Strung Tight (The Road To Rocktoberfest #1) - Ann Lister Page 0,63
“My job is to keep you safe.”
I thanked him again and then made my way over to where Dallas was standing. He turned to me as I approached, and I loved the way his eyes roamed over my body from head to toe along with the smile that lit up his face that made my stomach flip-flop. I was so happy he was mine, and the emotions he made me feel were like a new drug to my system. I was quickly becoming addicted to Dallas.
“Are you ready to head out?” I asked him.
“I’m more than ready,” he said and then turned his head to wink at me, so the guys he was talking to wouldn’t see what he was doing.
We walked side by side out the door next to the loading dock and crossed the parking lot to the bus. I turned around to see Paxton taking a spot by the door to keep an eye out, which sort of unnerved me, but I shrugged it off. I guess if Chaos continued on its current career path, I’d probably have to develop a level of ambivalence to having security always around us. They had a job to do, and I knew they all had to sign non-disclosure forms before they started working for a band or celebrities. It was a strict code they honored, and truthfully, I doubted Paxton or any other security guard would give a shit what I was doing with Dallas on a tour bus.
I pulled out my new key from my pocket when we got to the bus, and it slid easily into the lock. I still couldn’t believe Dagger had bought this rig for us to use long-term. Who did shit like that? Apparently, Dagger Drummond did, and I was so fucking jacked he was helping us at this level. What a rush it was going to be to pull into the back lot of Rocktoberfest riding in our kick-ass bus. I couldn’t believe this was all happening—and so fucking fast. We now had a marketing team working to create a brand for Chaos, which included a band logo that I couldn’t wait to see. Never in my wildest fantasies did I think I’d have a team of anyone working for me or security to watch my back. What alternate universe was I living in that allowed for a pissant like me to meet my rock god idol in a music equipment store and achieve success like this with his help?
I felt Dallas move next to me, and my focus switched back to him. Besides my budding career, he was the other bright spot in my life these days. I opened the door to the bus, and we climbed the stairs in tandem. I walked through the living room and then stepped into the kitchen to see what was in the refrigerator. I was shocked to find it stocked with water, beer, and a bunch of other food items like lunch meat, condiments, two loaves of bread, and bagels. A quick check of the cabinets revealed chips, pretzels, oatmeal, cereal, coffee, and other snacks too.
“Holy shit,” I said, and Dallas came up behind me. His arms slid around my waist as he rested his chin on my shoulder.
“What did you find?” he asked.
“All kinds of food,” I said. “Dagger must have had the kitchen stocked for us.”
“Jesus, he’s unbelievable,” Dallas said.
“He is, I mean, it was beyond unexpected that he bought the bus for us, but to supply the food for our trip … I’m stunned,” I admitted. I spun around in his embrace and wrapped my arms around him. “Would it make me sound like a pussy if I said I often feel like pinching myself and crying for my good fortune?”
Dallas shook his head slowly. “I think this goes way beyond good fortune,” he said, emphasizing the last two words. “This all happened because you and your band have the talent it takes to make it in this business. Dagger saw that potential and wanted to help you along your way. Sure, he provided the money to back you, but you all supplied the talent. None of this would have happened if you lacked that. He might have opened the door, but you had the grit and musical ability to step over the threshold and be heard.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“I’m serious, Fletcher. Your band is kick-ass, and soon the world is going to know what we already do,” Dallas boasted.