It took me a few seconds to adjust to the reality of the situation. I was there! I was actually on the Fiery Boys tour bus, standing in front of them. Chuck and Gabe were right here. And River! I'd seen River already! Swoon! Somebody needed to pour a bucket of water on me.
Gabe cracked a smile, and the tension lifted. I could do this-it was new friend time. I stepped forward and offered my hand. "It's nice to meet you."
Gabe broadened his smile and shook my hand. Then he leaned back and closed his eyes, peeking every few seconds at his phone. He never said a word. Jason wasn't wrong there-the boy was a zombie. I wondered if he'd smoked all those joints.
Chuck came over to give me a hug. A hug! I was hugging one of the Fiery Boys! It didn't get any better than that. Or so I thought.
But when he opened his mouth, he ruined it all. "Welcome to the house of Chuck, now offering hot sex with the lead singer of the Fiery Boys." He grabbed his crotch and leered at me in a childlike way, as if a pre-teen was still in control of this man's body.
Jason had called that one, too. I mentally thanked him for warning me about this, otherwise I might have responded to Chuck's offer. Instead, I pulled out of his grip and smiled. "How about a tour of the bus?"
Chuck's eyes widened, clearly surprised at my response. "Of course. I'll show you the bedroom." Yeah, that was the reason I didn't agree to instantly spread my legs for him. I'm one of those sensible women who need to make sure the bedroom's properly appointed before I let someone seduce me there. But I didn't want to get sarcastic with Chuck, so I let his understanding of the situation stand. As long as I got to see the tour bus I'd be happy. Baby steps.
Chuck snaked his arm around my shoulder and led me farther back. Just past the living room was the kitchen with a refrigerator, a stove, a sink full of dirty dishes, and an overflowing box of empty bottles on the floor.
Beyond the kitchen were the sleeping quarters with six cubicles stacked two high. Each had a bed and a few shelves for personal effects. The front part of the sleeping area had four cubicles, two on each side. Beyond that were two more on the left and the bathroom on the right. And at the very back sat the aforementioned bedroom.
Chuck pointed out which cubicles were for which band members. The two in back, across from the bathroom, had Buck on top and nobody in the bottom. The front four had River and Gabe on the right side, leaving Chuck and me on the left side. He gave me the upper cubicle and I wondered if he intentionally put my bed near his. Did he plan to visit me at night?