Falling Angel Read online

  His mouth opened and closed a couple of times, but nothing came out. Clearly, he knew I was right, but he didn’t want to admit it.

  I turned around and walked away before he could try to come up with another flimsy excuse. I couldn’t prove it, and I damn sure wasn’t going to say anything to Daphne until I could, but I wasn’t entirely convinced that Josh wasn’t the person behind this gift, and the one in her hotel room in New York before my team was brought on board.

  “Ramsay to Team Angel,” I said into my radio.

  “This is Gonzalez. Go ahead,” Hector responded.

  “This is for the entire team. I wanted to give you all a heads-up that from here on, we’ll be vetting any gifts or messages for Daphne before they get to her. That gift that was left in her dressing room earlier upset her so much that she threw up,” I told them. “And somehow it got past Josh and his guys and ended up in her room.”

  “Damn,” Hector replied. “Is she okay now?”

  “I think so. Her backup singer Samantha was with her when she got the gift, and she promised to stay with her when I left.”

  “Good,” he said.

  “I’ll make sure to add it to our official protocols and update the home office when I get back to my laptop, but I just wanted to let you all know now in case anything else showed up tonight. Josh didn’t seem too thrilled with it when I talked to him just now,” I sighed.

  “Because you called him out on not doing his job?” he snorted.

  “Probably. Anyway, if any gifts come to you tonight, that’s why.”

  “Ten-four. Everyone hear that?” Hector asked.

  “Got it,” came Frankie’s garbled voice. Apparently he was in an area that didn’t have great reception.

  “Ten-four,” Neil replied.

  “Heard you loud and clear,” Garth said.

  “Yep,” Pete chimed in.

  “Thanks, guys,” I said. “Ramsay out.”

  I knew I should go and help the team finish their sweep, but I decided to go back and check on Daphne. Even though I’d left her with Samantha, I was still concerned about her.

  Josh was right, in a way. It wasn’t that she didn’t have a thick skin, but she was sweet and sensitive. And I knew that gift had upset her more than she’d let on.

  As I approached Daphne’s dressing room, I heard whimpering and yelping, and I picked up my pace, thinking she was hurt or crying. And then I got closer.

  “Oh, God,” I heard Daphne’s breathy voice saying. “Oh, fuck, Sam!”

  I knew I should leave. Just walk away and forget about it. It wasn’t like this was the first time I’d heard something like this coming from a musician’s dressing room. But, for some reason I couldn’t explain, I couldn’t leave. It was like my feet had turned to lead and I was incapable of moving them.

  “Fuck!” Daphne moaned. “Sam, I’m gonna come! Don’t stop! Don’t fucking stop!”

  “Good. Come all over my face. You’re so fucking close,” Samantha purred.

  “Shit! Oh, my fucking God! Sam!” Daphne screamed, then started panting like she’d just run a marathon. “Your turn, babe. Come sit on my face.”

  Couldn’t they at least be a little quieter about it if they were going to have sex in the damn dressing room in full earshot of everyone? Really. How hard was it to have a little tact?

  This was a job, damn it. I needed to remember that. This was a job, Daphne was a client, and we’d all signed a non-disclosure agreement for a reason. What happened behind the scenes on this tour stayed behind the scenes.

  There wasn’t much I hadn’t seen working security for musicians. I’d had to call an ambulance when someone overdosed on heroin. I’d seen famous musicians snort cocaine right in front of me. I’d seen people who were household names tripping balls and hallucinating on ecstasy. I’d seen married men with their tongues down other women’s—and other men’s—throats. Hell, I’d actually seen one of my clients having sex with some random girl up against a wall after a show, in plain view of everyone. And I always just took it in stride and looked the other way.

  Now? I was frozen in place and annoyed as fuck listening to Daphne and Samantha in the throes of passion. It was like I couldn’t make myself move from this spot. And I didn’t understand why.

  It might have had something to do with the fact that my pants were suddenly way too tight. I mean, who wouldn’t get turned on listening to two women getting their freak on? Right?

