Angels & Sinners: The Motor City Edition (14 page)

“So I heard the party in their dressing room is going to be pretty amazing.” The bleach blond girl said to what looked like her twin, only she had a horrible fake tan. They were dressed in silver leggings with holes all over them and white halter tops that showed their colorful bras underneath. ‘Whores’ I wanted to shout to them, but ‘desperate’ sounded more accurate.

“Mmmm. Just wait until I get my hands on Charming. I’ve heard how amazing he is in bed, and I wouldn’t care if I was just another notch on that bed post of his,” the other blond remarked, and I nearly snorted in response. I ignored them as best as I could, taking out a small can of hairspray I carried in my purse, spraying my hair down one last time in attempt to control all the strands. I reapplied a coat of lip-gloss and gave both girls a small nod before walking out of the bathroom to get my soda.

As I reached for my money, I heard my phone vibrating near my hand. I grabbed the money and handed it to the arena employee, who handed me the drink. With my other hand, I got my phone, and had a missed text from Bella.

Hurry back sis. Your man is in perfect view from here.

I wrinkled my eyebrows. What was she talking about?

What do you mean? He’s not on stage yet right?
I texted back.

No silly. He’s standing on the side though some of the other members of ITF. Better get your ass moving.

Damn you’re mean to me sometimes. I’m heading back now.
I responded.

I walked as fast as my short heels would take me, tripping on the stairs a few times on my way back down to the floor. The Brittle Souls looked like they were just starting to perform and I didn’t want to miss their set either. I got closer and closer and paid attention to their lead singer. He had red hair almost identical to mine, but cut and styled like a faux hawk. He had tattoos covering both of his arms as he commanded the stage and I focused on glancing past him to see if I could catch wind of Damon.

Making it back to Bella, she screamed and pointed towards the corner of the stage, our left. “He’s back there, but damn he looks delicious.”

Squinting my eyes and stood on my tip toes as best as I could, but I couldn’t find him. “I don’t see him.” I shook my head in discouragement. “You sure it was him?”

Bella switched spots with me, and I leaned a little bit further over, and sure as shit, there he was looking completely different than earlier. His hair, which was concealed earlier, looked like it was almost to his shoulders, and even though I could barely make out what he was wearing, I got my eyeful and a smile grew on my face. “I talked to him . . . I can’t believe I actually . . . ”

I was starting to freak out. “Yes hun you did, and we’re both going to have some fun the rest of the night while that hot piece of man candy parades his junk on stage for us to ogle and imaging doing dirty things to it . . . ”

My mouth dropped. “Bella Layne.” I said in a hushed whisper. “You’ve already been drinking and you should probably stop. You’re saying some pretty . . . ”

“Crazy, truthful things?” She interrupted me, only to return her attention to The Brittle Souls. We started singing one of their latest songs, and one I actually knew. My eyes flickered towards where I saw Damon, and he still stood there. This time, his arms were crossed and he wasn’t watching the band playing for the thousands of fans in this arena.

He was watching me.

CHAPTER 3:

The minutes felt like hours in my mind. I blindly watched The Brittle Souls end their set with some awesome strobe lights, reminding me of the old homecoming dances we had in high school, where everyone thought those things were cool.

My fingers were itching to touch Damon again. They were so restless, eager to feel his skin again, his muscles, so I had to play with my skirt, fumble with my phone, anything to keep them busy. All that was on my mind was how I know I’ll cum just from the sight of that man singing on stage.

Me and a thousand other women in this place.

“Shit, I never thought I hated these breaks in between bands so much, as I do right now.” I was sitting down, my legs practically bouncing up and down. I was out of control. After one encounter with Damon, not even for a few short minutes, and look what he has done to me. I’m a wreck.

“Huh, what did you say?” Bella asked me, not paying any attention to me since she started making out with the same guy that was sharing a drink with her earlier.

“Never mind, just go back to doing whatever you two were doing.” I stuck my tongue out at her and she flipped me the middle finger. I finished sipping on my soda, and checked my Facebook profile trying to pass the time and think of anything besides the fact he will be on stage at any time now.

