Page 81 of Everything Has Changed
Reaching over to me, he grabs my hand tightly and guides us to a door hidden off to the side of the stage. Three quick knocks and it’s opened to reveal a stunning woman. Her dark skin is absolutely flawless, even under all the stage lights reflecting off the side. She’s almost as tall as Logan in her leather stiletto boots that I would absolutely break my neck in if I ever even thought of putting them on my body. The red leather bustier top has me thinking I’m not better than a man as I try not to get caught looking at her impressive cleavage on display.
The woman smiles wide, her pearl white teeth still perfect even with the small gap between the first two. Actually, they were perfect because of that gap. She was effortlessly gorgeous, and I immediately felt like an imitation woman standing in front of her.
“You must be Logan and Gwendolyn. I’m Dottie, Freddie’s tour manager and all around fairy godmother.”
I clear my throat, my hand gripping on to Logan tightly as I speak up. “It’s just Gwen.”
She turns her smile completely over to me with a wink. “Okay, just Gwen. It’s good to finally put a face to the name. This one has been raving about the event you’re putting together all week through his texts.”
I glance at Logan out the corner of my eye to find his cheeks turning red with a one sided tilt of his lips. He gives me a small shrug as if to say “who me?”
“It’s just a small town fall festival,” I say, though immediately regretting that my first instinct is to minimize my efforts.
“There’s that ‘just’ again,” Dottie huffs. “I think you need to remove that from your vocabulary. Because there’s nothing ‘just’ about you and what you’re doing, baby girl. Come on,” she turns and waves us to follow. “We have you set up in a private viewing area set up for tonight.”
We pass by members of Frederick’s band I recognize from album covers and music videos, my eyes popping out of my face when one of them smirks and tosses me a wink. We followDottie and her stilettos toward the back corner where a hidden staircase leads us up to a plush VIP area.
“Uh, are you sure it’s okay we are up here?”
“Frederick wants nothing but the best for Margot’s son.” Dottie whirls on us when we come to a velvet couch overlooking the entire venue. From the couch, you can see the entire stage perfectly through the plexiglass barrier. I glance around and notice there’s a few more sections down the catwalk area that are probably identical to our spot, sectioned off with curtains to give some privacy.
“If you have any details on what went down back in the day between them, please give a girl the tea. For a man without many secrets, he’s being awfully cheeky with information on what happened there.”
Logan chuckles. “Personally, I don’t want to know. I’m just glad that they are on good enough terms that he would help Gwen out.” His arm goes around my shoulders, pulling me toward him and placing a kiss on the top of my head.
“Fair enough.” A random beat picks up from below as we all glance down to see the drummer sound checking his equipment. “Alright, kids. If you need anything, there’s a team of waitresses specifically for this level. Don’t hesitate to ask for what you want. It’s going onFreddy’s tab.” Her smirk is playful, and I can’t help but reciprocate. “Stick around after the show and we can meet up to grab all the gear for your event.”
With a flick of her fingers, she’s gone as quickly as she arrived. The only sign that she was even here being the clacking of her heels that fade with each step.
“This is…” I spin around, taking in the accommodations.
“A lot?” Logan offers.
“That’s one way to put it.”
He walks over to the open ice chest, producing a chilled bottle of champagne. “I thought for sure it would be a general admission ticket. But this is even better. Although, I was sort of expecting craft beer, not champagne.”
Taking a seat on the overstuffed couch, I cross one leg over the other and lean my arm along the back. “Remind me to ask your mother what happened for us to get this kind of treatment.”
Logan grimaces, taking the open spot beside me. “Remind me to not be anywhere near when you do. I’m going to just pretend that my mother and this rock star were only good friends. That’s all.”
I giggle, knowing that wasn’t all but understanding not wanting to know the sordid details of your mother’s past. Some things are better left unsaid to your children.
The crowd below cheers loudly, the floor vibrating with the energy coursing through the venue, as Frederick and his band take the stage. Electricity soars through the air as he dons his signature neon green electric guitar and grins like a madman into the microphone, taking in the crowd around him for a moment.
“How are you doing tonight, Asheville?”
Caught up in the moment along with everyone else in the building, I hoot and holler while Logan chuckles to my right. I toss him a playful glare until he starts making noise right along with me.
Freddy pulses his hands in the air, signaling for the crowd to quiet down. His drummer starts out a beat while he continues to speak.
“We don’t usually play such intimate concerts anymore, which is a shame because nothing will ever come close to this feeling right here. Being so close to every one of you. Stadiums are nice and all, but this right here,” he points out into the crowd, which erupts one more time in the silence. “This is what it is all about. So, before we embark on our upcoming stadium tour, we wanted to bring it back home. Back to the heart and soul of rock ‘n’ roll. Back to the people that keep us going. How about we spend a little one-on-one time together tonight, yeah?”
The crowd roars one more time, bleeding directly into the beat Freddy and his band dive right into after his speech. My toes tap on the ground, and I see Logan’s fingers twitching to the music on his thigh.
Moved by the sound floating through the building, I jump to my feet, turning to Logan. His eyes travel from my feet, up my legs, catching momentarily on my hips, which are swaying with the music. Overtaken by the energy buzzing in the air, my hands trail from my hips and up my body slowly to the upbeat yet sensual sound around me. Logan’s eyes follow my hands up and up until they swirl in the air above me. His brow quirks with one side of his lips, fighting against a full-blown grin. The one that lights me on fire. And I’m determined to make it release.
Twirling on my toes in front of him, I kick my feet and continue to move my hips, dancing like no one is watching. Because, up here in this section of the venue, only Logan can. I’m realizing the more timeI’m with him, the more I love his gaze on me. But I especially love it when those irises swirl like molten lava, which they are right now.