  Finally, after a couple more minutes of hearing these women’s impassioned moans and screams, I forced my feet to move and hurried in the other direction, desperate to get away from the live action porno happening behind that door.

  Thirty minutes before the concert started, I reluctantly walked back to Daphne’s dressing room so I could be there when she came out. I really did want to make sure she was okay. And it was my job to make sure she got from her dressing room to the wings safely.

  Thank God, all was quiet when I got there. I pulled up a folding chair and sat down to wait for her, pulling my phone out to text Rachel.

  Me: Hey, just checking in. Sorry I didn’t have a chance to FaceTime with Ari today before the show. Things were kind of crazy. How’s she doing?

  Rachel: Good. Misses her daddy, but she’s being an angel for us. How are you?

  Me: Tired. It’s been a long day. Give Ari a kiss goodnight for me and tell her I promise I’ll talk to her tomorrow.

  Rachel: I will. Hope you get some rest tonight. Love you.

  Me: Love you too. Thanks again for everything.

  Rachel: You know it’s our pleasure.

  The door to the dressing room opened, and Samantha and Daphne both walked out, clearly in their own little bubble, oblivious to everyone and everything around them.

  I could tell Daphne was still at least a little uncomfortable about what had happened earlier based on her face and her demeanor. She looked…sort of lost, I guessed. And Samantha was concerned. I couldn’t tell if it was just concern for a friend or if they were more than friends. If I took what I’d heard earlier this evening out of the equation, the way they acted around each other didn’t seem like they were a couple, but how was I supposed to know?

  “You okay now, Daph?” Samantha asked, rubbing Daphne’s arm.

  “Mostly,” Daphne sighed. “Thanks, Sam. I know it’s not fair to ask you for that.”

  “Not like I wasn’t into it,” Samantha chuckled. “And you needed it. I get that.”

  Daphne half-smiled. “You’re too good to me.”

  Samantha’s lips curved into a sly smile, and she winked. “It was more than just good for me, babe.”

  Daphne snorted. “It was way more than just good for me too.”

  Then she kissed Samantha. And it wasn’t just a friendly peck, either. It was so intimate and passionate and personal that I had to look away because it felt like I was intruding on a private moment.

  It was bad enough when I heard them earlier. Now? Seeing Daphne kiss this girl made me want to punch something.

  Damn it, why did I even care? What did it matter if she was in a relationship with Samantha or not? It wasn’t like she and I had a relationship that was anything but professional. And seeing my other clients, male or female, with someone else had never bothered me before. So why the hell was this upsetting me so damn much?

  “Oh, my God!” Daphne exclaimed. “Oh, my God, Ezra. I am so sorry. I didn’t realize you were sitting there. How long have you been here?”

  “Not long,” I choked out as I turned to look at her.

  “I’m so sorry. I swear to God, I usually don’t go kissing my friends in front of my crew like that. I feel awful.”

  “Friends?” I asked before I could stop myself. “I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.”

  “It’s okay,” she chuckled awkwardly. “She’s just a friend. With very occasional benefits. I was upset after that freaking lingerie got delivered to my room and she was there and…anyway, I’m so sorry you had to see that.
I really do try to keep my private life private.”

  “That’s why I signed an NDA,” I muttered.

  “The NDA wasn’t supposed to be for stuff like that. It was supposed to be for stuff like where my hotel room is and what time I get to the venue. I really am sorry.”

  “It’s fine,” I bit out. “Ready to head to the wings?”

  She nodded, looking almost guilty.

  It’s just a job, I reminded myself as we started to walk. Daphne’s just another client.

  And I needed to remember that if I wanted to keep said job.

  “Care to share who pissed in your Cheerios today, Ezra?” Hector asked as he walked back to the couch on the security bus with three Budweisers and handed one to me and one to Garth.

  “No one,” I muttered. “I’m fine.”

  “And I’m the President of the United States.” Garth rolled his eyes. “Talk to us, man. What’s going on?”

