Exotic

Book One: Outdoorsy Rock stars

Chapter Two

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Finn shakes his head as he instinctively puts his dark sunglasses over his eyes as they walk outside. He has always been in the city. He grew up in Brooklyn and is used to roughing through the traffic and idiots who don’t watch where they’re going while walking along the sidewalk.

He grew up with his parents. Neither of them was around a lot while he grew up but his mom and he are really close. She cares a lot about him and has an album of all the times he was in magazines and newspapers (which is a lot). His dad on the other hand isn’t really his role model. He put work before his family and wasn’t around over holidays or birthdays.

Despite not having a strong male role model he grew up great. He’s very dramatic and loves to be the center of attention. He’s a great bass player and is always more the excited when he gets a solo.

“Well you’d better believe it.” Alex comes up behind him and gently bumps into his shoulder. He looks down at her and gives her a playful glare. Then he wraps his arm over her shoulder.

“Whatever you say dime.” Finn’s accent thickens as he whispers to her.

Alex just grins and shakes her head. Finn has always called her dime. He said it was a New Yawk thing.

The sun glares down on them with intense heat. The city is swarming with people. Bright yellow cabs rush up and down the streets trying to get to their destinations as fast as possible. Little kids are dragging their parents around by their arms trying to get to the ice cream stock cart.

They stand like that for a few minutes. They aren’t really paying attention to anything in particular. They are just watching the city around them.

“Thank you, for sacrificing your bar hopping weekend for me.” She leans into Finn’s arm. She glances down at her wrist watch and sees that it’s going on three in the afternoon. She had tried to get everyone ready to leave by 11 this morning but it was a no go. Sometimes she thinks guys are worse then girls when it comes to the bathroom and their hair. It only took Danielle and Alex a half an hour combined to get ready and the guys took forever!

Finn just smirks and then as Tristan walks towards them he slips his arm off of her and heads over to the limo where they are unpacking their bags. He frowns and turns back to Alex, “What are they doing with our stuff?” Alex can tell he’s trying his best not to drop the F bomb while speaking with her.

Along with Alex’s dislike of alcohol she also has a zero tolerance to massive cussing. When she had first met Finn he had said something and had dropped the F bomb. This resulted in Alex leaving the room in tears. Finn has sobered since then and normally has a good rein on his cussing. He hates to have her upset with him.

“They’re moving it into the 2008 Alpha Hummer I rented.” Alex tells him with a smile.

“A 2008 Alpha Hummer!?” Jordan almost squeals as he runs over to the black vehicle.

Alex and Danielle laugh at his reaction.

Finn raises an eyebrow at her.

“What? I don’t want to pull up to a camp site in a limo. It’s too weird.” Alex shrugs her shoulders. She casually pushes her hands into the front pockets of her camouflage Capri jeans.

“I agree.” Danielle is half listening to them and half listening to her music through her headphones.

Alex smiles at her best friend and then turns back to Finn who had grumbled something under his breath and is now walking over to the guys handling his guitar.

“You’ve thought of everything haven’t you?” Tristan is leaning against a light pole. He’s in casual worn jeans and a white t-shirt. He’s holding his leather jacket in his hands.

Alex just smiles.

“Alexia Gardener may I have your autograph?”

Alex turns at the sound of the small petite voice and sees a girl around the age of 9 and who she guesses is her mother standing there. Alex smiles, “Of course.” She kneels down on one knee and takes the pen and notebook the girl is holding.

“I’m sorry about this. She just insisted on coming up to you.” The middle aged woman apologizes hastily. She looks very nervous to be standing there. She eyes Mason and Tristan cautiously before turning back to Alexia.

“It’s perfectly fine.” Alexia smiles at them, “What’s your name?” She asks the girl.

“Samantha.” She tells her shyly.

Alex smiles brightly and signs ‘To my new friend, Samantha’ and then hands it back to her. “It’s a pleasure meeting you.” The girl smiles giddily and holds the notebook close to her chest.

Alex stands up and watches the girl head over to Danielle.

“Are you sure it’s alright?” The woman continues. Her gaze is on her daughter.

Alex nods her head, “Yeah. This happens a lot. It’s no big deal.” She assures her, “Besides, I love meeting my fans.”

The woman sighs, “I’m Claire.” She glances at Alexia for a brief second and smiles before turning back to her daughter who is now listening to a song that Danielle has on her MP3 player.

“Nice to meet you.” Alex tells her.

