Still, I ended up excusing myself and heading to the bathroom. I just couldn't take being around all the scantily-clad, turned-on groupies and watching them do everything they could to get their grubby, little paws all over Owen.
I felt panicky, nervous for some reason. I splashed a little water on my face and took a few deep breaths to calm myself. I knew coming into this job that this was how some fans acted, especially around attractive rock stars, and these guys were certainly that and more.
As much as I hated that I needed to, I once again had to remind myself that Owen wasn't like that. I kept repeating to myself that it would be the other guys doing unheard of things with these girls. Not him. He would simply be polite and sign autographs for them. I pulled my makeup out of my purse and freshened up my face, then fixed my hair before walking back out.
I was beginning to feel a little better—until I saw Owen. He had two girls sitting in his lap for a picture. Both chicks had their tits out on full display, and he had his tongue sticking out toward them like he was going to lick them. Waves of something I couldn’t even describe started rippling through my body, and an uncomfortable heat flushed through my face.
I bit my lip hard and turned on my heels, heading for the back door. I needed air, and I needed it fast. Fans or not, there was no reason for him to join in like that. Then again, he had made it clear we weren’t an item...or anything, for that matter. He’d also made it clear that crazy things happened on tour. I was just an idiot for starting to care more deeply for him than I really should have.
“Nalia?” I spun around to see Talon standing outside.
“Hey, Talon, did you need something?” I plastered a smile on my face, even as tears began to rim my eyes.
“No…no, I didn’t need anything,” he said, lighting a cigarette. “I came out here to check on you.”
“On me? Why would you do that? I’m totally fine,” I assured him, trying to keep it together and put on my most hardened expression. “You should get back in there with your fans; you're going to leave a lot of them disappointed if you don't. Go on, have fun; don't worry about me.” I waved a hand, managing a laugh, even if it sounded hollow.
He sighed and put a hand on my shoulder. “I saw your face, and I think I know you well enough by now to be able to see that you’re not fine.”
I tried to laugh it off, even as more tears formed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Owen. With the two practically topless girls. You can't tell me that's not going to bother you on some level.” He stared me straight in the eyes, and the tears finally began to roll down my cheeks.
“It’s my own fault. I’m an idiot, a stupid idiot, nothing more. I actually started feeling something for him. Even after he told me….” My voice trailed off as Talon pulled me into a strong hug, and I sniffled, hugging him back.
“Look, sometimes my brother can be an idiot just like me. It's a family trait, sadly. He cares about you, too, you know. A lot. He really does, believe me. He just got caught up in joking around with the fans.”
“By trying to lick their tits? That's what you call 'just joking around?’” I looked at Talon like he was nuts.
“I’m not excusing him! Fans get crazy, and, to be honest, it’s easy to get caught up in it, but I know he wasn’t going to do anything more than just humor them by playing along. Yes, I know they pulled their tits out; they want attention from us. And yeah, a lot of them want, you know, the whole package. But most are satisfied with a smile, an autograph, and maybe a flirty touch. But trust me, he's not going to go any further than that with them because of how much he likes you.”
“I shouldn’t even be here right now. Everything is organized, and you guys don’t need me to get back to the hotel. I should just go back to my room,” I sighed.
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I don’t want to stay and watch him with….” I shrugged.
Talon gave me one more strong squeeze. “It'll be all right, I promise. I know him better than anyone. He is my brother. And, he's not going to do anything stupid. Don't worry; he's not like me in that respect,” Talon gave me a playful wink intended to reassure me. I wasn’t feeling too reassured. “Anyways, we’ll meet you back at the hotel, no worries, okay?” he added.
I nodded, feeling a little sad, disappointed, numb, and angry all rolled into one. Without another word, I headed around the building to the front to hail a cab. I finally caught one and simply headed straight up to my room when I arrived back at the hotel.
I wanted to go to sleep, but I was too agitated and upset over the situation and over the fact that I cared so much. Maybe Talon was right. Maybe Owen didn’t mean anything by it. Maybe he was just posing for a picture and didn’t think something like that might hurt me. Maybe, since I lied on my resume, he assumed I’d been on tour with other bands before and knew those kinds of things happened and were simply par for the course. But if I was being honest with myself, I didn’t know what to think anymore. I felt like I was unraveling, and I needed something to calm me down.
I suddenly remembered that I had passed a piano in the lobby of the hotel earlier. Without a second thought, I slipped my shoes back on and headed downstairs.
I sat down at the pristine black bench and started playing. As I did, I started to forget everything and just focused on the music.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Owen
I felt great after the meet and greet had finished, invigorated even. The show had been a spectacular success, and we had been on fire from the very first song to the final encore. Having the fans pretty much refuse to let us go off stage until they'd heard a third encore really had felt amazing. My earlier thoughts were spot on—this was definitely turning out to be one of the best tours we'd done, if not the best ever.
Even though confidence had never been something I had an issue with, it was nice to know so many women were still attracted to me. Every man needs a little ego boost now and again.
Not to mention, I had to face the facts: I was getting older, and damn if I didn’t feel less attractive in recent years. Damn ego. I mean, I'd stayed in shape, and my genes had gifted me with a full head of hair that showed no signs of thinning, and good, smooth skin that remained pretty damn youthful, but even with all of that, I'd began to feel as if I wasn't as attractive as I had been in my twenties. So, the attention from these star-struck groupies, well, it was nice in that regard.
Not that I’d given a lot of thought to women in the last couple of years. Mostly, I’d been working so hard and been so extremely focused on the record label, I hadn’t had time to think much about relationships or even one-night stands. Actually, I hadn’t really much cared what women thought of me until recently. And when I say “women,” I actually mean one woman in particular.