Chapter 1
“Can I get you something to drink?”
Startled out of my daydream by the perky flight attendant, it took me a minute to snap out of my thoughts. I stared at him blankly, hearing his words, but unable to register their meaning or respond.
“I’ll have a vodka cranberry and she’ll have a merlot. You’ll have to excuse her, she’s spent the last two months f**king her brains out and now she’s going cold turkey for a few months. I think we’re seeing the first symptoms of withdrawal now.” Sienna smiled to the amused flight attendant, a tall, blond handsome twenty-something man closely resembling a Ken doll, but with a lot of femininity exuding from his stance.
The cheerful flight attendant looked around for unwelcome listeners before leaning down and whispering back to Sienna. “Trust me, you two gorgeous ladies will not have any trouble finding a cure for that withdrawal in London. I take this flight four times a week, and I swear, the men from London all look like James Bond. And I mean the Daniel Craig from Casino Royale gorgeous Bond, not the should have retired three years ago Skyfall Daniel Craig-James Bond.” He winked and continued. “I’ll fetch your drinks, and when I’m done with my service I can give you ladies the 10-4 on some of the hottest night spots in London if you’d like.”
I heard Sienna giggle and more words were exchanged but it was as if only my body was present, my mind had been left floating in Jack’s office that morning, where he had informed me that I was moving in with him, and I had agreed without coaxing. It was only four hours into the flight and already I missed him. I had no idea how I was going to get through four months without waking to Jack every day.
My heart was torn in such a clash of emotions. I was excited at the opportunity to open on the European tour for one of my favorite bands, but my heart felt guilty for being excited because touring meant leaving the man I had come to love over the last few months — the man who still gave me butterflies when I looked at him, who made my skin break out in goosebumps when I caught him looking at me in that way that only Jack did.
I looked over at Sienna next to me, watching her as she jotted down lyrics from her head on a napkin while ever so slightly swaying to the music I could hear streaming from her ear-buds. Having Sienna next to me made leaving easier, and I smiled, thinking back to how thoughtful my dominating, sexy-as-all-hell man could be when he wanted to.
Sienna McAllister had been my best friend since the third grade. We became kindred spirits on our first day in chorus when we realized we could sing in natural harmony together without so much as a beat of music. Twenty years later, our lives had taken us down very different paths, but it had never dulled our bond. The last few months were a whirlwind of change. I broke my engagement to Michael and met Jack in paradise, during what was supposed to have been my honeymoon. I quit my job teaching music, left Boston, and moved to New York to sing again. Now Sienna and I were about to become the opening act for one of the most popular bands around. I stole another look at my wild and crazy best friend, laughing to myself as I watched her write on the inside of her hands. Apparently she must have run out of napkins. There was no one else on earth who could possibly get me through my heartbreak over leaving without Jack.
When I left Jack at the gate earlier, I’d thought I’d be traveling alone. Sienna was scheduled on a flight later in the day because the flights had all been sold out. Our arrangements had only been made a week before, when we’d been invited to join the tour to replace another opening act at the last minute. Jack knew I would be upset when I had to say goodbye to him, so he had surprised me by upgrading both of our seats to first class on the same flight, where tickets were still available.
Even though I was surprised and thrilled to find my best friend sitting in the second row waiting for me when I boarded the plane, finding out what Jack had done had sent me over the edge. His thoughtfulness pushed out the tears I had been holding back as I walked away from him.
I opened my phone, rereading our last texts for the tenth time in the last four hours.
Thank you for the amazing surprise! I can’t believe you got us on the same flight and upgraded us to first class too.
You’re welcome babe. Couldn’t let my girl get upset alone on a long flight to London.
You are so sweet, how will I ever thank you?
Now there’s a first, don’t think I have ever been called sweet, babe. And I know how you can thank me….
Lol. Now there is the Jack I know, sweet gone, perv back.
Call me when you get into the hotel tonight. Which hotel did they change you to?
The Royal Chancery or something like that. Being scolded to turn off my phone now, call you tonight. Love you.
I closed my phone, pulled out my iPod and let myself relax to the calming voice of Norah Jones.
***
I woke up to the flight attendant announcing that we had to prepare for landing. I was surprised that I had fallen asleep, but between the last week of marathon sex with Jack and stressing over leaving, I hadn’t actually slept well at all. I found Sienna sleeping next to me, music blaring from her ear-buds and a notebook with the airlines logo in front of her where she had apparently transcribed her napkin and hand notes. I gently tapped her shoulder, careful not to startle her. I had learned the hard way ten years ago that if I startled Sienna when she wakes, she wakes up swinging.
Sienna woke up with a huge smile on her face that was contagious. She stretched her long curvy body out in her seat, her cle**age on full display as she raised her arms high, revealing her alabaster skin on her flat tummy sparkling with a diamond belly button ring. I saw our Ken doll flight attendant looking her way as she writhed in her seat, admiring her assets even though I was pretty sure he played for the other team.
Chapter 2
I was excited to find out that our hotel was in the heart of the city of London, although driving through London seemed to be a bit like driving through New York City. We could probably have walked the last ten blocks faster than the car drove in the traffic, but Sienna and I didn’t mind because it gave us time to soak in the city. We sat in the back of the car, both on the edge of our seats, glued to the windows, occasionally pointing out someone or something for the other to see.
Our first five days were going to be spent stationary, at a hotel, before we officially joined the tour and started living on a bus. We had been sent a seven page typed itinerary that included everything from meeting with the tour promoters and photographers, to practicing with the backup band twice a day. Eventually we pulled up to a magnificent building and I was surprised when the driver announced we had arrived at our hotel. A white-gloved doorman opened our door and greeted us in a fantastic British accent. At the time I hadn’t yet realized that he wasn’t the one with the accent anymore.