I quickly posted that I was front row with Bella at the Ignite the Flames concert and uploaded a picture we had taken earlier before The Brittle Souls went onstage. There that’ll make a few people jealous, I smiled inwardly, texting a few other friends until Bella screamed at the top of her lungs, causing me to nearly drop my phone on the ground.

“Just saw Em’s boyfriend, Alex. You didn’t hear him warming up those drums?” Bella’s eyes were on mine, and I frowned and shook my head.

“Wait, so Emily is dating one of the members in the band?” I asked dumbfounded, but then I put two and two together. “Oh so that’s how we got the tickets . . . ”

“Bingo Sammy. And you want to hear the best part?”

“What’s that?”

Bella leaned in even closer to me so she could whisper over the loud heavy rock music filling the stadium. “I wasn’t going to tell you and you’ll hate me for keeping this from you, but she also gave us backstage passes.”

I gave my sister the death glare, but inside I was squealing and my heart pounding. “So you knew this whole time we were going back there and never told me? You bitch . . . ”

We both started laughing. “Oh I knew, in fact everything is going like I’d hoped. Damon’s the perfect distraction from the ex-boyfriend and I figured the backstage passes would boost your spirits since you’ve been so down lately.” She set her hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Even if nothing happens tonight, at least you got to say you had ONE night with Mr. Charming.”

“Well even if you lied to me, I owe you pretty big now,” I said to Bella, and she smiled.

“Don’t worry about it Sammy.” Bella waved it off like it was nothing. “I say when they come on stage, let’s act like the rest of these people waiting to see them and lose our damn minds and shake our asses like we’re at the club.”

Fully ready for what was about to come in any given moment, I turned back to her and said excitedly “Let’s do this!”

CHAPTER 4:

The minute the arena went black, and I mean complete pitch black minus the lights from cell phones and cameras, was when my adrenaline started pumping; then the sound of the drums and double basses pounding. I cupped my hands around my mouth to scream as loud as I could. This anticipation was what killed me inside, in a good way, and I had a feeling I was going to lose my voice tonight from all of the singing and screaming I was about to do.

“
Broken by the best,
” I yelled to Bella, instantly recognizing what song they were about to open with. A thick, black curtain shielded the stage from the crowd, so we could only hear the music and not see anyone. But when the duel guitars started shredding, lights behind the curtain were lit up so we could see silhouettes of the rest of the band.

“How the fuck are we doing tonight Grand Rapids?” A voice bellowed, and louder screams erupted among the people in the crowd. Flames shot up from the sides of the stage and the curtain dropped down within seconds, finally showcasing the band. Damon immediately started singing into the first verse of the song, and my eyes were instantly drawn to him. He wore a black and red stripped plaid shirt, his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows showing off his tattoos, and his black jeans clung to his leg muscles perfectly. His hair was partially slicked back, but when he bent down to belt out his notes, it looked especially sexy to see it covering his eyes.

“He’s a fucking god, I swear.” Bella groaned, and I nudged her hard. “Hey, I’m not staking claim on him, I’m just saying the guy cleans up good and he has the voice of a fucking rock star.”

“Because he is!” I exclaimed, singing along as Damon hit the last chorus of the song. The whole band seemed to be enjoying themselves, my eyes drifting from Damon to the other members. I loved Lucy, the bass player’s, quirky style. Most of the pictures I’ve seen of the band in magazines, she’d have on her signature top hat or corset and tutu, which set her apart from the rest of the guys. Sure, they were all good looking, especially the tall guitarist, Paul Donovan, but there was something about Damon that had me from the moment I started listening to them.

I let myself go and danced, sang, and shouted lyrics through their set. Maybe it was in an attempt to get Damon to notice me, and at one point, before they took a brief break, we had locked eyes and he winked at me, not missing a beat on the song. After that, I lifted my hands up and started dancing like no one was watching. I was going to put on a show for him, whether he watched me or not. A few times I heard girls shout “I love you Charming!” and “Marry me Prince Charming!” which made me laugh hysterically and shake my head, but I knew he probably heard that on a nightly basis.

