It seemed like we went from leaving Seattle to hopping on a tour bus with Avoiding Redemption in a blink of an eye. The transition happened so fast, that I had a horrid feeling that I was forgetting something as we stepped onto the bus that would be our home for the next several months. I was pretty sure I wasn't forgetting anything-I had my clothes, my toothbrush, my laptop, my notes, and my rock star husband-what else could I possibly need, besides some privacy? All of the bands were sharing two busses this tour, so there was going to be a lot of people around us; privacy would be hard to come by in the coming weeks.
The first venue was the House of Blues on Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. I thought it was the perfect place for the boys to kick off their tour. It was well-known, iconic, yet still intimate; everyone in the audience would have a great view. Fans were everywhere I turned backstage, screaming and hollering, giddy over all of the rock stars in their midst. It was a little chaotic, which only added to the anticipation in the air.
Kellan and Justin were signing autographs with some of the other musicians while I wandered the area. It was fun to see everyone in D-Bags shirts. On the tour before this, Kellan had been a last-minute addition and still relatively unknown. He wasn't anymore. I was positive that everyone here had heard their single with Sienna; most of them had probably picked up the album too. This time around, people experiencing Kellan on stage wouldn't be a happy accident. No, a lot of these fans, the majority of them from what I could tell, were here specifically for the D-Bags. It made this moment feel so much bigger and so much more exciting. Even though Justin was headlining this tour, it was definitely Kellan's show.
Besides the D-Bags and Avoiding Redemption, there were three other bands on the tour. The first one started off the show and the music reverberated through the walls. The crowd loitering backstage didn't lessen any now that the concert was in progress. If anything, it ramped the party up a notch-some people in the center of the room even started dancing as they lifted their drinks in the air.
While I watched Kellan from across the room, smiling and talking to a fan in bright red pigtails, I listened to the people around me. Most of them were talking about Kellan's looks. "Holy crap, he's hot! How the hell does he look even better in person?" "Fuck, look at that body. You can tell he's cut . . . but we should go rip off his shirt, just to be sure. Research, you know."
I snorted into my drink after hearing that line, and subtly turned away from the girl who had said it. He was cut, but hell if I was going to let her strip him. Her "research" would just have to be imaginary. Walking away from the girl who thoroughly wanted to examine my husband, I started picking up conversations that I found a lot less amusing. "He's dating Sienna, right?" "I don't know, I heard he said he wasn't in an interview." "They always say that, it just means they don't want to talk about it." "They're such a hot couple, have you seen the video?" "So jealous, but they're perfect together!"
I heard that sentiment repeated about three dozen times as I worked my way over to Kellan. When I finally got to him, I was already sick of Sienna . . . and she wasn't even here. Grinning at me, Kellan leaned down to kiss my cheek. "Thanks," he muttered in my ear as he stole my beer from my fingers.
I glared at him as I watched him tip it back. "Just so you know, I totally backwashed."
Kellan paused mid-gulp, then shrugged. Smiling wide once he was finished, he husked, "That's all right . . . I like your fluids."
Justin was staring at us with his nose crinkled. Lightly smacking Kellan in the stomach, I muttered, "You've been hanging out with Griffin too much." Kellan just chuckled and continued drinking my beer.
Justin laughed at our banter, then turned to face a fan when she stepped right in front of him and let out an ear-piercing squeal. It drowned out the music pounding around the room. "I love you, Justin!" she screamed.
Justin's expression shifted into the courteous, professional one that Kellan's often did when he talked to fans. "You're so sweet, thank you." She squealed again and forcefully shoved a CD case into his hands; she almost made him spill his beer. Not at all fazed by the outpouring of excitement in front of him, Justin nimbly signed his name across the hard plastic.
The girl fanned herself, then glanced over at Kellan. Her eyes practically popped out of her head. "Oh my God, Kellan Kyle! I am your biggest fan!" Justin looked offended for a minute, then laughed as he rolled his eyes behind her back.
