Never My Love

I'd not said anything to anyone about the phone conversation I'd had with my Dad for the simple fact that he said there was nothing to worry about. He was a U.S. Marshall and if he said that there was nothing to worry about then I knew that we would all be perfectly fine...

~~~~~~

It's a five hour flight from Houston to Los Angeles and I chose to sleep most of the way. However, we were about half way there when Rob smiled and made his way to the front of the aircraft.

"I want to make an announcement," he smiled, "All of this that's about to happen is because of the love and time that our leader, Jake Benson, and his wife, Ashlyn, have poured into this project. So; it's with great pleasure that I salute you, Jake and Ashlyn," and instead of singing the song "For He's A Jolly Good Fellow", they rewrote the lyrics to sing "For They're A Jolly Good Couple" which the whole band stood up within the aircraft and sang.

"Thank you, everyone," I grinned, shaking Rob's hand, "That was very sweet of you all, and my wife and I think you guys are all worth it," followed by everyone cheering us as I took my seat.

"Wasn't that the sweetest thing?" Ashlyn sweetly told me, as we sat together, "It looks to me like your peers love you very much."

"It's not just me," I smiled, "Your name was mentioned, too, if I'm not mistaken..."

~~~~~~

LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (LAX)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

2:00 PM

Lindsay was there to meet us the moment our flight touched down, and after making certain that our gear had been loaded onto the truck that pulled directly up to the plane, she led us to where we'd be staying while we were there, The Beverly Wilshire Hotel, in Beverly Hills...

~~~~~~

All of the arrangements had been previously made, and the staff was ready and waiting for us the moment we arrived at the hotel. Per mine and Rob's instructions, there were four men there to help us load the P.A., as well as our amps and instruments into the huge banquet room where the afterparty for the Academy Awards was going to be held.

We made sure that the stage was set up and ready for us to simply walk on and play. Rob set his drums up, as did I my keyboards, both of us covering them with the sheets we'd brought along. And because we still had a day and a half before the gig, we decided to do our sound check right before we played the gig as opposed to doing it any sooner. That way, no one could come in and accidentally bump into anything, knocking the balance off in any way...

~~~~~~

We were given three suites to stay in, one for the guys, one for the girls, and one for Ashlyn and I. Each suite contained two bedrooms so; therefore, it was no shock to any of us when Joanie and Randy chose to sleep in one of the bedrooms together.

"They've been doing it for a couple of weeks now," Jessie giggled, "And we told Joanie that she'd better not wake any of us up in the middle of the night."

"Oh, shut up, Jess," Joanie told her sister, her face blushing bright red, "At least I don't scream at the top of my lungs when I have an orgasm," and needless to say, I almost fell over in my chair from laughing so hard.

"Come on, you guys," I chuckled, "Don't you think that's a little bit too much information?"

"Not at all, Jake," Jess giggled again, "Hell, you've should've seen her in high school. Man, she was boy crazy like you wouldn't believe."

"Screw you, Jessica Lynn Harris," Joanie spat, "At least Dad never caught me sneaking out of the house at night to go meet some guy."

"Maybe not," Jess grinned, "But that doesn't mean you weren't doing it, too."

"I never said that," Joanie knowingly grinned, "I was just smart enough not to get caught, that's all."

"Bitch," Jessie laughed, playfully swatting her sister on the butt.

"It takes one to know one, Jess," Joanie giggled, "And you probably know them all."

"Both of you need to hush your mouths this instant," Janie suddenly interjected, and then she looked at me and Ash and smiled, "Do you see what I've had to put up with for all these years?"

"Who're you, Janie, the Virgin Mary?" Joanie giggled, "You're not innocent either," then she looked at me and said, "Get her to tell you about the time Mom caught her naked in the bed with Joey Houseman, Jake."

"Like I said, "I laughed, "That's too much information. Besides, I'm not your father and I certainly won't say anything to anyone for anything that goes on while we're here in L.A., but don't go hog assed wild either."

"Aw, thank you, Jake," Joanie smiled, standing on her toes to kiss me on the cheek, "I want you to know that me and my sisters love you and Ashlyn very much, and we would never do anything to disrespect either one of you."

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart," I earnestly replied, "That means a lot to us to hear you say such a thing; and just so you know, we love you girls, too."

