Rick looked nervously out the window as the limo pulled up in front of the hotel. He breathed a sigh of relief then turned and said, "Not too many people out there, and only a couple of photographers, probably trying to get any shot they can."
I stare out and see the girls. Well, what did I expect? He's probably fucked his share of groupies.
"And the groupies are out, too," I try to say it as casually as I can.
"Just wait until the concert, then you'll see the top ones. They follow the bands, they usually don't care which ones. Or they might follow a specific group. Okay, let's get out of here."
The driver came and opened the door and someone from his entourage took my suitcase. Rick carefully laid his hand on my face and pressed my head against his chest to shield me. I heard shutters clicking but there was nothing to be done about it. I wasn't any happier about it than he was.
Things were a little more relaxed in the lobby. We went straight to the elevator and rode it to the ninth floor. Our room was halfway down the hall but when we got there someone said, "Hey Rick", and a shutter clicked twice as he turned his head, distracted.
Rick's assistant set my case down and I picked it up. He pushed me into the room before I had a chance to see what was happening—and whatever it was I was grateful that I didn't see it.
He turned on a light by the bed then came to me and swept me up in his arms. He laid me gently on the bed and as we began to kiss I felt him slide my undies down my legs. I sat up and took off my dress while he pulled his clothes off.
It had been more than two months since we last made love and we tried to make up for it. It felt good to be skin to skin again. Our relationship was still new and the sex had a kind of magic so we kept it up as long as we could.
When we had exhausted ourselves, he pulled down the covers and we snuggled together between the silky sheets.
"I have something for you," he said and reached for his jacket. He pulled a box out of one of the pockets and handed it to me. "I hope you like it, Levon helped me pick it out," he said shyly.
I opened the box and saw a diamond hanging from a gold chain. "It's beautiful," I said, "I love it, I didn't expect anything from you. Would you help me put it on?" I lifted my hair so he could fasten it around my neck.
"I'm glad you like it. Now, we've got to get some sleep, I'll have the hotel operator wake us at six so we can take a shower. You need to rest, we have a long night ahead of us."
I was dreaming about a phone ringing. I always turn my phone off at night, why was it ringing now? I opened my eyes and sat up, startled. Where was I? Why was it dark? I looked around nervously trying to figure out where I was.
"Hey, you're just disoriented," he put his arms around me to reassure me, "We'll take a shower and go to soundcheck, then we'll get dinner. You must have needed that nap."
The shower did make me feel better. I was rinsing out my hair when I felt his hands on me. He was pulling me back against him and I thought, again?
His mustache tickled my neck, "I'm only trying to make up for lost time," he said mischievously.
"You're going to wear me out!" I objected and he laughed.
He dried off and went into the bedroom to get dressed. I dried my long hair then put on the dress I had bought at an Indian import shop. It was embroidered around a vee-neck and waist with flowers that had tiny mirrors in the center. The dark pink color was more flattering than Gina's dress. I'd bought some low heeled pink sandals to go with it and after I did my makeup I felt, well, pretty.
"Hey, come here," he called me and I went into the bedroom to see what he wanted. To my dismay he was chopping coke on a mirror and dividing it into four lines—I guessed the two smaller ones were intended for me.
He saw the look on my face and said, "This will help you stay awake. Come on," he cajoled, "It's not like you do this all the time. A few days won't turn you into an addict. I just want you to be able to enjoy yourself."
He handed me a little silver straw and I knelt down and inhaled two of the smallest of the four lines. He patted me on the back like I'd done something he was proud of. I wasn't proud of myself, I was just taking the easy way out. And if our night would be as late as he said it was, well, maybe the coke would help.
Just before we left the room he put the pass around my neck. "You're my VIP," he said and smiled "if someone asks who you belong with, you just show them that."
We left the room and headed towards the elevator where Levon was waiting for us. He whistled when he saw me and said, "Well, don't you look purty in your pink dress, Rick better keep an eye on you."
"Purty", not "pretty", the southern boy with the dreamy blue eyes could charm the pants off any girl and I'm not so sure I'm an exception.
"Careful, Levon," warned Rick and we got into the elevator. "You do look pretty in that dress, I should have told you. Watch Levon, he's not trustworthy."
We all laughed at that and were still laughing as we left the elevator. The limos were waiting for us and we rode with Levon in the first while the others rode in the one parked behind us.
