The Wannabes (7 page)

“Seriously, Stella,” Alex whined.

“Oh yeah, seriously.” Stella gave her a nod then left the
room.

“I’m sorry that the fight got so crazy.” Ryder sat back
down.

“I’m just glad I stopped you, when I saw you, all I could
think of was when you had that little squabble in Nebraska.” Alex moved to the
sink. Ryder looked at Corbin his eyes seemed sad.

“That was a long time ago,” he said softly. He looked at the
floor.

“You had the same look on your face today.” Alex sounded
like she was crying.

Ryder lit a cigarette and didn’t respond.

“I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.” Corbin leaned
back in her chair. Guilt washed over her like a tidal wave.

“It wasn’t your fault.” Ryder shook his head. Alex cleared
her throat.

“I am proud of you, Corbin. It was pretty cool to see you
put Rob in his place, finally.” Alex took a seat at the table. She reached out
and patted her hand.

“It sure hurts like hell.” Corbin felt new tears begin.

“I am sure it does. You devoted your life to him for a long
time.”

“I wasted so many years of my life on him.” Corbin dabbed
her eyes, anger welled up inside her. “And what did I get from it? A stupid
promise ring, no sex and lots of lies, I really hate men!”

“Not all guys are dickheads.” Ryder chuckled.

“Ryder, don’t even get me started,” Alex groaned.

“I’m just saying there are some good guys out there.” Ryder
crushed his cigarette and looked to Corbin. “You just need to expand your
options a bit.” Corbin dried her eyes and stared back at him.

“And stay away from rock star wannabes, they are nothing but
trouble.” Alex elbowed Ryder. Ryder smiled a small smile and shook his head. He
returned his gaze to Corbin. Feeling Alex’s eyes on her, she quickly looked
away.

“I get the shower first,” Corbin blurted. She hurried into the
bathroom and shut the door. Outside in the kitchen she could hear Ryder and
Alex talking, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying.

RYDER EXAMINED HIS eye in the
mirror. It was swollen a little and had a nasty blue hue. It was nothing compared
to what he was sure Rob was feeling right now. Ryder was slightly impressed
that Rob held out for so long when he put him in the arm bar hold. Ryder held a
black belt in Jiu Jitsu, he knew he could have easily popped his shoulder out
or even snapped his arm.

Should have put the asshole in a rear naked choke.

Ryder smirked at the thought. His mind shifted to the
fateful day in Nebraska which almost put him in prison.

It was the same scenario, him letting his dick get him in
trouble. Mid-stroke, the chick’s boyfriend walked in on them. The dude ripped
Ryder out of the bed by his hair. As always, Ryder held back but when the guy
started whaling on him, it sent him into fight mode. The next thing Ryder could
remember was sitting in the back of a cop car wearing nothing but a towel. His
knuckles were busted open and bleeding. He found out later that the boyfriend
was in the hospital, suffering from a concussion, broken ribs and a broken
nose. The boyfriend wanted to press charges but somehow the chick talked him
out of it. After that stint, he was out of a job and needed a place to live. So
he called Alex and moved into her place. Ryder needed a change of scenery to
get his shit straightened out. The first step had been giving up hard liquor,
an easy task. The next step was proving more difficult, keeping his dick in his
pants.

“You about done? It’s time to go.” Stella pounded on the
door. Ryder shook away the thoughts and opened the bathroom door.

“Oh…your gorgeous face.” Stella reached out to him but Ryder
caught her hand and shook his head. Stella leaned into him “Wait until you see
Corbin. I worked my magic on her.” Ryder raised an eyebrow at her then winced
in pain. Stella patted his face. “Corbin, we’re leaving,” she announced with a
wink.

Ryder walked to the front door, then remembered he left his
cigs on the kitchen table. He turned and felt as if the air had been sucked
from his lungs. Corbin stood before him. She was wearing a short clingy blue
dress. Her hair was down and curls caressed her face. Her perfect full lips
were the color of cherries, so kissable.

“Whoa,” he croaked.

“Yea, I know.” Stella clapped her hands together. Ryder
watched Corbin’s cheeks go red. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

“You’re making me nervous.” Corbin looked down at her dress
and smoothed it out.

“I finally got her to use her contact lenses.” Stella busied
herself with her purse.