"What about me, Jake?" Camryn said as she suddenly appeared, "Don't you love me, too?"

"You know I do," I grinned, giving her a hug, "You were the first person I asked to join the band, remember?"

"Uh huh," she giggled, "And I also remember helping you get the rest of the band together, too, Mister Smart Ass."

"Shut up, girlie," I teased, "Before I bend you across my knee."

"Oh, wow, Jake," Camryn lecherously smiled, "That sounds like fun, can Ashlyn watch while you do it? It would make me so hot."

My face immediately turned a brighter shade of red than it ever had, and because she'd never seen me turn that color before, Ashlyn began to howl with laughter.

"Oh, my God," Ash loudly giggled, "I think you finally got him good, Cam. Look at him blush..."

~~~~~~

That evening in our hotel suite, I'd just stepped into the shower and was lathering up my body with soap when I felt Ashlyn's bare breasts rubbing against my back as her hand snaked around my body to grab a hold of my hardening cock.

"Mmm," she purred into my ear, "Are you looking for a good time, sailor?"

"You know me, baby," I played along, "I'm always looking for a good time, but I'd better ask my wife first."

"I already have," she moaned, "And she told me that you were a great fuck..."

~~~~~~

The next morning Ashlyn and I enjoyed having our breakfast in bed, and in doing so, I was reminded of the very first time I made love to my wife, before she was my wife. All of the beautiful memories of our very first days together began flooding my mind like a pleasant onslaught of something too wonderful to resist. It's kinda like tasting something so good, that you just can't seem to get enough of it no matter how much you eat.

The food is pretty good here," I smiled, "Of course having you here with me, Ashlyn, makes it taste that much better ya know."

"I've spoiled you rotten," she sweetly replied, with a beautiful smile that matched her beautiful face, "But I'm not complaining one bit, my love."

"I hope not," I chuckled, "Because I try my best to spoil you as much, if not more than you spoil me."

"I love you, Jake," Ashlyn softly told me, kissing my lips, "And I want you to know that I'll always love you for the rest of my life."

"I can't tell you how that makes me feel to hear you say that, Ashlyn," I said, "Do you remember when I told you about how I was treated by the girls I knew when I got burned?"

"How could I forget, my love?" she gently told me, wrapping her arms around me and snuggling up next to me, "I felt so bad for you, too."

"I felt even worse when my sisters came home and told me the things they overheard those girls saying," I continued, "And I carried that shit around with me everywhere I went."

"I know baby," she empathetically replied, "And I remember wishing that I had a magic wand so that I could wave it and make all of those bad feelings go away."

"Well, believe it or not, but you did make them go away," I smiled, "It happened on the day that you said you'd marry me."

"Really," she wistfully asked, "Why didn't you ever tell me, baby?"

"I don't know," I chuckled, "I was so caught up in the fact that a woman who's as beautiful as you are could love a guy like me that I guess I forgot. Do you forgive me, my love?"

"There's nothing to forgive, you silly man," she girlishly giggled, "And what do you mean by a guy like you?"

"Nothing bad," I said, "I know I've said this about a thousand times already, but you're so damn beautiful, Ashlyn, that you can have any guy you want. What I meant by that was, I was just a kid at the time we met and I couldn't believe that you could love me, that's all."

"You believe it now, don't you?" she asked, as I nodded my head grinning, "Then don't worry about it, my love."

"I'm not worried at all," I happily replied, "I'm thankful...Every morning that I open my eyes and find you laying next to me in our bed, I make it a point to thank God that you're there."

All of a sudden Ashlyn made a mad dash to the bathroom, and from previous experience, I knew not to follow her...

~~~~~~

"I'm sorry, baby," I softly replied, placing a cold wash cloth on her forehead when she returned to the bed from throwing up, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No, but thank you for asking, Jake," she softly replied, "I'll just be glad when this morning sickness is over with."

"Me, too," I said, "I wish you didn't have to go through that."

"I do, too," she lightheartedly smiled, "But it's all part of being a mother, I guess."

"And it's a good one, you'll be, my love," I softly smiled, gently holding her in my arms, "A damn good one..."

