C. Stephens

I scoffed and threw a pillow at her and she laughed. Then her face got serious. "I want to see Griffin, Kiera. I think I…I think I miss him." She sneered as if the idea was odd to her. It was a little odd to me too, but then, so was their entire relationship.

Caving, I exaggerated an annoyed sigh. "Fine, when’s the flight?"

Anna squealed and clapped her hands before running to her room. "You won’t regret this, Kiera! We’re gonna have the best time!"

Hoping she was right, I grabbed my bag.

While the drive across Washington to the bottom of Idaho was around eight hours, it turned out that a flight there was under an hour. We made an early evening plane and were touching down in Boise with time to spare. I’d hated handing over all of my hard-earned tip money for the ticket, but when I stepped out of the airport and smelled the air, air that I knew Kellan was breathing, it seemed worth every penny.

Wanting to surprise the boys, we didn’t call them on the way over. Really, we hadn’t called anybody. It was the most impulsive thing I’d ever done, well, if you didn’t count having spur-of-the-moment sex in an espresso stand impulsive. I tended to think of different adjectives when I thought about that night.

But rushing out to see Kellan when he didn’t know I was coming was exciting, and my heart was beating fast when we hailed a cab. Calling Rachel to verify where the boys were playing, I instantly felt bad that we hadn’t paused long enough to include Rachel and Jenny in our plans. They probably wanted to see their boyfriends too. But really, we’d barely made the flight in time with just the two of us, not with how strict airport security was now. And the interesting collection of "toys" that Anna had packed in her carryon hadn’t helped either.

By the time we found the place and got settled, it was just about time for the show to start. I had no idea how we were going to get in, since a call to the venue had only resulted in us being told that the show was sold out, and had been for a while. While I was thrilled that the tour was going well, it sort of made everything that much harder. I’d never needed a ticket to watch him play before. I was used to just walking into work and having him there, singing, just for me. Or so it seemed sometimes.

Hoping we could find some scalpers, we got out of the cab at what looked like an old theater. It was massive though, and people milled about outside, smoking or chatting on their phones. Light boxes along the entrance displayed the tour’s posters, with our favorite band’s name the last on the list of hot groups performing tonight.

On the marquee though, the D-Bags were right under the main attraction. It was as close to top billing as a small, relatively unknown band could get. Shaking my head at the sign, my heart swelled with pride for him. He was actually doing it. He was actually becoming a rock star, right before my eyes. It blew my mind.

Just as I headed towards a group of meandering people, feeling like an idiot as I clutched my overnight bag, Anna grabbed my arm and jerked me towards the alley. I squeaked in surprise, then looked around the dark area she was leading us to. Not wanting to be mugged, I pulled back on her arm.

"Where are we going?"

Tilting her head at me, her hair perfectly pulled into a loose ponytail, she nodded at the alley that I was sure Jack-the-Ripper was hiding in. "The back entrance is probably down there. We’re going in."

I gave her a dry look. "They’re not just going to let us in the back, Anna. We’ll have to buy tickets just like everybody else."

Rolling her eyes at me, she adjusted the ridiculously tight t-shirt she’d changed into before leaving the house. "Kiera, I’ve never bought a concert ticket in my life, and I’m not about to start now." Smiling in that seductive way that she and Kellan had down to a science, she smirked and headed towards the alley again. Her bag elegantly slung over her shoulder, looked more like an overlarge purse than the duffel bag that mine resembled.

Hoping we survived this, I exhaled a quick breath and hurried to catch up to her. If we were going to die, I wanted us to die together.

Confidently strutting down the dark street, Anna looked completely fine with the situation. Wishing I had her guts, I tried to at least act like I did. Like she expected, we ran into a door being blocked by what could have been Sam’s long lost brother. All muscle and rough demeanor, he narrowed his eyes at us as we approached.

"Keep walking," he muttered as we got close enough to hear.

Anna tilted her head, running a finger along the deep v-neck of her shirt. "But we want to talk to you."

He frowned at her, then at me. "I just got rid of the last batch of you. Don’t you girls have anything better to do than try and screw rock stars."

I bristled at his words, both because that wasn’t what we were doing, not really, and because there was a steady group of girls out there that tried to do exactly what he was saying. Sticking my chin up, I defiantly said, "We just want to see our boyfriends, and they happen to be in one of the bands. If you could let us by, we’d really appreciate it."

He smirked at me. "Wow, I’ve never heard that one before." Rolling his eyes, he added, "When are you girls gonna learn that the actual girlfriends get passes to the show. They don’t come back here to see me." With a smirk he added, "Not that the actual girlfriends are around much…if you know what I mean."

He eyed me and my sister up and down, clearly undressing us, and my eyes narrowed at what he was implying-whores trumped girlfriends, by a long shot. Trying to ignore the heat in my stomach, I shook my head. "Our boyfriends don’t know we’re here…it’s a surprise."

He smiled with one edge of his lip, his bulging biceps not moving from in front of his chest. "Yes, and when they see you out here after the show, it will certainly be a surprise."

