Chapter 15

As Chelsea stepped onto the new tour bus, her eyes widened in awe at the beauty within. The background of the exterior was white, with photos of the band members in the foreground and the band name written in purple. There were curtains at the tinted windows, plush sofa-like seats for relaxation and a small kitchen area with a fridge. There was even a small toilet onboard.

It was obvious that the interior was specially designed for the team. The original seats were taken out and fitted with sofas with their back to the windows. There were only four regular seats at the front.

“Move along,” Mike urged behind her.

“Sorry,” she replied, slowly moving down the aisle.

She ran her hand along the beige leather that covered the seats while her eyes settled on the daybed at the back. There were pillows and a drape to pull for privacy. She looked around for a place to settle but had no clue where to seat herself. Everything was so luxurious that she was afraid to unsettle anything.

“What’s the matter?” Tony’s smooth tone brought a smile to her face.

She turned, and her eyes rested on him lounging in one of the seats. “Where should I sit?”

With a lazy stretch, he sat up, tapping the seat beside him. As she moved to slide in beside him, someone grabbed her arm, pulling her up. Her back hit a solid rock and a ripple of current ran through her. Her heart began to thud unevenly, and her breath caught in a gasp.

“Chelsea sits near her boss,” Colt’s deep drawl directed at Tony.

“She works for the band, doesn’t she?” Tony connected eyes with Colt. “That makes her equally my employee as yours.”

Colt’s answer was a gentle nudge towards the back of the bus. Before he moved off, he gave Tony a cutting stare that could slice a slab of steak in two. Chelsea almost stumbled trying to move away from the heat of his hand as it gripped her arm. At the rear of the bus, she dropped into the last seat on the left and Colt sat on the right.

She wasn’t looking forward to the long ride between NY and LA. They would have to make a few stops for food, but they would spend most of the next few days in close quarters. The itinerary said five days travel. They would be stopping once for a photo shoot, which should take just about two hours. She glanced at the itinerary to make sure everything was set before stuffing it back into its folder.

She could feel Colt’s eyes burn into her, and she wanted to tell him to stop it. Her heart had not calmed after the body contact. When she chanced a glance his way, he was lounging with his back resting on the window and his face in her direction. His eyes were hooded, but she could see him looking at her through slits.

She shuffled uncomfortably and pulled a book from her bag. She was almost done reading this one and her other books were neatly stored in her suitcase in the luggage compartment. She could kick herself for not taking more than one book inside the bus. She would have to wait for one of the stops to take one out.

“Chelsea?” Reid entered the bus, calling for her.

She was glad for the reprieve from Colt’s eyes. She dropped the book on the seat and picked up her handbag. Colt’s eyes followed her as she brushed past his seat. Tony was still fuming. His eyes were closed, but his brows knitted in a frown, and his lips pursed tightly.

“Yes,” she reached the steps.

“Follow me,” the manager said, stepping down and walking towards the hotel lobby.

“What’s the matter?” she questioned as she ran up behind him.

He continued but turned his head slightly. “Remember what we talked about?”

“What?” She was confused.

He stopped so abruptly that she collided with his back. She stepped back as he turned to face her, his titanium eyes glinting. “Your wardrobe. You promised to let the girl in the hotel boutique outfit you.”

“I … we … I …” she mumbled.

“I went to pay the bill, and guess what? There was nothing to pay!” He threw his hands up in the air. “Let’s go. She picked out some things for you. You have ten minutes to fit them.”

“But …” She started to protest.

“But nothing, Chelsea. How long will you walk around looking like that? You are the manager’s assistant to the number two rock band in the country and the number seven worldwide. Do you know what that means?” She shook her head. Reid was beginning to scare her. “It means you will be under the public radar soon.”

“Oh,” her eyes widened.

“Yes, very soon, you will be interviewed; you will become the center of attention as the only female in the group. You will become as famous as me.” He grinned. “So your image needs to match that fame. Got that?” His grin faded, and he glared at her threateningly.

“Okay,” she whispered, nervously.

He moved off again, and she followed like a puppet. Her knees were weak as she wondered what kind of outfits she would be required to wear for the band. She was the only female employee, but that didn’t mean she had to compromise her standards. Did it?

The clerk handed her a pile of clothes as she walked in. Reid was snapping his fingers and looking at his watch. They had less than twenty minutes before the driver was scheduled to start the engine. She had ten minutes to choose.

There was no time to fit them all. There were five dresses, four pairs of jeans and about a dozen or so tops. She dropped the pile on a small table attached to the dressing room wall, and then rifled through them checking the labels for the sizes. Luckily, she knew she was a size eight … well, not quite since she always wore two or more sizes larger than her actual size. She picked out the right sizes and was amazed that the clerk got them correct. Almost all the garments were size six, and the tops were tailored to accommodate her 36D cup boobs.

A knock at the dressing room door made her jump. “Yes?” she answered.

“I got some cosmetics as well,” the clerk said.

She grabbed the clothes she was keeping, picked up the three pieces that she didn’t like, and pulled the door open.

“I’m done choosing,” she told the blonde haired, blue-eyed angel staring at her.

“Come with me, Reid is scowling,” The girl leaned in close and whispered, “Doesn’t he just look funny when he’s mad?”

Chelsea chuckled and eyed her curiously. “Yes, he does.”

They walked to the cosmetic counter, and the girl handed her a few items. I chose these for you. You do know how to apply makeup right?”