~~~~~~

I'd gotten on the phone and called everyone in the band after they were all awake, asking them to come to my suite for a band meeting which no one had a problem with; giving everyone the chance to get showered and dressed ahead of time before we all actually got together...

~~~~~~

"So, what's the game plan, Jake?" Rob asked, "How re we going to go about exposing these jerks?"

"That's going to be the easy part," I told them, "We're not going to do a thing," and it was then that I told everyone, Ashlyn included, about the telephone conversation that I had with my father. I made certain that I told them the same thing Dad told me, "Nothing was what it seemed..."

~~~~~~

Chapter Thirty Two

That afternoon we all went out together as a group and did the tourist thing, but when evening came it found us back at the hotel. I told everyone to dress nice for a night out on the town. The club, which is longer there, was a nightclub down on Sunset Boulevard called The Lava Lounge.

There was a band playing there called "Whistler's Gold" and they were damn good. Of course Ashlyn, as well as Camryn and the Harris Sisters, all made sure that the guys in our group, and that included me, danced with them at every given opportunity. However, the funniest moment was when I asked Joanie to dance in front of Randy.

The look on his face was priceless when she accepted. I honestly thought he was going to get upset with me for dancing with his girlfriend. However, his irritation disappeared the moment he and Ashlyn appeared on the dance floor beside us; and because the following song was a slow one, we simply exchanged partners, dancing with the one who, we loved the most.

Speaking of love, there was the love I had for Ashlyn, which nothing in the world could ever change, and then there was the love I had for my family, also never changing; but when it came to the love I had for my band mates, it was like they were my brothers and sisters only something a little more, something so gentle and kind, that I would've honestly fought and died for any one of them. Granted it was the basically the same way I felt about Ash and my family, only more. It's hard to explain to someone who's neither a musician, or have never played with a group people who were not only band mates, but close friends as well.

We only had one occurrence, and it was a minor one at that. This guy that had been dancing with Camryn, and his name was Lance Garner, got mad when she refused to leave the club with him; but because of not only my size, but also because of the fact that Rob, Keith and Randy were there with me, we managed to politely calm him down when we told him that we would put his name, plus one, on the guest list for the afterparty that we were playing the following night.

"You guys are playing the Academy Awards afterparty?" he excitedly replied, as Camryn nodded her pretty head, "Holy Shit! That means that you guys must be damn good. Nobody plays at that party unless they're being romanced by one of the record labels here in town." Then he looked back at Camryn and sincerely told her, "I'm really sorry for being such an ass just now, Camryn. It's just that you're so beautiful that I didn't want the night to end."

"That was a really sweet thing to say," She smiled, her eyes dancing like candles in the wind, "Maybe we can get together after we get done playing tomorrow night. How would that be?"

"Are you serious?" he excitedly grinned, as she nodded her head smiling, "Oh, wow, that would be great. How long are you guys going to be in town?"

"We're not really sure at this point," I quietly told him, "We've got something really cool in the works, and we're hoping that it turns out okay."

"Camryn said something about you guys are looking for a label deal (record deal)," he said, "I'm not trying to brag, honestly I'm not, but my mother's brother, my uncle; is Ahmet Ertegun, the president of Atlantic Records, and if you guys are good enough to be playing the afterparty for the Oscars, then I think that maybe I should bring him along with me tomorrow night. What do you guys think?"

"I think I owe you a big kiss," Camryn elatedly smiled, placing her arms around Lance's waist, "Come here, cutie," and then she laid a kiss on him that curled his toes, and left him almost breathless...

~~~~~~

That night back at the hotel, everyone was in mine and Ash's suite, sitting around and talking before we decided to call it a night; and because she'd ordered them before we left earlier that evening, Ashlyn called downstairs to the kitchen and made certain that some midnight snacks were brought up to our suite almost the moment we arrived back to the hotel.

"It looks like we may have a way out of having to deal with those crooked assholes at A&M Records," Camryn excitedly smiled, "If Lance is telling the truth that is."

"I don't see why he would lie," Jessie pointed out, "I mean, damn Camryn, you didn't even promise him a piece of ass and look what he's doing for us."

"I know one thing is certain though, regardless of who we sign with," I told them, "And that is, we need to find an agent, one that we know won't screw us over."

"What about Lindsay?" Ashlyn suddenly asked, "I know that I'm not part of this band, but from what I've seen, it looks like she stands to lose just as much, if not more than we do over this crap so; why not sign with her. I'm willing to bet everything I own that she'd be more than happy to manage you guys."

"I agree with Ashlyn, Jake," Jessie Harris said.

"So do we," Janie and Joanie simultaneously replied.

"You know that I'd never go against anything that concerns you; Jake," Rob quietly said, "But I think that signing with Lindsay is a great idea."

"Alright then," I conceded, "I propose that we sign with Lindsay Peterson. Does anyone object?" and when nobody said anything, I smiled, and picking up the phone, told everyone, "I guess I'll call her and give her the good news."

"It's midnight here in Los Angeles, Jake," Ashlyn told me, "That means that it's two o'clock in the morning back home. Don't you think you ought to wait until tomorrow to call her, baby?"

"No," I grinned, as I continued dialing her telephone number, "She's going to take the first flight out in the morning and I want her to have a contract ready for us to sign when she gets here tomorrow..."