Kellan's biggest fan plowed past Justin to get to her favorite rock star. I bit my lip to contain my grin; the girl was shaking. Kellan gave her a polite smile as he smoothly told her, "Thank you, I appreciate that."
Whipping out another CD case, she shoved Kellan's album in front of him. I glanced at the cover of the D-Bags' CD as she held it in her trembling fingers. The picture the label had ended up using was one that had all of the guys standing in a line, Kellan slightly in front of the others. Kellan's head was down and he was looking up at the camera with a seductive half-smile. It was an incredibly hot shot, but it conveniently cut off Kellan's hands so you couldn't see his wedding ring. The lengths Nick would go to to create the illusion that Kellan was single were as amusing as they were annoying.
"Can you sign this, To the girl of my dreams?" She sighed after she said it. Justin sniggered, then walked away.
Kellan covertly looked my way as he answered her. Lip in an amused curl, he said, "I don't think my girl would appreciate that." I hid my smile. Even though we were married in our hearts, Kellan was respecting my wishes by not publicly clarifying our relationship. He usually just said he was "seeing somebody," or he "had a girl in his life."
Fan-girl waved her hand. "Oh, I know you're with Sienna, and I don't really have a shot, but-" She giggled. "-it's fun to pretend."
Kellan snapped his gaze to the fan. "I'm not with Sienna. She's not my girlfriend. We only worked together on an album . . . and a music video." Remembering the video, he frowned. I subtly put my hand on his back.
The fan smiled and nodded, but it was obvious that she didn't believe a word he'd just said. Kellan flicked a glance my way and opened his mouth. Knowing what he was about to do, I pinched his back. While Kellan was being obscure about me to the masses, he probably wouldn't think twice about explaining things to fans on a one-on-one basis. I'd rather he didn't, though. When it came to his job, I'd rather be as anonymous as possible.
Kellan flinched and snapped his mouth shut. Just signing his name to the album, Kellan handed the CD back to the uber fan. She held it to her chest, cradling it like a baby. Even though the moment was over, she didn't move away. I thought she might hang out with us for the remainder of the concert, but she spotted Griffin emerging from the bathrooms and dashed off yelling, "Griffin! I love you!"
I could only shake my head in disbelief. Justin, Kellan, and . . . Griffin? Really?
Turning to face me, Kellan asked, "What was that?"
I blinked, not following. "What was what?"
He rubbed his back. "The Smurf bite. I was only going to tell her you were my girl, not Sienna."
Cringing, I massaged the spot I'd probably bruised. "Sorry. Yeah, I know you were. I just . . . I don't want to be paraded around your concerts and introduced to fifty thousand curious people. I don't want them all looking at me, talking about me. I don't want one of them mentioning something to all the press around here. I don't want them catching wind of me. And I really don't want to be front page news, and since everyone wants you with Sienna, that's exactly what would happen. I would be a breaking news story. And I just . . ." I shrugged. "Let's stay vague about us, okay? This craziness will die off soon."
Kellan set down his drink and looped his arms around my waist. "So, should I not be doing this then?"
I laced my arms around his neck. "This is fine. We don't need to stop living our lives, we just don't need to go into detail about it. We can be private. We're good at private."
Kellan smirked, then pulled me into him for a hug. "Well, people are watching me right now, so they're probably figuring it out that you're my girlfriend."
Laughing, I pushed him back. "No, trust me, they're most likely trying to figure out where the 'Get a Hug from Kellan' line forms." Kellan just laughed, but I knew I was right.
While we waited for the D-Bags' turn on stage, Kellan and the boys visited with fans and band members. I stayed close to Kellan's side, laughing with him and enjoying the mixed company. Several of the other band members had been on the last tour and knew the guys well. A couple of band members even recognized me from Kellan's scrapbook, and made a point of saying hello. Aside from a few jealous glances, the fans didn't comment much on my "flirty" relationship with Kellan as he put an arm around me or held my hand. Since a couple of other fans did successfully tackle him into a quick hug throughout the evening, maybe they just assumed that he was a friendly, give-the-fans-what-they-want kind of guy. And he was. To a point.