“Yes.” She nodded, eying the array of items being stuffed in her hands.

“Let me get you a bag, and this is a gift,” the girl added a bottle of perfume to the mix. “We’re done.”

“Good,” Reid said. He was right behind them. “Get back to the bus. I’ll take care of this.”

* * * *

She unzipped her suitcase, which was lying on the bed in the motel room. They had made their first rest stop for a change of clothes and food at a motel. They drove all night, and the driver was resting while Reid took the wheel. He’d slept most of the trip and was ready to give the driver a break. She just stepped from the shower, wrapped her bathrobe around her and was about to get on some clothes when she noticed how scanty the case was.

“Where is my stuff? I packed everything,’” she muttered, trying to recall if she had unpacked at some time during the night before. “No, I packed up everything and Ben helped me take my case to the lobby where everything went on the trolley.”

Ben had been loyal since the incident with the photo. She recalled early that morning as he presented himself at her room door, declaring himself as her personal attendant. He took her case down, and she watched as he placed it on the trolley with the band’s luggage. She had watched the other attendant push the trolley out into the early morning sun towards the parked bus.

She could see him unload the stuff, stuffing them inside the luggage compartment. The bus was parked across the drive directly in front of the main entrance. She shook the memory and tried to figure out what happened since. Who would want to steal her clothes?

With a frustrated sigh, she pulled a pair of jeans and top from the items she got from the hotel boutique. Before she could get her clothes on, a knock sounded at her door. She pulled her robe tightly around her and yanked the door open. Reid was standing there. His eyes settled on her wet hair and then traveled down to her breasts. Absently, she clutched the robe.

“What’s taking you so long?”

“We just came here. You said we’d shower and grab some food,” she protested.

“We’ll get some food about a mile down the road. Get some clothes on; we’re leaving in five minutes,” he said as he walked off.

She was about to close the door when she stopped. “I think someone messed with my suitcase,” she told him.

Reid stopped and turned, “What do you mean messed with?”

“Some of my clothes are gone!” She was getting agitated, which was evident in her voice.

“Oh, those. I had Mariska take them out,” he said in a casual way.

“What? Who’s MARISKA?” she shouted the name.

Reid shrugged. “The girl in the store,” he said. “I told her to take out all the nerdy stuff and dump them.”

“How could you do that to someone? You invaded my privacy.” Her anger was starting to rise. The heat of it was burning her cheeks. Her emerald eyes blazed as she stared into his cold, steely ones. “How could you throw away my clothes?”

“Calm down, Chelsea,” he cajoled, but she was having none of that.

“Calm down? You throw away my clothes, and now you’re telling me to calm down?”

She moved her hand from her chest and gesticulated while she spoke. Her emerald eyes sparkled, and her cheeks gleamed bright pink, flushed from her ire. Her robe slipped a crack, revealing her ivory skin beneath.

“Those were my things. I should have a say in what happens to them. Where are they?” she asked tightly while her heart thudded heavily with adrenaline.

She was breathing heavily as well as she tried her best to keep her rage under control. With each breath, her chest heaved. She found that her annoyance was increasing thinking about all that she’d encountered since she started working with Purple Crush. Reid throwing away her clothes was the icing on the cake, even though he’d bought her new ones. With a determined stride, she stomped into the room and picked up the bag of new clothes. She brought it and shoved it at her boss.

“Here, take them back and return my own!”

“Let’s be reasonable, Chelsea.” Reid ignored the bag. “You need to calm down.”

A wolf whistle got her attention. Her head snapped up to see three men in the corridor. They were lounging against the wall of the motel passage and ogling her with grins on their faces.

“What are you looking at?” she shrieked at them.

At that moment, Colt stepped from one of the rooms and looked in her direction. His eyes cruised her, and then his face darkened into a scowl. He stepped towards the men menacingly and growled at them. She did not hear what he said, but they moved off. She was still breathing hot air when he walked casually towards her and stepped between her and Reid.

Slowly his hands came up, and she cringed, not knowing what to expect. She shrank back a little, and her eyes widened. Her already unsteady heart took off again like a runaway train. She flushed deeper as his hand reached up and closed her robe.

“Agh!” she gasped, just now realizing that she had been exposed.

As realization dawned on her, she turned and ran into the room, slamming the door behind her. On wobbly knees, she leaned against the doorframe, trying to steady her breathing. Her heart pummeled her ribcage so badly that she feared her ribs would crack. No, that’s silly, she chuckled.

“How could you not tell her she was exposed like that, Reid?” Colt’s asked. His voice came through the door.

She pressed her ear to the door to listen.

“I tried to tell her to calm down, but she was so angry,” Reid replied.

“No, you didn’t try. I heard it all; I saw the look on your face!”

“She’s a woman; I’m a man. It happens,” was Reid’s amused reply.

Chelsea’s mouth fell open. She could not believe Reid said that. There was a thwacking sound and a groan, then Reid’s voice again.

“What the fuck?”

“Stay away from Chelsea. If I see you looking at her the way you did before, you and me will have problems,” Colt’s voice sounded deathly calm.

“What’s with you? Are you in love with her?” Reid asked. She could hear the surprise in his voice.

Chelsea’s breath stopped as she waited for Colt’s reply. There was only silence and then footsteps. She wanted to see what happened but was afraid to open the door. What was that sound? Did Colt hit Reid? No, he wouldn’t’ do that, would he?