“Good night, San Francisco!” Bristol yelled to the crowd, who screamed for her not to go. One encore was enough. She signaled to the stage manager, who slowly turned on the lights, letting concertgoers know the show was over.
She was drenched in sweat and knew she had to eat and drink something before she passed out, but all she could think about was getting back to the hotel and hanging out with Annie. Sure, everyone on the tour would be there, but that wasn’t why she was so excited. It was seeing Annie again. Annie gave her something that she hadn’t felt in a long time. Hope. It fluttered behind her rib cage and tickled her heart. Maybe it was okay to let her guard down again. It was hard to tell, because right now, Annie was new to the scene and relied somewhat on Bristol’s guidance. She knew what would happen the minute Annie got a manager. It would change everything. She should pull back in case feelings got in the way and ruined a blossoming friendship, but she already knew she was in it for more.
“Right this way, Ms. Baines.”
Bristol heard Bruce’s voice and followed him through the back entrances of the arena to a limo. She wanted out of there fast to get back to the hotel. Even though it was just her own crew, she had to dress the part. Harper had laid out several different outfits for her to choose from. She picked out black leggings, a white V-neck, a muted black shirt she left unbuttoned, and her combat boots. By the time her hair stylist and makeup artist showed up, she was in the chair waiting.
“What look are we going for tonight?” Phoebe asked and circled Bristol as though sizing her up. “Ultra chic? Casual night in?”
“Not as much makeup as I wear onstage. My skin hates me right now.”
Annette grabbed moisturizer while Phoebe swooped in to give suggestions about her hair.
“Maybe keep at least half down? I don’t want the weight of it to give me a headache.” Bristol wavered about what looked best on her.
“How about we straighten it and pull it back in a twisted ponytail?”
It was a look that Bristol liked but could never wear onstage running and dancing around. “I love it. Let’s do it.”
Annette and Phoebe bobbed and weaved around one another until Bristol was ready to greet her guests. Lizzy peeked in and informed Bristol the alcohol and appetizers were laid out, ready for consumption.
“I love tour family night,” Lizzy said. It was good to see Lizzy relaxed and in jeans. Her hair was down, and her clipboard and headset were somewhere else. The only thing in her hand was her phone and a drink that smelled like vodka with a hint of cranberry juice. Since Denver, Lizzy had cut back on drinking, which made Bristol happy, so seeing her with alcohol was unsettling, but Bristol kept her mouth shut.
“We’re almost done here,” Annette said. She stood back and spritzed Bristol’s face so her makeup wouldn’t smear. “Perfect as always.”
Bristol never knew if Annette was complimenting her own work or Bristol. She leaned forward and nodded. “Perfect as always.”
The entire top floor was theirs. Ballrooms A and B were open for their party. Plush couches and wingback chairs were arranged in clusters in the large hallways for people to break off and chat if they didn’t want to stay in the ballrooms.
Bristol knew she was good for only a few hours before she had to throw in the towel. Her bandmates could stay up all night and still perform the next day, but not Bristol.
“Let’s have fun tonight. No worries, just fun,” Lizzy said. She grabbed Bristol’s hand and waved at Annette and Phoebe to join them. “Leave your stuff. Let’s grab a drink.”
Bristol couldn’t help but smile at how happy everyone seemed. It was important to let her entire team know that they were important to her. Hanging out with them always boosted morale. She chatted with some of the set builders on her way to grab a glass of wine and thanked them for keeping her safe onstage. Her phone buzzed, and she smiled immediately, knowing only one person would be texting her right now.
I’m here, but I’m not sure where to go.
The entire floor is the party. I’m getting a glass of wine in Ballroom A. Would you like something to drink? Bristol didn’t mind waiting in lines, but the moment she did, people scattered out of the way to give her immediate access to the front. That bothered her.
“Great concert tonight,” Sondra said. Her voice was low, and she was having a hard time keeping eye contact. Liquid courage in the form of an Anchor Steam rested in her right hand.
“Thanks for all your hard work, Sondra. I know we’re demanding with our instruments, but you do such a great job of keeping our equipment straight for each concert.”
Sondra looked surprised that Bristol even knew her name. She opened her mouth and closed it several times before nodding quickly and racing off. Bristol sighed. She wished people could be comfortable around her, but she was both the star and the boss, and that was the dynamic no matter how hard she tried. She thanked the hotel bartender for the two glasses of wine and turned right as Annie walked into the room. She was wearing a light blue sundress that Bristol hadn’t seen before, and she looked incredible.
“Bristol? Did you forget something?”
Bristol turned to find Clarissa, one of Lizzy’s assistants, staring at her with concern. Yes, Bristol thought. I forgot how to breathe. “I’m fine. I just got lost in thought. Thanks for the nudge.” She had to slow her steps on her way to Annie. “You made it.” Annie looked up at her, and Bristol couldn’t tamp down all her strong feelings. She took a sip of her wine and handed Annie the other glass.