The D-Bags were slated to perform right before Justin's band. Before he headed off to the staging area, I leaned up and gave Kellan a soft peck. "Good luck."
The excitement in his eyes was evident as he grinned at me. He loved this. "Thank you. Back in a bit."
He hurried off to start his show, and I couldn't help but notice that a large majority of the crowd backstage had already disappeared-everyone wanted to see the D-Bags perform. Making my way to the side of the stage, I found a spot where I wouldn't be in the way, but I'd have a killer view. That's when I fully realized just how packed the house was. The floor before the stage was crammed with people. They were jammed in so tight, I almost wondered if the club was in violation of some city ordinance; surely they were over capacity. But no one in the audience seemed to care that they were squished like sardines, especially when Kellan strutted onto the stage.
Guitar slung over his back, Kellan raised a hand as he walked to the microphone stand. The room erupted into shrieks. While the other guys bounded into position, Kellan leaned into the mike and murmured, "Evenin'."
Hearing the reverse of his typical greeting made me chuckle. It made the crowd jump up and down. When the screaming diminished somewhat, a section of the crowd simultaneously yelled out, "We love you, Kellan!"
Kellan shielded his eyes from the bright lights beating down on him and scanned the audience. "I love you guys too." He laughed, and the girls in the front row looked they might hyperventilate-if they could breathe to begin with, that is.
Removing the guitar from his back, Kellan asked the crowd, "Is everybody having a good time?"
My ears rang a little after the shrieking response. Kellan cocked his head as he flipped the guitar around and slipped the strap over his shoulder. The body of the guitar was now resting right in front of his pelvis, and there was something insanely erotic about that. "Hmmm, I don't know. Doesn't really sound like you guys are having fun."
Jumping and screaming, the crowd tried to prove to him that they were indeed having a good time. The display made me laugh. Kellan shook his head. "Let's try that again. I said, is everybody having a good fucking time!" He shouted his question this time, and the crowd went nuts. They even started stomping their feet; it sounded like an earthquake was rolling through the building.
Satisfied, Kellan glanced back at Evan and nodded. Taking that at his cue, Evan started the intro to the first song. There were some things in this life that I would never get tired of. Watching Kellan perform was one of those things. He just had that spark that made it impossible to take your eyes off of him. And unlike a lot of singers I'd watched, Kellan didn't just stand behind his microphone and belt out his songs. No, he actively engaged the crowd, making them a part of the show. I was positive that everyone in that audience felt a connection with him at some point during his set. Kellan's ability to sound amazing, while still being fun and playful, was one of his greatest attributes. When it came to music, at least. I could think of several other highlights that had nothing to do with being on stage.
When the D-Bags were done, they each bowed and darted off the stage. Kellan scooped me into his arms right away, and I could tell he was flying high, energized from the performance. Nuzzling my neck, he murmured, "Let's go back to the bus."
My eyes fluttered closed as I considered it. Justin was up next, and a lot of the other band members were still mingling and celebrating backstage. We'd probably have a little bit of privacy if we left right now. After the final performance wrapped up, the boys would all filter back to the busses and we'd hit the road, so alone time would be out of the question.
I was grabbing the belt buckle loops of his jeans and pulling his hips into mine when I heard a warbled chant coming from the crowd. I opened my eyes and strained to understand what I was hearing. Kellan lifted his head and turned his face to the stage. He was sweaty from performing, and his hair was damp around the edges. It was a distracting sight, so I turned to face the stage as well. "What are they chanting? I can't make it out."
Kellan bunched his brows as he listened. It wasn't the band's name, it was too long. After another couple of seconds, the crowd's chants lined up and the word they were saying finally made sense. Twisting back to me, Kellan said, "They're saying 'Regretfully.' They want to hear the single."