A couple of songs into the set, Damon started introducing the members of the band, starting with himself and leading up to Lucy, and when he did, he draped an arm around her and kissed her cheek. She started playing a quick bass line and stuck her middle finger into the air, which then I heard “You’re fucking hot Lucy!”

Paul, the lead guitarist, took over microphone duties, grabbing all of our attention. “Everyone enjoying the set tonight?” I cupped my hands around my mouth again to shout “Hell yes!” which warranted a few glares from people around me, but I shrugged as if I didn’t care. He started talking and telling us about the new album, which they had written while up north at the cabin they own on the lake. After that he said “All of you ladies look especially beautiful tonight, but right now, what we’re going to do is pick a few out of the audience here and have them come onstage for a special song we’ll be playing.”

A special song? Bella and I exchanged glances as the spotlight turned on and started shining light around the arena. It glowed from one side, to the very back, to the right, and eventually landed over the front row . . . right on Bella and me. “What the fuck?” I shouted in excitement, “Did you plan this too big sis?”

Bella mouthed no, looking just as surprised and happy as I was, but I knew she was partly lying. Everyone around us started patting our backs as we were escorted and helped onto the stage by Paul.

“Come on over here.” He gestured towards us, and we ran, my eyes dead on Damon, who had the hugest grin on his face, and there was no containing it.

Damon took over the mic and asked “Now what are your names?”

I wanted to say ‘you already know my name’ but I opted against it and shouted “I’m Samantha and this is my older sister Bella!”

“Nice to meet you beautiful ladies,” Damon replied, giving Bella a one armed hug, and she looked like she was on fucking cloud nine right now. Then it was my turn as Bella stepped to the side and talked to Lucy. “Red, you look even more delicious up close like this.” He growled in my ear, kissing my cheek and let me go as I drug Bella over to the side of the stage where we were going to watch the song they were playing for us.

CHAPTER 5:

I had pictured in my mind what backstage at a concert looked like, but actually experiencing this shit right now, and after being kissed by the hottest man in rock n’ roll? I felt like I was at the highest peak in a rollercoaster ride, and I didn’t want the ride to stop. This was my fucking dream come true and I was living what I’ve dreamed about for a while now.

“Those girls hate you right now.” Bella said as we stood backstage, still watching the rest of Ignite the Flames’ set. “Each and every one of them. They probably want to rip out your red hair and stomp on your face. That or the guys want to marry you.”

I was lucky. That much I did know. I brought my fingers up to my lips, remembering how Damon kissed me full on the lips in front of the crowd after they played a song off their new album called
Just One Night.
Could that be anymore ironic?

Seeing the show from the sides, not where the audience was, was a million times better. As crowded and hectic as it seemed where we were, I could get used to this view. Especially when all I’m staring at is Damon Charming’s ass in his black jeans, as he stood on top of a tiny set of stairs in the front of the stage. He held out the microphone to the crowd, each and every one singing back the words to him, and then he brought it back to his lips, chuckling slightly before finishing out the song.

“Pinch me,” I said dreamily, getting lost in his sexy as hell singing voice as he growled into the mic and belted out a soaring chorus that gave me chills. His singing was unlike anything I’ve heard before, live at that, and I’m addicted. I’m hooked. I want nothing more right now then to scurry back on stage and kiss him again. To feel his lips on mine.

Alright, alright. You can call me obsessed. I’ll take it.

Bella made an attempt to actually pinch me and I stepped away. “I didn’t mean actually do it!” I said quietly as she started giggling.

“I could get used to this view too little sis. Let’s marry some rock stars and not work so we can go on tour all the time,” Bella suggested, but I knew that was something I could never do. Right now I had a full-time job at an accounting firm, in addition to college classes, and if I ever left that job, I would never hear the end of it from my parents.

“Whatever you say Bella. You go ahead and do that and tell me how it goes,” I teased her. I watched intently as Damon told everyone that this song was going to be their last, launching into
Mastermind,
another new song. We started pumping our fists into the air as the heavy beat filled the arena. I briefly listened to the album as we were getting ready for the concert tonight, only hearing a short bit of each song, so I sort of knew a few words and could sing along.