I chatted with the guys in the band for a while as we were all gathering, getting to know them. Mr. Royal, who insisted I call him Mark, didn’t suspect any of them were the stalker, but I wanted to find out for myself. One of the guys, Mike, seemed like the big brother type to me. Johnny, the lead guitar player, was married with two little kids. He was definitely into his family; they were all there to send him off, and he spent the whole time playing in the parking lot with the blonde-haired, blue eyed little girls who’s giggles would make anyone smile.

When Mark arrived, we had a brief talk. Not wanting to be conspicuous, we kept it friendly and non-covert. I had the pleasure of meeting the girl’s’ mom, Cassandra Royal. She and Miranda had matching steely blue eyes and the same smile. She gave me a knowing nod when we were introduced, and I suspected she was in on the operation, although I’d never really discussed that with Mark.

I was checking my watch, waiting for Mark and the girls to get off the bus and tell us all to get the show on the road, when that red hair caught my eye again, sending a little jolt of excitement down my spine. As they got off the bus, all smiles, I watched as she hugged the guys who’d shown up while she was on board, and Mark rejoined his wife, who was standing next to me.

“All set for the tour, Ryan?” he asked me.

“Sure am, sir,” I confirmed.

“Good. Keep me posted. And have some fun out there too,” he said.

“No time for fun, sir. I’ve got a job to do,” I replied, my gaze never leaving Miranda.

“We’ll see, son. We’ll see,” He patted my shoulder and walked to the center of our little crowd.

“Alright everyone, you guys need to get on the road. St. Louis is waiting. Everyone is going to ride on the girl’s’ bus so you guys can regroup or whatever, and then it’s the usual gig. I assume you’ve all met Ryan by now?” He motioned to me as I gave a little wave, keeping my eyes on her. “He’ll be on the road with you for the summer, so be nice. He can make you look good or he can make you look bad. Your call,” he said with a mildly serious tone, but eyes that smiled to the group.

“Alright guys, let’s do this!” Miranda called out. She walked toward me, into her mother’s arms, Carmen in tow.

“My babies!” her mother said, squeezing her tightly. “Be careful out there, and have a blast!” She pulled Carmen in for a hug as well. Their family dynamic was truly a sight for someone like me. They teased each other, but it was clear they were a unit, and that was unusual for me to see. My family was my guys mostly. I had already lost both of my parents, way too young. We were close though, especially my mother and I, and she had always encouraged me to find a woman who believed family was the most important thing in the world, above all else. Why I recalled those memories in that moment could only be that watching them reminded me of what my mom wanted for me. I felt my lips turn up in a smile, watching them all gear up to go.

As everyone said their goodbyes, I grabbed my backpack and nodded to Mark. He gave me a mock salute as I made my way back to the bus. I waited for everyone else to pile on, climbing up the stairs last only to Marty, the driver, who gave me the same knowing nod I’d just given Mark.

There were quite a few of us on board, more than the bus really accommodated, and as I looked around for somewhere to sit, I met Miranda’s eyes. Giving me just a slight smile, she patted the couch next to her, and I gladly took the seat in the tight quarters. Carmen turned the radio on, dialing in some classic rock for the trip.

“Everybody good with this?” she asked.

Nods all around prompted a smile from her, and she sat on a recliner type chair, sprawled out across from us. I’m pretty sure that even if someone had objected, she wouldn’t have changed the station regardless; she definitely did what she wanted.

“Okay, so we all met yesterday, and we know the plan for tomorrow’s show, but I figured we could all take the short ride to St. Louis together because I missed your faces and we won’t be sick of each other for at least a week or so, right?” Miranda laughed.

Johnny was lounging on Miranda’s other side, and Mike sat at the desk across the way.

“Well, we missed you too Your Majesty,” Johnny teased her.

Playfully curtseying from her seat, she grinned and replied, “Now you don’t have to.”

Jumping in on the conversation, Carmen said, “So, everyone knows he is going to be digging into our lives for the summer, right?”

“Yeah, man, glad to have you. Should be a good time.” Mike casually waved in my direction, ignoring Carmen’s sarcasm.

“Thanks for the hospitality, guys. I’m looking forward to the whole tour,” I replied.

“Where are you from, Ryan? You live in Nashville?” Johnny asked.

“No, I have a place in San Francisco, actually. But I’m from all over,” I replied, not wanting to allude to my military background, which kept me nomadic at best. My father was Army as well, so we moved every four years for him for as long as I could remember. “My parents moved a lot, but they settled in California. Luckily for me in San Francisco, we still get some of the seasons, so I keep a place there. But I travel quite a bit for work.”

“Ah, makes sense. Us too, so this should be no big thing for you then,” he replied.

“I feel like we could just rock out and enjoy the drive, no?” Carmen said, sliding her huge sunglasses down over her eyes.

“Yesss sister, we can,” Miranda laughed, reaching across my lap to grab a remote control off the small ledge next to me. As her body brushed against mine, I caught a whiff of that fresh flower scent of hers and shifted in my seat as the impure thoughts started to invade my head. “Sorry for my reach,” she whispered up at me as she brushed by me again, showing me those pouty lips of hers, which I couldn’t take my eyes off. Immediately, I tried to think of other things, anything, to prevent my dick from doing exactly what it was - coming to attention.

I twitched a bit, as she settled into the couch, nestling a little closer to me, placing her legs underneath herself. She raised the remote and turned the music up a little, and then sighed.

“You comfortable?” She leaned up to my ear.

“Mmhmm,” I mumbled out, not sure what I was doing cornered on the couch by her, but she seemed comfortable and that was a good thing as far as I was concerned.

“Okay, good. If I fall asleep on you, you can feel free to shove me off,” She let out a giggle, and dropped her sunglasses over her eyes, leaning into me just a bit more. While it was a relatively small couch, she probably had enough room to be less close, but I was glad she wasn’t. I could feel her body relax, and suddenly I wanted everyone off the bus. Everyone except her. My mind raced with images of what I would like to do to her on that couch.

About forty-five minutes into the five-hour drive to St. Louis, it appeared everyone had fallen asleep, and I couldn’t help but let the moment take me over as well. I took advantage of her closeness, and leaned into her comfortably, inhaling that sweet smell before dozing off to the smooth ride of my new home for the next few months.