I nodded, since that's what I was hearing too. Kellan frowned as his gaze returned to the stage. "We don't have her vocal track. We can't perform that song without Sienna . . . unless . . ." When he looked back at me, there was such a devilish gleam in his eye that I knew exactly what he was thinking. I shoved him away and tried to scramble out of his arms. Laughing, Kellan held me tight. "Sorry, babe. You know I don't like disappointing the fans, and you're the only one here that can fill in for Sienna."
I had twisted in his arms and my back was to him; he had a viselike grip around my waist and I couldn't break free. "No way in hell, Kyle! I am not going up there!"
Still laughing, Kellan started backing me up onto the stage. "I'm sorry, but you're gonna have to sing with me tonight."
I started screaming and kicking like he was mugging me until he finally let me go. Tears of laughter in his eyes, he asked, "Don't you want to live out your girl band fantasy? I'll help you through it, and if you get sick, there's usually a bucket in the corner."
Killing him with my eyes, I very firmly informed him, "You're sleeping in your own cubby tonight."
His expression changed so fast I had to turn away to hide my smile. "I was joking, Kiera." Pretending like I didn't hear him, I stormed away. "Kiera? You know I was kidding, right?"
Not able to maintain my fake anger anymore, I tossed a smile over my shoulder. His corresponding grin was so delicious that I knew my bold statement wouldn't end up happening. No matter where Kellan went, my body, my heart, my soul, would automatically follow him. Except onto that stage.
A week into the tour, all of the bands had fallen into a comfortable routine: travel, setup, play, takedown, travel. Sometimes band members shuffled from one bus to another, but generally the D-Bags shared a bus with the five members of Avoiding Redemption; the rest of the bands shared the other bus. Immediately after the first concert, Kellan had claimed the only bed on the bus. He'd stretched a couple lines of yellow Do Not Enter tape across the doorframe and taped a huge sign in the middle of the crisscrossing X that read: Reserved for Mr. and Mrs. Kyle. Stay Out. That means you, Griffin. I was so grateful that Kellan nabbed the bedroom before Griffin had a chance to sully it. He may be practicing monogamy right now, but I still didn't want to share bedding with him.
Griffin pouted, but the rest of the band members thought it was funny and let us have the bed, since we were the only couple on the bus.
Aside from the fans asking Kellan about Sienna each night, and chanting for their single at the end of the show, the hype around the two was starting to taper off. I'm sure Nick just hated that. Sienna too for that matter. But she was off doing her thing, and Kellan was off doing his. With no more leaked photos and risque videos, there just wasn't anything interesting to keep the pseudo-couple at the top of the gossip news.
That didn't stop the questions, though.
"So, Kellan, what's really going on with you and Sienna Sexton?" A radio personality was leaning over her microphone, beady eyes intent on Kellan's answer. I don't know why she looked like she had just asked him a life or death question.
Kellan smiled, but I could see the sigh behind his eyes. He was really getting sick and tired of answering the same thing city after city. I thought he might go back to saying "No comment," just because explaining his life was driving him crazy. "We're colleagues. We worked together on a project, but that's it."
Kellan paused and waited for the question that always came next.
"So, you're single?" By the look on the DJ's face and the tone of her voice, it was obvious that she totally thought Kellan was blowing smoke up her ass.
An easy smile still on his lips, Kellan shook his head. "No. I don't want to go into detail about it, but I'm in a relationship." I was standing behind the DJ while Kellan was in front of her. His eyes shifted to just over the DJ's shoulder, and locked onto mine. "And I love her very much." He shifted his gaze back to the DJ before she noticed that he'd directed that statement to me.
God, I really did have the best husband on earth. I schooled my features as best I could, but I just couldn't remove the small smile on my lips. The DJ pursed hers. "Okay, well, how about you boys play us a song?"
Kellan seemed confused about why the DJ looked so apathetic over his answer. She'd asked him a direct question, he'd given her one. It may not have been what she wanted to hear, but, well, too bad.
Matt and Griffin strummed their guitars while Evan beat out a rhythm on a lone snare drum. Kellan's voice filled the studio, pitch-perfect, and the mood instantly lightened. No one could deny that the D-Bags were good. No, not just good . . . amazing.