“Sorry…I just… wow…you look so different,” Ryder stammered.
What the hell was this girl doing to him? He felt like a silly schoolboy on
prom night.

“You’ll be sure to catch Mason’s eye tonight,” Stella cooed.
Ryder watched a playful smile play out on Corbin’s face.

“Mason?” he cocked his head to the side.

“The lead singer of Filthy Wilma. Corbin’s got a lady hard
on for him.”

More competition, great.

“Stella…” Corbin whined.

“It’s true. Come on I want to get my dance and drink on. And
Mike has already texted me a gazillion times.”

“Mike?” Ryder turned to Stella.

“The cowboy...duh.” Stella rolled her eyes at him. Ryder
nodded, his brain was a foggy mess. He grabbed his cigarettes from the table
and followed the two out. Corbin and Stella climbed into the backseat of his
car and he caught a glimpse of Corbin’s thigh. He felt a surge in his pants and
as he got behind the wheel he adjusted himself.

“To Rebels, James,” Stella said in an awful British accent.

“Christ,” Ryder muttered under his breath.

Alex wasn’t kidding about the band bringing in a bunch of
people. When they arrived at Rebel’s the parking lot was already full. There
was a line of people waiting to get in and more cars were trying to find a
place to park. Memories of Ryder’s band days flooded him. Scores of people
lined up to see them play. He’d also signed many a t-shirt and breasts in his
day.

Now he stood in line amongst the fans. Women babbled
incessantly about the band members. Each one plotting who they would sleep with
if the opportunity presented itself. He lit a cigarette and considered going
back to the apartment. When his eyes rested on Corbin, he immediately swept
that thought under the rug.

“Corbin, are you plotting a sex scenario with Mason, too?”
He immediately felt like a dick when the words spilled from him. Why did he
care? Corbin turned to him, her jaw dropped. She yanked her eyes from him and
crossed her arms.

“That was rude.” Stella punched him in the arm. He opened
his mouth to apologize but was interrupted.

“You look so familiar,” a female voice said. Ryder turned to
the direction of the voice and seen a scantily dressed blonde. He looked her up
and down. He flicked his cigarette out into the darkness, and then put on his
sly smile. The blonde moved closer to him eyeing him. “Oh my god, are you Ryder
James?” Ryder nodded. The blonde rushed at him and wrapped her arms around him.
He looked to Corbin and the moment their eyes met she quickly looked away.

“Trina, it’s him!” the blonde shouted and another blonde
appeared.

“Do you remember us, Tina and Trina?” Trina squealed. Ryder
looked from one blonde to another and then it hit him.

“We were so sad when we heard Infected Whiskey broke up.”
Tina ruffled his hair.

“How could I ever forget the infamous Miller twins?” Ryder
clicked his tongue. “Best 48 hours of my life.” From behind him he heard Stella
huff. That brought him back to reality. He took a step back, but couldn’t avoid
the twins as they each planted a kiss on each side of his neck.

“Maybe we can start reliving those hours tonight,” Trina
purred. Stella cleared her throat. Ryder uttered a chuckle as he turned to
Stella. She too had her arms crossed and was tapping her foot. He placed his
hands over Tina’s and slid them off his neck.

“Maybe some other time, ladies. I am hanging with my friends
tonight.” He gestured to Corbin and Stella.

The twins pretended to pout. Then each pulled out a piece of
paper and scribbled something on it.

“If you change your mind, just call.” They shoved the paper
into his jean pocket. They each gave him a wink then went back to their spot in
line.

“Oh my God, its Ryder James, gag me.” Stella pointed a
finger down her throat and Corbin giggled.

“Fuck you.” Ryder flipped them off.

“Infected Whiskey?” Corbin asked.

“Yeah, lead singer.” Ryder nodded. He watched as Corbin bit
her lip and began twirling her hair. He moved in a little closer, close enough
to run a finger over her hand. He felt her shiver against him. “Cold?”

Corbin shook her head and her curls bounced about. Ryder had
to fight hard to not lean in and kiss her. He was ready to take her to the
backseat of his car and have his way with her.

“The line is moving, dipshits!” someone shouted. Ryder broke
his contact with Corbin and shuffled on in the line. As they got closer to the
door, he saw Alex and a bouncer checking ID’s.
He stayed close behind
Corbin; a couple times he bumped into her, blaming the crowd behind them. Each
time she would turn and look up at him, her eyes were heavy with lust. Lust he
hoped for him and not this Mason ass.