Tristan comes up behind her and holds his jacket in front of her face. When Alex just stares at it in confusion he says, “Can you hold this?”

Alex takes it without a verbal reply. She folds his over her arm and shuffles her feet. Behind her she can hear Finn complain about their new ride and Tristan grumble about how he doesn’t trust the bell hops to load their equipment and now he’s loading their stuff.

“Thank you so much, both of you.” Claire and Samantha wave as they leave.

“I love meeting young fans.” Danielle comes over to Alex.

“Me too.” Alexia smiles at her and they turn to the guys.

“No! That isn’t going to work you candy-ass.” Finn yells as Tristan as he shoves him out of the way to move his bass in a different position.

Alex rolls her eyes, “Do you need help?”

“No!” All of the guys besides Mason chorus.

“Men and their egos.” Alex rolls her eyes and Danielle laughs.

“Who’s driving?” Danielle starts to put her headphones back on.

“Tristan or Jordan.” Finn interjects. They guys have finished packing everything and everyone has started to climb inside the black hummer.

Tristan rolls his eyes, “We can rotate. I’ll start.”

Alex climbs into the passenger’s seat and pulls out her map. “I’ve traced out route in green.” She points to the green highlighted line that runs out of Massachusetts and into New York.

“How long will it take?” Danielle asks from the middle seat.

“About 4 hours.” Alex pauses for a second, “But with all of the bathroom breaks and the dinner break we’ll have we’ll be there by 8 or 9.”

Danielle groans loudly as she leans back in her seat, leans against the pillow she brought, and closes her eyes.

Alex grins and turns back to Tristan. “Can I have control over the radio?”

“Depends on what you put in.” Tristan turns on the engine and starts to back up.

“Collective soul, babe.” Finn yells out his suggestion.

Alex nods in agreement, “That’s what I was thinking too.” She puts in one of her favorite CD’s and leans back into her seat.

“And let the games begin.” Tristan mumbles under his breath as they pull out into the street.

EXOTIC

“We’re lost aren’t we?” Alex grumbles at Tristan. It’s starting to get dark and she has no idea where they are at. She had fallen asleep a few hours prior and Tristan apparently took a wrong turn.

Tristan groans, “We are not lost.”

“Then where are we?” Alex scoffs at him.

Tristan rolls his eyes at her, “How am I supposed to know! You’re the one with the map.”

“Don’t mock my map.” Alex warns him. Her voice isn’t a rough as his.

“Well then make it tell us where we’re at because I’m lost.” Tristan yells at her.

“So you admit we’re lost?” Alex punches the air with triumph.

Finn groans in the back, “That’s not something to be happy about dime.”

Danielle leans forward, “Can we demesne of the drama please. I’m trying to sleep back here.”

“I’d be happy to Dani but ‘Mr. I can handle everything myself’ is being difficult.” Alexia folds her arms across her chest and stubbornly leans back into her seat.

“I’m being difficult?” Tristan barks at her.

“You know I think I should drive now.” Jordan unbuckles himself and starts to get out of his seat. He either wants to stop the yelling or he just wants to drive the hummer. Alex bets it’s the ladder.

Tristan roughly pulls over to the side of the road. “Fine! Whatever! Do what you want!” He parks, pulls open his door, and slams it shut.

Alex tries to get comfortable again as Jordan climbs into the drivers seat but she can’t seem to get situated.

“Doll, why don’t you climb in the back? You fidgeting isn’t going to help me concentrate on the road.” Jordan gestures to the back seat with his head.

Alex doesn’t reply. She simply nods her head, unbuckles herself, and starts to climb out of her seat.

“I’ll take the front.” Mason says in barely over a whisper. His voice is husky and rough. His piercing gaze meets Alex’s as they pass each other in the aisle.

“Thanks.” Alex mumbles to Mason. She glances up as she rests her hand on the back of the middle seat. She can see Tristan glaring at her from his seat. She glares back at him for a second before tearing her eyes away.

“Come here Al.” Finn rests his hands on either side of her hips after she stumbled over one of the bags in the aisle. He gently guides her over to her seat in-between him and Tris.

As soon as she sits down she rests her head on Finn’s shoulder and closes her eyes.

“You have to buckle up.” Finn whispers to her. His breath is hot against her neck and raises the hair on her neck.

Alex moans her objection and she curls into a ball. Finn frowns slightly before relaxing again as Alex leans further into him. Finn wraps his arm over her shoulders as she adjusts herself until she’s comfortable. In a matter of minutes she’s asleep.