I was surprised at how big the arena looked. I'd been to lots of concerts, but never behind the scenes. I watched as they made sure that the roadies had set up the equipment correctly, then started playing parts of one song to test the sound, then played another through. I thought I would be bored and would read the book I had brought with me, but I was fascinated. It reminded me a little of watching them work on songs in the studio, only here they were fine-tuning the sound.
"Be with you in a second, hon," Rick called down when they finished and directed one of the crew to take me backstage. I watched as they took their instruments with them, even Levon's drums were carefully loaded into the back of a truck.
I was in a daze, I was in a dream and it wasn't the coke. Since Rick had come into my life everything had changed, I didn't feel like I was even the same person anymore. At the moment I was even willing to overlook the coke or whatever drugs around me.
This is not a dream you'll be stuck in, I told myself, when you get home you'll be back in your own real world. And when he's back from touring it will be like it was before. That was what I wanted more than anything.
I had no idea if he'd tire of me and I wanted to make sure that if that happened, I did not fall apart.
The limos pulled in front of a nice steakhouse and I wondered how much I'd be able to eat after the coke. He'd explained to me that they always ate a good dinner before a show. To me that made sense, I'd eat a good meal and take in some liquid nutrients before I did a serious bike ride. I don't know how much energy you'd burn performing on stage, but I had a better idea now.
We were seated at a table and ordered drinks while we waited for our menus. Rick got up and took my hand and led me down the corridor to the restrooms that restaurants all seem to have. I wondered what he was doing, then he took me in his arms.
"I love you, I haven't told you since you got here. I want you to know how much I've missed you. I've been counting the days until I got to see you." He smiled, his eyes shining.
I answered by kissing him, then saying, "I love you too. This is so crazy. I've been so happy since I met you, I don't want to lose this."
He hugged me tightly, then said, "Me neither, but we better get back to the table." He kissed the top of my hair and we went back to the table.
They ate like teenage boys. For me, a steak, salad, and baked potato were enough, but anything I left untouched went into Rick's mouth. The two bottles of a good red wine that they ordered were drained dry and I'm surprised they didn't order dessert—well, one of them did.
When we were finished and the check had been taken care of, it was back to the limos and on to the arena. I was nervous, Rick could sense it, we'd discovered that we were sensitive to each other's moods.
"I'm a little nervous before a show myself," he whispered in my ear, "But you seem to be nervous enough for both of us. What's wrong, baby?"
"I don't know, maybe it's the coke, maybe because this is unfamiliar territory and I'm not sure how to react to it. This should be fun and I'm getting anxious and I don't like it, and I don't like that you can tell."
"You'll be okay," he said, "Everybody loves you at the studio, this will be no different."
We got to the arena and settled in backstage. One of the opening bands had already performed and were mingling with the other groups. Rick kept me close, reassuring me but not coddling me.
At one point he excused himself, "Be right back, sweetheart," he said. On my own now I watched the others, the girls flocking around Levon since Rick was obviously occupied. Other VIP non-performers were talking to the band and the other groups. There were the inevitable "hangers-on" but it was a good bunch of people for the most part.
Rick hadn't come back and I went to find him. Since I didn't know my way around I tried not to wander too far from the main area. I found a little corridor that led to some restrooms when I saw him.
He wasn't alone. A petite blond in a pink dress had her arm around his waist as he was signing his autograph for her. I looked, dumbfounded, trying to determine what was going on.
She looked up and saw me. She held up a small camera and said, "Oh, could you take a picture of us?"
I looked at Rick, wanting to run but wouldn't allow myself to make a scene. "What are you doing?" I asked him, then turned around and headed back down the hallway.
I heard his footsteps behind me and started walking faster, but he caught me. He put his arms around me and though I tried to push him away he wouldn't let go.
"Nothing happened," he said, "Nothing was going to happen."
"Then why did she have her arm around you?" I was trying not to cry and only half succeeding.
"Look, this business is hard on relationships. Does this happen a lot? Unfortunately, yes. You need to learn to ignore the groupies, they follow us around, we don't ask them to come. Do you think I'd be with anyone else while I have you here?" He was soothing me, gentling me
"No," I said reluctantly, "But she's so pretty compared to me."
"You little idiot," he said, exasperated, "You're beautiful, I wish I had a mirror so you could see you the way I do. And you've got brains which is even better. Now, come on, we gotta go back because we'll be on stage pretty soon. And I want to know you're not mad at me."
"I'm not mad at you," I sighed, "I love you, remember?"