My mouth dropped open in frustration but Anna shot me a look to keep me quiet. Sidling up to the man, she ran a finger along his arm. Licking her lip as slowly and seductively as she could, she throatily murmured, "There must be some way to get past this…" she squeezed his arm, then let her hand travel down his side, "…impressive body in our way."

Smirking at Anna, his eyes traveled to her chest and stayed there. She subtly straightened her shoulders, giving him the best view she could. One of his hands uncrossing, he brazenly reached out and cupped one of her br**sts. I wanted to smack his smug face but Anna held a warning finger behind her back, telling me not to.

As Anna wasn’t wearing a bra, the man got a nice little nipple rub. It disgusted me, but Anna only smiled at him like he was complimenting her on her hair. Smiling that she wasn’t moving, he dropped his hand and motioned to her shirt. "Show me, and I’ll let you in."

I sputtered and mumbled a protest but Anna only shrugged and lifted her shirt to him. When she finally lowered the fabric back down into place, I could tell the bouncer was…pleased. If the dazed smile on his face wasn’t a big enough clue, the bulge in his jeans was unmistakable.

I twisted my lips and looked away. "Dog," I muttered. I was pretty sure Sam never would have pulled crap like that.

Focusing on my sister, I watched her brush her fingers over the man’s cheek. "Satisfied," she purred, biting her lip, and glancing down at the evidence of his arousal.

"Definitely," he growled. "Whatever guy you land in there is one lucky bastard."

Anna smirked and smiled as he moved aside from the door. Rolling my eyes, I started to follow her, but the jerk blocked my path. "Nope, sorry, sweetheart." Leering at my chest, he shook his head. "You haven’t paid the price of admission."

Dropping my bag, I immediately crossed my arms over my chest, covering my already covered body. "I am not flashing you!"

He shrugged, unperturbed. "Then you’re not getting back there."

My mouth dropped open and I smacked him across the chest. He narrowed his eyes at me and I stopped instantly, remembering that this was not a bouncer at Pete’s that I was messing with. Lifting my chin, I spat out, "You’re a pig."

Smirking, he winked at me. "Yeah, and you’re still not getting back there until I see some tatas."

An exasperated noise fell out of my mouth as I looked up at Anna, waiting with one palm on the door. She shrugged and made a stripping motion with her hand. I cringed back, not wanting to do this…but wanting to see Kellan.

My cheeks flaming so hot they hurt, I shook my head indignantly. "Go get Kellan Kyle! He’s the lead singer of the D-Bags. He’ll vouch for me, that I’m his girlfriend…and then you’ll have to let me in!"

The man yawned, bored. "Listen, sweetheart. The musicians and I have a deal. I don’t bother them, and they let me have a groupie or two. It works out great, and I’m not going to jeopardize that for you." He smiled again, in a creepy way that made my skin crawl. "Now strip…or go home."

Feeling tears sting my eyes, I glared at my sister. "I’m gonna kill you for this, Anna." Before she could answer, I twisted to the man and snarled, "The bra stays on!"

He rolled his eyes and shrugged and I closed mine. Wishing I could disappear, I fought against every sense in my body and lifted my shirt to the repugnant man before me. I heard him chuckle as he muttered, "Ah, white cotton with the cute little flower in the middle. Aren’t you a sweet thing?"

Just as his fingers came out to touch, I smacked his hand away and lowered my clothes, holding them tight around myself. Looking satisfied that I’d done it, he motioned to the door where Anna was standing. Glaring at him, I picked up my bag and stiffly walked past him.

Grabbing my arm as I brushed against him, he leaned into me. "I love the innocent ones…they’re the wildest in the sack." He nodded at the closed door. "I’ll be around, once you’re done with this Kellan guy, if you want to experience a real man." He ground his still-aroused body into my leg and I forced myself to not slap him.

Backing away, I straightened and muttered, "No, thank you." Then shoved Anna’s back so she’d open the door and get us out of that damn alley. "You’re so dead, Anna," I muttered again while the sound of the bouncer chuckling was washed away by the sounds in the theater as she finally opened the heavy, steel door.

Anna was highly entertained by the whole thing. As we walked down the hall, she slung her arm over my shoulders and laughed out, "Oh my God, I so thought you were going to deck that guy!" Biting my lip, I glared at her. She only laughed harder and squeezed me tight. Resting her head against mine, she merrily exclaimed, "Ah, relax, Kiera, no harm done, and now you’re one step closer to Kellan."

She winked at me as I pushed her away. "I’ll turn you into a vixen yet, sister," she giggled. I rolled my eyes at her but did smile a little. Well, Kellan had wanted me to have a good story to tell him. I guess, now I did.

The music of the band currently on stage filtered around us as we aimlessly walked through corridors and open areas. There were tons of people about, some that seemed to work at the venue, walking around with headsets and clipboards, some that looked more like security, which we purposely avoided since we technically weren’t supposed to be here. Some seemed to be from a local radio station, and some were clearly band members. But the majority seemed to be women, just like us. It helped us blend in, but I wasn’t thrilled at the girl-to-guy ratio that I was seeing.