~~~~~~

"Hullo," Lindsay sleepily replied when she answered her phone.

"Good morning Lindsay Peterson," I chuckled, "This is Jake Benson. How're you doing?"

"I was sleeping," she said, "What in the hell are you doing calling me at this hour of the night? You guys are supposed to be in Los Angeles right now."

"We are," I told her, "That's why I'm calling you now, because we have something important that we need to discuss with you before you get on that plane to come out here tomorrow...something very important."

"Dammit, boy," Lindsay light heartedly swore, as she grinned, and after sitting up in her bed at home, she utilized the "Speaker Phone" function on her telephone, placing it on her night stand beside her and said, "Alright, I'm wide awake now and you have my full attention, Jake. What is so important that you feel the need to call me at this hour of the morning to discuss it?"

"We want to sign with your agency, Lindsay," I plainly told her, "And we also want you personally to manage us ...please? I...I mean...we, don't trust anyone else so; will you do it?"

"Aw, that awfully sweet of you to say that, Jake," she told him, "But when Herb and Jerry sign you, and they will, you can count on it, they're going to want their own people to handle your management."

"What if we decide to sign with someone else?" I asked, "We don't necessarily need A&M Records, Lindsay, and that's where you, as our manager, come in."

"You can't be serious, Jake," she argued, "Remember what they said about black balling you guys?"

"Fuck them and the horse they rode in on," I hatefully spat, "I've got something to tell you when you get here, and it's going to make all the difference in the world. Just be ready to sign us tomorrow because we don't want to do this without you, okay, Lindsay?"

"I don't know, Jake," she warily replied, "It sounds like..."

"I don't give a damn what it sounds like, Lindsay," I sternly interrupted her, "I'm sorry for interrupting you, but you're just going to have to trust me. Like I said, we don't want to do this without you, but believe me when I tell you that we can do it with or without you. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"

~~~~~~

Lindsay knew where we were staying in Los Angeles, but we were still worried as to whether or not she was going to go along with what we, Covenant, were going to do. If Mr. Ertegun liked what he heard, and I had no doubt that he would, then we were going to try to either get him to sign us to his record label, Atlantic; or if there was no room for us on his roster, then perhaps point us in the right direction...provided that we weren't going to have to deal with those jerks at A&M Records. God knows that I'd had enough of their shit, and we weren't even signed to their label.

~~~~~~

It was eight o'clock in the morning, and we hadn't been awake for very long when I heard a knock on the door of our hotel suite. Imagine our surprise when Ashlyn opened the door to find my father standing on the other side of it wearing a big smile on his face.

"Jack," Ashlyn smiled, throwing her arms around Dad's neck, "What a pleasant surprise. What're you doing all the way out here?"

"I came to talk to my son and daughter in law," Dad grinned, "Is there a law against that?"

"I don't know, you tell me," I laughed, "You're the U.S. Marshall."

"And that's why I'm here," he quietly replied, looking around, "We need to talk, Jake. Can I come in?"

"Of course you can," Ashlyn sweetly told him, taking his hand and pulling him into our suite, "You don't ever have to ask..."

~~~~~~

Dad came in and as he and I took a seat at the table in the suite, Ashlyn proceeded to make us some coffee, God love her. In the last conversation I'd had with my father, he'd told me that nothing was as it seemed and that I should relax and not worry so much; hence the reason I immediately called him on it the moment he sat down at the table.