  I took a long pull from my bottle, not saying anything. I knew exactly what was annoying me so much, but, despite the fact that these guys were my two closest friends, it felt wrong telling them about what I’d heard coming from Daphne’s dressing room this afternoon. It wasn’t my business, and it wasn’t theirs either. Besides, all I wanted to do was play a video game that wasn’t Just Dance or Rock Band and forget about it for a night. Thank God Garth had brought his Nintendo Switch, along with his huge collection of games, with him.

  “It’s not a big deal,” I finally said. “Are we playing sometime tonight, or what?”

  “Someone’s deflecting,” Garth teased.

  “Fine. If I tell you, can we drop it and play Smash?” I groaned.

  “Depends what it is.”

  “I walked past Daph’s dressing room during my sweep, and…well, let’s just say she and Sam weren’t exactly keeping their extracurricular activities quiet,” I sighed. “Then right before the show, they walked out and I guess they didn’t see me there, and they kissed right in front of me.”

  “And now I’m jealous,” Hector laughed. “That’s fucking hot.”

  “Some things should be kept behind closed doors,” I countered.

  “We’ve seen way worse than a little girl-on-girl action,” he pointed out. “So what’s really bothering you?”

  “I don’t know. I’m just irritated,” I admitted.

  “Do you like her?” Hector wondered.

  “I mean, yeah, I like her. We’re friendly, which I guess is a good thing since I’m working so closely with her,” I told him. “I don’t see what that has to do with this, though.”

  “How long’s it been, man?” Garth asked.

  “How long’s what been?”

  “Since you got some pussy.”

  I rolled my eyes. “And that’s your business because…?”

  “Because sharing is caring,” he said, shoving my shoulder.

  “I don’t know. Like six months?” I said, trying to remember. “I’ve got a kid. It’s not like I’m out hitting the bars every weekend.”

  “That’s your problem. You need to get laid. And you’re kid-free for four whole months. Make it count,” he told me.

  He wasn’t wrong, necessarily. And it wasn’t like I hadn’t done the one-night stand thing before to blow off steam. But for some reason, doing that on this tour just felt wrong. Maybe because we were all sharing a bus, and when we weren’t sleeping on the bus at night, we were sleeping two to a room. It wasn’t like we had a whole lot of privacy. And getting it on with a woman while Hector was in the other bed three feet away from me didn’t sound like my idea of a good time.

  “Whatever you say, oh wise one,” I muttered. “Can we be done talking about this now?”

  “You’re no fun,” he laughed as he hit start on Super Smash Brothers. “Okay, you ready to get your ass kicked?”

  “If I get my ass kicked, it’s just because I’m stuck with this tiny-ass controller,” I complained. For some reason, I’d ended up with one of the slide-off side controllers on the Switch, which was made for someone my daughter’s age.

  “Less talking and more playing, Ramsay,” Hector goaded.

  “Hey, I’m just glad to be playing a game that isn’t Just Dance,” I chuckled. “I don’t even care if I win or lose.”

  “So you won’t mind if I do…this.” Garth blasted my character—Luigi—off the platform.

  “Oh, now see, that’s just wrong!” I groaned as I retaliated.

  “Don’t care if you win or lose, my ass!” he cackled. “It’s on, bro.”

  Damn it. I knew hooking up with Samantha before the show was a bad idea. Yes, I needed the stress relief, and yes, it had calmed me down enough that I could perform, but now Ezra was acting weird with me.

  I didn’t know why it mattered. He was my security guard. Yes, we had a friendly rapport, but that was all it was. At its heart, this was still a business relationship. Maybe I wasn’t the one who signed his paychecks, but I might as well have been. He was contracted to protect me, and that was the only reason he was here.

  So why did I care so much that he’d seen me kissing her? Why did I care about him being upset about it? Samantha and I were both consenting adults, for God’s sake. It shouldn’t have mattered.

  As I walked up to my private bus, I smiled and waved at my driver, Mel. He’d been with me since my very first tour and was basically a surrogate uncle to me.

  “Ready to get on the road?” I asked him.

  “I’m always ready,” he teased.

  I giggled. “Did you get some rest today?”

  “Yep. I’m good to go.”

  I gave him a quick hug and went to flop down on the couch in the lounge area, pulling my phone out. The first thing I noticed was a voicemail, so I checked it without looking at my missed calls.