Afterwards, the group of us slipped into a couple of waiting cabs and headed back to the tour bus. The driver of the cab Kellan and I were in was listening to the radio station we'd just left; I recognized the DJ's high-pitched voice. Evan was riding in the cab with us. Leaning forward, he said, "Think they'll talk about us now that we're gone?"
Kellan and I shrugged, then started paying closer attention to what she was saying. I instantly wished I hadn't. "Kellan's a liar, that's all there is to it. Just colleagues. Right. I'm supposed to believe that that freaking hot music video was fake? Sorry, sweetheart, Sienna's not that good of an actress. Those two are swapping a lot more than lyrics! In a relationship? Yeah, tell us something we don't know, Kellan . . ."
Kellan groaned and dropped his head back on the seat. I completely understood the feeling. Guess I know why no one was really hearing what he was saying now.
The station started taking callers after that, and every single one of them were diehard Kell-Sex supporters who helped twist everything Kellan had just said into something else entirely: "He loves Sienna! And did you hear his voice when he said it? Sigh. Best boyfriend ever!"
Best boyfriend ever? God. Not only had the fans stolen Kellan and given him to Sienna with a big red bow around his middle, they'd even stolen my praise of his significant other skills.
While Evan shook his head in disbelief, Kellan looked over at me, "Remind me to never do another interview for that radio station."
Duly noted.
Raising an eyebrow, he added, "Are you sure you still want me to be vague?" I bit my lip, but nodded. The hype would die off sooner or later. If I could keep my privacy, I wanted to.
The boys were playing at another House of Blues tonight, but in Dallas this time. I'd never been to Texas before. For some reason, I kept picturing Kellan in a cowboy hat everywhere we went. It gave me the giggles, which Kellan found adorable. When I told him why I was laughing so much, he shifted his weight to his hip, put his hand up to his hairline like he was wearing a Stetson, and drawled, "Well, hello, little lady."
Griffin immediately beaned him in the back of the head with a Hacky Sack. "Dude, grow some balls. You're an embarrassment to penises everywhere."
A tight smile on his face, Kellan reached down, grabbed the sack, and tossed it across the bus. He nailed Griffin right in the junk. As Griffin's face turned bright red and he doubled over in pain, every boy nearby cringed in sympathy and let out a long, "Oooooh."
Justin shook his head as he patted Griffin's shoulder. "Wow, ouch. Guess you won't be having anymore kids there, huh, Hulk?"
Griffin weakly lifted his hand and flipped him off.
As everyone onboard chuckled, Justin's bassist, Mark, rushed onto the bus. Looking around, he searched for his band mates. Spotting Justin first, he told him, "You are not going to believe who's here."
A really uncomfortable feeling started sizzling in my gut as I watched Justin's cute face contort into confusion. "Ah, okay, who's here?" I locked eyes with Kellan and I could see the same expression on his face that was in my heart. Please let it be anyone but her.
Filling me with dread, Mark's gaze swung around to Kellan. "Sienna Sexton, man."
Kellan and I both exhaled at the same time. Damn. It. Kellan twisted around to face Mark. "She's here? Why?"
Mark shrugged. "I don't know. She's got some uptight blond bitch with her who told me to find you, stat. Who the hell actually uses the word 'stat'?"
Kellan sighed again. "That would be Tory." He looked over at me. "I guess we should go see what Sienna wants." Wishing I could do anything other than agree, I nodded.
Maybe for moral support, or maybe just out of morbid curiosity, Evan and Matt followed us to where Sienna was waiting. Griffin stayed behind. He still couldn't sit up straight. Sienna was in a private office of the club that someone had hastily converted into a green room. Thing 1 and Thing 2 were guarding her door, keeping all the looky-loos away. Since no one was here yet besides the staff, I thought that was a tad unnecessary.
Both of the men looked at Kellan like they didn't know who he was. When Kellan moved between them to grab the doorknob, they each put an arm in his way. Irritated, Kellan told them, "I'm Kellan Kyle, remember? You've seen me before?" No muscles in their faces moved, neither did their arms. Irritated, Kellan raised his hands. "Sienna asked for me." One of them spoke into a headset, waited a few seconds, then opened the door for us.
