I remember his manly smell, his tanned muscular torso, his large hands as they spread my legs, and instantly my body starts aching for his brand of pleasure. My hands move of their own accord and start squeezing my breasts and caressing my nipples, anticipating how it will feel to be taken and fucked hard by Cash again.
It seems an impossible dream that I will stand in the audience watching the hero of so many of my teenage wet dreams, and I will not scream or cry his name, but will go home with the real thing, Cash Hunter.
I stand in front of the mirror, my hair loose and shining down my back, my eyes alive with excitement, my skin pink with all the blood rushing madly around my body, and with only one way to describe my dress: sexy, sexy, sexy.
I just hope to God that Cash doesn’t think it’s too slutty.
I go into Britney’s room. She is zipping herself up into a long sleeved shift dress with an A-line skirt, complete with black lace trim. I sit on the bed and tell her she looks amazing, but she takes it off and tries on two more outfits before I look at my watch pointedly, telling her if she carries on in this way much longer we will miss the concert.
‘Right. Be a devil and open the champagne bottle and I promise I’ll be ready in fifteen minutes.’
I open the bottle that has been sitting on ice since we came in and grab two glasses, then return to her room. I pour the champagne and offer her a glass.
‘To a fabulous time tonight,’ Britney says.
‘To a fabulous time,’ I toast.
‘I’m so happy I am with you, Tori,’ Britney giggles.
‘And I’m so happy, Britney, to see you happy,’ I say. I almost can’t believe how the girl is changing. I barely recognize this good-hearted, warm girl.
Fifteen minutes later she is all dolled up to the nines in the black and pink Moschino dress we bought earlier and we’re ready to roll.
I call Fabio who says he’s already downstairs.
She jumps to her feet. ‘Will I do?’ she asks doing a quick and slightly unsteady twirl.
‘I’ll have a hard time keeping the guys away from you tonight,’ I tell her.
‘Don’t you bloody dare,’ she warns and bursts out laughing.
We leave the suite and go downstairs. In the foyer a group of Italian young guys blow kisses and call out, ‘Bella, Bella.’
We smile and keep moving. Fabio is right outside the entrance, smoking a cigarette, looking cool and relaxed.
‘Mediolanum Forum, Assago?’ he asks.
‘Si,’ I confirm.
As we exit the hotel’s forecourt, I realize that I can barely wait to get there, but I dampen my enthusiasm next to Britney.
‘Vaffanculo,’ Fabio yells furiously as he slams on the brakes.
Both Britney and I jump and brace ourselves on the seats in front of us.
He meets our eyes in the rear view mirror. ‘Sorry. Every time big concert, very bad traffic,’ he says.
‘Will we make it in time?’ Britney asks in a panicked voice.
‘Don’t worry, Signorina. I know all the side roads. We beat the other cars.’
Chapter Thirty-one
Tori
In the end it takes only half an hour before we are driving along a tree lined boulevard and catch sight of huge billboards advertising Alkaline on either side of the road. The band looks fabulous in the billboard photo, but my eyes are drawn to the larger-than-life image of Cash. He looks awesome. Fabio avoids the huge crowd that’s queued as far as my eyes can see and drops us off at the VIP entrance.
We show our VIP passes to two burly security guards.
‘You’re with the band?’ one of the men asks.
Britney cuts in before I can answer. ‘Where are the dressing rooms for the band? My brother’s the lead singer.’
‘The dressing rooms are on the other side of the Arena,’ the guy says with a shrug. ‘We’re on the South section and they are on the North.’
Both of us look at each other in dismay. After what seems an awfully long way we finally reach the North side. We then have to climb a large flight of steps up another floor. My heart beats as hard from exhaustion as it is from the thought of seeing Cash.
At the top of the stairs more security awaits us and more showing of our passes. It’s an absolute hub of activity now with people running around speaking into walkie-talkies. We stop outside a door that says: Band Dressing Room - Private - Do Not Enter. On a cardboard underneath the sign it reads: Cash Hunter. I feel my breath hitch suddenly and I tug at the hem of my tight dress. Britney raps on the door and shouts, ‘Are you decent? We’re coming in.’