  “Call me, doll,” Hugh said in a breathy voice. “As soon as you can.”

  I groaned. Seriously, why was he being so persistent?

  Deciding to ignore him, especially since it was almost midnight, I opened my text thread with Taylor. I needed my bestie to weigh in on the Ezra situation.

  Me: HEEEEELLLLLP MEEEEEEE!!!

  Taylor: OMG are you being kidnapped??? Use our code word if you are! It’s twinkle toes!

  I snorted. Taylor and his “short person” nicknames for me. It seemed like he had a never-ending supply of them.

  Me: I kinda sorta might have hooked up with Sam in my dressing room before the show. And then we walked out and I didn’t see Ezra there and I kissed her. Like, KISSED her.

  Taylor: *three laughing crying emojis*

  Me: Not helping! This isn’t funny!

  Taylor: Oh, but it is, babe. *giggle snort* Okay, what do you need help with?

  Me: I’m mortified! And I don’t know how to smooth things over with him. He’s acting so weird.

  Taylor: Acting weird how? Did you happen to see a bulge in his trousers? I mean, two girls kissing is hot to straight guys! He’s probably getting it on with Rosy Palmer in his hotel room right now.

  Taylor: *gasp* Unless he’s gay!

  I groaned. This was the opposite of helpful. And I definitely didn’t need that mental image.

  Me: Then why does it seem like he’s mad at me? And BTW we’re on the road tonight.

  Taylor: I’m sure he’s not mad at you.

  Me: Sure as hell seems like it. It was all clipped one-word responses all night when I tried to talk to him, and he wouldn’t even listen when I tried to apologize.

  Taylor: *thinking emoji* Ask yourself this, D… Why is it such a big deal that first of all, he caught you with your bit of fluff, and second of all, he could be mad at you?

  Me: Because we still have to work together! Closely!

  Taylor: You like him.

  Me: Not like that, I don’t.

  Taylor: *Dr. Evil saying “Right…” GIF*

  Me: I don’t! He’s my security guard. And yes, he’s a nice guy. We’re friendly. Or we were before this.

  Taylor: Pfft! You have a se
rious lady boner for him! Speaking of… Photos, woman!!!

  Right. I’d never sent him the picture I took for Ezra’s contact profile. I’d been too busy getting fingered and licked into oblivion before the show. Which never should have happened. As much as I’d needed it, it wasn’t worth the fallout with Ezra.

  Me: *picture of Ezra*

  Taylor: *Pam from The Office holding up HOT sign GIF*

  Taylor: *fan blowing GIF*

  Taylor: Holy fuck! Don’t know about your lady boner, but…you sure he’s not gay? Because…you know…

  Me: Alex not enough for you anymore?

  Taylor: I just showed Alex and he agrees.

  Taylor: *nun fanning herself GIF*

  Taylor: *Santana from Glee fanning herself GIF*

  Taylor: *Blanche from Golden Girls spraying herself with spray bottle GIF*

  Me: Okay, okay, I get the picture. *laughing crying emoji* It should be illegal to be that good-looking.

  Taylor: You could always use the handcuffs he carries and perform a citizen’s arrest on his arse. Speaking of…is his arse as hot as the rest of him?

  Me: I mean, I’m not really an arse person…but I guess?

  Taylor: *snickers* You said arse. Can you snap a photo and send it please?

  Me: Ugh! So not helping!

  Taylor: Babe, I don’t think you’ve got anything to worry about. He probably got embarrassed seeing you get it on with Sam and needed a moment to jerk…I mean work it out of his system. ;-) And all will be fine in the morning.

  Me: What if it’s not? What if I’ve messed everything up with him?

  Taylor: Then I shall be there with Cadbury and Galaxy to cheer you up... But I still think you’re overthinking it.

  Me: Okay, I’m going to bed now. Love you. <3

  Taylor: Love you more. *kiss emoji*

  “You realize buying coffee and breakfast for the whole crew was a little bit overkill, right?” Ezra said quietly as we walked to our Escalade.