"You can go in. Ms. Sexton is expecting you." Kellan rolled his eyes as he reached back for my hand.
Sienna turned to the door the minute we stepped through it. She was just as breathtaking as the last time I'd seen her-flawless, glowing skin, perfect body wrapped in tight, revealing clothes, and long, dark shimmering hair. Much to my disappointment, no sudden deformations had struck her down since we'd parted ways. Damn. Tory was behind her, leaning against a wall with a scowl on her face as she flipped through a planner bursting with colorful Post-it Notes.
"Oh my God, Kellan! It's been so long." Sienna moved to embrace him and Kellan held his finger up. She didn't toss her arms around him, but she did peck his cheek lightning fast. "It's absolutely lovely to see you." I hadn't missed the fact that she hadn't even acknowledged me yet, or Matt and Evan either. All her focus was on Kellan.
As Kellan swished his hand behind him, she finally glanced at the rest of us. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be on your tour?" he asked.
In a shy, yet flirtatious way, Sienna raised one bare shoulder and averted her eyes. "I'm playing nearby, and had the night off." She looked back up at him. "I just couldn't miss out on an opportunity to see you perform."
Kellan slowly nodded. "Well, it should be a good show."
Sienna clasped her hands together, pure joy on her face. "It's going to be fabulous. I can't wait!"
Looking confused, Kellan asked, "Did you want to see me, just to tell me you were watching the show tonight?"
A look flashed over Sienna's face that reminded me of Nick. It was an expression of annoyance, of someone who clearly didn't like to be talked to in any way but with the utmost deference. It vanished instantly as she gave Kellan a broad smile. "Actually, I had a brilliant idea, and I wanted to run it by you."
Kellan deliberately placed one arm over the other. "Yeah? What's your idea?"
Sienna frowned at his posture, then immediately brightened again. Watching her emotions flip back and forth was like playing with a light switch on a wall. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm being hounded nonstop to perform the new single at every show."
She lifted a brow in question. Kellan nodded. "Yeah, I'm getting that a lot too."
Biting her lip, she poked a well-manicured nail into his chest. "I can't really perform it without you."
Kellan looked down at her finger, then back up at her. "Nick can give you my vocals, or you can hire another guy to sing my part."
Irritation flashed in her eyes before she cooed, "It's not the same. I'd like to perform it again with you. Really wow the fans. Blow the lid off this place."
Raising his eyebrows, Kellan looked around the room. "You want to perform the song tonight? Here?" I understood his confusion. It was a hole in the wall compared to the arenas Sienna played at.
Sienna seemed overjoyed by the idea, though. Vigorously nodding, she told him, "Wouldn't that be wild? Nobody would expect it. What do you think?"
Kellan seemed unsure, and looked back at Evan and Matt for guidance. Evan was frowning; he'd heard and seen just what the media was doing with Kellan and Sienna. Matt-ever the manager-was smiling; he knew how huge this would be. The place would go absolutely crazy if it happened.
Seeing that he still needed to be persuaded, Sienna leaned in and told us, "Just imagine the headlines tomorrow, and what that could do for your friends' careers. 'Sienna Sexton surprises the audience on Avoiding Redemption's sold-out tour . . .'"
Kellan worked his lip while he gazed down at me. Not seeing any harm in this, I nodded. Looking back up at her, he asked, "All you want from me is one song?"
Giggling, she nodded. "This is going to be great. For all of us." I sighed, and hoped that was true.
It was decided that the D-Bags would go up last, by whom, I don't know. It made sense I guess. Sienna coming in last would be a great topper to the evening, and her coming in right after the D-Bags performed would make the night flow better. And, I hated to say it, especially to Justin, but the bulk of the crowd was here for Kellan. The D-Bags closing out the show made sense. Kellan didn't agree, and fought to keep Justin as the closer, but he was overruled.