“I’m sorry I’m late, but it looks like things are just getting started.” Annie took the glass from Bristol and smiled. She was unbelievably sexy. Bristol took another sip of wine.
“You don’t really need sleep, do you?” Bristol teased.
“You look wonderful. I’d stay up all night if it meant talking to you longer than twenty minutes,” Annie said.
Bristol heard her name a few times as people from different groups were waving her over, but she just wanted to sit and flirt with Annie. “Those twenty minutes might have to wait a few more. I hope you don’t mind, but since this gathering is my idea, I need to make a quick round.” She felt the heat of Annie’s hand on hers.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll grab some snacks and hang out with anybody who’ll talk to me. See you later.”
Bristol smiled, knowing she would thank everyone here and make a beeline for Annie the second she was free. She squeezed Annie’s fingers and left her to chat with her dancers. As she moved around the room, she always knew where Annie was. She found her over at the bar talking with some of the stagehands and later laughing it up with Dom at one of the tables as they both scrolled on their phones. When she saw Annie and Lizzy together ten minutes later, she excused herself and joined them. Not that she was worried, but Lizzy was very direct, and if she offered to represent Annie, Bristol wanted to make sure it was a good fit. “Hi, ladies. What’s going on here?” She slid into the chair next to Lizzy so she could look directly at Annie.
“Tour talk, mostly. It’s been a great experience for everyone,” Lizzy said.
“If I’m not interrupting, I’m going to steal Annie away.”
Lizzy sat back and threw up her hands. “Go for it. I need another drink anyway. I’ll see you both later.” She stumbled over a chair and caught herself. “Still upright.”
“Ignore her. Want to go somewhere private where we can chat and not have everyone bother us?” Bristol tried to look innocent, but when Annie lifted her eyebrow at her, she laughed and pulled Annie closer so she could whisper in her ear. “Okay. It’s a trick to get you alone.”
“I’ve been waiting all night for you to whisk me away,” Annie said.
Annie’s words sent a shiver along Bristol’s spine. “I know the perfect spot.” It took them longer than she would have liked to make their way down the long hallway to Bristol’s suite, but once they were inside with the door locked, Bristol felt both relief and excitement.
“Are they going to miss you?” Annie sat on the couch. She placed her drink on the coffee table and looked at Bristol expectantly.
“They see enough of me. This is just a little preparty before next week’s finale. Top Shelf will throw that down in Los Angeles.”
“Tour schedules confuse me. Why not just have three concerts in a row there to end instead of bouncing around state to state, city to city?”
“It’s all about space. Trying to map out a tour and find the size arenas we want is difficult. We’re up against graduations, sporting events, other concerts, speaking tours. We squeeze in where we can,” Bristol handed Annie a water before sitting next to her.
“Planning a tour must be stressful.”
“It’s one of the things Top Shelf does right. They have a team of schedulers who figure it all out.”
“It sounds intricate.”
“Can we talk about something else?” The last thing Bristol wanted to discuss was the tour. It already ate up most of her time.
Annie groaned. “I’m so sorry. Lizzy just got me thinking about the whole process.”
Bristol reached for Annie’s hand. “Let’s talk more about you. Tell me about your day today.”
“I got to see the ocean for the first time in a long time.”
“But the mountains are beautiful where you live.”
“I love seeing them every day, that’s true,” Annie said.
Bristol scooted closer to Annie and touched the hem of her dress. “You went shopping today. I love the color.” Bristol took her time appreciating the form-fitting dress and ran her finger along the hemline just above Annie’s knee. The energy in the room changed.
Annie leaned into Bristol and kissed her. Bristol wasted no time in responding. She tilted Annie’s chin up and pressed her lips against her soft, full mouth. Her tongue brushed across Annie’s lips, softly waiting for permission until Annie opened her mouth. Bristol moaned when she felt Annie’s tongue against hers. She deepened the kiss until they were both moaning. Annie traced Bristol’s face with her fingertips before running them down her side to settle at her waist. Bristol pulled Annie onto her lap. “Is this okay?” She rubbed her thumb on Annie’s lower lip and smiled when Annie placed a kiss on it.
“It’s perfect,” she said.
Bristol’s eyes drifted shut when they kissed again. Annie’s body was warm, and the deeper they kissed, the more Annie moved against Bristol. Bristol placed her palms on Annie’s thighs and stroked until Annie growled in frustration.
“What?” Bristol pulled away, even though she knew exactly what she was doing.
“You’re teasing me,” Annie said breathlessly.
“Oh? You mean here?” Bristol moved her hands up higher until her fingertips barely touched the line of Annie’s panties at the top of her thighs.
