RoomHate(70)

We stayed on the line, the disappointment heard loud through our silence and the long sigh of frustration that escaped him.

I heard a man’s voice before Justin said, “Shit. They’re calling me.”

“Okay. Have a good show.”

“I’ll be thinking of you the whole time.”

Before I could respond, the line went dead.

Fifteen minutes later, there was a frantic knock at the door. When I opened it, Susan was panting. “Go. Go, Amelia!”

“It might be too late. The show will be over when I get there.”

“Yes. But you’ll get to see him before they take off, right?”

“I think so. I’m not sure exactly when the bus leaves for the next city.”

“Don’t waste time talking to me. Just tell me where Bea is.”

“She’s sleeping. I left a long note with instructions on the counter.”

“I’ve got it.” She waved me off. “Go get your man, Amelia.”

Blowing her a kiss, I said, “I owe you big time. Thank you for this.”

It had been a while since I last drove on the highway at night. The beginnings of a panic attack started to creep in as I sped up I-95. Trying to focus on seeing Justin and not the cars whizzing past me, I was able to keep the panic from escalating into a full-blown attack. The GPS served as my co-pilot because I had no idea where I was going. This part of Massachusetts was completely foreign to me.

Sweat permeated my body as I got closer. Even though it was cold out, I turned on the air conditioner for circulation to calm myself. What was I doing? The show was over. I hadn’t texted him. I told myself it was because I wanted to surprise him, but a part of me wanted to see what things were like when he wasn’t expecting me.

Parking in the large lot outside of the venue, I wrapped my arms around myself. I’d rushed out of the house so fast, I’d forgotten a coat. Running in my high-heeled boots—the same ones I’d worn with my Catwoman costume—I made my way to a tall chain-link fence which separated the VIP area from the parking lot.

Two black tour buses with tinted windows sat just inside the gate. A guard wearing a headset stood at the entrance. Groups of women gathered nearby, probably hoping for a glimpse of the artists.

My breath was visible in the night air as I flashed my special badge and spoke to the guard. “Is the show over?”

“Almost. Calvin is in the middle of the last set.”

“Where can I find Justin Banks? He gave me this access card.”

“Justin is in Bus Two. That’s the one on the right.”

My heart was hammering against my chest as I made my way through the gravelly lot to the bus.

I opened the door. To my surprise, no one seemed to be inside. That was what I assumed until noises coming from the back bedroom proved otherwise. There were several coffin-like beds on the sides, but Justin had mentioned that each bus had one master suite in the back. The crew and he alternated who got to sleep in it each night.

A lump formed in my throat as I approached the closed wooden door. The sound of a woman moaning could be heard from behind it.

The guard had said Justin was in here.

I had to know.

I had to open it. I had to see it with my own eyes.

My faith might have been blind, but it was about to get an eyeful.

Slowly turning the knob, I inched the door open a crack. All I saw was a mane of dark hair. A woman was riding him as he lay flat. It looked like Olivia, but I didn’t know for sure. It could have been any woman. It didn’t matter who it was. They didn’t notice me. My stomach started to turn and bile was rising. I couldn’t look anymore. I just couldn’t.

Exiting the bus, my legs felt wobbly. Too shocked to cry, I walked in a daze as numbness consumed me. My vision was blurry. My heart felt like it was cracking slowly with each step out of the bus. Was I an idiot for thinking he would wait? That he could withstand the enormous temptation being thrown in his face every day? He never made any promises, and that was for good reason.

You’re a fool, Amelia.

I would have expected to be crying, but for some reason, the shock seemed to freeze my tear ducts. My eyes felt raw, cold, devoid of any ability to produce moisture.

My phone chimed from an incoming text.



I missed you tonight so f*cking much.





CHAPTER 19


What?

How could he be texting me while he’s f*cking someone else?

Adrenaline rushed through me, taking my nerves on a roller coaster ride of emotions.



Amelia: Are you on the bus?



Justin: No. At Dave and Buster’s down the road from the venue getting a drink. How’s Bea feeling?



It wasn’t him.

It wasn’t him f*cking that girl on the bus!

Clutching my chest, I let out the breath that seemed to have been trapped inside, suffocating me a moment earlier. It felt like I’d been shot with a tranquilizer gun full of euphoria.



Amelia: Still has a cold. She’s with my friend Susan because I’m here. Right outside your bus.



Justin: Holy f*ck! Don’t move. I’m heading back.



Rubbing my hands over my arms, I stood waiting in the cold for at least ten minutes. The two people who’d been screwing inside of the bus suddenly exited. The man was good-looking, but he was no Justin. I also confirmed that the female participant definitely wasn’t Olivia.