Cash calls, ‘Come in,’ and Britney turns the handle.
Inside, Cash and Gavin are shirtless and sitting on chairs next to each other strumming their guitars. A number of empty beer bottles stand on the floor. They both look up and their eyes run down my body in my very revealing dress.
‘Hey,’ Cash says, smiling slowly.
‘Hey,’ Gavin echoes.
Cash puts his guitar down and stands up. Strangely Brittany doesn’t run to him or throw herself at him. Instead, she bites her lip and says, ‘Sorry, I didn’t realize you weren’t alone.’
‘As if that’s ever stopped you before,’ Cash says, and beckons her with his hand. She goes to him and formally presses her lips against his cheek.
‘What’s come over you? Have you finally grown up?’ he asks, surprised and amused by the restraint she is showing.
‘Stop embarrassing me,’ she hisses.
Cash flashes me a wickedly sexy smile and I suddenly feel very awkward with both Britany and Gavin around. I don’t want either of them to sense anything, but every primal instinct screams to me to run to him and jump into his arms.
‘Want a beer, Tori?’ he offers, his eyes alive with sexual lust.
‘No thanks. We drank the champagne that was in the suite. It said compliments of the house,’ I say.
He laughs.
Gavin turns towards Britney. ‘How was your trip and hotel?’ he asks conversationally.
‘Everything was perfect,’ she says.
‘That’s great.’
‘And for you, Tori?’ Cash asks softly.
‘I’ve never been so spoilt in my life,’ I reply truthfully.
‘Yeah?’
I look deep into his eyes. Sexual chemistry throbs between us. ‘Yeah.’
‘Where are the rest of the band?’ Britney asks.
‘In their dressing rooms further along,’ Gavin replies.
‘And when do you go on stage?’
Cash drops his eyes to his watch and shrugs his shoulder. ‘Less than forty-five minutes.’
He fixes his green eyes on me again and comes across the room, and with his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, leans his muscular frame again
st the wall. What a gorgeous hunk he is. He is so close I smell his skin. ‘First time you’ll be seeing me perform live, eh? Are you excited?’
I feel my face blush at the lie I am living. I will tell him the truth. Soon. ‘Very,’ I reply as coolly as possible.
‘How are you feeling?’ I ask, shifting the focus.
He grins and leans a little forward. ‘Fantastic. Bring on the bright lights.’
‘No nerves?’ I ask, my skin tingling with his nearness.
‘We drank those away earlier,’ Gavin says.
My eyes move to the empty bottles. He doesn’t seem drunk, but there is a kind of tension in him.
‘Anyhow, you girls have a great front row seat with your own balcony right above the stage. Sean, my roadie, will take you there just before we come on,’ he says as he walks back to his chair.
There is a rap on the door and then Octavia walks in. She takes in the scene in a glance and her mouth tightens. Cash casually reaches for his guitar and strums some chords.
‘Let’s move it guys. It’s time for your make-up and wardrobe check. You’re on in thirty minutes.’ She turns to Gavin. ‘Gav, isn’t it time you were back in your own dressing room?’ Her stern voice turns the chilled, sexually charged atmosphere, into one of turbulence and activity. A girl carrying two black make-up cases walks quickly into the room and starts opening them.
Octavia turns to me with a fake smile plastered on her face. I realize she is enjoying her position of power. ‘What’s your name again, honey?’
‘Tori,’ Britney innocently supplies not realizing that Octavia knows exactly who I am.
‘Right. Sorry Britney and Tori, but I can’t have my stars distracted so close to the gig, so I’m going to have to ask both of you to leave now,’ she says, as a crackly voice comes through on her walkie-talkie.
‘For fuck’s sake. I’m fucking coming,’ she snaps into it.
‘Leave them alone, Octavia. They’re just getting a bit of behind the scenes. Not doing any harm at all,’ Cash says as he repositions his chair so he is facing the mirror.