Once inside, he watched Corbin make a beeline for the
bathroom. He considered following her in, but got distracted by another bunch
of women who barraged him. Tina and Trina had apparently informed half of the
bar about who he was. He kept his eye on the bathroom the best he could,
waiting for Corbin to exit. He began plotting a way to get her all to himself
tonight.

CORBIN CHANGED HER panty liner and flushed
the toilet. She was definitely thinking correctly when she decided to wear them
tonight. The ache between her legs made her momentarily consider ‘rubbing one
out’ but her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of other women entering the
bathroom.

“Last night Mason and Reece showed up at Troubles and of
course I was the first to notice. Needless to say, I took Mason home and kept
him busy most of the night,” one of the women announced.

“Ooh you’re so lucky.”

“I heard he has a huge penis.”

“And holy shit, Ryder James is here. I think I am going to
try to take him home tonight.”

“I saw him first at The Corner Tap. I almost had him but his
goddamn sister showed up.”

“Gah, I can’t stand Alex. She is so uptight!”

Corbin opened the bathroom stall and tried to avoid eye
contact. She turned on the water and began washing her hands.

“Corbin?”

Corbin looked up and met Sally, the bartender’s, gaze.

“Hey Sally.” Corbin plastered on a smile.

“You look…different.”

“Contacts,” Corbin gestured to her eyes. She dried her hands
and left the bathroom. The whores from Muscello were running rampant tonight.
She quickly spotted Stella cozying up to Mike, and not wanting to become a
third wheel, she squeezed her way through the crowd and found a seat
at
the bar. She sat down and waited until the Moses, one of the many bartenders,
made eye contact.

“Two shots of apple pucker and a captain and coke,” she
shouted over the crowd. Moses nodded and made her drinks. He handed them to her
and she downed both of the shots. “Start a tab, I have a feeling it’s going to
be a long night.” He gave her a nod and a wink. Moses was about 6 feet tall and
his muscles bulged out from underneath his tight white shirt, which in turn
contrasted his chocolate skin. She watched as he walked up to Alex and
whispered something in her ear, making her blush.

The intro of Down with the Sickness turned her attention
towards the dark stage, the sexy sound of Mason’s gruff voice made her bite
down hard on her straw.

Do you feel that…ohh shit…

The lights came on and there Mason was, dressed in nothing
but a pair of skin tight jeans. Corbin cinched her legs together tightly.

“Come on, let’s dance!” Stella yanked her arm. Corbin slid
off the bar stool and grabbed her drink. Stella pulled her through the crowd
and placed them directly in front of Mason. At first, Corbin just stood there
mesmerized by Mason’s movements on the stage. With a nudge from Stella she
began moving to the rhythm of the music. She kept her eyes on him, hoping to
make eye contact. She watched as he slid his hands down his body to his crotch.
He grabbed it and shook it at the crowd. When their eyes met he gave her a
wink, his jet black hair was gelled up into a wild mess, and his deep blue eyes
seemed to pierce her soul. The song ended and the crowd erupted into a roar.
Corbin stood in place, as if in a trance. She watched as he talked the crowd up
enjoying every movement his lips were making.

“Let’s go do a shot!” Stella said and once again pulled
Corbin through the crowd. On the way there Corbin saw Ryder talking with a
bunch of people. As she passed by, he looked her way. He gave her a sly smile
and raised his beer at her.

“Mason so checked you out tonight.” Stella raised an
eyebrow.

“Yeah, I guess.” Corbin shrugged and tucked a strand of hair
behind her ear.

“Don’t do that.” Stella removed the hair from behind her ear
and gave it a little fluff. Corbin, in turn blew the hair out of her eyes.
Stella rolled her eyes then ordered their shots. She handed Corbin hers then
raised her glass in the air.

“To new beginnings,” Stella announced. She clinked her glass
with Corbin’s then they downed their shots.

“Hey Moses, can I get a pack of Marlboro lights and a
lighter?” Corbin shouted. He gave her a nod then gave her the items she
requested.

“Do you want me to go outside with you?” Stella asked.
Corbin shook her head and made her way to the door.