Annie’s breath quickened, and her bright blue eyes darkened with desire and need. She nodded. Bristol ran her fingers back and forth over the seam. It was almost impossible to tell if the smoothness was Annie’s skin or the silk panties. When she felt Annie’s hands at the back of her neck pulling her mouth closer, Bristol moved her hands higher, so her thumbs brushed the soft silk right above Annie’s mound. It took every bit of self-control not to flip Annie, pull off her dress, and touch her everywhere. A couch wasn’t the most romantic place to make love to her, but the bedroom seemed so far away.
Off in the distance, Bristol’s rapid pulse throbbed under her skin and boomed in her head. All her senses were hyperfocused on Annie. She leaned forward and tried to shrug out of her shirt. Her body felt like it was on fire. Annie’s hands were on her shoulders, helping her, and when they both finally tugged it off, Annie lost her balance but landed safely on the couch. Bristol sat up long enough to throw the shirt down and kick off her boots. She wanted to take Annie into the bedroom, but she didn’t want to put any space between them. “Are you okay?”
Annie smiled. “Good thing I landed on something soft.” She reached up and cupped Bristol’s cheek. “I’m so good.”
“Yes, you are.” She slipped one thigh between Annie’s legs.
“You feel so good,” Annie whispered against Bristol’s mouth.
“You’re so beautiful.” Bristol’s voice shook. She felt Annie tug at her hips to pull her fully between her legs. When she sank into Annie’s softness, they both moaned. Bristol couldn’t stop her hips from rotating and pressing into Annie. This wasn’t how she’d seen the night going down, but if Annie was in, she was, too.
“I know you can hear me!”
They froze as a heated exchange took place outside Bristol’s suite. Bristol looked at her door, expecting somebody to burst through it.
“Bristol! I know you’re in there!”
Bristol looked at Annie and swore under her breath. “It’s Lizzy.”
Annie scrambled to a sitting position and tugged at the hem of her dress. “Is she okay?”
“It sounds like she’s drunk. Great.” Bristol grabbed her shirt from the floor and slipped it on. She opened the door wide enough to stick her head out. She blocked the opening so that Lizzy couldn’t see inside. “What’s going on?”
Lizzy had her back against the wall with the beefy security guard standing over her. “Where did you go? The party is just getting started.” She pushed the security guard away and stumbled into the suite. Bristol wasn’t about to block her. Lizzy wasn’t a happy drunk.
“We wanted to get away from the noise, so Annie and I are in here,” Bristol said.
Annie looked completely undisturbed and slightly bored holding her drink from earlier. The flush of pink on her skin was the only giveaway that something other than just chatting was going on in the room. Lizzy was thankfully oblivious.
“Good idea. It’s so loud out there.” Lizzy pointed to the closed door. “Mr. Muscles wouldn’t let me in. What are you talking about? If Annie and I are a good fit? She might sign with me.”
“No. We weren’t talking about music. We were talking about Colorado and what Annie likes to do for fun back home.”
Lizzy plopped down on a chair, spilling her drink in the process. Bristol was seething that their night had been ruined. “Will there be a conflict of interest if I rep both of you?”
This wasn’t the conversation Bristol wanted to have now, or ever really. “No. How about we pick this up in the morning? Come on. I’ll get you back to your room.”
Lizzy waved her off. “It’s okay. I’ll just crash on the couch. Annie? Can you move so I can sleep?”
Annie immediately stood. “You know, maybe I should go. You’re going to have your hands full here.”
She gave Bristol a weak smile and a shrug. Bristol clenched her fists and mouthed “I’m sorry” to Annie.
“Don’t go on my account. I’ll chat with you, too,” Lizzy said.
“You’re almost asleep. Let’s put the drink on the table and kick off your shoes. I’m going to walk Annie out. You stay put.” Bristol pointed at Lizzy as though she were a child. Bristol grabbed Annie’s hand and made a whimpering sound. “I’m so sorry about this. As much as I want to kick her out, I know she needs me.”
Annie hugged Bristol. “I understand. Good luck with her.” She paused and held Bristol’s hands. “This will keep.” She placed a swift kiss on Bristol’s lips and walked out of the suite.
Bristol took three deep breaths before turning to her drunk friend, who was quickly fading on the couch. She was angry at the lack of privacy with Lizzy around. Another three deep breaths. It wasn’t her fault. Lizzy was being herself, and this was what she did. With her hands on her hips, she looked at Lizzy, who was now softly snoring and speaking gibberish. She sighed, pulled off Lizzy’s shoes, and covered her with a blanket. She put a glass of water on the coffee table and found a small trash can that fit between the couch and the table if Lizzy got sick in the middle of the night. She grabbed her phone.
I can’t even tell you how mad I am right now.
Annie responded immediately. Don’t worry. Take care of her. We can pick up later. Thank you for such a wonderful night. Get some sleep.
Bristol flopped down on her bed, cooled from Lizzy’s interruption, but still on fire. When was the last time she’d made out with anyone or even had sex? She stripped, slipped under the covers, and sulked until she fell into a fitful sleep.