Sienna stayed hidden away while all the bands performed. Not a single one of the fans had caught on to the fact that she was in the building. I had to admit, being in on such a huge surprise gave me a buzz. I had to share the knowledge with someone, so I texted Anna and Denny. He immediately responded with, Really? Wow. A couple of minutes later he added, Wait, she left Montana to do a show in Dallas? Anna just texted back, Jealous!
That took me back. She was in Montana? How was that in any way "nearby"?
I didn't have time to worry about it though, because the D-Bags were up. Maybe it was the extra electricity in the air, but they killed it on stage. Everything about the performance was perfect. Just listening to them stirred my creative juices. I'd been on a bit of a holding pattern with writing lately. I tried to fit it in during quiet moments on the bus, but there were so many people and so much activity, it was challenging. And backstage was no better. It was like one never-ending party, which was fun, but not very conducive to writing heartbreaking romance.
When the boys walked off the stage, the chanting for the crowd's favorite song began. From the angle of where I was watching, I could see a few Kell-Sex shirts in the crowd. They were going to freak when Kellan and Sienna took the stage. I instantly saw a downside to this plan and wondered if maybe it wasn't such a great idea. We were trying to squelch the rumors, not help them grow. It was too late, though. Sienna was already primed and ready for action.
Everyone waited near the stage for the clamoring to reach a near-frantic level. I thought the crowd might bring the house down if the boys didn't go back out there. Kellan laughed as he stood beside me, waiting for the most opportune moment to reappear and announce the surprise to the fans. I squeezed him tight while the noise from the audience vibrated my chest.
When I was sure ceiling panels were about to break loose, Kellan gave me a long, lingering kiss. When he pulled away, his eyes were blazing. "I better go up there, so I can get this over with and take you to bed."
Feeling better already, I grinned. "I like that plan."
Kellan swatted my butt, then turned and dashed onstage. The noisy chaos of stomping and clapping switched to shrieking. Kellan held his hands out as he reached the mike. The noise didn't stop, so he had to speak above it. "What are you guys still doing here? It's over."
Kellan shooed his hands at the audience, like he wanted them to leave. I laughed at the display, and several people in the crowd did too. As he was doing that, Sienna came up beside him. The outfit she was wearing was not the one she'd arrived in. Before, she'd been wearing tight jeans and a tight sleeveless top. Now she was wearing a sheer white top with a black bra underneath. A black bra? With a sheer top? And with the way the lights hit her shirt, she may as well have only been wearing the bra.
The crowd went nuts and Kellan peeked behind him. This was not the plan. Kellan was going to play with the crowd, then verbally announce Sienna. She was supposed to wait for her cue. While Kellan straightened as he stared at her, dozens and dozens of cell phones were whipped out. Waving to the crowd, Sienna beamed as she walked right up to Kellan. Her arms slid around his waist as she playfully kissed his shoulder, then rested her head against it. The crowd gobbled up the affection. Kellan spun around, discreetly getting away from her. A seamless smile plastered on his face, he told the hollering crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, Ms. Sienna Sexton."
By the tight way he said it, I could tell he wasn't pleased. A staff member handed Sienna a mike while the rest of the D-Bags took their positions. Ignoring Kellan for a second, Sienna bowed and thanked the crowd. When she was done speaking, Kellan signaled Matt to start the song. The fans went absolutely ballistic when Kellan started singing, and Kellan's irritation fell away as his professionalism kicked in. Kellan was a showman through and through, and regardless of his feelings about his singing partner, he'd give the crowd the best performance he could.
After singing a duet with Kellan that nearly brought the house down, Sienna brought both hands to her lips and blew a steady stream of kisses into the mass of enraptured fans. While she basked in their plentiful praises, Kellan gave the audience an appreciative wave, then he looked over his shoulder to where I was waiting offstage. When we locked gazes, he shook his head, then discretely shrugged. Like it or not, there was no denying the fact that that song was a gargantuan hit, and Kellan and Sienna performing it together was electrifying.